Communication method of DU, DU, storage medium and computer program product

Abstract

The invention provides a communication method of a distributed unit (DU), a DU, a storage medium and a computer program product, and the method comprises the steps that a first DU sends first information to a second DU, the first DU is arranged on a first satellite, the second DU is arranged on a second satellite, and the first information is used for requesting to establish a communication interface between the first DU and the second DU; the second DU receives the first information sent by the first DU and sends second information responding to the first information to the first DU, and the first DU receives the second information responding to the first information sent by the second DU.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of wireless communication technologies, and in particular, to a communication method for a Distributed Unit (DU), a DU, a storage medium, and a computer program product. Background Art

[0002] In the related art, communication between DUs needs to be forwarded through a Centralized Unit (CU), that is, communication between DUs can be completed only through the path of DU->CU->DU. Considering that there is an extremely long transmission delay when forwarding in a non-terrestrial network, for the scenario where only the next-generation base station Distributed Unit (gNodeB-DU, gNB-DU) is on the satellite, if the method of forwarding through the CU on the ground in the related art is used to implement communication between DUs, the communication delay between DUs will be relatively high. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of this, embodiments of the present application are expected to provide a communication method for a DU, a DU, a storage medium, and a computer program product, which can reduce the communication delay between DUs.

[0004] The technical solution of the embodiments of the present application is implemented as follows:

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method for a DU, which is applied to a first DU, and the first DU is disposed on a first satellite. The method includes:

[0006] Sending first information to a second DU, where the second DU is disposed on a second satellite, and the first information is used to request to establish a communication interface between the first DU and the second DU;

[0007] Receiving second information in response to the first information sent by the second DU.

[0008] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method for a DU, which is applied to a second DU, and the second DU is disposed on a second satellite. The method includes:

[0009] Receiving first information sent by a first DU, where the first DU is disposed on a first satellite, and the first information is used to request to establish a communication interface between the first DU and the second DU;

[0010] Sending second information in response to the first information to the first DU.

[0011] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a first DU, and the first DU is disposed on a first satellite. The first DU includes:

[0012] A first sending unit, configured to send first information to a second DU, where the second DU is disposed on a second satellite, and the first information is used to request to establish a communication interface between the first DU and the second DU;

[0013] A first receiving unit, configured to receive second information sent by the second DU in response to the first information.

[0014] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a second DU, where the second DU is disposed on a second satellite, and the second DU includes:

[0015] A second receiving unit, configured to receive first information sent by a first DU, where the first DU is disposed on a first satellite, and the first information is used to request to establish a communication interface between the first DU and the second DU;

[0016] A second sending unit, configured to send second information in response to the first information to the first DU.

[0017] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a first DU, where the first DU includes: a first processor and a first memory; when the first processor executes a running program stored in the first memory, the communication method of the DU on the first DU side as described above is implemented.

[0018] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a second DU, where the second DU includes: a second processor and a second memory; when the second processor executes a running program stored in the second memory, the communication method of the DU on the second DU side as described above is implemented.

[0019] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a storage medium, on which a computer program is stored, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the communication method of the DU on the first DU side as described above is implemented, or when the computer program is executed by a processor, the communication method of the DU on the second DU side as described above is implemented.

[0020] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, including a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the communication method of the DU on the first DU side as described above is implemented, or when the computer program is executed by a processor, the communication method of the DU on the second DU side as described above is implemented.

[0021] An embodiment of the present application provides a communication method for a DU, a DU, a storage medium, and a computer program product. The method includes: a first DU sends first information to a second DU. The first DU is disposed on a first satellite, and the second DU is disposed on a second satellite. The first information is used to request to establish a communication interface between the first DU and the second DU; the second DU receives the first information sent by the first DU and sends second information in response to the first information to the first DU, and the first DU receives the second information sent by the second DU in response to the first information. By adopting the above implementation solution, when communicating between the first DU and the second DU deployed on different satellites, a communication interface between the first DU and the second DU is established by sending the first information between the first DU and the second DU, and direct communication between DUs is realized through the established communication interface between the first DU and the second DU, and communication between DUs is realized without forwarding through the CU. In this way, the communication delay between DUs in a non-terrestrial network scenario can be effectively reduced. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of communication between satellites by way of example;

[0023] Figure 2 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method for a DU provided by an embodiment of the present application Figure 1 ;

[0024] Figure 3 is a protocol stack design architecture of a D1-C interface provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0025] Figure 4 is a protocol stack design architecture of a D1-U interface provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0026] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of communication between DUs using a D1-C interface and / or a D1-U interface provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0027] Figure 6 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method for a DU provided by an embodiment of the present application Figure 2 ;

[0028] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the overall process of establishing a communication interface D1 between a first DU and a second DU provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0029] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the overall process of configuration update between a first DU and a second DU provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0030] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the overall process of resource coordination between a first DU and a second DU provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] Figure 10 It is a schematic diagram of the overall process of error information indication between a first DU and a second DU provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] Figure 11 It is a schematic diagram of the overall process of reset information between a first DU and a second DU provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] Figure 12 It is a schematic diagram of the overall process of status information indication between a first DU and a second DU provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0034] Figure 13 It is a schematic diagram of the overall process of removing communication interface D1 between a first DU and a second DU provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] Figure 14 It is a schematic diagram of the overall process of resource status update between a first DU and a second DU provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] Figure 15 It is a schematic diagram of the overall process of initiating resource status reporting between a first DU and a second DU provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0037] Figure 16 It is a schematic diagram of the composition structure of a first DU provided by an embodiment of the present application Figure 1 ;

[0038] Figure 17 It is a schematic diagram of the composition structure of a first DU provided by an embodiment of the present application Figure 2 ;

[0039] Figure 18 It is a schematic diagram of the composition structure of a second DU provided by an embodiment of the present application Figure 1 ;

[0040] Figure 19 It is a schematic diagram of the composition structure of a second DU provided by an embodiment of the present application Figure 2 . Detailed implementation manners

[0041] In order to understand the features and technical content of the embodiments of the present application in more detail, the technical solutions of the present application will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of the specification and specific embodiments. The accompanying drawings are only for reference and illustration purposes and are not used to limit the embodiments of the present application.

[0042] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used in the embodiments of this application have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the technical field to which this application belongs. The terms used in the embodiments of this application are only for the purpose of describing the embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit this application.

[0043] In the following description, reference is made to "some embodiments", which describe a subset of all possible embodiments. However, it can be understood that "some embodiments" can be the same subset or different subsets of all possible embodiments and can be combined with each other without conflict. It should also be noted that the terms "first / second / third" involved in the embodiments of this application are only used to distinguish similar objects and do not represent a specific order for the objects. It can be understood that "first / second / third" can be interchanged with a specific order or sequence when permitted, so that the embodiments of this application described here can be implemented in an order other than that illustrated or described here.

[0044] In the relevant communication mechanism, to implement communication between DUs, it needs to be forwarded by the CU. That is, for two DUs to communicate, it can only be completed through the manner of DU->CU->DU. In the non-terrestrial network, there is an extremely long transmission delay when using the indirect communication method. For the scenario where only the gNB-DU is on the satellite, the mechanism of implementing communication between DUs by forwarding through the CU will lead to a reduction in delay performance. That is, it can be understood that if the method of communication between DUs in the related technology is adopted, it will cause a relatively high delay in the communication between DUs. Figure 1 The following shows a schematic diagram of communication between satellites by way of example. The English expressions involved can be referred to as follows:

[0045] Artificial satellite or UAS platform (which can be expressed in English as Satellite or UAS platform);

[0046] Inter-Satellite Link (ISL);

[0047] Service link (which can be expressed in English as Service link);

[0048] Feeder link (which can be expressed in English as Feeder link) (if there is no ISL, the feeder link is necessary);

[0049] Gateway (which can be expressed in English as Gateway);

[0050] Data network (which can be expressed in English as Data network);

[0051] User Equipments (which can be expressed in English as User Equipments);

[0052] Beam footprint;

[0053] Field of view of the satellite or UAS platform.

[0054] In the communication method of the related art, the wireless signal needs to be relayed by the satellite and communicate with the CU on the ground.

[0055] To solve the above problems, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method for a DU, as Figure 2 shown, which is applied to the first DU. The first DU is set on the first satellite, and the method may include:

[0056] S201. The first DU sends a first message to the second DU.

[0057] Wherein, the second DU is set on the second satellite.

[0058] Wherein, the first message is used to request to establish a communication interface between the first DU and the second DU.

[0059] In the embodiment of the present application, the first DU and the second DU are respectively set on different satellites. For example, the first DU is set on satellite 1 and the second DU is set on satellite 2.

[0060] In the embodiment of the present application, the communication interface includes a first interface and / or a second interface. The first interface at least supports control plane data transmission and / or encryption function and / or the function of managing the communication interface, and the second interface at least supports the function related to processing user plane data.

[0061] In the embodiment of the present application, the communication interface can be represented as D1, and D1 includes: the first interface is the control plane interface D1-C, and the second interface is the user plane interface D1-U.

[0062] It should be noted that the definition of the interface name is not limited to the name defined in the embodiment of the present application. Specifically, it can be selected according to the actual situation, and no specific limitation is made in the embodiment of the present application.

[0063] In the embodiment of the present application, the protocol stack architecture related to the communication interface D1 is as Figure 3 and Figure 4 shown, wherein, Figure 3It represents the protocol stack design method of the D1-C interface, including D1-Wireless Access Point (D1-AP), Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP), Internet Protocol (IP), Data Link Layer, and Physical Layer. Figure 4 It represents the protocol stack design method of the D1-U interface, including User Plane Protocol Data Unit (PDU), GPRS Tunneling Protocol - User Plane (GTP-U), User Datagram Protocol (UDP), IP, Data Link Layer, and Physical Layer.

[0064] In the embodiment of the present application, by adopting the design of the D1-C interface protocol stack, the D1-C interface can be enabled to support at least one of the following functions: control plane data transmission function, function of encrypting the transmitted control plane data, and function of managing the communication interface D1.

[0065] In the embodiment of the present application, by adopting the design of the D1-U interface protocol stack, the D1-U interface can be enabled to support at least one of the following functions: function of transmitting user plane data, user plane data forwarding function, information storage function (such as predictable satellite ephemeris and other information), user plane information flow control function, function of processing delay-sensitive service data (i.e., not performing service data processing at the CU), and load management function (such as when the number of UEs connected to a certain DU exceeds a certain amount, some UEs' connections can be shared with other DUs).

[0066] In the embodiment of the present application, the first DU sends a request message for establishing the communication interface D1 between the first DU and the second DU to the second DU. After receiving the request message sent by the first DU, the second DU responds to the request message and sends a response message in response to the request message for establishing the communication interface D1 between the first DU and the second DU to the first DU.

[0067] S202. Receive the second information sent by the second DU in response to the first information.

[0068] In the embodiment of the present application, after the first DU receives the response message sent by the second DU in response to the request message for establishing the communication interface D1 between the first DU and the second DU, the establishment of the communication interface between the first DU and the second DU is completed.

[0069] It should be noted that when the second DU sends the second information in response to the first information to the first DU, the communication interface is established.

[0070] Exemplarily, the first DU is gNB-DU1, and the second DU is gNB-DU2. gNB-DU1 sends a request to gNB-DU2 to establish a communication interface between gNB-DU1 and gNB-DU2. After receiving the request message, gNB-DU2 responds to the request message and sends a response message to gNB-DU1, establishing a communication interface D1 between gNB-DU1 and gNB-DU2; the first DU can also be gNB-DU2, and the second DU is gNB-DU1. gNB-DU2 sends a request to gNB-DU1 to establish a communication interface between gNB-DU1 and gNB-DU2. After receiving the request message, gNB-DU1 responds to the request message and sends a response message to gNB-DU2, establishing a communication interface D1 between gNB-DU2 and gNB-DU1.

[0071] It should be noted that the first DU and the second DU are respectively disposed on different satellites.

[0072] In the embodiment of the present application, as Figure 5 shown, when the communication interface D1 is established between DUs, the communication between DUs can be performed through D1-C and / or D1-U included in D1. Specifically, the control plane data is transmitted between DUs through D1-C, and the user plane data is transmitted between DUs through D1-U.

[0073] Based on the above embodiment, it can be seen that in the embodiment of the present application, to achieve direct communication between the first DU and the second DU, by introducing a communication interface between the first DU and the second DU, direct communication between the first DU and the second DU is realized, and the delay performance of the communication between DUs can be effectively improved in a non-terrestrial network scenario.

[0074] It can be understood that in a communication method of a DU provided in the embodiment of the present application, when communicating between the first DU and the second DU deployed on different satellites, by sending the first information between the first DU and the second DU, a communication interface between the first DU and the second DU is established, and direct communication between DUs is realized through the established communication interface between the first DU and the second DU, and the communication between DUs is realized without the need for the forwarding of the CU. In this way, the communication delay between DUs in a non-terrestrial network scenario can be effectively reduced.

[0075] In the embodiments of this application, in addition to the establishment of the above communication interfaces, DU-DU also includes other management processes for the interfaces between DUs. The management processes involved also include: Error indication, Reset, D1 setup, gNB-DU Configuration Update, gNB-DU Resource Coordination, gNB-DU Status Indication, D1 removal, Resource Status Reporting Initiation, Resource Status Update, etc.

[0076] In the embodiments of this application, for the above management processes, they are specifically embodied in the following embodiments.

[0077] In an embodiment of this application, after the first DU receives the second information sent by the second DU in response to the first information, the first DU interacts with the second DU through the communication interface to adjust the configuration information and / or resource information respectively corresponding to the first DU and the second DU.

[0078] In the embodiments of this application, the configuration information includes the application layer configuration data required for the normal interoperability of the first DU and the second DU on the D1 interface. For example, Served Cell Information, gNB-DU System Information, etc.

[0079] In the embodiments of this application, the resource information may be the resources transmitted between the first DU and the second DU based on the communication protocol. For example, E-UTRA–NR Cell Resource Coordination Request Container, etc.

[0080] In an embodiment of the present application, after the communication interface between the first DU and the second DU is established, the first DU and the second DU can adjust the configuration information and / or resource information corresponding to the first DU and the second DU through the communication interface. That is, the application layer configuration data for interoperability between the first DU and the second DU and / or the resource information between the first DU and the second DU can be adjusted through the established communication interface between the first DU and the second DU.

[0081] In an embodiment of the present application, when the first DU interacts with the second DU through the communication interface to adjust the configuration information corresponding to the first DU and the second DU respectively, it may be that the second DU updates the configuration information of the first DU. Specifically, the first DU receives the configuration update information sent by the second DU, and the configuration update information is used to update the configuration information corresponding to the first DU; the first DU sends the third information for confirming the configuration update information to the second DU.

[0082] In an embodiment of the present application, after the communication interface is established between the first DU and the second DU, to update the configuration information of the first DU, it only needs the second DU to directly send the configuration update information to the first DU through the established communication interface. After the first DU receives the configuration update information sent by the second DU through the communication interface, it sends the third information for confirming the configuration update information to the second DU, and the first DU updates the configuration information of the first DU according to the configuration update information sent by the second DU.

[0083] In an embodiment of the present application, the first DU can also update the configuration information of the second DU through the established communication interface. Specifically, the first DU sends the configuration update information to the second DU, and the configuration update information is used to update the configuration information corresponding to the second DU; it receives the fourth information sent by the second DU for confirming the configuration update information.

[0084] In an embodiment of the present application, when the first DU updates the configuration information of the second DU through the established communication interface, the first DU can also directly send the configuration update information to the second DU through the established communication interface. After the second DU receives the configuration update information sent by the first DU, it updates the configuration information of the second DU based on the configuration update information sent by the first DU.

[0085] In an embodiment of the present application, after the first DU directly sends the configuration update information to the second DU through the established communication interface, if the second DU confirms the update according to the configuration update information sent by the first DU, it sends the confirmation information of the configuration update information to the first DU. The first DU also receives the fourth information for confirming the configuration update information sent by the second DU. When the first DU receives the fourth information, it indicates that the configuration information of the second DU has been updated by the first DU.

[0086] Exemplarily, if the first DU is gNB-DU1 and the second DU is gNB-DU2, when a configuration update is performed between the first DU and the second DU, it can be that gNB-DU2 updates the configuration information of gNB-DU1, or gNB-DU1 updates the configuration information of gNB-DU2. Specifically, when gNB-DU2 updates the configuration information of gNB-DU1, gNB-DU1 receives the configuration update information sent by gNB-DU2, and gNB-DU1 sends the third information for confirming the configuration update information to gNB-DU2. When gNB-DU1 updates the configuration information of gNB-DU2, gNB-DU1 sends the configuration update information to gNB-DU2, and gNB-DU1 receives the fourth information sent by gNB-DU2 for confirming the configuration update information.

[0087] In an embodiment of the present application, when the first DU interacts with the second DU through a communication interface to adjust the resource information corresponding to the first DU and the second DU respectively, it can be that the second DU coordinates the resource information of the first DU. Specifically, the first DU receives the fifth information sent by the second DU, and the fifth information is used to request to coordinate the resource information of the first DU; the first DU sends the sixth information for confirming the coordination of the resource information to the second DU.

[0088] In an embodiment of the present application, after a communication interface is established between the first DU and the second DU, to realize the coordination of the resource information of the first DU, for example, when the number of UEs connected to the second DU is too large and the resources are insufficient, the second DU only needs to directly send a request message for coordinating the resource information to the first DU through the established communication interface. After the first DU receives the request message for coordinating the resource information sent by the second DU through the communication interface, the first DU sends the sixth information for confirming the coordination of the resource information to the second DU, and the first DU coordinates the resource information of the first DU according to the request message for coordinating the resource information sent by the second DU.

[0089] In an embodiment of the present application, the first DU can also coordinate the resource information of the second DU through the established communication interface. Specifically, the first DU sends the seventh information to the second DU, and the seventh information is used to request to coordinate the resource information of the second DU; the first DU receives the eighth information sent by the second DU for confirming the coordination of the resource information.

[0090] In an embodiment of the present application, when the first DU coordinates the resource information of the second DU through the established communication interface, the first DU can also directly send a request message for coordinating the resource information to the second DU through the established communication interface. After the second DU receives the request message for coordinating the resource information sent by the first DU, the second DU coordinates the resource information of the second DU based on the request message for coordinating the resource information sent by the first DU.

[0091] In an embodiment of the present application, after the first DU directly sends a request message for coordinating resource information to the second DU through the established communication interface, if the second DU allows the first DU to perform resource information coordination, it sends information for confirming resource coordination to the first DU. The first DU receives the eighth information for confirming resource information coordination sent by the second DU. When the first DU receives the eighth information, it indicates that the resource information of the second DU has been coordinated by the first DU.

[0092] Exemplarily, if the first DU is gNB-DU1 and the second DU is gNB-DU2, when resource coordination is performed between the first DU and the second DU, it can be that gNB-DU2 coordinates the resource information of gNB-DU1, or gNB-DU1 coordinates the resource information of gNB-DU2. Specifically, when gNB-DU2 coordinates the resource information of gNB-DU1, gNB-DU1 receives the information for coordinating resource information sent by gNB-DU2, and gNB-DU1 sends the sixth information for confirming resource information coordination to gNB-DU2. When gNB-DU1 coordinates the resource information of gNB-DU2, gNB-DU1 sends resource coordination information to gNB-DU2, and gNB-DU1 receives the eighth information for confirming resource information coordination sent by gNB-DU2.

[0093] In an embodiment of the present application, after the first DU receives the second information in response to the first information sent by the second DU, through the communication interface, it performs at least one of the following operations:

[0094] Receive the ninth information sent by the second DU, where the ninth information is used to indicate at least one of the following: error information of the first DU, status information of the second DU, resource status update information of the second DU;

[0095] Send the tenth information to the second DU, where the tenth information is used to indicate at least one of the following: error information of the second DU, status information of the first DU, resource status update information of the first DU;

[0096] Receive the eleventh information sent by the second DU, where the eleventh information is used to indicate at least one of the following: first DU reset information, remove the communication interface between the first DU and the second DU through the first DU, request the first DU to report resource status information; send the twelfth information in response to the eleventh information to the second DU;

[0097] Send the thirteenth information to the second DU, where the thirteenth information is used to indicate at least one of the following: second DU reset information, remove the communication interface between the first DU and the second DU through the second DU, request the second DU to report resource status information; receive the fourteenth information sent by the second DU in response to the thirteenth information.

[0098] In the embodiments of the present application, the error information includes the error information detected by the first DU or the second DU during message transmission in the communication process, such as the gNB-CU UE F1AP ID, Cause, etc.

[0099] In the embodiments of the present application, the status information includes whether the information carried by the first DU or the second DU is overloaded, such as whether the number of UEs carried by the first DU or the second DU is overloaded.

[0100] In the embodiments of the present application, the resource status update information includes, for example, the gNB-CU Measurement ID, the gNB-DU Measurement ID, the Report Characteristics, etc.

[0101] In the embodiments of the present application, it can be that the second DU sends at least one of the error information of the first DU, the status information of the second DU, and the resource status update information of the second DU to the first DU, or it can be that the first DU sends at least one of the error information of the second DU, the status information of the first DU, and the resource status update information of the first DU to the second DU.

[0102] Exemplarily, the first DU is gNB-DU1, the second DU is gNB-DU2, and gNB-DU2 sends at least one of the error information of gNB-DU1, the status information of the second DU, and the resource status update information of the second DU to gNB-DU1, or it can be that gNB-DU1 sends at least one of the error information of gNB-DU2, the status information of the first DU, and the resource status update information of the first DU to gNB-DU2.

[0103] It should be noted that when the second DU sends at least one of the error information of the first DU, the status information of the second DU, and the resource status update information of the second DU to the first DU, or when the first DU sends at least one of the error information of the second DU, the status information of the first DU, and the resource status update information of the first DU to the second DU, it can be indicated in the form of an identification bit indicating information.

[0104] In the embodiments of the present application, the second DU can send the first DU reset information to the first DU. Specifically, when the second DU initiates the first DU reset information, all the information on the first DU is reset, and the first DU sends an acknowledgment message in response to the first DU reset information to the second DU.

[0105] In an embodiment of the present application, the first DU may also send second DU reset information to the second DU. Specifically, when the first DU initiates the second DU reset information, all information on the second DU is reset. The second DU sends an acknowledgement message in response to the second DU reset information to the first DU, and the first DU receives the acknowledgement message of the second DU reset information sent by the second DU.

[0106] Exemplarily, the first DU is gNB-DU1 and the second DU is gNB-DU2. gNB-DU2 sends gNB-DU1 reset information to gNB-DU1, and gNB-DU1 sends an acknowledgement message in response to the gNB-DU1 reset information to gNB-DU2. Or, gNB-DU1 sends gNB-DU2 reset information to gNB-DU2 and receives the acknowledgement message of the gNB-DU2 reset information sent by gNB-DU2.

[0107] In an embodiment of the present application, for the communication interface established between the first DU and the second DU, if it is not in use, the communication interface can be removed. Specifically, the second DU sends a request message to remove the communication interface established between the first DU and the second DU to the first DU. After receiving the request message sent by the second DU to remove the communication interface D1 established between the first DU and the second DU, the first DU removes the communication interface D1 established between the first DU and the second DU through the first DU, and the first DU sends a response message in response to the request message to the second DU. It can also be that the first DU sends a request message to remove the communication interface D1 established between the first DU and the second DU to the second DU. After receiving the request message, the second DU removes the communication interface D1 established between the first DU and the second DU through the second DU, and the second DU sends a response message in response to the request message to the first DU.

[0108] Exemplarily, the first DU is gNB-DU1 and the second DU is gNB-DU2. When removing the communication interface D1 established between gNB-DU1 and gNB-DU2, it can be that gNB-DU2 sends a request message to remove the communication interface between gNB-DU1 and gNB-DU2 through gNB-DU1 to gNB-DU1, and the communication interface D1 is removed through gNB-DU1. gNB-DU1 sends a response message in response to the request message to gNB-DU2. It can also be that gNB-DU1 sends a request message to remove the communication interface D1 established between gNB-DU1 and gNB-DU2 through gNB-DU2 to gNB-DU2, and the communication interface D1 is removed through gNB-DU2. gNB-DU2 sends a response message in response to the request message to gNB-DU1.

[0109] In the embodiments of the present application, the first DU or the second DU can also report resource status information through the communication interface D1. Specifically, when reporting the resource status information of the first DU, the second DU sends a request message to the first DU for requesting the first DU to report the resource status information of the first DU. The first DU confirms to report the resource status information of the first DU and sends a response message in response to the request message to the second DU. When reporting the resource status information of the second DU, the first DU sends a request message to the second DU for requesting the second DU to report the resource status information of the second DU. The second DU confirms to report the resource status information of the second DU and sends a response message in response to the request message to the first DU.

[0110] Exemplarily, the first DU is gNB-DU1 and the second DU is gNB-DU2. gNB-DU1 or gNB-DU2 can report resource status information to each other. Specifically, when reporting the resource status information of gNB-DU1, gNB-DU2 sends a request message to gNB-DU1 for requesting gNB-DU1 to report the resource status information. gNB-DU1 confirms to report the resource status information of gNB-DU1 and sends a response message in response to the request message to gNB-DU2. When reporting the resource status information of gNB-DU2, gNB-DU1 sends a request message to gNB-DU2 for requesting gNB-DU2 to report the resource status information. gNB-DU2 confirms to report the resource status information of gNB-DU2 and sends a response message in response to the request message to gNB-DU1.

[0111] In an embodiment of the present application, user plane data is transmitted through a communication interface. The packet header of the user plane data includes eighth information, and the eighth information includes at least one of one-hop or multi-hop node information corresponding to at least one candidate DU communicating with the first DU and time information. Based on the eighth information, the user plane data transmitted by the first DU is forwarded.

[0112] In the embodiments of the present application, the user plane data can be understood to transmit service data.

[0113] In the embodiments of the present application, at least one of the following is added to the packet header of GTP-U in the user plane protocol: at least one of one-hop or multi-hop node information corresponding to at least one candidate DU communicating with the first DU and time information.

[0114] In the embodiments of the present application, the node information at least includes one or more of satellite ephemeris information, satellite ID information, and satellite index bitmap.

[0115] It should be noted that the satellite ephemeris information describes a set of data of the satellite orbit.

[0116] It should be noted that the index bitmap of the satellite is generated based on the candidate satellite set. Specifically, the candidate satellite set is determined according to a certain distance threshold condition. An index is set for each satellite in the candidate satellite set. Assuming that there are potential mutual communication connection requirements among DU1 to DUN (for example, DUs with the same operating cycle and a distance meeting a certain threshold are considered to have the possibility of potential mutual communication connection), when DU1 communicates with any one Dux among DU2 to DUN, in the GTP-U packet header, other DUs can be informed to Dux in the form of an index bitmap, which can reduce the redundant signaling overhead generated each time it is executed.

[0117] It should be noted that the node information included in the GTP-U packet header can clarify which specific satellite is to be jumped to. Secondly, since each satellite is in motion, the time information of the motion of each satellite is also required, so that when data is transmitted, it can be determined at which specific time to jump to the corresponding satellite, which is relatively accurate for data transmission.

[0118] In the embodiment of the present application, multi-hop node identification information and time information are added to the GTP-U packet header, such as the content added in the rows where the serial numbers 5 to 8 are located in Table 1 below, as shown in Table 1 below:

[0119] Table 1

[0120]

[0121] In the embodiment of the present application, multi-hop node identification information and time information are added to the GTP-U packet header in the form of a bitmap, where Nx is the node index of each hop, N1 corresponds to the first hop, N2 corresponds to the second hop, and so on, UTC t1 is the absolute time information corresponding to the first hop, and Δtx is the time interval information between the second hop and each subsequent hop and the previous hop. Such as the content added in the rows where the serial numbers 5 to 6 are located in Table 2 below, and Table 2 is as follows:

[0122] Table 2

[0123]

[0124] In the embodiment of the present application, when communicating between the first DU and other DUs, based on the node information and time information in the above embodiment, the satellite of the next hop when communicating with the first DU can be determined. After determining the satellite of the next hop, the first DU can transmit the user plane data to the satellite of the next hop.

[0125] In the embodiments of the present application, when communicating with the first DU, if there are multiple DUs with potential communication possibilities, when the first DU forwards user plane data, it can also select the optimal hop from the multiple DUs with potential communication possibilities for user plane data forwarding.

[0126] In the embodiments of the present application, multiple DUs correspond to multi-hop forwarding paths, and the target DU can be determined from at least one candidate DU corresponding to at least one node information based on the multi-hop forwarding rules.

[0127] The multi-hop forwarding rules include at least one of the following:

[0128] Whether the distance between the candidate DU and the first DU meets the requirements;

[0129] Whether the candidate DU and the first DU are on the same operating orbit;

[0130] Whether the candidate DU and the first DU are of the same type of satellite;

[0131] Whether the gateway station corresponding to the candidate DU and the first DU is the same;

[0132] Whether the cell types served by the candidate DU and the first DU are the same;

[0133] Whether the candidate DU and the first DU belong to the same constellation;

[0134] Whether the gateway station corresponding to the candidate DU and the first DU is within the same regional scope;

[0135] Whether there is a directly connected gateway station between the candidate DU and the first DU.

[0136] In the embodiments of the present application, when multiple candidate DUs have a potential mutual communication connection requirement with the first DU and are within a certain distance range, it is necessary to further determine the optimal next-hop target DU.

[0137] It should be noted that in the above forwarding rules, each rule can be combined with other rules, and there is no limit to the priority order when multiple rules are combined.

[0138] In the embodiments of the present application, whether the distance between the candidate DU and the first DU meets the requirements can be whether the distance between the candidate DU and the first DU is less than a preset distance range threshold.

[0139] In the embodiments of the present application, whether the candidate DU is of the same type as the first DU may be whether the type of the cell served by the candidate DU is the same as that of the first DU. For example, both the candidate DU and the first DU are earth moving cells or both are quasi-earth fixed cells.

[0140] In the embodiments of the present application, whether the gateway corresponding to the candidate DU is the same as that of the first DU may be whether the candidate DU and the first DU can be connected to the same gateway.

[0141] It should be noted that whether there is a directly connected gateway between the candidate DU and the first DU can be understood as not requiring re-forwarding.

[0142] In the embodiments of the present application, when the candidate DU meets at least one of the forwarding rules, the candidate DU is determined as the target DU for the next hop. That is, the target DU satisfies at least one of the following at least:

[0143] The distance from the first DU is less than the distance threshold;

[0144] On the same operating orbit as the first DU;

[0145] Of the same type of satellite as the first DU;

[0146] The same as the gateway corresponding to the first DU;

[0147] Of the same type as the cell served by the first DU;

[0148] Belonging to the same constellation as the first DU;

[0149] In the same regional scope as the gateway corresponding to the first DU;

[0150] There is a directly connected gateway to the first DU.

[0151] The embodiments of the present application also provide a communication method for a DU, as Figure 6 shown, applied to the second DU, the second DU is set on the second satellite, and the method may include:

[0152] S601. The second DU receives the first information sent by the first DU.

[0153] Wherein, the first DU is set on the first satellite.

[0154] Wherein, the first information is used to request to establish a communication interface between the first DU and the second DU.

[0155] In the embodiments of the present application, the first DU and the second DU are respectively arranged on different satellites.

[0156] In the embodiments of the present application, for the first interface and the second interface included in the communication interface, the first interface protocol stack design, and the second interface protocol stack design, reference may be made to the above embodiments, which will not be elaborated here.

[0157] In the embodiments of the present application, the first DU sends a request message for establishing a communication interface D1 between the first DU and the second DU to the second DU.

[0158] Exemplarily, the first DU is gNB-DU1, the second DU is gNB-DU2, and gNB-DU2 receives the first information sent by gNB-DU1. The first DU is gNB-DU2, the second DU is gNB-DU1, and gNB-DU1 receives the first information sent by gNB-DU2.

[0159] S602. Send second information in response to the first information to the first DU.

[0160] In the embodiments of the present application, after receiving the request message sent by the first DU, the second DU responds to the request message and sends a response message in response to the request message for establishing the communication interface D1 between the first DU and the second DU to the first DU.

[0161] It should be noted that when the second DU sends the second information in response to the first information to the first DU, the establishment of the communication interface is completed.

[0162] Exemplarily, the first DU is gNB-DU1, the second DU is gNB-DU2. After gNB-DU2 receives the request message for requesting to establish a communication interface between gNB-DU1 and gNB-DU2 sent by gNB-DU1, gNB-DU2 responds to the request message and sends a response message to gNB-DU1, and a communication interface D1 is established between gNB-DU1 and gNB-DU2; the first DU may also be gNB-DU2, the second DU is gNB-DU1. After gNB-DU2 receives the request message for requesting to establish a communication interface between gNB-DU1 and gNB-DU2 sent by gNB-DU1, gNB-DU2 responds to the request message and sends a response message to gNB-DU2, and a communication interface D1 is established between gNB-DU2 and gNB-DU1.

[0163] It can be understood that in a communication method of a DU provided in an embodiment of the present application, when communicating between a first DU and a second DU deployed on different satellites, when the second DU receives the first information sent by the first DU, it responds to the first information and establishes a communication interface with the first DU, and realizes direct communication between DUs through the communication interface established between the first DU and the second DU, and realizes communication between DUs without forwarding through the CU. In this way, the communication delay between DUs in the non-terrestrial network scenario can be effectively reduced.

[0164] In an embodiment of the present application, after sending the second information in response to the first information to the first DU, send configuration update information to the first DU, where the configuration update information is used to update the configuration information corresponding to the first DU; receive the third information sent by the first DU for confirming the configuration update; or, receive the configuration update information sent by the first DU, where the configuration update information is used to update the configuration information corresponding to the second DU; send the fourth information for confirming the configuration update to the first DU.

[0165] It should be noted that the process of the first DU and the second DU interacting and updating the configuration information corresponding to the first DU and the second DU can refer to the above embodiment and will not be elaborated here.

[0166] Exemplarily, if the first DU is gNB-DU1 and the second DU is gNB-DU2, when updating the configuration information between the first DU and the second DU, it can be that gNB-DU2 updates the configuration information of gNB-DU1, or gNB-DU1 updates the configuration information of gNB-DU2. Specifically, when gNB-DU2 updates the configuration information of gNB-DU1, gNB-DU2 sends information for updating the configuration of gNB-DU1 to gNB-DU1, and gNB-DU2 receives the third information sent by gNB-DU1 for confirming the configuration update information. When gNB-DU1 updates the configuration information of gNB-DU2, gNB-DU2 receives the information for updating the configuration of gNB-DU2 sent by gNB-DU1, and gNB-DU2 sends the fourth information for confirming the configuration update information to gNB-DU1.

[0167] In an embodiment of the present application, after sending the second information in response to the first information to the first DU, send the fifth information to the first DU, where the fifth information is used to request to coordinate the resource information of the first DU; receive the sixth information sent by the first DU for confirming the coordination of the resource information; or, receive the seventh information sent by the first DU, where the seventh information is used to request to coordinate the resource information of the second DU; send the eighth information for confirming the coordination of the resource information to the first DU.

[0168] It should be noted that the process of the first DU and the second DU interacting and coordinating the configuration resource information corresponding to the first DU and the second DU can be referred to the above embodiments and will not be elaborated here.

[0169] Exemplarily, if the first DU is gNB-DU1 and the second DU is gNB-DU2, when resource coordination is performed between the first DU and the second DU, it can be that gNB-DU2 coordinates the resource information of gNB-DU1, or gNB-DU1 coordinates the resource information of gNB-DU2. Specifically, when gNB-DU2 coordinates the resource information of gNB-DU1, gNB-DU2 sends information for resource information coordination to gNB-DU1, and gNB-DU2 receives the sixth information sent by gNB-DU1 for confirming resource information coordination. When gNB-DU1 coordinates the resource information of gNB-DU2, gNB-DU2 receives the resource coordination information sent by gNB-DU1, and gNB-DU2 sends the eighth information for confirming resource information coordination to gNB-DU1.

[0170] In an embodiment of the present application, after sending the second information in response to the first information to the first DU, through the communication interface, at least one of the following operations is performed:

[0171] Send the ninth information to the first DU, and the ninth information is used to indicate at least one of the following: error information of the first DU, status information of the second DU, resource status update information of the second DU.

[0172] Receive the tenth information sent by the first DU, and the tenth information is used to indicate at least one of the following: error information of the second DU, status information of the first DU, resource status update information of the first DU.

[0173] Send the eleventh information to the first DU, and the eleventh information is used to indicate at least one of the following: first DU reset information, remove the communication interface between the first DU and the second DU through the first DU, request the first DU to report resource status information; receive the twelfth information sent by the first DU in response to the eleventh information.

[0174] Receive the thirteenth information sent by the first DU, and the thirteenth information is used to indicate at least one of the following: second DU reset information, remove the communication interface between the first DU and the second DU through the second DU, request the second DU to report resource status information; send the fourteenth information to the first DU in response to the thirteenth information.

[0175] It should be noted that the execution process of the above at least one operation implemented through the communication interface can be referred to the above embodiments and will not be elaborated here.

[0176] Exemplarily, the first DU is gNB-DU1, and the second DU is gNB-DU2. gNB-DU2 sends at least one of the error information of gNB-DU1, the status information of gNB-DU2, and the resource status update information of gNB-DU2 to gNB-DU1. Alternatively, gNB-DU1 may send at least one of the error information of gNB-DU2, the status information of gNB-DU1, and the resource status update information of gNB-DU1 to gNB-DU2.

[0177] Exemplarily, the first DU is gNB-DU1, and the second DU is gNB-DU2. gNB-DU2 sends the gNB-DU1 reset information to gNB-DU1, and gNB-DU2 receives the response message sent by gNB-DU1 to confirm the gNB-DU1 reset information. Alternatively, gNB-DU2 receives the gNB-DU2 reset information sent by gNB-DU1, and gNB-DU2 sends the response message in response to confirming the gNB-DU2 reset information to gNB-DU1.

[0178] Exemplarily, the first DU is gNB-DU1, and the second DU is gNB-DU2. gNB-DU2 sends a request message to remove the communication interface D1 through gNB-DU1 to gNB-DU1, and gNB-DU2 receives the response message sent by gNB-DU1 in response to this request message. Alternatively, gNB-DU2 receives the request message to remove the communication interface through gNB-DU2 sent by gNB-DU1, and gNB-DU2 sends the response message in response to this request message to gNB-DU1.

[0179] Exemplarily, the first DU is gNB-DU1, and the second DU is gNB-DU2. When reporting the resource status information of gNB-DU1, gNB-DU2 sends a request message to request gNB-DU1 to report the resource status information to gNB-DU1, and gNB-DU2 receives the response message sent by gNB-DU1 in response to this request message. When reporting the resource status information of gNB-DU2, gNB-DU2 receives the request message sent by gNB-DU1 to request gNB-DU2 to report the resource status information, and gNB-DU2 sends the response message in response to this request message to gNB-DU1.

[0180] Based on the above embodiments, the embodiments of the present application further provide a schematic diagram of the overall process for establishing the communication interface D1 between the first DU and the second DU, as shown in Figure 7As shown in the figure. gNB-DU1 may send a communication interface D1 setup request (D1Setup Request) to gNB-DU2, and gNB-DU2 may send a communication interface D1 setup response (D1 Setup Response) to gNB-DU1. Alternatively, gNB-DU2 may send a D1 Setup Request to gNB-DU1, and gNB-DU1 may send a D1 SetupResponse to gNB-DU2. Figure 7 The process of establishing the communication interface shown in Figure 7 is different from the one-way (DU requests establishment from CU) establishment process of the CU-DU interface F1. The establishment of the interface between DUs is two-way, and any two DUs can request to establish a connection with each other.

[0181] Based on the above embodiments, an overall process schematic diagram for configuration update between a first DU and a second DU is further provided in an embodiment of the present application, as shown in Figure 8 As shown in the figure, gNB-DU1 may send gNB-DU configuration update information (gNB-DUConfiguration Update) to gNB-DU2, and gNB-DU2 may send gNB-DU configuration update acknowledgment information (gNB-DUConfiguration Update Acknowledge) to gNB-DU1. Alternatively, gNB-DU2 may send gNB-DUConfiguration Update to gNB-DU1, and gNB-DU1 may send gNB-DU Configuration UpdateAcknowledge to gNB-DU2. Figure 8 In Figure 8 , gNB-DU1 and gNB-DU2 are two-way, and configuration update can be performed between any two DUs. The gNB-DU configuration update process is used to update the application layer configuration data required for the normal interoperability of gNB-DU1 and gNB-DU2 on the D1 interface. This process will not affect the relevant UE-related context (if there is a UE context). This process uses non-UE associated signaling.

[0182] Based on the above embodiments, an overall process schematic diagram for resource coordination between a first DU and a second DU is further provided in an embodiment of the present application, as shown in Figure 9As shown in the figure, gNB-DU1 may send a gNB-DU Resource Coordination Request to gNB-DU2, and gNB-DU2 may send a gNB-DU Resource Coordination Response to gNB-DU1. Alternatively, gNB-DU2 may send a gNB-DU Resource Coordination Request to gNB-DU1, and gNB-DU1 may send a gNB-DU Resource Coordination Response to gNB-DU2. Figure 9 In Figure 9 , the communication between gNB-DU1 and gNB-DU2 is two-way, and resource coordination can be performed between any two DUs.

[0183] Based on the above embodiments, the embodiments of the present application further provide an overall flowchart of error information indication between a first DU and a second DU, as Figure 10 shown in the figure, gNB-DU1 may send an Error Indication for gNB-DU2 to gNB-DU2, or gNB-DU2 may send an Error Indication for gNB-DU1 to gNB-DU1. Figure 10 In Figure 10 , the communication between gNB-DU1 and gNB-DU2 is two-way, and error indication can be performed between any two DUs.

[0184] Based on the above embodiments, the embodiments of the present application further provide an overall flowchart of reset information between a first DU and a second DU, as Figure 11 shown in the figure, gNB-DU1 may send Reset information for gNB-DU2 to gNB-DU2, and gNB-DU2 may send a Reset Acknowledge message for gNB-DU2 to gNB-DU1. Alternatively, gNB-DU2 may send Reset information for gNB-DU1 to gNB-DU1, and gNB-DU1 may send a Reset Acknowledge message for gNB-DU1 to gNB-DU2. Figure 11 In Figure 11 , the communication between gNB-DU1 and gNB-DU2 is two-way, and configuration information reset can be performed between any two DUs.

[0185] Based on the above embodiments, the embodiments of the present application further provide an overall flowchart of status information indication between a first DU and a second DU, as Figure 12As shown in the figure, gNB-DU1 can send gNB-DU status indication information to gNB-DU2 to indicate the status information of gNB-DU1. Alternatively, gNB-DU2 can also send gNB-DU Status Indication information to gNB-DU1 to indicate the status information of gNB-DU2. Figure 12 In Figure 12 , gNB-DU1 and gNB-DU2 are two-way, and status information indication can be performed between any two DUs.

[0186] Based on the above embodiments, the embodiments of the present application further provide an overall flowchart of removing the communication interface D1 between a first DU and a second DU, as Figure 13 shown in the figure. gNB-DU1 can send a D1 removal request (D1Removal Request) to gNB-DU2, and gNB-DU2 sends a D1 removal response (D1 Removal Response) to gNB-DU1. Alternatively, gNB-DU2 can send a D1 Removal Request to gNB-DU1, and gNB-DU1 sends a D1 RemovalResponse to gNB-DU2. Figure 13 In Figure 13 , gNB-DU1 and gNB-DU2 are two-way, and any two DUs can indicate the removal of the communication interface D1.

[0187] Based on the above embodiments, the embodiments of the present application further provide an overall flowchart of resource status update between a first DU and a second DU, as Figure 14 shown in the figure. gNB-DU1 can send resource status update (ResourceStatus Update) information to gNB-DU2 to indicate the resource status update information of gNB-DU1. Alternatively, gNB-DU2 can also send Resource Status Update information to gNB-DU1 to indicate the resource status update information of gNB-DU2. Figure 14 In Figure 14 , gNB-DU1 and gNB-DU2 are two-way, and resource status update information can be sent or received between any two DUs.

[0188] Based on the above embodiments, the embodiments of the present application further provide an overall flowchart of initiating resource status reporting between a first DU and a second DU, as Figure 15As shown in the figure, gNB-DU1 can send a Resource Status Request to gNB-DU2, and gNB-DU2 sends a Resource Status Response to gNB-DU1. Or, gNB-DU2 can send a Resource Status Request to gNB-DU1, and gNB-DU1 sends a Resource Status Response to gNB-DU2. Figure 15 In Figure 15 , gNB-DU1 and gNB-DU2 are two-way, and any two DUs can initiate requests to report resource status information to each other.

[0189] Based on the above embodiments, in another embodiment of the present application, a first DU1 is provided. The first DU is disposed on a first satellite, as Figure 16 shown, the first DU includes:

[0190] A first sending unit 10, configured to send first information to a second DU. The second DU is disposed on a second satellite, and the first information is used to request to establish a communication interface between the first DU and the second DU;

[0191] A first receiving unit 11, configured to receive second information sent by the second DU in response to the first information.

[0192] In an embodiment, the first DU may further include: an interaction unit,

[0193] The interaction unit is configured to enable the first DU to interact with the second DU through the communication interface to adjust the configuration information and / or resource information corresponding to the first DU and the second DU respectively.

[0194] In an embodiment, the first receiving unit 11 is further configured to receive configuration update information sent by the second DU, where the configuration update information is used to update the configuration information corresponding to the first DU;

[0195] The first sending unit 10 is further configured to send third information for confirming the configuration update information to the second DU;

[0196] Or,

[0197] The first sending unit 10 is further configured to send the configuration update information to the second DU, where the configuration update information is used to update the configuration information corresponding to the second DU;

[0198] The first receiving unit 11 is further configured to receive fourth information sent by the second DU for confirming the configuration update information.

[0199] In one embodiment, the first receiving unit 11 is further configured to receive fifth information sent by the second DU, where the fifth information is used to request coordination of the resource information of the first DU;

[0200] The first sending unit 10 is further configured to send sixth information for confirming the coordination of the resource information to the second DU;

[0201] Or,

[0202] The first sending unit 10 is further configured to send seventh information to the second DU, where the seventh information is used to request coordination of the resource information of the second DU;

[0203] The first receiving unit 11 is further configured to receive eighth information sent by the second DU for confirming the coordination of the resource information.

[0204] In one embodiment, the first receiving unit 11 is further configured to receive ninth information sent by the second DU, where the ninth information is used to indicate at least one of the following: error information of the first DU, status information of the second DU, and resource status update information of the second DU.

[0205] The first sending unit 10 is further configured to send tenth information to the second DU, where the tenth information is used to indicate at least one of the following: error information of the second DU, status information of the first DU, and resource status update information of the first DU.

[0206] The first receiving unit 11 is further configured to receive eleventh information sent by the second DU, where the eleventh information is used to indicate at least one of the following: first DU reset information, removing the communication interface between the first DU and the second DU through the first DU, and requesting the first DU to report resource status information; sending twelfth information in response to the eleventh information to the second DU.

[0207] The first sending unit 10 is further configured to send thirteenth information to the second DU, where the thirteenth information is used to indicate at least one of the following: second DU reset information, removing the communication interface between the first DU and the second DU through the second DU, and requesting the second DU to report resource status information; receiving fourteenth information sent by the second DU in response to the thirteenth information.

[0208] In one embodiment, the communication interface includes a first interface and / or a second interface. The first interface supports at least control plane data transmission and / or encryption function and / or the function of managing the communication interface, and the second interface supports at least functions related to processing user plane data.

[0209] In one embodiment, the first DU may further include: a transmission unit,

[0210] A transmission unit is configured to transmit user plane data through a communication interface. The packet header of the user plane data includes an eighth piece of information, which includes at least one of one-hop or multi-hop node information and time information corresponding to at least one candidate DU communicating with the first DU. Based on the eighth piece of information, the user plane data transmitted by the first DU is forwarded.

[0211] In one embodiment, the first DU may further include: a determination unit,

[0212] The determination unit is configured to determine a target DU from at least one candidate DU corresponding to at least one piece of node information based on a multi-hop forwarding rule, where the multi-hop forwarding rule includes at least one of the following:

[0213] Whether the distance between the candidate DU and the first DU meets the requirements;

[0214] Whether the candidate DU and the first DU are on the same operating orbit;

[0215] Whether the candidate DU and the first DU are the same type of satellite;

[0216] Whether the gateway stations corresponding to the candidate DU and the first DU are the same;

[0217] Whether the service cell types of the candidate DU and the first DU are the same;

[0218] Whether the candidate DU and the first DU belong to the same constellation;

[0219] Whether the gateway stations corresponding to the candidate DU and the first DU are within the same regional scope;

[0220] Whether there is a directly connected gateway station between the candidate DU and the first DU.

[0221] An embodiment of the present application provides a first DU. The first DU sends a first piece of information to a second DU. The first DU is set on a first satellite, and the second DU is set on a second satellite. The first piece of information is used to request to establish a communication interface between the first DU and the second DU. The second piece of information in response to the first piece of information sent by the second DU is received. It can be seen that for a first DU proposed in an embodiment of the present application, when communicating between the first DU and the second DU deployed on different satellites, by sending the first piece of information between the first DU and the second DU, a communication interface between the first DU and the second DU is established, and direct communication between DUs is realized through the communication interface established between the first DU and the second DU, and communication between DUs is achieved without the need for forwarding by the CU. In this way, the communication delay between DUs in a non-terrestrial network scenario can be effectively reduced.

[0222] Figure 17 FIG. is a schematic structural diagram of a first DU provided by an embodiment of the present application. In practical applications, based on the same inventive concept of the above embodiment, such asFigure 17 As shown in Figure 17 , the first DU of the embodiment of the present application includes a first processor 12, a first memory 13, and a first communication bus 14.

[0223] In a specific embodiment, the above-mentioned first sending unit 10, first receiving unit 11, interaction unit, transmission unit, and determination unit can be implemented by the first processor 12 located on the first DU. The above-mentioned first processor 12 can be at least one of an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a digital signal processor (DSP), a digital signal processing image processing device (DSPD), a programmable logic image processing device (PLD), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a CPU, a controller, a microcontroller, and a microprocessor. It can be understood that for different devices, the electronic devices used to implement the above-mentioned processor functions can also be others, and the embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations.

[0224] In the embodiment of the present application, the above-mentioned first communication bus 14 is used to realize the connection and communication between the first processor 12 and the first memory 13; when the first processor 12 executes the running program stored in the first memory 13, the following communication method of the DU is realized:

[0225] Send a first message to the second DU. The second DU is set on the second satellite, and the first message is used to request to establish a communication interface between the first DU and the second DU; receive a second message sent by the second DU in response to the first message.

[0226] In an embodiment, the above-mentioned first processor 12 is further used for the first DU to interact with the second DU through the communication interface to adjust the configuration information and / or resource information corresponding to the first DU and the second DU respectively.

[0227] In an embodiment, the above-mentioned first processor 12 is further used for receiving configuration update information sent by the second DU, where the configuration update information is used to update the configuration information corresponding to the first DU; sending a third message to the second DU for confirming the configuration update information; or sending configuration update information to the second DU, where the configuration update information is used to update the configuration information corresponding to the second DU; receiving a fourth message sent by the second DU for confirming the configuration update information.

[0228] In one embodiment, the first processor 12 is further configured to receive fifth information sent by the second DU, where the fifth information is used to request coordination of the resource information of the first DU; send sixth information for confirming the coordination of the resource information to the second DU; or send seventh information to the second DU, where the seventh information is used to request coordination of the resource information of the second DU; receive eighth information sent by the second DU for confirming the coordination of the resource information.

[0229] In one embodiment, the first processor 12 is further configured to perform at least one of the following operations through the communication interface:

[0230] Receive ninth information sent by the second DU, where the ninth information is used to indicate at least one of the following: error information of the first DU, status information of the second DU, resource status update information of the second DU;

[0231] Send tenth information to the second DU, where the tenth information is used to indicate at least one of the following: error information of the second DU, status information of the first DU, resource status update information of the first DU;

[0232] Receive eleventh information sent by the second DU, where the eleventh information is used to indicate at least one of the following: first DU reset information, remove the communication interface between the first DU and the second DU through the first DU, request the first DU to report resource status information; send twelfth information in response to the eleventh information to the second DU;

[0233] Send thirteenth information to the second DU, where the thirteenth information is used to indicate at least one of the following: second DU reset information, remove the communication interface between the first DU and the second DU through the second DU, request the second DU to report resource status information; receive fourteenth information sent by the second DU in response to the thirteenth information.

[0234] In one embodiment, the communication interface includes a first interface and / or a second interface. The first interface supports at least control plane data transmission and / or encryption function and / or the function of managing the communication interface, and the second interface supports at least the function related to processing user plane data.

[0235] In one embodiment, the first processor 12 is further configured to transmit user plane data through the communication interface. The packet header of the user plane data includes eighth information, where the eighth information includes at least one of one-hop or multi-hop node information and time information corresponding to at least one candidate DU communicating with the first DU; based on the eighth information, forward the user plane data transmitted by the first DU.

[0236] In one embodiment, the first processor 12 is further configured to determine a target DU from at least one candidate DU corresponding to at least one node information based on a multi-hop forwarding rule, where the multi-hop forwarding rule includes at least one of the following:

[0237] Whether the distance between the candidate DU and the first DU meets the requirements;

[0238] Whether the candidate DU and the first DU are on the same operating orbit;

[0239] Whether the candidate DU and the first DU are satellites of the same type;

[0240] Whether the gateway stations corresponding to the candidate DU and the first DU are the same;

[0241] Whether the cell types served by the candidate DU and the first DU are the same;

[0242] Whether the candidate DU and the first DU belong to the same constellation;

[0243] Whether the gateway stations corresponding to the candidate DU and the first DU are within the same regional scope;

[0244] Whether there is a directly connected gateway station between the candidate DU and the first DU.

[0245] Based on the above embodiments, in another embodiment of the present application, a second DU2 is provided. The second DU2 is disposed on a satellite, as Figure 18 shown. The second DU2 includes:

[0246] A second receiving unit 20, configured to receive first information sent by the first DU. The first DU is disposed on a first satellite, and the first information is used to request to establish a communication interface between the first DU and the second DU;

[0247] A second sending unit 21, configured to send second information in response to the first information to the first DU.

[0248] In one embodiment, the second sending unit 21 is further configured to send configuration update information to the first DU, and the configuration update information is used to update the configuration information corresponding to the first DU;

[0249] The second receiving unit 20 is further configured to receive third information sent by the first DU for confirming the configuration update;

[0250] Or,

[0251] The second receiving unit 20 is further configured to receive configuration update information sent by the first DU, and the configuration update information is used to update the configuration information corresponding to the second DU;

[0252] The second sending unit 21 is further configured to send fourth information for confirming the configuration update to the first DU.

[0253] In one embodiment, the second sending unit 21 is further configured to send fifth information to the first DU, and the fifth information is used to request to coordinate the resource information of the first DU;

[0254] The second receiving unit 20 is further configured to receive a sixth message sent by the first DU for confirming resource information coordination;

[0255] Or,

[0256] The second receiving unit 20 is further configured to receive a seventh message sent by the first DU, where the seventh message is used to request coordination of the resource information of the second DU;

[0257] The second sending unit 21 is further configured to send an eighth message for confirming resource information coordination to the first DU.

[0258] In an embodiment, the second sending unit 21 is further configured to send a ninth message to the first DU, where the ninth message is used to indicate at least one of the following: error information of the first DU, status information of the second DU, and resource status update information of the second DU.

[0259] The second receiving unit 20 is further configured to receive a tenth message sent by the first DU, where the tenth message is used to indicate at least one of the following: error information of the second DU, status information of the first DU, and resource status update information of the first DU.

[0260] The second sending unit 21 is further configured to send an eleventh message to the first DU, where the eleventh message is used to indicate at least one of the following: first DU reset information, removing the communication interface between the first DU and the second DU through the first DU, and requesting the first DU to report resource status information; and receive a twelfth message sent by the first DU in response to the eleventh message.

[0261] The second receiving unit 20 is further configured to receive a thirteenth message sent by the first DU, where the thirteenth message is used to indicate at least one of the following: second DU reset information, removing the communication interface between the first DU and the second DU through the second DU, and requesting the second DU to report resource status information; and send a fourteenth message in response to the thirteenth message to the first DU.

[0262] An embodiment of the present application provides a second DU, which receives a first message sent by a first DU. The first DU is disposed on a first satellite, and the first message is used to request to establish a communication interface between the first DU and the second DU; and sends a second message in response to the first message to the first DU. It can be seen that an embodiment of the present application provides a second DU. When communicating between the first DU and the second DU deployed on different satellites, when the second DU receives the first message sent by the first DU, it responds to the first message and establishes a communication interface with the first DU, and realizes direct communication between DUs through the communication interface established between the first DU and the second DU, and realizes communication between DUs without forwarding through the CU. In this way, the communication delay between DUs in the non-terrestrial network scenario can be effectively reduced.

[0263] Figure 19 This is a schematic diagram of the composition structure of a second DU2 provided by an embodiment of the present application. In practical applications, based on the same inventive concept of the above embodiment, as Figure 19 shown, the second DU2 of the embodiment of the present application includes a second processor 22, a second memory 23, and a second communication bus 24.

[0264] In a specific embodiment process, the above-mentioned second receiving unit 20 and second sending unit 21 can be implemented by the second processor 22 located on the second DU2. The above-mentioned second processor 22 can be at least one of ASIC, DSP, DSPD, PLD, FPGA, CPU, controller, microcontroller, and microprocessor. It can be understood that for different devices, the electronic devices used to implement the above processor functions can also be others, and the embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations.

[0265] In the embodiment of the present application, the above-mentioned second communication bus 24 is used to realize the connection and communication between the second processor 22 and the second memory 23; when the second processor 22 executes the running program stored in the second memory 23, the following communication method of the DU is realized:

[0266] Receive the first information sent by the first DU. The first DU is set on the first satellite, and the first information is used to request to establish a communication interface between the first DU and the second DU; send the second information in response to the first information to the first DU.

[0267] In one embodiment, the above-mentioned second processor 22 is further used to send configuration update information to the first DU, and the configuration update information is used to update the configuration information corresponding to the first DU; receive the third information sent by the first DU for confirming the configuration update; or, receive the configuration update information sent by the first DU, and the configuration update information is used to update the configuration information corresponding to the second DU; send the fourth information for confirming the configuration update to the first DU.

[0268] In one embodiment, the above-mentioned second processor 22 is further used to send the fifth information to the first DU, and the fifth information is used to request to coordinate the resource information of the first DU; receive the sixth information sent by the first DU for confirming the coordination of the resource information; or, receive the seventh information sent by the first DU, and the seventh information is used to request to coordinate the resource information of the second DU; send the eighth information for confirming the coordination of the resource information to the first DU.

[0269] In one embodiment, the above-mentioned second processor 22 is further used to perform at least one of the following operations through the communication interface:

[0270] Send the ninth message to the first DU, where the ninth message is used to indicate at least one of the following: error information of the first DU, status information of the second DU, resource status update information of the second DU;

[0271] Receive the tenth message sent by the first DU, where the tenth message is used to indicate at least one of the following: error information of the second DU, status information of the first DU, resource status update information of the first DU;

[0272] Send the eleventh message to the first DU, where the eleventh message is used to indicate at least one of the following: first DU reset information, remove the communication interface between the first DU and the second DU through the first DU, request the first DU to report resource status information; receive the twelfth message sent by the first DU in response to the eleventh message;

[0273] Receive the thirteenth message sent by the first DU, where the thirteenth message is used to indicate at least one of the following: second DU reset information, remove the communication interface between the first DU and the second DU through the second DU, request the second DU to report resource status information; send the fourteenth message to the first DU in response to the thirteenth message.

[0274] Based on the above embodiments, an embodiment of the present application provides a storage medium, on which a computer program is stored. The above computer-readable storage medium stores one or more programs, and the one or more programs can be executed by one or more processors and are applied to the first DU / second DU. The computer program implements the communication method of the DU as described above.

[0275] Based on the above embodiments, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, including a computer program. The computer program can be executed by one or more processors and is applied to the first DU / second DU. The computer program implements the communication method of the DU as described above.

[0276] It should be noted that in the embodiments of the present application, the term "including", "comprising" or any other variant thereof is intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device including a series of elements not only includes those elements but also includes other elements not expressly listed, or further includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. Without further limitation, an element defined by the statement "including a..." does not exclude the existence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article or device including the element.

[0277] Through the description of the above embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the above-described embodiment methods can be implemented by means of software plus a necessary general hardware platform. Of course, they can also be implemented by hardware, but in many cases the former is a better implementation method. Based on such an understanding, the technical solution of the embodiments of the present application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the related technology can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium (such as ROM / RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk), and includes several instructions for causing an image display device (which can be a mobile phone, computer, server, air conditioner, or network device, etc.) to execute the methods described in the various embodiments of the embodiments of the present application.

[0278] As described above, the above are only the specific implementation manners of the embodiments of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, and all should be covered by the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method for a distributed unit (DU), characterized in that Applied to the first DU, the first DU is disposed on the first satellite, and the method includes: Sending first information to a second DU, the second DU being disposed on a second satellite, the first information being used to request the establishment of a communication interface between the first DU and the second DU; Receiving second information sent by the second DU in response to the first information.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein After receiving the second information sent by the second DU in response to the first information, the method further includes: The first DU interacts with the second DU through the communication interface to adjust the configuration information and / or resource information respectively corresponding to the first DU and the second DU.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein The first DU interacts with the second DU through the communication interface to adjust the configuration information respectively corresponding to the first DU and the second DU, including: Receiving configuration update information sent by the second DU, the configuration update information being used to update the configuration information corresponding to the first DU; sending third information to the second DU for confirming the configuration update information; Or, Sending the configuration update information to the second DU, the configuration update information being used to update the configuration information corresponding to the second DU; receiving fourth information sent by the second DU for confirming the configuration update information.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein The first DU interacts with the second DU through the communication interface to adjust the resource information respectively corresponding to the first DU and the second DU, including: Receiving fifth information sent by the second DU, the fifth information being used to request the coordination of the resource information of the first DU; sending sixth information to the second DU for confirming the coordination of the resource information; Or, Sending seventh information to the second DU, the seventh information being used to request the coordination of the resource information of the second DU; receiving eighth information sent by the second DU for confirming the coordination of the resource information.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein After receiving the second information sent by the second DU in response to the first information, the method further includes: Performing at least one of the following operations through the communication interface: Receiving ninth information sent by the second DU, the ninth information being used to indicate at least one of the following: error information of the first DU, status information of the second DU, resource status update information of the second DU; Sending tenth information to the second DU, the tenth information being used to indicate at least one of the following: error information of the second DU, status information of the first DU, resource status update information of the first DU; Receiving eleventh information sent by the second DU, the eleventh information being used to indicate at least one of the following: reset information of the first DU, removing the communication interface between the first DU and the second DU through the first DU, requesting the first DU to report resource status information; sending twelfth information in response to the eleventh information to the second DU; Send the thirteenth information to the second DU, where the thirteenth information is used to indicate at least one of the following: the second DU reset information, removing the communication interface between the first DU and the second DU through the second DU, requesting the second DU to report resource status information; receive the fourteenth information sent by the second DU in response to the thirteenth information.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The communication interface includes a first interface and / or a second interface. The first interface supports at least control plane data transmission and / or encryption function and / or the function of managing the communication interface, and the second interface supports at least the function related to processing user plane data.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: Transmit user plane data through the communication interface. The packet header of the user plane data includes the eighth information, and the eighth information includes at least one of one-hop or multi-hop node information corresponding to at least one candidate DU communicating with the first DU and time information; Forward the user plane data transmitted by the first DU based on the eighth information.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein Before forwarding the user plane data transmitted by the first DU based on the eighth information, the method further includes: Determine a target DU from at least one candidate DU corresponding to at least one node information based on a multi-hop forwarding rule, and the multi-hop forwarding rule includes at least one of the following: Whether the distance between the candidate DU and the first DU meets the requirements; Whether the candidate DU and the first DU are on the same operating orbit; Whether the candidate DU and the first DU are the same type of satellite; Whether the candidate DU and the gateway station corresponding to the first DU are the same; Whether the service cell types of the candidate DU and the first DU are the same; Whether the candidate DU and the first DU belong to the same constellation; Whether the gateway stations corresponding to the candidate DU and the first DU are within the same regional scope; Whether there is a directly connected gateway station between the candidate DU and the first DU.

9. A communication method for a DU, characterized in that, Applied to the second DU, the second DU is set on the second satellite, and the method includes: Receive the first information sent by the first DU. The first DU is set on the first satellite, and the first information is used to request to establish a communication interface between the first DU and the second DU; Send the second information in response to the first information to the first DU.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein After sending the second information in response to the first information to the first DU, the method further includes: Send configuration update information to the first DU, where the configuration update information is used to update the configuration information corresponding to the first DU; receive the third information sent by the first DU for confirming the configuration update; Or, Receive the configuration update information sent by the first DU, where the configuration update information is used to update the configuration information corresponding to the second DU; send the fourth information for confirming the configuration update to the first DU.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein After sending the second information in response to the first information to the first DU, the method further includes: Send the fifth information to the first DU, where the fifth information is used to request to coordinate the resource information of the first DU; receive the sixth information sent by the first DU for confirming the coordination of the resource information; Alternatively, receive seventh information sent by the first DU, where the seventh information is used to request coordination of resource information of the second DU; and send eighth information for confirming resource information coordination to the first DU.

12. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, After sending the second information in response to the first information to the first DU, the method further includes: perform at least one of the following operations through the communication interface: send ninth information to the first DU, where the ninth information is used to indicate at least one of the following: error information of the first DU, status information of the second DU, and resource status update information of the second DU; receive tenth information sent by the first DU, where the tenth information is used to indicate at least one of the following: error information of the second DU, status information of the first DU, and resource status update information of the first DU; send eleventh information to the first DU, where the eleventh information is used to indicate at least one of the following: reset information of the first DU, remove the communication interface between the first DU and the second DU through the first DU, and request the first DU to report resource status information; receive twelfth information sent by the first DU in response to the eleventh information; receive thirteenth information sent by the first DU, where the thirteenth information is used to indicate at least one of the following: reset information of the second DU, remove the communication interface between the first DU and the second DU through the second DU, and request the second DU to report resource status information; send fourteenth information in response to the thirteenth information to the first DU.

13. A first DU, characterized in that, The first DU is disposed on a first satellite, and the first DU includes: a first sending unit, configured to send first information to a second DU, where the second DU is disposed on a second satellite, and the first information is used to request establishment of a communication interface between the first DU and the second DU; a first receiving unit, configured to receive second information sent by the second DU in response to the first information.

14. A second DU, characterized in that, The second DU is disposed on a second satellite, and the second DU includes: a second receiving unit, configured to receive first information sent by a first DU, where the first DU is disposed on a first satellite, and the first information is used to request establishment of a communication interface between the first DU and the second DU; a second sending unit, configured to send second information in response to the first information to the first DU.

15. A first DU, characterized in that, The first DU includes: a first processor and a first memory; when the first processor executes a running program stored in the first memory, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 is implemented.

16. A second DU, characterized in that, The second DU includes: a second processor and a second memory; when the second processor executes a running program stored in the second memory, the method according to any one of claims 9 to 12 is implemented.

17. A storage medium, on which a computer program is stored, characterized in that, When the computer program is executed by a processor, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 is implemented, or when the computer program is executed by a processor, the method according to any one of claims 9 to 12 is implemented.

18. A computer program product, comprising a computer program, characterized in that, The computer program, when executed by a processor, implements the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, or, when executed by a processor, implements the method according to any one of claims 9 to 12.

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