A method for determining a feeder satellite and network equipment

Abstract

The application provides a determination method of a feeder satellite and network equipment, applied to the field of satellite communication, and includes the following steps: determining the number of neighbor links, the visible time length and the connection relationship between feeder satellites of a feeder satellite, determining a first candidate set according to the number of neighbor links and the connection relationship, the first candidate set including m first feeder satellites with the number of neighbor links reaching a preset requirement, determining n first feeder satellites according to the number of neighbor links and the visible time length, and the n first feeder satellites are used to establish a feeder link with a target ground station. In the application, the number of neighbor links is used as a one-time constraint, the visible time length is used as a two-time constraint, the first candidate set is determined through the double constraints, and then the n first feeder satellites establish the feeder link with the ground station, so that the congestion degree of the feeder satellite area is reduced, the service capacity of the satellite network is improved, and more services are effectively aggregated on the ground station through the feeder link for forwarding.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of satellite communication technology, and in particular to a method for determining a feeder satellite and a network device. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of satellite communication technology, using satellites for information acquisition and transmission is a crucial means of modern information networks, especially through relay satellites or satellite networking, which facilitates real-time information acquisition and transmission. Large-scale satellite networking is one of the current solutions for high-volume communication needs. In large-scale satellite networking, massive traffic aggregation and routing can be performed, flowing through inter-satellite links to feeder satellites, and then through feeder links to ground stations. Due to the concentration of feeder satellites at ground stations and the bandwidth constraints of inter-satellite links, traffic can accumulate in the feeder satellite area. Furthermore, satellite networks possess highly dynamic characteristics different from terrestrial networks, and the frequent establishment and dismantling of feeder links puts significant pressure on routing control, service scheduling, and signaling configuration functions. Therefore, resolving the issues of traffic aggregation in feeder satellite areas and frequent establishment and dismantling of feeder links in large-scale satellite networking is crucial.

[0003] Currently, existing related technologies mainly fall into three categories: 1) Maximum Service Time Algorithm: This algorithm selects the feeder satellite with the longest visible time window at the initial moment of ground station network establishment. When the feeder satellite reaches the end of its visible time window and becomes invisible to the ground station, it selects the feeder satellite with the longest visible time window from those feeder satellites that have not yet established a feeder link at the current moment. 2) Graph-Based Minimum Handover Count Algorithm: This algorithm establishes a directed graph based on the visibility relationship between feeder satellites and ground stations, transforming the maximum service time algorithm into a shortest path or minimum hop count problem in the directed graph, thus obtaining the link graph with the fewest handovers. Based on this, feeder link planning is transformed into a minimum cost / maximum flow problem in the directed graph, theoretically guaranteeing the optimality of the calculation results. 3) Minimum Route Update Frequency Algorithm: Since feeder link handover leads to route updates, resource consumption, and latency changes, and the route needs to be recalculated every time one or more feeder links are switched, the minimum route update frequency algorithm is proposed to reduce the frequency of route updates. The idea behind this algorithm is to combine the switching of multiple power supply links within the same time period, thereby reducing the frequency of route updates.

[0004] However, while Algorithms 1 and 2 reduce the number of feeder link handovers, they do not consider the traffic aggregation situation in the feeder satellite area. Algorithm 3 reduces the frequency of route updates, but at the cost of feeder satellites switching ahead of time within the visible range, thus increasing the number of feeder satellite handovers. In some application scenarios, reducing the frequency of route updates is more important than reducing the number of link handovers. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a method for determining feeder satellites, applicable in the field of satellite communication technology. The method includes: First, a network device determines the number of neighbor links for each feeder satellite in a feeder satellite set, the visibility duration of each feeder satellite, and the connection relationships between feeder satellites. A feeder satellite set refers to the collection of feeder satellites within the visible range of a current target ground station. A neighbor link is an inter-satellite link among multiple inter-satellite links of a feeder satellite within the feeder satellite set that connects to other feeder satellites outside the feeder satellite set. The number of neighbor links can be derived based on the connection relationships between feeder satellites. Then, the network device determines a first candidate set based on the obtained number of neighbor links and connection relationships. The first candidate set includes m (m≥1) first feeder satellites whose number of neighbor links meets a preset requirement (e.g., maximum value, reaches a preset value, etc.), and there are no connections between any two of the first feeder satellites. Finally, the network device determines n first feeder satellites based on the number of m neighbor links and the m visibility durations. The number of m neighbor links is the number of neighbor links corresponding to each of the m first feeder satellites in the first candidate set, and the m visibility durations are the visibility durations corresponding to each of the m first feeder satellites in the first candidate set. The n (n≥1) first feeder satellites are used to establish feeder links with the target ground station, where n is the number of connections that support the establishment of feeder links, which is the number of unconnected antennas of the target ground station.

[0006] In the above embodiments of this application, the number of neighbor links of the feeder satellite is used as a first constraint, and the visibility duration of the feeder satellite is used as a second constraint. Through these dual constraints, a first candidate set is first determined from the feeder satellite set, and then n first feeder satellites are selected based on the first candidate set to establish feeder links with the ground station. This application selects suitable feeder satellites from the feeder satellite set to establish feeder links through a dual-constraint approach, thereby reducing congestion in the feeder satellite area and increasing the service capacity of the satellite network, effectively allowing more services to converge at the ground station for forwarding via feeder links.

[0007] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, since the values ​​of m and n may differ, the method for determining the n first feeder satellites based on the number of m neighbor links and the m visibility durations will also differ. When m > n, the network device selects n first feeder satellites from the first candidate set based on the number of m neighbor links and the m visibility durations.

[0008] In the above embodiments of this application, since the number of first feeder satellites in the first candidate set is sufficient to establish a connection with the unconnected antenna of the target ground station, the network device only needs to determine n first feeder satellites based on the number of m neighbor links and m visibility durations, which is feasible.

[0009] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, when m < n, the network device can first identify feeder satellites connected to the first feeder satellite as second feeder satellites in the second candidate set. Then, it removes the first feeder satellites from the first candidate set and the second feeder satellites from the second candidate set, thus obtaining an updated feeder satellite set. It then determines whether the updated feeder satellite set is non-empty. If the updated feeder satellite set is non-empty, it uses this updated feeder satellite set as the new feeder satellite set, and repeats the steps described above for determining the number of neighbor links, the visibility duration, and the connection relationships between different feeder satellites in the feeder satellite set, until the new m ≥ n. Finally, it identifies n first feeder satellites from the new first candidate set, where the new m is the number of first feeder satellites included in the new first candidate set. The new first candidate set includes the first feeder satellites obtained in each round of the first candidate set.

[0010] In the above embodiments of this application, if m < n, it means that the number of first feeder satellites in the current first candidate set is insufficient to establish a connection with all the unconnected antennas of the target ground station. In this case, it is necessary to repeat the process until the number of first feeder satellites in the first candidate set m ≥ n, so that the determined first feeder satellites are distributed as much as possible in the satellite network to achieve the purpose of traffic balance. This situation is applicable to the case where there are many feeder satellites in the feeder satellite set.

[0011] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, since the new m may be equal to or greater than n, in the case where the new m > n, the way the network device determines n first feeder satellites from the new first candidate set may be: select n first feeder satellites from the new first candidate set based on the new number of m neighbor links and the new m visibility durations.

[0012] In the above embodiments of this application, since the number of first feeder satellites in the new first candidate set is sufficient to establish a connection with the unconnected antenna of the target ground station, the network device only needs to determine n first feeder satellites based on the new m neighbor links and the new m visibility durations, which is feasible.

[0013] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, when the new m=n, the way the network device determines the n first feeder satellites from the new first candidate set can be: determining all the first feeder satellites in the new first candidate set as the n first feeder satellites.

[0014] In the above embodiments of this application, since the number of first feeder satellites in the new first candidate set is exactly the same as the number of unconnected antennas of the target ground station, there is no need to compare based on the number of neighbor links and the visibility duration. All the first feeder satellites in the new first candidate set are directly used to establish feeder links with the target ground station, reducing the steps of mutual comparison and saving the operating time of network equipment.

[0015] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, when m < n, the network device may first identify feeder satellites connected to the first feeder satellite as second feeder satellites in the second candidate set. Then, the first feeder satellites included in the first candidate set and the second feeder satellites included in the second candidate set are deleted from the feeder satellite set, resulting in an updated feeder satellite set. The updated feeder satellite set is then checked for non-emptiness. If the updated feeder satellite set is non-empty, it is used as the new feeder satellite set, and the steps described above for determining the number of neighbor links, visibility duration, and connection relationships between different feeder satellites in the feeder satellite set are repeated until the last updated feeder satellite set is empty. Furthermore, when m < n, based on the number of neighbor links and visibility duration of each second feeder satellite included in the new second candidate set, nm second feeder satellites are selected and added to the new first candidate set (where m in nm is the new m), resulting in an updated first candidate set. The number of feeder satellites included in the updated first candidate set is then n. Ultimately, all the feeder satellites in the updated first candidate set were determined to be n first feeder satellites.

[0016] In the above embodiments of this application, if m < n, the process is repeated until the last updated set of feeding satellites is empty. If the new m is still less than n, then nm satellites are selected from the new second candidate set to be added to the first candidate set. This application uses the number of neighbor links as a first constraint and the visibility duration as a second constraint, selecting nm second feeding satellites from the new second candidate set through these dual constraints, thus providing flexibility.

[0017] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the network device selects nm second feeder satellites to add to the new first candidate set based on the number of neighbor links and visibility duration of each of the second feeder satellites included in the new second candidate set. This can be done by arranging the second feeder satellites included in the new second candidate set in descending order of the number of neighbor links, and arranging the second feeder satellites with the same number of neighbor links in descending order of visibility duration. Then, the first n-m second feeder satellites are selected from the arranged second feeder satellites and added to the new first candidate set.

[0018] In the above embodiments of this application, a specific method for selecting nm second feeder satellites is illustrated. The principle followed is: priority is given to selecting satellites with a large number of neighbor links; if the number of neighbor links is the same, priority is given to selecting satellites with longer visibility duration. That is, the number of neighbor links is used as a first constraint, fully considering the relatively dispersed location layout of feeder satellites to achieve traffic balance; visibility duration is used as a second constraint, which aims to select feeder satellites with longer satellite-to-ground link durations when the number of neighbor links is the same, thereby reducing the number of feeder link switching times.

[0019] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, when m=n, the network device determines all the first feed satellites in the first candidate set as n first feed satellites.

[0020] In the above embodiments of this application, since the number of first feeder satellites in the first candidate set is exactly the same as the number of unconnected antennas of the target ground station, there is no need to compare based on the number of neighbor links and the visibility duration. All the first feeder satellites in the first candidate set can be used directly to establish feeder links with the target ground station, reducing the steps of mutual comparison and saving the operating time of network equipment.

[0021] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, when m > n, the specific method by which the network device selects n first feeder satellites from the first candidate set based on the number of m neighbor links and the m visibility durations can be as follows: the m first feeder satellites in the first candidate set are arranged in descending order according to the value of the number of neighbor links, and the first feeder satellites with the same value of the number of neighbor links are arranged in descending order according to the value of the visibility duration. Then, the first n satellites are selected from the arranged first feeder satellites as the n first feeder satellites.

[0022] In the above embodiments of this application, a specific method for selecting n satellites from m first feeder satellites is illustrated. The principle followed is: priority is given to selecting satellites with a larger number of neighbor links; if the number of neighbor links is the same, priority is given to selecting satellites with longer visibility duration. That is, the number of neighbor links is used as a first constraint, and visibility duration is used as a second constraint. Through these dual constraints, the effects of traffic balancing and reducing the number of feeder link handovers are achieved.

[0023] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the network device determines the first candidate set based on the number of neighbor links and the connection relationship in the following way: First, select at least one feeder satellite with the largest number of neighbor links from the feeder satellite set. If there are at least two feeder satellites with the largest number of neighbor links, and there is a connection relationship between the first target feeder satellite and the second target feeder satellite, determine the first target feeder satellite as the first feeder satellite in the first candidate set. The visibility duration of the first target feeder satellite is greater than the visibility duration of the second target feeder satellite. The first target feeder satellite and the second target feeder satellite are two of the feeder satellites with the largest number of neighbor links.

[0024] In the above embodiments of this application, the number of neighbor links is used as a first constraint and the visibility duration is used as a second constraint to determine the first feeder satellite, so that the first feeder satellite in the first candidate set is distributed as much as possible in the satellite network and the visibility duration is as long as possible, thereby achieving the purpose of traffic balance and reducing the number of feeder link switching.

[0025] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the network device may determine the first candidate set based on the number of neighbor links and the connection relationship by: firstly, selecting at least one feeder satellite with the largest number of neighbor links from the feeder satellite set; if there are at least two feeder satellites with the largest number of neighbor links and there is no connection relationship between them, then all feeder satellites with the largest number of neighbor links shall be determined as the first feeder satellite in the first candidate set.

[0026] In the above embodiments of this application, the number of neighbor links is used as a constraint to determine the first feeder satellite, so that the first feeder satellites in the first candidate set are distributed as much as possible in the satellite network and are not connected to each other, thereby achieving the purpose of traffic balance.

[0027] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the number of connections supporting the establishment of the feed link can be the number of antennas of the target ground station at the initial network establishment time, or the number of antennas of the target ground station that disconnect the feed link at the time when the feed link of the target ground station is switched.

[0028] In the above embodiments of this application, the network construction and operation scenarios of the satellite network are comprehensively considered, and the purpose of efficient and unified selection of feeder satellites in multiple scenarios is achieved according to the number of feeder satellites that the target ground station can connect to in different scenarios.

[0029] A second aspect of this application provides a network device, which includes a first determining module, a second determining module, and a third determining module. The first determining module is used to determine the number of neighbor links of feeder satellites in a feeder satellite set, the visibility duration of the feeder satellites, and the connectivity relationships between the feeder satellites. The feeder satellite set is a collection of feeder satellites visible to a target ground station, and the neighbor links are the inter-satellite links among the multiple inter-satellite links of feeder satellites within the feeder satellite set that connect to other feeder satellites outside the feeder satellite set. The second determining module is used to determine the neighbor links and connectivity relationships based on the number of neighbor links and the connectivity relationships between the feeder satellites. The system determines a first candidate set, which includes m first feeder satellites with a number of neighbor links that meet a preset requirement. There are no connections between any two first feeder satellites, and m ≥ 1. The third determining module is used to determine n first feeder satellites based on the number of m neighbor links and the m visibility durations. The n first feeder satellites are used to establish feeder links with the target ground station. The number of m neighbor links is the number of neighbor links corresponding to each of the m first feeder satellites, the m visibility durations are the visibility durations corresponding to each of the m first feeder satellites, and n is the number of connections that support the establishment of feeder links, and n ≥ 1.

[0030] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the third determining module is specifically used to: select n first feeder satellites from the first candidate set when m > n, based on the number of m neighbor links and the m visibility durations.

[0031] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the third determining module is specifically used for: when m < n, determining a second candidate set based on a first candidate set, wherein the second feeder satellites included in the second candidate set have a connection relationship with the first feeder satellites; deleting the first feeder satellites included in the first candidate set and the second feeder satellites included in the second candidate set from the feeder satellite set to obtain an updated feeder satellite set; if the updated feeder satellite set is not empty, using the updated feeder satellite set as a new feeder satellite set, repeatedly executing the steps of determining the number of neighbor links of the feeder satellites in the feeder satellite set, the visibility duration of the feeder satellites, and the connection relationship between different feeder satellites, until the new m ≥ n, and determining n first feeder satellites from the new first candidate set, wherein the new m is the number of first feeder satellites included in the new first candidate set, and the new first candidate set includes the first feeder satellites obtained in each round of the first candidate set.

[0032] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the third determining module is specifically used to: select n first feeder satellites from the new first candidate set based on the new number of m neighbor links and the new m visibility durations when the new m > n.

[0033] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the third determining module is specifically used to: determine all the first feed satellites in the new first candidate set as n first feed satellites when the new m=n.

[0034] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the third determining module is specifically used for: when m < n, determining a second candidate set based on a first candidate set, wherein the second feeder satellites included in the second candidate set have a connection relationship with the first feeder satellites; deleting the first feeder satellites included in the first candidate set and the second feeder satellites included in the second candidate set from the feeder satellite set to obtain an updated feeder satellite set; if the updated feeder satellite set is not empty, using the updated feeder satellite set as a new feeder satellite set, and repeatedly executing the steps of determining the number of neighbor links of the feeder satellites in the feeder satellite set, the visibility duration of the feeder satellites, and the connection relationship between different feeder satellites, until the last updated feeder satellite set is empty; When m < n, based on the number of neighbor links and visibility duration of each of the second feeder satellites included in the new second candidate set, select nm second feeder satellites to add to the new first candidate set, resulting in an updated first candidate set. The new m is the number of first feeder satellites included in the new first candidate set. The new first candidate set includes the first feeder satellites obtained in each round of the first candidate set. The new second candidate set is the set of other feeder satellites besides the first feeder satellites among the visible feeder satellites. All feeder satellites in the updated first candidate set are determined to be n first feeder satellites.

[0035] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the third determining module is further configured to: arrange the second feeder satellites included in the new second candidate set in descending order according to the value of the number of neighbor links, and arrange the second feeder satellites with the same value of the number of neighbor links in descending order according to the value of the visibility duration; and select the first nm second feeder satellites from the arranged second feeder satellites and add them to the new first candidate set.

[0036] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the third determining module is specifically used to: determine all the first feed satellites in the first candidate set as n first feed satellites when m=n.

[0037] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the third determining module is further configured to: arrange the m first feeder satellites in descending order of the number of neighbor links, and arrange the first feeder satellites with the same number of neighbor links in descending order of the visibility duration; and select the first n from the arranged first feeder satellites as n first feeder satellites.

[0038] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the second determining module is specifically used to: select the feeder satellite with the largest number of neighbor links from the feeder satellite set; when there are at least two feeder satellites with the largest number of neighbor links, and there is a connection relationship between the first target feeder satellite and the second target feeder satellite, determine the first target feeder satellite as the first feeder satellite in the first candidate set, the visibility duration of the first target feeder satellite is greater than the visibility duration of the second target feeder satellite, and the first target feeder satellite and the second target feeder satellite are two of the feeder satellites with the largest number of neighbor links.

[0039] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the second determining module is specifically used to: select the feeder satellite with the largest number of neighbor links from the feeder satellite set; and when there are at least two feeder satellites with the largest number of neighbor links and there is no connection between them, determine all feeder satellites with the largest number of neighbor links as the first feeder satellite in the first candidate set.

[0040] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the number of connections supporting the establishment of the feed link includes: the number of antennas of the target ground station at the initial network establishment time; or, the number of antennas of the target ground station that disconnect the feed link at the time when the feed link of the target ground station is switched.

[0041] A third aspect of this application provides a network device that may include a memory, a processor, and a bus system. The memory is used to store a program, and the processor is used to call the program stored in the memory to execute the method of the first aspect of this application or any possible implementation thereof.

[0042] A fourth aspect of this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed on a computer, enable the computer to perform the methods described in the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0043] The fifth aspect of this application provides a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method described in the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0044] A sixth aspect of this application provides a chip including at least one processor and at least one interface circuit coupled to the processor. The interface circuit performs transceiver functions and sends instructions to the at least one processor. The at least one processor runs a computer program or instructions, having the functionality to implement the method described in the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof, or having the functionality to implement the method described in the second aspect or any possible implementation thereof. This functionality can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software, and the hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above-described functions. Furthermore, the interface circuit communicates with other modules outside the chip. For example, the interface circuit can send a first set of candidate devices obtained by the processor on the chip to a corresponding target ground station, which then plans the connection method of the power supply link. Attached Figure Description

[0045] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a network scenario provided for an embodiment of this application; Figure 2 A flowchart illustrating the method for determining a feeder satellite provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 3 A schematic diagram illustrating an example of marking a feeder satellite provided in this application embodiment; Figure 4 A schematic diagram illustrating the process of repeated execution until a new m≥n is provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 5 A schematic diagram illustrating the process of repeating execution until the last updated feeder satellite set is empty, as provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 6 Another flowchart illustrating the method for determining the feeder satellite provided in this application embodiment; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a specific implementation of sorting feeder satellites according to an embodiment of this application; Figure 8 A schematic diagram illustrating an example of sorting feeder satellites provided in this application embodiment; Figure 9 A schematic diagram illustrating an example of a sorted set of feeder satellites provided in this application embodiment; Figure 10 A schematic diagram illustrating an example of selecting n feed satellites from a sorted set of feed satellites to establish a feed link, as provided in this application embodiment; Figure 11 A schematic diagram of the structure of a network device provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 12This is another structural schematic diagram of the network device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0046] This application provides a method and network device for determining feeder satellites. It uses the number of neighbor links of a feeder satellite as a first constraint and the visibility duration of the feeder satellite as a second constraint. Through these dual constraints, a first candidate set is determined from the feeder satellite set. Then, based on the first candidate set, n first feeder satellites are selected to establish feeder links with ground stations. This application selects suitable feeder satellites from the feeder satellite set to establish feeder links through a dual-constraint approach, thereby reducing congestion in the feeder satellite area and increasing the service capacity of the satellite network. This effectively allows more services to converge at the ground station for forwarding via feeder links.

[0047] It should be understood that the terms "first," "second," "target," etc., used in this application are for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or order. Furthermore, for brevity and clarity, reference numerals and / or letters are repeated in several figures of this application. This repetition does not indicate a strict limiting relationship between the various embodiments and / or configurations. In addition, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to those elements, but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such processes, methods, products, or apparatus.

[0048] To better understand the solutions of the embodiments of this application, the relevant terms and concepts that may be involved in the embodiments of this application will be introduced below. It should be understood that the explanation of the relevant concepts may be limited due to the specific circumstances of the embodiments of this application, but it does not mean that this application can only be limited to that specific situation. The specific circumstances of different embodiments may also differ, and no specific limitation is made here.

[0049] (1) Feeding satellite

[0050] A feeder satellite is a satellite capable of establishing a feeder link with a ground station; the established satellite-to-ground link is called a feeder link.

[0051] (2) Feeding satellite collection

[0052] This refers to the collection of all feeder satellites within the line of sight of the ground station. Due to the dynamic nature of satellite networks, the ground station continuously selects a subset of feeder satellites from this collection to establish satellite-to-ground links.

[0053] (3) Neighbor links

[0054] In this application, a neighbor link refers to an inter-satellite link among the multiple inter-satellite links of a feeder satellite within a feeder satellite set that connects to other feeder satellites outside the feeder satellite set. In other words, it refers to an inter-satellite link among the multiple (e.g., 4) inter-satellite links of a feeder satellite that does not connect to other feeder satellites in the feeder satellite set to which the feeder satellite belongs. The number of such links is the number of neighbor links.

[0055] (4) Visible duration

[0056] The duration of satellite-to-ground communication between the satellite and the ground station.

[0057] The method for determining feeder satellites provided in this application can be applied to, for example... Figure 1 The diagram shows a network scenario. Figure 1 As shown, where Figure 1 The shaded area in the upper half represents the set of feeder satellites visible to the ground station, with varying degrees of brightness indicating the load on inter-satellite links. Due to cost considerations, ground stations minimize the number of antennas, making it impossible for them to establish satellite-to-ground links with all feeder satellites. Therefore, if feeder satellites are deployed too concentratedly in a specific area of ​​the satellite network, it will undoubtedly cause traffic aggregation within that area, potentially leading to network congestion.

[0058] To this end, this application selects suitable feeder satellites from the feeder satellite pool to establish feeder links by constraining both the number of neighbor links and the visibility duration. This reduces the congestion in the feeder satellite area and increases the service capacity of the satellite network, effectively allowing more services to converge at the ground station for forwarding through the feeder links.

[0059] Please refer to details. Figure 2 , Figure 2 A flowchart illustrating a method for determining a feeder satellite provided in an embodiment of this application is shown. The method may include the following steps: 201. Determine the number of neighbor links, visibility duration, and connectivity between feeder satellites in the feeder satellite set. The feeder satellite set is the collection of feeder satellites visible to the target ground station. The neighbor links are the inter-satellite links among the multiple inter-satellite links of feeder satellites within the feeder satellite set that connect to other feeder satellites outside the feeder satellite set.

[0060] First, the network equipment determines the number of neighbor links for each feeder satellite in the feeder satellite set, the visibility duration of each feeder satellite, and the connectivity between each feeder satellite and other feeder satellites in the feeder satellite set. Here, the feeder satellite set refers to the collection of feeder satellites within the line of sight of a given ground station (which can be called the target ground station). Neighbor links are the inter-satellite links among the multiple inter-satellite links of feeder satellites within the feeder satellite set that connect to other feeder satellites outside the feeder satellite set. The number of neighbor links can be derived based on the connectivity relationships between the feeder satellites.

[0061] It should be noted that, in some embodiments of this application, the number of neighboring links, visibility duration, and inter-satellite connectivity relationships of each feeder satellite in the feeder satellite set can be marked using, but is not limited to, the format "{'Satellite Name': [Number of Neighbor Links, Visibility Duration, [Feeder Satellites with Inter-Satellite Connections]]}". This marking method marks parameters such as the number of neighboring links, visibility duration, and inter-satellite connectivity relationships onto the corresponding feeder satellite in dictionary form, providing concise and effective parameter information and calling methods for subsequent work.

[0062] To facilitate understanding of the above marking method, examples are provided below. Please refer to the documentation for details. Figure 3 Assume that the feeder satellite set visible to ground station A in the current satellite network includes 8 feeder satellites, S1-S8, which can be denoted as feeder satellite set [S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6, S7, S8]. The abstract connection relationship of feeder satellites S1-S8 is as follows: Figure 3 As shown, based on the feeder satellites S1-S8, the visibility duration of each feeder satellite can be calculated (the specific calculation process is not detailed here); according to the connection relationship of feeder satellites S1-S8, the number of neighbor links for each feeder satellite can be calculated. Then, each feeder satellite in the feeder satellite set is marked using the format "{'Satellite Name': [Number of Neighbor Links, Visibility Duration, [Feeder Satellites with Inter-Satellite Connections]]}". The marking results are shown below. Figure 3 As shown.

[0063] It should also be noted that in the above embodiments of this application, the network device can be coupled to the target ground station, coupled to the feeder satellite in the satellite network, or deployed independently on the ground or in the satellite network. Specifically, this application does not limit the deployment method and physical form of the network device.

[0064] 202. Determine a first candidate set based on the number of neighbor links and the connection relationship. The first candidate set includes m first feeder satellites whose number of neighbor links meets the preset requirements. There is no connection between any two first feeder satellites.

[0065] Subsequently, the network device determines a candidate feeder satellite set including m feeder satellites based on the number of neighbor links and the obtained connection relationships. This candidate feeder satellite set can be called the first candidate set. The m (m≥1) feeder satellites included in the first candidate set can be called the first feeder satellite. The first feeder satellite needs to meet the following conditions: the number of neighbor links reaches the preset requirement (e.g., the maximum value, the preset value, etc.), and there is no connection between any two of them.

[0066] It should be noted that in some embodiments of this application, the network device determines the first candidate set based on the number of neighbor links and the connection relationship in the following ways: First, select at least one feeder satellite with the largest number of neighbor links from the feeder satellite set; then, determine the first candidate set based on the number of the selected at least one feeder satellite, their connection relationship, or visibility duration, etc. The following describes different scenarios separately: (1) The feeder satellite with the largest number of neighbor links selected from the feeder satellite set is 1.

[0067] In this case, the feeder satellite with the largest number of neighbor links is directly selected as the first feeder satellite in the first candidate set.

[0068] (2) The feeder satellites with the largest number of neighbor links selected from the feeder satellite set are multiple feeder satellites.

[0069] In this situation, it is necessary to further analyze the inter-satellite connectivity of the multiple feeder satellites with the largest number of neighbor links.

[0070] If there are connections between feeder satellites, the feeder satellite with the longer visibility duration is selected as the first feeder satellite in the first candidate set, while feeder satellites with shorter visibility durations are temporarily disregarded. In this application, this process ensures that there are no connections between any two of the first feeder satellites in the first candidate set, thus achieving traffic balancing (preventing the concentration of service data). Furthermore, selecting the first feeder satellite with the longer visibility duration from those with connections reduces the number of feeder link switching operations.

[0071] If there are no connections between any two feeder satellites, then the feeder satellites with the largest number of neighbor links are all selected as the first feeder satellites in the first candidate set. In this application, this process also ensures that there are no connections between any two of the first feeder satellites in the first candidate set, thereby achieving the effect of traffic balancing.

[0072] In this embodiment, a neighbor link is defined as an inter-satellite link among multiple inter-satellite links of a feeder satellite within a feeder satellite set that connects to other feeder satellites outside the feeder satellite set. Therefore, selecting the feeder satellite with the largest number of neighbor links from the feeder satellite set fully considers the relatively dispersed location layout of the feeder satellites to achieve traffic balance.

[0073] To facilitate understanding of the process of determining the first candidate set, the following will continue with... Figure 3 For example, let's take it as an illustration. Figure 3 The labeling results show that the comparison of the number of neighbor links for feeder satellites S1-S8 is as follows: S1=S8>S4=S5=S7>S2=S3>S6. From this comparison, we can see that the feeder satellites with the largest number of neighbor links are S1 and S8 (both S1 and S8 have 3 neighbor links). Figure 3 From the connection relationship of the feeder satellite set, it can be seen that there is no connection relationship between S1 and S8. Therefore, S1 and S8 are both determined as the first feeder satellite in the first candidate set (i.e., m=2), that is, the first candidate set is [S1, S8].

[0074] 203. Based on the number of m neighbor links and the m visibility durations, determine n first feeder satellites. The n first feeder satellites are used to establish feeder links with the target ground station, where n is the number of connections that support the establishment of feeder links.

[0075] After determining the first candidate set, the network device further determines n first feeder satellites based on the number of m neighbor links and the m visibility durations. The number of m neighbor links is the number of neighbor links corresponding to each of the m first feeder satellites in the first candidate set, and the m visibility durations are the visibility durations corresponding to each of the m first feeder satellites in the first candidate set. Here, n (n≥1) first feeder satellites are used to establish feeder links with the target ground station, where n is the number of connections supporting the establishment of feeder links (i.e., the number of antennas not connected at the target ground station). For example, n could be the number of antennas at the target ground station at the initial network establishment time; n could also be the number of antennas at the target ground station whose feeder links are disconnected at the time of feeder link switching. This application does not specifically limit the specific number of antennas in this regard.

[0076] In this application, since n is the number of connections that support the establishment of feeder links, it comprehensively considers the network construction and operation scenarios of the satellite network. Based on the number of feeder satellites that the target ground station can connect to in different scenarios, n first feeder satellites are determined according to the number of m neighbor links and m visibility durations, so as to efficiently achieve the purpose of selecting feeder satellites.

[0077] It should be noted that, in the embodiments of this application, since the values ​​of m and n may be different, the methods for determining n first feeder satellites based on the number of m neighbor links and m visibility durations will also be different, and will be described separately below: (1) The case where m > n In this scenario, the network device selects n first feeder satellites from the first candidate set based on the number of m neighbor links and the m visibility durations. In this application, since the number of first feeder satellites in the first candidate set is sufficient to establish connections with the unconnected antennas of the target ground station, the network device only needs to determine the n first feeder satellites based on the number of m neighbor links and the m visibility durations.

[0078] In this embodiment, the principle for selecting n first feeder satellites is: priority is given to those with a larger number of neighbor links; if the number of neighbor links is the same, priority is given to those with longer visibility duration. That is, the number of neighbor links is used as a primary constraint, and visibility duration as a secondary constraint. These dual constraints are used to rank the m first feeder satellites in the first candidate set, and based on the ranking result, n first feeder satellites are selected to establish feeder links. In this application, the number of neighbor links as a primary constraint fully considers the relatively dispersed location layout of the feeder satellites to achieve traffic balance; the visibility duration as a secondary constraint ensures that when the number of neighbor links is the same, feeder satellites with longer satellite-to-ground link durations are selected to reduce the number of satellite-to-ground link handovers.

[0079] As an example, the m first feeder satellites in the first candidate set can be arranged in descending order of the number of neighbor links, and the first feeder satellites with the same number of neighbor links can be arranged in descending order of the visibility duration. Then, the first n satellites are selected from the arranged first feeder satellites as the n first feeder satellites.

[0080] (2) The case where m = n

[0081] In this case, if the number of first feeder satellites in the first candidate set is the same as the number of connections supporting the establishment of feeder links (that is, the number of unconnected antennas of the target ground station), then the network device can determine all the first feeder satellites in the first candidate set as the n first feeder satellites.

[0082] (3) The case where m < n

[0083] In this case, it indicates that the number of first feeder satellites in the current first candidate set is insufficient to establish connections with all unconnected antennas of the target ground station. Therefore, the network device can first determine the second candidate set based on the first candidate set. The determination method can be: determining the feeder satellites with connection relationships with the first feeder satellites as the second feeder satellites in the second candidate set. Then, the first feeder satellites included in the first candidate set and the second feeder satellites included in the second candidate set are deleted from the feeder satellite set, thereby obtaining an updated feeder satellite set. It is then determined whether the updated feeder satellite set is non-empty. If the updated feeder satellite set is non-empty, the updated feeder satellite set is used as the new feeder satellite set, and steps 201-202 above are repeated until the termination condition for repeated execution is met. In the embodiments of this application, the termination condition for repeated execution includes, but is not limited to: A. Repeat steps 201-202 above until the new m≥n.

[0084] This approach applies when there are a large number of feeder satellites in the feeder satellite set. In this case, the network device repeats steps 201-202 above until the new m ≥ n, and then determines n first feeder satellites from the new first candidate set. Here, the new m can be denoted as m', where m' is the number of first feeder satellites included in the new first candidate set, which comprises the first feeder satellites obtained in each round.

[0085] For example, suppose the first candidate set P1 obtained from the first execution of steps 201-202 (i.e., the first round) includes 2 first feeder satellites; the first candidate set P2 obtained from the second execution of steps 201-202 (i.e., the second round) includes 1 first feeder satellite; and the first candidate set P3 obtained from the third execution of steps 201-202 (i.e., the third round) includes 3 first feeder satellites. Also suppose n=5, then when the network device completes the third round, m'=2+1+3=6>n, and the network device stops repeating steps 201-202. At this point, the new first candidate set P=P1∪P2∪P3.

[0086] To better understand the process of repeating the above steps until a new m≥n is reached, please refer to [link / reference needed]. Figure 4 Assuming ground station A supports establishing a power supply link for a number of connections n=3, then... Figure 4 As shown in the initial connection diagram of the feed satellites in the feed satellite set (first round), the feed satellite set is [S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6, S7, S8], and the labeling results of each feed satellite are as follows: Figure 3As shown. Therefore, the first candidate set is [S1, S8], and the feeder satellite connected to S1 is S2, which can be denoted as S1-S2; the feeder satellite connected to S8 is S6, which can be denoted as S8-S6. Therefore, the second candidate set is [S2, S6]. Removing feeder satellites S1 and S8 from the first candidate set and S2 and S6 from the second candidate set from the feeder satellite set [S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6, S7, S8] results in an updated feeder satellite set [S3, S4, S5, S7]. Since this updated feeder satellite set is non-empty, the labeling results of each feeder satellite can be determined from the connection relationship diagram (second round) of the updated feeder satellite set, as shown below. Figure 4 As shown, steps 201-202 are then executed. The first feeder satellite obtained in the second round is S5 (because the number of neighbor links S5 > S7 = S3 > S4, and S5 is not connected to any other feeder satellite in the updated feeder satellite set). Therefore, the new first candidate set is [S8, S1, S5], and m' = 3. Since n = 3 (i.e., the new m = n), the termination condition for the network device to stop repeatedly executing steps 201-202 is met. Therefore, the network device stops repeatedly executing steps 201-202 and determines n first feeder satellites based on the new first candidate set [S8, S1, S5].

[0087] It should be noted that in the embodiments of this application, the result of the network device repeatedly executing steps 201-202 may be that when the iteration termination condition is reached, the new m=n (i.e., m'=n), as described above. Figure 4 As shown, the result of the network device repeatedly executing steps 201-202 may also be that when the iteration termination condition is reached, the new m > n (i.e., m' > n). For example, after the network device completes three rounds, m' = 2 + 1 + 3 = 6 > n. Since the values ​​of m' and n may be different, the methods for determining n first feed satellites from the new first candidate set are also different, which will be described below: Cases where a, m' > n In this scenario, the network device can determine n first feeder satellites from the new first candidate set by selecting n first feeder satellites from the new first candidate set based on the new number of m neighbor links and the new m visibility durations. In this application, this selection method is similar to the method described above where, in the case of m > n, the network device selects n first feeder satellites from the first candidate set based on the number of m neighbor links and the m visibility durations; details can be found in the above description and will not be repeated here.

[0088] b. Case where m' = n

[0089] In this case, if the number of first feeder satellites in the new first candidate set is the same as the number of connections supporting the establishment of feeder links, then the network device can determine all the first feeder satellites in the new first candidate set as the n first feeder satellites.

[0090] B. Repeat steps 201-202 above until the last updated feeder satellite set is empty.

[0091] This approach applies when there are few feeder satellites in the feeder satellite set. In this case, the network device repeats steps 201-202 until the last updated feeder satellite set is empty, and the number of first feeder satellites in the new first candidate set is m' < n. At this point, based on the number of neighbor links and visibility duration of each second feeder satellite included in the new second candidate set, nm' second feeder satellites are selected and added to the new first candidate set, resulting in an updated first candidate set. The number of feeder satellites included in the updated first candidate set is then n. Finally, all feeder satellites in the updated first candidate set (including the first feeder satellites already in the new first candidate set and the nm' ​​second feeder satellites added to the new first candidate set) are determined to be the n first feeder satellites.

[0092] Similarly, m' represents the number of first feeder satellites included in the new first candidate set, which includes the first feeder satellites obtained in each round. The new second candidate set is the set of other feeder satellites in the initial feeder satellite set, excluding the first feeder satellites. For example, assuming the initial feeder satellite set is [S1,S2,S3,S4,S5,S6,S7,S8], and the new first candidate set is [S1,S2,S3,S4,S5], then the new second candidate set is [S6,S7,S8].

[0093] To better understand the process of repeating the above steps until the last updated feeder satellite set is empty, please refer to the following document. Figure 5 Assuming ground station A supports establishing a power supply link connection of n=6, in Figure 5 In the process of execution in the first and second rounds, and Figure 4Similarly, this will not be elaborated upon here. After the second round, m'=3, which is still less than n. Therefore, the network device continues to execute the third round. The first feeder satellites obtained in the third round are S7 and S3 (because the number of neighbor links S7=S3>S4, and S3 and S7 are not connected). Therefore, the new first candidate set is [S8,S1,S5,S7,S3], m'=5, which is still less than n. However, the new second candidate set is [S2,S6,S4]. The updated feeder satellite set is empty, which meets the termination condition for the network device to stop repeatedly executing steps 201-202. Therefore, the network device stops repeatedly executing steps 201-202 and selects one (i.e., nm') second feeder satellites from the new second candidate set [S2,S6,S4] based on the number of neighbor links and the visibility duration of each second feeder satellite, and adds them to the new first candidate set. The updated first candidate set includes 6 feeder satellites.

[0094] It should be noted that in some embodiments of this application, the method of selecting n-m' second feeder satellites from the new second candidate set based on the number of neighbor links and the visibility duration of each of the second feeder satellites included in the new second candidate set can be similar to the method of selecting n first feeder satellites from the first candidate set based on the number of m neighbor links and m visibility durations when m>n. For details, please refer to the above description, which will not be repeated here.

[0095] As an example, the second feeder satellites included in the new second candidate set can be arranged in descending order of the number of neighbor links, and the second feeder satellites with the same number of neighbor links can be arranged in descending order of the visibility duration. Then, the first n-m' second feeder satellites from the arranged second feeder satellites can be added to the new first candidate set.

[0096] For ease of understanding, we will still use Figure 5 Taking the example of the third round, we know that the new second candidate set is [S2,S6,S4]. First, we compare the number of neighbor links of S2, S6, and S4 and find that S4>S2>S6. Considering that the number of neighbor links under the first constraint has already been obtained, we do not need to compare the visibility duration. Since m'=5 and n=6 obtained in the third round, we select S4 from the second candidate set [S2,S6,S4] to add to the new first candidate set. At this time, the updated first candidate set is [S8,S1,S5,S7,S3,S4].

[0097] It should be noted that, in the above Figure 2In the corresponding implementation, a first candidate set including m first feeder satellites is first constructed, and then the specific implementation method of the n first feeder satellites used to establish a feeder link with the target ground station is determined by comparing the size of m and n.

[0098] In other embodiments of this application, the feed satellites in the feed satellite set can be sorted first according to the number of neighbor links, visibility duration, and connection relationships of each feed satellite, resulting in a sorted feed satellite set. Then, based on the number n connections n that the target ground station supports for establishing feed links, n feed satellites can be selected from the sorted feed satellite set to establish feed links with the target ground station. Please refer to [link details]. Figure 6 , Figure 6 Another flowchart illustrating the method for determining a feeder satellite provided in an embodiment of this application, the method may include the following steps: 601. Determine the number of neighbor links, visibility duration, and connectivity between feeder satellites in the feeder satellite set. The feeder satellite set is the collection of feeder satellites visible to the target ground station. The neighbor links are the inter-satellite links among the multiple inter-satellite links of feeder satellites within the feeder satellite set that connect to other feeder satellites outside the feeder satellite set.

[0099] This step is similar to step 201 above. Please refer to the description of step 201 above for details. It will not be repeated here.

[0100] 602. Sort the feeder satellites in the feeder satellite set according to the number of neighbor links, visibility duration, and connection relationship to obtain the sorted feeder satellite set.

[0101] Subsequently, the network device reorders the feed satellites in the feed satellite set based on the number of neighbor links, visibility duration, and connectivity, resulting in a sorted feed satellite set. It should be noted that, in this application, one specific implementation of the sorting can be as follows: Figure 7 As shown, this implementation method may include the following steps: 1.1. The network device obtains a set of feeder satellites with the marking results according to the marking method described in step 201.

[0102] 1.2. Based on the tagging results, the network device selects the feeder satellite with the largest number of neighbor links from the feeder satellite set.

[0103] 1.3. Network devices statistically analyze the connection relationships of the selected feeder satellites.

[0104] 1.4. The network device determines the feeder satellites in the first candidate set: If there is a connection between the feeder satellites with the largest number of neighbor links, the feeder satellites with longer visibility durations are placed in the first candidate set (to avoid connections between the selected feeder satellites), and the feeder satellites with shorter visibility durations are placed in the second candidate set; if there is no connection between the feeder satellites with the largest number of neighbor links, all feeder satellites without connections are placed in the first candidate set.

[0105] 1.5. Network devices determine the order of feeder satellites in the first candidate set: Feeder satellites in the first candidate set are first sorted from largest to smallest according to the number of neighbor links, and feeder satellites with the same number of neighbor links are then sorted from longest to shortest according to their visibility duration.

[0106] 1.6. Determine a second set of network equipment that will not be considered for the time being: Place the feeder satellites connected to the feeder satellites in the first set of feeder satellites into the second set of feeder satellites.

[0107] 1.7. The network device removes feed satellites from the initial feed satellite set from both the first and second candidate sets, updates the feed satellite set, and determines whether the new feed satellite set is empty. If it is not empty, the device repeatedly executes step 1.1 based on the new feed satellite set. If it is empty, the device executes step 8.1.8.

[0108] 1.8. The network device sorts all feeder satellites in the second candidate set based on the number of neighbor links and the visibility duration.

[0109] 1.9. The network device adds the feeder satellites from the second candidate set to the end of the first candidate set in the order arranged in 1.8, thus completing the construction of the first candidate set. The constructed first candidate set is the sorted set of feeder satellites.

[0110] 603. Select n first feed satellites from the sorted set of feed satellites. These n first feed satellites are used to establish feed links with the target ground station, where n is the number of connections that support the establishment of feed links.

[0111] After obtaining the sorted set of feeder satellites, the network device selects n feeder satellites from the sorted set as the first feeder satellites for establishing a feeder link with the target ground station, where n is the number of connections that support the establishment of the feeder link. Specifically, this can be done at the initial network setup time when the target ground station and the satellite network have not yet established a satellite-to-ground link, where the network device selects a corresponding number of feeder satellites from the sorted set based on the number of antennas at the target ground station; or it can be done at the time of feeder link switching, where the network device selects a corresponding number of feeder satellites from the sorted set based on the number of remaining unconnected antennas at the target ground station. This application does not impose any specific limitations on this method.

[0112] In the above Figure 6 In the corresponding implementation, the number of neighbor links is used as a first constraint, and the visibility duration of the feeder satellites is used as a second constraint. These dual constraints are used to sort the feeder satellite set, constructing a sorted feeder satellite set. Finally, based on the number n connections n that the target ground station supports for establishing feeder links, n feeder satellites are selected from the sorted feeder satellite set to establish feeder links with the target ground station. In this application, the selection of feeder satellites comprehensively considers both the scenario where the ground station has not established feeder links in the early stages of satellite network construction and the scenario where feeder links are switched during satellite network operation. In different scenarios, according to the number of antennas of the remaining connected satellites at the ground station, a corresponding number of feeder satellites are selected sequentially from the sorted feeder satellite set to establish feeder links, achieving an efficient and unified selection method for multiple scenarios.

[0113] To facilitate understanding of the above Figure 6 The corresponding implementation methods are illustrated below. Please refer to the examples for details. Figure 8 , Figure 8 and Figure 5 The process is basically the same; for specific execution details, please refer to the above. Figure 5 The description of that will not be repeated here. Only the differences between the two will be explained: Figure 8In the first round of feeder satellite selection, the network device selects the feeder satellites with the largest number of neighbor links, namely S1 and S8. Since there is no connection between these two feeder satellites, connection determination is not required. Because the visibility duration of S8 is greater than that of S1, the two feeder satellites are placed into the first candidate set in the order [S8, S1]. Simultaneously, based on the connection relationships of the two feeder satellites, the satellites [S2, S6] are temporarily disregarded, and [S2, S6] becomes the second candidate set. The feeder satellites from the first candidate set and the second candidate set are then removed from the initial feeder satellite set, thus updating the feeder satellite set to [S3, S4, S7, S5]. If the updated feed satellite set is determined to be non-empty, the above operation is continued and the feed satellite set is updated to [S3,S4,S7]. If the updated feed satellite set is still non-empty, the loop continues until the feed satellite set is empty. At this point, the second candidate set is finally obtained as [S2,S6,S4].

[0114] Since the updated feeder satellite set is empty, the second candidate set is [S2, S6, S4]. First, the number of neighbor links for these three feeder satellites is compared, resulting in S4 > S2 > S6. Considering the neighbor link count for the first constraint has already been determined, there's no need to compare visibility durations again. Therefore, the three satellites are added to the first candidate set in the order [S4, S2, S6], resulting in the final first candidate set [S8, S1, S5, S7, S3, S4, S2, S6]. This means the sorted feeder satellite set is [S8, S1, S5, S7, S3, S4, S2, S6]. The flowchart for this process is as follows: Figure 9 As shown. At the initial network setup time before ground station A establishes a satellite link with the satellite network, ground station A can see feed satellites S1-S8. Based on the final sorted sequence [S8, S1, S5, S7, S3, S4, S2, S6], and given that ground station A currently only has 4 antennas (i.e., 4 feed satellites are selected), the first four satellites from this sorted set—S8, S1, S5, and S7—are chosen as the feed satellites ultimately used to establish feed links with these 4 antennas. Specifically, as shown... Figure 10 As shown.

[0115] In summary, Figure 5 and Figure 8 The difference is: in Figure 5 In this process, regardless of the round executed, for the first feeder satellite with the largest number of neighbor links, it is only necessary to compare whether there is a connection relationship between the first feeder satellites. If there is no connection relationship, all of them are stored in the first candidate set; if there is a connection relationship, only the first feeder satellite with the longest visibility time is stored in the first candidate set. And... Figure 8In the process, for the feeder satellite with the largest number of neighbor links selected, it is necessary not only to compare whether there are connections between the feeder satellites, but also to compare their visibility duration. For details of the comparison process, please refer to the above. Figure 7 The description of the corresponding embodiments will not be repeated here. In summary, the principle followed is: the larger the number of neighbor links, the higher the number; if the number of neighbor links is the same, the longer the visibility time, the higher the number.

[0116] Based on the above embodiments, in order to better implement the above solutions of this application, a network device for implementing the above solutions is also provided below. See details. Figure 11 , Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of a network device provided in an embodiment of this application. The network device 1100 may specifically include: a first determining module 1101, a second determining module 1102, and a third determining module 1103. The first determining module 1101 is used to determine the number of neighbor links of the feeder satellites in the feeder satellite set, the visibility duration of the feeder satellites, and the connection relationship between the feeder satellites. The second determining module 1102 is used to determine a first candidate set based on the number of neighbor links and the connection relationship. The first candidate set includes m first feeder satellites whose number of neighbor links reaches a preset requirement, and there is no connection between any two first feeder satellites. The third determining module 1103 is used to determine n first feeder satellites based on the number of m neighbor links and the m visibility duration. The n first feeder satellites are used to establish feeder links with the target ground station.

[0117] In other embodiments of this application, the modules of network device 1100 are also used to perform some or all of the functions that the network device can perform in the aforementioned satellite feeding determination method. The information interaction and execution process between the modules of network device 1100 are similar to those described in this application. Figure 2 and Figure 6 The corresponding method embodiments are based on the same concept, and the specific details can be found in the description of the method embodiments shown above in this application, which will not be repeated here. For example, the third determining module 1103 is specifically used to: select n first feeding satellites from the first candidate set when m > n, based on the number of m neighbor links and m visibility durations.

[0118] This application also provides a network device; please refer to [link / reference]. Figure 12 , Figure 12 This is another schematic diagram of the network device provided in an embodiment of this application. The network device 1200 may be deployed with Figure 11 The various modules of the network device 1100 described in the corresponding embodiments are used to implement Figure 11Corresponding to the functionality of network device 1100 in the embodiment, specifically, network device 1200 is implemented by one or more servers. Network device 1200 can vary significantly due to different configurations or performance, and may include one or more central processing units (CPUs) 1222 and memory 1232, and one or more storage media 1230 (e.g., one or more storage devices) for storing application programs 1242 or data 1244. The memory 1232 and storage media 1230 can be temporary or persistent storage. The program stored in storage media 1230 may include one or more modules (not shown in the figure), each module including a series of instruction operations on network device 1200. Furthermore, the CPU 1222 may be configured to communicate with storage media 1230 and execute the series of instruction operations in storage media 1230 on network device 1200.

[0119] The network device 1200 may also include one or more power supplies 1226, one or more wired or wireless network interfaces 1250, one or more input / output interfaces 1258, and / or one or more operating systems 1241, such as Windows Server™, Mac OS X™, Unix™, Linux™, FreeBSD™, etc.

[0120] In this embodiment of the application, the central processing unit 1222 is used to execute... Figure 2 or Figure 6 The method for determining feeder satellites executed by the network device in the corresponding embodiment. For example, the central processing unit 1222 is used to: determine the number of neighbor links of feeder satellites in the feeder satellite set, the visibility duration of feeder satellites, and the connection relationship between feeder satellites; and determine a first candidate set based on the number of neighbor links and the connection relationship, the first candidate set including m first feeder satellites with a preset number of neighbor links, and no connection between any two first feeder satellites. Finally, n first feeder satellites are determined based on the number of m neighbor links and the m visibility duration, and the n first feeder satellites are used to establish feeder links with the target ground station, where n is the number of connections that support the establishment of feeder links.

[0121] It should be noted that the specific manner in which the central processing unit 1222 executes the above steps is different from that in this application. Figure 2 or Figure 6 The corresponding method embodiments are based on the same concept, and the technical effects they bring are the same as those in the above embodiments of this application. For details, please refer to the description in the method embodiments shown above in this application, which will not be repeated here.

[0122] This application also provides a digital processing chip. This digital processing chip integrates circuitry for implementing the functions of the aforementioned central processing unit 1222 and one or more interfaces. When a memory is integrated into the digital processing chip, it can perform the method steps of any one or more of the foregoing embodiments.

[0123] The above are merely specific embodiments of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A method for determining a feeder satellite, characterized in that, include: The number of neighbor links of the feeder satellites in the feeder satellite set, the visibility duration of the feeder satellites, and the connection relationship between the feeder satellites are determined. The feeder satellite set is a collection of feeder satellites visible to the target ground station. The neighbor links are the inter-satellite links among the multiple inter-satellite links of the feeder satellites in the feeder satellite set that connect to other feeder satellites outside the feeder satellite set. A first candidate set is determined based on the number of neighbor links and the connection relationship. The first candidate set includes m first feeder satellites whose number of neighbor links reaches a preset requirement. There is no connection between any two of the first feeder satellites, and m≥1. n first feeder satellites are determined based on the number of m neighbor links and the m visibility durations. The number of neighbor links is used as a primary constraint, and the visibility duration as a secondary constraint. The m first feeder satellites are sorted using these constraints, and the n first feeder satellites are selected based on the sorting results. The primary constraint prioritizes satellites with a larger number of neighbor links, and the secondary constraint prioritizes satellites with longer visibility durations if the number of neighbor links is the same. These n first feeder satellites are used to establish feeder links with the target ground station. The number of m neighbor links refers to the number of neighbor links corresponding to each of the m first feeder satellites, and the m visibility durations refer to the visibility durations corresponding to each of the m first feeder satellites. n is the number of connections that support the establishment of feeder links, and n≥1.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The process of determining n first feeder satellites based on the number of m neighbor links and m visibility durations includes: In the case where m > n, n first feeder satellites are selected from the first candidate set based on the number of m neighbor links and the m visibility durations.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The process of determining n first feeder satellites based on the number of m neighbor links and m visibility durations includes: When m < n, a second set of candidates is determined based on the first set of candidates, wherein the second set of candidates includes a second feeder satellite that has a connection relationship with the first feeder satellite; The first feeder satellite included in the first candidate set and the second feeder satellite included in the second candidate set are deleted from the feeder satellite set to obtain an updated feeder satellite set; If the updated feed satellite set is not empty, the updated feed satellite set is used as the new feed satellite set. The steps of determining the number of neighbor links of the feed satellites in the feed satellite set, the visibility duration of the feed satellites, and the connection relationship between different feed satellites are repeated until the new m ≥ n. Then, n first feed satellites are determined from the new first candidate set, where the new m is the number of first feed satellites included in the new first candidate set. The new first candidate set includes the first feed satellites obtained in each round of the first candidate set.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The process of determining n first feeder satellites from the new first candidate set includes: In the case where the new m > n, n first feeder satellites are selected from the new first candidate set based on the new number of m neighbor links and the new m visibility durations.

5. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The process of determining n first feeder satellites from the new first candidate set includes: In the case of the new m=n, all the first feed satellites in the new first candidate set are determined as the n first feed satellites.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The process of determining n first feeder satellites based on the number of m neighbor links and m visibility durations includes: When m < n, a second set of candidates is determined based on the first set of candidates, wherein the second set of candidates includes a second feeder satellite that has a connection relationship with the first feeder satellite; The first feeder satellite included in the first candidate set and the second feeder satellite included in the second candidate set are deleted from the feeder satellite set to obtain an updated feeder satellite set; If the updated feed satellite set is not empty, the updated feed satellite set is used as the new feed satellite set, and the steps of determining the number of neighbor links of the feed satellites in the feed satellite set, the visibility duration of the feed satellites, and the connection relationship between different feed satellites are repeated until the last updated feed satellite set is empty. When m < n, based on the number of neighbor links and visibility duration of each of the second feeder satellites included in the new second candidate set, nm second feeder satellites are selected and added to the new first candidate set to obtain the updated first candidate set. The new m is the number of first feeder satellites included in the new first candidate set. The new first candidate set includes the first feeder satellites obtained in each round of the first candidate set. The new second candidate set is the set of other feeder satellites in the visible feeder satellites besides the first feeder satellites. All feeder satellites in the updated first candidate set are identified as the n first feeder satellites.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The step of selecting nm second feeder satellites to add to the new first candidate set based on the number of neighbor links and visibility duration of each second feeder satellite included in the new second candidate set includes: The second feeder satellites included in the new second candidate set are arranged in descending order of the number of neighbor links, and the second feeder satellites with the same number of neighbor links are arranged in descending order of the visibility duration. The first nm second feed satellites are selected from the arranged second feed satellites and added to the new first candidate set.

8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The process of determining n first feeder satellites based on the number of m neighbor links and m visibility durations includes: When m=n, all the first feed satellites in the first candidate set are determined as the n first feed satellites.

9. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The step of selecting n first feeder satellites from the first candidate set based on the number of m neighbor links and the m visibility durations includes: The m first feeder satellites are arranged in descending order of the number of neighbor links, and the first feeder satellites with the same number of neighbor links are arranged in descending order of the visibility duration. The first n satellites are selected from the arranged first feed satellites as the n first feed satellites.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, Determining the first candidate set based on the number of neighbor links and the connection relationship includes: Select the feeder satellite with the largest number of neighbor links from the set of feeder satellites; If there are at least two feeder satellites with the largest number of neighbor links, and there is a connection between the first target feeder satellite and the second target feeder satellite, the first target feeder satellite is determined as the first feeder satellite in the first candidate set. The visibility duration of the first target feeder satellite is greater than that of the second target feeder satellite. The first target feeder satellite and the second target feeder satellite are two of the feeder satellites with the largest number of neighbor links.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, Determining the first candidate set based on the number of neighbor links and the connection relationship includes: Select the feeder satellite with the largest number of neighbor links from the set of feeder satellites; If there are at least two feeder satellites with the largest number of neighbor links, and there is no connection between any two of them, then all feeder satellites with the largest number of neighbor links will be determined as the first feeder satellites in the first candidate set.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, The number of connections that support the establishment of power supply links includes: The number of antennas of the target ground station at the initial network establishment time; or, The number of antennas whose power supply links to the target ground station are disconnected at the time the power supply link to the target ground station is switched.

13. A network device, characterized in that, include: The first determining module is used to determine the number of neighbor links of the feeder satellites in the feeder satellite set, the visibility duration of the feeder satellites, and the connection relationship between the feeder satellites. The feeder satellite set is a collection of feeder satellites visible to the target ground station. The neighbor links are the inter-satellite links among the multiple inter-satellite links of the feeder satellites in the feeder satellite set that connect to other feeder satellites outside the feeder satellite set. The second determining module is used to determine a first candidate set based on the number of neighbor links and the connection relationship. The first candidate set includes m first feeder satellites whose number of neighbor links reaches a preset requirement. The first feeder satellites are not connected to each other, and m≥1. The third determining module is used to determine n first feeder satellites based on the number of m neighbor links and the m visibility durations. The number of neighbor links is used as a primary constraint, and the visibility duration as a secondary constraint. The m first feeder satellites are sorted using these constraints, and the n first feeder satellites are selected based on the sorting results. The primary constraint prioritizes satellites with a larger number of neighbor links, and the secondary constraint prioritizes satellites with longer visibility durations if the number of neighbor links is the same. The n first feeder satellites are used to establish feeder links with the target ground station. The number of m neighbor links refers to the number of neighbor links corresponding to each of the m first feeder satellites, and the m visibility durations refer to the visibility durations corresponding to each of the m first feeder satellites. n is the number of connections that support the establishment of feeder links, and n≥1.

14. The network device according to claim 13, characterized in that, The third determining module is specifically used for: In the case where m > n, n first feeder satellites are selected from the first candidate set based on the number of m neighbor links and the m visibility durations.

15. The network device according to claim 13, characterized in that, The third determining module is specifically used for: When m < n, a second set of candidates is determined based on the first set of candidates, wherein the second set of candidates includes a second feeder satellite that has a connection relationship with the first feeder satellite; The first feeder satellite included in the first candidate set and the second feeder satellite included in the second candidate set are deleted from the feeder satellite set to obtain an updated feeder satellite set; If the updated feed satellite set is not empty, the updated feed satellite set is used as the new feed satellite set. The steps of determining the number of neighbor links of the feed satellites in the feed satellite set, the visibility duration of the feed satellites, and the connection relationship between different feed satellites are repeated until the new m ≥ n. Then, n first feed satellites are determined from the new first candidate set, where the new m is the number of first feed satellites included in the new first candidate set. The new first candidate set includes the first feed satellites obtained in each round of the first candidate set.

16. The network device according to claim 15, characterized in that, The third determining module is further configured to: In the case where the new m > n, n first feeder satellites are selected from the new first candidate set based on the new number of m neighbor links and the new m visibility durations.

17. The network device according to claim 15, characterized in that, The third determining module is further configured to: In the case of the new m=n, all the first feed satellites in the new first candidate set are determined as the n first feed satellites.

18. The network device according to claim 13, characterized in that, The third determining module is specifically used for: When m < n, a second set of candidates is determined based on the first set of candidates, wherein the second set of candidates includes a second feeder satellite that has a connection relationship with the first feeder satellite; The first feeder satellite included in the first candidate set and the second feeder satellite included in the second candidate set are deleted from the feeder satellite set to obtain an updated feeder satellite set; If the updated feed satellite set is not empty, the updated feed satellite set is used as the new feed satellite set, and the steps of determining the number of neighbor links of the feed satellites in the feed satellite set, the visibility duration of the feed satellites, and the connection relationship between different feed satellites are repeated until the last updated feed satellite set is empty. When m < n, based on the number of neighbor links and visibility duration of each of the second feeder satellites included in the new second candidate set, nm second feeder satellites are selected and added to the new first candidate set to obtain the updated first candidate set. The new m is the number of first feeder satellites included in the new first candidate set. The new first candidate set includes the first feeder satellites obtained in each round of the first candidate set. The new second candidate set is the set of other feeder satellites in the visible feeder satellites besides the first feeder satellites. All feeder satellites in the updated first candidate set are identified as the n first feeder satellites.

19. The network device according to claim 18, characterized in that, The third determining module is further configured to: The second feeder satellites included in the new second candidate set are arranged in descending order of the number of neighbor links, and the second feeder satellites with the same number of neighbor links are arranged in descending order of the visibility duration. The first nm second feed satellites are selected from the arranged second feed satellites and added to the new first candidate set.

20. The network device according to claim 13, characterized in that, The third determining module is specifically used for: When m=n, all the first feed satellites in the first candidate set are determined as the n first feed satellites.

21. The network device according to claim 14, characterized in that, The third determining module is further used for: The m first feeder satellites are arranged in descending order of the number of neighbor links, and the first feeder satellites with the same number of neighbor links are arranged in descending order of the visibility duration. The first n satellites are selected from the arranged first feed satellites as the n first feed satellites.

22. The network device according to any one of claims 13-21, characterized in that, The second determining module is specifically used for: Select the feeder satellite with the largest number of neighbor links from the set of feeder satellites; If there are at least two feeder satellites with the largest number of neighbor links, and there is a connection between the first target feeder satellite and the second target feeder satellite, the first target feeder satellite is determined as the first feeder satellite in the first candidate set. The visibility duration of the first target feeder satellite is greater than that of the second target feeder satellite. The first target feeder satellite and the second target feeder satellite are two of the feeder satellites with the largest number of neighbor links.

23. The network device according to any one of claims 13-21, characterized in that, The second determining module is specifically used for: Select the feeder satellite with the largest number of neighbor links from the set of feeder satellites; If there are at least two feeder satellites with the largest number of neighbor links, and there is no connection between any two of them, then all feeder satellites with the largest number of neighbor links will be determined as the first feeder satellites in the first candidate set.

24. The network device according to any one of claims 13-21, characterized in that, The number of connections that support the establishment of power supply links includes: The number of antennas of the target ground station at the initial network establishment time; or, The number of antennas whose power supply links to the target ground station are disconnected at the time the power supply link to the target ground station is switched.

25. A network device comprising a processor and a memory, the processor being coupled to the memory, characterized in that, The memory is used to store programs; The processor is configured to execute a program in the memory, causing the network device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-12.

26. A computer-readable storage medium comprising a program, characterized in that, When it is run on a computer, it causes the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-12.

27. A computer program product containing instructions, characterized in that, When it is run on a computer, it causes the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-12.

28. A chip, characterized in that, The chip includes a processor and a data interface. The processor reads instructions stored in the memory through the data interface and executes the method as described in any one of claims 1-12.

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