Feeder link management method, system and apparatus

Abstract

This application relates to the field of communication technology, and provides a power supply link management method, system, and apparatus. The method includes, before a first time period, acquiring power supply information for that first time period, the power supply information for the first time period including at least one power supply link used to connect a ground gateway and a satellite network during the first time period. Also, before the first time period, sending power supply packet information for the first time period to a first set of satellites in the satellite network, the power supply packet information including link identifiers of at least some of the power supply links in the first time period's power supply information. Correspondingly, before the first time period, the first set of satellites in the satellite network receives the power supply packet information for the first time period, and during the first time period, the first set of satellites sends traffic to the ground gateway through the power supply links indicated by the power supply packet information for the first time period. This achieves the goal of ensuring that satellites accurately use power supply links for load balancing, ensuring normal traffic transmission, and reducing the frequency of power supply link connectivity announcements.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technology, specifically to power supply link management methods, systems, and devices. Background Technology

[0002] In satellite networks, satellites transmit traffic to ground gateways via feeder links, thus enabling satellite network traffic to reach the ground. Multiple feeder links can exist between a satellite network and a single ground gateway, allowing satellite network traffic to be distributed across these links for transmission, thereby reducing congestion. However, the link conditions in satellite networks are complex and variable. Feeder links experience frequent connection and disconnection, as well as frequent bandwidth changes. These frequent changes can affect traffic transmission, leading to transmission failures or congestion. Therefore, it is necessary to manage the feeder links in the satellite network effectively to ensure the normal transmission of satellite network traffic. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This application provides a power feeder link management method, system, and apparatus that can effectively manage power feeder links in satellite networks and help ensure the normal transmission of satellite network traffic.

[0004] A first aspect provides a power supply link management method for a communication system, the communication system including a ground gateway and a satellite network, the ground gateway and the satellite network being connected via power supply links. The method includes acquiring power supply information for a first time period before the first time period. The power supply information for the first time period indicates at least one power supply link used to connect the ground gateway and the satellite network during the first time period. The method also includes transmitting power supply packet information for the first time period to a first set of satellites in the satellite network before the first time period. The power supply packet information for the first time period includes link identifiers of at least a portion of the power supply links in the power supply information for the first time period.

[0005] The feeder link management method provided in this application allows for advance acquisition of the feeder link status between the satellite network and the ground gateway for future time periods. By proactively announcing feeder packet information for future time periods to satellites within a defined range, satellites can accurately determine the feeder links used for traffic transmission in the future. This enables satellites to accurately use the known feeder links for traffic transmission when the future time period arrives, reducing the likelihood of satellite network traffic transmission failures or congestion caused by frequent feeder link changes, and ensuring normal satellite network traffic transmission. Furthermore, proactively announcing feeder packet information for future time periods to satellites within a defined range eliminates the need for network-wide flooding of link changes when feeder link changes occur, reducing message announcement frequency and thus reducing network bandwidth overhead from message announcements, helping to ensure normal service traffic transmission.

[0006] In some cases, when a satellite allocates traffic to multiple feeder links, the traffic allocation ratio may be related to the feeder link bandwidth. If there are many feeder links involved in traffic allocation and the link bandwidth changes frequently during link establishment, the satellite needs to frequently refresh the traffic allocation ratio for multiple feeder links, resulting in significant computational resource consumption. In this application, the feeder grouping information for a given time period announced to the satellite can be a subset of all feeder links between the ground gateway and the satellite network. This reduces the frequency of feeder link bandwidth changes, thereby reducing the number of times the satellite needs to refresh the traffic allocation ratio, and thus reducing computational resource consumption.

[0007] In one possible implementation, the first satellite set includes a first satellite and a second satellite. The method further includes transmitting a first feed packet information for the first time period to the first satellite before the first time period, and transmitting a second feed packet information for the first time period to the second satellite before the first time period. The first feed packet information and the second feed packet information are not entirely identical.

[0008] This technical solution sends slightly different feeder group information to different satellites (e.g., announcing feeder links 1, 2, and 3 for the first time period to satellite 1, and feeder link 1 for the first time period to satellite 2). This allows for a comprehensive consideration of the load-sharing capacity of multiple feeder links and the traffic transmission efficiency of each satellite within a given time period. For example, it can ensure that the traffic of each satellite in a future time period can be transmitted using multiple feeder links as much as possible to improve traffic transmission efficiency, while also ensuring that each feeder link does not become congested due to excessive traffic allocation caused by too many satellites using the link in the future time period.

[0009] In another possible implementation, the method further includes acquiring feed information for a second time period prior to the second time period. The feed information for the second time period indicates at least one feed link used to connect the ground gateway and the satellite network during the second time period, and the first and second time periods do not overlap. The method also includes transmitting feed packet information for the second time period to a first set of satellites prior to the second time period. The feed packet information for the second time period includes link identifiers of at least a portion of the feed links in the feed information for the second time period.

[0010] This technical solution allows for the advance acquisition of feeder information for multiple future time periods, and the prior notification of feeder grouping information for these periods to satellites within a defined range. This enables satellites to accurately determine the feeder links used for traffic transmission in these future time periods. This better ensures that satellites can accurately use the known feeder links for traffic transmission in these future time periods, and thus better guarantees the normal transmission of satellite network traffic.

[0011] In another possible implementation, the power supply packet information for the first time period and the power supply packet information for the second time period are carried in a single message.

[0012] This technical solution enables the combined announcement of power supply group information for multiple future time periods through a single message, thereby further reducing the announcement frequency.

[0013] In another possible implementation, the method further includes acquiring feed information for a third time period prior to the third time period. The feed information for the third time period indicates at least one feed link used to connect the ground gateway and the satellite network during the third time period, and the first and third time periods do not overlap. The method also includes sending feed packet information for the third time period to a second set of satellites in the satellite network prior to the third time period. The feed packet information for the third time period includes link identifiers of at least some of the feed links in the feed information for the third time period. The second set of satellites is not identical to the first set of satellites.

[0014] This technical solution allows for flexible configuration of satellite notification ranges across different time periods. For example, the notification range for the first satellite set in the first time period may differ from the notification range for the second satellite set in the third time period. This enables the flexible determination of satellite notification ranges for each time period based on changes in the satellite network topology and actual needs, helping to ensure that satellites in the network can accurately use the known feeder links for traffic transmission in future time periods.

[0015] In another possible implementation, the first satellite set or the second satellite set includes one or more of the following: landing satellites connected to a ground gateway via any of at least one feeder link, and satellites connected to the aforementioned landing satellites via inter-satellite links with a preset number of hops.

[0016] This technical solution ensures that feeder packet information is only advertised within a localized area of ​​the satellite network, and that the advertised area covers all satellites through which satellite traffic must pass to reach the feeder link. Thus, while guaranteeing that satellite network traffic can be transmitted via the feeder link, the advertised scope of feeder packet information is reduced, thereby effectively lowering the message advertising frequency.

[0017] In another possible implementation, the method further includes obtaining the predicted positions of satellites in the satellite network based on their flight plans, and obtaining the power supply information for each time period (including power supply information for the first time period, the second time period, or the third time period) based on the distance between the predicted positions of the satellites and the position of the ground gateway.

[0018] A link can be established between the satellite and the designated ground gateway when the link distance is less than or equal to a preset distance. This technical solution enables accurate prediction of power supply information for one or more time periods in the future.

[0019] Secondly, a feeder link management method is provided for a communication system including a ground gateway and a satellite network connected via feeder links. The method includes receiving feeder packet information for a first time period transmitted by a ground device before a first time period. The feeder packet information for the first time period includes link identifiers of at least a portion of the feeder links used to connect the ground gateway and the satellite network during the first time period. The method also includes transmitting traffic to the ground gateway via the feeder link indicated by the feeder packet information for the first time period during the first time period.

[0020] Corresponding to the technical effect of the first aspect, obtaining the feeder link status between the satellite network and the ground gateway in advance for future periods, and notifying satellites within a set range of the feeder grouping information for future periods in advance, allows satellites to accurately know the feeder links used for traffic transmission in future periods. In this way, when the future period arrives, the satellite can accurately use the known feeder links for traffic transmission, reducing the possibility of satellite network traffic transmission failures or congestion caused by frequent changes in feeder links, and ensuring normal satellite network traffic transmission.

[0021] In some implementations, the load-sharing ratio of multiple feeder links is related to the feeder link bandwidth. If there are many feeder links involved in load sharing and the link bandwidth changes frequently during link establishment, the load-sharing ratio of multiple feeder links will be updated frequently. In this technical solution, the feeder group information in the first time period of the announcement can be a subset of all feeder links, which can reduce the frequency of feeder link bandwidth changes and thus reduce the number of load-sharing ratio updates.

[0022] In one possible implementation, the method further includes receiving feed packet information for a second time period transmitted by a ground device prior to the second time period. The feed packet information for the second time period includes link identifiers of at least a portion of the feed links used to connect the ground gateway and the satellite network during the second time period, wherein the first and second time periods do not overlap. The method also includes transmitting traffic to the ground gateway via the feed links indicated by the feed packet information for the second time period during the second time period.

[0023] In another possible implementation, the power supply packet information for the first time period and the power supply packet information for the second time period are carried in a single message.

[0024] In another possible implementation, the satellite network includes a first set of satellites. The first set of satellites receives feed packet information for a first time period transmitted by a ground device. The first set of satellites includes a first satellite and a second satellite. The method further includes the first satellite receiving first feed packet information for the first time period transmitted by the ground device before the first time period, and the first satellite transmitting traffic to a ground gateway via the feed link indicated by the first feed packet information during the first time period. The method also includes the second satellite receiving second feed packet information for the first time period transmitted by the ground device before the first time period, and the second satellite transmitting traffic to a ground gateway via the feed link indicated by the second feed packet information during the first time period. The first feed packet information and the second feed packet information are not entirely identical.

[0025] In another possible implementation, the satellite network includes a first satellite set and a second satellite set, the first satellite set receiving feed packet information for a first time period transmitted by a ground device. The method further includes, prior to a third time period, the second satellite set receiving feed packet information for a third time period transmitted by the ground device, the third time period feed packet information including link identifiers of at least a portion of the feed links used to connect the ground gateway and the satellite network during the third time period. The first time period and the third time period do not overlap. The method also includes, during the third time period, the second satellite set transmitting traffic to the ground gateway via the feed links indicated by the feed packet information for the third time period.

[0026] In another possible implementation, the first satellite set or the second satellite set includes one or more of the following: landing satellites connected to a ground gateway via any of at least one feeder link, and satellites connected to the aforementioned landing satellites via inter-satellite links with a preset number of hops.

[0027] The technical effects of any possible implementation of the second aspect can be referenced to the technical effects of the first aspect and its various implementations.

[0028] Thirdly, a communication apparatus is provided, including a transceiver module and a processing module, for implementing the method described in the first aspect and any possible implementation thereof. Specifically, the processing module is configured to acquire feed information for a first time period before a first time period. The feed information for the first time period indicates at least one feed link used to connect a ground gateway and a satellite network during the first time period. The transceiver module is configured to transmit feed packet information for the first time period to a first set of satellites in the satellite network before the first time period. The feed packet information for the first time period includes link identifiers of at least a portion of the feed links in the feed information for the first time period.

[0029] In one possible implementation, the first satellite set includes a first satellite and a second satellite. The transceiver module is further configured to transmit a first feed packet information for the first time period to the first satellite before the first time period. The transceiver module is also configured to transmit a second feed packet information for the first time period to the second satellite before the first time period. The first feed packet information and the second feed packet information are not entirely identical.

[0030] In another possible implementation, the processing module is further configured to acquire feed information for the second time period before the second time period begins. The feed information for the second time period indicates at least one feed link used to connect the ground gateway and the satellite network during the second time period, and the first and second time periods do not overlap. The transceiver module is further configured to transmit feed packet information for the second time period to the first satellite set before the second time period begins. The feed packet information for the second time period includes link identifiers of at least some of the feed links in the feed information for the second time period.

[0031] In another possible implementation, the power supply packet information for the first time period and the power supply packet information for the second time period can be carried in a single message.

[0032] In another possible implementation, the processing module is further configured to acquire feed information for the third time period prior to the third time period. The feed information for the third time period indicates at least one feed link used to connect the ground gateway and the satellite network during the third time period, and the first and third time periods do not overlap. The transceiver module is further configured to transmit feed packet information for the third time period to a second set of satellites in the satellite network prior to the third time period. The feed packet information for the third time period includes link identifiers of at least some of the feed links in the feed information for the third time period. The second set of satellites is not entirely identical to the first set of satellites.

[0033] In another possible implementation, the first satellite set or the second satellite set includes one or more of the following: landing satellites connected to a ground gateway via any of at least one feeder link, and satellites connected to the aforementioned landing satellites via inter-satellite links with a preset number of hops.

[0034] In another possible implementation, the processing module is also used to obtain the predicted positions of satellites in the satellite network according to the flight plans of the satellites in the satellite network, and to obtain the power supply information for each time period (including the power supply information for the first time period, the power supply information for the second time period, or the power supply information for the third time period) based on the distance between the predicted positions of the satellites and the positions of the ground gateways.

[0035] Fourthly, a communication system 600 is provided, comprising a first set of communication devices, the first set of communication devices including at least one communication device. The first set of communication devices may be a collection of communication devices on each satellite in a first set of satellites. The first set of communication devices is used to receive feed packet information for a first time period transmitted by a ground device before a first time period. The feed packet information for the first time period includes link identifiers of at least a portion of the feed links used to connect a ground gateway and a satellite network during the first time period. The first set of communication devices is also used to transmit traffic to a ground gateway through the feed links indicated by the feed packet information for the first time period during the first time period.

[0036] In one possible implementation, the first set of communication devices is further configured to receive feeder packet information for the second time period transmitted by ground devices prior to the second time period. The feeder packet information for the second time period includes link identifiers of at least a portion of the feeder links used to connect the ground gateway and the satellite network during the second time period, and the first and second time periods do not overlap. The first set of communication devices is further configured to transmit traffic to the ground gateway via the feeder links indicated by the feeder packet information for the second time period during the second time period.

[0037] In another possible implementation, the power supply packet information for the first time period and the power supply packet information for the second time period can be carried in a single message.

[0038] In another possible implementation, the first set of communication devices includes a first communication device and a second communication device. The first communication device is used to receive first feeder packet information for the first time period sent by the ground device before the first time period. The first communication device is also used to send traffic to the ground gateway via the feeder link indicated by the first feeder packet information during the first time period. The second communication device is used to receive second feeder packet information for the first time period sent by the ground device before the first time period. The second communication device is also used to send traffic to the ground gateway via the feeder link indicated by the second feeder packet information during the first time period. The first feeder packet information and the second feeder packet information are not entirely identical.

[0039] In another possible implementation, the communication system further includes a second set of communication devices, which includes at least one communication device. The second set of communication devices may be a collection of communication devices on each satellite in a second set of satellites. The second set of communication devices is used to receive feed packet information for the third time period transmitted by ground devices before the third time period. The feed packet information for the third time period includes link identifiers of at least a portion of the feed links used to connect the ground gateway and the satellite network during the third time period. The first and third time periods do not overlap. The second set of communication devices is also used to transmit traffic to the ground gateway through the M feed links indicated by the feed packet information for the third time period during the third time period.

[0040] Fifthly, a computer program product is provided, including instructions that, when executed on a processor, implement the power supply link management method as described in the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof, or implement the power supply link management method as described in the second aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0041] A sixth aspect provides a computer-readable storage medium including computer program instructions, which, when executed by a communication device, enable the communication device to perform a power supply link management method as described in the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof; or a power supply link management method as described in the second aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0042] Based on the implementation methods provided in the above aspects, this application can be further combined to provide more implementation methods.

[0043] The following description includes more specific details about the implementation methods provided for the above aspects. Attached Figure Description

[0044] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the communication system provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0045] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the power supply link management process provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0046] Figure 3 A schematic diagram illustrating a method for obtaining power supply information for future time periods, provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0047] Figure 4 A schematic diagram illustrating an example of power supply link management provided in this application embodiment;

[0048] Figure 5 A schematic diagram illustrating a second example of power supply link management provided in this application embodiment;

[0049] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of another communication system provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0050] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0051] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the communication device provided in the embodiments of this application Figure 1 ;

[0052] Figure 9 Schematic diagram of the communication device provided in the embodiments of this application Figure 2 . Detailed Implementation

[0053] In terrestrial networks, multiple links can exist between routers and gateways; these links are called gateway links. Routers can transmit traffic to gateways through multiple gateway links, forming a multi-path load balancing mechanism. Because gateway links in terrestrial networks are stable and do not experience frequent link disconnections or bandwidth fluctuations, routers typically perform load balancing directly on all gateway links between themselves and the gateways. Load balancing commonly employs schemes such as Equal-Cost Multiple Path (ECMP) and Unequal-Cost Multiple Path (UCMP).

[0054] ECMP is used to route data packets across multiple paths with equal costs, where link costs are also called link overhead. When multiple routes to the same destination address exist with equal costs, ECMP allows traffic to be distributed across these paths, achieving load balancing and link backup. ECMP typically uses a simple round-robin method to allocate traffic. ECMP supports path selection strategies including Internet Protocol (IP) 5-tuple hashing, modulo, round-robin load balancing, and weighted round-robin load balancing. ECMP can allocate traffic without considering bandwidth differences between paths. For example, if there are three links between network device A and network device B, with a cost ratio of 1:1:1 and a bandwidth ratio of 1:2:3, then using ECMP, the traffic transmitted from network device A to network device B will be allocated to the three links in a 1:1:1 ratio.

[0055] UCMP is used to distribute traffic across multiple links with varying bandwidths. UCMP distributes traffic proportionally across multiple links based on their bandwidth, thus utilizing links with different bandwidths more effectively and improving bandwidth utilization. For example, if there are three links between network device A and network device B, with a cost ratio of 1:1:1 and a bandwidth ratio of 1:2:3, then using UCMP, the traffic transmitted from network device A to network device B will be distributed across the three links in a 1:2:3 ratio.

[0056] In satellite networks, the satellite network connects to ground gateways via links; these links are called feeder links. In the satellite network field, the ground gateway connected to the satellite network can also be called a gateway station. The satellite transmits traffic to the ground gateway through the feeder link, thus enabling satellite network traffic to reach its destination. Multiple feeder links can exist between a satellite network and a ground gateway, allowing satellite network traffic to be distributed across these links for transmission, thus reducing satellite network congestion.

[0057] As an example, Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a satellite network communication system provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 1 This is merely a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application. The positional relationships between the devices, components, modules, etc. shown in the figure do not constitute any limitation.

[0058] like Figure 1 As shown, the communication system 100 includes a satellite network 110, a ground antenna 120, a ground gateway 130, and a ground control device 140.

[0059] Satellite network 110 includes multiple satellites (e.g., satellite 1, 2, 3, 4, 5…), and each satellite includes communication devices to connect to the network. The communication devices can be various equipment, modules, programs, etc., that enable its functions, such as routers and switches.

[0060] Satellites can communicate with each other via links; these links are called inter-satellite links. Satellites in satellite network 110 can form various network topologies, such as ring, star, mesh, and tree structures. Figure 1 The image shows an example of a network topology formed by multiple satellites (e.g., satellite 1, 2, 3, 4, 5...).

[0061] Satellite network 110 can communicate with ground gateway 130 (also known as a gateway station). For example... Figure 1As shown, satellite network 110 can be connected to ground antenna 120 via a feed link, and ground antenna 120 is connected to ground gateway 130. That is, satellite network 110 communicates with ground gateway 130 through ground antenna 120 and feed link.

[0062] In satellite network 110, satellites directly connected to the feeder link are called grounded satellites. Grounded satellites communicate with neighboring satellites via inter-satellite links.

[0063] Ground control unit 140 can connect to and communicate with ground gateway 130. Ground control unit 140 can be used to manage communication between satellite network 110 and ground gateway 130, and can also be referred to as ground control center. Ground control unit can be various devices, modules, programs, etc. that can realize its functions, such as servers, routers, switches, etc.

[0064] One or more feeder links may exist between the satellite network 110 and a ground gateway 130. For example... Figure 1 As shown, links are represented by connections between devices. The satellite network 110 and a ground gateway 130 include feeder link 1, feeder link 2, and feeder link 3. Traffic that a satellite (e.g., satellite 5) in the satellite network 110 needs to send to the ground network can be distributed across multiple feeder links for transmission to the ground gateway 130.

[0065] The link conditions of satellite networks are complex and variable, with frequent connection and disconnection, and frequent changes in link bandwidth. For example, after a short period of time, some of the feeder links 1, 2, and 3 between satellite network 110 and a ground gateway 130 may disconnect, and new feeder links may also appear between satellite network 110 and ground gateway 130; such changes occur frequently. In addition, during the connection period of each feeder link, the link bandwidth also changes frequently, such as increasing or decreasing bandwidth.

[0066] Frequent changes in feeder links can disrupt satellite network traffic transmission, leading to transmission failures or congestion. For example, Satellite 5 may currently be using feeder links 1, 2, and 3 to transmit traffic to ground gateway 130. In the following period, frequent connection and disconnection of these feeder links may occur, making it difficult for Satellite 5 to promptly identify and respond to these connections. During this time, Satellite 5 might continue to allocate traffic to the disconnected feeder link 2, resulting in transmission failures. Alternatively, both feeder links 1 and 2 might be disconnected, and a new feeder link 4 might be established, but Satellite 5 may still only be able to use feeder link 3 to transmit traffic, leading to congestion.

[0067] Because power supply links in satellite networks change frequently, if the entire satellite network were to announce the link change (a process known as network-wide flooding of link changes) when such a change occurs, it would result in the frequent sending of a large number of messages to announce the link change. This would lead to significant network bandwidth overhead and disrupt normal service traffic transmission.

[0068] In summary, how to manage the power supply links in satellite networks and ensure the normal transmission of satellite network traffic is a problem that urgently needs to be solved in this technical field.

[0069] This application provides a power supply link management method applicable to satellite network communication systems to manage the power supply link between any ground gateway and the satellite network, thereby ensuring normal transmission of satellite network traffic. For example, the power supply link management method provided in this application can be applied to communication system 100 to manage the power supply link between ground gateway 130 and satellite network 110.

[0070] The power supply link management method provided in this application includes: before a certain time period, a ground device acquires power supply information for that time period, wherein the power supply information for that time period indicates N power supply links (N is an integer greater than or equal to 1) used to connect the ground gateway and the satellite network during that time period; and before that time period, power supply packet information for that time period is sent to a set of satellites (including at least one satellite) in the satellite network, wherein the power supply packet information for that time period includes link identifiers of M power supply links in the power supply information for that time period, where M is an integer less than or equal to N.

[0071] Accordingly, the method may also include, before a certain time period, satellites in a satellite set (including at least one satellite) in a satellite network receiving feed packet information for that time period sent by a ground device. And, during that time period, the satellites transmit traffic to a ground gateway via M feed links indicated by the received feed packet information for that time period.

[0072] The power supply link management method provided in this application allows ground devices to obtain the power supply link status between the satellite network and the ground gateway in advance for future time periods, and to notify satellites within a set range of the power supply packet information for future time periods in advance. This enables satellites to accurately know the power supply links used for traffic transmission in future time periods. Thus, when the future time period arrives, satellites can accurately use the known power supply links for traffic transmission, reducing the possibility of satellite network traffic transmission failures or congestion caused by frequent changes in power supply links, and ensuring normal satellite network traffic transmission. Furthermore, notifying satellites within a set range of the power supply packet information for future time periods in advance avoids the need for network-wide flooding of link changes when power supply link changes occur, reducing the frequency of message notifications and thus reducing network bandwidth overhead caused by message notifications, helping to ensure normal service traffic transmission.

[0073] In some implementations, when a satellite allocates traffic to multiple feeder links, the traffic allocation ratio is related to the feeder link bandwidth. If there are many feeder links involved in traffic allocation and the link bandwidth changes frequently during link establishment, the satellite needs to frequently refresh the traffic allocation ratio for multiple feeder links, resulting in significant computational resource consumption. In this embodiment, the feeder grouping information for a given time period announced to the satellite can be a subset of all feeder links between the ground gateway and the satellite network. This reduces the frequency of feeder link bandwidth changes, thereby reducing the number of times the satellite refreshes the traffic allocation ratio, and thus reducing computational resource consumption.

[0074] The following provides a detailed description of the power supply link management method provided in the embodiments of this application. In the power supply link management method provided in the embodiments of this application, the method steps executed by the satellite can be implemented by a communication device on the satellite. The power supply link management method provided in the embodiments of this application can be collaboratively executed by multiple communication devices, such as ground devices (i.e., communication devices on ground equipment, such as communication devices on ground control device 140, ground gateway 130, etc.) and communication devices on the satellite in the satellite network 110.

[0075] For ease of understanding, this application describes a power supply link management method executed collaboratively by multiple communication devices, wherein the operation or step performed by each communication device constitutes the power supply link management method executed by that communication device. For example, the operation or step performed by a ground device constitutes the power supply link management method executed by a ground communication device, and the operation or step performed by each satellite (i.e., the communication device on the satellite) constitutes the power supply link management method executed by each satellite (i.e., the communication device on the satellite).

[0076] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating the power supply link management method provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 2 The paper introduces various methodologies and procedures for power supply link management through multiple embodiments.

[0077] Figure 2 Each time period mentioned in the steps (e.g., the first time period, the second time period, the third time period) refers to a future time range, which can be any specified future time range. The feed links between the specified ground gateway and the satellite network within one or more future time periods can be predicted in advance. The feed links existing in the predicted future time and the actual feed links existing in the future time can be consistent. Predicting the feed links between the satellite network and the specified ground gateway in the future time can be achieved through various feasible methods. For example, the feed links existing in the future time can be determined based on the flight plans of the satellites in the satellite network, or based on other management mechanisms of the satellite system. For specific examples of methods for predicting feed links existing in the future time, please refer to [link to example]. Figure 3 Related explanations.

[0078] Figure 2 The power supply information for a given time period, as described in each step, refers to information indicating all power supply links (which may include N power supply links, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1) existing between a specified ground gateway and the satellite network within that time period. For ease of description, the term "N power supply links for a given time period" may be used below to refer to the N power supply links existing between a specified ground gateway and the satellite network within that time period. The power supply information for a given time period can be represented in various feasible data formats, such as text or symbols, and this application embodiment does not impose any limitations on this.

[0079] Each feeder link can be identified by a link identifier, and different feeder links have different link identifiers. The link identifier of a feeder link can be any identifier that can indicate the feeder link. In some implementations, the link identifier of a feeder link can be the identifier of the interface (or port) connecting the feeder link to the satellite. As an example, feeder link 1 is a feeder link between satellite 5 and the ground gateway. Feeder link 1 connects to interface a1 of satellite 5 and interface b1 of the ground gateway. The link identifier of feeder link 1 is the interface identifier of interface a1 of satellite 5. The link identifier can be represented by a segment identifier (sid) or other various feasible data forms. The sid can also include various types such as End.X sid, segment routing IPv6 (SRv6) based on the IPv6 forwarding plane, etc. This application embodiment does not limit this.

[0080] In the first embodiment, the ground device can obtain power supply information for any future time period in advance, which may be referred to as the first time period. In the first embodiment, the power supply link management method may include the following steps 210, 212, and 214.

[0081] Step 210: Before the first time period, the ground device acquires the power supply information for the first time period, which indicates at least one power supply link used to connect the ground gateway and the satellite network during the first time period.

[0082] According to the prediction results, there are N feeder links between the designated ground gateway and the satellite network during the first time period, and these N feeder links remain connected throughout the first time period. N is an integer greater than or equal to 1, such as 1, 2, 3, etc.

[0083] As an example, during the first time period t1-t2, there are two feeder links, feeder link 1 and feeder link 2, between the designated ground gateway and the satellite network. The feeder information for the first time period t1-t2 includes: the link identifiers of the two feeder links during the first time period (t1-t2) (s1 and s2 respectively).

[0084] In the embodiments of this application, the ground device can directly predict the power supply information for the first time period in the future, or other devices can predict the power supply information for the first time period in the future and send it to the ground device so that the ground device can obtain the power supply information for the first time period.

[0085] Step 212: Before the first time period, the ground device sends the first time period feed packet information to the first set of satellites in the satellite network. The first time period feed packet information includes the link identifiers of at least some feed links in the first time period feed information.

[0086] Ground equipment can determine the range of satellites in the satellite network that need to announce feeder link information for future time periods. In this embodiment, this satellite range can also be referred to as the landing domain. The satellites included in the landing domain can form a satellite set, which includes one or more satellites. When the landing domain includes multiple satellites, all satellites included in the landing domain can be interconnected.

[0087] Each time period has a corresponding landing domain. The landing domains corresponding to different time periods may be the same or not exactly the same. The set of satellites in the landing domain corresponding to the first time period can be called the first satellite set.

[0088] In this context, "two identical landing domains" means that all satellites contained in these two landing domains are the same. For example, both landing domains include satellite 1, satellite 2, and satellite 3.

[0089] The phrase "two landing domains are not completely identical" means that the satellites contained in these two landing domains are not completely identical. This non-identical nature can include various situations such as partial overlap between multiple satellites contained in one landing domain and multiple satellites contained in another landing domain, or complete non-overlap between multiple satellites contained in one landing domain and multiple satellites contained in another landing domain. For example, one landing domain includes satellite 1 and satellite 2, and another landing domain includes satellite 2 and satellite 3. Yet another example is that one landing domain includes satellite 1 and satellite 2, and another landing domain includes satellite 3 and satellite 4.

[0090] In some implementations, the landing domain corresponding to a time period may include one or more of the following satellites: landing satellites connected to the ground network via any one of the N feeder links in this time period (for ease of description, they can be referred to as landing satellites in this time period), and satellites connected to landing satellites in this time period via inter-satellite links with a preset number of hops. The preset number of hops can be set according to requirements, such as 1 hop, 2 hops, etc. Through this embodiment, the determined landing domain can ensure coverage of all satellites through which satellite traffic is transmitted to the feeder links.

[0091] For any satellite in the first satellite set, the feed group information sent by the ground device to the satellite for the first time period may include: the link identifiers of all N feed links in the N feed links indicated by the feed information for the first time period (i.e., M equals N), or the link identifiers of some feed links in the N feed links indicated by the feed information for the first time period (i.e., M is less than N).

[0092] For any two different satellites in the first satellite set, the feed group information sent by the ground device to these two satellites in the first time period may be the same or not completely the same.

[0093] Taking a first satellite set that includes multiple satellites such as a first satellite and a second satellite as an example. The ground equipment can send the first feed packet information for the first time period to the first satellite and the second feed packet information for the first time period to the second satellite before the first time period begins. The first feed packet information and the second feed packet information may be the same or not entirely the same.

[0094] The two feeder packet informations being identical means that the link identifiers of the M feeder links contained in these two feeder packet informations are the same. For example, both feeder packet informations include the link identifiers of feeder link 1 and feeder link 2.

[0095] The phrase "two feeder packet information are not completely identical" refers to the fact that the link identifiers of the M feeder links contained in the two feeder packet information are not completely identical. This inconsistency can include various situations such as: partial overlap between the link identifiers of the M feeder links in one feeder packet information and those in the other feeder packet information; or complete non-overlap between the link identifiers of the M feeder links in one feeder packet information and those in the other feeder packet information. For example, one feeder packet information includes the link identifier of feeder link 1, and the other feeder packet information includes the link identifiers of feeder link 1 and feeder link 2. Another example is that one feeder packet information includes the link identifier of feeder link 1, and the other feeder packet information includes the link identifier of feeder link 2.

[0096] As an example, the ground equipment can allocate all N feed links in the first time period to each satellite in the first satellite set, or the ground equipment can allocate a fixed portion of the N feed links in the first time period to each satellite in the first satellite set. In this case, the M feed links allocated to different satellites can be the same, that is, the feed grouping information for the first time period sent by the ground equipment to different satellites can be the same.

[0097] As an example, the ground device can select M power supply links from N power supply links in the first satellite set and allocate them to each satellite in the first satellite set according to a preset power supply link allocation mechanism. In this case, the M power supply links allocated to different satellites may not be exactly the same. The power supply link allocation mechanism can be configured according to requirements, and this embodiment does not impose any restrictions on it.

[0098] This embodiment sends slightly different feeder packet information to different satellites, which can comprehensively consider the load-sharing capacity of N feeder links and the traffic transmission efficiency of each satellite in a given time period. For example, it can ensure that the traffic of each satellite can be transmitted using multiple feeder links as much as possible in a future time period to improve traffic transmission efficiency, while also ensuring that each feeder link will not become congested due to excessive traffic allocation caused by too many satellites using the link in the future time period.

[0099] In the embodiments of this application, the ground device can transmit feed packet information for the first time period to the satellites in the first satellite set through various feasible methods. For example, when a satellite in the first satellite set is directly connected to a feed link existing at the current time (i.e., the satellite is the landing satellite at the current time), the ground device can transmit the feed packet information for the first time period to the satellite through the feed link existing at the current time. Another example is that the satellites in the first satellite set are connected to the landing satellite at the current time via a one-hop or multi-hop inter-satellite link. The ground device can transmit the feed packet information for the first time period to the landing satellite through the feed link existing at the current time, and the landing satellite can forward the feed packet information for the first time period to the satellites in the first satellite set through the one-hop or multi-hop inter-satellite link. Yet another example is that the ground device can transmit the feed packet information for the first satellite set included in the landing domain and the feed packet information for the first time period corresponding to each satellite in the first satellite set to the landing satellite through the feed link existing at the current time. Then, the landing satellite can transmit the feed packet information for the first time period corresponding to each satellite in the first satellite set.

[0100] Feeder packet information for different time periods can be carried in the message. Thus, the ground device can send feeder packet information for each time period to the satellite by sending messages. The message format is not limited in this embodiment and can be any message format specified by various existing network types, existing standards, future network types, and future standards. As an example, the format of a message carrying feeder packet information for a specific time period can be: message header + message data. The message data includes a type field (indicating that the data type is feeder packet information for a specific time period), followed by the time period and the feeder packet information for that time period (including link identifiers for M feeder links).

[0101] Step 214: During the first time period, any satellite in the first satellite set sends traffic to the ground gateway through the feed link indicated by the feed group information of the first time period.

[0102] For each satellite in the first satellite set, when the first time period arrives, it can send traffic to the designated ground gateway through the M feed links indicated by the received feed group information of the first time period within the first time period.

[0103] As described in step 212, in some embodiments, the feed packet information received by the satellite for the first time period may include: the link identifiers of all feed links among the N feed links in the first time period (i.e., M equals N). In this case, in step 214, during the first time period, the satellite sends traffic to the designated ground gateway through the N feed links of the first time period.

[0104] As described in step 212, in some embodiments, the feed packet information received by the satellite for the first time period may include: the link identifiers of some feed links among the N feed links in the first time period (i.e., M is less than N). In this case, in step 214, during the first time period, the satellite sends traffic to the designated ground gateway through some feed links of the first time period.

[0105] As described in step 212, the first set of satellites corresponding to the first time period may include: the landing satellites of the first time period and satellites connected to the landing satellites of the first time period through one-hop or multi-hop inter-satellite links.

[0106] In step 214, for the landing satellite in the first time period of the first satellite set, the traffic of the landing satellite can be directly sent to the designated ground gateway through the M feed links indicated by the received feed group information of the first time period.

[0107] In step 214, for a satellite connected to the landing satellite of the first time period via a one-hop or multi-hop inter-satellite link, the traffic of the satellite can first be transmitted to the landing satellite of the first time period via a one-hop or multi-hop inter-satellite link, and then the landing satellite of the first time period sends the traffic to the designated ground gateway through the M feed links indicated by the received feed group information of the first time period.

[0108] In addition to the first embodiment, in other embodiments, the ground device can also obtain power supply information for any number of future time periods in advance, and the ground device can also send power supply group information for each time period to the satellite set included in the landing domain of each time period in advance. The time periods may not overlap. The multiple time periods can be consecutive (e.g., including time periods t1-t2, t2-t3, t3-t4, etc.), partially consecutive (e.g., including time periods t1-t2, t2-t3, t4-t5, etc.), or non-consecutive (e.g., including time periods t1-t2, t3-t4, t6-t7, etc.). The durations of different time periods within the multiple time periods may be equal or unequal.

[0109] For any one of the multiple time periods, a method similar to that in steps 210, 212, and 214 can be used to achieve the following: obtain the power supply information for this time period; send the power supply group information for this time period to the satellite set included in the landing domain corresponding to this time period; during this time period, the satellites in the satellite set send traffic to the ground gateway through the M power supply links indicated by the received power supply group information for this time period.

[0110] The on / off status of the power supply links may change over multiple future time periods. Therefore, the N power supply links indicated by the power supply information in different time periods may not be exactly the same. This difference could be due to variations in the number of power supply links or the identification of the power supply links.

[0111] In future time periods, the corresponding landing domains for different time periods may be the same or not exactly the same. Thus, if a satellite in the satellite network is in the landing domain for only one time period, then that satellite will only receive the feed packet information for that one time period. If a satellite in the satellite network is in the landing domain for multiple time periods, then that satellite will be able to receive the feed packet information for all of those time periods.

[0112] The following two embodiments will be used to explain in detail the steps of the power supply link management method when the landing domains corresponding to different time periods in multiple time periods are the same or not completely the same.

[0113] In the second embodiment, the ground device acquires power supply information in advance for any number of future time periods, such as a first time period and a second time period, wherein the multiple time periods do not overlap. The landing domain corresponding to the first time period is the same as the landing domain corresponding to the second time period. As an example, the landing domain corresponding to the first time period is a first set of satellites, and the landing domain corresponding to the second time period is also the first set of satellites.

[0114] In the second embodiment, the power supply link management method may include the following steps 220-225.

[0115] Step 220: Before the first time period, the ground device acquires the power supply information for the first time period. The power supply information for the first time period indicates N1 power supply links used to connect the ground gateway and the satellite network during the first time period, where N1 is an integer greater than or equal to 1.

[0116] Step 221: Before the second time period, the ground device acquires the power supply information for the second time period. The power supply information for the second time period indicates N2 power supply links used to connect the ground gateway and the satellite network during the second time period, where N2 is an integer greater than or equal to 1.

[0117] Step 222: Before the first time period, send the feed packet information for the first time period to the first satellite set. The feed packet information for the first time period includes the link identifiers of M1 feed links in the feed information for the first time period, where M1 is an integer less than or equal to N1.

[0118] Step 223: Before the second time period, send the feed packet information for the second time period to the first satellite set. The feed packet information for the second time period includes the link identifiers of M2 feed links in the feed information for the second time period, where M2 is an integer less than or equal to N2.

[0119] Step 224: During the first time period, any satellite in the first satellite set sends traffic to the ground gateway through the M1 feed links indicated by the feed grouping information of the first time period.

[0120] Step 225: During the second time period, any satellite in the first satellite set sends traffic to the ground gateway through the M2 feed links indicated by the feed grouping information of the second time period.

[0121] In the method flow of the second embodiment described above, there is no order restriction between the two steps: obtaining the power supply information of the first time period (step 220) and obtaining the power supply information of the second time period (step 221). The two steps can be executed separately or together.

[0122] In the method flow of the second embodiment described above, there is no order restriction between the two steps: step 222, in which the ground device sends the power supply group information for the first time period to the first satellite set, and step 223, in which the ground device sends the power supply group information for the second time period to the first satellite set. The two steps can be executed separately or together.

[0123] For example, power supply group information for multiple time periods, such as the first time period and the second time period, can be carried in a single message. When the ground device sends this message to the satellite, it achieves the simultaneous transmission of power supply group information for multiple time periods to the satellite.

[0124] In the third embodiment, the ground device obtains power supply information in advance for any number of future time periods, such as a first time period and a third time period, where the multiple time periods do not overlap. The landing domain corresponding to the first time period and the landing domain corresponding to the third time period are not exactly the same. As an example, the landing domain corresponding to the first time period is a first set of satellites, and the landing domain corresponding to the third time period is a second set of satellites; the first set of satellites and the second set of satellites are not exactly the same.

[0125] In the third embodiment, the power supply link management method may include the following steps 230-235.

[0126] Step 230: Before the first time period, the ground device acquires the power supply information for the first time period. The power supply information for the first time period indicates the N1 power supply links used to connect the ground gateway and the satellite network during the first time period.

[0127] Step 231: Before the third time period, the ground device acquires the power supply information for the third time period. The power supply information for the third time period indicates N3 power supply links used to connect the ground gateway and the satellite network during the third time period, where N3 is an integer greater than or equal to 1.

[0128] Step 232: Before the first time period, send the feed packet information for the first time period to the first satellite set. The feed packet information for the first time period includes the link identifiers of M1 feed links in the feed information for the first time period.

[0129] Step 233: Before the third time period, send the feed packet information for the third time period to the second satellite set. The feed packet information for the third time period includes the link identifiers of M3 feed links in the feed information for the third time period, where M3 is an integer less than or equal to N3.

[0130] Step 234: During the first time period, any satellite in the first satellite set sends traffic to the ground gateway through the M1 feed links indicated by the feed grouping information of the first time period.

[0131] Step 235: During the third time period, any satellite in the second satellite set sends traffic to the ground gateway through the M3 feed links indicated by the feed grouping information of the third time period.

[0132] In the method flow of the third embodiment described above, there is no order restriction between the two steps: obtaining the power supply information of the first time period (step 230) and obtaining the power supply information of the third time period (step 231). The two steps can be executed separately or together.

[0133] In the method flow of the third embodiment described above, there is no order restriction between the two steps: step 232, in which the ground device sends the power supply group information for the first time period to the first satellite set, and step 233, in which it sends the power supply group information for the third time period to the second satellite set.

[0134] The steps in the power supply management method in the foregoing embodiments (such as the first embodiment, the second embodiment, the third embodiment, etc.) can be performed in combination.

[0135] In this embodiment, the satellite can employ various feasible load-sharing mechanisms to transmit traffic through multiple feeder links. For example, ECMP, UCMP, and other schemes can be used, and this embodiment does not limit the specific implementation.

[0136] In this embodiment, the satellite can transmit various types of traffic to the ground gateway via a feed link. For example, it can transmit video traffic, email traffic, etc. The traffic may include one or more types of data, such as image data, text data, and audio data.

[0137] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a method for obtaining power supply information for future time periods, provided in an embodiment of this application. The following is in conjunction with... Figure 3 The method for obtaining power supply information for future time periods is described in detail. Figure 3The method for obtaining power supply information for future time periods described herein can be executed by the aforementioned ground device or by other devices capable of performing its function. The following description uses the execution by the ground device as an example.

[0138] like Figure 3 As shown, satellites typically fly according to fixed flight plans. Ground equipment can acquire the flight plans of each satellite in the satellite network. The flight plans indicate the satellite's flight trajectory (or orbit) in the future. Based on the flight plans of each satellite, the ground equipment can obtain the predicted position of each satellite, which refers to the satellite's location in the future.

[0139] A link can be established between a satellite and a designated ground gateway when the link distance between them is less than or equal to a preset distance. Based on this, the connection status of the power supply link between the satellite and the ground gateway (reflecting the link distance) can be determined in the future. For example, in a given time period, if the distance is less than or equal to the preset distance, a direct power supply link exists between the satellite and the ground gateway; if the distance is greater than the preset distance, no direct power supply link exists. In this way, power supply information for one or more future time periods can be obtained. For example, power supply information for the first time period, the second time period, the third time period, etc., can be obtained.

[0140] Ground equipment can also manage the connection and disconnection of the feeder link between the satellite network and the ground gateway in the future, based on the determined connection and disconnection status of the feeder link in the future. The connection and disconnection status of the feeder link in the future determined by the ground equipment can be consistent with the actual connection and disconnection status of the feeder link in the future. For example, the ground equipment can generate a link establishment plan for the feeder link between the satellite network and the ground gateway in the future based on the determined connection and disconnection status, and announce the link establishment plan to the satellite network, so that the satellite network can establish a link with the ground gateway according to the received link establishment plan.

[0141] For ease of understanding, the following also uses Figures 4-5 Several examples of power supply link management methods are given.

[0142] Figure 4 Example 1 of a power supply link management method is shown. Figure 4 In the example shown, the satellite network includes multiple satellites, including satellites 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12. The ground control device obtains the power supply information for the future time period t1-t2 in advance.

[0143] During the time period t1-t2, the ground gateway is connected to the landing satellites 5, 6, and 7 via power supply links 1, 2, and 3. Furthermore, the ground control unit determines that satellites 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, and 11 constitute the landing domain corresponding to the time period t1-t2.

[0144] Before time period t1-t2, the ground control unit sends feed packet information for time period t1-t2 to the satellites in the corresponding landing domain. In this example, the feed packet information sent to satellites 1, 2, and 3 in the landing domain is used as an example for illustration, as detailed below.

[0145] For satellite 1, the message sent to it contains the first feeder packet information for time period t1-t2. The first feeder packet information for time period t1-t2 includes the link identifier s1 of feeder link 1, the link identifier s2 of feeder link 2, and the link identifier s3 of feeder link 3.

[0146] For satellite 2, the message sent to it contains the second feed packet information for the time period t1-t2, which includes the link identifier s1 of feed link 1.

[0147] For satellite 3, the message sent to it contains the third feeder packet information for time period t1-t2, which includes the link identifier s1 of feeder link 1.

[0148] Within the time period t1-t2, the specific power supply distribution of satellites within the corresponding landing domain is as follows:

[0149] During the time period t1-t2, satellite 1 distributes traffic to feeder links 1, 2, and 3, and sends traffic to the ground gateway through feeder links 1, 2, and 3;

[0150] During the time period t1-t2, satellite 2 diverts traffic to feeder 1 and sends traffic to the ground gateway through feeder link 1.

[0151] During the time period t1-t2, satellite 3 diverts traffic to feeder 1 and sends traffic to the ground gateway through feeder link 1.

[0152] Figure 5 Example two of the power supply link management method is shown. Figure 5 In the example shown, the satellite network includes multiple satellites, including satellites 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12. The ground control device obtains the power supply information in advance for future time periods t1-t2, t2-t3, and t3-t4.

[0153] During time intervals t1-t2, the ground gateway is connected to landing satellites 5, 6, and 7 via feeder links 1, 2, and 3. Satellites 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, and 11 constitute the landing domain corresponding to time interval t1-t2. During time intervals t2-t3, the ground gateway is connected to landing satellites 6 and 7 via feeder links 2 and 3. Satellites 2, 3, 6, 7, 10, and 11 constitute the landing domain corresponding to time interval t2-t3. During time intervals t3-t4, the ground gateway is connected to landing satellites 6, 7, and 8 via feeder links 2, 3, and 4. Satellites 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, and 12 constitute the landing domain corresponding to time interval t3-t4.

[0154] Before time periods t1-t2, t2-t3, and t3-t4 (e.g., before time t1), the ground control unit transmits feed packet information for time period t1-t2 to satellites within the landing domain corresponding to time period t1-t2, feed packet information for time period t2-t3 to satellites within the landing domain corresponding to time period t2-t3, and feed packet information for time period t3-t4 to satellites within the landing domain corresponding to time period t3-t4. In this example, the feed packet information transmitted to satellites 1, 2, 3, and 4 within the landing domain is used as an example for illustration, as detailed below:

[0155] For satellite 1, the messages sent to satellite 1 only within the landing domain corresponding to time period t1-t2 contain the first feeder packet information for time period t1-t2. The first feeder packet information for time period t1-t2 includes the link identifier s1 of feeder link 1, the link identifier s2 of feeder link 2, and the link identifier s3 of feeder link 3.

[0156] For satellite 2, it is located in the landing domain corresponding to time period t1-t2, the landing domain corresponding to time period t2-t3, and the landing domain corresponding to time period t3-t4.

[0157] The message sent to Satellite 2 includes the second feeder packet information for time period t1-t2, the first feeder packet information for time period t2-t3, and the first feeder packet information for time period t3-t4. The second feeder packet information for time period t1-t2 includes the link identifier s1 of feeder link 1; the first feeder packet information for time period t2-t3 includes the link identifier s2 of feeder link 2 and the link identifier s3 of feeder link 3; and the first feeder packet information for time period t3-t4 includes the link identifier s2 of feeder link 2, the link identifier s3 of feeder link 3, and the link identifier s4 of feeder link 4.

[0158] For satellite 3, it falls within the landing domain corresponding to time period t1-t2, the landing domain corresponding to time period t2-t3, and the landing domain corresponding to time period t3-t4.

[0159] The message sent to satellite 3 includes the third feed packet information for time period t1-t2, the second feed packet information for time period t2-t3, and the second feed packet information for time period t3-t4. The third feed packet information for time period t1-t2 includes the link identifier s1 of feed link 1. The second feed packet information for time period t2-t3 includes the link identifier s2 of feed link 2 and the link identifier s3 of feed link 3. The second feed packet information for time period t3-t4 includes the link identifiers of feed link 2, feed link 3, and feed link 4.

[0160] For satellite 4, only within the landing domain corresponding to time period t3-t4, the messages sent to satellite 4 contain the third feeder packet information for time period t3-t4. The third feeder packet information for time period t3-t4 includes the link identifier s2 of feeder link 2 and the link identifier s3 of feeder link 3.

[0161] Within the time period t1-t2, the specific power supply distribution of satellites within the corresponding landing domain is as follows:

[0162] During the time period t1-t2, satellite 1 distributes traffic to feeder links 1, 2, and 3, and sends traffic to the ground gateway through feeder links 1, 2, and 3;

[0163] During the time period t1-t2, satellite 2 diverts traffic to feeder 1 and sends traffic to the ground gateway through feeder link 1.

[0164] During the time period t1-t2, satellite 3 diverts traffic to feeder 1 and sends traffic to the ground gateway through feeder link 1.

[0165] Within the time period t2-t3, the specific power supply diversion situation of satellites in the corresponding landing domain is as follows:

[0166] During the time period t2-t3, satellite 2 splits traffic to feeders 2 and 3 and sends traffic to the ground gateway through feeder links 2 and 3.

[0167] During the time period t2-t3, satellite 3 splits the traffic to feeders 2 and 3 and sends the traffic to the ground gateway through feeder links 2 and 3.

[0168] Within the time period t3-t4, the specific power supply diversion situation of satellites in the corresponding landing domain is as follows:

[0169] During the time period t3-t4, satellite 2 distributes traffic to feeders 2, 3, and 4, and sends traffic to the ground gateway through feeder links 2, 3, and 4;

[0170] During the time period t3-t4, satellite 3 distributes traffic to feeders 2, 3, and 4, and sends traffic to the ground gateway through feeder links 2, 3, and 4;

[0171] During the time period t3-t4, satellite 4 splits traffic to feeders 2 and 3 and sends traffic to the ground gateway through feeder links 2 and 3.

[0172] The above text combines Figures 2 to 5 This document describes in detail the power supply link management method provided according to embodiments of this application. The following will combine... Figure 6 The apparatus provided according to this application is described. These apparatuses can be used to implement the functions of any communication device (such as the aforementioned ground device or communication devices on each satellite) in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments.

[0173] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of another communication system provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication system 600 includes one or more communication devices, which may correspond to communication devices on one or more satellites in a satellite network, and are used to implement the functions performed by one or more satellites in the satellite network in the power supply link management method provided in this application embodiment.

[0174] As an example, communication system 600 includes a first communication device set 610, which includes at least one communication device. The first communication device set 610 may be a collection of communication devices on each satellite in a first satellite set. The first communication device set 610 is configured to: receive feed packet information for a first time period transmitted by a ground device before a first time period. The feed packet information for the first time period includes link identifiers of at least a portion of the feed links used to connect the ground gateway and the satellite network during the first time period. The first communication device set 610 is also configured to transmit traffic to the ground gateway via the feed links indicated by the feed packet information for the first time period during the first time period.

[0175] In some implementations, the first communication device set 610 is further configured to: receive feed packet information for the second time period sent by the ground device before the second time period. The feed packet information for the second time period includes link identifiers of at least some of the feed links used to connect the ground gateway and the satellite network during the second time period, and the first and second time periods do not overlap. The first communication device set 610 is further configured to send traffic to the ground gateway through the M feed links indicated by the feed packet information for the second time period during the second time period.

[0176] In some implementations, N is greater than or equal to 2, and the first set of communication devices includes a first communication device 612 and a second communication device 614.

[0177] The first communication device 612 is configured to receive first power supply packet information for the first time period sent by the ground device before the first time period. The first communication device 612 is also configured to send traffic to the ground gateway through the power supply link indicated by the first power supply packet information during the first time period.

[0178] The second communication device 614 is used to receive second feed packet information for the first time period sent by the ground device before the first time period. The second communication device 614 is also used to send traffic to the ground gateway via the feed link indicated by the second feed packet information during the first time period. The first feed packet information and the second feed packet information are not entirely identical.

[0179] In some implementations, the communication system further includes a second set of communication devices 620, which includes at least one communication device. The second set of communication devices 620 may be a collection of communication devices on each satellite in a second set of satellites. The second set of communication devices 620 is used to receive feed packet information for the third time period transmitted by ground devices before the third time period. The feed packet information for the third time period is used during the third time period to identify at least a portion of the feed links in at least one feed link connecting the ground gateway and the satellite network. The first and third time periods do not overlap. The second set of communication devices 620 is also used during the third time period to transmit traffic to the ground gateway via the feed link indicated by the feed packet information for the third time period.

[0180] For a more detailed description of the functions performed by the aforementioned communication device, please refer to [link / reference needed]. Figures 2-5 A description of the provided power supply link management method and its implementation.

[0181] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device 700 can be used to implement the functions performed by any of the aforementioned communication devices (e.g., the aforementioned ground device, each communication device in the first set of communication devices, each communication device in the second set of communication devices, etc.).

[0182] like Figure 7 As shown, the communication device 700 includes a transceiver module 712 and a processing module 714.

[0183] In one implementation, the communication device 700 is a ground device. The processing module 714 is configured to acquire feed information for a first time period before the first time period begins. The feed information for the first time period indicates at least one feed link used to connect the ground gateway and the satellite network during the first time period. The transceiver module 712 is configured to transmit feed packet information for the first time period to a first set of satellites in the satellite network before the first time period begins. The feed packet information for the first time period includes link identifiers of at least a portion of the feed links in the feed information for the first time period.

[0184] In some implementations, the first satellite set includes a first satellite and a second satellite. The transceiver module 712 is also configured to send a first feed packet information for the first time period to the first satellite before the first time period. The transceiver module 712 is also configured to send a second feed packet information for the first time period to the second satellite before the first time period. The first feed packet information and the second feed packet information are not entirely identical.

[0185] In some implementations, processing module 714 is further configured to acquire feed information for the second time period before the second time period. The feed information for the second time period indicates at least one feed link used to connect the ground gateway and the satellite network during the second time period, and the first and second time periods do not overlap. Transceiver module 712 is further configured to send feed packet information for the second time period to the first satellite set before the second time period. The feed packet information for the second time period includes link identifiers of at least some of the feed links in the feed information for the second time period. The feed packet information for the first and second time periods can be carried in a single message.

[0186] In some implementations, processing module 714 is further configured to acquire feed information for the third time period before the third time period. The feed information for the third time period indicates at least one feed link used to connect the ground gateway and the satellite network during the third time period, and the first and third time periods do not overlap. Transceiver module 712 is further configured to send feed packet information for the third time period to a second set of satellites in the satellite network before the third time period. The feed packet information for the third time period includes link identifiers of at least some of the feed links in the feed information for the third time period. The second set of satellites is not entirely identical to the first set of satellites. In some implementations, the first or second set of satellites includes one or more of the following: ground satellites connected to the ground gateway via any of the at least one feed link, and satellites connected to the aforementioned ground satellites via inter-satellite links with a preset number of hops.

[0187] In some implementations, the processing module 714 is also used to obtain the predicted positions of the satellites in the satellite network according to the flight plans of the satellites in the satellite network, and to obtain the power supply information for each time period (including the power supply information for the first time period, the power supply information for the second time period, or the power supply information for the third time period) based on the distance between the predicted positions of the satellites and the positions of the ground gateways.

[0188] In one implementation, the communication device 700 is a communication device in a first set of communication devices. The transceiver module 712 is used to receive feeder packet information for a first time period transmitted by the ground device. The feeder packet information for the first time period includes link identifiers of at least a portion of the feeder links used to connect the ground gateway and the satellite network during the first time period. The processing module 714 is used to instruct the transceiver module 712 to transmit traffic to the ground gateway through the feeder links indicated by the feeder packet information for the first time period during the first time period.

[0189] In some implementations, the transceiver module 712 is further configured to receive feed packet information for the second time period transmitted by the ground device before the second time period. The feed packet information for the second time period includes link identifiers of at least a portion of the feed links used to connect the ground gateway and the satellite network during the second time period, and the first and second time periods do not overlap. The processing module 714 is further configured to instruct the transceiver module 712 to transmit traffic to the ground gateway through the feed links indicated by the feed packet information for the second time period during the second time period.

[0190] In some implementations, the first set of communication devices includes a first communication device and a second communication device.

[0191] In some implementations, communication device 700 serves as the first communication device. Transceiver module 712 is used to receive first feed packet information for the first time period sent by the ground device before the first time period. Processing module 714 is also used to send traffic to the ground gateway via the feed link indicated by the first feed packet information during the first time period.

[0192] In some implementations, communication device 700 serves as a second communication device. Transceiver module 712 is used to receive second feed packet information for the first time period sent by ground device before the first time period. Processing module 714 is also used to send traffic to the ground gateway via the feed link indicated by the second feed packet information during the first time period. The first feed packet information and the second feed packet information are not entirely identical.

[0193] In one implementation, communication device 700 is a communication device in a second set of communication devices. Transceiver module 712 is configured to receive feed packet information for the third time period transmitted by ground device before the third time period. The feed packet information for the third time period includes link identifiers of at least a portion of the feed links used to connect the ground gateway and the satellite network during the third time period. The first and third time periods do not overlap. Processing module 714 is configured to instruct transceiver module 712 to transmit traffic to the ground gateway through the feed link indicated by the feed packet information for the third time period during the third time period.

[0194] For a more detailed description of the functions performed by the aforementioned communication device, please refer to [link / reference needed]. Figures 2-5 A description of the provided power supply link management method and its implementation.

[0195] All devices can be implemented through software, hardware, or a combination of both. For example, the implementation of communication device 700 will be described below.

[0196] All modules can be implemented in software, hardware, or a combination of both. For example, the implementation methods of the transceiver module 712 and the processing module 714 will be described below.

[0197] As an example of a software functional unit, the transceiver module 712 or the processing module 714 may include code running on a device instance. The device instance may be at least one of a physical device (e.g., a switch, router, server, etc.) or a virtualized device (e.g., a virtual machine, etc.). Furthermore, the aforementioned device instance may be one or more. For example, the transceiver module 712 or the processing module 714 may include code running on multiple physical / virtualized devices.

[0198] As an example of a hardware functional unit, the transceiver module 712 or the processing module 714 may include at least one hardware device. For example, the transceiver module 712 may include a network interface card, a transceiver, etc., and the processing module 714 may include any one or more processors such as a central processing unit (CPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), a network processor (NP), a neural network processing unit (NPU), a data processing unit (DPU), or a microprocessor (MP). Alternatively, the processing module 714 may be a device or device implemented using an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a programmable logic device (PLD).

[0199] This application also provides a communication device 800. The communication device 800 is an example of a hardware device. The communication device 800 provided in this application can be any device or apparatus with communication and processing capabilities proposed in this application (e.g., the aforementioned ground device, the communication device on each satellite). Any communication device proposed in this application (e.g., the aforementioned ground device, the communication device on each satellite) can be implemented on the communication device 800.

[0200] like Figure 8 As shown, the communication device 800 includes: a bus 802, a communication interface 804, a processor 806, and a memory 808. The communication interface 804, processor 806, and memory 808 communicate with each other via the bus 802. It should be understood that this application does not limit the number of processors and memories in the communication device 800. Optionally, the processor 806 of the communication device 800 can be connected to a display or input device via the communication interface 804. Figure 8 (Not shown in the image).

[0201] The 802 bus can be divided into address bus, data bus, control bus, etc. For ease of representation, Figure 8 The bus 802 may be represented by a single line, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus. The bus 802 may include a path for transmitting information between various components of the communication device 800 (e.g., communication interface 804, processor 806, memory 808).

[0202] Communication interface 804 uses transceiver modules such as, but not limited to, network interface cards and transceivers to enable communication between communication device 800 and devices or communication networks. Communication interface 804 may include wired communication interfaces and wireless communication interfaces. Specifically, communication interface 804 may be an Ethernet interface, a Fast Ethernet (FE) interface, a Gigabit Ethernet (GE) interface, an Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) interface, a wireless local area network (WLAN) interface, a cellular network communication interface, or a combination thereof. The Ethernet interface may be an optical interface, an electrical interface, or a combination thereof.

[0203] The display may include various display devices capable of display functions, such as plasma displays and liquid crystal displays. The communication device 800 can realize display functions through the display. Input devices may include various input devices capable of information / signal input, such as keyboards, mice, and touch screens.

[0204] Processor 806 may include a CPU, DSP, NP, NPU, DPU, MP, or one or more integrated circuits for implementing the solutions of this application. For example, processor 806 includes an ASIC, PLD, or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. A PLD may be, for example, a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a generic array logic (GAL), or any combination thereof. It can implement or execute various logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the disclosure of the embodiments of this invention. A processor may also be a combination that implements computational functions, such as a combination of one or more microprocessors, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, etc. In the embodiments of this application, processor 806 can be used to execute the embodiments of this application. Figures 2-5 The steps or operations in the provided power supply link management method and its implementation.

[0205] Memory 808 may include volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM). Memory 808 may also include non-volatile memory, such as read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, hard disk drive (HDD), or solid state drive (SSD). Alternatively, memory 808 may be any other medium capable of carrying or storing desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and accessible by a computer.

[0206] The memory 808 may store program code that executes the scheme of this application, and the processor 806 may execute the program code stored in the memory 808. That is, the communication device 800 can implement the embodiments of this application through the processor 806 and the program code in the memory 808. Figures 2-5 The provided power supply link management method and its implementation include steps or operations. The program code may include one or more software modules. Optionally, the processor 806 itself may also store program code or instructions for executing the solution of this application.

[0207] In a specific embodiment, the communication device 800 may correspond to any of the aforementioned communication devices. The processor 806 reads the instructions in the memory 808, enabling the communication device 800 to execute the operations performed by any of the communication devices.

[0208] In a specific embodiment, the memory 808 stores executable program code for implementing the functions of the aforementioned transceiver module 712 and processing module 714. The processor 806 executes the executable program code to implement the functions of the aforementioned transceiver module 712 and processing module 714 respectively.

[0209] This application also provides a communication device 900. The communication device 900 is another example of a hardware device. The communication device 900 provided in this application can be used as a network device (e.g., a switch, router, etc.) in this application. Any communication device proposed in this application (e.g., the aforementioned first communication device, second communication device, etc.) can be implemented on the communication device 900.

[0210] like Figure 9 As shown, the communication device 900 includes a main control board 910 and an interface board 930.

[0211] The main control board 910, also known as the main processing unit (MPU) or route processor card, is used to control and manage the various components in the communication device 900, including routing calculation, device management, device maintenance, and protocol processing functions. The main control board 910 includes a central processing unit 911 and a memory 912.

[0212] Interface board 930, also known as line processing unit (LPU), linecard, or service board, provides various service interfaces and enables packet forwarding. Service interfaces include, but are not limited to, Ethernet interfaces, POS (Packet over SONET / SDH) interfaces, and, for example, Flexible Ethernet Clients (FlexE Clients). Interface board 930 includes: a central processing unit 931, a network processor 932, a forwarding table entry memory 934, and a physical interface card (PIC) 933.

[0213] The central processing unit 931 on the interface board 930 is used to control and manage the interface board 930 and communicate with the central processing unit 911 on the main control board 910.

[0214] The network processor 932 is used to implement packet forwarding processing. The network processor 932 can be in the form of a forwarding chip. Specifically, the network processor 932 forwards received packets based on the forwarding table stored in the forwarding table entry memory 934. If the destination address of the packet is the address of the communication device 900, the packet is sent to the CPU (such as the central processing unit 911) for processing; if the destination address of the packet is not the address of the communication device 900, the next hop and outgoing interface corresponding to the destination address are looked up in the forwarding table according to the destination address, and the packet is forwarded to the outgoing interface corresponding to the destination address. Uplink packet processing includes: packet ingress interface processing, forwarding table lookup; downlink packet processing includes forwarding table lookup, etc.

[0215] The physical interface card 933 is used to implement physical layer interfacing functions. Raw traffic enters the interface board 930 through this card, and processed packets are sent out from the physical interface card 933. The physical interface card 933, also called a daughter card, can be installed on the interface board 930. It is responsible for converting photoelectric signals into packets, performing validity checks on the packets, and forwarding them to the network processor 932 for processing. In some embodiments, the central processing unit can also perform the functions of the network processor 932, such as implementing software forwarding based on a general-purpose CPU, thus eliminating the need for the network processor 932 in the physical interface card 933.

[0216] Optionally, the communication device 900 includes multiple interface boards. For example, the communication device 900 also includes an interface board 940, which includes a central processing unit 941, a network processor 942, a forwarding table entry memory 944, and a physical interface card 943.

[0217] Optionally, the communication device 900 also includes a switching fabric board 920. The switching fabric board 920 can also be referred to as a switch fabric unit (SFU). When the communication device has multiple interface boards 930, the switching fabric board 920 is used to complete data exchange between the interface boards. For example, interface boards 930 and 940 can communicate through the switching fabric board 920.

[0218] The main control board 910 and the interface board 930 are coupled. For example, the main control board 910, interface boards 930 and 940, and the switching network board 920 communicate with each other via a system bus connected to the system backplane. In one possible implementation, an inter-process communication (IPC) channel is established between the main control board 910 and the interface board 930, and the main control board 910 and the interface board 930 communicate with each other through the IPC channel.

[0219] Logically, the communication device 900 includes a control plane and a forwarding plane. The control plane includes a main control board 910 and a central processing unit 931, while the forwarding plane includes various components that perform forwarding, such as a forwarding table entry memory 934, a physical interface card 933, and a network processor 932. The control plane performs functions such as router operation, generating forwarding tables, processing signaling and protocol messages, and configuring and maintaining the device's status. The control plane distributes the generated forwarding table to the forwarding plane. In the forwarding plane, the network processor 932 looks up the packets received by the physical interface card 933 based on the forwarding table distributed by the control plane and forwards them. The forwarding table distributed by the control plane can be stored in the forwarding table entry memory 934. In some embodiments, the control plane and the forwarding plane can be completely separated and not on the same device.

[0220] In this embodiment, the operation on interface board 940 is the same as that on interface board 930, and will not be described again for simplicity. The communication device 900 in this embodiment can correspond to the communication devices in the above-described method embodiments. The main control board 910, interface board 930 and / or 940 in the communication device 900 can implement the functions and / or various steps of the communication devices in the above-described method embodiments, and will not be described again for simplicity.

[0221] It's worth noting that a communication device may have one or more main control boards, including a primary and a backup main control board. It may also have one or more interface boards; the stronger the data processing capability of the communication device, the more interface boards it provides. Each interface board may also have one or more physical interface cards. A switching network board may or may not exist; multiple boards can share the load and provide redundancy. In a centralized forwarding architecture, the communication device may not need a switching network board, as the interface boards handle the entire system's business data processing. In a distributed forwarding architecture, the communication device can have at least one switching network board, which enables data exchange between multiple interface boards, providing high-capacity data exchange and processing capabilities. Therefore, the data access and processing capabilities of a distributed architecture communication device are greater than those of a centralized architecture device. Alternatively, the communication device can also consist of a single board, without a switching network board. The functions of the interface board and the main control board are integrated on this single board. In this case, the central processing unit (CPU) on the interface board and the CPU on the main control board can be combined into a single CPU to execute the combined functions. This type of device has lower data exchange and processing capabilities (e.g., low-end switches or routers). The specific architecture adopted depends on the specific network deployment scenario, and no restrictions are imposed here.

[0222] In a specific embodiment, any of the aforementioned communication devices (such as the first communication device, the second communication device, etc.) can be implemented on the communication device 900. The memory 912 of the main control board 910 can store instructions for implementing the functions performed by the aforementioned communication devices (for example, instructions for implementing the functions of the aforementioned transceiver module 712 and processing module 714). The central processing unit 911 of the main control board 910 executes the instructions in the memory 912 and can perform the functions performed by the aforementioned communication devices together with other components such as the interface board 930 and the switching network board 920.

[0223] In some possible implementations, any communication device proposed in the embodiments of this application can be a virtualization device. As an example, a virtualization device can be a virtual machine (VM), which is deployed on a hardware device (e.g., a physical host). A virtual machine refers to a complete computer system simulated by software, possessing full hardware system functionality and running in a completely isolated environment. A virtual machine can be configured as the communication device involved in the embodiments of this application. For example, the various communication devices can be implemented based on a general-purpose physical host combined with Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) technology. The communication device can be a virtual host, a virtual router, or a virtual switch. Those skilled in the art can, by reading this application, virtualize the various communication devices with the functions described in the embodiments of this application on a general-purpose physical host using NFV technology.

[0224] In some possible implementations, any communication device proposed in the embodiments of this application can be a processor or a chip. The chip may include a processor and a power supply circuit, the power supply circuit being used to supply power to the processor. In specific embodiments, the processor or chip may correspond to any of the aforementioned communication devices, and the processor or chip is capable of performing the operations performed by any of the communication devices.

[0225] This application also provides another communication system, which includes one or more processors and one or more memories. The one or more memories store information for implementing the embodiments of this application. Figures 2-5 The provided instructions for power supply link management and its implementation can be executed by one or more processors executing instructions from one or more memories to perform the embodiments of this application. Figures 2-5 The provided power supply link management method and its implementation are described. For more information on the processor and memory implementations, please refer to the preceding descriptions of the processor and memory.

[0226] This application also provides a computer program product. The computer program product may be software or a program product containing instructions capable of running on a communication device or processor (e.g., running on one or more processors of the aforementioned communication device 800 or 900) or stored on any usable medium. The instructions included in the computer program product may include instructions for executing the embodiments of this application. Figures 2-5 The provided power supply link management method and its implementation include instructions for steps or operations. When the computer program product is run on a communication device or processor (e.g., on one or more processors of the aforementioned communication device 800 or communication device 900), it implements the embodiments of this application. Figures 2-5 The steps or operations in the provided power supply link management method and its implementation.

[0227] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computing device can store, or a data storage device such as a data center containing one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., solid-state drive). The computer-readable storage medium includes instructions that instruct a communication device or processor to execute the embodiments of this application. Figures 2-5 The steps or operations in the provided power supply link management method and its implementation.

[0228] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit them. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the protection scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application.

[0229] The terms “first,” “second,” “third,” and “fourth,” etc., used in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this application are used to distinguish different objects, not to define a specific order.

[0230] In the embodiments of this application, the terms "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate that something is an example, illustration, or description. Any embodiment or design that is described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design. Specifically, the use of the terms "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner.

Claims

1. A power supply link management method, characterized in that, The method is applied to a communication system, the communication system including a ground gateway and a satellite network, the ground gateway and the satellite network being connected via a feeder link, the method comprising: Before the first time period, the power supply information for the first time period is acquired, and the power supply information for the first time period indicates at least one power supply link used to connect the ground gateway and the satellite network during the first time period; Prior to the first time period, feed packet information for the first time period is sent to a first set of satellites in the satellite network. The feed packet information for the first time period includes link identifiers of at least a portion of the feed links in the feed information for the first time period. The first set of satellites includes at least one satellite.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first satellite set includes a first satellite and a second satellite; The step of sending the feed group information for the first time period to the first satellite set before the first time period includes: Before the first time period, the first feed packet information for the first time period is sent to the first satellite; Before the first time period, the second feed packet information for the first time period is sent to the second satellite; The first power supply group information is not completely the same as the second power supply group information.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The method further includes: Before the second time period, the power supply information for the second time period is acquired. The power supply information for the second time period indicates at least one power supply link used to connect the ground gateway and the satellite network during the second time period. The first time period and the second time period do not overlap. Prior to the second time period, feed packet information for the second time period is sent to the first satellite set, the feed packet information for the second time period including link identifiers of at least a portion of the feed links in the feed information for the second time period.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The power supply packet information for the first time period and the power supply packet information for the second time period are carried in a single message.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The method further includes: Before the third time period, the power supply information for the third time period is obtained, the power supply information for the third time period indicating at least one power supply link used to connect the ground gateway and the satellite network during the third time period, and the first time period and the third time period do not overlap; Prior to the third time period, feed packet information for the third time period is sent to the second set of satellites in the satellite network. The feed packet information for the third time period includes link identifiers of at least some feed links in the feed information for the third time period. The second set of satellites is not exactly the same as the first set of satellites.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The first satellite set or the second satellite set includes one or more of the following: The satellites connected to the ground gateway via any of the at least one power supply link, and the satellites connected to the ground gateway via inter-satellite links with a preset number of hops.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The step of obtaining the power supply information for the first time period, the second time period, or the third time period includes: Based on the flight plans of the satellites in the satellite network, obtain the predicted positions of the satellites in the satellite network; Based on the distance between the predicted position of the satellite and the position of the ground gateway, the power supply information for the first time period, the power supply information for the second time period, or the power supply information for the third time period is obtained.

8. A power supply link management method, characterized in that, The method is applied to a communication system, the communication system including a ground gateway and a satellite network, the ground gateway and the satellite network being connected via a feeder link, the method comprising: Before the first time period, the ground device sends the first time period feed packet information, which includes the link identifier of at least a portion of the feed links used to connect the ground gateway and the satellite network during the first time period. During the first time period, traffic is sent to the ground gateway via the power supply link indicated by the power supply group information of the first time period.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The method further includes: Before the second time period, the ground device receives the feed packet information for the second time period, which includes the link identifier of at least a portion of the feed links used to connect the ground gateway and the satellite network during the second time period. The first time period and the second time period do not overlap. During the second time period, traffic is sent to the ground gateway via the power supply link indicated by the power supply group information of the second time period.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The power supply packet information for the first time period and the power supply packet information for the second time period are carried in a single message.

11. The method according to any one of claims 8-10, characterized in that, The satellite network includes a first satellite set, which receives power supply packet information for the first time period sent by the ground device before the first time period. The first satellite set includes a first satellite and a second satellite, and the method further includes: Before the first time period, the first satellite receives the first power supply packet information for the first time period sent by the ground device; During the first time period, the first satellite sends traffic to the ground gateway through the feed link indicated by the first feed group information; Before the first time period, the second satellite receives the second power supply packet information for the first time period sent by the ground device; During the first time period, the second satellite sends traffic to the ground gateway through the feed link indicated by the second feed group information; The first power supply group information is not completely the same as the second power supply group information.

12. The method according to any one of claims 8-11, characterized in that, The satellite network includes a first satellite set and a second satellite set. Before the first time period, the first satellite set receives feed packet information for the first time period sent by the ground device. The method further includes: Before the third time period, the second satellite set receives the feed packet information for the third time period sent by the ground device. The feed packet information for the third time period includes the link identifiers of at least a portion of the feed links used to connect the ground gateway and the satellite network during the third time period. The first time period and the third time period do not overlap. During the third time period, the second satellite array sends traffic to the ground gateway via the feed link indicated by the feed group information of the third time period.

13. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes a transceiver module and a processing module, and is used to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-7.

14. A communication system, characterized in that, The communication system includes a first set of communication devices, and the first set of communication devices includes at least one communication device. The first set of communication devices is configured to receive, before a first time period, feed packet information for the first time period sent by a ground device, the feed packet information for the first time period including link identifiers of at least a portion of the feed links used to connect the ground gateway and the satellite network during the first time period. The first set of communication devices is further configured to send traffic to the ground gateway via the power supply link indicated by the power supply group information of the first time period during the first time period.

15. The system according to claim 14, characterized in that, The first set of communication devices is also used for: Before the second time period, the ground device receives the feed packet information for the second time period, which includes the link identifier of at least a portion of the feed links used to connect the ground gateway and the satellite network during the second time period. The first time period and the second time period do not overlap. During the second time period, traffic is sent to the ground gateway via the power supply link indicated by the power supply group information of the second time period.

16. The system according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that, The first set of communication devices includes a first communication device and a second communication device; The first communication device is configured to receive, before the first time period, the first power supply packet information for the first time period sent by the ground device for the first time period; The first communication device is further configured to send traffic to the ground gateway via the power supply link indicated by the first power supply group information during the first time period; The second communication device is used to receive, before the first time period, the second power supply packet information for the first time period sent by the ground device for the first time period; The second communication device is further configured to send traffic to the ground gateway via the power supply link indicated by the second power supply group information during the first time period; The first power supply group information is not completely the same as the second power supply group information.

17. The system according to any one of claims 14-16, characterized in that, The communication system further includes a second set of communication devices, the second set of communication devices including at least one communication device; The second set of communication devices is used to receive, before the third time period, feed packet information for the third time period sent by the ground device, the feed packet information for the third time period including link identifiers of at least a portion of the feed links of at least one feed link used to connect the ground gateway and the satellite network during the third time period, the first time period and the third time period do not overlap; The second set of communication devices is further configured to send traffic to the ground gateway via the power supply link indicated by the power supply group information of the third time period during the third time period.

18. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-12.

19. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, It includes computer program instructions, which, when executed by a communication device, cause the communication device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-12.

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