Communication method and apparatus, communication device, and storage medium

Abstract

This disclosure provides a communication method, apparatus, device, and storage medium. The method is applied to a terminal and includes: determining that the terminal enters a power-saving state based on configuration information; wherein the configuration information is determined based on the coverage status of the terminal's serving satellites.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of Chinese Patent Application No. 202080004222.4, filed on December 28, 2020, entitled "Communication Method and Apparatus, Communication Equipment and Storage Medium". Technical Field

[0002] This disclosure relates to, but is not limited to, the field of wireless communication, and particularly to a communication method and apparatus, communication device and storage medium. Background Technology

[0003] In the field of wireless communication, satellite communication is increasingly being utilized. Satellite communication refers to communication conducted by terrestrial radio communication equipment using satellites as relays. A satellite communication system consists of a satellite component and a ground component. Satellite communication has advantages such as a large communication range and less susceptibility to land-based disasters. However, limited by the number of satellites, satellite communication cannot achieve all-weather coverage, leading to excessive and unnecessary power consumption by terminals when satellite coverage is limited. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This disclosure provides a communication method, apparatus, communication device, and storage medium.

[0005] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a communication method is provided, the method being applied to a terminal, comprising:

[0006] Based on the configuration information, it is determined that the terminal enters a power-saving state; wherein, the configuration information is determined based on the coverage status of the terminal's serving satellites.

[0007] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a communication method is provided, the method being applied to a base station, comprising:

[0008] Configuration information is issued to determine whether the terminal enters a power-saving state; wherein, the configuration information is determined based on the coverage status of the terminal's serving satellites.

[0009] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, a communication device is provided, the device being applied to a terminal, comprising:

[0010] The first determining module is configured to determine whether the terminal enters a power-saving state based on configuration information; wherein the configuration information is determined based on the coverage status of the terminal's serving satellites.

[0011] According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a communication apparatus is provided, the apparatus being applied to a base station, comprising:

[0012] The distribution module is configured to distribute configuration information for determining whether the terminal enters a power-saving state; wherein, the configuration information is determined based on the coverage status of the terminal's serving satellites.

[0013] According to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, a communication device is provided, the communication device comprising at least: a processor and a memory for storing executable instructions capable of running on the processor, wherein:

[0014] When the processor runs the executable instructions, the executable instructions perform the steps in the communication method provided in any of the above embodiments.

[0015] According to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the steps in the communication method provided in any of the above embodiments.

[0016] This disclosure provides a communication method, apparatus, device, and storage medium. Through the technical solution of this disclosure, the terminal enters a power-saving state based on configuration information determined by the serving satellite coverage status. This ensures that normal communication within the serving satellite coverage area is not affected, while reducing power consumption outside the coverage area, thus achieving power saving. Attached Figure Description

[0017] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the embodiments of the invention.

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of a wireless communication system according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0019] Figure 2 This is a flowchart of a communication method according to an exemplary embodiment. Figure 1 ;

[0020] Figure 3 This is a flowchart of a communication method according to an exemplary embodiment. Figure 2 ;

[0021] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a terminal listening to paging information according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0022] Figure 5 This is a structural block diagram of a communication device according to an exemplary embodiment. Figure 1 ;

[0023] Figure 6 This is a structural block diagram of a communication device according to an exemplary embodiment. Figure 2 ;

[0024] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device according to an exemplary embodiment. Figure 1 ;

[0025] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device according to an exemplary embodiment. Figure 2 . Detailed Implementation

[0026] Exemplary embodiments will now be described in detail, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description relates to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numerals in different drawings denote the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with those of this disclosure. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of the embodiments of this disclosure as detailed in the appended claims.

[0027] The terminology used in this disclosure is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure. The singular forms “a” and “the” as used in this disclosure and the appended claims are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term “and / or” as used herein refers to and includes any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0028] It should be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc., may be used to describe various information in embodiments of this disclosure, such information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish information of the same type from one another. For example, first information may also be referred to as second information without departing from the scope of embodiments of this disclosure, and similarly, second information may also be referred to as first information. Depending on the context, the words “if” and “suppose” as used herein may be interpreted as “when”, “when”, or “in response to a determination”.

[0029] To better describe any embodiment of this disclosure, one embodiment of this disclosure is illustrated by taking an access control application scenario as an example.

[0030] Please refer to Figure 1 This illustration shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a wireless communication system provided in an embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 1 As shown, the wireless communication system is a communication system based on cellular mobile communication technology. The wireless communication system may include: a number of terminals 11 and a number of base stations 12.

[0031] Terminal 11 can be a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to a user. Terminal 11 can communicate with one or more core networks via a Radio Access Network (RAN). Terminal 11 can be an Internet of Things (IoT) terminal, such as a sensor device, a mobile phone (or "cellular" phone), and a computer with an IoT terminal. For example, it can be a fixed, portable, pocket-sized, handheld, computer-embedded, or vehicle-mounted device. Examples include a station (STA), subscriber unit, subscriber station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, access point, remote terminal, access terminal, user terminal, user agent, user device, or user equipment. Alternatively, Terminal 11 can also be a device on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Alternatively, Terminal 11 can also be a vehicle-mounted device, such as a vehicle computer with wireless communication capabilities, or a wireless terminal connected to an external vehicle computer. Alternatively, terminal 11 can also be a roadside device, such as a street light, traffic light, or other roadside device with wireless communication capabilities.

[0032] Base station 12 can be a network-side device in a wireless communication system. This wireless communication system can be a fourth-generation mobile communication (4G) system, also known as a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system; or it can be a 5G system, also known as a New Radio (NR) system or a 5G NR system. Alternatively, it can be a next-generation system after 5G. In this case, the access network in the 5G system can be called NG-RAN (New Generation-Radio Access Network).

[0033] In this embodiment, base station 12 can be an evolved NB (eNB) used in a 4G system. Alternatively, base station 12 can also be a gNB (gNB) using a centralized-distributed architecture in a 5G system. When base station 12 adopts a centralized-distributed architecture, it typically includes a central unit (CU) and at least two distributed units (DU). The central unit is equipped with a protocol stack of Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP), Radio Link Control (RLC), and Media Access Control (MAC) layers; the distributed units are equipped with a physical (PHY) layer protocol stack. This disclosure does not limit the specific implementation of base station 12.

[0034] Base station 12 and terminal 11 can establish a wireless connection via a wireless air interface. In different implementations, the wireless air interface is a wireless air interface based on the fourth-generation mobile communication network technology (4G) standard; or, the wireless air interface is a wireless air interface based on the fifth-generation mobile communication network technology (5G) standard, such as a new air interface; or, the wireless air interface can also be a wireless air interface based on a next-generation mobile communication network technology standard based on 5G.

[0035] In some embodiments, terminals 11 can also establish E2E (End to End) connections. Examples include V2V (vehicle to vehicle), V2I (vehicle to Infrastructure), and V2P (vehicle to pedestrian) communication scenarios in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication.

[0036] In some embodiments, the wireless communication system described above may further include a network management device 13.

[0037] Several base stations 12 are connected to network management device 13. Network management device 13 can be a core network device in a wireless communication system, such as a Mobility Management Entity (MME) in an Evolved Packet Core (EPC). Alternatively, it can be other core network devices, such as a Serving Gateway (SGW), a Public Data Network Gateway (PGW), a Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF), or a Home Subscriber Server (HSS). The implementation of network management device 13 is not limited in this embodiment.

[0038] The emergence of new-generation internet applications such as AR (Augmented Reality), VR (Virtual Reality), and vehicle-to-vehicle communication has placed higher demands on wireless communication technologies, driving their continuous evolution to meet application needs. Currently, cellular mobile communication technology is in the next generation of technological evolution. A key characteristic of this new generation is its ability to support flexible configuration for various service types. Different service types have different requirements for wireless communication technologies. For example, eMBB (Enhanced Mobile Broadband) primarily requires high bandwidth and high speed; URLLC (Ultra-reliable and Low Latency Communications) primarily requires high reliability and low latency; and mMTC (Massive Machine-Type Communication) primarily requires a large number of connections. Therefore, next-generation wireless communication systems need flexible and configurable designs to support the transmission of multiple service types.

[0039] In wireless communication technology, satellite communication is an important aspect of future development. Satellite communication refers to communication via satellite relays using ground-based radio communication equipment. A satellite communication system consists of a satellite component and a ground component. The characteristics of satellite communication are: large communication range; communication between any two points within the coverage area of ​​the satellite's emitted radio waves; and low susceptibility to land-based disasters (high reliability). As a supplement to current terrestrial cellular communication systems, satellite communication offers the following advantages:

[0040] First, extended coverage: For areas that cannot be covered by current cellular communication systems or where the cost of coverage is too high, such as oceans, deserts, and remote mountainous areas, communication problems can be solved through satellite communication.

[0041] Second, emergency communication: In extreme situations such as disasters like earthquakes that render cellular communication infrastructure unavailable, satellite communication can be used to quickly establish communication connections.

[0042] Third, it provides industry applications: for example, for time-sensitive services that require long-distance transmission, satellite communication can be used to reduce the latency of service transmission.

[0043] It is foreseeable that in future wireless communication systems, satellite communication systems and terrestrial cellular communication systems will gradually achieve deep integration, truly realizing the Internet of Everything.

[0044] Based on the integration of the aforementioned satellite communication system and terrestrial communication system, such as Figure 2 As shown, this disclosure provides a communication method applied in a terminal, including:

[0045] Step S101: Determine that the terminal enters power-saving mode based on the configuration information; wherein, the configuration information is determined based on the coverage status of the terminal's serving satellite.

[0046] In this embodiment, the terminal can switch between different states based on configuration information determined by the coverage status of the serving satellite. The terminal's power-saving state is determined by the switching method between the active and sleep states based on the coverage status of the serving satellite. Compared to modes such as periodic activation that do not consider satellite coverage, the power-saving state can be non-periodic activation. For example, when the serving satellite provides coverage, the terminal enters an active state, but in areas without serving satellite coverage, it does not perform PDCCH monitoring or other communication activities, i.e., it remains in a sleep state. The sleep state includes an idle state and an inactive state. Alternatively, when the serving satellite provides coverage, the terminal enters a periodic monitoring state, but in areas without serving satellite coverage, it remains in a sleep state without periodic state switching.

[0047] In some embodiments, the terminal uses a periodic DRX configuration method, which periodically enters an active state to listen to the PDCCH in order to save power. However, this method does not take into account the characteristics of satellite coverage. When the terminal is outside the coverage area of ​​the serving satellite, it still periodically activates and listens to the PDCCH, but in fact cannot receive downlink information, thus wasting power.

[0048] Therefore, in this embodiment, the terminal switches states based on the coverage of the serving satellite, that is, it enters the power-saving state based on the configuration information determined by the serving satellite coverage status. In this way, on the one hand, normal communication of the terminal within the serving satellite coverage area is not affected; on the other hand, power consumption is reduced outside the serving satellite coverage area, thus achieving the goal of power saving.

[0049] In some embodiments, the configuration information is agreed upon by a protocol or issued by the base station.

[0050] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the terminal can determine the above configuration information through the agreement of the protocol, or it can obtain the above configuration information through the base station. For example, the base station obtains information related to the coverage status of the serving satellite, and the terminal can receive the configuration information determined by the base station based on the status of the serving satellite.

[0051] Furthermore, the terminal can also obtain the aforementioned configuration information through methods predetermined by the protocol. For example, the protocol stipulates that the terminal receives the aforementioned configuration information and determines its own monitoring status based on the configuration information agreed upon in the protocol. Alternatively, according to the protocol, the terminal can determine the aforementioned configuration information based on the ephemeris information of the serving satellites. For instance, it can determine the time for the terminal to enter power-saving mode based on the ephemeris information.

[0052] In some embodiments, the configuration information is sent by the base station, and the method includes:

[0053] The receiver receives signaling from the base station carrying the configuration information, wherein the signaling includes at least one of the following:

[0054] RRC signaling; MAC signaling; physical layer signaling.

[0055] The terminal can receive the above configuration information through different signaling at various layers during the random access process with the base station. For example, the fields or character bits corresponding to the above configuration information can be added to the above signaling, or the above configuration information can be identified implicitly, such as through encoding / decoding methods or verification methods.

[0056] In this way, during the random access process between the terminal and the base station, the configuration information issued by the base station can be obtained, and the specific information of entering the aforementioned power-saving state can be further determined.

[0057] Of course, the terminal can also obtain the above configuration information through dedicated signaling or from base station broadcasts.

[0058] In some embodiments, the configuration information includes at least one of the following:

[0059] Information used to determine the time when the terminal enters the power-saving state;

[0060] Instruction information that instructs the terminal to enter the power-saving state.

[0061] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the terminal can determine the time information for entering the power-saving state based on the above configuration information, such as the start time, end time, or duration of entering the power-saving state. The terminal can then determine when to enter and end the power-saving state based on the above time information.

[0062] In addition, the above configuration information can also be an instruction for the terminal to enter a power-saving state. That is to say, after receiving the configuration information, the terminal can enter the power-saving state according to the instruction information, and determine the switching method and switching cycle of activation or hibernation in the power-saving state according to the configuration information.

[0063] It should be noted that the terminal entering power-saving mode here does not mean that the terminal has entered sleep mode, but rather that it has adopted a more power-efficient method compared to the original periodic activation method.

[0064] For example, in power-saving mode, within the coverage area of ​​the serving satellite, the terminal can switch between active and sleep states according to a predetermined first cycle; outside the coverage area, it switches between active and sleep states according to a predetermined second cycle. Furthermore, outside the coverage area, the duration of the active state in each cycle is shorter than the duration of the active state in each cycle within the coverage area. In non-power-saving mode, the terminal can switch between active and sleep states according to the cycle and duration configured in the DRX settings.

[0065] For example, in power-saving mode, if the terminal is outside the coverage area of ​​the serving satellite, it enters sleep mode; if it is within the coverage area of ​​the serving satellite, it switches states according to the period and duration configured in DRX.

[0066] In some embodiments, the time information includes:

[0067] The time information for the terminal to enter the power-saving state is determined based on the ephemeris information of the service satellite.

[0068] The aforementioned time information can be used to determine the time when the terminal enters the power-saving state. For example, based on the ephemeris information of the serving satellite, it can be determined that the terminal will enter the power-saving state after a specified period of time, maintain the power-saving state for a certain period of time after entering the power-saving state, or switch between the active state and the sleep state after entering the power-saving state, and other information such as the period.

[0069] The time information mentioned above can be absolute time, such as entering power-saving mode for 1 hour, entering power-saving mode after 20 minutes, etc. It can also be logical time, such as entering power-saving mode for 1000 subframes. In this case, the time information can also include reference duration information for the logical time, for example, logical time is 10 slots. Based on the parameter set (numerology) information corresponding to the slots, the absolute duration of each slot can be determined. For example, if the parameter frequency is 15kHz, then the duration of each slot is 1ms.

[0070] In some embodiments, the power-saving state includes: an active state and a sleep state configured for DRX; the indication information includes at least one of the following:

[0071] Indicates the start time and duration of the terminal entering the active state or the dormant state;

[0072] Indicates the start and end times of the terminal entering the active state or the dormant state;

[0073] The detection information indicates that the terminal will perform downlink information detection after entering the active state or the dormant state;

[0074] Satellite information of the serving satellites for at least one service period of the terminal.

[0075] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the power-saving state includes at least the active state and the sleep state configured by DRX. Therefore, the aforementioned indication information may include time information related to the switching between the active state and the sleep state of the terminal.

[0076] In this embodiment of the present disclosure, after receiving the above-mentioned instruction information, the terminal can enter a power-saving state and switch between the active state and the sleep state according to the start time, duration or end time of entering the active state or the information contained in the instruction information.

[0077] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the aforementioned indication information may further include behaviors after the terminal enters an active state or a sleep state. For example, even after the terminal enters a sleep state, it may still perform some detections on downlink information, such as physical layer downlink signals or downlink signaling. Therefore, the aforementioned indication information may also be used to instruct the terminal on the time, period, number of detections, and detection methods for performing these signal or signaling detections.

[0078] In addition, the aforementioned indication information may also include: information about the serving satellites in the subsequent time period, such as satellite information of the next serving satellite. This allows the terminal to determine when to enter power-saving mode based on the indication information.

[0079] In some embodiments, the detection information includes at least one of the following:

[0080] Detection method;

[0081] Number of tests;

[0082] Identification information.

[0083] Here, after the terminal enters an active or sleep state, it can determine its own detection behavior based on the aforementioned detection information. This includes the detection methods described above. For example, if the terminal needs to detect the PDCCH in a power-saving state according to the instruction information, the detection method includes the aggregation level of the downlink control information carried on the PDCCH; the number of detections; and the type of downlink control information, etc.

[0084] In some embodiments, the method further includes:

[0085] In response to the terminal entering the sleep state based on the indication information, detection is performed according to the detection information.

[0086] In this embodiment of the disclosure, after the terminal enters a sleep state based on the indication information, the detection information can determine the behavior of the terminal after entering the sleep state.

[0087] For example, after the terminal enters a sleep state, it does not perform any uplink data transmission. At the same time, it can periodically detect GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) information, positioning information, or other information that needs to be detected, based on the detection method, number of detections, and identification information determined by the above detection information.

[0088] In addition, the terminal can also determine when to switch to the active state based on the configuration information, as well as information related to fast system access when switching to the active state, such as the random access preamble sequence and time and frequency resources required for fast access.

[0089] like Figure 3 As shown, this disclosure provides a communication method applied in a base station, including:

[0090] Step S201: Issue configuration information to determine that the terminal has entered power-saving mode; wherein, the configuration information is determined based on the coverage status of the terminal's serving satellite.

[0091] In this embodiment, the terminal's power-saving state is a mode where the terminal state switches based on the coverage status of the serving satellite. Compared to modes such as periodic activation that do not consider satellite coverage, the power-saving state can be non-periodic activation. For example, when the serving satellite provides coverage, the terminal enters an active state, while in areas not covered by the serving satellite, it does not perform communication activities such as PDCCH monitoring, i.e., it remains in a sleep state. Alternatively, when the serving satellite provides coverage, the terminal enters a periodic monitoring state, while in areas not covered by the serving satellite, it remains in a sleep state without periodic state switching.

[0092] In one embodiment, the base station may send the above configuration information to the terminal according to the protocol. For example, when the terminal is in a connected state, the base station sends the above configuration information to the terminal; when the terminal is in an idle state or an inactive state, the base station sends the above configuration information by broadcasting.

[0093] In this embodiment, the base station determines the configuration information based on the coverage status of the terminal's serving satellite. This facilitates the terminal's state switching based on the characteristic of being covered by the serving satellite, meaning it enters a power-saving state based on the configuration information determined by the serving satellite coverage status. Thus, on the one hand, normal communication of the terminal within the serving satellite coverage area is not affected; on the other hand, power consumption is reduced outside the serving satellite coverage area, achieving the goal of power saving.

[0094] In some embodiments, the step of sending configuration information for determining that the terminal has entered a power-saving state includes:

[0095] Sending signaling carrying the configuration information; wherein the signaling includes at least one of the following:

[0096] RRC signaling; MAC signaling; physical layer signaling.

[0097] The base station can carry the above configuration information in different signaling at various layers during the terminal's random access process. For example, the fields or character bits corresponding to the above configuration information can be added to the above signaling, or the above configuration information can be identified implicitly, such as through encoding / decoding methods or verification methods.

[0098] In this way, during processes such as random access by the terminal, the base station can send the configuration information determined based on the coverage of the serving satellite to the terminal, so that the terminal can determine to enter the power-saving state.

[0099] Of course, the base station can also send the above configuration information through dedicated signaling.

[0100] In some embodiments, the configuration information includes at least one of the following:

[0101] Information used to determine the time when the terminal enters the power-saving state;

[0102] Instruction information that instructs the terminal to enter the power-saving state.

[0103] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the above configuration information can be used to allow the terminal to determine the time information for entering the power-saving state, such as the start time, end time, or duration of entering the power-saving state. The terminal can then determine how to proceed based on the above time information.

[0104] In addition, the above configuration information can also be used as an instruction for the terminal to enter a power-saving state. That is, the terminal can enter a power-saving state after receiving the configuration information, and determine the switching method and switching cycle of activation or hibernation in the power-saving state according to the configuration information.

[0105] It should be noted that the terminal entering power-saving mode here does not mean that the terminal has entered sleep mode, but rather that it has adopted a more power-efficient method compared to the original periodic activation method.

[0106] For example, in power-saving mode, within the coverage area of ​​the serving satellite, the terminal can switch between active and sleep states according to a predetermined first cycle; outside the coverage area, it switches between active and sleep states according to a predetermined second cycle. Furthermore, outside the coverage area, the duration of the active state in each cycle is shorter than the duration of the active state in each cycle within the coverage area. In non-power-saving mode, the terminal can switch between active and sleep states according to the cycle and duration configured in the DRX settings.

[0107] For example, in power-saving mode, if the terminal is outside the coverage area of ​​the serving satellite, it enters sleep mode; if it is within the coverage area of ​​the serving satellite, it switches states according to the period and duration configured in DRX.

[0108] In some embodiments, the time information includes:

[0109] The time information for the terminal to enter the power-saving state is determined based on the ephemeris information of the service satellite.

[0110] The aforementioned time information can be used to determine the time when the terminal enters the power-saving state. For example, based on the ephemeris information of the serving satellite, it can be determined that the terminal will enter the power-saving state after a specified period of time, maintain the power-saving state for a certain period of time after entering the power-saving state, or switch between the active state and the sleep state after entering the power-saving state, and other information such as the period.

[0111] The time information mentioned above can be absolute time, such as entering power-saving mode after 1 hour or 20 minutes, or entering power-saving mode after that. It can also be logical time, such as entering power-saving mode for 1000 subframes. In this case, the time information can also include reference duration information for the logical time, for example, logical time is 10 slots. Based on the parameter set (numerology) information corresponding to the slots, the absolute duration of each slot can be determined. For example, if the parameter frequency is 15kHz, then the duration of each slot is 1ms.

[0112] In some embodiments, the power-saving state includes: an active state and a sleep state configured for DRX; the indication information includes at least one of the following:

[0113] Indicates the start time and duration of the terminal entering the active state or the dormant state;

[0114] Indicates the start and end times of the terminal entering the active state or the dormant state;

[0115] The detection information indicates that the terminal will perform physical layer downlink information detection after entering the active state or the dormant state;

[0116] Satellite information of the serving satellites for at least one service period of the terminal.

[0117] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the power-saving state includes at least the active state and the sleep state configured by DRX. Therefore, the aforementioned indication information may include time information related to the switching between the active state and the sleep state of the terminal.

[0118] In this embodiment of the disclosure, after the base station sends the above-mentioned indication information to the terminal, the terminal can enter a power-saving state and switch between the active state and the sleep state according to the start time, duration or end time of entering the active state or the information contained in the indication information.

[0119] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the aforementioned indication information may further include actions taken after the terminal enters an active state or a sleep state. For example, it may instruct the terminal to perform some detections on downlink information, such as physical layer downlink signals or downlink signaling, after entering a sleep state. Therefore, the aforementioned indication information may also be used to instruct the terminal on the time, period, number of detections, and detection methods for performing these signal or signaling detections.

[0120] In some embodiments, the detection information includes at least one of the following:

[0121] Detection method;

[0122] Number of tests;

[0123] Identification information.

[0124] Here, after the terminal enters an active or sleep state, it can determine its own detection behavior based on the aforementioned detection information. If the terminal needs to detect the PDCCH in power-saving mode according to the instruction information, the detection method includes the aggregation level of the downlink control information carried on the PDCCH; the number of detections; and the type of downlink control information, etc.

[0125] This disclosure also provides the following examples:

[0126] In some embodiments, when the terminal is in sleep mode, it needs to periodically listen to the PDCCH based on the base station configuration to determine whether it needs to enter the active state. To listen to the PDCCH, the terminal needs to continuously listen for a period of time, which consumes a certain amount of energy. Figure 4 As shown.

[0127] In the early stages of low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite deployment, the limited number of satellites prevents all-weather coverage. In this situation, terminals may only be able to interact with data when satellite coverage is available. At other times, there is no need for terminals to receive downlink or uplink signals or transmit uplink signals or transmissions. Therefore, the aforementioned method of periodically monitoring the PDCCH, i.e., periodically configuring DRX, results in more wasted power consumption.

[0128] Therefore, this disclosure provides a method for saving power in a terminal that can be applied to a satellite communication system, thereby reducing unnecessary operations when the terminal is not covered by a serving satellite, thus saving terminal power consumption and achieving the purpose of power saving.

[0129] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the terminal determines to enter a sleep state based on the presence of serving satellites:

[0130] Method 1: Based on ephemeris information;

[0131] The terminal determines the time to enter sleep mode based on ephemeris information. This time information can be an absolute time, such as one hour, or a logical time, such as 1000 subframes. When the time information is a logical time, reference duration information for that logical time is also required. For example, if the time information consists of 10 time slots, the corresponding parameter set information for each time slot is also needed. For instance, if the frequency indicated by the parameter set is 15kHz, the duration of one time slot is 1 millisecond.

[0132] The terminal can obtain the configuration information through a predefined method or by receiving configuration information transmitted to the terminal by the base station via satellite. This configuration information is communicated to the terminal via higher-layer signaling such as RRC signaling, MAC signaling, or physical layer signaling.

[0133] Method 2: Based on the indication information that triggers the terminal to enter power saving mode, that is, the trigger signaling;

[0134] In this method, the terminal enters a sleep or active state based on a trigger command sent by the base station. The trigger command can be higher-layer signaling or physical-layer signaling. The signaling may contain the following information:

[0135] Indicates the start time, duration, or end time at which the terminal needs to enter a sleep or active state;

[0136] This refers to the detection information indicating the terminal's detection behavior after it enters an active state or a dormant state.

[0137] This indicates information about the satellites that will provide service during the next service period.

[0138] The signaling used to indicate entering a sleep state or an active state can be the same signaling or different signaling. The terminal can determine the method for receiving the triggering signaling based on a predefined method or the configuration information of the receiving base station, including time information, detection methods such as aggregation level, number of detections, RNTI (Radio Network Temporary Identity), etc.

[0139] When a terminal enters a sleep state, the terminal determines its behavior upon entering the sleep state based on a predefined method or by triggering a signaling notification.

[0140] In one implementation, after entering sleep mode, the terminal does not transmit any uplink data. Simultaneously, based on configuration information, the terminal also needs to periodically detect GNSS information or other necessary information. Furthermore, the terminal can determine, via configuration information, that it needs to perform rapid system access when switching to active mode. The relevant configuration information for rapid system access includes random access preambles and time-frequency resources.

[0141] like Figure 5 As shown, this disclosure also provides a communication device 500, applied in a terminal, comprising:

[0142] The first determining module 501 is configured to determine whether the terminal enters a power-saving state based on configuration information; wherein the configuration information is determined based on the coverage status of the terminal's serving satellites.

[0143] In some embodiments, the configuration information is agreed upon by a protocol or issued by the base station.

[0144] In some embodiments, the device 500 further includes:

[0145] The first receiving module is configured to receive signaling carrying the configuration information sent by the base station, wherein the signaling includes at least one of the following:

[0146] RRC signaling; MAC signaling; physical layer signaling.

[0147] In some embodiments, the configuration information includes at least one of the following:

[0148] Information used to determine the time when the terminal enters the power-saving state;

[0149] Instruction information that instructs the terminal to enter the power-saving state.

[0150] In some embodiments, the time information includes:

[0151] The time information for the terminal to enter the power-saving state is determined based on the ephemeris information of the service satellite.

[0152] In some embodiments, the power-saving state includes: an active state and a sleep state configured for DRX; the indication information includes at least one of the following:

[0153] Indicates the start time and duration of the terminal entering the active state or the dormant state;

[0154] Indicates the start and end times of the terminal entering the active state or the dormant state;

[0155] The detection information indicates that the terminal will perform downlink information detection after entering the active state or the dormant state;

[0156] Satellite information of the serving satellites for at least one service period of the terminal.

[0157] In some embodiments, the detection information includes at least one of the following:

[0158] Detection method;

[0159] Number of tests;

[0160] Identification information.

[0161] In some embodiments, the device 500 further includes:

[0162] The detection module is configured to perform detection based on the detection information in response to the terminal entering the sleep state based on the indication information.

[0163] like Figure 6 As shown, this disclosure also provides a communication device 600, applied in a base station, comprising:

[0164] The sending module 601 is configured to send configuration information for determining whether the terminal enters a power-saving state; wherein the configuration information is determined based on the coverage status of the terminal's serving satellite.

[0165] In some embodiments, the sending module 601 includes:

[0166] The sending submodule is configured to send signaling carrying the configuration information; wherein the signaling includes at least one of the following:

[0167] RRC signaling; MAC signaling; physical layer signaling.

[0168] In some embodiments, the configuration information includes at least one of the following:

[0169] Information used to determine the time when the terminal enters the power-saving state;

[0170] Instruction information that instructs the terminal to enter the power-saving state.

[0171] In some embodiments, the time information includes:

[0172] The time information for the terminal to enter the power-saving state is determined based on the ephemeris information of the service satellite.

[0173] In some embodiments, the power-saving state includes: an active state and a sleep state configured for DRX; the indication information includes at least one of the following:

[0174] Indicates the start time and duration of the terminal entering the active state or the dormant state;

[0175] Indicates the start and end times of the terminal entering the active state or the dormant state;

[0176] The detection information indicates that the terminal will perform physical layer downlink information detection after entering the active state or the dormant state;

[0177] Satellite information of the serving satellites for at least one service period of the terminal.

[0178] In some embodiments, the detection information includes at least one of the following:

[0179] Detection method;

[0180] Number of tests;

[0181] Identification information.

[0182] Regarding the apparatus in the above embodiments, the specific manner in which each module performs its operation has been described in detail in the embodiments related to the method, and will not be elaborated upon here.

[0183] Figure 7 This is a structural block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this disclosure. The communication device can be a terminal. For example, the communication device 700 can be a mobile phone, computer, digital broadcast user equipment, messaging device, game console, tablet device, medical device, fitness equipment, personal digital assistant, etc.

[0184] Reference Figure 7 The communication device 700 may include at least one of the following components: a processing component 702, a memory 704, a power supply component 706, a multimedia component 708, an audio component 710, an input / output (I / O) interface 712, a sensor component 714, and a communication component 716.

[0185] Processing component 702 typically controls the overall operation of communication device 700, such as operations associated with display, telephone calls, data communication, camera operation, and recording. Processing component 702 may include at least one processor 720 to execute instructions to perform all or part of the steps of the methods described above. Furthermore, processing component 702 may include at least one module to facilitate interaction between processing component 702 and other components. For example, processing component 702 may include a multimedia module to facilitate interaction between multimedia component 708 and processing component 702.

[0186] Memory 704 is configured to store various types of data to support the operation of communication device 700. Examples of this data include instructions for any application or method operating on communication device 700, contact data, phonebook data, messages, pictures, videos, etc. Memory 704 can be implemented by any type of volatile or non-volatile storage device or a combination thereof, such as static random access memory (SRAM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), read-only memory (ROM), magnetic storage, flash memory, magnetic disk, or optical disk.

[0187] Power supply component 706 provides power to various components of communication device 700. Power supply component 706 may include a power management system, at least one power supply, and other components associated with generating, managing, and distributing power to communication device 700.

[0188] Multimedia component 708 includes a screen that provides an output interface between the communication device 700 and the user. In some embodiments, the screen may include a liquid crystal display (LCD) and a touch panel (TP). If the screen includes a touch panel, the screen may be implemented as a touchscreen to receive input signals from the user. The touch panel includes at least one touch sensor to sense touch, swipe, and gestures on the touch panel. The touch sensor may not only sense the boundaries of the touch or swipe action but also detect the wake-up time and pressure associated with the touch or swipe operation. In some embodiments, multimedia component 708 includes a front-facing camera and / or a rear-facing camera. When the communication device 700 is in an operating mode, such as a shooting mode or a video mode, the front-facing camera and / or the rear-facing camera may receive external multimedia data. Each front-facing camera and rear-facing camera may be a fixed optical lens system or have focal length and optical zoom capabilities.

[0189] Audio component 710 is configured to output and / or input audio signals. For example, audio component 710 includes a microphone (MIC) configured to receive external audio signals when communication device 700 is in an operating mode, such as call mode, recording mode, and voice recognition mode. The received audio signals may be further stored in memory 704 or transmitted via communication component 716. In some embodiments, audio component 710 also includes a speaker for outputting audio signals.

[0190] I / O interface 712 provides an interface between processing component 702 and peripheral interface modules, such as keyboards, click wheels, buttons, etc. These buttons may include, but are not limited to, home buttons, volume buttons, power buttons, and lock buttons.

[0191] Sensor assembly 714 includes at least one sensor for providing status assessments of various aspects of the communication device 700. For example, sensor assembly 714 can detect the on / off state of the communication device 700, the relative positioning of components such as the display and keypad of the communication device 700, changes in the position of the communication device 700 or a component of the communication device 700, the presence or absence of user contact with the communication device 700, the orientation or acceleration / deceleration of the communication device 700, and temperature changes of the communication device 700. Sensor assembly 714 may include a proximity sensor configured to detect the presence of nearby objects without any physical contact. Sensor assembly 714 may also include a light sensor, such as a CMOS or CCD image sensor, for use in imaging applications. In some embodiments, sensor assembly 714 may also include an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a magnetometer, a pressure sensor, or a temperature sensor.

[0192] Communication component 716 is configured to facilitate wired or wireless communication between communication device 700 and other devices. Communication device 700 can access wireless networks based on communication standards, such as WiFi, 2G, or 3G, or combinations thereof. In one exemplary embodiment, communication component 716 receives broadcast signals or broadcast-related information from an external broadcast management system via a broadcast channel. In one exemplary embodiment, communication component 716 also includes a near-field communication (NFC) module to facilitate short-range communication. For example, the NFC module may be implemented based on radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, Infrared Data Association (IrDA) technology, ultra-wideband (UWB) technology, Bluetooth (BT) technology, and other technologies.

[0193] In an exemplary embodiment, the communication device 700 may be implemented by at least one application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), digital signal processor (DSP), digital signal processing device (DSPD), programmable logic device (PLD), field-programmable gate array (FPGA), controller, microcontroller, microprocessor or other electronic component to perform the above method.

[0194] In an exemplary embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instructions is also provided, such as a memory 704 including instructions, which can be executed by a processor 720 of a communication device 700 to perform the above-described method. For example, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may be a ROM, random access memory (RAM), CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, and optical data storage device, etc.

[0195] like Figure 8 As shown, one embodiment of this disclosure illustrates the structure of another communication device. This communication device may be a base station as described in the embodiments of this disclosure. For example, communication device 800 may be provided as a network device. (Refer to...) Figure 8 The communication device 800 includes a processing component 822, which further includes at least one processor, and memory resources represented by memory 832 for storing instructions, such as application programs, that can be executed by the processing component 822. The application programs stored in memory 832 may include one or more modules, each corresponding to a set of instructions. Furthermore, the processing component 822 is configured to execute instructions to perform any of the methods described above applied to the communication device.

[0196] The communication device 800 may also include a power supply component 826 configured to perform power management of the communication device 800, a wired or wireless network interface 850 configured to connect the communication device 800 to a network, and an input / output (I / O) interface 858. The communication device 800 can operate on an operating system stored in memory 832, such as Windows Server™, Mac OS X™, Unix™, Linux™, FreeBSD™, or similar.

[0197] Other embodiments of the invention will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. This disclosure is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention that follow the general principles of the invention and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein. The specification and examples are to be considered exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of the invention are indicated by the following claims.

[0198] It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the precise structure described above and shown in the accompanying drawings, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from its scope. The scope of the invention is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, wherein, The method is applied to a terminal and includes: The terminal receives configuration information sent by the base station, the configuration information being determined based on the coverage status of the serving satellites. The method further includes: When the terminal is outside the coverage area of ​​the serving satellite, it is determined that the terminal retains the relevant configuration information for accessing the system, and the terminal does not need to perform idle state tasks.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The configuration information received from the base station includes: The receiver receives signaling from the base station carrying the configuration information, wherein the signaling includes at least one of the following: RRC signaling; MAC signaling; physical layer signaling.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The configuration information includes at least one of the following: Information used to determine the time information during which the terminal retains the relevant configuration information and does not need to execute idle state tasks; Instructions that the terminal retains the relevant configuration information and does not need to perform idle state tasks.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein, The time information includes: The time information for the terminal to retain the relevant configuration information and not need to perform idle state tasks, determined based on the ephemeris information of the service satellite.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein, The indication information includes at least one of the following: Indicates the start time and duration of the terminal entering an active or dormant state; Indicates the start and end times of the terminal entering the active state or the dormant state; The detection information indicates that the terminal will perform downlink information detection after entering the active state or the dormant state; Satellite information of the serving satellites for at least one service period of the terminal.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein, The detection information includes at least one of the following: Detection method; Number of tests; Identification information.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein, The method further includes: In response to the terminal entering the sleep state based on the indication information, detection is performed according to the detection information.

8. A communication method, wherein, The method is applied to a base station and includes: Configuration information is sent to the terminal, the configuration information being determined based on the coverage status of the terminal's serving satellite; wherein, when the terminal is outside the coverage range of the serving satellite, the terminal retains the relevant configuration information for accessing the system, and the terminal does not need to perform idle state tasks.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein, Sending configuration information to the terminal includes: Sending signaling carrying the configuration information to the terminal; wherein the signaling includes at least one of the following: RRC signaling; MAC signaling; physical layer signaling.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein, The configuration information includes at least one of the following: Information used to determine the time information during which the terminal retains the relevant configuration information and does not need to execute idle state tasks; Instructions that the terminal retains the relevant configuration information and does not need to perform idle state tasks.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein, The time information includes: The time information for the terminal to retain the relevant configuration information and not need to perform idle state tasks, determined based on the ephemeris information of the service satellite.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein, The indication information includes at least one of the following: Indicates the start time and duration of the terminal entering an active or dormant state; Indicates the start and end times of the terminal entering the active state or the dormant state; The detection information indicates that the terminal will perform physical layer downlink information detection after entering the active state or the dormant state; Satellite information of the serving satellites for at least one service period of the terminal.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein, The detection information includes at least one of the following: Detection method; Number of tests; Identification information.

14. A communication device, wherein, The device is applied to a terminal and includes: The first receiving module is configured to receive configuration information sent by the base station, the configuration information being determined based on the coverage status of the serving satellite of the terminal; The first determining module is configured to determine that when the terminal is outside the coverage area of ​​the serving satellite, the terminal retains relevant configuration information for accessing the system, and the terminal does not need to perform idle state tasks.

15. A communication device, wherein, The device is applied to a base station and includes: The delivery module is configured to send configuration information to the terminal, the configuration information being determined based on the coverage status of the terminal's serving satellite; wherein, when the terminal is outside the coverage range of the serving satellite, the terminal retains the relevant configuration information for accessing the system, and the terminal does not need to perform idle state tasks.

16. A communication device, wherein, The communication device includes at least: a processor and a memory for storing executable instructions capable of running on the processor, wherein: When the processor is used to run the executable instructions, the executable instructions perform the steps in the communication method provided by any one of claims 1 to 7 or 8 to 13.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, wherein, The computer-readable storage medium stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the steps of the communication method provided in any one of claims 1 to 7 or 8 to 13.

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