Communication method and device, electronic equipment and storage medium

Abstract

The invention provides a communication method and device, electronic equipment and a storage medium, and the method is applied to a ground network TN element, and comprises the steps: receiving an information reporting request sent by a collaboration network element; wherein the information reporting request carries wave position coverage information of network equipment of a non-ground network NTN; determining whether a target TN network device located in a target overlapping coverage area exists in the TN network devices managed by the TN network element according to the beam position coverage information and the device information of the TN network devices managed by the TN network element; in response to a target TN network device existing in TN network devices managed by the TN network element, sending an information response request to the collaboration network element; wherein the information response request carries equipment information of the target TN network equipment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, apparatus, electronic device and storage medium. Background Technology

[0002] In a scenario where NTN (Non-Terrestrial Network) and TN (Terrestrial Network) are networked in a collaborative manner, the NTN and TN networks can exchange key information such as network coverage planning, location, and frequency through cooperative network elements.

[0003] In the initial stage, TN network elements (such as TN OMC (Operation and Maintenance Center)) and NTN network devices initiate registration processes with cooperating network elements. During registration, TN network elements need to report the device information of the TN network devices they manage to the cooperating network elements, while NTN network devices need to report spectral coverage information to the cooperating network elements. Because the TN network connects a large number of TN network devices, the scale of reported information is enormous, leading to a significant increase in link resource consumption between the cooperating network elements and the TN network. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application aims to at least partially address one of the technical problems in the related art.

[0005] Therefore, the first objective of this application is to propose a communication method.

[0006] The second objective of this application is to provide a communication device.

[0007] The third objective of this application is to propose an electronic device.

[0008] The fourth objective of this application is to provide a computer-readable storage medium.

[0009] The fifth objective of this application is to provide a computer program product.

[0010] To achieve the above objectives, a first aspect of this application proposes a communication method applied to a terrestrial network (TN) element, comprising: receiving an information reporting request sent by a cooperating network element; wherein the information reporting request carries wavelength coverage information of a non-terrestrial network (NTN) device; determining, based on the wavelength coverage information and device information of the TN network devices managed by the TN element, whether there exists a target TN network device located in a target overlapping coverage area among the TN network devices managed by the TN element; and, in response to the existence of the target TN network device among the TN network devices managed by the TN element, sending an information response request to the cooperating network element; wherein the information response request carries device information of the target TN network device.

[0011] To achieve the above objectives, a second aspect of this application proposes a communication method applied to a cooperating network element, comprising: sending an information reporting request to a TN network element; wherein the information reporting request carries wavelength coverage information of an NTN network device; and receiving an information response request sent by the TN network element when a target TN network device exists among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element; wherein the target TN network device is a TN network device located in a target overlapping coverage area, determined by the TN network element from among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element based on the wavelength coverage information; and wherein the information response request carries device information of the target TN network device.

[0012] To achieve the above objectives, a third aspect of this application provides a communication device applied to a terrestrial network (TN) element, comprising: a transceiver module for receiving an information reporting request sent by a cooperating network element; wherein the information reporting request carries beam position coverage information of a non-terrestrial network (NTN) device; a processing module for determining, based on the beam position coverage information and device information of the TN network devices managed by the TN element, whether there exists a target TN network device located in a target overlapping coverage area among the TN network devices managed by the TN element; the transceiver module is further configured to, in response to the existence of the target TN network device among the TN network devices managed by the TN element, send an information response request to the cooperating network element; wherein the information response request carries device information of the target TN network device.

[0013] To achieve the above objectives, a fourth aspect of this application provides a communication device applied to a cooperative network element, comprising: a transceiver module for sending an information reporting request to a TN network element; wherein the information reporting request carries wavelength coverage information of an NTN network device; the transceiver module is further configured to receive an information response request sent by the TN network element when a target TN network device exists among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element; wherein the target TN network device is a TN network device located in a target overlapping coverage area determined by the TN network element from among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element based on the wavelength coverage information; wherein the information response request carries device information of the target TN network device.

[0014] To achieve the above objectives, a fifth aspect of this application provides an electronic device, including: a processor and a memory communicatively connected to the processor; the memory stores computer-executable instructions; the processor executes the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory to implement a communication method as described in the first aspect or the second aspect of this application.

[0015] To achieve the above objectives, a sixth aspect of this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a processor, are used to implement a communication method as described in the first aspect or the second aspect of this application.

[0016] To achieve the above objectives, a seventh aspect of this application provides a computer program product, including a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements a communication method as described in the first aspect or the second aspect of this application.

[0017] It should be understood that the description in this section is not intended to identify key or essential features of the embodiments of this application, nor is it intended to limit the scope of this application. Other features of this application will become readily apparent from the following description. Attached Figure Description

[0018] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of this application will become apparent and readily understood from the following description of the embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0019] Figure 1 A flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 2 A flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the interaction between TN network elements, cooperating network elements, and NTN network devices provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the satellite coverage area of ​​the NTN base station provided in the embodiments of this application, and the coverage area of ​​the TN base station managed by the TN OMC; Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The embodiments of this application are described in detail below. Examples of these embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and intended to explain this application, and should not be construed as limiting this application.

[0021] As satellite communication networks mature, a converged space-ground network is essential to meet the future demand for seamless 6G (6th-Generation Mobile Communication Technology) integrated information services. While terrestrial cellular networks primarily cover urban areas and other hotspots, satellite networks can supplement coverage in areas where terrestrial cellular networks are unavailable or prohibitively expensive (such as remote areas, deserts, oceans, and aviation), areas requiring emergency communication due to natural disasters, and temporary hotspots requiring load balancing.

[0022] Integrated space-ground network coverage requires resource coordination through the interaction of satellite and ground information between network elements. Therefore, it necessitates establishing links between these network elements and the terrestrial network. Considering the future seamless coverage requirements of 6G integrated space-ground networks and the development trend of multi-track satellite-ground coordination technology, and addressing needs such as blind spot coverage, emergency response, and temporary hotspots, in the initial stage, the network elements need to collect information from all terrestrial cellular networks. Specifically, in the initial stage, the network elements establish connections with all TN OMCs and satellite network base stations. The TN OMCs and NTN base stations report TN base station information and satellite waveband coverage information respectively in the link registration request signaling. Based on the acquired satellite network planning information and ground base station location information, the network elements associate each satellite waveband within the overlap area with the ground base station under that waveband, achieving satellite-ground waveband-level network mapping. The network elements transmit the waveband-level association between satellites and the terrestrial network within the satellite-ground overlap area to the NTN base station of the satellite network. The NTN base station manages neighbor cell relationships based on the wavebands, thereby issuing telemetry, tracking, and command (TT&C) and handover decisions.

[0023] However, since each terrestrial cellular network OMC connects to a large number of TN base stations, in the initial stage, each terrestrial cellular network OMC reports information on the TN base stations it manages. The scale of the reported information is huge, which leads to a significant increase in the consumption of link resources between cooperating network elements and the TN network.

[0024] To address the aforementioned problems, this application proposes a communication method, apparatus, electronic device, and storage medium.

[0025] The communication method, apparatus, electronic device, and storage medium of this application are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0026] Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. This communication method can be applied to TN network elements. The TN network element can be any TN network element that manages at least one TN network device. As an example, the TN network element can be, for example, a TN OMC, or for example, a TN network management module.

[0027] like Figure 1 As shown, the communication method includes the following steps: Step 101: Receive information reporting requests sent by cooperative network elements, wherein the information reporting requests carry the wavelength coverage information of NTN network devices.

[0028] Among them, the cooperating network element can be any network element used to realize cooperation between the NTN network and the TN network.

[0029] As an example, in a satellite-ground collaborative networking scenario, the satellite network and the ground cellular network can interact through collaborative network elements to exchange key information such as satellite network coverage planning information, satellite-ground location, and frequency.

[0030] In one possible embodiment of this application, the wave position coverage information includes at least one of the following: wave position location information; wave position shape information; wave position radius information; and wave position coverage range information.

[0031] As an example, wave position information is used to indicate the location of the center point of the wave position, wave position shape information is used to indicate the shape of the wave position, wave position radius information is used to indicate the radius length of the wave position, and wave position coverage information is used to indicate the coverage area enclosed by the wave position boundary.

[0032] For example, the wave position information may be the latitude and longitude of the center point of the wave position; the wave position shape information may be hexagonal, indicating that the shape of the wave position is hexagonal; the wave position radius information may be 10km, indicating that the radius of the wave position is 10km; the wave position coverage information may be an elliptical region with a major axis length of 4000km and a minor axis length of 2000km, indicating that the coverage area of ​​the wave position is an elliptical region with a major axis length of 4000km and a minor axis length of 2000km.

[0033] Prior to step 101, the TN network element and the cooperating network element have established a communication link through the initial registration phase. However, during the establishment of this communication link, the TN network element does not report the TN base station information it manages to the cooperating network element.

[0034] In one possible embodiment of this application, the TN network element sends a first registration request to the cooperating network element; wherein the first registration request does not carry device information of the TN network devices managed by the TN network element; and receives a first registration feedback sent by the cooperating network element; wherein the first registration feedback is used to indicate that a communication link has been established between the cooperating network element and the TN network element.

[0035] As an example, after a communication link is established between a TN network element and a cooperating network element, the cooperating network element can send an information reporting request to the TN network element through this communication link. This information reporting request is used to request the TN network to report the device information of the TN network devices it manages, and the information reporting request carries the beamwidth coverage information of the NTN network devices. Correspondingly, the TN network element can receive the information reporting request sent by the cooperating network element.

[0036] Specifically, the wavelength coverage information of the NTN network device is sent by the NTN network device to the cooperating network element during the process of establishing a communication link between the two. Furthermore, before executing step 101, the cooperating network element must have already received the wavelength coverage information sent by the NTN network device.

[0037] Similar to the establishment of a communication link between TN network elements and cooperating network elements, NTN network devices and cooperating network elements can also establish a communication link during the initial registration phase. The difference is that during the link establishment process, the NTN network device reports its wavelength coverage information to the cooperating network element. The cooperating network element can then send an information reporting request carrying the NTN network device's wavelength coverage information to the TN network element.

[0038] Step 102: Based on the wavelength coverage information and the device information of the TN network devices managed by the TN network element, determine whether there is a target TN network device located in the target overlapping coverage area among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element.

[0039] The target overlapping coverage area can be any area within the overlapping coverage area between TN network devices and NTN network devices.

[0040] As an example, in actual network applications, satellite-to-ground connections and information reporting are generally only required in terrestrial cellular network areas at the edge of overlapping satellite-to-ground coverage. Therefore, the target overlapping coverage area can be the overlapping coverage edge area between TN and NTN network devices.

[0041] After obtaining the wavelength coverage information, the TN network element can determine whether there is an overlapping coverage area between the TN network devices managed by the TN network element and the NTN network devices, based on the wavelength coverage information and the device information of the TN network devices managed by the TN network element. If an overlapping coverage area exists, it further determines whether there is a target TN network device located in the target overlapping coverage area among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element. If no overlapping coverage area exists, it can be directly determined that there is no target TN network device among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element.

[0042] As an example, if the target overlapping coverage area is an overlapping coverage edge area, it can be determined whether any TN network device managed by the TN network element located within the overlapping coverage area is located within the overlapping coverage edge area. If it is determined that at least one TN network device is located within the overlapping coverage edge area, then it is determined that the target TN network device exists among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element, and the target TN network device is this at least one TN network device located within the overlapping coverage edge area. If it is determined that none of the TN network devices managed by the TN network element located within the overlapping coverage area are located within the overlapping coverage edge area, then it is determined that the target TN network device does not exist among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element.

[0043] For example, for any TN network device managed by a TN network element located in an overlapping coverage area, it can be determined whether its neighboring network devices are TN network devices or NTN network devices to determine whether it is located in an overlapping coverage edge area. Specifically, if all its neighboring network devices are TN network devices, it indicates that it is not located in an overlapping coverage edge area; if its neighboring network devices include NTN network devices, it indicates that there exists at least one of the following areas nearby that requires supplementary coverage through NTN network devices: I. Areas where terrestrial cellular networks cannot be deployed or where the cost of building such networks is too high (such as remote areas, deserts, oceans, aviation, etc.); II. Areas where terrestrial cellular networks require emergency communication due to natural disasters; III. Areas where temporary hotspots require load balancing; This allows us to determine that the TN network device is located in an overlapping coverage edge area.

[0044] As an example, in certain special scenarios such as emergency communication or temporary hotspot load balancing, TN network elements and cooperating network elements can update their communication links through event triggering. TN network elements do not need to be constantly connected and periodically report information. In this application, if there is a temporary hotspot requiring load balancing near any TN network device managed by a TN network element located in an overlapping coverage area, information reporting can be performed on demand by determining that the TN network device is located in an overlapping coverage edge area, thereby improving the collaborative flexibility between the NTN and TN networks.

[0045] Step 103: In response to the existence of a target TN network device among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element, an information response request is sent to the cooperating network element, wherein the information response request carries the device information of the target TN network device.

[0046] In one possible embodiment of this application, the device information includes at least one of the following: location information; coverage information; PCI (Physical Cell Identity); and frequency information.

[0047] As an example, location information is used to indicate the location of TN network devices, coverage information is used to indicate the coverage area of ​​TN network devices, PCI is used to indicate the physical layer ID (identity) of TN network devices, and frequency information is used to indicate the operating frequency band of TN network devices.

[0048] Frequency point information can be represented using ARFCN (Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number).

[0049] For example, location information may be the latitude and longitude of the TN network device's location; coverage information may be a cellular area with a radius of 5 kilometers extending outwards from the location of the TN network device, indicating that the coverage area of ​​the TN network device is a cellular area with a radius of 5 kilometers extending outwards from the location of the TN network device; PCI may be 1001, indicating that the physical layer ID of the TN network device is 1001; frequency information may be 632832, indicating that the operating frequency band of the TN network device is 3464.16 MHz (in the n78 band, the center frequency corresponding to ARFCN 632832 is 3464.16 MHz).

[0050] If a target TN network device exists among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element, it means that the TN network devices managed by the TN network element not only have overlapping coverage areas with the NTN network devices, but also have a target TN network device located in the target overlapping coverage area (e.g., the overlapping coverage edge area).

[0051] In actual network applications, satellite-to-ground connections and information reporting are generally only required in terrestrial cellular network areas at the edge of satellite-to-ground overlapping coverage. In other words, the target TN network device will cooperate and communicate with the NTN network device. Therefore, after receiving the information reporting request sent by the cooperating network element, if the TN network element determines that there is a target TN network device among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element, it can report the device information of the TN network device it manages to the cooperating network element.

[0052] In order to reduce the amount of TN network device information reported by TN network elements, TN network elements only need to report the device information of the target TN network device to cooperating network elements. That is, the TN network can send information response requests to cooperating network elements, and the information response requests only carry the device information of the target TN network device.

[0053] In this embodiment, an information reporting request sent by a cooperating network element is received; wherein the information reporting request carries the wavelength coverage information of the NTN network device; based on the wavelength coverage information and the device information of the TN network devices managed by the TN network element, it is determined whether there is a target TN network device located in the target overlapping coverage area among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element; in response to the existence of a target TN network device among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element, an information response request is sent to the cooperating network element; wherein the information response request carries the device information of the target TN network device; by determining whether there is a target TN network device located in the target overlapping coverage area among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element, the TN network element can accurately report the device information of the target TN network device, reduce the amount of information reported, and reduce link resources.

[0054] This embodiment provides another communication method. Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application, which can be applied to TN network elements. The TN network element can be any TN network element that manages at least one TN network device. As an example, the TN network element can be, for example, a TN OMC, or for example, a TN network management module.

[0055] like Figure 2 As shown, the communication method may include the following steps: Step 201: Receive information reporting requests sent by cooperative network elements, wherein the information reporting requests carry the wavelength coverage information of NTN network devices.

[0056] Step 202: Based on the wavelength coverage information and the device information of the TN network devices managed by the TN network element, determine whether there is a target TN network device located in the target overlapping coverage area among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element.

[0057] In one possible embodiment of this application, based on the wave position information and wave position coverage range information in the wave position coverage information, and the position information and coverage range information of the TN network devices managed by the TN network element, it is determined whether the TN network devices managed by the TN network element have overlapping coverage areas with the NTN network devices; in response to the existence of overlapping coverage areas between the TN network devices managed by the TN network element and the NTN network devices, it is determined whether the candidate TN network devices located in the overlapping coverage areas are located in the target overlapping coverage area; in response to any candidate TN network device being located in the target overlapping coverage area, the candidate TN network device is identified as the target TN network device, and it is determined that the target TN network device exists among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element; in response to the absence of overlapping coverage areas between the TN network devices managed by the TN network element and the NTN network devices, or if none of the candidate TN network devices are located in the target overlapping coverage area, it is determined that the target TN network device does not exist among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element.

[0058] In one possible embodiment of this application, the target overlapping coverage area is an overlapping coverage edge area; for any candidate TN network device, in response to the fact that the adjacent network devices of the candidate TN network device are all TN network devices, it is determined that the candidate TN network device is not located in the overlapping coverage edge area; in response to the fact that the adjacent network devices of the candidate TN network device include NTN network devices, it is determined that the candidate TN network device is located in the overlapping coverage edge area.

[0059] If all adjacent network devices of any candidate TN network device are TN network devices, then the candidate TN network device is located within the terrestrial network. If the adjacent network devices of any candidate TN network device include NTN network devices, then there exists at least one of the following areas near the candidate TN network device that requires supplementary coverage via NTN network devices: I. Areas where terrestrial cellular networks cannot be deployed or where the cost of building such networks is too high (such as remote areas, deserts, oceans, aviation, etc.); II. Areas where terrestrial cellular networks require emergency communication due to natural disasters; III. Areas where temporary hotspots require load balancing; This allows us to determine if the candidate TN network device is located in an overlapping coverage edge area. In a satellite-ground cooperative scenario, coverage gap filling is typically considered in the terrestrial cellular network coverage edge area, while TN networks still prioritize access within the terrestrial network area. Therefore, if the adjacent network devices of any candidate TN network device are not located in an overlapping coverage edge area, the candidate TN network device will not cooperate with the NTN network device. Consequently, the TN network element does not need to send the device information of the candidate TN network device to the cooperating network element, thus reducing the amount of TN network device information reported by the TN network element.

[0060] Step 203: In response to the existence of a target TN network device among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element, an information response request is sent to the cooperating network element, wherein the information response request carries the device information of the target TN network device.

[0061] It should be noted that the relevant content of steps 201-203 can be found in the relevant descriptions in the foregoing embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0062] Step 204: In response to the absence of a target TN network device among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element, an information rejection request is sent to the cooperating network element. The information rejection request is used by the cooperating network element to determine whether to release the communication link between the cooperating network element and the TN network element.

[0063] If the target TN network device is not present among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element, it means that the TN network devices managed by the TN network element either do not have overlapping coverage areas with the NTN network devices, or although they have overlapping coverage areas with the NTN network devices, they are not located in the target overlapping coverage area (e.g., overlapping coverage edge area). This means that the TN network devices managed by the TN network element will not cooperate with the NTN network devices for communication. Therefore, after receiving the information reporting request sent by the cooperating network element, if the TN network element determines that the target TN network device is not present among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element, it can choose not to report the device information of the TN network devices it manages to the cooperating network element, but instead directly send an information rejection request to the cooperating network element for the cooperating network element to determine whether to release the communication link between the cooperating network element and the TN network element.

[0064] In one possible embodiment of this application, the information rejection request carries a rejection reason value. The information rejection request is used by the cooperating network element to release the communication link between the cooperating network element and the TN network element when the rejection reason value indicates a target reason; wherein, the target reason includes not belonging to the overlapping coverage area.

[0065] The rejection reason value can be indicated by numbers or letters.

[0066] As an example, a TN network element can send a rejection request to a cooperating network element, carrying a rejection reason value of 00. The rejection reason value of 00 indicates that the rejection reason is "not within the overlapping coverage area". After receiving the rejection reason value of 00, the cooperating network element can release the communication link between the cooperating network element and the TN network element.

[0067] In this embodiment, an information reporting request sent by a cooperating network element is received; wherein the information reporting request carries the wavelength coverage information of the NTN network device; based on the wavelength coverage information and the device information of the TN network devices managed by the TN network element, it is determined whether there is a target TN network device located in the target overlapping coverage area among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element; in response to the existence of a target TN network device among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element, an information response request is sent to the cooperating network element; wherein the information response request carries the device information of the target TN network device; in response to the absence of a target TN network device among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element, an information response request is sent to the cooperating network element. The TN network element sends an information rejection request; the information rejection request is used by the cooperating network element to determine whether to release the communication link between the cooperating network element and the TN network element; by determining whether there is a target TN network device in the target overlapping coverage area among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element, the TN network element can accurately report the device information of the target TN network device when the target TN network device exists in the TN network devices managed by the TN network element, thereby reducing the amount of information reported and reducing link resources; and when there is no target TN network device in the TN network devices managed by the TN network element, it can release invalid link resources based on the information rejection request, thereby achieving link simplification between the TN network element and the cooperating network element.

[0068] This embodiment provides a communication method. Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. This communication method can be applied to cooperating network elements. The cooperating network element can be any network element used to implement cooperation between NTN and TN networks.

[0069] like Figure 3 As shown, the communication method may include the following steps: Step 301: Send an information reporting request to the TN network element, wherein the information reporting request carries the wavelength coverage information of the NTN network device.

[0070] Among them, a TN network element can be any TN network element that manages at least one TN network device.

[0071] As an example, a TN network element could be a TN OMC, or a TN network management module.

[0072] In one possible embodiment of this application, the wave position coverage information includes at least one of the following: wave position location information; wave position shape information; wave position radius information; and wave position coverage range information.

[0073] The explanations of the wave position information, wave shape information, wave radius information, and wave coverage information can be found in the relevant descriptions in the foregoing embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0074] Prior to step 301, the TN network element and the cooperating network element have established a communication link through the initial registration phase. However, during the establishment of this communication link, the TN network element does not report the TN base station information it manages to the cooperating network element.

[0075] In one possible embodiment of this application, the cooperating network element receives a first registration request sent by the TN network element; wherein the first registration request does not carry device information of the TN network devices managed by the TN network element; and sends a first registration feedback to the TN network element; wherein the first registration feedback is used to indicate that a communication link has been established between the cooperating network element and the TN network element.

[0076] As an example, after a communication link is established between a TN network element and a cooperating network element, the cooperating network element can send an information reporting request to the TN network element through this communication link. This information reporting request is used to request the TN network to report the device information of the TN network devices it manages, and the information reporting request carries the beamwidth coverage information of the NTN network devices. Correspondingly, the TN network element can receive the information reporting request sent by the cooperating network element.

[0077] Specifically, the wavelength coverage information of the NTN network device is sent by the NTN network device to the cooperating network element during the process of establishing a communication link between the two. Furthermore, before executing step 301, the cooperating network element must have already received the wavelength coverage information sent by the NTN network device.

[0078] Similar to the establishment of a communication link between TN network elements and cooperating network elements, NTN network devices and cooperating network elements can also establish a communication link during the initial registration phase. The difference is that during the link establishment process, the NTN network device reports its wavelength coverage information to the cooperating network element. The cooperating network element can then send an information reporting request carrying the NTN network device's wavelength coverage information to the TN network element.

[0079] In one possible embodiment of this application, the cooperating network element receives a second registration request sent by the NTN network device; wherein the second registration request carries the wavelength coverage information of the NTN network device; and sends a second registration feedback to the NTN network device; wherein the second registration feedback is used to indicate that a communication link has been established between the cooperating network element and the NTN network device.

[0080] Step 302: Receive an information response request sent by the TN network element when the target TN network device exists among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element. The information response request carries the device information of the target TN network device.

[0081] Among them, the target TN network device is the TN network device located in the target overlapping coverage area, which is determined by the TN network element from the TN network devices managed by the TN network element based on the spectral coverage information.

[0082] In one possible embodiment of this application, the device information includes at least one of the following: location information; coverage information; PCI; frequency point information.

[0083] The explanations of location information, coverage information, PCI, and frequency information can be found in the relevant descriptions in the foregoing embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0084] If a target TN network device exists among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element, it means that the TN network devices managed by the TN network element not only have overlapping coverage areas with the NTN network devices, but also have a target TN network device located in the target overlapping coverage area (e.g., the overlapping coverage edge area).

[0085] In actual network applications, satellite-to-ground connections and information reporting are generally only required in terrestrial cellular network areas at the edge of satellite-to-ground overlapping coverage. In other words, the target TN network device will cooperate and communicate with the NTN network device. Therefore, after receiving the information reporting request sent by the cooperating network element, if the TN network element determines that there is a target TN network device among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element, it can report the device information of the TN network device it manages to the cooperating network element.

[0086] In order to reduce the amount of TN network device information reported by TN network elements, TN network elements only need to report the device information of the target TN network device to cooperating network elements. That is, the TN network can send information response requests to cooperating network elements, and the information response requests only carry the device information of the target TN network device.

[0087] It should be noted that the relevant content in this embodiment can be found in the relevant descriptions in the foregoing embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0088] In this embodiment, an information reporting request is sent to the TN network element; wherein the information reporting request carries the wavelength coverage information of the NTN network device; and an information response request is received from the TN network element when a target TN network device exists among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element; wherein the target TN network device is a TN network device located in the target overlapping coverage area determined by the TN network element from among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element based on the wavelength coverage information; wherein the information response request carries the device information of the target TN network device; by determining whether there is a target TN network device located in the target overlapping coverage area among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element, the TN network element can accurately report the device information of the target TN network device, reduce the amount of information reported, and reduce link resources.

[0089] This embodiment provides a communication method. Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. This communication method can be applied to cooperating network elements. The cooperating network element can be any network element used to implement cooperation between NTN and TN networks.

[0090] like Figure 4 As shown, the communication method may include the following steps: Step 401: Send an information reporting request to the TN network element, wherein the information reporting request carries the wavelength coverage information of the NTN network device.

[0091] Step 402: Receive an information response request sent by the TN network element when the target TN network device exists among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element. The information response request carries the device information of the target TN network device.

[0092] Among them, the target TN network device is the TN network device located in the target overlapping coverage area, which is determined by the TN network element from the TN network devices managed by the TN network element based on the spectral coverage information.

[0093] It should be noted that the relevant content of steps 401-402 can be found in the relevant descriptions in the foregoing embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0094] Step 403: Receive a rejection request sent by the TN network element when the target TN network device does not exist among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element.

[0095] If the target TN network device is not present among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element, it means that the TN network devices managed by the TN network element either do not have overlapping coverage areas with the NTN network devices, or although they have overlapping coverage areas with the NTN network devices, they are not located in the target overlapping coverage area (e.g., overlapping coverage edge area). This means that the TN network devices managed by the TN network element will not cooperate with the NTN network devices for communication. Therefore, after receiving the information reporting request sent by the cooperating network element, if the TN network element determines that the target TN network device is not present among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element, it can choose not to report the device information of the TN network devices it manages to the cooperating network element, but instead directly send an information rejection request to the cooperating network element for the cooperating network element to determine whether to release the communication link between the cooperating network element and the TN network element.

[0096] Correspondingly, the cooperating network element can receive a rejection request sent by the TN network element when the target TN network device does not exist among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element.

[0097] Step 404: Based on the information rejection request, determine whether to release the communication link between the cooperating network element and the TN network element.

[0098] In one possible embodiment of this application, the information rejection request carries a rejection reason value. The information rejection request is used by the cooperating network element to release the communication link between the cooperating network element and the TN network element when the rejection reason value indicates a target reason; wherein, the target reason includes not belonging to the overlapping coverage area.

[0099] The rejection reason value can be indicated by numbers or letters.

[0100] As an example, a TN network element can send a rejection request to a cooperating network element, carrying a rejection reason value of 00. The rejection reason value of 00 indicates that the rejection reason is "not within the overlapping coverage area". After receiving the rejection reason value of 00, the cooperating network element can release the communication link between the cooperating network element and the TN network element.

[0101] In this embodiment, an information reporting request is sent to the TN network element; wherein the information reporting request carries the wavelength coverage information of the NTN network device; an information response request is received from the TN network element when a target TN network device exists among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element; wherein the target TN network device is a TN network device located in the target overlapping coverage area determined by the TN network element from among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element based on the wavelength coverage information; wherein the information response request carries the device information of the target TN network device; and a response request is received when the target TN network device does not exist among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element. The system sends a rejection request; based on the rejection request, it determines whether to release the communication link between the cooperating network element and the TN network element; by determining whether there is a target TN network device in the overlapping coverage area among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element, the TN network element can accurately report the device information of the target TN network device when the target TN network device exists in the TN network devices managed by the TN network element, thereby reducing the amount of information reported and reducing link resources; and when there is no target TN network device in the TN network devices managed by the TN network element, it can release invalid link resources based on the rejection request, thereby achieving link simplification between the TN network element and the cooperating network element.

[0102] This embodiment provides a communication method. Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. This communication method can be applied to cooperating network elements. The cooperating network element can be any network element used to implement cooperation between NTN and TN networks.

[0103] like Figure 5 As shown, the communication method may include the following steps: Step 501: Send an information reporting request to the TN network element, wherein the information reporting request carries the wavelength coverage information of the NTN network device.

[0104] Step 502: Receive an information response request sent by the TN network element when the target TN network device exists among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element. The information response request carries the device information of the target TN network device.

[0105] Among them, the target TN network device is the TN network device located in the target overlapping coverage area, which is determined by the TN network element from the TN network devices managed by the TN network element based on the spectral coverage information.

[0106] It should be noted that the relevant content of steps 501-502 can be found in the relevant descriptions in the foregoing embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0107] Step 503: Based on the wavelength position information and wavelength coverage range information in the wavelength coverage information, as well as the location information and coverage range information of the target TN network device, establish the mapping relationship between the wavelength of the NTN network device and the target TN network device.

[0108] In one possible embodiment of this application, there are multiple target TN network devices; the cooperating network element can determine whether at least one wavelength of the NTN network device has an overlapping coverage area with multiple target TN network devices based on the wavelength position information and wavelength coverage range information in the wavelength coverage information, as well as the position information and coverage range information of the multiple target TN network devices; in response to any wavelength of the NTN network device having an overlapping coverage area with any target TN network device, a mapping relationship between the wavelength and the target TN network device is established.

[0109] In other words, the cooperative network element can associate each wavelength of the NTN network device with the TN network device under that wavelength based on the wavelength coverage information of the NTN network device and the device information of the TN network device, thereby realizing the wavelength-level network mapping between the NTN network and the TN network.

[0110] Step 504: Determine the first neighboring cell relationship and the second neighboring cell relationship based on the mapping relationship.

[0111] The first neighbor relationship is used to indicate the target TN network device that has a mapping relationship with the wavelength of the NTN network device, and the second neighbor relationship is used to indicate the wavelength of the NTN network device that has a mapping relationship with the target TN network device.

[0112] As an example, assuming a mapping relationship is established between wavelet 1 of the NTN network device and target TN network device 1 and target TN network device 2, a mapping relationship is established between wavelet 2 of the NTN network device and target TN network device 1 and target TN network device 3, a mapping relationship is established between wavelet 3 of the NTN network device and target TN network device 2 and target TN network device 3, ..., then the determined first neighbor cell relationship can include: The target TN network devices that have a mapping relationship with wave position 1 are target TN network device 1 and target TN network device 2; The target TN network devices that have a mapping relationship with wave position 2 are target TN network device 1 and target TN network device 3; The target TN network devices that have a mapping relationship with wave position 3 are target TN network device 2 and target TN network device 3; The determined second neighbor relationships can include: The wavelets that have a mapping relationship with the target TN network device 1 are wavelets 1 and 2 of the NTN network device; The wavelets that have a mapping relationship with the target TN network device 2 are wavelets 1 and 3 of the NTN network device; The wavelets that have a mapping relationship with the target TN network device 3 are wavelets 2 and 3 of the NTN network device.

[0113] Step 505: Send the first neighbor cell relationship to the NTN network device and the second neighbor cell relationship to the TN network element.

[0114] As an example, a cooperating network element can send a first neighbor cell relationship to an NTN network device through a communication link with the NTN network device, and send a second neighbor cell relationship to a TN network element through a communication link with the TN network element.

[0115] In this embodiment, a mapping relationship between the wavelengths of the NTN network device and the target TN network device is established based on the wavelength location information and wavelength coverage range information in the wavelength coverage information, as well as the location information and coverage range information of the target TN network device. Based on the mapping relationship, a first neighboring cell relationship and a second neighboring cell relationship are determined. The first neighboring cell relationship indicates the target TN network device with a wavelength mapping relationship to the NTN network device, and the second neighboring cell relationship indicates the wavelength of the NTN network device with a wavelength mapping relationship to the target TN network device. The first neighboring cell relationship is sent to the NTN network device, and the second neighboring cell relationship is sent to the TN network element. The cooperating network element can associate each wavelength of the NTN network device within the overlapping coverage area with the TN network device under that wavelength based on the wavelength coverage information of the NTN network device and the device information of the TN network device, thereby realizing a wavelength-level network mapping between the NTN and TN networks. The neighboring cell relationship determined based on the mapping relationship is sent to both the TN network element and the NTN network device, so that the TN network element and the NTN network device can perform measurement and control and handover decisions based on the received neighboring cell relationship.

[0116] To clearly illustrate the communication method of this application, this embodiment will describe the interaction process between TN network elements, cooperating network elements, and NTN network devices. Figure 6 This diagram illustrates the interaction between TN network elements, cooperating network elements, and NTN network devices provided in the embodiments of this application. In the diagram, TN OMC represents a TN network element, and NTN base station represents an NTN network device.

[0117] Step 1: The TN OMC initiates registration with the cooperating network element, without carrying TN base station information; the NTN base station initiates registration with the cooperating network element, carrying satellite information, including but not limited to spectral coverage information and ephemeris information. Step 2: The cooperating network element sends registration feedback to the TN OMC, indicating that a communication link has been established between the cooperating network element and the TN OMC; the cooperating network element sends registration feedback to the NTN base station, indicating that a communication link has been established between the cooperating network element and the NTN base station. Step 3: The cooperating network element sends an information reporting request to the TN OMC. This information reporting request can be, for example, a TN-InformationRequest, used to request the TN OMC to report TN base station information. The TN-InformationRequest carries satellite spectral coverage information, including but not limited to spectral position information (e.g., spectral center point location (latitude and longitude)), spectral radius information, spectral shape information, and spectral coverage range information. Step 4: The TN OMC determines whether a target TN base station located in the overlapping coverage edge area is included based on the satellite spectral coverage information and the TN base station information. Step 5: The TN OMC sends a request feedback to the cooperating network element. In cases where the TN base stations managed by the TN OMC include a target TN base station located in an overlapping coverage edge area, the request feedback can be, for example, a TN-InformationResponse, which carries target TN base station information, including but not limited to location information, coverage area information, PCI, and frequency point information. In cases where the TN base stations managed by the TN OMC do not include a target TN base station located in an overlapping coverage edge area, the request feedback can be, for example, a TN-InformationRefuse, carrying a rejection reason value indicating that the rejection reason is "not within the overlapping coverage area." Step 6: After receiving the TN-InformationRefuse, the cooperating network element releases the communication link with the TN OMC; after receiving the TN-InformationResponse, it completes the mapping relationship between satellite network radii and TN network cells, including the TN radii-level TN neighbor cell relationship (first neighbor cell relationship) and the TN NTN neighbor cell relationship (second neighbor cell relationship), and sends the TN NTN neighbor cell relationship to the TN OMC and the NTN radii-level TN neighbor cell relationship to the NTN base station.

[0118] Compared to related technologies, where the TN OMC directly reports TN base station information during the initial registration phase, resulting in a large amount of reported information and high link data consumption, this application embodiment updates the interaction process between the TN OMC and cooperating network elements by adding a request and feedback process between the cooperating network elements and the TN OMC, thereby reducing the amount of TN base station information reported by the TN OMC. At the same time, by adding a link release process based on the rejection reason value (not belonging to the overlapping coverage area), invalid link resources are reduced.

[0119] The updated TN OMC and collaborative network element interaction process is as follows: (1) During the initial registration phase of TN OMC and cooperative network elements, TN base station information is not reported.

[0120] The initial registration phase of TN OMC and cooperative network elements involves the establishment of connections between all OMCs and cooperative network elements in the terrestrial cellular network.

[0121] (2) After the link is established, the cooperating network element initiates an information reporting request (TN-InformationRequest) to the TN OMC, which carries satellite wave position coverage information.

[0122] If multi-track coverage is involved, the TN-InformationRequest must carry the satellite wave position coverage information of the involved multi-track satellites, and the TN OMC will select a satellite from the relevant configuration information for coordination.

[0123] (3) After obtaining satellite wave position coverage information, the TN OMC determines whether the TN base station it manages has an overlapping coverage area with the satellite based on the wave position location, coverage range and TN base station location.

[0124] If the TN base stations managed by the TN OMC have overlapping coverage areas with satellites, then: For a target TN base station located in an overlapping coverage edge area, the TN OMC sends an information response request (TN-InformationReaction) to the cooperating network element, wherein the TN-InformationReaction carries the target TN base station information; The TN base stations managed by the TN OMC do not include target TN base stations located in overlapping coverage edge areas (that is, the TN base stations managed by the TN OMC are not located in overlapping coverage edge areas). The TN OMC sends an information rejection request TN-InformationRefuse to the cooperating network element. The TN-InformationRefuse carries a rejection reason value, indicating that the rejection reason is "not within the overlapping coverage area". After receiving the rejection reason value, the cooperating network element releases the communication link with the TN OMC.

[0125] In this embodiment, the TN OMC determines the status of TN base stations at the edge of overlapping satellite-to-ground coverage based on NTN spectral coverage information and reports it to the cooperating network elements. For target TN base stations located in the edge of overlapping coverage, the TN OMC directly reports their information. If the TN base stations managed by the TN OMC do not include target TN base stations in the edge of overlapping coverage, the OMC sends a rejection message with a rejection reason value. This enables the establishment of an effective connection between the satellite network and the terrestrial cellular network, achieving more refined and flexible coordination of satellite and ground resources, enhanced satellite-to-ground mobility management, and continuous coverage of integrated space-ground network services.

[0126] As an example, suppose the satellite coverage area of ​​an NTN base station, and the coverage area of ​​a TN base station managed by a TN OMC, are as follows: Figure 7 As shown, there is overlap between the satellite coverage area wave positions 1-9 and OMC1, 2, 3, and 13 in the TN OMC.

[0127] I. Initial Stage of Satellite-Ground Link Establishment 1) The NTN base station establishes a connection with the cooperating network element and reports the NTN bandgap coverage status, including bandgap location and coverage area information; 2) The edge OMC1~12 of the terrestrial cellular network establishes connections with the cooperating network elements; 3) The cooperating network element sends a TN-InformationRequest to TN OMC1~12, containing NTN wavelet coverage information.

[0128] II. TN OMC1~12 determines whether it is in a satellite-to-ground overlapping coverage area based on the acquired NTN radii coverage information and TN base station information. 1) The TN base stations connected to OMC1~3 are located in the satellite-ground overlapping coverage area. Among them, TN-gNB1 in OMC1, TN-gNB2 and TN-gNB3 in OMC2, and TN-gNB4 in OMC3 are located in the overlapping coverage edge area. Other TN networks exist around the coverage of other base stations. 2) OMC1~3 sends TN-InformationResponse to the cooperating network elements, which includes base station information of TN-gNB1~4 (location information, coverage information, PCI, frequency information, etc.). 3) OMC4~12 determines that the coverage area of ​​the connected TN base station does not overlap with that of the satellite, sends TN-InformationRefuse to the cooperating network element, and carries the rejection reason value, indicating that the rejection reason is "not within the overlapping coverage area"; 4) After receiving the information from OMC1~3, the cooperating network element establishes the neighbor cell relationships between satellite wavelengths 1, 3, 6, and 9 and TN-gNB1~4, and pushes these relationships to the NTN base station and OMC1~3 respectively. Simultaneously, after receiving the information from OMC4~12, the cooperating network element releases its link connection with these satellites.

[0129] III. The TN-gNB7~10 connected to OMC13 is unable to communicate due to natural disasters, and OMC13 receives a warning from the terrestrial cellular network. 1) OMC13 initiates a link establishment request to the cooperating network element and reports network early warning information and basic information of TN-gNB7~10; 2) The cooperative network element establishes a connection with OMC13 and calculates the neighbor cell relationship between wavelengths 2 and 4 and TN-gNB7~10, and pushes it to OMC13 and NTN base stations; 3) TN-gNB7~10 sends NTN neighbor cell relationships to UEs in the covered area and broadcasts SIB19, allowing UEs to reselect / handover / re-access to the NTN network; 4) When the TN network recovers, the UE in this area reselects / handovers to TN-gNB7~10, OMC13 reports network recovery, and the cooperating network element releases the link with OMC13.

[0130] In summary, by determining whether TN base stations managed by TN OMC are located in overlapping coverage edge areas, target TN base stations in overlapping coverage edge areas can be accurately reported, reducing the amount of information reported by TN OMC and lowering link resource requirements. Furthermore, by adding a link release process based on rejection reason values ​​(not belonging to overlapping coverage areas), invalid links can be prevented from consuming resources.

[0131] To implement the above embodiments, this application also proposes a communication device applied to a TN network element.

[0132] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0133] like Figure 8 As shown, the communication device 800 includes: The transceiver module 810 is used to receive information reporting requests sent by cooperating network elements; wherein, the information reporting request carries the beam position coverage information of the non-terrestrial network NTN network equipment; The processing module 820 is used to determine, based on the waveform coverage information and the device information of the TN network devices managed by the TN network element, whether there is a target TN network device located in the target overlapping coverage area among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element. The transceiver module 810 is also used to send an information response request to the cooperating network element in response to the existence of a target TN network device among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element; wherein the information response request carries the device information of the target TN network device.

[0134] Optionally, the transceiver module 810 is further configured to: in response to the absence of a target TN network device among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element, send an information rejection request to the cooperating network element; wherein the information rejection request is used by the cooperating network element to determine whether to release the communication link between the cooperating network element and the TN network element.

[0135] Optionally, the information rejection request carries a rejection reason value. The information rejection request is used by the cooperating network element to release the communication link between the cooperating network element and the TN network element when the rejection reason value indicates a target reason; wherein, the target reason includes not belonging to the overlapping coverage area.

[0136] Optionally, the processing module 820 is specifically used to: determine whether the TN network devices managed by the TN network element have overlapping coverage areas with the NTN network devices based on the wavelet location information and wavelet coverage range information in the wavelet coverage information, as well as the location information and coverage range information of the TN network devices managed by the TN network element; in response to the existence of overlapping coverage areas between the TN network devices managed by the TN network element and the NTN network devices, determine whether the candidate TN network devices located in the overlapping coverage areas managed by the TN network element are located in the target overlapping coverage area; in response to the existence of any candidate TN network device located in the target overlapping coverage area, identify the candidate TN network device as the target TN network device, and determine that the target TN network device exists among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element; in response to the existence of no overlapping coverage areas between the TN network devices managed by the TN network element and the NTN network devices, or, if no candidate TN network device is located in the target overlapping coverage area, determine that the target TN network device does not exist among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element.

[0137] Optionally, the target overlapping coverage area is the overlapping coverage edge area; the processing module 820 is specifically used to: for any candidate TN network device, in response to the fact that the adjacent network devices of the candidate TN network device are all TN network devices, determine that the candidate TN network device is not located in the overlapping coverage edge area; in response to the fact that the adjacent network devices of the candidate TN network device include NTN network devices, determine that the candidate TN network device is located in the overlapping coverage edge area.

[0138] Optionally, the transceiver module 810 is further configured to: send a first registration request to the cooperating network element; wherein the first registration request does not carry device information of the TN network device managed by the TN network element; and receive a first registration feedback sent by the cooperating network element; wherein the first registration feedback is used to indicate that a communication link has been established between the cooperating network element and the TN network element.

[0139] Optionally, the wave position coverage information includes at least one of the following: wave position location information; wave position shape information; wave position radius information; wave position coverage range information.

[0140] Optionally, the device information includes at least one of the following: location information; coverage information; physical layer cell identifier (PCI); frequency point information.

[0141] It should be noted that the foregoing explanation of the communication method embodiment applied to TN network elements also applies to the communication device of this embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0142] In this embodiment, an information reporting request sent by a cooperating network element is received; wherein the information reporting request carries the wavelength coverage information of the NTN network device; based on the wavelength coverage information and the device information of the TN network devices managed by the TN network element, it is determined whether there is a target TN network device located in the target overlapping coverage area among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element; in response to the existence of a target TN network device among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element, an information response request is sent to the cooperating network element; wherein the information response request carries the device information of the target TN network device; by determining whether there is a target TN network device located in the target overlapping coverage area among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element, the TN network element can accurately report the device information of the target TN network device, reduce the amount of information reported, and reduce link resources.

[0143] To implement the above embodiments, this application also proposes a communication device applied to a cooperative network element.

[0144] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0145] like Figure 9 As shown, the communication device 900 includes: The transceiver module 910 is used to send information reporting requests to TN network elements; the information reporting requests carry the wavelength coverage information of the NTN network devices. The transceiver module 910 is also used to receive an information response request sent by the TN network element when there is a target TN network device among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element; wherein, the target TN network device is a TN network device located in the target overlapping coverage area determined by the TN network element from the TN network devices managed by the TN network element according to the spectral coverage information. The information response request contains device information of the target TN network device.

[0146] Optionally, the transceiver module 910 is further configured to: receive an information rejection request sent by the TN network element when there is no target TN network device among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element; the above device further includes a processing module, wherein the processing module is configured to: determine whether to release the communication link between the cooperating network element and the TN network element based on the information rejection request.

[0147] Optionally, the information rejection request carries a rejection reason value; the processing module is specifically used to: release the communication link between the cooperating network element and the TN network element in response to the rejection reason value indicating the target reason; wherein, the target reason includes not belonging to the overlapping coverage area.

[0148] Optionally, the transceiver module 910 is further configured to: receive a first registration request sent by a TN network element; wherein the first registration request does not carry device information of the TN network devices managed by the TN network element; and send a first registration feedback to the TN network element; wherein the first registration feedback is used to indicate the established communication link between the cooperating network element and the TN network element.

[0149] Optionally, the transceiver module 910 is further configured to: receive a second registration request sent by the NTN network device; wherein the second registration request carries the wavelength coverage information of the NTN network device; and send a second registration feedback to the NTN network device; wherein the second registration feedback is used to indicate the established communication link between the cooperating network element and the NTN network device.

[0150] Optionally, the above-mentioned device further includes a processing module, wherein the processing module is configured to: establish a mapping relationship between the wavelength of the NTN network device and the target TN network device based on the wavelength location information and wavelength coverage range information in the wavelength coverage information, and the location information and coverage range information of the target TN network device; determine a first neighbor cell relationship and a second neighbor cell relationship based on the mapping relationship; wherein the first neighbor cell relationship is used to indicate the target TN network device that has a mapping relationship with the wavelength of the NTN network device, and the second neighbor cell relationship is used to indicate the wavelength of the NTN network device that has a mapping relationship with the target TN network device; the transceiver module 910 is further configured to: send the first neighbor cell relationship to the NTN network device and send the second neighbor cell relationship to the TN network element.

[0151] Optionally, there are multiple target TN network devices; the processing module is specifically used to: determine whether at least one wavelength of the NTN network device has an overlapping coverage area with multiple target TN network devices based on the wavelength position information and wavelength coverage range information in the wavelength coverage information, as well as the position information and coverage range information of the multiple target TN network devices; and in response to any wavelength of the NTN network device having an overlapping coverage area with any target TN network device, establish a mapping relationship between the wavelength and the target TN network device.

[0152] It should be noted that the foregoing explanation of the communication method embodiment applied to cooperative network elements also applies to the communication device of this embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0153] In this embodiment, an information reporting request is sent to the TN network element; wherein the information reporting request carries the wavelength coverage information of the NTN network device; and an information response request is received from the TN network element when a target TN network device exists among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element; wherein the target TN network device is a TN network device located in the target overlapping coverage area determined by the TN network element from among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element based on the wavelength coverage information; wherein the information response request carries the device information of the target TN network device; by determining whether there is a target TN network device located in the target overlapping coverage area among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element, the TN network element can accurately report the device information of the target TN network device, reduce the amount of information reported, and reduce link resources.

[0154] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of this application. The electronic device 1000 in this embodiment is intended to represent various forms of digital computers, such as laptop computers, desktop computers, workstations, personal digital assistants, servers, blade servers, mainframe computers, and other suitable computers. The electronic device may also represent various forms of mobile devices, such as personal digital processors, cellular phones, smartphones, wearable devices, and other similar computing devices. The components shown herein, their connections and relationships, and their functions are merely examples and are not intended to limit the implementation of the present disclosure described and / or claimed herein.

[0155] like Figure 10 As shown, the aforementioned electronic device 1000 includes: The memory 1001 and the processor 1002 are connected by a bus 1003 that connects different components (including the memory 1001 and the processor 1002). The memory 1001 stores a computer program, and when the processor 1002 executes the program, it implements the communication method of the present application embodiment.

[0156] Bus 1003 represents one or more of several bus architectures, including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, a graphics acceleration port, a processor, or a local bus using any of the various bus architectures. For example, these architectures include, but are not limited to, the Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, the Micro Channel Architecture (MAC) bus, the Enhanced ISA bus, the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, and the Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus.

[0157] Electronic device 1000 typically includes a variety of electronic device readable media. These media can be any available media that can be accessed by electronic device 1000, including volatile and non-volatile media, removable and non-removable media.

[0158] The memory 1001 may also include computer system readable media in the form of volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM) 1004 and / or cache memory 1005. The electronic device 1000 may further include other removable / non-removable, volatile / non-volatile computer system storage media. By way of example only, the storage system 1006 may be used to read and write non-removable, non-volatile magnetic media (…). Figure 10 Not shown; usually referred to as a "hard drive"). Although Figure 10 As not shown, a disk drive for reading and writing to a removable non-volatile disk (e.g., a "floppy disk") and an optical disk drive for reading and writing to a removable non-volatile optical disk (e.g., a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, or other optical media) may be provided. In these cases, each drive may be connected to bus 1003 via one or more data media interfaces. Memory 1001 may include at least one program product having a set (e.g., at least one) of program modules configured to perform the functions of the embodiments of this application.

[0159] A program / utility 1008 having a set (at least one) of program modules 1007 may be stored, for example, in memory 1001. Such program modules 1007 include, but are not limited to, an operating system, one or more application programs, other program modules, and program data. Each or some combination of these examples may include an implementation of a network environment. Program modules 1007 typically perform the functions and / or methods described in the embodiments of this application.

[0160] Electronic device 1000 can also communicate with one or more external devices 1009 (e.g., keyboard, pointing device, display 1011, etc.), and with one or more devices that enable a user to interact with the electronic device 1000, and / or with any device that enables the electronic device 1000 to communicate with one or more other computing devices (e.g., network card, modem, etc.). This communication can be performed via input / output (I / O) interface 1012. Furthermore, electronic device 1000 can also communicate with one or more networks (e.g., local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), and / or public networks, such as the Internet) via network adapter 1013. Figure 10As shown, network adapter 1013 communicates with other modules of electronic device 1000 via bus 1003. It should be understood that, although not shown in the figure, other hardware and / or software modules can be used in conjunction with electronic device 1000, including but not limited to: microcode, device drivers, redundant processing units, external disk drive arrays, RAID systems, tape drives, and data backup storage systems.

[0161] The processor 1002 performs various functional applications and data processing by running programs stored in the memory 1001.

[0162] It should be noted that the implementation process and technical principles of the electronic device in this embodiment are explained in the foregoing description of the communication method in the embodiments of this application, and will not be repeated here.

[0163] To implement the above embodiments, this application also proposes a computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a processor, are used to implement the methods provided in the foregoing embodiments.

[0164] To implement the above embodiments, this application also proposes a computer program product, including a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the methods provided in the foregoing embodiments.

[0165] The collection, storage, use, processing, transmission, provision, and disclosure of user personal information involved in this application all comply with the provisions of relevant laws and regulations and do not violate public order and good morals.

[0166] It should be noted that personal information collected from users should be used for legitimate and reasonable purposes and should not be shared or sold outside of these legitimate uses. Furthermore, such collection / sharing should only be conducted after receiving the user's informed consent, including but not limited to notifying the user to read the user agreement / user notice and sign an agreement / authorization that includes authorization of relevant user information before the user uses the function. In addition, any necessary steps must be taken to protect and safeguard access to such personal information data and ensure that others with access to personal information data comply with their privacy policies and procedures.

[0167] This application is intended to provide an implementation scheme for users to selectively prevent the use or access to their personal information data. Specifically, this disclosure is intended to provide hardware and / or software to prevent or block access to such personal information data. Once personal information data is no longer needed, risks can be minimized by restricting data collection and deleting data. Furthermore, where applicable, such personal information is de-identified to protect user privacy.

[0168] In the foregoing descriptions of the embodiments, the terms "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., refer to specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in connection with that embodiment or example, which are included in at least one embodiment or example of this application. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples. Moreover, without contradiction, those skilled in the art can combine and integrate the different embodiments or examples described in this specification, as well as the features of different embodiments or examples.

[0169] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this application, "multiple" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0170] Any process or method description in the flowchart or otherwise herein can be understood as representing a module, segment, or portion of code comprising one or more executable instructions for implementing custom logic functions or processes, and the scope of the preferred embodiments of this application includes additional implementations in which functions may be performed not in the order shown or discussed, including substantially simultaneously or in reverse order depending on the functions involved, as should be understood by those skilled in the art to which embodiments of this application pertain.

[0171] The logic and / or steps represented in the flowchart or otherwise described herein, for example, can be considered as a sequenced list of executable instructions for implementing logical functions, and can be embodied in any computer-readable medium for use by, or in conjunction with, an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device (such as a computer system, a system including a processor, or other system that can fetch and execute instructions from, an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device). For the purposes of this specification, "computer-readable medium" can be any means that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transmit programs for use by, or in conjunction with, an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of computer-readable media include: an electrical connection having one or more wires (electronic device), a portable computer disk drive (magnetic device), random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable and editable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), fiber optic devices, and portable optical disc read-only memory (CDROM). Alternatively, the computer-readable medium may be paper or other suitable media on which the program can be printed, since the program can be obtained electronically, for example, by optically scanning the paper or other medium, followed by editing, interpreting, or otherwise processing as necessary, and then stored in a computer memory.

[0172] It should be understood that various parts of this application can be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. In the above embodiments, multiple steps or methods can be implemented using software or firmware stored in memory and executed by a suitable instruction execution system. For example, if implemented in hardware as in another embodiment, it can be implemented using any one or a combination of the following techniques known in the art: discrete logic circuits having logic gates for implementing logical functions on data signals, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) having suitable combinational logic gates, programmable gate arrays (PGAs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), etc.

[0173] Those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the steps of the methods in the above embodiments can be implemented by a program instructing related hardware. The program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and when executed, the program includes one or a combination of the steps of the method embodiments.

[0174] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into a processing module, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into a module. The integrated module can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional module. If the integrated module is implemented as a software functional module and sold or used as an independent product, it can also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium.

[0175] The storage medium mentioned above can be a read-only memory, a disk, or an optical disk, etc. Although embodiments of this application have been shown and described above, it is understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting this application. Those skilled in the art can make changes, modifications, substitutions, and variations to the above embodiments within the scope of this application.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, Applications to terrestrial network (TN) elements include: Receive information reporting requests sent by cooperative network elements; wherein, the information reporting requests carry wavelength coverage information of non-terrestrial network (NTN) network devices; Based on the wavelength coverage information and the device information of the TN network devices managed by the TN network element, determine whether there is a target TN network device located in the target overlapping coverage area among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element; In response to the presence of the target TN network device among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element, an information response request is sent to the cooperating network element; wherein the information response request carries the device information of the target TN network device.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: In response to the absence of the target TN network device among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element, an information rejection request is sent to the cooperating network element; wherein, the information rejection request is used by the cooperating network element to determine whether to release the communication link between the cooperating network element and the TN network element.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The information rejection request carries a rejection reason value. The information rejection request is used by the cooperating network element to release the communication link between the cooperating network element and the TN network element when the rejection reason value indicates the target reason. Among the reasons for the target are those that do not fall within the overlapping coverage area.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of determining whether there is a target TN network device located in the target overlapping coverage area among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element, based on the wavelength coverage information and the device information of the TN network devices managed by the TN network element, includes: Based on the wavelength position information and wavelength coverage range information in the wavelength coverage information, as well as the position information and coverage range information of the TN network equipment managed by the TN network element, it is determined whether the TN network equipment managed by the TN network element has an overlapping coverage area with the NTN network equipment. In response to the existence of an overlapping coverage area between the TN network device managed by the TN network element and the NTN network device, it is determined whether the candidate TN network device managed by the TN network element located in the overlapping coverage area is located in the target overlapping coverage area; In response to any of the candidate TN network devices being located in the target overlapping coverage area, the candidate TN network device is determined as the target TN network device, and it is determined that the target TN network device exists among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element; In response to the fact that the TN network devices managed by the TN network element and the NTN network devices do not have overlapping coverage areas, or that none of the candidate TN network devices are located in the target overlapping coverage area, it is determined that the target TN network device does not exist among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The target overlapping coverage area is an overlapping coverage edge area; determining whether the candidate TN network device managed by the TN network element and located in the overlapping coverage area is located in the target overlapping coverage area includes: For any of the candidate TN network devices, in response to the fact that the adjacent network devices of the candidate TN network device are all TN network devices, it is determined that the candidate TN network device is not located in the overlapping coverage edge area; In response to the fact that the neighboring network devices of the candidate TN network device include NTN network devices, the candidate TN network device is determined to be located in the overlapping coverage edge region.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a first registration request to the cooperating network element; wherein the first registration request does not carry device information of the TN network devices managed by the TN network element; Receive a first registration feedback sent by the cooperating network element; wherein the first registration feedback is used to indicate that a communication link has been established between the cooperating network element and the TN network element.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The wave position coverage information includes at least one of the following: Wave position information; Waveform information; Wavelength radius information; Wavelength coverage information.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The device information includes at least one of the following: Location information; Coverage information; Physical layer cell identifier (PCI); Frequency information.

9. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to cooperative network elements, including: Send an information reporting request to the TN network element; wherein the information reporting request carries the wavelength coverage information of the NTN network device; The TN network element receives an information response request when a target TN network device exists among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element; wherein the target TN network device is a TN network device located in the target overlapping coverage area determined by the TN network element from among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element based on the wavelength coverage information. The information response request contains device information of the target TN network device.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The method further includes: If the target TN network device is not present among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element, the information rejection request sent by the TN network element is received. Based on the information rejection request, determine whether to release the communication link between the cooperating network element and the TN network element.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The information rejection request carries a rejection reason value; determining whether to release the communication link between the cooperating network element and the TN network element based on the information rejection request includes: In response to the rejection reason value indicating the target reason, the communication link between the cooperating network element and the TN network element is released; Among the reasons for the target are those that do not fall within the overlapping coverage area.

12. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive a first registration request sent by the TN network element; wherein the first registration request does not carry device information of the TN network devices managed by the TN network element; Send a first registration feedback to the TN network element; wherein the first registration feedback is used to indicate that a communication link has been established between the cooperating network element and the TN network element.

13. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive a second registration request sent by the NTN network device; wherein the second registration request carries the wavelength coverage information of the NTN network device; Send a second registration feedback to the NTN network device; wherein the second registration feedback is used to indicate that a communication link has been established between the cooperating network element and the NTN network device.

14. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The method further includes: Based on the wavelength position information and wavelength coverage range information in the wavelength coverage information, as well as the position information and coverage range information of the target TN network device, a mapping relationship between the wavelength of the NTN network device and the target TN network device is established. Based on the mapping relationship, a first neighboring cell relationship and a second neighboring cell relationship are determined; wherein, the first neighboring cell relationship is used to indicate a target TN network device that has a mapping relationship with the wavelength of the NTN network device, and the second neighboring cell relationship is used to indicate the wavelength of the NTN network device that has a mapping relationship with the target TN network device; The first neighbor cell relationship is sent to the NTN network device, and the second neighbor cell relationship is sent to the TN network element.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The target TN network devices are multiple; the step of establishing a mapping relationship between the wavelengths of the NTN network devices and the target TN network devices based on the wavelength position information and wavelength coverage range information in the wavelength coverage information, as well as the position information and coverage range information of the target TN network devices, includes: Based on the wave position information and wave position coverage information in the wave position coverage information, as well as the position information and coverage information of the multiple target TN network devices, it is determined whether at least one wave position of the NTN network device has an overlapping coverage area with the multiple target TN network devices. In response to the existence of an overlapping coverage area between any of the wavelengths of the NTN network device and any of the target TN network devices, a mapping relationship is established between the wavelengths and the target TN network devices.

16. The method according to any one of claims 9-15, characterized in that, The wave position coverage information includes at least one of the following: Wave position information; Waveform information; Wavelength radius information; Wavelength coverage information.

17. The method according to any one of claims 9-15, characterized in that, The device information includes at least one of the following: Location information; Coverage information; Physical layer cell identifier (PCI); Frequency information.

18. A communication device, characterized in that, Applications to terrestrial network (TN) elements include: The transceiver module is used to receive information reporting requests sent by cooperative network elements; wherein the information reporting request carries the beamwidth coverage information of the non-terrestrial network (NTN) network device. The processing module is used to determine, based on the wavelength coverage information and the device information of the TN network devices managed by the TN network element, whether there is a target TN network device located in the target overlapping coverage area among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element; The transceiver module is further configured to send an information response request to the cooperating network element in response to the presence of the target TN network device among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element; wherein the information response request carries device information of the target TN network device.

19. A communication device, characterized in that, Applied to cooperative network elements, including: The transceiver module is used to send information reporting requests to TN network elements; wherein the information reporting request carries the wavelength coverage information of the NTN network device; The transceiver module is further configured to receive an information response request sent by the TN network element when a target TN network device exists among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element; wherein the target TN network device is a TN network device located in a target overlapping coverage area determined by the TN network element from among the TN network devices managed by the TN network element based on the wavelength coverage information. The information response request contains device information of the target TN network device.

20. An electronic device, characterized in that, include: A processor, and a memory communicatively connected to the processor; The memory stores computer-executed instructions; The processor executes computer execution instructions stored in the memory to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-8 or 9-17.

21. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a processor, are used to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-8 or 9-17.

22. A computer program product, characterized in that, Includes a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the method of any one of claims 1-8 or 9-17.

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