Movable reflector antenna system and device for satellite equipment

Abstract

The invention provides a movable reflector antenna system and device for satellite equipment, belongs to the technical field of communication, and aims to ensure the reliability of ground communication in a satellite DU scene. The system is configured as follows: a satellite DU determines a plurality of CUs sharing the satellite DU in a current period, and the plurality of CUs are arranged on the ground; the satellite DU determines a target movable angle range of the reflector antenna device towards the ground direction according to the plurality of CUs; within the time of the current period, the satellite DU adjusts the angle of the reflector antenna device towards the ground direction according to the target movable angle range, and under the condition that the satellite DU moves relative to the ground, the angle of the reflector antenna device towards the ground direction changes within the target movable angle range; therefore, the signal receiving range of the reflector antenna device always covers the plurality of CUs.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a movable reflector antenna system and device for satellite equipment. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of information technology, satellite communication, as an important means of remote communication, plays an important role in the fields of military, aviation, meteorology, radio and television. Traditional satellite communication mainly relies on the direct communication link between the ground station and the satellite, but this method has certain limitations, such as limited coverage and severe signal attenuation. In order to overcome these problems, researchers have proposed a new communication mode that uses satellites as base stations. This mode receives and forwards ground signals through the satellite's reflective antenna, thereby achieving wider coverage and higher communication efficiency.

[0003] The basic principle of satellite communication is to use satellites in geosynchronous orbit or low orbit as relay stations to receive and process the signals sent by the ground transmitting station and then retransmit them to the ground receiving station. This communication method has the advantages of wide coverage, long transmission distance, and low signal attenuation. Among them, the reflector antenna is one of the key devices in satellite communication. It focuses the electromagnetic waves on the ground to improve the receiving sensitivity of the signal, thereby achieving a high-gain communication effect.

[0004] In addition, the distributed unit (DU) is a new type of communication equipment, which is mainly used to realize the virtualization and service-oriented of network functions. In satellite communications, using satellites as distributed units of base stations can realize direct communication between satellites and ground users. This mode can not only improve the reliability of communication, but also reduce the cost of ground station construction and maintenance. In addition, by using satellites as distributed units of base stations, high-speed and broadband services can be provided to ground users, meeting the requirements of modern communication networks for bandwidth and latency.

[0005] In summary, when the satellite acts as a DU, namely, satellite DU, how to further improve the reliability of the satellite's reflector antenna in communicating with the ground is a current research issue. Summary of the invention

[0006] The embodiments of the present invention provide a movable reflector antenna system and device for satellite equipment, which are used to ensure the reliability of ground communication in the scenario of satellite DU.

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical scheme:

[0008] In a first aspect, a movable reflector antenna system for satellite equipment is provided, the system comprising a satellite DU and a reflector antenna device arranged on the satellite DU, the system being configured as follows: the satellite DU determines a plurality of CUs that share the satellite DU within a current period, the plurality of CUs being arranged on the ground; the satellite DU determines a target movable angle range of the reflector antenna device toward the ground based on the plurality of CUs; ​​within the current period, the satellite DU adjusts the angle of the reflector antenna device toward the ground according to the target movable angle range, and when the satellite DU moves relative to the ground, the angle of the reflector antenna device toward the ground changes within the target movable angle range, so that the signal receiving range of the reflector antenna device always covers the plurality of CUs.

[0009] Optionally, the satellite DU determines multiple CUs that share the satellite DU in the current cycle, including: when the previous cycle is about to end and the next cycle is about to begin, the satellite DU determines the target CU group corresponding to the next cycle based on the correspondence between the cycle and the CU group in the pre-configured information, and the next cycle is the current cycle. The target CU group corresponding to the next cycle is the CU group shared by the satellite DU in the next cycle, and the target CU group includes multiple CUs.

[0010] Optionally, the satellite DU determines the target movable angle range of the reflecting surface antenna device toward the ground based on multiple CUs, including: the satellite DU determines the target movable angle range corresponding to the target CU group based on the correspondence between the movable angle range of the reflecting surface antenna device toward the ground and the CU group in pre-configured information.

[0011] Optionally, the reflector antenna device is movably arranged on the base plane of the satellite DU, with the movable point of the reflector antenna device on the base plane as the origin of the spatial coordinate system, and the angle between the spatial plane formed by the spatial vector (x1, y1, z1) in the spatial coordinate system and the spatial vector (x2, y2, z2) in the spatial coordinate system is the target movable angle range.

[0012] Optionally, the system is also configured as follows: during the current cycle, the satellite DU receives encrypted control information from a target CU among multiple CUs through a reflecting antenna device; the satellite DU decrypts the encrypted control information according to the key of the target CU among the multiple CUs and the CU associated with the target CU to obtain plaintext control information; the satellite DU processes the plaintext control information.

[0013] Optionally, multiple CUs are divided into multiple CU subsets, each of the multiple CU subsets contains at least two CUs from the multiple CUs, and any two CU subsets from the multiple CU subsets contain different CUs; ​​the satellite DU decrypts the encrypted control information according to the keys of the target CU in the multiple CUs and the CU associated with the target CU to obtain plaintext control information, including: the satellite DU determines the target CU subset where the target CU in the multiple CU subsets is located; the satellite DU uses the root key of each DU in the target CU subset to derive the current security key of the target CU; the satellite DU uses the current security key of the target CU to decrypt the encrypted control information to obtain the plaintext control information.

[0014] Optionally, the target CU subset includes N CUs, N is an integer greater than 1, the index of the target CU indicates that the target CU is the kth CU in the target CU subset, and k is an integer ranging from 1 to N; the satellite DU uses the root key of each DU in the target CU subset to derive the current security key of the target CU, including: the satellite DU determines whether the satellite DU has a key used for communication with the target CU, or whether the key used for communication between the satellite DU and the target CU needs to be updated; if the satellite DU does not have a key used for communication with the target CU, or the key used for communication between the satellite DU and the target CU needs to be updated, then when k is less than N, the satellite DU uses the count value of the counter of the k+1th CU in the target CU subset and the root keys of each of the N CUs as input parameters, and derives the current security key of the target CU through a key derivation algorithm KDF; or when k is equal to N, the satellite DU uses the count value of the counter of the first CU in the target CU subset and the root keys of each of the N CUs as input parameters, and derives the current security key of the target CU through KDF; wherein the count value of the counter of each CU in the N CUs is incremented by 1 after the security key of the CU is updated once.

[0015] Optionally, the target CU group includes M CUs, where M is an integer greater than 1, and the satellite DU decrypts the encrypted control information according to the keys of the target CU and the CU associated with the target CU in the multiple CUs to obtain plaintext control information, including: the satellite DU determines at least one CU in the target CU group whose index is related to the target CU; the satellite DU uses the root keys of the target CU and at least one CU to derive the current security key of the target CU; the satellite DU uses the current security key of the target CU to decrypt the encrypted control information to obtain the plaintext control information.

[0016] Optionally, the index of the target CU indicates that the target CU is the p-th CU in the target CU group, where p is an integer from 1 to M; the satellite DU determines at least one CU in the target CU group whose index is related to the target CU, including: when p is less than M, the satellite DU determines that the p+1-th CU in the target CU group is the CU related to the target CU; when p is equal to M, the satellite DU determines that the first CU in the target CU group is the CU related to the target CU; accordingly, the satellite DU uses the root keys of the target CU and at least one CU to derive the current security key of the target CU; when p is less than M In the case of , the satellite DU takes the count value of the counter of the p+1th CU in the target CU group and the root keys of the target CU and the p+1th CU as input parameters, and derives the current security key of the target CU through KDF; or when p is equal to M, the satellite DU takes the count value of the counter of the 1st CU in the target CU group and the root keys of the target CU and the 1st CU as input parameters, and derives the current security key of the target CU through KDF; wherein, the count value of the counter of each CU in the M CUs is incremented by 1 after the security key of the CU is updated once.

[0017] Optionally, the satellite DU is a DU of a low-orbit satellite or a medium-orbit satellite.

[0018] In a second aspect, a movable reflector antenna device for a satellite device is provided. The reflector antenna device is movably arranged on a satellite DU, and the satellite DU is the satellite DU in the system described in the first aspect.

[0019] In a third aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, comprising: a computer program or instructions; when the computer program or instructions are executed on a computer, the computer is caused to execute the method described in the first aspect.

[0020] According to a fourth aspect, a computer program product is provided, comprising a computer program or instructions, which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to execute the method described in the first aspect.

[0021] In summary, since multiple CUs are set on the ground, the signal range of the satellite DU can theoretically cover these multiple CUs, so it can be shared by these multiple CUs. Since the satellite DU is mobile relative to the ground, the multiple CUs that share the satellite DU in the current cycle can be determined in units of cycles, and the target movable angle range of the reflector antenna device toward the ground in the cycle can be determined, so that when the satellite DU moves relative to the ground, the angle of the reflector antenna device toward the ground changes within the target movable angle range, and the signal reception range of the reflector antenna device always covers multiple CUs, thereby ensuring the reliability between the satellite DU and multiple CUs. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the NTN architecture;

[0023] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the architecture of a system provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a scenario of a system is provided for an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device provided by an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] 1. Non-terrestrial networks (NTN) communications:

[0027] NTN communication can be networked using equipment such as drones and high altitude platforms to provide data transmission, voice communication and other services for user equipment (UE). Taking the satellites in high altitude platform stations (HAPS) as an example, the satellites are generally 8 kilometers (km) to 50km above the ground. According to the orbital altitude of the satellite, it can be divided into the following three types: geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellites, also known as synchronous orbit satellites, medium earth orbit (MEO) satellites, and low earth orbit (LEO) satellites.

[0028] The orbital altitude of GEO satellite is 35786km. Its main advantage is that it can remain stationary relative to the ground and provide a large coverage area. However, GEO satellites also have corresponding disadvantages: 1) The GEO satellite orbit is far away from the earth, and the free space propagation loss is large, resulting in a tight communication link budget. In order to increase the transmission / reception gain, the satellite needs to be equipped with a larger diameter antenna; 2) The communication transmission delay is large, which can reach a round-trip delay of about 500 milliseconds (ms), which cannot meet the needs of real-time services; 3) The orbital resources are relatively tight, the launch cost is high, and it cannot provide coverage for the polar regions of the earth. The orbital altitude of MEO satellite is in the range of 2000km-35786km. The advantage is that global coverage can be achieved with a relatively small number of satellites, but its orbital altitude is higher than LEO, and the transmission delay is still larger than LEO satellite communication. Therefore, MEO satellites are mainly used for positioning and navigation. The orbital altitude of LEO satellite is in the range of 300km-2000km. LEO satellites have lower orbital altitudes than MEO satellites and GEO satellites, and have the advantages of small data transmission delay, small transmission loss, and relatively low launch cost. Therefore, LEO satellite communications have also received widespread attention in recent years.

[0029] Figure 1 The schematic diagram of the architecture of NTN communication in regeneration mode is as follows: Figure 2 As shown, the satellite has data processing capabilities and has the functions of a base station or part of the functions of a base station, that is, the satellite can be understood as a base station. At this time, the UE can access the satellite to achieve communication with the data network (DN) through the core network (CN).

[0030] It can be seen that NTN communication can realize the interconnection between satellite and CN through the interface defined between base stations and CN, and can also realize more timely assistance and interconnection between satellites through the interface defined between base stations. Among them, in the new radio (NR) system, that is, the 5G system, the interface between base stations is called the Xn interface, and the interface between the base station and the core network is called the NG interface.

[0031] The present invention will present various aspects, embodiments or features around a system that may include multiple devices, components, modules, etc. It should be understood and appreciated that each system may include additional devices, components, modules, etc., and / or may not include all of the devices, components, modules, etc. discussed in conjunction with the drawings. In addition, combinations of these schemes may also be used.

[0032] In the embodiment of the present invention, "indication" may include direct indication and indirect indication, and may also include explicit indication and implicit indication. The information indicated by a certain information (such as the first indication information, the second indication information, or the third indication information, etc. below) is called information to be indicated. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to indicate the information to be indicated, such as but not limited to, the information to be indicated can be directly indicated, such as the information to be indicated itself or the index of the information to be indicated. The information to be indicated can also be indirectly indicated by indicating other information, wherein there is an association relationship between the other information and the information to be indicated. It is also possible to indicate only a part of the information to be indicated, while the other parts of the information to be indicated are known or agreed in advance. For example, the indication of specific information can also be realized by means of the arrangement order of each information agreed in advance (such as specified by the protocol), thereby reducing the indication overhead to a certain extent. At the same time, the common parts of each information can also be identified and uniformly indicated to reduce the indication overhead caused by indicating the same information separately.

[0033] In addition, the specific indication method may also be various existing indication methods, such as but not limited to the above-mentioned indication methods and various combinations thereof. The specific details of the various indication methods can refer to the prior art and will not be repeated herein. As can be seen from the above, for example, when it is necessary to indicate multiple information of the same type, different indication methods may be used for different information. In the specific implementation process, the desired indication method can be selected according to specific needs. The embodiment of the present invention does not limit the selected indication method. In this way, the indication method involved in the embodiment of the present invention should be understood to cover various methods that can enable the party to be indicated to obtain the information to be indicated.

[0034] It should be understood that the information to be indicated can be sent as a whole or divided into multiple sub-information and sent separately, and the sending period and / or sending time of these sub-information can be the same or different. The specific sending method is not limited in the embodiment of the present invention. Among them, the sending period and / or sending time of these sub-information can be pre-defined, for example, pre-defined according to a protocol, or can be configured by the sending end device by sending configuration information to the receiving end device.

[0035] "Pre-definition" or "pre-configuration" can be implemented by pre-saving corresponding codes, tables or other methods that can be used to indicate relevant information in the device, and the embodiments of the present invention do not limit the specific implementation method. Among them, "saving" can mean saving in one or more memories. The one or more memories can be set separately or integrated in an encoder or decoder, a processor, or a communication device. The one or more memories can also be partially set separately and partially integrated in a decoder, a processor, or a communication device. The type of memory can be any form of storage medium, which is not limited by the embodiments of the present invention.

[0036] The "protocol" involved in the embodiments of the present invention may refer to a protocol family in the communication field, a standard protocol with a similar protocol family frame structure, or a related protocol applied in future communication systems, and the embodiments of the present invention do not specifically limit this.

[0037] In the embodiments of the present invention, descriptions such as "when...", "in the case of...", "if" and "if" all mean that the device will perform corresponding processing under certain objective circumstances, but do not limit the time, nor do they require the device to perform judgment actions when implementing, nor do they mean the existence of other limitations.

[0038] In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, unless otherwise specified, " / " indicates that the objects associated before and after are in an "or" relationship, for example, A / B can represent A or B; "and / or" in the embodiments of the present invention is only a description of the association relationship of the associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In addition, in the description of the embodiments of the present invention, unless otherwise specified, "multiple" refers to two or more than two. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b and c, or at least one of a, b or c, can represent: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, c can be single or multiple. In addition, in order to facilitate the clear description of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, in the embodiments of the present invention, the words "first", "second" and the like are used to distinguish the same items or similar items with substantially the same functions and effects. Those skilled in the art will understand that the words "first", "second" and the like do not limit the quantity and execution order, and the words "first", "second" and the like do not necessarily limit the differences. At the same time, in the embodiments of the present invention, the words "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations or explanations. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of the present invention should not be interpreted as being more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or design. Specifically, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present related concepts in a concrete manner for easy understanding.

[0039] The network architecture and business scenarios described in the embodiments of the present invention are intended to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present invention. A person of ordinary skill in the art can appreciate that with the evolution of the network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present invention are equally applicable to similar technical problems.

[0040] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present invention, first Figure 2 The system shown in FIG. 1 is used as an example to describe in detail a satellite-to-ground communication system applicable to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the architecture of a satellite-to-earth communication system to which the method provided in an embodiment of the present invention is applicable.

[0041] The satellite-to-ground communication system may include: radio access network (RAN) equipment.

[0042] RAN equipment can be equipment that provides access to terminals. For example, RAN equipment can include: RAN equipment can also include 5G, such as gNB in ​​a new radio (NR) system, or one or a group of antenna panels (including multiple antenna panels) of a base station in 5G, or it can also be a network node constituting a gNB, a transmission point (TRP or transmission point, TP) or a transmission measurement function (TMF), such as a baseband unit (building base band unit, BBU), or a centralized unit (CU) or a distributed unit (DU), an RSU with base station function, or a wired access gateway, or a core network element of 5G. Alternatively, RAN equipment can also include an access point (AP) in a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system, a wireless relay node, a wireless backhaul node, various forms of macro base stations, micro base stations (also called small stations), relay stations, access points, wearable devices, vehicle-mounted devices, and the like. Alternatively, the RAN device may also include a next-generation mobile communication system, such as a 6G access network device, such as a 6G base station, or in the next-generation mobile communication system, the network device may also have other naming methods, which are all covered within the protection scope of the embodiments of the present invention, and the present invention does not impose any limitations on this.

[0043] Specifically, the RAN equipment can be a baseband unit (BBU) and a radio unit (RU). The BBU and the RU may be co-located or not. The BBU includes a control unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU), which communicate through a midhaul link. The BBU communicates with the core network through a backhaul link, the DU communicates with the RU through a fronthaul link, and the RU communicates with at least one UE through an air interface. The integrated DU includes the above-mentioned DU and RU functions.

[0044] like Figure 2 As shown, the satellite-to-ground communication system of the embodiment of the present invention can be applied to Figure 1The scenario shown is that the CU can be deployed on the ground and the DU can be deployed on a satellite, also called a satellite DU. The satellite DU can be a DU of a low-orbit satellite or a medium-orbit satellite. The signal of a satellite DU can cover multiple CUs on the ground, so it can also be considered that multiple CUs share the satellite DU, or share the use of the satellite DU. As the satellite DU moves relative to the ground, the coverage of its signal also moves accordingly, causing the CUs sharing the satellite DU to change.

[0045] For this purpose, a system including the satellite DU and a reflector antenna device disposed on the satellite DU may be designed, such as a movable reflector antenna system for satellite equipment. The reflector antenna device may be a reflector antenna with a multi-polarization unit, capable of generating beams pointing in different directions.

[0046] like Figure 3 As shown, the reflector antenna device can be installed on the satellite DU through movable components. For example, it includes a base 31 that can be horizontally rotated on the satellite DU and a rotating arm 32 that can adjust the pitch angle of the reflector antenna device on the base 31. The rotating arm 32 can adjust the pitch angle of the reflector antenna device along a fixed direction, and with the rotation of the base 31, the directional direction of the reflector antenna device can be flexibly adjusted.

[0047] The movable reflector antenna system for satellite equipment is introduced in detail below.

[0048] The system is configured to:

[0049] S1: The satellite DU determines multiple CUs that share the satellite DU in the current cycle.

[0050] A plurality of CUs are arranged on the ground.

[0051] Among them, when the previous cycle is about to end and the next cycle is about to start, the satellite DU can determine the target CU group corresponding to the next cycle according to the correspondence between the cycle and the CU group in the pre-configured information. The next cycle is the current cycle, and the target CU group corresponding to the next cycle is the CU group that shares the satellite DU in the next cycle, and the target CU group includes multiple CUs.

[0052] The time it takes for a satellite DU to orbit the earth is divided into multiple cycles. In each cycle, the satellite DU will move a predetermined orbit. The length of the cycle needs to be set so that the distance of the predetermined orbit satisfies the requirement that the reflector antenna device can still cover multiple CU settings at extreme angles. That is, at the starting position and ending position of the satellite in the predetermined orbit, the reflector antenna device can still cover multiple CU settings at extreme angles. After moving to the next predetermined orbit, the reflector antenna device cannot cover the multiple CU settings at the extreme angles, and needs to cover the corresponding CU in the next cycle.

[0053] The preconfigured information may include a CU group corresponding to each cycle in multiple cycles, for a total of multiple CU groups. Each CU group contains multiple CUs, and each CU in each CU group has a unique index in the CU group. A CU can be uniquely indicated by the identifier of each CU group and the index of the CU in the CU group. For example, the identifier of CU group #1 is id1, and the indexes in CU group #1 are CU#1, CU#2, and CU#3 respectively. The identifier of CU group #2 is id2, and the indexes in CU group #2 are CU#1, CU#2, and CU#3 respectively. In this way, the first CU in CU group #1 can be indicated by CU#1 and id1. Similarly, the third CU in CU group #2 can be indicated by CU#3 and id2.

[0054] S2: The satellite DU determines the target movable angle range of the reflector antenna device toward the ground based on multiple CUs.

[0055] S3: During the current cycle, the satellite DU adjusts the angle of the reflector antenna device toward the ground according to the target movable angle range.

[0056] The satellite DU determines the target movable angle range corresponding to the target CU group according to the correspondence between the movable angle range of the reflector antenna device toward the ground in the pre-configured information and the CU group.

[0057] Among them, since the reflector antenna device is movably arranged on the base plane of the satellite DU, the movable point of the reflector antenna device on the base plane (or a certain position of the rotating arm 32 or the base 31) is taken as the origin of the spatial coordinate system, and the spatial plane angle formed by the spatial vector (x1, y1, z1) in the spatial coordinate system and the spatial vector (x2, y2, z2) in the spatial coordinate system is the target movable angle range. For example, Figure 3As shown, the origin of the spatial coordinate system is the joint point on the rotating arm 32 that can be adjusted in pitch, the plane formed by the x-axis and the y-axis is parallel to the plane of the base 31, the z-axis direction is perpendicular to the plane of the base 31, and the target movable angle range is the angle between vector A and vector B, indicating that the reflector antenna device can be on the plane formed by vector A and vector B, at the angle between vector A and vector B, or at Figure 3 The pitch adjustment is performed in the adjustment direction shown, and the adjustment direction can be to make the direction of the reflector antenna device point to the direction of vector A at the beginning of the current cycle, and then gradually adjust along the adjustment direction toward the direction of vector A during the current cycle, and finally at the beginning of the current cycle, the direction of the reflector antenna device is adjusted to point to the direction of vector B. In this way, when the satellite DU moves relative to the ground, the angle of the reflector antenna device toward the ground changes within the target movable angle range, so that the signal receiving range of the reflector antenna device always covers multiple CUs, ensuring that it can always be shared by the multiple CUs during the cycle.

[0058] Optionally, since the links between the multiple CUs and the satellite DU are wireless links, the communications between the multiple CUs and the satellite DU also need to be securely protected during the current cycle. For example, the system is further configured as:

[0059] S4: During the current cycle, the satellite DU receives encrypted control information from a target CU among multiple CUs through a reflector antenna device.

[0060] S5: The satellite DU decrypts the encrypted control information according to the keys of the target CU and the CU associated with the target CU in the multiple CUs to obtain the plaintext control information.

[0061] Method 1:

[0062] The multiple CUs are divided into multiple CU subsets, each of the multiple CU subsets contains at least two CUs from the multiple CUs, and the CUs contained in any two CU subsets from the multiple CU subsets are different, which can be specifically indicated in the pre-configured information. On this basis, the satellite DU determines the target CU subset where the target CU from the multiple CU subsets is located. The satellite DU uses the root key of each DU in the target CU subset to derive the current security key of the target CU.

[0063] For example, the target CU subset includes N CUs, N is an integer greater than 1, and the index of the target CU indicates that the target CU is the kth CU in the target CU subset, and k is an integer ranging from 1 to N. The satellite DU determines whether the satellite DU has a key for communication with the target CU, or whether the key used by the satellite DU and the target CU for communication needs to be updated; if the satellite DU does not have a key for communication with the target CU, or the key used by the satellite DU and the target CU for communication needs to be updated, then when k is less than N, the satellite DU uses the count value of the counter of the k+1th CU in the target CU subset and the root keys of the N CUs as input parameters to derive the current security key of the target CU through the key derivation algorithm KDF; or when k is equal to N, the satellite DU uses the count value of the counter of the first CU in the target CU subset and the root keys of the N CUs as input parameters to derive the current security key of the target CU through the KDF; wherein the count value of the counter of each CU in the N CUs is incremented by 1 after the security key of the CU is updated once.

[0064] That is to say, the derivation of the key uses the keys of different CUs, and the count value used for the derivation is also updated periodically, so that in different cycles, the security keys used by the same CU to communicate with the satellite DU can be different, thereby further ensuring communication security. For the same CU, the security key is used to communicate with the satellite DU during the time when the security key of the CU is valid (which can also be understood as a cycle), and after it expires (which can also be understood as the next cycle), a new security key needs to be derived according to the above method.

[0065] The satellite DU uses the current security key of the target CU to decrypt the encrypted control information and obtain the plaintext control information.

[0066] Method 2:

[0067] The target CU group includes M CUs, where M is an integer greater than 1. On this basis, the satellite DU determines at least one CU in the target CU group whose index is related to the target CU. The satellite DU uses the root keys of the target CU and at least one CU to derive the current security key of the target CU. For example, the index of the target CU indicates that the target CU is the p-th CU in the target CU group, where p is an integer from 1 to M. When p is less than M, the satellite DU determines that the p+1-th CU in the target CU group is the CU related to the target CU; when p is equal to M, the satellite DU determines that the 1st CU in the target CU group is the CU related to the target CU.

[0068] Correspondingly, when p is less than M, the satellite DU uses the count value of the counter of the p+1th CU in the target CU group and the root keys of the target CU and the p+1th CU as input parameters, and derives the current security key of the target CU through KDF; or when p is equal to M, the satellite DU uses the count value of the counter of the first CU in the target CU group and the root keys of the target CU and the first CU as input parameters, and derives the current security key of the target CU through KDF. Among them, the count value of the counter of each CU in the M CUs is incremented by 1 after the security key of the CU is updated once.

[0069] The satellite DU uses the current security key of the target CU to decrypt the encrypted control information and obtain the plaintext control information.

[0070] It can be seen that the logic of method 2 is similar to that of method 1, except that method 2 no longer divides subsets, and is simpler to implement. In addition, in method 2, since the key is derived using the keys of different CUs, and the count value used for derivation is also periodically updated, the security keys used by the same CU to communicate with the satellite DU can be different in different cycles, thereby further ensuring communication security. For the same CU, the security key is used to communicate with the satellite DU during the time when the security key of the CU is valid (which can also be understood as a cycle), and after it expires (which can also be understood as the next cycle), a new security key needs to be derived according to the above method.

[0071] S5: Satellite DU processes the plain text control information.

[0072] After processing the plain text control information, the satellite DU can perform corresponding operations according to the instructions of the control information, such as access control, beam measurement, etc., without specific restrictions.

[0073] It can be understood that the encryption logic of CU is consistent with the decryption logic of satellite DU. The difference lies in the inverse process of satellite DU decryption. You can refer to satellite DU decryption for understanding, and will not go into details here.

[0074] In summary, since multiple CUs are set on the ground, the signal range of the satellite DU can theoretically cover these multiple CUs, so it can be shared by these multiple CUs. Since the satellite DU is mobile relative to the ground, the multiple CUs that share the satellite DU in the current cycle can be determined in units of cycles, and the target movable angle range of the reflector antenna device toward the ground in the cycle can be determined, so that when the satellite DU moves relative to the ground, the angle of the reflector antenna device toward the ground changes within the target movable angle range, and the signal reception range of the reflector antenna device always covers multiple CUs, thereby ensuring the reliability between the satellite DU and multiple CUs.

[0075] Figure 4 The electronic device provided in the embodiment of the present invention is a schematic diagram of the structure of the electronic device. For example, the electronic device may be a terminal device, or a chip (system) or other components or assemblies that can be set in the terminal device. Figure 4 As shown, the electronic device 400 may include a processor 401. Optionally, the electronic device 400 may also include a memory 402 and / or a transceiver 403. The processor 401 is coupled to the memory 402 and the transceiver 403, such as being connected via a communication bus. In addition, the electronic device 400 may also be a chip, such as including the processor 401, in which case the transceiver may be an output and input interface of the chip.

[0076] Combine the following Figure 4 The components of the electronic device 400 are specifically introduced as follows:

[0077] The processor 401 is the control center of the electronic device 400, and may be a processor or a general term for multiple processing elements. For example, the processor 401 is one or more central processing units (CPUs), or may be application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or may be one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the embodiments of the present invention, such as one or more microprocessors (digital signal processors, DSPs), or one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs).

[0078] Optionally, the processor 401 can execute various functions of the electronic device 400 by running or executing the software program stored in the memory 402 and calling the data stored in the memory 402, such as executing the above Figure 3 Functions of satellite DU in the system shown.

[0079] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the processor 401 may include one or more CPUs, such as Figure 4 CPU0 and CPU1 are shown in FIG.

[0080] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the electronic device 400 may also include multiple processors. Each of these processors may be a single-core processor (single-CPU) or a multi-core processor (multi-CPU). The processor here may refer to one or more devices, circuits, and / or processing cores for processing data (such as computer programs or instructions).

[0081] The memory 402 is used to store the software program for executing the solution of the present invention, and the execution is controlled by the processor 401. The specific implementation method can refer to the above method embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0082] Optionally, the memory 402 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM) or other types of dynamic storage devices that can store information and instructions, or an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compressed optical disc, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc, Blu-ray disc, etc.), a magnetic disk storage medium or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store the desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto. The memory 402 may be integrated with the processor 401, or may exist independently and access the computer through the interface circuit ( Figure 4 (not shown) is coupled to the processor 401, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present invention.

[0083] The transceiver 403 is used for communication with other electronic devices. For example, if the electronic device 400 is a terminal device, the transceiver 403 can be used to communicate with a network device, or with another terminal device. For another example, if the electronic device 400 is a network device, the transceiver 403 can be used to communicate with a terminal device, or with another network device.

[0084] Optionally, the transceiver 403 may include a receiver and a transmitter ( Figure 4 The receiver is used to implement a receiving function, and the transmitter is used to implement a sending function.

[0085] Optionally, the transceiver 403 may be integrated with the processor 401, or may exist independently and communicate with the electronic device 400 through an interface circuit ( Figure 4 (not shown) is coupled to the processor 401, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present invention.

[0086] Understandably, Figure 4 The structure of the electronic device 400 shown in the figure does not constitute a limitation on the electronic device, and the actual electronic device may include more or fewer components than those shown in the figure, or combine certain components, or arrange the components differently.

[0087] In addition, the technical effects of the electronic device 400 can refer to the technical effects of the methods described in the above method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0088] It should be understood that the processor in the embodiment of the present invention may be a central processing unit (CPU), and the processor may also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may also be any conventional processor, etc.

[0089] It should also be understood that the memory in the embodiments of the present invention may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, many forms of random access memory (RAM) are available, such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0090] The above embodiments can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware (such as circuits), firmware or any other combination. When implemented by software, the above embodiments can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions or computer programs. When the computer instructions or computer programs are loaded or executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present invention is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer program or instruction can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer program or instruction can be transmitted from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center by wired (such as infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.). The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that contains one or more available media sets. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (for example, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a tape), an optical medium (for example, a DVD), or a semiconductor medium. The semiconductor medium can be a solid-state hard disk.

[0091] It should be understood that the term "and / or" in this article is only a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. A and B can be singular or plural. In addition, the character " / " in this article generally indicates that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship, but it may also indicate an "and / or" relationship. Please refer to the context for specific understanding.

[0092] In the present invention, "at least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can be represented by: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, c can be single or multiple.

[0093] It should be understood that in various embodiments of the present invention, the size of the serial numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present invention.

[0094] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of the present invention.

[0095] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0096] In the several embodiments provided by the present invention, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0097] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

[0098] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present invention may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0099] If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present invention can be essentially or partly embodied in the form of a software product that contributes to the prior art. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to perform all or part of the steps of the methods described in various embodiments of the present invention. The aforementioned storage medium includes: various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk.

[0100] The above is only a specific embodiment of the present invention, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention, which should be included in the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A movable reflector antenna system for satellite equipment, characterized in that: The system comprises a satellite DU and a reflector antenna device arranged on the satellite DU, and the system is configured as follows: The satellite DU determines a plurality of CUs that share the satellite DU in a current cycle, wherein the plurality of CUs are arranged on the ground; The satellite DU determines, based on the multiple CUs, a target movable angle range of the reflector antenna device toward the ground direction; During the current cycle, the satellite DU adjusts the angle of the reflector antenna device toward the ground according to the target movable angle range. When the satellite DU moves relative to the ground, the angle of the reflector antenna device toward the ground changes within the target movable angle range, so that the signal receiving range of the reflector antenna device always covers the multiple CUs.

2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that The satellite DU determines a plurality of CUs that share the satellite DU in a current cycle, including: When the previous cycle is about to end and the next cycle is about to begin, the satellite DU determines the target CU group corresponding to the next cycle based on the correspondence between the cycle and the CU group in the pre-configured information. The next cycle is the current cycle, and the target CU group corresponding to the next cycle is the CU group that shares the satellite DU in the next cycle. The target CU group includes the multiple CUs.

3. The system according to claim 2, characterized in that The satellite DU determines, according to the multiple CUs, a target movable angle range of the reflector antenna device toward the ground direction, including: The satellite DU determines the target movable angle range corresponding to the target CU group according to the correspondence between the movable angle range of the reflector antenna device toward the ground direction and the CU group in the pre-configured information.

4. The system according to claim 3, characterized in that The reflecting surface antenna device is movably arranged on the base plane of the satellite DU, with the movable point of the reflecting surface antenna device on the base plane as the origin of the spatial coordinate system, and the spatial plane angle formed by the spatial vector (x1, y1, z1) in the spatial coordinate system and the spatial vector (x2, y2, z2) in the spatial coordinate system is the target movable angle range.

5. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The system is also configured to: During the current cycle, the satellite DU receives encrypted control information from a target CU among the multiple CUs through the reflector antenna device; The satellite DU decrypts the encrypted control information according to the key of the target CU and the CU associated with the target CU in the multiple CUs to obtain the plaintext control information; The satellite DU processes the plain text control information.

6. The system according to claim 5, characterized in that The multiple CUs are divided into multiple CU subsets, each of the multiple CU subsets includes at least two CUs in the multiple CUs, and any two CU subsets in the multiple CU subsets include different CUs; ​​the satellite DU decrypts the encrypted control information according to the key of the target CU in the multiple CUs and the CU associated with the target CU to obtain the plaintext control information, including: The satellite DU determines, among the multiple CU subsets, a target CU subset where the target CU is located; The satellite DU uses the root key of each DU in the target CU subset to derive the current security key of the target CU; The satellite DU uses the current security key of the target CU to decrypt the encrypted control information to obtain the plaintext control information.

7. The system according to claim 6, characterized in that The target CU subset includes N CUs, N is an integer greater than 1, and the index of the target CU indicates that the target CU is the kth CU in the target CU subset, and k is an integer ranging from 1 to N; The satellite DU uses the root key of each DU in the target CU subset to derive the current security key of the target CU, including: The satellite DU determines whether the satellite DU has a key used for communication with the target CU, or whether the key used for communication between the satellite DU and the target CU needs to be updated; If the satellite DU does not have a key for communicating with the target CU, or the key used by the satellite DU to communicate with the target CU needs to be updated, then when k is less than N, the satellite DU uses the count value of the counter of the k+1th CU in the target CU subset and the root keys of the N CUs as input parameters, and derives the current security key of the target CU through the key derivation algorithm KDF; or when k is equal to N, the satellite DU uses the count value of the counter of the first CU in the target CU subset and the root keys of the N CUs as input parameters, and derives the current security key of the target CU through KDF; The count value of the counter of each CU in the N CUs is incremented by 1 after the security key of the CU is updated once.

8. The system according to claim 5, characterized in that The target CU group includes M CUs, where M is an integer greater than 1. The satellite DU decrypts the encrypted control information according to the key of the target CU and the CU associated with the target CU in the multiple CUs to obtain the plaintext control information, including: The satellite DU determines at least one CU in the target CU group whose index is related to the target CU; The satellite DU uses the root keys of the target CU and the at least one CU to derive a current security key of the target CU; The satellite DU uses the current security key of the target CU to decrypt the encrypted control information to obtain the plaintext control information.

9. The system according to claim 8, characterized in that The index of the target CU indicates that the target CU is the p-th CU in the target CU group, where p is an integer ranging from 1 to M; the satellite DU determines at least one CU in the target CU group whose index is related to the target CU, including: When p is less than M, the satellite DU determines the p+1th CU in the target CU group as a CU related to the target CU; when p is equal to M, the satellite DU determines the first CU in the target CU group as a CU related to the target CU; Accordingly, the satellite DU uses the root keys of the target CU and the at least one CU to derive the current security key of the target CU; When p is less than M, the satellite DU uses the count value of the counter of the p+1th CU in the target CU group and the root keys of the target CU and the p+1th CU as input parameters, and derives the current security key of the target CU through KDF; or when p is equal to M, the satellite DU uses the count value of the counter of the first CU in the target CU group and the root keys of the target CU and the first CU as input parameters, and derives the current security key of the target CU through KDF; The count value of the counter of each CU in the M CUs is incremented by 1 after the security key of the CU is updated once.

10. A movable reflector antenna device for satellite equipment, characterized in that: The reflector antenna device is movably arranged on the satellite DU, and the satellite DU is the satellite DU in the system described in any one of claims 1-9.

Images