UAV satellite base station working method, terminal equipment working method and communication device

Abstract

The present application provides a method for working a UAV satellite base station, a method for working a terminal device, and a communication device, which belong to the field of communication technology. In a scenario where a UAV satellite base station works at multiple hovering positions, the UAV satellite base station or the terminal device selects a position that meets the conditions from multiple hovering positions as a target hovering position according to the latest transmission time of the data to be transmitted, multiple hovering positions, and the working time of the UAV satellite base station at each hovering position. When the UAV satellite base station reaches the target hovering position, data is transmitted between the terminal device and the UAV satellite base station. In the present application, the target hovering position is the hovering position closest to the terminal device among the hovering positions whose working time is earlier than or includes the latest transmission time. In this way, the power consumption of the terminal device and the UAV satellite base station can be reduced as much as possible on the basis of meeting the data transmission time requirements.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a method for operating a UAV satellite base station, a method for operating a terminal device, and a communication device. Background Art

[0002] Figure 1 For a structural diagram of a traditional cellular mobile communication system, see Figure 1 As shown in the figure, the terminal device is connected to the ground base station through a wireless interface, the ground base station is connected to the core network through optical fiber, and the core network is connected to the external network through optical fiber. Compared with the wireless interface, optical fiber transmission is more reliable and has a larger transmission capacity, so the optimization of the existing cellular mobile communication system is mainly focused on the wireless interface. However, once a natural disaster such as an earthquake or flood occurs, the optical fiber interface is easily damaged. In this scenario, the application of drone satellite base stations is born. The drone satellite base station establishes a connection with the satellite through the wireless interface, and the satellite establishes a connection with the core network, thereby realizing the communication service of the terminal device.

[0003] For temporary communication islands caused by disasters, the drone satellite base station can provide temporary communication services. When the ground base station resumes normal communication, the drone satellite base station stops providing services. In temporary communication island scenarios, there is usually no power supply device, and the power saving requirements for terminal devices are high.

[0004] In scenarios where the temporary communication island is large in area, the UAV satellite base station may need to work in multiple hovering positions. In this scenario, there is a lack of feasible solutions to meet the higher power-saving requirements of terminal equipment. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present application provides a UAV satellite base station working method, a terminal equipment working method and a communication device to solve the problem of how to meet the higher power saving requirements of the terminal equipment in the UAV satellite base station working scenarios in multiple hovering positions.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present application provides a method for operating a UAV satellite base station, comprising:

[0007] The UAV satellite base station acquires the first position of the terminal device, multiple hovering positions of the UAV satellite base station, and the working time period of the UAV satellite base station at each hovering position;

[0008] The UAV satellite base station determines the distances between the first position and the multiple hovering positions respectively, and obtains multiple distance values;

[0009] The UAV satellite base station determines the latest transmission time of the downlink data to be transmitted;

[0010] The UAV satellite base station determines a target hovering position from the multiple hovering positions based on the latest transmission time, the multiple distance values, and the working time period of the UAV satellite base station at each hovering position, so that the UAV satellite base station sends the downlink data to be transmitted to the terminal device when it reaches the target hovering position; wherein the target hovering position is the hovering position with the smallest distance value among the hovering positions whose working time period is earlier than or includes the latest transmission time.

[0011] In a possible design, obtaining the first position of the terminal device includes:

[0012] The UAV satellite base station sends a first location request to a core network element; the first location request includes an identifier of the terminal device;

[0013] The UAV satellite base station receives a first location response sent by the core network element, where the first location response carries the first location of the terminal device; or

[0014] The UAV satellite base station sends a second location request to the terminal device;

[0015] The UAV satellite base station receives a second location response sent by the terminal device, where the second location response carries the first location of the terminal device.

[0016] In some possible designs, any of the hovering positions includes: the longitude and latitude of the projection point of the drone hovering position on the ground and the hovering height, and the hovering height is less than or equal to the maximum hovering height allowed for the drone.

[0017] In some possible designs, the maximum altitude the drone would be allowed to hover is 200 meters.

[0018] In a second aspect, the present application provides a method for operating a UAV satellite base station, comprising:

[0019] The UAV satellite base station acquires a plurality of hovering positions of the UAV satellite base station and a working time period of the UAV satellite base station at each hovering position;

[0020] The UAV satellite base station sends first information to the terminal device, wherein the first information includes: multiple hovering positions of the UAV satellite base station and a working time period of the UAV satellite base station at each of the hovering positions; the first information is also used to instruct the terminal device to determine a target hovering position from the multiple hovering positions based on the content of the first information, the first position of the terminal device, and the latest transmission time of the uplink data to be transmitted, and receive the uplink data to be transmitted sent by the terminal device when the UAV satellite base station reaches the target hovering position;

[0021] The target hovering position is a hovering position with the smallest distance value among the hovering positions whose working time period is earlier than or includes the latest transmission time.

[0022] In some possible designs, the UAV satellite base station acquires a plurality of hovering positions of the UAV satellite base station and a working time period of the UAV satellite base station at each hovering position, including:

[0023] The UAV satellite base station receives a notification message sent by the network management platform, wherein the notification message includes: a plurality of hovering positions of the UAV satellite base station and a working time period of the UAV satellite base station at each hovering position, or,

[0024] The drone satellite base station receives user input information, where the user input information includes: a plurality of hovering positions of the drone satellite base station and a working time period of the drone satellite base station at each of the hovering positions.

[0025] In some possible designs, any of the hovering positions includes: the longitude and latitude of the projection point of the drone hovering position on the ground and the hovering height, and the hovering height is less than or equal to the maximum hovering height allowed for the drone.

[0026] In some possible designs, the maximum altitude the drone would be allowed to hover is 200 meters.

[0027] In a third aspect, the present application provides a terminal device working method, including:

[0028] The terminal device receives first information sent by the drone satellite base station, where the first information includes: multiple hovering positions of the drone satellite base station and a working time period of the drone satellite base station at each hovering position;

[0029] The terminal device determines the first position and the latest transmission time of the uplink data to be transmitted;

[0030] Determine the distances between the first position and a plurality of hovering positions of the UAV satellite base station, respectively, to obtain a plurality of distance values;

[0031] Based on the latest transmission time, the multiple distance values ​​and the working time period of the UAV satellite base station at each of the hovering positions, a target hovering position is determined from the multiple hovering positions, so that the terminal device sends the uplink data to be transmitted to the UAV satellite base station when the UAV satellite base station reaches the target hovering position; wherein the target hovering position is the hovering position with the smallest distance value among the hovering positions whose working time period is earlier than or includes the latest transmission time.

[0032] In some possible designs, the terminal device determines the latest transmission time of the uplink data to be transmitted based on the transmission delay from the drone satellite base station via the satellite to the core network.

[0033] In some possible designs, any of the hovering positions includes: the longitude and latitude of the projection point of the drone hovering position on the ground and the hovering height, and the hovering height is less than or equal to the maximum hovering height allowed for the drone.

[0034] In some possible designs, the maximum altitude the drone would be allowed to hover is 200 meters.

[0035] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, including: a transceiver module and a processing module;

[0036] A transceiver module, used to obtain a first position of a terminal device, a plurality of hovering positions of the drone satellite base station, and a working time period of the drone satellite base station at each of the hovering positions;

[0037] A processing module is used to determine the distances between the first position and the multiple hovering positions respectively to obtain multiple distance values; determine the latest transmission time of the downlink data to be transmitted; and determine a target hovering position from the multiple hovering positions based on the latest transmission time, the multiple distance values ​​and the working time period of the UAV satellite base station at each of the hovering positions, so that the UAV satellite base station sends the downlink data to be transmitted to the terminal device when it reaches the target hovering position; wherein the target hovering position is the hovering position with the smallest distance value among the hovering positions whose working time period is earlier than or includes the latest transmission time.

[0038] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, including:

[0039] A transceiver module, used to obtain a plurality of hovering positions of the UAV satellite base station and a working time period of the UAV satellite base station at each hovering position;

[0040] The transceiver module is further used to send first information to the terminal device, wherein the first information includes: multiple hovering positions of the drone satellite base station and a working time period of the drone satellite base station at each of the hovering positions; the first information is also used to instruct the terminal device to determine a target hovering position from the multiple hovering positions based on the content of the first information, the first position of the terminal device, and the latest transmission time of the uplink data to be transmitted;

[0041] The transceiver module is also used to receive the uplink data to be transmitted sent by the terminal device when the UAV satellite base station reaches the target hovering position; wherein the target hovering position is the hovering position with the smallest distance value among the hovering positions in the working time period that is earlier than or includes the latest transmission time.

[0042] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, including: a transceiver module and a processing module;

[0043] The transceiver module is used to receive first information sent by the UAV satellite base station, wherein the first information includes: a plurality of hovering positions of the UAV satellite base station and a working time period of the UAV satellite base station at each hovering position;

[0044] The processing module is used to determine a first position of the communication device and a latest transmission time of uplink data to be transmitted; determine the distances between the first position and a plurality of hovering positions of the UAV satellite base station respectively to obtain a plurality of distance values; and determine a target hovering position from the plurality of hovering positions based on the latest transmission time, the plurality of distance values ​​and a working time period of the UAV satellite base station at each of the hovering positions;

[0045] The transceiver module is also used to send the uplink data to be transmitted to the drone satellite base station when the drone satellite base station reaches the target hovering position; wherein the target hovering position is the hovering position with the smallest distance value among the hovering positions in the working time period that is earlier than or includes the latest transmission time.

[0046] In a seventh aspect, the present application provides a communication device, including: a memory and a processor;

[0047] The memory is configured to store computer program instructions;

[0048] The processor is configured to run the computer program instructions so that the communication device implements the method described in any one of the first aspect, or the method described in any one of the second aspect, or the method described in any one of the third aspect.

[0049] The present application provides a method for working a satellite base station of a drone, a method for working a terminal device and a communication device, wherein in a scenario where a drone satellite base station works at multiple hovering positions, when transmitting downlink data, the drone satellite base station selects a position that meets the conditions from multiple hovering positions as a target hovering position according to the latest transmission time of the downlink data to be transmitted, multiple hovering positions and the working time of the drone satellite base station at each hovering position, and sends the downlink data to be transmitted to the terminal device when the drone satellite base station reaches the target hovering position. When transmitting uplink data, the terminal device selects a position that meets the conditions from multiple hovering positions as a target hovering position according to the latest transmission time of the downlink data to be transmitted, multiple hovering positions and the working time of the drone satellite base station at each hovering position, and when the drone satellite base station reaches the target hovering position, the terminal device sends the uplink data to be transmitted to the drone satellite base station. In the present application, the target hovering position is the hovering position closest to the terminal device among the hovering positions whose working time is earlier than or includes the latest transmission time, so that the power consumption of the terminal device and the drone satellite base station can be reduced as much as possible on the basis of meeting the data transmission requirements. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0050] Figure 1 A structural diagram of a cellular mobile communication system in the related art;

[0051] Figure 2A This is a schematic diagram of the scenario of the drone satellite base station shown in this application;

[0052] Figure 2B This is a schematic diagram of a scenario in which a UAV satellite base station works at two hovering positions as an example for this application;

[0053] Figure 3 A flowchart of a method for operating a UAV satellite base station provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present application;

[0054] Figure 4 A flowchart of a method for operating a UAV satellite base station provided by another embodiment of the present application;

[0055] Figure 5 A flowchart of a method for operating a UAV satellite base station provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present application;

[0056] Figure 6 A structural diagram of a communication device provided in one embodiment of the present application;

[0057] Figure 7 A structural diagram of a communication device provided in another embodiment of the present application;

[0058] Figure 8 A structural diagram of a communication device provided in another embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0059] In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "plurality" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can mean: 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 objects associated before and after are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single items or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c alone can mean: a alone, b alone, c alone, a and b in combination, a and c in combination, b and c in combination, or a, b, and c in combination, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0060] The directions or positional relationships indicated by terms such as "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "up", "down", "left", "right", "front", and "back" are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description. They do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction, be constructed and operated in a specific direction, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present application.

[0061] The terms "connected" and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, the "connected" or "connected" of a circuit structure can refer to not only physical connection, but also electrical connection or signal connection. For example, it can be directly connected, that is, physically connected, or indirectly connected through at least one intermediate element, as long as the circuit is connected, or it can be the internal connection of two elements; signal connection can refer to signal connection through a circuit or through a media medium, such as radio waves. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0062] Figure 2A This is a schematic diagram of an application scenario of a UAV satellite base station provided by an embodiment of the present application. Figure 2A As shown, a portable satellite base station is carried on the unmanned vehicle. The satellite base station communicates with the satellite through a wireless interface. The satellite communicates with the core network through a wireless interface. The core network communicates with the external network through optical fiber.

[0063] Figure 2A In the scenario shown, the drone can fly over the ground area and hover at a fixed position, and then start working by controlling a portable satellite base station carried by the drone, thereby providing wireless coverage to the ground area.

[0064] In the uplink transmission scenario, the terminal equipment located in the ground area can send uplink data to the satellite base station by sending wireless signals to the satellite base station. The satellite base station then sends the uplink data to the satellite by sending satellite signals. The satellite then transmits the uplink data to the core network by transmitting satellite signals. The core network sends the uplink data to the external network via optical fiber.

[0065] In the downlink transmission scenario, the external network sends downlink data to the core network via optical fiber. The core network transmits the downlink data to the satellite by transmitting satellite signals. The satellite then transmits satellite signals to transmit the downlink data to the satellite base station. The satellite base station then sends the downlink data to the terminal equipment in the ground area by transmitting wireless signals.

[0066] In the case of earthquakes, floods, etc., the affected area may be large, such as 3-5 square kilometers, and the drone may have multiple hovering positions. Figure 2B In the scenario shown, the drone has two hovering positions.

[0067] In scenarios where drones have multiple hovering positions, there is a lack of feasible solutions to meet the power saving needs of terminal devices.

[0068] Please continue reading Figure 2B As shown, for Figure 2B For the terminal device in the example, when the UAV is at hovering position 1, the terminal device and the satellite base station can establish a connection and transmit data, but the distance d1 between the terminal device and the UAV is long, so the power consumed for transmitting unit data volume is relatively large; when the UAV is at hovering position 2, the terminal device and the satellite base station can establish a connection and transmit data, and the distance d2 between the terminal device and the UAV is short, so the power consumed for transmitting unit data volume is relatively small.

[0069] exist Figure 2B In the scenario shown, data transmission with the terminal device is performed as much as possible when the drone reaches the hovering position 2, and the power consumption of the terminal device is minimized. In addition, the urgency of the data to be transmitted needs to be considered to ensure that the urgent data is sent out in time.

[0070] Based on this, the present application provides a method for working a UAV satellite base station, a method for working a terminal device, and a device, wherein, in a scenario where a UAV satellite base station will work at multiple hovering positions, the UAV satellite base station or the terminal device selects a position that meets the conditions from multiple hovering positions as a target hovering position according to the latest transmission time of the data to be transmitted, multiple hovering positions, and the working time of the UAV satellite base station at each hovering position, and when the UAV satellite base station reaches the target hovering position, data is transmitted between the terminal device and the UAV satellite base station. In the present application, the target hovering position is the hovering position closest to the terminal device among the hovering positions whose working time is earlier than or includes the latest transmission time, so that the power consumption of the terminal device can be reduced as much as possible on the basis of meeting the data transmission requirements.

[0071] Next, the UAV satellite base station working method and terminal equipment working method provided by this application are introduced in detail through some specific embodiments.

[0072] Among them, it will be Figure 3 as well as Figure 4 The embodiment shown introduces a specific implementation method of how the terminal device makes a decision to select the target hovering position during uplink data transmission; Figure 5 as well as Figure 6 The illustrated embodiment describes how the UAV satellite base station makes decisions and selects a target hovering position during downlink data transmission.

[0073] Figure 3 This is a flowchart of a method for operating a UAV satellite base station according to an embodiment of the present application. Figure 3 As shown, the method of this embodiment includes:

[0074] S301. The drone satellite base station obtains the first position of the terminal device, multiple hovering positions of the drone satellite base station, and the working time period of the drone satellite base station at each hovering position.

[0075] When the drone satellite base station receives the downlink data to be transmitted from the core network to the terminal device through the satellite, it executes Figure 3 The method of the illustrated embodiment.

[0076] The first position of the terminal device is the longitude and latitude of the terminal device. The UAV satellite base station can obtain the first position from the core network element or the terminal device.

[0077] The hovering position of the drone satellite base station indicates the longitude and latitude of the projection point of the drone's location on the ground and the drone's hovering height. The working time period of the drone satellite base station includes the working start time and the working end time. The working time period can be an absolute time, that is, the time starting at 0:0:00 on January 1, 1980.

[0078] For example, the information format of multiple hovering positions and working time of the drone satellite base station may be as shown in Table 1:

[0079] Table 1

[0080]

[0081] As can be seen from Table 1, there is a gap between the working time periods of the UAV satellite base station at each hovering position. This is because the UAV needs to fly for a period of time to reach another hovering position from one hovering position.

[0082] Relevant regulations allow the maximum flight altitude of drones to be 200 meters, so the hovering altitude of drones is less than or equal to 200 meters.

[0083] In some embodiments, the drone satellite base station may obtain multiple hovering positions of the drone satellite base station and the working time period corresponding to each hovering position from the network management platform.

[0084] For example, the UAV satellite base station sends a work information request to the network management platform; the network management platform responds to the received request message, determines the multiple hovering positions of the UAV satellite base station and the working time period corresponding to each hovering position, and sends it to the UAV satellite base station via a work information response.

[0085] Optionally, the work information request may carry information such as the current location of the drone and the identification of the drone satellite base station. The network management platform may determine the ground area where the drone satellite base station provides communication services based on the current location of the drone, and further determine multiple hovering positions within the ground area. The identification of the drone satellite base station may be used to determine whether the device sending the work information request is a legitimate device.

[0086] In other embodiments, a staff member manually inputs multiple hovering positions of the drone satellite and the working time period corresponding to each hovering position into the drone satellite base station.

[0087] For example, before a drone flies, a wireless or wired connection can be established with the drone satellite base station through an electronic device (such as a notebook, smart phone, etc.). The staff sends the multiple hovering positions of the drone satellite and the working time period corresponding to each hovering position to the electronic device by operating the human-computer interaction interface provided by the electronic device. The electronic device generates user input information based on the received information and sends the user input information to the drone satellite base station via a wireless or wired connection.

[0088] S302. The UAV satellite base station determines the distances between the first position and the multiple hovering positions respectively, and obtains multiple distance values.

[0089] For each hovering position, the UAV satellite base station calculates the distance value between the hovering position and the position of the terminal device based on the longitude and latitude of the first position and the longitude and latitude of the hovering position. The distance value represents the straight-line distance between the two.

[0090] The calculation is performed for each hovering position, so that a plurality of distance values ​​are obtained, and the plurality of distance values ​​correspond to the plurality of hovering positions in a one-to-one manner.

[0091] S303. The UAV satellite base station determines the latest transmission time of the downlink data to be transmitted.

[0092] The latest transmission time indicates the latest time point for transmitting data in the network to ensure that the data can reach the receiving device within the specified time. The latest transmission time of the data is related to the delay characteristics of the network. In the present application, the latest transmission time of the data can be determined by the sending device based on one or more of the urgency of the data, network delay, and transmission rate. In the downlink transmission scenario, the sending device can be, but is not limited to, an electronic device in an external network. The sending device adds the latest transmission time to the packet header of the downlink data to be transmitted, so that the drone satellite base station can obtain the latest transmission time; in the uplink transmission scenario, the sending device is a terminal device located within the coverage range of the drone satellite base station, and the application layer of the terminal device can determine the latest transmission time of the data to be transmitted.

[0093] In this application, the urgency of data can be represented by the data transmission priority, and the more urgent the data, the higher the transmission priority. For example, in an earthquake disaster scenario, the transmission priority of video data is lower than the transmission priority of voice call data, and the transmission priority of voice call data is lower than the transmission priority of text data.

[0094] In this application, network delay refers to the transmission delay of data via the drone satellite base station and satellite to the core network, as well as the transmission delay of data via the core network and satellite to the drone satellite base station.

[0095] The core network sends the downlink data to be transmitted to the UAV satellite base station via the satellite. After receiving the downlink data to be transmitted, the UAV satellite base station parses the received downlink data to be transmitted to obtain the latest transmission time carried in the packet header of the downlink data to be transmitted. The latest transmission time of the downlink data to be transmitted can be expressed in absolute time.

[0096] S304. The UAV satellite base station determines the target hovering position from multiple hovering positions based on the latest transmission time, multiple distance values, and the working time period of the UAV satellite base station at each hovering position, and sends the downlink data to be transmitted to the terminal device when the UAV satellite base station reaches the target hovering position; wherein the target hovering position is the hovering position with the smallest distance value among the hovering positions whose working time period is earlier than or includes the latest transmission time.

[0097] In some embodiments, the drone satellite base station sorts multiple hovering positions according to the distance value from small to large, and first compares whether the working time period of the hovering position with the smallest distance value is earlier than or includes the latest transmission time of the downlink data to be transmitted. If so, the hovering position with the smallest distance value is determined to be the target hovering position; if not, the working time period of the next hovering position is compared to see whether it is earlier than or includes the latest transmission time of the downlink data to be transmitted; and so on, until a target hovering position that meets the requirements is found.

[0098] If the current hovering position of the drone satellite base station is not the target hovering position, the drone satellite base station starts waiting until the drone flies to the target hovering position, and the drone satellite base station sends the downlink data to be transmitted to the terminal device through the wireless interface.

[0099] The target hovering position determined by the method provided in this embodiment is the hovering position that is closest to the terminal device among the hovering positions that are earlier than or include the latest transmission time of the downlink data to be transmitted in the working time period. In this way, the power consumed by the terminal device to receive data and the power consumed by the drone satellite base station to send data can be reduced as much as possible on the basis of meeting the transmission delay requirements of the downlink data to be transmitted.

[0100] Figure 4 A flowchart of a UAV satellite base station operating method provided in another embodiment of the present application. Figure 4 This paper mainly introduces two ways for the UAV satellite base station to obtain the first position of the terminal device in the downlink transmission scenario. Method 1: The UAV satellite base station obtains the first position from the core network element; Method 2: The UAV satellite base station obtains the first position from the terminal device.

[0101] See also Figure 4 As shown, the method of this embodiment includes:

[0102] Among them, method 1 can be implemented through the following S401 to S403.

[0103] S401. The UAV satellite base station sends a first location request to a core network element.

[0104] For 4G networks, the drone satellite base station sends the first location request to MME; for 5G networks, the drone satellite base station sends the first location request to AMF.

[0105] The first location request is used by the core network element to send the current geographic location of the terminal device to the drone satellite base station. The first location request can carry the identifier of the terminal device and the identifier of the drone satellite base station, so that the core network element can determine which terminal device's current location needs to be fed back, and to which receiving device the current location of the terminal device should be sent.

[0106] The first location request may also carry the identifier of the terminal device instead of the identifier of the drone satellite base station, so as to reduce the amount of data in the first location request and reduce the air interface overhead.

[0107] S402. The core network element and the terminal device perform a positioning operation to obtain a first position of the terminal device.

[0108] S403. The core network element sends a first position response to the UAV satellite base station.

[0109] In some cases, after the core network element receives the first location request, if the core network element does not store the geographical location of the terminal device, S402 can be executed to temporarily initiate the positioning process to obtain the current location of the terminal device in real time. After that, S403 is executed to send a first location response to the drone satellite base station, and the first location response carries the first location of the terminal device.

[0110] In other cases, after the terminal device successfully accesses the network, the core network element can obtain the location of the terminal device and update it regularly. In this way, after receiving the first location request, the core network element queries the locally stored information and sends the most recently obtained geographic location of the terminal device as the first location to the drone satellite base station without executing S402.

[0111] Method 2 can be implemented through S404 and S405.

[0112] S404: The drone satellite base station sends a second location request to the terminal device.

[0113] The second location request is used to request the terminal device to send the current geographical location to the drone satellite base station. The second location request may carry the identifier of the drone satellite base station so that the terminal device can determine to which receiving device to send the current location of the terminal device.

[0114] After receiving the second location request, the terminal device can obtain the geographical location of the terminal device through the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). GNSS includes: Global Positioning System (GPS), GLONASS, Galileo, Beidou and other positioning subsystems.

[0115] S405. The terminal device sends a second position response to the drone satellite base station.

[0116] The second position is responsive to the first position of carrying the terminal device.

[0117] It should be noted that the drone satellite base station can execute S404 and S405 after establishing a connection with the terminal device for the first time, after which the drone satellite base station stores the location sent by the terminal device and updates it regularly.

[0118] Through any of the methods provided in this embodiment, the drone satellite base station can obtain the first position of the terminal device, which is used to select the most favorable drone hovering position and working time for the terminal device.

[0119] Figure 5 This is a flowchart of a method for operating a UAV satellite base station and a terminal device provided by another embodiment of the present application. Figure 5 As shown, the method of this embodiment includes:

[0120] S501. The UAV satellite base station obtains multiple hovering positions of the UAV satellite base station and a working time period of the UAV satellite base station at each hovering position.

[0121] In this embodiment, S501 and Figure 3 S301 in the illustrated embodiment is similar, and reference may be made to the detailed description of S301 , which will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0122] S502. The UAV satellite base station sends first information to the terminal device. The first information includes: multiple hovering positions of the UAV satellite base station and the working time period of the UAV satellite base station at each hovering position; the first information is also used to instruct the terminal device to determine the target hovering position from the multiple hovering positions.

[0123] The drone satellite base station may send the first information to the terminal device via a Service Information Block (SIB), a Main Control Channel (MCCH), an Earthquake and Tsunami Warning System (ETWS), or an application layer message.

[0124] S503: The terminal device determines the first position and the latest transmission time of the uplink data to be transmitted.

[0125] The terminal device may obtain the first location where the terminal device is currently located through GNSS. GNSS includes positioning subsystems such as GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and Beidou. The first location indicates the longitude and latitude of the location of the terminal device, and optionally, also includes the altitude.

[0126] When the application layer of the terminal device generates uplink data to be transmitted, the application layer determines the latest transmission time of the uplink data to be transmitted based on the urgency of the data to be transmitted, network delay, uplink data transmission rate, etc.

[0127] S504. The terminal device determines the target hovering position from multiple hovering positions based on the latest transmission time, multiple distance values, and the working time period of the UAV satellite base station at each hovering position.

[0128] In some embodiments, the terminal device sorts multiple hovering positions according to the distance value from small to large, and first compares whether the working time period of the hovering position with the smallest distance value is earlier than or includes the latest transmission time of the uplink data to be transmitted. If so, the hovering position with the smallest distance value is determined as the target hovering position; if not, the working time period of the next hovering position is compared to see whether it is earlier than or includes the latest transmission time of the downlink data to be transmitted; and so on, until a target hovering position that meets the requirements is searched.

[0129] S505: When the UAV satellite base station reaches the target hovering position, the terminal device sends the uplink data to be transmitted to the UAV satellite base station.

[0130] In some embodiments, the terminal device sends a notification message to the drone satellite base station, which carries indication information of the target hovering position. When the drone satellite base station flies to the target hovering position, it sends another notification message to the terminal device to trigger the terminal device to transmit data.

[0131] Through the method of this embodiment, the target hovering position determined by the terminal device is the hovering position that is closest to the terminal device in the working time period that is earlier than or includes the latest transmission time of the downlink data to be transmitted. In this way, the power consumed by the terminal device to send data and the power consumed by the drone satellite base station to receive data can be reduced as much as possible on the basis of meeting the transmission delay requirements of the uplink data to be transmitted.

[0132] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 6As shown, the communication device 600 of this embodiment can exist independently or be integrated into other devices, and can communicate with the terminal device mentioned above to implement the operations corresponding to the drone satellite base station in any of the above method embodiments.

[0133] The communication device 600 may include: a processing module 601 and a transceiver module 602. The processing module 601 is used to perform data processing, and the transceiver module 602 may implement corresponding communication functions. The transceiver module 602 may also be called a communication interface or a communication unit.

[0134] Optionally, the communication device 600 may also include a storage unit, which can be used to store instructions and / or data, and the processing module can read the instructions and / or data in the storage unit so that the communication device 600 implements the operations performed by the drone satellite base station in the aforementioned method embodiment.

[0135] The communication device 600 can be used to perform the actions performed by the drone satellite base station in the above method embodiment. The communication device 600 can be a drone satellite base station or a component that can be configured in a drone satellite base station. The transceiver module 602 is used to perform the reception-related operations of the drone satellite base station in the above method embodiment, and the processing module is used to perform the processing-related operations of the drone satellite base station in the above method embodiment.

[0136] Optionally, the transceiver module 602 may include a sending unit and a receiving unit. The sending unit is used to perform the sending operation of the drone satellite base station in the above method embodiment. The receiving unit is used to perform the receiving operation of the drone satellite base station in the above method embodiment.

[0137] It should be noted that the communication device 600 may include a sending unit but not a receiving unit. Alternatively, the communication device 600 may include a receiving unit but not a sending unit. Specifically, it may depend on whether the above solution executed by the positioning model management device 600 includes a sending action and a receiving action.

[0138] As an example, the communication device 600 is used to execute the above Figure 3 Actions performed by the drone satellite base station in the embodiment shown.

[0139] The communication device 600 may include: a processing module 601 and a transceiver module 602 .

[0140] The transceiver module 602 is used to obtain the first position of the terminal device, multiple hovering positions of the drone satellite base station, and the working time period of the drone satellite base station at each hovering position.

[0141] Processing module 601 is used to determine the distances between the first position and multiple hovering positions respectively to obtain multiple distance values; determine the latest transmission time of the downlink data to be transmitted; and determine the target hovering position from the multiple hovering positions based on the latest transmission time, multiple distance values ​​and the working time period of the UAV satellite base station at each hovering position.

[0142] The transceiver module 602 is also used to send downlink data to be transmitted to the terminal device when the UAV satellite base station reaches the target hovering position; wherein the target hovering position is the hovering position with the smallest distance value among the hovering positions in the working time period that are earlier than or include the latest transmission time.

[0143] As another example, the communication device 600 is used to execute the above Figure 5 Actions performed by the drone satellite base station in the embodiment shown.

[0144] The communication device 600 may include: a transceiver module 602 .

[0145] The transceiver module 602 is used to obtain a plurality of hovering positions of the UAV satellite base station and a working time period of the UAV satellite base station at each hovering position;

[0146] The transceiver module 602 is also used to send a first information to a terminal device, wherein the first information includes: a plurality of hovering positions of the UAV satellite base station and a working time period of the UAV satellite base station at each of the hovering positions; the first information is also used to instruct the terminal device to determine a target hovering position from the plurality of hovering positions based on the content of the first information, the first position of the terminal device and the latest transmission time of the uplink data to be transmitted, and receive the uplink data to be transmitted from the terminal device when the UAV satellite base station reaches the target hovering position; wherein the target hovering position is a hovering position with the smallest distance value among the hovering positions whose working time period is earlier than or includes the latest transmission time.

[0147] It should be understood that the execution of the above corresponding processes by each unit has been described in detail in the above method embodiment, and for the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0148] The processing module in the above embodiment can be implemented by at least one processor or processor-related circuit. The transceiver module 602 can be implemented by a transceiver or a transceiver-related circuit. The transceiver module 602 can also be called a communication unit or a communication interface. The storage unit can be implemented by at least one memory.

[0149] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 7As shown, the communication device 700 of this embodiment can exist independently or be integrated into other devices, and can communicate with the drone satellite base station mentioned above to implement the operations corresponding to the terminal device in any of the above method embodiments.

[0150] The communication device 700 may include: a processing module 701 and a transceiver module 702. The processing module 701 is used to perform data processing, and the transceiver module 702 may implement corresponding communication functions. The transceiver module 702 may also be called a communication interface or a communication unit.

[0151] Optionally, the communication device 700 may further include a storage unit, which may be used to store instructions and / or data, and the processing module may read the instructions and / or data in the storage unit so that the communication device 700 implements the operations performed by the terminal device in the aforementioned method embodiment.

[0152] The communication device 700 can be used to perform the actions performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiment. The communication device 700 can be a terminal device or a component that can be configured in a terminal device. The transceiver module 702 is used to perform the reception-related operations of the terminal device in the above method embodiment, and the processing module is used to perform the processing-related operations of the terminal device in the above method embodiment.

[0153] Optionally, the transceiver module 702 may include a sending unit and a receiving unit. The sending unit is used to perform the sending operation of the terminal device in the above method embodiment. The receiving unit is used to perform the receiving operation of the terminal device in the above method embodiment.

[0154] It should be noted that the communication device 700 may include a sending unit but not a receiving unit. Alternatively, the communication device 700 may include a receiving unit but not a sending unit. Specifically, it may be determined whether the above solution executed by the communication device 700 includes a sending action and a receiving action.

[0155] As an example, the communication device 700 is used to execute the above Figure 5 Actions performed by the terminal device in the illustrated embodiment.

[0156] The communication device 700 may include: a processing module 701 and a transceiver module 702 .

[0157] The transceiver module 702 is used to receive first information sent by the drone satellite base station, where the first information includes: multiple hovering positions of the drone satellite base station and the working time period of the drone satellite base station at each hovering position.

[0158] The processing module 701 is used to determine the first position of the communication device and the latest transmission time of the uplink data to be transmitted; determine the distances between the first position and multiple hovering positions of the UAV satellite base station respectively to obtain multiple distance values; and determine the target hovering position from the multiple hovering positions based on the latest transmission time, the multiple distance values ​​and the working time period of the UAV satellite base station at each of the hovering positions; wherein the target hovering position is the hovering position with the smallest distance value among the hovering positions whose working time period is earlier than or includes the latest transmission time.

[0159] The transceiver module 702 is also used to send the uplink data to be transmitted to the drone satellite base station when the drone satellite base station reaches the target hovering position.

[0160] Figure 8 This is a structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 8 As shown, the communication device 800 provided in this embodiment includes: a memory 801 and a processor 802.

[0161] The memory 801 may be an independent physical unit, and may be connected to the processor 802 via a bus. The memory 801 and the processor 802 may also be integrated together and implemented by hardware. The memory 801 is used to store program instructions, and the processor 802 calls the program instructions to execute the operations performed by the terminal device or the UAV satellite base station in any of the above method embodiments.

[0162] Optionally, when part or all of the methods of the above embodiments are implemented by software, the communication device 800 may also include only a processor 802. The memory 801 for storing programs is located outside the communication device 800, and the processor 802 is connected to the memory through circuits / wires to read and execute the programs stored in the memory. The processor 802 may be a central processing unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), or a combination of a CPU and a NP. The processor 802 may further include a hardware chip. The hardware chip may be an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), or a combination thereof. The PLD may be a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a generic array logic (GAL), or any combination thereof.

[0163] The memory 801 may include a volatile memory, such as a random-access memory (RAM); the memory may also include a non-volatile memory, such as a flash memory, a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD); the memory may also include a combination of the above types of memory.

[0164] Exemplarily, an embodiment of the present application provides a readable storage medium on which computer program instructions are stored. The computer program instructions are executed by a processor of an electronic device so that the electronic device performs the operations performed by a terminal device or a drone satellite base station in any of the above method embodiments.

[0165] Exemplarily, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product. When the computer program product is run on an electronic device, the electronic device executes the operations performed by the terminal device or the drone satellite base station in any of the above method embodiments.

[0166] It should be noted that, in this article, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "include", "comprise" or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. In the absence of further restrictions, the elements defined by the sentence "comprise a ..." do not exclude the existence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or device including the elements.

[0167] The above description is only a specific embodiment of the present disclosure, so that those skilled in the art can understand or implement the present disclosure. Various modifications to these embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure will not be limited to the embodiments described herein, but will conform to the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A method for operating a UAV satellite base station, characterized in that: include: The UAV satellite base station acquires the first position of the terminal device, multiple hovering positions of the UAV satellite base station, and the working time period of the UAV satellite base station at each hovering position; The UAV satellite base station determines the distances between the first position and the multiple hovering positions respectively, and obtains multiple distance values; The UAV satellite base station determines the latest transmission time of the downlink data to be transmitted; The UAV satellite base station determines a target hovering position from the multiple hovering positions based on the latest transmission time, the multiple distance values, and the working time period of the UAV satellite base station at each hovering position, so that the UAV satellite base station sends the downlink data to be transmitted to the terminal device when it reaches the target hovering position; wherein the target hovering position is the hovering position with the smallest distance value among the hovering positions whose working time period is earlier than or includes the latest transmission time.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The obtaining of the first position of the terminal device includes: The UAV satellite base station sends a first location request to a core network element; the first location request carries an identifier of the terminal device; The UAV satellite base station receives a first location response sent by the core network element, where the first location response carries the first location of the terminal device; or, The UAV satellite base station sends a second location request to the terminal device; The UAV satellite base station receives a second location response sent by the terminal device, where the second location response carries the first location of the terminal device.

3. A method for operating a UAV satellite base station, characterized in that: The method comprises: The UAV satellite base station acquires a plurality of hovering positions of the UAV satellite base station and a working time period of the UAV satellite base station at each hovering position; The UAV satellite base station sends first information to the terminal device, the first information including: multiple hovering positions of the UAV satellite base station and a working time period of the UAV satellite base station at each hovering position; the first information is also used to instruct the terminal device to determine a target hovering position from the multiple hovering positions based on the content of the first information, the first position of the terminal device, and the latest transmission time of the uplink data to be transmitted; When the UAV satellite base station reaches the target hovering position, it receives the uplink data to be transmitted sent by the terminal device; wherein, the target hovering position is the hovering position with the smallest distance value among the hovering positions in the working time period that are earlier than or include the latest transmission time.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that: The UAV satellite base station acquires a plurality of hovering positions of the UAV satellite base station and a working time period of the UAV satellite base station at each hovering position, including: The UAV satellite base station receives a notification message sent by the network management platform, wherein the notification message includes: a plurality of hovering positions of the UAV satellite base station and a working time period of the UAV satellite base station at each hovering position, or, The drone satellite base station receives user input information, where the user input information includes: a plurality of hovering positions of the drone satellite base station and a working time period of the drone satellite base station at each of the hovering positions.

5. A terminal device working method, characterized in that: The method comprises: The terminal device receives first information sent by the drone satellite base station, where the first information includes: multiple hovering positions of the drone satellite base station and a working time period of the drone satellite base station at each hovering position; The terminal device determines a first position of the terminal device and a latest transmission time of uplink data to be transmitted; The terminal device determines the distances between the first position and a plurality of hovering positions of the UAV satellite base station, respectively, to obtain a plurality of distance values; The terminal device determines a target hovering position from the multiple hovering positions based on the latest transmission time, the multiple distance values, and the working time period of the UAV satellite base station at each of the hovering positions, so that the terminal device sends the uplink data to be transmitted to the UAV satellite base station when the UAV satellite base station reaches the target hovering position; wherein the target hovering position is the hovering position with the smallest distance value among the hovering positions whose working time period is earlier than or includes the latest transmission time.

6. The method according to claim 1, 3 or 5, characterized in that: Any of the hovering positions includes: the longitude and latitude of the projection point of the hovering position on the ground and the hovering height, and the hovering height is less than or equal to the maximum hovering height allowed for the drone.

7. A communication device, characterized in that: include: Transceiver module and processing module; A transceiver module, used to obtain a first position of the terminal device, a plurality of hovering positions of the drone satellite base station, and a working time period of the drone satellite base station at each of the hovering positions; a processing module, configured to determine the distances between the first position and the plurality of hovering positions respectively, and obtain a plurality of distance values; Determine the latest transmission time of the downlink data to be transmitted; and determine the target hovering position from the multiple hovering positions based on the latest transmission time, the multiple distance values ​​and the working time period of the UAV satellite base station at each of the hovering positions, so that the UAV satellite base station sends the downlink data to be transmitted to the terminal device when it reaches the target hovering position; wherein the target hovering position is the hovering position with the smallest distance value among the hovering positions whose working time period is earlier than or includes the latest transmission time.

8. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A transceiver module, used to obtain a plurality of hovering positions of the UAV satellite base station and a working time period of the UAV satellite base station at each of the hovering positions; The transceiver module is further used to send first information to the terminal device, wherein the first information includes: multiple hovering positions of the drone satellite base station and a working time period of the drone satellite base station at each of the hovering positions; the first information is also used to instruct the terminal device to determine a target hovering position from the multiple hovering positions based on the content of the first information, the first position of the terminal device, and the latest transmission time of the uplink data to be transmitted; The transceiver module is also used to receive the uplink data to be transmitted sent by the terminal device when the UAV satellite base station reaches the target hovering position; wherein the target hovering position is the hovering position with the smallest distance value among the hovering positions in the working time period that is earlier than or includes the latest transmission time.

9. A communication device, characterized in that: include: Transceiver module and processing module; The transceiver module is used to receive first information sent by the UAV satellite base station, wherein the first information includes: a plurality of hovering positions of the UAV satellite base station and a working time period of the UAV satellite base station at each hovering position; A processing module is used to determine a first position of the communication device and a latest transmission time of uplink data to be transmitted; determine the distances between the first position and the multiple hovering positions respectively to obtain multiple distance values; and determine a target hovering position from the multiple hovering positions based on the latest transmission time, the multiple distance values ​​and the working time period of the UAV satellite base station at each of the hovering positions; The transceiver module is also used to send the uplink data to be transmitted to the UAV satellite base station when the communication device reaches the target hovering position of the UAV satellite base station; wherein the target hovering position is the hovering position with the smallest distance value among the hovering positions whose working time period is earlier than or includes the latest transmission time.

10. A communication device, characterized in that: include: Memory and processor; The memory is configured to store computer program instructions; The processor is configured to execute the computer program instructions so that the communication device implements the method of claim 1 or 2 or 6, or the method of claim 3 or 4 or 6, or the method of claim 5 or 6.

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