Terminal group switching method and system, source base station, target base station and storage medium

Abstract

The invention relates to a terminal group switching method and system, a source base station, a target base station and a storage medium. The terminal group switching method comprises the steps that a source base station sends a switching request to a target base station, the switching request comprises initial terminal group information, and the initial terminal group information comprises terminal information of each initial terminal; the source base station receives a switching response message returned by the target base station, the switching response message comprises first terminal group information, the first terminal group information comprises terminal information of each switching confirmation terminal, and the target base station selects the switching confirmation terminal from the initial terminal group according to a selection strategy; and the source base station switches each switching confirmation terminal from the source base station to the target base station. According to the invention, large-scale terminals can be switched between aircrafts such as satellites or high-altitude platforms together, so that the terminals can be prevented from initiating switching processes respectively, and the system consumption is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of wireless communications, and in particular to a terminal group switching method and system, a source base station and a target base station, and a storage medium. Background Art

[0002] The integrated air-space-ground network is a key technology for future 6G networks, and the deployment of network elements on satellites is also a key feature.

[0003] Related technologies The 3GPP standard only considers scenarios where satellites are used as 5G NR access or backhaul links. When satellites are used for access, only non-continuous coverage is considered. In reality, facing large-scale low-orbit satellite constellations, the same area on the ground may be covered by multiple low-orbit satellites, or it may be covered by high-orbit satellites and high-altitude platforms at the same time. Summary of the invention

[0004] The inventors found through research that the 3GPP standard for the related art space-ground integrated network only performs a handover process for a single terminal. The handover of the ground network is mostly performed for a single terminal, while when facing large-scale satellite or high-altitude platform access, the frequent handover of large-scale terminals will cause a heavy burden on the entire network system.

[0005] In view of at least one of the above technical problems, the present disclosure provides a terminal group switching method and system, a source base station and a target base station, and a storage medium, which can switch large-scale terminals together between aircraft such as satellites or high-altitude platforms, thereby avoiding the terminals initiating switching processes separately and reducing system consumption.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a terminal group switching method, including:

[0007] The source base station sends a handover request to the target base station, wherein the handover request includes initial terminal group information, and the initial terminal group information includes terminal information of each initial terminal;

[0008] The source base station receives a handover response message returned by the target base station, wherein the handover response message includes first terminal group information, the first terminal group information includes terminal information of each confirmed handover terminal, and the target base station selects the confirmed handover terminal from the initial terminal group according to the selection strategy;

[0009] The source base station switches each confirmed handover terminal from the source base station to the target base station.

[0010] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the source base station is arranged on a source aircraft, the target base station is arranged on a target aircraft, the source aircraft is a satellite or a high-altitude platform, and the target aircraft is a satellite or a high-altitude platform.

[0011] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the source base station sending the switching request to the target base station includes: the source base station sending the switching request to the target base station via an inter-satellite link or a link between a satellite and a high-altitude platform.

[0012] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the source base station sending a handover request to the target base station includes:

[0013] When a beam of a source base station on a source aircraft cannot cover a logical partition and will be replaced by a target base station on a target aircraft, the source base station sends a switching request to the target base station via an inter-satellite link or a link between a satellite and a high-altitude platform.

[0014] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first terminal group information includes terminal information of each terminal confirmed to be switched and corresponding switching preparation information.

[0015] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the handover response message further includes second terminal group information, wherein the second terminal group information includes terminal information of each handover preparation failure terminal and a corresponding handover failure reason.

[0016] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the terminal information of each terminal includes at least one of a terminal identification and terminal context information.

[0017] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the switching request also includes a switching reason, and the switching reason is a non-terrestrial network group switching.

[0018] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the initial terminal group includes at least one initial terminal.

[0019] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first terminal group includes at least one confirmed switching terminal.

[0020] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second terminal group includes at least one terminal that fails in handover preparation.

[0021] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a terminal group switching method is provided, including:

[0022] The target base station receives a handover request sent by the source base station, wherein the handover request includes initial terminal group information, and the initial terminal group information includes terminal information of each initial terminal;

[0023] The target base station selects a confirmed handover terminal from the initial terminal group according to a selection strategy;

[0024] The target base station returns a handover response message to the source base station, wherein the handover response message includes first terminal group information, and the first terminal group information includes terminal information of each terminal that confirms handover;

[0025] The target base station switches each confirmed handover terminal from the source base station to the target base station.

[0026] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the switching request also includes a switching reason, and the switching reason is a non-terrestrial network group switching.

[0027] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the target base station selecting the confirmed handover terminal from the initial terminal group according to the selection strategy includes:

[0028] The target base station determines whether the handover request is a non-terrestrial network group handover according to the handover reason;

[0029] In the case where the handover request is a non-terrestrial network group handover, the target base station performs admission control on each terminal in the initial terminal group according to the selection strategy, and selects a group of terminals that are allowed to be handed over as the first terminal group.

[0030] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the selection strategy includes at least one of mobile area restriction, single terminal maximum aggregation bit rate, wireless access type selection priority and backhaul link transmission layer information.

[0031] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the handover response message further includes second terminal group information, wherein the second terminal group information includes terminal information of each terminal for which handover preparation fails.

[0032] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the terminal group switching method further includes:

[0033] The target base station performs admission control on each terminal in the initial terminal group according to the selection policy, and selects terminals that do not comply with the selection policy and fail in handover preparation as the second terminal group.

[0034] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the target base station performs admission control on each terminal in the initial terminal group according to the selection strategy, and selects a group of terminals that are allowed to be switched, including:

[0035] For each terminal in the initial terminal group, the target base station determines whether the maximum aggregate bit rate of the terminal is less than a predetermined threshold;

[0036] When the maximum aggregate bit rate of the terminal is less than a predetermined threshold, the target base station adds the terminal information of the terminal to the first terminal group.

[0037] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the source base station is arranged on a source aircraft, the target base station is arranged on a target aircraft, the source aircraft is a satellite or a high-altitude platform, and the target aircraft is a satellite or a high-altitude platform.

[0038] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the target base station receiving the switching request sent by the source base station includes: the target base station receiving the switching request sent by the source base station through an inter-satellite link or a link between a satellite and a high-altitude platform.

[0039] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a source base station is provided, including:

[0040] A handover request sending module, configured to send a handover request to a target base station, wherein the handover request includes initial terminal group information, and the initial terminal group information includes terminal information of an initial terminal;

[0041] A response message receiving module is configured to receive a handover response message returned by the target base station, wherein the handover response message includes first terminal group information, the first terminal group information includes terminal information of a confirmed handover terminal, and the target base station selects the confirmed handover terminal from the initial terminal group according to a selection strategy;

[0042] The first handover control module is configured to handover each confirmed handover terminal from a source base station to a target base station.

[0043] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a source base station is provided, including:

[0044] a memory configured to store instructions;

[0045] The processor is configured to execute the instruction so that the source base station performs operations to implement the terminal group switching method as described in any of the above embodiments.

[0046] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a target base station is provided, including:

[0047] A handover request receiving module is configured to receive a handover request sent by a source base station, wherein the handover request includes initial terminal group information, and the initial terminal group information includes terminal information of each initial terminal;

[0048] A terminal selection module is configured to select a confirmed switching terminal from an initial terminal group according to a selection strategy;

[0049] A response message returning module is configured to return a handover response message to the source base station, wherein the handover response message includes first terminal group information, and the first terminal group information includes terminal information of each terminal that confirms handover;

[0050] The second handover control module is configured to handover each confirmed handover terminal from the source base station to the target base station.

[0051] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a target base station is provided, including:

[0052] a memory configured to store instructions;

[0053] The processor is configured to execute the instruction so that the target base station performs operations to implement the terminal group switching method as described in any of the above embodiments.

[0054] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a source aircraft is provided, comprising the source base station as described in any one of the above embodiments.

[0055] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a target aircraft is provided, comprising a target base station as described in any of the above embodiments.

[0056] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a terminal group switching system is provided, comprising a source base station as described in any of the above embodiments, and a target base station as described in any of the above embodiments.

[0057] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a terminal group switching system is provided, comprising a source aircraft as described in any of the above embodiments, and a target aircraft as described in any of the above embodiments.

[0058] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions, and when the instructions are executed by a processor, the terminal group switching method as described in any of the above embodiments is implemented.

[0059] The present disclosure allows large-scale terminals to be switched together between aircrafts such as satellites or high-altitude platforms, thereby avoiding the need for terminals to initiate switching processes separately and reducing system consumption. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0060] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present disclosure or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present disclosure. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0061] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the logical partitioning of low-orbit satellites and high-altitude platforms in the air-space-ground scenario.

[0062] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of some embodiments of the terminal group switching method disclosed in the present invention.

[0063] Figure 3 Schematic diagrams of other embodiments of the terminal group switching method disclosed in the present invention.

[0064] Figure 4 Schematic diagrams of some further embodiments of the terminal group switching method disclosed herein.

[0065] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of some embodiments of the source base station disclosed in the present invention.

[0066] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the structure of some other embodiments of the source base station disclosed in the present invention.

[0067] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of some embodiments of the target base station disclosed in the present invention.

[0068] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of other embodiments of the target base station disclosed in the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0069] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, rather than all of the embodiments. The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is actually only illustrative and is by no means intended to limit the present disclosure and its application or use. Based on the embodiments in the present disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0070] Unless specifically stated otherwise, the relative arrangement of components and steps, the numerical expressions and numerical values ​​set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0071] At the same time, it should be understood that for the convenience of description, the sizes of the various parts shown in the drawings are not drawn according to the actual proportional relationship.

[0072] Technologies, methods, and apparatus known to ordinary technicians in the relevant field may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, such technologies, methods, and apparatus should be considered part of the authorization specification.

[0073] In all examples shown and discussed herein, any specific values ​​should be interpreted as merely exemplary and not as limiting. Therefore, other examples of the exemplary embodiments may have different values.

[0074] It should be noted that like reference numerals and letters refer to similar items in the following figures, and therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it need not be further discussed in subsequent figures.

[0075] Figure 1 The following is a schematic diagram of the logical partitioning of low-orbit satellites and high-altitude platforms in the space-ground scenario. Figure 1As shown in the figure, logical partitions can be divided according to the low-orbit single-beam coverage area. The two circles on the left and right respectively show the low-orbit single-beam coverage areas of satellites A and B, and the hexagonal area shown by the middle arrow shows the logical partition covered by the high-altitude platform. Since the low-orbit satellite provides a staring beam, that is, during a flight, it can always provide coverage for a certain logical partition. Therefore, different strategies can be used to use beams from different satellites and high-altitude platforms to provide coverage for different logical partitions in a large area.

[0076] Through research, the inventors discovered that due to the mobility of aircraft such as low-orbit satellites and high-altitude platforms, the present disclosure needs to consider the switching of ground users to access aircraft, that is, for users in the same logical partition, they are all switched from the source aircraft to the target aircraft together, thereby reducing the system consumption caused by the switching of massive terminals in the traditional way.

[0077] The present disclosure provides a terminal group switching method and system, a source base station and a target base station, and a storage medium. The present disclosure is described below through specific embodiments.

[0078] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of some embodiments of the terminal group switching method of the present disclosure. Preferably, this embodiment can be performed by the source base station of the present disclosure, the source aircraft of the present disclosure, the terminal group switching system of the present disclosure, or the storage medium of the present disclosure. The method includes at least one step from step 21 to step 23, wherein:

[0079] Step 21, the source base station sends a switching request to the target base station, wherein the switching request includes a switching reason and initial terminal group information, the switching reason is a non-terrestrial network group switching, and the initial terminal group information includes terminal information of each initial terminal.

[0080] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the source base station is arranged on a source aircraft, the target base station is arranged on a target aircraft, the source aircraft is a satellite or a high altitude platform, and the target aircraft is another satellite or a high altitude platform. The satellite may be a low orbit satellite or a high orbit satellite.

[0081] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the high altitude platform is a HAPs (High Altitude Platform Station) stationed at an altitude of about 20 km in the stratosphere.

[0082] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, step 21 may include: the source base station sends a handover request to the target base station via an inter-satellite link or a link between a satellite and a high-altitude platform.

[0083] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, step 21 may include: when a beam of a source base station on a source aircraft cannot cover a logical partition and will be replaced by a target base station on a target aircraft, the source base station sends a switching request to the target base station via an inter-satellite link or a link between a satellite and a high-altitude platform.

[0084] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the terminal information of each terminal includes at least one of a terminal identification and terminal context information.

[0085] Step 22, the source base station receives a switching response message returned by the target base station, wherein the switching response message includes first terminal group information, the first terminal group information includes terminal information of each confirmed switching terminal, and the target base station selects the confirmed switching terminal from the initial terminal group according to the selection strategy.

[0086] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first terminal group information may include terminal information of each terminal confirmed to be switched and corresponding switching preparation information.

[0087] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the handover response message may further include second terminal group information, wherein the second terminal group information includes terminal information of each handover preparation failure terminal and a corresponding handover failure reason.

[0088] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the initial terminal group (terminal switching information group) may include at least one initial terminal.

[0089] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first terminal group (confirmation switching terminal group) may include at least one confirmation switching terminal.

[0090] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second terminal group (handover preparation failure terminal group) may include at least one handover preparation failure terminal.

[0091] Step 23: The source base station switches each confirmed handover terminal from the source base station to the target base station.

[0092] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, step 23 may include: the source base station and the target base station system execute a terminal switching process to switch each confirmed switching terminal from the source base station to the target base station.

[0093] The above-mentioned embodiments of the present disclosure provide a terminal group switching method in an air-ground-space scenario.

[0094] The above embodiments of the present disclosure are potential solutions to important issues under the ITU-T fixed-mobile-satellite convergence topic, and enhance the base station interface protocol and base station functions. The above embodiments of the present disclosure are oriented to future large-scale data services and Internet of Things services, and have good application prospects and value.

[0095] Figure 3 Schematic diagrams of other embodiments of the terminal group switching method disclosed in the present invention. Preferably, this embodiment can be performed by the target base station disclosed in the present invention, the target aircraft disclosed in the present invention, the terminal group switching system disclosed in the present invention, or the storage medium disclosed in the present invention. The method includes at least one step from step 31 to step 34, wherein:

[0096] Step 31, the target base station receives a switching request sent by the source base station, wherein the switching request includes a switching reason and initial terminal group information, the switching reason is a non-terrestrial network group switching, and the initial terminal group information includes terminal information of each initial terminal.

[0097] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the source base station is arranged on a source aircraft, the target base station is arranged on a target aircraft, the source aircraft is a satellite or a high-altitude platform, and the target aircraft is a satellite or a high-altitude platform.

[0098] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, step 31 may include: the target base station receives a handover request sent by the source base station via an inter-satellite link or a link between a satellite and a high-altitude platform.

[0099] Step 32: The target base station selects a confirmed handover terminal from the initial terminal group according to a selection strategy.

[0100] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the selection strategy includes at least one of strategies such as mobile area restriction, single terminal maximum aggregation bit rate, wireless access type selection priority and backhaul link transmission layer information.

[0101] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, step 32 may include at least one of steps 321 to 323, wherein:

[0102] Step 321: The target base station determines whether the handover request is a non-terrestrial network group handover according to the handover reason.

[0103] Step 322, when the handover request is a non-terrestrial network group handover, the target base station performs admission control on each terminal in the initial terminal group according to the selection strategy, and selects a group of terminals allowed to be handed over as the first terminal group.

[0104] Step 323, the target base station performs admission control on each terminal in the initial terminal group according to the selection strategy, and selects the terminals that do not comply with the selection strategy and fail to prepare for switching as the second terminal group, wherein the second terminal group includes each terminal that fails to prepare for switching.

[0105] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, step 32 may include: for each terminal in the initial terminal group, the target base station determines whether the maximum aggregation bit rate of the terminal is less than a predetermined threshold; when the maximum aggregation bit rate of the terminal is less than the predetermined threshold, the target base station adds the terminal information of the terminal to the first terminal group; when the maximum aggregation bit rate of the terminal is less than the predetermined threshold, the target base station adds the terminal information of the terminal to the second terminal group.

[0106] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, step 32 may include: the target base station determines whether each terminal in the initial terminal group is allowed to enter a certain mobile area; if a terminal is not allowed to enter a certain mobile area, the target base station adds the terminal information of the terminal to the second terminal group; if a terminal is allowed to enter a certain mobile area, the target base station adds the terminal information of the terminal to the first terminal group.

[0107] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, step 32 may include: the target base station determines whether each terminal in the initial terminal group belongs to the same wireless access type selection priority and is the same aircraft type as the target base station, where the wireless access type is access to a low-orbit satellite, a high-orbit satellite, and a high-altitude platform; adds terminals that belong to the same wireless access type selection priority and are the same aircraft type as the target base station to the first terminal group; and adds other terminals to the second terminal group.

[0108] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, step 32 may include: the target base station determines whether multiple terminals in the initial terminal group belong to the same backhaul network link; adds the terminals belonging to the same backhaul network link to the first terminal group; and adds the terminals that do not belong to the same backhaul network link to the second terminal group.

[0109] Step 33: The target base station returns a handover response message to the source base station, wherein the handover response message includes first terminal group information, and the first terminal group information includes terminal information of each terminal that confirms handover.

[0110] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the handover response message may further include second terminal group information, wherein the second terminal group information includes terminal information of each terminal for which handover preparation fails.

[0111] Step 34: The target base station switches each confirmed handover terminal from the source base station to the target base station.

[0112] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, step 34 may include: the target base station and the source base station system execute a terminal switching process to switch each confirmed switching terminal from the source base station to the target base station.

[0113] The above-mentioned embodiments of the present disclosure implement a terminal group switching method in an air-to-ground scenario. Based on logical beam partitioning and related strategies, large-scale terminals can switch to aircraft such as satellites or high-altitude platforms together, avoiding the terminals initiating switching processes separately, reducing system consumption, and thus carrying out large-scale data services and massive Internet of Things services based on this feature.

[0114] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of some other embodiments of the terminal group switching method disclosed in the present invention. Preferably, this embodiment can be executed by the terminal group switching system disclosed in the present invention or the storage medium disclosed in the present invention. The method includes at least one step from step 41 to step 45, wherein:

[0115] Step 41: The source base station sends a handover request to the target base station.

[0116] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, step 1 may include: when a beam of a source base station on a satellite or a high-altitude platform cannot cover a certain logical partition, such as based on mutual pre-configuration of ephemeris information, another target base station on a satellite or a high-altitude platform will take over the coverage. At this time, the source base station may send a switching request to the target base station via an intersatellite link or a satellite-high-altitude platform link.

[0117] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, in the handover request, the cause value is NTN (non-terrestrial network) group handover, and at the same time, the single UE in the corresponding request message is expanded to multiple UEs to form an initial UE group.

[0118] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, when a base station sends a switching request message as a source base station, it needs to carry a reason value of non-terrestrial group switching and carry switching information of multiple UEs. The switching information of each UE includes but is not limited to UE identification, UE context information, etc.

[0119] Step 42: The target base station performs admission control based on the pre-configuration or policy, and selects a group of selected UEs (which may be empty) that comply with the pre-configuration or policy from the initial UE group.

[0120] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the selection strategy may be conditional restrictions on one or more attributes, including but not limited to: mobility area restrictions, maximum aggregation bit rate of a single UE, wireless access type selection priority, and backhaul link transport layer information.

[0121] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, when a base station receives a switching request as a target base station, it is necessary to determine whether the switching request is a non-ground group switching based on the cause value, and perform admission control on each UE in the request in turn, and select a group of UEs allowed to switch, whose selection strategy attributes include but are not limited to mobile area restrictions, single UE maximum aggregation bit rate, wireless access type selection priority, backhaul link transport layer information, and their combinations.

[0122] Step 43, the target base station sends a handover response to the source base station, which includes a group of UEs that confirm the handover and their corresponding handover preparation information, and a group of UEs (user terminals) that fail the handover preparation and their corresponding handover failure reasons.

[0123] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, when the base station sends a switching response as a target base station, it is necessary to include in the message a group of UEs that confirm the switching and their corresponding switching preparation information, and a group of UEs that fail the switching preparation and their corresponding switching failure reasons, based on the selected UEs and the UEs that do not comply with the selection policy.

[0124] In step 44 to step 46, the target base station initiates a subsequent standard handover process for each UE that confirms handover.

[0125] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, Figure 4 As shown, step 44 may include: the source base station sends an RRC reconfiguration message to each UE (terminal 1 and terminal 2) that confirms the handover.

[0126] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, Figure 4 As shown, step 45 may include: each UE (terminal 1 and terminal 2) that confirms the handover switches to the new cell.

[0127] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, Figure 4 As shown, step 46 may include: each UE (terminal 1 and terminal 2) that confirms the handover sends an RRC reconfiguration completion message to the target base station.

[0128] The above-mentioned embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied in scenarios where base stations are deployed on non-ground surfaces. This scenario is an important scenario in the space-ground integration topic, and is also a field to be involved in the relevant technical mobile network communication standards.

[0129] The above-mentioned embodiments of the present disclosure will introduce terminal group switching strategies and related process modifications into the air-space-ground scenario, and optimize the mobility management process of massive devices in the air-space-ground scenario when they are not accessed on the ground. The above-mentioned embodiments of the present disclosure are based on logical beam partitioning and related strategies, so that large-scale terminals can switch to aircraft such as satellites or high-altitude platforms together, avoiding the terminals from initiating switching processes separately, and reducing system consumption. The above-mentioned embodiments of the present disclosure are potential solutions to important issues under the ITU-T fixed-mobile-satellite convergence topic, and at the same time, they are oriented to future Internet of Things services and have good application prospects and value.

[0130] The present disclosure is described below by comparing it with specific embodiments.

[0131] First type of embodiment:

[0132] Step 1: Figure 4 In step 41 of the illustrated embodiment, the source base station sends a handover request (XnAPHandover Request) to the target base station, the cause value (Cause value) in the handover request is a non-terrestrial network group handover (NTN GroupHandover), and the handover request includes a terminal handover information group (UE Handover Information Group).

[0133] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the terminal switching information group includes information of two UEs.

[0134] The first UE identifier Source NG-RAN node UE XnAP ID reference = 1, and the terminal context information (UE Context Information) includes UE Aggregate Maximum Bit Rate = 100M.

[0135] The second UE's identifier Source NG-RAN node UE XnAP ID reference = 2, and UE ContextInformation includes UE Aggregate Maximum Bit Rate = 100M.

[0136] Step 42: The target base station performs admission control on the two UEs, and the judgment condition is that the UE Aggregate Maximum Bit Rate (maximum aggregate bit rate) < 200M. Therefore, both UEs are UEs that confirm handover.

[0137] The target base station sends a handover response (Handover Response) to the source base station, wherein the handover response includes a Handover Acknowledge UE Group (Handover Acknowledgement UE Group), which includes information of two UEs.

[0138] Step 43: the source UE's identifier Source NG-RAN node UE XnAP IDreference = 1, the target UE's identifier Target NG-RAN node UE XnAP IDreference = 11

[0139] The identifier of the second UE at the source base station is Source NG-RAN node UE XnAP ID reference=2, and the identifier of the first UE at the target base station is Target NG-RAN node UE XnAP ID reference=12.

[0140] In addition, Handover Preparation Failure UE Group is empty.

[0141] From step 44 to step 46, the target base station initiates a subsequent standard handover procedure for each UE that confirms handover.

[0142] The above embodiments of the present disclosure are potential solutions to important issues under the ITU-T fixed-mobile-satellite topic, and are oriented towards future Internet of Things services, and have good application prospects and value.

[0143] The above embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to 5G core network technology and 6G network technology.

[0144] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of some embodiments of the source base station disclosed in the present invention. Figure 5 As shown, the source base station of the present disclosure may include a handover request sending module 51, a response message receiving module 52 and a first handover control module 53, wherein:

[0145] The switching request sending module 51 is configured to send a switching request to the target base station, wherein the switching request includes a switching reason and initial terminal group information, the switching reason is a non-terrestrial network group switching, and the initial terminal group information includes terminal information of each initial terminal.

[0146] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the source base station is arranged on a source aircraft, the target base station is arranged on a target aircraft, the source aircraft is a satellite or a high-altitude platform, and the target aircraft is a satellite or a high-altitude platform.

[0147] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the handover request sending module 51 is configured to send a handover request to the target base station via an inter-satellite link or a link between a satellite and a high-altitude platform.

[0148] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the switching request sending module 51 is configured to send a switching request to the target base station via an inter-satellite link or a link between a satellite and a high-altitude platform when a beam of a source base station on a source aircraft cannot cover a logical partition and will be replaced by a target base station on a target aircraft.

[0149] The response message receiving module 52 is configured to receive a switching response message returned by the target base station, wherein the switching response message includes first terminal group information, the first terminal group information includes terminal information of each confirmed switching terminal, and the target base station selects the confirmed switching terminal from the initial terminal group according to the selection strategy.

[0150] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first terminal group information includes terminal information of each terminal confirmed to be switched and corresponding switching preparation information.

[0151] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the handover response message may further include second terminal group information, wherein the second terminal group information includes terminal information of each handover preparation failure terminal and a corresponding handover failure reason.

[0152] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the terminal information of each terminal includes at least one of a terminal identification and terminal context information.

[0153] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the initial terminal group includes at least one initial terminal.

[0154] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first terminal group includes at least one confirmed switching terminal.

[0155] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second terminal group includes at least one terminal that fails in handover preparation.

[0156] The first handover control module 53 is configured to handover each confirmed handover terminal from the source base station to the target base station.

[0157] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the source base station may also be configured to implement the above embodiments (for example Figure 2 Example Figure 4 The terminal group switching method described in steps 41, 43-44 of the embodiment.

[0158] Figure 6 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of some other embodiments of the source base station disclosed in the present invention. Figure 6As shown, the source base station includes a memory 61 and a processor 62 .

[0159] The memory 61 is used to store instructions. The processor 62 is coupled to the memory 61. The processor 62 is configured to execute the above-mentioned embodiments (for example, Figure 2 Example Figure 4 The terminal group switching method described in steps 41, 43-44 of the embodiment.

[0160] like Figure 6 As shown, the source base station also includes a communication interface 63 for information exchange with other devices. At the same time, the source base station also includes a bus 64, through which the processor 62, the communication interface 63, and the memory 61 communicate with each other.

[0161] The memory 61 may include a high-speed RAM memory, and may also include a non-volatile memory, such as at least one disk memory. The memory 61 may also be a memory array. The memory 61 may also be divided into blocks, and the blocks may be combined into virtual volumes according to certain rules.

[0162] In addition, the processor 62 may be a central processing unit (CPU), or may be an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or may be configured to implement one or more integrated circuits of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0163] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of some embodiments of the target base station disclosed in the present invention. Figure 7 As shown, the target base station of the present disclosure may include a handover request receiving module 71, a terminal selecting module 72, a response message returning module 73 and a second handover control module 74, wherein:

[0164] The switching request receiving module 71 is configured to receive a switching request sent by a source base station, wherein the switching request includes a switching reason and initial terminal group information, the switching reason is a non-terrestrial network group switching, and the initial terminal group information includes terminal information of each initial terminal.

[0165] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the handover request receiving module 71 is configured to receive a handover request sent by a source base station via an inter-satellite link or a link between a satellite and a high-altitude platform.

[0166] The terminal selection module 72 is configured to select a confirmed switching terminal from the initial terminal group according to a selection policy.

[0167] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the terminal selection module 72 is configured to determine whether the switching request is a non-ground network group switching based on the switching reason; when the switching request is a non-ground network group switching, access control is performed on each terminal in the initial terminal group according to the selection strategy, and a group of terminals allowed to switch are selected as the first terminal group.

[0168] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the selection strategy includes at least one of mobile area restriction, single terminal maximum aggregation bit rate, wireless access type selection priority and backhaul link transmission layer information.

[0169] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the terminal selection module 72 is configured to perform admission control on each terminal in the initial terminal group according to the selection policy, and select terminals that do not comply with the selection policy and fail handover preparation as the second terminal group.

[0170] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the terminal selection module 72 is configured to determine, for each terminal in the initial terminal group, whether the maximum aggregate bit rate of the terminal is less than a predetermined threshold; if the maximum aggregate bit rate of the terminal is less than the predetermined threshold, add the terminal information of the terminal to the first terminal group.

[0171] The response message returning module 73 is configured to switch each confirmed switching terminal from the source base station to the target base station.

[0172] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the handover response message may further include second terminal group information, wherein the second terminal group information includes terminal information of each terminal for which handover preparation fails.

[0173] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the source base station is arranged on a source aircraft, the target base station is arranged on a target aircraft, the source aircraft is a satellite or a high-altitude platform, and the target aircraft is a satellite or a high-altitude platform.

[0174] The second handover control module 74 is configured to execute the terminal handover process with the source base station for each terminal to be confirmed to be handed over.

[0175] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the target base station may also be configured to implement the above embodiments (for example Figure 2 Example Figure 4 The terminal group switching method described in steps 41, 43-44 of the embodiment.

[0176] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of other embodiments of the target base station disclosed in the present invention. Figure 8 and Figure 6 The structures of the embodiments are the same. Figure 8 Example and Figure 6 The difference between the embodiments is that: Figure 8 In the embodiment, the processor 62 is configured to execute the above-mentioned embodiments (for example, Figure 1 Example Figure 4 The terminal group switching method described in steps 41-43 and 46 of the embodiment.

[0177] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a source aircraft, comprising any one of the above embodiments (e.g. Figure 5 or Figure 6 Embodiment) described source base station.

[0178] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a target aircraft is provided, including any one of the above embodiments (for example Figure 7 or Figure 8 The target base station described in embodiment).

[0179] Figure 1 Schematic diagrams of some embodiments of the terminal group switching system disclosed in the present invention are also provided. Figure 1 As shown, the terminal group switching system disclosed in the present invention may include any of the above embodiments (for example Figure 5 or Figure 6 Embodiment) and any of the above embodiments (for example Figure 7 or Figure 8 The target base station described in embodiment).

[0180] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a terminal group switching system is provided, comprising a source aircraft as described in any of the above embodiments, and a target aircraft as described in any of the above embodiments.

[0181] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions, and when the instructions are executed by a processor, any of the above embodiments (for example Figures 2 to 4 The terminal group switching method described in any embodiment).

[0182] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the computer-readable storage medium may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium.

[0183] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments of the present disclosure may be provided as methods, devices, or computer program products. Therefore, the present disclosure may take the form of a complete hardware embodiment, a complete software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware. Moreover, the present disclosure may take the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable non-transient storage media (including but not limited to disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0184] The present disclosure is described with reference to flowcharts and / or block diagrams of methods, devices (systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be understood that each process and / or block in the flowchart and / or block diagram and the combination of processes and / or blocks in the flowchart and / or block diagram can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program 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 generate instructions for implementing the processes in the flowchart and / or block diagram. Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A device that provides the functions specified in a block or multiple blocks.

[0185] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory capable of directing a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture comprising an instruction device, which implements the process Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A function specified in one or more boxes.

[0186] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device so that a series of operating steps are executed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby providing instructions for implementing the process in the computer or other programmable device. Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The steps for the functions specified in one or more boxes.

[0187] The source base station, switching request sending module, response message receiving module, target base station, switching request receiving module, terminal selection module and response message returning module described above can be implemented as a general-purpose processor, a programmable logic controller (PLC), a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, discrete hardware component or any appropriate combination thereof for performing the functions described in this application.

[0188] So far, the present disclosure has been described in detail. In order to avoid obscuring the concept of the present disclosure, some details known in the art are not described. Based on the above description, those skilled in the art can fully understand how to implement the technical solution disclosed here.

[0189] A person skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the steps to implement the above embodiments may be accomplished by hardware, or may be accomplished by instructing the relevant hardware through a program, and the program may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, and the above-mentioned storage medium may be a read-only memory, a disk or an optical disk, etc.

[0190] The description of the present disclosure is given for the purpose of illustration and description, and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present disclosure to the disclosed form. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. The embodiments are selected and described in order to better illustrate the principles and practical applications of the present disclosure, and to enable those of ordinary skill in the art to understand the present disclosure and thereby design various embodiments with various modifications suitable for specific uses.

Claims

1. A terminal group switching method, comprising: The source base station sends a handover request to the target base station, wherein the handover request includes initial terminal group information, and the initial terminal group information includes terminal information of each initial terminal; The source base station receives a handover response message returned by the target base station, wherein the handover response message includes first terminal group information, the first terminal group information includes terminal information of each confirmed handover terminal, and the target base station selects the confirmed handover terminal from the initial terminal group according to the selection strategy; The source base station switches each confirmed handover terminal from the source base station to the target base station.

2. The terminal group switching method according to claim 1, wherein: The source base station is arranged on a source aircraft, the target base station is arranged on a target aircraft, the source aircraft is a satellite or a high-altitude platform, and the target aircraft is a satellite or a high-altitude platform; The source base station sending the switching request to the target base station includes: the source base station sending the switching request to the target base station via an inter-satellite link or a link between a satellite and a high-altitude platform.

3. The terminal group switching method according to claim 2, wherein: The source base station sending a handover request to the target base station includes: When a beam of a source base station on a source aircraft cannot cover a logical partition and will be replaced by a target base station on a target aircraft, the source base station sends a switching request to the target base station via an inter-satellite link or a link between a satellite and a high-altitude platform.

4. The terminal group switching method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The first terminal group information includes terminal information of each terminal confirmed to be switched and corresponding switching preparation information; The switching response message further includes second terminal group information, wherein the second terminal group information includes terminal information of each terminal for which switching preparation fails and a corresponding switching failure reason; The terminal information of each terminal includes at least one of a terminal identification and terminal context information.

5. The terminal group switching method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The switching request also includes a switching reason, where the switching reason is a non-terrestrial network group switching; The initial terminal group includes at least one initial terminal; The first terminal group includes at least one confirmed switching terminal; The second terminal group includes at least one terminal that fails in handover preparation.

6. A terminal group switching method, comprising: The target base station receives a handover request sent by the source base station, wherein the handover request includes initial terminal group information, and the initial terminal group information includes terminal information of each initial terminal; The target base station selects a confirmed handover terminal from the initial terminal group according to a selection strategy; The target base station returns a handover response message to the source base station, wherein the handover response message includes first terminal group information, and the first terminal group information includes terminal information of each terminal that confirms handover; The target base station switches each confirmed handover terminal from the source base station to the target base station.

7. The terminal group switching method according to claim 6, wherein: The switching request also includes a switching reason, where the switching reason is a non-terrestrial network group switching; The target base station selects the confirmed handover terminal from the initial terminal group according to the selection strategy, including: The target base station determines whether the handover request is a non-terrestrial network group handover according to the handover reason; In the case where the handover request is a non-terrestrial network group handover, the target base station performs admission control on each terminal in the initial terminal group according to the selection strategy, and selects a group of terminals that are allowed to be handed over as the first terminal group.

8. The terminal group switching method according to claim 7, wherein: The selection strategy includes at least one of mobile area restriction, single terminal maximum aggregation bit rate, wireless access type selection priority and backhaul link transmission layer information.

9. The terminal group switching method according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein: The switching response message further includes second terminal group information, wherein the second terminal group information includes terminal information of each terminal for which switching preparation fails; The terminal group switching method further includes: The target base station performs admission control on each terminal in the initial terminal group according to the selection policy, and selects terminals that do not comply with the selection policy and fail in handover preparation as the second terminal group.

10. The terminal group switching method according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein: The target base station performs admission control on each terminal in the initial terminal group according to the selection strategy, and selects a group of terminals that are allowed to be switched, including: For each terminal in the initial terminal group, the target base station determines whether the maximum aggregate bit rate of the terminal is less than a predetermined threshold; In a case where the maximum aggregate bit rate of the terminal is less than a predetermined threshold, the target base station adds the terminal information of the terminal to the first terminal group.

11. The terminal group switching method according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein: The source base station is arranged on a source aircraft, the target base station is arranged on a target aircraft, the source aircraft is a satellite or a high-altitude platform, and the target aircraft is a satellite or a high-altitude platform; The target base station receiving the switching request sent by the source base station includes: the target base station receiving the switching request sent by the source base station through an inter-satellite link or a link between a satellite and a high-altitude platform.

12. A source base station, comprising: A handover request sending module, configured to send a handover request to a target base station, wherein the handover request includes initial terminal group information, and the initial terminal group information includes terminal information of an initial terminal; A response message receiving module is configured to receive a handover response message returned by the target base station, wherein the handover response message includes first terminal group information, the first terminal group information includes terminal information of a confirmed handover terminal, and the target base station selects the confirmed handover terminal from the initial terminal group according to a selection strategy; The first handover control module is configured to handover each confirmed handover terminal from a source base station to a target base station.

13. A source base station, comprising: a memory configured to store instructions; The processor is configured to execute the instruction so that the source base station performs the operation of implementing the terminal group switching method according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

14. A target base station, comprising: A handover request receiving module is configured to receive a handover request sent by a source base station, wherein the handover request includes initial terminal group information, and the initial terminal group information includes terminal information of each initial terminal; A terminal selection module is configured to select a confirmed switching terminal from an initial terminal group according to a selection strategy; A response message returning module is configured to return a handover response message to the source base station, wherein the handover response message includes first terminal group information, and the first terminal group information includes terminal information of each terminal that confirms handover; The second handover control module is configured to handover each confirmed handover terminal from the source base station to the target base station.

15. A target base station, comprising: a memory configured to store instructions; The processor is configured to execute the instruction so that the target base station performs the operation of implementing the terminal group switching method according to any one of claims 6 to 11.

16. A source aircraft, comprising the source base station according to claim 12 or 13.

17. A target aircraft, comprising the target base station according to claim 14 or 15.

18. A terminal group handover system, comprising the source base station according to claim 12 or 13, and the target base station according to claim 14 or 15.

19. A terminal group switching system, comprising the source aircraft as claimed in claim 16, and the target aircraft as claimed in claim 17.

20. A computer-readable storage medium, wherein: The computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions, and when the instructions are executed by a processor, the terminal group switching method according to any one of claims 1 to 11 is implemented.

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