CN111867040B

CN111867040B - Communication method, terminal equipment and network equipment

Info

Publication number: CN111867040B
Application number: CN201910363614.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 许斌; 李秉肇; 陈磊; 王学龙
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-04-30
Filing date: 2019-04-30
Publication date: 2021-12-28
Anticipated expiration: 2039-04-30
Also published as: CN111867040A; WO2020220851A1

Abstract

The application discloses a communication method, comprising: the terminal equipment acquires the time corresponding to the first system frame boundary, the identifier of the first system frame and the transmission delay reference information. And the terminal equipment determines the time corresponding to the second system frame boundary of the terminal equipment according to the first time information and the transmission delay reference information, wherein the frame identifications of the first system frame and the second system frame are the same. Through the scheme disclosed by the application, the terminal equipment can obtain more accurate absolute time, further complete synchronization with the network equipment, and improve the synchronization precision.

Description

Communication method, terminal equipment and network equipment

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of communications technologies, and in particular, to a communication method.

Background

In a mobile communication system in which each terminal device has an internal time, i.e., a local clock, which is managed by a clock device of the terminal device, the local clock of each terminal device and the clock of the network device are not necessarily synchronized since the local clock of each terminal device is independently operated. Generally, time synchronization refers to a process of making an absolute clock between different systems reach a synchronization state through time information interaction. In some communication scenarios, clock synchronization of the network device and the terminal device or clock synchronization of the terminal device and the terminal device is a necessary condition for ensuring communication performance.

To ensure time synchronization, the terminal device may obtain clock reference information from the network device to perform time synchronization with the network device. In a 5th generation (5G) mobile communication system, a network device may send an absolute time to a terminal device through a broadcast message or a unicast message.

Currently, an architecture for communication using a non-terrestrial network (NTN) is under study. Compared with a ground network system, in an NTN system, the distance between a network device and a terminal device is farther, a large transmission delay is introduced in a communication process, the introduction of the transmission delay brings a large error to an existing time synchronization process, and the time synchronization requirement of a communication scene cannot be met. Therefore, how to accurately synchronize the time of the terminal device and the network device in the NTN system is urgently needed to be solved.

Disclosure of Invention

Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, a terminal device, a network device, and a storage medium, so that the terminal device can be correctly and efficiently synchronized with the network device, and the synchronization accuracy is improved.

In order to solve the above technical problem, an embodiment of the present application provides the following technical solutions:

a first aspect of the present application provides a communication method, which can be applied to various communication systems, for example: a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, an LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) system, an LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD) system, a fifth generation (5th generation, 5G) mobile communication system, a New Radio (NR) communication system, a future mobile communication system, and the like. The method can comprise the following steps: the terminal equipment acquires a first message, wherein the first message carries first time information, an identifier of a first system frame and transmission delay reference information, and the first time information is a moment corresponding to a first system frame boundary. The terminal device may obtain the first message in different manners, for example, the terminal device may receive a broadcast message sent by the network device, or the terminal device may send a request message to the network device to request the network device to send the first message. And the terminal equipment determines a second moment according to the first time information and the transmission delay reference information, wherein the second moment is a moment corresponding to a second system frame boundary of the terminal equipment. In a particular embodiment, the frame number of the second system frame may be the same as the frame number of the first system frame. For example, after the terminal device completes downlink synchronization with the network device, the first system frame and the second system frame correspond to each other. Assuming that the propagation delay between the terminal device and the network device, which is determined by the terminal device according to the transmission delay reference information, is T1, assuming that the time corresponding to the first system frame boundary is T1, the second time may be T1+ T1, the second time is the time corresponding to the second system frame boundary of the terminal device, and the frame number of the second system frame is the same as the frame number of the first system frame. In a specific embodiment, the second system frame has a different frame number than the first system frame. For example, it is assumed that the transmission delay reference information is a preset time, the preset time is pre-stored in the network device, and the preset time is an estimated transmission delay between the network device and the terminal device. Assuming that the preset time is a duration of a system frame, if the network device transmits time information of an absolute time corresponding to an ending boundary of the system frame 1. The terminal device adjusts the absolute time corresponding to the system frame 2 ending boundary of the terminal device side according to the absolute time corresponding to the system frame 1 ending boundary indicated by the network device side. At this time, after the terminal device completes downlink synchronization with the network device, the system frame 1 on the network device side corresponds to the system frame 1 on the terminal device side, the system frame 2 on the terminal device side corresponds to the frame number of the second system frame, the system frame 1 corresponds to the frame number of the first system frame, and the frame number of the second system frame is different from the frame number of the first system frame. According to the first aspect, the terminal device may determine the time corresponding to the second system frame boundary of the terminal device according to the first time information and the transmission delay reference information, so that the terminal device may obtain more accurate absolute time, and further complete synchronization with the network device, thereby improving the synchronization accuracy.

Optionally, with reference to the first aspect, in a first possible implementation manner, the transmission delay reference information is location information of the network device. The determining, by the terminal device, the second time according to the first time information and the transmission delay reference information may include: and the terminal equipment determines a second moment according to the first time information and the first transmission delay. Wherein the first transmission delay is determined according to the location information of the network device and the location information of the terminal device. As can be seen from the first possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the terminal device may determine the first transmission delay between the network device and the terminal device according to the location information of the network device and the location information of the terminal device, and combine the absolute time sent by the network device with the first transmission delay, so that the terminal device may obtain a more accurate absolute time, thereby completing synchronization with the network device and improving synchronization accuracy.

Optionally, with reference to the first aspect, in a second possible implementation manner, the transmission delay reference information is a second transmission delay between the network device and the first location. The determining, by the terminal device, the second time according to the first time information and the transmission delay reference information may include: and the terminal equipment determines a second moment according to the first time information, the second transmission time delay and the third transmission time delay. And the third transmission time delay is determined according to the terminal equipment and the first position. The first position is a predetermined or defined position or the first position is a reference position.

Optionally, with reference to the first aspect, in a third possible implementation manner, the transmission delay reference information is a transmission power of the network device. The determining, by the terminal device, the second time according to the first time information and the transmission delay reference information may include: and the terminal equipment determines a second moment according to the first time information and the fourth transmission time delay. The fourth transmission delay is a transmission delay from the network device to the terminal device, which is determined according to a path power loss, and the path power loss is determined according to a transmission power of the network device.

Optionally, with reference to the third possible implementation manner of the first aspect, in a fourth possible implementation manner, the fourth transmission delay is determined according to one or more of a path power loss, an information transmission frequency, and an information transmission speed, where the path power loss is determined according to a transmission power of the network device and a reception power of the terminal device.

A second aspect of the present application provides a communication method, which may include:

the terminal equipment acquires a first message, wherein the first message carries first time information and an identifier of a first system frame, and the first time information is a moment corresponding to a first system frame boundary. And the terminal equipment determines a second moment according to the first time information and the timing advance TA, wherein the second moment is a moment corresponding to a second system frame boundary of the terminal equipment, and the frame identifications of the first system frame and the second system frame are the same.

Optionally, with reference to the second aspect, in a first possible implementation manner, where: TA corresponds to a first timer, and the duration of the first timer is T. Before the terminal device determines the second time according to the first time information and the TA, the method may further include the terminal device determining that the first timer has not timed out.

Optionally, with reference to the first possible implementation manner of the second aspect, in a second possible implementation manner, the duration T is configured by a network device. Or the time length T is determined by the terminal equipment according to the moving state. Or the duration T is determined by the terminal device according to the mobile state and the configuration of the network device.

A third aspect of the present application provides a communication method, which may include: the network device sends a first message, the first message carries first time information, an identifier of a first system frame and transmission delay reference information, the first time information is a moment corresponding to a first system frame boundary, the first time information and the transmission delay reference information are used for indicating a second moment, the second moment is a moment corresponding to a second system frame boundary of the terminal device, and the frame identifiers of the first system frame and the second system frame are the same.

Optionally, with reference to the third aspect, in a first possible implementation manner, the transmission delay reference information is location information of the network device, and the location information of the network device is used to indicate a first transmission delay between the network device and the terminal device.

Optionally, with reference to the third aspect, in a second possible implementation manner, the transmission delay reference information is a second transmission delay between the network device and a first location, where the first location is a preset or defined location or the first location is a reference location. The second transmission delay indicates a second time instant.

Optionally, with reference to the third aspect, in a third possible implementation manner, the transmission delay reference information is transmission power of the network device, where the transmission power indicates a path power loss, and the path power loss is related to a fourth transmission delay between the terminal device and the network device.

A fourth aspect of the present application provides a communication method, which may include: the network equipment sends a first message, wherein the first message carries first time information and an identifier of a first system frame. The network equipment sends a timing advance TA, the first time information and the TA are used for the terminal equipment to determine a second time, the second time is a time corresponding to a second system frame boundary of the terminal equipment, and the frame identifications of the first system frame and the second system frame are the same.

Optionally, with reference to the fourth aspect, in a first possible implementation manner, the method may further include: the network equipment configures the duration of a first timer of the terminal equipment to be T, and the first timer is not overtime and is used for the terminal equipment to determine that the TA is effective.

A fifth aspect of the present application provides a communication method, which may include: the terminal equipment acquires a first system message, wherein the first system message carries second time information and transmission delay reference information, and the second time information is a moment corresponding to a first time window boundary for sending the first system message. And the terminal equipment determines a third moment according to the second time information and the transmission delay reference information, wherein the third moment is a moment corresponding to a second time window boundary for receiving the first system message, and the first time window is the same as the second time window.

Optionally, with reference to the fifth aspect, in a first possible implementation manner, the transmission delay reference information is location information of the network device. The method may further comprise: and the terminal equipment determines a first transmission delay between the network equipment and the terminal equipment according to the position information of the network equipment and the position information of the terminal equipment. The determining, by the terminal device, the third time according to the second time information and the transmission delay reference information may include: and the terminal equipment determines a third moment according to the second time information and the first transmission delay.

Optionally, with reference to the fifth aspect, in a second possible implementation manner, the transmission delay reference information is a second transmission delay between the network device and the first location. The first position is a predetermined or defined position or the first position is a reference position. The method may further comprise: the terminal device determines a third transmission delay between the terminal device and the first location. The determining, by the terminal device, the third time according to the second time information and the transmission delay reference information may include: and the terminal equipment determines a third moment according to the second time information, the second transmission time delay and the third transmission time delay.

Optionally, with reference to the fifth aspect, in a third possible implementation manner, the transmission delay reference information is a transmission power of the network device. The method may further comprise: and the terminal equipment determines the fourth transmission delay from the network equipment to the terminal equipment according to the path power loss, wherein the path power loss is determined according to the sending power of the network equipment. The determining, by the terminal device, the third time according to the second time information and the transmission delay reference information may include: and the terminal equipment determines a third moment according to the second time information and the fourth transmission delay.

Optionally, with reference to the third possible implementation manner of the fifth aspect, in a fourth possible implementation manner, the determining, by the terminal device, a fourth transmission delay from the network device to the terminal device according to a path power loss, where the path power loss is determined according to a transmission power of the network device, may include: and the terminal equipment determines the fourth transmission time delay from the network equipment to the terminal equipment according to the path power loss, the information transmission frequency and the information transmission speed, wherein the path power loss is determined according to the sending power of the network equipment and the receiving power of the terminal equipment.

A sixth aspect of the present application provides a communication method, which may include: the terminal equipment acquires a first system message, wherein the first system message carries second time information, and the second time information is a moment corresponding to a first time window boundary for sending the first system message. And the terminal equipment determines a third time according to the second time information and the timing advance TA, wherein the third time is a time corresponding to a second time window boundary for receiving the first system message, and the first time window is the same as the second time window.

Optionally, with reference to the sixth aspect, in a first possible implementation manner, where: TA corresponds to a first timer, and the duration of the first timer is T. Before the terminal device determines the third time according to the second time information and the TA, the method may further include the terminal device determining that the first timer has not timed out.

Optionally, with reference to the first possible implementation manner of the sixth aspect, in a second possible implementation manner, the duration T is configured by a network device. Or the time length T is determined by the terminal equipment according to the moving state. Or the duration T is determined by the terminal device according to the mobile state and the configuration of the network device.

A seventh aspect of the present application provides a communication method, wherein to ensure that a terminal device can correctly receive an SIB message, a system information window (SI-window) is defined, where the SI-window may also be referred to as a time window, that is, the SI-window is a fixed duration for a network device to send a system message periodically. In the embodiment of the present application, different SIs may be mapped to the same SI-window or different SI-windows, and the SI-windows corresponding to different SIs may overlap (specifically, overlap of partial time-frequency resources), or may not overlap. The terminal device needs to monitor the starting position of the SI-window until the SIB message in the SI is successfully received. The method can comprise the following steps: the network device sends a first system message, the first system message carries second time information and transmission delay reference information, the second time information is a moment corresponding to a first time window boundary for sending the first system message, the first system message is used for the terminal device to determine a third moment, the third moment is a moment corresponding to a second time window boundary for receiving the first system message, and the first time window and the second time window are the same.

Optionally, with reference to the seventh aspect, in a first possible implementation manner, the transmission delay reference information is location information of the network device, and the location information of the network device is used by the terminal device to determine the first transmission delay between the network device and the terminal device.

Optionally, with reference to the seventh aspect, in a second possible implementation manner, the transmission delay reference information is a second transmission delay between the network device and a first location, where the first location is a preset or defined location or the first location is a reference location. The second transmission delay is used for determining a third moment by the terminal device by combining a third transmission delay and the second time information, wherein the third transmission delay is the transmission delay between the terminal device and the first position.

Optionally, with reference to the seventh aspect, in a third possible implementation manner, the transmission delay reference information is transmission power of the network device, where the transmission power is used by the terminal device to determine a path power loss, and the path power loss is used by the terminal device to determine a fourth transmission delay between the terminal device and the network device.

An eighth aspect of the present application provides a communication method, which may include: the network equipment sends a first system message, wherein the first system message carries second time information, and the second time information is a moment corresponding to a first time window boundary for sending the first system message. The network equipment sends a timing advance TA, the first system message and the TA are used for the terminal equipment to determine a third time, the third time is a time corresponding to a second time window boundary for receiving the first system message, and the first time window is the same as the second time window.

Optionally, with reference to the eighth aspect, in a first possible implementation manner, the method may further include: the network equipment configures the duration of a first timer of the terminal equipment to be T, and the first timer is not overtime and is used for the terminal equipment to determine that the TA is effective.

A ninth aspect of the present application provides a terminal device having the functionality of the method of implementing any one of the possible implementations of the first, second, fifth or sixth aspect described above. The function can be realized by hardware, and can also be realized by executing corresponding software by hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the functions described above.

A tenth aspect of the present application provides a network device having functions of implementing the methods of any one of the possible implementations of the third aspect, the fourth aspect, the seventh aspect, or the eighth aspect. The function can be realized by hardware, and can also be realized by executing corresponding software by hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the functions described above.

An eleventh aspect of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores instructions that, when executed on a computer, enable the computer to perform the communication method of any one of the possible implementations of the first aspect, the second aspect, the fifth aspect, or the sixth aspect.

A twelfth aspect of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores instructions that, when executed on a computer, enable the computer to perform the communication method of any one of the possible implementations of the third aspect, the fourth aspect, the seventh aspect, or the eighth aspect.

A thirteenth aspect of the present application provides a computer program product containing instructions which, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of communication of any one of the possible implementations of the first, second, fifth or sixth aspect described above.

A fourteenth aspect of the present application provides a computer program product containing instructions, which when run on a computer, enables the computer to perform the communication method of any one of the possible implementations of the third aspect, the fourth aspect, the seventh aspect, or the eighth aspect.

A fifteenth aspect of the present application provides a chip system, which includes a processor, and is configured to enable a terminal device to implement the functions recited in any one of the possible implementations of the first aspect, the second aspect, the fifth aspect, or the sixth aspect. In one possible design, the system-on-chip further includes a memory for storing program instructions and data necessary for the terminal device. The chip system may be constituted by a chip, or may include a chip and other discrete devices. The chip system may include an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), an off-the-shelf programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices. Further, the chip system may further include an interface circuit and the like.

A sixteenth aspect of the present application provides a chip system, where the chip system includes a processor, configured to support a network device to implement the functions in any one of the possible implementations of the third aspect, the fourth aspect, the seventh aspect, or the eighth aspect. In one possible design, the system-on-chip further includes a memory, which stores program instructions and data necessary for the network device. The chip system may be constituted by a chip, or may include a chip and other discrete devices.

A seventeenth aspect of the present application provides a terminal device, which may include: and the receiving and sending unit is used for acquiring a first message, wherein the first message carries first time information, an identifier of the first system frame and transmission delay reference information, and the first time information is a moment corresponding to a boundary of the first system frame. And the processing unit is used for determining a second moment according to the first time information and the transmission delay reference information acquired by the acquisition unit, wherein the second moment is a moment corresponding to a second system frame boundary of the terminal equipment, and the frame identifications of the first system frame and the second system frame are the same.

Optionally, with reference to the seventeenth aspect, in a first possible implementation manner, the transmission delay reference information is location information of the network device. And the processing unit is specifically configured to determine the second time according to the first time information and the first transmission delay. The first transmission delay is determined based on the location information of the network device and the location information of the terminal device.

Optionally, with reference to the seventeenth aspect, in a second possible implementation manner, the transmission delay reference information is a second transmission delay between the network device and the first location. The first position is a predetermined or defined position or the first position is a reference position. And the processing unit is specifically configured to determine a second time according to the first time information, the second transmission delay, and a third transmission delay, where the third transmission delay is determined according to the terminal device and the first location.

Optionally, with reference to the seventeenth aspect, in a third possible implementation manner, the transmission delay reference information is a transmission power of the network device. The processing unit is specifically configured to determine the second time according to the first time information and a fourth transmission delay, where the fourth transmission delay is a transmission delay from the network device to the terminal device that is determined according to a path loss, and the path power loss is determined according to the transmission power of the network device.

Optionally, with reference to the third possible implementation manner of the seventeenth aspect, in a fourth possible implementation manner, the fourth transmission delay is determined according to one or more of a path power loss, an information transmission frequency, and an information transmission speed, and the path power loss is determined according to a transmission power of the network device and a reception power of the terminal device.

An eighteenth aspect of the present application provides a terminal device, which may include:

and the receiving and sending unit is used for acquiring a first message, wherein the first message carries first time information and an identifier of a first system frame, and the first time information is a moment corresponding to a boundary of the first system frame.

And the processing unit is used for determining a second time according to the first time information and the timing advance TA acquired by the transceiving unit, wherein the second time is a time corresponding to a second system frame boundary of the terminal equipment, and the frame identifiers of the first system frame and the second system frame are the same.

Optionally, with reference to the eighteenth aspect, in a first possible implementation manner, wherein: TA corresponds to a first timer, and the duration of the first timer is T. And before the terminal equipment determines the second moment according to the first time information and the TA, the processing unit is further used for determining that the first timer is not overtime.

Optionally, with reference to the first possible implementation manner of the eighteenth aspect, in a second possible implementation manner, the duration T is configured by a network device. Or the time length T is determined by the terminal equipment according to the moving state. Or the duration T is determined by the terminal device according to the mobile state and the configuration of the network device.

A nineteenth aspect of the present application provides a network device, which may include: and the receiving and sending unit is used for sending a first message, the first message carries first time information, an identifier of a first system frame and transmission delay reference information, the first time information is a moment corresponding to a first system frame boundary, the first time information and the transmission delay reference information are used for indicating a second moment, the second moment is a moment corresponding to a second system frame boundary of the terminal equipment, and the frame identifiers of the first system frame and the second system frame are the same.

Optionally, with reference to the nineteenth aspect, in a first possible implementation manner, the transmission delay reference information is location information of the network device, and the location information of the network device indicates a first transmission delay between the network device and the terminal device.

Optionally, with reference to the nineteenth aspect, in a second possible implementation manner, the transmission delay reference information is a second transmission delay between the network device and a first location, where the first location is a preset or defined location or the first location is a reference location. The second transmission delay indicates a second time instant.

Optionally, with reference to the nineteenth aspect, in a third possible implementation manner, the transmission delay reference information is transmission power of the network device, where the transmission power indicates a path power loss, and the path power loss is related to a fourth transmission delay between the terminal device and the network device.

A twentieth aspect of the present application provides a network device, which may include: and the receiving and sending unit is used for sending a first message, and the first message carries the first time information and the identifier of the first system frame. The receiving and sending unit is further configured to send a timing advance TA, where the first time information and the TA are used by the terminal device to determine a second time, the second time is a time corresponding to a second system frame boundary of the terminal device, and frame identifiers of the first system frame and the second system frame are the same.

Optionally, with reference to the twentieth aspect, in a first possible implementation manner, the method may further include: and the processing unit is used for configuring the duration of a first timer of the terminal equipment to be T, and the first timer is not overtime and is used for the terminal equipment to determine that the TA is effective.

A twenty-first aspect of the present application provides a terminal device, which may include: and the receiving and sending unit is used for acquiring a first system message, wherein the first system message carries second time information and transmission delay reference information, and the second time information is a moment corresponding to a first time window boundary for sending the first system message. And the processing unit is used for determining a third time according to the second time information and the transmission delay reference information acquired by the acquisition unit, wherein the third time is a time corresponding to a second time window boundary for receiving the first system message, and the first time window is the same as the second time window.

Optionally, with reference to the twenty-first aspect, in a first possible implementation manner, the transmission delay reference information is location information of the network device. And the processing unit is further used for determining a first transmission delay between the network equipment and the terminal equipment according to the position information of the network equipment and the position information of the terminal equipment. And the processing unit is specifically configured to determine a third time according to the second time information and the first transmission delay.

Optionally, with reference to the twenty-first aspect, in a second possible implementation manner, the transmission delay reference information is a second transmission delay between the network device and the first location. The first position is a predetermined or defined position or the first position is a reference position. The processing unit is further configured to determine a third transmission delay between the terminal device and the first location. And the processing unit is specifically configured to determine a third time according to the second time information, the second transmission delay and the third transmission delay.

Optionally, with reference to the twenty-first aspect, in a third possible implementation manner, the transmission delay reference information is a transmission power of the network device. The processing unit is further configured to determine a fourth transmission delay from the network device to the terminal device according to the path power loss, where the path power loss is determined according to the transmission power of the network device. And the processing unit is specifically configured to determine a third time according to the second time information and the fourth transmission delay.

Optionally, with reference to the third possible implementation manner of the twenty-first aspect, in a fourth possible implementation manner, the processing unit is specifically configured to determine a fourth transmission delay from the network device to the terminal device according to a path power loss, an information transmission frequency, and an information transmission speed, where the path power loss is determined according to a transmission power of the network device and a reception power of the terminal device.

A twenty-second aspect of the present application provides a communication method, which may include: and the receiving and sending unit is used for acquiring a first system message, wherein the first system message carries second time information, and the second time information is a moment corresponding to a first time window boundary for sending the first system message. And the processing unit is used for determining a third time according to the second time information and the timing advance TA acquired by the transceiving unit, wherein the third time is a time corresponding to a second time window boundary for receiving the first system message, and the first time window is the same as the second time window.

Optionally, with reference to the twenty-second aspect, in a first possible implementation manner, where: TA corresponds to a first timer, and the duration of the first timer is T. And before the terminal equipment determines the third time according to the second time information and the TA, the processing unit is further used for determining that the first timer is not overtime.

Optionally, with reference to the first possible implementation manner of the twenty-second aspect, in a second possible implementation manner, the duration T is configured by a network device. Or the time length T is determined by the terminal equipment according to the moving state. Or the duration T is determined by the terminal device according to the mobile state and the configuration of the network device.

A twenty-third aspect of the present application provides a network device, which may include: the receiving and sending unit is used for sending a first system message, the first system message carries second time information and transmission delay reference information, the second time information is a moment corresponding to a first time window boundary for sending the first system message, the first system message is used for the terminal equipment to determine a third moment, the third moment is a moment corresponding to a second time window boundary for receiving the first system message, and the first time window and the second time window are the same.

Optionally, with reference to the twenty-third aspect, in a first possible implementation manner, the transmission delay reference information is location information of the network device, and the location information of the network device is used by the terminal device to determine the first transmission delay between the network device and the terminal device.

Optionally, with reference to the twenty-third aspect, in a second possible implementation manner, the transmission delay reference information is a second transmission delay between the network device and a first location, where the first location is a preset or defined location or the first location is a reference location. The second transmission delay is used for determining a third moment by the terminal device by combining a third transmission delay and the second time information, wherein the third transmission delay is the transmission delay between the terminal device and the first position.

Optionally, with reference to the twenty-third aspect, in a third possible implementation manner, the transmission delay reference information is transmission power of the network device, where the transmission power is used by the terminal device to determine a path power loss, and the path power loss is used by the terminal device to determine a fourth transmission delay between the terminal device and the network device.

A twenty-fourth aspect of the present application provides a network device, which may include: and the receiving and sending unit is used for sending a first system message, wherein the first system message carries second time information, and the second time information is a moment corresponding to a first time window boundary for sending the first system message. And the receiving and sending unit is further configured to send a timing advance TA, where the first system message and the TA are used by the terminal device to determine a third time, the third time is a time corresponding to a second time window boundary for receiving the first system message, and the first time window is the same as the second time window.

Optionally, with reference to the twenty-fourth aspect, in a first possible implementation manner, the method may further include: and the processing unit is used for configuring the duration of a first timer of the terminal equipment to be T, and the first timer is not overtime and is used for the terminal equipment to determine that the TA is effective.

According to the embodiment of the application, the terminal equipment can obtain more accurate absolute time, so that the synchronization with the network equipment is completed, and the synchronization precision is improved.

Drawings

FIG. 1a is a diagram of a wireless communication system suitable for use with embodiments of the present application;

FIG. 1b is another schematic diagram of a wireless communication system suitable for use with embodiments of the present application;

fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of system frame synchronization between a terminal device and a network device after downlink synchronization in a 5G communication system;

fig. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a deviation between an absolute time sent by a network device and an absolute time determined by a terminal device;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a communication method in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the communication method in the embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a communication method in the application embodiment;

fig. 7 is another schematic diagram of a wireless communication system suitable for use with embodiments of the present application;

fig. 8 is another schematic diagram of a wireless communication system suitable for use with embodiments of the present application;

fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the communication method in the embodiment of the present application;

fig. 10 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the communication method in the embodiment of the present application;

fig. 11 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the communication method in the embodiment of the present application;

fig. 12 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the communication method in the embodiment of the present application;

fig. 13 is a schematic hardware structure diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 14 is a schematic structural diagram of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 15 is a schematic hardware structure diagram of another communication device according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 16 is a schematic structural diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, and it is to be understood that the described embodiments are merely illustrative of some, but not all, embodiments of the present application. As can be known to those skilled in the art, with the development of technology and the emergence of new scenarios, the technical solution provided in the embodiments of the present application is also applicable to similar technical problems.

The embodiment of the application provides a communication method, a terminal device, a network device and a storage medium, wherein the terminal device determines a time corresponding to a second system frame boundary according to an acquired time corresponding to a first system frame boundary and transmission delay reference information, and frame identifications of the first system frame and the second system frame are the same, so that the terminal device can acquire more accurate absolute time and perform time synchronization with the network device. The following are detailed below.

The terms "first," "second," and the like in the description and in the claims of the present application and in the above-described drawings are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a particular sequential or chronological order. It will be appreciated that the data so used may be interchanged under appropriate circumstances such that the embodiments described herein may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated or described herein. Moreover, the terms "comprises," "comprising," and any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, system, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of steps or modules is not necessarily limited to those steps or modules explicitly listed, but may include other steps or modules not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. The naming or numbering of the steps appearing in the present application does not mean that the steps in the method flow have to be executed in the chronological/logical order indicated by the naming or numbering, and the named or numbered process steps may be executed in a modified order depending on the technical purpose to be achieved, as long as the same or similar technical effects are achieved. The division of the modules presented in this application is a logical division, and in practical applications, there may be another division, for example, multiple modules may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be omitted, or not executed, and in addition, the shown or discussed coupling or direct coupling or communication connection between each other may be through some ports, and the indirect coupling or communication connection between the modules may be in an electrical or other similar form, which is not limited in this application. The modules or sub-modules described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, may or may not be physical modules, or may be distributed in a plurality of circuit modules, and some or all of the modules may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the present disclosure.

It should be noted that in this embodiment of the present application, "predefined" or "preset" indicates that the method may be implemented by saving a corresponding code, table, or other means that can be used to indicate related information in advance in a device (for example, including a terminal device and a network device), and this application is not limited to the specific implementation manner. For example, the predefined may refer to a definition in a protocol.

It should be noted that, in the embodiments of the present application, the terms "network" and "system" are often used interchangeably, but those skilled in the art can understand the meaning. Information (information), signal (signal), message (message), channel (channel) may sometimes be mixed, it should be noted that the intended meaning is consistent when the distinction is not emphasized.

The technical scheme of the embodiment of the application can be applied to various communication systems, for example: a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, an LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) system, an LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD) system, a fifth generation (5th generation, 5G) mobile communication system, a New Radio (NR) communication system, a future mobile communication system, and the like.

For the convenience of understanding the embodiments of the present application, a communication system applicable to the embodiments of the present application will be described in detail by taking the communication system shown in fig. 1a and 1b as an example. Fig. 1a and 1b are schematic diagrams of a wireless communication system suitable for use in embodiments of the present application. The wireless communication system may comprise a single or multiple network devices, as shown in fig. 1a, or a single or multiple terminal devices, as shown in fig. 1 b. A single network device may transmit data or control signaling to a single or multiple terminal devices. Multiple network devices may also transmit data or control signaling for a single terminal device at the same time. The wireless communication system may support coordinated multiple point transmission (CoMP), that is, multiple cells or multiple network devices may cooperate to participate in data transmission of one terminal device or jointly receive data sent by one terminal device, or multiple cells or multiple network devices perform coordinated scheduling or coordinated beamforming. Wherein the plurality of cells may belong to the same network device or different network devices and may be selected according to channel gain or path loss, received signal strength, received signal order, etc.

It should be understood that the network device in the wireless communication system may be any device having a wireless transceiving function or a chip that can be disposed on the device, and the device includes but is not limited to: a base station, an evolved node B (eNB), a home base station, an Access Point (AP), a wireless relay node, a wireless backhaul node, a Transmission Point (TP), a Transmission and Reception Point (TRP) in a wireless fidelity (WIFI) system, and the like, and may also be a gNB in an NR system, or may also be a component or a part of a device constituting the base station, such as a Central Unit (CU), a Distributed Unit (DU), or a baseband unit (BBU). It should be understood that, in the embodiments of the present application, there is no limitation on the specific technology and the specific device form adopted by the radio access network device. In this application, a radio access network device is referred to as a network device for short, and if no special description is provided, network devices are referred to as radio access network devices in this application. In this application, the network device may refer to the network device itself, or may be a chip applied to the network device to complete a wireless communication processing function.

In some deployments, the gNB may include CUs and DUs. The gNB may also include a Radio Unit (RU). The CU implements part of the function of the gNB, and the DU implements part of the function of the gNB, for example, the CU implements Radio Resource Control (RRC) and Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layers, and the DU implements Radio Link Control (RLC), Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical (PHY) layers. Since the information of the RRC layer eventually becomes or is converted from the information of the PHY layer, the higher layer signaling, such as RRC layer signaling or PHCP layer signaling, may also be considered to be transmitted by the DU or by the DU + RU under this architecture. It is to be understood that the network device may be a CU node, or a DU node, or a device including a CU node and a DU node. In addition, the CU may be divided into network devices in the access network RAN, or may be divided into network devices in the core network CN, which is not limited herein.

It should also be understood that the terminal equipment in the wireless communication system may also be referred to as a terminal, a User Equipment (UE), a Mobile Station (MS), a Mobile Terminal (MT), etc. The terminal device in the embodiment of the present application may be a mobile phone (mobile phone), a tablet computer (Pad), a computer with a wireless transceiving function, or a wireless terminal applied to Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), industrial control (industrial control), unmanned driving (self driving), remote medical (remote medical), smart grid (smart grid), transportation safety (transportation safety), smart city (smart city), and smart home (smart home). The terminal device and the chip applicable to the terminal device are collectively referred to as a terminal device in the present application. It should be understood that the embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific technology and the specific device form adopted by the terminal device.

It should be understood that fig. 1a or fig. 1b schematically illustrate a network device and a terminal device for easy understanding only, but this should not limit the present application, and a greater or lesser number of network devices and a greater number of terminal devices may also be included in the wireless communication system, the network devices communicating with different terminal devices may be the same network device or different network devices, and the number of network devices communicating with different terminal devices may be the same or different, which is included in the present application but not limited thereto.

For the communication system shown in fig. 1a or fig. 1b, the terminal device often needs to acquire absolute time information from the network device to perform clock synchronization with the network device or to assist a Global Positioning System (GPS) operation. In the embodiment of the present application, the absolute time may include Universal Time Coordinated (UTC), international atomic Time (TAI), or GPS time. For example, in a 5G communication system, a network device may transmit absolute time information to a terminal device by carrying the absolute time information through a System Information Block (SIB) 9, or the network device may transmit the absolute time information to the terminal device by carrying the absolute time information through a unicast Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling. And simultaneously, indicating the frame boundary corresponding to the absolute time information of the terminal equipment, wherein the indication method can be carried by a frame identifier in a signaling in an explicit mode or not, and a frame boundary or a time window boundary is defined according to a protocol.

After receiving the absolute time information sent by the network device, the terminal device adjusts its own clock according to the absolute time information and the frame boundary corresponding to the absolute time information, so that the absolute time of the terminal device and the network device at the same frame boundary is the same, thereby achieving the purpose of clock synchronization.

Currently, an architecture for communication using a Non-terrestrial network (NTN) is under study. In the NTN network, there is also a network device that sends absolute time information to a terminal device, so as to meet the synchronization requirement of the terminal device and the network device. However, in the NTN network, the distance between the network device and the terminal device is very long, so a large transmission delay is introduced when the network device communicates with the terminal device, and in general, the transmission delay may be as high as several hundred milliseconds, so after the terminal device receives the absolute time information sent by the network device, if the absolute time corresponding to the terminal device at the specified frame boundary is still determined according to the received absolute time information, a large deviation exists between the terminal device and the synchronization effect that the terminal device actually wants to achieve. For clarity of illustration, the following description is made in detail with reference to fig. 2 and 3.

As shown in fig. 2, a schematic diagram of system frame synchronization between a terminal device and a network device after downlink synchronization in a 5G communication system is shown.

The terminal equipment is accessed into the 5G network, generally through processes of cell search, cell system information acquisition, random access and the like. In the cell search process, the network device sends a Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS) and a Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS), the terminal device detects the PSS or the SSS and can determine the position of a subframe 0 in a system frame, and then determines a system frame number by receiving cell system information, which may also be referred to as a system frame identifier, so that the terminal device completes downlink synchronization with the network device and determines and corresponds to the specific system frame, subframe position and frame number of the network device. As shown in fig. 2, it is a schematic diagram of system frame and subframe synchronization between the terminal device and the network device after downlink synchronization in the 5G system. The essence of downlink synchronization is that after receiving the PSS or SSS signal and the cell system information, the terminal device synchronizes itself with the frame of the network device, i.e. it is ensured that the system frame where the network device sends the information is the same as the system frame where the terminal device receives the information, rather than the absolute time synchronization. After the terminal device completes downlink synchronization, the terminal device and the network device respectively maintain a set of time represented by a system frame, and due to the existence of propagation delay, in order to ensure that the system frame where the network device sends information is the same as the system frame where the terminal device receives information, the absolute time corresponding to the system frame where the terminal device has the same frame number as the network device may be different, so that the network device system frame in the invention refers to the system frame maintained by the network side, and the terminal device system frame refers to the system frame maintained by the terminal side. The system frames maintained by the network device and the terminal device may be the same set of system frames or different system frames.

As shown in fig. 3, a diagram is shown of the deviation between the absolute time transmitted by the network device and the absolute time determined by the terminal device.

For convenience of explanation, it is assumed that the network device transmits time information of an absolute time corresponding to the ending boundary of the system frame 1, specifically, the absolute time may be a UTC time, a TAI time, or a GPS time, and the absolute time is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the application. Assuming that the transmission delay from the network device to the terminal device is 1 system frame duration, the absolute time information corresponding to the ending boundary of the system frame 1 of the network device is inconsistent with the absolute time information corresponding to the ending boundary of the system frame 1 of the terminal device due to the system frame alignment in the downlink synchronization process. As is apparent from fig. 3, if the terminal device adjusts the absolute time corresponding to the system frame 1 ending boundary on the terminal device side according to the absolute time corresponding to the system frame 1 ending boundary indicated by the network device side, a large deviation occurs.

In view of the above problems, embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, which enables a terminal device to obtain correct absolute time information in an NTN communication system or in a scenario where transmission delays of other terminal devices and a network device are not negligible, so as to complete synchronization with the network device. The following will specifically describe a communication method provided in the embodiments of the present application.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a communication method in the embodiment of the present application.

As shown in fig. 4, an embodiment of a communication method in the embodiment of the present application may include:

401. the terminal device acquires the first message.

The first message carries one or more of first time information, an identifier of the first system frame and transmission delay reference information, and the first time information is a moment corresponding to a boundary of the first system frame. The terminal device may obtain the first message in different manners, for example, the terminal device may receive a broadcast message sent by the network device, or the terminal device may send a request message to the network device to request the network device to send the first message.

Specifically, the system frame boundary may be a start boundary or an end boundary of a system frame, or a start boundary or an end boundary of a time unit of other granularity.

The first message may be one message or a plurality of messages. That is, the first time information, the identifier of the first system frame, and the transmission delay reference information may be carried in the same message, or may be carried in different messages, which is not repeated below.

In a wireless communication system, after downlink synchronization is achieved with a cell through a cell search process, a terminal device needs to acquire a series of System Information (SI), such as network information of the cell where the terminal device is located, information of a registration area, information of a common channel, information of other cells, and the like, in order to correctly operate in the cell. SI is typically organized in System Information Blocks (SIBs), where each SIB may contain a set of parameters related to a certain function.

According to the way of sending system messages by network devices, system messages can be divided into two types: the first type is the SIB that all terminal equipments in the cell need to acquire, and the second type is the SIB that some terminal equipments in the cell need to acquire, but some other terminal equipments do not need to acquire. In order to reduce the wireless resource overhead caused by the transmission of the system message, the network side equipment can periodically broadcast and/or multicast and send the first type SIB, so that the terminal equipment in the cell does not need to specially send a corresponding acquisition request aiming at the type SIB; and the network side equipment can unicast the second type SIB according to the acquisition request of the terminal equipment, thereby avoiding the waste of wireless resources caused by broadcasting and/or multicasting the second type SIB.

For example, in the NR system, the SIB9 contains GPS or UTC related time information or other types of time information for assisting the terminal device to acquire absolute time information of the network device. In an embodiment of the present application, the network device may periodically broadcast and/or multicast the SIB9 to the terminal device, or the network device may actively transmit the absolute time information to the terminal device through Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling based on or without a request of the terminal device. Where the SIB9 message or unicast RRC signaling may include a first system frame, a second system frame or a third system frame, the first, second and third do not represent a limitation on the number of system frames, but merely to distinguish between different system frames. In this embodiment, the SIB9 message or the unicast RRC signaling may carry an identifier of a system frame, for example, may carry an identifier of a first system frame, and indicate an absolute time corresponding to a boundary of the first system frame. It should be noted that, in the present invention, the relative time is not limited to be the system frame boundary, and the system frame boundary may also be replaced by a subframe boundary or a relative time unit boundary with smaller time granularity, which is not described repeatedly below.

In this embodiment of the present application, the first message further carries transmission delay reference information. The transmission delay reference information may specifically be location information of the network device, or a transmission power or a preset transmission delay of the network device, or information that may be used by another terminal device to determine the transmission delay between the terminal device and the network device, where the transmission delay reference information is used to indicate the second time or is used by the terminal device to determine the second time.

402. And the terminal equipment determines a second moment according to the first time information and the transmission delay reference information.

After the terminal device completes the downlink synchronization with the network device, the specific system frame and the system frame number corresponding to the network device are determined. The specific process of frame alignment of the downlink synchronization system can be understood by referring to the description of fig. 2, and will not be repeated herein.

In a particular embodiment, the frame number of the second system frame may be the same as the frame number of the first system frame. For example, after the terminal device completes downlink synchronization with the network device, the first system frame and the second system frame correspond to each other. Assuming that the propagation delay between the terminal device and the network device, which is determined by the terminal device according to the transmission delay reference information, is T1, assuming that the time corresponding to the first system frame boundary is T1, the second time may be T1+ T1, the second time is the time corresponding to the second system frame boundary of the terminal device, and the frame number of the second system frame is the same as the frame number of the first system frame.

In a specific embodiment, the second system frame has a different frame number than the first system frame. For example, it is assumed that the transmission delay reference information is a preset time, the preset time is pre-stored in the network device, and the preset time is an estimated transmission delay between the network device and the terminal device. Assuming that the preset time is a duration of a system frame, if the network device transmits time information of an absolute time corresponding to an ending boundary of the system frame 1. The terminal device adjusts the absolute time corresponding to the system frame 2 ending boundary of the terminal device side according to the absolute time corresponding to the system frame 1 ending boundary indicated by the network device side. At this time, after the terminal device completes downlink synchronization with the network device, the system frame 1 on the network device side corresponds to the system frame 1 on the terminal device side, the system frame 2 on the terminal device side corresponds to the frame number of the second system frame, the system frame 1 corresponds to the frame number of the first system frame, and the frame number of the second system frame is different from the frame number of the first system frame.

As can be seen from the embodiment corresponding to fig. 4, the terminal device may determine the time corresponding to the second system frame boundary of the terminal device according to the first time information and the transmission delay reference information, so that the terminal device may obtain more accurate absolute time, thereby completing synchronization with the network device and improving synchronization accuracy. In different embodiments, the terminal device may obtain the more accurate absolute time according to other manners. In addition, as can be seen from the embodiment corresponding to fig. 4, in different embodiments, the transmission delay reference information may be different information, and other methods for obtaining a more accurate absolute time and the transmission delay reference information will be described in detail below.

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the communication method in the embodiment of the present application.

As shown in fig. 5, another embodiment of the communication method in the embodiment of the present application may include:

501. the terminal equipment acquires the first system message.

The first system message carries second time information and transmission delay reference information. The terminal device may obtain the first system message in different manners, for example, the terminal device may receive a broadcast message sent by the network device, or the terminal device may send a request message to the network device to request the network device to send the first system message.

In a specific embodiment, the second time information is a time corresponding to a boundary of a first time window for sending the first system message. In order to ensure that the terminal device can correctly receive the SIB message, a system information window (SI-window) is defined, which may also be referred to as a time window, i.e., the SI-window is periodically transmitted by the network device, and is a fixed duration. In the embodiment of the present application, different SIs may be mapped to the same SI-window or different SI-windows, and the SI-windows corresponding to different SIs may overlap (specifically, overlap of partial time-frequency resources), or may not overlap. The terminal device needs to monitor the starting position of the SI-window until the SIB message in the SI is successfully received.

For example, in the NR system, the SIB9 contains GPS or UTC related time information or other types of time information for assisting the terminal device to acquire absolute time information of the network device. In the embodiments of the present application, the network device may broadcast and/or multicast periodically the SIB9 to the terminal device, or the network device may transmit the SIB9 to the terminal device based on the request of the terminal device. Suppose the SI-window corresponding to the SIB9 message is from the system frame number five to the system frame number ten, where the boundary of the system frame number five can be considered as the start boundary of the SI-window, and the boundary of the system frame number ten can be considered as the end boundary of the SI-window. The terminal device needs to monitor the starting position of the SI-window until the SI-window ends, so the terminal device can obtain the time corresponding to the starting boundary of the SI-window or the time corresponding to the ending boundary of the SI-window. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the boundary of the SI-window is exactly aligned with a certain system frame boundary; assuming that the boundary of the SI-window is not aligned with any one system frame boundary, it corresponds to the following embodiment.

In a specific embodiment, the second time information is a time corresponding to a third system frame boundary, where the third system frame boundary is a nearest system frame boundary after a first time window boundary for sending the first system message.

Assuming that the SI-window corresponding to the SIB9 message is from the second subframe of the first system frame to the fifth subframe of the second system frame, the boundary of the SI-window is not aligned with any system frame boundary, and the second time information is a time corresponding to the nearest system frame boundary (i.e., the second system frame end boundary) after the end boundary of the SI-window. The second time information may also be a time corresponding to a nearest system frame boundary (i.e., a first system frame end boundary) after the start boundary of the SI-window; or the instant corresponding to the nearest system frame boundary (i.e., the first system frame start boundary) before the start boundary of the SI-window. The terminal device needs to monitor the start position of the SI-window until the SI-window ends, so the terminal device can acquire the position of the start boundary or the end boundary of the SI-window in the time domain.

In this embodiment, the first system message further carries transmission delay reference information. The transmission delay reference information may specifically be location information of the network device or transmission power of the network device, or information that may be used by other terminal devices to determine the transmission delay between the terminal device and the network device. The transmission delay reference information is used for indicating the third time or used for the terminal device to determine the third time.

502. And the terminal equipment determines a third moment according to the second time information and the transmission delay reference information.

The third time is the time corresponding to the second time window boundary for receiving the first system message.

In a specific embodiment, assuming that the propagation delay between the terminal device and the network device determined by the terminal device according to the transmission delay reference information is T2, and assuming that the time corresponding to the end boundary of the SI-window for sending the first system message is T2, the third time may be T2+ T2, and the third time is the time corresponding to the end boundary of the SI-window for receiving the first system message. Or assuming that the time corresponding to the starting boundary of the SI-window for transmitting the first system message is T3, the third time may be T3+ T2, and the third time is the time corresponding to the starting boundary of the SI-window for receiving the first system message.

In a specific embodiment, assuming that the propagation delay between the terminal device and the network device determined by the terminal device according to the transmission delay reference information is T2, and assuming that a time corresponding to a system frame boundary closest after the SI-window boundary of the first system message is sent is T2, the third time may be T2+ T2, and the third time is a time corresponding to a system frame boundary closest after the SI-window boundary of the first system message is received. Wherein the SI-window boundary may be a start boundary or an end boundary.

As can be seen from the embodiment corresponding to fig. 5, the terminal device may determine the time corresponding to the boundary of the SI-window according to the second time information and the transmission delay reference information, so that the terminal device may obtain more accurate absolute time, further complete synchronization with the network device, and improve the synchronization accuracy.

As can be seen from the embodiments corresponding to fig. 4 and fig. 5, the transmission delay reference information may be different information, and the detailed description will be given below with respect to the case where the transmission delay reference information is location information of the network device, the transmission delay reference information is a second transmission delay between the network device and the first location, and the transmission delay reference information is a transmission power of the network device.

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the communication method in the embodiment of the present application.

As shown in fig. 6, another embodiment of the communication method in the embodiment of the present application may include:

601. the terminal equipment acquires the position information and the time information of the network equipment.

In a specific embodiment, the terminal device obtains the location information and the time information of the network device by obtaining a first message, where the first message carries the location information of the network device, the first time information, and an identifier of the first system frame. The first message may be understood with reference to the first message described in the embodiment corresponding to fig. 4, and details are not repeated here.

In a specific embodiment, the terminal device obtains the location information and the time information of the network device by obtaining a first system message, where the first system message carries the location information and the second time information of the network device. The first system message may be understood with reference to the first system message described in the embodiment corresponding to fig. 5, and is not repeated here.

602. And the terminal equipment determines a first transmission delay between the network equipment and the terminal equipment according to the position information of the network equipment and the position information of the terminal equipment.

If the terminal device is equipped with a positioning device, for example, the terminal device is equipped with a GPS, etc., the terminal device can acquire its own position information. According to the position information of the network device and the terminal device, the terminal device can acquire the distance d between the network device and the terminal device. The ratio of the distance d to the speed of light c is the first propagation delay t3, i.e., t is d/c.

In one particular embodiment, the network device includes a satellite and a base station, as shown in fig. 7, wherein the base station may be located on the satellite. The satellite may be a satellite in a BeiDou navigation satellite system (BDS), a GPS, or a GLONASS satellite system (GLONASS), and the embodiment of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In the communication system shown in fig. 7, the first transmission delay t3 is (satellite GPS position — terminal device GPS position)/speed of light, where (satellite GPS position — terminal device GPS position) represents a distance value in space between a satellite/base station and a terminal device.

In one specific embodiment, the network device includes a satellite and a base station, as shown in fig. 8, wherein the communication signal is transmitted from the base station and then forwarded to the terminal device via the satellite. The first transmission delay t3 is (satellite GPS position-terminal device GPS position)/speed of light + (satellite GPS position-base station GPS position)/speed of light, where (satellite GPS position-terminal device GPS position) represents a distance value from a satellite to a terminal device in space, and (satellite GPS position-base station GPS position) represents a distance value from a satellite to a base station in space.

603. And the terminal equipment determines a second moment according to the first time information and the first transmission delay.

After the terminal device completes the downlink synchronization with the network device, the specific system frame and the system frame number corresponding to the network device are determined. The specific process of frame alignment of the downlink synchronization system can be understood by referring to the description of fig. 2, and will not be repeated herein. In this embodiment of the present application, after the terminal device completes downlink synchronization with the network device, the first system frame corresponds to the second system frame, in other words, the first system frame is aligned with the second system frame, and the frame numbers of the first system frame and the second system frame are the same.

And the terminal device determines a first transmission delay T3 between the network device and the terminal device according to the location information of the network device and the location information of the terminal device, and if the time corresponding to the first system frame boundary is T1, the second time may be T1+ T3, and the second time is the time corresponding to the second system frame boundary of the terminal device.

In a specific embodiment, the method may further include 604, determining, by the terminal device, a third time according to the second time information and the first transmission delay. Assuming that the time corresponding to the end boundary of the SI-window transmitting the first system message is T2, the third time may be T2+ the first transmission delay, and the third time is the time corresponding to the end boundary of the SI-window receiving the first system message. Or, assuming that the time corresponding to the start boundary of the SI-window for transmitting the first system message is T3, the third time may be T2+ the first transmission delay, and the third time is the time corresponding to the start boundary of the SI-window for receiving the first system message.

In a specific embodiment, step 602 and step 603 may be performed in combination, that is, the terminal device determines the second time according to the location information of the network device, the location information of the terminal device, and the first time information. Taking the communication system described in fig. 8 as an example, the second time is T1+ (satellite GPS position-terminal device GPS position)/light speed + (satellite GPS position-base station GPS position)/light speed corresponding to the first system frame boundary, where (satellite GPS position-terminal device GPS position) represents a distance value from a satellite to a terminal device in space, and (satellite GPS position-base station GPS position) represents a distance value from a satellite to a base station in space.

In a specific embodiment, steps 602 and 604 may be performed in combination, that is, the terminal device determines the third time according to the location information of the network device, the location information of the terminal device, and the second time information. For example, taking the communication system described in fig. 8 as an example, the third time point, i.e., the time point corresponding to the ending boundary of the SI-window for sending the first system message, is T2+ (satellite GPS position-terminal device GPS position)/light speed + (satellite GPS position-base station GPS position)/light speed, or the third time point, i.e., the time point corresponding to the nearest system frame boundary after the boundary of the SI-window for sending the first system message + (satellite GPS position-terminal device GPS position)/light speed + (satellite GPS position-base station GPS position)/light speed, where (satellite GPS position-terminal device GPS position) represents a distance value in space between the satellite and the terminal device, and (satellite GPS position-base station GPS position) represents a distance value in space between the satellite and the base station.

It should be noted that 603 and 604 in the embodiment corresponding to fig. 6 may alternatively be executed in the actual application process. Note that the embodiment corresponding to fig. 6 may be combined with any of the embodiments corresponding to fig. 4 and 5 or may be executed independently. The location information of the network device in the embodiment corresponding to fig. 6 may refer to the transmission delay reference information in the embodiment corresponding to fig. 4 or fig. 5, and the time information of the network device in the embodiment corresponding to fig. 6 may refer to the first time information in the embodiment corresponding to fig. 4 or the second time information in the embodiment corresponding to fig. 5. When the embodiment corresponding to fig. 6 is implemented in combination with the embodiment corresponding to fig. 4 or fig. 5, the explanation and the definition of the features in the embodiment corresponding to fig. 6 may refer to the embodiment corresponding to fig. 4 or fig. 5.

As can be seen from the embodiment corresponding to fig. 6, the terminal device may determine the first transmission delay between the network device and the terminal device according to the location information of the network device and the location information of the terminal device, and combine the absolute time sent by the network device with the first transmission delay, so that the terminal device may obtain a more accurate absolute time, thereby completing synchronization with the network device and improving the synchronization accuracy.

Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the communication method in the embodiment of the present application.

As shown in fig. 9, another embodiment of the communication method in the embodiment of the present application may include:

901. the terminal device obtains a second transmission delay between the network device and the first location and time information of the network device.

The first position is a predetermined or defined position or the first position is a reference position. For example, the first location may be a fixed location on the ground, may be a fixed lighthouse location or cell center or a landmark location, etc.

In a specific implementation manner, the terminal device obtains the second transmission delay by obtaining a first message, where the first message carries the second transmission delay, the first time information, and the identifier of the first system frame. The first message may be understood with reference to the first message described in the embodiment corresponding to fig. 4, and details are not repeated here.

In a specific implementation manner, the terminal device obtains the second transmission delay by obtaining the first system message, where the first system message carries the second transmission delay and the second time information. The first system message may be understood with reference to the first system message described in the embodiment corresponding to fig. 5, and is not repeated here.

In one particular embodiment, the network device includes a satellite and a base station, as shown in FIG. 7, wherein the base station is integrated with the satellite. In the communication system shown in fig. 7, the second transmission delay t4 is (satellite GPS position-first position)/speed of light, where (satellite GPS position-first position) represents a distance value in space between a satellite/base station and the first position.

In one specific embodiment, the network device includes a satellite and a base station, as shown in fig. 8, wherein the communication signal is transmitted from the base station and then forwarded to the terminal device via the satellite. The second transmission delay t4 is (satellite GPS position-first position)/speed of light + (satellite GPS position-base station GPS position)/speed of light, where (satellite GPS position-first position) represents a distance value in space from the satellite to the first position, and (satellite GPS position-base station GPS position) represents a distance value in space from the satellite to the base station.

902. The terminal device determines a third transmission delay between the terminal device and the first location.

903. And the terminal equipment determines a second moment according to the first time information, the second transmission time delay and the third transmission time delay.

Assuming that the time corresponding to the first system frame boundary is T1, the second time may be T1+ the second propagation delay T4+ the third propagation delay T5, and the second time is the time corresponding to the second system frame boundary of the terminal device.

In a specific implementation manner, 904, the terminal device may further determine a third time according to the first time information, the second transmission delay, and the third transmission delay. Assuming that the time corresponding to the end boundary of the SI-window transmitting the first system message is T2, the third time may be T2+ the second transmission delay + the third transmission delay, and the third time is the time corresponding to the end boundary of the SI-window receiving the first system message. Or assuming that the time corresponding to the start boundary of the SI-window for sending the first system message is T3, the third time may be T2+ the second transmission delay + the third transmission delay, and the third time is the time corresponding to the start boundary of the SI-window for receiving the first system message.

In a specific embodiment, step 902 and step 903 may be performed in a combined manner, that is, the terminal device determines the second time according to the third transmission delay, the second transmission delay, and the first time information. Taking the communication system described in fig. 8 as an example, the second time is T1+ (satellite GPS position-first position)/light speed + (satellite GPS position-base station GPS position)/light speed + (first position-terminal device GPS position)/light speed corresponding to the first system frame boundary, where (satellite GPS position-first position) represents a distance value from the satellite to the first position in space, (satellite GPS position-base station GPS position) represents a distance value from the satellite to the base station in space, and (first position-terminal device GPS position) represents a distance value from the terminal device to the first position in space.

In a specific embodiment, step 902 and step 904 may be performed in combination, that is, the terminal device determines the third time according to the location information of the network device, the location information of the terminal device, and the second time information. For example, taking the communication system described in fig. 8 as an example, the third time point (T2 + (satellite GPS position-first position)/light speed + (satellite GPS position-base station GPS position)/light speed + (first position-terminal device GPS position)/light speed) corresponds to the time point corresponding to the ending boundary of the SI-window transmitting the first system message, or the third time point (T2 + (satellite GPS position-first position)/light speed + (satellite GPS position-base station GPS position)/light speed + (first position-terminal device GPS position)/light speed + corresponds to the nearest system frame boundary after the boundary of the SI-window transmitting the first system message, where (satellite GPS position-first position) represents a distance value in space between the satellite and the first position, (GPS position-base station GPS position) represents a distance value in space between the satellite and the base station, (first location-terminal device GPS location) represents a value of the distance in space of the terminal device to the first location.

It should be noted that 903 and 904 in the corresponding embodiment of fig. 9 may alternatively be executed in the actual application process. It should be noted that the embodiment corresponding to fig. 9 may be combined with any of the embodiments corresponding to fig. 4 and 5 or may be executed independently. The second transmission delay in the embodiment corresponding to fig. 9 may refer to the transmission delay reference information in the embodiment corresponding to fig. 4 or fig. 5, and the time information of the network device in the embodiment corresponding to fig. 9 may refer to the first time information in the embodiment corresponding to fig. 4 or the second time information in the embodiment corresponding to fig. 5. When the embodiment corresponding to fig. 6 is implemented in combination with the embodiment corresponding to fig. 4 or fig. 5, the explanation and the definition of the features in the embodiment corresponding to fig. 6 may refer to the embodiment corresponding to fig. 4 or fig. 5.

As can be seen from the embodiment corresponding to fig. 9, the absolute time sent by the network device is combined with the second transmission delay and the third transmission delay, so that the terminal device can obtain a more accurate absolute time, and further complete synchronization with the network device, thereby improving the synchronization accuracy.

Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the communication method in the embodiment of the present application.

As shown in fig. 10, another embodiment of the communication method in the embodiment of the present application may include:

1001. the terminal device receives the transmission power of the network device and the time information of the network device.

In a specific embodiment, the terminal device obtains the transmission power and the time information of the network device through a first message, where the first message carries the transmission power of the network device, the first time information, and an identifier of the first system frame. The first message may be understood with reference to the first message described in the embodiment corresponding to fig. 4, and details are not repeated here.

In a specific embodiment, the terminal device obtains the transmission power and the time information of the network device by obtaining a first system message, where the first system message carries the transmission power and the second time information of the network device. The first system message may be understood with reference to the first system message described in the embodiment corresponding to fig. 5, and is not repeated here.

1002. And the terminal equipment determines the path power loss according to the transmission power of the network equipment.

The path power loss may also be referred to simply as path loss or pathloss (pathloss). The path loss is a difference between the transmission power of the network device and the reception power of the terminal device, i.e., the path loss is transmission power — reception power.

1003. And the terminal equipment determines the fourth transmission time delay from the network equipment to the terminal equipment according to the path power loss.

The terminal device may determine a fourth transmission delay from the network device to the terminal device according to the path loss and some other parameters, for example, in a specific embodiment, the terminal device determines the fourth transmission delay according to the path power loss in combination with the information transmission frequency, or in a specific embodiment, the terminal device determines the fourth transmission delay according to the path power loss in combination with the information transmission speed, or in a specific embodiment, the terminal device determines the fourth transmission delay according to the path power loss in combination with the information transmission frequency and the information transmission speed. For example, assuming that the wireless transmission distance, the frequency used for wireless transmission and the path loss satisfy a certain equation or formula, the path loss can be determined according to known parameters. By way of example, assume the equation relationship is: the path loss is 20lgd +20lgf + X, where X is a constant, and the path loss can be determined according to the known parameters, i.e., the wireless transmission distance d, the frequency f used for wireless transmission, and a known constant X. It should be noted that the above equation is only an example, and the present invention does not limit the path loss to be determined according to the above equation.

1004. And the terminal equipment determines a second moment according to the first time information and the fourth transmission time delay.

Assuming that the time corresponding to the first system frame boundary is T1, the second time may be T1+ the fourth transmission delay, and the second time is the time corresponding to the second system frame boundary of the terminal device.

In a specific embodiment, the method may further include 1005, and the terminal device determines the third time according to the second time information and the fourth transmission delay. Assuming that the time corresponding to the end boundary of the SI-window transmitting the first system message is T2, the third time may be T2+ the fourth transmission delay, and the third time is the time corresponding to the end boundary of the SI-window receiving the first system message. Or assuming that the time corresponding to the starting boundary of the SI-window for transmitting the first system message is T3, the third time may be T2+ the fourth transmission delay, and the third time is the time corresponding to the starting boundary of the SI-window for receiving the first system message.

In a specific embodiment, steps 1002 to 1004 may be performed in combination, that is, the terminal device determines the second time according to the transmission power, the reception power, and other parameters and the first time information, where the other parameters may include a transmission frequency or a transmission speed.

In a specific embodiment, steps 1002 to 1003 and 1005 may be performed in a combined manner, that is, the terminal device determines the third time according to the transmission power, the reception power, and some other parameters and the second time information, where some other parameters may include a transmission frequency or a transmission speed.

It should be noted that 1004 and 1005 in the embodiment corresponding to fig. 10 may alternatively be executed in the actual application process.

It should be noted that the embodiment corresponding to fig. 10 may be combined with any of the embodiments corresponding to fig. 4 and 5 or may be executed independently. The transmission power of the network device in the embodiment corresponding to fig. 10 may refer to the transmission delay reference information in the embodiment corresponding to fig. 4 or fig. 5, and the time information of the network device in the embodiment corresponding to fig. 10 may refer to the first time information in the embodiment corresponding to fig. 4 or the second time information in the embodiment corresponding to fig. 5. When the embodiment corresponding to fig. 10 is implemented in combination with the embodiment corresponding to fig. 4 or 5, the explanation and definition of the features in the embodiment corresponding to fig. 10 may refer to the embodiment corresponding to fig. 4 or 5.

As can be seen from the embodiment corresponding to fig. 10, the terminal device may determine the fourth transmission delay between the network device and the terminal device according to the path loss power, and the terminal device may obtain more accurate absolute time by combining the absolute time sent by the network device with the fourth transmission delay, thereby completing synchronization with the network device and improving the synchronization accuracy.

Fig. 11 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the communication method in the embodiment of the present application.

As shown in fig. 11, another embodiment of the communication method in the embodiment of the present application may include:

1101. the terminal device acquires the first message.

The first message carries first time information and an identifier of the first system frame, wherein the first time information is a moment corresponding to a boundary of the first system frame.

The terminal device may obtain the first message in different manners, for example, the terminal device may receive a broadcast message sent by the network device, or the terminal device may send a request message to the network device to request the network device to send the first message.

For example, in the NR system, the SIB9 contains GPS or UTC related time information or other types of time information for assisting the terminal device to acquire absolute time information of the network device. In an embodiment of the present application, the network device may periodically broadcast and/or multicast the SIB9 to the terminal device, or the network device may actively transmit the absolute time information to the terminal device through Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling based on or without a request of the terminal device. Where the SIB9 message or unicast RRC signaling may include a first system frame, a second system frame or a third system frame, the first, second and third do not represent a limitation on the number of system frames, but merely to distinguish between different system frames. In this embodiment, the SIB9 message or the unicast RRC signaling may carry an identifier of a system frame, for example, may carry an identifier of a first system frame, and indicate an absolute time corresponding to a boundary of the first system frame.

1102. The terminal device determines a second time according to the first time information and a Timing Advance (TA).

In a wireless communication system, in order to ensure orthogonality of uplink transmissions and avoid intra-cell interference, it is required that uplink signals from different terminal devices arrive at a network device substantially aligned in time. Therefore, the network device sends a TA to the terminal device, and the terminal device adjusts the time for sending the uplink signal according to the received TA, thereby implementing uplink timing synchronization between the terminal device and the network device. Typically the time advance is twice the amount of transmission time, also referred to as Round Trip Time (RTT).

And the network equipment estimates the TA according to the random access preamble and sends msg2 to the terminal equipment, wherein the TA is carried in msg 2. Certainly, the terminal device may also obtain the TA in other manners, and the embodiment of the present application does not limit the manner in which the terminal device obtains the TA, for example, the network device may determine the TA value of each terminal device based on measuring uplink transmission of the corresponding terminal device. Therefore, as long as the terminal device has uplink transmission, the network device can be used to estimate the TA value and send the TA value to the terminal device through a downlink message.

Assuming that the time corresponding to the first system frame boundary is T1, the second time may be T1+ TA/2, and the second time is the time corresponding to the second system frame boundary of the terminal device. The frame identifications of the first system frame and the second system frame are the same.

In a specific embodiment, 1103, the terminal device may further determine that the first timer has not timed out.

When the terminal equipment is in an idle state, the TA is the TA maintained in a connected state before the terminal equipment is switched to the idle state for the last time, and a first timer is started when the terminal equipment is switched to the idle state from the connected state. Wherein the first timer duration T is configured by the network device; or the first timer duration T is determined by the terminal device according to the moving state, where the moving state may include the moving speed of the terminal device, for example, if the terminal device determines that the current moving speed is v1, the terminal device may configure the duration T of the first timer as T2, and if the terminal device determines that the current moving speed is v2, where v2 is greater than v1, the terminal device may configure the duration T of the first timer as T3, where T3 is less than T2; or the duration T is determined by the terminal device according to the moving state and the configuration of the network device, for example, the duration of the first timer configured by the network device is T3, the terminal device may configure the duration of the first timer as T4 according to its moving state, for example, according to its moving speed, on the basis of T3, where T4 may be greater than T3 or T4 may be less than T3.

As can be seen from the embodiment corresponding to fig. 11, the terminal device may obtain more accurate absolute time by combining the absolute time sent by the network device with the TA, thereby completing synchronization with the network device and improving the synchronization accuracy.

Fig. 12 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the communication method in the embodiment of the present application.

As shown in fig. 12, another embodiment of the communication method in the embodiment of the present application may include:

1201. the terminal equipment acquires the first system message.

The first system message carries second time information, and the second time information is a time corresponding to a time window boundary for sending the first system message.

The terminal device may obtain the first system message in different manners, for example, the terminal device may receive a broadcast message sent by the network device, or the terminal device may send a request message to the network device to request the network device to send the first system message. The second time information is the time corresponding to the first time window boundary of the first system message.

For example, in an NR system, SIB9 provides time information for the system. In the present embodiment, the network device may broadcast and/or multicast periodically the transmission of SIB9, or the network device may transmit SIB9 to the terminal device by unicast message RRC signaling based on the request of the terminal device. Suppose the SI-window corresponding to SIB9 is from system frame number five to system frame number ten, where the boundary of system frame number five can be considered as the start boundary of SI-window, and the boundary of system frame number ten can be considered as the end boundary of SI-window. The terminal device needs to monitor the starting position of the SI-window until the SIB message in the SI is successfully received, so the terminal device can acquire the time corresponding to the starting boundary of the SI-window or the time corresponding to the ending boundary of the SI-window.

1202. And the terminal equipment determines the third time according to the second time information and the Timing Advance (TA).

Assuming that the time corresponding to the end boundary of the SI-window transmitting the first system message is T2, the third time may be T2+ TA/2, and the third time is the time corresponding to the end boundary of the SI-window receiving the first system message. Or assuming that the time corresponding to the starting boundary of the SI-window for transmitting the first system message is T3, the third time may be T3+ TA/2, and the third time is the time corresponding to the starting boundary of the SI-window for receiving the first system message.

In a specific embodiment, 1203, the terminal device may further determine that the first timer has not timed out.

When the terminal equipment is in an idle state, the TA is the TA maintained in a connected state before the terminal equipment is switched to the idle state for the last time, and a first timer is started when the terminal equipment is switched to the idle state from the connected state. Wherein the first timer duration T is configured by the network device; or the first timer duration T is determined by the terminal device according to the moving state, where the moving state may include the moving speed of the terminal device, for example, if the terminal device determines that the current moving speed is v1, the terminal device may configure the duration T of the first timer as T2, and if the terminal device determines that the current moving speed is v2, where v2 is greater than v1, the terminal device may configure the duration T of the first timer as T3, where T3 is less than T2; or the duration T is determined by the terminal device according to the moving state and the configuration of the network device, for example, the duration of the first timer configured by the network device is T3, the terminal device may configure the duration of the first timer as T4 according to its moving state, for example, according to its moving speed, moving direction, moving route, and the like, on the basis of T3, where T4 may be greater than T3 or T4 may be less than T3.

As can be seen from the embodiment corresponding to fig. 12, the terminal device may obtain more accurate absolute time by combining the absolute time sent by the network device with the TA, thereby completing synchronization with the network device and improving the synchronization accuracy.

The above-mentioned scheme provided by the embodiment of the present application is introduced mainly from the perspective of interaction between a network device and a terminal device. It is understood that the network device and the terminal device include hardware structures and/or software modules for performing the functions in order to realize the functions. Those of skill in the art will readily appreciate that the various illustrative modules and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as hardware or combinations of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is performed as hardware or computer software drives hardware depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the solution. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present application.

Described in terms of hardware structures, the terminal device and the network device in fig. 4 to 12 may be implemented by one entity device, may also be implemented by multiple entity devices together, and may also be a logic function module in one entity device, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

For example, the terminal device may be implemented by the communication device in fig. 13. Fig. 13 is a schematic diagram illustrating a hardware structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. The method comprises the following steps: communication interface 1301 and processor 1302 may also include memory 1303.

Communication interface 1301 may use any device, such as a transceiver, for communicating with other devices or communication networks, such as an ethernet, a Radio Access Network (RAN), a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), etc.

The processor 1302 includes, but is not limited to, one or more of a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a Network Processor (NP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a Programmable Logic Device (PLD). The PLD may be a Complex Programmable Logic Device (CPLD), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a General Array Logic (GAL), or any combination thereof. The processor 1302 is responsible for the communication lines 1304 and general processing and may provide a variety of functions including timing, peripheral interfaces, voltage regulation, power management, and other control functions. Memory 1303 may be used to store data used by processor 1302 in performing operations.

The memory 1303 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device that can store static information and instructions, a Random Access Memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device that can store information and instructions, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compact disc, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc, blu-ray disc, etc.), magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited to such. The memory may be separate and coupled to the processor 1302 via a communication link 1304. Memory 1303 may also be integrated with processor 1302. If the memory 1303 and the processor 1302 are separate devices, the memory 1303 and the processor 1302 are connected, for example, the memory 1303 and the processor 1302 may communicate via a communication line. The communication interface 1301 and the processor 1302 may communicate via a communication line, and the communication interface 1301 may be directly connected to the processor 1302.

The communication lines 1304 may include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, with the communication lines 1304 linking together various circuits including one or more of the processor 1302, as represented by the processor 1302, and memory, as represented by the memory 1303. The communication lines 1304 may also link various other circuits such as peripherals, voltage regulators, power management circuits, and the like, which are well known in the art, and therefore, will not be described any further herein.

In a specific embodiment, the terminal device may include: a memory for storing computer readable instructions. The communication interface is coupled with the memory and used for acquiring a first message, wherein the first message carries first time information, an identifier of a first system frame and transmission delay reference information, and the first time information is a moment corresponding to a boundary of the first system frame.

Further comprising: a processor coupled with the communication interface to execute the computer readable instructions in the memory to perform the operations of:

and determining a second moment according to the first time information and the transmission delay reference information, wherein the second moment is a moment corresponding to a second system frame boundary of the terminal equipment, and the frame identifications of the first system frame and the second system frame are the same.

In a specific embodiment, the transmission delay reference information is location information of the network device.

And the processor is specifically configured to determine the second time according to the first time information and the first transmission delay. Wherein the first transmission delay is determined according to the location information of the network device and the location information of the terminal device.

In a specific embodiment, the transmission delay reference information is a second transmission delay between the network device and the first location.

The processor is specifically configured to determine a second time according to the first time information, the second transmission delay, and the third transmission delay. And the third transmission time delay is determined according to the terminal equipment and the first position.

In a specific embodiment, the transmission delay reference information is the transmission power of the network device.

And the processor is specifically configured to determine the second time according to the first time information and the fourth transmission delay. The fourth transmission delay is a transmission delay from the network device to the terminal device determined according to the path loss, and the path power loss is determined according to the transmission power of the network device.

In a specific embodiment, the fourth transmission delay is determined according to one or more of a path power loss, an information transmission frequency, and an information transmission speed, and the path power loss is determined according to a transmission power of the network device and a reception power of the terminal device.

In a specific embodiment, the terminal device includes: a memory for storing computer readable instructions.

The communication interface is coupled with the memory and used for acquiring a first message, wherein the first message carries first time information and an identifier of a first system frame, and the first time information is a moment corresponding to a boundary of the first system frame.

and determining a second time according to the first time information and the timing advance TA, wherein the second time is a time corresponding to a second system frame boundary of the terminal equipment, and the frame identifications of the first system frame and the second system frame are the same.

The terminal device, wherein: TA corresponds to a first timer, and the duration of the first timer is T.

The processor is further configured to determine that the first timer has not timed out.

The terminal device duration T is configured by the network device. Or the time length T is determined by the terminal equipment according to the moving state. Or the duration T is determined by the terminal device according to the mobile state and the configuration of the network device.

In the embodiment of the present application, the communication interface may be regarded as a transceiver unit of the terminal device, the processor having the processing function may be regarded as a processing unit of the terminal device, and the memory may be regarded as a storage unit of the terminal device. As shown in fig. 14, the terminal device includes a transceiving unit 1410 and a processing unit 1420. A transceiver unit may also be referred to as a transceiver, a transceiving device, etc. A processing unit may also be referred to as a processor, a processing board, a processing module, a processing device, or the like. Alternatively, a device for implementing a receiving function in the transceiving unit 1410 may be regarded as a receiving unit, and a device for implementing a transmitting function in the transceiving unit 1410 may be regarded as a transmitting unit, that is, the transceiving unit 1410 includes a receiving unit and a transmitting unit. A transceiver unit may also sometimes be referred to as a transceiver, transceiving circuitry, or the like. A receiving unit may also be referred to as a receiver, a receiving circuit, or the like. A transmitting unit may also sometimes be referred to as a transmitter, or a transmitting circuit, etc.

In a specific embodiment, the transceiver 1410 is configured to perform the obtaining operation at the terminal device side in step 401 in fig. 4, and/or the transceiver 1410 is further configured to perform other transceiving steps at the terminal device side in this embodiment. Processing unit 1420 is configured to execute step 402 in fig. 4, and/or processing unit 1420 is further configured to execute other processing steps on the terminal device side in the embodiment of the present application.

In a specific embodiment, the transceiver 1410 is configured to perform the obtaining operation at the terminal device side in step 501 in fig. 5, and/or the transceiver 1410 is further configured to perform other transceiving steps at the terminal device side in this embodiment. Processing unit 1420 is configured to execute step 502 in fig. 5, and/or processing unit 1420 is further configured to execute other processing steps on the terminal device side in the embodiment of the present application.

In a specific embodiment, the transceiver 1410 is configured to perform the obtaining operation at the terminal device side in step 601 in fig. 6, and/or the transceiver 1410 is further configured to perform other transceiving steps at the terminal device side in this embodiment. Processing unit 1420 is configured to execute step 602, step 603, and step 604 in fig. 6, and/or processing unit 1420 is further configured to execute other processing steps on the terminal device side in this embodiment of the present application.

In a specific embodiment, the transceiver unit 1410 is configured to perform the obtaining operation at the terminal device side in step 901 in fig. 9, and/or the transceiver unit 1410 is further configured to perform other transceiving steps at the terminal device side in this embodiment. Processing unit 1420 is configured to execute step 902, step 903, and step 904 in fig. 9, and/or processing unit 1420 is further configured to execute other processing steps on the terminal device side in this embodiment of the present application.

In a specific embodiment, the transceiver 1410 is configured to perform the obtaining operation at the terminal device side in step 1001 in fig. 10, and/or the transceiver 1410 is further configured to perform other transceiving steps at the terminal device side in this embodiment. Processing unit 1420 is configured to execute step 1002, step 1003, step 1004, and step 1005 in fig. 10, and/or processing unit 1420 is further configured to execute other processing steps on the terminal device side in the embodiment of the present application.

In a specific embodiment, the transceiver unit 1410 is configured to perform the obtaining operation on the terminal device side in step 1101 in fig. 11, and/or the transceiver unit 1410 is further configured to perform other transceiving steps on the terminal device side in the embodiment of the present application. Processing unit 1420 is configured to execute step 1102 and step 1103 in fig. 11, and/or processing unit 1420 is further configured to execute other processing steps on the terminal device side in this embodiment.

In a specific embodiment, the transceiving unit 1410 is configured to perform the obtaining operation on the terminal device side in step 1201 in fig. 12, and/or the transceiving unit 1410 is further configured to perform other transceiving steps on the terminal device side in this embodiment. Processing unit 1420 is configured to execute step 1202 and step 1203 in fig. 12, and/or processing unit 1420 is further configured to execute other processing steps on the terminal device side in the embodiment of the present application.

Further, the network device may be realized by the communication device in fig. 15. Fig. 15 is a schematic hardware structure diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. The method comprises the following steps: the communication interface 1501 and the processor 1502 may further include a memory 1503.

The communication interface 1501 may use any transceiver or the like for communicating with other devices or communication networks.

The processor 1502 includes, but is not limited to, one or more of a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a Network Processor (NP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a Programmable Logic Device (PLD). The PLD may be a Complex Programmable Logic Device (CPLD), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a General Array Logic (GAL), or any combination thereof. The processor 1502 is responsible for the communication lines 1504 and general processing, and may also provide various functions including timing, peripheral interfaces, voltage regulation, power management, and other control functions. The memory 1503 may be used to store data used by the processor 1502 in performing operations.

Memory 1503 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device that can store static information and instructions, a Random Access Memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device that can store information and instructions, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disk storage, optical disk storage (including compact disc, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc, blu-ray disc, etc.), magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited to such. The memory may be separate and coupled to the processor 1502 through a communication line 1504. The memory 1503 may also be integrated with the processor 1502. If the memory 1503 and the processor 1502 are separate devices, the memory 1503 may be connected to the processor 1502, for example, the memory 1503 may communicate with the processor 1502 through a communication line. The communication interface 1501 and the processor 1502 may communicate via a communication line, and the communication interface 1501 may be directly connected to the processor 1502.

The communication lines 1504 may include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, the communication lines 1504 linking together various circuits including one or more processors 1502, represented by the processor 1502, and memory, represented by the memory 1503. The communication lines 1504 may also link various other circuits such as peripherals, voltage regulators, power management circuits, and the like, which are well known in the art, and therefore, will not be described any further herein.

In a specific embodiment, the network device may include: a memory for storing computer readable instructions.

The communication interface is coupled to the memory and configured to send a first message, where the first message carries first time information, an identifier of the first system frame, and transmission delay reference information, the first time information is a time corresponding to a boundary of the first system frame, the first time information and the transmission delay reference information are used to indicate a second time, the second time is a time corresponding to a boundary of a second system frame of the terminal device, and the frame identifiers of the first system frame and the second system frame are the same.

In a specific embodiment, the transmission delay reference information is location information of the network device, and the location information of the network device indicates a first transmission delay between the network device and the terminal device.

In a specific embodiment, the transmission delay reference information is a second transmission delay between the network device and the first location, and the second transmission delay is used to indicate a second time.

In a specific embodiment, the transmission delay reference information is a transmission power of the network device, and the transmission indicates a path power loss, where the path power loss is related to a fourth transmission delay between the terminal device and the network device.

In a specific embodiment, the network device may include: a memory for storing computer readable instructions. The system also comprises a communication interface coupled with the memory and used for sending a first message, wherein the first message carries the first time information and the identification of the first system frame.

The communication interface is further configured to send a timing advance TA, where the first time information and the TA are used by the terminal device to determine a second time, the second time is a time corresponding to a second system frame boundary of the terminal device, and frame identifiers of the first system frame and the second system frame are the same.

In a specific embodiment, the method further comprises the following steps: a processor coupled with the communication interface to execute the computer readable instructions in the memory to perform the operations of: and configuring the duration of a first timer of the terminal equipment as T, wherein the first timer is not overtime and is used for the terminal equipment to determine that the TA is effective.

In the embodiment of the present application, the communication interface may be regarded as a transceiver unit of the network device, the processor with a processing function may be regarded as a processing unit of the network device, and the memory may be regarded as a storage unit of the network device. As shown in fig. 16, the network device may include a transceiving unit 1610 and a processing unit 1620. A transceiver unit may also be referred to as a transceiver, a transceiving device, etc. A processing unit may also be referred to as a processor, a processing board, a processing module, a processing device, or the like. Alternatively, a device for implementing a receiving function in the transceiving unit 1610 may be regarded as a receiving unit, and a device for implementing a transmitting function in the transceiving unit 1610 may be regarded as a transmitting unit, that is, the transceiving unit 1610 includes a receiving unit and a transmitting unit. A transceiver unit may also sometimes be referred to as a transceiver, transceiving circuitry, or the like. A receiving unit may also be referred to as a receiver, a receiving circuit, or the like. A transmitting unit may also sometimes be referred to as a transmitter, or a transmitting circuit, etc.

In a specific embodiment, the transceiver 1610 is configured to perform transceiving operation on the network device side in step 401 in fig. 4, and/or the transceiver 1610 is further configured to perform other transceiving steps on the network device side in this embodiment.

In a specific embodiment, the transceiver 1610 is configured to perform transceiving operation on the network device side in step 501 in fig. 5, and/or the transceiver 1610 is further configured to perform other transceiving step on the network device side in this embodiment.

In a specific embodiment, the transceiver 1610 is configured to perform transceiving operation on the network device side in step 601 in fig. 6, and/or the transceiver 1610 is further configured to perform other transceiving step on the network device side in this embodiment.

In a specific embodiment, the transceiver 1610 is configured to perform transceiving operation on the network device side in step 901 in fig. 9, and/or the transceiver 1610 is further configured to perform other transceiving steps on the network device side in this embodiment.

In a specific embodiment, the transceiver 1610 is configured to perform transceiving operation on the network device side in step 1001 in fig. 10, and/or the transceiver 1610 is further configured to perform other transceiving step on the network device side in this embodiment.

In a specific embodiment, the transceiver 1610 is configured to perform transceiving operation on the network device side in step 1101 in fig. 11, and/or the transceiver 1610 is further configured to perform other transceiving step on the network device side in this embodiment. Processing unit 1620 is configured to execute step 1103 in fig. 11, and/or processing unit 1620 is further configured to execute other processing steps on the terminal device side in this embodiment of the present application.

In a specific embodiment, the transceiver 1610 is configured to perform transceiving operation on the network device side in step 1201 in fig. 12, and/or the transceiver 1610 is further configured to perform other transceiving step on the network device side in this embodiment. Processing unit 1620 is configured to execute step 1203 in fig. 12, and/or processing unit 1620 is further configured to execute other processing steps on the terminal device side in this embodiment of the present application.

In the above embodiments, the implementation may be wholly or partially realized by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, may be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product.

The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When loaded and executed on a computer, cause the processes or functions described in accordance with the embodiments of the application to occur, in whole or in part. The computer may be a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a network of computers, or other programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer readable storage medium to another, for example, from one website site, computer, server, or data center to another website site, 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.). The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can store or a data storage device, such as a server, a data center, etc., that is integrated with one or more available media. The usable medium may be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy Disk, hard Disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., Solid State Disk (SSD)), among others.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that all or part of the steps in the methods of the above embodiments may be implemented by associated hardware instructed by a program, which may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and the storage medium may include: ROM, RAM, magnetic or optical disks, and the like.

The communication method, the terminal device, the network device and the storage medium provided by the embodiments of the present application are described in detail above, and a specific example is applied in the present application to explain the principle and the implementation of the present application, and the description of the above embodiments is only used to help understanding the method and the core idea of the present application; meanwhile, for a person skilled in the art, according to the idea of the present application, there may be variations in the specific embodiments and the application scope, and in summary, the content of the present specification should not be construed as a limitation to the present application.

Claims

1. A method of communication, comprising:

a terminal device acquires a first message, wherein the first message carries first time information, an identifier of a first system frame and transmission delay reference information, and the first time information is a moment corresponding to a first system frame boundary;

and the terminal equipment determines a second moment according to the first time information and the transmission delay reference information, wherein the second moment is a moment corresponding to a second system frame boundary of the terminal equipment, and the frame identifications of the first system frame and the second system frame are the same.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmission delay reference information is location information of a network device;

the determining, by the terminal device, a second time according to the first time information and the transmission delay reference information includes:

the terminal equipment determines the second moment according to the first time information and the first transmission delay;

wherein the first transmission delay is determined according to the location information of the network device and the location information of the terminal device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmission delay reference information is a second transmission delay between the network device and a first location, and the first location is a predetermined or defined location or a reference location;

the terminal equipment determines the second moment according to the first time information, the second transmission delay and a third transmission delay;

wherein the third transmission delay is determined according to the terminal device and the first position.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmission delay reference information is a transmission power of a network device;

the terminal equipment determines the second moment according to the first time information and a fourth transmission delay;

wherein the fourth transmission delay is a transmission delay from the network device to the terminal device determined according to a path power loss, and the path power loss is determined according to a transmission power of the network device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein:

the fourth transmission delay is determined according to one or more of the path power loss, the information transmission frequency and the information transmission speed, and the path power loss is determined according to the transmission power of the network device and the reception power of the terminal device.

6. A method of communication, comprising:

a terminal device acquires a first message, wherein the first message carries first time information and an identifier of a first system frame, and the first time information is a moment corresponding to a first system frame boundary;

and the terminal equipment determines a second time according to the first time information and a Timing Advance (TA), wherein the second time is a time corresponding to a second system frame boundary of the terminal equipment, and the frame identifications of the first system frame and the second system frame are the same.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein:

the TA corresponds to a first timer, and the duration of the first timer is T;

before the terminal device determines a second time according to the first time information and the TA, the method further includes:

and the terminal equipment determines that the first timer is not overtime.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein:

the duration T is configured by a network device; or

The duration T is determined by the terminal equipment according to the moving state; or

The duration T is determined by the terminal device according to the mobility state and the configuration of the network device.

9. A method of communication, comprising:

the method comprises the steps that a network device sends a first message, wherein the first message carries first time information, an identifier of a first system frame and transmission delay reference information, the first time information is a moment corresponding to a first system frame boundary, the first time information and the transmission delay reference information are used for indicating a second moment, the second moment is a moment corresponding to a second system frame boundary of a terminal device, and frame identifiers of the first system frame and the second system frame are the same.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the transmission delay reference information is location information of the network device, and the location information of the network device indicates a first transmission delay between the network device and the terminal device.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the transmission delay reference information is a second transmission delay between the network device and a first location, and wherein the second transmission delay indicates the second time.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the transmission delay reference information is a transmit power of the network device, wherein the transmit power indicates a path power loss, and wherein the path power loss is related to a fourth transmission delay between the terminal device and the network device.

13. A method of communication, comprising:

the method comprises the steps that network equipment sends a first message, wherein the first message carries first time information and an identifier of a first system frame;

the network device sends a Timing Advance (TA), the first time information and the TA are used for indicating a second time, the second time is a time corresponding to a second system frame boundary, and the frame identifications of the first system frame and the second system frame are the same.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

the network equipment configures a first timer, the duration of the first timer is T, and the first timer is used for indicating whether the TA is valid.

15. A terminal device, comprising:

a memory for storing computer readable instructions;

the communication interface is coupled with the memory and is used for acquiring a first message, wherein the first message carries first time information, an identifier of a first system frame and transmission delay reference information, and the first time information is a moment corresponding to a boundary of the first system frame;

further comprising: a processor coupled with the communication interface to execute the computer readable instructions in the memory to perform the following:

16. The terminal device according to claim 15, wherein the transmission delay reference information is location information of a network device;

the processor is specifically configured to determine the second time according to the first time information and a first transmission delay, where the first transmission delay is determined according to the location information of the network device and the location information of the terminal device.

17. The terminal device according to claim 15, wherein the transmission delay reference information is a second transmission delay between the network device and a first location, and the first location is a preset or defined location or a reference location;

the processor is specifically configured to determine a second time according to the first time information, the second transmission delay, and a third transmission delay, where the third transmission delay is determined according to the terminal device and the first location.

18. The terminal device according to claim 15, wherein the transmission delay reference information is a transmission power of a network device;

the processor is specifically configured to determine the second time according to the first time information and a fourth transmission delay, where the fourth transmission delay is a transmission delay from the network device to the terminal device that is determined according to a path power loss, and the path power loss is determined according to a transmission power of the network device.

19. The terminal device of claim 18,

20. A terminal device, comprising:

a memory for storing computer readable instructions;

the communication interface is coupled with the memory and is used for acquiring a first message, wherein the first message carries first time information and an identifier of a first system frame, and the first time information is a moment corresponding to a boundary of the first system frame;

and determining a second time according to the first time information and a Timing Advance (TA), wherein the second time is a time corresponding to a second system frame boundary of the terminal equipment, and the frame identifications of the first system frame and the second system frame are the same.

21. The terminal device of claim 20, wherein:

the TA corresponds to a first timer, and the duration of the first timer is T;

22. The terminal device of claim 21, wherein:

the duration T is configured by a network device; or

23. A network device, comprising:

a memory for storing computer readable instructions;

the communication interface is coupled to the memory and configured to send a first message, where the first message carries first time information, an identifier of a first system frame, and transmission delay reference information, the first time information is a time corresponding to a boundary of the first system frame, the first time information and the transmission delay reference information are used to indicate a second time, the second time is a time corresponding to a boundary of a second system frame of the terminal device, and frame identifiers of the first system frame and the second system frame are the same.

24. The network device of claim 23, wherein the transmission delay reference information is location information of a network device, and the location information of the network device indicates a first transmission delay between the network device and the terminal device.

25. The network device of claim 23, wherein the transmission delay reference information is a second transmission delay between the network device and a first location, and wherein the second transmission delay indicates the second time, and wherein the first location is a predetermined or defined location or the first location is a reference location.

26. The network device of claim 23, wherein the transmission delay reference information is a transmission power of a network device, and wherein the transmission power indicates a path power loss associated with a fourth transmission delay between the terminal device and the network device.

27. A network device, comprising:

a memory for storing computer readable instructions;

the communication interface is coupled with the memory and used for sending a first message, wherein the first message carries first time information and an identifier of a first system frame;

28. The network device of claim 27, further comprising: a processor coupled with the communication interface to execute the computer readable instructions in the memory to perform the following:

and configuring the duration of a first timer of the terminal equipment as T, wherein the first timer is not overtime and is used for the terminal equipment to determine that the TA is effective.

29. A communication system, characterized in that the communication system comprises a terminal device and a network device, wherein,

the terminal device is the terminal device of any one of claims 1 to 8;

the network device of any one of claims 9 to 14.

30. A computer-readable storage medium, which when executed on a computer device, causes the computer device to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 8.

31. A computer-readable storage medium, which when executed on a computer device, causes the computer device to perform the method of any one of claims 9 to 14.