WO2022022601A1

WO2022022601A1 - Method for determining timing advance of terminal device, and communication apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2022022601A1
Application number: PCT/CN2021/109091
Authority: WO
Inventors: 刘鹏
Original assignee: 华为技术有限公司
Priority date: 2020-07-30
Filing date: 2021-07-29
Publication date: 2022-02-03
Also published as: CN114070376A

Abstract

Provided is a method for determining a timing advance of a terminal device. A terminal device determines a timing advance of the terminal device under a second satellite by means of acquiring a timing advance of the terminal device under a source satellite, frame alignment information of the source satellite, frame alignment information of a target satellite, and the difference between a round-trip delay of the terminal device with respect to the source satellite and a round-trip delay of the terminal device with respect to the target satellite, such that the terminal device can switch between satellites without random access, thereby improving the satellite switching efficiency and the user experience.

Description

Method and communication device for determining timing advance of terminal equipment

This application claims the priority of the Chinese patent application filed on July 30, 2020 with the State Intellectual Property Office of China, the application number is 202010749112.2, and the application name is "Method and Communication Device for Determining Timing Advance of Terminal Equipment", the entire content of which is approved by Reference is incorporated in this application.

technical field

The present application relates to satellite networks, and more particularly, to a method and a communication device for determining the timing advance of terminal equipment.

Background technique

Satellite communications and other non-terrestrial networks (NTN) have significant advantages such as global coverage, long-distance transmission, flexible networking, convenient deployment, and freedom from geographical conditions. They have been widely used in maritime communications, positioning and navigation, disaster relief, scientific experiments, video broadcasting and earth observation.

In order to provide wide-area continuous coverage, the satellite system needs more satellites to enhance the coverage capability. Due to the mobility of satellites or the mobility of terminal equipment, the serving satellites of terminal equipment may need to be switched, but the existing ground system does not need to be switched. Random access technology cannot be applied to satellite communication systems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present application provides a method and a communication device for determining the timing advance of a terminal device, which can solve the problem of free random access in the process of inter-satellite handover in a satellite mobile communication system.

In a first aspect, a method for determining a timing advance of a terminal device is provided, which is applied to a satellite communication system and includes: acquiring a timing advance of a terminal device under a first satellite, where the first satellite is a serving satellite of the terminal device; acquiring The first information, the first information is used to determine the first frame alignment information of the downlink timing sequence of the first satellite and the uplink timing sequence of the uplink signal of the first satellite receiving terminal equipment; the second information is obtained, and the second information is used to determine the first frame alignment information. The downlink timing sequence of the second satellite and the second frame alignment information of the uplink timing sequence of the uplink signal of the second satellite receiving terminal equipment, the second satellite is the target satellite that the terminal equipment needs to switch to; obtain the first round-trip delay and the second round-trip time The difference between the delays, where the first round-trip delay is the round-trip delay between the first satellite and the terminal device, and the second round-trip delay is the round-trip delay between the second satellite and the terminal device; The timing advance under the satellite, the first frame alignment information, the second frame alignment information, and the difference between the first round-trip delay and the second round-trip delay determine the timing advance of the terminal device under the second satellite.

In the above technical solution, by determining the timing advance of the terminal equipment under the second satellite, the terminal equipment can be switched between satellites without random access, and the satellite switching efficiency and user experience can be improved.

With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, obtaining the difference between the first round-trip delay and the second round-trip delay includes: monitoring the first satellite and the second satellite broadcast channel, and obtaining the first round-trip delay The difference between the delay and the second round-trip delay.

With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, acquiring the second information includes: receiving second information sent by the first satellite, where the second information is periodically or triggered by the second satellite to send News from the first satellite.

With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, acquiring the second information includes: receiving second information sent by the first satellite, where the second information is a handover request sent by the second satellite to the first satellite The message carried in the acknowledgment message, the handover request acknowledgment message is used to confirm that the terminal equipment is handed over from the first satellite to the second satellite.

With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, acquiring the second information includes: receiving the second information sent by the second satellite through the first downlink control channel, where the first downlink control channel is the second satellite According to the information of the terminal device sent by the first satellite and the downlink control channel established by the terminal device, the information of the terminal device includes the minimum information of the second downlink control channel established by the first satellite and the terminal device.

In a second aspect, a method for determining a timing advance of a terminal device is provided, which is applied to a satellite communication system, comprising: sending second information by a second satellite, so that the terminal device can determine the timing of the terminal device under the second satellite according to the second information. Timing advance, wherein the second information is used by the terminal device to determine the downlink timing sequence of the second satellite and the second frame alignment information of the uplink timing sequence of the second satellite to receive the uplink signal of the terminal device, and the second satellite is the terminal device that needs to be switched target satellite.

For the beneficial technical effect of the method of the second aspect, reference may be made to the description of the corresponding technical solution of the method of the first aspect, which will not be repeated here.

With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, sending the second information by the second satellite includes: the second satellite periodically or triggered sending the second information to the first satellite, where the first satellite is a terminal device service satellites.

With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, sending the second information by the second satellite includes: the second satellite carries the second information in the handover request confirmation message, and the handover request confirmation message is used to confirm that the terminal device has The first satellite switches to the second satellite; the second satellite sends a switch request confirmation message to the first satellite.

With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the sending of the second information by the second satellite includes: the second satellite receives the information of the terminal device sent by the first satellite, and the information of the terminal device includes the first satellite and the terminal. The equipment establishes the minimum information of the second downlink control channel; the second satellite establishes the first downlink control channel with the terminal equipment according to the information of the terminal equipment; the second satellite sends the second information to the terminal equipment through the first downlink control channel.

In a third aspect, the present application provides a communication device, the communication device having a function of implementing the method in the first aspect or any possible implementation manner thereof. The functions can be implemented by hardware, or can be implemented by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more units corresponding to the above functions. For example, processing units.

In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a communication device having a function of implementing the method in the second aspect or any possible implementation manner thereof. The functions can be implemented by hardware, or can be implemented by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more units corresponding to the above functions. For example: processing unit, receiving unit, sending unit, etc.

In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, comprising at least one processor, at least one processor coupled to at least one memory, at least one memory for storing computer programs or instructions, and at least one processor for calling from the at least one memory And run the computer program or instructions to cause the communication device to perform the method in the first aspect or any possible implementations thereof.

In one example, the communication device may be a terminal device.

In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, comprising at least one processor, at least one processor coupled to at least one memory, at least one memory for storing computer programs or instructions, and at least one processor for calling from at least one memory And running the computer program or instructions causes the communication device to perform the method of the second aspect or any possible implementations thereof.

In one example, the communication device may be a second satellite.

In a seventh aspect, the present application provides a communication device including a processor, a memory and a transceiver. The memory is used to store the computer program, and the processor is used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory, and control the transceiver to send and receive signals, so that the communication device executes the method in the first aspect or any possible implementation manner thereof.

In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a communication device including a processor, a memory and a transceiver. The memory is used to store the computer program, and the processor is used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory, and control the transceiver to send and receive signals, so that the communication device executes the method in the second aspect or any possible implementation manner thereof.

In a ninth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, comprising a processor and a communication interface, wherein the communication interface is configured to receive a signal and transmit the received signal to the processor, and the processor processes the signal to The communication apparatus is caused to perform a method as in the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

In a tenth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, comprising a processor and a communication interface, wherein the communication interface is configured to receive a signal and transmit the received signal to the processor, and the processor processes the signal to The communication device is caused to perform a method as in the second aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

Optionally, the above-mentioned communication interface may be an interface circuit, an input/output interface, or the like, and the processor may be a processing circuit, a logic circuit, or the like.

Optionally, the communication device described in the ninth aspect or the tenth aspect may be a chip or an integrated circuit.

In an eleventh aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, where computer instructions are stored in the computer-readable storage medium, and when the computer instructions are executed on a computer, the first aspect or any possible implementations thereof are enabled. The method in is executed.

In a twelfth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, where computer instructions are stored in the computer-readable storage medium, and when the computer instructions are executed on a computer, the second aspect or any possible implementation manner thereof is implemented. The method in is executed.

In a thirteenth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product, the computer program product comprising computer program code, when the computer program code is run on a computer, the computer program code, as in the first aspect or any possible implementations thereof, is provided. method is executed.

In a fourteenth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product, the computer program product comprising computer program code, when the computer program code is run on a computer, the computer program code, as in the second aspect or any possible implementations thereof, is provided. method is executed.

In a fifteenth aspect, the present application provides a wireless communication system, including the communication device according to the seventh aspect and/or the communication device according to the eighth aspect.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is an example of a communication system applicable to the embodiment of the present application.

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a TA mechanism in a satellite communication system.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of the terrestrial system free random access signaling interaction.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a method for avoiding random access in an inter-satellite handover process provided by the present application.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a second information acquisition method provided by this implementation.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of another second information acquisition method provided by this implementation.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of still another second information acquisition method provided by the present embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a schematic block diagram of a communication apparatus 1000 provided by the present application.

FIG. 9 is a schematic block diagram of a communication apparatus 2000 provided by the present application.

FIG. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 10 provided by this application.

FIG. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 20 provided by the present application.

detailed description

The technical solutions in the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The technical solution of the present application can be applied to non-terrestrial network (non-terrestrial network, NTN) systems such as satellite communication systems, high altitude platform station (HAPS) communication, for example, global navigation satellite system (global navigation satellite system, GNSS) )Wait.

Satellite communication systems can be integrated with traditional mobile communication systems. For example, the mobile communication system may be a 4th generation (4G) communication system (for example, a long term evolution (LTE) system), a worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication systems, 5th generation (5G) communication systems (eg, new radio (NR) systems), and future mobile communication systems, etc.

Referring to FIG. 1, FIG. 1 is an example of a satellite communication system applicable to the embodiment of the present application. The satellite communication system provides wide-area coverage communication services for ground terminals. The first satellite and the second satellite in Figure 1 can form multiple beams, each beam is similar to a cell or sector in a ground mobile communication system, and different beams can pass through One or more of time division, frequency division and space division to communicate. Figure 1 exemplarily shows that the first satellite and the second satellite use two different beams to cover the same service area, the terminal equipment is located in the same service area, the satellite and the terminal equipment communicate through wireless signals, and the communication protocol It can be any one of the ground mobile communication protocol and its variant protocol. At the other end, the satellite and the ground station are connected wirelessly. This link is usually called a feeder link, which provides data backhaul. At the same time, the first satellite and the second satellite exist. Inter-satellite link exchanges the necessary information for terminal equipment handover. The satellite may be a non-geostationary earth orbit (NGEO) satellite or a geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellite. The satellite mentioned in the embodiments of this application may also be a satellite base station, or a network side device mounted on the satellite.

The terminal devices mentioned in the embodiments of this application include various handheld devices, vehicle-mounted devices, wearable devices, computing devices, or other processing devices connected to wireless modems with wireless communication functions, and may specifically refer to user equipment (user equipment, UE), access terminal, subscriber unit, subscriber station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent or user equipment. The terminal device may also be a satellite phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a wireless data card, a wireless modem, a machine type communication device, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (wireless local) loop, WLL) station, personal digital assistant (PDA), handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, in-vehicle device or wearable device, virtual reality (virtual reality, VR) terminal equipment, augmented reality (AR) terminal equipment, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving, wireless terminals in remote medical, Wireless terminal in smart grid, wireless terminal in transportation safety, wireless terminal in smart city, wireless terminal in smart home, 5G network or future communication network terminal equipment, etc.

In order to facilitate the understanding of the present application, firstly, the terms involved in the present application are briefly explained.

Timing advance (TA): Generally used for UE uplink transmission, it means to estimate the radio frequency transmission delay caused by distance in order to reach the UE uplink data packet to the base station at the desired time, and send the data packet in advance of the corresponding time.

In a satellite communication system, data packets of different users in the same cell may have different time delays to reach the satellite. It is necessary to adopt uplink synchronization technology to make the data packets of different users in the same cell arrive at the satellite at almost the same time to ensure that there will be no interference between users. For example, user 1 and user 2 are in the same cell, but the delays to reach the satellite are different. An uplink synchronization mechanism is required to ensure that user 1 and user 2 do not interfere. In a time-division duplex (TDD) system, a communication signal is temporally divided into a number of time slots of a certain length, a time slot can only be one of uplink or downlink, and satellites cannot simultaneously send and receive. In addition, in the TDD system, the role of uplink synchronization is not only to avoid user interference, but also to satisfy frame alignment and avoid uplink and downlink interference.

Referring to FIG. 2, FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a TA mechanism in a satellite communication system.

As shown in Figure 2, the communication signal is divided into time slots with an interval of 1ms (in NR, the unit is time slot, and in LTE, the unit is subframe). timing), assuming that it is sent 240us (TA) in advance (that is, the uplink timing of user 1 is 3.62ms-0.24ms=3.38ms), it can be guaranteed that the data packet of user 1 arrives at the satellite just after an integer number of time slots (3.62ms×2 -0.24ms=7ms, i.e. 7 timeslot length). Therefore, the round-trip delay (RTD) between the user and the satellite minus the advance transmission time (TA) needs to be equal to an integer multiple of the time slot length (Ts).

In this application, the above rules are recorded as timing criteria, and expressed by formula (1). Among them, N (N≥1) is the frame alignment information, that is, the difference between the user's uplink timing and downlink timing frame numbers on the satellite side.

RTD-TA=N×Ts (1)

Referring to FIG. 3 , FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the interaction of random access-free signaling in the ground system.

The principle of free random access in the terrestrial system is that the user knows the TA of the target base station, and the process of obtaining the TA through random access is avoided. The calculation of TA2 of the target base station by the UE can be calculated by the formula TA2=TA1–(RTD1–RTD2), where TA1 is the known timing advance of the source base station, and the round-trip delay difference between the source base station and the target base station (RTD1 -RTD2) can be obtained by listening to the time difference obtained from the broadcast channel of the source base station and the target base station.

Random access-free is a random access procedure without the "cross" in FIG. 3 . The solid arrows in FIG. 3 represent signaling interactions, and the dashed lines represent data interactions. The handover is triggered by the base station, and the trigger is based on the user measurement report. For example, if the signal strength received by the user is continuously lower than a certain threshold, the source base station sends a handover (HO) request signaling to the target base station. The target base station confirms the HO request of the source base station according to its own service capability. The source base station sends a HO command to the UE after receiving the HO request confirmation signaling from the target base station. Then, the source base station sends the user's buffered data information to the target base station (data forwarding). In the random access-free technology, the UE receives the broadcast channel of the target base station, and calculates the round-trip delay difference (RTD1-RTD2) between the source base station and the target base station, so that TA2 can be calculated. At the same time, the target base station allocates resources to the UE due to obtaining the user information. The UE monitors the downlink control channel of the target base station, and obtains the resource allocation at the target base station, that is, the uplink allocation in the figure. After that, the user sends a HO confirmation to the target base station to complete the handover of the UE between the source base station and the target base station. Finally, the UE exchanges data with the target base station.

In order to provide wide-area continuous coverage, the satellite system needs more satellites to enhance the coverage capability. Due to the mobility of the satellite or the mobility of the terminal equipment, the serving satellite of the terminal equipment needs to be switched, but the existing ground system is free of random access technology. Not applicable to satellite communication systems.

In view of this, the present application proposes a method for determining the timing advance of terminal equipment, which can solve the problem of avoiding random access during inter-satellite handover in a TDD satellite mobile communication system, improve satellite handover efficiency, and improve user experience.

Referring to FIG. 4 , FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a method for avoiding random access in an inter-satellite handover process provided by the present application.

In this handover scenario, the first satellite (that is, the source base station) serves the UE. As the first satellite moves, the signal received by the UE from the first satellite is gradually weakened, and the performance is gradually degraded. It needs to be switched to the second satellite (that is, the target base station). ), resulting in a handover (HO) process.

Optionally, the handover process of the UE may be judged by the quality of the UE's uplink signal, or by the beam position, or by the change of the UE's uplink reception time.

Referring to formula (1), the timing criterion for the UE to access the first satellite is:

-TA1+RTD1=N1×Ts (2)

The timing criteria for the UE to access the second satellite are:

-TA2+RTD2=N2×Ts (3)

Among them, TA1 is the uplink timing advance of the first satellite, RTD1 is the round-trip delay between the UE and the first satellite, N1 is the difference between the uplink timing and the downlink timing frame number of the UE on the first satellite side, and TA2 is the second The uplink timing advance of the satellite, RTD2 is the round-trip delay between the UE and the second satellite, and N2 is the difference between the uplink timing and the downlink timing frame number of the UE on the second satellite side. By subtracting the two equations (2) and (3), we can get:

TA2=TA1–(RTD1–RTD2)–(N2–N1)×Ts (4)

In general, N1 and N2 are not equal, N1 and N2 may be changing values, N1 and N2 are determined by factors such as beam width, satellite height, etc. The beam width may change with the movement of the satellite, so in order to determine TA2, it is necessary to The UE acquires the parameters required in formula (4) during the process of switching satellites.

S401, the terminal device acquires the timing advance under the first satellite. The first satellite is the current serving satellite of the terminal device.

S402, the terminal device acquires the first information.

The first information is used to determine the first frame alignment information of the downlink timing sequence of the first satellite and the uplink timing sequence of the uplink signal of the first satellite receiving terminal equipment.

Optionally, the first information may be the difference N1 between the frame numbers of the uplink timing and the downlink timing of the terminal device on the first satellite side.

Optionally, the first information may or may be information such as a frame structure, and the terminal device can deduce the difference N1 between the frame numbers of the uplink timing and the downlink timing of the terminal device on the first satellite side according to the frame structure information.

Optionally, the first information may be sent to the terminal device through a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), or may be sent to the terminal device through a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH).

Optionally, the first information may be sent to the terminal device periodically, or may be sent to the terminal device during the triggering process of the first satellite HO.

S403, the terminal device acquires the second information.

The second information is used to determine the second frame alignment information of the downlink timing sequence of the second satellite and the uplink timing sequence of the second satellite receiving the uplink signal of the terminal device, and the second satellite is the target satellite that the terminal device needs to switch to.

Optionally, the second information may be the difference N2 between the frame numbers of the uplink timing and the downlink timing of the terminal device on the first satellite side. For example, the first satellite can send N1 to the second satellite, and the second satellite can also send N2 to the first satellite.

Optionally, the second information may be information such as a frame structure, and the terminal device can deduce the difference N2 between the frame numbers of the terminal device's uplink timing and downlink timing on the second satellite side according to the frame structure information.

As an example and not a limitation, the present application provides the following methods for a terminal device to acquire the second information.

Referring to FIG. 5 , FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a second information acquisition method provided by this implementation.

The first satellite and the second satellite may exchange the second information periodically or in a triggered manner through the inter-satellite link, and after the first satellite obtains the second information, it sends the second information to the terminal device.

Optionally, before the first satellite sends the HO request to the UE or during the HO command, the first satellite sends the second information to the UE, so that the UE obtains the second frame alignment information, ie, N2, according to the second information.

Referring to FIG. 6 , FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of another method for acquiring second information provided by this implementation.

The first satellite sends a HO request to the second satellite through the inter-satellite link, and the second satellite replies to the first satellite with an acknowledgement of the HO request, and the request acknowledgement carries the second information.

Referring to FIG. 7 , FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of yet another method for acquiring second information provided by this implementation.

The second satellite receives the UE information of the inter-satellite handover sent by the first satellite through the inter-satellite link. The UE information includes the minimum information for establishing the second downlink control channel between the first satellite and the UE, and the second satellite establishes the second downlink control channel according to the UE information and the UE. The UE first obtains the downlink timing of the second satellite, and communicates with the UE through the UE. The control channel established by the second satellite obtains the second information of the second satellite from the control channel.

S404, the terminal device acquires the difference between the first round-trip delay and the second round-trip delay.

The first round-trip delay is the round-trip delay between the first satellite and the terminal device, and the second round-trip delay is the round-trip delay between the second satellite and the terminal device.

Optionally, the terminal device may obtain the difference between the first round-trip delay and the second round-trip delay by monitoring the broadcast channel of the first satellite and the second satellite. For example, the terminal device can detect the primary synchronization signal (PSS) sequence of the first satellite and the second satellite, determine the downlink timing of the terminal device respectively, and obtain RTD1-RTD2.

S405, the terminal device determines the timing advance of the terminal device under the second satellite according to the timing advance under the first satellite, the first frame alignment information, the second frame alignment information, the difference between the first round-trip delay and the second round-trip delay Timing advance.

Specifically, the terminal device substitutes the acquired TA1, N1, N2, RTD1-RTD2 into formula (4), thereby calculating the TA2 of the terminal device under the second satellite.

The method for determining the timing advance of a terminal device provided by the present application has been described in detail above, and the communication apparatus provided by the present application is described below.

Referring to FIG. 8 , FIG. 8 is a schematic block diagram of a communication apparatus 1000 provided in the present application. As shown in FIG. 8 , the communication apparatus 1000 includes an acquisition unit 1100 and a processing unit 1200 .

The acquiring unit 1100 is configured to acquire the timing advance of the terminal device under the first satellite, and the first satellite is the serving satellite of the terminal device; the acquiring unit 1100 is further configured to acquire first information, the first information The first frame alignment information used to determine the downlink timing sequence of the first satellite and the uplink timing sequence of the first satellite receiving the uplink signal of the terminal device; the acquiring unit 1100 is further configured to acquire second information, the The second information is used to determine the second frame alignment information of the downlink timing sequence of the second satellite and the uplink timing sequence of the second satellite receiving the uplink signal of the terminal device, and the second satellite is required by the terminal device. The target satellite to be switched; the obtaining unit 1100 is further configured to obtain the difference between the first round-trip delay and the second round-trip delay, where the first round-trip delay is the difference between the first satellite and the terminal device Round-trip delay, the second round-trip delay is the round-trip delay between the second satellite and the terminal device; the processing unit 1200 is configured to advance according to the timing of the terminal device under the first satellite amount, the first frame alignment information, the second frame alignment information, and the difference between the first round-trip delay and the second round-trip delay to determine the timing advance of the terminal device under the second satellite .

Optionally, in an embodiment, the obtaining unit 1100 is specifically configured to: monitor the first satellite and the second satellite broadcast channel to obtain the difference between the first round-trip delay and the second round-trip delay .

Optionally, in an embodiment, the obtaining unit 1100 is specifically configured to: receive second information sent by the first satellite, where the second information is periodically or triggered by the second satellite to send message of the first satellite.

Optionally, in an embodiment, the obtaining unit 1100 is specifically configured to: receive second information sent by the first satellite, where the second information is information sent by the second satellite to the first satellite The message carried in the handover request confirmation message, where the handover request confirmation message is used to confirm that the terminal device is handed over from the first satellite to the second satellite.

Optionally, in an embodiment, the obtaining unit 1100 is specifically configured to: receive second information sent by the second satellite through a first downlink control channel, where the first downlink control channel is the second satellite A downlink control channel established with the terminal device according to the information of the terminal device sent by the first satellite, wherein the information of the terminal device includes the minimum value of the downlink control channel established by the first satellite and the terminal device. information.

Optionally, the communication device may further include a receiving unit 1300 and a sending unit 1400. In the above implementation manners, the receiving unit 1300 and the sending unit 1400 may also be integrated into a receiving and sending unit, and have both receiving and sending functions, which are not described here. limited.

Optionally, as an example, the receiving unit 1300 in the communication apparatus 1000 may be a receiver, and the sending unit 1400 may be a transmitter. The receiver and transmitter can also be integrated into a transceiver.

Optionally, as another example, the communication apparatus 1000 may be a chip or an integrated circuit installed in a terminal device. In this case, the receiving unit 1300 and the transmitting unit 1400 may be a communication interface or an interface circuit. For example, the receiving unit 1300 is an input interface or an input circuit, and the transmitting unit 1400 is an output interface or an output circuit. The processing unit 1200 may be a processing device.

The functions of the processing device may be implemented by hardware, or may be implemented by hardware executing corresponding software. For example, the processing device may comprise at least one processor and at least one memory, wherein the at least one memory is used to store a computer program, the at least one processor reads and executes the computer program stored in the at least one memory such that The communication apparatus 1000 performs the operations and/or processes that need to be performed by the terminal device in each method embodiment. Alternatively, the processing means may comprise only a processor, the memory for storing the computer program being located outside the processing means. The processor is connected to the memory through circuits/wires to read and execute the computer program stored in the memory. As another example, the processing device may be a chip or an integrated circuit.

Referring to FIG. 9, FIG. 9 is a schematic block diagram of a communication apparatus 2000 provided by the present application. As shown in FIG. 9 , the communication apparatus 2000 includes a transmission unit 2100 .

A sending unit 2100, configured to send second information, so that the terminal device determines the timing advance of the terminal device under the second satellite according to the second information, where the second information is used for the terminal device Determine the second frame alignment information of the downlink timing sequence of the second satellite and the uplink timing sequence of the second satellite receiving the uplink signal of the terminal device, where the second satellite is the target satellite that the terminal device needs to switch to.

Optionally, in an embodiment, the sending unit 2100 is specifically configured to send the second information to a first satellite periodically or triggered, where the first satellite is a serving satellite of the terminal device.

Optionally, the communication apparatus may further include a processing unit 2200 and a receiving unit 2300 .

Optionally, in an embodiment, the apparatus 2000 further includes: a processing unit 2200, configured to carry the second information in a handover request confirmation message sent by the second satellite, the handover request confirmation message for confirming that the terminal device switches from the first satellite to the second satellite; and the sending unit 2100 is specifically configured to: send a handover request confirmation message to the first satellite.

Optionally, in an embodiment, the apparatus 2000 further includes: a receiving unit 2300, configured to receive information of the terminal device sent by the first satellite, where the information of the terminal device includes the first satellite Minimum information for establishing a second downlink control channel with the terminal device; the processing unit 2200 is further configured to establish a first downlink control channel with the terminal device according to the information of the terminal device; the sending unit 2100 specifically is used for: sending the second information to the terminal device through the first downlink control channel.

In each of the above implementation manners, the sending unit 2100 and the receiving unit 2300 may also be integrated into a transceiver unit, which has the functions of receiving and sending at the same time, which is not limited here.

Optionally, as an example, the communication apparatus 2000 may be the second satellite in the method embodiment. In this case, the receiving unit 2300 may be a receiver, and the transmitting unit 2100 may be a transmitter. The receiver and transmitter can also be integrated into a transceiver.

Optionally, as another example, the communication apparatus 2000 may be a chip or an integrated circuit in the second satellite. In this case, the receiving unit 2300 and the transmitting unit 2200 may be a communication interface or an interface circuit. For example, the receiving unit 2300 is an input interface or an input circuit, the sending unit 2100 is an output interface or an output circuit, and the processing unit 2200 may be a processing device.

The processing unit 2200 may be a processing device. The functions of the processing device may be implemented by hardware, or may be implemented by hardware executing corresponding software. For example, the processing device may comprise at least one processor and at least one memory, wherein the at least one memory is used to store a computer program, the at least one processor reads and executes the computer program stored in the at least one memory such that The communication apparatus 2000 performs the operations and/or processing performed by the network device in each method embodiment. Alternatively, the processing means may comprise only a processor, the memory for storing the computer program being located outside the processing means. The processor is connected to the memory through circuits/wires to read and execute the computer program stored in the memory. For another example, the processing device may also be a chip or an integrated circuit.

Referring to FIG. 10 , FIG. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 10 provided by the present application. As shown in FIG. 10 , the communication device 10 includes: one or more processors 11 , one or more memories 12 and one or more communication interfaces 13 . The processor 11 is used to control the communication interface 13 to send and receive signals, the memory 12 is used to store a computer program, and the processor 11 is used to call and run the computer program from the memory 12, so that the execution by the terminal device in each method embodiment of the present application is performed. Processes and/or operations are performed.

For example, the processor 11 may have the functions of the acquiring unit 1100 and the processing unit 1200 shown in FIG. 8 , and the communication interface 13 may have the functions of the receiving unit 1300 and/or the sending unit 1400 shown in FIG. 8 . Specifically, the processor 11 may be configured to perform processing or operations performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiments, and the communication interface 13 may be configured to perform the sending and/or receiving actions performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiments.

In one implementation, the communication interface 13 in the communication device 10 may be a transceiver. A transceiver may include a receiver and a transmitter. Optionally, the processor 11 may be a baseband device, and the communication interface 13 may be a radio frequency device. In another implementation, the communication device 10 may be a chip or an integrated circuit. In this implementation, the communication interface 13 may be an interface circuit or an input/output interface.

Referring to FIG. 11 , FIG. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 20 provided by the present application. As shown in FIG. 11 , the communication device 20 includes: one or more processors 21 , one or more memories 22 and one or more communication interfaces 23 . The processor 21 is used to control the communication interface 23 to send and receive signals, the memory 22 is used to store a computer program, and the processor 21 is used to call and run the computer program from the memory 22, so that in each method embodiment of the present application, the second satellite executes the program. processes and/or operations to be performed.

For example, the processor 21 may have the function of the processing unit 2200 shown in FIG. 9 , and the communication interface 23 may have the function of the receiving unit 2300 and/or the transmitting unit 2100 shown in FIG. 9 . Specifically, the processor 21 may be configured to perform the processing or operations performed by the second satellite in the above method embodiments, and the communication interface 23 may be configured to perform the sending and/or receiving actions performed by the second satellite in the above method embodiments .

In one implementation, the communication device 20 may be the second satellite in the method embodiment. In this implementation, the communication interface 23 may be a transceiver. A transceiver may include a receiver and a transmitter. Optionally, the processor 21 may be a baseband device, and the communication interface 23 may be a radio frequency device. In another implementation, the communication device 20 may be a chip or integrated circuit installed in the second satellite. In this implementation, the communication interface 23 may be an interface circuit or an input/output interface.

Optionally, the memory and the processor in the foregoing apparatus embodiments may be physically independent units, or the memory may also be integrated with the processor, which is not limited herein.

In addition, the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium, where computer instructions are stored in the computer-readable storage medium, and when the computer instructions are executed on a computer, the operations performed by the terminal device in each method embodiment of the present application are made possible. and/or processes are executed.

The present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium, where computer instructions are stored in the computer-readable storage medium, and when the computer instructions are executed on the computer, the operations performed by the second satellite in each method embodiment of the present application and the / or the process is executed.

In addition, the present application also provides a computer program product, the computer program product includes computer program codes or instructions, when the computer program codes or instructions are run on a computer, the operations performed by the terminal device in the method embodiments of the present application and/or or the process is executed.

The present application also provides a computer program product. The computer program product includes computer program codes or instructions. When the computer program codes or instructions are run on a computer, the operations and/or operations performed by the second satellite in each method embodiment of the present application and/or Process is executed.

In addition, the present application also provides a chip including a processor. The memory for storing the computer program is provided independently of the chip, and the processor is used for executing the computer program stored in the memory, so that the operations and/or processing performed by the terminal device in any one of the method embodiments are performed.

Further, the chip may further include a communication interface. The communication interface may be an input/output interface or an interface circuit or the like. Further, the chip may further include the memory.

The present application also provides a chip including a processor. The memory for storing the computer program is provided independently of the chip, and the processor is configured to execute the computer program stored in the memory such that the operations and/or processing performed by the second satellite in any one of the method embodiments are performed.

In addition, the present application further provides a communication system, including the terminal device, the first satellite and the second satellite in the embodiments of the present application.

The processor in this embodiment of the present application may be an integrated circuit chip, which has the capability of processing signals. In the implementation process, each step of the above method embodiments may be completed by a hardware integrated logic circuit in a processor or an instruction in the form of software. The processor can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable Logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may be any conventional processor or the like. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of the present application may be directly embodied as executed by a hardware coding processor, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the coding processor. The software modules may be located in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory or electrically erasable programmable memory, registers and other storage media mature in the art. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory, and completes the steps of the above method in combination with its hardware.

The memory in the embodiments of the present application may be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (erasable PROM, EPROM), electrically programmable Erase programmable read-only memory (electrically EPROM, EEPROM) or flash memory. Volatile memory may be random access memory (RAM), which acts as an external cache. By way of illustration and not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (synchronous DRAM, SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (double data rate SDRAM, DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (enhanced SDRAM, ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (synchlink DRAM, SLDRAM) ) and direct memory bus random access memory (direct rambus RAM, DRRAM). It should be noted that the memory of the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but not be limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

Those of ordinary skill in the art can realize that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality using different methods for each particular application, but such implementations should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working process of the above-described systems, devices and units may refer to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, apparatus and method may be implemented in other manners. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are only illustrative. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or Can be integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored, or not implemented. On the other hand, the shown or discussed mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection may be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, and may be in electrical, mechanical or other forms.

The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and components displayed as units may or may not be physical units, that is, may be located in one place, or may be distributed to multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution in this embodiment.

In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically alone, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

The term "and/or" in this application is only an association relationship to describe associated objects, which means that there can be three kinds of relationships, for example, A and/or B, which can mean that A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, independently There are three cases of B. Wherein, A, B, and C can all be singular or plural, and are not limited.

In the embodiments of the present application, words such as "first" and "second" are used to distinguish the same items or similar items with substantially the same functions and functions. Those skilled in the art can understand that the words "first", "second" and the like do not limit the quantity and execution order, and the words "first", "second" and the like are not necessarily different.

The functions, if implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application can be embodied in the form of a software product in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art or the part of the technical solution. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium, including Several instructions are used to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of the present application.

The above are only specific embodiments of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited to this. should be covered within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

A method for determining a timing advance of a terminal device, characterized in that, applied to a satellite communication system, comprising:

acquiring a timing advance of the terminal device under a first satellite, where the first satellite is a serving satellite of the terminal device;

acquiring first information, where the first information is used to determine the first frame alignment information of the downlink timing sequence of the first satellite and the uplink timing sequence of the first satellite receiving the uplink signal of the terminal device;

Obtain second information, the second information is used to determine the downlink timing sequence of the second satellite and the second frame alignment information of the uplink timing sequence of the second satellite receiving the uplink signal of the terminal device, the second satellite be the target satellite that the terminal device needs to switch to;

Obtain the difference between the first round-trip delay and the second round-trip delay, where the first round-trip delay is the round-trip delay between the first satellite and the terminal device, and the second round-trip delay is the round-trip delay between the second satellite and the terminal device;

According to the timing advance of the terminal device under the first satellite, the first frame alignment information, the second frame alignment information, and the difference between the first round-trip delay and the second round-trip delay, A timing advance of the terminal device under the second satellite is determined.
The method according to claim 1, wherein the obtaining the difference between the first round-trip delay and the second round-trip delay comprises:

Monitor the broadcast channel of the first satellite and the second satellite, and obtain the difference between the first round-trip delay and the second round-trip delay.
The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein acquiring the second information comprises:

Receive second information sent by the first satellite, where the second information is information sent by the second satellite to the first satellite periodically or triggered.
The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein acquiring the second information comprises:

Receive second information sent by the first satellite, where the second information is information carried in a handover request confirmation message sent by the second satellite to the first satellite, and the handover request confirmation message is used for Confirm that the terminal device switches from the first satellite to the second satellite.
The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein acquiring the second information comprises:

Receive the second information sent by the second satellite through the first downlink control channel, where the first downlink control channel is the difference between the information of the terminal device sent by the second satellite according to the first satellite and the The downlink control channel established by the terminal equipment, wherein,

The information of the terminal device includes minimum information of the second downlink control channel established by the first satellite and the terminal device.
A method for determining a timing advance of a terminal device, characterized in that, applied to a satellite communication system, comprising:

The second satellite sends second information, so that the terminal device can determine the timing advance of the terminal device under the second satellite according to the second information, wherein the second information is used by the terminal device to determine the first The downlink timing sequence of the two satellites and the second frame alignment information of the uplink timing sequence of the second satellite receiving the uplink signal of the terminal device, the second satellite being the target satellite that the terminal device needs to switch to.
The method according to claim 6, wherein the sending of the second information by the second satellite comprises:

The second satellite periodically or triggered sends the second information to the first satellite, where the first satellite is a serving satellite of the terminal device.
The method according to claim 6, wherein the sending of the second information by the second satellite comprises:

The second satellite sends a handover request confirmation message, the handover request confirmation message carries the second information, and the handover request confirmation message is used to confirm that the terminal device is handed over from the first satellite to the second satellite.
The method according to claim 6, wherein the sending of the second information by the second satellite comprises:

The second satellite receives the information of the terminal device sent by the first satellite, where the information of the terminal device includes minimum information for establishing a second downlink control channel between the first satellite and the terminal device;

The second satellite establishes a first downlink control channel with the terminal device according to the information of the terminal device;

The second satellite sends the second information to the terminal device through the first downlink control channel.
A communication device, characterized in that, applied in a satellite communication system, comprising:

an acquiring unit, configured to acquire the timing advance of the terminal device under a first satellite, where the first satellite is a serving satellite of the terminal device;

The acquiring unit is further configured to acquire first information, where the first information is used to determine the first satellite's downlink timing sequence and the first satellite's uplink timing sequence of receiving the uplink signal of the terminal device. A frame alignment information;

The acquiring unit is further configured to acquire second information, where the second information is used to determine the downlink timing sequence of the second satellite and the second frame of the uplink timing sequence for the second satellite to receive the uplink signal of the terminal device Alignment information, the second satellite is the target satellite that the terminal device needs to switch to;

The obtaining unit is further configured to obtain the difference between the first round-trip delay and the second round-trip delay, where the first round-trip delay is the round-trip delay between the first satellite and the terminal device, The second round-trip delay is the round-trip delay between the second satellite and the terminal device;

a processing unit, configured to calculate the timing advance of the terminal device under the first satellite, the first frame alignment information, the second frame alignment information, the first round-trip delay and the second round-trip time The difference in delay determines the timing advance of the terminal device under the second satellite.
The communication device according to claim 10, wherein the obtaining unit is specifically configured to:

The difference between the first round-trip delay and the second round-trip delay is obtained by monitoring the first satellite and the second satellite broadcast channel.
The communication device according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the acquiring unit is specifically configured to:

Receive second information sent by the first satellite, where the second information is a message periodically or triggered by the second satellite to send to the first satellite.
The communication device according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the acquiring unit is specifically configured to:

Receive second information sent by the first satellite, where the second information is a message carried in a handover request confirmation message sent by the second satellite to the first satellite, and the handover request confirmation message is used for Confirm that the terminal device switches from the first satellite to the second satellite.
The communication device according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the acquiring unit is specifically configured to:

Receive the second information sent by the second satellite through the first downlink control channel, where the first downlink control channel is the difference between the information of the terminal device sent by the second satellite according to the first satellite and the The downlink control channel established by the terminal equipment, wherein,

The information of the terminal device includes minimum information for establishing a downlink control channel between the first satellite and the terminal device.
A communication device, characterized in that, applied in a satellite communication system, comprising:

a sending unit, configured to send second information, so that the terminal device can determine the timing advance of the terminal device under the second satellite according to the second information, wherein the second information is used for the terminal device Determine the second frame alignment information of the downlink timing sequence of the second satellite and the uplink timing sequence of the second satellite receiving the uplink signal of the terminal device, where the second satellite is the target satellite that the terminal device needs to switch to.
The communication device according to claim 15, wherein the sending unit is specifically configured to:

The second information is sent to a first satellite periodically or triggered, where the first satellite is a serving satellite of the terminal device.
The communication device according to claim 15, wherein the device further comprises:

a processing unit, configured to carry the second information in a handover request confirmation message sent by the second satellite, where the handover request confirmation message is used to confirm that the terminal device is handed over from the first satellite to the second satellite two satellites;

The sending unit is specifically configured to send a handover request confirmation message to the first satellite.
The communication device according to claim 15, wherein the device further comprises:

a receiving unit, configured to receive information of the terminal device sent by the first satellite, where the information of the terminal device includes minimum information for establishing a second downlink control channel between the first satellite and the terminal device;

The processing unit is further configured to establish a first downlink control channel with the terminal device according to the information of the terminal device;

The sending unit is specifically configured to send the second information to the terminal device through the first downlink control channel.
A communication device, characterized in that it includes at least one processor coupled to at least one memory, and the at least one processor is configured to execute computer programs or instructions stored in the at least one memory to cause The communication device performs the method of any one of claims 1 to 5, or is caused to perform the method of any one of claims 6 to 9.
A computer-readable storage medium, wherein computer instructions are stored in the computer-readable storage medium, and when the computer instructions are executed on a computer, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5 is performed, or the method of any one of claims 6 to 9 is performed.