Communication method and device

Abstract

The invention provides a communication method and device which are applied to a satellite-ground switching process. The method comprises the following steps: acquiring a plurality of candidate management and control centers; and determining a target management and control center from the plurality of candidate management and control centers according to the transmission hop count and the transmission distance between each candidate management and control center in the plurality of candidate management and control centers and the source base station. In this way, the signaling overhead and the switching time delay between the base stations can be reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communications, and more particularly, to a communication method and apparatus. Background Art

[0002] With the development of satellite communications, the integration of satellite communications and terrestrial mobile communications has become increasingly important. The terrestrial mobile communication network has experienced rapid development from the first generation (1 st generation, 1G) to the fifth generation (5 th generation, 5G) and has entered a critical stage of fifth-generation development. Since satellites have advantages such as a wide coverage area, large coverage beams, flexible networking, and communication not being restricted by the geographical environment, they can effectively complement the deficiencies of terrestrial communications. In the future, satellite communications and terrestrial mobile communications will form an integrated network that covers the sky and the earth seamlessly.

[0003] Due to problems such as the mobility of satellite nodes and user nodes, in the process of satellite-terrestrial handover, how to reduce the signaling overhead and handover delay between base stations is an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a communication method and apparatus, which can reduce the signaling overhead and handover delay between base stations during the satellite-terrestrial handover process.

[0005] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided. The method includes: obtaining a plurality of candidate control centers. Determining a target control center from the plurality of candidate control centers according to the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance between each candidate control center in the plurality of candidate control centers and the source base station.

[0006] In the above technical solution, during the satellite-terrestrial handover process, the target control center is determined by the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance between the candidate control center and the source base station. Since the target control center can obtain global information, it is helpful to subsequently select a more reasonable target base station to be handed over, thereby ensuring service continuity and network service quality. And, compared with the solution of determining the target base station through signaling interaction between base stations, during the satellite-terrestrial handover process, the above method of determining the target control center can reduce the signaling overhead and handover delay between the base station and the target control center, and thus improve the overall handover performance.

[0007] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, determining a target control center from multiple candidate control centers based on the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance between each candidate control center and the source base station includes: determining a first control center from multiple candidate control centers based on the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance between each candidate control center and the source base station. Determining a second control center from a first subset of candidate control centers based on the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance between each candidate control center in the first subset of candidate control centers and the source base station, where the first subset of candidate control centers includes candidate control centers located on the ground among the multiple candidate control centers. Determining the target control center based on the first control center and the second control center.

[0008] In this way, by means of the first control center selected from the global candidate control centers and the second control center selected from the ground candidate control centers, the determination method of the target control center is further refined, so as to obtain a more reasonable target control center.

[0009] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, determining a first control center from multiple candidate control centers based on the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance between each candidate control center and the source base station includes: determining the first control center based on a first weight, a second weight, and the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance between each candidate control center and the source base station among the multiple candidate control centers, where the first weight is the weight corresponding to the number of transmission hops, and the second weight is the weight corresponding to the transmission distance. Determining a second control center from a first subset of candidate control centers based on the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance between each candidate control center in the first subset of candidate control centers and the source base station includes: determining the second control center from the first subset of candidate control centers based on a third weight, a fourth weight, and the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance between each candidate control center and the source base station in the first subset of candidate control centers, where the third weight is the weight corresponding to the number of transmission hops, and the fourth weight is the weight corresponding to the transmission distance.

[0010] In this way, by means of the weight of the number of transmission hops and the weight of the transmission distance, it is easier to implement the method of comprehensively considering the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance to determine the target control center, and the weights of the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance can be adjusted, so as to improve the flexibility of the determination methods of the first control center and the second control center. And subsequently, these two weights can be set more specifically, so as to obtain more appropriate first and second control centers.

[0011] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, determining the target control center based on the first control center and the second control center includes: when the first control center and the second control center are the same, determining the target control center as the first control center.

[0012] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, determining a target control center according to a first control center and a second control center includes: when the first control center and the second control center are different, determining the target control center from the first control center and the second control center according to the transmission distance between the first control center and the source base station and the transmission distance between the second control center and the source base station.

[0013] In this way, the first control center and the second control center obtained by comprehensively considering the transmission hop count and the transmission distance further determine the target control center through the transmission distance, which can reduce the signaling overhead and handover delay between the base station and the target control center, and thus improve the overall handover performance. Compared with the target control center obtained only through the transmission hop count, there may be a situation where the transmission hop count between the target control center and the source base station is small, but the sum of the distances of the network function entities passed through during the transmission between the target control center and the source base station is relatively long, which may bring a relatively high network delay. Through the above method, the signaling overhead and handover delay between the base station and the target control center can be further reduced.

[0014] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, determining a target control center according to a first control center and a second control center includes: when the first control center and the second control center are different, determining the target control center from the first control center and the second control center according to the transmission hop count between the first control center and the source base station and the transmission hop count between the second control center and the source base station.

[0015] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: receiving first indication information from the target control center, where the first indication information is used to indicate the target base station.

[0016] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: receiving a measurement report from the terminal device. Determining the target base station according to the measurement report. Sending second indication information to the target control center, where the second indication information is used to indicate the target base station.

[0017] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: sending cache data information to the target base station.

[0018] In this way, when a satellite-ground handover occurs, forwarding the cached data information in the source base station to the target base station can ensure complete data communication during the handover process.

[0019] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the source base station is a spaceborne base station and the target base station is a terrestrial base station; or, the source base station is a terrestrial base station and the target base station is a spaceborne base station.

[0020] Among them, the spaceborne base station can be located in a low-earth orbit satellite and / or a medium-earth orbit satellite.

[0021] In a second aspect, a communication device is provided. The device includes a transceiver unit and a processing unit: The transceiver unit is used to obtain a plurality of candidate control centers. The processing unit is used to determine a target control center from the plurality of candidate control centers according to the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance between each candidate control center in the plurality of candidate control centers and the source base station.

[0022] It should be understood that the second aspect is the device corresponding to the first aspect. The beneficial effects brought by the solution of the second aspect can refer to the first aspect and will not be elaborated here.

[0023] Combined with the second aspect, in some implementation manners of the second aspect, the processing unit is specifically used to: determine a first control center from the plurality of candidate control centers according to the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance between each candidate control center in the plurality of candidate control centers and the source base station. Determine a second control center from the first subset of candidate control centers according to the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance between each candidate control center in the first subset of candidate control centers and the source base station. The first subset of candidate control centers includes the candidate control centers located on the ground among the plurality of candidate control centers. Determine the target control center according to the first control center and the second control center.

[0024] Combined with the second aspect, in some implementation manners of the second aspect, the processing unit is specifically used to: determine a first control center according to a first weight, a second weight, and the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance between each candidate control center in the plurality of candidate control centers and the source base station. The first weight is the weight corresponding to the number of transmission hops, and the second weight is the weight corresponding to the transmission distance. Determine a second control center from the first subset of candidate control centers according to a third weight, a fourth weight, and the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance between each candidate control center in the first subset of candidate control centers and the source base station. The third weight is the weight corresponding to the number of transmission hops, and the fourth weight is the weight corresponding to the transmission distance.

[0025] Combined with the second aspect, in some implementation manners of the second aspect, the processing unit is specifically used to: when the first control center and the second control center are the same, determine the target control center as the first control center.

[0026] Combined with the second aspect, in some implementation manners of the second aspect, the processing unit is specifically used to: when the first control center and the second control center are different, determine the target control center from the first control center and the second control center according to the transmission distance between the first control center and the source base station and the transmission distance between the second control center and the source base station.

[0027] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementation manners of the second aspect, the processing unit is specifically configured to: when the first control center and the second control center are not both available, determine a target control center from the first control center and the second control center according to the number of transmission hops between the first control center and the source base station and the number of transmission hops between the second control center and the source base station.

[0028] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementation manners of the second aspect, the transceiver unit is further configured to: receive first indication information from the target control center, where the first indication information is used to indicate the target base station.

[0029] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementation manners of the second aspect, the transceiver unit is further configured to: receive a measurement report from the terminal device. The processing unit is further configured to: determine the target base station according to the measurement report. The transceiver unit is further configured to: send second indication information to the target control center, where the second indication information is used to indicate the target base station.

[0030] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementation manners of the second aspect, the transceiver unit is further configured to: send cached data information to the target base station.

[0031] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementation manners of the second aspect, the source base station is a spaceborne base station and the target base station is a terrestrial base station; or, the source base station is a terrestrial base station and the target base station is a spaceborne base station.

[0032] In a third aspect, a communication device is provided, and the device includes: a memory for storing a program; a processor for executing the computer program code or instructions stored in the memory. When the computer program code or instructions stored in the memory are executed, the processor is used to execute the method provided in any one of the implementation manners of the first aspect above.

[0033] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a processor for executing the method provided in any one of the implementation manners of the first aspect above. During the execution of these methods, the processes of sending the above information and obtaining / receiving the above information in the above methods can be understood as the process of the processor outputting the above information, and the process of the processor receiving the input above information. When outputting the above information, the processor outputs the above information to an interface for transmission through the interface. After the above information is output by the processor, other processing may be required before it reaches the interface. Similarly, when the processor receives the input above information, the interface obtains / receives the above information and inputs it to the processor. Further, after the interface receives the above information, the above information may need to be further processed before it is input to the processor.

[0034] For operations such as transmission, sending, and acquisition / reception involved, if there is no special description, or if it does not conflict with their actual functions or internal logics in the relevant descriptions, they can be understood as operations such as output and reception, input, etc., or can be understood as transmission, sending, and reception operations performed by the radio frequency circuit and the antenna. The present application does not make any limitations in this regard.

[0035] In the implementation process, the above-mentioned processor can be a processor dedicated to executing these methods, or a processor that executes the computer program code or instructions in the memory to execute these methods, such as a general-purpose processor. The above-mentioned memory can be a non-transitory memory, such as a read-only memory (ROM), which can be integrated with the processor on the same chip or can be separately provided on different chips. The embodiments of the present application do not make any limitations on the type of the memory and the setting manner of the memory and the processor.

[0036] In a fifth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided. The computer-readable medium stores program code or instructions for a device to execute, and the program code or instructions include those for executing the method provided by any one of the implementation manners in the first aspect above.

[0037] In a sixth aspect, a computer program product including instructions is provided. When the computer program product runs on a computer, it causes the computer to execute the method provided by any one of the implementation manners in the first aspect above.

[0038] In a seventh aspect, a chip is provided. The chip includes a processor and a communication interface. The processor reads the instructions stored on the memory through the communication interface and executes the method provided by any one of the implementation manners in the first aspect above.

[0039] Optionally, as an implementation manner, the chip may further include a memory. The memory stores computer program code or instructions, and the processor is used to execute the computer program code or instructions stored on the memory. When the computer program code or instructions are executed, the processor is used to execute the method provided by any one of the implementation manners in the first aspect above. Description of the Drawings

[0040] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system;

[0041] Figure 2 is an interaction schematic diagram of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] Figure 3 is an interaction schematic diagram of another communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0043] Figure 4It is a schematic flowchart of a method for determining a control center provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0044] Figure 5 It is an interaction schematic diagram of another communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0045] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0046] Figure 7 It is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0047] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of a chip system provided by an embodiment of the present application. Detailed implementation manners

[0048] Next, the technical solutions in the present application will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0049] To facilitate the understanding of the embodiments of the present application, the following points are explained:

[0050] First, in the present application, without special instructions and logical conflicts, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced to each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships.

[0051] Second, in the present application, "at least one" means one or more, and "a plurality" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects and indicates that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In the text description of the present application, the character " / " generally represents an "or" relationship between the associated objects before and after. "At least one (item)" or its similar expression means any combination of these items, including any combination of single item (item) or plural items (items). For example, at least one (item) of a, b, and c can represent: a, or, b, or, c, or, a and b, or, a and c, or, b and c, or, a, b, and c. Where a, b, and c can be single or multiple respectively.

[0052] Third, in the present application, "first", "second", and various numerical numbers (for example, #1, #2, etc.) are used for distinction for the convenience of description and do not limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application. For example, to distinguish different control centers, etc., rather than for describing a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the objects described in this way can be interchanged under appropriate circumstances so as to be able to describe the solutions other than the embodiments of the present application.

[0053] Fourth, in this application, descriptions such as "when...", "in the case of...", and "if" all refer to corresponding processing being performed under certain objective circumstances, rather than limiting time. Moreover, it is not required that there must be a judgment action during implementation, nor does it mean that there are other limitations. Additionally, it does not mean that the judgment action after these conditional conjunctions is the only condition for achieving the result. Other additional conditions may also be included to achieve the result.

[0054] Fifth, in this application, the terms "comprise" and "have" and any of their variations are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product, or device that comprises a series of steps or units does not necessarily have to be limited to those steps or units clearly listed, but may include other steps or units not clearly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products, or devices.

[0055] Sixth, in this application, "for indicating" may include direct indication and indirect indication. When describing that a certain indication information is used to indicate A, it may include that the indication information directly indicates A or indirectly indicates A, and it does not necessarily mean that A is carried in the indication information.

[0056] The indication methods involved in the embodiments of this application should be understood to cover various methods that can enable the party to be indicated to obtain the indication information. The indication information can be sent as a whole or divided into multiple sub-information and sent separately. Moreover, the sending periods and / or sending timings of these sub-information can be the same or different. This application does not limit the specific sending method.

[0057] The "indication information" in the embodiments of this application can be explicit indication, that is, directly indicated by signaling, or obtained by combining other rules or other parameters or through derivation based on the parameters indicated by the signaling. It can also be implicit indication, that is, obtained according to rules or relationships, or other parameters, or through derivation. This application does not make specific limitations on this.

[0058] Seventh, in this application, "protocol" may refer to standard protocols in the communication field. For example, it may include 5G protocols, new radio (NR) protocols, and related protocols applied to future communication systems. This application does not make limitations on this. "Preset" can be achieved by pre-saving corresponding codes, tables, or other ways that can be used to indicate relevant information in the device. This application does not limit its specific implementation method.

[0059] Eighth, in the present application, "storage" may refer to being stored in one or more memories. The one or more memories may be separately provided, or may be integrated in an encoder or a decoder, a processor, or a communication device. The one or more memories may also have a part separately provided and a part integrated in a decoder, a processor, or a communication device. The type of the memory may be any form of storage medium, and the present application does not limit this.

[0060] To facilitate the understanding of the solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the technical terms involved in the embodiments of the present application are briefly described first.

[0061] 1. Satellite communication

[0062] Satellite communication technology refers to the technology in which wireless communication devices on the ground access the network through a satellite, or refers to the technology in which wireless communication devices on the ground communicate with each other through a satellite as a relay. Compared with traditional mobile communication systems, satellite communication has a wider coverage range and can overcome natural geographical obstacles such as oceans, deserts, and mountains.

[0063] In a satellite communication scenario, multiple satellites may be included, and the types of the multiple satellites may be the same or different. There are wireless links between different satellites, and signaling interaction and user data transmission between access network devices can be completed.

[0064] Due to different orbital altitudes, the coverage area, motion characteristics, propagation delay, jitter, etc. of different types of satellites may also be different. Exemplarily, satellites can be classified into geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellites, i.e., high-orbit satellites, low earth orbit (LEO) satellites, medium earth orbit (MEO) satellites, and other satellites (Other SAT) according to the orbital type.

[0065] It should be noted that in the current satellite communication-related base station on-satellite solutions, some base station functions are on MEO and some base station functions are on LEO. The detailed situation will be described in detail in combination with Figure 1 the communication system.

[0066] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system.

[0067] As Figure 1 shown, the communication system is a communication network system integrating medium and low earth orbit satellites. The communication system includes terminal devices, medium earth orbit satellites, low earth orbit satellites, ground stations, data networks, core network devices, measurement and control stations, and network / satellite management centers. Among them,

[0068] Terminal device: The terminal device may include various handheld devices, vehicle-mounted devices, wearable devices, computing devices, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem that have wireless communication capabilities. The terminal device may also be referred to as a terminal. The terminal device may also be simply referred to as a device. The terminal device may also refer to a user equipment (UE), an access terminal, a subscriber unit, a user agent, a cellular phone, a smartphone, a wireless data card, a personal digital assistant (PDA) computer, a tablet computer, a wireless modem, a handset, a laptop computer, a smart point of sale (POS) machine, a customer-premises equipment (CPE), a machine type communication (MTC) terminal, a communication device carried on a high-altitude aircraft, a wearable device, a drone, a robot, a terminal in D2D, a terminal in vehicle to everything (V2X), a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, or a terminal device in a future communication network, etc.

[0069] A medium-earth orbit satellite or a low-earth orbit satellite may integrate some or all of the functions of a base station. It should be understood that the medium-earth orbit satellite or the low-earth orbit satellite may also integrate other functions, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this. In the embodiments of the present application, the medium-earth orbit satellite and the low-earth orbit satellite including the functions of the base station are taken as examples for detailed description. Base station, that is, a radio access network (RAN) device: The access network device may also be referred to as an access device. The RAN can manage wireless resources, provide access services for terminal devices, and complete the forwarding of terminal device data between the terminal device and the core network. The RAN can also be understood as a base station in the network.

[0070] Exemplarily, the access network device may be any communication device with wireless transceiver function for communicating with the terminal device. The access network device includes but is not limited to: evolved Node B (eNB), radio network controller (RNC), Node B (NB), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), home evolved Node B (HeNB, or home Node B, HNB), baseband unit (BBU), access point (AP) in a wireless fidelity (WIFI) system, wireless relay node, wireless backhaul node, transmission point (TP), or transmission and reception point (TRP), etc. It may also be a 5G mobile communication system, such as gNB in an NR system, or a transmission point (TRP or TP), one or a group of antenna panels (including multiple antenna panels) of a base station in a 5G mobile communication system, or, it may also be a network node constituting a gNB or a transmission point, such as a baseband unit (BBU), or a distributed unit (DU), etc.

[0071] In some deployments, the gNB may include a centralized unit (CU) and a DU. The gNB may also include an active antenna unit (AAU). The CU implements some functions of the gNB, and the DU implements some functions of the gNB. For example, the CU is responsible for processing non-real-time protocols and services, implementing radio resource control (RRC), and the functions of the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer. The DU is responsible for processing physical layer protocols and real-time services, implementing the functions of the radio link control (RLC) layer, the media access control (MAC) layer, and the physical (PHY) layer. The AAU implements some physical layer processing functions, radio frequency processing, and related functions of the active antenna. The information of the RRC layer is generated by the CU and will ultimately be encapsulated into PHY layer information by the PHY layer of the DU, or transformed from the PHY layer information. Therefore, in this architecture, high-layer signaling such as RRC layer signaling can also be considered to be sent by the DU, or sent by the DU + AAU. It can be understood that the access network device may be a device including one or more of the CU node, the DU node, and the AAU node. In addition, the CU may be classified as an access network device in the access network, or the CU may be classified as an access network device in the core network (CN), and this application does not make a limitation on this. Figure 1 The base station shown is illustrated by taking the gNB as an example.

[0072] The ground station, which can also be called a gateway (GW). The ground station is a satellite gateway (also known as a transfer or hub) that transfers data to / from the satellite to the local area network. It houses antennas and equipment that convert radiofrequency (RF) signals into Internet protocol (IP) signals for terrestrial connections.

[0073] The data network (DN) is a combination of data terminal equipment, data processing equipment, and data communication equipment (including communication channels), providing data transmission functions and resource sharing functions including data and data processing capabilities for communication stations and users located at different locations, providing, for example, operator services, Internet access, or third-party services, and including servers, where the server side implements video source coding, rendering, etc.

[0074] The core network device may include core network-related functional network elements such as user plane network elements, access management network elements, session management network elements, policy control network elements, and unified data management network elements.

[0075] As the interface with the data network, the user plane network element completes functions such as user plane data forwarding, charging statistics based on sessions / streams, and bandwidth limitation. That is, packet routing and forwarding, and quality of service (QoS) processing of user plane data, etc. In the 5G mobile communication system, the user plane network element may be a user plane function (UPF) network element.

[0076] The access management network element is mainly used for mobility management and access management, etc. In the 5G mobile communication system, the access management network element may be an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element, which mainly performs functions such as mobility management, access authentication / authorization, etc. In addition, it is also responsible for transmitting user policies between the terminal and the PCF network element. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific form of the future access management network element. For example, it may be divided into an access management network element and a mobility management network element.

[0077] The session management network element is mainly used for session management. In the 5G mobile communication system, this network element may be a session management function (SMF) network element, which is used for session management after user access, including protocol data unit (PDU) session establishment, modification, activation, deactivation, release, etc., as well as UE IP address allocation, DHCPv4 / v6 functions, ARP proxy, IPv6 Neighbour Solicitation Proxying for Ethernet PDU, optional and control of the user plane, determination of the session SSC mode and roaming, etc.

[0078] In the 5G mobile communication system, the policy control network element may be a policy control function (PCF) network element, which is mainly used to manage network behavior with a unified policy framework, provide policy rules to control plane functions (AMF, SMF), and access subscription information related to policy decisions in the unified data repository (UDR). Among them, the UDR is mainly used for the UDM to store and obtain subscription data, the PCF to store and obtain policy data, store structured data for capability open, and store application data for application detection.

[0079] In a 5G mobile communication system, the unified data management network element may be a unified data management (UDM) network element, which is mainly used for generating 3GPP AKA authentication certificates, user identity identifier processing, unified management of function-related data such as access authorization based on subscription information, service NF registration management, and subscription information management.

[0080] The measurement and control station is used to directly track, measure, telemeter, remotely control, and communicate with the satellite. The measurement and control station transmits the received measurement and telemetry information to the network / satellite management center, and the network / satellite management center sends instructions to the measurement and control station to communicate with the satellite to complete the control of the satellite.

[0081] As Figure 1 shown, the medium-earth orbit satellite may include some functions of the base station (for example, gNB-CU) and the functions of the AMF. It should be understood that the satellite access and mobility management function (SAMF) network element may be a separate on-board network element. In future communications, it may also be divided into an on-board access management function network element and an on-board mobility management function network element. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the future existence form of the access and mobility management network element. As Figure 1 shown, the low-earth orbit satellite may include some functions of the base station (for example, gNB-DU). The ground station may include some functions of the base station (for example, gNB-CU) and the functions of the AMF.

[0082] It should be understood that the AMF network elements deployed on the ground station and the medium-earth orbit satellite in the embodiments of the present application may be responsible for counting global information as the management and control center.

[0083] Satellite communication and terrestrial mobile communication form an integrated communication, which is a development trend of communication systems. The advantage of wide-area coverage of satellite networks complements the services of terrestrial mobile communication networks. Users can alternately access the satellite network or the terrestrial mobile communication network to ensure service continuity. Especially for terminal devices with large-scale mobility, satellite-ground integration handover is the key to ensuring user service continuity. For example, as Figure 1 shown, if the terminal device is on a fast-moving carrier such as an airplane, a train, a ship, or a car, satellite-ground integration can ensure the continuity of user services, thereby improving the user experience.

[0084] In the current solutions for the integration of satellite communication and terrestrial mobile communication, they mainly include inter-satellite handover solutions and satellite-terrestrial handover solutions. For the inter-satellite handover solutions, the differences between the satellite-based base stations and terrestrial base stations without considering satellite-terrestrial handover are not taken into account. For example, the inter-satellite handover based on the staring beam satellite mode, the multi-satellite handover strategy for low-earth orbit satellite networks based on user groups, etc. Due to the existence of terminal devices with large-scale mobility, if there is only inter-satellite handover, there may be a problem of increased probability of handover failure. At this time, through satellite-terrestrial handover, the base station serving the terminal device is switched to a terrestrial cellular base station, which can reduce the probability of this handover failure.

[0085] Whether it is satellite-terrestrial handover or inter-satellite handover, many solutions are Xn handovers, that is, the source base station initiating the handover searches for the target base station. The source base station needs to collect information through signaling interaction to determine the candidate base stations and then determine the target base station from the candidate base stations. The complex signaling interaction in Xn handover may bring high handover latency and more signaling overhead. In addition, if the source base station is a satellite-based base station, due to the mobility of the satellite-based base station and the terminal device, there may be a risk that the information collected by the source base station for determining the target base station becomes outdated, resulting in an increase in the handover failure rate.

[0086] In addition, whether it is satellite-terrestrial handover or inter-satellite handover, the handover processes of most current solutions mainly focus on the signaling interaction process for the user handover process, only considering the user's handover decision-making process, and do not further design the signaling interaction process for the correct forwarding of user data communication services during the handover process, lacking integrity and unable to guarantee the complete data communication of users during the handover process.

[0087] To solve the above problems, the embodiments of the present application propose a communication method and device, which will be described in detail below in conjunction with Figures 2 to 8 Detailed description.

[0088] Figure 2It is an interaction schematic diagram of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. In the present application, the terminal device, the source base station, the target base station, and the target management and control center are taken as the execution entities of the interaction schematic to illustrate the corresponding method, but the present application does not limit the execution entities of the interaction schematic. For example, the method implemented by the terminal device can also be implemented by a module of the terminal device (such as a chip, a chip system, or a processor), and can also be implemented by a logical node, a logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the terminal device. Another example is that the method implemented by the source base station can also be implemented by a module of the source base station (such as a chip, a chip system, or a processor), and can also be implemented by a logical node, a logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the source base station. Another example is that the method implemented by the target base station can also be implemented by a module of the target base station (such as a chip, a chip system, or a processor), and can also be implemented by a logical node, a logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the target base station. Another example is that the method implemented by the target management and control center can also be implemented by a module of the target management and control center (such as a chip, a chip system, or a processor), and can also be implemented by a logical node, a logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the target management and control center.

[0089] S210, obtain multiple candidate management and control centers.

[0090] Specifically, multiple candidate management and control centers are pre-configured in the source base station, and the multiple candidate management and control centers may include the current management and control center of the source base station.

[0091] It should be understood that the management and control center in the embodiment of the present application may be a network element in the core network device. For example, the AMF. The multiple candidate management and control centers may be located on a satellite or on the ground. Exemplarily, when the management and control center is located on a satellite, the satellite may be a MEO.

[0092] S220, determine a target management and control center from the multiple candidate management and control centers according to the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance between each candidate management and control center and the source base station among the multiple candidate management and control centers.

[0093] Among them, the number of transmission hops between the candidate management and control center and the source base station can be understood as the number of network function entities that the signaling transmission between the candidate management and control center and the source base station needs to pass through. The transmission distance between the candidate management and control center and the source base station can be understood as the sum of the distances between the network function entities that the transmission between the candidate management and control center and the source base station needs to pass through.

[0094] As a possible implementation, the first control center is determined from multiple candidate control centers according to the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance between each candidate control center and the source base station. The second control center is determined from the first subset of candidate control centers according to the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance between each candidate control center in the first subset of candidate control centers and the source base station. The first subset of candidate control centers includes candidate control centers located on the ground among the multiple candidate control centers. The target control center is determined according to the first control center and the second control center.

[0095] It should be understood that when selecting the first control center from the global candidate control centers and when selecting the second control center from the first subset of candidate control centers, both the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance are comprehensively considered.

[0096] As a possible implementation, the first control center is determined according to the first weight, the second weight, and the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance between each candidate control center and the source base station among the multiple candidate control centers. The first weight is the weight corresponding to the number of transmission hops, and the second weight is the weight corresponding to the transmission distance. The second control center is determined from the first subset of candidate control centers according to the third weight, the fourth weight, and the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance between each candidate control center and the source base station in the first subset of candidate control centers. The third weight is the weight corresponding to the number of transmission hops, and the fourth weight is the weight corresponding to the transmission distance.

[0097] It should be understood that for the method of selecting the first control center and the second control center by the weight of the number of transmission hops and the weight of the transmission distance, in order to facilitate unifying the scales of the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance, the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance between each candidate control center and the source base station can be normalized. The specific normalization method is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0098] Among them, the first weight may be the same as or different from the third weight, and the second weight and the fourth weight may be the same as or different from each other.

[0099] It should also be understood that the selection strategy for the first weight and the second weight depends on the importance of the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance in the selection of the control center.

[0100] In some implementations, the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance between each candidate control center and the source base station can also be used as independent variables and input into the corresponding function in the form of a function, so as to obtain the value corresponding to each candidate control center, and then the first control center and the second control center are selected. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the method of selecting the first control center and the second control center through the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance.

[0101] As a possible implementation, when the first control center is the same as the second control center, the target control center is determined to be the first control center.

[0102] As a possible implementation, when the first control center is different from the second control center, the target control center is determined from the first control center and the second control center according to the transmission distance between the first control center and the source base station and the transmission distance between the second control center and the source base station.

[0103] As a possible implementation, when the first control center is different from the second control center, the target control center is determined from the first control center and the second control center according to the number of transmission hops between the first control center and the source base station and the number of transmission hops between the second control center and the source base station.

[0104] In some implementations, the source base station determines the candidate control center with the fewest number of hops among multiple first transmission hops and the shortest distance among multiple first transmission distances as the target control center. Among them, the multiple first transmission hops include the transmission hops between multiple candidate control centers and the source base respectively, and the multiple first transmission distances include the transmission distances between multiple candidate control centers and the source base station respectively.

[0105] In some implementations, the source base station determines the first control center, and the number of transmission hops corresponding to the first control center is the fewest among the number of transmission hops corresponding to multiple candidate control centers. The source base station determines the second control center, and the number of transmission hops corresponding to the second control center is the fewest among the number of transmission hops corresponding to the ground candidate control centers. The multiple candidate control centers include ground control centers. The source base station determines the target control center according to the first control center and the second control center.

[0106] In some implementations, when the first control center is the same as the second control center, the target control center is the first control center.

[0107] In some implementations, when the first control center is different from the second control center, the control center corresponding to the shorter of the transmission distance corresponding to the first control center and the transmission distance corresponding to the second control center is determined as the target control center.

[0108] In some implementations, the source base station determines the first control center, and the transmission distance corresponding to the first control center is the shortest among the transmission distances corresponding to multiple candidate control centers. The source base station determines the second control center, and the transmission distance corresponding to the second control center is the shortest among the transmission distances corresponding to the ground candidate control centers. The multiple candidate control centers include ground control centers. The source base station determines the target control center according to the first control center and the second control center.

[0109] In some implementations, when the first control center is the same as the second control center, the target control center is the first control center.

[0110] In some implementations, when the first control center is different from the second control center, the control center corresponding to the smaller of the transmission hop counts corresponding to the first control center and the transmission hop counts corresponding to the second control center is determined as the target control center.

[0111] It should be understood that the target control centers determined by the source base stations (such as spaceborne base stations) corresponding to the same location can be the same. This can reduce the signaling interaction between space and ground.

[0112] In the above technical solution, during the space-ground handover process, the target control center is determined by the transmission hop count and the transmission distance between the candidate control center and the source base station. Since the target control center can obtain global information, it is helpful to subsequently select a more reasonable target base station to be handed over, thus ensuring service continuity and network service quality. Moreover, compared with the solution of determining the target base station through signaling interaction between base stations, during the space-ground handover process, the above method of determining the target control center can reduce the signaling overhead and handover delay between the base station and the target control center, thereby improving the overall handover performance.

[0113] Optionally, in S230a, the target control center sends a first indication message to the source base station, and the first indication message is used to indicate the target base station.

[0114] Optionally, in S230b-1, the terminal device sends a measurement report to the source base station.

[0115] It should be understood that the measurement report can be generated by the terminal device monitoring the radio signals of adjacent cells and / or adjacent satellites of the spaceborne base station.

[0116] Optionally, in S230b-2, the source base station determines the target base station according to the measurement report.

[0117] It should be understood that the specific method of determining the target base station will be Figure 3 described in detail.

[0118] Optionally, in S230b-3, the source base station sends a second indication message to the target control center, and the second indication message is used to indicate the target base station.

[0119] It should be understood that S230a is specifically the step corresponding to the target control center determining the target base station, which will be Figure 3 described in detail later. S230b-1 to S230b-3 are specifically the steps corresponding to the source base station determining the target base station, which will be Figure 5 described in detail later.

[0120] Optionally, in S240, the source base station sends cache data information to the target base station.

[0121] The following will combine Figures 3 to 5 to elaborate in detail on the detailed interaction processes of the satellite-to-ground handover process and the ground-to-satellite handover process.

[0122] Figure 3 It is an interaction schematic diagram of another communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. It can be understood that the present application takes the terminal device, the source base station, the target base station, the target management and control center, and the user plane network element as the execution entities of this interaction schematic to illustrate the corresponding method, but the present application does not limit the execution entities of the interaction schematic. For example, for the method implemented by the terminal device, it can also be implemented by a module of the terminal device (such as a chip, a chip system, or a processor), and can also be implemented by a logical node, a logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the terminal device. Another example is that for the method implemented by the source base station, it can also be implemented by a module of the source base station (such as a chip, a chip system, or a processor), and can also be implemented by a logical node, a logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the source base station. Another example is that for the method implemented by the target base station, it can also be implemented by a module of the target base station (such as a chip, a chip system, or a processor), and can also be implemented by a logical node, a logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the target base station. Another example is that for the method implemented by the target management and control center, it can also be implemented by a module of the target management and control center (such as a chip, a chip system, or a processor), and can also be implemented by a logical node, a logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the target management and control center. Another example is that for the method implemented by the user plane network element, it can also be implemented by a module of the user plane network element (such as a chip, a chip system, or a processor), and can also be implemented by a logical node, a logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the user plane network element.

[0123] It should be understood that Figure 3 the source base station in

[0124] is described by taking the spaceborne base station as an example, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0125] Specifically, the terminal device monitors the radio signals of adjacent cells and / or adjacent satellites of the spaceborne base station, and generates a measurement report.

[0126] The terminal device can send the measurement report to the source base station periodically, or the terminal device can also trigger the reporting of the measurement report according to the message sent by the source base station. The embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0127] Among them, the adjacent cells can be determined by the terminal device through broadcast, or can also be determined by the terminal device through signal measurement. The adjacent satellites can be determined by the spaceborne base station through broadcast.

[0128] Exemplarily, the measurement report may include signal strength, signal quality, etc. of wireless signals of neighboring cells and / or neighboring satellites of spaceborne base stations. The embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0129] S302. The source base station selects a target management and control center.

[0130] As a possible implementation manner, the source base station obtains multiple candidate management and control centers. The source base station determines the target management and control center according to the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance between each candidate management and control center and the source base station.

[0131] Figure 4 It is a schematic flowchart of a method for determining a management and control center provided by an embodiment of the present application. Figure 4 It is an example of determining a target management and control center.

[0132] S410. Obtain multiple candidate management and control centers.

[0133] S420a. The source base station determines a first management and control center from multiple candidate management and control centers according to the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance between each candidate management and control center in the multiple candidate management and control centers and the source base station.

[0134] S420b. The source base station determines a second management and control center from the first candidate management and control center subset according to the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance between each candidate management and control center in the first candidate management and control center subset and the source base station, where the first candidate management and control center subset includes candidate management and control centers located on the ground among the multiple candidate management and control centers.

[0135] S430. Determine whether the first management and control center is the same as the second management and control center.

[0136] S440a. When the first management and control center is the same as the second management and control center, determine the target management and control center as the first management and control center.

[0137] S440b. When the first management and control center is not the same as the second management and control center, determine the target management and control center from the first management and control center and the second management and control center according to the transmission distance between the first management and control center and the source base station and the transmission distance between the second management and control center and the source base station.

[0138] S303. The source base station sends a measurement report to the target management and control center, and the target management and control center receives the measurement included from the source base station.

[0139] Optionally, in the message including the measurement report, service information and identification information of the terminal device may also be included. Alternatively, the source base station may also send the service information and identification information of the terminal device to the target management and control center.

[0140] For example, the service information of the terminal device may include QoS information and the like.

[0141] S304. The target management and control center determines the target base station according to the measurement report.

[0142] Specifically, the target management and control center queries the global identification information of the target base station according to the measurement report. For example, the global identification information of the target base station may include information such as the identity identification of the target base station.

[0143] As a possible implementation manner, the target management and control center determines the target base station according to at least one of the measurement report, the service information of the terminal device, or the handover strategy.

[0144] Among them, the handover strategy may be preset in the target management and control center. For example, the handover strategy may include at least one of a priority handover strategy between a spaceborne base station and a terrestrial base station (which may also be referred to as a cellular base station), a signal quality priority handover strategy, a service time priority handover strategy, a distance handover strategy, a channel number handover strategy, or a load balancing handover strategy.

[0145] Exemplarily, the priority handover strategy is used to indicate that the target base station is preferably a spaceborne base station or a terrestrial base station. The signal quality priority handover strategy is used to indicate that the target base station is preferably the base station with the strongest signal quality. The service time priority handover strategy is used to indicate that the target base station is preferably the base station with the longest service time. The distance handover strategy indicates that the target base station is preferably the base station with the shortest distance from the source base station. The channel number handover strategy is used to indicate that the target base station is preferably the base station with the largest number of available channels. The load balancing handover strategy is used to indicate that the target base station is preferably the base station with lighter load.

[0146] It should be understood that the manner in which the target management and control center determines the target base station may use the measurement report or may not use the measurement report, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0147] In some implementation manners, the target management and control center determines the target base station according to the radio signals of the neighboring cells of the terminal device and / or the neighboring satellites of the spaceborne base station indicated in the measurement report.

[0148] In some implementation manners, the target management and control center determines the target base station according to the measurement report, the service information of the terminal device, and the handover strategy.

[0149] S305a. The target management and control center sends a first handover request to the target base station, and the first handover request is used to request the target base station to allocate resources for the terminal device.

[0150] Among them, the first handover request may include the identification information and service information of the terminal device. Exemplarily, the requested allocated resource information may include one or more of antenna resources, time slot resources, frequency resources, or power resources allocated by the target base station for the terminal device.

[0151] S305b, the target base station reserves resources for the terminal device according to the service information and identification information of the terminal device, and sends a handover request response to the target management center.

[0152] Among them, the handover request response may include the channel information of the random access process of the target base station.

[0153] S306a, the target management center sends a first handover command to the source base station, and the source base station receives the first handover command from the target management center.

[0154] Specifically, the target management center parses the handover request response to obtain the channel information of the random access process of the target base station.

[0155] Optionally, the target management center generates a first handover command. Among them, the first handover command may include the identification information of the target base station and the channel information of the random access process.

[0156] It should be understood that the first indication information of the optional step S230a may be carried in the first handover command.

[0157] S306b, the source base station sends the first handover command to the terminal device, and the terminal device receives the first handover command from the source base station.

[0158] S306c, the terminal device parses the first handover command and sends a first handover command response to the source base station, and the source base station receives the first handover command response from the terminal device.

[0159] Specifically, the terminal device obtains the identification information of the target base station and the channel information of the random access process by parsing the first handover command.

[0160] S306d, the source base station sends the first handover command to the target management center, and the target management center receives the first handover command from the source base station.

[0161] S307, the terminal device performs a random access and synchronization process with the target base station according to the identification information of the target base station and the channel information of the random access process.

[0162] It should be understood that the embodiments of the present application do not limit the execution order between S306c and S307.

[0163] S308a, the target base station allocates a service channel for the terminal device according to the resources reserved in S305b.

[0164] S308b, the terminal device establishes an uplink data link with the target base station through the service channel allocated by S308a.

[0165] S309a, the target base station sends a handover completion message to the target management and control center, and the target management and control center receives the handover completion message from the target base station.

[0166] Among them, the handover completion message can be used to indicate that the terminal device has successfully accessed the target base station.

[0167] S310, the source base station sends cache data information to the target base station. Among them, the cache data information can include the downlink transmission sequence number or cache between the source base station and the terminal device.

[0168] It should be understood that the embodiments of the present application do not limit the execution order between S309a and S310.

[0169] S311a, after S309a, the target management and control center sends a resource release request to the source base station, and the resource release request includes the identification information of the terminal device corresponding to the service channel to be released.

[0170] S311b, the source base station parses the resource release request, obtains the identification information of the terminal device corresponding to the service channel to be released, releases the resources corresponding to the identification information, and sends a resource release request response to the target management and control center.

[0171] Among them, the resource release request response is used to indicate that the service channel resources allocated by the source base station to the terminal device have been released.

[0172] S309b, after S311b, the target management and control center sends a handover completion response to the target base station, and the target base station receives the handover completion response from the target management and control center.

[0173] S312a, the destination base station sends a path switching request to the target management and control center.

[0174] S312b, the target management and control center sends a path switching request to the user plane network element, and the user plane network element receives the path switching request from the target management and control center.

[0175] Among them, the user plane network element can be the user plane network element in the core network, or the user plane network element corresponding to the terminal device of the peer user of the terminal device.

[0176] S312c, the user plane network element sends a path switching response to the target management and control center, and the target management and control center receives the path switching response from the user plane network element.

[0177] Specifically, the user plane network element switches the user plane transmission path between the terminal device and the terminal device of the peer user from the path passing through the source base station to the path passing through the target base station.

[0178] S312d. The target management and control center sends a path switching response to the target base station, and the target base station receives the path switching response from the target management and control center.

[0179] At this time, the data of the terminal device of the peer user will be directly transmitted to the terminal device after passing through the target base station.

[0180] Figure 5 It is an interaction schematic diagram of another communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. It can be understood that the present application takes the terminal device, the source base station, the target base station, the target management and control center, and the user plane network element as the execution entities of this interaction schematic to illustrate the corresponding method, but the present application does not limit the execution entities of the interaction schematic. Specifically, reference can be made to Figure 3 the relevant description, which will not be elaborated here.

[0181] It should be understood that Figure 5 the source base station in

[0182] is described by taking a ground base station as an example, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0183] S501 and S502 steps and S301 and S302 steps will not be elaborated here.

[0184] It should be understood that the manner in which the source base station determines the target base station is similar to S304 and will not be elaborated here. The difference is that if a handover strategy is used to determine the target base station, the handover strategy is pre-configured in the source base station.

[0185] S504. The source base station sends a second handover request to the target management and control center. The second handover request is used to request the target base station to allocate resources for the terminal device. The second handover request includes the identification information of the target base station.

[0186] It should be understood that the second indication information in the optional step S230b-3 can be carried in the second handover request.

[0187] S505a. The target management and control center sends a first handover request to the target base station. The first handover request is used to request the target base station to allocate resources for the terminal device.

[0188] It should be understood that for a detailed description of the first handover request, reference can be made to S305a and will not be elaborated here.

[0189] S505b is similar to S305b, and reference can be made to the relevant description of S305b and will not be elaborated here.

[0190] In S505c, the target control center sends a handover request response to the source base station, and the source base station receives the handover request response from the target control center.

[0191] In S506a, the source base station sends a first handover command to the terminal device, and the terminal device receives the first handover command from the source base station.

[0192] Optionally, the source base station generates the first handover command. It should be understood that for a detailed description of the first handover command, reference can be made to S306a, which will not be elaborated here.

[0193] In S506b, the terminal device parses the first handover command and sends a first handover command response to the source base station, and the source base station receives the first handover command response from the terminal device.

[0194] It should be understood that although in the embodiments of the present application, the Figure 3 source base station in is a spaceborne base station, and the Figure 5 source base station in is a terrestrial base station as an example for detailed description. However, Figure 5 the steps of S503 to S506b in can also be directly used in the Figure 3 communication interaction process of, and Figure 3 the steps of S303 to S306b in can also be directly used in the Figure 5 communication interaction process of.

[0195] It should also be understood that if the source base station is a spaceborne base station, the step of determining the target base station is implemented in the target control center, which can reduce the use of source base station resources.

[0196] The steps of S507 to S512d are similar to the steps of S307 and S312d, which will not be elaborated here.

[0197] Above, the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application has been described in detail in combination with Figures 2 to 5 It can be understood that in order to implement the above functions, it includes the corresponding hardware structure and / or software module for executing each function.

[0198] Those skilled in the art should be able to realize that, combining the units and algorithm steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed herein, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a certain function is executed in the way of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional technicians can use different methods to implement the described function for a specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to exceed the scope of the present application.

[0199] Below, in combination with Figures 6 to 8A detailed description of the communication device provided in the embodiments of the present application. It should be understood that the description of the device embodiments corresponds to the description of the method embodiments. Therefore, for the content not described in detail, reference can be made to the above method embodiments. For the sake of brevity, some content will not be elaborated further.

[0200] Figure 6 FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in the embodiments of the present application. The device may include a processing unit 620 for data processing. Optionally, the device may further include a transceiver unit 610, which can implement corresponding communication functions. The transceiver unit 610 may also be referred to as a communication interface or a communication unit or an interface unit. It should be understood that for operations such as sending and receiving involved in the present application, if there is no special description, or if it does not conflict with its actual role or internal logic in the relevant description, it can be more generally understood as operations such as output and input, rather than the sending and receiving operations directly performed by the radio frequency circuit and the antenna.

[0201] Optionally, the device may further include a storage unit for storing instructions and / or data. The processing unit 620 can read the instructions and / or data in the storage unit to enable the device to implement the foregoing method embodiments.

[0202] The device can be used to perform the actions in the above method embodiments. The transceiver unit 610 is used to perform the operations related to obtaining or transceiver in the above method embodiments, and the processing unit 620 is used to perform the operations related to processing in the above method embodiments.

[0203] As a design, the device is used to perform the actions performed by the source base station in the method embodiments shown above. The execution entity can be a chip, a chip system or a processor that supports the source base station to implement the corresponding method, or a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the source base station. Figures 2 to 5 Specifically, the transceiver unit 610 is used to obtain a plurality of candidate control centers. The processing unit 620 is used to determine a target control center from the plurality of candidate control centers according to the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance between each candidate control center and the source base station in the plurality of candidate control centers.

[0204] For the parts not described in detail, reference can be made to the above method embodiments.

[0205] For the parts not described in detail, reference can be made to the above method embodiments.

[0206] It should be understood that the specific processes of each unit performing the above corresponding steps have been described in detail in the above method embodiments. For the sake of brevity, they will not be elaborated here.

[0207] The processing unit 620 in the above embodiments may be implemented by at least one processor or processor-related circuitry. The transceiver unit 610 may be implemented by a transceiver or transceiver-related circuitry. The storage unit may be implemented by at least one memory.

[0208] Figure 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0209] As shown in Figure 7 the figure, an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication device. The device includes a processor 710. Optionally, the device further includes a memory 720. The processor 710 is coupled to the memory 720, and the memory 720 is used to store computer programs or instructions and / or data. The processor 710 is used to execute the computer programs or instructions and / or data stored in the memory 720, so that the methods in the above method embodiments are executed.

[0210] Optionally, the processor 710 included in the device is one or more.

[0211] Optionally, as shown in Figure 7 the figure, the device 700 may further include a memory 720.

[0212] Optionally, the memory 720 included in the device may be one or more.

[0213] Optionally, the memory 720 may be integrated with the processor 710 or separately provided.

[0214] Optionally, as shown in Figure 7 the figure, the device may further include a transceiver 730, and the transceiver 730 is used for receiving and / or sending signals. For example, the processor 710 is used to control the transceiver 730 to receive and / or send signals.

[0215] As a solution, the device is used to implement the operations performed by the communication device (for example, terminal device, source base station, target base station, target management center) in the above method embodiments.

[0216] For example, the processor 710 is used to implement the processing-related operations performed by the source base station in the above method embodiments, and the transceiver 730 is used to implement the transceiver-related operations performed by the source base station in the above method embodiments.

[0217] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a chip system provided by an embodiment of the present application, as shown in Figure 8As shown in the figure. The chip system (or it can also be called a processing system) includes a logic circuit 810 and an input / output interface 820. The logic circuit is used to be coupled with the input interface and transmit data parameters through the input / output interface to execute the method in the above method embodiment. The device installed with this chip system can implement the method and function of the embodiment of the present application. For example, the logic circuit 810 can be the processing circuit in the chip system to implement the control of the device installed with this chip system, and can also be coupled to a storage unit to call the instructions in the storage unit, so that the device can implement the method and function of the embodiment of the present application. The input / output interface 820 can be the input / output circuit in the chip system to output the information processed by the chip system or input the data or signaling information to be processed into the chip system for processing.

[0218] As a solution, this chip system is used to implement the operations performed by the communication device in the above method embodiment.

[0219] For example, the logic circuit 810 is used to implement the operations related to processing in the above method embodiment, and the input / output interface 820 is used to implement the operations related to obtaining in the above method embodiment.

[0220] The embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, on which computer instructions for implementing the method performed by the communication device (such as a terminal device, a source base station, a target base station, a target management and control center) in the above method embodiment are stored.

[0221] For example, when the computer program is executed by a computer, the computer can implement the method performed by the communication device (such as a terminal device, a source base station, a target base station, a target management and control center) in the above method embodiment.

[0222] The embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product containing instructions, and when the instructions are executed by a computer, the computer implements the method performed by the communication device (such as a terminal device, a source base station, a target base station, a target management and control center) in the above method embodiment.

[0223] The explanations and beneficial effects of the relevant content in any of the above provided devices can refer to the corresponding method embodiments provided above, and will not be elaborated here.

[0224] It should be understood that the processor mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may be a central processing unit (CPU), or may also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may also be any conventional processor, etc.

[0225] It should also be understood that the memory mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may be a volatile memory and / or a non-volatile memory. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable ROM (PROM), an erasable PROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM). For example, the RAM may be used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, the RAM may include the following various forms: static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0226] It should be noted that when the processor is a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA, or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, discrete hardware component, the memory (storage module) may be integrated in the processor.

[0227] It should also be noted that the memory described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0228] Those of ordinary skill in the art can realize that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in combination with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented by electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are executed in a hardware or software manner depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional technicians can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to exceed the scope of this application.

[0229] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that for the convenience and conciseness of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be elaborated herein.

[0230] In several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division, and there can be other division methods in actual implementation. For example, multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the displayed or discussed couplings or direct couplings or communication connections to each other can be through some interfaces, and the indirect couplings or communication connections of devices or units can be in electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0231] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components displayed as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they can be located in one place, or distributed to multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

[0232] In addition, the functional units in each embodiment of this application can be integrated in a processing unit, or each unit can exist physically alone, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit.

[0233] When the above-mentioned functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art or a part of this technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for causing a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in various embodiments of this application. The foregoing storage medium includes: various media that can store program codes such as USB flash drives, mobile hard disks, read-only memory ROM, random access memory RAM, magnetic disks, or optical discs.

[0234] As described above, the above is only the specific implementation manner of this application, but the protection scope of this application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed by this application can easily think of changes or substitutions, which should all be covered within the protection scope of this application. Therefore, the protection scope of this application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, Including: Obtain multiple candidate control centers; Determine a target control center from the multiple candidate control centers according to the transmission hop count and transmission distance between each candidate control center in the multiple candidate control centers and the source base station.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The determining the target control center from the multiple candidate control centers according to the transmission hop count and transmission distance between each candidate control center in the multiple candidate control centers and the source base station includes: Determine a first control center from the multiple candidate control centers according to the transmission hop count and transmission distance between each candidate control center in the multiple candidate control centers and the source base station; Determine a second control center from the first subset of candidate control centers according to the transmission hop count and transmission distance between each candidate control center in the first subset of candidate control centers and the source base station, where the first subset of candidate control centers includes the candidate control centers located on the ground in the multiple candidate control centers; Determine the target control center according to the first control center and the second control center.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein The determining the first control center from the multiple candidate control centers according to the transmission hop count and transmission distance between each candidate control center and the source base station includes: Determine the first control center according to a first weight, a second weight, and the transmission hop count and transmission distance between each candidate control center in the multiple candidate control centers and the source base station, where the first weight is the weight corresponding to the transmission hop count, and the second weight is the weight corresponding to the transmission distance; The determining the second control center from the first subset of candidate control centers according to the transmission hop count and transmission distance between each candidate control center in the first subset of candidate control centers and the source base station includes: Determine the second control center from the first subset of candidate control centers according to a third weight, a fourth weight, and the transmission hop count and transmission distance between each candidate control center in the first subset of candidate control centers and the source base station, where the third weight is the weight corresponding to the transmission hop count, and the fourth weight is the weight corresponding to the transmission distance.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The determining the target control center according to the first control center and the second control center includes: When the first control center and the second control center are the same, determine the target control center as the first control center.

5. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The determining the target control center according to the first control center and the second control center includes: When the first control center and the second control center are different, determine the target control center from the first control center and the second control center according to the transmission distance between the first control center and the source base station and the transmission distance between the second control center and the source base station.

6. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The determining the target control center according to the first control center and the second control center includes: When the first control center and the second control center are different, determine the target control center from the first control center and the second control center according to the number of transmission hops between the first control center and the source base station and the number of transmission hops between the second control center and the source base station.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receiving first indication information from the target control center, where the first indication information is used to indicate the target base station.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receiving a measurement report from a terminal device; Determining a target base station according to the measurement report; Sending second indication information to the target control center, where the second indication information is used to indicate the target base station.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that The method further includes: Sending cache data information to the target base station.

10. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that, The source base station is a spaceborne base station and the target base station is a ground base station; or, the source base station is a ground base station and the target base station is a spaceborne base station.

11. A communication device, characterized in that, The apparatus includes a transceiver unit and a processing unit: The transceiver unit is configured to obtain a plurality of candidate control centers; The processing unit is configured to determine a target control center from the plurality of candidate control centers according to the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance between each candidate control center in the plurality of candidate control centers and the source base station.

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein Specifically, the processing unit is configured to: Determine a first control center from the plurality of candidate control centers according to the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance between each candidate control center in the plurality of candidate control centers and the source base station; Determine a second control center from the first subset of candidate control centers according to the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance between each candidate control center in the first subset of candidate control centers and the source base station, where the first subset of candidate control centers includes the candidate control centers located on the ground in the plurality of candidate control centers; Determine the target control center according to the first control center and the second control center.

13. The device according to claim 12, characterized in that, Specifically, the processing unit is configured to: Determine a first control center according to a first weight, a second weight, and the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance between each candidate control center in the plurality of candidate control centers and the source base station, where the first weight is the weight corresponding to the number of transmission hops and the second weight is the weight corresponding to the transmission distance; Determine a second control center from the first subset of candidate control centers according to a third weight, a fourth weight, and the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance between each candidate control center in the first subset of candidate control centers and the source base station, where the third weight is the weight corresponding to the number of transmission hops and the fourth weight is the weight corresponding to the transmission distance.

14. The device according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that, Specifically, the processing unit is configured to: When the first control center and the second control center are the same, determine the target control center as the first control center.

15. The device according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that, Specifically, the processing unit is configured to: When the first control center and the second control center are different, determine the target control center from the first control center and the second control center according to the transmission distance between the first control center and the source base station and the transmission distance between the second control center and the source base station.

16. The device according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that The processing unit is specifically configured to: When the first control center and the second control center are different, determine the target control center from the first control center and the second control center according to the number of transmission hops between the first control center and the source base station and the number of transmission hops between the second control center and the source base station.

17. The device according to any one of claims 11 to 16, characterized in that, The transceiver unit is further configured to: Receive first indication information from the target control center, where the first indication information is used to indicate the target base station.

18. The device according to any one of claims 11 to 16, wherein: The transceiver unit is further configured to: receive a measurement report from a terminal device; The processing unit is further configured to: determine the target base station according to the measurement report; The transceiver unit is further configured to: send second indication information to the target control center, where the second indication information is used to indicate the target base station.

19. The device according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that, The transceiver unit is further configured to: Send cache data information to the target base station.

20. The device according to any one of claims 17 to 19, characterized in that, The source base station is a spaceborne base station and the target base station is a terrestrial base station; or, the source base station is a terrestrial base station and the target base station is a spaceborne base station.

21. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes a processor, the processor is coupled with a memory, the memory is used to store computer program code or instructions, and the processor is used to execute the computer program code or instructions in the memory, so that the device executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

22. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, Computer program code or instructions are stored on the computer-readable storage medium, and when the computer program code or instructions run on a computer, the computer executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

23. A computer program product, characterized in that, When the computer program product runs on a computer, the computer executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

24. A chip, characterized in that, The chip is coupled with the memory and is used to read and execute the program instructions stored in the memory to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

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