Switching method, communication device, medium and electronic equipment in satellite communication

Abstract

The present application provides a switching method, communication device, medium and electronic device in satellite communication. The switching method in satellite communication includes: a terminal device is connected to a first satellite through a first beam; the terminal device obtains a second satellite that enters a target connection area next, and the terminal device establishes a pre-connection with the second satellite through a second beam; when the first satellite leaves the target connection area and the second satellite is in a connectable state, the terminal device switches to the second satellite through the second beam and disconnects from the first satellite. The switching method in satellite communication can reduce the number of switching times and reduce the weak signal connection time of the terminal device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to communication technology, and in particular to a switching method, communication device, medium and electronic equipment in satellite communication. Background Art

[0002] Geosynchronous satellites have long been used for mobile communications, but since geosynchronous satellites are limited to the geostationary satellite orbit (GSO), the number of satellites that can be deployed in the GSO is limited. As an alternative to geosynchronous satellites, communication systems using non-geostationary satellite orbits (NGSO), such as satellite constellations in low earth orbit (LEO), have been designed to provide communication coverage to the entire earth or most of the earth. Since the exposure time of low-orbit satellites over the same terminal is limited, there may be multiple available low-orbit satellites exposed over the terminal device at the same time, and all are in high-speed motion. For example, for a common low-orbit satellite, it takes about 100 minutes to orbit the earth, and the service time of this satellite for a terminal device is about ten minutes. Therefore, the terminal device needs to switch between different satellites.

[0003] In the related art, there are two main switching schemes for terminal devices. In the first scheme, the terminal device is always connected to the low-orbit satellite with the maximum elevation angle above. This method will cause the terminal device to frequently switch the satellite to which it is connected, thus generating a large number of protocol packets to interact between the satellite and the terminal device. When the network scale is large and the number of nodes is large, the number of protocol packets will increase exponentially, resulting in a large network overhead and reducing the utilization of bandwidth resources. In the second scheme, the terminal device always maintains a connection with a satellite until the satellite is unavailable and then switches. In this way, the communication quality is poor when the satellite is far away from the terminal device, affecting the transmission rate. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present application provides a switching method, communication device, medium and electronic device in satellite communication to avoid the problems of low bandwidth utilization and poor signal quality affecting transmission rate caused by frequent switching in end-to-satellite communication systems.

[0005] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose and other related purposes, the first aspect of the present application provides a switching method in satellite communications, including: a terminal device is connected to a first satellite through a first beam; the terminal device obtains a second satellite that enters a target connection area next, and the terminal device establishes a pre-connection with the second satellite through a second beam; when the first satellite leaves the target connection area and the second satellite is in a connectable state, the terminal device switches to connect to the second satellite through the second beam and disconnects the connection with the first satellite.

[0006] In an embodiment of the first aspect, the method also includes: the terminal device acquires the next third satellite entering the target connection area, and the terminal device establishes a pre-connection with the third satellite through the first beam; when the second satellite leaves the target connection area and the third satellite is in a connectable state, the terminal device switches to connect to the third satellite through the first beam and disconnects the connection with the second satellite.

[0007] In an embodiment of the first aspect, the terminal device is connected to the first satellite via the first beam, including: the terminal device obtains signal strengths of multiple candidate satellites, wherein the multiple candidate satellites are within the target connection area; the first satellite is selected from the candidate satellites according to the signal strength; and the terminal device is connected to the first satellite via the first beam.

[0008] In an embodiment of the first aspect, selecting the first satellite from the candidate satellites according to signal strength includes: selecting the candidate satellite with the strongest signal strength as the first satellite.

[0009] In an embodiment of the first aspect, the terminal device obtains the next second satellite entering the target connection area, including: the terminal device obtains the next satellite entering the target connection area as the second satellite through the second beam detection, or the terminal device obtains the next satellite entering the target connection area as the second satellite through satellite ephemeris information.

[0010] In an embodiment of the first aspect, the terminal device obtains the next third satellite entering the target connection area, including: the terminal device obtains the next satellite entering the target connection area as the third satellite through the first beam detection, or the terminal device obtains the next satellite entering the target connection area as the third satellite through satellite ephemeris information.

[0011] In an embodiment of the first aspect, the switching method in satellite communication also includes: determining the target connection area according to the current positioning of the terminal device, wherein the communication transmission rate between the terminal device and the satellite located on the boundary of the target connection area is a first transmission rate, and the communication rate between the terminal device and the satellite with the maximum elevation angle above the terminal device is a second transmission rate, the first transmission rate is at least not less than half of the second transmission rate, and the target connection area contains at least two satellites at the same time.

[0012] In an embodiment of the first aspect, the terminal device establishing a pre-connection with the second satellite through the second beam includes: the terminal device performing handshake communication with the second satellite through the second beam, and acquiring link environment and connection information.

[0013] In an embodiment of the first aspect, the method further includes: when the first satellite is switched to a connection prohibited state in the target connection area, the terminal device is connected to the second satellite through the second beam switching and disconnects from the first satellite.

[0014] In an embodiment of the first aspect, the method further includes: when the first satellite leaves the target connection area and the second satellite is in a connection prohibited state, the terminal device remains connected to the first satellite until a third satellite enters the target connection area.

[0015] In an embodiment of the first aspect, when the second satellite is in a connection prohibited state, the method further includes: the terminal device re-determines the first satellite in a connectable state from the target connection area based on ephemeris information, and the terminal device connects to the first satellite through the first beam.

[0016] In an embodiment of the first aspect, the terminal device is configured with a phased array antenna, and the phased array antenna is used to send the first beam and the second beam.

[0017] The second aspect of the present application provides a communication device, including: a transceiver unit, used to transmit at least a first beam and a second beam; a processing unit, configured to perform the following steps: a terminal device is connected to a first satellite through a first beam; the terminal device obtains a second satellite that enters a target connection area next, and the terminal device establishes a pre-connection with the second satellite through a second beam; when the first satellite leaves the target connection area and the second satellite is in a connectable state, the terminal device switches to connect to the second satellite through the second beam and disconnects the connection with the first satellite.

[0018] A third aspect of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the switching method described in any one of the first aspects of the present application is implemented.

[0019] The fourth aspect of the present application provides an electronic device, comprising: a memory storing a computer program; a processor communicatively connected to the memory, and executing any switching method described in any one of the first aspects of the present application when calling the computer program.

[0020] As described above, the switching method, communication device, medium and electronic device in satellite communication provided in the embodiments of the present application have the following beneficial effects:

[0021] The switching method optimizes the switching strategy between the satellite and the ground terminal device when the satellite is moving rapidly in orbit. In the switching method, when the first satellite leaves the target connection area and the second satellite is in a connectable state, the terminal device will switch to connect with the second satellite. On the one hand, this method can reduce the number of switching times, thereby avoiding the problem of excessive network overhead caused by frequent switching. On the other hand, this method can reduce the weak signal connection time of the terminal device, which is conducive to improving the signal quality and transmission rate. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1A Shown is an example diagram of a satellite communication scenario in an embodiment of the present application.

[0023] Figure 1B Shown is a flow chart of a switching method in satellite communications described in an embodiment of the present application.

[0024] Figure 2 Shown is a flowchart of several steps of a switching method in satellite communications described in an embodiment of the present application.

[0025] Figure 3 Shown is a flow chart of the connection between the terminal device and the first satellite in an embodiment of the present application.

[0026] Figure 4 Shown is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device described in an embodiment of the present application.

[0027] Figure 5 Shown is a schematic diagram of the structure of the electronic device described in an embodiment of the present application.

[0028] Component number description

[0029] 400 communication device

[0030] 401 Transceiver Unit

[0031] 402 Processing Unit

[0032] 500 Electronic equipment

[0033] 510 Memory

[0034] 520 processor

[0035] 530 Display

[0036] Steps S11 to S13

[0037] Steps S21 to S22

[0038] Steps S31 to S33 DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] The following describes the embodiments of the present application through specific examples, and those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present application from the contents disclosed in this specification. The present application can also be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments, and the details in this specification can also be modified or changed in various ways based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the spirit of the present application. It should be noted that the following embodiments and features in the embodiments can be combined with each other without conflict.

[0040] It should be noted that the diagrams provided in the following embodiments are only schematic illustrations of the basic concept of the present application. The diagrams only show the components related to the present application rather than the number, shape and size of the components in actual implementation. The type, quantity and proportion of each component in actual implementation can be changed at will, and the component layout type may also be more complicated. In addition, in this article, relational terms such as "first", "second", etc. are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations.

[0041] Common satellite communication systems include user equipment (UE) and network equipment. User equipment can also be called terminal equipment, user terminal, mobile station, etc. Network equipment can include one or more satellites or ground station equipment, and ground station equipment can also be called core network equipment. Satellites can be low earth orbit (LEO) satellites (or low-orbit satellites), non-geostationary earth orbit (NGEO) satellites, etc.

[0042] The terminal devices in this article include various handheld devices, vehicle-mounted devices, wearable devices, computing devices or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem with unlimited wireless communication functions, and may specifically refer to user equipment (UE), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent or user device. The terminal device may also be a satellite phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a wireless data card, a wireless modem, a machine type communication device, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication function, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device or a wearable device, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical, a wireless terminal in a smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in a smart city, a wireless terminal in a smart home, a terminal device in a 5G network or a future communication network, etc.

[0043] The ground station device is, for example, a device in the core network (CN) of an existing mobile communication architecture (such as the 3GPP access architecture of a 5G network) or a device in the core network of a future mobile communication architecture.

[0044] In the related art, there are two main switching schemes for terminal devices. In the first scheme, the terminal device is always connected to the low-orbit satellite with the maximum elevation angle above. This method will cause the terminal device to frequently switch the satellite to which it is connected, thereby generating a large number of protocol packets to interact between the satellite and the terminal device. When the network scale is large and the number of nodes is large, the number of protocol packets will increase exponentially, resulting in a large network overhead and reducing the utilization rate of bandwidth resources. In the second scheme, the terminal device always maintains a connection with a satellite until the satellite is unavailable and then switches. This method has poor communication quality when the satellite is far away from the terminal device, affecting the transmission rate. At least in response to the above problems, the present application provides a switching method in satellite communications, which optimizes the switching strategy between the satellite and the terminal device when the satellite is running rapidly in orbit.

[0045] Figure 1A The diagram is a schematic diagram of a satellite communication scenario in one embodiment of the present application. Figure 1A As shown, the terminal devices of the present application are located on the ground, including but not limited to mobile phones, tablet computers, etc. The terminal devices can detect, track and access satellites through beamforming technology. Preferably, the terminal device has at least two beams to achieve rapid tracking and adjustment of satellites. Satellites A, B and C, for example, can be low-orbit satellites, but the present application is not limited to this. The target connection area refers to an area above the terminal device, and the end-satellite communication quality when the satellite is in this area (that is, the communication quality between the user terminal and the satellite) is better than the end-satellite communication quality when the satellite is outside the area. In this embodiment, the target connection area can be determined by the satellite orbit, the optimal entry point and the optimal exit point. It should be understood that, Figure 1A Only one terminal device and three satellites are shown as an example, but the number of terminal devices and satellites in a specific application is not limited thereto.

[0046] Next, we will Figure 1A Taking the shown scenario as an example, the switching method in satellite communication provided by the present application is introduced. Figure 1B The flowchart of the switching method in this embodiment is shown. Figure 1B As shown, the switching method provided in this embodiment includes the following steps S11 to S13.

[0047] S11, the terminal device is connected to the first satellite via the first beam. The first satellite is located in the target connection area, for example Figure 1A Satellite C in the diagram. After the terminal device is connected to the first satellite, the first satellite provides communication services for the terminal device.

[0048] S12, the terminal device obtains the second satellite that enters the target connection area next, and establishes a pre-connection with the second satellite through the second beam. Specifically, when the second satellite, for example Figure 1AWhen satellite B in the target connection area passes the best entry point, the terminal device pre-connects with the satellite through the second beam, and the system enters the pre-switching state.

[0049] Optionally, before step S12, a second beam may be used to detect whether a satellite enters the target connection area.

[0050] S13, when the first satellite leaves the target connection area and the second satellite is in a connectable state, the terminal device connects to the second satellite through a second beam switching and disconnects from the first satellite. Figure 1A When satellite A in the system moves away from the optimal cut-out point, if satellite B is in a connectable state, the terminal device connects to satellite B through the second beam and disconnects from satellite A. After that, the first beam no longer points to satellite A.

[0051] According to the above description, in the switching method provided by this embodiment, when the first satellite leaves the target connection area and the second satellite is in a connectable state, the terminal device will switch to connect with the second satellite. On the one hand, compared with the solution in which the terminal device is always connected to the satellite with the maximum elevation angle above, the switching method provided by this embodiment can reduce the number of switching times, which is beneficial to avoid the problem of excessive network overhead caused by frequent switching. On the other hand, compared with the solution in which the terminal device always maintains a connection with a satellite until the satellite is unavailable and then switches, the switching method provided by this embodiment can reduce the weak signal connection time of the terminal device, which is beneficial to improve the signal quality and transmission rate.

[0052] See also Figure 2 In one embodiment of the present application, the switching method in satellite communication may also include the following steps S21 and S22.

[0053] S21, the terminal device obtains the third satellite that enters the target connection area next, and the terminal device establishes a pre-connection with the third satellite through the first beam. Specifically, after the terminal device is connected to the second satellite, the first beam no longer points to the first satellite. Therefore, the first beam can be used to detect whether a satellite enters the target connection area. When the third satellite is detected to enter the target connection area, the terminal device pre-connects with the third satellite through the first beam.

[0054] S22, when the second satellite leaves the target connection area and the third satellite is in a connectable state, the terminal device is connected to the third satellite through the first beam switching and disconnects from the second satellite.

[0055] It should be noted that the above steps S21 and S22 can be performed after the terminal device switches to connect to the second satellite, but the present application is not limited thereto. In addition, the above only exemplarily introduces the switching method between the terminal device and the first satellite, the second satellite and the third satellite, but the present application is not limited thereto. For example, after the terminal device is connected to the third satellite, the second beam no longer points to the second satellite; when the fourth satellite is detected to enter the target connection area, the terminal device pre-connects to the fourth satellite through the second beam; when the third satellite leaves the target connection area and the fourth satellite is in a connectable state, the terminal device connects to the fourth satellite through the second beam, and so on.

[0056] In one embodiment of the present application, the first satellite is a satellite initially connected to the terminal device, that is, the terminal device has not previously connected to a satellite, or the satellite previously connected to the terminal device and the pre-connected satellite are both in a connection-prohibited state. Figure 3 In this embodiment, the terminal device is connected to the first satellite through the first beam, including the following steps S31 to S33.

[0057] S31, the terminal device obtains signal strengths of multiple candidate satellites, wherein the multiple candidate satellites are in a target connection area. The candidate satellites may be, for example, all available satellites near the terminal device.

[0058] S32, selecting a first satellite from the candidate satellites according to signal strength. For example, the candidate satellites may be sorted according to signal strength, and the one with the strongest signal strength may be selected as the first satellite, but the present application is not limited thereto.

[0059] S33, the terminal device is connected to the first satellite via the first beam.

[0060] The above steps S31 to S33 provide a method for the terminal device to initially establish a connection with a satellite, based on which the terminal device can establish an initial connection with a satellite. Thereafter, the terminal device can switch to other satellites using the switching method provided in the above embodiment, thereby achieving continuous and stable terminal-satellite communication.

[0061] In one embodiment of the present application, the terminal device acquires the next second satellite entering the target connection area, including: the terminal device acquires the next satellite entering the target connection area as the second satellite through the second beam detection, or the terminal device acquires the next satellite entering the target connection area as the second satellite through the satellite ephemeris information. Among them, the ephemeris information of the satellite refers to the precise position or trajectory table of the satellite changing over time in GPS measurement. Based on the ephemeris information of the satellite, the time, position, speed and other operating states of the satellite can be accurately calculated, predicted, described and tracked. In some embodiments, the satellite ephemeris information may include, for example, at least one of the following information: the inclination of the satellite's orbital plane, the right ascension of the ascending node, the major semi-axis of the orbital ellipse, the eccentricity of the orbital ellipse, the perigee angular distance and the time when the satellite passes the perigee.

[0062] In one embodiment of the present application, the terminal device obtains the next third satellite entering the target connection area, including: the terminal device obtains the next satellite entering the target connection area as the third satellite through the first beam detection, or the terminal device obtains the next satellite entering the target connection area as the third satellite through satellite ephemeris information.

[0063] In one embodiment of the present application, the target connection area is determined based on the current positioning of the terminal device, wherein the communication transmission rate between the terminal device and the satellite located on the boundary of the target connection area (i.e., the optimal entry point and the optimal exit point) is a first transmission rate, and the communication rate between the terminal device and the satellite located at the maximum elevation angle above the terminal device is a second transmission rate, the first transmission rate is at least not less than half of the second transmission rate, and at the same time, the target connection area contains at least two satellites.

[0064] It should be noted that the above method for determining the target connection area is only one feasible way of the present application, but the present application is not limited thereto.

[0065] In one embodiment of the present application, the terminal device establishes a pre-connection with the second satellite through the second beam, including: the terminal device performs handshake communication with the second satellite through the second beam, and obtains link environment and connection information, wherein the connection information refers to necessary information related to establishing a data connection.

[0066] In one embodiment of the present application, the switching method in satellite communication further includes the following steps: when the first satellite switches to a connection prohibited state in the target connection area, the terminal device switches to the second satellite through the second beam and disconnects from the first satellite. It should be noted that this step can be performed, for example, after the terminal device establishes a pre-connection with the second satellite, but the present application is not limited thereto. The first satellite is in a connection prohibited state, for example, the first satellite actively declares that the service is suspended, or the terminal device detects a high bit error rate, for example, the signal quality is greater than a low quality threshold of 3s or 5s.

[0067] According to the above content, in this embodiment, when the first satellite switches to the connection disabled state, the terminal device is connected to the second satellite through the second beam, which is conducive to achieving stable and continuous high-quality communication.

[0068] In one embodiment of the present application, the handover method in satellite communication further includes the following steps: when the second satellite is in a connection prohibited state, maintaining connection with the first satellite until the third satellite enters the target connection area. It should be noted that this step can be performed, for example, after the terminal device establishes a pre-connection with the second satellite, but the present application is not limited thereto. In this way, the continuity of the communication connection between the terminal device and the satellite can be ensured.

[0069] In one embodiment of the present application, the handover method in satellite communication further includes the following steps: when the first satellite leaves the target connection area and the second satellite is in a connection prohibited state, the terminal device remains connected to the first satellite until the third satellite enters the target connection area. It should be noted that this step can be performed, for example, after the terminal device establishes a pre-connection with the second satellite, but the present application is not limited thereto.

[0070] Optionally, when the second satellite is in a connection prohibited state, the switching method in satellite communication also includes: the terminal device re-determines the first satellite in a connectable state from the target connection area according to the ephemeris information, and the terminal device connects to the first satellite through the first beam.

[0071] In one embodiment of the present application, the terminal device is equipped with a phased array antenna radar, which is used to send a first beam and a second beam. Phased array antenna radar refers to scanning an array radar through phase control electronics, using a large number of individually controlled small antennas to form an antenna array surface, and each antenna unit is controlled by a separate switch to form a different phase beam. In this embodiment, the terminal device is equipped with a phased array antenna radar, so that the terminal device can generate the ability to track and access satellites through beamforming technology.

[0072] It should be noted that the protection scope of the switching method in satellite communication provided by the present application is not limited to the execution order of the steps listed in this embodiment. All solutions implemented by adding, reducing or replacing steps in the prior art based on the principles of the present application are included in the protection scope of the present application.

[0073] The present application also provides a communication device. Figure 4 The structure diagram of a communication device 400 in one embodiment of the present application is shown, and the communication device 400 is included in a terminal device. Figure 4As shown, the communication device 400 includes a transceiver unit 401 and a processing unit 402. The transceiver unit 401 is used to transmit at least a first beam and a second beam. The processing unit 402 is communicatively connected to the transceiver unit 401, and is configured to perform the following steps: the terminal device is connected to the first satellite through the first beam; the terminal device obtains the second satellite that enters the target connection area next, and the terminal device establishes a pre-connection with the second satellite through the second beam; when the first satellite leaves the target connection area and the second satellite is in a connectable state, the terminal device switches to connect to the second satellite through the second beam, and disconnects the connection with the first satellite.

[0074] It should be noted that the communication device provided in the present application can implement the switching method in satellite communication described in the present application, but the implementation device of the switching method in satellite communication described in the present application includes but is not limited to the structure of the communication device listed in this embodiment, and all structural deformations and replacements of the prior art made according to the principles of the present application are included in the protection scope of the present application.

[0075] It should also be understood that the division of the various units in the above communication device is only a division of logical functions. In actual implementation, they can be fully or partially integrated into one physical entity, or they can be physically separated. These units can all be implemented in the form of software calling through processing elements; they can also be all implemented in the form of hardware; some units can also be implemented in the form of processing elements calling software, and some units can be implemented in the form of hardware. In addition, these units can be fully or partially integrated together, or they can be implemented independently. The processing element described here can be an integrated circuit with signal processing capabilities.

[0076] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium on which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the switching method described in the embodiments of the present application is implemented.

[0077] In the present application, any combination of one or more storage media may be used. The storage medium may be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, device or device, or any combination of the above. More specific examples (non-exhaustive list) of computer-readable storage media include: an electrical connection with one or more wires, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, a RAM, a ROM, an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the above. In this document, a computer-readable storage medium may be any tangible medium containing or storing a program that may be used by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, device, or device.

[0078] The present application also provides an electronic device. Figure 5 The structure diagram of the electronic device 500 in one embodiment of the present application is shown. Figure 5 As shown, in this embodiment, the electronic device 500 includes a memory 510 and a processor 520 .

[0079] The memory 510 is used to store computer programs; preferably, the memory 510 includes: ROM, RAM, disk, USB flash drive, memory card or CD-ROM and other media that can store program codes.

[0080] Specifically, the memory 510 may include a computer system readable medium in the form of a volatile memory, such as a random access memory (RAM) and / or a cache memory. The electronic device 500 may further include other removable / non-removable, volatile / non-volatile computer system storage media. The memory 510 may include at least one program product having a set (e.g., at least one) of program modules that are configured to perform the functions of the various embodiments of the present application.

[0081] The processor 520 is connected to the memory 510 and is used to execute the computer program stored in the memory 510 so that the electronic device 500 executes the switching method described in the embodiment of the present application.

[0082] Preferably, the processor 520 can be a general-purpose processor, including a central processing unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), etc.; it can also be a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components.

[0083] Preferably, the electronic device 500 in this embodiment may further include a display 530. The display 530 is communicatively connected with the memory 510 and the processor 520, and is used to display a GUI interaction interface related to the switching method described in the embodiment of the present application.

[0084] In summary, the switching method in satellite communication provided in the embodiment of the present application optimizes the switching strategy between the satellite and the ground terminal device when the satellite is running rapidly in orbit. In the switching method, when the first satellite leaves the target connection area and the second satellite is in a connectable state, the terminal device will switch to connect to the second satellite. On the one hand, this method can reduce the number of switching times, thereby avoiding the problem of excessive network overhead caused by frequent switching. On the other hand, this method can reduce the weak signal connection time of the terminal device, which is beneficial to improve the signal quality and transmission rate. Therefore, the present application effectively overcomes the various shortcomings in the prior art and has a high industrial utilization value.

[0085] The above embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and effects of the present application and are not intended to limit the present application. Anyone familiar with the technology may modify or change the above embodiments without violating the spirit and scope of the present application. Therefore, all equivalent modifications or changes made by a person of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and technical ideas disclosed in the present application shall still be covered by the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. A switching method in satellite communication, characterized in that: include: The terminal device is connected to the first satellite via the first beam; Determine a target connection area according to the current positioning of the terminal device, wherein a communication transmission rate between the terminal device and a satellite located on a boundary of the target connection area is a first transmission rate, a communication rate between the terminal device and a satellite located at a maximum elevation angle above the terminal device is a second transmission rate, and the first transmission rate is at least not less than half of the second transmission rate; The terminal device acquires a second satellite that enters the target connection area next, and the terminal device establishes a pre-connection with the second satellite through a second beam; When the first satellite leaves the target connection area and the second satellite is in a connectable state, the terminal device is connected to the second satellite through the second beam switching and disconnects from the first satellite.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further comprises: The terminal device acquires a third satellite that enters the target connection area next, and the terminal device establishes a pre-connection with the third satellite through the first beam; When the second satellite leaves the target connection area and the third satellite is in a connectable state, the terminal device is connected to the third satellite through the first beam switching and disconnects from the second satellite.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The terminal device is connected to the first satellite through the first beam, including: The terminal device obtains signal strengths of multiple candidate satellites, wherein the multiple candidate satellites are within the target connection area; Selecting the first satellite from the candidate satellites according to signal strength; The terminal device is connected to the first satellite via the first beam.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that Selecting the first satellite from the candidate satellites according to signal strength includes: selecting the candidate satellite with the strongest signal strength as the first satellite.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The terminal device acquiring the next second satellite entering the target connection area comprises: The terminal device acquires the next satellite entering the target connection area as the second satellite through the second beam detection, or the terminal device acquires the next satellite entering the target connection area as the second satellite through satellite ephemeris information.

6. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The terminal device acquiring the next third satellite entering the target connection area comprises: The terminal device acquires the next satellite entering the target connection area as the third satellite through the first beam detection, or the terminal device acquires the next satellite entering the target connection area as the third satellite through satellite ephemeris information.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that At the same time, the target connection area contains at least two satellites.

8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The terminal device establishing a pre-connection with the second satellite through the second beam includes: the terminal device performing handshake communication with the second satellite through the second beam and acquiring link environment and connection information.

9. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method further comprises: When the first satellite is switched to a connection prohibited state within the target connection area, the terminal device is connected to the second satellite through the second beam switching and disconnects from the first satellite.

10. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further comprises: When the first satellite leaves the target connection area and the second satellite is in a connection prohibited state, the terminal device maintains connection with the first satellite until a third satellite enters the target connection area.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that When the second satellite is in a connection prohibited state, the method further includes: The terminal device re-determines the first satellite in a connectable state from the target connection area according to the ephemeris information, and the terminal device connects to the first satellite through the first beam.

12. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The terminal device is configured with a phased array antenna, and the phased array antenna is used to send the first beam and the second beam.

13. A communication device, characterized in that: include: a transceiver unit, configured to transmit at least a first beam and a second beam; The processing unit is configured to perform the following steps: The terminal device is connected to the first satellite via the first beam; Determine a target connection area according to the current positioning of the terminal device, wherein a communication transmission rate between the terminal device and a satellite located on a boundary of the target connection area is a first transmission rate, a communication rate between the terminal device and a satellite located at a maximum elevation angle above the terminal device is a second transmission rate, and the first transmission rate is at least not less than half of the second transmission rate; The terminal device acquires a second satellite that enters the target connection area next, and the terminal device establishes a pre-connection with the second satellite through a second beam; When the first satellite leaves the target connection area and the second satellite is in a connectable state, the terminal device is connected to the second satellite through the second beam switching and disconnects from the first satellite.

14. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that: When the computer program is executed by a processor, the switching method according to any one of claims 1 to 12 is implemented.

15. An electronic device, characterized in that: The electronic device comprises: A memory storing a computer program; A processor is communicatively connected to the memory, and executes the switching method according to any one of claims 1 to 12 when calling the computer program.

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