Communication method and apparatus, and computer-readable storage medium

Abstract

Provided in the embodiments of the present application are a communication method and apparatus, and a computer-readable storage medium. The method comprises: when a network connection between a cell and a user equipment is disconnected, obtaining a store-and-forward sequence, wherein the cell corresponds to a network device, the store-and-forward sequence is used for indicating whether the cell supports a store-and-forward mode, and in the store-and-forward mode, the network device is used for storing information sent by the user equipment or used for forwarding the information sent by the user equipment; and sending the store-and-forward sequence to the user equipment. The embodiments of the present application help a user equipment better select the currently accessed cell.

Description

Communication method, apparatus and computer readable storage medium

[0001] The present application claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 202410752260.8, filed on June 11, 2024, and entitled "Communication method, apparatus and computer readable storage medium", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] Embodiments of the present application relate to the field of wireless communication, in particular to a communication method, apparatus and computer readable storage medium. BACKGROUND

[0003] With the development of communication technology, more and more working modes of communication network appear to cope with different external conditions. For example, the store and forward (S&F) function of a satellite can provide a certain degree of communication service for users when the connection between the satellite and the ground network is disconnected. However, the satellite with the store and forward function is not in the store and forward state all the time. Therefore, if the user equipment can master the store and forward status of the satellite, the user equipment can better select the currently connected communication cell. SUMMARY

[0004] Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, apparatus and computer readable storage medium, which help the user equipment to master the store and forward status of the communication cell, so as to better select the currently connected communication cell.

[0005] In a first aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, which can be applied to a network device, including: obtaining, by the network device, a store and forward sequence; the cell corresponds to the network device, and the store and forward sequence is used to indicate whether the cell supports a store and forward mode; in the store and forward mode, the network device is used to store information sent by a user equipment or to forward information sent by the user equipment; and sending the store and forward sequence to the user equipment, wherein the network connection between the user equipment and the cell corresponding to the network device is disconnected.

[0006] Through the above communication method, the user equipment can master the store and forward mode of the network device, so that the user equipment can judge whether to access the cell corresponding to the network device or to replace other cells according to the store and forward mode of the network device, which helps the user equipment to select a more suitable cell to use the communication network according to the business operation demand of the user equipment.

[0007] For example, if the user equipment currently needs to run a communication service, the transmission of service data and signaling data has a high timeliness requirement, but one of the multiple cells currently selectable by the user equipment is in the store-and-forward mode, the user equipment can select not to access the cell 1 and access other cells not in the store-and-forward mode.

[0008] For another example, if the user equipment currently needs to run a communication service, the transmission of service data and signaling data has a low timeliness requirement, and the cell 2 of the multiple cells currently selectable by the user equipment is in the store-and-forward mode, the user equipment can select to access the cell 2, so as to no longer perform an excessive cell search operation.

[0009] Therefore, the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application helps the user equipment to better select a cell and achieve the user's expected communication purpose.

[0010] In an implementation, the store-and-forward sequence includes at least one of the following: indication information that the cell supports the store-and-forward mode; a start state of the current store-and-forward mode of the cell; a time when the cell switches from the store-and-forward mode to the normal mode; in the normal mode, the cell establishes a service link with the user equipment and establishes a feeder link with the ground station; and a time when the cell switches from the normal mode to the store-and-forward mode.

[0011] Through the above method, the user equipment can determine whether the cell supports the store-and-forward mode through the indication information that the cell supports the store-and-forward mode. The user equipment can also determine whether the current working mode of the cell is suitable for the mode required by the user equipment through the start state of the current store-and-forward mode of the cell. The user equipment can also determine whether the cell can remain in the working mode required by the communication service within the communication service running time through the time when the cell switches from the store-and-forward mode to the normal mode or the time when the cell switches from the normal mode to the store-and-forward mode.

[0012] In an implementation, the store-and-forward sequence is carried in a system information block.

[0013] In the communication system, the network equipment can broadcast the system information block to the user equipment according to a certain period, which to some extent guarantees that the user equipment not accessing the cell can receive the store-and-forward sequence at multiple time points, so that the user equipment can timely master the state and capability of the cell not accessed through the store-and-forward sequence, and better achieve the communication purpose by using the store-and-forward sequence.

[0014] In an embodiment, the system information block is a system information block type 31 (may also be referred to as SIB31) or a system information block narrow band type 31 (may also be referred to as SIB31-NB).

[0015] In this way, the existing system information block can be used, the modification of the system information block is reduced, and the utilization rate of the existing system information block is improved.

[0016] In an embodiment, the system information block is a newly added system information block in the information broadcast by the cell, such as a newly added system information block type 35, a newly added system information block narrow band type 35, a system information block type 34, or a system information block narrow band type 34.

[0017] In this way, the system information block dedicated for transmitting the store-and-forward sequence can be set in a newly added manner, which is helpful for future content expansion of the store-and-forward sequence. When receiving the system information block, the user equipment can also purposefully receive or discard the newly added system information block dedicated for transmitting the store-and-forward sequence.

[0018] In an embodiment, the cell is a non-terrestrial network cell.

[0019] Due to the particularity of the implementation manner, the user using the non-terrestrial network also faces new challenges. The network equipment in part of the non-terrestrial network cells can be in a state of moving relative to the earth's surface. For example, the satellite communication network in the non-terrestrial network takes a satellite or a combination of a satellite and a ground station as the network equipment for the terminal equipment to access the network. However, due to the movement of the satellite, the satellite communication network cannot always maintain a state in which the user equipment can be called at any time. The store-and-forward mode enables the communication network to provide a delayed communication service, so that when the communication service currently running by the user equipment is relatively tolerant to the delay requirement, the store-and-forward mode can be used to realize the communication, which provides a compromise solution for the problem that the non-terrestrial network cannot realize the communication in special situations. The user equipment can use the delayed communication service to solve the problem that the non-terrestrial network may have no communication service in some situations.

[0020] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be applied to a user equipment, and includes: receiving a storage and forwarding sequence broadcast by a network device corresponding to a cell in a case that a network connection between the cell and the user equipment is disconnected, the cell corresponding to the network device, the storage and forwarding sequence being used to indicate whether the cell supports a storage and forwarding mode, and the network device being used to store information sent by the user equipment or forward the information sent by the user equipment in the storage and forwarding mode.

[0021] After receiving the storage and forwarding sequence, the user equipment can further determine whether to join the corresponding cell according to the storage and forwarding sequence.

[0022] In an implementation manner, the storage and forwarding sequence includes at least one of the following: indication information that the cell supports the storage and forwarding mode; a start state of the current storage and forwarding mode of the cell; a time when the cell switches from the storage and forwarding mode to a normal mode; in the normal mode, the cell establishes a service link with the user equipment and establishes a feeder link with a ground station; and a time when the cell switches from the normal mode to the storage and forwarding mode.

[0023] In an implementation manner, the storage and forwarding sequence is carried in a system information block.

[0024] In an implementation manner, the system information block is a type-31 system information block, a type-31 narrowband system information block, or a newly-added system information block.

[0025] In some implementation manners, the cell is a non-ground network cell.

[0026] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be applied to a non-ground network communication system including a network device and a user equipment. In the communication method, the network device periodically obtains a storage and forwarding sequence, and sends the storage and forwarding sequence to the user equipment that has not accessed a cell corresponding to the network device after obtaining the storage and forwarding sequence each time. After obtaining the storage and forwarding sequence, the user equipment can determine whether to join the cell corresponding to the network device according to the storage and forwarding sequence.

[0027] For the third aspect, other possible interactions between the network device and the user equipment can refer to the description in the first aspect and the second aspect, and will not be described herein.

[0028] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus, which has the functions of the first aspect or the second aspect, for example, the communication apparatus includes modules or units or means corresponding to the operations of the first aspect or the second aspect. The modules or units or means can be implemented by software or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0029] In a possible design of the communication apparatus, the communication apparatus includes a processing unit and a communication unit. The communication unit can be configured to transceive signals to perform communication between the communication apparatus and another apparatus. The processing unit can be configured to perform some internal operations of the communication apparatus. The processing unit and the communication unit can perform functions corresponding to the operations of the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0030] In a possible design of the communication apparatus, the communication apparatus includes a processor. The processor can be configured to be coupled with a memory. The memory can store computer programs or instructions necessary for implementing the functions of the first aspect or the second aspect. The processor can execute the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory. When the computer programs or instructions are executed, the processor can cause the communication apparatus to perform the method in any possible design or implementation manner of the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0031] In a possible design of the communication apparatus, the communication apparatus includes a processor and a memory. The memory can store computer programs or instructions necessary for implementing the functions of the first aspect or the second aspect. The processor can execute the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory. When the computer programs or instructions are executed, the processor can cause the communication apparatus to perform the method in any possible design or implementation manner of the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0032] In a possible design of the communication apparatus, the communication apparatus includes a processor and an interface circuit. The processor can be configured to communicate with another apparatus through the interface circuit, and perform the method in any possible design or implementation manner of the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0033] It can be understood that, in the fourth aspect, the processor can be implemented by hardware or software. When implemented by hardware, the processor can be a logic circuit, an integrated circuit, etc. When implemented by software, the processor can be a general-purpose processor, which implements by reading software code stored in the memory. In addition, the processor can be one or more, and the memory can be one or more. The memory can be integrated with the processor, or the memory and the processor can be separately arranged. In the implementation process, the memory can be integrated on the same chip as the processor, or can be separately arranged on different chips. The type of the memory and the arrangement manner of the memory and the processor are not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0034] In the fifth aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a non-terrestrial network communication system, including a sending end device and a receiving end device. The sending end device is configured to implement the method for network equipment provided by any of the embodiments of the present application. The receiving end device is configured to implement the method for user equipment provided by any of the embodiments of the present application.

[0035] In the sixth aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a communication device, including a module for executing the method provided by any of the embodiments of the present application.

[0036] In the seventh aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a communication device, including one or more processors configured to execute the method provided by any of the embodiments of the present application.

[0037] In the eighth aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a chip system, including a memory for storing a computer program, and a processor. When the processor calls and runs the computer program from the memory, the communication device installed with the chip system executes the method provided by any of the embodiments of the present application.

[0038] In the ninth aspect, the embodiments of the present application further provide a computer program product, including instructions. When the instructions are executed on the processor, the processor executes the method provided by any of the embodiments of the present application.

[0039] In the tenth aspect, the embodiments of the present application further provide a computer readable storage medium, which stores a computer program or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are executed by the communication device, the method provided by any of the embodiments of the present application is implemented.

[0040] The technical effects brought by the second aspect to the tenth aspect can refer to the description of the beneficial effects of the corresponding solutions in the first aspect, which will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0041] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system to which the embodiments of the present application are applied.

[0042] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of another communication system architecture to which embodiments of the application can be applied;

[0043] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of yet another communication system architecture to which embodiments of the application can be applied;

[0044] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the application;

[0045] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a communication method according to another embodiment of the application;

[0046] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a communication method according to yet another embodiment of the application;

[0047] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a communication method according to yet another embodiment of the application;

[0048] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the application;

[0049] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of another communication device according to an embodiment of the application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0050] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present application will present various aspects, embodiments or features in relation to a system which can comprise a plurality of devices, components, modules, etc. It should be understood and appreciated that each system can comprise additional devices, components, modules, etc., and / or can not comprise all of the devices, components, modules, etc. discussed in relation to the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, combinations of these solutions can also be used.

[0051] In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, the words "in a possible implementation", "exemplarily", "such as", "for example", "for instance", etc. are used to represent examples, illustrations or descriptions. Any embodiment or design scheme described as "example" in the present application should not be interpreted as more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or design schemes. Rather, the word "example" is intended to present the concept in a specific manner. In the embodiments of the present application, "of", "corresponding" and "corresponding" are sometimes used interchangeably, and it should be pointed out that when their differences are not emphasized, the meanings they express are consistent.

[0052] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, for example, a universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS), a wireless local area network (WLAN), a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) system, a 4th generation (4G) communication system such as a long term evolution (LTE) system, a 5G communication system such as a new radio (NR) system, and a future evolved communication system such as a 6th generation (6G) mobile communication system.

[0053] In the embodiments of the present application, "sending information to (a user equipment or a module)" and "sending information to (a user equipment or a module)" can be understood as that the destination of the information is a terminal (user equipment) or a module. It can include directly or indirectly sending information to a terminal device. "Receiving information from (a terminal or a module)" and "receiving information of (a terminal or a module)" can be understood as that the source of the information is a terminal. It can include directly or indirectly receiving information from a terminal. The information between the source and the destination of the information sending can be processed as necessary, for example, format change, etc., but the destination can understand the valid information from the source. Similar expressions in the present application can be similarly understood, and will not be repeated here.

[0054] The application scenarios of the embodiments of the present application will be described first as follows.

[0055] With the development of land communication, the land communication system has provided convenient data and voice services for users in urban areas, suburban areas and rural areas. However, for some areas with sparse population, insufficient infrastructure construction conditions or no long-term human life, the communication network of the land communication system is not covered, and voice and data services cannot be provided for users in the area. In contrast, the non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication system has the characteristics of large coverage area and flexible networking. The communication mode of NTN can include satellite communication, high-altitude platform communication, air-to-ground (ATG) communication, etc. If the user equipment can reasonably use the non-terrestrial network, communication services can also be obtained in the area not covered by the land communication system. The application scenarios of the communication method provided in the embodiments of the present application include the scenarios of the non-terrestrial network communication system.

[0056] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an architecture of a communication system to which embodiments of the present application are applied. As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system includes network devices (e.g., 110a and 110b in FIG. 1, collectively referred to as 110) and can further include at least one terminal (e.g., 120a-120j in FIG. 1, collectively referred to as 120). In the communication system shown in FIG. 1, the network device 110a has a module capable of implementing a radio access network (RAN) function in the embodiments of the present application, and the network device 110b can be combined with the network device 110a to implement an access wireless network, an Internet or a core network function. The network device 100 can further include other devices, such as a wireless relay device and / or a wireless backhaul device (not shown in FIG. 1), which can also be integrated into the network device 110. The terminal 120 is connected to the network device 110 in a wireless manner, and the network device 110a and the network device 110b can be connected in a wireless manner. Different terminals can be connected to each other in a wired or wireless manner.

[0057] In a specific embodiment of the present application, the network device 110a is a network device moving relative to the earth's surface, and the network device 110b is a network device stationary relative to the earth's surface.

[0058] At least one of the network devices 110 can also be connected to or perform information transmission and reception with an evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) system, a new radio (NR) system, and a future wireless access system defined in the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP), or a WiFi system. The network devices 110 can also be connected to devices including two or more different wireless access systems described above. The network devices 110 can also be connected to an open radio access network (O-RAN).

[0059] The network devices 110 can be used to help terminals access the communication system in a wireless manner.

[0060] The network device 110a can be configured with a module for implementing a base station function. The module for implementing a base station function can implement the function of a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next generation NodeB (gNB) in a 5th generation (5G) mobile communication system, a next generation NodeB in a 6th generation (6G) mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system. The foregoing base station can include a macro base station, a micro base station, or an indoor station, and can also be a relay node or a donor node. The network device b can connect a user equipment to a wireless network in cooperation with the network device a or independently.

[0061] In another application scenario, a terminal can be assisted to implement wireless access through cooperation of multiple radio access modules, and different radio access modules can implement part of the function of the network device 110. For example, a radio access module can be a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), or a radio unit (RU). The CU herein can be used to complete the function of a radio resource control protocol and a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) of a base station, and can also be used to complete the function of a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP); the DU is used to complete the function of a radio link control layer and a medium access control (MAC) layer of a base station, and can also be used to complete the function of part of a physical layer or all physical layers. For specific descriptions of the foregoing protocol layers, reference can be made to related technical specifications of 3GPP. The RU can be used to implement the function of transmitting and receiving a radio frequency signal. The CU and the DU can be implemented through two independent radio access modules, or can be functions integrated in the same RAN node, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be arranged in a radio frequency device, such as a radio frequency remote unit (RRU) or an active antenna unit (AAU). The CU can be further divided into two types of CU-control plane and CU-user plane.

[0062] The terminal 120 can be a device with wireless transceiving function, which can send signals to the network device 110a, the network device 110b or other devices with signal transceiving function, or receive signals from the network device 110a, the network device 110b. In the embodiments of the present application, the terminal 120 can also be referred to as a terminal device, a user equipment (UE), a mobile station, a mobile terminal, etc. The terminal 120 can be widely applied to various scenarios, such as near field communication (NFC) device-to-device (D2D), vehicle to everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), internet of things (IOT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, remote medical treatment, smart power grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wear, smart transportation, smart city, etc. The terminal 120 can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiving function, a wearable device, a vehicle, an airplane, a ship, a robot, a mechanical arm, a smart home device, an aerial network device, a ground node, a high-altitude base station, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form of the terminal.

[0063] The network device and the terminal, the network device 110a and the network device 110b, the terminal and the network device, and the terminal and the terminal can communicate through licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or both licensed spectrum and unlicensed spectrum; can communicate through spectrum below 6 gigahertz (GHz), spectrum above 6 GHz, or both spectrum below 6 GHz and spectrum above 6 GHz. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the spectrum resources used for wireless communication.

[0064] In the embodiments of the present application, the functions of the base station implemented by the network device 110a can also be performed by a module (such as a chip) in the base station, or by a control subsystem containing base station functions. The control subsystem containing base station functions here can be a control center in the above-mentioned application scenarios such as smart power grid, industrial control, smart transportation, smart city, etc. The functions of the terminal can also be performed by a module (such as a chip or modem) in the terminal, or by a device containing terminal functions.

[0065] In the embodiments of the present application, the network device 110a can send a downlink signal or downlink information to the terminal 120 or the network device 110b, and the downlink information is carried on a downlink channel; the terminal 120 can send an uplink signal or uplink information to the network device 110a or the network device 110b, and the uplink information is carried on an uplink channel. In order for the terminal 120 to communicate with the network device 110a, the terminal 120 needs to establish a wireless connection on a cell covered by the signal of the network device 110a. The cell in which the terminal 120 establishes a wireless connection can be referred to as a serving cell of the terminal. When the terminal 120 communicates with the serving cell, the terminal 120 can also receive signals from a neighboring cell.

[0066] FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a store-and-forward scenario in a satellite communication NTN according to an embodiment of the present application. The satellite in FIG. 2 is equivalent to the network device 110a or 110b in FIG. 1. In a satellite communication NTN, network connections can exist between user equipment and a satellite, and between the satellite and a ground station. The connection between user equipment and a satellite can be referred to as a service link, or a user link, etc. The connection between a satellite and a ground station can be referred to as a feeder link.

[0067] The satellite in FIG. 2 can be at least one of a geostationary satellite, a low earth orbit satellite, a medium earth orbit satellite, a high earth orbit satellite, a geosynchronous satellite, or a non-geosynchronous satellite. The geostationary satellite is in an equatorial plane at a distance of about 36,000 km from the earth, and has a revolution period around the earth that is consistent with the rotation period of the earth. The low earth orbit satellite has an altitude of about 700 km to 5,000 km. The medium earth orbit satellite has an altitude of about 5,000 km to 20,000 km. The high earth orbit satellite has an altitude greater than 20,000 km. The geosynchronous orbit can be a general term for satellites that have the same revolution period as the earth.

[0068] When user equipment communicates through a satellite communication system, the service link and the feeder link need to be active at the same time, so that there are two continuous end-to-end connection paths connecting the user equipment and the satellite, and the satellite and the ground station, when the user equipment interacts with the satellite. That is, in the default general communication mode (which can also be referred to as the normal mode in the embodiments of the present application), the satellite needs to establish a communication connection between the user equipment and the ground station at the same time, so that the satellite can receive signals from the user equipment and send the signals to the ground station, and can also forward signals from the ground station to the user equipment, thereby realizing normal non-terrestrial network communication. However, due to the relative motion of the satellite and the earth, or due to the coverage of the satellite, or due to the limited signal coverage range of the ground station, the satellite cannot connect both the user equipment and the ground station at some time periods.

[0069] In the store-and-forward scenario shown in FIG. 2, the satellite can integrate the function of eNB, but does not integrate the function of mobility management entity (MME). When the satellite establishes a connection with the user equipment, the satellite can normally perform information transmission with the user equipment. However, when the satellite is connected with the user equipment, the satellite is not necessarily connected with the ground station. Without the integration of MME, the satellite cannot transmit the information of the user equipment to the core network, and needs to store and forward the received information.

[0070] In the store-and-forward mode, the satellite can receive and store the signal sent by the user equipment when the feeder link is not connected, at T1 shown in FIG. 2. The direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 2 is the moving direction of the satellite. Then, when the feeder link is connected again during the rotation of the satellite around the earth, at T2 shown in FIG. 2, the satellite sends the stored signal of the user equipment to the ground station.

[0071] Similarly, when the satellite receives the signal sent by the ground station, the feeder link between the satellite and the ground station is in a connected state, and the satellite stores the signal. When the service link between the satellite and the user equipment is connected through the movement of the satellite or the user, the satellite sends the previously stored signal of the ground station to the user equipment.

[0072] In the store-and-forward mode, the signal exchange in the satellite communication system can be divided into two processes of storing and forwarding. Because the satellite needs to move to the position corresponding to the ground station after the service link is connected to the feeder link, the time interval between the storing process and the forwarding process is greater than the preset time threshold. In the NTN system of satellite communication, when the satellite is in the normal mode, the satellite can forward the signal received by the user equipment through the service link to the ground station in a short time, to produce the effect of instant communication.

[0073] In another possible implementation, the satellite integrating eNB but not integrating MME, the MME can be integrated on the ground equipment, so that this type of satellite can have the function of storing and forwarding signals. However, when the satellite is connected with the user equipment and the ground station, the satellite can not call the store-and-forward function, but use the general default communication mode to communicate with the user equipment and the ground station.

[0074] The following explains the related technical concepts involved in the embodiments of the present application. It should be noted that these explanations are to make the embodiments of the present application easier to understand, and should not be regarded as limiting the scope of protection required by the present application.

[0075] Cell

[0076] In a ground network, a cell can be understood as a wireless signal coverage unit formed by a base station and its coverage area. In a satellite communication system, a cell usually refers to a geographical area covered by a specific satellite beam or antenna. These areas are formed by transponders, antenna arrays or modules on the satellite for implementing RAN functions, for providing services to ground users. In a satellite communication system, the range of a cell can be related to factors such as satellite altitude, satellite position, signal transmission range of the satellite and antenna pointing of the satellite.

[0077] In an embodiment of the present application, when the cell is a cell in a satellite communication system, different satellites can form different cells. One satellite can form multiple different cells, such as multiple beams generated by on-board antennas of a multi-beam satellite in its coverage range, and the coverage areas of the beams correspond to a satellite cell.

[0078] Ground station

[0079] The ground station can also be referred to as an earth station, a satellite communication earth station or a satellite ground station, etc. It can be set up on the land, water surface and air of the earth. The ground station belongs to a microwave information transmitting and receiving station, and is relatively fixed on the surface of the earth, can transmit information to a satellite, and transmit information through a communication satellite. The ground station can also transmit signals to other ground stations and receive signals transmitted by other ground stations through the satellite. After receiving the signals transmitted by the satellite, the ground station can amplify and process the signals, and then transmit them to other ground stations or terminals. At the same time, the earth station can also perform signal transmission and reception with user equipment.

[0080] Non-ground network

[0081] The non-ground network is a network deployed in a non-ground manner. A common non-ground network is a communication network using a high-altitude or high-sky platform, such as a satellite communication non-ground network. The main feature of the non-ground network is to realize communication with user terminals without relying on traditional ground infrastructure. With the increasing application rate of mobile communication technology worldwide, it is becoming increasingly important for anyone, at any time and in any place, to be able to use a mobile communication network. However, there are still many areas in the world without ground communication signal coverage. When users arrive in these areas without communication signal coverage for some reason, it is difficult to meet their communication needs through ground communication networks. The non-ground network can provide wireless network access services to users in areas without ground communication network coverage because it can realize mobile communication through relatively mobile wireless network access points.

[0082] In non-terrestrial networks, the functionality of network equipment can be implemented by satellites, unmanned aerial vehicles (or other aerial vehicles), balloons or other high-altitude communication platforms, as shown in FIG. 3. Among them, the satellite can be a high-orbit satellite 31, a medium-orbit satellite 32 and / or a low-orbit satellite 33. The aircraft 34 can run in an orbit lower than the low-orbit satellite 33, and the unmanned aerial vehicle runs in an orbit further lower than the aircraft 34. In addition, the network equipment in the non-terrestrial network can also include objects that can float in the air, such as hot air balloons 35. Satellites, aircraft, hot air balloons and unmanned aerial vehicles and other objects can carry equipment for receiving and sending communication signals, and become network equipment in the embodiments of the present application. At the same time, in the non-terrestrial network communication system, a gateway device can also be provided on the ground, which is used for transmitting signals with the network equipment in the non-terrestrial network communication system or transmitting signals with the user equipment in the non-terrestrial network communication system. Still referring to FIG. 3, the gateway in the non-terrestrial network communication system can be an earth station 36.

[0083] In the system of the non-terrestrial network shown in FIG. 3, the communication of the non-terrestrial network through the satellite is an important way.

[0084] In addition to the aircraft, hot air balloon and unmanned aerial vehicle shown in FIG. 3, the network equipment in the non-terrestrial network communication system can also be other types of high-altitude platform stations (HAPS).

[0085] The NTN network includes multiple types. Among them, the 5G non-terrestrial network (5th generation non-terrestrial network, 5G NTN) can be an important technology for the evolution of 5G communication systems towards new application scenarios such as satellite communication and low-altitude communication, marking the transition of 5G technology applications from ground communication to space communication. 5G NTN technology absorbs the dual technical advantages of traditional satellite communication and ground mobile communication, not only expanding the scale of satellite communication, but also laying an important technical foundation for the next generation of space-ground integration communication systems. The proposal of 5G NTN technology makes it an important technical development direction to promote the coordinated development of satellite communication, low-altitude communication and ground 5G services. The types of 5G NTN mainly include internet of things NTN (IoT-NTN) based on non-terrestrial network and 5G intelligent terminal access based on non-terrestrial network (new radio NTN, NR-NTN). Among them, IoT-NTN focuses on supporting satellite IoT services for low-complexity enhanced machine type communication (eMTC) and narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) terminals; NR-NTN can use the 5G NR framework to implement very small aperture terminal (VSAT), industry handheld terminal and other equipment to connect to satellites and provide data and voice services.

[0086] Satellite

[0087] The satellite in the embodiments of the present application, also known as an artificial earth satellite, can include a communication device with a communication signal receiving and / or transmitting function module. The satellite rotates around the target star body in a set orbit in a gazing or non-gazing manner, where the target star body can be the Earth. When rotating around the target star body in a gazing manner, the rotation of the satellite around the target star body is synchronized with the self-rotation of the target star body, and the satellite always points to the same area of the target star body. The satellite and the user terminal or earth station on the ground can mutually receive and transmit wireless signals.

[0088] According to different division manners, the satellite can include various structures. In a scenario of the present application, the satellite includes a platform and a payload. The platform can also be referred to as a common system, and the platform can include a structure and mechanism system, a thermal control system, a power supply system, an attitude and orbit control system, a TT&C system, a data management system, and the like. These systems can collectively support the basic operation and functions of the satellite. The payload can also be referred to as a special system, and is an effective part of the satellite for completing a task. Different satellites for different purposes can have different payloads. In addition, the satellite can also include other structures, which are not listed one by one here.

[0089] In an embodiment of the present application, the satellite can carry a regenerative payload. The regenerative payload carried by the satellite can be used to implement the functions of a wireless access network node. The wireless access network node can be a base station, and can further include an eNB, and the like.

[0090] The communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application is described in detail below in combination with specific embodiments. In specific embodiments, the method provided by the embodiments of the present application is used to optimize the satellite communication system in the scenario shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2, or FIG. 3. In other possible implementation manners, the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to other types of non-terrestrial network communication systems, such as a non-terrestrial network communication system including satellites, unmanned aerial mobile base stations, high-altitude platforms, and the like. Alternatively, the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application can be applied to a subsystem of a non-terrestrial network communication system. Alternatively, the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to a network formed by a plurality of different communication systems. Alternatively, in some cases, the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to a terrestrial network communication system. FIG. 1, FIG. 2, or FIG. 3 is only a simplified schematic diagram for ease of understanding, and other devices can also be included in the communication system, which are not shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2, and FIG. 3.

[0091] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, a possible implementation of communication between a cell and a user equipment is described. When the user equipment starts, the satellite communication function is turned on and activated in the case of turning off the satellite communication function or reconnects after the network is disconnected, the user equipment performs cell scanning to determine the cell that can be connected at the location of the user equipment, and prepares for resource allocation and communication link establishment. Meanwhile, when the user equipment is connected to a communication cell, the user equipment periodically scans the signals of other cells that are not accessed, to find a cell that is more suitable for the current communication demand in the current unaccessed cell, and then performs cell switching.

[0092] Step S41: obtaining a store-and-forward sequence in a case that a network connection between a cell and a user equipment is disconnected, the cell corresponding to the network equipment, the store-and-forward sequence being used to indicate whether the cell supports a store-and-forward mode, in the store-and-forward mode, the network equipment being used to store information sent by the user equipment or being used to forward the information sent by the user equipment.

[0093] In the embodiments of the present application, the user equipment can be a terminal in the scenarios shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2.

[0094] In the embodiments of the present application, the network equipment can be the network equipment 100 in the scenario shown in FIG. 1, or a satellite in the scenario shown in FIG. 2, or a satellite, an airplane, a hot air balloon or a drone in the non-terrestrial network shown in FIG. 3. The network equipment can implement the function of a node in a radio access network, for example, can be used to implement the function of a base station. In step S41, the network equipment is also used to send a wireless signal to form at least one cell. Exemplarily, the network equipment can be a satellite.

[0095] The network connection between the cell where the network equipment is located and the user equipment is disconnected, which can include at least one of the following cases.

[0096] Case (I), the cell corresponding to the network equipment is connected with at least one user equipment, and at the same time, in the cell corresponding to the network equipment, at least one user equipment is not connected with the cell corresponding to the network equipment. In this case, the communication method shown in FIG. 4 is executed for the user equipment which is not connected with the cell corresponding to the network equipment.

[0097] Case (II), the cell corresponding to the network equipment is not connected with any user equipment, and at the same time, in the cell corresponding to the network equipment, there is at least one user equipment.

[0098] Case (III), the cell corresponding to the network equipment is connected with at least one user equipment. At the same time, the network equipment defaults that there is at least one user equipment in the corresponding cell, which is not connected with the cell corresponding to the network equipment. However, in actual cases, there can be no user equipment in the cell corresponding to the network equipment. In this case, the communication method shown in FIG. 4 is executed for the user equipment which is not connected with the cell corresponding to the network equipment, and which is defaulted to exist in the corresponding cell by the network equipment.

[0099] Case (IV), the network equipment can determine that in the corresponding cell, there is at least one user equipment which has not accessed the cell corresponding to the network equipment according to the received information. Then, the communication method shown in FIG. 4 is executed for the user equipment which has not accessed the corresponding cell and which can be determined by the network equipment.

[0100] That is, the network device can not determine by itself that the network connection between the cell and the user equipment is disconnected. If the network device can default that the user equipment currently not accessing the corresponding cell, there is no network connection between the cell corresponding to the network device.

[0101] In the embodiments of the present application, the store-and-forward sequence is a sequence of information sent by the network device, which includes at least one (or one) information, and the at least one information is used to directly or indirectly indicate whether the cell supports the store-and-forward mode.

[0102] In the embodiments of the present application, the store-and-forward mode can be a working mode of the network device, and is one of multiple working modes of the network device when implementing the communication function. In addition to the store-and-forward mode, the network device can also work in a non-store-and-forward mode. For example, the network device includes a satellite, and when the satellite is not in the store-and-forward mode, the satellite can be in a normal working mode. In the normal working mode, the service link between the satellite and the terminal equipment and the feeder link between the satellite and the earth station are kept connected. In the normal working mode, the satellite communication NTN can implement instant communication service, and in the store-and-forward mode, the satellite communication NTN can implement relatively delayed communication service.

[0103] The cell corresponding to the network device can mean that the cell is an area covered by the beam emitted by the network device. If the network device is a movable network device, the cell is also a movable cell, that is, the location of the cell can change.

[0104] In the embodiments of the present application, the network connection between the cell and the user equipment is disconnected, which can also be said that there is no network connection between the cell and the user equipment, or it can also be said that the user equipment has not accessed the cell. When there is no network connection between the cell and one user equipment, the cell can have network connection with other user equipment.

[0105] In the embodiments of the present application, the store-and-forward sequence can be used to directly or indirectly indicate whether the cell supports the store-and-forward mode. In the store-and-forward mode, the network device first receives data and stores the received data, and then forwards the stored data when the forwarding opportunity comes. The foregoing forwarding opportunity can be that the network device is connected to the receiving equipment, and the receiving equipment is designated as the equipment receiving the data stored by the network device.

[0106] For example, a user equipment is connected with a cell, and the cell is in store-and-forward mode. User equipment A wants to send information info1 to user equipment B, but there is no direct network connection between user equipment A and user equipment B. User equipment A first sends information info1 to network device 1, and network device 1 stores information info1. When network device 1 is connected with network device 2, network device 1 sends the stored information info1 to network device 2. Then, network device 2 can send information info1 to user equipment B through at least one network device 3.

[0107] In the store-and-forward sequence, at least one information can be included, which directly or indirectly indicates whether the cell supports the store-and-forward mode. The content of the store-and-forward sequence can include at least one of the following multiple cases.

[0108] (A1) The store-and-forward sequence includes information for directly indicating whether the cell currently supports the store-and-forward mode.

[0109] For example, the network device indicates that the cell currently does not support the store-and-forward mode by a symbol "0" in the store-and-forward sequence. Or, the network device indicates that the cell currently supports the store-and-forward mode by a symbol "1" in the store-and-forward sequence.

[0110] (A2) The store-and-forward sequence includes information for indirectly indicating whether the cell currently supports the store-and-forward mode.

[0111] For example, the network device can add an execution parameter (for example, the remaining time of the store-and-forward mode) when the store-and-forward mode is started in the store-and-forward sequence, to indirectly indicate whether the cell currently supports the store-and-forward mode.

[0112] (A3) The store-and-forward sequence includes information for directly indicating whether the cell supports the store-and-forward mode in the future.

[0113] For example, the network device indicates that the cell does not support the store-and-forward mode at any time in the future by a symbol "0" in the store-and-forward sequence. Or, the network device indicates that the cell supports the store-and-forward mode at a set time in the future by a symbol "1" in the store-and-forward sequence.

[0114] (A4) The store-and-forward sequence includes information for indirectly indicating whether the cell supports the store-and-forward mode in the future.

[0115] For example, the network device can add the starting time of the store-and-forward sequence in the store-and-forward sequence, to indirectly indicate whether the cell supports the store-and-forward mode in the future.

[0116] (A5) The store-and-forward sequence includes information for indicating whether the cell directly supports the store-and-forward mode at the current or future time.

[0117] Whether the cell directly supports the store-and-forward mode can represent whether a network device corresponding to the cell itself supports the store-and-forward mode.

[0118] (A6) The store-and-forward sequence includes information for indicating whether the cell currently or in the future supports the store-and-forward mode indirectly.

[0119] If the user equipment needs to use the store-and-forward mode to send information, and does not need to use the non-store-and-forward mode, the network device corresponding to the cell does not support the store-and-forward mode. However, the network device can send the information sent by the user equipment to other relay devices in the non-store-and-forward mode, and the other relay devices can send the information sent by the user equipment to other network devices supporting the store-and-forward mode. Therefore, in the embodiment of the present application, the cell currently or in the future supports the store-and-forward mode indirectly.

[0120] (A7) A combination of at least two of the foregoing (A1) to (A6).

[0121] For example, the store-and-forward sequence can include at least one of the following multiple information.

[0122] Information a1: Indicating information that the cell supports the store-and-forward mode.

[0123] Information a1 indicates that the cell currently and in the future supports the store-and-forward mode, which is equivalent to the foregoing (A1) and (A3).

[0124] Information a2: The start state of the store-and-forward mode of the cell currently.

[0125] Information a2 indicates that the cell currently or in the future supports the store-and-forward mode in at least one time period. There are at least two cases of information a2, that is, the store-and-forward mode of the cell currently is started, or the store-and-forward mode of the cell currently is not started. If the store-and-forward mode of the cell currently is started, it at least belongs to the case of the foregoing (A1). If the store-and-forward mode of the cell currently is not started, it can belong to the case of the foregoing (A1).

[0126] Information a3: The time when the cell switches from the store-and-forward mode to the normal mode.

[0127] In the normal mode, the cell establishes a service link with the user equipment, and establishes a feeder link with the ground station.

[0128] Information a3 can belong to the case of the foregoing (A4).

[0129] Information a4: The time when the cell switches from the normal mode to the store-and-forward mode.

[0130] Information a4 can belong to the aforementioned (A4) case.

[0131] Information a5: the total time that the cell stays in the store-and-forward mode after switching from the normal mode to the store-and-forward mode.

[0132] Since information a5 can indirectly indicate that the cell will support the store-and-forward mode in the future, information a5 can belong to the aforementioned (A4) case.

[0133] Information a6: the total time that the cell stays in the normal mode after switching from the store-and-forward mode to the normal mode.

[0134] Since information a6 can indirectly indicate that the cell currently supports the store-and-forward mode, information a6 can belong to the aforementioned (A2) case.

[0135] In step S41, the network device can obtain the store-and-forward sequence at least by at least one of the following multiple ways.

[0136] Way (1), the network device pre-generates the store-and-forward sequence and stores the store-and-forward sequence locally in the network device. When the corresponding acquisition time arrives, the store-and-forward sequence is obtained from the storage space locally in the network device.

[0137] Way (2), the network device obtains the store-and-forward sequence from other external devices when the corresponding acquisition time arrives. The external devices have wired or wireless network connections with the network device.

[0138] Way (3), the network device locally pre-stores a segment 1 used to generate the store-and-forward sequence, and when the corresponding acquisition time arrives, a segment 2 of the store-and-forward sequence is generated according to the time information, and the segment 2 is combined with the segment 1 to form the store-and-forward sequence.

[0139] The aforementioned segment 1 can be an invariable segment in the store-and-forward sequence, such as whether the cell supports the store-and-forward mode. The aforementioned segment 2 can be a variable segment in the store-and-forward sequence, such as whether the cell is in the store-and-forward mode, or the time when the cell next switches to the store-and-forward mode, or the time length required from the current time to the time when the cell next switches to the store-and-forward mode, etc.

[0140] Way (4), the network device obtains a segment 1 of the store-and-forward sequence from other external devices when the corresponding acquisition time arrives, and generates a segment 2 of the store-and-forward sequence according to the time information.

[0141] Way (5), the network device generates the store-and-forward sequence according to a pre-set generation rule when the corresponding acquisition time arrives.

[0142] In step S41, the information sent by the user equipment can be information sent by the user equipment to other network equipment or to other user equipment through the network equipment. The information sent by the user equipment can include signaling and / or service data.

[0143] In step S42, the network equipment sends the store-and-forward sequence to the user equipment. Correspondingly, the user equipment receives the store-and-forward sequence sent by the network equipment.

[0144] In a possible implementation, steps S41 and S42 can be repeatedly executed by the network equipment at a certain period, and in the execution, the user equipment currently accessing the cell corresponding to the network equipment is excluded. That is, steps S41 and S42 are executed for other user equipment except the user equipment currently accessing the cell corresponding to the network equipment.

[0145] In the embodiments of the present application, the implementation of the network equipment sending the store-and-forward sequence to the user equipment includes at least one of the following multiple cases.

[0146] In mode (1), the user equipment is located in the cell range corresponding to the network equipment, and the user equipment receives the store-and-forward sequence sent by the network equipment through wireless communication within the cell range.

[0147] In mode (2), the user equipment is located in the cell range corresponding to the network equipment, and the user equipment receives the store-and-forward sequence forwarded by the network equipment through other network equipment. The other network equipment obtains the store-and-forward sequence from the network equipment through wired or wireless communication.

[0148] In mode (3), the user equipment is located outside the cell range corresponding to the network equipment, and the user equipment receives the store-and-forward sequence forwarded by the network equipment through other network equipment. The other network equipment can obtain the store-and-forward sequence from the network equipment through wired or wireless communication.

[0149] In mode (4), the user equipment is located outside the cell range corresponding to the network equipment, and the user equipment receives the store-and-forward sequence sent by the network equipment through wired communication or the like.

[0150] That is, the user equipment can not necessarily be in the cell range corresponding to the network equipment. The user equipment can receive the store-and-forward sequence before reaching the cell corresponding to the network equipment, so as to predict the mode of the network equipment after the user equipment reaches the cell range corresponding to the network equipment, and then arrange the service processing priority in advance. For example, if the user equipment predicts that the network equipment is in the store-and-forward mode after reaching the cell corresponding to the network equipment, and the user equipment currently runs the communication service in the normal mode, the user equipment can currently preferentially run the communication service that needs to run in the normal mode.

[0151] In the embodiment of the present application, if the network equipment sends the store-and-forward sequence through at least one other network equipment, the store-and-forward sequence can further include the location information of the network equipment, the identification information of the other network equipment for forwarding, or the forwarding mode identification.

[0152] In another possible implementation, the network equipment can send the store-and-forward sequence to other user equipment that is not connected when the network equipment is connected with at least one user equipment. Or, the network equipment can send the store-and-forward sequence to other specific user equipment that is not connected with the network equipment when the network equipment is connected with at least one user equipment. Or, the network equipment can send the store-and-forward sequence to specific or non-specific user equipment when the network equipment is not connected with any user equipment.

[0153] In a possible implementation, the store-and-forward sequence can include sequences corresponding to different user equipment. After receiving the store-and-forward sequence, the user equipment can discard the sequence irrelevant to the user equipment.

[0154] After step S42, the user equipment can determine whether to select the cell currently or at a future time according to the received store-and-forward sequence.

[0155] If the user equipment determines to access the cell corresponding to the network equipment according to the store-and-forward sequence, the operation of accessing the cell or the operation of switching the cell is performed.

[0156] In the embodiment of the present application, the network equipment sends the store-and-forward sequence to the terminal equipment, so that the terminal equipment can know whether the cell corresponding to the network equipment supports the store-and-forward mode currently or at a future time, and thus can determine whether to access the cell according to the store-and-forward sequence before accessing the cell.

[0157] In one implementation, as shown in FIG. 5, the store-and-forward sequence of the embodiment of the present application is carried in the system information. Thus, the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 includes the following steps S51 to S54.

[0158] The implementation of step S51 can refer to the corresponding step S41 in FIG. 4 and related embodiments.

[0159] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the working mode of the cell is divided into S&F mode and normal mode. In the S&F mode, the satellite cannot simultaneously connect the UE and the ground station. In the normal mode, the satellite can simultaneously connect the UE and the ground station.

[0160] In the store-and-forward sequence, at least the following information can be included: information (1) whether the current cell has S&F capability (i.e., whether the current cell supports the S&F mode); information (2) whether the current cell is working in the S&F mode or the normal mode; and information (3) the time required for the current cell to switch to the next mode. If the current cell is in the S&F mode, the information (3) is the time required for the current cell to switch to the normal mode. If the current cell is in the normal mode, the information (3) is the time required for the current cell to switch to the S&F mode.

[0161] In a specific implementation, it can be agreed in advance that when the store-and-forward sequence exists, it indicates that the current cell supports the S&F mode, and then the foregoing information (1) can be omitted. Alternatively, in the case where no agreement is made in advance and whether the store-and-forward sequence exists indicates whether the current cell supports the store-and-forward mode, the information (1) can indicate whether the current cell supports the store-and-forward mode or supports the store-and-forward mode.

[0162] For example, the following Table 1 can be used to illustrate at least three of the various possible implementations of the foregoing information (1) to information (3).

[0163] Table 1

[0164] In the embodiments of the present application, the characters b1 to b6 can be different characters.

[0165] Based on the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, after obtaining the store-and-forward sequence, before sending the store-and-forward sequence to the user equipment, step S52 is further performed.

[0166] Step S52: The network device adds the store-and-forward sequence to the system information of the cell.

[0167] In the embodiments of the present application, the system information can also be referred to as a system message, which is cell-level information and is information sent by the network device to the user equipment within the cell range. When the user equipment is located within the range of the cell, the system information of the cell can be received, and the user equipment can understand the configurations of the cell through the system information.

[0168] Step S53: The network device broadcasts the system information.

[0169] Correspondingly, the terminal device located in the cell of the network device and not accessing the cell corresponding to the network device receives the system information broadcasted by the network device.

[0170] Through the broadcast of the system information, the network device can send the system information to the user device not accessing the cell of the network device, and the user device can obtain the store-and-forward sequence from the system information.

[0171] In the embodiments of the present application, the system information can also be referred to as system message, and the system information of the communication cell refers to a set of important data used to describe the configuration and characteristics of the cell in the mobile communication network. These information is crucial for the mobile user equipment (UE) to access the cell and work correctly in the cell. The system information contains a series of parameter sets related to the configuration and characteristics of the cell, which guide the UE how to access the cell and communicate with it.

[0172] The system information can include a master information block (MIB) and a plurality of system information blocks (SIBs). The master information block and the system information block can contain different contents, be sent from the satellite at different periods, and be sent to the user device through different transmission channels. The store-and-forward sequence can be added to the master information block or the auxiliary information block. Alternatively, the store-and-forward sequence can be partially added to the master information block and partially added to the auxiliary information block.

[0173] When the signal sent by the network device corresponds to a plurality of cells, the network device correspondingly generates the store-and-forward sequence of the plurality of cells, and adds the store-and-forward sequence of each cell to the system information of each cell. The execution mode of step S53 can refer to step S42 and related embodiments.

[0174] Step S54: The user device determines whether to access the cell corresponding to the network device according to the store-and-forward sequence.

[0175] The user device can determine whether to access the cell corresponding to the network device according to whether the store-and-forward mode is needed to send information at present or whether the normal mode is needed to send information.

[0176] In an embodiment of the present application, the network device is a satellite. Meanwhile, the satellite can be configured with a payload for implementing the function of a base station. In a specific implementation, the satellite can be configured with a regenerative payload. Further, the regenerative payload can include a regenerative transponder, which performs certain processing on a signal received from a terminal and then forwards the signal. Meanwhile, the satellite configured with the regenerative transponder has a store-and-forward function.

[0177] However, the satellite with the S&F capability can not need to perform store-and-forward at all times. When the service link between the satellite and the terminal device is connected and the feeder link between the satellite and the ground station is connected, the satellite with the S&F capability can also be in a normal working mode. In addition, due to the satellite capacity, coverage continuity, and the like, a satellite company usually deploys more than one satellite in some areas (such as areas where UE devices are relatively dense). Due to the movement of the satellite, a UE can be in multiple cells corresponding to multiple satellites at some time, and thus, if the user device can receive the store-and-forward sequence, the user device can select a more suitable cell according to the store-and-forward sequence.

[0178] In the case where the network device is a satellite, the communication method of the embodiment of the present application further includes steps S61 to S65 shown in FIG. 6.

[0179] Step S61: The satellite obtains a store-and-forward sequence.

[0180] In the embodiment of the present application, the payload of the satellite can be configured with an eNB. In a transparent satellite architecture, the eNB can be configured near a gateway in a satellite communication system. In a regenerative satellite architecture, the eNB is part of the payload of the satellite, so that the satellite can play the role of a base station.

[0181] In another possible implementation, the payload of the satellite can be configured with a gNB (Next generation Node B).

[0182] In a possible implementation, the satellite is not configured with an MME, and the satellite can send information received from a user device to a core network only when the satellite is connected to a ground station.

[0183] In a possible implementation, the payload of the satellite can be used to implement the function of an LTE base station, a long term evolution narrow band (LTE NB) base station, or a new radio (NR) base station.

[0184] In step S61, the satellite obtains the store-and-forward sequence in the manner described with reference to step S31 of Figure 3 and the related embodiments.

[0185] Step S62: The satellite adds the store-and-forward sequence to the system information block SIB.

[0186] In the embodiments of the present application, the system information block is a system information block type 31 (SIB31), a system information block type 31-narrow band (SIB31-NB), or a newly added system information block.

[0187] In LTE, the SIB31 and SIB31-NB are mainly used to indicate the satellite position and the default time delay.

[0188] The following describes at least three possible examples of adding the store-and-forward sequence in the system information when the network device is a satellite.

[0189] Example (1)

[0190] The store-and-forward sequence can be added in the ServingSatelliteInfo-r17 information element (ServingSatelliteInfo-r17 IE), which can be applied to the non-terrestrial network cell of the IoT device. The ServingSatelliteInfo-r17 information element to which the store-and-forward sequence is added is as follows.

[0191] In the above information element, “storeAndForward-r19 SEQUENCE” indicates the content of the store-and-forward sequence in the subsequent {}. That is, in the above example, the information in the store-and-forward sequence is as follows:

[0192] “isSupportSF BOOLEAN,

[0193] sfStatus ENUMERATED{enabled,disabled},

[0194] transitionTimer INTEGER(0…7200)OPTIONAL,”.

[0195] isSupportSF indicates whether the current cell supports S&F, which is the indication information of the cell supporting the store-and-forward mode in the foregoing embodiment. BOOLEAN indicates that the assignment of isSupportSF can be logical 0 or logical 1, which is used to indicate that the current cell supports the store-and-forward mode or does not support the store-and-forward mode.

[0196] sfStatus indicates whether the current cell enables S&F, and if enabled, is in the S&F mode; otherwise, is in the Normal mode. ENUMERATED{enabled, disabled} indicates that the assignment of sfStatus is performed in an enumerated manner. That is, sfStatus corresponds to the start state of the current store-and-forward mode of the cell in the foregoing embodiment. For example, the assignment of sfStatus can be enabled or disabled. When the assignment of sfStatus is enabled, it indicates that the current cell is in the store-and-forward mode. When the assignment of sfStatus is disabled, it indicates that the current cell is not in the store-and-forward mode.

[0197] transitionTimer in the foregoing example indicates the time required for switching from the current mode to the next mode (from the S&F mode to the normal mode, or from the normal mode to the S&F mode). The time can be measured in units of hours, minutes, seconds, milliseconds, system frames, and the like. That is, transitionTimer corresponds to the time for switching the cell from the store-and-forward mode to the normal mode and the time for switching the cell from the normal mode to the store-and-forward mode in the foregoing embodiment. INTEGER(0……7200) indicates that the assignment of transitionTimer can be an integer from 0 to 7200, and the integer is followed by a preset measurement unit, that is, the time required for mode switching.

[0198] In an implementation manner, when the ServingSatelliteInfo information element exists, isSupportSF and sfStatus need to exist simultaneously, and transitionTimer can be an optional item. If the cell does not have a predicted capability, it can not be filled in.

[0199] That is, in the foregoing example (1), the store-and-forward sequence includes the indication information of the cell supporting the store-and-forward mode and the start state of the current store-and-forward mode of the cell. In addition, the store-and-forward sequence also includes the time for switching the cell from the store-and-forward mode to the normal mode and the time for switching the cell from the normal mode to the store-and-forward mode.

[0200] Example (2)

[0201] A SIB can be added for broadcasting S&F capability. For example, a 34-type system information block, a 34-type narrowband system information block, a 27-type system information block, or a 27-type narrowband system information block can be added. The 34-type narrowband system information block can include the following content.

[0202] In example (2), the meanings and values of “StoreAndForward-r19 ::= SEQUENCE”, “isSupportSF”, “sfStatus”, and “transitionTimer” correspond to those in example (1).

[0203] In example (2), “ASN1 START” indicates the start position of abstract syntax notation one (ASN1), and “ASN1 STOP” indicates the end position of abstract syntax notation one (ASN1).

[0204] Example (3)

[0205] The following information element (IE) of the store-and-forward sequence is added to the 27-type SIB or other newly added SIB.

[0206] It should be understood that in other implementations, the above information elements can be expressed in other languages. The above information elements can also be added to SIBs of other types or other newly added types, which are not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0207] The implementation of step S62 can refer to step S52 and related embodiments.

[0208] Step S63: The satellite sends a system information block SIB through broadcasting.

[0209] The implementation of step S63 can refer to step S42, step S53, and related embodiments.

[0210] Step S64: The user equipment obtains a store-and-forward sequence according to the system information block SIB.

[0211] Step S65: The user equipment determines whether to join the cell corresponding to the satellite according to the store-and-forward sequence and the information sending requirement.

[0212] Among them, step S64 and step S65 can be a specific implementation of step S54 shown in FIG. 5.

[0213] Due to the movement of the satellite, whether the satellite is in a steered or non-steered manner, the S&F capability of the corresponding cell of the satellite will change, that is, the S&F capability of the corresponding cell of the satellite is not constant, but dynamic. At the same time, the S&F capability of the cell and whether the current cell is in S&F are two different concepts. If a cell only broadcasts whether it is in the S&F state, it may cause the UE to be unable to select a more suitable cell in time. In addition, the change of the S&F capability is usually completed quickly, so it may cause the UE to just access to this cell, and then it immediately becomes a non-S&F state, ultimately leading to the UE frequently reselecting the cell.

[0214] Through the example shown in FIG. 6, a field rich in information contained in the store-and-forward sequence is provided, which has a more practical function and is more helpful for cell selection and service transmission optimization on the UE side.

[0215] In an embodiment of the present application, the cell is a non-terrestrial network cell. Further, the non-terrestrial network cell can be an NTN cell for satellite communication.

[0216] The foregoing FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a non-terrestrial network communication system according to an embodiment of the present application. The network opposite to the non-terrestrial network is the terrestrial network (TN). Currently, the communication network commonly used by most people is the terrestrial network. However, in some special areas, such as deserts with few residents, oceans where humans are difficult to live, plateaus and mountainous areas with few people, and the like, it is difficult to establish or maintain the normal operation of the infrastructure of the terrestrial network. However, such areas with few people are not completely without human footprints, and there may be a small number of local residents, scientific research and exploration groups, and tourism and exploration groups. In addition, some areas are not covered by the terrestrial network due to the limitation of the infrastructure construction conditions of the terrestrial network. Therefore, the non-terrestrial network can play an important role here, and due to the storage and forwarding function of the network equipment, the non-terrestrial network can also allow people in the area to use the non-terrestrial network for communication without establishing a gateway of the non-terrestrial network in the area. The combination of the non-terrestrial network and the terrestrial network is more helpful to provide flexible communication services for areas with few people or insufficient infrastructure of the terrestrial network. Therefore, the embodiments related to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 can be applied to the non-terrestrial network. The user can send information to the network equipment of the non-terrestrial network within the coverage of the non-terrestrial network, and the non-terrestrial network first stores the information received by the user equipment when there is no gateway connected to the non-terrestrial network, and then sends the stored information to the receiving equipment through the gateway of the non-terrestrial network when it moves to the gateway connected to the non-terrestrial network. Therefore, the user can use mobile communication services in areas with few people or insufficient infrastructure of the terrestrial network. The foregoing gateway of the non-terrestrial network can be an earth station when the network equipment is a satellite.

[0217] In a possible implementation of the present application, the non-terrestrial network can be an IoT NTN, and further, the IoT NTN can also be referred to as a non-terrestrial network based on NB IoT (narrow band internet of things). In the IoT NTN, a medium earth orbit or low earth orbit satellite including a configurable regenerative payload can be implemented.

[0218] In the embodiments of the present application, the sending of the storage and forwarding sequence is applied to the non-terrestrial network, so that the non-terrestrial network can implement the delay and non-real-time communication service. At the same time, due to the characteristics of the network equipment in the non-terrestrial network relative to the movement of the earth's surface, the method provided by the embodiments of the present application enables the user equipment to use the non-terrestrial network for communication in areas without the gateway infrastructure of the non-terrestrial network. Furthermore, the non-terrestrial network can support the discontinuous coverage of the infrastructure and provide a communication service that can be implemented and has higher economic benefits at the same time.

[0219] In most cities and other relatively densely populated areas, the infrastructure coverage of the ground network is relatively continuous, so that people can enjoy continuous instant communication services when they move in these areas. However, in some areas on the earth, the infrastructure coverage of the ground network is discontinuous due to various factors such as environment and economy. The communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application can help to fill in the discontinuous coverage of the ground network infrastructure, thereby solving the problem of discontinuous coverage of the ground network.

[0220] Meanwhile, when the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application is applied to an IoT NTN, the satellite of the IoT NTN itself supports the store-and-forward mode, so that the satellite device does not need to be modified, and the economic benefits are further improved.

[0221] In an embodiment of the present application, as shown in FIG. 7, after receiving the store-and-forward sequence, the UE can make a selection according to the current capability of the cell, the working mode, and the time of switching to the next mode, to determine whether to access or reselect to the cell corresponding to the store-and-forward sequence.

[0222] The implementation of steps S71 and S72 can refer to FIG. 4. The implementation of step S71 can refer to step S41 and related embodiments, and the implementation of step S72 can refer to step S42 and related embodiments.

[0223] Step S73: The user equipment estimates the remaining time to complete the service.

[0224] Step S74: If the cell supports the S&F mode and is in the normal mode, and the current service of the UE needs to be performed in the normal mode, and the UE estimates that the current service can be completed within the remaining time of the cell in the normal mode, the UE does not need to reselect the cell.

[0225] Step S75: If the cell supports the S&F mode and is in the normal mode, and the current service of the UE needs to be performed in the normal mode, and the UE estimates that the service cannot be completed within the remaining time of the cell in the normal mode, and there is another cell, the UE can select to immediately reselect the other cell.

[0226] Step S76: If the cell supports the S&F mode and is currently in the S&F mode, the current service of the UE needs to be performed in the normal mode, and the time of switching the cell to the normal mode is less than the preset time threshold of the UE, the UE joins the current cell.

[0227] Steps S74 to S76 can be specific implementation of step S65 shown in FIG. 6 and step S54 shown in FIG. 5.

[0228] In another embodiment, a communication method is provided, which is applied to a communication system including a network device and a terminal. The communication method can include the embodiments and corresponding examples shown in FIG. 4 to FIG. 7.

[0229] In an embodiment of the present application, the network device obtains the first store-and-forward sequence and the second store-and-forward sequence according to corresponding set time intervals. For example, the network device obtains the first store-and-forward sequence according to a first time interval, and obtains the second store-and-forward sequence according to a second time interval. Then, the network device sends the first store-and-forward sequence to the first user equipment which does not access the cell through system broadcast, and sends the second store-and-forward sequence to the second user equipment which accesses the cell through network connection. Thus, no matter whether the user equipment joins the cell corresponding to the network device, the user equipment can master the store-and-forward mode capability and time of the cell corresponding to the network device, and then make accurate judgment on whether to switch or access the cell.

[0230] It can be understood that, in order to implement the functions in the above embodiments, the base station and the terminal include corresponding hardware structures and / or software modules for performing various functions. Those skilled in the art should easily realize that, in combination with the units and method steps of the examples described in the embodiments disclosed in the present application, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a certain function is implemented in hardware or computer software driven hardware depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0231] FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 are structural schematic diagrams of possible communication apparatuses provided by embodiments of the present application. These communication apparatuses can be used to implement the functions of the terminal or the base station in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects possessed by the above method embodiments. In embodiments of the present application, the communication apparatus can be the terminal 120 as shown in FIG. 1, or the network device 110 as shown in FIG. 1, or a module (such as a chip) applied to the terminal or the network device.

[0232] As shown in FIG. 8, the communication apparatus 1300 includes a processing unit 1310 and a transceiver unit 1320. The communication apparatus 1300 is used to implement the functions of the terminal or the network device in the above method embodiments shown in FIG. 4 to FIG. 7.

[0233] When the communication apparatus 1300 is used to implement the functions of the network device in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the transceiver unit 1320 is used to send the store-and-forward sequence to the user equipment, and the processing unit 1310 is used to obtain the store-and-forward sequence.

[0234] When the communication apparatus 1300 is configured to implement the functions of the terminal in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 8, the transceiver unit 1320 is configured to receive the store-and-forward sequence; and the processing unit 1310 is configured to process the store-and-forward sequence.

[0235] For more detailed description of the processing unit 1310 and the transceiver unit 1320, please refer to the relevant description in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 4 to FIG. 7.

[0236] As shown in FIG. 9, the communication apparatus 1400 includes a processor 1410 and an interface circuit 1420. The processor 1410 and the interface circuit 1420 are coupled with each other. It can be understood that the interface circuit 1420 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, the communication apparatus 1400 can further include a memory 1430, configured to store instructions executed by the processor 1410 or store input data required by the processor 1410 to execute instructions or store data generated after the processor 1410 executes instructions.

[0237] When the communication apparatus 1400 is configured to implement the method shown in FIG. 8, the processor 1410 is configured to implement the functions of the processing unit 1310, and the interface circuit 1420 is configured to implement the functions of the transceiver unit 1320.

[0238] When the above communication apparatus is a terminal chip, the terminal chip implements the functions of the terminal in the above method embodiments. The terminal chip receives information from a network device, which can be understood as the information is first received by other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the terminal, and then transmitted to the terminal chip by the modules. The terminal chip transmits information to the network device, which can be understood as the information is first transmitted to other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the terminal, and then transmitted to the network device by the modules.

[0239] When the above communication apparatus is a network device chip, the network device chip implements the functions of the network device in the above method embodiments. The network device chip receives information from a terminal, which can be understood as the information is first received by other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the network device, and then transmitted to the network device chip by the modules. The network device chip transmits information to the terminal, which can be understood as the information is first transmitted to other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the network device, and then transmitted to the terminal by the modules.

[0240] In the present application, the sending of information from entity A to entity B can be directly from A to B, or indirectly from A to B via other entities. Similarly, the receiving of information from entity A by entity B can be directly from A by B, or indirectly from A by B via other entities. The entities A and B can be network devices or terminals, or modules within network devices or terminals. The sending and receiving of information can be the interaction of information between network devices and terminals, e.g., the interaction of information between network devices and terminals; the sending and receiving of information can also be the interaction of information between two network devices, e.g., the interaction of information between CU and DU; the sending and receiving of information can also be the interaction of information between different modules within one apparatus, e.g., the interaction of information between a terminal chip and other modules of the terminal, or the interaction of information between a network device chip and other modules of the network device.

[0241] It can be understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application can be a central processing unit (CPU), and can also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor, or any conventional processor.

[0242] The method steps in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in hardware, or in software instructions executable by a processor. The software instructions can be composed of corresponding software modules, which can be stored in a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory, an erasable programmable read-only memory, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, a register, a hard disk, a mobile hard disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium well known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor, so that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. The storage medium can also be a component of the processor. The processor and the storage medium can be located in an ASIC. In addition, the ASIC can be located in a network device or a terminal. The processor and the storage medium can also exist as discrete components in a network device or a terminal.

[0243] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented by software, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer programs or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments are performed. The computer can be a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user equipment or other programmable apparatus. The computer programs or instructions can be stored in a computer readable storage medium or transferred from one computer readable storage medium to another computer readable storage medium, for example, the computer programs or instructions can be transferred from one website site, computer, server or data center to another website site, computer, server or data center through wired or wireless manner. The computer readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server, data center and the like integrated with one or more available media. The available media can be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape; or an optical medium, such as a digital video disc; or a semiconductor medium, such as a solid state disk. The computer readable storage medium can be a volatile or non-volatile storage medium, or can include both volatile and non-volatile storage media.

[0244] In various embodiments of the present application, the terms and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be referred to each other if there is no special description and logical conflict. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0245] In the present application, "at least one" means one or more, and "multiple" means two or more. The association relationship between the associated objects is described, which means that there can be three kinds of relationships, for example, A and / or B, which can represent the following cases: A exists alone, A and B exist together, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In the literal description of the present application, the character " / ", generally represents that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship; in the formula of the present application, the character " / ", represents that the associated objects before and after are in a "division" relationship. "Including at least one of A, B and C" can mean: including A; including B; including C; including A and B; including A and C; including B and C; including A, B and C.

[0246] It can be understood that various numbers involved in the embodiments of the present application are only distinguished for convenience of description, and are not used to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application. The size of the serial number of the above processes does not mean the execution order, and the execution order of the processes should be determined according to their functions and inherent logic.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The application relates to a method for indicating a store-and-forward mode of a cell. In a case that a network connection between the cell and a user equipment is disconnected, a store-and-forward sequence is obtained; The cell corresponds to a network device, and the store-and-forward sequence is used for indicating whether the cell supports a store-and-forward mode; In the store-and-forward mode, the network device is used for storing information sent by the user equipment or is used for forwarding information sent by the user equipment; The store-and-forward sequence is sent to the user equipment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The store-and-forward sequence comprises at least one of the following: indication information that the cell supports the store-and-forward mode; an enabling state of a current store-and-forward mode of the cell; a time when the cell switches from the store-and-forward mode to a normal mode; In the normal mode, the cell establishes a service link with the user equipment and establishes a feeder link with a ground station; a time when the cell switches from the normal mode to the store-and-forward mode.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The store-and-forward sequence is carried in a system information block.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, The system information block is a type-31 system information block or a type-31 narrowband system information block.

5. The method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that, The system information block is a newly-added system information block in information broadcast by the cell.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The cell is a non-terrestrial network cell.

7. A communication method characterized by comprising: The application relates to a method for indicating a store-and-forward mode of a cell. In a case that a network connection between the cell and a user equipment is disconnected, a store-and-forward sequence is obtained; The cell corresponds to a network device, and the store-and-forward sequence is used for indicating whether the cell supports a store-and-forward mode; In the store-and-forward mode, the network device is used for storing information sent by the user equipment or is used for forwarding information sent by the user equipment.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, The store-and-forward sequence comprises at least one of the following: indication information that the cell supports the store-and-forward mode; an enabling state of a current store-and-forward mode of the cell; a time when the cell switches from the store-and-forward mode to a normal mode; In the normal mode, the cell establishes a service link with the user equipment and establishes a feeder link with a ground station; a time when the cell switches from the normal mode to the store-and-forward mode.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that, The store-and-forward sequence is carried in a system information block.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, The system information block is a type-31 system information block, a type-31 narrowband system information block or a newly-added system information block.

11. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 10, characterized in that, The cell is a non-terrestrial network cell.

12. A communications device, characterized by The application relates to a communication device comprising a processor and an interface circuit for receiving signals from other communication devices and transmitting signals to the processor or sending signals from the processor to other communication devices, wherein the processor is used for realizing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 through a logic circuit or code instructions.

13. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The application relates to a storage medium storing a computer program or instructions, wherein the computer program or instructions are used for realizing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 when executed by a communication device.

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