A communication method, a communication device, a communication system and a storage medium

Abstract

The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, a communication device, a communication system and a storage medium, the purpose of which is to improve the service quality of terminal equipment. The present application provides a communication method, including: when the NTN network device recognizes that it is necessary to switch from the normal mode to the storage and forwarding mode, if the terminal device has the storage and forwarding capability, an information query request is sent to the terminal device; an information query response message is received from the terminal device, and the information query response message includes a storage and forwarding state parameter; and it is determined whether it is suitable to provide storage and forwarding services for the terminal device according to the storage and forwarding state parameter. In the above scheme, the NTN network device obtains the storage and forwarding state parameter of the terminal device, and evaluates whether it is suitable to provide storage and forwarding services for the terminal device based on the storage and forwarding state parameter, so as to be able to communicate with the terminal device based on the storage and forwarding mode when it is suitable to provide storage and forwarding services for the terminal device, thereby improving the service quality of the terminal device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, a communication device, a communication system and a storage medium. Background Art

[0002] Due to the advantages of global coverage and flexible deployment, non-terrestrial networks (NTN) have been widely used in various communication scenarios. When satellite communication networks in non-terrestrial networks are used for communication in communication scenarios, the feeder link between the satellite and the ground station will be forced to be interrupted as the satellite moves due to the limited coverage of the ground station. When the feeder link between the satellite and the ground station is about to be disconnected or has been disconnected, the NTN network equipment will usually directly switch the communication mode with the terminal device from normal mode to store-and-forward mode.

[0003] However, if the NTN network device directly switches the communication mode between the terminal device and the normal mode to the store-and-forward mode, it may cause service interruption of the terminal device, thereby resulting in poor quality of service (QoS) of the terminal device. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present application provides a communication method, a communication device and a storage medium, the purpose of which is to improve the service quality of terminal equipment.

[0005] In order to achieve the above objectives, this application provides the following technical solutions:

[0006] A first aspect of the present application provides a communication method, applied to an NTN network device, the method comprising:

[0007] When the NTN network device identifies that a switch from the normal mode to the store-and-forward mode needs to occur, if the terminal device has the store-and-forward capability, an information query request is sent to the terminal device;

[0008] receiving an information query response message from the terminal device, wherein the information query response message includes a storage and forwarding state parameter of the terminal device;

[0009] Determine whether it is suitable to provide a store-and-forward service for the terminal device according to the store-and-forward state parameter.

[0010] In the above implementation scheme, in order to improve the service quality of the terminal device, when the NTN network device recognizes that it is necessary to switch from the normal mode to the store-and-forward mode, when the terminal device has the store-and-forward capability, the NTN network device can further obtain the store-and-forward state parameters of the terminal device, and can evaluate whether it is suitable to provide the store-and-forward service to the terminal device based on the store-and-forward state parameters, so that when it is determined that it is suitable to provide the store-and-forward service to the terminal device, it can communicate with the terminal device based on the store-and-forward mode, avoiding the business interruption caused by the NTN network device directly switching the communication mode between the terminal device and the normal mode to the store-and-forward mode, and not being suitable to provide the store-and-forward service to the terminal device, thereby improving the service quality of the terminal device.

[0011] In a possible implementation of the first aspect of the present application, the method further includes: if it is determined according to the storage-forwarding state parameter that it is suitable to provide the storage-forwarding service for the terminal device, the NTN network device switches to the storage-forwarding mode to provide the communication service for the terminal device. In the above implementation scheme, if the NTN network device determines based on the storage-forwarding state parameter evaluation that it is suitable to provide the storage-forwarding service for the terminal device, the NTN network device can first switch the communication mode from the normal mode to the storage-forwarding mode, and then communicate with the terminal device based on the storage-forwarding mode, thereby avoiding the service interruption caused by the NTN network device directly switching the communication mode between the terminal device and the normal mode to the storage-forwarding mode, and not being suitable for providing the storage-forwarding service for the terminal device, thereby improving the service quality of the terminal device.

[0012] In a possible implementation of the first aspect of the present application, the NTN network device identifies that a situation in which a switch from a normal mode to a store-and-forward mode needs to occur includes: a situation in which a feeder link between the NTN network device and a ground core network device is about to be disconnected or has been disconnected. In the above implementation, when the feeder link between the NTN network device and the ground core network device is about to be disconnected or has been disconnected, the NTN network device may determine that the communication mode needs to be switched from a normal mode to a store-and-forward mode.

[0013] In a possible implementation of the first aspect of the present application, the store-and-forward state parameter includes first indication information and a data parameter to be sent, the first indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal device allows store-and-forward, and the data parameter to be sent includes the total amount of data to be sent by the terminal device and the maximum delay allowed for the data to be sent. In the above implementation scheme, the store-and-forward state parameter received by the NTN network device may include the first indication information and the data parameter to be sent, and the data parameter to be sent may include the total amount of data to be sent by the terminal device and the maximum delay allowed for the data to be sent, that is, the NTN network device can evaluate whether it is suitable to provide store-and-forward services for the terminal device based on the first indication information and the data parameter to be sent, so that when it is determined that it is suitable to provide store-and-forward services for the terminal device, it can communicate with the terminal device based on the store-and-forward mode, avoiding the situation where the service interruption is caused by the NTN network device directly switching the communication mode between the terminal device and the normal mode to the store-and-forward mode, and not being suitable for providing store-and-forward services for the terminal device, thereby improving the service quality of the terminal device.

[0014] In a possible implementation of the first aspect of the present application, determining whether it is appropriate to provide the store-and-forward service for the terminal device based on the store-and-forward state parameters includes: if the first indication information indicates that the terminal device allows store-and-forwarding, and the total data volume is less than or equal to a first threshold, and the maximum delay is greater than or equal to a second threshold, determining that it is appropriate to provide the store-and-forward service for the terminal device; if the first indication information indicates that the terminal device does not allow store-and-forwarding, or the total data volume is greater than the first threshold, or the maximum delay is less than the second threshold, determining that it is not appropriate to provide the store-and-forward service for the terminal device. In the above implementation scheme, when the first indication information in the store-and-forward state parameter sent by the terminal device indicates that the terminal device allows store-and-forward at this time, and the total amount of data to be sent by the terminal device in the store-and-forward state parameter is less than or equal to the first threshold, and the maximum delay allowed for the data to be sent in the store-and-forward state parameter is greater than or equal to the second threshold, the NTN network device can determine that the state of the terminal device at this time is suitable for store-and-forward service, and can communicate with the terminal device based on the store-and-forward mode, avoiding the service interruption caused by the NTN network device directly switching the communication mode between the terminal device and the normal mode to the store-and-forward mode, and not being suitable for providing the terminal device with the store-and-forward service, thereby improving the service quality of the terminal device.

[0015] In a possible implementation of the first aspect of the present application, the first threshold includes the size of the storage space of the NTN network device, or a size determined by the memory of the NTN network device; the second threshold is a delay threshold for the NTN network device to send data. In the above implementation, the first threshold can be determined based on the size of the storage space of the NTN network device or a size determined by the memory of the NTN network device, and the second threshold can also be determined based on the delay threshold for the NTN network device to send data.

[0016] In a possible implementation of the first aspect of the present application, before sending a terminal information query request to the terminal device, the method further includes: sending a capability query request to the terminal device; receiving a capability query response message from the terminal device, the capability query response message including second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate whether the terminal device has the store-and-forward capability. In the above implementation, before sending a terminal information query request to the terminal device, the NTN network device can determine whether the terminal device has the store-and-forward capability by sending a capability query request to the terminal device and obtaining the second indication information from the capability query response message returned by the terminal device, so that when the terminal device has the store-and-forward capability, the NTN network device can further obtain the store-and-forward state parameter of the terminal device, and can evaluate whether it is suitable to provide the store-and-forward service for the terminal device based on the store-and-forward state parameter, so that when it is determined that it is suitable to provide the store-and-forward service for the terminal device, it can communicate with the terminal device based on the store-and-forward mode, thereby avoiding the situation where the service interruption is caused by the NTN network device directly switching the communication mode between the terminal device and the normal mode to the store-and-forward mode and not being suitable to provide the store-and-forward service for the terminal device, thereby improving the service quality of the terminal device.

[0017] In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect of the present application, if the second indication information indicates that the terminal device has storage and forwarding capabilities, the capability query response message also includes third indication information, and the third indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal device can report storage and forwarding status parameters; if the third indication information indicates that the terminal device can report storage and forwarding status parameters, an information query request is sent to the terminal device; if the third indication information indicates that the terminal device cannot report storage and forwarding status parameters, the NTN network device switches to storage and forwarding mode to provide communication services for the terminal device. In the above implementation scheme, if the second indication information in the capability query response message returned by the terminal device indicates that the terminal device has the store-and-forward capability, the capability query response message may also be accompanied by third indication information for indicating whether the terminal device can report the store-and-forward state parameter, so that the NTN network device can further determine the state and capability of the terminal device, so that the NTN network device can make a decision based on the state and capability of the terminal device in a timely manner; and when the third indication information in the capability query response message returned by the terminal device indicates that the terminal device can report the store-and-forward state parameter, it means that the NTN network device can obtain the store-and-forward state parameter from the terminal device, that is, the NTN network device can evaluate whether it is suitable to provide the store-and-forward service for the terminal device, at this time, the NTN network device can send an information query request to the terminal device to obtain the store-and-forward state parameter of the terminal device; when the third indication information in the capability query response message returned by the terminal device indicates that the terminal device cannot report the store-and-forward state parameter, it means that the NTN network device cannot obtain the store-and-forward state parameter from the terminal device, that is, the NTN network device cannot evaluate whether it is suitable to provide the store-and-forward service for the terminal device. At this time, the NTN network device can be suitable for providing store-and-forward services to the terminal device by default, and can directly switch to the store-and-forward mode to communicate with the terminal device, avoiding the business interruption caused by the NTN network device directly switching the communication mode between the terminal device and the normal mode to the store-and-forward mode and being unsuitable for providing store-and-forward services to the terminal device, thereby improving the service quality of the terminal device.

[0018] In a possible implementation of the first aspect of the present application, if the second indication information indicates that the terminal device has the storage and forwarding capability, the method further includes: if the capability query response message does not include the third indication information, the NTN network device switches to the storage and forwarding mode to provide communication services for the terminal device; wherein the third indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal device can report the storage and forwarding state parameters. In the above implementation scheme, if the second indication information carried in the capability query response message indicates that the terminal device has the storage and forwarding capability, and the capability query response message does not carry the third indication information used to indicate whether the terminal device can report the storage and forwarding state parameters, the NTN network device can determine that the terminal device cannot report the storage and forwarding state parameters, which means that the NTN network device cannot obtain the storage and forwarding state parameters from the terminal device, that is, the NTN network device cannot evaluate whether it is suitable to provide storage and forwarding services for the terminal device. At this time, the NTN network device can be suitable for providing store-and-forward services to the terminal device by default, and can directly switch to the store-and-forward mode to communicate with the terminal device, avoiding the business interruption caused by the NTN network device directly switching the communication mode between the terminal device and the normal mode to the store-and-forward mode and being unsuitable for providing store-and-forward services to the terminal device, thereby improving the service quality of the terminal device.

[0019] In a possible implementation of the first aspect of the present application, the method further includes: if the terminal device does not have the storage and forwarding capability, disconnecting the connection with the terminal device; if the terminal device is not suitable for providing storage and forwarding services for the terminal device, disconnecting the connection with the terminal device. In the above implementation scheme, if the NTN network device determines that the terminal device does not have the storage and forwarding capability, it can directly determine that it is not suitable for providing storage and forwarding services for the terminal device, and then disconnect the connection with the terminal device; and if the NTN network device evaluates and determines that it is not suitable for providing storage and forwarding services for the terminal device, it can also disconnect the connection with the terminal device at this time, so that the terminal device can transmit data through other NTN network devices, avoiding the business interruption caused by the NTN network device directly switching the communication mode with the terminal device from the normal mode to the storage and forwarding mode, and not being suitable for providing storage and forwarding services for the terminal device, thereby improving the service quality of the terminal device.

[0020] In a possible implementation of the first aspect of the present application, the signaling used to carry the information query request includes one of radio resource control signaling, system message, downlink control information signaling, and media access control layer control element signaling; the signaling used to carry the information query response message includes one of radio resource control response message, media access control layer control element signaling, physical random access channel message, and physical uplink shared channel message. In the above implementation scheme, the information query request can be carried by any one of radio resource control signaling, system message, downlink control information signaling, and media access control layer control element signaling, and the information query response message can also be carried by any one of radio resource control response message, media access control layer control element signaling, physical random access channel message, and physical uplink shared channel message.

[0021] In a possible implementation of the first aspect of the present application, the terminal device includes a new wireless NR device or an Internet of Things (IoT) terminal device; the NTN network device includes any one of an NTN base station, a satellite base station, a drone network device, a high-altitude platform network device, an aircraft network device, and a communication balloon network device.

[0022] A second aspect of the present application provides a communication method, applied to a terminal device, the method comprising:

[0023] Receive information query requests from NTN network equipment;

[0024] An information query response message is sent to the NTN network device, wherein the information query response message includes a store-and-forward state parameter, so that the NTN network device determines whether it is suitable to provide a store-and-forward service for the terminal device according to the store-and-forward state parameter.

[0025] In the above implementation scheme, in order to improve the service quality of the terminal device, when the terminal device has the storage and forwarding capability, the terminal device can send the storage and forwarding state parameters to the NTN network device through the information query response message, so that the NTN network device can obtain the storage and forwarding state parameters of the terminal device, and can evaluate whether it is suitable to provide the storage and forwarding service for the terminal device based on the storage and forwarding state parameters, so that when it is determined that it is suitable to provide the storage and forwarding service for the terminal device, it can communicate with the terminal device based on the storage and forwarding mode, avoiding the business interruption caused by the NTN network device directly switching the communication mode between the terminal device and the normal mode to the storage and forwarding mode, and not being suitable to provide the storage and forwarding service for the terminal device, thereby improving the service quality of the terminal device.

[0026] In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect of the present application, if the NTN network device determines, according to the store-and-forward state parameter, that it is suitable to provide the store-and-forward service for the terminal device, it switches to the store-and-forward mode to communicate with the NTN network device.

[0027] In a possible implementation of the second aspect of the present application, the storage and forwarding status parameters include first indication information and to-be-sent data parameters, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal device allows storage and forwarding, and the to-be-sent data parameters include the total amount of to-be-sent data of the terminal device and the maximum allowed delay of the to-be-sent data.

[0028] In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect of the present application, before receiving the information query request from the NTN network device, the method further includes:

[0029] Receive capability query requests from NTN network devices;

[0030] A capability query response message is sent to the NTN network device, where the capability query response message includes second indication information, where the second indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal device has a store-and-forward capability.

[0031] In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect of the present application, if the second indication information indicates that the terminal device has a store-and-forward capability, the capability query response message further includes third indication information, where the third indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal device can report a store-and-forward state parameter;

[0032] If the third indication information indicates that the terminal device can report the storage and forwarding state parameter, receiving an information query request from the NTN network device;

[0033] If the third indication information indicates that the terminal device cannot report the store-and-forward state parameter, the terminal device communicates with the NTN network device based on the store-and-forward mode.

[0034] In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect of the present application, if the second indication information indicates that the terminal device has a store-and-forward capability, the method further includes:

[0035] If the capability query response message does not include the third indication information, switching to a store-and-forward mode to communicate with the NTN network device;

[0036] The third indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal device can report the storage and forwarding state parameters.

[0037] In a possible implementation of the second aspect of the present application, the method further includes:

[0038] If the terminal device does not have the storage and forwarding capability, the connection with the NTN network device is disconnected.

[0039] In a possible implementation of the second aspect of the present application, the signaling used to carry the information query request includes one of wireless resource control signaling, system message, downlink control information signaling, and media access control layer control element signaling; the signaling used to carry the information query response message includes one of wireless resource control response message, media access control layer control element signaling, physical random access channel message, and physical uplink shared channel message.

[0040] In a possible implementation of the second aspect of the present application, the terminal device is a terminal device in an Internet of Things terminal access technology based on a non-terrestrial network, and the NTN network device is a network device in an Internet of Things terminal access technology based on a non-terrestrial network.

[0041] A third aspect of the present application provides a communication method, which is applied to a terminal device and an NTN network device, wherein the terminal device executes the following method:

[0042] When the NTN network device identifies that a switch from the normal mode to the store-and-forward mode needs to occur, if the terminal device has the store-and-forward capability, an information query request is sent to the terminal device;

[0043] receiving an information query response message from the terminal device, wherein the information query response message includes a storage and forwarding state parameter of the terminal device;

[0044] Determining whether it is suitable to provide a store-and-forward service for the terminal device according to the store-and-forward state parameter;

[0045] The NTN network device performs the following method:

[0046] Receive information query requests from non-terrestrial network NTN network equipment;

[0047] An information query response message is sent to the NTN network device, wherein the information query response message includes a store-and-forward state parameter, so that the NTN network device determines whether it is suitable to provide a store-and-forward service for the terminal device according to the store-and-forward state parameter.

[0048] A fourth aspect of the present application provides a communication device, wherein the communication device is specifically an NTN network device, and the communication device includes:

[0049] A sending module, used for sending an information query request to the terminal device if the terminal device has a storage and forwarding capability when the NTN network device recognizes that a switch from a normal mode to a storage and forwarding mode needs to occur;

[0050] A receiving module, configured to receive an information query response message from the terminal device, wherein the information query response message includes a storage and forwarding state parameter of the terminal device;

[0051] A determination module is used to determine whether it is suitable to provide a store-and-forward service for the terminal device according to the store-and-forward state parameter.

[0052] A fifth aspect of the present application provides a communication device, wherein the communication device is specifically a terminal device, and the communication device includes:

[0053] A receiving module, used for receiving information query requests from NTN network devices;

[0054] The sending module is used to send an information query response message to the NTN network device, wherein the information query response message includes a storage and forwarding state parameter, so that the NTN network device determines whether it is suitable to provide a storage and forwarding service for the terminal device according to the storage and forwarding state parameter.

[0055] The sixth aspect of the present application provides a communication device, comprising: a memory and at least one processor. The memory is used to store programs, and the at least one processor is used to execute computer programs or computer instructions stored in the memory, so that the communication device implements any one of the communication methods provided in the first aspect of the present application.

[0056] The seventh aspect of the present application provides a communication device, comprising: a memory and at least one processor. The memory is used to store programs, and the at least one processor is used to execute computer programs or computer instructions stored in the memory, so that the communication device implements any one of the communication methods provided in the second aspect of the present application.

[0057] An eighth aspect of the present application provides a communication system, the communication system comprising a terminal device and an NTN network device:

[0058] The terminal device is used to execute any one of the communication methods provided in the first aspect of the present application, and the NTN network device is used to execute any one of the communication methods provided in the second aspect of the present application.

[0059] The ninth aspect of the present application is a computer storage medium for storing a computer program, which, when executed, is used to implement any one of the communication methods provided in the first aspect or the second aspect of the present application.

[0060] The tenth aspect of the present application provides a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute any one of the communication methods described in the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0061] The eleventh aspect of the present application provides a chip system, which includes a processor for supporting a terminal device or an NTN network device to implement the functions involved in the above aspects, for example, sending or processing the data and / or information involved in the above methods. In a possible design, the chip system also includes a memory, which is used to store necessary program instructions and data for the terminal device or the NTN network device. The chip system can be composed of a chip, or it can include a chip and other discrete devices. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0062] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the system architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0063] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of a satellite communication network provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0064] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of another satellite communication network provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0065] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of an interaction process between an NTN network device and a terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0066] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of another interaction process between an NTN network device and a terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0067] Figure 6 A flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0068] Figure 7 A flowchart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0069] Figure 8 A flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application on the base station side;

[0070] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0071] Fig.10 A schematic diagram of the structure of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0072] Fig.11 This is a structural example diagram of an electronic device disclosed in an embodiment of the present application;

[0073] Fig.12 This is a structural example diagram of another electronic device disclosed in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0074] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described clearly and completely below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. The terms used in the following embodiments are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to be used as limitations on the present application. As used in the specification and the appended claims of the present application, the singular expressions "one", "a kind", "said", "above", "the" and "this" are intended to also include expressions such as "one or more", unless there is a clear contrary indication in the context. It should also be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, "one or more" refers to one, two or more; "and / or" describes the association relationship of the associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist; for example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship.

[0075] References to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" etc. described in this specification mean that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in conjunction with the embodiment is included in one or more embodiments of the present application. Thus, the phrases "in one embodiment", "in some embodiments", "in some other embodiments", "in some other embodiments", etc. that appear at different places in this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, but mean "one or more but not all embodiments", unless otherwise specifically emphasized in other ways. The terms "including", "comprising", "having" and their variations all mean "including but not limited to", unless otherwise specifically emphasized in other ways.

[0076] The multiple involved in the embodiments of the present application means greater than or equal to two. It should be noted that in the description of the embodiments of the present application, the words "first", "second", etc. are only used for the purpose of distinguishing the description, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance, nor can they be understood as indicating or implying an order.

[0077] The embodiments of the present application are applied to a communication system, which may be a second generation (2G) communication system, a third generation (3G) communication system, an LTE system, a fifth generation (5G) communication system, an LTE and 5G hybrid architecture, a 5G new wireless (5G New Radio, 5G NR) system, and new communication systems that will emerge in future communication developments.

[0078] The satellite communication system includes a first device and a second device. The first device may be a device on the network side for providing network communication functions, which is also called a network device or a network element in some cases. The network device may generally be a base station (including a functional unit of a base station, or a combination of functional units of a base station) or a core network unit, wherein the core network unit may be a functional unit in the core network, including but not limited to an access and mobility management function (AMF) unit or a session management function (SMF) unit. The second device may be a device for accessing the network, which may generally be a terminal device. An example of a communication system is as follows: Figure 1 As shown, Figure 1 The system includes a base station 11 and a terminal 12. For example, the first device may be a terminal device in a satellite communication system, and the second device may be an NTN network device in the satellite communication system.

[0079] In the embodiments provided in the present application, the base station may be any device having a wireless transceiver function, including but not limited to: an evolved base station (NodeB or eNB or e-NodeB, evolutionary Node B) in long term evolution (LTE), a base station (gNodeB or gNB) or a transmission receiving point (transmission receiving point / transmission reception point, TRP) in new radio (NR), a base station of subsequent evolution of 3GPP, an access node in a Wi-Fi system, a wireless relay node, a wireless backhaul node, etc. The base station may be: a macro base station, a micro base station, a micro-micro base station, a small station, a relay station, or a balloon station, etc. The base station may include one or more co-site or non-co-site transmission points (Transmission Reception Point, TRP). The base station may also be a wireless controller, a centralized unit (CU), and / or a distributed unit (DU) in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario. The base station may communicate with a terminal device, or communicate with the terminal device through a relay station. The terminal device can communicate with multiple base stations of different technologies. For example, the terminal device can communicate with a base station supporting an LTE network, or a base station supporting a 5G network, or a base station supporting an LTE network and a base station supporting a 5G network. For another example, the network device is specifically a network device in a satellite communication system, that is, an NTN network device. For example, the NTN network device includes any one of an NTN base station (gNB), a drone network device, a high-altitude platform network device, an aircraft network device, and a communication balloon network device. The specific implementation method of the NTN network device is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. This is just an example of a possible scenario.

[0080] In the embodiments provided in the present application, the terminal device can be in various forms, for example, a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal device in industrial control, a vehicle-mounted terminal device, a wireless terminal device in self-driving, a wireless terminal device in remote medical, a wireless terminal device in smart grid, a wireless terminal device in transportation safety, a wireless terminal device in smart city, a wireless terminal device in smart home, a wearable terminal device, etc. The terminal device can also be sometimes referred to as a terminal device, a user equipment (UE), an access terminal device, a vehicle-mounted terminal device, an industrial control terminal device, a UE unit, a UE station, a mobile station, a mobile station, a remote station, a remote terminal device, a mobile device, a UE terminal device, a terminal device, a wireless communication device, a UE agent or a UE device, etc. The terminal device can also be a fixed terminal device or a mobile terminal device. The terminal device may also be a new wireless NR device or an Internet of Things (IOT) terminal device.

[0081] In the communication system, non-terrestrial network (NTN) technology is one of the technical directions for mobile phones to directly connect to satellites, and is an important supplement to ground cellular communication technology. By integrating satellite communication networks with ground 5G networks, NTN technology can provide ubiquitous coverage without being restricted by topography, connecting the multi-dimensional space of air, space, land, and sea to form an integrated ubiquitous access network that can be accessed on demand in all scenarios. Non-terrestrial networks can achieve seamless communication on a global scale without being restricted by geographical location; and satellite communication networks can be flexibly deployed to quickly respond to various communication needs. Due to the advantages of global coverage and flexible deployment of non-terrestrial networks, they have been widely used in a variety of communication scenarios.

[0082] In addition, Internet of Things - Non-Terrestrial Network (IoT-NTN) is an important branch of non-terrestrial network technology, which aims to provide connection services for IoT devices through non-terrestrial network means such as satellite communications. With the rapid development of IoT technology, more and more devices need to access the network to achieve interconnection. However, in some remote areas or areas such as oceans and airspace that are difficult to cover with traditional terrestrial networks, the connection of IoT devices has become a problem. The emergence of IoT-NTN technology is precisely to solve this problem, and to achieve wide-area coverage and remote connection of IoT devices through non-terrestrial network means such as satellites.

[0083] See also Figure 2 When a satellite communication network in a non-terrestrial network is used for communication in a communication scenario, due to the limited coverage of the ground station, as the satellite moves, the same satellite often fails to provide a service link to the terminal device while providing a feeder link to the ground station. The feeder link refers to a radio link from an earth station located at a designated fixed point to a space station (such as a satellite), or from a space station to an earth station located at a fixed point. This link is mainly used for space radio communication services other than satellite fixed services. Specifically, the feeder link plays an important role in the satellite communication system. It is a communication link connecting the ground station (or gateway, gateway station) and the satellite. The service link is used to connect terminal equipment and NTN network equipment in the satellite communication network to achieve data transmission and service interaction.

[0084] See also Figure 3When the satellite is in state A, there is a feeder link between the NTN network device on the satellite and the ground station, and there is a service link between the NTN network device and the terminal device. At this time, the communication mode of the NTN network device on the satellite is normal mode. In the case of maintaining the connection state, as the satellite moves from state A to state B, there is still a service link between the NTN network device on the satellite and the terminal device, and the feeder link between the NTN network device and the ground station is disconnected. At this time, the NTN network device needs to switch the communication mode from normal mode to store and forward (S&F) mode to continue data transmission. However, if the NTN network device does not know the state of the terminal device such as the amount of data to be sent and the data delay, that is, the NTN network device is not clear whether it is suitable to provide store and forward services for the terminal device, and directly switches the communication mode with the terminal device from normal mode to store and forward mode, it may cause the terminal device's service interruption, and then cause the terminal device's service quality (Quality of Service, QoS) to be poor.

[0085] The communication mode between NTN network equipment and terminal equipment can be divided into normal mode and store-and-forward mode according to whether the store-and-forward technology is adopted. When the communication mode between NTN network equipment and terminal equipment is normal mode, NTN network equipment and terminal equipment are in normal working or activation state, which means that the hardware and software systems of NTN network equipment and terminal equipment are operating normally and are ready to respond to communication requests at any time; and NTN network equipment and terminal equipment can send and receive data normally, and the real-time performance of communication is usually high, which means that NTN network equipment and terminal equipment can respond to communication requests faster and complete data transmission faster.

[0086] When the communication mode between the NTN network device and the terminal device is the store-and-forward mode, the NTN network device and the terminal device will first store the received data locally, and then forward the data to the target device according to the network conditions or other factors. That is, once conditions permit, the NTN network device and the terminal device will forward the locally stored data to the target device. The store-and-forward mode usually has high reliability because it allows the terminal device and the NTN network device to temporarily store data when the network conditions are poor and continue to transmit after the conditions improve, which helps reduce the risk of data loss and transmission failure.

[0087] In order to make the technical solution of the present application clearer and easier to understand, the communication method of the embodiment of the present application is introduced below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The embodiment of the present application is applicable to the data transmission process in the wireless communication scenario. In the embodiment of the present application, the data transmission between the terminal device and the NTN network device is taken as an example, such as the data transmission between a single terminal device and the NTN network device, and the NTN network device may include an eNB or a gNB. The data transmission between the above-mentioned terminal device and the NTN network device is only a feasible example. The embodiment of the present application can be applied to the data transmission between the terminal device and the terminal device, or the data transmission between the NTN network device and the NTN network device, or the data transmission between two network elements in the wireless communication network.

[0088] See also Figure 4 , Figure 4 The figure is a schematic diagram of an interaction process between an NTN network device and a terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application. A communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application mainly includes the following steps:

[0089] 401. When the NTN network device identifies that a switch from a normal mode to a store-and-forward mode needs to occur, if the terminal device has a store-and-forward capability, the NTN network device sends an information query request to the terminal device.

[0090] In the embodiment of the present application, when the NTN network device recognizes that it is necessary to switch the communication mode from the normal mode to the storage and forwarding mode, the NTN network device can first determine whether the terminal device has the storage and forwarding capability. It can be understood that whether the terminal device has the storage and forwarding capability is the basis for whether the terminal device can provide the storage and forwarding service. If the terminal device does not have the storage and forwarding capability, it is not suitable to provide the storage and forwarding service for the terminal device; if the terminal device has the storage and forwarding capability, and the terminal device has the ability to report the storage and forwarding parameters, then in order to further determine whether it is suitable to provide the storage and forwarding service for the terminal device, the NTN network device can send an information query request to the terminal device so as to obtain the storage and forwarding state parameters of the terminal device, and then evaluate whether it is suitable to provide the storage and forwarding service for the terminal device based on the storage and forwarding state parameters, so that when it is determined that it is suitable to provide the storage and forwarding service for the terminal device, it can communicate with the terminal device based on the storage and forwarding mode, avoiding the situation of service interruption caused by the NTN network device directly switching the communication mode between the terminal device and the normal mode to the storage and forwarding mode, and not being suitable to provide the storage and forwarding service for the terminal device, thereby improving the service quality of the terminal device. It is understandable that the information query request may carry a query field of the storage and forwarding state parameter of the terminal device. When the communication technology between the NTN network device and the terminal device adopts the NTN technology, the information query request may specifically be a terminal information request message (UE Information Request Message); when the communication technology between the NTN network device and the terminal device adopts the IoT-NTN technology, the information query request may specifically be a terminal information request narrowband message (UE Information Request-NarrowBandMessage). Specifically, the NTN network device may send an information query request to the terminal device through the Uu interface, wherein the Uu interface is the interface between the terminal device and the fixed network part of the wideband code division multiple access system, and is an important open interface in the wideband code division multiple access system.

[0091] In the embodiment of the present application, the terminal information request message or the terminal information request narrowband message can be modified so that the terminal information request message or the terminal information request narrowband message carries the query field of the storage and forwarding state parameter of the terminal device. Specifically, taking the terminal information request narrowband message as an example, the modified terminal information request narrowband message can be specifically as follows:

[0092] UEInformationRequest-NB message

[0093] --ASN1START

[0094] UEInformationRequest-NB-r16 ::= SEQUENCE {

[0095] rrc-TransactionIdentifier RRC-TransactionIdentifier,

[0096] criticalExtensions CHOICE {

[0097] ueInformationRequest-r16 UEInformationRequest-NB-r16-IEs,

[0098] criticalExtensionsFuture UEInformationRequest-NB-r19-IEs

[0099] }

[0100] }

[0101] UEInformationRequest-NB-r16-IEs ::= SEQUENCE {

[0102] rach-ReportReq-r16 BOOLEAN,

[0103] rlf-ReportReq-r16 BOOLEAN,

[0104] anr-ReportReq-r16 BOOLEAN,

[0105] lateNonCriticalExtension OCTET STRING OPTIONAL,

[0106] nonCriticalExtension SEQUENCE, OPTIONAL

[0107] }

[0108] UEInformationRequest-NB-r19-Ies ::= SEQUENCE {

[0109] StoreAndForward-r19 BOOLEAN,

[0110] nonCriticalExtension SEQUENCE {} OPTIONAL

[0111] }

[0112] --ASN1STOP

[0113] The terminal information request narrowband message may include a "UEInformationRequest-NB-r19-IEs" field and a "UEInformationRequest-NB-r19-Ies ::= SEQUENCE {

[0114] StoreAndForward-r19 BOOLEAN,

[0115] nonCriticalExtension SEQUENCE {} OPTIONAL

[0116] }” field, so that the terminal device can obtain the corresponding storage and forwarding state parameters according to the received terminal information request narrowband message and report it to the NTN network device.

[0117] In addition, the Store and Forward (S&F) technology is a data transmission method in which the data will be completely stored in the buffer of the intermediate node (such as routers, switches, etc.) during the transmission process, and will not be forwarded to the next node until the entire data packet is completely received and verified. This method ensures the integrity and reliability of the data, but may introduce certain transmission delays. Store and forward technology is widely used in various communication networks, including local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), the Internet, and satellite communications. Especially in satellite communications, since the communication link between the satellite and the ground station has a long propagation delay and a high bit error rate, store and forward technology is usually used to improve the reliability and integrity of data transmission.

[0118] In a possible implementation of an embodiment of the present application, the signaling used to carry the information query request may include one of radio resource control signaling, system message, downlink control information signaling, and media access control layer control element signaling. In an embodiment of the present application, the information query request can be carried by any one of radio resource control (RRC) signaling, system message (SI), downlink control information (DCI) signaling, and media access control layer control element (MAC CE) signaling. It can be understood that RRC signaling is mainly responsible for managing, configuring and controlling radio resources in a wireless communication system. SI contains a series of configuration information and control information broadcast by a network device to a terminal device, which is essential for the user device to correctly access the network, conduct data communication, and maintain network connection. DCI signaling is mainly used to transmit various downlink control information from a network device to a terminal device. MAC CE signaling is a control element in the MAC layer, which is used to transmit MAC layer control information between a terminal device and a network device.

[0119] In a possible implementation of the embodiment of the present application, the NTN network device identifies that a situation in which a switch from a normal mode to a store-and-forward mode needs to occur includes: a situation in which a feeder link between the NTN network device and a ground core network device is about to be disconnected or has been disconnected. In the embodiment of the present application, when a feeder link between the NTN network device and a ground core network device is about to be disconnected or has been disconnected, the NTN network device may determine that a communication mode needs to be switched from a normal mode to a store-and-forward mode.

[0120] In a possible implementation of the embodiment of the present application, it also includes:

[0121] A1. If the terminal device does not have the store-and-forward capability, the NTN network device disconnects from the terminal device.

[0122] In the embodiment of the present application, if the NTN network device determines that the terminal device does not have the store-and-forward capability, it can directly determine that it is not suitable to provide the store-and-forward service for the terminal device. At this time, the NTN network device can disconnect the connection with the terminal device so that the terminal device can transmit data through other NTN network devices, avoiding the situation where the service interruption is caused by the NTN network device directly switching the communication mode with the terminal device from the normal mode to the store-and-forward mode and being not suitable to provide the store-and-forward service for the terminal device, thereby improving the service quality of the terminal device.

[0123] 402. The terminal device receives an information query request from the NTN network device.

[0124] In an embodiment of the present application, the terminal device can receive an information query request from the NTN network device, so that the storage and forwarding state parameters of the terminal device can be reported to the NTN network device based on the information query request, so that whether it is suitable to provide storage and forwarding services for the terminal device can be evaluated based on the storage and forwarding state parameters, so that when it is determined that it is suitable to provide storage and forwarding services for the terminal device, it can communicate with the terminal device based on the storage and forwarding mode, thereby avoiding the business interruption caused by the NTN network device directly switching the communication mode between the terminal device and the normal mode to the storage and forwarding mode, and being unsuitable to provide storage and forwarding services for the terminal device, thereby improving the service quality of the terminal device.

[0125] 403. The terminal device sends an information query response message to the NTN network device.

[0126] The information query response message includes a storage and forwarding state parameter.

[0127] In the embodiment of the present application, after the terminal device receives the information query request from the NTN network device, the terminal device can obtain the storage and forwarding state parameters of the terminal device itself, and report the storage and forwarding state parameters to the NTN network device based on the information query response message, so that the NTN network device can evaluate whether it is suitable to provide storage and forwarding services for the terminal device based on the storage and forwarding state parameters, so that when it is determined that it is suitable to provide storage and forwarding services for the terminal device, it can communicate with the terminal device based on the storage and forwarding mode, thereby avoiding the situation where the NTN network device directly switches the communication mode between the terminal device and the normal mode to the storage and forwarding mode, and is not suitable for providing storage and forwarding services for the terminal device. The service quality of the terminal device is improved. It can be understood that the storage and forwarding state parameters are parameters required for evaluating whether it is suitable to provide storage and forwarding services for the terminal device when the terminal device has storage and forwarding capabilities. The information query response message may carry a field for indicating the storage and forwarding state parameters of the terminal device. When the communication technology between the NTN network device and the terminal device adopts the NTN technology, the information query response message may specifically be a terminal information response message (UE Information Response Message); when the communication technology between the NTN network device and the terminal device adopts the IoT-NTN technology, the information query request may specifically be a terminal information response narrowband message (UE Information Response-NarrowBand Message).

[0128] In a possible implementation of the embodiment of the present application, the storage and forwarding state parameter includes first indication information and a data parameter to be sent, the first indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal device allows storage and forwarding, and the data parameter to be sent includes the total amount of data to be sent by the terminal device and the maximum delay allowed for the data to be sent. In the embodiment of the present application, the storage and forwarding state parameter reported by the terminal device to the NTN network device may specifically include the first indication information and the data parameter to be sent used to indicate whether the terminal device allows storage and forwarding, and the data parameter to be sent may include the total amount of data to be sent by the terminal device and the maximum delay allowed for the data to be sent, so that the NTN network device can accurately evaluate whether it is suitable to provide storage and forwarding services for the terminal device based on the first indication information and the data parameter to be sent, so that when it is determined that it is suitable to provide storage and forwarding services for the terminal device, it can communicate with the terminal device based on the storage and forwarding mode, avoiding the situation of service interruption caused by the NTN network device directly switching the communication mode between the terminal device and the normal mode to the storage and forwarding mode, and not being suitable for providing storage and forwarding services for the terminal device, thereby improving the service quality of the terminal device.

[0129] Specifically, the terminal device can first evaluate whether to allow storage and forwarding based on its own state and the specific situation of the transmitted service data, and can generate the first indication information according to the evaluation result. And the terminal device can query the data to be sent, that is, the total amount of data to be sent and the maximum allowed delay of the data to be sent, and finally report the first indication information, the total amount of data to be sent and the maximum allowed delay of the data to be sent and other storage and forwarding state parameters to the NTN network device through an information query response message.

[0130] In the embodiment of the present application, the terminal information response message or the terminal information response narrowband message can be modified so that the terminal information response message or the terminal information response narrowband message carries the storage and forwarding state parameter reported by the terminal device. Specifically, taking the terminal information response narrowband message as an example, the modified terminal information response narrowband message can be specifically as follows:

[0131] UEInformationResponse-NB message

[0132] --ASN1START

[0133] UEInformationResponse-NB-r16 ::= SEQUENCE {

[0134] rrc-TransactionIdentifier RRC-TransactionIdentifier,

[0135] criticalExtensions CHOICE {

[0136] ueInformationResponse-r16 UEInformationResponse-NB-r16-IEs,

[0137] criticalExtensionsFuture UEInformationResponse-NB-r19-IEs

[0138] }

[0139] } ...

[0141] UEInformationResponse-NB-r19-IEs ::= SEQUENCE {

[0142] storeAndForward-Report-r19 StoreAndForward-Report-r19 OPTIONAL,

[0143] lateNonCriticalExtension OCTET STRING OPTIONAL,

[0144] nonCriticalExtension SEQUENCE{} OPTIONAL,

[0145] }

[0146] StoreAndForward-Report-r19 ::= SEQUENCE {

[0147] prohibits-r19 BOOLEAN,

[0148] dataToBeSent-r19 INTEGER (0..100000),

[0149] delayMax-r19 INTEGER (0..7200),

[0150] }

[0151] The terminal information response narrowband message may include a "UEInformationResponse-NB-r19-IEs" field and a "UEInformationResponse-NB-r19-IEs ::= SEQUENCE {

[0152] storeAndForward-Report-r19 StoreAndForward-Report-r19 OPTIONAL,

[0153] lateNonCriticalExtension OCTET STRING OPTIONAL,

[0154] nonCriticalExtension SEQUENCE{} OPTIONAL,

[0155] }

[0156] StoreAndForward-Report-r19 ::= SEQUENCE {

[0157] prohibits-r19 BOOLEAN,

[0158] dataToBeSent-r19 INTEGER (0..100000),

[0159] delayMax-r19 INTEGER (0..7200),

[0160] }" field, where the prohibits-r19 field can be the first indication information, used to indicate whether the terminal device allows store-and-forwarding, the dataToBeSent-r19 field can be used to indicate the total amount of data to be sent by the terminal device, the unit can be KB or B, and delayMax-r19 can be used to indicate the maximum allowed delay of the data to be sent.

[0161] In a possible implementation method of an embodiment of the present application, the signaling used to carry the information query response message may include a radio resource control response message, a media access control layer control element signaling, a physical random access channel message, and a physical uplink shared channel message. In an embodiment of the present application, the information query response message can be carried by any one of the signalings in the radio resource control response message, i.e., the RRC response message, the media access control layer control element signaling, i.e., the MAC CE signaling, the physical random access channel (PRACH) message, and the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) message. It can be understood that PRACH is a key channel for the initial connection between the terminal device and the network device, and is used to implement uplink synchronization and random access procedures. PUSCH is a physical channel used to carry uplink user data in mobile communication systems such as LTE and 5G. It is a shared channel in the uplink, allowing multiple users to share resources on the same physical channel in time-sharing, thereby improving the transmission efficiency of the network.

[0162] 404. The NTN network device receives the information query response message from the terminal device.

[0163] The information query response message includes the storage and forwarding state parameters of the terminal device.

[0164] In the embodiment of the present application, after the terminal device sends an information query response message to the NTN network device, the NTN network device can receive an information query response message including a storage-and-forwarding state parameter from the terminal device, so that the NTN network device can evaluate whether it is suitable to provide storage-and-forwarding services to the terminal device based on the storage-and-forwarding state parameter, so that when it is determined that it is suitable to provide storage-and-forwarding services to the terminal device, it can communicate with the terminal device based on the storage-and-forwarding mode, thereby avoiding the business interruption caused by the NTN network device directly switching the communication mode between the terminal device and the normal mode to the storage-and-forwarding mode, and being unsuitable to provide storage-and-forwarding services to the terminal device, thereby improving the service quality of the terminal device.

[0165] 405. The NTN network device determines whether it is suitable to provide a store-and-forward service for the terminal device according to the store-and-forward state parameter.

[0166] In the embodiment of the present application, after obtaining the store-and-forward state parameter sent by the terminal device, the NTN network device can evaluate whether it is suitable to provide the store-and-forward service for the terminal device based on the store-and-forward state parameter. It can be understood that based on the store-and-forward state parameter sent by the terminal device, the NTN network device can accurately evaluate whether it is suitable to provide the store-and-forward service for the terminal device, so that the NTN network device can communicate with the terminal device based on the store-and-forward mode when it is determined that it is suitable to provide the store-and-forward service for the terminal device, thereby avoiding the situation where the service interruption caused by the NTN network device directly switching the communication mode between the terminal device and the normal mode to the store-and-forward mode and not being suitable to provide the store-and-forward service for the terminal device is caused, thereby improving the service quality of the terminal device.

[0167] In a possible implementation of the embodiment of the present application, step 405, the NTN network device determines whether it is suitable to provide a store-and-forward service for the terminal device according to the store-and-forward state parameter, including:

[0168] B1. If the first indication information indicates that the terminal device allows store-and-forwarding, and the total data volume is less than or equal to the first threshold, and the maximum delay is greater than or equal to the second threshold, it is determined that it is suitable to provide the terminal device with a store-and-forward service;

[0169] B2. If the first indication information indicates that the terminal device does not allow store-and-forwarding, or the total data volume is greater than the first threshold, or the maximum delay value is less than the second threshold, it is determined that it is not suitable to provide store-and-forwarding service for the terminal device.

[0170] In the embodiment of the present application, the storage and forwarding state parameter sent by the terminal device may specifically include a first indication information and a to-be-sent data parameter for indicating whether the terminal device is allowed to perform storage and forwarding, and the to-be-sent data parameter may include the total amount of to-be-sent data of the terminal device and the maximum delay allowed for the to-be-sent data. After receiving the storage and forwarding state parameter sent by the terminal device, the NTN network device may determine whether the terminal device is allowed to store and forward according to the first indication information in the storage and forwarding state parameter, and may also compare and judge the total amount of to-be-sent data in the storage and forwarding state parameter with the first threshold value, and compare and judge the maximum delay allowed for the to-be-sent data in the storage and forwarding state parameter with the second threshold value, to evaluate whether the current state of the terminal device is suitable for providing storage and forwarding services. The first threshold value and the second threshold value may be set by the NTN network device according to actual conditions. Specifically, if the NTN network device determines that the first indication information indicates that the terminal device allows store-and-forwarding, and the total amount of data to be sent by the terminal device is less than or equal to the first threshold, and the maximum delay of the data to be sent is greater than or equal to the second threshold, then the NTN network device can determine that it is suitable to provide store-and-forward services for the terminal device, otherwise it can be determined that it is not suitable to provide store-and-forward services for the terminal device, that is, if the NTN network device determines that the first indication information indicates that the terminal device does not allow store-and-forwarding, or the total amount of data to be sent by the terminal device is greater than the first threshold, or the maximum delay of the data to be sent is less than the second threshold, the NTN network device can determine that it is not suitable to provide store-and-forward services for the terminal device.

[0171] In a possible implementation of the embodiment of the present application, the first threshold includes the size of the storage space of the NTN network device, or the size determined by the memory of the NTN network device; the second threshold is the delay threshold of the NTN network device sending data. In the above implementation, the first threshold can be determined based on the size of the storage space of the NTN network device or the size determined by the memory of the NTN network device, and the second threshold can also be determined based on the delay threshold of the NTN network device sending data.

[0172] In a possible implementation of the embodiment of the present application, after executing step 405, the NTN network device determines whether it is suitable to provide the store-and-forward service for the terminal device according to the store-and-forward state parameter, the following steps may also be performed:

[0173] 406. If it is determined according to the store-and-forward state parameter that it is suitable to provide the store-and-forward service for the terminal device, the NTN network device switches to the store-and-forward mode to provide the communication service for the terminal device.

[0174] In the embodiment of the present application, if the NTN network device determines that it is suitable to provide a store-and-forward service for the terminal device, the communication mode between the terminal device and the NTN network device can be switched from the normal mode to the store-and-forward mode, and the communication with the terminal device is performed based on the store-and-forward mode, thereby avoiding the situation where the service interruption is caused by the NTN network device directly switching the communication mode between the terminal device and the NTN network device from the normal mode to the store-and-forward mode and being unsuitable for providing the store-and-forward service for the terminal device, thereby improving the service quality of the terminal device. It is understandable that when the NTN network device communicates with the terminal device based on the store-and-forward mode, the data from the terminal device can be completely received and stored first, and then after certain processing, such as checksum encoding, the data can be forwarded to the next target node at an appropriate time.

[0175] In a possible implementation of the embodiment of the present application, if it is determined according to the store-and-forward state parameter that it is not suitable to provide the store-and-forward service for the terminal device, the NTN network device disconnects the connection with the terminal device. In the embodiment of the present application, if the NTN network device evaluates and determines that it is not suitable to provide the store-and-forward service for the terminal device, the connection with the terminal device can be disconnected at this time, so that the terminal device can transmit data through other NTN network devices, avoiding the business interruption caused by the NTN network device directly switching the communication mode with the terminal device from the normal mode to the store-and-forward mode and being not suitable to provide the store-and-forward service for the terminal device, thereby improving the service quality of the terminal device.

[0176] In a possible implementation of the embodiment of the present application, step 406, the NTN network device switches to the store-and-forward mode to provide communication services for the terminal device, including:

[0177] C1. NTN network equipment switches the communication mode from normal mode to store-and-forward mode.

[0178] C2, NTN network equipment communicates with terminal equipment based on the store-and-forward mode.

[0179] In an embodiment of the present application, when the NTN network device determines that it is suitable to provide storage and forwarding services for the terminal device, the NTN network device can first switch the communication mode from the normal mode to the storage and forwarding mode, and then communicate with the terminal device based on the storage and forwarding mode, thereby avoiding the service interruption caused by the NTN network device directly switching the communication mode between the terminal device and the normal mode to the storage and forwarding mode, and being unsuitable for providing storage and forwarding services for the terminal device, thereby improving the service quality of the terminal device.

[0180] In one possible implementation of the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device is a terminal device in an Internet of Things terminal access technology based on a non-terrestrial network, and the NTN network device is a network device in an Internet of Things terminal access technology based on a non-terrestrial network. In the embodiment of the present application, the communication technology between the NTN network device and the terminal device can adopt the IoT-NTN technology, that is, the communication method can be applied to the IoT-NTN technology.

[0181] It can be seen from the examples of the aforementioned embodiments that in order to improve the service quality of the terminal device, when the terminal device has the storage and forwarding capability, the NTN network device can further obtain the storage and forwarding state parameters of the terminal device, and can evaluate whether it is suitable to provide the storage and forwarding service for the terminal device based on the storage and forwarding state parameters, so that when it is determined that it is suitable to provide the storage and forwarding service for the terminal device, it can communicate with the terminal device based on the storage and forwarding mode, thereby avoiding the business interruption caused by the NTN network device directly switching the communication mode between the terminal device and the normal mode to the storage and forwarding mode, and not being suitable for providing the storage and forwarding service for the terminal device, thereby improving the service quality of the terminal device.

[0182] See also Figure 5 , Figure 5 The figure is a schematic diagram of a second interaction process between an NTN network device and a terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application. Another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application mainly includes the following steps:

[0183] 501. The NTN network device sends a capability query request to the terminal device.

[0184] In the embodiment of the present application, after the NTN network device establishes a radio resource control (Radio Resource Control, RRC) connection with the terminal device, the NTN network device can send a capability query request to the terminal device to obtain the various capabilities of the terminal device. Specifically, when the communication technology between the NTN network device and the terminal device adopts the NTN technology, the capability query request can be a terminal capability query message (UE Capability Enquiry Message); when the communication technology between the NTN network device and the terminal device adopts the IoT-NTN technology, the capability query request can be a terminal capability query request narrowband message (UE Capability Enquiry-NarrowBand Message).

[0185] It is understandable that in order to improve the service quality of the terminal device, the protocol can be modified based on the 3GPP TS36.306-i10 protocol, specifically:

[0186] 4 UE radio access capability parameters

[0187] …

[0188] The following UE radio access capability parameters specified inclause 4 are applicable in NB-IoT:

[0189] -ue-Category-NB in ​​NB-IoT (clause 4.1C)

[0190] …

[0191] - locationInfo-r16 (clause 4.3.12.5)

[0192] - storeAndFowardInfo-r19 (clause 4.3.12.6)

[0193] Among them, the "storeAndFowardInfo-r19 (clause 4.3.12.6)" section is added, and a new section 4.3.12.6 can be added to describe the capabilities of "storeAndForwardInfo-r19", which can be:

[0194] 4.3.12.6 storeAndForwardInfo-r19

[0195] This field indicates whether the UE supports reporting of storing and forwarding information in StoreAndForward-Report upon request from the network as specified in TS 36.331 [5]. This feature is only applicable if the UE supports any ue-Category-NB.

[0196] It can be understood that by making the above modifications based on the 3GPP TS36.306-i10 protocol, the terminal device can report the information and parameters related to storage and forwarding to the NTN network device, so that the NTN network device can obtain the information and parameters related to storage and forwarding on the terminal device, thereby being able to accurately evaluate whether it is suitable to provide storage and forwarding services for the terminal device, and when it is determined that it is suitable to provide storage and forwarding services for the terminal device, communicate with the terminal device based on the storage and forwarding mode, avoiding the business interruption caused by the NTN network device directly switching the communication mode between the terminal device and the normal mode to the storage and forwarding mode, and being unsuitable to provide storage and forwarding services for the terminal device, thereby improving the service quality of the terminal device.

[0197] In a possible implementation of an embodiment of the present application, the signaling used to carry the capability query request may include one of radio resource control signaling, system message, downlink control information signaling, and media access control layer control element signaling. In an embodiment of the present application, the capability query request may be carried by any one of radio resource control signaling, system message, downlink control information signaling, and media access control layer control element signaling.

[0198] 502. The terminal device receives a capability query request from the NTN network device.

[0199] In the embodiment of the present application, after the NTN network device establishes a radio resource control connection with the terminal device, the terminal device can receive a capability query request from the NTN network device so as to report its own capabilities to the NTN network device, so that the NTN network device can learn the various capabilities of the terminal device.

[0200] 503. The terminal device sends a capability query response message to the NTN network device.

[0201] The capability query response message includes second indication information, and the second indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal device has the storage and forwarding capability.

[0202] In the embodiment of the present application, after receiving the capability query request from the NTN network device, the terminal device can determine whether it has the storage and forwarding capability, and generate the second indication information for indicating whether the terminal device has the storage and forwarding capability. And the second indication information can be sent to the NTN network device based on the capability query response message, so that the NTN network device can determine whether the terminal device has the storage and forwarding capability based on the second indication information carried by the capability query response message, so that the NTN network device can perform subsequent operations based on whether the terminal device has the storage and forwarding capability. It can be understood that when the communication technology between the NTN network device and the terminal device adopts the NTN technology, the capability query response message can specifically be a terminal capability information message (UE Capability Information Message); when the communication technology between the NTN network device and the terminal device adopts the IoT-NTN technology, the capability query response message can specifically be a terminal capability information narrowband message (UE Capability Information-NarrowBand Message).

[0203] In a possible implementation of the embodiment of the present application, if the second indication information indicates that the terminal device has the storage and forwarding capability, the capability query response message also includes third indication information, and the third indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal device can report the storage and forwarding state parameter. In the embodiment of the present application, if the second indication information carried in the capability query response message sent by the terminal device to the NTN network device indicates that the terminal device has the storage and forwarding capability, the capability query response message sent by the terminal device to the NTN network device may also carry the third indication information used to indicate whether the terminal device can report the storage and forwarding state parameter, that is, if the terminal device has the storage and forwarding capability, the terminal device may also report to the NTN network device whether it can further report the storage and forwarding state parameter, that is, report whether the terminal device has the ability to report the storage and forwarding state parameter, so that the NTN network device can further determine the state and capability of the terminal device, so that the NTN network device can make a decision based on the state and capability of the terminal device in a timely manner, avoiding the situation where the service interruption caused by the NTN network device directly switching the communication mode between the terminal device and the terminal device from the normal mode to the storage and forwarding mode, and not being suitable for providing the storage and forwarding service to the terminal device, thereby improving the service quality of the terminal device.

[0204] Specifically, the terminal capability information message or the terminal capability information narrowband message may be modified so that the terminal capability information message or the terminal capability information narrowband message carries the third indication information reported by the terminal device. Specifically, taking the terminal capability information narrowband message as an example, the modified terminal capability information narrowband message may be as follows:

[0205] UE-EUTRA-Capability-v16f0-IEs ::= SEQUENCE {

[0206] son-Parameters-v16f0 SON-Parameters-NB-v16f0,

[0207] nonCriticalExtension SON-Parameters-NB-v19 OPTIONAL

[0208] }

[0209] SON-Parameters-NB-v19 ::= SEQUENCE {

[0210] storeAndForwardInfo-r19 ENUMERATED {supported} OPTIONAL

[0211] nonCriticalExtension SEQUENCE {} OPTIONAL

[0212] }

[0213] Among them, the terminal capability information narrowband message can add a "SON-Parameters-NB-v19" field and a "SON-Parameters-NB-v19 ::= SEQUENCE {

[0214] storeAndForwardInfo-r19 ENUMERATED {supported} OPTIONAL

[0215] nonCriticalExtension SEQUENCE {} OPTIONAL

[0216] }” field, where the “SON-Parameters-NB-v19” field can be the third indication information.

[0217] In a possible implementation of the embodiment of the present application, the following further includes:

[0218] D1. If the third indication information indicates that the terminal device can report the storage and forwarding state parameter, receive the information query request from the NTN network device;

[0219] D2. If the third indication information indicates that the terminal device cannot report the store-and-forward state parameter, the terminal device switches to the store-and-forward mode to communicate with the NTN network device.

[0220] In an embodiment of the present application, if the capability query response message reported by the terminal device carries not only the second indication information, but also the third indication information for indicating whether the terminal device can report the storage and forwarding state parameters, and when the third indication information in the capability query response message returned by the terminal device indicates that the terminal device can report the storage and forwarding state parameters, it means that the NTN network device can obtain the storage and forwarding state parameters from the terminal device, that is, the NTN network device can evaluate whether it is suitable to provide storage and forwarding services for the terminal device. At this time, the NTN network device can send an information query request to the terminal device to obtain the storage and forwarding state parameters of the terminal device, that is, the terminal device can receive the information query request from the NTN network device and report the storage and forwarding state parameters; if the third indication information indicates that the terminal device cannot report the storage and forwarding state parameters, it means that the NTN network device cannot obtain the storage and forwarding state parameters from the terminal device, that is, the NTN network device cannot evaluate whether it is suitable to provide storage and forwarding services for the terminal device. At this time, the NTN network device can be suitable for providing store-and-forward services to the terminal devices by default, and the terminal devices can directly communicate with the NTN network device based on the store-and-forward mode, avoiding the business interruption caused by the NTN network device directly switching the communication mode between the terminal devices from the normal mode to the store-and-forward mode and being unsuitable for providing store-and-forward services to the terminal devices, thereby improving the service quality of the terminal devices.

[0221] In a possible implementation of an embodiment of the present application, the signaling used to carry the capability query response message may include one of a radio resource control response message, a media access control layer control element signaling, a physical random access channel message, and a physical uplink shared channel message. In an embodiment of the present application, the capability query response message may be carried by any one of a radio resource control response message, i.e., an RRC response message, a media access control layer control element signaling, i.e., a MAC CE signaling, a physical random access channel message, and a physical uplink shared channel message.

[0222] 504. The NTN network device receives a capability query response message from the terminal device.

[0223] The capability query response message includes second indication information, and the second indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal device has the storage and forwarding capability.

[0224] In an embodiment of the present application, after the terminal device sends a capability query response message to the NTN network device, the NTN network device can receive the capability query response message from the terminal device, so that the NTN network device can determine the capability of the terminal device based on the capability query response message, so that the NTN network device can perform subsequent operations based on the capability of the terminal device.

[0225] In a possible implementation of the embodiment of the present application, the following further includes:

[0226] E1. If the third indication information indicates that the terminal device can report the storage and forwarding state parameter, receive the information query request from the NTN network device;

[0227] E2. If the third indication information indicates that the terminal device cannot report the store-and-forward state parameter, the NTN network device switches to the store-and-forward mode to provide communication services for the terminal device.

[0228] In the embodiment of the present application, if the capability query response message received by the NTN network device carries not only the second indication information, but also the third indication information for indicating whether the terminal device can report the storage and forwarding state parameters, and the third indication information indicates that the terminal device can report the storage and forwarding state parameters, it means that the NTN network device can obtain the storage and forwarding state parameters from the terminal device, that is, the NTN network device can evaluate whether it is suitable to provide storage and forwarding services for the terminal device. At this time, the NTN network device can send an information query request to the terminal device to obtain the storage and forwarding state parameters of the terminal device. If the third indication information indicates that the terminal device cannot report the storage and forwarding state parameters, the NTN network device can determine that the storage and forwarding state parameters of the terminal device cannot be obtained from the terminal device, that is, the NTN network device cannot evaluate whether it is suitable to provide storage and forwarding services for the terminal device. At this time, the NTN network device can be suitable for providing store-and-forward services to the terminal device by default, and can switch the communication mode with the terminal device from the normal mode to the store-and-forward mode, and communicate with the terminal device based on the store-and-forward mode, thereby avoiding the business interruption caused by the NTN network device directly switching the communication mode with the terminal device from the normal mode to the store-and-forward mode and being unsuitable for providing store-and-forward services to the terminal device, thereby improving the service quality of the terminal device.

[0229] In a possible implementation manner of the embodiment of the present application, if the second indication information indicates that the terminal device has a store-and-forward capability, it also includes:

[0230] F1. If the capability query response message does not include the third indication information, the NTN network device switches to the store-and-forward mode to provide communication services for the terminal device.

[0231] The third indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal device can report the storage and forwarding state parameters.

[0232] In the embodiment of the present application, if the second indication information carried in the capability query response message indicates that the terminal device has the storage and forwarding capability, and the capability query response message does not carry the third indication information for indicating whether the terminal device can report the storage and forwarding state parameters, then the NTN network device can determine that the terminal device cannot report the storage and forwarding state parameters, which means that the NTN network device cannot obtain the storage and forwarding state parameters from the terminal device, that is, the NTN network device cannot evaluate whether it is suitable for providing storage and forwarding services for the terminal device. At this time, the NTN network device can default to being suitable for providing storage and forwarding services for the terminal device, and can directly communicate with the terminal device based on the storage and forwarding mode, avoiding the situation where the service interruption caused by the NTN network device directly switching the communication mode between the terminal device and the normal mode to the storage and forwarding mode, and being unsuitable for providing storage and forwarding services for the terminal device, thereby improving the service quality of the terminal device.

[0233] After step 504, the NTN network device learns whether the terminal device has the store-and-forward capability.

[0234] In a possible implementation of the embodiment of the present application, when the NTN network device identifies that it needs to switch from the normal mode to the store-and-forward mode, the following steps 505-510 are executed.

[0235] In another possible implementation of the embodiment of the present application, when the NTN network device is already in the store-and-forward mode, the following steps 505-510 are performed.

[0236] 505. If the terminal device has a storage and forwarding capability, the NTN network device sends an information query request to the terminal device.

[0237] 506. The terminal device receives the information query request from the NTN network device.

[0238] 507. The terminal device sends an information query response message to the NTN network device.

[0239] 508. The NTN network device receives the information query response message from the terminal device.

[0240] 509. The NTN network device determines whether it is suitable to provide the store-and-forward service for the terminal device according to the store-and-forward state parameter.

[0241] 510. If it is determined according to the store-and-forward state parameters that it is suitable to provide the store-and-forward service for the terminal device, the NTN network device switches to the store-and-forward mode to provide the communication service for the terminal device.

[0242] The above steps 505 to 510 are similar to steps 401 to 406 in the above embodiment and will not be described in detail here.

[0243] It can be seen from the examples of the aforementioned embodiments that in order to improve the service quality of the terminal device, after the NTN network device establishes a radio resource control connection with the terminal device, the NTN network device can send a capability query request to the terminal device to obtain the various capabilities of the terminal device, and when the terminal device has the storage and forwarding capability, the NTN network device can further obtain the storage and forwarding state parameters of the terminal device, and can evaluate whether it is suitable to provide storage and forwarding services for the terminal device based on the storage and forwarding state parameters, so that when it is determined that it is suitable to provide storage and forwarding services for the terminal device, it can communicate with the terminal device based on the storage and forwarding mode, avoiding the business interruption caused by the NTN network device directly switching the communication mode between the terminal device and the normal mode to the storage and forwarding mode, and not being suitable for providing storage and forwarding services for the terminal device, thereby improving the service quality of the terminal device.

[0244] See also Figure 6 , Figure 6 The figure shows a flow chart of a communication method, which is executed by an NTN network device. The NTN network device can execute steps 601 to 604 in the following method. The communication method provided by the embodiment of the present application may include:

[0245] 601. When the NTN network device identifies that a switch from a normal mode to a store-and-forward mode needs to occur, if the terminal device has a store-and-forward capability, the NTN network device sends an information query request to the terminal device.

[0246] 602. The NTN network device receives an information query response message from the terminal device.

[0247] 603. The NTN network device determines whether it is suitable to provide a store-and-forward service for the terminal device according to the store-and-forward state parameter.

[0248] The above step 601 is similar to step 401 in the above embodiment, step 602 is similar to step 404 in the above embodiment, and step 603 is similar to step 405 in the above embodiment, which will not be described in detail here.

[0249] It can be seen from the examples of the aforementioned embodiments that in order to improve the service quality of the terminal device, when the terminal device has the storage and forwarding capability, the NTN network device can further obtain the storage and forwarding state parameters of the terminal device, and can evaluate whether it is suitable to provide the storage and forwarding service for the terminal device based on the storage and forwarding state parameters, so that when it is determined that it is suitable to provide the storage and forwarding service for the terminal device, it can communicate with the terminal device based on the storage and forwarding mode, thereby avoiding the business interruption caused by the NTN network device directly switching the communication mode between the terminal device and the normal mode to the storage and forwarding mode, and not being suitable for providing the storage and forwarding service for the terminal device, thereby improving the service quality of the terminal device.

[0250] See also Figure 7 , Figure 7 The figure is a flow chart of a communication method, which is executed by a terminal device. The terminal device may execute steps 701 to 704 in the following method. The communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application may include:

[0251] 701. The terminal device receives an information query request from an NTN network device.

[0252] 702. The terminal device sends an information query response message to the NTN network device.

[0253] The above step 701 is similar to step 402 in the above embodiment, and step 702 is similar to step 403 in the above embodiment, and will not be described in detail here.

[0254] It can be seen from the examples of the aforementioned embodiments that in order to improve the service quality of the terminal device, when the terminal device has the storage and forwarding capability, the terminal device can send the storage and forwarding state parameters to the NTN network device through the information query response message, so that the NTN network device can obtain the storage and forwarding state parameters of the terminal device, and can evaluate whether it is suitable to provide storage and forwarding services for the terminal device based on the storage and forwarding state parameters, so that when it is determined that it is suitable to provide storage and forwarding services for the terminal device, it can communicate with the terminal device based on the storage and forwarding mode, avoiding the business interruption caused by the NTN network device directly switching the communication mode between the terminal device and the normal mode to the storage and forwarding mode, and not being suitable for providing storage and forwarding services for the terminal device, thereby improving the service quality of the terminal device.

[0255] In order to make the technical solution of the present application clearer and easier to understand, the positioning method of the present application is described in detail below in conjunction with a specific data transmission scenario between an NTN network device and a terminal device.

[0256] Figure 8A flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application on the base station side is provided. The communication method in the embodiment of the present application includes:

[0257] S1. If the UE and the base station are in an RRC connected state, the base station determines whether the UE has the S&F capability; if the UE and the base station are not in an RRC connected state, the base station ends the process.

[0258] In a possible implementation method of an embodiment of the present application, when the terminal device UE is in an RRC connected state, when the base station is about to switch from normal mode to storage and forwarding mode, execute the following steps after S2, or when the base station has switched from the normal mode to storage and forwarding mode, execute the following steps after S2, or when the base station is already in storage and forwarding mode, execute the following steps after S2.

[0259] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the base station is a satellite gNB or an NTN gNB.

[0260] S2. If the UE has S&F capability, the base station determines whether the UE has the ability to report storage and forwarding state parameters, where the storage and forwarding state parameters include first indication information and to-be-sent data parameters, the first indication information is used to indicate whether the UE is allowed to perform storage and forwarding, and the to-be-sent data parameters include the total amount of to-be-sent data of the terminal device and the maximum allowed delay of the to-be-sent data; if the UE does not have S&F capability, the base station disconnects the RRC connection with the UE.

[0261] S3. If the UE has the ability to report the storage and forwarding state parameters, the base station starts the query process of the storage and forwarding state parameters of the UE. This process is performed at the Uu interface and has nothing to do with the Mobility Management Entity (MME); the signaling of the query bearer can be UEInformationRequest or UEInformationRequest-NB. The S&F-ReportReq information element can be added to the signaling of the query bearer; the UE reports the storage and forwarding state parameters of the UE through UEInformationResponse or UEInformationResponse-NB.

[0262] S4. After receiving the storage and forwarding state parameter from the UE, the base station can perform policy selection according to the storage and forwarding state parameter. Specifically, the following steps are included:

[0263] S4.1. If the UE does not allow S&F store-and-forward, that is, the first indication information indicates that the UE does not allow store-and-forward, the RRC release process is directly started, that is, the RRC connection with the UE is disconnected.

[0264] S4.2, if the UE does not prohibit S&F store-and-forward, that is, a preferred embodiment is that the first indication information indicates that the UE allows store-and-forward, then the base station can evaluate whether it is suitable to provide store-and-forward service for the UE according to the total amount of data to be sent and the tolerable delay of the data to be sent in the store-and-forward state parameter reported by the UE. If it can be provided, the base station switches to the S&F mode to communicate with the UE, otherwise the RRC release process is started.

[0265] In a possible implementation manner of the embodiment of the present application, the base station may evaluate whether it is suitable to provide a store-and-forward service for the UE according to the total amount of data to be sent and the tolerable delay of the data to be sent in the store-and-forward state parameter reported by the UE, including:

[0266] 1) The base station determines based on the total amount of data to be sent, if the total amount of data to be sent exceeds the threshold of the amount of data that can be sent, then the base station evaluates that the UE is not suitable for providing storage and forwarding services for the UE; the UE can change other satellite base stations to provide data sending services, or fall back to 4G or other standards to provide the sending service of the data to be sent. Among them, the threshold of the amount of data that can be sent is the size of the storage space of the base station, or is determined by the storage space of the base station. The base station is a satellite gNB or NTN gNB, and its storage and forwarding data space is limited, which is determined by its memory. When the total amount of data to be sent exceeds the size of the base station storage space, the base station cannot provide storage and forwarding services for the UE. Among them, the first threshold described above is the threshold of the amount of data that can be sent.

[0267] 2) The base station judges based on the delay of the data to be sent. If the tolerable delay of the data to be sent is less than the delay threshold, the base station evaluates that the UE is not suitable for providing storage and forwarding services for the UE; the UE can change other satellite base stations to provide data sending services, or fall back to 4G or other standards to provide the sending service of the data to be sent. Among them, the delay threshold is determined by the data stored by the base station. The storage space of the base station stores data and performs storage and forwarding services after a certain delay threshold. The base station performs storage and forwarding services after storing data for a period of time; the maximum value of one end time acceptable to the base station may be the delay threshold. When the tolerable delay of the data to be sent is less than the delay threshold for the base station to store and forward data, the base station cannot provide storage and forwarding services for the UE. Among them, the second threshold described above is the delay threshold, and the maximum delay is the tolerable delay of the data to be sent.

[0268] 3) If the total amount of data to be sent does not exceed the threshold of the amount of data that can be sent, and the tolerable delay of the data to be sent is greater than the delay threshold, the base station evaluates that the UE is suitable for providing a store-and-forward service for the UE. When the UE sends the data to be sent, the data to be sent is expected to be sent to the other end within a certain period of time, and the maximum value of the certain period of time is the tolerable delay of the data to be sent.

[0269] It can be seen from the examples of the aforementioned embodiments that in order to improve the service quality of the UE, when the UE has the storage and forwarding capability, the base station can further obtain the storage and forwarding state parameters of the UE, and can evaluate whether the UE is suitable for providing storage and forwarding services based on the storage and forwarding state parameters. Finally, when it is determined that the UE is suitable for providing storage and forwarding services, it communicates with the UE based on the storage and forwarding mode, thereby avoiding the service interruption caused by the base station directly switching the communication mode between the UE and the UE from the normal mode to the storage and forwarding mode, and the UE is unable to provide storage and forwarding services, thereby improving the service quality of the UE.

[0270] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device may be a NTN network device, and the communication device may include:

[0271] A sending module 901 is used for sending an information query request to the terminal device if the terminal device has a storage and forwarding capability when the NTN network device recognizes that a switch from the normal mode to the storage and forwarding mode needs to occur;

[0272] A receiving module 902 is configured to receive an information query response message from the terminal device, wherein the information query response message includes a storage and forwarding state parameter of the terminal device;

[0273] The determination module 903 is used to determine whether it is suitable to provide the store-and-forward service for the terminal device according to the store-and-forward state parameter.

[0274] In a possible implementation of the embodiment of the present application, the device further includes:

[0275] The communication module is used for switching the NTN network device to a store-and-forward mode to provide communication services for the terminal device if it is determined according to the store-and-forward state parameter that it is suitable to provide the store-and-forward service for the terminal device.

[0276] In a possible implementation of the embodiment of the present application, the NTN network device identifies that a situation in which a switch from a normal mode to a store-and-forward mode needs to occur includes:

[0277] The feeder link between the NTN network equipment and the ground core network equipment is about to be disconnected or has been disconnected.

[0278] In a possible implementation of an embodiment of the present application, the storage and forwarding status parameters include first indication information and to-be-sent data parameters, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal device allows storage and forwarding, and the to-be-sent data parameters include the total amount of to-be-sent data of the terminal device and the maximum allowed delay of the to-be-sent data.

[0279] In a possible implementation of the embodiment of the present application, the determining module 903 is specifically configured to:

[0280] If the first indication information indicates that the terminal device allows store-and-forwarding, and the total data volume is less than or equal to the first threshold, and the maximum delay is greater than or equal to the second threshold, it is determined that it is suitable to provide the terminal device with a store-and-forward service;

[0281] If the first indication information indicates that the terminal device does not allow store-and-forwarding, or the total data volume is greater than the first threshold, or the maximum delay is less than the second threshold, it is determined that it is not suitable to provide store-and-forwarding service for the terminal device.

[0282] In a possible implementation of the embodiment of the present application, the device further includes:

[0283] The sending module 901 is further used to send a capability query request to the terminal device;

[0284] The receiving module 902 is further used to receive a capability query response message from a terminal device, where the capability query response message includes second indication information, and the second indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal device has a store-and-forward capability.

[0285] In a possible implementation manner of the embodiment of the present application, if the second indication information indicates that the terminal device has a store-and-forward capability, the capability query response message further includes third indication information, and the third indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal device can report a store-and-forward state parameter; the apparatus further includes:

[0286] The sending module 901 is further configured to send an information query request to the terminal device if the third indication information indicates that the terminal device can report a storage and forwarding state parameter;

[0287] The communication module is used for, if the third indication information indicates that the terminal device cannot report the storage and forwarding state parameter, the NTN network device switches to the storage and forwarding mode to provide communication services for the terminal device.

[0288] In a possible implementation manner of the embodiment of the present application, if the second indication information indicates that the terminal device has a store-and-forward capability, the method further includes:

[0289] The communication module is further configured to switch the NTN network device to a storage-and-forward mode to provide communication services for the terminal device if the capability query response message does not include third indication information, wherein the third indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal device can report a storage-and-forward state parameter.

[0290] In a possible implementation of the embodiment of the present application, the device further includes:

[0291] The communication module is used to disconnect the terminal device if the terminal device does not have the store-and-forward capability.

[0292] The communication module is further configured to disconnect the terminal device if it is determined that it is not suitable to provide the store-and-forward service for the terminal device according to the store-and-forward state parameter.

[0293] In a possible implementation manner of the embodiment of the present application, the signaling used to carry the information query request includes one of radio resource control signaling, system message, downlink control information signaling, and medium access control layer control element signaling;

[0294] The signaling used to carry the information query response message includes one of a radio resource control response message, a medium access control layer control element signaling, a physical random access channel message, and a physical uplink shared channel message.

[0295] In one possible implementation of an embodiment of the present application, the terminal device includes a new wireless NR device or an Internet of Things (IoT) terminal device; the NTN network device includes any one of an NTN base station, a satellite base station, a drone network device, a high-altitude platform network device, an aircraft network device, and a communication balloon network device.

[0296] It can be seen from the examples of the aforementioned embodiments that in order to improve the service quality of the terminal device, when the terminal device has the storage and forwarding capability, the NTN network device can further obtain the storage and forwarding state parameters of the terminal device, and can evaluate whether it is suitable to provide the storage and forwarding service for the terminal device based on the storage and forwarding state parameters, so that when it is determined that it is suitable to provide the storage and forwarding service for the terminal device, it can communicate with the terminal device based on the storage and forwarding mode, thereby avoiding the business interruption caused by the NTN network device directly switching the communication mode between the terminal device and the normal mode to the storage and forwarding mode, and not being suitable for providing the storage and forwarding service for the terminal device, thereby improving the service quality of the terminal device.

[0297] Fig.10 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device may be a terminal device, and the communication device may include:

[0298] Receiving module 1001, used for receiving information query request from NTN network equipment;

[0299] The sending module 1002 is used to send an information query response message to the NTN network device, wherein the information query response message includes a storage and forwarding state parameter, so that the NTN network device determines whether it is suitable to provide a storage and forwarding service for the terminal device according to the storage and forwarding state parameter.

[0300] In a possible implementation of the embodiment of the present application, the device further includes:

[0301] The communication module 1003 is configured to switch to a store-and-forward mode to communicate with the NTN network device if the NTN network device determines, based on the store-and-forward state parameter, that it is suitable to provide the terminal device with a store-and-forward service.

[0302] In a possible implementation of an embodiment of the present application, the storage and forwarding status parameters include first indication information and to-be-sent data parameters, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal device allows storage and forwarding, and the to-be-sent data parameters include the total amount of to-be-sent data of the terminal device and the maximum allowed delay of the to-be-sent data.

[0303] In a possible implementation of the embodiment of the present application, the device further includes:

[0304] The receiving module 1001 is also used to receive a capability query request from an NTN network device;

[0305] The sending module 1002 is further used to send a capability query response message to the NTN network device, where the capability query response message includes second indication information, and the second indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal device has a store-and-forward capability.

[0306] In a possible implementation manner of the embodiment of the present application, if the second indication information indicates that the terminal device has a store-and-forward capability, the capability query response message also includes third indication information, and the third indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal device can report a store-and-forward state parameter, and the apparatus further includes:

[0307] The receiving module 1001 is further configured to receive an information query request from an NTN network device if the third indication information indicates that the terminal device can report a storage and forwarding state parameter;

[0308] The communication module is configured to switch to a storage-and-forward mode to communicate with the NTN network device if the third indication information indicates that the terminal device cannot report the storage-and-forward state parameter.

[0309] In a possible implementation manner of the embodiment of the present application, if the second indication information indicates that the terminal device has a store-and-forward capability, the apparatus further includes:

[0310] The communication module 1003 is further configured to switch to a store-and-forward mode to communicate with the NTN network device if the capability query response message does not include third indication information, wherein the third indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal device can report a store-and-forward state parameter.

[0311] In a possible implementation of the embodiment of the present application, the device further includes:

[0312] The communication module 1003 is further configured to disconnect the terminal device from the NTN network device if the terminal device does not have a store-and-forward capability.

[0313] In a possible implementation manner of the embodiment of the present application, the signaling used to carry the information query request includes one of radio resource control signaling, system message, downlink control information signaling, and medium access control layer control element signaling;

[0314] The signaling used to carry the information query response message includes one of a radio resource control response message, a medium access control layer control element signaling, a physical random access channel message, and a physical uplink shared channel message.

[0315] In one possible implementation of an embodiment of the present application, the terminal device includes a new wireless NR device or an Internet of Things (IoT) terminal device; the NTN network device includes any one of an NTN base station, a satellite base station, a drone network device, a high-altitude platform network device, an aircraft network device, and a communication balloon network device.

[0316] It can be seen from the examples of the aforementioned embodiments that in order to improve the service quality of the terminal device, when the terminal device has the storage and forwarding capability, the terminal device can send the storage and forwarding state parameters to the NTN network device through the information query response message, so that the NTN network device can obtain the storage and forwarding state parameters of the terminal device, and can evaluate whether it is suitable to provide storage and forwarding services for the terminal device based on the storage and forwarding state parameters, so that when it is determined that it is suitable to provide storage and forwarding services for the terminal device, it can communicate with the terminal device based on the storage and forwarding mode, avoiding the business interruption caused by the NTN network device directly switching the communication mode between the terminal device and the normal mode to the storage and forwarding mode, and not being suitable for providing storage and forwarding services for the terminal device, thereby improving the service quality of the terminal device.

[0317] In a preferred embodiment of the present application, the NTN network device includes a satellite base station or a satellite gNB, and the communication method described includes a communication method between a terminal device UE and a satellite base station / satellite gNB. The communication system described includes a communication system between a terminal device UE and a satellite base station / satellite gNB. The terminal device described is an NR device or an IOT terminal device.

[0318] Fig.11 An example of the composition of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The electronic device may be a first device, including but not limited to a base station and a core network unit. Fig.11 A simplified schematic diagram of the base station structure is shown. The base station includes part 1110, part 1120 and part 1130. Part 1110 is mainly used for baseband processing, controlling the base station, etc.; part 1110 is usually the control center of the base station, which can be usually called a processor, and is used to control the base station to perform the processing operation on the first device side in the above method embodiment. Part 1120 is mainly used to store computer program code and data. Part 1130 is mainly used for receiving and transmitting radio frequency signals and converting radio frequency signals to baseband signals; part 1130 can usually be called a transceiver module, a transceiver, a transceiver circuit, or a transceiver. The transceiver module of part 1130 can also be called a transceiver or a transceiver, etc., which includes an antenna 1133 and a radio frequency circuit (not shown in the figure), wherein the radio frequency circuit is mainly used for radio frequency processing. Optionally, the device used to implement the receiving function in part 1130 can be regarded as a receiver, and the device used to implement the sending function can be regarded as a transmitter, that is, part 1130 includes a receiver 1132 and a transmitter 1131. A receiver may also be called a receiving module, a receiver, or a receiving circuit, etc., and a transmitter may be called a transmitting module, a transmitter, or a transmitting circuit, etc.

[0319] Part 1110 and part 1120 may include one or more single boards, each of which may include one or more processors and one or more memories. The processor is used to read and execute the program in the memory to realize the baseband processing function and the control of the base station. If there are multiple single boards, each single board can be interconnected to enhance the processing capability. As an optional implementation, multiple single boards may share one or more processors, or multiple single boards may share one or more memories, or multiple single boards may share one or more processors at the same time.

[0320] For example, in one implementation, the transceiver module of part 1130 is used to execute the transceiver-related process executed by the base station (first device) in the aforementioned method embodiment. The processor of part 1110 is used to execute the processing-related process executed by the base station in the aforementioned method embodiment.

[0321] It should be understood that Fig.11 The NTN network device including the processor, memory and transceiver may not rely on Fig.11 The structure shown.

[0322] Fig.12 Another example of the composition of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The electronic device may be a second device, and the second device may be a terminal device, including but not limited to a mobile phone, a smart wearable device (such as a smart watch), and other electronic devices. Taking a mobile phone as an example, the electronic device may include a processor 310, an external memory interface 320, an internal memory 321, a display screen 330, a camera 340, an antenna 1, an antenna 2, a mobile communication module 350, and a wireless communication module 360, etc.

[0323] It is to be understood that the structure illustrated in this embodiment does not constitute a specific limitation on the electronic device. In other embodiments, the electronic device may include more or fewer components than shown in the figure, or combine some components, or split some components, or arrange the components differently. The components shown in the figure may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0324] The processor 310 may include one or more processing units, for example, the processor 310 may include an application processor (AP), a modem processor, a graphics processor (GPU), an image signal processor (ISP), a controller, a video codec, a digital signal processor (DSP), a baseband processor, and / or a neural-network processing unit (NPU), etc. Different processing units may be independent devices or integrated into one or more processors.

[0325] It is understandable that the interface connection relationship between the modules illustrated in this embodiment is only a schematic illustration and does not constitute a structural limitation of the electronic device. In other embodiments of the present application, the electronic device may also adopt different interface connection methods in the above embodiments, or a combination of multiple interface connection methods.

[0326] The external memory interface 320 can be used to connect an external memory card, such as a Micro SD card, to expand the storage capacity of the electronic device. The external memory card communicates with the processor 310 through the external memory interface 320 to implement a data storage function. For example, files such as music and videos can be stored in the external memory card.

[0327] The internal memory 321 can be used to store computer executable program codes, and the executable program codes include instructions. The processor 310 executes various functional applications and data processing of the electronic device by running the instructions stored in the internal memory 321. The internal memory 321 may include a program storage area and a data storage area. Among them, the program storage area may store an operating system, an application required for at least one function (such as a sound playback function, an image playback function, etc.), etc. The data storage area may store data created during the use of the electronic device (such as audio data, a phone book, etc.), etc. In addition, the internal memory 321 may include a high-speed random access memory, and may also include a non-volatile memory, such as at least one disk storage device, a flash memory device, a universal flash storage (UFS), etc. The processor 310 executes various functional applications and data processing of the electronic device by running the instructions stored in the internal memory 321, and / or the instructions stored in the memory provided in the processor.

[0328] The wireless communication function of the electronic device can be implemented through antenna 1, antenna 2, mobile communication module 350, wireless communication module 360, modem processor and baseband processor.

[0329] Antenna 1 and antenna 2 are used to transmit and receive electromagnetic wave signals. Each antenna in the electronic device can be used to cover a single or multiple communication frequency bands. Different antennas can also be reused to improve the utilization of the antennas. For example, antenna 1 can be reused as a diversity antenna for a wireless local area network. In some other embodiments, the antenna can be used in combination with a tuning switch.

[0330] The mobile communication module 350 can provide solutions for wireless communications including 2G / 3G / 4G / 5G applied in electronic devices. The mobile communication module 350 may include at least one filter, a switch, a power amplifier, a low noise amplifier (LNA), etc. The mobile communication module 350 can receive electromagnetic waves from the antenna 1, and filter, amplify, and process the received electromagnetic waves, and transmit them to the modulation and demodulation processor for demodulation. The mobile communication module 350 can also amplify the signal modulated by the modulation and demodulation processor, and convert it into electromagnetic waves for radiation through the antenna 1. In some embodiments, at least some of the functional modules of the mobile communication module 350 can be set in the processor 310. In some embodiments, at least some of the functional modules of the mobile communication module 350 can be set in the same device as at least some of the modules of the processor 310.

[0331] In some embodiments, the electronic device initiates or receives a call request through the mobile communication module 350 and the antenna 1 .

[0332] In addition, an operating system is running on the above components. For example, an iOS operating system, an Android operating system, a Windows operating system, etc. Applications can be installed and run on the operating system. Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that for the convenience and simplicity of description, the explanation and beneficial effects of the relevant contents in any of the electronic devices provided above can refer to the corresponding method embodiments provided above, and will not be repeated here.

[0333] The present application also provides a communication system, which may include: Fig.11 The first device shown (for example, a NTN network device such as a base station) and Fig.12 The second device shown (for example, a terminal device such as a mobile phone).

[0334] In this application, the terminal device or NTN network device may include a hardware layer, an operating system layer running on the hardware layer, and an application layer running on the operating system layer. Among them, the hardware layer may include hardware such as a central processing unit (CPU), a memory management unit (MMU), and a memory (also called main memory). The operating system of the operating system layer may be any one or more computer operating systems that implement business processing through processes, such as Linux operating system, Unix operating system, Android operating system, iOS operating system, or Windows operating system. The application layer may include applications such as browsers, address books, word processing software, and instant messaging software.

[0335] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and modules described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0336] In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic. For example, the division of the modules is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation, such as multiple modules or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be an indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or modules, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0337] The modules described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as modules may or may not be physical modules, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed on multiple network modules. Some or all of the modules may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

[0338] In addition, each functional module in each embodiment of the present application can be integrated into a processing module, or each module can exist physically separately, or two or more modules can be integrated into one module. The above integrated modules can be implemented in the form of hardware or software functional modules.

[0339] If the integrated module is implemented in the form of a software function module and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the part that essentially contributes to the technical solution of the present application or the whole or part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product, and the computer software product is stored in a storage medium, including several instructions for a computer device (which can be a personal computer, server, or NTN network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the process of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: U disk, mobile hard disk, read-only memory, random access memory, disk or optical disk and other media that can store program code.

[0340] As described above, the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, rather than to limit it. Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, a person of ordinary skill in the art should understand that the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments can still be modified, or some of the technical features therein can be replaced by equivalents. However, these modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to non-terrestrial network NTN network equipment, the method comprises: When the NTN network device identifies that a switch from the normal mode to the store-and-forward mode needs to occur, if the terminal device has the store-and-forward capability, an information query request is sent to the terminal device; Receiving an information query response message from the terminal device, the information query response message including a store-and-forward state parameter of the terminal device, the store-and-forward state parameter including first indication information and a to-be-sent data parameter, the first indication information being used to indicate whether the terminal device allows store-and-forward, the to-be-sent data parameter including a total amount of to-be-sent data of the terminal device and a maximum time delay allowed for the to-be-sent data; Determining whether it is suitable to provide a store-and-forward service for the terminal device according to the store-and-forward state parameter; If it is determined according to the store-and-forward state parameters that it is suitable to provide the store-and-forward service for the terminal device, the NTN network device switches to the store-and-forward mode to provide the communication service for the terminal device.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The NTN network device identifies that the situation where the normal mode needs to be switched to the store-and-forward mode includes: The feeder link between the NTN network equipment and the ground core network equipment is about to be disconnected or has been disconnected.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The determining, according to the store-and-forward state parameter, whether it is suitable to provide the store-and-forward service for the terminal device comprises: If the first indication information indicates that the terminal device allows store-and-forwarding, and the total data volume is less than or equal to the first threshold, and the maximum delay is greater than or equal to the second threshold, it is determined that it is suitable to provide the terminal device with a store-and-forward service; If the first indication information indicates that the terminal device does not allow store-and-forwarding, or the total data volume is greater than the first threshold, or the maximum delay is less than the second threshold, it is determined that it is not suitable to provide store-and-forwarding service for the terminal device.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The first threshold value includes the storage space size of the NTN network device, or a size determined by the memory of the NTN network device; The second threshold is a delay threshold for the NTN network device to send data.

5. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: Before sending the terminal information query request to the terminal device, the method further includes: Sending a capability query request to the terminal device; A capability query response message is received from a terminal device, where the capability query response message includes second indication information, where the second indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal device has a store-and-forward capability.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that If the second indication information indicates that the terminal device has a store-and-forward capability, the capability query response message further includes third indication information, where the third indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal device can report a store-and-forward state parameter; If the third indication information indicates that the terminal device can report the storage and forwarding state parameter, sending an information query request to the terminal device; If the third indication information indicates that the terminal device cannot report the store-and-forward state parameter, the NTN network device switches to the store-and-forward mode to provide communication services for the terminal device.

7. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that If the second indication information indicates that the terminal device has a store-and-forward capability, the method further includes: If the capability query response message does not include the third indication information, the NTN network device switches to a store-and-forward mode to provide communication services for the terminal device; The third indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal device can report the storage and forwarding state parameters.

8. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The method further comprises: If the terminal device does not have a store-and-forward capability, disconnecting from the terminal device; If it is determined according to the store-and-forward state parameter that it is not suitable to provide the store-and-forward service for the terminal device, the connection with the terminal device is disconnected.

9. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The signaling used to carry the information query request includes one of radio resource control signaling, system message, downlink control information signaling, and medium access control layer control element signaling; The signaling used to carry the information query response message includes one of a radio resource control response message, a medium access control layer control element signaling, a physical random access channel message, and a physical uplink shared channel message.

10. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The terminal device includes a new wireless NR device or an Internet of Things IOT terminal device; The NTN network equipment includes any one of an NTN base station, a satellite base station, an unmanned aerial vehicle network equipment, an aerial platform network equipment, an aircraft network equipment, and a communication balloon network equipment.

11. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to a terminal device, the method comprises: Receive information query requests from non-terrestrial network NTN network equipment; Sending an information query response message to the NTN network device, the information query response message including a store-and-forward state parameter, so that the NTN network device determines whether it is suitable to provide a store-and-forward service for the terminal device according to the store-and-forward state parameter, the store-and-forward state parameter including first indication information and a to-be-sent data parameter, the first indication information being used to indicate whether the terminal device is allowed to perform store-and-forward, the to-be-sent data parameter including the total amount of to-be-sent data of the terminal device and the maximum allowed delay of the to-be-sent data; If the NTN network device determines, according to the store-and-forward state parameter, that it is suitable to provide the store-and-forward service for the terminal device, the NTN network device switches to the store-and-forward mode to communicate with the NTN network device.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that Before receiving the information query request from the non-terrestrial network NTN network device, the method further includes: Receive capability query requests from NTN network devices; A capability query response message is sent to the NTN network device, where the capability query response message includes second indication information, where the second indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal device has a store-and-forward capability.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that If the second indication information indicates that the terminal device has a store-and-forward capability, the capability query response message further includes third indication information, where the third indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal device can report a store-and-forward state parameter; If the third indication information indicates that the terminal device can report the storage and forwarding state parameter, receiving an information query request from the NTN network device; If the third indication information indicates that the terminal device cannot report the store-and-forward state parameter, the terminal device switches to the store-and-forward mode to communicate with the NTN network device.

14. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that If the second indication information indicates that the terminal device has a store-and-forward capability, the method further includes: If the capability query response message does not include the third indication information, switching to a store-and-forward mode to communicate with the NTN network device; The third indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal device can report the storage and forwarding state parameters.

15. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The method further comprises: If the terminal device does not have the storage and forwarding capability, the connection with the NTN network device is disconnected.

16. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The signaling used to carry the information query request includes one of radio resource control signaling, system message, downlink control information signaling, and medium access control layer control element signaling; The signaling used to carry the information query response message includes one of a radio resource control response message, a medium access control layer control element signaling, a physical random access channel message, and a physical uplink shared channel message.

17. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The terminal device includes a new wireless NR device or an Internet of Things IOT terminal device; The NTN network equipment includes any one of an NTN base station, a satellite base station, an unmanned aerial vehicle network equipment, an aerial platform network equipment, an aircraft network equipment, and a communication balloon network equipment.

18. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to terminal equipment and non-terrestrial network NTN network equipment, the terminal equipment executes the following method: When the NTN network device identifies that a switch from the normal mode to the store-and-forward mode needs to occur, if the terminal device has the store-and-forward capability, an information query request is sent to the terminal device; Receiving an information query response message from the terminal device, the information query response message including a store-and-forward state parameter of the terminal device, the store-and-forward state parameter including first indication information and a to-be-sent data parameter, the first indication information being used to indicate whether the terminal device allows store-and-forward, the to-be-sent data parameter including a total amount of to-be-sent data of the terminal device and a maximum time delay allowed for the to-be-sent data; Determining whether it is suitable to provide a store-and-forward service for the terminal device according to the store-and-forward state parameter; If it is determined according to the store-and-forward state parameter that it is suitable to provide the store-and-forward service for the terminal device, the NTN network device switches to the store-and-forward mode to provide the communication service for the terminal device; The NTN network device performs the following method: Receive information query requests from non-terrestrial network NTN network equipment; Sending an information query response message to the NTN network device, wherein the information query response message includes a store-and-forward state parameter, so that the NTN network device determines whether it is suitable to provide a store-and-forward service for the terminal device according to the store-and-forward state parameter; If the NTN network device determines, according to the store-and-forward state parameter, that it is suitable to provide the store-and-forward service for the terminal device, the NTN network device switches to the store-and-forward mode to communicate with the NTN network device.

19. A communication device, characterized in that: The communication device is specifically a non-terrestrial network NTN network device, and the communication device includes: A sending module, used for sending an information query request to the terminal device if the terminal device has a storage and forwarding capability when the NTN network device recognizes that a switch from a normal mode to a storage and forwarding mode needs to occur; A receiving module, used to receive an information query response message from the terminal device, the information query response message includes a storage and forwarding state parameter of the terminal device, the storage and forwarding state parameter includes first indication information and a to-be-sent data parameter, the first indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal device allows storage and forwarding, and the to-be-sent data parameter includes a total amount of to-be-sent data of the terminal device and a maximum delay allowed for the to-be-sent data; A determination module, configured to determine whether it is suitable to provide a store-and-forward service for the terminal device according to the store-and-forward state parameter; The communication module is used to switch to the store-and-forward mode to provide communication services for the terminal device if it is determined according to the store-and-forward state parameters that it is suitable to provide the store-and-forward service for the terminal device.

20. A communication device, characterized in that: The communication device is specifically a terminal device, and the communication device includes: A receiving module, used for receiving an information query request from a non-terrestrial network NTN network device; A sending module, used for sending an information query response message to the NTN network device, wherein the information query response message includes a storage and forwarding state parameter, so that the NTN network device determines whether it is suitable to provide a storage and forwarding service for the terminal device according to the storage and forwarding state parameter, wherein the storage and forwarding state parameter includes first indication information and a to-be-sent data parameter, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal device allows storage and forwarding, and the to-be-sent data parameter includes a total amount of to-be-sent data of the terminal device and a maximum time delay allowed for the to-be-sent data; The communication module is used for switching to a store-and-forward mode to communicate with the NTN network device if the NTN network device determines, according to the store-and-forward state parameter, that it is suitable to provide the terminal device with a store-and-forward service.

21. A communication device, characterized in that: The communication device comprises: Memory for storing computer programs or computer instructions; A processor, configured to execute a computer program or computer instruction stored in the memory, so that the communication device performs the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, or so that the communication device performs the method according to any one of claims 11 to 17.

22. A communication system, characterized in that: The communication system includes terminal equipment and NTN network equipment: The terminal device is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, and the NTN network device is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 11 to 17.

23. A computer storage medium for storing a computer program, wherein when the computer program is executed, it is used to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, or to implement the method according to any one of claims 11 to 17.

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