Communication method and communication apparatus

Abstract

The present application relates to the field of communications. Provided are a communication method and a communication apparatus. The method comprises: receiving first information and second information, wherein the first information is used for indicating a common timing advance (TA) offset of a first region, the common TA offset is used for compensating for a first transmission delay between the first region and a network device, the second information is used for indicating a first TA adjustment amount, and the first TA adjustment amount is used for compensating for a difference between a second transmission delay, which is between a terminal device and the network device, and the first transmission delay; and sending uplink information on the basis of a first TA, wherein the first TA is determined on the basis of the common TA offset and the first TA adjustment amount. All terminal devices in a first region can reuse a common part of a TA. Therefore, in the solution, the common part of the TA needs to be indicated only once, thereby facilitating a reduction in indication overheads of the TA.

Description

Communication methods and communication devices

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202510372179.1, filed on March 25, 2025, entitled "Communication Method and Communication Device", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communications, specifically to a communication method and a communication device. Background Technology

[0003] Generally, the transmission delay caused by the distance between the terminal device and the satellite is the main factor affecting timing advance (TA). If the TA adjustment indicated by the network device is used to compensate for the transmission delay caused by the distance between the terminal device and the network device, then the indication overhead of the TA adjustment will increase significantly. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a communication method and communication device that can reduce the indication overhead of TA adjustment.

[0005] Firstly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method that can be applied to a terminal side, such as a terminal or a component within the terminal (e.g., a module, communication module, circuit or chip responsible for communication functions (e.g., a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) chip or system-in-package (SIP) chip containing a modem core)). It can also be a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of a communication device. In this method: receiving first information and second information T... A The first information is used to indicate the common timing advance (TA) offset of the first area, and the common TA offset is used to compensate for the first transmission delay between the first area and the network device. The second information T A Used to indicate the first TA adjustment amount N TA ', the first TA adjustment amount N TA 'Used to compensate for the difference between the second transmission delay and the first transmission delay between the terminal device and the network device; sending uplink information according to the first TA, the first TA being based on the common TA offset and the first TA adjustment amount N.' TA 'Sure.

[0006] For example, this communication method can be applied to non-terrestrial networks (NTN) scenarios, terrestrial networks (TN) scenarios, and other communication scenarios, such as existing communication systems and future communication systems.

[0007] The common TA offset of the first region can be understood as follows: the common TA offset can be used to determine the TA of the terminal device located in the first region, or the common TA offset can be used to determine the TA of the terminal device located in the first region, or the common TA offset can be the common part of the TA of the terminal device located in the first region.

[0008] The first TA adjustment amount can be understood as a specific part of the TA in the terminal device. It should be understood that the specific part mentioned here is relative to the common part mentioned earlier.

[0009] This application embodiment indicates the TA of a terminal device by using the common part of the TA and the specific part of the TA of the terminal device. Since the common part of the TA is shared by multiple terminal devices, it only needs to be indicated once. Therefore, compared with indicating the complete TA to each terminal device, this scheme helps to reduce the resource overhead caused by indicating the common part of the TA.

[0010] In some embodiments, the first region is the coverage area of ​​the first beam.

[0011] In other words, the common TA offset is configured at the beam coverage area level, or in other words, different beam coverage areas are configured with independent common TA offsets. Since the difference in transmission delay between different terminal devices and network devices within the beam coverage area is relatively small, a larger configurable common TA offset helps to further reduce indication overhead.

[0012] In some embodiments, the common TA offset is determined based on one or more of the following: the minimum transmission delay between the network device and the first region; the transmission delay between the network device and a reference point in the first region; or the transmission delay between the sub-satellite location and the network device.

[0013] When determining the common TA offset based on the minimum transmission delay between the network device and the terminal device located in the first area, the first TA adjustment is always a positive value, eliminating the need to indicate the sign of the first TA adjustment. On one hand, this scheme saves the overhead of indicating the sign of the TA adjustment. On the other hand, having all first TA adjustment values ​​be positive helps reduce processing complexity.

[0014] The reference point for the first region can be any location within the first region, such as the center point of the first region. Regardless of whether the first region is a cell or the coverage area of ​​the first beam, the center point of the first region is determined when the first region is defined. Therefore, the scheme of determining the common TA offset based on the transmission delay between the network device and the center point of the first region can directly reuse the center point of the first region, which helps to reduce the complexity of processing.

[0015] When the orbital altitude of the serving satellite remains unchanged, the transmission delay between the ground position and network equipment remains constant. Therefore, the common TA offset determined based on the transmission delay between the ground position and network equipment is constant, which helps to reduce the overhead of updating and maintaining the common TA offset.

[0016] In some embodiments, receiving the first information includes: receiving a system information block (SIB) for broadcasting the first information to the first area; or receiving a random access response for responding to one or more terminal devices in the first area, the random access response carrying the first information.

[0017] Sending a single SIB enables all terminal devices within the first area to obtain the first information. Compared to sending the first information to each terminal device individually, this approach helps reduce indication overhead. The SIB message can be, for example, SIB1 or SIB19.

[0018] A random access response can respond to multiple access terminal devices at once. Therefore, by carrying the first information once in the random access response, the common TA offset can be indicated to one or more access terminal devices, which helps to reduce the indication overhead.

[0019] In some embodiments, the first information is carried in a reserved field in the random access response, or the first information is carried in a newly added field in the random access response.

[0020] The first piece of information can reuse existing fields, such as reserved fields in the random access response (RAR), to reduce the degree of modification to the protocol, reduce processing complexity, and avoid adding additional indication overhead.

[0021] The new field in RAR can determine the number of bits for the first information based on usage requirements. For example, it can expand the bits used to carry the first information to support indicating a wider range of common TA offsets, or to support indicating a higher precision common TA offset.

[0022] In some embodiments, the second information TA It is carried in random access response or contention resolution messages.

[0023] Considering that the network device can only determine a specific part of the terminal device's TA after the terminal device sends the Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH), the second information can be carried in the signaling or messages exchanged between the terminal device and the network device after the PRACH is sent.

[0024] In some embodiments, the second information T A The TA command field carried in the random access response, wherein: the first TA adjustment amount N TA Satisfies the following formula: N TA '=T A *16, where T A The value range of N is 0 to 1282. TA The time unit is T, which is the time unit supported by the Long Term Evolution (LTE) communication system. s ; or the first TA adjustment amount N TA Satisfies the following formula: N TA '=T A *16*64 / 2 u , among which, T A The value range is 0 to 3846, where u is the subcarrier spacing configuration, and N is the subcarrier spacing configuration. TA The time unit is T, which is supported in the new wireless communication system. c .

[0025] By reusing the relevant configuration of TA adjustment quantities in the TAC command of related technologies, the degree of modification to the protocol is reduced, making implementation easier.

[0026] In some embodiments, the time granularity corresponding to the first information is less than or equal to the first TA adjustment amount N. TA 'The longest time that supports adjustments.'

[0027] In this way, by combining the first and second information, we can avoid the occurrence of time intervals that cannot be indicated (or what can be called gaps), thereby avoiding the loss of accuracy caused by such gaps.

[0028] In some embodiments, the network device is deployed on a satellite, and the value range of the first information is related to one or more of the following: the coverage area of ​​the satellite; the orbital altitude of the satellite; the size of the first area; or the time granularity corresponding to the first information.

[0029] The first transmission delay between the first area and the network device can be related to one or more of the aforementioned information. Since the common TA offset is used to compensate for the transmission delay between the network device and the first area, and the first information is used to indicate the common TA offset, the value range of the first information is related to one or more of the aforementioned information. Determining the value range of the first information based on one or more of the aforementioned parameters helps improve the accuracy of the first information value range.

[0030] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method that can be applied to the network side, such as network devices or components within network devices (e.g., modules, communication modules, circuits or chips responsible for communication functions (such as modem chips, also known as baseband chips, or SoC chips or SIP chips containing modem cores)). It can also be a logic node, logic module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of a communication device. In this method: sending first information and second information T... A The first information is used to indicate the common timing advance (TA) offset of the first area, and the common TA offset is used to compensate for the first transmission delay between the first area and the network device. The second information T A Used to indicate the first TA adjustment amount N TA ', the first TA adjustment amount N TA 'Used to compensate for the difference between the second transmission delay and the first transmission delay between the terminal device and the network device; receive uplink information.'

[0031] For example, this communication method can be applied to NTN scenarios. In other words, the network device can be a non-terrestrial network device. Part or all of the network device can be deployed on satellites, flight platforms, hot air balloons, aircraft, and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems, meaning that satellites, flight platforms, hot air balloons, aircraft, and UAV systems can implement some or all of the functions of the network device. This communication method can also be applied to terrestrial networks (TN) scenarios, as well as other communication scenarios, such as existing and future communication systems.

[0032] The common TA offset of the first region can be understood as follows: the common TA offset can be used to determine the TA of the terminal device located in the first region, or the common TA offset can be used to determine the TA of the terminal device located in the first region, or the common TA offset can be the common part of the TA of the terminal device located in the first region.

[0033] The first TA adjustment amount can be understood as a specific part of the TA in the terminal device. It should be understood that the specific part mentioned here is relative to the common part mentioned earlier.

[0034] This application embodiment indicates the TA of a terminal device by using the common part of the TA and the specific part of the TA of the terminal device. Since the common part of the TA is shared by multiple terminal devices, it only needs to be indicated once. Therefore, compared with indicating the complete TA to each terminal device, this scheme helps to reduce the resource overhead caused by indicating the common part of the TA.

[0035] In some embodiments, the first region is the coverage area of ​​the first beam.

[0036] In other words, the common TA offset is configured at the beam coverage area level, or in other words, different beam coverage areas are configured with independent common TA offsets. Since the difference in transmission delay between different terminal devices and network devices within the beam coverage area is relatively small, a larger configurable common TA offset helps to further reduce indication overhead.

[0037] In some embodiments, the common TA offset is determined based on one or more of the following: the minimum transmission delay between the network device and the first region; the transmission delay between the network device and a reference point in the first region; or the transmission delay between the sub-satellite location and the network device.

[0038] When determining the common TA offset based on the minimum transmission delay between the network device and the terminal device located in the first area, the first TA adjustment is always a positive value, eliminating the need to indicate the sign of the first TA adjustment. On one hand, this scheme saves the overhead of indicating the sign of the TA adjustment. On the other hand, having all first TA adjustment values ​​be positive helps reduce processing complexity.

[0039] The reference point for the first region can be any location within the first region, such as the center point of the first region. Regardless of whether the first region is a cell or the coverage area of ​​the first beam, the center point of the first region is determined when the first region is defined. Therefore, the scheme of determining the common TA offset based on the transmission delay between the network device and the center point of the first region can directly reuse the center point of the first region, which helps to reduce the complexity of processing.

[0040] When the orbital altitude of the serving satellite remains unchanged, the transmission delay between the ground position and network equipment remains constant. Therefore, the common TA offset determined based on the transmission delay between the ground position and network equipment is constant, which helps to reduce the overhead of updating and maintaining the common TA offset.

[0041] In some embodiments, receiving the first information includes: receiving a System Message Block (SIB) for broadcasting the first information to the first region; or receiving a random access response for responding to one or more terminal devices in the first region, the random access response carrying the first information.

[0042] Sending a single SIB enables all terminal devices within the first area to obtain the first information. Compared to sending the first information to each terminal device individually, this approach helps reduce indication overhead. The SIB message can be, for example, SIB1 or SIB19.

[0043] A random access response can respond to multiple access terminal devices at once. Therefore, by carrying the first information once in the random access response, the common TA offset can be indicated to one or more access terminal devices, which helps to reduce the indication overhead.

[0044] In some embodiments, the first information is carried in a reserved field in the random access response, or the first information is carried in a newly added field in the random access response.

[0045] The first information can reuse existing fields, such as existing fields in RAR, or reserved fields, to reduce the degree of modification to the protocol, reduce processing complexity, and avoid adding additional indication overhead.

[0046] The new field in RAR can determine the number of bits for the first information based on usage requirements. For example, it can expand the bits used to carry the first information to support indicating a wider range of common TA offsets, or to support indicating a higher precision common TA offset.

[0047] In some embodiments, the second information T A It is carried in random access response or contention resolution messages.

[0048] Considering that the network device can only determine the specific part of the terminal device's TA after the terminal device sends the PRACH, the second information can be carried in the signaling or messages exchanged between the terminal device and the network device after the PRACH is sent.

[0049] In some embodiments, the second information T A The TA command field carried in the random access response, wherein: the first TA adjustment amount N TA Satisfies the following formula: N TA '=T A *16, where T A The value range of N is 0 to 1282. TA The time unit is T, which is the time unit supported by the Long Term Evolution (LTE) communication system.s ; or the first TA adjustment amount N TA Satisfies the following formula: N TA '=T A *16*64 / 2 u , among which, T A The value range is 0 to 3846, where u is the subcarrier spacing configuration, and N is the subcarrier spacing configuration. TA The time unit is T, which is supported in the new wireless communication system. c .

[0050] By reusing the relevant configuration of TA adjustment quantities in the TAC command of related technologies, the degree of modification to the protocol is reduced, making implementation easier.

[0051] In some embodiments, the time granularity corresponding to the first information is less than or equal to the first TA adjustment amount N. TA 'The longest time that supports adjustments.'

[0052] In this way, by combining the first and second information, we can avoid the occurrence of time gaps that cannot be indicated, thereby avoiding the loss of accuracy caused by such gaps.

[0053] In some embodiments, the network device is deployed on a satellite, and the value range of the first information is related to one or more of the following: the coverage area of ​​the satellite; the orbital altitude of the satellite; the size of the first area; or the time granularity corresponding to the first information.

[0054] The first transmission delay between the first area and the network device can be related to one or more of the aforementioned information. Since the common TA offset is used to compensate for the transmission delay between the network device and the first area, and the first information is used to indicate the common TA offset, the value range of the first information is related to one or more of the aforementioned information. Determining the value range of the first information based on one or more of the aforementioned parameters helps improve the accuracy of the first information value range.

[0055] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device, which includes: a unit for performing each step in any possible implementation of the first aspect above.

[0056] Fourthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device, which includes: a unit for performing each step in any possible implementation of the second aspect above.

[0057] Fifthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device including one or more processors. The one or more processors are capable of executing computer programs or instructions, which, when executed, cause the communication device to implement the methods in any possible design or implementation of the first aspect described above.

[0058] In one possible design, the communication device may further include an interface circuit, through which the processor communicates with other devices or components.

[0059] In one possible design, the communication device may further include a memory for storing part or all of the computer programs or instructions necessary to implement the functions involved in the first aspect above.

[0060] The aforementioned communication device may be a terminal, or a component in the terminal, such as a module, a communication module, or a chip in the terminal responsible for communication functions (such as a modem chip (also known as a baseband chip) or a SoC chip or SIP chip containing a modem chip module), or a logic node, logic module, or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the communication device.

[0061] Sixthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device including one or more processors. The one or more processors are capable of executing computer programs or instructions, which, when executed, cause the communication device to implement the methods in any possible design or implementation of the second aspect described above.

[0062] In one possible design, the communication device may further include an interface circuit, through which the processor communicates with other devices or components.

[0063] In one possible design, the communication device may further include a memory for storing part or all of the computer programs or instructions necessary to implement the functions involved in the second aspect above.

[0064] The aforementioned communication device may be a network device, or a component in a network device, such as a module, a communication module, or a chip in a network device that is responsible for communication functions (such as a modem chip (also known as a baseband chip) or a SoC chip or SIP chip containing a modem chip module). It may also be a logic node, logic module, or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the communication device.

[0065] In a seventh aspect, embodiments of this application provide a computer program product comprising a computer program that, when executed by a processor, performs the method described in the first aspect above, or performs the method described in the second aspect above.

[0066] Eighthly, embodiments of this application provide a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program that, when executed, performs the method of the first aspect above, or performs the method of the second aspect above.

[0067] Ninthly, embodiments of this application provide a chip, the chip including: a processor, configured to call and run a computer program from a memory, causing a communication device on which the chip is installed to perform the method of the first aspect above, or to perform the method of the second aspect above.

[0068] In a tenth aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication system, which includes the communication devices described in the third or fourth aspect above, and / or the communication devices described in the fifth or sixth aspect above. Attached Figure Description

[0069] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system used in the embodiments of this application;

[0070] Figure 2A is a schematic diagram of the NTN architecture including transparent transmission mode satellites;

[0071] Figure 2B is a schematic diagram of an NTN architecture that includes regenerable mode satellites;

[0072] Figure 2C is a schematic diagram of another NTN architecture that includes regenerable mode satellites;

[0073] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of satellite coverage;

[0074] Figure 4A is a schematic diagram of the transmission latency between terminal devices and network devices in an NTN scenario;

[0075] Figure 4B illustrates the relationship between uplink and downlink frames;

[0076] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating the method for determining TA in related technologies;

[0077] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0078] Figure 7A is a schematic diagram of a satellite deployment according to an embodiment of this application;

[0079] Figure 7B is a schematic diagram of another satellite deployment scenario provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0080] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of RAR in related technologies;

[0081] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a RAR provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0082] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of another RAR structure provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0083] Figure 11A is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0084] Figure 11B is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0085] Figure 12 is a possible exemplary block diagram of the communication device involved in the embodiments of this application;

[0086] Figure 13 is another possible exemplary block diagram of the communication device involved in the embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0087] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0088] In the description of the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise stated, " / " indicates that the objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B can represent A or B. "And / or" in the embodiments of this application is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, and B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. Furthermore, in the description of the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" refers to two or more. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple. Additionally, to facilitate a clear description of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used in the embodiments of this application to distinguish identical or similar items with essentially the same function and effect. Those skilled in the art will understand that the words "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or the order of execution, and that the words "first" and "second" do not necessarily imply that they are different.

[0089] In the various method embodiments of this application, the order of the sequence numbers does not imply the order of execution. The execution order should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0090] It is understood that in the embodiments of this application, descriptions such as "under the circumstances," "if," "when," and "if..." can be used interchangeably. Furthermore, these descriptions all refer to the corresponding processing that will be carried out under certain objective circumstances, and are not limited to a specific time, nor do they require any judgment action during implementation, nor do they imply any other limitations.

[0091] It is understood that some optional features in the embodiments of this application can be implemented independently in certain scenarios without relying on other features, such as the current solution on which they are based, to solve the corresponding technical problems and achieve the corresponding effects. Alternatively, they can be combined with other features as needed in certain scenarios. Correspondingly, the apparatus given in the embodiments of this application can also implement these features or functions, which will not be elaborated here.

[0092] In this application embodiment, "sending information to...(terminal)" can be understood as the destination of the information being the terminal, and may include sending information to the terminal directly or indirectly. "Receiving information from...(terminal)" can be understood as the source of the information being the terminal, and may include receiving information from the terminal directly or indirectly. Information may undergo necessary processing between the source and destination, such as format changes, but the destination can understand the valid information from the source. Similar expressions in this application can be understood in a similar way, and will not be elaborated further here.

[0093] In the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified, the same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to each other. In the various embodiments of this application, and in the various implementation methods / methods / implementations within each embodiment, unless otherwise specified or logically conflicting, the terminology and / or descriptions between different embodiments and between the various implementation methods / methods / implementations within each embodiment are consistent and can be mutually referenced. The technical features in different embodiments and the various implementation methods / methods / implementations within each embodiment can be combined according to their inherent logical relationships to form new embodiments, implementation methods, methods, or implementation approaches. The embodiments of this application described below do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this application.

[0094] This application can be applied to various communication systems. For ease of understanding, the following description uses the communication system 10 shown in Figure 1 as an example to illustrate the communication system to which the embodiments of this application are applicable.

[0095] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system 10 used in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system includes a radio access network (RAN) 100, wherein the RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (RAN node 110a and RAN node 110b in Figure 1, collectively referred to as RAN node 110), and may also include at least one terminal (terminals 120a-120j in Figure 1, collectively referred to as terminal 120). The RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in Figure 1). Terminal 120 is wirelessly connected to RAN node 110. Terminals and RAN nodes can be interconnected via wired or wireless means. The communication system 10 may also include a core network 200. RAN node 110 is connected to the core network 200 via wireless or wired means. The core network equipment in core network 200 and the RAN node 110 in RAN 100 can be independent and different physical devices, or they can be the same physical device that integrates the logical functions of the core network equipment and the logical functions of the RAN node. The communication system 10 may also include Internet 300.

[0096] RAN 100 can be an evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) system, a new radio (NR) system, or a future radio access system as defined in the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP). RAN 100 can also be an open RAN (O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system. RAN 100 can also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems. RAN 100 can also be applied to non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication systems, or scenarios where NTN and terrestrial network (TN) are integrated. The NTN system can be an NTN system integrated with 4G, 5G, and any future generation of communication systems, such as NR NTN, IoT NTN, etc. NTN communication systems can be, for example, satellite communication systems, or include unmanned aerial vehicles, high altitude platform stations (HAPS), and other aerial access network equipment; this application does not limit the scope of such systems.

[0097] RAN node 110 (also known as access network equipment, RAN entity, or access node, etc.) is used to help terminals access the communication system wirelessly. In one possible scenario, RAN node 110 can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB), a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system, etc. RAN node 110 can be a macro base station (as shown in RAN node 110a in Figure 1), a micro base station or indoor station (as shown in RAN node 110b in Figure 1), a relay node or donor node, or a radio controller in a CRAN scenario. Optionally, RAN node 110 can also be a satellite (or satellite base station) or HAPS, or base station equipment mounted on a satellite / HAPS. The satellite can include at least one of the following: a geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellite (or geosynchronous orbit satellite) or a non-geostationary earth orbit (NGEO) satellite. Non-geostationary orbit satellites may include at least one of the following: medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellites or low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites. There are no limitations here. RAN node 110 may also be a gateway station (or ground station, earth station, signaling station, gateway, or gateway station), etc. RAN node 110 may also be a server, wearable device, vehicle, or in-vehicle equipment, etc. For example, the access network equipment in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology may be a roadside unit (RSU).

[0098] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, with different RAN nodes implementing some of the base station's functions. For example, RAN nodes can be central units (CUs), distributed units (DUs), or radio units (RUs). Here, the CU can perform the functions of the base station's radio resource control protocol and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP), as well as the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP). The DU can perform the functions of the base station's radio link control layer and medium access control (MAC) layer, and can also perform some or all of the physical layer functions. For specific descriptions of these protocol layers, refer to the relevant 3GPP technical specifications. The RU can be used to implement radio frequency signal transmission and reception. The CU and DU can be two independent RAN nodes, or they can be integrated into the same RAN node, such as within a baseband unit (BBU). RUs can be included in radio frequency equipment or radio frequency units, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs). CUs can be further divided into two types of RAN nodes: CU-control plane (CP) and CU-user plane (UP).

[0099] In different systems, RAN nodes may have different names. For example, in an O-RAN system, a CU can be called an open CU (O-CU), a DU can be called an open DU (O-DU), and an RU can be called an open RU (O-RU). Similarly, a CU-CP can be called an O-CU-CP, a CU-UP can be called an O-CU-UP, and an RU can be called an O-RU. For ease of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU as examples in its embodiments.

[0100] All or part of the functions of the RAN node in this application can also be implemented through software functions running on hardware, or through virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). The RAN node may also be equipped with communication modules, circuits, or chips that perform corresponding communication functions. The RAN node may also be configured with program instructions for performing corresponding communication functions and corresponding program instructions. The RAN node in this application can also be a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the RAN node functions. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or specific device form used in the RAN node.

[0101] Terminal 120 is a device with wireless transceiver capabilities, capable of sending signals to or receiving signals from a base station. Terminal 120 may also be referred to as user equipment (UE), terminal equipment, access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station (MS), remote station, remote terminal, mobile terminal (MT), user terminal, wireless communication equipment, user agent, user device, and terminal device, etc. Terminal 120 can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable device, vehicle, drone, helicopter, airplane, ship, robot, robotic arm, smart home device, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the device form of the terminal.

[0102] For example, terminal 120 can be an Internet of Things (IoT) device (e.g., a sensor, electricity meter, water meter, etc.), a V2X device, a station (ST) in a wireless local area network (WLAN), a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA) device, a handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, an in-vehicle device, a wearable device (also known as a wearable smart device), a tablet computer or a computer with wireless transceiver capabilities, a virtual reality (VR) terminal, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical care, a wireless terminal in a smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in a smart city, or a wireless terminal in a smart home. Wireless terminals (such as those in the home), vehicle-mounted terminals, vehicles with vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication capabilities, intelligent connected vehicles, and drones with drone-to-drone (U2U) communication capabilities are all examples. Terminals can also be communication modules with satellite communication capabilities, satellite phones or their components, or satellite communication terminals, such as very small aperture terminals (VSAT terminals), portable stations, fixed stations, and vehicle-mounted or airborne satellite communication terminals. It should be understood that satellite communication terminals can serve as micro base stations to further provide data interfaces to accessed user equipment.

[0103] The roles of base stations and terminals can be relative. For example, network element 120i in Figure 1 can be a helicopter or a drone, which can be configured as a mobile base station. For terminals 120j that access the wireless access network 100 through network element 120i, network element 120i is a base station; however, for base station 110a, network element 120i is a terminal. That is, base station 110a and network element 120i communicate through a wireless air interface protocol. Of course, base station 110a and network element 120i can also communicate through a base station-to-base station interface protocol. In this case, relative to base station 110a, network element 120i is also a base station. Therefore, both base stations and terminals can be collectively referred to as communication devices. Base stations 110a and 110b in Figure 1 can be called communication devices with base station functions, and terminals 120a-120j in Figure 1 can be called communication devices with terminal functions.

[0104] Base stations and terminals can be fixed or mobile. They can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; and they can be deployed on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of the base stations and terminals.

[0105] For example, the core network 200 may include user plane function (UPF) network elements, access and mobility management function (AMF) network elements, session management function (SMF) network elements, policy control function (PCF) network elements, network exposure function (NEF) network elements, charging function (CHF) network elements, location management function (LMF) network elements, application function (AF) network elements, etc.

[0106] The following describes another communication system (NTN) to which the embodiments of this application are applicable.

[0107] NTN refers to a network that uses radio frequency resources on platforms such as satellites (including GEO, MEO, and LEO satellites), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or high-altitude platforms to provide communication services. Compared to terrestrial cellular networks (such as 5G), NTN networks have wider coverage, higher path loss, greater latency, faster speeds, and lower costs. As a supplement and extension to terrestrial networks, NTN can achieve wide-area seamless coverage that wired telephone networks and terrestrial mobile communication networks cannot, effectively solving the problem of internet access in areas with scarce communication infrastructure. For example, by deploying a large number of satellites in low Earth orbit, seamless coverage over the ground can be achieved through reasonable constellation construction, and the round-trip latency of data between satellites and ground terminals is greatly reduced. Even compared to geostationary satellites, deploying satellites in low Earth orbit results in lower data round-trip latency, reaching the tens of milliseconds level.

[0108] With the use of technologies such as high-frequency bands, multi-beamforming, and frequency reuse, satellite communication capabilities have been significantly improved while reducing unit broadband costs, thus meeting the demands of high-data-rate services. Compared to terrestrial 5G networks and submarine fiber optic cables, NTN also has a significant cost advantage. Modern small satellites have low R&D and manufacturing costs, and software-defined technologies can further extend the lifespan of satellites in orbit. In addition to global coverage (such as in remote areas and on ocean-going vessels), NTN can also be used in emergency relief (such as disaster detection and emergency communications), the Internet of Things, and high-speed mobility (such as high-speed rail and airplanes), thus attracting widespread attention from industry and academia.

[0109] Because satellites are less susceptible to natural disasters or external damage, research is currently underway to use them as access network equipment (such as base stations) in mobile communication systems to provide communication services to areas such as oceans and forests. Unlike terrestrial base stations, satellites move at higher speeds relative to the ground and travel much farther, resulting in greater signal path loss when used as base stations. Current communication mechanisms designed for communication between terminal devices and terrestrial base stations cannot be directly applied to communication between terminal devices and satellite base stations.

[0110] Based on their operating modes, satellites can generally be divided into two main categories: transparent mode and regenerative mode. These two modes will be described in detail below.

[0111] Figure 2A is a schematic diagram of an NTN architecture including a satellite in pass-through mode. In pass-through mode, the satellite only acts as a frequency converter, essentially functioning as an analog radio frequency repeater. Specifically, the satellite can replicate the NR Uu radio interface signal from the feed link (between the NTN gateway and the satellite) to the service link (between the satellite and the terminal equipment), and vice versa. The satellite radio interface on the feed link transmits the NR Uu interface signal; that is, the satellite does not terminate the NR Uu interface signal but replicates it. The NTN gateway supports all necessary functions for forwarding the NR Uu interface signal. Different transmission satellites can connect to the same ground base station, such as a gNB. Optionally, the gateway can also be integrated with the base station.

[0112] Figure 2B is a schematic diagram of an NTN architecture including a satellite in regeneration mode. In regeneration mode, the satellite has some or all of the functions of a base station, such as including gNB equipment or DU on the satellite. In this architecture, the satellite acts as a base station to regenerate signals received from the ground, that is, transmitting NR Uu radio interface signals on the service link between the terminal equipment and the satellite, and transmitting satellite radio interface signals on the feeder link between the NTN gateway and the satellite. The NG interface between the satellite and the gateway is carried on the satellite radio interface (SRI). The NG interface signal is transmitted to the NTN gateway through the SRI interface, and then forwarded by the NTN gateway to the core network equipment on the ground.

[0113] Figure 2B shows the NTN architecture with all base station functions. If the satellite only has DU functions, then the NTN architecture also includes a ground CU unit, as shown in Figure 2C.

[0114] Figure 3 illustrates satellite coverage. Satellites provide services to terminal devices within their coverage area via synchronization signals and physical broadcast channel blocks (SS / PBCH blocks or SSBs) 0 to SSB N-1. Compared to terrestrial communication systems, single-satellite coverage is wider and transmission distances are longer; providing services to terminal devices through wide coverage is a significant characteristic of satellite communication systems. Satellite communication is characterized by large latency and significant frequency offset.

[0115] During the initial access phase, the satellite, acting as a network device, needs to scan all beams sequentially and configure random access resources for the terminal device. The random access process generally refers to the process from when the terminal device sends a random access preamble (or simply preamble) to attempt to access the network device until a basic signaling connection is established between the terminal device and the network device.

[0116] Currently, network devices can broadcast different SSBs for different communication areas. These SSBs can be distinguished by their indices. In other words, different SSB indices represent downlink synchronization signals with different beam directions, and different downlink synchronization signals can cover and serve different areas.

[0117] After receiving the SSB, the terminal device can perform timed synchronization based on the SSB. Additionally, the terminal device can determine the time-frequency location of System Information B1 (SIB1) based on the indication information in the SSB and complete SIB1 parsing. Based on the SIB1 parsing result, the terminal device can obtain cell information.

[0118] Optionally, the terminal device can detect SIB19 and resolve it based on the search space configured in SIB1. Based on the SIB19 resolution result, the terminal device can obtain the satellite's ephemeris information. It should be noted that for satellite communication systems, the terminal device needs to obtain the satellite's ephemeris information, while for terrestrial communication systems, it does not.

[0119] After obtaining cell information and / or ephemeris information, the terminal device can send a random access preamble on the corresponding uplink resources based on the configuration information and SSB index. For the network device, the received random access preamble and the uplink resources can be used to determine the area where the terminal device is located and establish a connection with the terminal device.

[0120] Different terminal devices (e.g., those at different distances from the network device) may have different transmission delays with the network device. Figure 4A is a schematic diagram of the transmission delay between a terminal device and the network device in an NTN scenario. Figure 4A shows the transmission delay t1 between UE1 located at the sub-satellite point and the network device, and the transmission delay t2 between UE2 located at the cell edge and the network device. Here, t1 is less than t2. Because t1 and t2 are different, when UE1 and UE2 simultaneously transmit uplink signals, the arrival times of the uplink signals transmitted by UE1 and UE2 at the network device may be inconsistent. If the uplink signals of the terminal devices fail to align within the cyclic prefix range of the base station, demodulation will fail. The TA mechanism solves this problem by adjusting the timing of uplink signal transmission by the terminal devices to ensure that the uplink signals arrive at the base station synchronously.

[0121] The TA mechanism refers to the system frame for uplink data transmission by the terminal device being sent a certain time ahead of the corresponding downlink frame, thereby achieving uplink data time slot alignment on the network side. Figure 4B illustrates the relationship between uplink and downlink frames. Referring to Figure 4B, the reference point for the terminal device's TA is calculated from the downlink reception time of the terminal device, and the uplink channel or signal is transmitted a certain time ahead (TA).

[0122] The transmission latency (TA) is mainly related to the transmission delay between the terminal device and the base station. Generally speaking, UEs farther away from the base station require a larger TA to send signals in advance, while UEs closer to the base station require a smaller TA to send signals in advance.

[0123] In NTN communication systems, satellites / high-altitude platforms / base stations typically have a large coverage area to support broader service coverage. Due to the large coverage area of ​​satellites, the bidirectional transmission delay of the signal is relatively large; therefore, the TA (Transmission Time) of terminal equipment in NTN scenarios is usually large. Furthermore, the high-speed movement of satellites causes the distance between the satellite and the ground terminal equipment to constantly change, resulting in dynamic changes in the bidirectional transmission delay of the signal, and consequently, dynamic changes in the TA of the terminal equipment.

[0124] Taking satellite communication as an example, during the initial access process, the UE needs to calculate the TA (Target Access Request) based on its own location and satellite ephemeris, and then send a random access request on the PRACH based on the TA calculation result. In this scenario, factors such as satellite coverage area, two-way transmission latency, and satellite movement speed will all affect the TA.

[0125] The method for determining the TA will be described below with reference to Figure 5, taking the initial access process as an example. The method shown in Figure 5 may include steps 1 to 6.

[0126] Step 1: The terminal device receives the SSB.

[0127] The System Switchboard (SSB) can include the primary synchronization signal (PSS), the secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and the physical broadcast channel (PBCH). Terminal devices can perform timing estimations and downlink synchronization based on PSS / SSS detections. The PBCH can be used to indicate the time-frequency resource location of system messages.

[0128] Step 2: The terminal device receives system messages, such as SIB1, SIB19, etc.

[0129] First, the terminal device can receive the PDCCH for scheduling the PDSCH carrying system messages based on the time and frequency resource location indicated by the PBCH; second, the terminal device can receive the PDSCH carrying system messages based on the time and frequency location indicated by the PDCCH, thereby obtaining system messages such as cell information and satellite ephemeris information.

[0130] Step 3: The terminal device calculates TA.

[0131] For example, the terminal device can perform TA calculation according to the formula specified in the protocol. Specifically, the UE side advances the downlink frame number i by T. TA This refers to the uplink frame number i. T TA It satisfies the following formula 1.

[0132] Step 4, the terminal device according to T TA Schedule a timer to send the PRACH message.

[0133] The parameters involved in Formula 1 will be described in detail below.

[0134] According to the frame structure definition in 3GPP protocol TS 38.211, the minimum time unit is T. c ,and Where, Δf max =480·10 3 Hz, N f =4096. In LTE, the smallest time unit is T. s The constant κ = T s / T c =64, and Where, Δf ref =15·10 3 Hz, N f,ref =2048.

[0135] N TA The value is 0 when sending PRACH, and can be updated by the TA command (TAC) field and the medium access control control element (MAC CE) in message 2 (Msg2) / message B (MsgB).

[0136] With n-TimingAdvanceOffset configured, N TA,offset Take the configured value of n-TimingAdvanceOffset; if n-TimingAdvanceOffset is not configured, take the default value according to the table defined in TS 38.133 (i.e., Table 1 described below).

[0137] Table 1

[0138] See Table 1, N TA,offset The value of can be determined by the uplink transmission duplex mode and frequency band.

[0139] If the high-level parameters TACommon, TACommonDrift, and TACommonDriftVariation are configured, then Calculated based on network configuration parameters; if the above parameters are not configured, then... It is 0.

[0140] TACommon indicates the common timing advance value for network control, which can include any timing offset deemed necessary by the network; TACommonDrift indicates the drift rate of the common TA; TACommonDriftVariation represents the change in the drift rate of the common TA. The TACommon, TACommonDrift, and TACommonDriftVariation fields are excluded when determining system information changes. Table 2 shows the value ranges for the above parameters.

[0141] Table 2

[0142] That is, the one-way propagation delay between the reference point and the satellite. common (t) satisfies the following formula 2 with the parameters in Table 2.

[0143] [TA Common (t epocH )+TACommonDrift×(tt epocH )+TACommonDriftVariation×(tt epoch ) 2 ] (Formula 2)

[0144] Among them, t epoch It is supplementary information for satellite ephemeris time.

[0145] For example, TACommon, TACommonDrift, and TACommonDriftVariation can be found in the following definitions of the NTN-Config information element in protocol TS 38.331.

[0146] With the relevant high-level parameters for the service satellite ephemeris configured... It can be calculated by the UE based on the UE's location and satellite ephemeris; otherwise... The value of is 0.

[0147] Step 5: The network device sends a random access response to the terminal device. This random access response may include a TA (Track Adjustment) parameter.

[0148] For example, network devices can perform TA estimation based on the PRACH sent by the terminal device, determine the TA adjustment amount, and indicate the TA adjustment amount to the terminal device in the TAC of the random access response (RAR).

[0149] Taking the NR system as an example, for a TAG, the TAC in the RAR indicates the N using index values ​​0, 1, 2, ..., 3846. TA To distinguish it from the second information in this application, this index value is denoted as T. A '. Among them, for a subcarrier spacing of 2 u ×15kHz TAG, time adjustment amount N TA The following formula 3 is satisfied. N TA =T A '×16×64 / 2 u (Formula 3)

[0150] Where, N TA It is defined in protocol TS 38.211. N TA It is related to the subcarrier spacing of the first uplink transmission after receiving the random access response or the absolute timing advance command MAC CE.

[0151] Taking the LTE system as an example, the TAC in the RAR indicates N through index values ​​0, 1, 2, ..., 1282. TA To distinguish it from the second information in this application, this index value is denoted as T. A '. Among them, the time adjustment amount N TA The following formula 4 is satisfied. N TA =T A '×16 (Formula 4)

[0152] It can be seen that N TA The adjustment values ​​are all greater than or equal to 0, and negative TA indication is not supported.

[0153] Based on the calculation results of Formula 3 or Formula 4, the timing advance T is re-determined. TA .

[0154] Step 6: The terminal device sends T in advance according to the adjusted timing. TA Send message 3 (Msg3).

[0155] In other words, the terminal device can be based on the T redefined in step 5. TA By timing the transmission in advance, Msg3 is sent so that it can be aligned on the network side and thus be successfully received by the network side.

[0156] After successfully receiving Msg3, the network side can proceed with the subsequent access process, which will not be elaborated here.

[0157] The above section introduced the method for determining the initial TA during the initial access process. However, the distance between the terminal device and the network device may change over time; therefore, the network side needs to maintain the TA. For example, the network device can indicate N through the index value of the TAC in the MAC CE. TA The adjustment value, where the index value can take values ​​ranging from 0, 1, 2, ..., 63.

[0158] It should be noted that in this case, the new N TA The value is based on the old N. TA And the index value indicated by TAC, or in other words, the updated N. TA Based on the valid N prior to receiving the TAC TA And the index value indicated by the TAC is determined.

[0159] As mentioned earlier, the terminal device can compensate for the TA (Transmission Aspect Ratio) based on its own location and the satellite's ephemeris information. In other words, the terminal device can compensate for the TA based on its distance from the satellite, and the compensation amount can be, for example, as shown in Formula 1 above.

[0160] Some terminal devices, such as low-capability devices, those lacking a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) positioning module, or those operating in energy-saving or low-power modes, may be unable to obtain their own location information, thus failing to compensate for TA (Target Aspect Ratio) based on the distance between themselves and network devices. In such cases, ensuring the accuracy of TA and achieving uplink synchronization to correctly receive and demodulate uplink data becomes a problem that needs to be solved.

[0161] One possible implementation is to compensate for the transmission delay caused by the distance between the terminal device and the network device by adjusting the TA (Transmission Time Adjustment) as indicated by the network device. For example, the terminal device can ignore the TA when calculating it. In other words, the timing advance performed by the terminal device when sending uplink information does not include... The network device can determine the TA adjustment value based on the measurement results of the uplink information; that is, the TA adjustment value includes the adjustment of the uplink information. This eliminates the need for terminal devices to compensate for TA based on their own location and satellite ephemeris information, while ensuring uplink data time slot alignment on the network side.

[0162] Generally, the transmission latency caused by the distance between the terminal device and the satellite is the main factor affecting the Transmission Time Allocation (TA). Therefore, compensating for the transmission latency caused by the distance between the terminal device and the network device by the TA adjustment amount indicated by the network device incurs significant resource overhead. This is especially true in scenarios with a large network coverage area, such as the NTN scenario mentioned earlier, where the transmission latency between the network device and the terminal device is even greater, further increasing the overhead of indicating the TA adjustment amount.

[0163] To address the aforementioned issues, embodiments of this application provide a communication method that indicates the TA of a terminal device using a common portion of the TA (such as a common TA offset) and a specific portion of the TA of the terminal device (such as a first TA adjustment amount), thereby reducing the TA indication overhead. The common portion of the TA can be, for example, the common portion of the TAs of terminal devices in a first region, or in other words, the common portion of the TA can be reused by all terminal devices in the first region. Therefore, this scheme only requires indicating the common portion of the TA once, which helps reduce the resource overhead associated with indicating the common portion of the TA compared to indicating the complete TA to each terminal device separately.

[0164] The communication method provided in the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to Figure 6.

[0165] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. The method shown in Figure 6 may involve the interaction between a first communication device and a second communication device. In this embodiment, the first communication device is described as a terminal device and the second communication device is described as a network device.

[0166] It should be noted that the first communication device can be a terminal device, or a component applicable to a terminal device, such as a module or communication module, or a circuit or chip applicable to a terminal device (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a SoC chip or SIP chip containing a modem core), or a logic node, logic module, or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the terminal device.

[0167] Similarly, the second communication device can be a network device, or a component applicable to a network device, such as a module or communication module, or a circuit or chip applicable to a network device (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a SoC chip or SIP chip containing a modem core), or a logic node, logic module, or software that can realize all or part of the functions of a network device.

[0168] The method provided in the embodiments of this application will now be described from the perspective of the interaction between the terminal device (as the first communication device) and the network device (as the second communication device).

[0169] In some embodiments, the method shown in FIG6 can be applied to terrestrial communication scenarios. In other embodiments, the method shown in FIG6 can be applied to NTN scenarios. For example, the network device can be a satellite (or satellite base station) or HAPS, or a base station device mounted on a satellite / HAPS, or some functions of the network device can be deployed on a satellite / HAPS.

[0170] The method shown in Figure 6 may include steps S610 and S620.

[0171] S610, the terminal device receives the first information and the second information T. A Accordingly, the network device sends the first information and the second information T. A The second information T can be discussed later. A This is referred to as the second information.

[0172] The first information can be used to indicate the common timing advance TA offset of the first area. That is, the common TA offset can be used to determine the TA of the terminal devices located in the first area, or in other words, the common TA offset can be the common portion of the TAs of the terminal devices located in the first area. The common TA offset can be represented, for example, as... It should be understood that the common TA offset can also be represented in other ways, and this application does not limit this.

[0173] In some embodiments, the common TA offset can be used to compensate for the transmission delay between the first area and the network device (for ease of description, it can be referred to as the first transmission delay). That is, the common TA offset can be determined based on the first transmission delay, or the common TA offset is related to the first transmission delay. The first transmission delay can be the transmission delay between any location in the first area and the network device. Generally, transmission delay is related to distance. Therefore, the common TA offset being related to the first transmission delay can be replaced by: the common TA offset being related to the distance between the first area and the network device.

[0174] The aforementioned second information can be used to indicate the first TA adjustment amount N. TA The adjustment amount N of the first TA can be described later. TA This is simply referred to as the first TA adjustment amount. The first TA adjustment amount can be understood as a specific part of the TA of this terminal device. It should be understood that the specific part mentioned here is relative to the common part mentioned above.

[0175] For ease of description, the transmission delay between the terminal device and the network device can be referred to as the second transmission delay. In some embodiments, the first TA adjustment amount can be used to compensate for the difference between the second transmission delay and the first transmission delay. For example, the first TA adjustment amount can be determined based on the difference between the second transmission delay and the time indicated by the common TA offset.

[0176] In other words, the common TA offset and the first TA adjustment can be used to compensate for the second transmission delay. For example, the sum of the time indicated by the common TA offset and the time indicated by the first TA adjustment equals the second transmission delay. Considering factors such as quantization error and calculation error, the sum of the time indicated by the common TA offset and the time indicated by the first TA adjustment is approximately equal to the second transmission delay. The time indicated by the common TA offset and the time indicated by the first TA adjustment will be introduced later, and will not be repeated here.

[0177] S620, the terminal device sends uplink information according to the first TA. Correspondingly, the network device receives the uplink information.

[0178] In other words, the amount of time the terminal device advances when sending uplink information is called the first TA. The first TA can be determined based on the common TA offset and the first TA adjustment amount.

[0179] In some embodiments, the first TA may include the time indicated by the common TA offset and the time indicated by the first TA adjustment, which helps to compensate for the transmission delay between the terminal device and the network device, thereby facilitating uplink synchronization.

[0180] Alternatively, in addition to the time indicated by the common TA offset and the time indicated by the first TA adjustment, the first TA may also include the N mentioned above. TA,offset or One or more of these factors can help improve the accuracy of TA. N TA,offset or The method for determining this can be found in the previous text.

[0181] By advancing the first TA when sending uplink information, it is helpful to achieve uplink alignment of the terminal device, thereby helping to ensure the initial access performance of the terminal device.

[0182] This application embodiment indicates the first TA by using the common portion of the TA and a specific portion of the TA of the terminal device, which helps to reduce the TA indication overhead. Taking the first terminal device and the second terminal device as examples, the network device can indicate the common TA offset, the TA adjustment amount of the first terminal device, and the TA adjustment amount of the second terminal device. The first terminal device can determine its TA based on the common TA offset and the TA adjustment amount, and the second terminal device can determine its TA based on the common TA offset and the TA adjustment amount.

[0183] Compared to indicating the complete TA (including the common TA offset and the TA adjustment amount of the first terminal device) to the first terminal device and indicating the complete TA (including the common TA offset and the TA adjustment amount of the second terminal device) to the second terminal device, the method provided in this application embodiment only needs to indicate the common TA offset once, thereby helping to reduce the indication overhead.

[0184] The common TA offset is configured at the coverage area level (such as the first area mentioned above), or in other words, different coverage areas are configured with common TA offsets independently.

[0185] For example, the first area can be a cell. A unified common TA offset for each cell can help reduce both indication overhead and processing complexity. It's understood that the smaller the first area, the smaller the difference in transmission latency between different terminal devices and network devices within that area; therefore, the larger the common TA offset can be, further reducing indication overhead. Thus, this scheme is suitable for scenarios with small cell coverage areas, yielding greater performance gains.

[0186] For example, the first region can be the coverage area of ​​the first beam. In other words, the common TA offset is configured with the beam coverage area as the granularity. The difference in transmission delay between different terminal devices and network devices within the beam coverage area is small. The larger the configurable common TA offset, the more it helps to further reduce indication overhead.

[0187] As mentioned earlier, the common TA offset can be used to compensate for the transmission delay between the first area and the network device, i.e., the first transmission delay. This first transmission delay can be the transmission delay between any location within the first area and the network device. The following section introduces several methods for determining the common TA offset.

[0188] In some embodiments, the common TA offset can be determined based on the minimum transmission delay between the network device and the first area. Alternatively, the common TA offset can be determined based on the minimum value of the first transmission delay. In this case, the first TA adjustment is always positive, eliminating the need to indicate the sign of the first TA adjustment. On the one hand, this scheme saves the overhead of indicating the sign of the TA adjustment. On the other hand, having all first TA adjustment values ​​positive helps reduce processing complexity.

[0189] For example, the minimum transmission delay between the network device and the first area can be the transmission delay between the first location and the network device, where the first location is the location in the first area that is closest to the network device. It should be understood that for NTN scenarios, the relative positional relationship between the network device, such as a satellite, and the first area may be different, and the first location may be different.

[0190] Based on this, the first position or the common TA offset can be updated according to changes in the relative positional relationship between the satellite and the first region. Updates to the first position and / or the common TA offset can be triggered periodically or by events (or conditions). Periodic updates help reduce update overhead. Triggering events for updating the first position and / or the common TA offset could be, for example, the change in the first position exceeding a position threshold, the change in transmission delay between the first position and network equipment exceeding a delay threshold, or the change in the common TA offset exceeding one or more of these thresholds. This approach helps prevent the TA offset from exceeding the system's maximum allowable value, thus helping to avoid uplink synchronization failures.

[0191] In some embodiments, the common TA offset can be determined based on the transmission delay between the network device and a reference point in the first region. The reference point in the first region can be any location within the first region, such as the center point of the first region. Regardless of whether the first region is a cell or the coverage area of ​​a first beam, the center point of the first region is determined once the first region is defined. Therefore, this scheme can directly reuse the center point of the first region, which helps to reduce processing complexity.

[0192] It should be understood that in an NTN scenario, the transmission delay between the center point of the first region and the network devices changes dynamically as the relative position of network devices, such as satellites, to the first region changes. Therefore, the common TA offset determined based on the transmission delay between the network devices and the center point of the first region may vary.

[0193] For example, the common TA offset can be updated based on changes in transmission latency between the network device and the center point of the first area to ensure the system obtains an accurate common TA offset. For instance, the update of the common TA offset can be periodically triggered or triggered by an event (or condition). Periodic updates help reduce update overhead. The triggering event for updating the common TA offset could be, for example, one or more of the following: the transmission latency between the network device and the center point of the first area exceeds a latency threshold or the change in the common TA offset exceeds a threshold. This approach helps prevent the TA offset from exceeding the maximum allowed value by the system, thus helping to avoid uplink synchronization loss.

[0194] The above-mentioned thresholds can be determined based on one or more of the following information: symbol length, cyclic prefix length, or system robustness.

[0195] In some embodiments, the common TA offset can be determined based on the transmission delay between the navigating satellite position and the network device. This method is applicable to NTN scenarios. When the orbital altitude of the serving satellite remains unchanged, the transmission delay between the navigating satellite position and the network device remains constant. Therefore, the common TA offset determined based on the transmission delay between the navigating satellite position and the network device is constant, thereby helping to reduce the overhead of updating and maintaining the common TA offset.

[0196] The aforementioned method for updating the common TA offset or first information is applicable to scenarios where the satellite moves relative to the cell it covers, or what can be called a fixed cell scenario. However, for scenarios where the satellite is relatively stationary to the cell it covers, or what can be called a moving cell scenario, since the satellite and the first area are relatively stationary, there is no need to update the common TA offset or first information when determining the common TA offset based on the minimum transmission delay between the network device and the first area, or the transmission delay between the network device and the center point of the first area.

[0197] In some embodiments, the first information mentioned above can be carried in the SIB, or the first information can be carried in the random access response. It should be understood that the first information can be carried in a message that supports reception by multiple terminal devices, thereby enabling multiple terminal devices to reuse the first information and helping to reduce indication overhead.

[0198] For example, step S610 can be replaced by receiving an SIB for broadcasting first information to a first area. In this way, sending the first information once enables all terminal devices within the first area to obtain the first information. Compared to sending the first information individually to each terminal device, this approach helps reduce indication overhead. The SIB message can be, for example, SIB1 or SIB19.

[0199] The above method can be applied to random access scenarios. As mentioned earlier, before sending the PRACH, the terminal device can receive SIB messages to obtain the first information. Typically, the network device can only determine a specific portion of the terminal device's TA after the terminal device sends the PRACH. Therefore, when sending the PRACH, the terminal device can obtain the common TA offset, but may not be able to obtain the first TA adjustment amount.

[0200] In this scenario, the terminal device can determine the timing advance for transmitting uplink information based on the common TA offset. After acquiring the first TA adjustment, the terminal device can determine the timing advance for transmitting uplink information based on both the common TA offset and the first TA adjustment. For example, the terminal device can determine the timing advance for transmitting PRACH based on the common TA offset; after receiving the second information, it can determine the timing advance for subsequent uplink information based on the common TA offset and the first TA adjustment. This allows the terminal device to compensate for the first transmission delay in a timely manner, helping to improve the reliability of uplink transmission.

[0201] Alternatively, before receiving the second information, the terminal device may not determine the timing advance for sending uplink information based on the common TA offset; after receiving the second information, the terminal device can determine the timing advance for sending uplink information based on the common TA offset and the first TA adjustment. In other words, the common TA offset does not take effect immediately, but only after receiving the second information. This allows the terminal device to accurately compensate for the second transmission delay between the terminal device and the network device, thereby improving the accuracy of the timing advance.

[0202] In other words, the public TA offset can be effective immediately or when certain conditions are met (such as receiving a second message).

[0203] For example, step S610 can be replaced by: receiving a random access response, the random access response being used to respond to one or more terminal devices in the first area, the random access response carrying first information. In this way, one or more terminal devices in the first area can obtain the first information. Compared to sending the first information separately to each terminal device, this approach helps reduce indication overhead.

[0204] In some embodiments, the first information can reuse existing fields, such as existing fields in the SIB or existing fields in the random access response, thereby helping to reduce the degree of modification to the protocol and thus reduce the complexity of implementation. For example, when the first information is carried in the random access response, the first information can reuse reserved fields in the random access response.

[0205] In some embodiments, the first information can be carried in a new field, such as a new field in the SIB or random access response, thereby allowing for flexible configuration of the bits occupied by the first information, which helps improve the system's flexibility and supports a larger indication range and higher indication accuracy. For example, when the first information is carried in the random access response, the first information can be carried in a new field in the random access response, where the new field can be, for example, 8 bits, supporting a larger indication range.

[0206] Considering that the network device can only determine a specific portion of the terminal device's TA after the terminal device sends the PRACH, the second information can be carried in the signaling or messages exchanged between the terminal device and the network device after sending the PRACH. In some embodiments, the second information can be carried in the random access response or contention resolution message. In a four-step random access process, the second information can be carried in the random access response (i.e., Msg2) or the contention resolution message (i.e., Msg4). In a two-step random access process, the second information can be carried in MsgB (i.e., RAR and Msg4 in four-step random access). After initial access is completed, the second information can be carried in the PDSCH. Exemplarily, the second information can be radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0207] As mentioned earlier, the first TA can include the time of the common TA offset indication and the time of the first TA adjustment indication. The time of the common TA offset indication can be related to the first information and the time granularity corresponding to the first information (hereinafter referred to as the first time granularity); the time of the first TA adjustment indication can be related to the second information and the time granularity corresponding to the second information (hereinafter referred to as the second time granularity). The time of the common TA offset indication and the time of the first TA adjustment indication are described below.

[0208] In some embodiments, the time indicated by the common TA offset can be determined based on the product of the value of the first information and the first time granularity (or granularity). Taking the value of the first information as the common TA offset as an example, the time indicated by the common TA offset can be... in, T1 is the common TA offset, and T1 is the first time granularity.

[0209] Alternatively, the value T of the first information B The relationship with the common TA offset satisfies: This helps reduce the overhead of indicating the first information. The timing of the common TA offset indication can be... Where Y is a positive number, and the first time granularity is T1 = Y * T. c .

[0210] In some embodiments, the time indicated by the first TA adjustment amount can be determined based on the product of the value of the second information and the second time granularity. For example, the time indicated by the first TA adjustment amount can be T. A *T2, where T A T2 is the second piece of information, and T2 is the second time granularity.

[0211] Typically, the symbol length is related to the subcarrier spacing, and the system's robustness to time-of-action (TA) errors varies with different symbol lengths. Therefore, the first TA adjustment amount or the second time granularity can be related to the subcarrier spacing to improve TA accuracy. For example, the first TA adjustment amount or the second time granularity can be related to the subcarrier spacing configuration u. As an example, the first TA adjustment amount or the second time granularity can be related to 2... u related.

[0212] The relationship between the first time granularity and the maximum adjustment time supported by the first TA adjustment amount may affect the accuracy of the timing advance. The maximum adjustment time supported by the first TA adjustment amount can be the product of the maximum value of the first TA adjustment amount and the second time granularity. Taking a maximum adjustment time of 0.5ms for the first TA adjustment amount and a first time granularity of 1ms as an example, when the second transmission delay is 3.8ms (i.e., the common TA offset and the first TA adjustment amount are used to compensate for 3.8ms), the timing advance determined based on the first and second information can be 3.5ms or 4ms, resulting in a loss of accuracy.

[0213] Based on this, in some embodiments, the first time granularity can be less than or equal to the maximum adjustment time supported by the first TA adjustment amount. In this way, combining the first and second information can avoid unindicable time intervals (or gaps), thereby avoiding the accuracy loss caused by these gaps. In this scheme, the maximum adjustment time supported by the first TA adjustment amount can be 0.5ms, the first time granularity is 0.5ms, and with a second transmission delay of 3.8ms, the first information can indicate 3.5ms, and the second information can indicate 0.3ms; or, the first information can indicate 4ms, and the second information can indicate -0.2ms. It can be seen that this scheme helps to avoid the aforementioned accuracy loss.

[0214] In some embodiments, the second information can be carried in the TAC field of the random access response, and the first TA adjustment amount can reuse the relevant configuration of the TA adjustment amount in the TAC command in related technologies to reduce the degree of modification to the protocol and facilitate implementation. For example, the value range of the second information can reuse the value range of the index value in the TAC in related technologies, or the second time granularity can reuse the time granularity corresponding to the index value in the TAC in related technologies, or the mapping relationship between the value of the second information and the time indicated by the first TA adjustment amount can reuse the mapping relationship between the index value and the TA adjustment amount in the TAC in related technologies. It should be noted that the TA adjustment amount mentioned in related technologies is represented as N. TA The first TA adjustment amount mentioned in the embodiments of this application can be expressed as N. TA '.

[0215] For example, the first TA adjustment amount N TA Satisfy the following formula 5: N TA '=T A *16, where the second information T A The value range of N is 0 to 1282. TA The time unit is T, which is the time unit supported by the Long Term Evolution (LTE) communication system. s Therefore, the time indicated by the first TA adjustment is N. TA '*T s =T A *16*T s The second time granularity can be 16*T s .

[0216] This scheme is applicable to LTE systems. Since the subcarrier spacing is fixed in LTE systems, the impact of subcarrier spacing changes can be disregarded when determining the first TA adjustment amount.

[0217] Or, the first TA adjustment amount N TA Satisfy the following formula 6: N TA '=T A *16*64 / 2 u Among them, the second information T A The value range is 0 to 3846, where u is the subcarrier spacing configuration, and N is the subcarrier spacing configuration. TA The time unit is T, which is supported in the new wireless communication system. c Therefore, the time indicated by the first TA adjustment is N. TA '*T c =T A *16*64 / 2 u *T c The second time granularity can be 16*64 / 2 u *Tc .

[0218] This scheme is applicable to NR systems. Since the subcarrier spacing in an NR system is not fixed, the first timing adjustment (TA) can be related to the subcarrier spacing, or in other words, the second time granularity can be related to the subcarrier spacing, thereby helping to improve the accuracy of the TA. For example, the first TA adjustment or the second time granularity can be related to the subcarrier spacing configuration u, or to 2... u related.

[0219] Currently in LTE systems, the TAC in RAR consists of 11 bits, supporting index values ​​ranging from 0 to 1282. However, 11 bits can only support values ​​ranging from 0 to 2047. Therefore, in some embodiments, the second information T... A The value range can be from 0 to 2047, which can broaden the value range of the second information without changing the bits occupied by the existing TAC. In this way, while keeping the time granularity corresponding to the second information unchanged, this scheme can expand the time range of the first TA adjustment amount; while keeping the time range of the first TA adjustment amount indicated, the time granularity corresponding to the second information can be refined, thereby helping to improve the indication accuracy.

[0220] Currently, in the NR system, the TAC in RAR consists of 12 bits, supporting an index value range of 0–3846. However, 12 bits can only support a value range of 0–4095. Similarly, the second information T… A The value range can be from 0 to 4095, which can broaden the value range of the second information without changing the bits occupied by the existing TAC.

[0221] Taking the first TA adjustment amount satisfying Formula 5 as an example, in the second information T A When the value range of is 0 to 1282, the value range of the first TA adjustment is 0 to 0.667 ms. That is, the maximum adjustment time supported by the first TA adjustment is approximately 0.667 ms. Therefore, the first time granularity mentioned earlier can be less than or equal to 0.667 milliseconds. For example, a first time granularity of 0.667 milliseconds helps save indicator bits for the first information. For example, a first time granularity of 0.5 milliseconds is simple to calculate and helps reduce processing complexity.

[0222] In some embodiments, the configuration of TAC in related technologies may not be reused. For example, the first time granularity can be 1 ms to reduce computational complexity. In this case, the time for indicating the first TA adjustment amount can be 0 to 1 ms. Alternatively, with a first time granularity of 1 ms, the time for indicating the first TA adjustment amount can be -0.5 ms to 0.5 ms, which can save the indication overhead of the absolute value (0 to 0.5) of the TA adjustment amount indication time.

[0223] Taking the first TA adjustment amount satisfying Formula 6 as an example, in the second information T A The value range is 0 to 3846, and the value range of the first TA adjustment is 0 to 2ms / 2. u Where u represents the subcarrier spacing configuration, and the subcarrier spacing Δf = 2 u *15KHz.

[0224] For example, when the subcarrier spacing is 15kHz, the value range of the first TA adjustment is 0 to 2ms, meaning the maximum adjustment time supported by the first TA adjustment is 2ms. Therefore, the first time granularity mentioned earlier can be less than or equal to 2ms, such as 0.8ms, 1ms, or 1.5ms.

[0225] For example, when the subcarrier spacing is 30kHz, the value range of the first TA adjustment is 0 to 1ms, meaning the maximum adjustment time supported by the first TA adjustment is 1ms. Therefore, the first time granularity mentioned earlier can be less than or equal to 1ms, such as 0.5ms, 0.9ms, or 1ms.

[0226] In some embodiments, the first time granularity may be related to the subcarrier spacing, such as the subcarrier spacing configuration u, to ensure that, under different subcarrier spacings, the first time granularity is less than or equal to the maximum adjustment time supported by the first TA adjustment amount, thereby helping to improve system flexibility. For example, T1 = M / 2 u M is a positive number.

[0227] Taking network equipment deployed on a satellite as an example, the first transmission delay between the network equipment and the first area can be related to one or more of the following: the satellite's coverage area (e.g., the satellite's coverage radius); the satellite's orbital altitude; the size of the first area; the relative positional relationship between the first area and the satellite; or the time granularity corresponding to the first information, i.e., the first time granularity. Since the common TA offset is used to compensate for the transmission delay between the network equipment and the first area, and the first information is used to indicate the common TA offset, the value range of the first information when the network equipment is deployed on a satellite is related to one or more of the above-mentioned information. Deploying network equipment on a satellite can be replaced by: the satellite having some or all of the functions of the network equipment, as in the satellite architecture shown in Figure 2B or Figure 2C mentioned above.

[0228] The relative positional relationship between the first region and the satellite can refer to the distance between the first region and the satellite, or the distance between the first region and the sub-satellite point, etc.

[0229] Taking the first region as the coverage area of ​​the first beam as an example, the size of the first region can be the coverage radius of the first beam or the diameter of the coverage area of ​​the first beam, etc.

[0230] For example, when the time range that the first information needs to indicate remains unchanged, the larger the first time granularity, the smaller the value range of the first information, and the fewer indication bits the first information needs, which helps to save indication overhead; the smaller the first time granularity, the larger the value range of the first information, the higher the accuracy of the common TA offset value, and the higher the accuracy of TA compensation.

[0231] As mentioned earlier, the first TA adjustment is used to compensate for the difference between the second transmission delay and the first transmission delay between the terminal device and the network device. Therefore, the value range of the second information can be related to one or more of the following: information related to the first transmission delay, information related to the second transmission delay, or a second time granularity.

[0232] Similarly, if the time range that the second information needs to indicate remains unchanged, the larger the second time granularity, the smaller the value range of the second information, and the fewer indication bits the second information needs, which helps to save indication overhead; the smaller the second time granularity, the larger the value range of the second information, the higher the accuracy of the TA offset, and the higher the accuracy of the TA compensation.

[0233] Table 3 shows an example of the relationship between the value range, granularity, and bit allocation of the first information, and an example of the relationship between the value range, granularity, and bit allocation of the second information.

[0234] Table 3

[0235] It should be understood that the bit allocation given in Table 3 is the minimum number of bits; A, B, and C are positive integers.

[0236] Referring to Table 3, the value range of the first information can be 0 to A, and the time granularity corresponding to the first information can be g1 ms. In this case, the time range that the first information can indicate is 0...(A×g1) ms; the minimum number of bits corresponding to the first information, or the minimum number of bits allocated to the first information, is... in, This indicates rounding down to the nearest integer. It can also be replaced with This indicates rounding up. For example, g1 can be any of 0.5, 0.667, 0.66, or 1.

[0237] Referring again to Table 3, in some embodiments, the value range of the second information can be -B...+B, meaning the value of the second information can be positive or negative. The time granularity corresponding to the second information is g2us, and the time range that the second information can indicate is -(B×g2)us...+(B×g2)us; the number of bits corresponding to the second information, or the minimum number of bits allocated to the second information, can be... in, It can also be replaced with This bit range includes a sign bit, used to indicate whether the second information is positive or negative. For example, (B × g²) could be 0.5 × 10⁻⁶. 3 us, which is 0.5ms.

[0238] In other embodiments, the value range of the second information can be 0...C, and the time granularity corresponding to the second information is g3µs. In this case, the time range indicated by the second information can be 0...(C×g3)µs; the number of bits corresponding to the second information, or the minimum number of bits allocated to the second information, can be... or For example, (C×g3) can be 0.5×10 3 us, which is 0.5ms; or, (C×g3) can be 0.66×10 3 us, i.e. 0.66ms; (C×g3) can be 0.667×10 3 us, i.e. 0.667ms; (C×g3) can be 1×10 3 us, which is 1ms.

[0239] For example, g2 or g3 can be the 16*T mentioned above.s Alternatively, g2 or g3 can be the 16*64 / 2 mentioned earlier. u *T c .

[0240] It should be understood that the time range indicated by the first information is the same as the time range indicated by the common TA offset, and the time range indicated by the second information is the same as the time range indicated by the first TA adjustment.

[0241] The units corresponding to the time granularity mentioned above are given as examples only, and this application does not limit them.

[0242] As mentioned earlier, the longest time period indicated by the second information is greater than or equal to the time granularity corresponding to the first information, i.e., (C×g3)us is greater than or equal to g1 ms. For the case where the value range of the second information is -B...+B, (2B×g2)us is greater than or equal to g1ms.

[0243] The sum of the longest duration of the first information support indication (A×g1) ms and the longest duration of the second information support indication (C×g3) μs can cover the maximum transmission delay between the terminal device and the network device under the current satellite deployment. Alternatively, the sum of the longest duration of the first information support indication (A×g1) ms and the longest duration of the second information support indication (B×g2) μs can cover the maximum transmission delay between the terminal device and the network device under the current satellite deployment.

[0244] Based on this, in one possible design process, the maximum transmission delay between the terminal equipment and the network equipment can be determined first, according to the satellite deployment situation.

[0245] Secondly, the time ranges for the first and second information indications are determined based on the maximum transmission delay. This can be achieved by considering factors such as the maximum transmission delay and the beam's coverage area. For example, in a scenario where the satellite and its coverage area are relatively stationary, the maximum value of the first information indication time can be greater than or equal to the transmission delay between the coverage area of ​​the first beam and the network device in Figure 7A (described later). Similarly, in a scenario where the satellite and its coverage area are not relatively stationary, the maximum value of the first information indication time can be greater than or equal to the transmission delay between the coverage area of ​​the first beam and the network device in Figure 7B (described later).

[0246] Then, based on the accuracy requirements of the TA and the overhead of indicating resources, the first and second time granularities can be determined. It should be understood that the relationship between the first and second time granularities needs to be considered during the determination process.

[0247] Finally, based on the time range and time granularity indicated by the first information, the value range of the first information can be determined, thereby determining the number of bits allocated to the first information; similarly, based on the time range and time granularity indicated by the second information, the value range of the second information can be determined, thereby determining the number of bits allocated to the second information. It should be understood that when determining the parameters related to the second information, it is necessary to consider whether the values ​​of the second information are all positive or include both positive and negative values.

[0248] The above describes how to determine the configuration parameters related to the first information and the second information during the design process. The following section, with reference to Figures 7A and 7B, describes how to determine the values ​​of the first information and the second information during the communication process.

[0249] In some embodiments, the network device can determine the transmission delay t3 between the network device and the terminal device based on the uplink information sent by the terminal device. When the second information is only a positive value, the value of the first information can be... The value of the second information can be... It should be understood that when determining the value of the first or second information, rounding down can be replaced by rounding up.

[0250] Figure 7A is a schematic diagram of a satellite deployment according to an embodiment of this application. Referring to Figure 7A, the satellite orbital altitude is 600km, the satellite coverage radius is 850km, the beam coverage radius is 25km, and the distance from the satellite to the center point of the first beam is approximately 1020km. Therefore, the transmission delay between the center point of the first beam and the network device is approximately 3.4ms. With a first time granularity of 0.5ms, the value of the first information can be... Taking the terminal device located at the center point of the first beam as an example, the second time granularity is 0.52us (=16*T) s In the case of (32.552ns*16), the value of the second information can be...

[0251] Furthermore, the relative position of the first beam to the satellite affects the value of the first information. Taking the coverage area of ​​the first beam shown by the dashed line in Figure 7A as an example, when the first beam covers the sub-satellite region, the distance between the center point of the first beam and the satellite is 600 km. Therefore, the transmission delay between the center point of the first beam and the network device is approximately 2 ms. With a first time granularity of 0.5 ms, the value of the first information can be... Taking the terminal device located at the center point of the first beam as an example, the value of the second information can be...

[0252] Figure 7B is a schematic diagram of another satellite deployment scenario provided in an embodiment of this application. Referring to Figure 7B, the satellite orbital altitude is 600km, the satellite coverage radius is 850km, the coverage radius of the first beam is 25km, the distance from the satellite to the center point of the first beam is approximately 1732km, and the transmission delay between the center point of the first beam and the network device is approximately 5.8ms. With a first time granularity of 0.5ms, the value of the first information can be... Taking the terminal device located at the center point of the first beam as an example, the second time granularity is 0.52us (=16*T) s In the case of (32.552ns*16), the value of the second information can be...

[0253] In some embodiments, the information element taCommonOffset can be defined to represent the common TA offset. The definition of taCommonOffset is as follows.

[0254] TA-Info::=SEQUENCE{taCommonOffset INTEGER(0..A)}

[0255] The value of taCommonOffset can range from 0 to A, and the granularity of taCommonOffset can be, for example, 0.3ms, 0.5ms, 0.667ms, 0.9ms, or 1ms. The value of A can be found in the previous section. Taking a maximum common TA offset indication time of 15ms and a taCommonOffset granularity of 1ms as an example, the value of A could be 15.

[0256] In some embodiments, a TA-Specific-UE cell can be defined to represent the first TA adjustment amount. The definition of TA-Specific-UE is as follows.

[0257] TA-Info::=SEQUENCE{TA-Specific-UE INTEGER(-B..B)}

[0258] The value of TA-Specific-UE can be from -B to B, and the granularity of TA-Specific-UE can be, for example, 0.1us, 0.3us, or 0.52us. The value of B can be found in the previous section. Taking a maximum adjustment time of 1ms for the first TA adjustment amount and a granularity of 0.52us for TA-Specific-UE as an example, the value of B could be 962.

[0259] Alternatively, the definition of TA-Specific-UE is as follows.

[0260] TA-Info::=SEQUENCE{TA-Specific-UE INTEGER(0..C)}

[0261] The value of TA-Specific-UE can range from 0 to C, and the granularity of TA-Specific-UE can be, for example, 0.1us, 0.3us, or 0.52us. The value of C can be found in the previous section. Taking the maximum adjustment time supported by the first TA adjustment amount as 0.667ms and the granularity of TA-Specific-UE as 0.52us as an example, the value of C can be 1282.

[0262] It should be understood that the names of the aforementioned information elements are given as examples only, and this application does not limit them.

[0263] As mentioned earlier, the first and / or second information can be carried in the random access response. The following is a detailed introduction to this method.

[0264] In some embodiments, the first and / or second information can reuse existing fields in the RAR to reduce the degree of protocol modification, reduce processing complexity, and avoid adding additional indication overhead. For example, the first information can be carried in a reservation field in the random access response, such as using multiple reservation bits from the RAR to jointly indicate the first information. For example, the second information can be carried in a TAC field.

[0265] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of RAR in related technologies. The fields included in RAR in Figure 8 are described below.

[0266] E: Extension field. E is used to indicate whether there is another medium access control (MAC) subheader following. 1 indicates that there is another subheader, and 0 indicates that there is no more MAC subheader following.

[0267] T: Type field. T indicates whether the MAC header is followed by a backoff indicator (BI) or a random access preamble identity (RAPID) (i.e., the Preamble value reported by the terminal device). A value of 1 indicates that the current MAC header is followed by a RAPID, and a value of 0 indicates that it is followed by a backoff indicator.

[0268] R: Reserved bit. Usually filled with 0.

[0269] Backoff indicator: Used to indicate the time that should be waited before resending the preamble.

[0270] RAPID: The random access preamble identifier in the random access request (Msg1), used by the terminal device for matching operations.

[0271] TAC: Timing Advance Command, used to indicate the uplink timing advance of the terminal device, or to adjust the timing advance (12 bits in NR, 11 bits in LTE).

[0272] UL Grant, Uplink Grant: Uplink scheduling information allocated for transmission of Msg3 via the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH);

[0273] Temporary C-RNTI: Cell-radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI), used for Msg3 scrambling.

[0274] The first information can be carried in some or all of the three reserved bits shown in Figure 8. The second information can be carried in the TAC field of the RAR.

[0275] In some embodiments, the first information may be carried in a newly added field in the RAR. Alternatively, the structure of the RAR may be redesigned. The second information may be carried in a TAC field in the RAR, but this TAC field may be redesigned, such as in terms of the number of bits it occupies or its position within the RAR.

[0276] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of a RAR structure provided in an embodiment of this application. The RAR structure shown in Figure 9 can be applied to four-step random access.

[0277] Referring to Figure 9, the newly added TA-offset field can be used to carry the first information. For example, the TA-offset field can occupy one byte, or 8 bits. The TAC field can be used to carry the second information. For example, the TAC field can occupy two bytes, or 16 bits.

[0278] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of another RAR structure provided in an embodiment of this application. The RAR structure shown in Figure 10 can be applied to two-step random access. The fields included in the RAR in Figure 10 are described below.

[0279] UE Contention Resolution Identity: This identifier indicates the terminal device that successfully resolved the contention issue. If the UE Contention Resolution Identity in the RAR matches the terminal device, the contention issue was successfully resolved; otherwise, the contention issue failed.

[0280] HARQ feedback Timing indication: This indicator is used to indicate the time for HARQ feedback.

[0281] PUCCH resource indication: Physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource identifier, used to indicate the resources that the terminal device sends for HARQ feedback via PUCCH after receiving RAR.

[0282] TPC: Transmit power control (TPC) is used to set the PUSCH transmission power of terminal devices.

[0283] It should be understood that other fields included in RAR in Figure 10 can be found in the preceding descriptions or in the descriptions in related technologies.

[0284] Figure 10 shows a new TA-offset field added to the RAR file to carry the initial information. This new TA-offset field occupies 1 byte, or 8 bits. This scheme is suitable for scenarios with large common TA offsets, such as NTN scenarios.

[0285] As can be seen, by redesigning the RAR, the number of bits occupied by the TA-offset field and the number of bits occupied by the TAC field can be designed according to usage requirements. For example, by redesigning the RAR, the bits used to carry the first information can be expanded to support indicating a wider range of common TA offsets, or to support indicating a higher precision common TA offset. Similarly, by redesigning the RAR, the bits used to carry the second information bits, such as the TAC, can be expanded to support indicating a wider range of first TA adjustment amounts, or to support indicating a higher precision first TA adjustment amount.

[0286] It should be noted that the number of bits occupied by each field, the position of each field, and the name of each field in Figures 8, 9, and 10 are given for illustrative purposes only, and this application does not impose any limitations on them. For example, the TA-offset field can also be replaced with the common-TA-offset field. Similarly, the TAC field can also be replaced with specific-UE-TA.

[0287] For ease of understanding, the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application will be described exemplarily below with reference to Figures 11A and 11B.

[0288] In the method shown in Figure 11A, the first information and the second information are carried in the random access response. The method may include steps 1 to 7.

[0289] Step 1: The network device sends SSB, SIB1, and SIB19.

[0290] Step 2: The terminal device receives SSB, SIB1, and SIB19.

[0291] Terminal devices can perform downlink timed synchronization based on the received SSB, and receive SIB1 based on the SSB to obtain cell information.

[0292] Terminal equipment can receive SIB19, such as receiving SIB19 based on SIB1 or receiving SIB19 based on SSB, to obtain ephemeris information.

[0293] Step 3: The terminal device sends a PRACH.

[0294] The terminal device can send a PRACH based on the TA. Before sending the PRACH, the terminal device can calculate the TA according to one of Formulas 7 to 10 below. Before sending the PRACH, N TA 'is 0, Not configured, set to 0. Other parameters in Formulas 7 to 10 can be determined by referring to methods in relevant technologies.

[0295] Step 4: The network device determines the common TA offset and the first TA adjustment.

[0296] For example, a network device can determine the second transmission delay between the terminal device and the network device based on the measurement results of the received preamble.

[0297] The network device can determine the first transmission delay between the center point of the coverage area of ​​the first beam and the network device, and then determine the common TA offset based on the first transmission delay. Thus, the first information can be determined based on the common TA offset and the first time granularity.

[0298] Furthermore, the network device can determine the second information based on the difference between the second transmission delay and the time indicated by the common TA offset (i.e., the first transmission delay) and the second time granularity.

[0299] Step 5: The network device sends a RAR to the terminal device. The RAR may contain first information and second information.

[0300] Step 6: The terminal device receives the RAR.

[0301] The terminal device can determine the time and frequency resource location for transmitting Msg3 based on the UL grant information in the RAR.

[0302] In addition, the terminal device can determine the timing advance for transmitting Msg3 based on the common TA offset indicated by the first information and the first TA adjustment indicated by the second information.

[0303] For example, the timing advance T TA Formula 7 can be satisfied.

[0304] Where, N TA The adjustment amount for the first TA can be determined based on the second information; The common TA offset is the first information; T1 is the first time granularity, and N is the first time offset. TA offset It can be determined using the methods described above.

[0305] In some embodiments, T1 = X * T c In other words, formula 7 above can be replaced with:

[0306] Alternatively, the value T of the first information B The relationship with the common TA offset satisfies: This helps reduce instruction overhead. The first time granularity is Y*T. c Therefore, formula 7 above can be replaced with:

[0307] As an example, in determining T TA N can also be ignored TA offset or In other words, the timing lead time T TA It can satisfy any one of the following formulas 8 to 10.

[0308] The parameters in Formulas 8 to 10 can be found in the previous description.

[0309] As another example, in determining T TA In addition to the parameters shown in Formula 7, other parameters may also be considered, and this application does not limit this.

[0310] It should be understood that the representation of the first TA adjustment amount and the common TA offset is provided only as an example, and this application does not limit it. For example, N TA 'Can also be replaced with

[0311] Step 7, the terminal device determines the timing advance T. TA Send Msg3.

[0312] The method shown in Figure 11A may also include signaling interactions in subsequent random access procedures, which will not be elaborated here for the sake of brevity.

[0313] In the method shown in Figure 11B, the first information is carried in SIB1 and the second information is carried in the random access response. The method may include steps 1 to 7.

[0314] Step 1: The network device sends SSB, SIB1, and SIB19.

[0315] Step 2: The terminal device receives SSB, SIB1 and SIB19, with SIB1 carrying the first information.

[0316] Terminal devices can perform downlink timed synchronization based on the received SSB, and receive SIB1 based on the SSB to obtain cell information.

[0317] Terminal equipment can receive SIB19, such as receiving SIB19 based on SIB1 or receiving SIB19 based on SSB, to obtain ephemeris information.

[0318] The terminal device can determine the common TA offset based on the first information, and calculate the TA for transmitting PRACH according to any one of Formulas 7 to 10 above. Wherein, N TA The value is 0. Take the value configured in the first information. Other parameters in Formulas 7 to 10 can be determined by referring to methods in related technologies.

[0319] Step 3: The terminal device sends a PRACH according to the timing advance determined in Step 2.

[0320] Step 4: The network device determines the first TA adjustment amount.

[0321] For example, network devices can determine the uplink advance that the terminal device still needs to compensate for, i.e., the difference between the second transmission delay and the first transmission delay, based on the measurement results of the received preamble. Then, the second information can be determined based on the difference between the second and first transmission delays and the second time granularity.

[0322] Step 5: The network device sends a RAR to the terminal device. The RAR may contain a second piece of information.

[0323] Step 6: The terminal device receives the RAR.

[0324] The terminal device can determine the time and frequency resource location for transmitting Msg3 based on the UL grant information in the RAR.

[0325] In addition, by substituting the first information obtained in step 2 and the second information obtained in step 6 into any one of the above formulas 7 to 10, the terminal device can determine the timing advance for sending Msg3.

[0326] Step 7, the terminal device determines the timing advance T. TA Send Msg3.

[0327] The method shown in Figure 11B may also include signaling interactions in subsequent random access procedures, which will not be elaborated here for the sake of brevity.

[0328] This application embodiment enables uplink alignment after compensation by indicating a common TA offset, thereby ensuring the initial access performance of the UE. Since the common TA offset is a common portion of the TAs of multiple terminal devices, it eliminates the need to send the common TA offset multiple times, thus helping to reduce indication overhead.

[0329] It should be understood that, in the embodiments of this application, the second information T A The first TA adjustment amount N has the same meaning as the second information and can be substituted for it. TA 'It has the same meaning as the first TA adjustment amount and can be used interchangeably.'

[0330] It should be noted that the order of appearance of the steps in the embodiments described above in this application does not represent the order in which the steps are executed. The steps in the embodiments described above in this application can also be executed in other orders, all of which are within the protection scope of this application.

[0331] It is understood that some optional features in the embodiments of this application may not depend on other features in certain scenarios, or may be combined with other features in certain scenarios. This application does not limit this.

[0332] The method embodiments provided in this application have been described above. The apparatus embodiments provided in this application will be described below. It should be understood that the description of the apparatus embodiments corresponds to the description of the method embodiments. Therefore, any content not described in detail can be referred to the method embodiments above. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0333] Figure 12 is a possible exemplary block diagram of the communication device involved in the embodiments of this application. As shown in Figure 12, the communication device 1200 may include modules or units for implementing the method embodiments described above. In one possible design, the communication device 1200 may include a communication unit 1210 and a processing unit 1220. Optionally, the communication device 1200 may further include a storage unit 1230 for storing device program code and / or data.

[0334] The communication device 1200 can be a terminal-side device in the above embodiments, such as a terminal or a component in the terminal, such as a module, a communication module, or a circuit or chip in the terminal that is responsible for communication functions, or a logic node, logic module, or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the communication device.

[0335] For example, in one embodiment, the communication unit 1210 can be used to receive first information and second information T. A The first information is used to indicate the common timing advance (TA) offset of the first area, and the common TA offset is used to compensate for the first transmission delay between the first area and the network device. The second information T A Used to indicate the first TA adjustment amount N TA ', the first TA adjustment amount N TA 'Used to compensate for the difference between the second transmission delay and the first transmission delay between the terminal device and the network device; sending uplink information according to the first TA, the first TA being based on the common TA offset and the first TA adjustment amount N.' TA 'Sure.

[0336] In one possible design, the first region is the coverage area of ​​the first beam.

[0337] In one possible design, the common TA offset is determined based on one or more of the following: the minimum transmission delay between the network device and the first area; the transmission delay between the network device and a reference point in the first area; or the transmission delay between the nadir position and the network device.

[0338] In one possible design, receiving the first information includes: receiving a System Message Block (SIB) for broadcasting the first information to the first area; or receiving a random access response for responding to one or more terminal devices in the first area, the random access response carrying the first information.

[0339] In one possible design, the first information is carried in a reserved field in the random access response, or the first information is carried in a newly added field in the random access response.

[0340] In one possible design, the second information T A It is carried in random access response or contention resolution messages.

[0341] In one possible design, the second information T A The TA command field carried in the random access response, wherein: the first TA adjustment amount N TA Satisfies the following formula: N TA '=T A *16, where T A The value range of N is 0 to 1282. TA The time unit is T, which is the time unit supported by the Long Term Evolution (LTE) communication system. s ; or the first TA adjustment amount N TA Satisfies the following formula: N TA '=T A *16*64 / 2 u , among which, T A The value range is 0 to 3846, where u is the subcarrier spacing configuration, and N is the subcarrier spacing configuration. TA The time unit is T, which is supported in the new wireless communication system. c .

[0342] In one possible design, the time granularity corresponding to the first information is less than or equal to the first TA adjustment amount N. TA 'The longest time that supports adjustments.'

[0343] In one possible design, the network device is deployed on a satellite, and the value range of the first information is related to one or more of the following: the coverage area of ​​the satellite; the orbital altitude of the satellite; the size of the first area; or the time granularity corresponding to the first information.

[0344] The communication device 1200 can be a network-side device in the above embodiments, such as a network device or a component in a network device, such as a module, a communication module, or a circuit or chip in a network device that is responsible for communication functions, or a logic node, logic module, or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the communication device.

[0345] For example, in one embodiment, the communication unit 1210 can be used to send first information and second information T. A The first information is used to indicate the common timing advance (TA) offset of the first area, and the common TA offset is used to compensate for the first transmission delay between the first area and the network device. The second information T A Used to indicate the first TA adjustment amount N TA ', the first TA adjustment amount N TA 'Used to compensate for the difference between the second transmission delay and the first transmission delay between the terminal device and the network device; receive uplink information.'

[0346] In one possible design, the first region is the coverage area of ​​the first beam.

[0347] In one possible design, the common TA offset is determined based on one or more of the following: the minimum transmission delay between the network device and the first area; the transmission delay between the network device and a reference point in the first area; or the transmission delay between the nadir position and the network device.

[0348] In one possible design, sending the first information includes: sending a System Message Block (SIB) for broadcasting the first information to the first area; or sending a random access response for responding to one or more terminal devices in the first area, the random access response carrying the first information.

[0349] In one possible design, the first information is carried in a reserved field in the random access response, or the first information is carried in a newly added field in the random access response.

[0350] In one possible design, the second information T A It is carried in random access response or contention resolution messages.

[0351] In one possible design, the second information T A The TA command field carried in the random access response, wherein: the first TA adjustment amount N TA Satisfies the following formula: N TA '=T A *16, where T AThe value range of N is 0 to 1282. TA The time unit is T, which is the time unit supported by the Long Term Evolution (LTE) communication system. s ; or the first TA adjustment amount N TA Satisfies the following formula: N TA '=T A *16*64 / 2 u , among which, T A The value range is 0 to 3846, where u is the subcarrier spacing configuration, and N is the subcarrier spacing configuration. TA The time unit is T, which is supported in the new wireless communication system. c .

[0352] In one possible design, the time granularity corresponding to the first information is less than or equal to the first TA adjustment amount N. TA 'The longest time that supports adjustments.'

[0353] In one possible design, the network device is deployed on a satellite, and the value range of the first information is related to one or more of the following: the coverage area of ​​the satellite; the orbital altitude of the satellite; the size of the first area; or the time granularity corresponding to the first information.

[0354] For details regarding the steps or processes executed by each unit in the communication device 1200, please refer to the descriptions in the corresponding methods; they will not be elaborated here.

[0355] It should be understood that the "unit" in the communication device 1200 can be implemented in hardware, software, or by hardware executing corresponding software. For example, the "unit" can refer to an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), electronic circuitry, a processor (e.g., a shared processor, a proprietary processor, or a group processor, etc.) and memory for executing one or more software or firmware programs, combined logic circuitry, and / or other suitable components supporting the described functions. Furthermore, the communication unit 1210 can be replaced by a transceiver circuit (e.g., it may include receiving and transmitting circuitry), and the processing unit 1220 can be replaced by a processor or processing circuitry.

[0356] Figure 13 is another possible exemplary block diagram of the communication device involved in the embodiments of this application. The communication device 1300 can be a terminal device / network device, a communication module within a terminal device / network device, or a component within a terminal device / network device, such as a module, a circuit or chip responsible for communication functions, or a logic node, logic module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the communication device functions. This device 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.

[0357] The communication device 1300 may include one or more processors 1310, which may also be referred to as processing units, and can implement certain control functions. The processor 1310 may be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, such as a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, while the central processing unit can be used to control the communication device, execute software programs, and process data from the software programs.

[0358] In an alternative design, the processor 1310 may also store instructions and / or data that can be executed by the processor 1310 to cause the communication device 1300 to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments.

[0359] In another alternative design, the communication device 1300 may include a communication interface 1320 for implementing receiving and transmitting functions. For example, the communication interface 1320 may be a transceiver circuit, interface, interface circuit, or transceiver. The transceiver circuit, interface, interface circuit, or transceiver for implementing receiving and transmitting functions may be separate or integrated. The aforementioned transceiver circuit, interface, interface circuit, or transceiver may be used for reading and writing code / data, or it may be used for transmitting or relaying signals.

[0360] Optionally, the communication device 1300 may include one or more memories 1330, which may store instructions that can be executed on the processor 1310, causing the communication device 1300 to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments. Optionally, the memories 1330 may also store data. Optionally, the processor 1310 may also store instructions and / or data. The processor 1310 and the memories 1330 may be provided separately or integrated together.

[0361] It should be understood that, in one possible design, the steps in the method embodiments provided in this application can be implemented by integrated logic circuits in the processor's hardware or by instructions in software form. The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly implemented by a hardware processor, or implemented by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor. The software modules can reside in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, or other mature storage media in the art. This storage medium is located in memory, and the processor reads information from the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method. To avoid repetition, detailed descriptions are not provided here.

[0362] It should be noted that the processor in the embodiments of this application can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above method embodiments can be completed by the integrated logic circuitry in the processor's hardware or by instructions in software form. The processor can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. It can implement or execute the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this application. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware decoding processor, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software modules can be located in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, or other mature storage media in the art. This storage medium is located in memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above methods.

[0363] It is understood that the memory in the embodiments of this application can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous linked dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory used in the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0364] This application also provides a computer program product, which includes computer program code. When the computer program code is run on a computer, it causes the computer to execute the various steps or processes executed by the terminal device / network device in any of the above method embodiments.

[0365] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing program code that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to execute the various steps or processes performed by the terminal device / network device in any of the above method embodiments.

[0366] This application also provides a communication device, including a processor and an interface, the interface being used to send and / or receive signals, causing the processor to execute the various steps or processes executed by the terminal device / network device in any of the above method embodiments.

[0367] The above-described device and method embodiments are completely corresponding, with corresponding modules or units performing corresponding steps. For example, a communication unit or communication interface performs the receiving or sending steps in the method embodiment, while other steps besides sending and receiving can be performed by a processing unit or processor.

[0368] In the embodiments of this application, the terms and English abbreviations are exemplary examples given for ease of description and should not be construed as limiting the application in any way. The embodiments of this application do not preclude the possibility of defining other terms that can achieve the same or similar functions in existing or future agreements.

[0369] As used in this specification, the terms "component," "module," "system," etc., are used to refer to computer-related entities, hardware, firmware, combinations of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. For example, a component can be, but is not limited to, a process running on a processor, a processor, an object, an executable file, an execution thread, a program, and / or a computer. As illustrated, applications running on computing devices and computing devices can both be components. One or more components may reside in a process and / or an execution thread, and components may be located on a single computer and / or distributed among two or more computers. Furthermore, these components can be executed from various computer-readable storage media on which various data structures are stored. Components can communicate, for example, via local and / or remote processes based on signals having one or more data packets (e.g., data from two components interacting with another component between a local system, a distributed system, and / or a network, such as the Internet interacting with other systems via signals).

[0370] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the various illustrative logical blocks and steps described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementations should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0371] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be based on the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0372] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0373] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0374] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0375] In the above embodiments, the functions of each functional unit can be implemented entirely or partially through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented entirely or partially in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions (programs). When the computer program instructions (programs) are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available media may be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes), optical media (e.g., DVDs), or semiconductor media (e.g., solid-state disks (SSDs)).

[0376] If the aforementioned functions are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, essentially or in other words, the parts that contribute to the prior art, or parts of the technical solutions, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0377] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Receive first information and second information T A The first information is used to indicate the common timing advance (TA) offset of the first area, and the common TA offset is used to compensate for the first transmission delay between the first area and the network device. The second information T A Used to indicate the first TA adjustment amount N TA ', the first TA adjustment amount N TA 'Used to compensate for the difference between the second transmission delay and the first transmission delay between the terminal device and the network device; According to the uplink information sent by the first TA, the first TA is based on the common TA offset and the first TA adjustment amount N. TA 'Sure.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first region is the coverage area of ​​the first beam.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The common TA offset is determined based on one or more of the following: The minimum transmission delay between the network device and the first area; The transmission delay between the network device and the reference point in the first region; or The transmission delay between the satellite location and the network device.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The receiving of the first information includes: Receive System Message Block (SIB), the SIB being used to broadcast the first information to the first area; or Receive a random access response, the random access response being used to respond to one or more terminal devices in the first area, the random access response carrying the first information.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The first information is carried in a reserved field in the random access response, or the first information is carried in a newly added field in the random access response.

6. The method according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that, The second information T A It is carried in the random access response or contention resolution message.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The second information T A The TA command field carried in the random access response includes: The first TA adjustment amount N TA Satisfies the following formula: N TA '=T A *16, where T A The value range of N is 0 to 1282. TA The time unit is Ts, which is supported in the Long Term Evolution (LTE) communications system; or The first TA adjustment amount N TA Satisfies the following formula: N TA '=T A *16*64 / 2 u , among which, T A The value range is 0 to 3846, where u is the subcarrier spacing configuration, and N is the subcarrier spacing configuration. TA The time unit is T, which is supported in the new wireless communication system. c .

8. The method according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, The time granularity corresponding to the first information is less than or equal to the first TA adjustment amount N. TA 'The longest time that supports adjustments.' 9. The method according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, The network device is deployed on a satellite, and the value range of the first information is related to one or more of the following: The coverage area of ​​the satellite; The orbital altitude of the satellite; The size of the first region; or The time granularity corresponding to the first piece of information.

10. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Send first message and second message T A The first information is used to indicate the common timing advance (TA) offset of the first area, and the common TA offset is used to compensate for the first transmission delay between the first area and the network device. The second information T A Used to indicate the first TA adjustment amount N TA ', the first TA adjustment amount N TA 'Used to compensate for the difference between the second transmission delay and the first transmission delay between the terminal device and the network device; Receive upstream information.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The first region is the coverage area of ​​the first beam.

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that, The common TA offset is determined based on one or more of the following: The minimum transmission delay between the network device and the first area; The transmission delay between the network device and the reference point in the first region; or The transmission delay between the satellite location and the network device.

13. The method according to any one of claims 10-12, characterized in that, The sending of the first information includes: Send a System Message Block (SIB), the SIB being used to broadcast the first information to the first region; or Send a random access response, which is used to respond to one or more terminal devices in the first area, and the random access response carries the first information.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that, The first information is carried in a reserved field in the random access response, or the first information is carried in a newly added field in the random access response.

15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that, The second information T A It is carried in the random access response or contention resolution message.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The second information T A The TA command field carried in the random access response includes: The first TA adjustment amount N TA Satisfies the following formula: N TA '=T A *16, where T A The value range of N is 0 to 1282. TA The time unit is Ts, which is supported in the Long Term Evolution (LTE) communications system; or The first TA adjustment amount N TA Satisfies the following formula: N TA '=T A *16*64 / 2 u , among which, T A The value range is 0 to 3846, where u is the subcarrier spacing configuration, and N is the subcarrier spacing configuration. TA The time unit is T, which is supported in the new wireless communication system. c .

17. The method according to any one of claims 10-16, characterized in that, The time granularity corresponding to the first information is less than or equal to the first TA adjustment amount N. TA 'The longest time that supports adjustments.' 18. The method according to any one of claims 10-17, characterized in that, The network device is deployed on a satellite, and the value range of the first information is related to one or more of the following: The coverage area of ​​the satellite; The orbital altitude of the satellite; The size of the first region; or The time granularity corresponding to the first piece of information.

19. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes units for performing the steps of the method as described in any one of claims 1-9, or units for performing the steps of the method as described in any one of claims 10-18.

20. A communication device, characterized in that, The device includes a processor coupled to a memory for storing programs or instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the communication device to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 1-9 or any one of claims 10-18.

21. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes a processor and an interface for sending and / or receiving signals, such that the processor performs the method as claimed in any one of claims 1-9 or any one of claims 10-18.

22. A readable storage medium having a computer program or instructions stored thereon, characterized in that, When the computer program or instructions are executed, the computer performs the method as described in any one of claims 1-18.

23. A computer program product, characterized in that, It includes computer program instructions that cause the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-18.

Images