NTN Candidate Cell Measurement Triggers for Lower Terminal Energy
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Solution Overview
Problem
In non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication, terminals waste energy due to performing invalid measurements on all configured candidate cells during cell handover due to high-speed movement of non-terrestrial network devices.
Innovation Solution
A communication method where a network device provides indication information to terminals specifying conditions for measurement on candidate cells, including time, distance, or angle criteria to optimize measurement initiation, and post-handover resource release to avoid energy waste and improve resource utilization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the terminal performs measurement on all configured candidate cells, then the terminal can determine the target cell for handover, but energy waste is caused due to invalid measurements
Solution Approach 1:
The terminal performs measurement only on a subset of candidate cells (those meeting the execution condition) rather than all configured candidate cells. The network device configures multiple candidate cells but the terminal selectively measures only those that satisfy predetermined conditions such as time windows, signal strength thresholds, or geometric relationships, thereby reducing energy consumption while ensuring handover reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces measurement execution conditions that change the measurement behavior based on dynamic parameters. These conditions include time-based parameters (measurement time windows), signal-based parameters (reference signal received power thresholds), and geometric parameters (angle and distance relationships with satellite positions). By evaluating these parameters, the terminal determines whether to perform measurement on each candidate cell, avoiding energy waste on cells that will not be suitable for handover.
2Measurement precision
If the terminal measures all candidate cells sequentially, then complete measurement coverage is achieved, but measurement efficiency is reduced due to high-speed satellite movement
Solution Approach 1:
The network device pre-configures multiple candidate cells for the terminal before handover occurs. The terminal uses predetermined execution conditions (such as time windows, signal thresholds, or geometric relationships) to determine in advance which candidate cells are worth measuring. This preliminary configuration and condition-based filtering allows the terminal to skip measurements on cells that will not be suitable, thereby improving measurement efficiency without compromising coverage of viable handover targets.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the measurement process dynamic by introducing execution conditions that adapt to changing satellite-terminal geometry and signal conditions. The terminal continuously evaluates parameters such as the angle between satellite positions, distance to candidate cells, and reference signal strength to dynamically determine whether to perform measurement on each candidate cell. This dynamic approach ensures measurement coverage is maintained for cells that become suitable handover targets while avoiding wasted measurements on cells that remain unsuitable due to satellite movement.
Data Source
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AI summary
This application relates to the field of communication technologies, and provides a communication method and apparatus, to resolve a problem that in non-terrestrial network communication, because a terminal performs measurement on all candidate cells configured by a network, measurement redundancy exists, resulting in energy waste of the terminal. The method includes: A network device determines at least one candidate cell, and sends first indication information to the terminal, where the first indication information indicates a condition for the terminal to perform measurement on at least one candidate cell.