Communication methods, communication device, storage medium and program product

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to communication methods, a communication device, a storage medium and a program product, and belongs to the technical field of communications. A method comprises: on the basis of protocol predefinition or first information sent by a network device, determining a reference cell; and, on the basis of the reference cell, determining a propagation delay difference (PDD), the PDD being a difference between a first propagation delay and a second propagation delay, the first propagation delay being a propagation delay between a terminal device and the reference cell, and the second propagation delay being a propagation delay between the terminal device and a neighboring cell. SCell-based PDD reporting and SCell timing-based SMTC can be achieved, and the frequency of PDD reporting and SMTC adjustment can be reduced, thereby reducing signaling overheads, and improving system efficiency.

Description

Communication methods, communication equipment, storage media and software products Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to communication methods, communication devices, storage media, and program products. Background Technology

[0002] In the field of communications, carrier aggregation (CA) aims to increase the transmission bandwidth of a system by aggregating multiple component carriers (CCs), thereby improving data transmission rates and system capacity. When considering multi-orbit satellite carrier aggregation, for example, when a terminal aggregates a geostationary orbit cell (GEO cell) as the primary cell (PCell) and a low Earth orbit cell (LEO cell) as the secondary cell (SCell), in order to maintain the mobility of the SCell, the network needs to configure Radio Resource Management (RRM) measurement parameters on the LEO frequency and report the propagation delay difference (PDD) of neighboring LEO cells. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This disclosure proposes a communication method, communication device, storage medium, and program product that can be used in the field of communication technology. By introducing SCell-based PDD reporting and SCell timing-based Synchronization Signal / Physical Broadcast Channel Block (SSB) measurement timing configuration (SMTC), the frequency of PDD reporting and SMTC adjustment can be reduced to a certain extent, signaling overhead can be reduced, and system efficiency can be improved.

[0004] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a communication method is proposed, executed by a terminal device, comprising: determining a reference cell based on a protocol predefined or first information sent by a network device; and determining a propagation delay difference (PDD) based on the reference cell, wherein the PDD is the difference between a first propagation delay and a second propagation delay, the first propagation delay being the propagation delay between the terminal device and the reference cell, and the second propagation delay being the propagation delay between the terminal device and a neighboring cell.

[0005] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a communication method is proposed, executed by a network device, comprising: sending first information to a terminal device, the first information being used by the terminal device to determine a reference cell, the reference cell being used to determine a propagation delay difference (PDD), the PDD being the difference between a first propagation delay and a second propagation delay, the first propagation delay being the propagation delay between the terminal device and the reference cell, and the second propagation delay being the propagation delay between the terminal device and a neighboring cell.

[0006] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, a communication method is proposed for a communication system, the communication system including a terminal device and a network device, comprising: the network device sending first information to the terminal; the terminal determining a reference cell based on a protocol predefined or the first information; the terminal determining a propagation delay difference (PDD) based on the reference cell, wherein the PDD is the difference between a first propagation delay and a second propagation delay, the first propagation delay being the propagation delay between the terminal device and the reference cell, and the second propagation delay being the propagation delay between the terminal device and a neighboring cell.

[0007] According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a communication device is provided that can implement the communication methods described in the first and second aspects of the present disclosure.

[0008] According to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, a communication system is provided, comprising: a terminal device and a network device, wherein the terminal device is configured to implement the method of any one of the first aspects of the present disclosure, and the network device is configured to implement the method of any one of the second aspects of the present disclosure.

[0009] According to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, a computer storage medium is provided, wherein the computer storage medium stores computer-executable instructions; after being executed by a processor, the computer-executable instructions are able to implement the communication method described in any one of the first and second aspects of the present disclosure.

[0010] According to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, a program product is provided, including at least one of a program and instructions, wherein when the program and instructions are executed by a communication device, they implement the communication method described in any one of the first and second aspects of the present disclosure.

[0011] According to the communication method proposed in the embodiments of this disclosure, by introducing SCell-based PDD reporting and SCell timing-based SMTC configuration, the frequency of PDD reporting and SMTC adjustment can be reduced to a certain extent, signaling overhead can be reduced, and system efficiency can be improved. Attached Figure Description

[0012] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this disclosure, the accompanying drawings required for the description of the embodiments are introduced below. The following drawings are only some embodiments of this disclosure and do not impose specific limitations on the protection scope of this disclosure.

[0013] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0014] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0015] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of another communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0016] Figure 4A is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal device provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0017] Figure 4B is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network device provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0018] Figure 5A is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0019] Figure 5B is a schematic diagram of the chip structure proposed in an embodiment of this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0020] This disclosure provides a communication method, communication device, storage medium, and program product.

[0021] In a first aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a communication method executed by a terminal device, comprising: determining a reference cell based on a protocol predefined or first information sent by a network device; and determining a propagation delay difference (PDD) based on the reference cell, wherein the PDD is the difference between a first propagation delay and a second propagation delay, the first propagation delay being the propagation delay between the terminal device and the reference cell, and the second propagation delay being the propagation delay between the terminal device and a neighboring cell.

[0022] In the above embodiments, a reference cell can be determined based on the first information. When the reference cell is an Scell, PDD reporting based on the Scell ​​can be implemented, which can reduce the frequency of PDD reporting, reduce signaling overhead, and improve system efficiency.

[0023] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first information includes at least one of the following: an index of a reference cell, wherein the reference cell is the secondary cell SCell of the terminal device, or the reference cell is the primary cell PCell or the primary and secondary cell PSCell of the terminal device; a threshold value, wherein the terminal device sends the current PDD to the network device when it determines that the change in the current PDD compared to the previous PDD is greater than or equal to the threshold value; and ephemeris information of neighboring cells.

[0024] In the above embodiments, first information can be determined so as to determine the reference cell based on the first information. When the reference cell is an Scell, PDD reporting based on the Scell ​​can be realized, which can reduce the frequency of PDD reporting, reduce signaling overhead, and improve system efficiency.

[0025] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, determining a reference cell based on a protocol predefined or first information sent by a network device includes any of the following: determining the reference cell as the secondary cell (SCell) of the terminal device based on a protocol predefined; determining the reference cell as the primary cell (PCell) or primary / secondary cell (PSCell) of the terminal device based on a protocol predefined; determining the reference cell as the secondary cell (SCell) of the terminal device based on a protocol predefined when no first information sent by the network device is received or the first information does not indicate a reference cell; determining the reference cell as the primary cell (PCell) or primary / secondary cell (PSCell) of the terminal device based on a protocol predefined when no first information sent by the network device is received or the first information does not indicate a reference cell; determining the reference cell as the primary cell (PCell) or primary / secondary cell (PSCell) of the terminal device based on a protocol predefined; and determining the reference cell as the secondary cell (SCell) of the terminal device when the first information is received. The reference cell is designated as the secondary cell SCell of the terminal device; if the first information is not received, the reference cell is designated as the primary cell PCell or primary-secondary cell PSCell of the terminal device; if the first information is received, the reference cell is designated as the primary cell PCell or primary-secondary cell PSCell of the terminal device; if the first information is not received, the reference cell is designated as the secondary cell SCell of the terminal device; if the first information is received and the first information indicates that the reference cell is the secondary cell SCell of the terminal device, the reference cell is designated as the secondary cell SCell of the terminal device; if the first information is received and the first information indicates that the reference cell is the primary cell PCell or primary-secondary cell PSCell of the terminal device, the reference cell is designated as the primary cell PCell or primary-secondary cell PSCell of the terminal device.

[0026] In the above embodiments, a reference cell is determined based on the first information. When the reference cell is an Scell, PDD reporting based on the Scell ​​can be realized, which can reduce the frequency of PDD reporting, reduce signaling overhead, and improve system efficiency.

[0027] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments the method further includes: obtaining ephemeris information of a reference cell via a first signaling.

[0028] In the above embodiments, the ephemeris information of the reference cell can be obtained so that PDD reporting based on SCell and SMTC configuration based on SCell timing can be implemented according to the ephemeris information of the reference cell. This can reduce the frequency of PDD reporting and SMTC adjustment to a certain extent, reduce signaling overhead, and improve system efficiency.

[0029] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first signaling includes any one of the following: a Radio Resource Control (RRC) reconfiguration message; RRC-specific signaling for indicating ephemeris information; a system message.

[0030] In the above embodiments, a first signaling can be determined so as to obtain the ephemeris information of the reference cell based on the first signaling, so as to realize PDD reporting based on SCell and SMTC configuration based on SCell timing according to the ephemeris information of the reference cell. This can reduce the frequency of PDD reporting and SMTC adjustment to a certain extent, reduce signaling overhead, and improve system efficiency.

[0031] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: sending a PDD to a network device.

[0032] In the above embodiments, PDD reporting based on SCell and SMTC configuration based on SCell timing can be implemented, which can reduce the frequency of PDD reporting and SMTC adjustment to a certain extent, reduce signaling overhead, and improve system efficiency.

[0033] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: receiving second information sent by a network device, the second information being determined by the network device according to a PDD, the second information being used to perform synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block (SSB) measurement timing configuration (SMTC) for neighboring cells.

[0034] In the above embodiments, the terminal can determine the SMTC timing based on the second information, realize SMTC configuration based on SCell timing, reduce the frequency of SMTC adjustment, reduce signaling overhead, and improve system efficiency.

[0035] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the second information includes at least one of the following: the index of the reference cell; the SMTC period; the SMTC duration; and the offset.

[0036] In the above embodiments, second information can be determined so as to determine the SMTC timing based on the second information, thereby realizing SMTC configuration based on SCell timing. This can reduce the frequency of SMTC adjustment, reduce signaling overhead, and improve system efficiency.

[0037] In some embodiments, in conjunction with the first aspect, the method further includes: determining the SMTC timing based on the second information; and measuring neighboring cells within the SMTC timing.

[0038] In the above embodiments, the terminal can determine the SMTC timing based on the second information, realize SMTC configuration based on SCell timing, reduce the frequency of SMTC adjustment, reduce signaling overhead, and improve system efficiency.

[0039] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the reference cell moves along the same track or in the same direction as neighboring cells.

[0040] In the above embodiments, cells that move along the same track or in the same direction as neighboring cells can be identified as reference cells, which can improve the accuracy of terminal measurements.

[0041] Secondly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a communication method executed by a network device, comprising: sending first information to a terminal device, the first information being used by the terminal device to determine a reference cell, the reference cell being used to determine a propagation delay difference (PDD), the PDD being the difference between a first propagation delay and a second propagation delay, the first propagation delay being the propagation delay between the terminal device and the reference cell, and the second propagation delay being the propagation delay between the terminal device and a neighboring cell.

[0042] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first information includes at least one of the following: an index of a reference cell, wherein the reference cell is the secondary cell SCell of the terminal device, or the reference cell is the primary cell PCell or the primary and secondary cell PSCell of the terminal device; a threshold value, wherein the terminal device sends the current PDD to the network device when it determines that the change in the current PDD compared to the previous PDD is greater than or equal to the threshold value; and ephemeris information of neighboring cells.

[0043] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the reference cell is any one of the following: the secondary cell SCell of the terminal device; the primary cell PCell or the primary and secondary cell PSCell of the terminal device.

[0044] In the above embodiments, the reference cell can be an SCell, which can realize PDD reporting based on SCell and SMTC configuration based on SCell timing. This can reduce the frequency of PDD reporting and SMTC adjustment to a certain extent, reduce signaling overhead, and improve system efficiency.

[0045] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: sending a first signaling to a terminal device, the first signaling indicating ephemeris information of a reference cell.

[0046] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first signaling includes any one of the following: a Radio Resource Control (RRC) reconfiguration message; RRC-specific signaling for indicating ephemeris information; a system message.

[0047] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes at least one of the following: receiving a PDD sent by a terminal; determining second information based on the PDD, the second information being used to configure SMTC for synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block (SSB) measurement of neighboring cells; and sending the second information to a terminal device, the second information being used by the terminal device to determine the SMTC timing so as to perform measurement of neighboring cells within the SMTC timing.

[0048] In the above embodiments, the network device can determine the second information based on PDD and send the second information to the terminal so that the terminal can determine the SMTC timing based on the second information, realize SMTC configuration based on SCell timing, reduce the frequency of SMTC adjustment, reduce signaling overhead, and improve system efficiency.

[0049] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the second information includes at least one of the following: the index of the reference cell; the SMTC period; the SMTC duration; and the offset.

[0050] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the reference cell moves along the same track or in the same direction as the neighboring cell.

[0051] Thirdly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a communication method for a communication system, the communication system including a terminal device and a network device, comprising: the network device sending first information to the terminal; the terminal determining a reference cell based on a predefined protocol or the first information; and the terminal determining a propagation delay difference (PDD) based on the reference cell, wherein the PDD is the difference between a first propagation delay and a second propagation delay, the first propagation delay being the propagation delay between the terminal device and the reference cell, and the second propagation delay being the propagation delay between the terminal device and a neighboring cell.

[0052] Fourthly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a communication device for performing the methods described in any one of the first and second aspects of embodiments of this disclosure.

[0053] Fifthly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a communication system, including a terminal device and a network device, wherein the terminal device is configured to implement the method of any one of the first aspects of this disclosure, and the network device is configured to implement the method of any one of the second aspects of this disclosure.

[0054] In a sixth aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a storage medium storing instructions that, when executed on a communication device, cause the communication device to perform the method described in any one of the first or second aspects of embodiments of this disclosure.

[0055] In a seventh aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a program product, including at least one of a program and instructions, wherein when the program or instructions are executed by a communication device, they implement the steps of the method described in any one of the first or second aspects of embodiments of this disclosure.

[0056] It is understood that the aforementioned communication equipment, storage medium, and program product are all used to execute the methods proposed in the embodiments of this disclosure. Therefore, the beneficial effects they can achieve can be referred to the beneficial effects in the corresponding methods, and will not be repeated here.

[0057] This disclosure provides a communication method, a communication device, a communication system, a storage medium, and a program product. In some embodiments, terms such as communication method and information processing method can be used interchangeably, as can terms such as network device, information processing apparatus, and communication apparatus, and terms such as information processing system and communication system.

[0058] This disclosure is not exhaustive, but merely illustrative of some embodiments, and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this disclosure. Unless otherwise specified, each step in a particular embodiment can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the steps can be arbitrarily combined. For example, a solution after removing some steps in a particular embodiment can also be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the order of the steps in a particular embodiment can be arbitrarily interchanged. Furthermore, the optional implementation methods in a particular embodiment can be arbitrarily combined; moreover, the embodiments can be arbitrarily combined, for example, some or all steps of different embodiments can be arbitrarily combined, and a particular embodiment can be arbitrarily combined with the optional implementation methods of other embodiments. In all embodiments of this disclosure, unless otherwise specified or logically conflicting, the terminology and / or descriptions between the embodiments are consistent and can be mutually referenced. Technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments based on their inherent logical relationships.

[0059] The terminology used in the embodiments of this disclosure is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure.

[0060] In this embodiment of the disclosure, unless otherwise stated, elements expressed in the singular form, such as "a," "an," "the," "the," "the," "the," "the," "the," "this," etc., can mean "one and only one," or "one or more," "at least one," etc. For example, when using articles such as "a," "an," "the," etc. in translation, the noun following the article can be understood as either a singular expression or a plural expression.

[0061] In the embodiments disclosed herein, "multiple" refers to two or more.

[0062] In some embodiments, the terms "at least one of A or B, at least one of A and B", "one or more", "a plurality of", "multiple" and the like can be used interchangeably.

[0063] In some embodiments, the notation "at least one of A and B", "A and / or B", "A in one case, B in another", "in response to one case A, in response to another case B", etc., may include the following technical solutions depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (execute A regardless of whether there is a branch B); in some embodiments, B (execute B regardless of whether there is a branch A); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed); in some embodiments, both A and B are executed. The same applies when there are more branches such as A, B, C, etc.

[0064] In some embodiments, the notation "A or B" may include the following technical solutions depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (execute A regardless of whether a branch B exists); in some embodiments, B (execute B regardless of whether a branch A exists); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed). The same applies when there are more branches such as A, B, and C.

[0065] The prefixes "first," "second," etc., used in the embodiments of this disclosure are merely for distinguishing different descriptive objects and do not impose restrictions on the position, order, priority, quantity, or content of the descriptive objects. The description of the descriptive objects is found in the claims or the context of the embodiments, and the use of prefixes should not constitute unnecessary restrictions. For example, if the descriptive object is a "field," the ordinal numbers preceding "field" in "first field" and "second field" do not restrict the position or order of the "fields." "First" and "second" do not restrict whether the "fields" they modify are in the same message, nor do they restrict the order of "first field" and "second field." Similarly, if the descriptive object is a "level," the ordinal numbers preceding "level" in "first level" and "second level" do not restrict the priority between "levels." Furthermore, the number of descriptive objects is not limited by ordinal numbers and can be one or more. For example, in "first device," the number of "devices" can be one or more. Furthermore, the objects modified by different prefixes can be the same or different. For example, if the object being described is "device", then "first device" and "second device" can be the same device or different devices, and their types can be the same or different. Similarly, if the object being described is "information", then "first information" and "second information" can be the same information or different information, and their content can be the same or different.

[0066] In some embodiments, “including A,” “containing A,” “for indicating A,” and “carrying A” can be interpreted as directly carrying A or indirectly indicating A.

[0067] In some embodiments, terms such as "time / frequency" and "time-frequency domain" refer to the time domain and / or frequency domain.

[0068] In some embodiments, terms such as “in response to…”, “in response to determining…”, “in the case of…”, “when…”, “when…”, “if…”, etc. can be used interchangeably. These descriptions all refer to the device making a corresponding action under certain objective circumstances. They do not necessarily limit the time, nor do they require the device to make a judgment action when implementing it, nor do they mean that there must be other limitations.

[0069] In some embodiments, the terms “greater than,” “greater than or equal to,” “not less than,” “more than,” “more than or equal to,” “not less than,” “higher than,” “higher than or equal to,” “not lower than,” and “above” can be used interchangeably, as can the terms “less than,” “less than or equal to,” “not greater than,” “less than,” “less than or equal to,” “not more than,” “lower than,” “lower than or equal to,” “not higher than,” and “below”.

[0070] In some embodiments, devices, etc., may be interpreted as physical or virtual, and their names are not limited to those described in the embodiments. Terms such as “device,” “equipment,” “circuit,” “network element,” “network function,” “network device,” “function,” “node,” “unit,” “section,” “system,” “network,” “chip,” “chip system,” “entity,” and “subject” are interchangeable.

[0071] In some embodiments, "network" can be interpreted as devices included in a network (e.g., access network devices, core network devices, etc.).

[0072] In some embodiments, the terms "access network device (AN device)," "radio access network device (RAN device)," "base station (BS)," "radio base station," "fixed station," "node," "access point," "transmission point (TP)," "reception point (RP)," "transmission / reception point (TRP)," "panel," "antenna panel," "antenna array," "cell," "macro cell," "small cell," "femto cell," "pico cell," "sector," "cell group," "serving cell," "carrier," "component carrier," and "bandwidth part (BWP)" can be used interchangeably.

[0073] In some embodiments, the terms "terminal", "terminal device", "user equipment (UE)", "user terminal", "mobile station (MS)", "mobile terminal (MT)", "subscriber station", "mobile unit", "subscriber unit", "wireless unit", "remote unit", "mobile device", "wireless device", "wireless communication device", "remote device", "mobile subscriber station", "access terminal", "mobile terminal", "wireless terminal", "remote terminal", "handset", "user agent", "mobile client", and "client" can be used interchangeably.

[0074] In some embodiments, access network devices, core network devices, or network devices can be replaced by terminals. For example, embodiments of this disclosure can also be applied to structures where communication between access network devices, core network devices, or network devices and terminals is replaced by communication between multiple terminals (e.g., device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), etc.). In this case, the structure can also be configured such that the terminal has all or part of the functions of the access network device. Furthermore, terms such as "uplink" and "downlink" can be replaced with terms corresponding to communication between terminals (e.g., "sidelink"). For example, uplink channel, downlink channel, etc., can be replaced with sidelink channel, and uplink link, downlink, etc., can be replaced with sidelink link.

[0075] In some embodiments, the terminal may be replaced by an access network device, a core network device, or a network device. In this case, the access network device, core network device, or network device may also be configured to have all or some of the functions of the terminal.

[0076] In some embodiments, the acquisition of data, information, etc., may comply with the laws and regulations of the country where the location is situated.

[0077] In some embodiments, data, information, etc., may be obtained with the user's consent.

[0078] In some embodiments, "acquire," "get," "obtain," "receive," "transmit," "bidirectional transmission," and "send and / or receive" can be used interchangeably and can be interpreted as receiving from other entities, acquiring from protocols, acquiring from higher layers, obtaining through self-processing, or autonomous implementation. Protocols include, for example, at least one of the 3GPP protocol, Wi-Fi protocol, and audio and / or video protocols.

[0079] Furthermore, each element, each row, or each column in the table of this disclosure can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and any combination of any element, any row, or any column can also be implemented as an independent embodiment.

[0080] This disclosure proposes a communication method, communication device, communication system, storage medium, and program product. By introducing SCell-based PDD reporting and SCell timing-based SMTC configuration, the frequency of PDD reporting and SMTC adjustment can be reduced to a certain extent, signaling overhead can be lowered, and system efficiency can be improved.

[0081] The method proposed in this disclosure is applicable to various communication systems, including but not limited to 4G, 5G, 5G-advance and subsequent communication technologies (such as 6G).

[0082] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system 100 may include a terminal device 101 and a network device 102.

[0083] In some embodiments, the method disclosed herein can be executed by a terminal device in a communication system. Optionally, the terminal device can receive first information sent by a network device and determine a reference cell based on the first information. Optionally, the reference cell can be an SCell, which can realize PDD reporting based on the SCell. When the reference cell is an SCell, the terminal device can realize SMTC configuration based on SCell timing according to the second information sent by the network device. This can reduce the frequency of PDD reporting and SMTC adjustment to a certain extent, reduce signaling overhead, and improve system efficiency.

[0084] In some embodiments, the terminal includes, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: mobile phone, wearable device, Internet of Things device, car with communication function, smart car, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver function, virtual reality (VR) terminal device, augmented reality (AR) terminal device, wireless terminal device in industrial control, wireless terminal device in self-driving, wireless terminal device in remote medical surgery, wireless terminal device in smart grid, wireless terminal device in transportation safety, wireless terminal device in smart city, and wireless terminal device in smart home.

[0085] In some embodiments, the access network device is, for example, a node or device that connects a terminal to a wireless network. The access network device may include at least one of the following in a 5G communication system: evolved Node B (eNB), next-generation eNB (ng-eNB), next-generation Node B (gNB), node B (NB), home node B (HNB), home evolved node B (HeNB), radio backhaul device, radio network controller (RNC), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), base band unit (BBU), mobile switching center, base station in a 6G communication system, open RAN, cloud RAN, base station in other communication systems, and access node in a Wi-Fi system, but is not limited thereto.

[0086] In some embodiments, a core network device may be a single device comprising one or more network elements, or it may be multiple devices or a group of devices, each comprising all or part of the aforementioned one or more network elements. Network elements may be virtual or physical. The core network may include, for example, at least one of the following: Evolved Packet Core (EPC), 5G Core Network (5GCN), and Next Generation Core (NGC).

[0087] In some embodiments, the technical solutions of this disclosure can be applied to the Open RAN architecture. In this case, the interfaces between or within access network devices involved in the embodiments of this disclosure can be transformed into internal interfaces of Open RAN. The processes and information interactions between these internal interfaces can be implemented by software or programs.

[0088] In some embodiments, the access network device may be composed of a central unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU). The CU may also be called a control unit. The CU-DU structure can separate the protocol layer of the access network device. Some of the protocol layer functions are centrally controlled by the CU, while the remaining part or all of the protocol layer functions are distributed in the DU and centrally controlled by the CU. However, this is not the only possibility.

[0089] The method disclosed herein can be applied to a communication system, which may include a terminal device 101 and a network device 102. Specifically, the terminal device can receive first information sent by the network device and determine a reference cell based on the first information. Optionally, the reference cell can be an SCell, enabling PDD reporting based on the SCell. When the reference cell is an SCell, the terminal device can implement SMTC configuration based on SCell timing according to the second information sent by the network device. This can reduce the frequency of PDD reporting and SMTC adjustment to a certain extent, reduce signaling overhead, and improve system efficiency.

[0090] It is understood that the communication system described in this disclosure is for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of this disclosure, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions proposed in this disclosure. As those skilled in the art will know, with the evolution of system architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions proposed in this disclosure are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0091] The following embodiments of this disclosure can be applied to the communication system 100 shown in FIG1, or to some of the main bodies, but are not limited thereto. The main bodies shown in FIG1 are illustrative. The communication system may include all or some of the main bodies in FIG1, or may include other main bodies outside of FIG1. ​​The number and form of each main body are arbitrary. Each main body may be physical or virtual. The connection relationship between the main bodies is illustrative. The main bodies may not be connected or may be connected. The connection can be in any way, it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection, it can be a wired connection or a wireless connection.

[0092] The embodiments disclosed herein can be applied to Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), LTE-Beyond (LTE-B), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4th generation mobile communication system (4G), 5th generation mobile communication system (5G), 5G new radio (NR), 6th generation mobile communication system (6G), 6G new radio (NR), Future Radio Access (FRA), New-Radio Access Technology (RAT), New Radio (NR), New Radio Access (NX), Future Generation Radio Access (FX), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), CDMA2000, Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), and IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX, a registered trademark), IEEE 802.20, Ultra-Wideband (UWB), Bluetooth (a registered trademark), Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) networks, Device-to-Device (D2D) systems, Machine-to-Machine (M2M) systems, Internet of Things (IoT) systems, Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) systems, systems utilizing other communication methods, and next-generation systems built upon them. Furthermore, multiple systems can be combined (e.g., a combination of LTE or LTE-A with 5G).

[0093] Non-terrestrial Network (NTN) is a key technology introduced in 5G, providing wireless resources via satellite (or drones) instead of terrestrial base stations. Depending on how the satellite processes the signal, it can be divided into transparent transmission mode and regeneration mode. In transparent transmission mode, the NTN ground station transmits the gNB signal to the satellite. The satellite converts the signal to its own frequency band before transmitting it to the terminal. Aside from frequency conversion and signal amplification, the satellite does not demodulate the gNB signal, similar to a repeater. In regeneration mode, after the NTN ground station transmits the gNB signal to the satellite, the satellite demodulates and decodes the signal before re-encoding and modulating it (this process is regeneration), and then transmits the regenerated signal through its own frequency band.

[0094] Carrier aggregation aims to increase the transmission bandwidth of a system by aggregating multiple carrier units, thereby improving data transmission rate and system capacity.

[0095] In the field of communications, the primary cell (PCell) operates on the primary CC and is used for the initial connection establishment and connection re-establishment process; the secondary cell (SCell) operates on the secondary CC and can provide additional radio resources once the Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection is established.

[0096] In some embodiments, the terms "component carrier (CC)," "cell," "frequency carrier," and "carrier frequency" can be used interchangeably.

[0097] The Serving Cell is the User Equipment (UE) in the RRC connected state (RRC_CONNECTED). If no CA is configured, there is only one Serving Cell, namely PCell; if CA is configured, the Serving Cell set consists of PCell and SCell.

[0098] Considering the high-speed movement of LEO satellites in the NTN, the network configures an offset for neighboring cells in the NTN when configuring SMTC for connected terminals. The timing of SMTC (e.g., the system frame number (SFN) and subframe number used to calculate the SMTC window) is based on the PCell, and the offset value is mainly configured based on the PDD reported by the UE. PDD is the service link propagation delay difference between the PCell cell and the neighboring cell. PDD reporting can be event-triggered, meaning that the UE will trigger PDD reporting when the change in PDD (compared to the last reported value) exceeds a threshold.

[0099] When considering multi-orbit satellite carrier aggregation (e.g., terminal aggregation of GEO cells as PCells and LEO cells as SCells), in order to maintain SCell mobility, the network needs to configure RRM measurement parameters (i.e., SMTC) on the LEO frequency and PDD reporting from LEO neighboring cells. If, according to current technology, the PCell is still used as the reference for PDD reporting, due to the static nature of GEO cells and the high-speed movement of LEO cells, frequent PDD reporting by terminals and frequent SMTC adjustments by the network will be triggered. These control signaling overheads are detrimental to improving system resource utilization efficiency.

[0100] Therefore, in order to solve the above-mentioned technical problems, this disclosure proposes a communication method that, by introducing SCell-based PDD reporting and SCell timing-based SMTC configuration, can reduce the frequency of PDD reporting and SMTC adjustment to a certain extent, reduce signaling overhead, and improve system efficiency.

[0101] The following is a schematic diagram of a communication method provided in this disclosure. Embodiments of this disclosure relate to a communication method that can be executed by a terminal in a communication system, such as terminal 101 in the communication system 100 shown in FIG. 1. The communication system includes terminal device 101 and network device 102. The communication method may include the following specific methods:

[0102] Figure 2 is one of the interactive schematic diagrams of the communication method provided in this embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 2, the method includes the following steps:

[0103] Step 2101: The network device sends the first information to the terminal device.

[0104] In some embodiments, the first information includes at least one of the following: an index of a reference cell, wherein the reference cell is the secondary cell SCell of the terminal device, or the reference cell is the primary cell PCell or the primary and secondary cell PSCell of the terminal device; a threshold value, wherein the terminal device sends the current PDD to the network device when the terminal device determines that the change in the current PDD compared to the previous PDD is greater than or equal to the threshold value; and ephemeris information of neighboring cells.

[0105] In some embodiments, the first information may be parameters configured by the network device related to the PDD reported by the terminal, wherein the propagation delay difference (PDD) is the difference between the propagation delay between the terminal and the reference cell and the propagation delay between the terminal and the neighboring cell. The first information can be used by the terminal to determine the reference cell. Optionally, the reference cell may be an SCell. For example, in a carrier aggregation scenario, the reference cell may be one of multiple SCells aggregated by the terminal. In a dual connectivity (DC) scenario, the reference cell may be an SCell in the Master Cell Group (MCG) or an SCell in the Secondary Cell Group (SCG). Alternatively, the reference cell may be a Special Cell (SpCell) or a Primary Cell (PCell). For example, in a DC scenario, the reference cell may be a Pcell in the MCG or a Primary Secondary Cell (PScell) in the SCG. PCell and PSCell can be collectively referred to as SpCell.

[0106] In some embodiments, the names of information, etc., are not limited to the names described in the embodiments. Terms such as "information", "message", "signal", "signaling", "report", "configuration", "indication", "instruction", "command", "channel", "parameter", "domain", "field", "symbol", "symbol", "codebook", "codeword", "codepoint", "bit", "data", "program", and "chip" can be used interchangeably.

[0107] In some embodiments, the terms "codebook," "codeword," and "precoding matrix" can be used interchangeably. For example, a codebook can be a collection of one or more codewords / precoding matrices.

[0108] In some embodiments, the network device may send first information to the terminal device, but is not limited thereto; the network device may also send first information to other entities.

[0109] In some embodiments, the terminal device may receive first information, but is not limited thereto; the terminal device may also receive first information sent by other entities.

[0110] In some embodiments, the terminal device obtains the first information specified by the protocol, in which case step 2101 can be omitted.

[0111] In some embodiments, the terminal device obtains the first information from the upper layer(s), in which case step 2101 can be omitted.

[0112] In some embodiments, the terminal device processes the information to obtain the first information, in which case step 2101 can be omitted.

[0113] In some embodiments, the terminal device autonomously implements the function indicated by the first information, or the above function is a default or default value, in which case step 2101 can be omitted.

[0114] In some embodiments, optionally, the terminal can determine a reference cell based on the first information. Then, the terminal can measure the PDD between the reference cell and neighboring cells to determine the PDD and report it. Optionally, the network device can indicate the index of the reference cell (e.g., cell index or SCell index) through the first information, and the terminal device can determine the cell corresponding to the index as the reference cell. Also, the network device can indicate a threshold value through the first information. When the previous PDD is the same as the last reported PDD, PDD reporting is triggered when the change in the current PDD compared to the last reported PDD exceeds the threshold value. That is, when the first information contains a threshold value, the network device can indicate the reporting conditions for the terminal to report the PDD through the first information. When the reporting conditions of the threshold value are met, the terminal performs PDD reporting.

[0115] In some embodiments, the first information may include ephemeris information of neighboring cells, which can be used by the terminal to determine the propagation delay between the terminal and neighboring cells in order to determine the aforementioned PDD.

[0116] In some embodiments, the network device may optionally not indicate a reference cell. In this case, the terminal may determine the reference cell based on a predefined protocol. For example, when the network device does not indicate a reference cell, the terminal may default SpCell / PCell as the reference cell for PDD.

[0117] In some embodiments, the method further includes: obtaining ephemeris information of a reference cell via a first signaling.

[0118] In some embodiments, the first signaling includes any one of the following: a Radio Resource Control (RRC) reconfiguration message; RRC-specific signaling for indicating ephemeris information; or a system message.

[0119] In other words, the network device can send a first signaling message to the terminal device, which indicates the ephemeris information of the reference cell. The terminal can obtain the ephemeris information of the reference cell through the first signaling message. For example, when the reference cell is SCell, the ephemeris information of SCell can be sent to the terminal through RRC dedicated signaling, or through RRC reconfiguration messages, or the terminal can obtain the ephemeris information of SCell from system messages (such as neighbor cell information broadcast in SIB19).

[0120] In some embodiments, this step may be optional, and may be omitted when the terminal device can determine the parameters related to the reported PDD according to the protocol predefined.

[0121] In some embodiments, "acquire," "get," "obtain," "receive," "transmit," "bidirectional transmission," and "send and / or receive" can be used interchangeably and can be interpreted as receiving from other entities, acquiring from protocols, acquiring from higher layers, obtaining through self-processing, or autonomous implementation. Protocols include, for example, at least one of the 3GPP protocol, Wi-Fi protocol, and audio and / or video protocols.

[0122] In some embodiments, terms such as “send,” “transmit,” “report,” “distribute,” “transfer,” “bidirectional transmission,” “send and / or receive” can be used interchangeably.

[0123] Step 2102: The terminal determines the reference cell based on the first information.

[0124] In some embodiments, the terminal determines the reference cell based on a predefined protocol or first information sent by the network device.

[0125] The determination of a reference cell based on a predefined protocol or first information sent by a network device includes any of the following: determining the reference cell as the secondary cell (SCell) of the terminal device based on a predefined protocol; determining the reference cell as the primary cell (PCell) or primary / secondary cell (PSCell) of the terminal device based on a predefined protocol; determining the reference cell as the secondary cell (SCell) of the terminal device when no first information is received from the network device or when the first information does not indicate a reference cell based on a predefined protocol; determining the reference cell as the primary cell (PCell) or primary / secondary cell (PSCell) of the terminal device when no first information is received from the network device or when the first information does not indicate a reference cell based on a predefined protocol; or determining the reference cell as the terminal device when the first information is received. The system determines the reference cell as the primary cell (PCell) or primary / secondary cell (PSCell) of the terminal device if the first information is not received; if the first information is received, the system determines the reference cell as the primary cell (PCell) or primary / secondary cell (PSCell) of the terminal device; if the first information is not received, the system determines the reference cell as the secondary cell (SCell) of the terminal device; if the first information is received and the first information indicates that the reference cell is the secondary cell (SCell) of the terminal device, the system determines the reference cell as the secondary cell (SCell) of the terminal device; if the first information is received and the first information indicates that the reference cell is the primary cell (PCell) or primary / secondary cell (PSCell) of the terminal device, the system determines the reference cell as the primary cell (PCell) or primary / secondary cell (PSCell) of the terminal device.

[0126] In some embodiments, the reference cell can be determined according to a predefined protocol. For example, the reference cell can be determined as the secondary cell (SCell) of the terminal device based on the predefined protocol. For example, in a dual-connectivity DC scenario, the reference cell can be the SCell in the MCG or the SCell in the SCG. Alternatively, the reference cell can be determined as the primary cell (PCell) or the primary-secondary cell (PSCell) of the terminal device based on the predefined protocol. For example, in a dual-connectivity DC scenario, the reference cell can be the PCell in the MCG or the PScell ​​in the SCG. Alternatively, the reference cell can be determined as the secondary cell (SCell) of the terminal device if the first information sent by the network device is not received or if the first information does not indicate a reference cell. That is, when the network device does not indicate a reference cell, the reference cell can be defaulted to the SCell. Alternatively, the reference cell can be determined as the primary cell (PCell) or the primary-secondary cell (PSCell) of the terminal device if the first information sent by the network device is not received or if the first information does not indicate a reference cell. That is, when the network device does not indicate a reference cell, the reference cell can be defaulted to the primary cell (PCell) or the primary-secondary cell (PSCell).

[0127] In some embodiments, a reference cell can be determined based on the first information. For example, if the first information is received, the reference cell is determined to be the secondary cell SCell of the terminal device; if the first information is not received, the reference cell is determined to be the primary cell PCell or the primary-secondary cell PSCell of the terminal device. That is, the reference cell can be determined based on the state of receiving the first information, which can realize implicit indication of the reference cell. If the first information is received, the reference cell is SCell; if the first information is not received, the reference cell is PCell or PSCell. Similarly, if the first information is received, the reference cell can be determined to be the primary cell PCell or the primary-secondary cell PSCell of the terminal device; if the first information is not received, the reference cell can be determined to be the secondary cell SCell of the terminal device.

[0128] Alternatively, the network device may explicitly indicate the reference cell through the first information, that is, upon receiving the first information and the first information indicating that the reference cell is the secondary cell SCell of the terminal device, determine that the reference cell is the secondary cell SCell of the terminal device; upon receiving the first information and the first information indicating that the reference cell is the primary cell PCell or primary-secondary cell PSCell of the terminal device, determine that the reference cell is the primary cell PCell or primary-secondary cell PSCell of the terminal device.

[0129] In some embodiments, the reference cell may optionally move along the same track or in the same direction as neighboring cells. That is, the cell that moves along the same track or in the same direction as a neighboring cell is designated as the reference cell. The same track can belong to a GEO track or both belong to an LEO track; that is, both the reference cell and the neighboring cell can be GEO cells or both LEO cells. In carrier aggregation scenarios, cells on different tracks or in different directions can be aggregated. If the reference cell and the neighboring cell have different tracks or directions, the difference between them can be too large, leading to excessive PDD changes that trigger frequent PDD reporting by the terminal or frequent adjustments to the SMTC. Therefore, in this scheme, the reference cell can move along the same track or in the same direction as neighboring cells, reducing the frequency of PDD reporting and SMTC adjustments, lowering signaling overhead, and improving system efficiency.

[0130] Step 2103: The terminal determines the propagation delay difference (PDD) based on the reference cell.

[0131] In some embodiments, the propagation delay difference (PDD) is the difference between a first propagation delay and a second propagation delay, where the first propagation delay is the propagation delay between the terminal device and the reference cell, and the second propagation delay is the propagation delay between the terminal device and a neighboring cell.

[0132] Step 2104: The terminal sends a PDD to the network device.

[0133] In some embodiments, after determining the propagation delay difference, the terminal can report the propagation delay difference to the network device. When the reference cell is SCell, PDD reporting based on SCell can be implemented.

[0134] In some embodiments, the method further includes: receiving second information sent by a network device, the second information being determined by the network device based on a PDD, the second information being used to configure the Synchronization Signal / Physical Broadcast Channel Block (SSB) measurement timing for neighboring cells.

[0135] In other words, the network device can configure the SMTC for the terminal based on the received PDD, and the terminal can determine the timing for measuring neighboring cells based on the configured SMTC to achieve the measurement of neighboring cells. Specifically, the network device can receive the PDD sent by the terminal; based on the PDD, determine second information, which is used to configure the SMTC timing for the Synchronization Signal / Physical Broadcast Channel Block (SSB) measurement of neighboring cells; and send the second information to the terminal device, which is used by the terminal device to determine the SMTC timing to measure neighboring cells within the SMTC timing. The second information includes at least one of the following: the index of the reference cell; the SMTC period; the SMTC duration; and the offset.

[0136] In some embodiments, the terms "synchronization signal (SS)," "synchronization signal block (SSB)," "reference signal (RS)," "pilot," and "pilot signal" can be used interchangeably.

[0137] In some embodiments, the network device may send second information to the terminal device, but is not limited thereto; the network device may also send second information to other entities.

[0138] In some embodiments, the terminal device may receive second information, but is not limited thereto; the terminal device may also receive second information sent by other entities.

[0139] In some embodiments, the terminal device obtains second information as defined by the protocol.

[0140] In some embodiments, the terminal device obtains second information from the upper layer(s).

[0141] In some embodiments, the terminal device processes the information to obtain the second information.

[0142] In some embodiments, the terminal device autonomously implements the function indicated by the second information.

[0143] Optionally, the network device can indicate a reference cell to the terminal through second information, such as indicating the index of the reference cell, or it can indicate the reference cell through indication information, such as indicating that the reference cell is a secondary cell (SCell), or indicating that the reference cell is a primary cell (PCell) or a primary-secondary cell (PSCell). The terminal can determine the indicated reference cell and read at least one of the system frame number (SFN) and subframe number at the specified reference cell. The system frame number (SFN) and subframe number can be used by the terminal to determine the SMTC occasion. Within the SMTC occasion, the terminal can perform measurements on neighboring cells. The name of the SMTC can also be the SMTC window, the position of the SMTC time period, etc., which are not limited in this disclosure.

[0144] In some embodiments, terms such as “moment,” “point in time,” “time,” and “time location” can be used interchangeably, as can terms such as “duration,” “segment,” “time window,” “window,” and “time.”

[0145] In the above embodiments, the SMTC duration refers to the duration of the SMTC window within one SMTC cycle, and the offset can be used to indicate the position of the SMTC window within one SMTC cycle. Optionally, the SMTC timing can be determined based on the above-mentioned system frame number (SFN), subframe number, SMTC cycle, SMTC duration, and offset.

[0146] In some embodiments, the terms “frame”, “radio frame”, “subframe”, “slot”, “sub-slot”, “mini-slot”, “symbol”, “symbol”, and “transmission time interval (TTI)” can be used interchangeably.

[0147] In some embodiments, the method further includes: determining the SMTC timing based on second information; and measuring neighboring cells within the SMTC timing. That is, after determining the SMTC timing, the terminal can measure neighboring cells within the SMTC timing. For example, the terminal can receive a reference signal and measure the reference signal within the SMTC window.

[0148] In some embodiments, this step may be optional, meaning the terminal may not report PDD.

[0149] In some embodiments, the network device may not need to determine the second information, or the network device may not need to send the second information to the terminal, or the terminal may not need to determine the SMTC timing based on the second information, or the terminal may not need to measure neighboring cells at the SMTC timing.

[0150] The communication method involved in the embodiments of this disclosure may include at least one of steps 2101 to 2104. For example, steps 2101+2102+2103+2104 can be implemented as independent embodiments, steps 2101+2102+2103 can be implemented as independent embodiments, steps 2102+2103+2104 can be implemented as independent embodiments, and steps 2102+2103 can be implemented as independent embodiments, but are not limited thereto.

[0151] In some embodiments, the steps and their optional implementations in other embodiments described before or after this embodiment, as well as other related parts in the specification, can be referred to, and will not be repeated here.

[0152] In this implementation or embodiment, unless there is contradiction, each step can be independent, arbitrarily combined or exchanged in order, optional methods or optional examples can be arbitrarily combined, and can be arbitrarily combined with any steps of other implementations or other embodiments.

[0153] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of one of the communication methods provided in this disclosure. As shown in Figure 3, the method includes the following steps:

[0154] Step 3101: The network device sends the first information to the terminal device.

[0155] In some embodiments, the steps in other embodiments (as shown in the embodiment of Figure 2) and their optional implementations, as well as other related parts in the specification, can be referred to before or after this embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0156] Step 3102: The terminal determines the reference cell based on the first information.

[0157] In some embodiments, the steps in other embodiments (as shown in the embodiment of Figure 2) and their optional implementations, as well as other related parts in the specification, can be referred to before or after this embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0158] Step 3103: The terminal determines the propagation delay difference (PDD) based on the reference cell.

[0159] In some embodiments, the steps in other embodiments (as shown in the embodiment of Figure 2) and their optional implementations, as well as other related parts in the specification, can be referred to before or after this embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0160] The communication method involved in the embodiments of this disclosure may include at least one of steps 3101 to 3103. For example, steps 3101+3102+3103 may be implemented as independent embodiments, and steps 3102+3103 may be implemented as independent embodiments, but are not limited thereto.

[0161] The following is an exemplary description of the above method.

[0162] The method illustrated in this disclosure relates to a method for auxiliary information reporting and measurement configuration in an NTN, the full content of which is as follows.

[0163] Example 1: Network configuration based on SCell PDD reporting.

[0164] During PDD configuration, the network instructs the terminal to use an SCell as the reference cell when configuring PDD reporting. The SCell's ephemeris information can be sent to the terminal via RRC-specific signaling (e.g., RRC reconfiguration messages), or the terminal can obtain the SCell's ephemeris information from neighboring cell information broadcast in SIB19. If the terminal currently aggregates multiple SCells, the network further instructs the terminal which SCell to use as the reference cell, for example, through the cell index or secondary cell index. The network can also configure a special cell (SpCell) / primary cell (PCell) as the PDD reference cell, for example, by explicitly indicating that SpCell / PCell is the PDD reference cell, or if no reference cell is explicitly indicated, the terminal defaults to using SpCell / PCell as the PDD reference cell.

[0165] During PDD reporting, the terminal measures the PDD between the SCell and the neighbor cell according to the PDD reporting parameters configured in the network, and triggers PDD reporting when the reporting conditions are met (e.g., the PDD value changes more than a threshold compared to the last reported value). In PDD reporting, the terminal can also explicitly indicate the SCell index or the Cell index. PDD reporting can also indicate the PCell, or if no reference cell is explicitly indicated, PDD reporting defaults to using SpCell / PCell as the reference cell for the PDD.

[0166] Example 2: Network configuration based on SCell timing SMTC adjustment.

[0167] Based on the PDD reported by the terminal, the network configures SMTC for the terminal for a certain NTN neighbor cell, where:

[0168] The timing of SMTC (e.g., the SFN and subframe number used to calculate the location of the SMTC occasion) can be explicitly indicated as SCell timing (i.e., using the SFN and subframe number of the SCell). The SMTC occasion calculated based on the SCell timing, plus the offset configured by the network according to the PDD (using the SCell as the reference cell) reported by the terminal, is the SMTC occasion used to measure the neighboring cell.

[0169] When there are multiple SCells, the SMTC configuration explicitly indicates the specific SCell information, such as cell index or SCell index.

[0170] The network can still explicitly indicate that the SMTC occasion is calculated based on the SpCell / PCell timing, or if no reference timing is explicitly indicated, the SpCell / PCell is used as the default reference timing for the SMTC.

[0171] Optionally, if both the SCell and the neighboring cell to be measured are LEO cells or further LEO cells moving in the same orbit / direction, then the PDD between these two cells will not change as drastically as the PDD between GEO and LEO cells. This will prevent more frequent PDD reporting and thus the network will not need to adjust the SMTC configuration more frequently.

[0172] In summary, the above examples disclosed herein, by introducing SCell-based PDD reporting and SCell timing-based SMTC configuration, can reduce the frequency of PDD reporting and SMTC adjustment to a certain extent, thereby reducing signaling overhead and improving system efficiency.

[0173] In the embodiments disclosed herein, some or all of the steps and their optional implementations may be arbitrarily combined with some or all of the steps in other embodiments, or may be arbitrarily combined with the optional implementations in other embodiments.

[0174] This disclosure also proposes an apparatus (also referred to as a communication device, etc.) for implementing any of the above methods. For example, an apparatus is proposed, which includes units or modules for implementing the steps performed by the terminal in any of the above methods.

[0175] It should be understood that the division of units or modules in the above device is only a logical functional division. In actual implementation, they can be fully or partially integrated into a single physical entity, or they can be physically separated. Furthermore, the units or modules in the device can be implemented by a processor calling software: for example, the device includes a processor connected to a memory containing instructions. The processor calls the instructions stored in the memory to implement any of the above methods or to implement the functions of the units or modules in the above device. The processor can be, for example, a general-purpose processor, such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU) or a microprocessor, and the memory can be internal or external to the device. Alternatively, the units or modules in the device can be implemented in the form of hardware circuits. The functionality of some or all of the units or modules can be achieved through the design of these hardware circuits, which can be understood as one or more processors. For example, in one implementation, the hardware circuit is an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The functionality of some or all of the units or modules is achieved through the design of the logical relationships between the components within the circuit. In another implementation, the hardware circuit can be implemented using a programmable logic device (PLD). Taking a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) as an example, it can include a large number of logic gates. The connection relationships between the logic gates are configured through configuration files, thereby achieving the functionality of some or all of the units or modules. All units or modules of the above device can be implemented entirely through processor-called software, entirely through hardware circuits, or partially through processor-called software with the remaining parts implemented through hardware circuits.

[0176] In this embodiment, the processor is a circuit with signal processing capabilities. In one implementation, the processor can be a circuit with instruction read and execute capabilities, such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a graphics processing unit (GPU) (which can be understood as a microprocessor), or a digital signal processor (DSP). In another implementation, the processor can implement certain functions through the logical relationships of hardware circuits. The logical relationships of the aforementioned hardware circuits are fixed or reconfigurable. For example, the processor is a hardware circuit implemented using an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a programmable logic device (PLD), such as an FPGA. In a reconfigurable hardware circuit, the process of the processor loading a configuration document and configuring the hardware circuit can be understood as the process of the processor loading instructions to implement the functions of some or all of the above units or modules. Furthermore, it can also be a hardware circuit designed for artificial intelligence, which can be understood as an ASIC, such as a Neural Network Processing Unit (NPU), a Tensor Processing Unit (TPU), or a Deep Learning Processing Unit (DPU).

[0177] Figure 4A is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal device according to an embodiment of this disclosure. Terminal 4100 is used to execute any of the above methods. In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 4A, terminal 4100 may include a processing module 4101.

[0178] In some embodiments, the above processing module is used to determine a reference cell based on a protocol predefined or first information sent by a network device; and based on the reference cell, determine the propagation delay difference (PDD), where PDD is the difference between a first propagation delay and a second propagation delay, the first propagation delay being the propagation delay between the terminal device and the reference cell, and the second propagation delay being the propagation delay between the terminal device and a neighboring cell; optionally, the above processing module is used to execute at least one of the communication steps (e.g., steps 2102, 2103, 3102, 3103, but not limited thereto) performed by the terminal device 4100 in any of the above methods, which will not be elaborated here.

[0179] In some embodiments, the processing module may be a single module or may include multiple sub-modules. Optionally, the multiple sub-modules may each perform all or part of the steps required by the processing module.

[0180] In some embodiments, the terminal device further includes a transceiver module for receiving first information. Optionally, the transceiver module is used to perform at least one of the communication steps such as receiving and / or sending performed by the terminal device 4100 in any of the above methods (e.g., steps 2101, 2104, and 3101, but not limited thereto), which will not be elaborated here.

[0181] In some embodiments, the transceiver module is further configured to receive first signaling.

[0182] In some embodiments, the transceiver module is also used to send PDDs.

[0183] In some embodiments, the transceiver module is also used to receive second information.

[0184] In some embodiments, the processing module is further configured to determine the SMTC timing based on the second information; and to perform measurements on neighboring cells within the SMTC timing.

[0185] In some embodiments, the processing module can be replaced by the processor, and the transceiver module can be replaced by the transceiver.

[0186] Figure 4B is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network device according to an embodiment of this disclosure. The network device 4200 is used to perform any of the above methods. In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 4B, the network device 4200 may include a transceiver module 4201.

[0187] In some embodiments, the transceiver module is used to send first information to the terminal device. The first information is used by the terminal device to determine a reference cell. The reference cell is used to determine the propagation delay difference (PDD). The PDD is the difference between a first propagation delay and a second propagation delay. The first propagation delay is the propagation delay between the terminal device and the reference cell, and the second propagation delay is the propagation delay between the terminal device and a neighboring cell. Optionally, the transceiver module is used to perform at least one of the communication steps (such as steps 2101, 2104, 3101, etc., but not limited thereto) performed by the network device 4200 in any of the above methods. These steps will not be elaborated here.

[0188] In some embodiments, the transceiver module may include a transmitting module and / or a receiving module, which may be separate or integrated. Optionally, the transceiver module may be interchangeable with a transceiver.

[0189] In some embodiments, the processing module can be replaced by the processor, and the transceiver module can be replaced by the transceiver.

[0190] In some embodiments, the transceiver module is also used to send a first signaling.

[0191] In some embodiments, the transceiver module is also used to receive PDDs.

[0192] In some embodiments, the network device further includes a processing module for determining second information based on PDD, the second information being used to configure SMTC for timing the Synchronization Signal / Physical Broadcast Channel Block (SSB) measurement of neighboring cells.

[0193] In some embodiments, the transceiver module is also used to send a second message.

[0194] Figure 5A is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device 5100 proposed in an embodiment of this disclosure. The communication device 5100 can be a network device (e.g., access network device, core network device, etc.), a terminal (e.g., user equipment, etc.), a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the network device in implementing any of the above methods, or a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the terminal in implementing any of the above methods. The communication device 5100 can be used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments; for details, please refer to the descriptions in the above method embodiments.

[0195] As shown in Figure 5A, the communication device 5100 is used to execute any of the above methods. In some embodiments, the communication device 5100 includes one or more processors 5101. The processor 5101 may be a general-purpose processor or a special-purpose processor, such as 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 communication devices (e.g., base stations, baseband chips, terminal devices, terminal device chips, DUs or CUs, etc.), execute programs, and process program data. Optionally, the communication device 5100 is used to execute any of the above methods. Optionally, one or more processors 5101 are used to invoke instructions to cause the communication device 5100 to execute any of the above methods.

[0196] In some embodiments, the communication device 5100 further includes one or more transceivers 5102. When the communication device 5100 includes one or more transceivers 5102, the transceiver 5102 performs at least one of the communication steps (e.g., steps 2101, 2104, and 3101) in the above method, and the processor 5101 performs at least one of other steps (e.g., steps 2102, 2103, 31021, and 3103, but not limited thereto). In optional embodiments, the transceiver may include a receiver and / or a transmitter, which may be separate or integrated. Optionally, the terms transceiver, transceiver unit, transceiver, transceiver circuit, interface circuit, and interface can be used interchangeably; the terms transmitter, transmitting unit, transmitter, and transmitting circuit can be used interchangeably; and the terms receiver, receiving unit, receiver, and receiving circuit can be used interchangeably.

[0197] In some embodiments, the communication device 5100 further includes one or more memories 5103 for storing data and / or instructions. Optionally, one or more processors 5101 are used to invoke instructions stored in the memory 5103 to cause the communication device 5100 to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, all or part of the memory 5103 may also be located outside the communication device 5100. In an optional embodiment, the communication device 5100 may include one or more interface circuits 5104. Optionally, the interface circuit 5104 is connected to the memory 5102 and can be used to receive data and / or instructions from the memory 5102 or other devices, and can be used to send data and / or instructions to the memory 5102 or other devices. For example, the interface circuit 5104 can read data and / or instructions stored in the memory 5102 and send the data and / or instructions to the processor 5101.

[0198] The communication device 5100 described in the above embodiments may be a network device or a terminal, but the scope of the communication device 5100 described in this disclosure is not limited thereto, and the structure of the communication device 5100 may not be limited by FIG. 5A. The communication device may be a standalone device or may be part of a larger device. For example, the communication device may be: (1) a standalone integrated circuit IC, or chip, or chip system or subsystem; (2) a collection of one or more ICs, optionally, the IC collection may also include storage components for storing data, programs and / or instructions; (3) an ASIC, such as a modem; (4) a module that can be embedded in other devices; (5) a receiver, terminal device, smart terminal device, cellular phone, wireless device, handheld device, mobile unit, vehicle device, network device, cloud device, artificial intelligence device, etc.; (6) others, etc.

[0199] Figure 5B is a schematic diagram of the structure of chip 5200 according to an embodiment of this disclosure. For cases where the communication device 5100 can be a chip or a chip system, please refer to the schematic diagram of chip 5200 shown in Figure 5B, but it is not limited thereto.

[0200] Chip 5200 includes one or more processors 5201. Chip 5200 is used to perform any of the methods described above.

[0201] In some embodiments, chip 5200 further includes one or more interface circuits 5202. Optionally, terms such as interface circuit, interface, and transceiver pin can be used interchangeably. In some embodiments, chip 5200 further includes one or more memories 5203 for storing data and / or instructions. Optionally, all or part of the memories 5203 may be located outside of chip 5200. Optionally, the interface circuit 5202 is connected to the memories 5203, and the interface circuit 5202 can be used to receive data and / or instructions from the memories 5203 or other devices, and the interface circuit 5202 can be used to send data and / or instructions to the memories 5203 or other devices. For example, the interface circuit 5202 can read data and / or instructions stored in the memories 5203 and send the data and / or instructions to the processor 5201.

[0202] In some embodiments, the interface circuit 5202 performs at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving in the above-described method. For example, the interface circuit 5202 performing the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving in the above-described method means that the interface circuit 5202 performs data and / or instruction interaction between the processor 5201, the chip 5200, the memory 5203, or the transceiver device. In some embodiments, the processor 5201 performs at least one of other steps (e.g., steps 2101, 2102, 3101, 3102, but not limited thereto).

[0203] The modules and / or devices described in the various embodiments, such as virtual devices, physical devices, and chips, can be combined or separated arbitrarily as needed. Optionally, some or all steps can also be performed collaboratively by multiple modules and / or devices, which is not limited here.

[0204] This disclosure also proposes a communication system, which includes a terminal device and a network device, comprising: the network device sending first information to the terminal; the terminal determining a reference cell based on a protocol predefined or the first information; and the terminal determining a propagation delay difference (PDD) based on the reference cell, wherein the PDD is the difference between a first propagation delay and a second propagation delay, the first propagation delay being the propagation delay between the terminal device and the reference cell, and the second propagation delay being the propagation delay between the terminal device and a neighboring cell.

[0205] This disclosure also proposes a storage medium storing instructions that, when executed on a communication device, cause the communication device to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, the storage medium is an electronic storage medium. Optionally, the storage medium is a computer-readable storage medium, but not limited thereto; it may also be a storage medium readable by other devices. Optionally, the storage medium may be a non-transitory storage medium, but not limited thereto; it may also be a temporary storage medium.

[0206] This disclosure also proposes a program product, including a program and / or instructions, which, when executed by a communication device, cause the communication device to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, the program product is a computer program product. Optionally, the program product is stored on the storage medium.

[0207] This disclosure also proposes a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform any of the above methods.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, The method is executed by a terminal device, and the method includes: The reference cell is determined based on the predefined protocol or the first information sent by the network device. Based on the reference cell, a propagation delay difference (PDD) is determined. The PDD is the difference between a first propagation delay and a second propagation delay. The first propagation delay is the propagation delay between the terminal device and the reference cell, and the second propagation delay is the propagation delay between the terminal device and a neighboring cell.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first information includes at least one of the following: The reference cell index is either the secondary cell SCell of the terminal device or the primary cell PCell or the primary-secondary cell PSCell of the terminal device. A threshold value, wherein if the terminal device determines that the change in the current PDD compared to the previous PDD is greater than or equal to the threshold value, the terminal device sends the current PDD to the network device; The ephemeris information of the neighboring cell.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The determination of the reference cell based on the first information predefined by the protocol or sent by the network device includes any one of the following: Based on the protocol predefined, the reference cell is determined to be the secondary cell SCell of the terminal device; Based on the protocol predefined, the reference cell is determined to be the primary cell PCell or the primary and secondary cell PSCell of the terminal device; Based on the protocol predefined, if the first information sent by the network device is not received or the first information does not indicate the reference cell, the reference cell is determined to be the secondary cell SCell of the terminal device; Based on the protocol predefined, if the first information sent by the network device is not received or the first information does not indicate the reference cell, the reference cell is determined to be the primary cell PCell or the primary and secondary cell PSCell of the terminal device. If the first information is received, the reference cell is determined to be the secondary cell SCell of the terminal device; if the first information is not received, the reference cell is determined to be the primary cell PCell or the primary-secondary cell PSCell of the terminal device. Upon receiving the first information, the reference cell is determined to be the primary cell PCell or the primary / secondary cell PSCell of the terminal device; If the first information is not received, the reference cell is determined to be the secondary cell SCell of the terminal device; Upon receiving the first information and the first information indicating that the reference cell is the secondary cell SCell of the terminal device, the reference cell is determined to be the secondary cell SCell of the terminal device. Upon receiving the first information and the first information indicating that the reference cell is the primary cell PCell or primary-secondary cell PSCell of the terminal device, the reference cell is determined to be the primary cell PCell or primary-secondary cell PSCell of the terminal device.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The method further includes: The ephemeris information of the reference cell is obtained through the first signaling.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The first signaling includes any one of the following: Radio Resource Control (RRC) reconfiguration message; RRC dedicated signaling used to indicate the ephemeris information; System message.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the characteristic resource is... The method further includes: Send the PDD to the network device.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The method further includes: The network device receives second information, which is determined by the network device based on the PDD. The second information is used to perform synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block (SSB) measurement timing configuration (SMTC) for the neighboring cell.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The second information includes at least one of the following: The index of the reference cell; SMTC cycle; SMTC duration; Offset.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that, The method further includes: Based on the second piece of information, the timing of SMTC is determined; During the SMTC timing, measurements are taken of the neighboring cells.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The reference cell moves along the same track or in the same direction as the neighboring cell.

11. A communication method, characterized in that, The method is performed by a network device, and the method includes: Send first information to the terminal device. The first information is used by the terminal device to determine a reference cell. The reference cell is used to determine the propagation delay difference (PDD). The PDD is the difference between a first propagation delay and a second propagation delay. The first propagation delay is the propagation delay between the terminal device and the reference cell. The second propagation delay is the propagation delay between the terminal device and a neighboring cell.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The first information includes at least one of the following: The reference cell index is either the secondary cell SCell of the terminal device or the primary cell PCell or the primary-secondary cell PSCell of the terminal device. A threshold value, wherein if the terminal device determines that the change in the current PDD compared to the previous PDD is greater than or equal to the threshold value, the terminal device sends the current PDD to the network device; The ephemeris information of the neighboring cell.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that, The reference cell is any one of the following: The secondary cell SCell of the terminal device; The terminal device's primary cell PCell or primary / secondary cell PSCell.

14. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that, The method further includes: A first signaling message is sent to the terminal device, the first signaling message indicating the ephemeris information of the reference cell.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The first signaling includes any one of the following: Radio Resource Control (RRC) reconfiguration message; RRC dedicated signaling used to indicate the ephemeris information; System message.

16. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 15, wherein the characteristic resource, The method further includes at least one of the following: Receive the PDD sent by the terminal; Based on the PDD, second information is determined, which is used to configure the Synchronization Signal / Physical Broadcast Channel Block (SSB) measurement timing for the neighboring cell; The second information is sent to the terminal device, and the second information is used by the terminal device to determine the SMTC timing so as to measure the neighboring cell within the SMTC timing.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that, The second information includes at least one of the following: The index of the reference cell; SMTC cycle; SMTC duration; Offset.

18. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 17, characterized in that, The reference cell moves along the same track or in the same direction as the neighboring cell.

19. A communication method for a communication system, the communication system comprising terminal equipment and network equipment, characterized in that, The method includes: The network device sends first information to the terminal; The terminal determines the reference cell based on a predefined protocol or the first information; The terminal determines the propagation delay difference (PDD) based on the reference cell. The PDD is the difference between a first propagation delay and a second propagation delay. The first propagation delay is the propagation delay between the terminal device and the reference cell, and the second propagation delay is the propagation delay between the terminal device and a neighboring cell.

20. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device is used to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-10 or 11-18.

21. A communication system, characterized in that, include: A terminal device and a network device, wherein the terminal device is configured to implement the method of any one of claims 1-10, and the network device is configured to implement the method of any one of claims 11-18.

22. A storage medium storing instructions, characterized in that, When the instructions are executed on the communication device, the communication device performs the method as described in any one of claims 1-10 or 11-18.

23. A program product comprising at least one of a program and instructions, characterized in that, When at least one of the programs or instructions is executed by the communication device, it implements the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1-10 or 11-18.

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