Communication method and related device

Abstract

The invention provides a communication method and a related device, which are applied to a first node, and the method comprises the following steps: the first node sends first time information to a second node, the first time information being used for indicating the second node to receive and cache data within a first time; and / or is used for indicating the second node to send data to the target terminal equipment UE in the second time; and sending the first data to the second node within a third time, the third time having an association relationship with the first time and / or the second time, and at least one of the first node and the second node being a non-terrestrial network (NTN) node. According to the method, the first node distributing the data indicates the time for receiving and transmitting the data to the second node to which the resource is added, time delay compensation can be carried out on the data forwarding process of the second node, and the caching pressure of the UE is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of satellite network technologies, and in particular, to a communication method and related devices. Background Art

[0002] Non-terrestrial communication networks (NTN) include nodes such as satellite networks, high-altitude platforms, and unmanned aerial vehicles, and have significant advantages such as global coverage, long-distance transmission, flexible networking, convenient deployment, and being unrestricted by geographical conditions. They have been widely used in many fields such as maritime communication, positioning and navigation, disaster relief, scientific experiments, video broadcasting, and earth observation. The ground 5G network and satellite network are integrated with each other, complementing each other's advantages, and jointly constituting a globally seamless coverage integrated communication network of sea, land, air, space, and ground to meet the diverse service needs of users everywhere.

[0003] When a user equipment (UE) is in the radio resource control (RRC) connected state, when the network side configures a master cell group (MCG) and a secondary cell group (SCG) for the UE, it is called the dual-connection mode. If the network side configures multiple SCGs for the UE, it is called the multi-connection mode. Existing multi-connection communications are usually designed for terrestrial networks. In the scenario of non-terrestrial communication networks (such as satellite networks), the transmission path delay difference between the master node (MN), that is, the node carrying the MCG, and the secondary node (SN), that is, the node carrying the SCG), to the UE is usually relatively large. The UE side needs to receive and cache more user data from the MN and SN respectively and then merge them, which poses higher requirements on the caching ability of the UE side. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Embodiments of this application provide a communication method and related devices. The first node that distributes data indicates the time for the second node that adds resources to receive and send data, which can perform delay compensation for the process of the second node forwarding data and reduce the caching pressure of the UE.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which is applied to a first node. The first node can be a network device or a chip in a network device. The method includes: sending first time information to a second node, where the first time information is used to instruct the second node to receive and cache data within a first time; and / or used to instruct the second node to send data to a target terminal device UE within a second time; sending first data to the second node at a third time, where the third time is associated with the first time and / or the second time, and at least one of the first node and the second node is a non-terrestrial network (NTN) node.

[0006] In an embodiment of the present application, the first node that distributes data sends the first time information to the second node that is added with resources, to indicate the first time for the second node to receive data from the first node, or to indicate the second time for the second node to send data to the target UE. This can enable the first node to control the time for the second node to send data to the target UE. Also, since the first node can control the time for itself to send data to the target UE, that is, the time for the first node and the second node to send data to the target UE realizes coordinated control, reducing the time delay difference between the first node and the second node to send data to the target UE, so that the target UE does not have to receive too much data sent by the first node during the process of waiting for the data of the second node, thereby reducing the cache pressure of the target UE. In addition, the first node sends data to the second node at the third time, and the third time is associated with the first time information, ensuring the working efficiency and working quality (the integrity of data reception and transmission) of the second node, and reducing the energy consumption of the second node waiting for data.

[0007] In some possible implementation manners, the method further includes: sending second time information to the target UE, where the second time information is used to instruct the target UE to receive and cache data within a fourth time; or used to instruct the target UE to send data within a fifth time; the second time information is determined based on the first time information; sending second data to the target UE at a sixth time, where the sixth time is associated with the fourth time and / or the fifth time.

[0008] In an embodiment of the present application, by the first node sending the second time information to the target UE to indicate the time for the target UE to receive or send data, and the sixth time for the first node to send the second data to the target UE is also related to the time indicated by the second time information, this enables the target UE to receive and send data within a more targeted time window, avoiding the additional power consumption that may be caused by a long waiting time. At the same time, by the first node coordinating the data transmission, the situation that the target UE does not receive the data completely is avoided.

[0009] In some possible implementation manners, the first time information is determined based on a first transmission time and a second transmission time, where the first transmission time is the time when a first node sends a first message to a second node, and the second transmission time is the time when the second node feeds back a second message based on the first message; or the first time information is determined based on the first transmission time and a first reception time, and the first reception time is the time when the first node receives the second message from the second node.

[0010] In some possible implementation manners, it includes at least one of the following: the first transmission time is a timestamp located in the first message; or the second transmission time is a timestamp located in the second message.

[0011] In this embodiment, the first transmission time and the second transmission time are in the form of timestamps, which can ensure the accuracy of the first transmission time and the second transmission time, and further improve the accuracy of the first time information.

[0012] In some possible implementation manners, the first time information is determined based on the relevant information of the second node, and the relevant information of the second node includes at least one of the following: the location information of the second node, the movement path information of the second node, or the caching capability of the second node.

[0013] In this embodiment, using the relevant information of the second node to determine the first time information can determine the first time information from a more macroscopic perspective, so that the available time of the determined first time information is longer and the range is wider. The frequency of updating the first time information is reduced.

[0014] In some possible implementation manners, the first node is a master node MN, the second node is a slave node SN, the first message is an SN addition request message, and the second message is an SN request response message; where the SN addition request message is used to request to add the SN as a user plane resource of the MN.

[0015] In some possible implementation manners, the first time information is carried in an Xn user plane address indication message between the MN and the SN.

[0016] In some possible implementation manners, the second time information is carried in a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration message.

[0017] This embodiment applies the above method to the MN and SN scenarios, provides specific signaling for carrying the first time information and signaling for carrying the second time information, and also provides the first transmission time and the second transmission time for determining the first time information. It reduces the caching pressure of the UE in the MN data distribution scenario and reduces the power consumption of the UE waiting for data.

[0018] In some possible implementations, the first data and the second data are Packet Data Convergence Protocol layer - Protocol Data Units (PDCP PDUs).

[0019] In some possible implementations, the method further includes at least one of the following: the first time information is carried in the PDCP PDU header of the first data; or the second time information is carried in the PDCP PDU header of the second data.

[0020] In the embodiments of the present application, specific data formats of the first time information and the second time information are provided, which can be carried in the data and sent without occupying the existing information in the existing data, reducing the overhead. And carrying the first time information and the second time information in the data header for sending improves the efficiency of the receiving party to obtain this information.

[0021] In some possible implementations, the method further includes: receiving SN - related information from the SN, where the SN - related information includes at least one of the following: the duration for which the SN can serve at least one UE or at least one area, or the location - related information of the SN; determining that the SN ends service based on the SN - related information, and sending an SN addition request message to other SNs except the SN.

[0022] In a second aspect, the present application provides a communication method applied to a second node, where the second node can be a network device or a chip in the network device. The method includes: receiving first time information from a first node, where the first time information is used to instruct the second node to receive and cache data within a first time; or used to instruct the second node to send data to a target terminal device (UE) within a second time;

[0023] Receiving and caching first data within the first time according to the first time information, and / or sending third data to the target UE within the second time, where at least one of the first node and the second node is a Non - Terrestrial Network (NTN) node.

[0024] In some possible implementations, before receiving the first time information from the first node, the method further includes: receiving a first message from the first node, and feeding back a second message to the first node based on the first message.

[0025] In some possible implementations, a timestamp is included in the first message and / or the second message.

[0026] In some possible implementations, the first node is an MN, the second node is an SN, the first message is an SN addition request message, and the second message is an SN request response message, where the SN addition request message is used to request adding the SN as a user plane resource of the MN.

[0027] In some possible implementation manners, the first time information is carried in the Xn user plane address indication message between the MN and the first SN.

[0028] In some possible implementation manners, the first data and the third data are PDCP PDUs.

[0029] In some possible implementation manners, the first time information is carried in the PDCP PDU header of the first data.

[0030] In some possible implementation manners, the method further includes: sending SN-related information to the MN, where the SN-related information includes at least one of the following: the buffering capability of the SN, the duration for which the SN can serve at least one UE or at least one area, the location-related information of the SN, or the movement path information of the SN.

[0031] In a third aspect, the present application provides a communication method applied to a target UE, where the target UE may be a terminal device or a chip in the terminal device. The method includes: receiving second time information from a first node, where the second time information is used to instruct the target UE to receive and buffer data within a fourth time; or is used to instruct the target UE to send data within a fifth time; receiving and buffering, according to the second time information, the first data from the first node and the third data from a second node within the fourth time, and / or sending sixth data within the fifth time, where at least one of the first node and the second node is a non-terrestrial network (NTN) node.

[0032] In some possible implementation manners, the first node is an MN, and the second time information is carried in a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration message.

[0033] In some possible implementation manners, the first data and the third data are PDCP PDUs.

[0034] In some possible implementation manners, the second time information is carried in the PDCP PDU header of the first data.

[0035] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided. The device includes: a transceiver unit, configured to send first time information to a second node, where the first time information is used to instruct the second node to receive and buffer data within a first time; and / or is used to instruct the second node to send data to a target terminal device (UE) within a second time; the transceiver unit is further configured to send first data to the second node within a third time, where the third time is associated with the first time and / or the second time, where at least one of the first node and the second node is an NTN node.

[0036] In some possible implementations, the transceiver unit is further configured to: send second time information to a target UE, where the second time information is used to instruct the target UE to receive and cache data within a fourth time period; or to instruct the target UE to send data within a fifth time period; the second time information is determined based on the first time information; and send second data to the target UE at a sixth time, where the sixth time is associated with the fourth time period and / or the fifth time period.

[0037] In some possible implementations, the first time information is determined based on a first transmission time and a second transmission time, where the first transmission time is the time when a first node sends a first message to a second node, and the second transmission time is the time when the second node feeds back a second message based on the first message; or the first time information is determined based on the first transmission time and a first reception time, where the first reception time is the time when the first node receives the second message from the second node.

[0038] In some possible implementations, at least one of the following is included: the first transmission time is a timestamp in the first message; or the second transmission time is a timestamp in the second message.

[0039] In some possible implementations, the first time information is determined based on relevant information of the second node, and the relevant information of the second node includes at least one of the following: the location information of the second node, the movement path information of the second node, or the caching capability of the second node.

[0040] In some possible implementations, the first node is a master node MN, the second node is a secondary node SN, the first message is an SN addition request message, and the second message is an SN request response message; where the SN addition request message is used to request adding the SN as a user plane resource of the MN.

[0041] In some possible implementations, the first time information is carried in an Xn user plane address indication message between the MN and the SN.

[0042] In some possible implementations, the second time information is carried in a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration message.

[0043] In some possible implementations, the first data and the second data are packet data convergence protocol layer - protocol data units (PDCP PDUs).

[0044] In some possible implementations, the method further includes at least one of the following: the first time information is carried in the PDCP PDU header of the first data; or the second time information is carried in the PDCP PDU header of the second data.

[0045] In some possible implementations, the transceiver unit is further configured to: receive SN-related information from the SN, where the SN-related information includes at least one of the following: the duration for which the SN can serve at least one UE or at least one area, or location-related information of the SN; determine that the SN ends service based on the SN-related information, and send an SN addition request message to other SNs except the SN.

[0046] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, including: a transceiver unit, configured to receive first time information from a first node, where the first time information is used to indicate that a second node receives and caches data within a first time; or is used to indicate that the second node sends data to a target terminal device UE within a second time; a processing unit, configured to, according to the first time information, combine the transceiver unit to receive and cache first data within the first time, and / or send third data to the target UE within the second time, where at least one of the first node and the second node is a non-terrestrial network (NTN) node.

[0047] In some possible implementations, before receiving the first time information from the first node, the transceiver unit is further configured to: receive a first message from the first node, and feedback a second message to the first node based on the first message.

[0048] In some possible implementations, a timestamp is included in the first message and / or the second message.

[0049] In some possible implementations, the first node is an MN, the second node is an SN, the first message is an SN addition request message, and the second message is an SN request response message, where the SN addition request message is used to request to add the SN as a user plane resource of the MN.

[0050] In some possible implementations, the first time information is carried in an Xn user plane address indication message between the MN and the first SN.

[0051] In some possible implementations, the first data and the third data are PDCP PDUs.

[0052] In some possible implementations, the first time information is carried in the PDCP PDU header of the first data.

[0053] In some possible implementations, the transceiver unit is further configured to: send SN-related information to the MN, where the SN-related information includes at least one of the following: the caching capability of the SN, the duration for which the SN can serve at least one UE or at least one area, the location-related information of the SN, or the movement path information of the SN.

[0054] Sixth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which includes: a transceiver unit, configured to receive second time information from a first node, where the second time information is used to indicate that a target UE receives and caches data within a fourth time; or is used to indicate that the target UE sends data within a fifth time; a processing unit, configured to combine, according to the second time information, the first data from the first node and the third data from the second node that the transceiver unit receives and caches within the fourth time, and / or send sixth data within the fifth time, where at least one of the first node and the second node is a non-terrestrial network (NTN) node.

[0055] In some possible implementation manners, the first node is an MN, and the second time information is carried in a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration message.

[0056] In some possible implementation manners, the first data and the third data are packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) protocol data units (PDUs).

[0057] In some possible implementation manners, the second time information is carried in the PDCP PDU header of the first data.

[0058] Seventh aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which includes a processor coupled to a memory. When the processor executes computer programs or instructions in the memory, the method according to any one of the embodiments of the third aspect is executed.

[0059] Optionally, the device further includes a memory.

[0060] Optionally, the device further includes a communication interface, and the processor is coupled to the communication interface.

[0061] Optionally, there is one or more processors, and there is one or more memories.

[0062] Optionally, the memory may be integrated with the processor, or the memory is separately provided from the processor.

[0063] Optionally, the transceiver may include a transmitter and a receiver.

[0064] In one implementation manner, the communication device is a terminal device. When the communication device is a terminal device, the communication interface may be a transceiver, or an input / output interface. Optionally, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface may be an input / output circuit.

[0065] In another implementation manner, the communication device is a chip or a chip system. When the device is a chip or a chip system, the communication interface may be an input / output interface, an interface circuit, an output circuit, an input circuit, a pin, or a related circuit, etc. on the chip or the chip system. The processor may also be embodied as a processing circuit or a logic circuit.

[0066] In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which includes a processor coupled to a memory. When the processor executes the computer program or instructions in the memory, the method according to any one of the first aspect or the second aspect is executed.

[0067] Optionally, the device further includes a memory.

[0068] Optionally, the device further includes a communication interface, and the processor is coupled to the communication interface.

[0069] Optionally, there is one or more processors and one or more memories.

[0070] Optionally, the memory can be integrated with the processor or separately provided from the processor.

[0071] Optionally, the transceiver may include a transmitter and a receiver.

[0072] In one implementation, the communication device is an access network device. When the communication device is an access network device, the communication interface can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, the transceiver can be a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface can be an input / output circuit.

[0073] In another implementation, the communication device is a chip or a chip system. When the device is a chip or a chip system, the communication interface can be an input / output interface, an interface circuit, an output circuit, an input circuit, a pin or a related circuit, etc. on the chip or the chip system. The processor can also be embodied as a processing circuit or a logic circuit.

[0074] In a ninth aspect, the present application provides a communication system, which includes the communication device according to the fourth aspect to the sixth aspect.

[0075] In a tenth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program (which can also be referred to as code or instructions). When the computer program is run, the computer is caused to execute the method according to any one of the possible implementations in the first aspect to the third aspect.

[0076] In an eleventh aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program (which can also be referred to as code or instructions). When it runs on a computer, the computer is caused to execute the method according to any one of the possible implementations in the first aspect to the third aspect.

[0077] In a twelfth aspect, the present application further provides a circuit, including: a processor and an interface, configured to execute a computer program or instruction stored in a memory and perform the method in any one of the possible implementation manners of the first aspect to the third aspect described above. Description of the Drawings

[0078] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of a satellite communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0079] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of a control plane and user plane architecture under EN-DC provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0080] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the path delay difference between MN SAT to UE and SN SAT to UE provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0081] Figure 4A Flowchart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0082] Figure 4B Schematic diagram of a first time information provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0083] Figure 4C Schematic diagram of determining a third time provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0084] Figure 4D Schematic diagram of the process of determining the first time information provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0085] Figure 4E Flowchart of another communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0086] Figure 4F Schematic diagram of the process of determining the second time information provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0087] Figure 4G Schematic diagram of a PDCP PDU format provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0088] Figure 5 Flowchart of a dual-connection communication method provided by this embodiment;

[0089] Figure 6A Schematic diagram of cell changes at different times provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0090] Figure 6B Flowchart of a dual-connection communication method combining SN handover provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0091] Figure 7A Schematic diagram of an MC anchor node communication scenario provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0092] Figure 7B Flowchart of a communication method applied to an MC anchor node provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0093] Figure 7C Another flowchart of a communication method applied to an MC anchor node provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0094] Figure 7D Flowchart of a method for connecting and switching an MC anchor node provided by an implementation of the present application;

[0095] Figure 8 Schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0096] Figure 9 Schematic structural diagram of another communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0097] Figure 10 Schematic hardware structure diagram of a communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application. Detailed implementation manners

[0098] The embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0099] The terms "first", "second", "third", "fourth", etc. in the specification and claims of the present application and the accompanying drawings are used to distinguish different objects, rather than to describe a specific order. In addition, the terms "comprising" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product or device that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but optionally further includes steps or units not listed, or optionally further includes other steps or units inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

[0100] Referring to "embodiment" herein means that a specific feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment can be included in at least one embodiment of the present application. The phrase appears in various places in the specification and does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it an independent or alternative embodiment mutually exclusive with other embodiments. Those skilled in the art will explicitly and implicitly understand that the embodiments described herein can be combined with other embodiments.

[0101] "Multiple" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects and indicates that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can represent the following three situations: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. The character " / " generally represents an "or" relationship between the front and rear associated objects. "At least one of the following" or its similar expressions are used to represent any combination of the items listed; for example, at least one of A, B, and (or) C can represent the following situations: A exists alone, B exists alone, C exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, B and C exist simultaneously, A and C exist simultaneously, and A, B, and C exist simultaneously, where A, B, and C can be single or multiple.

[0102] First, the network architecture corresponding to the embodiments of the present application is introduced.

[0103] The technical solution of the present application can be applied to non-terrestrial network (NTN) systems such as satellite communication systems, high altitude platform (HAPS) communication, and unmanned aerial vehicles. For example, integrated communication and navigation (IcaN) systems, global navigation satellite systems (GNSS), and ultra-dense low earth orbit satellite communication systems. The satellite communication system can be integrated with traditional mobile communication systems. For example: the mobile communication system can be a fourth-generation (4G) communication system (such as a long term evolution (LTE) system), a worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication system, a fifth-generation (5G) communication system (such as a new radio (NR) system), and future mobile communication systems.

[0104] The satellite communication system includes user equipment and network equipment. The network equipment may include one or more satellites and ground station equipment, and the ground station equipment can also be referred to as core network (CN) equipment. The satellite can be a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite, a non-geostationary earth orbit (NGEO) satellite, etc. Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a mobile satellite communication system provided for the embodiments of the present application, as Figure 1As shown, the satellite communication system includes satellites 101, 102, and 103. Each satellite can provide communication services, navigation services, positioning services, etc. to terminal devices through multiple beams. In this scenario, the satellites are LEO satellites, and satellite 103 is connected to a ground station device (core network device). The satellites use multiple beams to cover the service area, and different beams can communicate through one or more of time division, frequency division, and space division. The satellites communicate wirelessly with terminal devices through broadcast communication signals, navigation signals, etc., and the satellites can also communicate wirelessly with ground station devices. The satellites mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can be satellite base stations, can also include orbital receivers or repeaters for relaying information, or are network-side devices carried on satellites.

[0105] The satellite communication system includes a transparent satellite architecture and a non-transparent satellite architecture. Transparent transmission is also called bent pipe forwarding transmission: that is, the signal only undergoes frequency conversion, signal amplification, etc. on the satellite, and the satellite is transparent to the signal as if it does not exist. Non-transparent transmission is also called regeneration (on-board access / processing) transmission: that is, the satellite has some or all of the base station functions. For example, satellites 101 and 102 in the figure are non-transparent satellite architectures, and satellite 103 is a transparent satellite architecture. In addition, the satellites can operate in a staring mode (earth-fixed), a quasi-staring mode (quasi earth-fixed), or a non-staring mode (earth-moving).

[0106] The following introduces the terms involved above.

[0107] The terminal devices mentioned in the embodiments of the present application include various handheld devices, vehicle-mounted devices, wearable devices, computing devices or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem with wireless communication functions. Specifically, it may refer to user equipment (UE), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile phone, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent or user device. The terminal device may also be a satellite phone, cellular phone, smart phone, wireless data card, wireless modem, machine type communication device, cordless phone, session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, wireless local loop (WLL) station, personal digital assistant (PDA), handheld device with wireless communication function, computing device or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, vehicle-mounted device or wearable device, virtual reality (VR) terminal device, augmented reality (AR) terminal device, wireless terminal in industrial control, wireless terminal in self-driving, wireless terminal in remote medical, wireless terminal in smart grid, wireless terminal in transportation safety, wireless terminal in smart city, wireless terminal in smart home, terminal device in 5G network or future communication network, etc.

[0108] The ground station equipment is, for example, equipment in the core network (CN) of an existing mobile communication architecture (such as the 3GPP access architecture of a 5G network) or equipment in the core network of a future mobile communication architecture. The core network, as a bearer network, provides an interface to the data network, and provides communication connection, authentication, management, policy control, and bearer for data services for the user equipment (UE). Among them, the CN can further include: Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Policy control Function (PCF), User Plane Function (UPF), and other network elements. Among them, the AMF network element is used to manage the access and mobility of the UE, and is mainly responsible for functions such as UE authentication, UE mobility management, and UE paging.

[0109] The network equipment may further include, but is not limited to: evolved node B (eNB), baseband unit (BBU), access point (AP) in a wireless fidelity (WIFI) system, wireless relay node, wireless backhaul node, transmission point (TP), or transmission reception point (TRP), etc. The network equipment may also be a gNB, TRP, or TP in a 5G system, or one or a group (including multiple antenna panels) of antenna panels of a base station in a 5G system. In addition, the network equipment may also be a network node constituting a gNB or TP, such as a BBU, or a distributed unit (DU), etc. Or, the network equipment may also be equipment that undertakes network-side functions in a device-to-device (D2D) communication system, a machine-to-machine (M2M) communication system, the Internet of Things (IoT), a vehicle-to-everything communication system, or other communication systems.

[0110] Figure 1The following is a schematic diagram of the satellite communication system provided by this application. The communication system includes satellite 101, satellite 102, and satellite 103. Each satellite can provide communication and positioning services to mobile stations through multiple beams. Satellite 103 is connected to the core network device. The satellites can be LEO satellites, MEO satellites, GEO satellites, etc. The mobile stations involved in this application can include various handheld devices, vehicle-mounted devices, wearable devices, computing devices, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem. It can also be a user unit, cellular phone, smart phone, wireless data card, personal digital assistant computer, tablet computer, wireless modem, handheld device, laptop computer, machine type communication terminal, etc.

[0111] The following introduces the prior art of this application.

[0112] Operating modes of the UE in the RRC connected state: For a connected UE, when the network side configures a primary cell group (MCG) and a secondary cell group (SCG) for the UE, it is called dual connectivity (DC). If the SCG is provided by multiple secondary nodes (SNs, i.e., the nodes carrying the SCG), it is called multi-connectivity (MC). Under the MCG, there may be many cells. Among them, there is a cell for initiating initial access, and this cell is called the primary cell (PCell), and the remaining cells are called secondary cells (Scell). Similarly, under the SCG, there will also be a primary cell, that is, the primary secondary cell (PSCell), and the remaining cells are also collectively called secondary cells. Exemplarily, in the EN-DC scenario, that is, the DC of long term evolution (LTE) and new radio (NR), the core network is an evolved packet core (EPC), the control plane anchor point is an evolved node B (eNodeB or eNB), and the user plane anchor points are eNodeB, the next generation node B (gNodeB or gNB), or EPC.

[0113] Please refer to Figure 2 , Figure 2 which is a schematic diagram of the control plane and user plane architectures under EN-DC provided by an embodiment of this application. As shown in (a) of Figure 2 , it is a schematic diagram of the control plane architecture, where the control plane anchor point and signaling management are provided by the master eNB (MeNB). The secondary gNB (SgNB) is only used for user plane data transmission.

[0114] As shown inFigure 2 As shown in (b) of , it is a schematic diagram of the user plane architecture. In the scenario of a single MCG bearer, data is sent from the MCG to the UE. The PDCP layer therein can be the PDCP layer of evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) (the air interface of GPP LTE). Or it can also be the NR PDCP layer. The radio link control (RLC) layer is the E-UTRA RLC layer, and the media access control (MAC) layer is the E-UTRA RLC layer.

[0115] In the scenario of an MCG split bearer, the MCG and the SCG cooperate to distribute user data, that is, the UE receives and sends user data from both the MCG and the SCG. The final user data can be merged on the UE side or the network side. Typically, data splitting is performed at the PDCP layer for distribution decisions. In this case, both the MCG and the SCG are NR PDCP.

[0116] Based on the above description, it can be seen that existing multi-connection communication is usually designed for terrestrial networks. In the scenario of non-terrestrial networks (such as satellite networks), the transmission path delay difference between the MN and the SN to the UE is usually large. For details, refer to Figure 3 , Figure 3 which is a schematic diagram of the path delay difference from the MN satellite (SAT) to the UE and from the SN SAT to the UE provided by the embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 3 , the path 1 corresponds to the path delay from the MN to the UE, and the path 2 corresponds to the path delay from the SN to the UE. The UE side needs to cache more user data before merging, which poses higher requirements on the caching ability of the UE side.

[0117] Based on this, refer to Figure 4A , which is a flowchart of a communication method provided by the embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 4A , the method includes the following steps:

[0118] 201. The first node sends first time information to the second node. The first time information is used to instruct the second node to receive and cache data within the first time; and / or is used to instruct the second node to send data to the target terminal device UE within the second time, where at least one of the first node and the second node is a non-terrestrial network NTN node.

[0119] In the embodiments of the present application, among the first node and the second node, at least one is an NTT node. That is to say, both the first node and the second node can be NTN nodes; or the first node is an NTN node and the second node is not an NTN node; or the first node is not an NTN node and the second node is an NTN node. When the first node or the second node is an NTN node, it can specifically be a LEO satellite, a MEO satellite, a GEO satellite, etc. When the first node or the second node is not an NTN node, this node is a terrestrial network (TN) node, which can specifically be a terrestrial base station.

[0120] When at least one of the first node and the second node is an NTN node, there may be a situation where the transmission distance / delay between the first node and the second node is relatively long. For example, the delay can reach the order of seconds or even dozens of seconds. The first node is the node that distributes data, and the second node is the node that receives the distributed data. Both the first node and the second node can be network devices that send data to the target UE (the UE that receives data). That is, there are two data transmission paths. The first path is the path from the first node to the target UE, and the second path is the path from the first node to the second node and then to the target UE. Since the distance between the first node and the second node is far (for example, both the first node and the second node are NTN nodes and are in different types of orbits, and usually many hops are required to complete the transmission from the first node to the second node), the data transmission time from the first node to the second node is relatively long, which in turn causes the data transmission time of the second path to be significantly greater than that of the first path. The target UE needs to receive the data from both paths before performing relevant processing, which will greatly increase the caching pressure of the target UE.

[0121] It should be noted that the above-discussed data transmission is all downlink transmission, that is, a one-way transmission from a network device to a terminal device (which may also include one or more relay nodes). The case of uplink transmission is not discussed in this embodiment.

[0122] In order to reduce the data transmission time difference between the first path and the second path, in the embodiments of the present application, the first node sends first time information to the second node, which is used to instruct the second node to receive and cache data within the first time (the first time is a duration range, that is, a time period), that is, not to receive data after the first time, and only needs to process the received and cached data and send it to the target UE.

[0123] Refer to Figure 4B , Figure 4B which is a schematic diagram of the first time information provided by the embodiments of the present application. As shown in Figure 4B , the time between time t1 and time t2 is the first time T. The first time information can be presented in any of the following forms:

[0124] 1) The time t1 when the second node starts receiving data and the time window T during which the second node receives and caches data.

[0125] 2) The time t1 when the second node starts receiving data and the time t2 when the second node finishes receiving data.

[0126] 3) A timer that starts at time t1 and has a valid duration of T. The time t1 when the timer is triggered can be a predefined time, such as when the second node receives the first data packet from the first node, or when the UE receives the first data packet from the first node or the second node, or other times such as the start time slot of the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) scheduling.

[0127] Based on the above 1), 2), and 3), the first time can be determined. Or it can be other forms of first-time information, which are not specifically limited in the embodiments of this application.

[0128] Alternatively, the first-time information sent by the first node to the second node can also be used to instruct the second node to send data to the target UE after the second time (the second time is a moment). This means that the second node needs to complete receiving, caching, and processing the data before the second time so as to send the data after the second time (the duration of sending the data is not limited until all the received data is sent). As Figure 4B shown in (a) below, the second time t2' can be after the time t2, indicating that the second node processes (such as merging, packing, adding header information, etc.) and sends the data after completing the reception of all the data; or as Figure 4B shown in (b) below, the second time t2' can be before the time t2, indicating that the second node can send data to the target UE while receiving the data. In this case, the first-time information can be in any of the following forms:

[0129] (1) The time t2' when the second node starts sending data.

[0130] (2) The time t2 when the second node finishes receiving data and the time t' for processing the data.

[0131] This is only for the Figure 4B case shown in (a) below.

[0132] (3) A timer with an end time of t2'.

[0133] Based on the above (1), (2), and (3), the second time can be determined. Or it can be other forms of first-time information, which are not specifically limited in the embodiments of this application.

[0134] In another case, the first time information can also be used to indicate the first time and the second time simultaneously. The specific indication form can be a combination of any two of the above-described 1), 2), 3) and (1), (2), (3), or other indication forms, without specific limitation.

[0135] Optionally, the manner in which the first node sends the first time information to the second node includes at least one of the following:

[0136] A. The first node adds the signaling of the second node.

[0137] As the data distribution node, the first node needs to add the second node as a resource node for forwarding its data. Therefore, the first time information can be carried in the signaling where the first node adds the second node and sent. In this way, the sending of the first time information can be completed before data transmission between the two nodes, and it only needs to be configured once in the signaling so that all data of the second node can be sent and received according to the indication information of the first time information. This reduces the resource overhead for sending the first time information and at the same time ensures the effectiveness of the first time information configuration.

[0138] B. The data sent by the first node to the second node.

[0139] The first time information can be carried in any data distributed by the first node to the second node so that the data can be sent and received according to the carried first time information. This can ensure the flexibility and real-time nature of configuring the first time information for each piece of data.

[0140] Optionally, the above two ways A and B of sending the first time information can be combined, that is, the second node combines the partial first time information carried in the signaling and the data respectively to determine the time for sending and receiving data. For example, after the second node receives the first time information in the signaling as the t2' moment and then sends data, and then due to the position change of the first node and / or the second node, or due to the nature of the data itself (such as priority), etc., the supplementary first time information of (-0.1 millisecond) is carried in Data 1 to partially update the first time information. Then the second node sends Data 1 to the target UE after t2' - 0.1 millisecond. For Data 2 that does not carry the supplementary first time information, it is sent after the t2' moment indicated by the signaling. Or for Data 3, which carries the first time information and indicates that it is the only first time information corresponding to Data 3, that is, for Data 3, the first time information indicated by the signaling is completely updated. The second node sends and receives Data 3 completely according to the first time information carried in Data 3. Using this method can not only reduce the resource overhead for sending the first information but also ensure the flexibility and real-time requirements of each data for the sending time.

[0141] At the third time, the first node sends the first data to the second node, and the third time has an associated relationship with the first time and / or the second time.

[0142] At the third time, the first node sends the first data to the second node. The third time should be associated with the time indicated by the first time information (one of the first time or the second time, or both the first time and the second time) to ensure that the first node can complete the corresponding data transmission and the second node can fully receive the data from the first node.

[0143] The third time being associated with the first time and / or the second time includes two meanings: 1) The third time is determined based on the first time and / or the second time; 2) The first node first determines the third time, and then determines the first time and / or the second time based on the third time.

[0144] Refer to Figure 4C , Figure 4C , which is a schematic diagram for determining the third time provided by the embodiment of the present application. As Figure 4C shown, at least one of the following ways is provided to determine the third time based on the first time and / or the second time:

[0145] a. Determine according to the moment t1 when the second node starts receiving data and the minimum transmission time of the first data.

[0146] As Figure 4C shown in (a) of, the third time t31 for the first node to send data is earlier than the moment t1 when the second node starts receiving data, and the difference between t31 and t1 is less than or equal to the minimum transmission time of the first data, so that the first data sent earliest by the first node can be received by the second node.

[0147] b. Determine according to the moment t2 when the second node ends receiving data and the maximum transmission time of the first data.

[0148] As Figure 4C shown in (b) of, the third time t32 for the first node to send data is earlier than the moment t2 when the second node ends receiving data, and the difference between t32 and t2 is less than or equal to the maximum transmission time of the first data, so that the first data sent latest by the first node can be received by the second node.

[0149] c. Determine according to the moment t2' when the second node starts sending data and the maximum transmission time and processing time of the first data.

[0150] As Figure 4CAs shown in (c) therein, the third time t33 for the first node to send data is earlier than the moment t2' when the second node starts to send data, and the difference between t33 and t2' is less than or equal to the minimum transmission time of the first data + the processing time of the first data. In this way, the first data sent earliest by the first node can be received, processed, and sent out without the second node waiting idly.

[0151] The methods for determining the third time in the above a, b, and c can be used in combination, or other methods for determining the third time can also be included. The embodiments of this application do not make limitations.

[0152] It should be noted that the above maximum transmission time and minimum transmission time can also be equivalent to the transmission time, that is, the maximum and minimum transmission times are not distinguished. For example, the third time is determined according to the moment t1 when the second node starts to receive data and the transmission time of the first data. The same can be expressed in other examples and will not be elaborated here.

[0153] For the case where the first node first determines the third time and then determines the first time and / or the second time based on the third time, specifically, it can be adding the time required for the first node to transmit data to the second node (which can include the maximum transmission time or the minimum transmission time) on the basis of the third time, and further adding the time for the second node to process the received data. Details are not elaborated here.

[0154] 203. The second node receives and caches the first data within the first time according to the first time information, and / or sends the third data to the target UE within the second time.

[0155] After receiving the first time information sent by the first node, the second node determines the first time therefrom and then receives and caches the data within the first time. If the second time is determined according to the first time information, the third data is sent to the target UE according to the first data received from the first node after the second time. The first data and the third data can be data with the same content or data with different added information (such as added header information, address information, etc.). If the second node determines both the first time and the second time according to the first time information, the data can be received based on the first time and the data can be sent based on the second time.

[0156] In an embodiment of the present application, a first node that distributes data sends first time information to a second node to which a resource is added, to indicate a first time for the second node to receive data from the first node, or a second time for the second node to send data to a target UE. This enables the first node to control the time for the second node to send data to the target UE. Also, since the first node can control the time for itself to send data to the target UE, that is, the time for the first node and the second node to send data to the target UE is coordinately controlled, reducing the time delay difference between the first node and the second node when sending data to the target UE, so that the target UE does not have to receive too much data sent by the first node during the process of waiting for data from the second node, thereby reducing the cache pressure of the target UE. Additionally, the first node determines a third time to send data to the second node based on the first time information, ensuring the working efficiency and working quality (integrity of data reception and transmission) of the second node and reducing the energy consumption of the second node waiting for data.

[0157] Optionally, the first time information is determined based on a first transmission time and a second transmission time, where the first transmission time is the time when the first node sends a first message to the second node, and the second transmission time is the time when the second node feeds back a second message based on the first message; or the first time information is determined based on the first transmission time and a first reception time, and the first reception time is the time when the first node receives the second message from the second node.

[0158] Refer to Figure 4D , Figure 4D for a schematic diagram of a process for determining the first time information provided by an embodiment of the present application. As Figure 4D , the time when the first node sends the first message to the second node is the first transmission time T1, and the time when the second node feeds back the second message to the first node based on the first message is the second transmission time T2 (assuming that the time for the second node to generate the second message based on the first message is extremely short and can be ignored compared to the transmission time of the first message or the second message). The first node can determine the first time information according to T2 and T1, specifically: T01 = T2 - T1, and T01 corresponds to the transmission time delay between the first node and the second node. Assuming that the first time information is used to indicate the time T3 for the second node to send data to the target UE, and the time for the first node to send data to the target UE is T0, then T3 = T0 + T01.

[0159] Alternatively, the first node can determine the first time information according to T1 and the first reception time T3 when the first node receives the second message, specifically: T02 = (T3 - T1) / 2, and T02 corresponds to the transmission time delay between the first node and the second node. T3 = T0 + T02.

[0160] The first message may be a signaling message as described above. Correspondingly, the second message may be a feedback message of the signaling message. Alternatively, both the first message and the second message may be messages carrying data. Details are not elaborated here.

[0161] Optionally, the method further includes at least one of the following: the first transmission time is a timestamp in the first message; or the second transmission time is a timestamp in the second message.

[0162] That is to say, the first transmission time and the second transmission time can be in the form of timestamps, which can ensure the accuracy of the first transmission time and the second transmission time, and further improve the accuracy of the first time information.

[0163] Optionally, the first time information is determined based on relevant information of the second node. The relevant information of the second node includes at least one of the following: the location information of the second node, the movement path information of the second node, or the caching capacity of the second node.

[0164] When the first node knows the location information of the second node, the distance between the first node and the second node can be determined. Furthermore, the transmission time for sending data to the second node (which may include the maximum transmission time and the minimum transmission time) can be obtained, and finally the first time for the second node to receive data from the first node can be determined.

[0165] Alternatively, when the first node knows the movement path information of the second node, the distance between the second node and the first node at a certain moment or time period can also be obtained. Furthermore, the transmission time for sending data to the second node can be obtained, and finally the first time for the second node to receive data from the first node can be determined.

[0166] Alternatively, when the first node knows the caching capacity of the second node, and when the first node transmits data to the second node at a certain rate, it can know how long it takes for the second node to receive the data, and then determine the first time for the second node to receive data from the first node.

[0167] The above examples are described by taking the determination of the first time as an example. It is clear that the first node can also determine the second time based on the above information. Details are not elaborated here. In addition, the relevant information of the second node can be used to combine and determine the first time information. Specific combination methods, such as combining the location information of the second node with the caching capacity of the second node to determine the first time for the second node to receive data, etc., are not exemplified one by one here.

[0168] Using the relevant information of the second node to determine the first time information can determine the first time information from a more macroscopic perspective, making the determined first time information available for a longer time and a wider range. The frequency of updating the first time information is reduced.

[0169] Refer to Figure 4E , Figure 4E which is a flowchart of another communication method provided by an embodiment of this application. Based on the foregoing method, the method further includes the following steps:

[0170] 204. The first node sends second time information to the target UE. The second time information is used to instruct the target UE to receive and cache data within a fourth time; or is used to instruct the target UE to send data within a fifth time. The second time information is determined based on the first time information.

[0171] After the first node sends the first time information to the second node, it can also send the second time information to the target UE, which is used to indicate the time for the target UE to receive data, or the time for the target UE to send data. This can make the time for the UE to receive data correspond to the time when the first node and the second node send data, avoiding excessive power consumption caused by the target UE waiting for too long or being unable to receive all the data from the first node and the second node.

[0172] The second time information is determined based on the first time information, that is, the fourth time and / or the fifth time indicated by the second time information is determined based on the first time and / or the second time indicated by the first time information.

[0173] Specifically, refer to Figure 4F , Figure 4F which is a schematic diagram of a process for determining the second time information provided by an embodiment of this application. As shown in (a) of Figure 4F , assuming that the first time information indicates the second time t2', the fourth time (the moment when the target UE starts to receive data) t41 indicated by the second time information can be: t41 = t2' + Δt1, where Δt1 can be a constant set according to the type of the second node. The types of the second node include LEO satellites, MEO satellites, or GEO satellites, etc. Or Δt1 can be a value set according to the distance between the second node and the target UE. Δt1 is less than or equal to the minimum transmission time corresponding to transmitting data from the second node to the target UE, which is used to ensure that the target UE can receive the earliest data sent by the second node in time.

[0174] Or as shown in Figure 4FAs shown in (b) therein, assuming that the first time indicated by the first time information is the first time (including t1 and / or t2), the fourth time t42 indicated by the second time information (the moment when the target UE starts receiving data) includes: t42 = t1 + Δt2. Similarly, Δt2 can be a constant set according to the type of the second node. Or Δt2 is less than or equal to the minimum transmission time corresponding to transmitting data from the second node to the target UE plus the processing time of the second node for the first data, which is used to ensure that the target UE can receive the data sent earliest by the second node. Correspondingly, the fourth information (the moment when the target UE finishes receiving data) t43 indicated by the second time information includes: t43 = t2 + Δt3. Δt3 is greater than or equal to the maximum transmission time corresponding to transmitting data from the second node to the target UE, which is used to ensure that the target UE can receive the data sent latest by the second node.

[0175] In addition, assuming that the second time information indicates the fifth time, after determining the fourth time, the first node can determine the fifth time as: t5 = t4 + Δt', where t4 represents the fourth time and Δt' is the time for the target UE to process the received data.

[0176] Determining the second time information based on the first time information can also include other methods, which are not listed one by one here.

[0177] In addition, the manifestation form of the second time information can also be like the manifestation forms 1), 2), 3) of the above first time information, or like the manifestation forms (1), (2), (3) of the first time information.

[0178] The methods for the first node to send the first time information to the target UE include at least one of the following: downlink control information (DCI), RRC signaling, data sent by the first node to the target UE, etc.

[0179] 205. The first node sends the second data to the target UE at the sixth time, and the sixth time has an associated relationship with the fourth time and / or the fifth time.

[0180] The sixth time having an associated relationship with the fourth time and / or the fifth time also includes two meanings: 1) The sixth time is determined based on the fourth time and / or the fifth time; in this case, it can also be said that the sixth time is determined based on the first time information. 2) The first node first determines the sixth time, and then determines the fourth time and / or the fifth time based on the sixth time.

[0181] First, an explanation is given for the above-mentioned meaning 1). Suppose it is indicated that the target UE receives data from the second node within the fourth time. Correspondingly, the target UE also receives second data from the first node within the fourth time. Or the target UE receives the second data from the first node within the range of the fourth time ± (plus or minus) the first time threshold. The first time threshold can be a relatively small value, such as at the ms (millisecond) level, such as 1 ms, 2 ms, 4 ms, 8 ms, etc.

[0182] Suppose it is indicated that the target UE sends data within the fifth time. Then the first node needs to ensure that the data sent can complete data processing within the corresponding time, and the corresponding time = the fifth time - the time for the target UE to process data. Therefore, the first node determines that the sixth time = the fifth time - the time for the target UE to process data - the time for the data to be transmitted from the first node to the target UE.

[0183] Then, an explanation is given for the above-mentioned meaning 2). For example, the first node can determine the sixth time to send data to the target UE according to its own signal quality, service duration and other information. Then, based on the distance or delay and other information between the first node and the second node, the third time to send data to the second node is determined. Then, according to the third time, the first time information, the second time information and other contents are determined, that is, the fourth time and / or the fifth time are determined.

[0184] The sixth time can also be determined by other methods, which will not be listed one by one here.

[0185] 206. The target UE receives the second time information from the first node, and receives and caches the first data from the first node and the third data from the second node within the fourth time according to the second time information, and / or sends the sixth data within the fifth time.

[0186] The target UE receives the second time information from the first node, and determines the fourth time to receive and cache data according to the second time information. Then the target UE can receive the first data from the first node or the third data from the second node within the fourth time. During the receiving process, the first data and the third data can be processed, or the first data and the third data can be processed after the data reception within the fourth time is completed. The specific processing includes parsing the data, obtaining the data content, and feeding back the data, etc.

[0187] Alternatively, the target UE determines the fifth time for sending data according to the second time information. Then, the target UE can receive the first data from the first node and the third data from the second node, process these data, and ensure that the data is sent at the fifth time. To further ensure that the target UE can complete the processing of the data within the fifth time, the target UE can receive and process the data simultaneously to avoid data processing timeout that may occur when a large amount of data is processed at the end.

[0188] In the embodiments of the present application, the first node sends the second time information to the target UE to indicate the time for the target UE to receive or send data. Also, the first node sends the second data to the target UE based on the time indicated by the second time information. This enables the target UE to receive and send data within a more targeted time window, avoiding the additional power consumption that may be caused by a long waiting time. At the same time, by coordinating the data transmission through the first node, the situation where the target UE does not receive all the data is avoided.

[0189] In addition, it should be noted that the first node may be connected to multiple second nodes simultaneously. In this case, the first node can send the first time information to each second node to indicate the first time and / or the second time respectively. Correspondingly, the first node can send the second time information to the target UE served by the second node to indicate the fourth time and / or the fifth time. Details are not described herein again.

[0190] Optionally, the first data, the second data, and the third data are Packet Data Convergence Protocol layer - Protocol Data Unit (PDCP PDU).

[0191] In this embodiment, the first node is used to distribute data. A part of the data is retained by the first node, and the other part of the data is distributed to the second node. As described in the foregoing Figure 2 related content, the distribution decision is made at the PDCP layer. Therefore, the first data sent by the first node to the second node can be a PDCP PDU. Correspondingly, the part of the data retained by the first node is used as the second data and sent to the target UE in the form of a PDCP PDU. Further, the third data sent by the second node to the target UE can also be in the form of a PDCP PDU.

[0192] Optionally, the method further includes at least one of the following: the first time information is carried in the PDCP PDU header of the first data; or the second time information is carried in the PDCP PDU header of the second data.

[0193] As described above, the first time information and the second time information can be carried in a signaling or in data. When carried in data and the data is in the form of a PDCP PDU, the first time information and the second time information can be carried in the PDCP PDU header.

[0194] For details, please refer to Figure 4G , Figure 4G which is a schematic diagram of a PDCP PDU format provided by an embodiment of the present application. As Figure 4G shown, the length of the PDCP PDU header is 8 bits, including a 4-bit PDCP sequence number (SN), and the remaining part may also include PDCP SN continuation (cont.), and data (or payload). The PDCP PDU header also includes a 4-bit reserved field (the R field in the figure), and these reserved fields can be used to indicate the first time information or the second time information. The specific forms of the first time information and the second time information are as described above, and will not be elaborated here.

[0195] In the embodiment of the present application, specific data formats of the first time information and the second time information are provided, which can be carried in the data and sent without occupying the existing information in the existing data, reducing the overhead. And carrying the first time information and the second time information in the data header for sending improves the efficiency of the receiving party to obtain this information.

[0196] Optionally, the first node is the MN and the second node is the SN. Based on this, please refer to Figure 5 which provides a flowchart of a dual connection (i.e., including one MN and one SN) communication method for this embodiment, and its corresponding working process is as follows:

[0197] Step 0: The UE reports an SN measurement report to the MN.

[0198] The content of the SN measurement report may include cell signal quality related to the SN, cell location related information, UE buffer capacity information, SN orbit related information (such as orbit type, propagation delay, etc.). This orbit type information is used to indicate that the orbit is an ascending orbit (moving from south to north) and / or a descending orbit (moving from north to south), that is, it can only indicate that the orbit is an ascending orbit (descending orbit), or indicate both the ascending orbit and the descending orbit (corresponding to different time periods).

[0199] Step 1: The MN selects at least one SN (in advance) based on the measurement report and sends an SN addition request (SN Addition Request), and this request message contains the timestamp t1_path.

[0200] In addition, this request message can be relayed and transmitted by at least one relay node (RN).

[0201] It should be noted that sending the SN addition request in advance can reduce the mobile interruption delay and avoid communication failures caused by untimely SN updates.

[0202] Step 2: The SN returns a SN request response (SN Addition Request Acknowledge) based on information such as its own resource status. This response message contains the timestamp t2_path.

[0203] Step 2a: The MN determines the delay compensation information (delay_offset_SN, i.e., the first time information described in the foregoing embodiments) between the MN and the SN based on t1_path and t2_path. This MN-SN delay compensation information is used to adjust the PDCP PDU buffer window length on the SN side (i.e., the SN needs to buffer the PDCP PDUs that arrive before the expiration of delay_offset_SN and then merge and deliver them to the upper layer). This MN-SN delay compensation information is sent to the SN along with the Xn user plane address (Xn-U Address) indication information.

[0204] Step 3: The MN indicates the UE delay compensation information (delay_offset_UE, i.e., the second time information described in the foregoing embodiments) to the UE through an RRC reconfiguration message. This UE delay compensation information is used to adjust the PDCP PDU buffer window length on the UE side (i.e., the UE node needs to buffer the PDCP PDUs that arrive before the expiration of delay_offset_UE and then merge and deliver them to the upper layer).

[0205] Step 4: The UE node returns an RRC reconfiguration complete response to the MN.

[0206] Step 5: The MN returns a SN reconfiguration complete response to the SN.

[0207] Step 6: The UE accesses the SN.

[0208] Step 7: The MN sends the UE context information to the SN to implement the SN status transfer.

[0209] The UE context information includes the bearer information of the UE, which is used to indicate the distribution channel corresponding to the data sent to the UE.

[0210] Step 8: The user plane function (UPF) sends the UE service data to the MN.

[0211] Step 9a: The MN relays the first part of the UE service data to the SN based on the MN-SN delay compensation information.

[0212] Step 9b: Send the second part of the UE service data to the UE based on the UE delay compensation information.

[0213] In the embodiments of the present application, applying the above method to the MN and SN scenarios provides signaling (Xn user plane address indication information) specifically for carrying the first time information and signaling (RRC reconfiguration message) for carrying the second time information. At the same time, it also provides the first transmission time for determining the first time information (timestamp t1_path carried by the SN addition request) and the second transmission time (timestamp t2_path carried by the SN request response). This reduces the cache pressure of the UE in the MN data distribution scenario and reduces the power consumption of the UE waiting for data.

[0214] In some cases, when any one of the MN and SN is an NTN node, the rapid movement of the satellite node may cause the PCell / PSCell / Scell to change frequently (such as handover, addition, deletion). Refer to Figure 6A , Figure 6A which is a schematic diagram of cell changes at different times provided by the embodiments of the present application. As Figure 6A shown, at time T1, the primary cell corresponding to the MN is PCell1, and the primary and secondary cells corresponding to the SN are PSCell4. At time T2, the primary cell corresponding to the MN switches to PCell2, and the primary and secondary cells corresponding to the SN are PSCell5. Correspondingly, the SCell also changes.

[0215] Based on this, in the corresponding embodiments above, Figure 5 it is also possible to combine the process of switching the SN, that is, the MN can monitor the location change of the SN and perform SN switching based on the location change of the SN, and perform delay compensation for the switched SN.

[0216] Refer to Figure 6B , Figure 6B which is a flowchart of a dual-connection communication method combining SN switching provided by the embodiments of the present application. As Figure 6B shown, the method includes:

[0217] Step 0: The UE reports an SN measurement report to the MN.

[0218] Step 1: The MN selects at least one SN (in advance) to send an SN addition request (SN Addition Request) based on the measurement report. The request message contains the timestamp t1_path.

[0219] Step 2: The SN returns an SN request response (SN Addition Request Acknowledge) based on its own resource status and other information. The response information contains the timestamp t2_path.

[0220] In addition, the response information may further include relevant information of the SN, and the relevant information of the SN includes: the caching ability of the SN, the time when the SN can provide services to a specified UE or a specified area, or the location-related information of the SN. The time information may be service time period information or timer information, and the location-related information may be whether the distance between the UE and the reference location of the SN is greater than threshold 1 (the SN with a distance not greater than threshold 1 can be added by the MN as a node for distributing data).

[0221] Step 2a: The MN determines the delay compensation information between the MN and the SN based on t1_path and t2_path, and the MN-SN delay compensation information is sent to the SN along with the Xn user plane address (Xn-U Address) indication information.

[0222] Step 3: The MN indicates the delay compensation information to the UE through an RRC reconfiguration message.

[0223] Step 4: The UE node returns an RRC reconfiguration complete response to the MN.

[0224] Step 5: The MN returns an SN reconfiguration complete response to the SN.

[0225] Step 6: The UE accesses the SN.

[0226] Step 7: The MN sends UE context information to the SN to implement SN status transfer.

[0227] The UE context information includes the bearer information of the UE, which is used to indicate the distribution channel corresponding to sending data to the UE.

[0228] Step 8: The user plane function (UPF) sends the UE's service data to the MN.

[0229] Step 9a: The MN relays the first part of the UE's service data to the SN based on the MN-SN delay compensation information.

[0230] Step 9b: Send the second part of the UE's service data to the UE based on the UE delay compensation information.

[0231] Step 10: When the MN determines that the transmission path from the core network to the SN needs to be updated based on the SN-related information, it sends a path change request information to the AMF (access and mobility management function) node.

[0232] The path change request information may specifically be a protocol data unit (PDU) session resource modification indication.

[0233] Step 11: The AMF node requests the UPF node to change the user plane transmission path.

[0234] Specifically, the user plane transmission path is changed by requesting bearer modification.

[0235] Step 12: The UPF node sends a path termination indication message from the MN to the SN.

[0236] Step 13: The AMF node returns a path change completion response to the MN.

[0237] Corresponding to Step 10, the path change completion response is a PDU session resource modification completion response.

[0238] Step 14: After the time / location information expires, the original SN releases the UE's context, the MN sends an SN addition request to the new SN, and subsequent related operations are completed.

[0239] Similarly, the SN addition request message sent by the MN to the new SN may also include a timestamp (t1'_path) for determining the delay compensation information between the MN and the new SN. The subsequent steps can repeat the foregoing steps.

[0240] It can be seen that in the embodiments of the present application, when at least one of the MN and the SN is an NTN node, the MN can perform SN handover for the relevant information of the SN, so that the MN can obtain an SN with signal quality meeting the requirements for data distribution, ensuring the communication quality with the UE.

[0241] Optionally, Figure 4A the method in Figure 7A can be applied to the scenario of the MC anchor node. Refer to Figure 7A which is a schematic diagram of a communication scenario of an MC anchor node provided in the embodiments of the present application. As shown in Figure 7A , the service data sent from the CN to the UE can be sent from the CN to the MC anchor node, then from the MC anchor node to the MN and the SN, and finally the MN and the SN send the data to the UE. That is, it includes path 1 corresponding to MC anchor node → MN → UE, and path 2 corresponding to MC anchor node → MN → UE. There may also be one or more RNs between the MC anchor node and the MN.

[0242] Therefore, when the foregoing Figure 4A method is applied to the scenario of the MC anchor node, the first node is the MC anchor node, and the second node is the NTN node, specifically it can be the MN or the SN (the node that is sent the first time information is the node farther from the MC anchor node among the MN or the SN). The rest of the description is the same as the foregoing Figure 4Awhich is consistent with the relevant description and will not be elaborated here.

[0243] In the embodiments of the present application, the foregoing Figure 4A method is applied to the MC anchor node to perform time delay compensation on the MN or SN, so that the time for the MN and SN to send data to the target UE is close, reducing the time window for the target UE to receive data and reducing the buffer pressure of the target UE.

[0244] Optionally, Figure 4B the method in Figure 4B can also be applied to the scenario of the MC anchor node. However, some of the steps need to be transformed. Therefore, the following two methods can be obtained based on the transformation of the method in

[0245] Refer to Figure 7B , Figure 7B which is a flowchart of a communication method applied to the MC anchor node provided by the embodiments of the present application. As shown in Figure 7B , the method includes the following processes:

[0246] 301. The first node sends first time information to the second node, and the first time information is used to instruct the second node to receive and cache data within the first time; and / or is used to instruct the second node to send data to the target terminal device UE within the second time, where the second node is a non-terrestrial network NTN node.

[0247] 302. The first node sends first data to the second node within the third time, and the third time has an associated relationship with the first time and / or the second time.

[0248] 303. The second node receives and caches the first data within the first time according to the first time information, and / or forwards the first data to the target UE within the second time.

[0249] 304. The first node sends second time information to the target UE, and the second time information is used to instruct the target UE to receive and cache data within the fourth time; or is used to instruct the target UE to send data within the fifth time; the second time information is determined based on the first time information.

[0250] 305. The first node sends second data to the third node within the seventh time, and the seventh time is determined based on the first time information and / or the second time information.

[0251] 306. The third node receives the second data and forwards the second data to the target UE.

[0252] 307. The target UE receives the second time information from the first node, and receives and caches the first data from the second node and the second data from the third node within the fourth time according to the second time information, and / or sends data within the fifth time.

[0253] That is, after the MC anchor node, as the first node, sends the first time information to the second node (MN or SN), it can send the second time information to the target UE, so that the target UE can receive data from the third node (the third node is a node different from the second node. If the second node is MN, the third node is SN; if the second node is SN, the third node is MN) and the second node according to the second time information. This enables the target UE to receive data based on the indication of the MC anchor node, omits unnecessary waiting time, and reduces waiting power consumption.

[0254] Or refer to Figure 7C , Figure 7C which is another flowchart of a communication method applied to the MC anchor node provided by the embodiments of this application. As shown in Figure 7C , the method includes the following processes:

[0255] 401. The first node sends the first time information to the second node. The first time information is used to instruct the second node to receive and cache data within the first time; and / or is used to instruct the second node to send data to the target terminal device UE within the second time, where the second node is a non-terrestrial network (NTN) node.

[0256] 402. The first node sends the first data to the second node within the third time. The third time has an associated relationship with the first time and / or the second time.

[0257] 403. The second node receives and caches the first data within the first time according to the first time information, and / or forwards the first data to the target UE within the second time.

[0258] 404. The first node sends the third time information to the third node. The third time information is used to instruct the third node to receive and cache data within the eighth time; or is used to instruct the third node to send data within the ninth time; the third time information is determined based on the first time information.

[0259] 405. The first node sends the second data to the third node within the tenth time. The tenth time is determined based on the eighth time and / or the ninth time.

[0260] 406. The third node receives and caches the second data within the eighth time according to the third time information, and / or forwards the second data to the target UE within the ninth time.

[0261] Correspondingly, the target UE receives the first data from the second node and the second data from the third node.

[0262] That is to say, the first node indicates to the second node the time for the second node to send and receive data through the first time information, and indicates to the third node the time for the third node to send and receive data through the third time information, so that the second node and the third node send data to the target UE within the coordinated time window, reducing the buffer pressure of the target UE.

[0263] Optionally, in the MC anchor node scenario, since at least one of the MN node and the SN node is an NTN node, the corresponding MC anchor node will also change. Based on this, reference can be made to Figure 7D to provide a method flow chart for connecting and switching the MC anchor node for the implementation of this application, as Figure 7D shown, the method includes the following steps:

[0264] Step 0: The UE reports the SN measurement report to the MN.

[0265] Step 1: The MN selects an MC anchor node based on the SN measurement report and establishes a connection with the MC anchor node.

[0266] The MC anchor node is characterized by good communication quality between the MN and the SN.

[0267] Step 2: The MN selects at least one SN (in advance) based on the measurement report to send an SN addition request, and the SN addition request includes MC anchor node information.

[0268] The MC anchor node information includes the address, number, valid time period, etc. of the MC anchor node. The request information can be relayed and transmitted by at least one relay node RN.

[0269] Step 3: The SN establishes a connection with the MC anchor node based on the relevant information of the MC anchor node.

[0270] Step 4: The SN returns an SN request response based on its own resource status and other information.

[0271] Step 5: The MN sends Xn user plane address (Xn-U Address) indication information to the SN.

[0272] Step 6a: The MC anchor node sends delay compensation information between the MC and the MN to the MN.

[0273] The process for the MC anchor node to obtain the delay compensation information between the MC and the MN may include: during the process of establishing a connection with the MN, the MC anchor node adds a timestamp to the signaling sent to the MN, and the MN also adds a timestamp to the signaling fed back to the MC anchor node. The MC anchor node calculates the delay compensation information between the MC and the MN based on these two timestamps.

[0274] Step 6b: The MC anchor node sends the delay compensation information between the MC and the SN to the SN.

[0275] The process for the MC anchor node to obtain the delay compensation information between the MC and the SN may include: during the process of establishing a connection with the SN, the MC anchor node adds a timestamp to the signaling sent to the SN, and the SN also adds a timestamp to the signaling fed back to the MC anchor node. The MC anchor node calculates the delay compensation information between the MC and the SN based on these two timestamps.

[0276] Either Step 6a or Step 6b can be executed alone, or both can be executed simultaneously.

[0277] Step 7: The MN sends an RRC reconfiguration message to the UE.

[0278] Step 8: The UE node returns an RRC reconfiguration complete response to the MN.

[0279] Step 9: The MN returns an SN reconfiguration complete response to the SN.

[0280] Step 10: The UE accesses the SN.

[0281] Step 11: The MN sends UE context information to the SN to implement SN state transition.

[0282] Step 12: The UPF sends the service data of the UE to the MC anchor node.

[0283] That is, the UPF does not have to relay part of the UE's data through the MN to the SN, that is, the subsequent PDCP data splitting decision is controlled by the MC anchor node.

[0284] Step 13: The MC anchor node sends the first part of the UE's service data to the MN and the second part of the UE's service data to the SN.

[0285] Step 14a: The MN forwards the first part of the service data to the UE (based on the delay compensation information between the MC and the MN).

[0286] Step 14b: The SN forwards the second part of the service data to the UE (based on the delay compensation information between the MC and the SN).

[0287] MN or SN directly forwards service data to the UE, or forwards service data based on delay compensation information, which is determined based on whether step 6a or 6b is executed.

[0288] Step 15: When it is necessary to update the transmission path from the CN to the SN, the MN sends a path change request message to the AMF node.

[0289] Step 16: The AMF node requests a user plane transmission path change from the UPF node.

[0290] Step 17: The UPF node does not need to send a path termination indication message to the SN through the MN's redirect, that is, it can directly send this indication message to the SN through the MC anchor node.

[0291] Step 18: The AMF node returns a path change completion response to the MN.

[0292] Step 19: When the validity period of the source MC anchor node expires, the MN selects a new suitable MC anchor node to establish a connection. The MN can also select a new suitable MC anchor node to establish a connection in advance before the expiration.

[0293] It can be seen that in the embodiments of the present application, a specific implementation process of the MC anchor node sending delay compensation information to the MN and the SN in the application scenario of the MC anchor node is provided. Additionally, since at least one of the MN and the SN is an NTN node, the MC anchor node will change, and the core network can switch the MC anchor node so that the MC anchor node can perform data distribution while meeting quality requirements and ensure the communication quality with the UE.

[0294] If possible, the MC anchor node may also not send delay compensation information to the MN and the SN, but directly distribute the first data to the MN and the second data to the SN. In this case, the conditions that the MC anchor node needs to meet are that the distance difference from the MN and the SN is less than a preset threshold, and the preset threshold is, for example, 300 km (kilometers). This can make the arrival times of the first data and the second data sent by the MC anchor node to the MN and the SN close (the difference is less than 1 ms). Further, the times for the MN and the SN to send the first data and the second data to the target UE are also close, reducing the time for the UE to wait for data from the farther node, and thus reducing the buffer pressure of the UE.

[0295] Such as Figure 8Schematic structural diagram of the communication device shown. An embodiment of the present application further provides a communication device 1200, which may be a terminal device, or may be used for but not limited to terminal devices. The communication device 1200 includes a transceiver unit 1201 and a processing unit 1202. The transceiver unit 1201 may be or may be deployed in a transceiver, a transceiver antenna, an input / output interface, or other units or modules capable of implementing information transceiver functions. The processing unit 1202 may be or may be deployed in a processor. Among them,

[0296] The transceiver unit 1201 is configured to send first time information to a second node, where the first time information is used to instruct the second node to receive and cache data within a first time; and / or is used to instruct the second node to send data to a target terminal device UE within a second time;

[0297] The transceiver unit 1201 is further configured to send first data to the second node within a third time, where the third time has an association relationship with the first time and / or the second time, and at least one of the first node and the second node is a non-terrestrial network NTN node.

[0298] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1201 is further configured to: send second time information to the target UE, where the second time information is used to instruct the target UE to receive and cache data within a fourth time; or is used to instruct the target UE to send data within a fifth time; the second time information is determined based on the first time information; and send second data to the target UE within a sixth time, where the sixth time has an association relationship with the fourth time and / or the fifth time.

[0299] Optionally, the first time information is determined based on a first transmission time and a second transmission time, where the first transmission time is the time when the first node sends a first message to the second node, and the second transmission time is the time when the second node feeds back a second message based on the first message; or the first time information is determined based on the first transmission time and a first reception time, and the first reception time is the time when the first node receives the second message from the second node.

[0300] Optionally, it includes at least one of the following; the first transmission time is a timestamp in the first message; or the second transmission time is a timestamp in the second message.

[0301] Optionally, the first time information is determined based on relevant information of the second node, and the relevant information of the second node includes at least one of the following: location information of the second node, movement path information of the second node, or cache capacity of the second node.

[0302] Optionally, the first node is the master node MN, the second node is the secondary node SN, the first message is the SN addition request message, and the second message is the SN request response message; wherein, the SN addition request message is used to request to obtain communication resources for the target UE from the SN.

[0303] Optionally, the first time information is carried in the Xn user plane address indication message between the MN and the SN.

[0304] Optionally, the second time information is carried in the radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration message.

[0305] Optionally, the first data and the second data are packet data convergence protocol layer - protocol data unit (PDCP PDU).

[0306] Optionally, the method further includes at least one of the following: the first time information is carried in the PDCP PDU header of the first data; or the second time information is carried in the PDCP PDU header of the second data.

[0307] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1201 is further configured to: receive SN - related information from the SN, where the SN - related information includes at least one of the following: the duration for which the SN can serve at least one UE or at least one area, or the location - related information of the SN; determine the end of service of the SN based on the SN - related information, and send an SN addition request message to other SNs except the SN.

[0308] Optionally, in the above Figure 8 the communication device 1200 shown in can also be used to perform the following operations:

[0309] The transceiver unit 1201 is configured to receive first time information from the first node, where the first time information is used to indicate that the second node receives and caches data within the first time; or is used to indicate that the second node sends data to the target terminal device UE within the second time.

[0310] The processing unit 1202 is configured to receive and cache the first data within the first time in combination with the transceiver unit 1201 according to the first time information, and / or send the third data to the target UE within the second time, where at least one of the first node and the second node is a non - terrestrial network (NTN) node.

[0311] Optionally, before receiving the first time information from the first node, the transceiver unit 1201 is further configured to: receive a first message from the first node, and feedback a second message to the first node based on the first message.

[0312] Optionally, the first message and / or the second message includes a timestamp.

[0313] Optionally, the first node is the MN, the second node is the SN, the first message is an SN addition request message, and the second message is an SN request response message, where the SN addition request message is used to request adding the SN as the user plane resource of the MN.

[0314] Optionally, the first time information is carried in the Xn user plane address indication message between the MN and the first SN.

[0315] Optionally, the first data and the third data are PDCP PDUs.

[0316] Optionally, the first time information is carried in the PDCP PDU header of the first data.

[0317] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1201 is further configured to: send SN-related information to the MN, where the SN-related information includes at least one of the following: the buffering capability of the SN, the duration for which the SN can serve at least one UE or at least one area, the location-related information of the SN, or the movement path information of the SN.

[0318] As Figure 9 shown in the schematic structural diagram of the communication device, an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication device 1300, which may be a terminal device, or may be used in but not limited to terminal devices. The communication device 1300 includes a transceiver unit 1301 and a processing unit 1302. The transceiver unit 1301 may be or may be deployed in a transceiver, a transceiver antenna, an input / output interface, or other units or modules capable of implementing information transceiver functions. The processing unit 1302 may be or may be deployed in a processor. Wherein,

[0319] The transceiver unit 1301 is configured to receive second time information from the first node, where the second time information is used to instruct the target UE to receive and buffer data within a fourth time; or is used to instruct the target UE to send data within a fifth time;

[0320] The processing unit 1302 is configured to, according to the second time information, combine the first data received from the first node and buffered by the transceiver unit 1301 within the fourth time and the third data from the second node, and / or send the sixth data within the fifth time, where at least one of the first node and the second node is a non-terrestrial network NTN node.

[0321] In some possible implementation manners, the first node is the MN, and the second time information is carried in a radio resource control RRC reconfiguration message.

[0322] In some possible implementation manners, the first data and the third data are PDCP PDUs.

[0323] In some possible implementation manners, the second time information is carried in the PDCP PDU header of the first data.

[0324] As Figure 10 shown, Figure 10 FIG. shows a schematic hardware structure diagram of a communication device 1400 in an embodiment of the present application. The structure of the communication device 1200 or the communication device 1300 may refer to Figure 10 the structure shown. The communication device 1400 includes: a processor 111 and a transceiver 112, which are electrically coupled between the processor 111 and the transceiver 112;

[0325] The processor 111 is configured to execute some or all of the computer program instructions in the memory. When the some or all of the computer program instructions are executed, the device is caused to execute the method described in any one of the above embodiments.

[0326] The transceiver 112 is configured to communicate with other devices; for example, to send first time information to a second node, where the first time information is used to instruct the second node to receive and cache data within a first time; and / or to instruct the second node to send data to a target terminal device UE at a second time.

[0327] Optionally, it further includes a memory 113 for storing computer program instructions. Optionally, the memory 113 (memory #1) is located inside the device, the memory 113 (memory #2) is integrated with the processor 111, or the memory 113 (memory #3) is located outside the device.

[0328] It should be understood that Figure 10 the communication device 1300 shown may be a chip or a circuit. For example, a chip or a circuit that can be disposed inside a terminal device or a communication device. The above transceiver 112 may also be a communication interface. The transceiver includes a receiver and a transmitter. Further, the communication device 1300 may further include a bus system.

[0329] Wherein, the processor 111, the memory 113, and the transceiver 112 are connected through the bus system. The processor 111 is configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory 113 to control the transceiver to receive signals and send signals, and complete the steps of the sending end or the receiving end in the implementation method involved in the present application. The memory 113 may be integrated in the processor 111 or may be separately provided from the processor 111.

[0330] As an implementation, the functions of the transceiver 112 can be considered to be implemented by a transceiver circuit or a dedicated transceiver chip. The processor 111 can be considered to be implemented by a dedicated processing chip, a processing circuit, a processor, or a general-purpose chip. The processor can be a central processing unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), or a combination of a CPU and an NP. The processor can further include a hardware chip or other general-purpose processors. The above-mentioned hardware chip can be an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), or a combination thereof. The above-mentioned PLD can be a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a generic array logic (GAL), and other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc., or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or the processor can also be any conventional processor, etc.

[0331] It should also be understood that the memory mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable ROM (PROM), an erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static RAM (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). It should be noted that the memory described in the present application is intended to include but not limited to these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0332] An embodiment of the present application provides a computer storage medium storing a computer program, the computer program including a method for performing the above embodiments applied to a first node, a second node, or a target UE.

[0333] An embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product containing instructions, which, when running on a computer, causes the computer to execute the method applied to a first node, a second node, or a target UE in the above embodiments.

[0334] It should be understood that in various embodiments of the present application, the magnitudes of the sequence numbers of the above processes do not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation to the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0335] 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.

[0336] 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 repeated here.

[0337] 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 may 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 coupling or direct coupling or communication connection to each other can be through some interfaces, and the indirect coupling or communication connection of the devices or units can be in an electrical, mechanical or other form.

[0338] 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.

[0339] 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.

[0340] 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 may 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 aforementioned storage medium includes: various media that can store program codes, such as USB flash drives, mobile hard disks, read-only memories (ROM), random access memories (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical discs.

[0341] 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, and all should be covered by 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, Applied to a first node, the method includes: Sending first time information to a second node, the first time information being used to instruct the second node to receive and cache data within a first time; and / or being used to instruct the second node to send data to a target user equipment (UE) at a second time; Sending first data to the second node at a third time, the third time being associated with the first time and / or the second time, wherein at least one of the first node and the second node is a non-terrestrial network (NTN) node.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The method further includes: Sending second time information to the target UE, the second time information being used to instruct the target UE to receive and cache data within a fourth time; and / or being used to instruct the target UE to send data at a fifth time; the second time information is determined based on the first time information; Sending second data to the target UE at a sixth time, the sixth time being associated with the fourth time and / or the fifth time.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first time information is determined based on a first transmission time and a second transmission time, wherein the first transmission time is the time when the first node sends a first message to the second node, and the second transmission time is the time when the second node feeds back a second message based on the first message; or The first time information is determined based on a first transmission time and a first reception time, the first reception time being the time when the first node receives the second message from the second node.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein Includes at least one of the following; The first transmission time is a timestamp in the first message; or The second transmission time is a timestamp in the second message.

5. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first time information is determined based on relevant information of the second node, and the relevant information of the second node includes at least one of the following: the location information of the second node, the movement path information of the second node, or the caching ability of the second node.

6. The method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that, The first node is a master node (MN), the second node is a secondary node (SN), the first message is an SN addition request message, and the second message is an SN request response message; wherein the SN addition request message is used to request adding the SN as the user plane resource of the MN.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The first time information is carried in the Xn user plane address indication message between the MN and the SN.

8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that, The second time information is carried in a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration message.

9. The method according to any one of claims 2-8, characterized in that The first data and the second data are packet data convergence protocol layer - protocol data unit (PDCP PDU).

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein The method further includes at least one of the following: The first time information is carried in the PDCP PDU header of the first data; or The second time information is carried in the PDCP PDU header of the second data.

11. The method according to claim 6, wherein The method further includes: Receiving SN-related information from the SN, the SN-related information including at least one of the following: the duration for which the SN can serve at least one UE or at least one area, or the location-related information of the SN; Determine that the SN ends the service based on the SN-related information, and send an SN addition request message to other SNs except the SN.

12. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to the second node, the method includes: Receiving first time information from the first node, where the first time information is used to instruct the second node to receive and cache data within a first time; or to instruct the second node to send data to the target terminal device UE within a second time. Receiving and caching first data within the first time according to the first time information, and / or sending third data to the target UE within the second time, where at least one of the first node and the second node is a non-terrestrial network NTN node.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein Before receiving the first time information from the first node, the method further includes: receiving a first message from the first node, and feeding back a second message to the first node based on the first message.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein The first message and / or the second message includes a timestamp.

15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that The first node is an MN, the second node is an SN, the first message is an SN addition request message, and the second message is an SN request response message, where the SN addition request message is used to request to obtain communication resources for the target UE from the SN.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein The first time information is carried in the Xn user plane address indication message between the MN and the first SN.

17. The method according to any one of claims 12-16, characterized in that The first data and the third data are PDCP PDUs.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein The first time information is carried in the PDCP PDU header of the first data.

19. The method according to any one of claims 15 - 18, characterized in that, The method further includes: Sending SN-related information to the MN, where the SN-related information includes at least one of the following: the caching ability of the SN, the duration for which the SN can provide services for at least one UE or at least one area, the location-related information of the SN, or the movement path information of the SN.

20. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to the target UE, the method includes: Receiving second time information from the first node, where the second time information is used to instruct the target UE to receive and cache data within a fourth time; or to instruct the target UE to send data within a fifth time. Receiving and caching first data from the first node and third data from the second node within the fourth time according to the second time information, and / or sending sixth data within the fifth time, where at least one of the first node and the second node is a non-terrestrial network NTN node.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein The first node is an MN, and the second time information is carried in a radio resource control RRC reconfiguration message.

22. The method according to claim 20 or 21, characterized in that, The first data and the third data are PDCP PDUs.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein The second time information is carried in the PDCP PDU header of the first data.

24. A communication device, characterized in that, Including a unit for executing the method according to any one of claims 1-11, or including a unit for executing the method according to any one of claims 12-19, or including a unit for executing the method according to any one of claims 20-23.

25. A communication system, characterized in that, The system includes the communication device according to claim 24.

26. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions, and the computer instructions direct the communication device to execute the method described in any one of claims 1-11, or the computer instructions direct the communication device to execute the method described in any one of claims 12-19, or the computer instructions direct the communication device to execute the method described in any one of claims 20-23.

27. A circuit, characterized in that, Comprising: A processor and an interface for executing a computer program or instructions stored in a memory, executing the method described in any one of claims 1-11, or executing the method described in any one of claims 12-19, or executing the method described in any one of claims 20-23.

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