Apparatus and methods for a satellite to provide non-terrestrial network access, user equipment and methods to perform non-terrestrial network access

Abstract

An apparatus for a satellite providing non-terrestrial network access is provided in embodiments of the present disclosure. The apparatus can include a memory storing instructions, at least one processor, and at least one transceiver. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, can configure the apparatus to transmit, to a user equipment, a message including information related to a store-and-forward mode, and communicate with the UE based on the message. The message can include at least one of information indicating whether a real-time mode is temporarily supported, indication information indicating whether a working mode of a cell is an RT mode or an S&F mode, information related to a maximum transfer time of the S&F mode, ephemeris information of the satellite, or footprint information provided by the satellite.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure generally relates to a non-terrestrial network (NTN) that provides wireless communication services via satellites in Earth orbit or by aircraft flying at high altitudes, rather than by ground base stations. More specifically, it relates to an apparatus and method for an Internet of Everything (IoT) non-terrestrial network (NTN). Background Technology

[0002] To supplement terrestrial networks providing wireless communication systems, non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) have been introduced. NTNs can provide communication services even in areas where terrestrial networks are difficult to establish or in disaster situations. Furthermore, with the recent reduction in satellite launch costs, access network environments can be provided more efficiently. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In embodiments of this disclosure, a satellite device is provided for providing non-terrestrial network (NTN) access. The device may include: a memory storing instructions; at least one processor; and at least one transceiver. When the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the device may be configured to: transmit a message to user equipment (UE) including information related to store-and-forward (S&F) mode; and communicate with the UE based on the message. The message may include at least one of the following: information indicating whether real-time (RT) mode is temporarily supported; indication information indicating whether the cell's operating mode is RT mode or S&F mode; information related to the maximum delivery time of the S&F mode; ephemeris information of the satellite; or footprint information provided by the satellite.

[0004] In embodiments of this disclosure, a UE is used to perform NTN access. The UE may include: a memory storing instructions; at least one processor; and at least one transceiver. When the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the UE may be configured to: receive a message from a satellite configured to perform Evolved Node B (eNB) functions, including information related to the S&F mode; and communicate with the satellite based on the message. The message may include at least one of the following: information indicating whether the RT mode is temporarily supported; indication information indicating whether the cell's operating mode is RT mode or S&F mode; information related to the maximum transmission time of the S&F mode; ephemeris information of the satellite; or footprint information provided by the satellite.

[0005] In embodiments of this disclosure, a method is provided performed by a satellite for providing NTN access. The method includes the following actions: transmitting a message to a UE including information related to the S&F mode; and communicating with the UE based on the message. The message may include at least one of the following: information indicating whether the RT mode is temporarily supported, indication information indicating whether the cell's operating mode is RT mode or S&F mode, information related to the maximum transmission time of the S&F mode, ephemeris information of the satellite, or footprint information provided by the satellite.

[0006] In embodiments of this disclosure, a method is provided performed by a UE for performing NTN access. The method may include the following actions: receiving a message from a satellite configured to perform Evolved Node B (eNB) functions, including information related to the S&F mode; and communicating with the satellite based on the message. The message may include at least one of the following: information indicating whether the RT mode is temporarily supported; indication information indicating whether the cell's operating mode is RT mode or S&F mode; information related to the maximum transmission time of the S&F mode; ephemeris information of the satellite; or footprint information provided by the satellite. Attached Figure Description

[0007] Figure 1 A wireless communication system is shown.

[0008] Figure 2a and Figure 2b An example of a non-terrestrial network (NTN) is shown.

[0009] Figure 3a An example of a control plane (C-plane) is shown.

[0010] Figure 3b An example of a user plane (U-plane) is shown.

[0011] Figure 4 This illustrates an example of the time-frequency domain resource structure in a wireless communication system.

[0012] Figure 5 An example of the S&F mode in Internet of Things (IoT) NTN is shown.

[0013] Figure 6 An example of signaling used to provide store-and-forward information is shown.

[0014] Figure 7 An example of signaling used to provide store-and-forward condition information is shown.

[0015] Figure 8 An example of signaling used to support S&F mode is shown.

[0016] Figure 9 An example of signaling used to support S&F mode is shown.

[0017] Figure 10 Examples of the constituent elements of a user equipment (UE) are shown.

[0018] Figure 11 Examples of the components of a satellite are shown. Detailed Implementation

[0019] The terminology used in this disclosure is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the scope of other embodiments. Singular expressions may include plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terminology used in this disclosure, including technical or scientific terms, should have the same meaning as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. Even if defined in a general dictionary, terms used in this disclosure are to be interpreted as having the same or similar meaning in the context of related technologies, and should not be construed as having an idealized or overly formal meaning unless expressly defined otherwise in this disclosure. In some cases, even terms defined in this disclosure should not be construed as excluding embodiments of this disclosure.

[0020] In the various embodiments of this disclosure described below, hardware implementation is primarily used as an example. However, various embodiments of this disclosure include techniques that use both hardware and software, and therefore, software-based approach methods are not excluded from the various embodiments of this disclosure.

[0021] In the following description, terms used to denote signals (e.g., signal, information, message, signaling), terms used to denote resources (e.g., symbol, slot, subframe, radio frame, subcarrier, resource element, resource block, bandwidth part, occasion)), terms used to denote operational states (e.g., step, operation, procedure)), terms used to denote data (e.g., packet, user stream, information, bit, symbol, codeword)), terms used to denote channels, network entities, and terms used to denote device configuration, etc., are merely examples for illustrative purposes. Therefore, this disclosure is not limited to the terms described below, and other terms with equivalent technical meaning may also be used.

[0022] In the following description, the terms "physical channel" and "signal" may be used interchangeably with "data" or "control signal." For example, the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) refers to the physical channel for data transmission, but PDSCH can also be used to refer to data. That is, in this disclosure, the expression "transmitting through a physical channel" should be interpreted as equivalent to "transmitting data or signals through a physical channel."

[0023] In the following disclosure, upper-layer signaling refers to a signal transmission method in which a base station transmits signals to a terminal via a downlink data channel of the physical layer, or to a base station via an uplink data channel of the physical layer. Upper-layer signaling can be understood as radio resource control (RRC) signaling or MAC control element (hereinafter referred to as "CE").

[0024] Furthermore, in this disclosure, expressions such as "more than" or "less than" may be used to determine whether a specific condition is satisfied (satisfied, fulfilled), but this is merely illustrative and does not exclude expressions such as "above" or "below". A condition described as "above" can be replaced with "more than", a condition described as "below" can be replaced with "less than", and a condition described as "above and below" can be replaced with "above and below". Additionally, "A to B" in the following context means at least one element "from A to B (inclusive)". "C and / or D" in the following context means "at least one of C or D", that is, "including C or including D or including both C and D".

[0025] In this disclosure, signal quality can be, for example, at least one of the following: reference signal received power (RSRP), beam reference signal received power (BRSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), received signal strength indicator (RSSI), signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR), carrier to interference and noise ratio (CINR), signal to noise ratio (SNR), error vector magnitude (EVM), bit error rate (BER), and block error rate (BLER). Besides the examples above, other terms or metrics with the same technical meaning can of course be used. Hereinafter, high signal quality in this disclosure refers to a large signal quality value associated with signal magnitude or a small signal quality value associated with error rate. Higher signal quality means a smoother wireless communication environment is guaranteed. Furthermore, the optimal beam can refer to the beam with the highest signal quality among multiple beams.

[0026] This disclosure uses terminology from certain communication specifications (e.g., the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI)) to illustrate various embodiments, but these are merely illustrative examples. The various embodiments of this disclosure can be readily modified and applied to other communication systems.

[0027] Figure 1 A wireless communication system is shown.

[0028] Reference Figure 1 , Figure 1 The diagram illustrates a terminal 110 and a base station 120 as part of a node utilizing a wireless channel in a wireless communication system that uses Radio Access Technology (RAT) and employs Evolved UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) radio access network (EUTRAN) or New Radio (NR) as a wireless interface. Figure 1 Only one base station is shown, but the wireless communication system may also include other base stations that are the same as or similar to the base station (e.g., LTE eNB or NR gNB) 120.

[0029] Terminal 110 is a user-operated device that communicates with base station 120 via a wireless channel. The link from base station 120 to terminal 110 is called the downlink (DL), while the link from terminal 110 to base station 120 is called the uplink (UL). Furthermore, although... Figure 1 Although not shown in the diagram, terminal 110 can communicate with other terminals via a wireless channel. In this case, the link between terminal 110 and other terminals (device-to-device link, D2D) is called a sidelink, which can be used interchangeably with the PC5 interface. In some other embodiments, terminal 110 can operate without user intervention. According to one embodiment, terminal 110, as a device performing machine-type communication (MTC), may not be carried by the user. Furthermore, according to one embodiment, terminal 110 can be a narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) device.

[0030] When describing the system and method in this specification, terminal 110 may be an electronic device for voice and / or data communication with base station 120, which may communicate with a device network (e.g., the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), the Internet, etc.).

[0031] In addition to "terminal", "terminal 110" may also be referred to as "user equipment (UE)", "vehicle", "customer premises equipment (CPE)", "mobile station", "subscriber station", "remote terminal", "wireless terminal", "electronic device or user device", "access terminal", "mobile terminal", "remote station", "user terminal", "subscriber unit", "mobile device", or other terms with equivalent technical meanings.

[0032] Furthermore, examples of terminal 110 include: cellular phones, smartphones, personal portable information terminals (e.g., personal digital assistants (PDAs)), laptops, netbooks, e-readers, wireless modems, etc. In 3GPP specifications, they are typically referred to as UEs. However, since the scope disclosed in this specification should not be limited to 3GPP standards, the terms "UE" and "terminal" are used interchangeably to refer to the more general term "wireless communication device." UEs can also be more generally referred to as terminal devices.

[0033] Base station 120 is the network infrastructure that provides wireless access for terminal 110. Base station 120 has a coverage area defined by the distance at which it can transmit signals. In the 3GPP specification, base station 120 is commonly referred to as "Node B", "Evolved Node B (eNodeB, eNB)", "5th generation node", "Next generation node B (gNB)", "Home Enhanced or Evolved Node B (HeNB)", and may also be called "Access Point (AP)", "Wireless Point", "Transmission / Reception Point (TRP)", or other terms with equivalent technical meaning.

[0034] Because the content disclosed in this specification should not be limited to 3GPP standards, the terms "base station," "node B," "eNB," and "HeNB" are used interchangeably to refer to the more general term "base station." Furthermore, the term "base station" can also be used to refer to an access point. An access point can be an electronic device that provides access to a network (e.g., a local area network (LAN), the Internet, etc.) for wireless communication equipment. The term "communication equipment" can be used to refer to both wireless communication equipment and / or a base station. eNB or gNB can also be more generally referred to as base station equipment.

[0035] Base station 120 can communicate with core network entity 130. For example, core network entity 130 may include a mobility management entity (MME) responsible for terminal 110 access and mobility control functions, and a serving gateway (S-GW) responsible for user data control functions.

[0036] Terminal 110 can perform beamforming with base station 120. Terminal 110 and base station 120 can transmit and receive wireless signals in relatively low frequency bands (e.g., FR 1 (frequency range 1) of New Radio (NR). Furthermore, terminal 110 and base station 120 can transmit and receive wireless signals in relatively high frequency bands (e.g., FR 2 (or FR 2-1, FR 2-2, FR 2-3), FR 3 of NR) and millimeter wave (mmWave) bands (e.g., 28 GHz, 30 GHz, 38 GHz, 60 GHz). To improve channel gain, terminal 110 and base station 120 can perform beamforming. Beamforming can include transmit beamforming and / or receive beamforming. Terminal 110 and base station 120 can impart directivity to the transmitted or received signals. Therefore, terminal 110 and base station 120 can select a serving beam through a beam search or beam management process. After the serving beam is selected, subsequent communication can be carried out through resources that have a quasi-co-location (QCL) relationship with the resource that transmits the serving beam.

[0037] If the large-scale characteristics of the channel carrying symbols at the first antenna port can be inferred from the channel carrying symbols at the second antenna port, then a QCL relationship between the first and second antenna ports can be assessed. For example, large-scale characteristics may include at least one of the following: delay spread, Doppler spread, Doppler shift, average gain, average delay, and spatial receiver parameter.

[0038] Both terminal 110 and base station 120 can perform beamforming, but the embodiments of this disclosure are not limited thereto. In some embodiments, terminal 110 may perform beamforming or not. Furthermore, base station 120 may also perform beamforming or not. That is, only one of terminal 110 and base station 120 may perform beamforming, or neither terminal 110 nor base station 120 may perform beamforming.

[0039] In this disclosure, a beam refers to the spatial flow of signals in a wireless channel, formed by one or more antennas (or antenna elements), a formation process referred to as beamforming. Beamforming can include at least one of analog beamforming or digital beamforming (e.g., precoding). Reference signals transmitted based on beamforming can include, for example, demodulation-reference signals (DM-RS), channel state information-reference signals (CSI-RS), synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel (SS / PBCH), and sounding reference signals (SRS). Furthermore, as a configuration for each reference signal, information elements (IEs) such as CSI-RS resources or SRS resources can be used, and these configurations can include information associated with the beam. Information associated with the beam refers to whether the configuration (e.g., CSI-RS resource) uses the same spatial domain filter as other configurations (e.g., other CSI-RS resources within the same CSI-RS resource set) and whether it uses a different spatial domain filter; or whether there is a QCL relationship with a certain reference signal, and if so, what type of QCL relationship exists (e.g., QCL type: A, B, C, D).

[0040] In the following description, for the purpose of illustrating the embodiments, the terminal may be referred to as UE 110, and the base station may be referred to as eNB 120 or gNB 120. In this disclosure, for the purpose of illustrating the Internet of Things non-terrestrial network (IoT NTN) for Internet of Things user equipment (IoT UE), eNB 120 will be described as an example of a node providing access to the network, but of course, it can also be applied to gNB 120 in the same or similar manner.

[0041] Figure 2a and Figure 2b An example of a non-terrestrial network (NTN) is shown. Figure 2a An example of a non-terrestrial network (NTN) using a transparent satellite is shown. Figure 2bThe image illustrates an example of a non-terrestrial network (NTN) employing a regenerative satellite. NTN refers to an access network that provides non-terrestrial access to a UE (e.g., UE 110) via an NTN payload and NTN gateway mounted on an airborne or space-borne NTN vehicle. This access network can be provided through more than one eNB (e.g., eNB 120).

[0042] Reference Figure 2a NTN 200 represents a network environment based on the transparent satellite. NTN 200 can act as eNB 120 and may include NTN payload 221 and NTN gateway 223. NTN payload 221 is a network node on a satellite or high altitude platform station (HAPS) that provides connectivity between the serving link (described later) and the feeder link (described later). NTN gateway 223 is an earth station deployed on the Earth's surface that provides connectivity to NTN payload 221 using the feeder link. NTN gateway 223 is a transport network layer (TNL) node. NTN 200 can provide non-terrestrial access to UE 110. NTN 200 can provide non-terrestrial access to UE 110 through NTN payload 221 and NTN gateway 223. The link between NTN payload 221 and UE 110 can be called a service link. The link between NTN gateway 223 and NTN payload 221 can be called a feeder link. A feeder link can be compared to a wireless link.

[0043] NTN payload 221 receives radio protocol data from UE 110 via the serving link. NTN payload 221 can transparently transmit the radio protocol data to NTN gateway 223 via the feeder link. Therefore, from the perspective of UE 110, NTN payload 221 and NTN gateway 223 can be considered as a single eNB 120. NTN payload 221 and NTN gateway 223 can communicate with UE 110 via the Uu interface, which serves as the conventional radio protocol. That is, NTN payload 221 and NTN gateway 223 can communicate with UE 110 via radio protocol as if they were a single eNB 120. NTN gateway 223 can communicate with core network entity 235 (mobility management entity (MME) or serving gateway (S-GW)) via the S1 interface.

[0044] According to one embodiment, the NTN payload 221 and the NTN gateway 223 can utilize the following description. Figure 3a The wireless protocol stack in the control plane. Furthermore, according to one embodiment, the NTN payload 221 and the NTN gateway 223 can utilize... Figure 3b The wireless protocol stack in the user plane.

[0045] exist Figure 2a The present disclosure describes an NTN payload 221 and an NTN gateway 223 included in an eNB 120, but embodiments thereof are not limited thereto. For example, an eNB may include multiple NTN payloads. Furthermore, for example, the NTN payload may be provided by multiple eNBs. That is, Figure 2a The implementation scenario shown is an example and does not limit the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0046] Reference Figure 2bNTN 250 represents the network environment based on the regenerative satellite. NTN 250 may include satellite 260 operating as eNB 120. Satellite 260 refers to a space-borne vehicle carrying a regenerative payload communication transmitter deployed in low-earth orbit (LEO), medium-earth orbit (MEO), or geostationary earth orbit (GEO). Satellite 260 may be referred to as a regenerative payload or a regenerative satellite. Satellite 260 represents a payload configured to convert and amplify uplink RF signals before transmitting them to the downlink, the signal conversion referring to digital processing including demodulation, decoding, re-encoding, remodulation, and / or filtering. NTN 250 may include a ground-based entity connected to satellite 260, namely, NTN gateway 265. NTN gateway 265 is an earth station deployed on the Earth's surface that provides connectivity to satellite 260 using the aforementioned feeder link. NTN 250 can provide non-terrestrial access to UE 110. NTN 250 can provide non-terrestrial access to UE 110 via satellite 260 and NTN gateway 265.

[0047] Satellite 260 can be configured to regenerate signals received from terminal 110 or an earth station (e.g., NTN gateway 265). A Uu interface can be defined between satellite 260 and terminal 110. An SRI (satellite radio interface) can be defined on the feeder link between satellite 260 and NTN gateway 265. Although in Figure 2b As not shown, satellite 260 can provide inter-satellite links (ISL). The ISL is a transmission link between satellites, and it can be a 3GPP or undefined 3GPP radio interface (e.g., X2 or XN interface), or an optical interface. Satellite 260 can communicate with core network entity 235 (e.g., MME or S-GW) via the S1 interface based on NTN gateway 265. According to one embodiment, satellite 260 can utilize [details to be described later]. Figure 3a The wireless protocol stack in the control plane. Furthermore, according to one embodiment, satellite 260 can utilize... Figure 3b The wireless protocol stack in the user plane.

[0048] Although Figure 2bThe present disclosure describes a satellite 260 operating as an eNB 120, but embodiments thereof are not limited thereto. An eNB 120 according to embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented using a distributed deployment of centralized units (CUs) and distributed units (DUs), wherein the centralized unit is configured to perform upper-layer access network functions (e.g., packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) and radio resource control (RRC)), and the distributed unit is configured to perform lower-layer functions. The interface between the CU and the DU may be referred to as an F1 interface. A CU can connect to more than one DU and is responsible for functions at higher layers than the DUs. For example, a CU can be responsible for RRC and PDCP layer functions, while DUs and radio units (RUs) can be responsible for lower-layer functions. A DU can be responsible for radio link control (RLC), media access control (MAC), and physical (PHY) layer functions. In such a distributed deployment, Satellite 260 can be used as a CU or DU constituting eNB 120.

[0049] Figure 3a An example of a control plane (C-plane) is shown. At least part of the following description of eNB 120 can be understood as a description of satellite 260.

[0050] Reference Figure 3a In the control plane (C-plane), UE 110 and core network entity (AMF) 235 can execute non-access stratum (NAS) signaling. In the C-plane, UE 110 and eNB 120 communicate according to the protocols specified in the RRC layer, PDCP layer, RLC layer, MAC layer, and PHY layer, respectively.

[0051] In NTN access, the main functions of the RRC layer may include at least some of the following functions.

[0052] - System information broadcasting associated with the Access Stratum (AS) and NAS - Paging - This includes the establishment, maintenance, and release of RRC connections between the UE and the access network, and more specifically, the control of Radio Link Control (RLC), Medium Access Control (MAC), and Physical Layer (PHY): Adding, modifying, and releasing carrier aggregation - Adding, modifying, and releasing dual connectivity between NR or Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRA) and NR.

[0053] - Includes security features such as key management; - The establishment, configuration, maintenance, and release of Signaling Radio Bearer (SRB) and Data Radio Bearer (DRB); - Includes mobile functionality for the following: - Handover and context switching; - UE cell selection and reselection, and cell selection and reselection control; - Mobility between RATs.

[0054] - Quality of service (QoS) management functions; - UE measurement reports and control of reports; - Radio link failure detection and recovery - To transmit messages between the UE and NAS.

[0055] In NTN access, the main functions of the PDCP layer may include at least some of the following functions.

[0056] - Header compression and decompression function (Robust Header Compression (ROHC) only) - User data transfer function - In-sequence delivery function (In-sequence delivery of upper layer Protocol Data Units, In-sequence delivery of upper layer PDUs) - Out-of-sequence delivery function (Out-of-sequence delivery of upper layer Service Data Units, Out-of-sequence delivery of upper layer SDUs) - Duplicate detection function (duplicate detection of lower layer SDUs) - Retransmission function (Retransmission of PDCP SDUs) - Encryption and deciphering functions - Timer-based SDU discarding function (Timer-based SDU discard in uplink) In NTN access, the main functions of the RLC layer may include at least some of the following functions.

[0057] - Data transfer function (transfer of upper layer PDUs) - In-sequence delivery function (In-sequence delivery of upper layer Protocol Data Units, In-sequence delivery of upper layer PDUs) - Out-of-sequence delivery function (Out-of-sequence delivery of upper layer Service Data Units, Out-of-sequence delivery of upper layer SDUs) - Automatic Repeat reQuest (ARQ) feature (Error Correction through ARQ) - Concatenation, segmentation and reassembly of RLC SDUs - Re-segmentation function (Re-segmentation of RLC data PDUs) - Reordering function (Reordering of RLC data PDUs) - Duplicate detection function - Error detection function (Protocol error detection) -RLC SDU discard function (RLC SDU discard) -RLC re-establishment function In NTN access, the MAC layer can be connected to multiple RLC layer devices configured for a single terminal, and its main MAC functions include at least some of the following functions.

[0058] - Mapping between logical channels and transport channels - Multiplexing and demultiplexing of MAC SDUs - Scheduling information reporting function - Error correction through HARQ functionality - Priority adjustment function between logical channels of a single UE (Priority handling between logical channels of one UE) - Inter-terminal priority adjustment function (UE priority handling implemented through dynamic scheduling) - Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS) service identification function (MBMS service identification) - Transport format selection function - Padding function In NTN access, physical layer entities (e.g., terminal 110, eNB 120) can perform the following actions: channel coding and modulation of upper layer data to generate orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols and transmit them through the wireless channel; or demodulate and channel decode OFDM symbols received through the wireless channel and pass them to the upper layer.

[0059] Figure 3b An example of a user plane (U-plane) is shown. At least part of the following description of eNB 120 can be understood to apply to satellite 260.

[0060] Reference Figure 3b In the user plane (U-plane), UE 110 and eNB 120 can communicate according to their respective specified protocols at the PDCP layer, RLC layer, MAC layer, and PHY layer. For the PDCP layer, RLC layer, MAC layer, and PHY layer, please refer to the... Figure 3a Related explanations.

[0061] Figure 4 Examples of time-frequency domain resource structures supported by wireless communication systems to which the embodiments presented in this specification are applicable are shown. Although Figure 4 The present invention uses an LTE network resource structure for IoT NTN as an example for illustration, but the embodiments of this disclosure are not limited thereto. Of course, the signaling and related operations according to the embodiments of this disclosure can also be applied to NR systems in the same or similar manner.

[0062] Reference Figure 4 The horizontal axis represents the time domain, and the vertical axis represents the frequency domain. In the time domain, the smallest unit of transmission is an OFDM symbol, N. symb OFDM symbols 402 together constitute a time slot 406 (e.g., 7 symbols in an LTE system). See reference. Figure 4In the wireless communication system used in this invention, a radio frame 414 can be defined as having a length of 10 ms, consisting of 10 subframes, each with a length of 1 ms. Furthermore, a radio frame 414 can be divided into two half-frames of 5 ms each, with each half-frame comprising 5 subframes. Figure 4 In this design, time slot 406 consists of 7 OFDM symbols, but the length of the time slot can vary with the subcarrier spacing. In the wireless communication system to which the invention described in this specification is applicable, the supported radio resource consists of multiple time resources (symbols) and multiple frequency resources (subcarriers), and each time and frequency resource can be represented as a two-dimensional resource grid. Figure 4 In the resource grid, the smallest physical resource unit (i.e., a rectangular block) consisting of a single subcarrier and a single symbol is called a resource element (RE) 412.

[0063] In the wireless communication system to which the invention proposed in this specification is applicable, the smallest transmission unit in the frequency domain is a subcarrier, and the carrier bandwidth constituting the resource grid can be composed of NBW subcarriers 404. In the time-frequency domain, the basic unit of resources is a resource element (hereinafter referred to as "RE") 412, which can be represented by OFDM symbol index and subcarrier index. A resource block 408 may include multiple resource elements 412. In the wireless communication system to which the invention proposed in this specification is applicable, the resource block 408 (or physical resource block (hereinafter referred to as "PRB")) can be composed of N subcarriers 404 in the time domain. symbThe system consists of 7 consecutive OFDM symbols and 410 consecutive NSCRBs (e.g., 12) in the frequency domain. The data rate can be increased by increasing the number of RBs scheduled for the terminal. In a frequency division duplex (FDD) system that distinguishes between downlink and uplink by frequency, the downlink transmission bandwidth and uplink transmission bandwidth can differ. Bandwidth refers to the radio frequency (RF) bandwidth corresponding to the system's transmission bandwidth. For example, the bandwidth can be one of 1.4MHz (e.g., 6 PRB), 3MHz (e.g., 15 PRB), 5MHz (e.g., 25 PRB), 10MHz (e.g., 50 PRB), 15MHz (e.g., 75 PRB), or 20MHz (e.g., 100 PRB).

[0064] E-UTRAN can support radio access via non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) not only for ordinary UEs, but also for BL (bandwidth-limited) UEs, CE (coverage enhancement) UEs, and NB-IoT UEs. Non-terrestrial network support can include platforms providing radio access via geostationary orbit (GSO), non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) (including low Earth orbit (LEO) and medium Earth orbit (MEO)), or high-altitude platform stations (HAPS). In the transparent payload mode, the NTN gateway and the NTN payload (i.e., the satellite) jointly act as the eNB; in the regenerative payload mode, the NTN payload (i.e., the satellite) can act as the eNB.

[0065] Transparent NTN payloads transparently forward radio protocols received by the UE (via the serving link) to the NTN gateway (via the feeder link) and vice versa. Regenerated payloads can terminate connections with the Uu interface (via the serving link), S1, and X2 interfaces. An NTN gateway can support multiple transparent or regenerated NTN payloads. Transparent or regenerated NTN payloads can be served by multiple eNBs. Regenerated NTN payloads can terminate connections with one or more inter-satellite links pointing to other regenerated payloads. As a non-limiting example, transparent NTN payloads can change the carrier frequency before forwarding via the serving link and vice versa (in the feeder link, respectively). In non-terrestrial networks, the tracking area can correspond to a fixed geographical area. In non-terrestrial networks, the same value can be used in the AS (Access Stratum) and NAS (Non-Access Stratum) when the satellite ID refers to the same satellite.

[0066] Three types of service links can be supported in non-terrestrial networks: 1) Earth-fixed: Provided by beams that continuously cover the same geographical area (e.g., GSO satellites).

[0067] 2) Quasi-Earth-fixed: Provides beam coverage for a limited time in one geographic area and for another geographic area at other times (e.g., the case of NGSO satellites generating controllable beams).

[0068] 3) Earth-moving: Provided by a beam that moves across the Earth's surface as if gliding over the coverage area (e.g., the case of NGSO satellites generating fixed or uncontrollable beams).

[0069] eNBs using NGSO satellites can provide quasi-ground fixed cell coverage or ground mobile cell coverage, while eNBs using GSO satellites can provide ground fixed cell coverage or quasi-ground fixed cell coverage.

[0070] Store and Forward (S&F) mode can be used to provide communication services to the UE when the serving satellite and terrestrial network have discontinuous connections, and when this connection is unavailable during satellite-UE interaction. The eNB can indicate whether the cell is operating in store and forward mode. Store and forward mode refers to the operating mode that provides communication services to the UE when the serving satellite and NTN gateway have discontinuous connections, and when the connection to the NTN gateway is unavailable during satellite-UE interaction.

[0071] Figure 5Example 500 of S&F mode in IoT non-terrestrial networks is shown.

[0072] Reference Figure 5 UE 510 can communicate with satellite 520. UE 510 can be referenced as... Figure 1 Terminal 110. Satellite 520 can be referenced as a network entity performing all or at least some of the functions of base station 120. According to one embodiment, satellite 520 can be an eNB providing IoT NTN. Satellite 520 can provide an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) for IoT devices (e.g., UE 510). UE 510 can access satellite 520 in E-UTRAN. The connection between satellite 520 and UE 510 can be referenced as a service link. Satellite 520 can move along a designated orbit. As satellite 520 moves, satellite 520 establishes a connection with a network entity deployed on the ground (hereinafter, the ground segment) (e.g., NT gateway 530). The connection between satellite 520 and NTN gateway 530 can be referenced as a feeder link. NTN gateway 530 can be connected to core network 550 via transport network 540. As satellite 520 repeatedly moves along the designated orbit, the service link may be available or unavailable. As satellite 520 repeatedly moves along the designated orbit, the feeder link may be available or unavailable.

[0073] Satellite 520 can support S&F mode. S&F mode represents the operating mode of a system with available satellite-access. Delay-tolerant communication services can be provided through S&F mode. Data S&F level services can be provided when satellite connectivity is intermittently or temporarily unavailable (e.g., when providing service to UE 510 within coverage area where feeder links in the ground segment (e.g., NTN gateway 530) are not simultaneously active). According to one embodiment, satellite 520 can be used to provide delay-tolerant IoT services via a non-geostationary satellite orbit (NGSO) (e.g., low earth orbit, LEO). According to one embodiment, satellite 520 can provide satellite access to UE 510 that is not equipped with a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver or has difficulty accessing GNSS services. As a non-limiting example, satellite 520 can perform UE-satellite-UE communication with UE 510. For example, to avoid long latency and limited data rates and reduce resource consumption, UE 510 can communicate directly with satellite 520 without communicating with the ground segment (e.g., NTN gateway 530). S&F mode can be used for delay-tolerant and / or interruption-tolerant services. For example, in a 3GPP environment, S&F mode can use short message service (SMS), and an end-to-end connection may not be required between endpoints (e.g., UE 510 and the application server). Only a connection needs to be established between the endpoint (e.g., UE 510) and an intermediate node (e.g., the short message service center (SMSC)).

[0074] In S&F mode, the service link between UE 510 and satellite 520 may alternately be available and unavailable. When the service link between UE 510 and satellite 520 is available, it indicates that satellite 520's position in its orbit is within the area where UE 510 is located (e.g., the footprint) (hereinafter referred to as the "service-available orbit segment"). When the service link between UE 510 and satellite 520 is unavailable, it indicates that satellite 520's position in its orbit is within the area where it is difficult to serve UE 510 (e.g., the footprint) (hereinafter referred to as the "service-unavailable orbit segment"). In S&F mode, the feeder link between satellite 520 and the ground segment (e.g., NTN gateway 530) may alternately be available and unavailable. When the feeder link between satellite 520 and the ground segment (e.g., NTN gateway 530) is available, it indicates that satellite 520's position in its orbit is within the area (e.g., footprint) where it can serve the ground segment (e.g., NTN gateway 530) (hereinafter referred to as the "feeder available orbit segment"). When the feeder link between satellite 520 and the ground segment (e.g., NTN gateway 530) is unavailable, satellite 520's position in its orbit is within the area (e.g., footprint) where it is difficult to serve the ground segment (e.g., NTN gateway 530) (hereinafter referred to as the "feeder unavailable orbit segment"). For UE 510, the availability of the serving link and the availability of the feeder link do not always occur simultaneously. For example, a change in the status of the serving link from available to unavailable does not necessarily mean that the status of the feeder link will also change.

[0075] According to one embodiment, UE 510 can transmit signals. These signals can be mobile-originated (MO) data. For example, in action 591, when the serving link is available, UE 510 can transmit uplink data (e.g., Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH)) to satellite 520. Satellite 520 can receive the uplink data from UE 510. Since the feeder link is not available, satellite 520 can store the uplink data. Subsequently, satellite 520 can move. Based on this movement, the feeder link's state can change from unavailable to available. In action 592, satellite 520 can transmit the uplink data via a terrestrial network entity (e.g., NTN gateway 530). The uplink data can be transmitted to the data network via core network 550. Hereinafter, the service of transmitting messages originating from UE 510 via satellite 520 in S&F mode can be referred to as MO service.

[0076] According to one embodiment, satellite 520 can transmit signals to UE 510. These signals may be mobile-terminated (MT) data. For example, in action 593, while the feeder link is available, satellite 520 can receive data from external devices (e.g., servers, others) via a data network and core network 550 (e.g., UPF). Satellite 520 can move. Depending on the movement of satellite 520, the feeder link status can change from available to unavailable. Depending on the movement of satellite 520, the service link status between satellite 520 and UE 510 can change from unavailable to available. In action 594, when the service link is available, satellite 520 can transmit downlink data (e.g., PDSCH) to UE 510. Hereinafter, the service of messages transmitted from satellite 520 to UE 510 in S&F mode can be referred to as Mobile-Terminated (MT) service.

[0077] According to embodiments of this disclosure, a network (e.g., an eNB) can indicate store-and-forward (S&F) mode to a terminal (e.g., a UE) via an SIB1 message. For example, the "sf-OperationMode" IE can be included in the SIB1 message. This IE can indicate that the cell is operating in store-and-forward mode. When this field is present, a UE supporting store-and-forward operations can ignore cellBarred-NTN and cellBarred. The IE can point to either a "barred" or "notBarred" value. The value "barred" indicates that the cell has been barred for NTN connections via store-and-forward operations as defined in TS 36.304. The value "notBarred" indicates that the cell allows access for UEs supporting store-and-forward operations. If this field is not present, the SIB1 message can indicate that the NTN cell is operating in general mode, i.e., non-store-and-forward mode.

[0078] According to embodiments of this disclosure, a network (e.g., an eNB) can indicate time information related to the store-and-forward mode to a terminal (e.g., a UE) via SIB31. SIB31 may contain satellite assistance information about the serving cell. As said satellite assistance information, ephemeris information, satellite ID, and information about the reference location may be included in SIB31. According to one embodiment, the SIB31 message may contain switching time information (e.g., t-ModeSwitching IE). If SIB1 contains... sf-OperationMode If the NTN cell switches from store-and-forward operation mode to normal mode, then this field indicates the time information. Otherwise, this field indicates the time information of the NTN cell switching from normal mode to store-and-forward mode.

[0079] Figure 6 An example of signaling used to provide S&F information is shown. Satellite 520 can be configured to perform the functions of an eNB. As an example, the eNB can be deployed on satellite 520, while entities of the core network (e.g., core network 550) can be deployed on the ground. As an example, the eNB and a portion of entities of the core network (or a portion of a specific entity (e.g., a mobile management entity, MME)) can be deployed on satellite 520, while other entities of the core network can be deployed on the ground.

[0080] Reference Figure 6 In action 601, satellite 520 can transmit S&F information to UE 510. S&F mode is crucial not only in the initial deployment phase when the number of satellites is limited and ground station deployment is restricted, but also in handling regular delay-tolerant traffic. Satellite 520 can support S&F mode, Real-Time (RT) mode, or both S&F and RT modes simultaneously. UE 510's actions may differ depending on whether S&F mode is supported as the sole transmission scheme or in conjunction with the regular RT mode. For example, S&F mode support can be used to determine whether Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP / IP) or User Datagram Protocol (UDP) is used for transmission.

[0081] According to various embodiments of this disclosure, S&F information may include indicators. According to one embodiment, S&F information may include an indicator for indicating whether satellite 520 supports S&F mode. For example, the indicator may be 1 bit. The indicator may be cell-specific, Data Radio Bearer (DRB)-specific, and / or area-specific. According to one embodiment, S&F information may include an indicator for indicating whether satellite 520 supports RT mode. For example, the indicator may be 1 bit. The indicator may be cell-specific, DRB-specific, and / or area-specific. According to one embodiment, S&F information may include information for indicating whether RT mode is temporarily supported. The RT mode may be temporarily supported based on the satellite 520's orbit. The S&F information may include an indicator for indicating whether the RT mode is temporarily supported and time information regarding the time of support of the RT mode (e.g., timer, validity period).

[0082] According to various embodiments of this disclosure, S&F information may represent units supporting the S&F mode. According to one embodiment, the S&F information may include spatially related information about supporting the S&F mode. For example, the S&F information may include at least one of the following: footprint information provided by satellite 520, or information about a list of neighboring cells supporting the S&F mode. According to one embodiment, the S&F information may include a list of DRBs supporting the S&F mode. According to one embodiment, the S&F information may include a list of quality of service (QoS) flows supporting the S&F mode. The S&F information may also include information about whether the RT mode is supported for each element (e.g., cell, area) indicating the scope of S&F mode support. For example, the S&F information may indicate: cell ID (e.g., the cell, neighboring cells), whether the cell indicated by the cell ID supports the S&F mode, and whether the cell supports the RT mode. As a non-limiting example, the S&F information may further include information about the time, space (e.g., tracking area (TA), footprint), and service units (e.g., DRB, QoS flows) of the cell supporting the RT mode. If S&F mode is supported, it can further indicate whether the cell supports RT mode. If S&F mode is not supported, it can be understood that RT mode is supported. As a non-limiting example, the S&F information may include indicators to indicate whether S&F mode or RT mode is temporarily available or unavailable (or blocked).

[0083] According to various embodiments of this disclosure, S&F information may include information about the expected delivery time in S&F mode. Delivery delay refers to the time required to reach the next feeder link, but this delay may be longer if all data cannot be unloaded during the visible period of the satellite 520 feeder link. Therefore, the maximum expected delivery time in S&F mode may need to be indicated to UE 510. If both S&F and RT modes are supported by satellite 520, UE 510 can use the expected delivery time to determine whether to use S&F mode or RT mode based on service requirements. For example, the information about the expected delivery time may indicate the maximum value of the expected delivery time. The information about the expected delivery time is determined by satellite 520, and the determined value can be indicated to UE 510 via explicit signaling. In another example, the information about the expected delivery time may include parameters for calculating the expected delivery time. UE 510 can use these parameters to calculate the orbital movement of satellite 520 and determine the range of expected delivery times (e.g., minimum, maximum). UE 510 can determine whether to use S&F mode or RT mode based on the calculation results.

[0084] In action 603, UE 510 can confirm the operation mode. UE 510 can confirm the operation mode of the cell provided by satellite 520. The S&F configuration information in action 601 can be cell-specific information. UE 510 can determine whether the cell supports S&F mode, RT mode, or both S&F and RT modes. For example, when the cell supports S&F mode, UE 510 can determine S&F mode as the operation mode. For example, when the cell supports RT mode, UE 510 can determine RT mode as the operation mode. For example, when the cell supports both S&F and RT modes, UE 510 can select one of S&F mode and RT mode as the operation mode.

[0085] In action 605, UE 510 may perform an action based on either S&F mode or RT mode. For example, UE 510 may perform an action based on S&F mode. Figure 5The related actions are shown. UE 510 can send data to or receive data from satellite 520 for services that can be provided in S&F mode (e.g., SMS, email service as a non-RT service). Conversely, UE 510 may have difficulty implementing some services (e.g., RT service, streaming service, voice call, video call) via satellite 520 in S&F mode. For example, UE 510 can communicate with satellite 520 based on RT mode. UE 510 can use various services (e.g., RT service, non-RT service) in RT mode. UE 510 is able to send data to or receive data from satellite 520. On the other hand, such service type classification is merely an example and should not be construed as limiting the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0086] Figure 7 An example of signaling used to provide S&F condition information is shown. Figure 7 This describes the process by which a UE (e.g., UE 510) selects which mode to operate in when both S&F and RT modes are simultaneously supported. As an example, satellite 520 can transmit an indicator to UE 510 on its provided cell indicating that the cell supports S&F mode. Further, satellite 520 can transmit an indicator to UE 510 indicating that the cell supports RT mode.

[0087] Reference Figure 7 In action 701, satellite 520 may transmit information about S&F conditions to UE 510. The information about S&F conditions may indicate the triggering conditions for UE 510 to perform an action in S&F mode on the cell. According to one embodiment, the information related to the S&F conditions may be provided through system information (e.g., master information block (MIB), system information block (SIB) 31, system information block 32, system information block 33, system information block x). For example, satellite 520 may transmit the information related to the S&F conditions simultaneously when transmitting an indicator to indicate support for S&F mode. For example, satellite 520 may transmit the information related to the S&F conditions simultaneously when transmitting an indicator to indicate support for RT mode. According to one embodiment, the information related to the S&F conditions may be provided through RRC messages (e.g., RRC reconfiguration message, RRC connection completion message). For example, satellite 520 may transmit the information related to the S&F conditions simultaneously when transmitting an indicator to indicate support for S&F mode. For example, satellite 520 may transmit information related to the S&F conditions while transmitting an indicator to indicate support for RT mode.

[0088] According to various embodiments of this disclosure, information related to the S&F condition may include time-related information (e.g., a timer). For example, information related to the S&F condition may include information related to the start time of the S&F mode. After the time has elapsed, the UE 510 may operate in the S&F mode. For example, information related to the S&F condition may include information related to the end time of the S&F mode. After the time has elapsed, the UE 510 may operate in the RT mode. For example, information related to the S&F condition may include information related to the start time of the RT mode. After the time has elapsed, the UE 510 may operate in the RT mode. For example, information related to the S&F condition may include information related to the end time of the RT mode. After the time has elapsed, the UE 510 may operate in the S&F mode. The time-related information may be indicated by absolute time (e.g., Coordinated Universal Time (UTC)) or resource location (e.g., superframe number, system frame number, radio frame number, subframe number).

[0089] According to various embodiments of this disclosure, information related to the S&F condition may include the type of trigger condition and parameters related to the trigger condition (e.g., offset, threshold). The type of trigger condition can be used to identify the conditions that cause the UE to operate in S&F mode. The parameters may include a threshold and / or offset for determining the conditions that cause the UE to operate in S&F mode. According to one embodiment, the type of trigger condition may be related to data size. When the size of the data to be transmitted by UE 510 (i.e., uplink data) is above the threshold, UE 510 may operate in RT mode. When the size of the data to be transmitted by UE 510 (i.e., uplink data) is less than the threshold, UE 510 may operate in S&F mode. The threshold-related information may be included in the information related to the S&F condition. Further, UE 510 may determine the operating mode based on the time it can operate in RT mode. The smaller the amount of uplink data to be transmitted and the more time it can operate in RT mode, the more advantageous it is for UE 510 to operate in S&F mode. On the other hand, since the operation time is longer in RT mode, it is more advantageous for UE 510 to operate in RT mode. Information related to the S&F conditions may include threshold information (e.g., directly indicating the threshold or providing parameter values ​​needed to calculate the threshold) and / or time-related information regarding the operation in RT mode (e.g., the time interval for the operation in RT mode or providing parameter values ​​needed to calculate that time). As a non-limiting example, the threshold may be determined based on a value provided by satellite 520 and the time of operation in RT mode.

[0090] According to one embodiment, the type of triggering condition can be associated with a service type. When the QCI associated with the DRB of UE 510 is a specified value (e.g., above the allowed packet delay budget threshold), UE 510 can operate in S&F mode. When the QCI associated with the DRB of UE 510 is not a specified value (e.g., below the allowed packet delay budget threshold), UE 510 can operate in RT mode. For example, for a voice service with QCI=1, the required latency tolerance is 100ms, which is below the threshold (e.g., 200ms), so UE 510 can operate in RT mode. For example, for an email service with QCI=8, the required latency tolerance is 300ms, which is above the threshold (e.g., 200ms), so UE 510 can operate in S&F mode. For example, information related to the S&F condition may include the service scope used for actions in S&F mode (e.g., DRB list, QoS flow list, Single Network Slice Selection Assistance Information (S-NSSAI) list, QoS Class Identifier (QCI) list). Information related to the S&F condition may also include threshold information for determining whether to take action in S&F mode. Further, the triggering condition may be related to the service type and the maximum transmission time provided by satellite 520 (e.g., the time required for transmission from UE 510 to the ground station via the next connection feeder link through satellite 520). The maximum transmission time may represent the guaranteed time for uplink data from UE 510 to be transmitted to satellite 520. Therefore, UE 510 can determine the metrics based on the size of the current data to be processed, the service type provided to UE 510 (e.g., S-NSSAI, DRB, QoS Flow, QCI), and requirements associated with that type (e.g., packet delay budget, packet error rate). UE 510 can determine whether to operate in S&F mode or RT mode by comparing the metric with the value corresponding to the maximum transmission time.

[0091] As a non-limiting example, information related to the S&F conditions may include parameters related to the movement of satellite 520. UE 510 may predict the movement and actions of satellite 520 based on these parameters. Based on the prediction results, UE 510 may determine whether to perform the action in S&F mode or RT mode.

[0092] In action 703, UE 510 can identify that the S&F mode conditions have been met. UE 510 can identify that the S&F mode conditions have been met based on information related to the S&F conditions. The judgment of UE 510 for each action can be referred to the description of action 701.

[0093] In Action 705, UE 510 can communicate in S&F mode. UE 510 can perform actions based on S&F mode. Figure 5 The UE 510 can send or receive data from the satellite 520 in S&F mode that can be used for services (e.g., SMS, email services as non-RT services). Conversely, the UE 510 may find it difficult to provide certain services (e.g., RT services, streaming media services, voice calls, video calls) via the satellite 520 in S&F mode. Furthermore, this classification of service types is merely illustrative and should not be construed as limiting the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0094] In action 707, UE 510 may transmit indication information to satellite 520. If both S&F mode and RT mode are available, the indication information may indicate which mode, S&F or RT, the data to be provided to UE 510 should be transmitted using. According to one embodiment, an RRC message may be used. The RRC message may include the indication information. The RRC message may be part of a process for querying the UE's data transmission method (e.g., transmission via RT mode or transmission via S&F mode). At the RRC layer, UE 510 may transmit the RRC message including the indication information to satellite 520 in response to a request message from satellite 520. According to one embodiment, a random access procedure may be used. UE 510 may transmit a random access preamble corresponding to the indication information, or transmit an uplink message including the indication information (e.g., Msg 3, RRC connection request message in the random access procedure). For example, the ID of the random access preamble and / or the resource for transmitting the random access preamble (e.g., RACH timing) can point to a value corresponding to the indication information (e.g., transmitting data using RT mode, transmitting data using S&F mode). According to one embodiment, CSI can be used. The indication information can be used as a parameter of the CSI. The parameter of the CSI can point to a value corresponding to the indication information (e.g., transmitting data using RT mode, transmitting data using S&F mode). According to one embodiment, MAC layer messages (e.g., MAC control elements (CE)) can be used. The indication information is included as a field within the MAC CE. The MAC CE can point to a value corresponding to the indication information (e.g., transmitting data using RT mode, transmitting data using S&F mode).

[0095] If the indication suggests that the S&F mode is sufficient to achieve faster delivery than indicated by using RT traffic or forwarding via Inter-Satellite Link (ISL), this decision may need to be made by the network side (e.g., satellite 520). Depending on the location of satellite 520, if the method cannot be used or is limited due to reliance on RT traffic or capacity constraints, satellite 520 will indicate this situation to UE 510.

[0096] Figure 8 An example of signaling used to support S&F mode is shown. Figure 8 The example describes signaling used at the RRC layer to configure the S&F mode and at least some of the functions in the S&F mode configuration to be activated or deactivated using the MAC layer. By activating or deactivating at least some of the functions in the S&F mode configuration, UE510's RT mode actions or S&F mode actions may or may not be performed.

[0097] Reference Figure 8In action 801, satellite 520 may transmit an RRC signaling message to UE 510. The RRC signaling message may be a system information message broadcast on the access network or an RRC message. According to embodiments of this disclosure, the RRC signaling message may include S&F mode configuration information. According to embodiments of this disclosure, the S&F mode configuration information may include: time-related information for performing actions in S&F mode, information indicating whether RT mode is supported while supporting S&F mode, time-related information for performing actions in RT mode, and / or sub-channel related information. The sub-channel is a unit used to temporarily indicate whether S&F mode or RT mode is available, unavailable, or blocked. According to one embodiment, the sub-channel related information may be information corresponding to multiple time intervals for performing actions in S&F mode. For example, after completing the S&F mode configuration of UE 510 via RRC signaling messages, or after an activation indication of the S&F mode configuration, UE 510 may perform actions in S&F mode. Subsequently, according to the indication of the sub-channels, S&F mode may be unavailable in certain time intervals. After the specified time interval has elapsed, the S&F mode can be made available again. The time interval can be set to a value shorter than the period of the RRC signaling message (e.g., the period of system information (e.g., 80ms) – e.g., 10ms, 20ms, 40ms)). As a non-limiting example, when the S&F mode is unavailable, UE 510 can operate in RT mode. According to one embodiment, the sub-channel related information can represent multiple frequency bands (e.g., sub-bands, Bandwidth Parts (BWP)). For example, after configuring the S&F mode of UE 510 via RRC signaling messages, UE 510 can operate in S&F mode. Subsequently, the S&F mode may become unavailable via a control signal (e.g., MAC CE). The control signal can indicate the frequency band where the S&F mode is unavailable. Subsequently, the S&F mode can be made available again via a separate control signal (e.g., MAC CE). The activation / deactivation of the S&F mode can be turned on or off on a frequency band basis. As a non-limiting example, when the S&F mode is unavailable, UE 510 may operate in RT mode.

[0098] As a non-limiting example, the S&F mode configuration information may further include: multiple S&F configurations to be used when operating in S&F mode, and identifiers (e.g., configuration IDs) associated with each S&F configuration. For example, the time-related information for operating in S&F mode, the information indicating whether RT mode is supported simultaneously with S&F mode, the time-related information for operating in RT mode, and / or sub-channel-related information can all be set independently for each S&F configuration.

[0099] In action 803, satellite 520 may transmit a MAC CE to UE 510. According to one embodiment, the MAC CE can be used to activate the S&F mode. The MAC CE can activate specific configurations related to the S&F mode in the configuration received via the S&F mode configuration information. For example, the S&F mode configuration information may include sub-channel related information. As an example, the sub-channel related information may represent multiple time intervals corresponding to the time of action in the S&F mode. The MAC CE may indicate the time interval during which the S&F mode is activated. As another example, the sub-channel related information may represent multiple frequency bands corresponding to the time of action in the S&F mode. The MAC CE may indicate the frequency band (e.g., sub-band, BWP) where the S&F mode is activated. For example, the S&F mode configuration information may include multiple S&F configurations and identifiers (e.g., configuration IDs) associated with each S&F configuration. Each S&F configuration may include: independent RT support or non-support, RT action time, S&F mode action time, supported service types (e.g., DRB list, QoS flow list), and neighbor cell list. The MAC CE can point to an identifier corresponding to the S&F configuration to be activated.

[0100] In action 805, UE 510 can communicate in S&F mode. UE 510 can perform actions based on S&F mode. Figure 5 The UE 510 can send or receive data from the satellite 520 for services available in S&F mode (e.g., SMS and email services as non-RT services). Conversely, the UE 510 may have difficulty performing some services (e.g., RT services, streaming services, voice calls, and video calls) with the satellite 520 in S&F mode. Furthermore, this division of service types is merely illustrative and should not be construed as limiting the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0101] Although Figure 8 Examples of activating S&F mode are described, but embodiments of this disclosure are not limited thereto. Not only can S&F mode be activated, but activating S&F mode via MAC CE should also be understood as an embodiment of this disclosure. In the same manner exemplified in action 803, satellite 520 can activate S&F mode via MAC CE within an indicated time interval, or within an indicated frequency band, and activate a specific S&F configuration.

[0102] Figure 9 An example of signaling used to support S&F mode is shown. Figure 8An example is shown where S&F mode is configured via signaling at the RRC layer, and signaling at least a portion of the S&F mode configuration is dynamically triggered via signaling at the PHY layer. By triggering at least a portion of the configuration in the S&F mode, either RT mode action or S&F mode action of UE 510 may or may not be performed.

[0103] Reference Figure 9 In action 901, satellite 520 can transmit RRC signaling messages to UE 510. The RRC signaling message can be a system information message (e.g., MIB, SIB1, SI) broadcast on the access network, or it can be an RRC message. According to embodiments of this disclosure, the RRC signaling message may include S&F mode configuration information. According to embodiments of this disclosure, the S&F mode configuration information may include time-related information for performing actions in S&F mode, information indicating whether simultaneous support for RT mode in S&F mode is supported, time-related information for performing actions in RT mode, sub-channel related information, and / or mode indicator related information. The sub-channel may be a basic unit indicating whether S&F mode or RT mode is temporarily available, unavailable, or blocked. According to one embodiment, the sub-channel related information may be related to multiple time intervals corresponding to the time of performing actions in S&F mode. For example, after configuring UE 510's S&F mode via RRC signaling messages, or after receiving a trigger indication after S&F mode configuration, UE 510 can perform actions in S&F mode. Subsequently, S&F mode may be unavailable during a certain time interval as indicated by the sub-channel. After the certain time interval has elapsed, S&F mode can become available again. According to one embodiment, the sub-channel related information can represent multiple frequency bands (e.g., sub-band, BWP). For example, after configuring S&F mode for UE 510 via RRC signaling messages, UE 510 can operate in S&F mode. Subsequently, S&F mode may become unavailable again via control signals (e.g., DCI). The frequency band where S&F mode is unavailable can be indicated by the control signals. Subsequently, S&F mode can be reset to available again via independent control signals (e.g., DCI). S&F mode activation / deactivation can be turned on or off on a frequency band basis. As a non-limiting example, when S&F mode is unavailable, UE 510 can operate in RT mode. For the sub-channel, refer to... Figure 8 Explanation.

[0104] The RRC signaling message according to embodiments of this disclosure may include information related to a mode indicator. Even a UE 510 operating in S&F mode may be required to temporarily operate in RT mode. In this case, a mode transition indication to RT mode is required. Even a UE 510 operating in RT mode may be required to temporarily operate in S&F mode. In this case, a mode transition indication to S&F mode is required. Even a UE 510 operating in S&F mode may find it difficult to temporarily operate in S&F mode. In this case, an S&F mode unavailability indication is required. Even a UE 510 operating in RT mode may find it difficult to continue operating in RT mode temporarily. In this case, an S&F mode unavailability indication is required. Referring to the above examples, the mode indicator can be used for availability indication, unavailability indication, and / or mode transition. For these indications, the pattern indicator-related information may include Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI) information for identifying the pattern indicator, information for indicating the type of the pattern indicator, and / or information for indicating the data indicated by the value of the pattern indicator.

[0105] As a non-limiting example, the S&F mode configuration information may also include multiple S&Fs to be used when operating in S&F mode and an identifier (e.g., configuration ID) configured for each S&F. For example, the time-related information for operating in S&F mode, the information indicating whether S&F mode is supported while RT mode is also supported, the time-related information for operating in RT mode, and / or sub-channel-related information can be set independently for each S&F.

[0106] In action 903, satellite 520 can transmit downlink control information (DCI) to UE 510. According to one embodiment, the DCI can be used to trigger a Service and Flight (S&F) mode. The DCI can trigger specific configurations related to the S&F mode in the configuration received via configuration information for the S&F mode. For example, the configuration information for the S&F mode may include sub-channel related information. As an example, the sub-channel related information may represent multiple time intervals corresponding to the time of action in the S&F mode. The DCI may indicate the time interval during which the S&F mode is triggered. As another example, the sub-channel related information may represent multiple frequency bands corresponding to the time of action in the S&F mode. The DCI may indicate the frequency band (e.g., sub-band, BWP) during which the S&F mode is triggered. For example, the configuration information for the S&F mode may include multiple S&Fs and an identifier (e.g., configuration ID) for each S&F. Each S&F may include: independent RT support or non-support, RT action time, S&F mode action time, supported service types (e.g., DRB list, QoS flow list), and neighbor cell list. The DCI can point to an identifier corresponding to the S&F to be triggered.

[0107] According to another embodiment, the DCI can be used as a mode indicator. For example, the mode indicator can indicate a mode transition from S&F mode to RT mode or from RT mode to S&F mode. The mode transition can be indicated by a switching method or a setting value. Furthermore, for example, the mode indicator can indicate the availability or inaccessibility of S&F mode. Also, for example, the mode indicator can indicate the availability or inaccessibility of RT mode. Availability or inaccessibility can be indicated by a switching method or a setting value.

[0108] UE 510 can perform decoding based on information received from satellite 520 via the DCI. As one example, a separate RNTI can be used for the mode indicator. As another example, the decoding can be performed using the RNTI used for communication with satellite 520. UE 510 can determine whether to use S&F mode for communication based on the mode indicator obtained via the DCI.

[0109] In Action 905, UE 510 can communicate in S&F mode. UE 510 can perform actions based on S&F mode. Figure 5The UE 510 can send or receive data from the satellite 520 for services available in S&F mode (such as SMS and email services as non-RT services). Conversely, the UE 510 may have difficulty implementing some services (such as RT services, streaming media services, voice calls, and video calls) with the satellite 520 in S&F mode. Furthermore, this classification of service types is merely illustrative and should not be construed as limiting the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0110] Although Figure 9 Examples of activating S&F mode are described, but embodiments of this disclosure are not limited thereto. Not only can S&F mode be triggered, but deactivating (or terminating) S&F mode via DCI should also be understood as an embodiment of this disclosure. In the same manner exemplified in action 903, satellite 520 can terminate S&F mode via DCI within an indicated time interval, or terminate S&F mode on an indicated frequency band, and terminate a specific S&F configuration.

[0111] exist Figure 9 Examples of determining to use S&F mode for communication are described, but embodiments of this disclosure are not limited thereto. Interruption of S&F mode and / or triggering of RT mode should also be understood as embodiments of this disclosure. As an example, UE 510, upon receiving S&F information, can operate in S&F mode. Subsequently, if a DCI with the aforementioned mode indicator is received, operation can be performed in RT mode for a certain period (e.g., a value set by a fixed value or RRC signaling) or until a separate release indication occurs.

[0112] Figure 10 Examples of the constituent elements of user equipment (UE) (e.g., UE 510) are shown.

[0113] Reference Figure 10 UE 510 may include a transceiver 1001, a processor 1003, and a memory 1005. The transceiver 1001 performs the function of transmitting and receiving signals via a wireless channel. For example, the transceiver 1001 up-converts a baseband signal into a radio frequency (RF) signal and transmits it through an antenna, and down-converts the RF signal received through the antenna back into a baseband signal. For example, the transceiver 1001 may include a transmit filter, a receive filter, an amplifier, a mixer, an oscillator, a digital-to-analog converter (DAC), and an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), etc.

[0114] Transceiver 1001 may include multiple transmit / receive paths. Further, transceiver 1001 may include an antenna section. Transceiver 1001 may include at least one antenna array composed of multiple antenna elements. In terms of hardware, transceiver 1001 may be composed of digital circuits and analog circuits (e.g., radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs)). The digital and analog circuits may be implemented in a single package. Furthermore, transceiver 1001 may include multiple radio frequency chains. Transceiver 1001 may perform beamforming. To impart directivity to signals to be transmitted or received based on settings configured by processor 1003, transceiver 1001 may apply beamforming weights to the signals. According to one embodiment, transceiver 1001 may include a radio frequency (RF) block (or RF section). According to one embodiment, transceiver 1001 may support satellite communication. UE 510 may transmit signals to or receive signals from a satellite (e.g., satellite 520) via transceiver 1001.

[0115] Transceiver 1001 can transmit and receive signals on a radio access network. For example, transceiver 1001 can receive downlink signals. Downlink signals may include synchronization signals (SS), reference signals (RS) (e.g., cell-specific reference signals (CRS), demodulation reference signals (DM-RS), system information (e.g., master information block (MIB), system information block (SIB), remaining system information (RMSI), other system information (OSI)), configuration messages, control information, or downlink data, etc. Additionally, transceiver 1001 may transmit uplink signals, for example. These uplink signals may include random access related signals (e.g., random access preamble (RAP)) (or Msg1 (message 1) and Msg3 (message 3)), reference signals (e.g., sounding reference signals (SRS), demodulation reference signals (DM-RS)), and uplink control information (UCI) (e.g., channel state information). Information (CSI), Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ), Scheduling Request (SR), or Power Headroom Report (PHR), etc. Although Figure 10 Only transceiver 1001 is shown in the figure, but according to other implementation examples, UE 510 may include more than two radio frequency transceivers.

[0116] Processor 1003 controls the overall operation of UE 510. Processor 1003 can be referred to as a control unit. For example, processor 1003 sends and receives signals via transceiver 1001. Furthermore, processor 1003 writes data to and reads data from memory 1005. Also, processor 1003 can execute the functions of the protocol stack required by the communication specification. Although in Figure 10Only processor 1003 is shown, but according to other implementations, UE 510 may include two or more processors. Processor 1003 may be an instruction set or code stored in memory 1005, an instruction / code that resides at least temporarily in processor 1003 or a storage space storing such instruction / code, or may constitute part of the circuitry of processor 1003. Furthermore, processor 1003 may include various modules for performing communications. Processor 1003 can control UE 510 to perform the actions of the embodiments.

[0117] Memory 1005 stores basic programs, application programs, setting information, and other data used for the operation of UE 510. Memory 1005 may be referred to as a storage unit. Memory 1005 may be composed of volatile memory, non-volatile memory, or a combination of volatile and non-volatile memory. Furthermore, memory 1005 provides the stored data according to requests from processor 1003. According to one embodiment, memory 1005 may include memory for conditions, instructions, or setting values ​​related to satellite communication transmission methods.

[0118] Figure 11 Examples of the constituent elements of a satellite (e.g., satellite 520) are shown.

[0119] Reference Figure 11 Satellite 520 may include at least one transceiver 1101, at least one processor 1103, and at least one memory 1105. Hereinafter, although the constituent elements are described in the singular, it is not excluded that they may be implemented as multiple constituent elements or sub-constituent elements.

[0120] Transceiver 1101 performs the function of transmitting and receiving signals via a wireless channel. For example, transceiver 1101 performs the conversion function between baseband signals and bitstreams according to the physical layer specifications of the system. For example, during data transmission, transceiver 1101 generates complex-valued symbols by encoding and modulating the transmitted bitstream. Furthermore, during data reception, transceiver 1101 recovers the received bitstream by demodulating and decoding the baseband signal. In addition, transceiver 1101 up-converts the baseband signal to a radio frequency (RF) signal and transmits it through an antenna, and down-converts the RF signal received through the antenna back to a baseband signal. For this purpose, transceiver 1101 may include transmit filters, receive filters, amplifiers, mixers, oscillators, digital-to-analog converters, and analog-to-digital converters, etc. Furthermore, transceiver 1101 may include multiple transmit / receive paths. Further, transceiver 1101 may include at least one antenna array composed of multiple antenna elements. In terms of hardware, the transceiver 1101 can be composed of a digital unit and an analog unit, and the analog unit can be composed of multiple sub-units depending on the operating power, operating frequency, etc. As described above, the transceiver 1101 transmits and receives signals. Accordingly, the transceiver 1101 can be referred to as a "transmitting unit", a "receiving unit", or a "transmit-receiver unit".

[0121] Transceiver 1101 can transmit and receive signals not only via wireless channels, but also via backhaul networks, optical communications, Ethernet, and other wired paths. For example, transceiver 1101 can support optical communication for signaling interaction between satellite 520 and other satellites. Satellite 520 can perform optical communication with other satellites using lasers via transceiver 1101. For example, wired communication can also be supported between components within satellite 520. Transceiver 1101 can convert bit streams transmitted by satellite 520 to other nodes (e.g., other access nodes, other base stations, upper-layer nodes, core network, etc.) into physical signals, and convert physical signals received from other nodes into bit streams.

[0122] Transceiver 1101 supports communication between satellite 520 and UE 510. Transceiver 1101 not only supports communication between satellite 520 and UE 510, but also communication between satellite 520 and ground segments (e.g., network entities of NTN gateway 530 and core network 550). As a non-limiting example, within transceiver 1101, the circuitry for communicating with UE 510 and the circuitry for communicating with the ground segments (e.g., network entities of NTN gateway 530 and core network 550) can be distinguished from each other.

[0123] Processor 1103 can control the overall operation of satellite 520. For example, processor 1103 writes data to and reads data from memory 1105. For example, processor 1103 sends and receives signals via transceiver 1101. Figure 11 A processor is shown, but embodiments of this disclosure are not limited thereto. To perform embodiments of this disclosure, satellite 520 may include at least one processor (e.g., multiple processors). Processor 1103 may be referred to as a control unit or control means. According to embodiments of this disclosure, processor 1103 may control satellite 520 to perform at least one action or method as described in embodiments of this disclosure.

[0124] Memory 1105 can store basic programs, application programs, configuration information, and other data for satellite 520. Memory 1105 can store various data used by at least one component (e.g., transceiver 1101, processor 1103). Data may include, for example, input or output data of software and related instructions. Memory 1105 may be composed of volatile memory, non-volatile memory, or a combination of volatile and non-volatile memory. Furthermore, memory 1105 can provide stored data upon request from processor 1103.

[0125] In embodiments of this disclosure, an apparatus is provided for providing NTN access via a satellite. The apparatus may include: a memory storing instructions; at least one processor; and at least one transceiver. When the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the apparatus may be configured to: transmit a message to a UE including information related to the S&F mode, and communicate with the UE based on the message. The message may include at least one of the following: information indicating whether the RT mode is temporarily supported; indication information indicating whether the cell's operating mode is RT mode or S&F mode; information related to the maximum transmission time of the S&F mode; ephemeris information of the satellite; or footprint information provided by the satellite.

[0126] According to one embodiment, the message may include information related to the S&F conditions. The information related to the S&F conditions may include at least one of the following: information related to the start time of the S&F mode, information related to the end time of the S&F mode, information related to the start time of the RT mode, or information related to the end time of the RT mode.

[0127] According to one embodiment, the message may include information related to the S&F condition. The information related to the S&F condition may include the type of triggering condition and at least one parameter associated with the triggering condition. The type of triggering condition can be used to identify the condition that causes the UE to act in S&F mode. The at least one parameter may include a threshold or offset for determining the condition that causes the UE to act in S&F mode.

[0128] According to one embodiment, when the instruction is executed by the at least one processor, the apparatus can be configured to receive indication information from the UE indicating whether the UE's transmission is in RT mode or S&F mode. The indication information may be provided via radio resource control (RRC) messages, medium access control (MAC) control elements (CE), random access preambles during random access procedures, message 3 during random access procedures, and / or channel state information (CSI).

[0129] According to one embodiment, the information related to the S&F mode may include: parameters of one or more S&F mode configurations; and an identifier for each S&F mode in the one or more S&F mode configurations. When the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the apparatus may be configured to transmit to the UE either a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) or downlink control information (DCI), both of which include an identifier for indicating the S&F mode configuration to be used in the one or more S&F mode configurations.

[0130] In embodiments of this disclosure, a user equipment (UE) is provided for performing non-terrestrial network (NTN) access. The UE may include: a memory storing instructions; at least one processor; and at least one transceiver. When the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the UE may be configured to: receive a message from a satellite configured to perform Evolved Node B (eNB) functions, including information related to S&F mode, and communicate with the satellite based on the message. The message may include at least one of the following: information indicating whether RT mode is temporarily supported; indication information indicating whether the cell's operating mode is RT mode or S&F mode; information related to the maximum transmission time of the S&F mode; ephemeris information of the satellite; or footprint information provided by the satellite.

[0131] According to one embodiment, the message may include information related to the S&F conditions. The information related to the S&F conditions may include at least one of the following: information related to the start time of the S&F mode, information related to the end time of the S&F mode, information related to the start time of the RT mode, or information related to the end time of the RT mode.

[0132] According to one embodiment, the message may include information related to the S&F condition. The information related to the S&F condition may include the type of triggering condition and at least one parameter associated with the triggering condition. The type of triggering condition can be used to identify the condition that causes the UE to act in S&F mode. The at least one parameter may include a threshold or offset for determining the condition that causes the UE to act in S&F mode.

[0133] According to one embodiment, when the instruction is executed by the at least one processor, the UE can be configured to: transmit to the satellite indication information indicating whether the UE's transmission is in RT mode or S&F mode, the indication information being transmitted via radio resource control (RRC) messages, medium access control (MAC) control elements (CE), random access preambles during random access procedures, message 3 during random access procedures, and / or channel state information (CSI).

[0134] According to one embodiment, the information related to the S&F mode may include: parameters of one or more S&F mode configurations; and an identifier for each S&F mode in the one or more S&F mode configurations. When the instruction is executed by the at least one processor, the UE may be configured to receive from the satellite either a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) or downlink control information (DCI), both of which include an identifier for indicating the S&F mode configuration to be used in the one or more S&F mode configurations.

[0135] In embodiments of this disclosure, a method for providing NTN access via a satellite is provided. The method may include the following actions: transmitting a message to a user equipment (UE) including information related to the S&F mode; and communicating with the UE based on the message. The message may include at least one of the following: information indicating whether the RT mode is temporarily supported; indication information indicating whether the cell's operating mode is RT mode or S&F mode; information related to the maximum transmission time of the S&F mode; ephemeris information of the satellite; or footprint information provided by the satellite.

[0136] According to one embodiment, the message may include information related to the S&F conditions. The information related to the S&F conditions may include at least one of the following: information related to the start time of the S&F mode, information related to the end time of the S&F mode, information related to the start time of the RT mode, or information related to the end time of the RT mode.

[0137] According to one embodiment, the message may include information related to the S&F condition. The information related to the S&F condition may include the type of triggering condition and at least one parameter associated with the triggering condition. The type of triggering condition can be used to identify the condition that causes the UE to act in S&F mode. The at least one parameter may include a threshold or offset for determining the condition that causes the UE to act in S&F mode.

[0138] According to one embodiment, the method may include the following action: receiving indication information from the UE indicating whether the UE's transmission is in RT mode or S&F mode. The indication information may be provided via radio resource control (RRC) messages, medium access control (MAC) control elements (CE), random access preambles during random access procedures, message 3 during random access procedures, and / or channel state information (CSI).

[0139] According to one embodiment, the information related to the S&F mode may include: parameters of one or more S&F mode configurations; and an identifier for each S&F mode in the one or more S&F mode configurations. The method may include transmitting to the UE either a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) or downlink control information (DCI), both of which include an identifier for indicating the S&F mode configuration to be used in the one or more S&F mode configurations.

[0140] In embodiments of this disclosure, a method is provided for performing non-terrestrial network (NTN) access, executed by user equipment (UE). The method may include the following actions: receiving a message from a satellite configured to perform Evolved Node B (eNB) functions, including information related to S&F mode; and communicating with the satellite based on the message. The message may include at least one of the following: information indicating whether RT mode is temporarily supported; indication information indicating whether the cell's operating mode is RT mode or S&F mode; information related to the maximum transmission time of the S&F mode; ephemeris information of the satellite; or footprint information provided by the satellite.

[0141] According to one embodiment, the message may include information related to the S&F conditions. The information related to the S&F conditions may include at least one of the following: information related to the start time of the S&F mode, information related to the end time of the S&F mode, information related to the start time of the RT mode, or information related to the end time of the RT mode.

[0142] According to one embodiment, the message may include information related to the S&F condition. The information related to the S&F condition may include the type of triggering condition and at least one parameter associated with the triggering condition. The type of triggering condition can be used to identify the condition that causes the UE to act in S&F mode. The at least one parameter may include a threshold or offset for determining the condition that causes the UE to act in S&F mode.

[0143] According to one embodiment, the method may include the following action: transmitting indication information indicating whether the UE's transmission is in RT mode or S&F mode to the satellite. The indication information may be provided via radio resource control (RRC) messages, medium access control (MAC) control elements (CE), random access preambles during random access procedures, message 3 during random access procedures, and / or channel state information (CSI).

[0144] According to one embodiment, the information related to the S&F mode may include: parameters of one or more S&F mode configurations; and an identifier for each S&F mode in the one or more S&F mode configurations. The method may include receiving from the satellite either a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) or downlink control information (DCI), both of which include an identifier for indicating the S&F mode configuration to be used in the one or more S&F mode configurations.

[0145] The methods involved in the embodiments described in the claims or specification of this disclosure can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software.

[0146] If implemented in software, a computer-readable storage medium may be provided for storing one or more programs (software modules). The one or more programs stored in the computer-readable storage medium are configured to be executable by one or more processors within an electronic device. The one or more programs include instructions that cause the electronic device to perform the methods involved in the embodiments described in the claims or specification of this disclosure.

[0147] Such programs (software modules, software) can be stored in random access memory (RAM), non-volatile memory including flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disc storage devices, compact disc-ROM (CD-ROM), digital versatile discs (DVDs), or other forms of optical storage devices, magnetic cassettes. Alternatively, they can be stored in a memory composed of some or all of these storage media. Furthermore, each component of the memory may comprise multiple units.

[0148] Furthermore, the program can be stored in an attachable storage device accessible via a communication network, including the Internet, Intranet, Local Area Network (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), or Storage Area Network (SAN), or a combination of these networks. Such a storage device can be connected to an apparatus executing embodiments of this disclosure via an external port. Additionally, a separate storage device on the communication network can also be connected to an apparatus executing embodiments of this disclosure.

[0149] In the specific embodiments of this disclosure described above, for ease of explanation, the constituent elements included in the disclosure are expressed in singular or plural form according to the specific embodiments presented. However, the singular or plural expression is chosen appropriately according to the presented situation for ease of explanation, and this disclosure is not limited to singular or plural constituent elements; even constituent elements expressed as plural may be composed of singular elements, and even constituent elements expressed as singular may be composed of plural elements.

[0150] On the other hand, although specific embodiments are described in the detailed description of this disclosure, various modifications are possible without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

Claims

1. An apparatus for providing satellite access to non-terrestrial networks, characterized in that, include: Memory, which stores instructions At least one processor, and At least one transceiver; When the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the device is configured to: Transmit a message to the user equipment including information related to the store-and-forward mode, and communicate with the user equipment based on the message; The message includes at least one of the following: Information indicating whether real-time mode is temporarily supported, indication information indicating whether the cell's operating mode is real-time mode or store-and-forward mode, information related to the maximum transmission time of the store-and-forward mode, the satellite's ephemeris information, and the footprint information provided by the satellite.

2. The apparatus for providing satellite access to non-terrestrial networks according to claim 1, characterized in that, The message includes information related to store-and-forward conditions; Information related to the store-and-forward conditions includes at least one of the following: Information related to the start time of store-and-forward mode, information related to the end time of store-and-forward mode, information related to the start time of real-time mode, and information related to the end time of real-time mode.

3. The apparatus for providing satellite access to a non-terrestrial network according to claim 1, characterized in that, The message includes information related to store-and-forward conditions. Information related to the store-and-forward condition includes the type of the trigger condition and at least one parameter associated with the trigger condition. The type of trigger condition is used to identify the conditions under which the user equipment performs an action in store-and-forward mode. The at least one parameter includes a threshold or offset for determining the conditions under which the user equipment performs an action in store-and-forward mode.

4. The apparatus for providing satellite access to non-terrestrial networks according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the device is configured to: Receive from the user equipment indication information indicating whether the user equipment's transmission is in real-time mode or store-and-forward mode. The instruction information is provided in the following ways: Radio resource control messages, media access control elements, random access preambles in the random access process, messages 3 in the random access process, and / or channel state information.

5. The apparatus for providing satellite access to a non-terrestrial network according to claim 1, characterized in that, The information related to the store-and-forward mode includes: Parameters configured for more than one store-forward mode, and The identifier configured for each store-forward mode in the one or more store-forward modes; When the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the device is configured to: The media access control element or downlink control information is transmitted to the user equipment, wherein both the media access control element and the downlink control information include an identifier for indicating the store-forward mode configuration to be used in the one or more store-forward mode configurations.

6. A user equipment for performing non-terrestrial network access, characterized in that, include: Memory, which stores instructions At least one processor, and At least one transceiver; When the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the user equipment is configured to: Receive messages from a satellite configured to perform Evolved Node B functions, including information related to the store-and-forward mode, and communicate with the satellite based on the messages. The message includes at least one of the following: Information indicating whether real-time mode is temporarily supported, indication information indicating whether the cell's operating mode is real-time mode or store-and-forward mode, information related to the maximum transmission time of the store-and-forward mode, the satellite's ephemeris information, and the footprint information provided by the satellite.

7. The user equipment for performing non-terrestrial network access according to claim 6, characterized in that, The message includes information related to store-and-forward conditions; Information related to the store-and-forward conditions includes at least one of the following: Information related to the start time of store-and-forward mode, information related to the end time of store-and-forward mode, information related to the start time of real-time mode, and information related to the end time of real-time mode.

8. The user equipment for performing non-terrestrial network access according to claim 6, characterized in that, The message includes information related to store-and-forward conditions. Information related to the store-and-forward condition includes the type of the trigger condition and at least one parameter associated with the trigger condition. The type of trigger condition is used to identify the conditions under which the user equipment performs an action in store-and-forward mode. The at least one parameter includes a threshold or offset for determining the conditions under which the user equipment performs an action in store-and-forward mode.

9. The user equipment for performing non-terrestrial network access according to claim 6, characterized in that, When the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the user equipment is configured to: The satellite is transmitted with indication information indicating whether the user equipment is transmitting in real-time mode or store-and-forward mode. The instruction information is provided in the following ways: Radio resource control messages, media access control elements, random access preambles in the random access process, messages 3 in the random access process, and / or channel state information.

10. The user equipment for performing non-terrestrial network access according to claim 6, characterized in that, The information related to the store-and-forward mode includes: Parameters configured for more than one store-forward mode, and The identifier configured for each store-forward mode in the one or more store-forward modes; When the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the user equipment is configured to: The satellite receives a media access control element or downlink control information, both of which include an identifier indicating the store-forward mode configuration to be used in the one or more store-forward mode configurations.

11. A method for providing non-terrestrial network access, performed by a satellite, characterized in that, Includes the following actions: The message sent to the user equipment includes information related to the store-and-forward mode, and Communicating with the user equipment based on the message; The message includes at least one of the following: Information indicating whether real-time mode is temporarily supported, indication information indicating whether the cell's operating mode is real-time mode or store-and-forward mode, information related to the maximum transmission time of the store-and-forward mode, the satellite's ephemeris information, and the footprint information provided by the satellite.

12. The method for providing non-terrestrial network access performed by a satellite according to claim 11, characterized in that, The message includes information related to store-and-forward conditions; Information related to the store-and-forward conditions includes at least one of the following: Information related to the start time of store-and-forward mode, information related to the end time of store-and-forward mode, information related to the start time of real-time mode, and information related to the end time of real-time mode.

13. The method for providing non-terrestrial network access performed by a satellite according to claim 11, characterized in that, The message includes information related to store-and-forward conditions. Information related to the store-and-forward condition includes the type of the trigger condition and at least one parameter associated with the trigger condition. The type of trigger condition is used to identify the conditions under which the user equipment performs an action in store-and-forward mode. The at least one parameter includes a threshold or offset for determining the conditions under which the user equipment performs an action in store-and-forward mode.

14. The method for providing non-terrestrial network access performed by a satellite according to claim 11, characterized in that, This also includes the following actions: Receive from the user equipment an indication of whether the user equipment's transmission is in real-time mode or store-and-forward mode; The instruction information is provided in the following ways: Radio resource control messages, media access control elements, random access preambles in the random access process, messages 3 in the random access process, and / or channel state information.

15. The method for providing non-terrestrial network access performed by a satellite according to claim 11, characterized in that, The information related to the store-and-forward mode includes: Parameters configured for more than one store-forward mode, and The identifier configured for each store-forward mode in the one or more store-forward modes; The satellite-executed method for providing non-terrestrial network access also includes the following actions: The media access control element or downlink control information is transmitted to the user equipment, wherein both the media access control element and the downlink control information include an identifier for indicating the store-forward mode configuration to be used in the one or more store-forward mode configurations.

16. A method for performing non-terrestrial network access, executed by a user equipment, characterized in that, Includes the following actions: Receive messages from satellites configured to perform Evolved Node B functions, including information related to store-and-forward modes, and Based on the message, communicate with the satellite; The message includes at least one of the following: Information indicating whether real-time mode is temporarily supported, indication information indicating whether the cell's operating mode is real-time mode or store-and-forward mode, information related to the maximum transmission time of the store-and-forward mode, the satellite's ephemeris information, and the footprint information provided by the satellite.

17. The method for performing non-terrestrial network access executed by a user equipment according to claim 16, characterized in that, The message includes information related to store-and-forward conditions; Information related to the store-and-forward conditions includes at least one of the following: Information related to the start time of store-and-forward mode, information related to the end time of store-and-forward mode, information related to the start time of real-time mode, and information related to the end time of real-time mode.

18. The method for performing non-terrestrial network access executed by a user equipment according to claim 16, characterized in that, The message includes information related to store-and-forward conditions. Information related to the store-and-forward condition includes the type of the trigger condition and at least one parameter associated with the trigger condition. The type of trigger condition is used to identify the conditions under which the user equipment performs an action in store-and-forward mode. The at least one parameter includes a threshold or offset for determining the conditions under which the user equipment performs an action in store-and-forward mode.

19. The method for performing non-terrestrial network access executed by a user equipment according to claim 16, characterized in that, This also includes the following actions: Transmit to the satellite indication information indicating whether the user equipment's transmission is in real-time mode or store-and-forward mode; The instruction information is provided in the following ways: Radio resource control messages, media access control elements, random access preambles in the random access process, messages 3 in the random access process, and / or channel state information.

20. The method for performing non-terrestrial network access executed by a user equipment according to claim 16, characterized in that, The information related to the store-and-forward mode includes: Parameters configured for more than one store-forward mode, and The identifier configured for each store-forward mode in the one or more store-forward modes; The method for performing non-terrestrial network access, executed by the user equipment, further includes the following actions: The satellite receives a media access control element or downlink control information, both of which include an identifier indicating the store-forward mode configuration to be used in the one or more store-forward mode configurations.

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