System and method for determining earth-moving cell reference location in a non-terrestrial network

Abstract

A method for determining by a user equipment (UE), an earth-moving cell reference location in a non-terrestrial network (NTN) is provided. The method may comprise receiving a first system information broadcast message from the NTN node while the UE is camped on the NTN; initiating a timer in response to receiving the first system information broadcast message; obtaining a plurality of system parameters from the first system information broadcast message; triggering a request for acquisition of a second system information broadcast message to the NTN node based on the obtained plurality of system parameters and an instantaneous location of the UE; receiving the second system information broadcast message from the NTN node; and determining the earth-moving cell reference location based on the second system information broadcast message.

Description

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETERMINING EARTH-MOVING CELL REFERENCE LOCATION IN A NON-TERRESTRIAL NETWORK

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to the field of wireless communication systems. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a system and method for determining and updating Earth-moving cell reference location in Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN).

[0002] Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) have emerged as a crucial component in modern telecommunications infrastructure, facilitating connectivity solutions via satellite communications. The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Release 18 has introduced provisions for Earth-moving service links, enabling communication between NTN-gNodeB (NTN Base Station) and User Equipment (UE) for the transmission of NTN payloads within an NTN framework.

[0003] Earth-moving service links are established through beams that dynamically cover areas of the Earth's surface, particularly in scenarios involving Non-Geostationary Orbit (NGSO) satellites that utilize fixed or non-steerable beams. An Earth-moving cell is defined as an NTN cell that traverses the ground, supported by beams whose coverage area shifts across the Earth's surface, as illustrated in Figure 1A and Figure 2A.

[0004] The introduction of Earth-moving cells in NTN systems necessitated the development of movingReferenceLocation Information Element (IE) (location reference parameter) in System Information Block 19 (SIB19). The movingReferenceLocation IE provides the reference location of the serving cell of an NTN Earth-moving system at a specific time reference. The time reference for movingReferenceLocation is indicated by epchTime (reference time) parameter in non-Config (network configuration) of the serving cell, which is also received in SIB19.

[0005] A significant limitation exists in the current framework wherein the movingReferenceLocation field is excluded when determining changes in system information. Changes to movingReferenceLocation neither result in system information change notifications nor trigger a modification of valueTag (version indicator) in System Information Block 1 (SIB1). This implementation creates potential challenges in maintaining accurate location information, as depicted in Figure 1B and Figure 2B.

[0006] In the current framework, upon receiving SIB19 in the NTN cell, the UE in RRC_CONNECTED state (Radio Resource Control Connected state) initiates or restarts timer T430 (validity timer) for the serving cell. The timer value is set to ntn-UlSyncValidityDuration (uplink synchronization validity duration) for the serving cell from the subframe indicated by epochTime. The UE should attempt to re-acquire SIB19 before the expiration of T430 duration, however, the precise trigger point for this re-acquisition is left to UE implementation.

[0007] Further, evaluation of EventD2 (Distance Event D2) and CondEventD2 (Conditional Distance Event D2) criteria relies heavily on accurate serving cell reference location information. EventD2 and CondEventD2 are triggered when the distance between UE and serving cell moving reference location exceeds defined thresholds. The accuracy of these evaluations depends directly on the validity of the serving cell reference location maintained by the UE.

[0008] Furthermore, during cell re-selection in Earth-moving systems, the UE's ability to maintain a valid serving cell reference location becomes crucial. The serving cell reference location is derived based on serving satellite ephemeris (orbital parameters), epochTime, and movingReferenceLocation parameters. However, the current implementation leaves the maintenance of this valid serving cell reference location entirely to UE implementation.

[0009] A critical problem arises when the Earth Moving Cell's movingReferenceLocationchanges during the T430 duration. Since the gNB (Base Station) does not indicate such changes to the UE, the UE continues to operate with outdated movingReferenceLocation information until it independently triggers a re-acquisition of SIB19. This scenario may lead to inaccurate distance calculations and potentially incorrect event evaluations.

[0010] Some conventional approaches have been proposed to address these challenges. One conventional approach involves pausing and resuming the T430 timer when the UE) transitions from a serving NTN cell to a target NTN cell via Radio Resource Control (RRC) reconfiguration during a handover process. In this framework, the UE reinitializes the T430 timer with updated values pertinent to the target NTN cell, emphasizing effective timer management throughout cell transition events.

[0011] Another conventional method addresses the transmission of multiple continuous reference positions over a specified duration. This approach accounts for variations in coverage range due to satellite movement, allowing the UE to determine the reference position of the cell based on continuous reference positions. The method concentrates on modifying system information to transmit continuous reference position updates, requiring significant changes to existing system information blocks.

[0012] Another conventional approach involves UE receiving the T430 validity timer along with positioning sounding reference signal (SRS, uplink reference signal) configuration parameters. This method focuses on SRS positioning in an RRC_INACTIVE state (Radio Resource Control Inactive state) for NTN cells and manages the transmission of positioning SRS via at least one positioning SRS resource based on the validity timer.

[0013] However, these conventional approaches present several limitations. The existing methods primarily focus on timer management during cell transitions rather than addressing the fundamental challenge of maintaining accurate movingReferenceLocationinformation. Further, conventional solutions often require modifications to system information block structures, which may impact backward compatibility and increase system complexity. Furthermore, current approaches do not provide an efficient mechanism for predicting updates in movingReferenceLocation for Earth moving cells while maintaining compatibility with existing SIB19 information. Furthermore, the conventional methods lack prediction capabilities for anticipating changes in reference location, potentially leading to service degradation during critical operations. Furthermore, existing solutions do not adequately address the challenge of maintaining accurate location information without requiring continuous system information updates.

[0014] Therefore, there exists a need to overcome one or more above-mentioned challenges.

[0015] This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts, in a simplified format, that are further described in the detailed description of the invention. This summary is neither intended to identify key or essential inventive concepts of the invention nor is it intended for determining the scope of the invention.

[0016] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for determining, by a user equipment (UE), an earth-moving cell reference location in a non-terrestrial network (NTN) is disclosed. The method may comprise receiving a first system information broadcast message from an NTN node while the UE is camped on the NTN. The method may comprise initiating a timer in response to receiving the first system information broadcast (SIB-19) message. The method may comprise obtaining a plurality of system parameters from the first system information broadcast (SIB-19) message. The method may comprise triggering a request for acquisition of a second system information broadcast message (SIB-19) to the NTN node based on the obtained plurality of system parameters and an instantaneous location of the UE. The method may comprise receiving the second system information broadcast message (SIB-19) from the NTN node. The method may comprise determining the earth-moving cell reference location based on the second system information broadcast message.

[0017] The plurality of system parameters may comprise at least one of an uplink synchronization validity duration, a reference location of a serving cell, a change in distance between an earth-moving satellite position and the UE, a common drift rate, or a distance threshold from a fixed reference location.

[0018] The timer may correspond to a T430 timer based on an uplink synchronization validity duration associated with the first system information broadcast message.

[0019] The method may comprise determining a threshold value based on the obtained plurality of system parameters; and determining if a value of a change in difference between the instantaneous location of the UE and a reference location of a serving cell, is more than or equal to the determined threshold and less than a distance threshold from a fixed reference location. Triggering the request for acquisition of the second system information broadcast message to the NTN node may comprises triggering the request for acquisition of the second system information broadcast message based on determining that the value of the change in difference between the instantaneous location of the UE and the reference location of the serving cell, is more than the determined threshold and less than the distance threshold from a fixed reference location.

[0020] Each of the first system information broadcast message and the second system broadcast message may correspond to a system information block (SIB)-19 message.

[0021] The method may comprise generating an acquisition indicator based on at least one of the plurality of system parameters, an instantaneous value of the timer, the instantaneous location of the UE, and a pre-defined time constant through a time series based artificial intelligence model. Triggering the request for acquisition of the second system information broadcast message to the NTN node may comprise triggering the request for acquisition of a second system information broadcast message to the NTN node based on the acquisition indicator.

[0022] The instantaneous value of the timer may correspond to a time elapsed since the initiation of the timer.

[0023] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a user equipment (UE) for determining an earth-moving cell reference location in a non-terrestrial network (NTN) is disclosed. The UE may comprise memory storing instructions; and at least one processor operably coupled to the memory. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, may cause the UE to receive a first system information broadcast message from the NTN node (102) while the UE (104) is camped on the NTN. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, may cause the UE to initiate a timer in response to receiving the first system information broadcast message. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, may cause the UE to obtain a plurality of system parameters from the first system information broadcast message. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, may cause the UE to trigger a request for acquisition of a second system information broadcast message to the NTN node based on the obtained plurality of system parameters and an instantaneous location of the UE. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, may cause the UE to receive the second system information broadcast message from the NTN node. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, may cause the UE to determine the earth-moving cell reference location based on the second system information broadcast message.

[0024] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions is provided. The instructions, when executed by at least one processor of a user equipment (UE) individually or collectively, may cause the UE to receive a first system information broadcast message from the NTN node (102) while the UE (104) is camped on the NTN. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, may cause the UE to initiate a timer in response to receiving the first system information broadcast message. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, may cause the UE to obtain a plurality of system parameters from the first system information broadcast message. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, may cause the UE to trigger a request for acquisition of a second system information broadcast message to the NTN node based on the obtained plurality of system parameters and an instantaneous location of the UE. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, may cause the UE to receive the second system information broadcast message from the NTN node. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, may cause the UE to determine the earth-moving cell reference location based on the second system information broadcast message.

[0025] To further clarify the advantages and features of the present invention, a more particular description of the invention will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof, which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is appreciated that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope. The invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail in the accompanying drawings.

[0026] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein:

[0027] Figure 1A is a schematic diagram illustrating a loss-of-service experienced by a user equipment due to erroneous location based measurement, according to prior art;

[0028] Figure 1B is a signal flow diagram illustrating the loss-of-service experienced by the user equipment due to erroneous location based measurement, according to prior art;

[0029] Figure 2A is a schematic diagram illustrating the loss-of-service experienced by the user equipment after going out of coverage of earth-moving cell, according to prior art;

[0030] Figure 2B is a signal flow diagram illustrating the loss-of-service experienced by the user equipment after going out of coverage of earth-moving cell, according to prior art;

[0031] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an environment for determining an earth-moving cell reference location in a non-terrestrial network, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0032] Figure 4 is a schematic block diagram of a system for determining the earth-moving cell reference location in the non-terrestrial network, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0033] Figure 5 illustrates a process flow associated with a correlation module of the system, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0034] Figure 6 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a time series based artificial intelligence model associated with an acquisition indicator generation module of the system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0035] Figure 7 illustrates a process flow associated with an acquisition request triggering module if the system, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0036] Figure 8A is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary use case of the system, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0037] Figure 8B is a signal flow diagram illustrating an exemplary use case of the system, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0038] Figure 8C illustrates two comparative timelines depicting performance of the user equipment with and without implementing the system, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0039] Figure 8D illustrates two comparative timelines depicting performance of the user equipment with and without implementing the system, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0040] Figure 9A illustrates a flowchart with a state diagram depicting a method for determining the earth-moving cell reference location in the non-terrestrial network, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0041] Figure 9B illustrates a flowchart with a state diagram depicting a method for determining the earth-moving cell reference location in the non-terrestrial network, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0042] Figure 10 illustrates a flow chart depicting a method for determining the earth-moving cell reference location in the non-terrestrial network, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0043] Figure 11 illustrates a flow chart depicting a method for determining the earth-moving cell reference location in the non-terrestrial network, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0044] Further, skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the drawings are illustrated for simplicity and may not have necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the flow charts illustrate the method in terms of the most prominent steps involved to help to improve understanding of aspects of the present invention. Furthermore, in terms of the construction of the device, one or more components of the device may have been represented in the drawings by conventional symbols, and the drawings may show only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the drawings with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.

[0045] For the purpose of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the various embodiments and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended, such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated system, and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates.

[0046] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are explanatory of the invention and are not intended to be restrictive thereof.

[0047] Reference throughout this specification to "an aspect," "another aspect" or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrase "in an embodiment," "in another embodiment" and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment.

[0048] The terms "comprises", "comprising", or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process or method that comprises a list of steps does not include only those steps but may include other steps not expressly listed or inherent to such process or method. Similarly, one or more devices or sub-systems or elements or structures or components proceeded by "comprises... a" does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other devices or other sub-systems or other elements or other structures or other components or additional devices or additional sub-systems or additional elements or additional structures or additional components.

[0049] The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. Also, the various embodiments described herein are not necessarily mutually exclusive, as some embodiments can be combined with one or more other embodiments to form new embodiments. The term "or" as used herein, refers to a non-exclusive or unless otherwise indicated. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein can be practiced and to further enable those skilled in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.

[0050] As is traditional in the field, embodiments may be described and illustrated in terms of blocks that carry out a described function or functions. These blocks, which may be referred to herein as units or modules or the like, are physically implemented by analog or digital circuits such as logic gates, integrated circuits, microprocessors, microcontrollers, memory circuits, passive electronic components, active electronic components, optical components, hardwired circuits, or the like, and may optionally be driven by firmware and software. Each block of the embodiments may be physically separated into two or more interacting and discrete blocks without departing from the scope of the invention. Likewise, the blocks of the embodiments may be physically combined into more complex blocks without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0051] The accompanying drawings are used to help easily understand various technical features and it should be understood that the embodiments presented herein are not limited by the accompanying drawings. As such, the present disclosure should be construed to extend to any alterations, equivalents, and substitutes in addition to those which are particularly set out in the accompanying drawings. Although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are generally only used to distinguish one element from another.

[0052] Figure 1A is a schematic diagram illustrating a loss-of-service experienced by a user equipment due to erroneous location based measurement, according to prior art. Figure 1B is a signal flow diagram illustrating the loss-of-service experienced by the user equipment due to erroneous location based measurement, according to prior art.

[0053] Referring to Figure 1A, a non-terrestrial network (NTN) may include an earth-moving cell (gNB) 110, and an NTN node 102. A user equipment 104 may be located within a coverage area of the earth-moving cell 110. The earth-moving cell 110 may be associated with an old earth-moving cell reference location 106. The old earth-moving cell reference location 106 may represent a previous reference point for the earth-moving cell 110. The earth-moving cell 110 may move to a new position, resulting in a new earth-moving cell reference location 108.

[0054] Referring to Figure 1B, the user equipment 104 may experience various communication scenarios with the earth-moving cell 110. At step 112, the NTN node 102 may transmit a system information block-19 (SIB-19) message containing a moving reference location (old earth-moving cell reference location 106) of the earth-moving cell 110. Upon receiving the SIB-19 message, the user equipment 104 may acquire the SIB-19 message, restart a T430 timer, and start performing location-based evaluation using the calculated serving cell reference location. At step 114, though the NTN node 102 may transmit the SIB-19 message periodically, the user equipment 104 may not perform acquisition. At step 116, the NTN node 102 may update the moving reference location (new earth-moving cell reference location 108), however, the user equipment 104 may not perform acquisition. At step 118, despite periodic transmission of SIB-19 with updated moving reference location by the NTN node 102, the user equipment 104 may not perform acquisition.

[0055] At step 120, the user equipment 104 may experience a probable loss-of-service due to erroneous location-based measurement. The erroneous location-based measurement may occur due to the continued use of serving cell reference location calculated using old moving reference location 106 by the user equipment 104. The user equipment 104 may continue to perform location-based measurements using the old serving cell reference location, leading to erroneous evaluations and ultimately resulting in the loss-of-service. At step 122, though the NTN node 102 may continue to transmit SIB-19 periodically with updated moving reference location, the user equipment 104 may decide to perform acquisition only after experiencing the loss-of-service.

[0056] The loss-of-service experienced by the user equipment 104 may lead to communication disruption between the user equipment 104 and the NTN node 102. The communication disruption may result in degraded quality of service and user experience.

[0057] Figure 2A is a schematic diagram illustrating the loss-of-service experienced by the user equipment after going out of coverage of earth-moving cell, according to prior art. Figure 2B is a signal flow diagram illustrating the loss-of-service experienced by the user equipment after going out of coverage of earth-moving cell, according to prior art.

[0058] Referring to Figure 2A, the NTN may include the earth-moving cell (gNB) 110, and the NTN node 102. The user equipment 104 may be located at a cell edge within the coverage area of the earth-moving cell 110. The earth-moving cell 110 may be associated with the old earth-moving cell reference location 106. The old earth-moving cell reference location 106 may represent the previous reference point for the earth-moving cell 110. Due to satellite motion, the earth-moving cell 110 may move from a first position to a second position, resulting in the new earth-moving cell reference location 108.

[0059] Referring to Figure 2B, the user equipment 104 may experience various communication scenarios with the earth-moving cell 110. At step 202, the NTN node 102 may transmit the system information block-19 (SIB-19) message containing the moving reference location of the earth-moving cell 110. At step 204, though the NTN node 102 may transmit the SIB-19 message periodically, the user equipment 104 may not perform acquisition. At step 206, the NTN node 102 may update the moving reference location, however, the user equipment 104 may not perform acquisition. At step 208, despite periodic transmission of SIB-19 with updated moving reference location by the NTN node 102, the user equipment 104 may not perform acquisition.

[0060] At step 210, the user equipment 104 may experience a probable loss-of-service after going out of coverage of the earth-moving cell since the user equipment 104 may be at the cell edge. The loss-of-service may occur due to the continued use of serving cell reference location calculated using old moving reference location by the user equipment 104 for measurements, while being stationary at the cell edge. At step 212, though the NTN node 102 may continue to transmit SIB-19 periodically with updated moving reference location, the user equipment 104 may decide to perform acquisition only after experiencing the loss-of-service.

[0061] The loss-of-service experienced by the user equipment 104 may lead to communication disruption between the user equipment 104 and the NTN node 102. The communication disruption may result in degraded quality of service and user experience. Further, performing location-based measurement based on the old movingReferenceLocation 106 may lead to misleading and erroneous evaluation of EventD2 (Distance Event D2) and CondEventD2 (Conditional Distance Event D2), handover operations, cell-reselection operations.

[0062] Described herein is a technique for determining the Earth-moving cell reference location in the Non-Terrestrial Network. According to the technique disclosed herein, the UE may receive a first System Information Block 19 (SIB - 19) message from the NTN node while being camped on the NTN. The UE may extract system parameters including uplink synchronization validity duration, reference location of serving cell, distance between Earth-moving satellite position and UE, common drift rate, and distance threshold from a fixed reference location. Based on the extracted system parameters and an instantaneous value of the timer, the UE determines a threshold value. The UE correlates its instantaneous location with the determined threshold value and the system parameters to trigger acquisition of a second SIB - 19 message. Using the second SIB - 19 message, the UE determines the updated Earth-moving cell reference location. Thus, the present disclosure provides an efficient mechanism for maintaining accurate reference location information in Earth-moving cells by predicting when updates are needed, thereby reducing service degradation and ensuring reliable communication in satellite-based networks.

[0063] A detailed methodology is explained in the following paragraphs of the disclosure.

[0064] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an environment for determining the earth-moving cell reference location in the non-terrestrial network, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0065] The environment 300 may include the NTN node 102 in communication with the UE 104. The NTN node 102 may be configured to provide network coverage through an earth-moving cell.

[0066] The communication between the NTN node 102 and the UE 104 may be established using wireless communication standards such as but not limited to fifth generation (5G) or sixth generation (6G). The communication may include transmission of system information using New Radio (NR) protocols. The communication may implement advanced features and cutting-edge technologies suitable for satellite-based communication, for instance, Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO).

[0067] The UE 104 may be any electronic device capable of establishing wireless communication with the non-terrestrial network node 102. The UE 104 may include, but may not be limited to, a mobile phone, a smartphone, a tablet, a laptop, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, or a machine-type communication (MTC) device.

[0068] The environment 300 may include a system 302 implemented in the UE 104. The system 302 may be configured to determine the earth-moving cell reference location in the non-terrestrial network. The system 302 may be implemented as a hardware module, a software module, or a combination thereof within the user equipment 104.

[0069] The NTN node 102 may broadcast system information containing an old earth-moving cell reference location 106. The old earth-moving cell reference location 106 may represent a previous reference point for the earth-moving cell. The earth-moving cell may move to a new position due to satellite motion, resulting in a new earth-moving cell reference location 108.

[0070] The system 302 may be configured to determine when to acquire updated system information containing the new earth-moving cell reference location 108. The system 302 may prevent loss-of-service scenarios by timely acquisition of updated system information.

[0071] Figure 4 is a schematic block diagram of a system for determining the earth-moving cell reference location in the non-terrestrial network, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0072] The system 302 may include but is not limited to, a processor 402, a memory 404, modules 406, and data 408. The modules 406 and the memory 404 may be coupled to the processor 402.

[0073] The processor 402 may be a single processing unit or several units, all of which could include multiple computing units. The processor 402 may be implemented as one or more microprocessors, microcomputers, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, central processing units, state machines, logic circuitries, and / or any devices that manipulate signals based on operational instructions. Among other capabilities, the processor 402 may be adapted to fetch and execute computer-readable instructions and data stored in the memory 404.

[0074] The memory 404 may include any non-transitory computer-readable medium known in the art including, for example, volatile memory, such as static random-access memory (SRAM) and dynamic random-access memory (DRAM), and / or non-volatile memory, such as read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable ROM, flash memories, hard disks, optical disks, and magnetic tapes. The memory 404 may alternatively be referred to as a database in the present disclosure, within the scope of the invention.

[0075] The modules 406, amongst other things, include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc., which perform particular tasks or implement data types. The modules 406 may also be implemented as signal processor(s), state machine(s), logic circuitries, and / or any other device or component that manipulates signals based on operational instructions.

[0076] Further, the modules 406 may be implemented in hardware, instructions executed by a processing unit, or by a combination thereof. The processor 402 can comprise a computer, a processor, a state machine, a logic array, or any other suitable devices capable of processing instructions. The processing unit can be a general-purpose processor (e.g., processor 402) which executes instructions to cause the general-purpose processor to perform the required tasks, or the processing unit can be dedicated to performing the required functions. In another embodiment of the present disclosure, the modules 406 may be machine-readable instructions (software) which, when executed by the processor 402 / processing unit, perform any of the described functionalities / methods, as discussed throughout the present disclosure.

[0077] Furthermore, the modules 406 may be implemented through an artificial intelligence (AI) model. A function associated with AI may be performed through the non-volatile memory, the volatile memory, and the processor.

[0078] The processor 402 may include one or a plurality of processors. At this time, one or a plurality of processors may be a general purpose processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU), an application processor (AP), or the like, a graphics-only processing unit such as a graphics processing unit (GPU), a visual processing unit (VPU), and / or an AI-dedicated processor such as a neural processing unit (NPU).

[0079] The one or the plurality of processors control the processing of the input data in accordance with a predefined operating rule or artificial intelligence (AI) model stored in the non-volatile memory and the volatile memory. The predefined operating rule or artificial intelligence model is provided through training or learning.

[0080] Here, being provided through learning means that, by applying a learning algorithm to a plurality of learning data, a predefined operating rule or AI model of a desired characteristic is made. The learning may be performed in a device itself in which the AI according to an embodiment is performed and may be implemented through a separate server / system.

[0081] The AI model may consist of a plurality of neural network layers. Each layer has a plurality of weight values and performs a layer operation through the calculation of a previous layer and an operation of a plurality of weights. Examples of neural networks include but are not limited to, convolutional neural network (CNN), deep neural network (DNN), recurrent neural network (RNN), restricted Boltzmann Machine (RBM), deep belief network (DBN), bidirectional recurrent deep neural network (BRDNN), generative adversarial networks (GAN), and deep Q-networks.

[0082] The learning algorithm is a method for training a predetermined target device (for example, a robot) using a plurality of learning data to cause, allow, or control the target device to make a determination or prediction. Examples of learning algorithms include, but are not limited to, supervised learning, unsupervised learning, semi-supervised learning, or reinforcement learning.

[0083] In an embodiment, the modules 406 may include a receiving module 410, a timer initiation module 412, an extraction module 414, a threshold determination module 416, a correlation module 418, an acquisition indicator generation module 420, an acquisition request triggering module 422, and an earth-moving cell reference location determination module 424. The receiving module 410, the timer initiation module 412, the extraction module 414, the threshold determination module 416, the correlation module 418, the acquisition indicator generation module 420, the acquisition request triggering module 422, and the earth-moving cell reference location determination module 424 may be in communication with each other. The data 408 serves, amongst other things, as a repository for storing data processed, received, and generated by one or more of the modules 406.

[0084] In an embodiment, the receiving module 410 may be configured to receive, the first system information broadcast message from the NTN while the UE is camped on the NTN. Further, the receiving module 410 may be configured to receive the second system information broadcast message from the NTN.

[0085] In an embodiment, the timer initiation module 412 may be configured to initiate a timer in response to receiving the first system information broadcast message.

[0086] In an embodiment, the extraction module 414 may be configured to extract the plurality of system parameters from the first system information broadcast message.

[0087] In an embodiment, the threshold determination module 416 may be configured to determine the threshold value based on the extracted plurality of system parameters and an instantaneous value of the timer.

[0088] In an embodiment, the correlation module 418 may be configured to correlate an instantaneous location of the UE with the determined threshold value, and the plurality of system parameters.

[0089] In an embodiment, the acquisition indicator generation module 420 may be configured to generate an acquisition indicator based on at least one of the plurality of system parameters, an instantaneous value of the timer, an instantaneous location of the UE, and a pre-defined time constant through a time series based artificial intelligence model.

[0090] In an embodiment, the acquisition request triggering module 422 may be configured to trigger a request for acquisition of the second system information broadcast message to the NTN based on the correlation. The acquisition request triggering module 422 may be configured to trigger the request for acquisition of the second system information broadcast message to the NTN based on the acquisition indicator.

[0091] In an embodiment, the earth-moving cell reference location determination module 424 may be configured to determine the earth-moving cell reference location based on the second system information broadcast message.

[0092] In an embodiment, the receiving module 410 may be configured to receive the first system information broadcast message from the NTN while the UE 104 is camped on the NTN. The NTN node 102 may broadcast the system information periodically to the UE 104 within the coverage area of the earth-moving cell 110. The system information broadcast message may correspond to a System Information Block-19 (SIB-19) message.

[0093] The SIB-19 message may include the plurality of system parameters. The SIB-19 message may include, but not limited to, an uplink synchronization validity duration associated with the earth-moving cell, a reference location of the serving cell, and a distance between the earth-moving satellite position and the UE. The message may further include, but not limited to, a common drift rate of the earth-moving cell and a distance threshold from a fixed reference location. The SIB-19 message may also contain mobility parameters specific to the earth-moving cell, timing advance parameters for the earth-moving cell, and cell-specific offset values for location-based measurements. Additionally, the SIB-19 message may include periodicity information for system information broadcast and validity time duration for the moving reference location.

[0094] In an embodiment, the timer initiation module 412 may be configured to initiate the timer in response to receiving the first system information broadcast message. The timer may correspond to a T430 timer based on the uplink synchronization validity duration associated with the first system information broadcast message.

[0095] In an embodiment, the extraction module 414 may be configured to extract the plurality of system parameters from the first system information broadcast message. The plurality of system parameters may include at least one of an uplink synchronization validity duration, a reference location of a serving cell, a distance between an earth-moving satellite position and the UE, a common drift rate, and a distance threshold from a fixed reference location.

[0096] The uplink synchronization validity duration may be represented by ntn-UlSyncValidityDuration parameter provided in the SIB - 19 message. The parameter may be used to calculate T_ratio_T430_ULsync. The T_ratio_T430_ULsync may represent the ratio of the instantaneous value of T430 timer with respect to the ntn-UlSyncValidityDuration. T_ratio_T430_ULsync may be unitless and the value may increase with increasing T430 timer instantaneous value.

[0097] The reference location of the serving cell may be represented by movingReferenceLocation parameter received in the SIB - 19 message. The movingReferenceLocation may provide the reference location of the serving cell of an NTN Earth moving system at a time reference (epochTime). The parameter may remain constant for T430 timer duration until SIB - 19 re-acquisition.

[0098] The distance between the earth-moving satellite position and the UE may be represented by Sat_posparameter. The satellite position may be represented by PositionVelocity-r17 Information Element (IE) in EphemerisInfo-r17 IE of NTN-Config-r17 in SIB - 19. The parameter may remain constant for T430 timer duration until SIB - 19 re-acquisition.

[0099] The common drift rate may be represented by ta-CommonDrift IE received in NTN-Config-r17 in SIB - 19. The TA-drift parameter may be indicative of drift rate of the timing advanced value as set by Earth Moving Cell gNB. The parameter may be unitless and may remain constant for T430 timer duration until SIB - 19 re-acquisition.

[0100] The distance threshold from a fixed reference location may be represented by distanceThreshFromReference1-r18 IE. The Distance_to_triggerD2 parameter may represent the distance from a fixed reference location to initiate Cond- / EventD2 evaluation. The fixed reference location may be determined by the UE based on movingReferenceLocation.

[0101] The extraction module 414 may also be configured to extract Earth Moving Cell signal conditions including Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ), Signal-to-Interference-plus-Noise Ratio (SINR), and Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI). These parameters may represent the instantaneous Earth Moving Cell signal conditions.

[0102] In an embodiment, the threshold determination module 416 may be configured to determine the threshold value based on the extracted plurality of system parameters and an instantaneous value of the timer. The threshold determination module 416 may determine a defined threshold value using the equation 1.

[0103] ...Equation (1)

[0104] The variables 'A' and 'B' in the equation (1) may be configurable parameters. The variables may be modified manually based on network requirements or may be determined through an artificial intelligence-based method. The Sat_pos parameter may represent the distance between Earth-Moving satellite position and UE at the start of T430 timer. The TA_drift parameter may be indicative of drift rate of the timing advanced value. The T_ratio_T430_ULsync parameter may represent the ratio of the instantaneous value of T430 timer with respect to the ntn-UlSyncValidityDuration. The instantaneous value of the timer corresponds to a time elapsed since the initiation of the timer.

[0105] The threshold value may decrease with an increasing T430 timer value due to an increase in the denominator component T_ratio_T430_ULsync. The inverse relationship between the defined threshold value and the T430 timer value may ensure that the probability of re-acquisition of SIB - 19 to update movingReferenceLocation increases with increasing T430 timer value. The threshold determination module 416 may dynamically update the threshold value based on the changing instantaneous value of the timer.

[0106] In an embodiment, the correlation module 418 may be configured to correlate the instantaneous location of the UE with the determined threshold value, and the plurality of system parameters. The correlation module 418 may be configured to calculate a parameter 'dx', which may represent the change in distance between movingReferenceLocation of currently serving Earth Moving Cell and UE within the T430 duration. The dx parameter may be calculated by the UE based on the distance between an instantaneous UE location and the movingReferenceLocation IE provided in SIB - 19. The instantaneous UE location may be obtained through Global Positioning System (GPS).

[0107] Figure 5 illustrates a process flow 500 associated with a correlation module of the system, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In an embodiment, at block 502, the process flow 500 may involve determining if a value of the change in difference between the instantaneous location of the UE and the reference location of the serving cell (dx) may be more than or equal to the determined threshold (Threshold_value) and less than the distance threshold from a fixed reference location (Distance_to_triggerD2).

[0108] Further, at block 504, the process flow 500 may involve correlating the instantaneous location of the UE with the determined threshold value, and the plurality of system parameters based on the determination that the value of dx may be more than or equal to the Threshold_value and less than the Distance_to_triggerD2.

[0109] The correlation module 418 may indicate a first correlation if the dx is greater than or equal to Threshold_value and less than the Distance_to_triggerD2. The first correlation corresponds to triggering the reacquisition of system information block-19. Further, the correlation module 418 may indicate a second correlation if the dx is less than Threshold_value. The second correlation corresponds to no need for triggering reacquisition of system information block-19. Furthermore, the correlation module 418 may indicate a third correlation if the dx is greater than or equal to Distance_to_triggerD2. The third correlation corresponds to no need for triggering reacquisition of system information block-19 and the system 302 may directly initiate normal Condition / Event D2 evaluation.

[0110] Referring again to Figure 2, the acquisition indicator generation module 420 may be configured to generate the acquisition indicator based on at least one of the plurality of system parameters, the instantaneous value of the timer, the instantaneous location of the UE, and the pre-defined time constant through the time series based artificial intelligence model.

[0111] Figure 6 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a time series based artificial intelligence model associated with the acquisition indicator generation module of the system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The artificial intelligence model 600 may be a Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) configured to determine if system information block-19 (SIB - 19) re-acquisition may be desirable in the next pre-defined time units. The pre-defined time may be represented by constant 'T'. The pre-defined time constant 'T' may represent a future time window for which the model predicts the necessity of SIB - 19 re-acquisition. The value of 'T' may be determined empirically through model evaluation and experimentation.

[0112] The artificial intelligence model 600 may include an LSTM RNN network 602 configured to process multiple input parameters as time series data. The LSTM RNN network 602 may receive multiple continuous variables as time-series inputs. The LSTM RNN network 602 may process the dx parameter representing the change in distance between movingReferenceLocation of currently serving Earth Moving Cell and UE within the T430 duration. The LSTM RNN network 602 may further process T_ratio_T430_ULsync parameter representing the ratio of instantaneous value of T430 timer with respect to ntn-UlSyncValidityDuration. The Sat_pos parameter representing the distance between Earth-Moving satellite position and UE at the start of T430 timer may be provided as input to the LSTM RNN network 602.

[0113] The LSTM RNN network 602 may additionally process the TA-drift parameter indicative of drift rate of the timing advanced value, and the Distance_to_triggerD2 parameter representing the distance from a fixed reference location. The LSTM RNN network 602 may also receive Earth Moving Cell signal conditions as inputs, including Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ), Signal-to-Interference-plus-Noise Ratio (SINR), and Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI).

[0114] In the illustrated LSTM RNN network 602, the component 'V' may represent a weight matrix associated with an output of the LSTM RNN network 602. The component 'W' may represent a weight matrix associated with a hidden state information from previous time steps in the LSTM RNN network 602. Further, the component 'U' may represent the weight matrix associated with input data. Further, the component 'h' may represent the hidden state of the LSTM RNN network 602. The hidden state may maintain the temporal information across time steps. Furthermore, the component 'x' may represent the input features at the current time step. Furthermore, the component 'o' may represent the output layer that may generate the acquisition indicator 604. The acquisition indicator 604 may indicate whether SIB - 19 re-acquisition or movingReferenceLocation update may be desirable in the next 'T' time units.

[0115] The acquisition indicator generation module 420 may be configured to determine a hyperparameter of the LSTM RNN network 602 through extensive evaluation of model results and experimentation. The hyperparameters may include, but may not be limited to, the time constant 'T', the number of LSTM layers, the number of neurons in each layer, and the selection of input features.

[0116] The artificial intelligence model 600 may process these time-series inputs through the LSTM RNN network 602 to generate the acquisition indicator 604. The acquisition indicator 604 may be a categorical output variable indicating whether SIB - 19 re-acquisition or movingReferenceLocation update may be desirable in the next 'T' time units.

[0117] Referring again to Figure 2, the acquisition request triggering module 422 may be configured to trigger a request for acquisition of the second system information broadcast message to the NTN based on the correlation. The acquisition request triggering module 422 may trigger the request for acquisition of the second system information broadcast message when the correlation module 418 indicates the first correlation. The acquisition request triggering module 422 may not trigger the request for acquisition when the correlation module 418 indicates the second correlation or the third correlation.

[0118] In another embodiment, the acquisition request triggering module 422 may be configured to trigger the request for acquisition of the second system information broadcast message to the NTN based on the acquisition indicator. The acquisition request triggering module 422 may trigger the acquisition request when the acquisition indicator indicates that SIB - 19 re-acquisition may be desirable in the next 'T' time units.

[0119] Figure 7 illustrates a process flow associated with the acquisition request triggering module of the system, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. At block 702, the process flow 700 involves triggering the request for acquisition of the second system information broadcast message based on inputs received from the correlation module 418 and the acquisition indicator generation module 420. The acquisition request triggering module 422 may transmit the acquisition request to the NTN node 102.

[0120] Referring to Figure 2, the receiving module 410 may be configured to receive the second system information broadcast message from the NTN node 102. The second system information broadcast message may correspond to a system information block-19 (SIB-19) message. The receiving module 410 may be configured to acquire the second system information broadcast message upon receiving the trigger from the acquisition request triggering module 422.

[0121] In an embodiment, the earth-moving cell reference location determination module 424 may be configured to determine the earth-moving cell reference location based on the second system information broadcast message. The earth-moving cell reference location determination module 424 may extract the updated movingReferenceLocation from the received second system information broadcast message. The updated movingReferenceLocation may represent the new reference location of the serving cell of the NTN Earth moving system at the current time reference. The determined earth-moving cell reference location may be utilized by the UE for subsequent location-based measurements and evaluations.

[0122] Figure 8A is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary use case of the system 302, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 8B is a signal flow diagram illustrating an exemplary use case of the system 302, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0123] Referring to Figure 8A, the NTN node 102 may include an earth-moving cell (gNB) 110. the user equipment 104 may receive moving reference locations (movingReferenceLocation_T, movingReferenceLocation_T+1, movingReferenceLocation_T+k) at different time instances from the earth-moving cell 110. The system 302 may determine the dx parameter value to identify when re-acquisition of SIB-19 may be necessary.

[0124] Referring to Figure 8B, the user equipment 104 may experience various communications with the earth-moving cell 110 and NTN node 102. At step 802, the NTN node 102 may transmit a system information block-19 (SIB-19) message containing a moving reference location of the earth-moving cell 110. At step 804, though the NTN node 102 may transmit the SIB-19 message periodically, the user equipment 104 may not perform acquisition. At step 806, the NTN node 102 may update the moving reference location and transmit SIB-19 periodically.

[0125] At step 808, the system may determine the necessity of SIB-19 acquisition through either the correlation module or the acquisition indicator. The determination may be based on the calculated dx parameter value. At step 810, when the NTN node 102 transmits SIB-19 periodically with updated moving reference location, the user equipment 104 may perform acquisition, ensuring continuous service availability.

[0126] The determination of need of SIB-19 acquisition may enable the user equipment 104 to maintain uninterrupted communication with the NTN node 102. This ensures optimal quality of service and enhanced user experience by preventing potential loss-of-service scenarios.

[0127] Figure 8C illustrates two comparative timelines depicting performance of the UE with and without implementing the system 302, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Timeline 800-C-1 illustrates performance of the UE 104 without implementing the system 302. Timeline 800-C-2 illustrates performance of the UE 104 after implementing the system 302. At time-block 812, the SIB-19 may be decoded by the UE 104 and T430 Timer may start. At time-block 814, the movingReferenceLocation IE may be changed by gNB but may not be notified to the UE 104. At time-block 816, due to outdated Earth Moving Cell Location, the UE 104 may perform erroneous calculation of Cell Re-selection / Cond- / EventD2, which may lead to loss-of-service due to improper location-based measurement or out-of-coverage in Earth Moving Cell Edge Scenario. At time-block 818, by existing UE implementation, SIB-19 may be re-acquired, and at 820, T430 Timer may expire. In contrast, as depicted at timeline 800-C-2, after SIB-19 decoding at time-block 812 and movingReferenceLocation IE change at time-block 814, the correlation to trigger SIB-19 re-acquisition may be satisfied at time-block 822. At time-block 824, using correlation to trigger SIB-19, the UE may perform correct accurate evaluation of Cell Re-selection / Cond- / EventD2 due to updated Earth Moving Cell Location, thereby preventing loss-of-service due to improper location-based measurement or out-of-coverage in Earth Moving Cell Edge Scenario.

[0128] Figure 8D illustrates two comparative timelines depicting performance of the UE with and without implementing the system 302, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. Timeline 800-D-1 illustrates performance of the UE 104 without implementing the system 302. Timeline 800-D-2 illustrates performance of the UE 104 after implementing the system 302. At time-block 812, the SIB-19 may be decoded by the UE 104 and T430 Timer may start. At time-block 814, the movingReferenceLocation IE may be changed by gNB but may not be notified to the UE 104. At time-block 816, due to outdated Earth Moving Cell Location, the UE 104 may perform erroneous calculation of Cell Re-selection / Cond- / EventD2, which may lead to loss-of-service due to improper location-based measurement or out-of-coverage in Earth Moving Cell Edge Scenario. At time-block 818, by existing UE implementation, SIB-19 may be re-acquired, and at time-block 820, T430 Timer may expire. In contrast, as depicted at timeline 800-D-2, after SIB-19 decoding at time-block 812 and movingReferenceLocation IE change at time-block 814, the acquisition indicator may indicate SIB-19 re-acquisition at time-block 826. At time-block 828, the UE may perform correct accurate evaluation of Cell Re-selection / Cond- / EventD2 due to updated Earth Moving Cell Location, thereby preventing loss-of-service due to improper location-based measurement or out-of-coverage in Earth Moving Cell Edge Scenario.

[0129] Figure 9A illustrates a flowchart with a state diagram depicting the method for determining the earth-moving cell reference location in the non-terrestrial network, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. At block 902, the method may begin with a START state. At block 904, a 3GPP Release 18 compliant system may be deployed in the NTN Earth Moving Cell system, and the UE may support location-based measurement initiation for Earth Moving cell system.

[0130] At block 906, the UE may perform re-acquisition of SIB-19 before T430 timer expiry, and the T430 timer may be re-started. At decision block 908, the method may evaluate whether correlation to trigger SIB-19 re-acquisition is satisfied.

[0131] If the evaluation at decision block 908 results in a YES, the method may follow loop 912 back to block 906 to perform re-acquisition of SIB-19 and restart the T430 timer. If the evaluation results in a NO, at block 910, the UE may continue to perform location-based measurement for Condition / Event D2 evaluation using serving cell reference location calculated using latest valid movingReferenceLocation IE. The method may then follow loop 916 to continue monitoring the conditions for SIB-19 re-acquisition.

[0132] Figure 9B illustrates a flowchart with a state diagram depicting the method for determining the earth-moving cell reference location in the non-terrestrial network, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. At block 902, the method may begin with a START state. At block 904, a 3GPP Release 18 compliant system may be deployed in the NTN Earth Moving Cell system, and the UE may support location-based measurement initiation for Earth Moving cell system.

[0133] At block 906, the UE may perform re-acquisition of SIB-19 before T430 timer expiry, and the T430 timer may be re-started. At decision block 918, the method may evaluate whether the acquisition indicator indicates SIB-19 re-acquisition.

[0134] If the evaluation at decision block 918 results in a YES, the method may follow loop 922 back to block 906 to perform re-acquisition of SIB-19 and restart the T430 timer. If the evaluation results in a NO, at block 920, the UE may continue to perform location-based measurement for Condition / Event D2 evaluation using serving cell reference location calculated using latest valid movingReferenceLocation IE. The method may then follow loop 924 to continue monitoring the conditions for SIB-19 re-acquisition.

[0135] Figure 10 illustrates a flow chart depicting the method 1000 for determining the earth-moving cell reference location in the non-terrestrial network (NTN), according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 1000 may be the computer-implemented method executed by the user equipment (UE) in communication with the NTN. For the sake of brevity, the constructional and operational features of the system 302 that are already explained in the description of Figs. 5-9 are not explained in detail in the description of Figure 10.

[0136] The method 1000, at step 1002, involves receiving, by the UE, the first system information broadcast message from the NTN while the UE is camped on the NTN. Thereafter, at step 1004, the method 1000 involves initiating the timer in response to receiving the first system information broadcast message. Subsequently, at step 1006, the method 1000 involves extracting the plurality of system parameters from the first system information broadcast message. The plurality of system parameters may include at least one of the uplink synchronization validity durations, the reference location of the serving cell, the distance between the earth-moving satellite position and the UE, the common drift rate, and the distance threshold from the fixed reference location.

[0137] Further, at step 1008, the method 1000 involves determining the threshold value based on the extracted plurality of system parameters and the instantaneous value of the timer. The instantaneous value of the timer may correspond to the time elapsed since the initiation of the timer. At step 1010, the method 1000 involves correlating the instantaneous location of the UE with the determined threshold value, and the plurality of system parameters. The correlation may involve determining if the value of the change in difference between the instantaneous location of the UE and the reference location of the serving cell, is more than or equal to the determined threshold and less than the distance threshold from the fixed reference location.

[0138] Subsequently, at step 1012, the method 1000 involves triggering the request for acquisition of the second system information broadcast message to the NTN based on the correlation. The request for acquisition may be triggered in response to the determination that the value of the change in difference between the instantaneous location of the UE and the reference location of the serving cell, is more than the determined threshold and less than the distance threshold from the fixed reference location. Thereafter, at step 1014, the method 1000 involves receiving the second system information broadcast message from the NTN. Finally, at step 1016, the method 1000 involves determining the earth-moving cell reference location based on the second system information broadcast message.

[0139] Figure 11 illustrates a flow chart depicting a method 1100 for determining the earth-moving cell reference location in the non-terrestrial network (NTN), according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 1100 may be the computer-implemented method executed by the UE in communication with the NTN. For the sake of brevity, constructional and operational features of the system 302 that are already explained in the description of Figs. 5-9 are not explained in detail in the description of Figure 11.

[0140] The method 1100, at step 1102, involves receiving, by the UE, the first system information broadcast message from the NTN while the UE is camped on the NTN. Thereafter, at step 1104, the method 1100 involves initiating the timer in response to receiving the first system information broadcast message. Subsequently, at step 1106, the method 1100 involves extracting the plurality of system parameters from the first system information broadcast message. The plurality of system parameters may include at least one of the uplink synchronization validity durations, the reference location of the serving cell, the distance between the earth-moving satellite position and the UE, the common drift rate, and the distance threshold from the fixed reference location.

[0141] Further, at step 1108, the method 1100 involves generating the acquisition indicator based on at least one of the plurality of system parameters, the instantaneous value of the timer, the instantaneous location of the UE, and the pre-defined time constant through the time series based artificial intelligence model. The instantaneous value of the timer may correspond to the time elapsed since the initiation of the timer.

[0142] Subsequently, at step 1110, the method 1100 involves triggering the request for acquisition of the second system information broadcast message to the NTN based on the acquisition indicator. Thereafter, at step 1112, the method 1100 involves receiving the second system information broadcast message from the NTN. Finally, at step 1114, the method 1100 involves determining the earth-moving cell reference location based on the second system information broadcast message.

[0143] At least by virtue of the aforesaid, the present subject matter may provide the following advantages:

[0144] a. The systems and methods disclosed herein provides optimal determination of movingReferenceLocation IE, thereby preventing loss-of-service scenarios by maintaining up-to-date movingReferenceLocation IE.

[0145] b. The systems and methods disclosed herein may optimize power consumption in the UE by eliminating the need for continuous SIB - 19 acquisition at every periodicity cycle, thereby implementing an energy-saving mechanism for the UE.

[0146] c. The systems and methods disclosed herein improve service continuity by maintaining accurate location-based measurements through necessary updates of movingReferenceLocation IE, thereby enhancing the overall user experience in the NTN system.

[0147] d. The systems and methods disclosed herein enhance connected mode mobility performance by determining optimal timing for SIB - 19 acquisition, thereby preventing data interruption during handover between NTN cells.

[0148] While specific language has been used to describe the disclosure, any limitations arising on account of the same are not intended. As would be apparent to a person in the art, various working modifications may be made to the method in order to implement the inventive concept as taught herein.

[0149] The drawings and the forgoing description give examples of embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more of the described elements may well be combined into a single functional element. Alternatively, certain elements may be split into multiple functional elements. Elements from one embodiment may be added to another embodiment. For example, orders of processes described herein may be changed and are not limited to the manner described herein.

Claims

1.A method for determining, by a user equipment, UE, (104), an earth-moving cell reference location in a non-terrestrial network (NTN), the method comprising:receiving a first system information broadcast message from the NTN node (102) while the UE (104) is camped on the NTN;initiating a timer in response to receiving the first system information broadcast message;obtaining a plurality of system parameters from the first system information broadcast message;triggering a request for acquisition of a second system information broadcast message to the NTN node (102) based on the obtained plurality of system parameters and an instantaneous location of the UE (104);receiving the second system information broadcast message from the NTN node (102); anddetermining the earth-moving cell reference location based on the second system information broadcast message.2.The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of system parameters comprises at least one of an uplink synchronization validity duration, a reference location of a serving cell, a change in distance between an earth-moving satellite position and the UE, a common drift rate, or a distance threshold from a fixed reference location.3.The method of claim 1, wherein the timer corresponds to a T430 timer based on an uplink synchronization validity duration associated with the first system information broadcast message.4.The method of claim 1, further comprising:determining a threshold value based on the obtained plurality of system parameters; anddetermining if a value of a change in difference between the instantaneous location of the UE and a reference location of a serving cell, is more than or equal to the determined threshold and less than a distance threshold from a fixed reference location,wherein triggering the request for acquisition of the second system information broadcast message to the NTN node (102) comprises:triggering the request for acquisition of the second system information broadcast message based on determining that the value of the change in difference between the instantaneous location of the UE (104) and the reference location of the serving cell, is more than the determined threshold and less than the distance threshold from a fixed reference location.5.The method of claim 1, wherein each of the first system information broadcast message and the second system broadcast message corresponds to a system information block (SIB)-19 message.6.The method of claim 1, further comprising:generating an acquisition indicator based on at least one of the plurality of system parameters, an instantaneous value of the timer, the instantaneous location of the UE (104), and a pre-defined time constant through a time series based artificial intelligence model,wherein triggering the request for acquisition of the second system information broadcast message to the NTN node (102) comprises triggering (1110) the request for acquisition of a second system information broadcast message to the NTN node (102) based on the acquisition indicator.7.The method of claim 6, wherein the instantaneous value of the timer corresponds to a time elapsed since the initiation of the timer.8.A user equipment, UE, (104) for determining an earth-moving cell reference location in a non-terrestrial network, NTN, the UE (104) comprising:memory (404) storing instructions; andat least one processor (402) operably coupled to the memory (404), wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor (404) individually or collectively, cause the UE (104) to:receive a first system information broadcast message from the NTN node (102) while the UE (104) is camped on the NTN,initiate a timer in response to receiving the first system information broadcast message,obtain a plurality of system parameters from the first system information broadcast message,trigger a request for acquisition of a second system information broadcast message to the NTN node (102) based on the obtained plurality of system parameters and an instantaneous location of the UE (104),receive the second system information broadcast message from the NTN node (102), anddetermine the earth-moving cell reference location based on the second system information broadcast message.9.The UE of claim 8, wherein the plurality of system parameters comprises at least one of an uplink synchronization validity duration, a reference location of a serving cell, a change in distance between an earth-moving satellite position and the UE, a common drift rate, or a distance threshold from a fixed reference location.10.The UE of claim 8, wherein the timer corresponds to a T430 timer based on an uplink synchronization validity duration associated with the first system information broadcast message.11.The UE of claim 8, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor (404) individually or collectively, cause the UE (104) to:determine a threshold value based on the obtained plurality of system parameters;determine if a value of a change in difference between the instantaneous location of the UE and a reference location of a serving cell, is more than or equal to the determined threshold and less than a distance threshold from a fixed reference location; andtrigger the request for acquisition of the second system information broadcast message based on determining the value of the change in difference between the instantaneous location of the UE (104) and the reference location of the serving cell, is more than the determined threshold and less than the distance threshold from the fixed reference location.12.The UE of claim 8, wherein each of the first system information broadcast message and the second system broadcast message corresponds to a system information block (SIB)-19 message.13.The UE of claim 8, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor (404) individually or collectively, cause the UE (104) to:generate (1108) an acquisition indicator based on at least one of the plurality of system parameters, an instantaneous value of the timer, the instantaneous location of the UE (104), and a pre-defined time constant through a time series based artificial intelligence model; andtriggering (1110) the request for acquisition of a second system information broadcast message to the NTN node (102) based on the acquisition indicator.14.The UE of claim 9, wherein the instantaneous value of the timer corresponds to a time elapsed since the initiation of the timer.15.A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by at least one processor (404) of a user equipment, UE, (104) individually or collectively, cause the UE (104) to operate according to a method in one of claims 1 to 7.

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