Network switching processing method, AMF and network equipment

Abstract

The invention provides a network switching processing method, an AMF and network equipment. The method comprises the following steps: a first AMF receives a switching request message sent by a source network device; the first AMF is an AMF corresponding to the source network equipment; determining a network switching type according to the switching request message; determining a target network device of the network switching based on the type of the network switching; wherein the network switching type comprises switching from the high-orbit satellite network equipment to the low-orbit satellite network equipment, or switching from the low-orbit satellite network equipment to the high-orbit satellite network equipment. According to the invention, for the switching between the high-orbit satellite network equipment and the low-orbit satellite network equipment, the AMF judges the switching target, and the AMF can obtain the real-time information of other satellite base stations, so that the AMF can determine the appropriate target network equipment for network switching, and the switching problem between the high-orbit satellite base station and the low-orbit satellite base station is solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a network switching processing method, AMF and network equipment. Background Art

[0002] In the satellite networking architecture, the high-orbit system and the low-orbit system are relatively independent. There is no inter-satellite link between high-orbit satellites and low-orbit satellites, and they cannot communicate directly. There are three high-orbit satellites, which are relatively stationary relative to the ground and cover a large area. One high-orbit satellite may be associated with multiple base stations, while the number of low-orbit satellites can reach dozens or even hundreds. The ephemeris information needs to be regularly maintained and broadcast by the satellite system.

[0003] When it is necessary to switch a user from a high-orbit satellite base station to a low-orbit satellite base station, the high-orbit satellite base station cannot obtain the real-time ephemeris information of the low-orbit satellite, and thus cannot predict which low-orbit satellite base stations the user terminal can switch to; similarly, when it is necessary to switch a user from a low-orbit satellite base station to a high-orbit satellite base station, the low-orbit satellite base station cannot obtain the deployment information of the high-orbit satellite base station, and thus cannot determine the target base station to switch to. Therefore, when switching between a high-orbit system and a low-orbit system occurs, how to execute the switching process becomes an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of this application is to provide a network switching processing method, AMF and network equipment to solve the switching problem between high-orbit satellite base stations and low-orbit satellite base stations.

[0005] An embodiment of the present application provides a network switching processing method, including:

[0006] A first access and mobility management function (AMF) receives a handover request message sent by a source network device; the first AMF is an AMF corresponding to the source network device;

[0007] The first AMF determines the type of network switching according to the switching request message;

[0008] The first AMF determines a target network device for the network switching based on the type of the network switching;

[0009] The types of network switching include: switching from a high-orbit satellite network device to a low-orbit satellite network device, or switching from a low-orbit satellite network device to a high-orbit satellite network device.

[0010] Optionally, the determining the type of network switching according to the switching request message includes at least one of the following:

[0011] Determining the type of the network switching according to the value of the target identification field of the switching request message;

[0012] The type of the network switching is determined according to the switching type field of the switching request message.

[0013] Optionally, the handover request message includes location information of the terminal;

[0014] The determining the target network device of the network switching based on the type of the network switching includes:

[0015] Determining, according to the type of the network switching, whether the target network device is a low-orbit satellite network device or a high-orbit satellite network device;

[0016] Determine the target network device according to the location information of the terminal and the first information; the first information is the first information corresponding to the low-orbit satellite network device or the first information corresponding to the high-orbit satellite network device; or

[0017] Receive information of the target network device sent by the second AMF, and determine the target network device based on the information of the target network device; the second AMF is the AMF corresponding to the low-orbit satellite network device or the AMF corresponding to the high-orbit satellite network device.

[0018] Optionally, the method further includes:

[0019] Acquire the first information, where the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0020] Topological information;

[0021] Load information;

[0022] Coverage area information;

[0023] Service duration information;

[0024] Beam configuration information.

[0025] Optionally, the obtaining of the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0026] Acquiring the first information from a satellite control function (SCF);

[0027] Obtain the first information from the second AMF corresponding to the target network device.

[0028] Optionally, before receiving the information of the target network device sent by the second AMF, the method further includes:

[0029] Sending the information of the terminal to the second AMF; the information of the target network device is determined according to the information of the terminal;

[0030] The terminal information includes at least one of the following:

[0031] The location information of the terminal;

[0032] Priority information of the terminal.

[0033] An embodiment of the present application provides a network switching processing method, including:

[0034] The source network device sends a switching request message to the first AMF corresponding to the source network device, where the switching request message is used to indicate the type of network switching and to instruct the first AMF to determine the target network device for the network switching;

[0035] The types of network switching include: switching from a high-orbit satellite network device to a low-orbit satellite network device, or switching from a low-orbit satellite network device to a high-orbit satellite network device.

[0036] Optionally, the method further includes:

[0037] receiving a measurement report sent by a terminal, where the measurement report carries location information of the terminal;

[0038] According to the measurement report, the location information of the terminal and the ephemeris information of the source network device, it is determined that a network switching needs to be performed and the type of the network switching is determined.

[0039] Optionally, the manner in which the switching request message indicates the type of network switching includes at least one of the following:

[0040] Indicating the type of the network switching by a value of a target identification field of the switching request message;

[0041] The type of the network switching is indicated by the switching type field of the switching request message.

[0042] Optionally, the switching request message includes location information of the terminal.

[0043] The embodiment of the present application also provides a network switching processing method, including:

[0044] The second AMF receives the terminal information sent by the first AMF;

[0045] According to the information of the terminal, query the first information of the satellite network device corresponding to the second AMF;

[0046] Determine information of the target network device based on the first information;

[0047] Sending information of the target network device to the first AMF;

[0048] Among them, the first AMF is the AMF corresponding to the source network device accessed by the terminal, the second AMF is the AMF corresponding to the target network device, and the target network device is a low-orbit satellite network device or a high-orbit satellite network device.

[0049] Optionally, the terminal information includes at least one of the following:

[0050] The location information of the terminal;

[0051] Priority information of the terminal.

[0052] Optionally, the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0053] Topological information;

[0054] Load information;

[0055] Coverage area information;

[0056] Service duration information;

[0057] Beam configuration information.

[0058] An embodiment of the present application provides an AMF, where the AMF is a first AMF and includes: a memory, a transceiver, and a processor:

[0059] A memory for storing a computer program; a transceiver for receiving and sending data under the control of the processor; and a processor for reading the computer program in the memory and performing the following operations:

[0060] Receiving a switching request message sent by a source network device; the first AMF is the AMF corresponding to the source network device;

[0061] Determine the type of network switching according to the switching request message;

[0062] Determining a target network device for the network switching based on the type of the network switching;

[0063] The types of network switching include: switching from a high-orbit satellite network device to a low-orbit satellite network device, or switching from a low-orbit satellite network device to a high-orbit satellite network device.

[0064] Optionally, the processor is configured to read the computer program in the memory and perform at least one of the following operations:

[0065] Determining the type of the network switching according to the value of the target identification field of the switching request message;

[0066] The type of the network switching is determined according to the switching type field of the switching request message.

[0067] Optionally, the handover request message includes location information of the terminal;

[0068] The processor is configured to read the computer program in the memory and perform the following operations:

[0069] Determining, according to the type of the network switching, whether the target network device is a low-orbit satellite network device or a high-orbit satellite network device;

[0070] Determine the target network device according to the location information of the terminal and the first information; the first information is the first information corresponding to the low-orbit satellite network device or the first information corresponding to the high-orbit satellite network device; or

[0071] Receive information of the target network device sent by the second AMF, and determine the target network device based on the information of the target network device; the second AMF is the AMF corresponding to the low-orbit satellite network device or the AMF corresponding to the high-orbit satellite network device.

[0072] Optionally, the processor is configured to read the computer program in the memory and perform the following operations: obtaining the first information, where the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0073] Topological information;

[0074] Load information;

[0075] Coverage area information;

[0076] Service duration information;

[0077] Beam configuration information.

[0078] Optionally, the processor is configured to read the computer program in the memory and perform at least one of the following operations:

[0079] Acquire the first information from the satellite control function entity SCF;

[0080] Obtain the first information from the second AMF corresponding to the target network device.

[0081] Optionally, the processor is configured to read the computer program in the memory and perform the following operations:

[0082] Sending the information of the terminal to the second AMF; the information of the target network device is determined according to the information of the terminal;

[0083] The terminal information includes at least one of the following:

[0084] The location information of the terminal;

[0085] Priority information of the terminal.

[0086] An embodiment of the present application provides a network device, including: a memory, a transceiver, and a processor:

[0087] A memory for storing a computer program; a transceiver for receiving and sending data under the control of the processor; and a processor for reading the computer program in the memory and performing the following operations:

[0088] Send a switching request message to the first AMF corresponding to the source network device, where the switching request message is used to indicate the type of network switching and to instruct the first AMF to determine the target network device for the network switching;

[0089] The types of network switching include: switching from a high-orbit satellite network device to a low-orbit satellite network device, or switching from a low-orbit satellite network device to a high-orbit satellite network device.

[0090] Optionally, the processor is configured to read the computer program in the memory and perform the following operations:

[0091] receiving a measurement report sent by a terminal, where the measurement report carries location information of the terminal;

[0092] According to the measurement report, the location information of the terminal and the ephemeris information of the source network device, it is determined that a network switching needs to be performed and the type of the network switching is determined.

[0093] Optionally, the manner in which the switching request message indicates the type of network switching includes at least one of the following:

[0094] Indicating the type of the network switching by a value of a target identification field of the switching request message;

[0095] The type of the network switching is indicated by the switching type field of the switching request message.

[0096] Optionally, the switching request message includes location information of the terminal.

[0097] An embodiment of the present application further provides an AMF, where the AMF is a second AMF and includes: a memory, a transceiver, and a processor:

[0098] A memory for storing a computer program; a transceiver for receiving and sending data under the control of the processor; and a processor for reading the computer program in the memory and performing the following operations:

[0099] Receiving terminal information sent by the first AMF;

[0100] According to the information of the terminal, query the first information of the satellite network device corresponding to the second AMF;

[0101] Determine information of the target network device based on the first information;

[0102] Sending information of the target network device to the first AMF;

[0103] Among them, the first AMF is the AMF corresponding to the source network device accessed by the terminal, the second AMF is the AMF corresponding to the target network device, and the target network device is a low-orbit satellite network device or a high-orbit satellite network device.

[0104] Optionally, the terminal information includes at least one of the following:

[0105] The location information of the terminal;

[0106] Priority information of the terminal.

[0107] Optionally, the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0108] Topological information;

[0109] Load information;

[0110] Coverage area information;

[0111] Service duration information;

[0112] Beam configuration information.

[0113] An embodiment of the present application provides an AMF, where the AMF is a first AMF and includes:

[0114] A first receiving unit, configured to receive a switching request message sent by a source network device; the first AMF is an AMF corresponding to the source network device;

[0115] A first determining unit, configured to determine a type of network switching according to the switching request message;

[0116] A second determining unit, configured to determine a target network device for the network switching based on the type of the network switching;

[0117] The types of network switching include: switching from a high-orbit satellite network device to a low-orbit satellite network device, or switching from a low-orbit satellite network device to a high-orbit satellite network device.

[0118] An embodiment of the present application provides a network device, including:

[0119] A first sending unit, configured to send a switching request message to a first AMF corresponding to a source network device, wherein the switching request message is used to indicate a type of network switching and to instruct the first AMF to determine a target network device for the network switching;

[0120] The types of network switching include: switching from a high-orbit satellite network device to a low-orbit satellite network device, or switching from a low-orbit satellite network device to a high-orbit satellite network device.

[0121] An embodiment of the present application further provides an AMF, where the AMF is a second AMF, including:

[0122] A second receiving unit, configured to receive information of a terminal sent by the first AMF;

[0123] A query unit, configured to query first information of a satellite network device corresponding to the second AMF according to information of the terminal;

[0124] A third determining unit, configured to determine information of a target network device based on the first information;

[0125] A second sending unit, configured to send information of the target network device to the first AMF;

[0126] Among them, the first AMF is the AMF corresponding to the source network device accessed by the terminal, the second AMF is the AMF corresponding to the target network device, and the target network device is a low-orbit satellite network device or a high-orbit satellite network device.

[0127] An embodiment of the present application provides a processor-readable storage medium on which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the above-mentioned network switching processing method are implemented.

[0128] The beneficial effects of the above technical solution of the present application are:

[0129] In an embodiment of the present application, the AMF corresponding to the source network device receives a switching request message sent by the source network device, determines the type of network switching according to the switching request message, and determines the target network device of the network switching based on the type of network switching. The present application is for switching between high-orbit satellite network devices and low-orbit satellite network devices, and the AMF makes a decision on the switching target. Since the AMF can obtain real-time information of other satellite base stations, the AMF can determine a suitable target network device for the network switching, solving the switching problem between high-orbit satellite base stations and low-orbit satellite base stations. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0130] Figure 1 A flowchart of a network switching processing method according to an embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0131] Figure 2 A second flowchart of the network switching processing method according to an embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0132] Figure 3 A third flowchart of the network switching processing method according to an embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0133] Figure 4 A fourth flowchart of the network switching processing method according to an embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0134] Figure 5 A fifth flowchart of the network switching processing method according to an embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0135] Figure 6 A sixth flowchart of the network switching processing method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0136] Figure 7 A seventh flowchart of the network switching processing method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0137] Figure 8 One of the structural diagrams of the AMF of an embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0138] Fig. 9 One of the structural schematic diagrams of the network device according to the embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0139] Fig.10 A second structural diagram of the AMF according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0140] Fig.11 A third structural diagram of the AMF according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0141] Fig.12 The second structural diagram of the network device according to the embodiment of the present application.

[0142] Fig.13The fourth structural diagram of the AMF according to the embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0143] In order to make the technical problems, technical solutions and advantages to be solved by the application clearer, the following will be described in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. In the following description, specific details such as specific configurations and components are provided only to help fully understand the embodiments of the application. Therefore, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made to the embodiments described herein without departing from the scope and spirit of the application. In addition, for clarity and brevity, the description of known functions and structures has been omitted.

[0144] It should be understood that the references to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" throughout the specification mean that the specific features, structures, or characteristics associated with the embodiment are included in at least one embodiment of the present application. Therefore, the references to "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" appearing throughout the specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, these specific features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

[0145] In the various embodiments of the present application, it should be understood that the size of the serial numbers of the following 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 application.

[0146] In the embodiments of the present application, the term "and / or" describes the association relationship of the associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B may represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. The character " / " generally indicates that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship.

[0147] In the embodiments of the present application, the term "plurality" refers to two or more than two, and other quantifiers are similar.

[0148] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only 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.

[0149] The embodiments of the present application provide a network switching processing method, AMF and network equipment to solve the switching problem between high-orbit satellite base stations and low-orbit satellite base stations.

[0150] Among them, the method and the device are based on the same application concept. Since the method and the device solve the problem in a similar principle, the implementation of the device and the method can refer to each other, and the repeated parts will not be repeated.

[0151] like Figure 1 As shown, an embodiment of the present application provides a network switching processing method, which is applied to a first AMF and specifically includes the following steps:

[0152] Step 101, the first AMF receives a handover request (Handover Required) message sent by a source network device; the first AMF is the AMF corresponding to the source network device.

[0153] The source network device is the network device currently accessed by the terminal, that is, the network device accessed before the network switching is performed. The source network device may be a satellite network device, such as a satellite base station, and the source network device may be a high-orbit satellite network device or a low-orbit satellite network device.

[0154] Optionally, when the source network device determines that a network switch needs to be performed, the source network device sends the switch request message to the first AMF. The switch request message may indicate the type of network switch and instruct the first AMF to determine the target network device for the network switch.

[0155] Step 102: The first AMF determines the type of network switching according to the switching request message; wherein the type of network switching includes: switching from a high-orbit satellite network device to a low-orbit satellite network device, or switching from a low-orbit satellite network device to a high-orbit satellite network device.

[0156] In this embodiment, the switching request message sent by the source network device may indicate the type of network switching. The first AMF may determine that the terminal needs to switch from the accessed high-orbit satellite network device to the accessed low-orbit satellite network device, or needs to switch from the accessed low-orbit satellite network device to the accessed high-orbit satellite network device.

[0157] Step 103: The first AMF determines a target network device for the network switching based on the type of the network switching.

[0158] After determining the type of network switching, the first AMF performs a decision on the switching target, that is, determines the target network device to which the terminal accesses after executing the network switching. The first AMF corresponding to the source network device can obtain real-time information of other satellite base stations, so the first AMF can determine a suitable target network device for the network switching, and / or the first AMF can communicate with the AMF corresponding to other satellite network devices, then the first AMF can perform a preliminary decision to determine the AMF corresponding to the switching target, and the AMF corresponding to the switching target determines the final target network device, and sends the information of the final determined target network device to the first AMF.

[0159] In an embodiment of the present application, the AMF corresponding to the source network device receives a switching request message sent by the source network device, determines the type of network switching according to the switching request message, and determines the target network device of the network switching based on the type of network switching. The present application is for switching between high-orbit satellite network devices and low-orbit satellite network devices, and the AMF makes a decision on the switching target. Since the AMF can obtain real-time information of other satellite base stations, the AMF can determine a suitable target network device for the network switching, solving the switching problem between high-orbit satellite base stations and low-orbit satellite base stations.

[0160] Optionally, the source network device may configure a measurement reporting period or trigger condition for the terminal, and the terminal reports a measurement report to the source network device after performing the measurement according to the configuration of the network device, and the measurement report may indicate the quality of the network channel currently accessed by the terminal. Optionally, the terminal carries the location information of the terminal when reporting the measurement report to the source network device.

[0161] The source network device determines that the terminal needs to perform network switching based on the measurement report, the location information of the terminal, and combined with its own ephemeris information, interference avoidance and other information, and determines the type of network switching that needs to be performed. The source network device sends the switching request message to the corresponding first AMF.

[0162] Optionally, after receiving the measurement report and location information of the terminal, the source network device can determine whether the quality of the channel currently accessed by the terminal is lower than a preset value, whether the terminal has moved out of a preset range, whether the terminal signal quality is poor within the current coverage area of ​​the source network device, whether signal interference will occur with other devices, etc. The source network device can determine that the terminal needs to switch access to a network device based on one or more of the above judgment results, and the source network device itself can no longer provide services for the terminal. The source network device can send the switching request message to the corresponding first AMF, and the first AMF will execute the network switching decision.

[0163] As an optional embodiment, determining the type of network switching according to the switching request message includes at least one of the following:

[0164] (1) Determine the type of the network switching according to the value of the target ID field of the switching request message.

[0165] In this method, the source network device accessed by the terminal (i.e., the source network device) sends a HandoverRequired message to the AMF to initiate the network switching process. In the Handover Required message, the target ID parameter is specially processed to identify the type of network switching. The processing of the target ID parameter can be achieved by setting the bit of the base station ID to a special value.

[0166] For example: by setting the value of the target ID, it is indicated that this switch is between a high-orbit satellite network device and a low-orbit satellite network device, rather than a switch within a high-orbit satellite network device or a non-low-orbit satellite network device; or, by setting the value of the target ID, it is indicated that this switch is from a high-orbit satellite network device to a low-orbit satellite network device, or it is indicated that this switch is from a low-orbit satellite network device to a high-orbit satellite network device.

[0167] For example, setting all bits of the target ID to "1" indicates that the network switch is from the high-orbit system to the low-orbit system; setting all bits of the target ID to "0" indicates that the network switch is from the low-orbit system to the high-orbit system.

[0168] (2) Determine the type of the network handover according to the handover type (Handover Subtype) field of the handover request message.

[0169] In this method, the source network device to which the terminal accesses (i.e., the source network device) sends a HandoverRequired message to the AMF to initiate a network switching process. A new indication field for indicating the switching type is added to the Handover Required message, such as the "Switching Type Field". The information element (IE) of the Switching Type Field is shown in Table 1.

[0170] Table 1: Handover Subtype fields

[0171]

[0172]

[0173] It should be noted that the switching type field is only an example of the name of the indication field, and may also be other fields for indicating the switching type.

[0174] Optionally, the type of the network handover can also be indicated based on the above two methods (1) and (2). For example: by setting the value of the target ID to indicate that this handover is a handover between a high-orbit satellite network device and a low-orbit satellite network device, and adding an indication field for indicating the handover type in the Handover Required message, the indication field indicates that this network handover is a handover from a high-orbit satellite network device to a low-orbit satellite network device, or indicates that this handover is a handover from a low-orbit satellite network device to a high-orbit satellite network device.

[0175] As an optional embodiment, the handover request message includes location information of the terminal;

[0176] The determining the target network device of the network switching based on the type of the network switching includes:

[0177] Determining, according to the type of the network switching, whether the target network device is a low-orbit satellite network device or a high-orbit satellite network device;

[0178] Method 1: determining the target network device according to the location information and the first information of the terminal; the first information is the first information corresponding to the low-orbit satellite network device or the first information corresponding to the high-orbit satellite network device;

[0179] or,

[0180] Method 2: Receive information about the target network device sent by the second AMF, and determine the target network device based on the information of the target network device; the second AMF is the AMF corresponding to the low-orbit satellite network device or the AMF corresponding to the high-orbit satellite network device.

[0181] In this embodiment, when the terminal sends a measurement report to the source network device, the terminal's location information may be carried. After the source network device determines the type of network switching to be performed by the terminal, it sends a switching request message to the first AMF, and the switching request message carries the location information of the terminal. The first AMF includes the following two determination methods when making a network switching decision:

[0182] Method 1: After determining that the terminal needs to switch to a low-orbit satellite network device or a high-orbit satellite network device, the first AMF obtains the first information of the corresponding satellite network device and determines the target network device according to the location of the terminal and the first information.

[0183] For example: If the type of network switching is from a high-orbit satellite network device to a low-orbit satellite network device, it can be determined that the target network device is a low-orbit satellite network device, and the first AMF can obtain the first information corresponding to the low-orbit satellite network device, and determine the target network device corresponding to the network switching based on the first information. In this case, the determined target satellite network device is a low-orbit satellite network device. If the type of network switching is from a low-orbit satellite network device to a high-orbit satellite network device, it can be determined that the target network device is a high-orbit satellite network device, and the first AMF can obtain the first information corresponding to the high-orbit satellite network device, and determine the target network device corresponding to the network switching based on the first information. In this case, the determined target satellite network device is a high-orbit satellite network device. The coverage area of ​​the target network device should include the location of the terminal.

[0184] Method 2: After the first AMF determines that the terminal needs to switch to a low-orbit satellite network device or a high-orbit satellite network device, it can interact with the corresponding second AMF, send the location information of the terminal to the second AMF, and request the second AMF to make a switching target decision based on the location of the terminal. After the second AMF determines the target network device, it notifies the first AMF.

[0185] Optionally, when the second AMF notifies the first AMF of the information of the target network device, it notifies which low-orbit satellite network device or high-orbit satellite network device the target network device is. For example, the second AMF can send the index, specific location and other information of the target network device to the first AMF. That is, the information of the target network device can be the index, specific location and other information of the target network device. It should be noted that the information of the target network device can also be any other information that can uniquely identify the target network device.

[0186] For example: If the type of network switching is from a high-orbit satellite network device to a low-orbit satellite network device, it can be determined that the target network device is a low-orbit satellite network device. The first AMF can interact with the second AMF corresponding to the low-orbit satellite network device, and send the location information of the terminal to the second AMF, so that the second AMF queries the first information of the low-orbit satellite network device within its management scope, thereby determining the target network device and informing the first AMF.

[0187] If the type of network switching is from a low-orbit satellite network device to a high-orbit satellite network device, it can be determined that the target network device is a high-orbit satellite network device. The first AMF can interact with the second AMF corresponding to the high-orbit satellite network device, and send the location information of the terminal to the second AMF, so that the second AMF queries the first information of the high-orbit satellite network device within its management scope, thereby determining the target network device and informing the first AMF.

[0188] In the second method, when the first AMF determines that the target network device is a high-orbit satellite network device or a low-orbit satellite network device, it can preliminarily select the AMF corresponding to the satellite network device whose coverage area includes the location of the terminal based on the location information of the terminal. For example: If the first AMF determines that the target network device is a high-orbit satellite network device, it can determine the second AMF corresponding to the high-orbit satellite network device covering the terminal based on the location information of the terminal, and interact with the second AMF so that the second AMF makes a switching target decision. Alternatively, if the first AMF determines that the target network device is a low-orbit satellite network device, it can determine the second AMF corresponding to the low-orbit satellite network device covering the terminal based on the location information of the terminal, and interact with the second AMF so that the second AMF makes a switching target decision.

[0189] Optionally, before receiving the information of the target network device sent by the second AMF, the method further includes:

[0190] Sending the information of the terminal to the second AMF; the information of the target network device is determined according to the information of the terminal;

[0191] The terminal information includes at least one of the following:

[0192] The location information of the terminal;

[0193] Priority information of the terminal.

[0194] In this embodiment, the interaction between the first AMF and the second AMF may include: the first AMF sends the information of the terminal to the second AMF, and implicitly instructs the second AMF to make a switching decision through the terminal information; or it may send a switching request message to the second AMF, carry the information of the terminal in the switching request message, and instruct the second AMF to make a switching decision.

[0195] The second AMF can determine the target network device based on the location of the terminal and / or the priority of the terminal. For example: the second AMF queries the satellite network device whose coverage area includes the location of the terminal as a candidate satellite network device; and / or, the second AMF queries the satellite network device that can preferentially process the terminal service according to the priority of the terminal as a candidate satellite network device. The second AMF can determine the target network device based on the first information of the candidate satellite network device. The way the second AMF makes a switching decision is similar to that of the first AMF, both of which determine the target network device based on the location information and the first information of the terminal, which will not be repeated here.

[0196] Optionally, the method further includes:

[0197] Acquire the first information, where the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0198] Topological information;

[0199] Load information;

[0200] Coverage area information;

[0201] Service duration information;

[0202] Beam configuration information is used to indicate the beam hopping status.

[0203] In this embodiment, the first AMF may select a target network device according to one or more of the above information. For example, a satellite network device with the smallest load is selected as the target network device, a satellite network device that covers the terminal and has the largest coverage area is selected as the target network device, a satellite network device with the longest service time is selected as the target network device, a satellite network device with the smallest load and the largest coverage area is selected as the target network device, and a satellite network device with the smallest load, the largest coverage area and the longest service time is selected as the target network device.

[0204] Optionally, when determining the target network device, selection may also be made based on beam configuration information. Beam scanning may be performed according to the beam hopping situation indicated by the beam configuration information to determine the signal situation of the cell corresponding to the specific satellite base station, thereby selecting a specific target network device.

[0205] Optionally, the first AMF may also obtain the topology information of the satellite network device. When determining the target network device, the selection may be made in combination with the topology information of the satellite network device. For example, when it is determined that the terminal needs to switch from the connected low-orbit satellite network device to the high-orbit satellite network device, since the high-orbit satellite network device includes multiple satellite base stations, the real-time location of each satellite base station may be determined based on the topology information of the high-orbit satellite network device, thereby selecting a satellite base station with the smallest load, the longest service time, and the longest coverage of the terminal as the target network device according to the location of the terminal.

[0206] Optionally, the obtaining the first information includes:

[0207] If the type of network switching is switching from a high-orbit satellite network device to a low-orbit satellite network device, obtaining first information of the low-orbit satellite network device;

[0208] or,

[0209] If the type of network switching is switching from a low-orbit satellite network device to a high-orbit satellite network device, first information of the high-orbit satellite network device is obtained.

[0210] In this embodiment, if the first AMF determines that the terminal needs to switch from the connected high-orbit satellite network device to the low-orbit satellite network device, the ephemeris information of the low-orbit satellite network device is obtained, and then the target low-orbit satellite network device is selected as the target network device for the network switching for the terminal. If the first AMF determines that the terminal needs to switch from the connected low-orbit satellite network device to the high-orbit satellite network device, the ephemeris information of the high-orbit satellite network device is obtained, and then the target high-orbit satellite network device is selected as the target network device for the network switching for the terminal.

[0211] Optionally, the obtaining of the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0212] (1) Obtaining the first information from the satellite control function entity SCF;

[0213] (2) Obtain the first information from the second AMF corresponding to the target network device.

[0214] In this embodiment, the first AMF corresponding to the source network device can obtain the first information from the SCF, or can obtain the first information from other AMFs. Taking obtaining the first information from the SCF as an example, for example: the first AMF sends a request message to the SCF, and the SCF feeds back the first information of multiple satellite network devices to the first AMF according to the request message, wherein the SCF can obtain the first information of each satellite network device in real time. Alternatively, the SCF can be pre-configured to periodically send the first information of each satellite network device to the first AMF; or, the SCF sends the first information of each satellite network device to the first AMF according to a predetermined trigger condition.

[0215] It should be noted that if it is determined that the type of network switching is from a high-orbit satellite network device to a low-orbit satellite network device, the first information of the low-orbit satellite network device is obtained from the SCF; if it is determined that the type of network switching is from a low-orbit satellite network device to a high-orbit satellite network device, the first information of the high-orbit satellite network device is obtained from the SCF.

[0216] Taking obtaining the first information from other AMFs as an example, each AMF has a communication interface, and information can be exchanged through the communication interface. For example: when the first AMF determines that the terminal needs to switch from a high-orbit satellite network device to a low-orbit satellite network device, it sends a request message to the second AMF corresponding to the low-orbit satellite network device, and the second AMF feeds back the first information of one or more low-orbit satellite network devices managed by itself to the first AMF; or, when the first AMF determines that the terminal needs to switch from a low-orbit satellite network device to a high-orbit satellite network device, it sends a request message to the second AMF corresponding to the high-orbit satellite network device, and the second AMF feeds back the first information of one or more high-orbit satellite network devices managed by itself to the first AMF.

[0217] Alternatively, each AMF may be pre-configured to periodically send the first information of one or more satellite network devices managed by itself to other AMFs; or, each AMF may send the first information of the satellite network devices managed by itself to other AMFs according to a predetermined trigger condition.

[0218] It should be noted that the target network device selected above is only an example. In actual application, a target network device that meets the requirements can be selected according to data transmission requirements and based on one or more of the first information, which will not be elaborated here.

[0219] The following example illustrates the implementation process of the network switching processing method. Figure 2 As shown, taking the switching from a high-orbit satellite network device to a low-orbit satellite network device as an example, the source network device is a high-orbit source base station (gNodeB, gNB) accessed by a user equipment (User Equipment, UE), and the source AMF corresponding to the high-orbit source base station performs the switching decision. The method includes:

[0220] Step 21: The UE sends a measurement report to the currently connected high-orbit source gNB, including the UE’s location information.

[0221] In this step, the UE completes the corresponding radio resource management (RRM) measurement and terminal location measurement according to the measurement configuration sent by the high-orbit source gNB. The UE encapsulates the RRM measurement results and terminal location information into a measurement report (MeasurementReport) message and reports it to the source gNB.

[0222] Step 22: The high-orbit source gNB performs handover pre-determination.

[0223] The high-orbit source gNB predicts that the UE will perform a switch from a high-orbit satellite base station to a low-orbit satellite base station based on measurement reports, load conditions, its own ephemeris, interference avoidance and other information.

[0224] Step 23: The high-orbit source gNB sends a Handover Required message to the corresponding source AMF.

[0225] The high-orbit source gNB sends a Handover Required message to its corresponding source AMF. The handover type field is set in the message to indicate that this handover is from a high-orbit satellite base station to a low-orbit satellite base station, and the UE location information is carried in the message.

[0226] Step 24: The source AMF performs the handover decision.

[0227] The source AMF receives the Handover Required message and identifies that the handover type indicated by the handover type field in the Handover Required message is a handover from a high-orbit satellite base station to a low-orbit satellite base station.

[0228] The source AMF obtains real-time information of low-orbit satellite base stations from the SCF (one or more items in the first information), and / or interacts with the target AMF corresponding to the low-orbit system in the corresponding area to obtain real-time information of low-orbit satellite base stations (one or more items in the first information), thereby querying one or more available low-orbit satellite base stations.

[0229] The source AMF aggregates the information of all available low-orbit satellite base stations, finally selects an optimal low-orbit target gNB, re-fills the target ID parameter, and fills in the information of the low-orbit target gNB in ​​the target ID parameter. Among them, the selection condition of the optimal low-orbit target gNB can be determined based on the data transmission requirements, such as: one or more of the conditions such as minimum load, maximum coverage area, and longest service time.

[0230] Step 25: The source AMF sends a Handover Request message to the LEO target gNB.

[0231] The source AMF sends a Handover Request message to the determined LEO target gNB, requesting the LEO target gNB to prepare resources for network handover.

[0232] Step 26: The LEO target gNB allocates wireless resources and sends back a confirmation message.

[0233] The LEO target gNB receives the Handover Request message, allocates wireless resources, and feeds back a Handover Request Acknowledge message to the source AMF.

[0234] In this embodiment, when the high-orbit source gNB to which the terminal is connected determines that the terminal needs to switch to the low-orbit gNB, it sends a switching request message to the AMF to request the AMF to execute the switching decision. Based on the switching request message, the AMF determines that the terminal needs to switch from the high-orbit satellite network device to the low-orbit satellite network device, and then selects a suitable low-orbit target gNB for the UE based on the real-time ephemeris of the low-orbit satellite base station and combined with factors such as load conditions and service duration.

[0235] As another optional embodiment, Figure 3 As shown, taking the switching from a high-orbit satellite network device to a low-orbit satellite network device as an example, the source network device is a high-orbit source gNB accessed by the UE, and the target AMF corresponding to the low-orbit target gNB performs the switching decision. The method includes:

[0236] Step 31: The UE sends a measurement report to the currently connected high-orbit source gNB, including the UE’s location information.

[0237] In this step, the UE completes the corresponding RRM measurement and terminal location measurement according to the measurement configuration sent by the high-orbit source gNB. The UE encapsulates the RRM measurement results and terminal location information into a measurement report message and reports it to the source gNB.

[0238] Step 32: The high-orbit source gNB performs handover pre-determination.

[0239] The high-orbit source gNB predicts that the UE will perform a switch from a high-orbit satellite base station to a low-orbit satellite base station based on measurement reports, load conditions, its own ephemeris, interference avoidance and other information.

[0240] Step 33: The high-orbit source gNB sends a Handover Required message to the corresponding source AMF.

[0241] The high-orbit source gNB sends a Handover Required message to its corresponding source AMF. The handover type field is set in the message to indicate that this handover is from a high-orbit satellite base station to a low-orbit satellite base station, and the UE location information is carried in the message.

[0242] Step 34: The source AMF determines the handover type and sends the UE location information to the corresponding target AMF.

[0243] The source AMF receives the Handover Required message and identifies that the handover type indicated by the handover type field in the Handover Required message is a handover from a high-orbit satellite base station to a low-orbit satellite base station. It then sends the UE location information to the target AMF corresponding to the low-orbit satellite base station and requests the target AMF to determine the low-orbit target gNB.

[0244] Step 35: The target AMF queries the real-time information of the low-orbit satellite base stations managed by itself based on the location of the UE (one or more items in the first information), selects an optimal low-orbit target gNB based on the information of each low-orbit satellite base station, re-fills the target ID parameter, and fills in the information of the low-orbit target gNB in ​​the target ID parameter. Among them, the selection condition of the optimal low-orbit target gNB can be determined based on the data transmission requirements, for example: one or more of the conditions such as minimum load, maximum coverage area, and longest service time.

[0245] Step 36: The target AMF sends the information of the LEO target gNB to the source AMF, and sends a handover request message to the LEO target gNB, requesting the LEO target gNB to prepare resources for network handover.

[0246] Step 37: The LEO target gNB allocates wireless resources and sends back a confirmation message.

[0247] The LEO target gNB receives the Handover Request message, allocates radio resources, and feeds back a Handover Request Confirmation message to the target AMF.

[0248] In this embodiment, when the high-orbit source gNB to which the terminal is connected determines that the terminal needs to switch to the low-orbit gNB, a switching request message is sent to the source AMF to request the source AMF to execute the switching decision. Based on the switching request message, the source AMF determines that the terminal needs to switch from the high-orbit satellite network device to the low-orbit satellite network device, and then sends the UE's location information to the target AMF corresponding to the low-orbit satellite network device, requesting the target AMF to select a suitable low-orbit target gNB for the UE.

[0249] As another optional embodiment, Figure 4 As shown, taking the switching from a low-orbit satellite network device to a high-orbit satellite network device as an example, the source network device is a low-orbit source gNB accessed by the UE, and the method includes:

[0250] Step 41: The UE sends a measurement report to the currently connected LEO source gNB, including the UE’s location information.

[0251] In this step, the UE completes the corresponding RRM measurement and terminal location measurement according to the measurement configuration sent by the low-orbit source gNB. The UE encapsulates the RRM measurement results and terminal location information into a MeasurementReport message and reports it to the source gNB.

[0252] Step 42: The LEO source gNB performs handover pre-determination.

[0253] The low-orbit source gNB predicts that the UE will perform a switch from a low-orbit satellite base station to a high-orbit satellite base station based on measurement reports, load conditions, its own ephemeris, interference avoidance and other information.

[0254] Step 43: The LEO source gNB sends a Handover Required message to the corresponding source AMF.

[0255] The low-orbit source gNB sends a Handover Required message to its corresponding AMF. The handover type field is set in the message to indicate that this handover is from a low-orbit satellite base station to a high-orbit satellite base station, and the UE location information is carried in the message.

[0256] Step 44: The source AMF performs a handover decision.

[0257] The source AMF receives the Handover Required message and identifies that the handover type indicated by the handover type field in the Handover Required message is a handover from a low-orbit satellite base station to a high-orbit satellite base station.

[0258] The source AMF obtains the real-time ephemeris of the high-orbit satellite base station from the SCF, and / or interacts with the AMF corresponding to the low-orbit system in the corresponding area to obtain the real-time ephemeris of the high-orbit satellite base station, thereby querying one or more available high-orbit satellite base stations.

[0259] The source AMF aggregates the information of all available high-orbit satellite base stations, finally selects an optimal high-orbit target gNB, re-fills the target ID parameter, and fills in the information of the high-orbit target gNB in ​​the target ID parameter. Among them, the selection condition of the optimal high-orbit target gNB can be determined based on the data transmission requirements, such as: one or more of the conditions such as minimum load, maximum coverage area, and longest service time.

[0260] Step 45: The source AMF sends a handover request message to the high-orbit target gNB.

[0261] The source AMF sends a handover request message to the determined high-orbit target gNB, requesting the high-orbit target gNB to prepare resources for network handover.

[0262] Step 46: The high-orbit target gNB allocates wireless resources and feeds back a confirmation message.

[0263] The high-orbit target gNB receives the Handover Request message, allocates radio resources, and feeds back a Handover Request Acknowledge message to the source AMF.

[0264] In this embodiment, when the low-orbit source gNB accessed by the terminal determines that the terminal needs to switch to the high-orbit gNB, it sends a switching request message to the source AMF to request the source AMF to execute the switching decision. Based on the switching request message, the source AMF determines that the terminal needs to switch from the low-orbit satellite network device to the high-orbit satellite network device, and then selects a suitable high-orbit target gNB for the UE based on the real-time ephemeris of the high-orbit satellite base station and combined with factors such as load conditions and service duration.

[0265] As another optional embodiment, Figure 5 As shown, taking the switching from a low-orbit satellite network device to a high-orbit satellite network device as an example, the source network device is a low-orbit source gNB accessed by the UE, and the target AMF corresponding to the low-orbit target gNB performs the switching decision. The method includes:

[0266] Step 51: The UE sends a measurement report to the currently connected LEO source gNB, including the UE’s location information.

[0267] In this step, the UE completes the corresponding RRM measurement and terminal location measurement according to the measurement configuration sent by the low-orbit source gNB. The UE encapsulates the RRM measurement results and terminal location information into a measurement report message and reports it to the source gNB.

[0268] Step 52: The LEO source gNB performs handover pre-determination.

[0269] The low-orbit source gNB predicts that the UE will perform a switch from a low-orbit satellite base station to a high-orbit satellite base station based on measurement reports, load conditions, its own ephemeris, interference avoidance and other information.

[0270] Step 53: The LEO source gNB sends a Handover Required message to the corresponding source AMF.

[0271] The low-orbit source gNB sends a Handover Required message to its corresponding source AMF. The handover type field is set in the message to indicate that this handover is from a low-orbit satellite base station to a high-orbit satellite base station, and the UE location information is carried in the message.

[0272] Step 54: The source AMF determines the handover type and sends the UE location information to the corresponding target AMF.

[0273] The source AMF receives the Handover Required message and identifies that the handover type indicated by the handover type field in the Handover Required message is a handover from a low-orbit satellite base station to a high-orbit satellite base station. It then sends the UE location information to the target AMF corresponding to the high-orbit satellite base station and requests the target AMF to determine the high-orbit target gNB.

[0274] Step 55: The target AMF queries the real-time information of the high-orbit satellite base station managed by itself based on the location of the UE (one or more of the first information), selects an optimal high-orbit target gNB based on the information of each high-orbit satellite base station, re-fills the target ID parameter, and fills in the information of the high-orbit target gNB in ​​the target ID parameter. Among them, the selection condition of the optimal high-orbit target gNB can be determined based on the data transmission requirements, such as: one or more of the conditions such as minimum load, maximum coverage area, and longest service time.

[0275] Step 56: The target AMF sends the information of the high-orbit target gNB to the source AMF, and sends a handover request message to the high-orbit target gNB, requesting the high-orbit target gNB to prepare resources for network handover.

[0276] Step 57: The high-orbit target gNB allocates wireless resources and feeds back a confirmation message.

[0277] The high-orbit target gNB receives the Handover Request message, allocates wireless resources, and feeds back a Handover Request Confirmation message to the target AMF.

[0278] In this embodiment, when the low-orbit source gNB to which the terminal is connected determines that the terminal needs to switch to the high-orbit gNB, a switching request message is sent to the source AMF to request the source AMF to execute the switching decision. Based on the switching request message, the source AMF determines that the terminal needs to switch from the low-orbit satellite network device to the high-orbit satellite network device, and then sends the UE's location information to the target AMF corresponding to the high-orbit satellite network device, requesting the target AMF to select a suitable high-orbit target gNB for the UE.

[0279] In an embodiment of the present application, the AMF corresponding to the source network device receives a switching request message sent by the source network device, determines the type of network switching according to the switching request message, and determines the target network device of the network switching based on the type of network switching. The present application is for switching between high-orbit satellite network devices and low-orbit satellite network devices, and the AMF makes a decision on the switching target. Since the AMF can obtain real-time information of other satellite base stations, the AMF can determine a suitable target network device for the network switching, solving the switching problem between high-orbit satellite base stations and low-orbit satellite base stations.

[0280] like Figure 6 As shown, the embodiment of the present application also provides a network switching processing method, which is applied to a source network device, including:

[0281] Step 601: The source network device sends a switching request message to the first AMF corresponding to the source network device, where the switching request message is used to indicate the type of network switching and to instruct the first AMF to determine the target network device for the network switching;

[0282] The types of network switching include: switching from a high-orbit satellite network device to a low-orbit satellite network device, or switching from a low-orbit satellite network device to a high-orbit satellite network device.

[0283] In this embodiment, the source network device is the network device currently accessed by the terminal, that is, the network device accessed by the terminal before performing network switching. The source network device may be a satellite network device, such as a satellite base station. The source network device may be a high-orbit satellite network device or a low-orbit satellite network device.

[0284] The switching request message can indicate the type of network switching. When the terminal needs to perform switching between a high-orbit satellite network device and a low-orbit satellite network device, the currently connected satellite device cannot obtain relevant information of other satellite devices, and the target device cannot be selected for the terminal. A switching request message can be sent to the corresponding first AMF to trigger the first AMF to execute a network switching decision.

[0285] The switching request message may indicate the type of network switching. The first AMF may determine that the terminal needs to switch from the accessed high-orbit satellite network device to the accessed low-orbit satellite network device, or, needs to switch from the accessed low-orbit satellite network device to the accessed high-orbit satellite network device. After determining the type of network switching, the first AMF executes the decision of the switching target, that is, determines the target network device to be accessed by the terminal after executing the network switching.

[0286] Optionally, the method further includes:

[0287] A measurement report sent by a terminal is received, the measurement report carrying the location information of the terminal; and according to the measurement report, the location information of the terminal and the ephemeris information of the source network device, it is determined that a network switch needs to be performed and the type of the network switch is determined.

[0288] In this embodiment, the source network device can configure the measurement reporting cycle or triggering conditions for the terminal. The terminal reports the measurement report to the source network device after performing the measurement according to the configuration of the network device. The measurement report can indicate the quality of the network channel currently accessed by the terminal. The terminal carries the location information of the terminal when reporting the measurement report to the source network device. The source network device can determine that the terminal needs to perform a network switch based on the measurement report, the location information of the terminal, and in combination with its own ephemeris information, interference avoidance and other information, and determine the type of network switch that needs to be performed. The source network device then sends a switching request message to the corresponding first AMF, indicates the type of network switching through the switching request message, and instructs the first AMF to determine the target network device.

[0289] Optionally, the manner in which the switching request message indicates the type of network switching includes at least one of the following:

[0290] (1) The type of the network switching is indicated by the value of the target identification field of the switching request message.

[0291] In this method, the source network device accessed by the terminal (i.e., the source network device) sends a Handover Required message to the corresponding AMF to initiate the NG handover process. In the Handover Required message, the targetID parameter is specially processed to identify the type of network handover. The processing of the target ID parameter can be achieved by setting the bit of the base station ID to a special value.

[0292] For example: by setting the value of the target ID, it is indicated that this switch is not within the high-orbit system or the low-orbit system; or, by setting the value of the target ID, it is indicated that this switch is from a high-orbit system to a low-orbit system, or it is indicated that this switch is from a low-orbit system to a high-orbit system.

[0293] For example, setting all bits of the target ID to "1" indicates that the network switch is from the high-orbit system to the low-orbit system; setting all bits of the target ID to "0" indicates that the network switch is from the low-orbit system to the high-orbit system.

[0294] (2) Indicating the type of the network handover through the handover type field of the handover request message.

[0295] In this method, the source network device to which the terminal accesses (i.e., the source network device) sends a HandoverRequired message to the AMF to initiate the NG handover process. A new indication field for indicating the handover type is added to the Handover Required message, such as the "handover type field". The IE of the handover type field is shown in Table 1.

[0296] As an optional embodiment, the switching request message includes location information of the terminal.

[0297] In this embodiment, when the terminal sends a measurement report to the source network device, the terminal can carry the location information of the terminal. After the source network device determines the type of network switching that the terminal will perform, it sends a switching request message to the corresponding first AMF, and the switching request message carries the location information of the terminal. When making a network switching decision, the first AMF combines the real-time ephemeris information and the location information of the terminal to select one or more candidate satellite network devices for the terminal, and selects a target network device from them. Among them, the coverage area of ​​the candidate satellite network device should include the location of the terminal.

[0298] It should be noted that the implementation process of the network switching processing method is as follows Figures 2 to 5 And the corresponding embodiments are not described in detail here.

[0299] In an embodiment of the present application, when the source network device determines that the terminal needs to perform a switch between a high-orbit satellite network device and a low-orbit satellite network device, the source network device sends a switch request message to the corresponding first AMF, so that the first AMF determines the type of network switch according to the switch request message, and determines the target network device of the network switch based on the type of network switch. In the present application, the first AMF determines the switching target for the switch between a high-orbit satellite network device and a low-orbit satellite network device. Since the first AMF can obtain real-time information of other satellite base stations, the first AMF can determine a suitable target network device for the network switch; or, after determining the type of network switch, the first AMF can send the location information of the terminal to the corresponding target AMF, and the target AMF determines the target network device based on the satellite base station managed by itself, thereby solving the switching problem between high-orbit satellite base stations and low-orbit satellite base stations.

[0300] like Figure 7 As shown, the embodiment of the present application also provides a network switching processing method, which is applied to the second AMF, including:

[0301] Step 701: The second AMF receives the terminal information sent by the first AMF;

[0302] Step 702: query first information of a satellite network device corresponding to the second AMF according to the information of the terminal;

[0303] Step 703: Determine information of the target network device based on the first information;

[0304] Step 704: Send the information of the target network device to the first AMF;

[0305] Among them, the first AMF is the AMF corresponding to the source network device accessed by the terminal, the second AMF is the AMF corresponding to the target network device, and the target network device is a low-orbit satellite network device or a high-orbit satellite network device.

[0306] In this embodiment, the terminal reports the measurement report and location information to the source network device currently accessed. The source network device can determine whether the quality of the channel currently accessed by the terminal is lower than a preset value, whether the terminal has moved out of a preset range, whether the terminal signal quality is poor in the current coverage area of ​​the source network device, whether signal interference will occur with other devices, etc. The source network device can determine that the terminal needs to switch access to the network device based on one or more of the above judgment results, and the source network device itself can no longer provide services for the terminal. In this case, the source network device can send a switching request message to the corresponding first AMF.

[0307] After receiving the switching request message, the first AMF can determine the type of network switching and execute the switching target decision, that is, determine the target network device to which the terminal accesses after executing the network switching. Among them, the first AMF corresponding to the source network device can obtain real-time information of other satellite base stations, so the first AMF can determine a suitable target network device for the network switching, and / or the first AMF can communicate with the second AMF corresponding to other satellite network devices to enable the second AMF to execute the switching decision.

[0308] The first AMF may send the information of the terminal to the second AMF, instructing the second AMF to determine the target network device. The second AMF queries the first information of the satellite network device managed by itself according to the information of the terminal, and determines the target network device based on the first information.

[0309] For example: If the type of network switching is switched from a high-orbit satellite network device to a low-orbit satellite network device, it can be determined that the target network device is a low-orbit satellite network device, and the first AMF can interact with the second AMF corresponding to the low-orbit satellite network device and send the information of the terminal to the second AMF; the second AMF queries the first information of the low-orbit satellite network device within its own management scope, thereby determining the target network device and informing the first AMF.

[0310] If the type of network switching is switched from a low-orbit satellite network device to a high-orbit satellite network device, it can be determined that the target network device is a high-orbit satellite network device, and the first AMF can interact with the second AMF corresponding to the high-orbit satellite network device, and send the information of the terminal to the second AMF; the second AMF queries the first information of the high-orbit satellite network device within its own management scope, thereby determining the target network device and informing the first AMF.

[0311] In this embodiment, the second AMF may be an AMF selected by the first AMF after a preliminary determination based on the location of the terminal. For example: if the first AMF determines that the target network device is a high-orbit satellite network device, it may determine the second AMF corresponding to the high-orbit satellite network device covering the terminal based on the location information of the terminal, and interact with the second AMF so that the second AMF makes a switching target decision. Alternatively, if the first AMF determines that the target network device is a low-orbit satellite network device, it may determine the second AMF corresponding to the low-orbit satellite network device covering the terminal based on the location information of the terminal, and interact with the second AMF so that the second AMF makes a switching target decision.

[0312] Optionally, the second AMF receives the information of the terminal sent by the first AMF, and can implicitly instruct the second AMF to make a switching decision through the terminal information; the first AMF may also send a switching request message to the second AMF, carrying the information of the terminal in the switching request message, and instructing the second AMF to make a switching decision.

[0313] Optionally, the terminal information includes at least one of the following:

[0314] The location information of the terminal;

[0315] Priority information of the terminal.

[0316] In this embodiment, the second AMF may determine the target network device based on the location of the terminal and / or the priority of the terminal. For example: the second AMF queries the satellite network device whose coverage area includes the location of the terminal as a candidate satellite network device; and / or the second AMF queries the satellite network device that can preferentially process the terminal service as a candidate satellite network device according to the priority of the terminal.

[0317] Optionally, the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0318] Topological information;

[0319] Load information;

[0320] Coverage area information;

[0321] Service duration information;

[0322] Beam configuration information.

[0323] In this embodiment, the second AMF may select a target network device according to one or more of the above information. For example, a satellite network device with the smallest load is selected as the target network device, a satellite network device that covers the terminal and has the largest coverage area is selected as the target network device, a satellite network device with the longest service time is selected as the target network device, a satellite network device with the smallest load and the largest coverage area is selected as the target network device, and a satellite network device with the smallest load, the largest coverage area and the longest service time is selected as the target network device.

[0324] Optionally, when determining the target network device, selection may also be made based on beam configuration information. Beam scanning may be performed according to the beam hopping situation indicated by the beam configuration information to determine the signal situation of the cell corresponding to the specific satellite base station, thereby selecting a specific target network device.

[0325] Optionally, the second AMF can also obtain the topology information of the satellite network device. When determining the target network device, the selection can be made in combination with the topology information of the satellite network device. For example, when it is determined that the terminal needs to switch from the connected low-orbit satellite network device to the high-orbit satellite network device, since the high-orbit satellite network device includes multiple satellite base stations, the real-time location of each satellite base station can be determined based on the topology information of the high-orbit satellite network device, thereby selecting a satellite base station with the smallest load, covering the terminal and the longest service time as the target network device according to the location of the terminal.

[0326] In an embodiment of the present application, the AMF corresponding to the target network device receives the information of the terminal sent by the first AMF, queries the first information of the satellite network device managed by itself according to the information of the terminal, determines the target network device for network switching based on the first information, and sends the information of the target network device to the first AMF. The present application is for switching between high-orbit satellite network devices and low-orbit satellite network devices, and the AMF makes a decision on the switching target. Since the AMF can obtain real-time information of satellite base stations, the AMF can determine the appropriate target network device for network switching, solving the switching problem between high-orbit satellite base stations and low-orbit satellite base stations.

[0327] The above embodiments introduce the network switching processing method of the present application. The following embodiments will further illustrate the corresponding device in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0328] Specifically, Figure 8 As shown, an embodiment of the present application provides an AMF, where the AMF is a first AMF 800, including:

[0329] A first receiving unit 810 is configured to receive a switching request message sent by a source network device; the first AMF is an AMF corresponding to the source network device;

[0330] A first determining unit 820, configured to determine a type of network switching according to the switching request message;

[0331] A second determining unit 830 is configured to determine a target network device for the network switching based on the type of the network switching;

[0332] The types of network switching include: switching from a high-orbit satellite network device to a low-orbit satellite network device, or switching from a low-orbit satellite network device to a high-orbit satellite network device.

[0333] Optionally, the first determining unit is configured to perform at least one of the following:

[0334] Determining the type of the network switching according to the value of the target identification field of the switching request message;

[0335] The type of the network switching is determined according to the switching type field of the switching request message.

[0336] Optionally, the handover request message includes location information of the terminal;

[0337] The second determining unit includes:

[0338] A first determining subunit is used to determine whether the target network device is a low-orbit satellite network device or a high-orbit satellite network device according to the type of the network switching;

[0339] The second determining subunit is specifically configured to:

[0340] Determine the target network device according to the location information of the terminal and the first information; the first information is the first information corresponding to the low-orbit satellite network device or the first information corresponding to the high-orbit satellite network device;

[0341] or,

[0342] Receive information of the target network device sent by the second AMF, and determine the target network device based on the information of the target network device; the second AMF is the AMF corresponding to the low-orbit satellite network device or the AMF corresponding to the high-orbit satellite network device.

[0343] The AMF further includes: an acquisition unit, configured to acquire the first information, where the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0344] Topological information;

[0345] Load information;

[0346] Coverage area information;

[0347] Service duration information;

[0348] Beam configuration information.

[0349] Optionally, the acquiring unit is specifically configured to perform at least one of the following:

[0350] Acquire the first information from the satellite control function entity SCF;

[0351] Obtain the first information from the second AMF corresponding to the target network device.

[0352] Optionally, the AMF further includes: a second sending unit, configured to send information of the terminal to a second AMF; the information of the target network device is determined according to the information of the terminal;

[0353] The terminal information includes at least one of the following:

[0354] The location information of the terminal;

[0355] Priority information of the terminal.

[0356] It should be noted here that the above-mentioned AMF provided in the embodiment of the present application can implement all the method steps implemented by the above-mentioned method embodiment applied to the first AMF, and can achieve the same technical effect. The parts and beneficial effects of this embodiment that are the same as those of the method embodiment will not be described in detail here.

[0357] Specifically, Fig. 9 As shown, an embodiment of the present application provides a network device 900, which is a source network device, including:

[0358] A first sending unit 910 is used to send a switching request message to a first AMF corresponding to a source network device, where the switching request message is used to indicate a type of network switching and to instruct the first AMF to determine a target network device for the network switching;

[0359] The types of network switching include: switching from a high-orbit satellite network device to a low-orbit satellite network device, or switching from a low-orbit satellite network device to a high-orbit satellite network device.

[0360] Optionally, the network device further includes:

[0361] A second receiving unit, configured to receive a measurement report sent by a terminal, where the measurement report carries location information of the terminal;

[0362] The fourth determining unit is used to determine the need to perform network switching and determine the type of the network switching according to the measurement report, the location information of the terminal and the ephemeris information of the source network device.

[0363] Optionally, the manner in which the switching request message indicates the type of network switching includes at least one of the following:

[0364] Indicating the type of the network switching by a value of a target identification field of the switching request message;

[0365] The type of the network switching is indicated by the switching type field of the switching request message.

[0366] Optionally, the switching request message includes location information of the terminal.

[0367] It should be noted here that the above-mentioned network device provided in the embodiment of the present application can implement all the method steps implemented by the above-mentioned method embodiment applied to the network device, and can achieve the same technical effect. The parts and beneficial effects that are the same as the method embodiment in this embodiment will not be described in detail here.

[0368] Specifically, Fig.10 As shown, an embodiment of the present application provides an AMF, where the AMF is a second AMF 1000, including:

[0369] The second receiving unit 1010 is used to receive the terminal information sent by the first AMF;

[0370] A query unit 1020 is used to query first information of a satellite network device corresponding to the second AMF according to information of the terminal;

[0371] A third determining unit 1030 is configured to determine information of a target network device based on the first information;

[0372] The second sending unit 1040 is configured to send the information of the target network device to the first AMF;

[0373] Among them, the first AMF is the AMF corresponding to the source network device accessed by the terminal, the second AMF is the AMF corresponding to the target network device, and the target network device is a low-orbit satellite network device or a high-orbit satellite network device.

[0374] Optionally, the terminal information includes at least one of the following:

[0375] The location information of the terminal;

[0376] Priority information of the terminal.

[0377] Optionally, the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0378] Topological information;

[0379] Load information;

[0380] Coverage area information;

[0381] Service duration information;

[0382] Beam configuration information.

[0383] It should be noted here that the above-mentioned AMF provided in the embodiment of the present application can implement all the method steps implemented by the above-mentioned method embodiment applied to the second AMF, and can achieve the same technical effect. The parts and beneficial effects of this embodiment that are the same as the method embodiment will not be described in detail here.

[0384] It should be noted that the division of units in the embodiments of the present application is schematic and is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation. In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into a processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit. The above-mentioned integrated unit may be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional units.

[0385] If the integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a processor-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application is essentially or the part that contributes to the prior art or all or part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product, and the computer software product is stored in a storage medium, including a number of instructions to enable a computer device (which can be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) or a processor (processor) to perform all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: U disk, mobile hard disk, read-only memory (Read-Only Memory, ROM), random access memory (Random Access Memory, RAM), disk or optical disk and other media that can store program codes.

[0386] like Fig.11As shown, an embodiment of the present application further provides an AMF, which is a first AMF, including: a memory 1120, a transceiver 1100, and a processor 1110; wherein the memory 1120 is used to store a computer program; the transceiver 1100 is used to receive and send data under the control of the processor 1110; the processor 1110 is used to read the computer program in the memory and perform the following operations:

[0387] Receiving a switching request message sent by a source network device; the first AMF is the AMF corresponding to the source network device;

[0388] Determine the type of network switching according to the switching request message;

[0389] Determining a target network device for the network switching based on the type of the network switching;

[0390] The types of network switching include: switching from a high-orbit satellite network device to a low-orbit satellite network device, or switching from a low-orbit satellite network device to a high-orbit satellite network device.

[0391] Optionally, the processor is configured to read the computer program in the memory and perform at least one of the following operations:

[0392] Determining the type of the network switching according to the value of the target identification field of the switching request message;

[0393] The type of the network switching is determined according to the switching type field of the switching request message.

[0394] Optionally, the handover request message includes location information of the terminal;

[0395] The processor is configured to read the computer program in the memory and perform the following operations:

[0396] Determining, according to the type of the network switching, whether the target network device is a low-orbit satellite network device or a high-orbit satellite network device;

[0397] Determine the target network device according to the location information of the terminal and the first information; the first information is the first information corresponding to the low-orbit satellite network device or the first information corresponding to the high-orbit satellite network device; or

[0398] Receive information of the target network device sent by the second AMF, and determine the target network device based on the information of the target network device; the second AMF is the AMF corresponding to the low-orbit satellite network device or the AMF corresponding to the high-orbit satellite network device.

[0399] Optionally, the processor is configured to read the computer program in the memory and perform the following operations: obtaining the first information, where the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0400] Topological information;

[0401] Load information;

[0402] Coverage area information;

[0403] Service duration information;

[0404] Beam configuration information.

[0405] Optionally, the processor is configured to read the computer program in the memory and perform at least one of the following operations:

[0406] Acquire the first information from the satellite control function entity SCF;

[0407] Obtain the ephemeris information from the second AMF corresponding to the target network device.

[0408] Optionally, the processor is configured to read the computer program in the memory and perform the following operations:

[0409] Sending the information of the terminal to the second AMF; the information of the target network device is determined according to the information of the terminal;

[0410] The terminal information includes at least one of the following:

[0411] The location information of the terminal;

[0412] Priority information of the terminal.

[0413] Among them, Fig.11 In the embodiment, the bus architecture may include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, specifically linking together various circuits of one or more processors represented by processor 1110 and memory represented by memory 1120. The bus architecture may also link together various other circuits such as peripherals, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, which are well known in the art and are therefore not further described herein. The bus interface provides an interface. The transceiver 1100 may be a plurality of components, namely including a transmitter and a transceiver, providing a unit for communicating with various other devices on a transmission medium. The processor 1110 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing, and the memory 1120 may store data used by the processor 1110 when performing operations.

[0414] The processor 1110 may be a central processing unit (CPU), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or a complex programmable logic device (CPLD). The processor may also adopt a multi-core architecture.

[0415] It should be noted here that the above-mentioned AMF provided in the embodiment of the present application can implement all the method steps implemented by the above-mentioned method embodiment applied to the first AMF, and can achieve the same technical effect. The parts and beneficial effects of this embodiment that are the same as those of the method embodiment will not be described in detail here.

[0416] like Fig.12 As shown, an embodiment of the present application further provides a network device, which is a source network device, and includes: a memory 1220, a transceiver 1200, and a processor 1210; wherein the memory 1220 is used to store a computer program; the transceiver 1200 is used to receive and send data under the control of the processor 1210; the processor 1210 is used to read the computer program in the memory and perform the following operations:

[0417] Send a switching request message to the first AMF corresponding to the source network device, where the switching request message is used to indicate the type of network switching and to instruct the first AMF to determine the target network device for the network switching;

[0418] The types of network switching include: switching from a high-orbit satellite network device to a low-orbit satellite network device, or switching from a low-orbit satellite network device to a high-orbit satellite network device.

[0419] Optionally, the processor is configured to read the computer program in the memory and perform the following operations:

[0420] receiving a measurement report sent by a terminal, where the measurement report carries location information of the terminal;

[0421] According to the measurement report, the location information of the terminal and the ephemeris information of the source network device, it is determined that a network switching needs to be performed and the type of the network switching is determined.

[0422] Optionally, the manner in which the switching request message indicates the type of network switching includes at least one of the following:

[0423] Indicating the type of the network switching by a value of a target identification field of the switching request message;

[0424] The type of the network switching is indicated by the switching type field of the switching request message.

[0425] Optionally, the switching request message includes location information of the terminal.

[0426] Among them, Fig.12 In the embodiment, the bus architecture may include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, specifically linking together various circuits of one or more processors represented by processor 1210 and memory represented by memory 1220. The bus architecture may also link together various other circuits such as peripherals, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, which are well known in the art and are therefore not further described herein. The bus interface provides an interface. The transceiver 1200 may be a plurality of components, namely including a transmitter and a transceiver, providing a unit for communicating with various other devices on a transmission medium. The processor 1210 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing, and the memory 1220 may store data used by the processor 1210 when performing operations.

[0427] The processor 1210 may be a central processing unit (CPU), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or a complex programmable logic device (CPLD). The processor may also adopt a multi-core architecture.

[0428] It should be noted here that the above-mentioned network device provided in the embodiment of the present application can implement all the method steps implemented by the above-mentioned method embodiment applied to the network device, and can achieve the same technical effect. The parts and beneficial effects that are the same as the method embodiment in this embodiment will not be described in detail here.

[0429] like Fig.13 As shown, an embodiment of the present application further provides an AMF, wherein the AMF is a second AMF, and the AMF comprises: a memory 1320, a transceiver 1300, and a processor 1310; wherein the memory 1320 is used to store a computer program; the transceiver 1300 is used to receive and send data under the control of the processor 1310; the processor 1310 is used to read the computer program in the memory and perform the following operations:

[0430] Receiving terminal information sent by the first AMF;

[0431] According to the information of the terminal, query the first information of the satellite network device corresponding to the second AMF;

[0432] Determine information of the target network device based on the first information;

[0433] Sending information of the target network device to the first AMF;

[0434] Among them, the first AMF is the AMF corresponding to the source network device accessed by the terminal, the second AMF is the AMF corresponding to the target network device, and the target network device is a low-orbit satellite network device or a high-orbit satellite network device.

[0435] Optionally, the terminal information includes at least one of the following:

[0436] The location information of the terminal;

[0437] Priority information of the terminal.

[0438] Optionally, the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0439] Topological information;

[0440] Load information;

[0441] Coverage area information;

[0442] Service duration information;

[0443] Beam configuration information.

[0444] Among them, Fig.13 In the embodiment, the bus architecture may include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, specifically linking together various circuits of one or more processors represented by processor 1310 and memory represented by memory 1320. The bus architecture may also link together various other circuits such as peripherals, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, which are well known in the art and are therefore not further described herein. The bus interface provides an interface. The transceiver 1300 may be a plurality of components, namely including a transmitter and a transceiver, providing a unit for communicating with various other devices on a transmission medium. The processor 1310 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing, and the memory 1320 may store data used by the processor 1310 when performing operations.

[0445] The processor 1310 may be a central processing unit (CPU), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or a complex programmable logic device (CPLD). The processor may also adopt a multi-core architecture.

[0446] It should be noted here that the above-mentioned AMF provided in the embodiment of the present application can implement all the method steps implemented by the above-mentioned method embodiment applied to the second AMF, and can achieve the same technical effect. The parts and beneficial effects of this embodiment that are the same as the method embodiment will not be described in detail here.

[0447] In addition, a specific embodiment of the present application further provides a processor-readable storage medium on which a computer program is stored, wherein the program, when executed by the processor, implements the steps of the above-mentioned network switching processing method and can achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, it is not repeated here. The readable storage medium can be any available medium or data storage device that can be accessed by the processor, including but not limited to magnetic storage (such as floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, magneto-optical disk (MO), etc.), optical storage (such as CD, DVD, BD, HVD, etc.), and semiconductor storage (such as ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, non-volatile memory (NAND FLASH), solid-state drive (SSD)), etc.

[0448] It should be noted that the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application can be applicable to a variety of systems, especially 5G systems. For example, the applicable system can be a global system of mobile communication (GSM) system, a code division multiple access (CDMA) system, a wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) general packet radio service (GPRS) system, a long term evolution (LTE) system, a LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, a LTE time division duplex (TDD) system, an advanced long term evolution (LTE-A) system, a universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS), a world-wide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) system, a 5G new radio (NR) system, etc. These various systems include terminal equipment and network equipment. The system may also include a core network part, such as an evolved packet system (EPS), a 5G system (5GS), etc.

[0449] The terminal device involved in the embodiment of the present application may be a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to a user, a handheld device with a wireless connection function, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem. In different systems, the name of the terminal device may also be different. For example, in a 5G system, the terminal device may be called a user equipment (UE). A wireless terminal device can communicate with one or more core networks (CN) via a radio access network (RAN). The wireless terminal device may be a mobile terminal device, such as a mobile phone (or a "cellular" phone) and a computer with a mobile terminal device. For example, it may be a portable, pocket-sized, handheld, computer-built-in or vehicle-mounted mobile device that exchanges language and / or data with a wireless access network. For example, personal communication service (PCS) phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs) and other devices. The wireless terminal device may also be referred to as a system, a subscriber unit, a subscriber station, a mobile station, a mobile station, a remote station, an access point, a remote terminal device, an access terminal device, a user terminal device, a user agent, and a user device, but is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0450] The network device involved in the embodiment of the present application may be a base station, which may include multiple cells providing services for the terminal. Depending on the specific application scenario, the base station may also be called an access point, or may be a device in the access network that communicates with the wireless terminal device through one or more sectors on the air interface, or other names. The network device may be used to interchange received air frames with Internet Protocol (IP) packets, and serve as a router between the wireless terminal device and the rest of the access network, wherein the rest of the access network may include an Internet Protocol (IP) communication network. The network device may also coordinate the attribute management of the air interface. For example, the network device involved in the embodiments of the present application may be a network device (Base Transceiver Station, BTS) in the Global System for Mobile communications (Global System for Mobile communications, GSM) or Code Division Multiple Access (Code Division Multiple Access, CDMA), or a network device (NodeB) in Wide-band Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), or an evolutionary network device (evolutional Node B, eNB or e-NodeB) in the long term evolution (long term evolution, LTE) system, a 5G base station (gNB) in the 5G network architecture (next generation system), or a home evolved Node B (Home evolved Node B, HeNB), a relay node, a home base station (femto), a pico base station (pico), etc., which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. In some network structures, the network device may include a centralized unit (CU) node and a distributed unit (DU) node, and the centralized unit and the distributed unit may also be arranged geographically separately.

[0451] Network devices and terminal devices can each use one or more antennas for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) transmission. MIMO transmission can be single-user MIMO (SU-MIMO) or multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO). Depending on the form and number of antenna combinations, MIMO transmission can be 2D-MIMO, 3D-MIMO, FD-MIMO or massive-MIMO, or it can be diversity transmission, precoded transmission or beamforming transmission, etc.

[0452] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments of the present application may be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, the present application may adopt the form of a complete hardware embodiment, a complete software embodiment, or an embodiment in combination with software and hardware. Moreover, the present application may adopt the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to disk storage and optical storage, etc.) that contain computer-usable program code.

[0453] The present application is described with reference to the flowchart and / or block diagram of the method, device (system) and computer program product according to the embodiment of the present application. It should be understood that each process and / or box in the flowchart and / or block diagram, and the combination of the process and / or box in the flowchart and / or block diagram can be implemented by computer executable instructions. These computer executable instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device produce a device for implementing a process or multiple processes in the flowchart and / or a box or multiple boxes in the block diagram.

[0454] These processor-executable instructions may also be stored in a processor-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the processor-readable memory produce a product including an instruction device that implements the functions specified in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0455] These processor-executable instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device so that a series of operational steps are performed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, whereby the instructions executed on the computer or other programmable device provide steps for implementing the functions specified in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0456] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications to the present application without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents, the present application is also intended to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A network switching processing method, characterized in that: include: The first access and mobility management function AMF receives a handover request message sent by the source network device; The first AMF is the AMF corresponding to the source network device; The first AMF determines the type of network switching according to the switching request message; The first AMF determines a target network device for the network switching based on the type of the network switching; The types of network switching include: switching from a high-orbit satellite network device to a low-orbit satellite network device, or switching from a low-orbit satellite network device to a high-orbit satellite network device.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The determining the type of network switching according to the switching request message includes at least one of the following: Determining the type of the network switching according to the value of the target identification field of the switching request message; The type of the network switching is determined according to the switching type field of the switching request message.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The handover request message includes the location information of the terminal; The determining the target network device of the network switching based on the type of the network switching includes: Determining, according to the type of the network switching, whether the target network device is a low-orbit satellite network device or a high-orbit satellite network device; Determine the target network device according to the location information of the terminal and the first information; the first information is the first information corresponding to the low-orbit satellite network device or the first information corresponding to the high-orbit satellite network device; or Receive information of the target network device sent by the second AMF, and determine the target network device according to the information of the target network device; the second AMF is the AMF corresponding to the low-orbit satellite network device or the AMF corresponding to the high-orbit satellite network device.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Acquire the first information, where the first information includes at least one of the following: Topological information; Load information; Coverage area information; Service duration information; Beam configuration information.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The obtaining of the first information includes at least one of the following: Acquire the first information from the satellite control function entity SCF; Obtain the first information from the second AMF corresponding to the target network device.

6. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that Before receiving the information of the target network device sent by the second AMF, the method further includes: Sending the information of the terminal to the second AMF; the information of the target network device is determined according to the information of the terminal; The terminal information includes at least one of the following: The location information of the terminal; Priority information of the terminal.

7. A network switching processing method, characterized in that: include: The source network device sends a switching request message to the first AMF corresponding to the source network device, where the switching request message is used to indicate the type of network switching and to instruct the first AMF to determine the target network device for the network switching; The types of network switching include: switching from a high-orbit satellite network device to a low-orbit satellite network device, or switching from a low-orbit satellite network device to a high-orbit satellite network device.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The method further comprises: receiving a measurement report sent by a terminal, where the measurement report carries location information of the terminal; According to the measurement report, the location information of the terminal and the ephemeris information of the source network device, it is determined that a network switching needs to be performed and the type of the network switching is determined.

9. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that: The manner in which the switching request message indicates the type of network switching includes at least one of the following: Indicating the type of the network switching by a value of a target identification field of the switching request message; The type of the network switching is indicated by the switching type field of the switching request message.

10. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The handover request message includes location information of the terminal.

11. A network switching processing method, characterized in that: include: The second AMF receives the terminal information sent by the first AMF; According to the information of the terminal, query the first information of the satellite network device corresponding to the second AMF; Determine information of the target network device based on the first information; Sending information of the target network device to the first AMF; Among them, the first AMF is the AMF corresponding to the source network device accessed by the terminal, the second AMF is the AMF corresponding to the target network device, and the target network device is a low-orbit satellite network device or a high-orbit satellite network device.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The terminal information includes at least one of the following: The location information of the terminal; Priority information of the terminal.

13. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The first information includes at least one of the following: Topological information; Load information; Coverage area information; Service duration information; Beam configuration information.

14. An AMF, characterized in that: The AMF is the first AMF, including: a memory, a transceiver, a processor: A memory for storing a computer program; a transceiver for receiving and sending data under the control of the processor; and a processor for reading the computer program in the memory and performing the following operations: Receiving a switching request message sent by a source network device; the first AMF is the AMF corresponding to the source network device; Determine the type of network switching according to the switching request message; Determining a target network device for the network switching based on the type of the network switching; The types of network switching include: switching from a high-orbit satellite network device to a low-orbit satellite network device, or switching from a low-orbit satellite network device to a high-orbit satellite network device.

15. The AMF according to claim 14, characterized in that The processor is configured to read the computer program in the memory and perform at least one of the following operations: Determining the type of the network switching according to the value of the target identification field of the switching request message; The type of the network switching is determined according to the switching type field of the switching request message.

16. The AMF according to claim 14, characterized in that The handover request message includes the location information of the terminal; The processor is configured to read the computer program in the memory and perform the following operations: Determining, according to the type of the network switching, whether the target network device is a low-orbit satellite network device or a high-orbit satellite network device; Determining the target network device according to the location information of the terminal and the first information; The first information is the first information corresponding to the low-orbit satellite network device or the first information corresponding to the high-orbit satellite network device; or, Receive information of the target network device sent by the second AMF, and determine the target network device according to the information of the target network device; the second AMF is the AMF corresponding to the low-orbit satellite network device or the AMF corresponding to the high-orbit satellite network device.

17. The AMF according to claim 16, characterized in that The processor is configured to read the computer program in the memory and perform the following operations: Acquire the first information, where the first information includes at least one of the following: Topological information; Load information; Coverage area information; Service duration information; Beam configuration information.

18. The AMF according to claim 17, characterized in that The processor is configured to read the computer program in the memory and perform at least one of the following operations: Acquire the first information from the satellite control function entity SCF; Obtain the first information from the second AMF corresponding to the target network device.

19. The AMF according to claim 16, characterized in that The processor is configured to read the computer program in the memory and perform the following operations: Sending the information of the terminal to the second AMF; the information of the target network device is determined according to the information of the terminal; The terminal information includes at least one of the following: The location information of the terminal; Priority information of the terminal.

20. A network device, characterized in that: include: Memory, transceiver, processor: Memory for storing computer programs; a transceiver for receiving and sending data under the control of the processor; A processor is configured to read the computer program in the memory and perform the following operations: Send a switching request message to the first AMF corresponding to the source network device, where the switching request message is used to indicate the type of network switching and to instruct the first AMF to determine the target network device for the network switching; The types of network switching include: switching from a high-orbit satellite network device to a low-orbit satellite network device, or switching from a low-orbit satellite network device to a high-orbit satellite network device.

21. The network device according to claim 20, characterized in that: The processor is configured to read the computer program in the memory and perform the following operations: receiving a measurement report sent by a terminal, where the measurement report carries location information of the terminal; According to the measurement report, the location information of the terminal and the ephemeris information of the source network device, it is determined that a network switch needs to be performed and the type of the network switch is determined.

22. The network device according to claim 20, characterized in that: The manner in which the switching request message indicates the type of network switching includes at least one of the following: Indicating the type of the network switching by a value of a target identification field of the switching request message; The type of the network switching is indicated by the switching type field of the switching request message.

23. The network device according to claim 20, characterized in that: The handover request message includes location information of the terminal.

24. An AMF, characterized in that The AMF is a second AMF, including: a memory, a transceiver, and a processor: A memory for storing a computer program; a transceiver for receiving and sending data under the control of the processor; and a processor for reading the computer program in the memory and performing the following operations: Receiving terminal information sent by the first AMF; According to the information of the terminal, query the first information of the satellite network device corresponding to the second AMF; Determine information of the target network device based on the first information; Sending information of the target network device to the first AMF; Among them, the first AMF is the AMF corresponding to the source network device accessed by the terminal, the second AMF is the AMF corresponding to the target network device, and the target network device is a low-orbit satellite network device or a high-orbit satellite network device.

25. The AMF according to claim 24, characterized in that The terminal information includes at least one of the following: The location information of the terminal; Priority information of the terminal.

26. The AMF according to claim 24, characterized in that The first information includes at least one of the following: Topological information; Load information; Coverage area information; Service duration information; Beam configuration information.

27. An AMF, characterized in that The AMF is a first AMF, comprising: A first receiving unit, configured to receive a switching request message sent by a source network device; the first AMF is an AMF corresponding to the source network device; A first determining unit, configured to determine a type of network switching according to the switching request message; A second determining unit, configured to determine a target network device for the network switching based on the type of the network switching; The types of network switching include: switching from a high-orbit satellite network device to a low-orbit satellite network device, or switching from a low-orbit satellite network device to a high-orbit satellite network device.

28. A network device, characterized in that: include: A first sending unit, configured to send a switching request message to a first AMF corresponding to a source network device, wherein the switching request message is used to indicate a type of network switching and to instruct the first AMF to determine a target network device for the network switching; The types of network switching include: switching from a high-orbit satellite network device to a low-orbit satellite network device, or switching from a low-orbit satellite network device to a high-orbit satellite network device.

29. An AMF, characterized in that The AMF is a second AMF, comprising: A second receiving unit, configured to receive information of a terminal sent by the first AMF; A query unit, configured to query first information of a satellite network device corresponding to the second AMF according to information of the terminal; A third determining unit, configured to determine information of a target network device based on the first information; A second sending unit, configured to send information of the target network device to the first AMF; Among them, the first AMF is the AMF corresponding to the source network device accessed by the terminal, the second AMF is the AMF corresponding to the target network device, and the target network device is a low-orbit satellite network device or a high-orbit satellite network device.

30. A processor-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that: When the computer program is executed by a processor, it implements the steps of the network switching processing method as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, or implements the steps of the network switching processing method as described in any one of claims 7 to 10, or implements the steps of the network switching processing method as described in any one of claims 11 to 13.

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