NTN access method and device, terminal equipment and storage medium

Abstract

The invention provides an NTN access method and device, terminal equipment and a storage medium, and relates to the technical field of communication, and the method comprises the steps that the terminal equipment determines whether a current cell allows the terminal equipment to be connected to an NTN or not according to SIB1, if the current cell allows the terminal equipment to be connected to the NTN, NTN cell information is determined according to SIB19, and an NTN access attempt is initiated according to the NTN cell information. According to the technical scheme, the CAG information is added in the SIB19, so that the NTN can support the CAG function, and the purpose of controlling the terminal equipment to access the NTN is achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to an NTN access method, apparatus, terminal equipment and storage medium. Background Art

[0002] Non-terrestrial Network (NTN) is an important technology introduced by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) in R17. It provides wireless resources through satellites (or drones) instead of ground base stations. Therefore, NTN can provide ubiquitous coverage without being restricted by terrain and can also break through the one-way transmission limitation of mobile phones to achieve two-way communication and network connectivity, laying a technical foundation for the next generation of air, space and ground integrated communication systems.

[0003] Compared with the terrestrial network (TN), NTN network resources are relatively scarce, so it is necessary to control the access of terminal devices to prevent terminal devices from automatically selecting access to associated cells and then accessing NTN. Therefore, how to control the access of terminal devices to NTN is an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present application provides an NTN access method, apparatus, terminal device and storage medium to control the terminal device to access the NTN.

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an NTN access method, which is applied to a terminal device, including:

[0006] According to SIB1, determine whether the current cell allows the terminal device to connect to the NTN;

[0007] If it is determined that the current cell allows the terminal device to connect to the NTN, determine the NTN cell information according to SIB19;

[0008] An NTN access attempt is initiated according to the NTN cell information.

[0009] In a possible design of the first aspect, the SIB19 includes CAG information and satellite assistance information for NTN access, and the CAG information includes a first CAG identifier, a second CAG identifier, or a CAG identifier list.

[0010] In a possible design of the first aspect, the first CAG identifier is determined according to the contract information generated when the terminal device signs a contract for CAG, and the second CAG identifier is pre-configured.

[0011] In a possible design of the first aspect, the satellite auxiliary information includes the PCI of the cell of the current satellite and the PCI of the cell of the adjacent satellite.

[0012] In a possible design of the first aspect, the satellite auxiliary information also includes at least one of the following: ephemeris information of the current satellite and adjacent satellites, the type of the current cell, and PCI of at least one adjacent cell.

[0013] In a possible design of the first aspect, the NTN cell information includes a PCI in the satellite assistance information that is associated with the first CAG identifier, the second CAG identifier, or any CAG identifier in the CAG identifier list.

[0014] In a possible design of the first aspect, before determining, according to SIB1, whether the current cell allows the terminal device to connect to the NTN, the method further includes:

[0015] Get MIB messages;

[0016] If the terminal device has NTN access capability, the SIB1 is obtained according to the MIB message.

[0017] In a possible design of the first aspect, determining, according to SIB1, whether the current cell allows the terminal device to connect to the NTN includes:

[0018] When it is determined that the terminal device has NTN access capability and is in any state of an idle state, a connected state or an inactive state, it is determined according to the SIB1 whether the current cell allows the terminal device to connect to the NTN.

[0019] In a possible design of the first aspect, the SIB1 includes a target information element, and a value of the target information element is used to indicate whether the current cell allows the terminal equipment to be connected to the NTN.

[0020] In a possible design of the first aspect, the value of the target information element is a first bit or a second bit, the first bit is used to indicate that the current cell does not allow the terminal device to be connected to the NTN, and the second bit is used to indicate that the current cell allows the terminal device to be connected to the NTN.

[0021] In a possible design of the first aspect, the method further includes:

[0022] When the SIB1 does not include the target information element, it is determined that the current cell does not allow the terminal device to be connected to the NTN;

[0023] The terminal device is prohibited from attempting to access the NTN.

[0024] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an NTN access device, which is applied to a terminal device, and the device includes:

[0025] A determination module, used to determine whether the current cell allows the terminal device to connect to the NTN according to SIB1;

[0026] The determination module is further configured to determine NTN cell information according to SIB19 if it is determined that the current cell allows the terminal device to connect to the NTN;

[0027] The initiating module is used to initiate an NTN access attempt according to the NTN cell information.

[0028] In a possible design of the second aspect, the SIB19 includes CAG information and satellite assistance information for NTN access, and the CAG information includes a CAG identifier or a CAG identifier list.

[0029] In a possible design of the second aspect, the CAG identifier is determined based on the contract information generated when the terminal device signs a contract for CAG, or is pre-configured.

[0030] In a possible design of the second aspect, the satellite auxiliary information includes the PCI of the cell of the current satellite and the PCI of the cell of the adjacent satellite.

[0031] In a possible design of the second aspect, the satellite auxiliary information also includes at least one of the following: ephemeris information of the current satellite and adjacent satellites, the type of the current cell, and PCI of at least one adjacent cell.

[0032] In a possible design of the second aspect, the NTN cell information includes a PCI in the satellite assistance information that is associated with the first CAG identifier, the second CAG identifier, or any CAG identifier in the CAG identifier list.

[0033] In a possible design of the second aspect, before determining, according to SIB1, whether the current cell allows the terminal device to connect to the NTN, the apparatus further includes an acquisition module, which is used to:

[0034] Get MIB messages;

[0035] If the terminal device has NTN access capability, the SIB1 is obtained according to the MIB message.

[0036] In a possible design of the second aspect, the determining module is specifically configured to:

[0037] When it is determined that the terminal device has NTN access capability and is in any state of an idle state, a connected state or an inactive state, it is determined according to the SIB1 whether the current cell allows the terminal device to connect to the NTN.

[0038] In a possible design of the second aspect, the SIB1 includes a target information element, and a value of the target information element is used to indicate whether the current cell allows the terminal equipment to be connected to the NTN.

[0039] In a possible design of the second aspect, the value of the target information element is the first bit or the second bit, the first bit is used to indicate that the current cell does not allow the terminal device to be connected to the NTN, and the second bit is used to indicate that the current cell allows the terminal device to be connected to the NTN.

[0040] In a possible design of the second aspect, the device further includes:

[0041] The determination module is further configured to determine that the current cell does not allow the terminal device to be connected to the NTN when the SIB1 does not include the target information element;

[0042] The prohibition module is used to prohibit the terminal device from attempting to access the NTN.

[0043] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a terminal device, comprising: a processor, a memory, and computer program instructions stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the processor is used to implement the first aspect and the methods provided by various possible designs when executing the computer program instructions.

[0044] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application may provide a computer-readable storage medium, in which computer-executable instructions are stored. When the computer-executable instructions are executed by a processor, they are used to implement the first aspect and the methods provided by various possible designs.

[0045] The NTN access method, apparatus, terminal device and storage medium provided by the embodiment of the present application, in which the terminal device determines whether the current cell allows the terminal device to connect to the NTN according to SIB1, and if it is determined that the current cell allows the terminal device to connect to the NTN, the NTN cell information is determined according to SIB19, and an NTN access attempt is initiated according to the NTN cell information. In this technical solution, by adding CAG information to SIB19, when it is determined that the current cell allows the terminal device to connect to the NTN, the NTN cell information is determined by the CAG information and the satellite auxiliary information, thereby achieving the purpose of controlling the terminal device to access the NTN. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0046] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present application.

[0047] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the application scenario of the NTN access method provided in this application;

[0048] Figure 2 A flowchart of the first embodiment of the NTN access method provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0049] Figure 3 A flowchart of Embodiment 2 of the NTN access method provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0050] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of a first embodiment of an NTN access device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0051] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of a second embodiment of an NTN access device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0052] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure of a third embodiment of an NTN access device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0053] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0054] The above drawings have shown clear embodiments of the present application, which will be described in more detail later. These drawings and text descriptions are not intended to limit the scope of the present application in any way, but to illustrate the concept of the present application to those skilled in the art by referring to specific embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0055] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the technical solution in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0056] Before introducing the embodiments of the present application, the application background of the embodiments of the present application is first explained:

[0057] The non-public network (NPN) technology proposed by 3GPP in the R16 standard is a 5G private network built using the fifth generation mobile communication technology (5G) technology, which is independent of the public land mobile network (PLMN) serving the general public and is used in scenarios such as enterprise business (for example, enterprise production control, etc.).

[0058] NPN includes two technical solutions: Stand-alone NPN (SNPN) and Public Network Integrated NPN (PNI-NPN). Among them, PNI-NPN technology provides NPN through PLMN (for example, through a dedicated data network name (DNN) or through one (or more) PLMN network slice instances allocated to NPN.

[0059] Since network slicing cannot restrict terminals from attempting to access the network in unauthorized network slice areas, a closed access group (CAG) can be used for access control. CAG is used in PNI-NPN networks to prevent terminal devices from automatically selecting access-associated cells and then accessing NPNs.

[0060] NTN is an important technology introduced by 3GPP in R17. It provides wireless resources through satellites (or drones) instead of ground base stations. Compared with TN, NTN network resources are more scarce, and it is more necessary to control the access of terminal devices. Therefore, how to control the access of terminal devices to NTN is an urgent problem to be solved.

[0061] Based on this, the present application provides an NTN access method, whereby a terminal device can determine whether the current cell is an NTN cell based on a first system information block (System Information Block Type 1 (SIB1)). If so, the NTN cell information is further determined based on a CAG identifier carried by a second system information block (System Information Block Type 19 (SIB19)), and then an NTN access attempt is initiated based on the NTN cell information.

[0062] The inventive concept of this solution: The inventor found in the research process that the existing CAG solution is mainly designed for TN networks. With the continuous deployment and wide application of NTN, how to apply CAG technology in NTN networks so that NTN networks can support CAG and prevent terminal devices from automatically selecting access-associated cells and then accessing NTN has become an urgent problem to be solved. Based on this, the inventor considers adding a CAG identifier to SIB19, and confirming the NTN cell information on the terminal device side based on the CAG identifier and the satellite auxiliary information for NTN access, thereby initiating an NTN access attempt, so that NTN can support the CAG function and achieve the purpose of controlling the terminal device to access NTN.

[0063] Figure 1 The schematic diagram of the application scenario of the NTN access method provided in this application is as follows: Figure 1 As shown in FIG. 1 , the scenario includes: Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) / User Port Function (UPF), network equipment and terminal equipment. The network equipment includes NTN Gateway (NTNGateway) and NTN Payload (NTN Payload). NTN Gateway and NTN Payload are connected through a feeder link. NTN Payload is connected to the terminal equipment through the NR Uu wireless interface and service link. AMF / UPF is connected to the network equipment through the NG interface.

[0064] In practical applications, the NTN Payload may be a network node carried on a satellite or a high altitude platform (HAPS).

[0065] The network device can provide communication coverage for a specific geographical area and can communicate with terminal devices located in the coverage area. Optionally, the network device can be a base station (Base Transceiver Station, BTS) in a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) or Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) system, a base station (NodeB, NB) in a WCDMA system, an evolved base station (Evolutional Node B, eNB or eNodeB) in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, or a wireless controller in a Cloud Radio Access Network (CRAN), or the network device can be a mobile switching center, a relay station, an access point, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a hub, a switch, a bridge, a router, a network side device in a 5G network, or a network device in a future evolved PLMN, or a base station providing satellite services, or an NTN device, such as a satellite network device, a low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite and a geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) satellite, an aircraft network device, etc.

[0066] Terminal equipment includes, but is not limited to, connection via a wired line, such as via a Public Switched Telephone Networks (PSTN), a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), a digital cable, a direct cable connection; and / or another data connection / network; and / or via a wireless interface, such as for a cellular network, a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), a digital television network such as a DVB-H network, a satellite network, an AM-FM broadcast transmitter; and / or another device configured to receive / send communication signals; and / or an Internet of Things (IoT) device. Terminal equipment configured to communicate via a wireless interface may be referred to as a "wireless communication terminal", "wireless terminal" or "mobile terminal". Examples of mobile terminals include, but are not limited to, satellite or cellular telephones; Personal Communications System (PCS) terminals that may combine cellular radiotelephones with data processing, fax, and data communications capabilities; PDAs that may include radiotelephones, pagers, Internet / intranet access, Web browsers, notepads, calendars, and / or Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers; and conventional laptop and / or palmtop receivers or other electronic devices that include radiotelephone transceivers. Access terminals, subscriber units, subscriber stations, mobile stations, mobile stations, remote stations, remote terminals, mobile devices, user terminals, terminals, wireless communication devices, user agents, or user devices may be referred to. The access terminal may be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a Wireless Local Loop (WLL) station, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication function, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a terminal device in a 5G network, or a terminal device in a future evolved PLMN, etc. In the following description, the terms "terminal device", "communication device", "terminal", "user equipment" and "User Equipment (UE)" may be used interchangeably.

[0067] Based on the above Figure 1 The NTN access method provided by the present application is described in detail below through several specific embodiments.

[0068] It should be noted that the following specific embodiments may be combined with each other, and the same or similar concepts or processes may not be described in detail in some embodiments.

[0069] Figure 2 The flowchart of the first embodiment of the NTN access method provided in the embodiment of the present application is as follows. Figure 2 As shown, the NTN access method may include the following steps:

[0070] S201. Determine, according to SIB1, whether the current cell allows the terminal device to connect to the NTN;

[0071] In this step, SIB1 may or may not contain a target information element. When SIB1 contains a target information element, the value of the target information element is used to indicate whether the current cell allows the terminal device to connect to the NTN. The value of the target information element is the first bit or the second bit, the first bit is used to indicate that the current cell does not allow the terminal device to connect to the NTN, and the second bit is used to indicate that the current cell allows the terminal device to connect to the NTN.

[0072] In a possible implementation, when it is determined that the terminal device has NTN access capability and is in any state of idle state (RRC_IDLE), connected state (RRC_CONNECTED) or inactive state (RRC_INACTIVE), it is determined according to SIB1 whether the current cell allows the terminal device to connect to the NTN.

[0073] In another possible implementation, when it is determined that the terminal device has NTN access capability and is in any state of RRC_IDLE, RRC_CONNECTED or RRC_INACTIVE, and when timer T311 is running, it is determined according to SIB1 whether the current cell allows the terminal device to connect to the NTN.

[0074] In the above two implementations, determining whether the current cell allows the terminal device to connect to the NTN according to SIB1 can be implemented by following steps 1 to 3:

[0075] Step 1: Determine whether SIB1 contains the target information element.

[0076] Step 2: If not, determine that the current cell does not allow the terminal device to connect to the NTN; if included, execute step 3.

[0077] Step 3: If the value of the target information element is the first bit, it is determined that the current cell does not allow the terminal device to connect to the NTN; if the value of the target information element is the second bit, it is determined that the current cell allows the terminal device to connect to the NTN.

[0078] Exemplarily, the target cell may be cellBarredNTN, the first bit may be “barred”, and the second bit may be “not barred”.

[0079] Optionally, SIB1 can be obtained from a network device. Exemplarily, the terminal device can obtain a master information block (MIB) from the network device, and when the terminal device has NTN access capability, it can obtain SIB1 from the network device based on the MIB.

[0080] S202: If it is determined that the current cell allows the terminal device to connect to the NTN, determine the NTN cell information according to SIB19.

[0081] In this step, after determining that the current cell allows the terminal device to connect to the NTN, it is necessary to request SIB19 from the network device so as to determine the NTN cell information according to SIB19.

[0082] Among them, SIB19 includes CAG information and satellite assistance information for NTN access.

[0083] The CAG information includes a first CAG identifier, a second CAG identifier or a CAG identifier list. The first CAG identifier is determined according to the contract information generated when the terminal device signs a contract for the CAG, and the second CAG identifier is pre-configured.

[0084] Exemplarily, the CAG information may include any of the following information elements: cag-Identity, cag-IdentityList or manualCAGselectionAllowed; wherein the value of the cag-Identity information element is used to represent the first CAG identifier, the value of cag-IdentityList is used to represent the CAG identifier list, and the value of manualCAGselectionAllowed is used to represent the second CAG identifier.

[0085] In the above example, even if the second CAG identifier is not in the CAG list allowed by the terminal device, the CAG identifier can also be manually selected. Wherein, it can be determined whether the CAG identifier is in the CAG list allowed by the terminal device according to the contract information.

[0086] The satellite auxiliary information includes the PCI of the cell of the current satellite and the PCI of the cell of the adjacent satellite.

[0087] Optionally, the NTN cell information may be determined in the following three ways.

[0088] Method 1: Assuming that SIB19 contains the first CAG identifier, the first CAG identifier is matched with the satellite assistance information. If there is an entry corresponding to the first CAG identifier in the satellite assistance information, the NTN cell information is determined according to the entry, and it is regarded as allowing the NTN access attempt.

[0089] The entry of the satellite auxiliary information is the PCI of the cell of the current satellite or the PCI of the cell of the adjacent satellite.

[0090] Method 2: Assuming that SIB19 contains the second CAG identifier, the second CAG identifier is matched with the satellite assistance information. If there is an entry corresponding to the second CAG identifier in the satellite assistance information, the NTN cell information is determined according to the entry, and it is regarded as allowing the NTN access attempt.

[0091] The entry of the satellite auxiliary information is the PCI of the cell of the current satellite or the PCI of the cell of the adjacent satellite.

[0092] Method 3: Assuming that SIB19 contains a CAG identifier list, any CAG identifier in the CAG identifier list is matched with the satellite assistance information. If there is an entry corresponding to the CAG identifier in the satellite assistance information, the NTN cell information is determined based on the entry and the NTN access attempt is deemed to be allowed.

[0093] The entry of the satellite auxiliary information is the PCI of the cell of the current satellite or the PCI of the cell of the adjacent satellite.

[0094] That is, the NTN cell information includes the PCI associated with the first CAG identifier, the second CAG identifier or any CAG identifier in the CAG identifier list in the satellite assistance information, and the PCI may also be referred to as mapped cell identifier information or PCI of a mapped cell.

[0095] Furthermore, the satellite assistance information may also include at least one of the following: ephemeris information of the current satellite and adjacent satellites, the type of the current cell, and PCI of at least one adjacent cell (on the relevant frequency).

[0096] Among them, since the impact of air resistance on satellite movement is a long-term effect (the daily orbital changes are very small), in the short term, the satellite's orbit can be considered to be almost unchanged. In other words, the orbits of all satellites are predictable in the short term. The satellite's orbital information is usually called ephemeris information.

[0097] Optionally, the NTN cell information may be determined in combination with the content that may also be included in the satellite auxiliary information (i.e., ephemeris information of the current satellite and the adjacent satellite, the type of the cell of the current satellite, and the PCI of at least one adjacent cell (on the relevant frequency). Exemplarily, the content that may also be included in the satellite auxiliary information may be used to determine the time when the terminal device is allowed to connect to the NTN. That is, the NTN cell information may also include the time when the terminal device is allowed to connect to the NTN, thereby improving the accuracy of controlling the terminal device to access the NTN.

[0098] S203: Initiate an NTN access attempt based on the NTN cell information.

[0099] In the step, after determining the NTN cell information, the terminal device is deemed to allow the NTN access attempt, and thus the NTN access attempt can be initiated based on the NTN cell information.

[0100] In a possible implementation, a random access and RRC connection establishment process may be performed on a corresponding cell based on the PCI of the NTN cell information.

[0101] In the NTN access method provided by the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device determines whether the current cell allows the terminal device to connect to the NTN according to SIB1, and if it is determined that the current cell allows the terminal device to connect to the NTN, the NTN cell information is determined according to SIB19, and an NTN access attempt is initiated according to the NTN cell information. In the present technical solution, by adding CAG information to SIB19, when it is determined that the current cell allows the terminal device to connect to the NTN, the NTN cell information is determined by the CAG information and the satellite auxiliary information, thereby achieving the purpose of controlling the terminal device to access the NTN.

[0102] Optionally, in some possible embodiments, before determining whether the current cell allows the terminal device to connect to the NTN according to SIB1, a MIB message may be obtained. Further, if the terminal device has NTN access capability, SIB1 is obtained according to the MIB message to determine whether the current cell is an NTN cell.

[0103] Optionally, in some possible embodiments, when SIB1 does not include the target information element, it is determined that the current cell does not allow the terminal device to connect to the NTN, and the terminal device is prohibited from attempting to access the NTN.

[0104] In this embodiment, assuming that the field PLMN identity information list (plmn-IdentityInfoList) of SIB1 contains multiple PLMN identities, it is applicable to all PLMNs.

[0105] Based on the NTN access method shown in the above embodiment, a specific example is used to illustrate it.

[0106] Figure 3 The flowchart of the second embodiment of the NTN access method provided in the embodiment of the present application is as follows. Figure 3 As shown, the NTN access method may include the following steps:

[0107] S301. UE obtains MIB from a network device.

[0108] S302: If the UE has NTN access capability, obtain SIB1 from the network device according to the MIB to determine whether the current cell is an NTN cell.

[0109] S303: The UE sends a system information request to the network device.

[0110] In this step, after obtaining SIB1, the UE can store the SIB1. Further, if the UE has NTN access capability and is in any state of RRC_IDLE, RRC_Inactive, and RRC_CONNECTED, and when the timer T3311 is running, it determines whether the current cell is an NTN cell, and sends a system information request to the network device when it is determined that the current cell is an NTN cell, so as to obtain SIB19 returned by the network device in response to the system information request.

[0111] In a possible implementation, whether the current cell is an NTN cell can be determined by determining whether SIB1 includes the information element cellBarredNTN and whether the value of cellBarredNTN is "not prohibited". Specifically:

[0112] If the SIB1 message contains the information element cellBarredNTN and the value of cellBarredNTN is "not prohibited", it means that the current cell allows connection to NTN, and the UE should send a system information request to the network device to request to obtain SIB19.

[0113] If the SIB1 message contains the information element cellBarredNTN and the value of cellBarredNTN is "prohibited", the UE regards that the current cell is not allowed to connect to NTN and prohibits the UE's access attempt (if the field plmn-IdentityInfoList contains multiple PLMN identities, it applies to all PLMNs).

[0114] If the SIB1 message does not contain the information element cellBarredNTN, the UE regards that the current cell is not allowed to connect to NTN and prohibits the UE's access attempt.

[0115] S304: The network device sends a system information message to the UE.

[0116] Correspondingly, the UE receives the system information message, which is SIB19.

[0117] Furthermore, after acquiring SIB19, the UE may store it and determine the NTN cell information according to SIB19.

[0118] Specifically, if the SIB19 message includes the information element cag-Identity, cag-IdentityList or manualCAGselectionAllowed, it means that the UE is allowed or instructed to access the NTN cell through the broadcasted CAG ID. Next, the three cases where the SIB19 message includes the information element cag-Identity, cag-IdentityList or manualCAGselectionAllowed are described in detail.

[0119] Case 1: The SIB19 message includes the information element cag-Identity.

[0120] The NTN cell information is determined based on the CAG ID and the satellite assistance information for NTN access contained in the SIB19 message. Specifically, if there is an entry corresponding to cag-Identity in the satellite assistance information for NTN access, the NTN cell information, such as "mapped cell identifier", is determined through the entry, and the NTN access attempt is deemed to be allowed.

[0121] Case 2: The SIB19 message includes the information element cag-IdentityList.

[0122] The NTN cell information is determined based on the associated CAG ID (such as the CAG ID associated with the same PCI in the cag-IdentityList) and the satellite assistance information for NTN access contained in the SIB19 message. Specifically, if there is an entry corresponding to the cag-IdentityList in the satellite assistance information for NTN access, the NTN cell information list, such as the "mapped cell identifier" list, is determined through the entry, and the NTN access attempt is deemed to be allowed.

[0123] Case 3: The SIB19 message includes the information element manualCAGselectionAllowed.

[0124] In this case, even if the CAG ID is not in the CAG list allowed by the UE, the CAG ID can be manually selected, that is, the CAG ID is a CAG identifier that allows manual selection.

[0125] The NTN cell information is determined based on the CAG ID and the satellite assistance information for NTN access contained in the SIB19 message. Specifically, if there is an entry corresponding to manualCAGselectionAllowed in the satellite assistance information for NTN access, the NTN cell information, such as "mapped cell identifier", is determined through the entry, and the NTN access attempt is deemed to be allowed.

[0126] Further, after determining the NTN cell information, the UE may initiate an NTN access attempt according to the NTN cell information. Specifically, the UE may perform a random access and RRC connection establishment process according to the determined NTN cell information.

[0127] The following is an embodiment of the device of the present application, which can be used to execute the embodiment of the method of the present application. For details not disclosed in the embodiment of the device of the present application, please refer to the embodiment of the method of the present application.

[0128] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first embodiment of the NTN access device provided in the embodiment of the present application. Figure 4 As shown, the NTN access device 400 is applied to a terminal device, including:

[0129] A determination module 401 is used to determine whether the current cell allows the terminal device to connect to the NTN according to SIB1;

[0130] The determination module 401 is further configured to determine NTN cell information according to SIB19 if it is determined that the current cell allows the terminal device to connect to the NTN;

[0131] The initiating module 402 is used to initiate an NTN access attempt according to the NTN cell information.

[0132] In a possible implementation manner, SIB19 includes closed access group CAG information and satellite assistance information for NTN access, and the CAG information includes a first CAG identifier, a second CAG identifier, or a CAG identifier list.

[0133] In a possible implementation, the first CAG identifier is determined based on the contract information generated when the terminal device signs a contract for CAG, and the second CAG identifier is pre-configured.

[0134] In a possible implementation, the satellite assistance information includes the PCI of the cell of the current satellite and the PCI of the cell of the neighboring satellite.

[0135] In a possible implementation manner, the satellite assistance information further includes at least one of the following: ephemeris information of the current satellite and adjacent satellites, the type of the current cell, and the PCI of at least one adjacent cell.

[0136] In a possible implementation manner, the NTN cell information includes a PCI in the satellite assistance information that is associated with the first CAG identifier, the second CAG identifier, or any CAG identifier in the CAG identifier list.

[0137] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the second embodiment of the NTN access device provided in the embodiment of the present application. Figure 5 As shown, before determining whether the current cell allows the terminal device to connect to the NTN according to SIB1, the NTN access device 400 further includes an acquisition module 403, which is used to:

[0138] Get MIB messages;

[0139] If the terminal device has NTN access capability, SIB1 is obtained according to the MIB message.

[0140] In a possible implementation, the determination module 401 is specifically configured to:

[0141] When it is determined that the terminal device has NTN access capability and is in any state of idle state, connected state or inactive state, it is determined according to SIB1 whether the current cell allows the terminal device to connect to the NTN.

[0142] In a possible implementation, SIB1 includes a target information element, and a value of the target information element is used to indicate whether the current cell allows the terminal device to connect to the NTN.

[0143] In a possible implementation, the value of the target information element is the first bit or the second bit, the first bit is used to indicate that the current cell does not allow the terminal device to connect to the NTN, and the second bit is used to indicate that the current cell allows the terminal device to connect to the NTN.

[0144] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the third embodiment of the NTN access device provided in the embodiment of the present application. Figure 6 As shown, the NTN access device 400 further includes:

[0145] The determination module 401 is further configured to determine that the current cell does not allow the terminal device to connect to the NTN when the SIB1 does not include the target information element;

[0146] The prohibition module 404 is used to prohibit the terminal device from attempting to access the NTN.

[0147] The NTN access device provided in the embodiment of the present application may be used to execute the NTN access method in any of the above embodiments, and its implementation principle and technical effects are similar and will not be described in detail herein.

[0148] It should be noted that it should be understood that the division of the various modules of the above device is only a division of logical functions. In actual implementation, they can be fully or partially integrated into one physical entity, or they can be physically separated. And these modules can all be implemented in the form of software calling through processing elements; they can also be all implemented in the form of hardware; some modules can also be implemented in the form of software calling through processing elements, and some modules can be implemented in the form of hardware. In addition, all or part of these modules can be integrated together, or they can be implemented independently. The processing element described here can be an integrated circuit with signal processing capabilities. In the implementation process, each step of the above method or each module above can be completed by an integrated logic circuit of hardware in the processor element or instructions in the form of software.

[0149] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the terminal device provided in the embodiment of the present application. Figure 7 As shown, the terminal device may include: a processor 71, a memory 72, and computer program instructions stored in the memory 72 and executable on the processor 71. When the processor 71 executes the computer program instructions, the NTN access method provided in any of the foregoing embodiments is implemented.

[0150] Optionally, the above-mentioned components of the terminal device may be connected via a system bus.

[0151] The memory 72 may be a separate storage unit or a storage unit integrated in the processor. The number of processors is one or more.

[0152] Optionally, the terminal device may further include a transceiver for communicating and interacting with other devices, and the transceiver constitutes a communication interface.

[0153] It should be understood that the processor 71 can be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), etc. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or the processor can also be any conventional processor, etc. The steps of the method disclosed in the present application can be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware processor, or can be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor.

[0154] The system bus may be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, etc. The system bus may be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of representation, only one thick line is used in the figure, but it does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus. The memory may include random access memory (RAM) and may also include non-volatile memory (NVM), such as at least one disk storage.

[0155] All or part of the steps of the above-mentioned method embodiments can be completed by hardware related to program instructions. The above-mentioned program can be stored in a readable memory. When the program is executed, the steps of the above-mentioned method embodiments are executed; and the above-mentioned memory (storage medium) includes: read-only memory (ROM), RAM, flash memory, hard disk, solid state drive, magnetic tape, floppy disk, optical disc and any combination thereof.

[0156] The terminal device provided in the embodiment of the present application can be used to execute the NTN access method provided in any of the above method embodiments. The implementation principle and technical effects are similar and will not be repeated here.

[0157] An embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, in which computer-executable instructions are stored. When the computer-executable instructions are executed on a computer, the computer executes the above-mentioned NTN access method.

[0158] The computer-readable storage medium mentioned above can be implemented by any type of volatile or non-volatile storage device or a combination thereof, such as static random access memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, read-only memory, magnetic memory, flash memory, magnetic disk or optical disk. The readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a general or special-purpose computer.

[0159] Optionally, a readable storage medium is coupled to a processor so that the processor can read information from the readable storage medium and write information to the readable storage medium. Of course, the readable storage medium can also be a component of the processor. The processor and the readable storage medium can be located in an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). Of course, the processor and the readable storage medium can also exist in the device as discrete components.

[0160] Optionally, the processor may be a chip.

[0161] An embodiment of the present application also provides a chip, including: a processing module and a communication interface, wherein the processing module is used to implement the technical solution in any of the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0162] Furthermore, any of the above-mentioned chips also includes a storage module (such as a memory), the storage module is used to store instructions, the processing module is used to execute the instructions stored in the storage module, and the execution of the instructions stored in the storage module enables the processing module to execute the technical solution in any of the above-mentioned method embodiments.

[0163] The embodiment of the present application also provides a program, which, when executed by a processor, is used to implement the technical solution in any of the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0164] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program. The computer program is stored in a computer-readable storage medium. At least one processor can read the computer program from the computer-readable storage medium. When the at least one processor executes the computer program, the above-mentioned NTN access method can be implemented.

[0165] It should be understood that the present application is not limited to the precise structures that have been described above and shown in the drawings, and that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope thereof. The scope of the present application is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A NTN access method, characterized in that: Applied to a terminal device, the method comprises: Determine, according to the first system information block SIB1, whether the current cell allows the terminal device to connect to the non-terrestrial network NTN; If it is determined that the current cell allows the terminal device to connect to the NTN, determine the NTN cell information according to the second system information block SIB19; An NTN access attempt is initiated according to the NTN cell information.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The SIB19 includes closed access group CAG information and satellite assistance information for NTN access, and the CAG information includes a first CAG identifier, a second CAG identifier or a CAG identifier list.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The first CAG identifier is determined based on the contract information generated when the terminal device signs a contract for CAG, and the second CAG identifier is pre-configured.

4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The satellite assistance information includes the physical cell identifier PCI of the cell of the current satellite and the PCI of the cell of the adjacent satellite.

5. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that: The satellite assistance information also includes at least one of the following: ephemeris information of the current satellite and adjacent satellites, the type of the current cell, and the PCI of at least one adjacent cell.

6. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The NTN cell information includes a PCI in the satellite assistance information that is associated with the first CAG identifier, the second CAG identifier, or any CAG identifier in the CAG identifier list.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: Before determining, according to SIB1, whether the current cell allows the terminal device to connect to the NTN, the method further includes: Get the master information block MIB message; If the terminal device has NTN access capability, the SIB1 is obtained according to the MIB message.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The determining, according to SIB1, whether the current cell allows the terminal device to connect to the NTN includes: When it is determined that the terminal device has NTN access capability and is in any state of an idle state, a connected state or an inactive state, it is determined according to the SIB1 whether the current cell allows the terminal device to connect to the NTN.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The SIB1 includes a target information element, and the value of the target information element is used to indicate whether the current cell allows the terminal equipment to connect to the NTN.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The value of the target information element is the first bit or the second bit, the first bit is used to indicate that the current cell does not allow the terminal device to connect to the NTN, and the second bit is used to indicate that the current cell allows the terminal device to connect to the NTN.

11. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The method further comprises: When the SIB1 does not include the target information element, it is determined that the current cell does not allow the terminal device to be connected to the NTN; The terminal device is prohibited from attempting to access the NTN.

12. An NTN access device, characterized in that: Applied to a terminal device, the device comprises: A determination module, configured to determine whether the current cell allows the terminal device to connect to the non-terrestrial network NTN according to the first system information block SIB1; The determination module is further configured to determine NTN cell information according to the second system information block SIB19 if it is determined that the current cell allows the terminal device to connect to the NTN; The initiating module is used to initiate an NTN access attempt according to the NTN cell information.

13. A terminal device, comprising: A processor, a memory, and computer program instructions stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the processor is used to implement the NTN access method according to any one of claims 1 to 11 when executing the computer program instructions.

14. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores computer-executable instructions, and when the computer-executable instructions are executed by a processor, they are used to implement the NTN access method according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

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