Automatic switching method and system of satellite network and ground network

Abstract

The invention discloses an automatic switching method and system of a satellite network and a ground network. The user terminal collects a signal index set of a satellite and a ground network, generates a measurement report and sends the measurement report to the unified management platform; the unified management platform judges whether to trigger network switching according to the measurement report, and sends a switching preparation instruction to the user terminal; the user terminal sends an access request to the target network according to the switching preparation instruction; the target network verifies the user identity according to the access request, and sends a resource allocation request to the unified management platform after verification; the unified management platform allocates wireless resources to the target network according to the resource allocation request; and the target network sends a switching command to the user terminal according to the wireless resource, so that the user terminal is switched from the current network to the target network. Switching decision and resource scheduling are carried out through the unified management platform, automatic switching of the satellite network and the ground network is achieved through interaction among the terminal, the platform and the networks, manual switching is not needed, and the user experience is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to an automatic switching method and system between a satellite network and a terrestrial network. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of the integrated space-ground network, low-orbit satellite communication systems are becoming an important supplement to ground cellular networks. In order to comprehensively utilize the advantages of ground networks and satellite networks, satellite terminals can be integrated with ground terminals. However, currently, the network can only be switched manually, and automatic and smooth switching between ground networks and satellite networks cannot be achieved.

[0003] Therefore, the existing technology still needs to be improved and developed. Summary of the invention

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is that, in view of the above-mentioned defects of the prior art, a method and system for automatic switching between a satellite network and a terrestrial network is provided, aiming to solve the problem that the prior art can only switch the network manually and cannot achieve automatic and smooth switching between the terrestrial network and the satellite network.

[0005] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve the problem is as follows:

[0006] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a method for automatically switching between a satellite network and a terrestrial network, the method comprising:

[0007] Collecting signal indicator sets corresponding to a plurality of networks respectively through a user terminal, wherein the types of networks include satellite networks and terrestrial networks; generating a network quality measurement report according to the signal indicator set of each network, and reporting it to a unified management platform;

[0008] Determining whether to trigger network switching according to the network quality measurement report through the unified management platform; if so, sending a switching preparation instruction to the user terminal;

[0009] Sending, by the user terminal, an access request to a target network to be switched to according to the switching preparation instruction;

[0010] Verifying the user identity of the user terminal according to the access request through the target network, and sending a resource allocation request to the unified management platform after the verification is passed;

[0011] Sending, by the unified management platform, the wireless resources corresponding to the user terminal to the target network according to the resource allocation request;

[0012] The target network sends a switching command to the user terminal according to the wireless resource, so as to implement switching of the user terminal from the current network to the target network.

[0013] In one implementation, the signal indicator set includes: one or more indicators of signal strength, signal quality, and delay.

[0014] In one implementation, judging whether to trigger network switching according to the network quality measurement report by the unified management platform includes:

[0015] Calculating a number of evaluation indicators according to the network quality measurement report through the unified management platform; wherein the evaluation indicators include one or more indicators among network load, user rate requirement and service type;

[0016] Calculate the score according to each evaluation indicator and the weight value corresponding to each evaluation indicator;

[0017] If the score exceeds a preset switching threshold, a network switching is triggered.

[0018] In one embodiment, the method further comprises:

[0019] Establishing, by the user terminal, a link to the target network according to the switching command, and establishing a wireless connection with the target network;

[0020] A dual-link transmission mode is performed according to the link of the target network and the existing link of the current network until the service carrying stability of the link of the target network meets the requirements, and the data transmission of the link of the current network is gradually reduced until the network resources of the current network are completely released.

[0021] In one implementation, performing a dual-link transmission mode according to the link of the target network and the existing link of the current network includes:

[0022] The uplink data is carried through the link of the target network, while the downlink data is received through the link of the current network.

[0023] In one embodiment, the method further comprises:

[0024] After the user terminal switches from the current network to the target network, updating the network topology information through the unified management platform so that the routing information of the user terminal in the updated network topology information points to the target network;

[0025] The location information of the user terminal in the location management entity is updated so that the updated location information of the user terminal matches the updated network topology information.

[0026] In one embodiment, the method further comprises:

[0027] Receiving, through the authentication and billing center on the unified management platform, an authentication request sent by the target network according to the access request, and verifying the user identity of the user terminal according to the authentication request; after the verification is successful, sending an authentication confirmation to the target network;

[0028] And, the network tariff of the user terminal is switched to the tariff of the target network, and a switching completion confirmation message is sent to the user terminal.

[0029] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present invention further provides an automatic switching system between a satellite network and a terrestrial network, the system comprising a unified management platform as described above, a user terminal and several networks, wherein the types of networks include satellite networks and terrestrial networks.

[0030] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a user terminal, wherein the user terminal is used for:

[0031] Collect signal indicator sets corresponding to a plurality of networks, wherein the types of networks include satellite networks and terrestrial networks; generate a network quality measurement report according to the signal indicator sets of each network, and report it to a unified management platform;

[0032] Obtaining a switching preparation instruction issued by the unified management platform based on the network quality measurement report;

[0033] Sending an access request to a target network to be switched to according to the switching preparation instruction, so that the target network verifies the user identity of the user terminal according to the access request, and obtains the wireless resources corresponding to the user terminal from the unified management platform after the verification is passed;

[0034] A switching command sent by the target network according to the wireless resource is obtained, and switching from the current network to the target network is implemented according to the switching command.

[0035] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a unified management platform, wherein the unified management platform is used to:

[0036] Acquire a network quality measurement report generated by the user terminal according to a signal indicator set of several networks, wherein the types of networks include satellite networks and terrestrial networks;

[0037] Determine whether to trigger network switching according to the network quality measurement report; if so, send a switching preparation instruction to the user terminal, so that the user terminal sends an access request to the target network to be switched to according to the switching preparation instruction, and the target network verifies the user identity of the user terminal according to the access request;

[0038] Acquire a resource allocation request sent by the target network after verifying the user identity of the user terminal;

[0039] According to the resource allocation request, the wireless resources corresponding to the user terminal are sent to the target network, so that the target network sends a switching command to the user terminal according to the wireless resources, so as to implement the switching of the user terminal from the current network to the target network.

[0040] Beneficial effects of the present invention: The embodiment of the present invention collects signal indicator sets of satellites and ground networks through user terminals, and generates measurement reports to a unified management platform; the unified management platform determines whether to trigger network switching based on the measurement report, and sends a switching preparation instruction to the user terminal; the user terminal sends an access request to the target network based on the switching preparation instruction; the target network verifies the user identity based on the access request, and sends a resource allocation request to the unified management platform after verification; the unified management platform allocates wireless resources to the target network based on the resource allocation request; the target network sends a switching command to the user terminal based on the wireless resources, so as to enable the user terminal to switch from the current network to the target network. The present invention makes switching decisions and resource scheduling through a unified management platform, and realizes automatic switching of satellite and ground networks through the interaction between terminals, platforms and networks, without the need for manual switching, thereby improving user experience. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0041] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention 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 recorded in the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0042] Figure 1 It is a flow chart of a method for automatic switching between a satellite network and a terrestrial network provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0043] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the network architecture of the automatic switching system between the satellite network and the terrestrial network provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0044] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of data interaction among a user terminal, a unified management platform and multiple networks provided by an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0045] The present invention discloses a method and system for automatically switching between a satellite network and a terrestrial network. To make the purpose, technical solution and effect of the present invention clearer and more specific, the present invention is further described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0046] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that, unless expressly stated, the singular forms "one", "said", and "the" used herein may also include plural forms. It should be further understood that the term "comprising" used in the specification of the present invention refers to the presence of the features, integers, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and / or groups thereof. It should be understood that when we refer to an element as being "connected" or "coupled" to another element, it may be directly connected or coupled to the other element, or there may be intermediate elements. In addition, the "connection" or "coupling" used herein may include wireless connection or wireless coupling. The term "and / or" used herein includes all or any unit and all combinations of one or more associated listed items.

[0047] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that, unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as generally understood by those skilled in the art in the art to which the present invention belongs. It should also be understood that terms such as those defined in general dictionaries should be understood to have meanings consistent with the meanings in the context of the prior art, and will not be interpreted with idealized or overly formal meanings unless specifically defined as herein.

[0048] In view of the above-mentioned defects of the prior art, the present invention provides a method for automatically switching between a satellite network and a terrestrial network, such as Figure 1 As shown, the method includes:

[0049] Step S100: collecting signal indicator sets corresponding to a plurality of networks respectively through a user terminal, wherein the types of networks include satellite networks and terrestrial networks; generating a network quality measurement report according to the signal indicator set of each network, and reporting it to a unified management platform;

[0050] Step S200: determining, by the unified management platform, whether to trigger network switching according to the network quality measurement report; if so, sending a switching preparation instruction to the user terminal;

[0051] Step S300: sending an access request to a target network to be switched to according to the switching preparation instruction by the user terminal;

[0052] Step S400: verifying the user identity of the user terminal according to the access request through the target network, and sending a resource allocation request to the unified management platform after the verification is passed;

[0053] Step S500: sending the wireless resources corresponding to the user terminal to the target network according to the resource allocation request through the unified management platform;

[0054] Step S600: Sending a switching command to the user terminal through the target network according to the wireless resources, so as to implement switching of the user terminal from the current network to the target network.

[0055] Specifically, Figure 2 As shown, the method of this embodiment can be applied to multiple network architectures, such as a satellite network ground-to-ground roaming network architecture, which can be divided into a user terminal layer, an access network layer, and a unified management platform.

[0056] For the user terminal layer, it mainly includes user terminals using dual-mode terminal equipment to support satellite and ground network dual-mode communications. The user terminal includes a network interface controller, a network quality analyzer, and a session manager. The network interface controller is used to manage physical layer network access. The network quality analyzer is used to monitor network quality in real time. The session manager is used to maintain service session continuity.

[0057] For the access network layer, it mainly includes satellite network and ground network. Satellite network can refer to low-orbit satellite network, including satellite clusters, ground stations and satellite core network. Ground network can refer to ground mobile network, including base stations and mobile core network.

[0058] The unified management platform mainly includes a network controller (SDN controller), a resource manager, and a network switching control module. The network controller is used to implement unified network control. The resource manager is used to coordinate network resource allocation. The network switching control module is used to execute switching decisions.

[0059] In actual application scenarios, the user terminal will maintain the measurement list of satellite and ground networks at the same time, periodically measure multiple signal indicators to generate a network quality measurement report, and report it to the unified management platform in a timely manner. After receiving the network quality measurement report, the network controller in the unified management platform will analyze the content of the network quality measurement report to comprehensively determine whether to switch the current network to another network to optimize the network use of the user terminal. If the judgment result is switching, the switching preparation is triggered, and a switching preparation instruction is issued to the user terminal. After the user terminal receives the switching preparation instruction, it enters the switching preparation stage and sends an access request to the target network to be switched. The target network performs user identity authentication based on the received access request, and requests resource allocation from the unified management platform after the authentication is passed. After receiving the resource allocation request, the unified management platform performs resource scheduling and reserves appropriate wireless resources for the user terminal. When the target network receives the wireless resources allocated by the unified management platform, it issues a switching command to the user terminal. The user terminal switches the network according to the received switching command. This embodiment makes accurate switching decisions and resource scheduling through a unified management platform, and realizes automatic switching between satellite networks and terrestrial networks through the interaction between user terminals, the unified management platform and various networks, without the need for manual switching, thereby improving user experience.

[0060] In one implementation, the current network is a satellite network, and the target network is a ground network, that is, the method of this embodiment can be applied to a ground-to-earth network switching scenario (such as Figure 3 As shown in the figure, the user terminal implements a smooth handover from the satellite network to the ground network. In this scenario, after receiving the handover preparation instruction, the user terminal sends an access request to the base station of the ground network. The access request can be a random access request (RACH) carrying information such as the terminal ID, service type, and user requirements (QoS).

[0061] In one implementation, the signal indicator set includes: one or more indicators of signal strength, signal quality, and delay.

[0062] Specifically, the user terminal maintains a measurement list of satellite and ground networks at the same time, and periodic measurements include signal strength (RSRP), signal quality (SINR), delay and other signal indicators. In actual applications, in order to save communication overhead, a switching threshold can be preset on the user terminal. The switching threshold can specify one or more signal indicators that exceed the preset signal threshold. If the preset number of consecutive measurements show that the signal of the target network is better than the signal of the current network, and the advantage exceeds the switching threshold, the signal indicators of each network currently collected are aggregated into a network quality measurement report and sent to the unified management platform.

[0063] For example, the switching threshold is RSRP>-110dBm and / or SINR>-3dB. When multiple consecutive measurements show that the ground signal is better than the satellite signal, and the advantage exceeds the switching hysteresis threshold (such as 3dB), a report is triggered and the network quality measurement report is sent to the unified management platform.

[0064] In one implementation, judging whether to trigger network switching according to the network quality measurement report by the unified management platform includes:

[0065] Calculating a number of evaluation indicators according to the network quality measurement report through the unified management platform; wherein the evaluation indicators include one or more indicators among network load, user rate requirement and service type;

[0066] Calculate the score according to each evaluation indicator and the weight value corresponding to each evaluation indicator;

[0067] If the score exceeds a preset switching threshold, a network switching is triggered.

[0068] Specifically, after receiving the network quality measurement report, the network controller on the unified management platform will comprehensively analyze the evaluation indicators such as network load, user rate requirements, and service type, and calculate the final score according to each evaluation indicator and its preset weight ratio through the switching weight algorithm. For example, the weight ratio can be 40% for signal strength, 30% for network load, and 30% for user demand (QoS). When the calculated score exceeds the preset switching threshold, a switching decision is made to trigger network switching. This embodiment comprehensively considers multi-dimensional factors such as network load, service type, and user experience when making switching decisions, improves the accuracy of switching decisions, and reduces the risk of ping-pong switching.

[0069] In one implementation, verifying, by the target network, the user identity of the user terminal according to the access request includes:

[0070] An authentication request is generated through the target network according to the access request, and the authentication request is sent to the authentication and billing center on the unified management platform, and the authentication and billing center performs cross-network authentication to verify the user identity of the user terminal.

[0071] In one implementation, sending, by the unified management platform, the radio resources corresponding to the user terminal to the target network according to the resource allocation request includes:

[0072] The unified management platform performs resource scheduling according to the resource allocation request, reserves appropriate wireless resources for the user terminal based on the current network load status, and starts a data cache mechanism to establish a cache queue on the core network side.

[0073] For example, assume that the current network is a satellite network and the target network to be switched to is a terrestrial network. After the network controller on the unified management platform receives the resource allocation request sent by the base station of the terrestrial network, the network controller reserves appropriate wireless resources (including time-frequency resource blocks, transmission power, etc.) for the target terminal based on the current network load status. At the same time, the data caching mechanism is started, and a cache queue is established on the core network side to prepare for subsequent data migration. The entire process of the switching preparation phase must be completed within the preset time limit (such as 300ms), and the switching process is terminated if the timeout expires.

[0074] In one implementation, the method further includes:

[0075] Establishing, by the user terminal, a link to the target network according to the switching command, and establishing a wireless connection with the target network;

[0076] A dual-link transmission mode is performed according to the link of the target network and the existing link of the current network until the service carrying stability of the link of the target network meets the requirements, and the data transmission of the link of the current network is gradually reduced until the network resources of the current network are completely released.

[0077] Specifically, after the user terminal receives the switching command, it enters the switching execution phase. The switching command received by the user terminal contains configuration information, so the user terminal can configure the physical layer parameters according to the switching command and start the connection establishment process with the target network. In order to ensure smooth network switching and no data loss, this embodiment adopts a soft switching method, that is, maintaining the original connection while establishing a new connection to ensure the continuity requirements of certain services. The soft switching method is specifically: the user terminal will maintain the current network data plane and start the dual-link transmission mode to ensure smooth network switching until the link of the target network can stably carry the service, gradually reduce the data transmission of the link of the current network, and finally completely release the network resources of the current network.

[0078] For example, assume that the current network is a satellite network and the target network to be switched to is a terrestrial network. The switching command sent by the base station of the terrestrial network to the user terminal contains configuration information such as the allocated time-frequency resource information and power control parameters. The user terminal will configure the physical layer parameters according to the switching command and start the RRC connection establishment process with the terrestrial base station. The process includes steps such as random access, uplink synchronization, RRC connection establishment, and security activation. The key link in the switching execution phase is the precise control of uplink and downlink synchronization. Because the delay difference between the satellite and terrestrial networks is large (up to several hundred milliseconds), an accurate time compensation mechanism is required to ensure the smooth progress of network switching. Therefore, in the switching execution phase, the user terminal maintains the connection with the satellite to keep the satellite network data plane uninterrupted. Due to the large difference in the delay between the satellite and terrestrial networks, in order to ensure uninterrupted services, the user terminal will start the dual-link transmission mode to ensure the smooth progress of network switching until the terrestrial network link can stably carry the service, gradually reduce the data transmission of the satellite link, and finally completely release the satellite resources.

[0079] In one implementation, performing a dual-link transmission mode according to a link of the target network and an existing link of the current network includes:

[0080] The uplink data is carried through the link of the target network, while the downlink data is received through the link of the current network.

[0081] Specifically, when the user terminal completes the data connection confirmation with the target network, it means that the link of the target network has been established, that is, the data migration phase has begun. The data migration phase is a key phase to ensure uninterrupted services. In order to achieve uninterrupted services, the user terminal will start the dual-link transmission mode, and the newly established link of the target network will start to carry uplink data, while keeping the link of the current network to continue to receive downlink data.

[0082] For example, assume that the current network is a satellite network and the target network to be switched to is a terrestrial network. The user terminal starts the dual-link transmission mode, and the newly established ground link starts to carry uplink data while maintaining the downlink data reception of the satellite link. Furthermore, when the dual-link transmission mode is started, the data cache queue on the core network side starts working to reorder the data that may be caused by switching to ensure that the data stream received by the service layer is continuous. A sequence number marking mechanism is used to ensure data integrity and retransmit lost data packets. After confirming that the ground link can stably carry the service, the data transmission of the satellite link is gradually reduced, and finally the satellite resources are completely released.

[0083] In one implementation, the method further includes:

[0084] After the user terminal switches from the current network to the target network, updating the network topology information through the unified management platform so that the routing information of the user terminal in the updated network topology information points to the target network;

[0085] The location information of the user terminal in the location management entity is updated so that the updated location information of the user terminal matches the updated network topology information.

[0086] Specifically, when the user terminal switches from the current network to the target network, it enters the switching completion stage. In the switching completion stage, the network controller in the unified management platform will update the network topology information and point the routing information of the user terminal to the target network. For example, if the current network is a satellite network and the target network to be switched to is a terrestrial network, the routing information of the user terminal will be pointed to the terrestrial network when the network topology is updated. At the same time, the terminal location information in the location management entity is updated to ensure that subsequent service paging can be correctly routed.

[0087] In one implementation, the method further includes:

[0088] Receiving, through the authentication and billing center on the unified management platform, an authentication request sent by the target network according to the access request, and verifying the user identity of the user terminal according to the authentication request; after the verification is successful, sending an authentication confirmation to the target network;

[0089] And, the network tariff of the user terminal is switched to the tariff of the target network, and a switching completion confirmation message is sent to the user terminal.

[0090] Specifically, the function of processing cross-network authentication and billing can be set up in a unified management platform and specifically executed by the authentication and billing center. For the function of cross-network authentication, the target network receives an access request sent by the user terminal, and sends an authentication request to the authentication and billing center based on the access request to perform cross-network authentication. After the authentication is passed, the authentication and billing center will feedback the authentication confirmation message to the target network. For the billing function, when the user terminal switches from the current network to the target network, the authentication and billing center switches the billing strategy, switches the user terminal from the current network tariff to the target network tariff, and generates a switching time record. After completing these updates, a switching completion confirmation is sent to the user terminal.

[0091] For example, assume that the current network is a satellite network, and the target network to be switched to is a terrestrial network. The authentication and billing center can be constructed using an AAA server (Authentication, Authorization, Accounting). After the base station of the terrestrial network receives the access request from the user terminal, it forwards the access request to the AAA server. The AAA server performs cross-network authentication based on the terminal USIM card information in the access request. When the user terminal switches from the current network to the target network, the AAA server switches the billing strategy from the satellite network tariff to the terrestrial network tariff, and generates a switching event record. After the user terminal receives the switching completion confirmation sent by the AAA server, it releases the system information and measurement configuration related to the satellite network to complete the entire switching process. After the switching is completed, the network should continue the dual-link measurement for a preset duration (such as 30s) to prevent ping-pong switching.

[0092] The advantages of the present invention are:

[0093] 1. The present invention integrates satellite and ground network communication capabilities by designing a dual-mode terminal architecture to achieve parallel access at the physical layer. Dual-mode terminal architecture based on deep integration: The satellite communication module and the ground communication module are deeply integrated at multiple levels such as the RF front end and baseband processing, rather than a simple physical combination.

[0094] 2. The present invention proposes a handover decision mechanism based on multi-dimensional indicators, which comprehensively considers factors such as signal quality, network load, and service demand. Multi-dimensional heterogeneous network quality assessment mechanism: A quality assessment model suitable for heterogeneous networks is designed, which comprehensively considers network signal quality indicators (RSRP, SINR), handover control mechanisms, and other aspects to improve the accuracy of ground-to-ground network handover decisions.

[0095] 3. The present invention adopts a soft switching strategy to ensure business continuity through data caching and parallel transmission.

[0096] 4. The present invention introduces a unified authentication and billing mechanism to achieve cross-network identity authentication and resource management.

[0097] Based on the above embodiments, the present invention also provides an automatic switching system between a satellite network and a terrestrial network, such as Figure 2 As shown, the system includes a unified management platform as described above, a user terminal and several networks, wherein the types of networks include satellite networks and terrestrial networks.

[0098] Specifically, the system uses a network controller in a unified management platform to achieve unified management, and performs network switching through intelligent decision-making algorithms, which can achieve seamless switching of services between low-orbit satellites and ground networks.

[0099] Based on the above embodiments, the present invention also provides a user terminal, such as Figure 2 As shown, the user terminal is used for:

[0100] Collect signal indicator sets corresponding to a plurality of networks, wherein the types of networks include satellite networks and terrestrial networks; generate a network quality measurement report according to the signal indicator sets of each network, and report it to a unified management platform;

[0101] Obtaining a switching preparation instruction issued by the unified management platform based on the network quality measurement report;

[0102] Sending an access request to a target network to be switched to according to the switching preparation instruction, so that the target network verifies the user identity of the user terminal according to the access request, and obtains the wireless resources corresponding to the user terminal from the unified management platform after the verification is passed;

[0103] A switching command sent by the target network according to the wireless resource is obtained, and switching from the current network to the target network is implemented according to the switching command.

[0104] Based on the above embodiments, the present invention also provides a unified management platform, such as Figure 2 As shown, the unified management platform is used for:

[0105] Acquire a network quality measurement report generated by the user terminal according to a signal indicator set of several networks, wherein the types of networks include satellite networks and terrestrial networks;

[0106] Determine whether to trigger network switching according to the network quality measurement report; if so, send a switching preparation instruction to the user terminal, so that the user terminal sends an access request to the target network to be switched to according to the switching preparation instruction, and the target network verifies the user identity of the user terminal according to the access request;

[0107] Acquire a resource allocation request sent by the target network after verifying the user identity of the user terminal;

[0108] According to the resource allocation request, the wireless resources corresponding to the user terminal are sent to the target network, so that the target network sends a switching command to the user terminal according to the wireless resources, so as to implement the switching of the user terminal from the current network to the target network.

[0109] In summary, the present invention discloses a method and system for automatic switching between a satellite network and a ground network. The method comprises: collecting signal indicator sets corresponding to several networks respectively through a user terminal, wherein the types of networks include satellite networks and ground networks; generating a network quality measurement report according to the signal indicator sets of each network, and reporting it to a unified management platform; judging whether to trigger network switching through the unified management platform according to the network quality measurement report; if so, sending a switching preparation instruction to the user terminal; sending an access request to the target network to be switched to through the user terminal according to the switching preparation instruction; verifying the user identity of the user terminal through the target network according to the access request, and sending a resource allocation request to the unified management platform after the verification is passed; sending the wireless resources corresponding to the user terminal to the target network through the unified management platform according to the resource allocation request; sending a switching command to the user terminal through the target network according to the wireless resources, so as to realize the user terminal switching from the current network to the target network. The present invention makes accurate switching decisions and resource scheduling through a unified management platform, and realizes automatic switching between satellite networks and ground networks through the interaction between user terminals, unified management platforms and networks, without manual switching, thereby improving user experience.

[0110] It should be understood that the application of the present invention is not limited to the above examples. For ordinary technicians in this field, improvements or changes can be made based on the above description. All these improvements and changes should fall within the scope of protection of the claims attached to the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for automatic switching between a satellite network and a terrestrial network, characterized in that: The method comprises: Collecting signal indicator sets corresponding to a plurality of networks respectively through a user terminal, wherein the types of networks include satellite networks and terrestrial networks; generating a network quality measurement report according to the signal indicator set of each network, and reporting it to a unified management platform; Determining whether to trigger network switching according to the network quality measurement report through the unified management platform; if so, sending a switching preparation instruction to the user terminal; Sending, by the user terminal, an access request to a target network to be switched to according to the switching preparation instruction; Verifying the user identity of the user terminal according to the access request through the target network, and sending a resource allocation request to the unified management platform after the verification is passed; Sending, by the unified management platform, the wireless resources corresponding to the user terminal to the target network according to the resource allocation request; The target network sends a switching command to the user terminal according to the wireless resource, so as to implement switching of the user terminal from the current network to the target network.

2. The method for automatic switching between a satellite network and a terrestrial network according to claim 1, characterized in that: The signal indicator set includes: one or more indicators of signal strength, signal quality and delay.

3. The method for automatic switching between a satellite network and a terrestrial network according to claim 1, characterized in that: Determining whether to trigger network switching according to the network quality measurement report by the unified management platform includes: Calculating a number of evaluation indicators according to the network quality measurement report through the unified management platform; wherein the evaluation indicators include one or more indicators among network load, user rate requirement and service type; Calculate the score according to each evaluation indicator and the weight value corresponding to each evaluation indicator; If the score exceeds a preset switching threshold, a network switching is triggered.

4. The method for automatic switching between a satellite network and a terrestrial network according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Establishing, by the user terminal, a link to the target network according to the switching command, and establishing a wireless connection with the target network; A dual-link transmission mode is performed according to the link of the target network and the existing link of the current network until the service carrying stability of the link of the target network meets the requirements, and the data transmission of the link of the current network is gradually reduced until the network resources of the current network are completely released.

5. The method for automatic switching between a satellite network and a terrestrial network according to claim 4, characterized in that: Performing a dual-link transmission mode according to the link of the target network and the existing link of the current network includes: The uplink data is carried through the link of the target network, while the downlink data is received through the link of the current network.

6. The method for automatic switching between a satellite network and a terrestrial network according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method further comprises: After the user terminal switches from the current network to the target network, updating the network topology information through the unified management platform so that the routing information of the user terminal in the updated network topology information points to the target network; The location information of the user terminal in the location management entity is updated so that the updated location information of the user terminal matches the updated network topology information.

7. The method for automatic switching between a satellite network and a terrestrial network according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Receiving, through the authentication and billing center on the unified management platform, an authentication request sent by the target network according to the access request, and verifying the user identity of the user terminal according to the authentication request; after the verification is successful, sending an authentication confirmation to the target network; And, the network tariff of the user terminal is switched to the tariff of the target network, and a switching completion confirmation message is sent to the user terminal.

8. An automatic switching system between a satellite network and a terrestrial network, characterized in that: The system comprises a unified management platform as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, a user terminal and several networks, wherein the types of networks include satellite networks and terrestrial networks.

9. A user terminal, characterized in that: The user terminal is used for: Collect signal indicator sets corresponding to a plurality of networks, wherein the types of networks include satellite networks and terrestrial networks; generate a network quality measurement report according to the signal indicator sets of each network, and report it to a unified management platform; Obtaining a switching preparation instruction issued by the unified management platform based on the network quality measurement report; Sending an access request to a target network to be switched to according to the switching preparation instruction, so that the target network verifies the user identity of the user terminal according to the access request, and obtains the wireless resources corresponding to the user terminal from the unified management platform after the verification is passed; A switching command sent by the target network according to the wireless resource is obtained, and switching from the current network to the target network is implemented according to the switching command.

10. A unified management platform, characterized in that: The unified management platform is used for: Acquire a network quality measurement report generated by the user terminal according to a signal indicator set of several networks, wherein the types of networks include satellite networks and terrestrial networks; Determine whether to trigger network switching according to the network quality measurement report; if so, send a switching preparation instruction to the user terminal, so that the user terminal sends an access request to the target network to be switched to according to the switching preparation instruction, and the target network verifies the user identity of the user terminal according to the access request; Acquire a resource allocation request sent by the target network after verifying the user identity of the user terminal; According to the resource allocation request, the wireless resources corresponding to the user terminal are sent to the target network, so that the target network sends a switching command to the user terminal according to the wireless resources to enable the user terminal to switch from the current network to the target network.

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