Communication method, system, session management function, user equipment and electronic device

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a communication method, system, session management function, user equipment and electronic device, and relates to the technical field of communication. The communication method is performed by an SMF, comprising: in response to a first user equipment performing satellite switching or on-satellite base station switching, controlling an on-satellite base station of a second user equipment in communication with the first user equipment, and sending uplink data of the second user equipment to a first ground UPF.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, system, session management function, user equipment, and electronic equipment. Background Technology

[0002] When two User Equipment (UE) devices access and communicate with each other via medium / low Earth orbit satellites, their communication data can be directly routed on the satellite without going through a terrestrial network, thus saving latency and ground station resources. Summary of the Invention

[0003] One of the technical problems that this disclosure aims to solve is: how to improve the reliability of communication.

[0004] According to a first aspect of some embodiments of the present disclosure, a communication method is provided, executed by a Session Management Function (SMF), including: in response to a first user equipment performing a satellite handover or an on-board base station handover, controlling an on-board base station of a second user equipment communicating with the first user equipment to send uplink data of the second user equipment to a first ground user plane function (UPF).

[0005] In some embodiments, controlling the on-board base station of the second user equipment communicating with the first user equipment to send the uplink data of the second user equipment to the first ground UPF includes: when it is determined that the communication between the first user equipment and the second user equipment has been converted from inter-satellite routing to ground routing, controlling the on-board base station of the second user equipment communicating with the first user equipment to send the uplink data of the second user equipment to the first ground UPF.

[0006] In some embodiments, the above communication method further includes: determining whether the communication between the first user equipment and the second user equipment is converted from inter-satellite routing to ground routing based on the identification information of the target satellite for satellite handover or on-board base station handover of the first user equipment.

[0007] In some embodiments, the communication method further includes: receiving a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session context modification request sent by the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), wherein the PDU session context modification request includes identification information of the target satellite.

[0008] In some embodiments, determining whether communication between the first user equipment and the second user equipment is converted from inter-satellite routing to terrestrial routing includes: determining that communication between the first user equipment and the second user equipment is converted from inter-satellite routing to terrestrial routing if at least one of the following is determined: there is no inter-satellite link between the target satellite and the satellite serving the second user equipment, or the distance between the target satellite and the satellite serving the second user equipment exceeds a preset distance.

[0009] In some embodiments, during the process of the first user equipment performing satellite handover or on-board base station handover, the second user equipment is configured to send uplink data to the first user equipment through the on-board base station of the second user equipment, the first ground UPF, the second ground UPF, and the base station on the source satellite serving the first user equipment.

[0010] In some embodiments, when the first user equipment completes satellite handover or on-board base station handover, the second user equipment is configured to send uplink data to the first user equipment through the on-board base station of the second user equipment, the first ground UPF, the second ground UPF, the uplink classifier (UL CL) or local UPF (L-UPF) on the source satellite serving the first user equipment, and the base station on the target satellite of the first user equipment.

[0011] In some embodiments, during the process of a first user equipment performing a satellite handover or on-board base station handover, the first user equipment is configured to send downlink data to the second user equipment through an inter-satellite link between a source satellite serving the first user equipment and a satellite serving the second user equipment.

[0012] In some embodiments, when the first user equipment completes satellite handover or on-board base station handover, the first user equipment is configured to send downlink data to the second user equipment through the inter-satellite link between the target satellite of the first user equipment and the source satellite serving the first user equipment, and the inter-satellite link between the source satellite serving the first user equipment and the satellite serving the second user equipment.

[0013] In some embodiments, the above communication method further includes: satellite handover or on-board base station handover is performed when at least one of the first user equipment or the source satellite serving the first user equipment moves.

[0014] In some embodiments, the above communication method further includes: removing at least one of the uplink classifier or local UPF on the source satellite serving the first user equipment when the first user equipment completes satellite handover or on-board base station handover.

[0015] In some embodiments, the above communication method further includes: after removing at least one of the uplink classifier or the local UPF on the source satellite serving the first user equipment, removing at least one of the uplink classifier or the local UPF on the satellite serving the second user equipment.

[0016] In some embodiments, when the first user equipment completes satellite handover or on-board base station handover, the first user equipment and the second user equipment are configured to communicate through the second ground UPF and the first ground UPF.

[0017] In some embodiments, the first user equipment and the second user equipment belong to the same virtual network group.

[0018] According to a second aspect of some embodiments of the present disclosure, a communication method is provided, performed by a first user equipment, including: receiving uplink data transmitted by a second user equipment through a first ground-based UPF in response to the first user equipment performing a satellite handover or an on-board base station handover.

[0019] According to a third aspect of some embodiments of this disclosure, a communication method is provided, performed by a second user equipment, comprising: in response to a first user equipment performing a satellite handover or an on-board base station handover, transmitting uplink data of the second user equipment to a first ground UPF via the on-board base station of the second user equipment.

[0020] According to a fourth aspect of some embodiments of the present disclosure, an SMF is provided, including: a control module configured to control an on-board base station of a second user equipment communicating with the first user equipment to send uplink data of the second user equipment to a first ground UPF in response to a first user equipment performing satellite handover or on-board base station handover.

[0021] According to a fifth aspect of some embodiments of the present disclosure, a user equipment is provided, the user equipment being a first user equipment, comprising: a receiving module configured to receive uplink data transmitted by a second user equipment through a first ground UPF in response to the first user equipment performing satellite handover or on-board base station handover.

[0022] According to a sixth aspect of some embodiments of the present disclosure, a user equipment is provided, the user equipment being a second user equipment, comprising: a transmitting module configured to transmit uplink data of the second user equipment to a first ground UPF via the on-board base station of the second user equipment in response to a first user equipment performing a satellite handover or an on-board base station handover.

[0023] According to a seventh aspect of some embodiments of the present disclosure, a communication system is provided, comprising: a first SMF as described above; and a second SMF configured to remove at least one of an uplink classifier or a local UPF on a source satellite serving the first user equipment in response to a first user equipment completing a satellite handover or an on-board base station handover.

[0024] In some embodiments, the first SMF is configured to remove at least one of the uplink classifier or local UPF on the source satellite serving the first user equipment when the first user equipment completes satellite handover or on-board base station handover.

[0025] In some embodiments, the first SMF and the second SMF belong to the same SMF set.

[0026] In some embodiments, the communication system further includes: a first user equipment as described above; and a second user equipment as described above.

[0027] In some embodiments, the first user equipment and the second user equipment belong to the same virtual network group.

[0028] According to an eighth aspect of some embodiments of the present disclosure, an electronic device is provided, including: a processor; and a memory coupled to the processor for storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the communication method as described above.

[0029] According to a ninth aspect of some embodiments of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores computer instructions thereon, wherein the instructions, when executed by a processor, implement the communication method as described above.

[0030] According to a tenth aspect of some embodiments of the present disclosure, a computer program product is provided, including instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the communication method as described above.

[0031] This disclosure improves the session continuity when falling back to ground routing when the satellite direct routing fails due to the user equipment performing satellite handover or on-board base station handover, thereby enhancing communication reliability by controlling the base station of the second user equipment communicating with the first user equipment to send uplink data to the first ground UPF when the first user equipment performs satellite handover or on-board base station handover.

[0032] Other features and advantages of this disclosure will become clear from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0033] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this disclosure or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this disclosure. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0034] Figure 1 A schematic diagram is shown illustrating a first user equipment performing satellite handover or on-board base station handover according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0035] Figure 2 A flowchart illustrating a communication method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0036] Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating a communication method according to other embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0037] Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating a communication method according to other embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0038] Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating a communication method according to other embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0039] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure of an SMF according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0040] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the structure of a first user equipment according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0041] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the structure of a second user equipment according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0042] Figure 9 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0043] Figure 10 A schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0044] Figure 11 A schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device according to other embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0045] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this disclosure, and not all embodiments. The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative and is in no way intended to limit this disclosure or its application or use. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this disclosure without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0046] When a first user equipment (UE1) and a second user equipment (UE2) access and communicate with each other via a medium / Earth orbit satellite, they can communicate directly via on-board routing. However, if UE1 undergoes satellite handover or on-board base station handover, UE1 and UE2 may no longer be able to communicate directly via on-board routing and will need to switch to terrestrial routing. During the switch to terrestrial routing, it is necessary to consider how to improve session continuity and reduce the possibility of data loss, i.e., how to improve communication reliability. Based on this, this disclosure provides a communication method.

[0047] Figure 1 A schematic diagram illustrating a first user equipment performing satellite handover or on-board base station handover according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 1 As shown in Figure 1-1, UE1 is connected to a base station on satellite 1, and UE2 is connected to a base station on satellite 2. Both satellite 1 and satellite 2 are equipped with UL CL / L-UPF. The UL CL / L-UPFs deployed on satellite 1 and satellite 2 can be connected via an inter-satellite link (ISL), enabling UE1 and UE2 to communicate via on-board routing without going through terrestrial routing.

[0048] The communication method disclosed herein will be considered in the context of... Figure 1 When switching communication paths as shown in 1-1, how can session continuity be improved? If UE1 or Satellite 1 moves, UE1 will switch to Satellite 3. If Satellite 2 and Satellite 3 cannot communicate directly, communication between UE1 and UE2 will switch from on-board routing to ground routing, ultimately achieving... Figure 1 The communication path shown in 1-2 is through ground UPF2 and ground UPF1.

[0049] Figure 2 A flowchart illustrating a communication method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 2 As shown, the method of this embodiment is executed by SMF and includes step S21.

[0050] In step S21, in response to the first user equipment performing satellite handover or on-board base station handover, the on-board base station of the second user equipment communicating with the first user equipment is controlled to send the uplink data of the second user equipment to the first ground UPF.

[0051] There is a communication requirement between the first user equipment and the second user equipment. In some embodiments, the first user equipment and the second user equipment belong to the same virtual network group, such as a 5G Virtual Network Group (VN Group).

[0052] Satellite handover or on-board base station handover is performed when at least one of the first user equipment (User Equipment) or the source satellite serving the first User Equipment moves. When the first User Equipment performs satellite handover or on-board base station handover, it means that the first User Equipment switches to the satellite serving it, i.e., switches from the source satellite to a new satellite (also referred to as the target satellite). Satellite handover or on-board base station handover may also be referred to as satellite handover / base station handover, satellite / base station handover, satellite handover or base station handover, etc. This disclosure does not limit the specific naming of the handover procedure performed by the first User Equipment in this scenario.

[0053] When UE1 moves, or when satellite 1 serving UE1 moves, UE1 will switch to the target satellite (denoted as satellite 3). Communication between UE1 and UE2 cannot be directly routed between satellites 2 and 3; it needs to be converted to terrestrial routing. At this time, the SMF controls UE2's base station to send UE2's uplink data to the first terrestrial UPF. The first terrestrial UPF is the PDU Session Anchor UPF (PSA UPF). The first terrestrial UPF can be denoted as PSA UPF1.

[0054] In other words, when the SMF determines that the communication between UE1 and UE2 will be converted to terrestrial routing, it controls the base station of UE2 to send the uplink data of UE2 to the first terrestrial UPF. Specifically, controlling the on-board base station of the second user equipment communicating with the first user equipment to send the uplink data of the second user equipment to the first terrestrial UPF includes: when it is determined that the communication between the first user equipment and the second user equipment will be converted from inter-satellite routing to terrestrial routing, controlling the on-board base station of the second user equipment communicating with the first user equipment to send the uplink data of the second user equipment to the first terrestrial UPF.

[0055] In this way, when the SMF determines that the communication between UE1 and UE2 will be converted to terrestrial routing, it can control the base station of UE2 to directly send UE2's uplink data to the first terrestrial UPF. This ensures that UE2's uplink data can be successfully sent to UE1 during the transition from satellite routing to terrestrial routing between UE1 and UE2, reducing the probability that UE2's uplink data might fail to be sent to UE1 due to following the original path. For example, refer to... Figure 1 After UE1 switches to satellite 3, uplink data sent by UE2 along the original path can no longer be transmitted to UE1. Furthermore, it shortens the time required to switch from satellite routing to terrestrial routing.

[0056] It is understood that the base station connects to the SMF through the AMF, and the UE connects to the SMF through the AMF. That is, in the communication method disclosed herein, the base station that the SMF controls the second user equipment is controlled by the AMF, and the UE sends requests to the SMF through the AMF.

[0057] In some embodiments, determining whether communication between the first user equipment and the second user equipment is converted from inter-satellite routing to terrestrial routing includes: determining that communication between the first user equipment and the second user equipment is converted from inter-satellite routing to terrestrial routing if at least one of the following conditions is met: there is no inter-satellite link between the target satellite and the satellite serving the second user equipment, or the distance between the target satellite and the satellite serving the second user equipment exceeds a preset distance. Besides the two cases mentioned above, various other cases are also included where the target satellite and the satellite serving the second user equipment do not communicate directly, which will not be elaborated here. That is, when there is no direct communication between the target satellite and the satellite serving the second user equipment, it is determined that communication between the first user equipment and the second user equipment is converted from inter-satellite routing to terrestrial routing.

[0058] When determining whether communication between the first user equipment and the second user equipment has been converted from inter-satellite routing to terrestrial routing, the SMF utilizes the target satellite's identification information. That is, based on the identification information of the target satellite for the first user equipment's satellite handover or on-board base station handover, it determines whether communication between the first user equipment and the second user equipment has been converted from inter-satellite routing to terrestrial routing.

[0059] When UE1 performs satellite handover or on-board base station handover, the AMF sends a PDU session context modification request to the SMF to update the PDU session context information of UE1. In this case, the PDU session context modification request includes the identification information of the target satellite. Therefore, the above communication method also includes: receiving the PDU session context modification request sent by the AMF, wherein the PDU session context modification request includes the identification information of the target satellite.

[0060] The above embodiment describes how, when the SMF determines that the communication between UE1 and UE2 will be converted to terrestrial routing, it controls the base station of UE2 to send the uplink data of UE2 to the first terrestrial UPF, thereby improving the reliability of the communication between UE1 and UE2 and shortening the time for the conversion from on-board routing to terrestrial routing. The communication path between UE1 and UE2 in this process is described below.

[0061] During the process of satellite handover or on-board base station handover of the first user equipment, the second user equipment is configured to send uplink data to the first user equipment through the on-board base station of the second user equipment, the first ground UPF, the second ground UPF, and the base station on the source satellite serving the first user equipment. The second ground UPF can be denoted as PSA UPF2.

[0062] When the first user equipment completes satellite handover or on-board base station handover, the second user equipment is configured to send uplink data to the first user equipment through the on-board base station of the second user equipment, the first ground UPF, the second ground UPF, the uplink classifier or local UPF on the source satellite serving the first user equipment, and the base station on the target satellite of the first user equipment.

[0063] That is, when UE1 is not switched to satellite 3, UE2's uplink data is sent to UE1 via the first ground UPF, the second ground UPF, and satellite 2. When UE1 is switched to satellite 3, UE2's uplink data is sent to UE1 via the first ground UPF, the second ground UPF, satellite 2, and satellite 3.

[0064] During the process of satellite handover or on-board base station handover, the first user equipment is configured to send downlink data to the second user equipment via the inter-satellite link between the source satellite serving the first user equipment and the satellite serving the second user equipment. The aforementioned uplink data refers to the data sent by the second user equipment to the first user equipment, and the downlink data here refers to the data sent by the first user equipment to the second user equipment.

[0065] When the first user equipment completes satellite handover or on-board base station handover, the first user equipment is configured to send downlink data to the second user equipment through the inter-satellite link between the target satellite of the first user equipment and the source satellite serving the first user equipment, and the inter-satellite link between the source satellite serving the first user equipment and the satellite serving the second user equipment.

[0066] That is, if UE1 does not switch to satellite 3, UE1's downlink data is still sent to UE2 via the inter-satellite link between satellite 1 and satellite 2. If UE1 switches to satellite 3, UE1's downlink data is sent to UE1 via the inter-satellite link between satellite 3 and satellite 1, and the inter-satellite link between satellite 1 and satellite 2.

[0067] If UE1 completes satellite handover or on-board base station handover (i.e., UE1 switches to satellite 3), UE1 and UE2 will subsequently communicate via the first ground UPF and the second ground UPF, no longer traversing satellite 2. Therefore, after UE1 switches to satellite 3, the UL CL / L-UPF on satellite 2 can be removed. That is, the above communication method further includes: if the first user equipment completes satellite handover or on-board base station handover, removing at least one of the uplink classifier or local UPF on the source satellite serving the first user equipment.

[0068] After removing at least one of the uplink classifiers or local UPFs on the source satellite serving the first user equipment, remove at least one of the uplink classifiers or local UPFs on the satellite serving the second user equipment.

[0069] Removing the UL CL / L-UPF from satellite 2 after removing the UL CL / L-UPF from satellite 1 can improve communication reliability. For example, if the UL CL / L-UPF on satellite 2 is removed first, data sent from UE1 to UE2 via the inter-satellite link between satellite 3 and satellite 1, and the inter-satellite link between satellite 1 and satellite 2, will result in data loss.

[0070] like Figure 1 As shown in Figure 1-2, when the first user equipment completes satellite handover or on-board base station handover, the first user equipment and the second user equipment are configured to communicate through the second ground UPF and the first ground UPF. That is, UE1 sends downlink data to UE2 through the second ground UPF and the first ground UPF, and UE2 sends uplink data to UE1 through the first ground UPF and the second ground UPF.

[0071] The above embodiments describe the communication method of this disclosure based on the SMF side. The following will describe the communication method of this disclosure based on the UE side.

[0072] Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating a communication method according to other embodiments of this disclosure is shown. For example... Figure 3 As shown, the communication method of this embodiment is executed by a first user equipment and includes step S31.

[0073] In step S31, in response to the first user equipment performing satellite handover or on-board base station handover, uplink data sent by the second user equipment through the first ground UPF is received.

[0074] The above embodiments help improve session continuity when falling back to ground routing because direct onboard routing cannot continue due to satellite handover or onboard base station handover performed by user equipment, thus improving communication reliability.

[0075] Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating a communication method according to other embodiments of this disclosure is shown. For example... Figure 4 As shown, the communication method of this embodiment is executed by a second user equipment and includes step S41.

[0076] In step S41, in response to the first user equipment performing satellite handover or on-board base station handover, the uplink data of the second user equipment is sent to the first ground UPF through the on-board base station of the second user equipment.

[0077] The above embodiments help improve session continuity when falling back to ground routing because direct onboard routing cannot continue due to satellite handover or onboard base station handover performed by user equipment, thus improving communication reliability.

[0078] Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating a communication method according to other embodiments of this disclosure is shown. For example... Figure 5 As shown, the communication method of this embodiment includes steps S501-S512. In this communication method, UE1 and UE2 belong to the same 5GVN Group, and UE1 and UE2 are connected to satellite 1 and satellite 2 respectively. Each of satellites 1 and 2 has a base station and a UL CL / L-UPF deployed on it. UE1 and UE2 have established a PDU session through the terrestrial PSA UPF1 and PSA UPF2. N6 or N19 routing is supported between PSA UPF1 and PSA UPF2.

[0079] In step S501, UE1 and UE2 communicate directly via satellite 1 and satellite 2. For each of satellites 1 and 2, the base station on the satellite is connected to the UL CL / L-UPF on that satellite. The UL CL / L-UPF on satellite 1 and the UL CL / L-UPF on satellite 2 can be connected (via ISL) to directly route communication data between the two UEs.

[0080] In step S502, if satellite 1 or UE1 moves, UE1 needs to switch from base station 1 connected to satellite 1 to base station 3 connected to satellite 3. Here, the 3GPP standard Xn handover procedure or N2 handover procedure can be executed, depending on the network configuration or whether base station 1 and base station 3 can be connected via ISL.

[0081] In step S503, during the execution of the 3GPP standard Xn handover procedure or N2 handover procedure in step S502, the SMF receives the identification (e.g., ID) information of the target satellite 3 connected to UE1. For example, the SMF receives the ID information of satellite 3 in the PDU session context modification request sent by UE1 through AMF.

[0082] In step S504, the SMF determines, based on the target satellite's ID information, that the communication between UE1 and UE2 needs to be switched from on-board direct routing to ground routing, i.e., the communication needs to be returned to the ground. For example, the SMF may confirm that there is no ISL between satellite 3 and satellite 2, preventing direct connection, or that the distance between satellite 3 and satellite 2 is too far, etc.

[0083] In step S505, the SMF modifies the base station 2 of the remote UE2 communicating with UE1, so that the base station 2 directly sends the uplink data sent by UE2 to the ground PSA UPF1.

[0084] In step S506, after step S505 is completed, if UE1 has not yet completed the handover from base station 1 to base station 3, then the uplink data of UE2 is sent to UE1 through base station 1, passing through PSA UPF1 and PSA UPF2 on the ground.

[0085] In step S507, after step S505 is completed, if UE1 has completed the handover from base station 1 to base station 3, then the uplink data of UE2 is sent to UE1 through base station 3, passing through PSA UPF1 and PSA UPF2 on the ground, and UL CL / L-UPF on satellite 1.

[0086] In step S508, after step S505 is completed, if UE1 has not yet completed the handover from base station 1 to base station 3, then the downlink data of UE1 is sent to UE2 through base station 1, and passes through the UL CL / L-UPF of base station 1 and the UL CL / L-UPF of base station 2.

[0087] In step S509, after step S505 is completed, if UE1 has completed the handover from base station 1 to base station 3, then the downlink data of UE1 is sent to UE2 through base station 3, passing through the UL CL / L-UPF of base station 1 and the UL CL / L-UPF of base station 2.

[0088] In step S510, after UE1 completes the handover from base station 1 to base station 3, SMF removes the UL CL / L-UPF serving UE1 on satellite 1.

[0089] In step S511, after step S510 is completed, UE1 and UE2 communicate with each other through base station 3+PSA UPF2 and base station 2+PSA UPF1.

[0090] In step S512, after step S510 is completed, the SMF removes the UL CL / L-UPF serving UE2 on satellite 2.

[0091] This disclosure improves session continuity when falling back to terrestrial routing, by having the SMF control the base station of the second user equipment communicating with the first user equipment to send uplink data to the first ground UPF when the first user equipment performs satellite handover or on-board base station handover. This helps improve communication reliability by allowing the SMF to control the base station of the second user equipment communicating with the first user equipment to send uplink data to the first ground UPF. Simultaneously, it also shortens the overall process time from on-board routing to terrestrial routing.

[0092] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure of an SMF according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 6 As shown, SMF 6 includes a control module 61 configured to control the on-board base station of the second user equipment communicating with the first user equipment to send uplink data of the second user equipment to the first ground UPF in response to the first user equipment performing satellite handover or on-board base station handover.

[0093] In some embodiments, the control module 61 is configured to, when it is determined that the communication between the first user equipment and the second user equipment has been converted from inter-satellite routing to terrestrial routing, control the on-board base station of the second user equipment communicating with the first user equipment to send the uplink data of the second user equipment to the first terrestrial UPF.

[0094] In some embodiments, SMF 6 is also configured to determine whether communication between the first user equipment and the second user equipment is converted from inter-satellite routing to terrestrial routing based on the identification information of the target satellite for satellite handover or on-board base station handover of the first user equipment.

[0095] In some embodiments, SMF 6 is also configured to receive a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session context modification request sent by the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), wherein the PDU session context modification request includes identification information of the target satellite.

[0096] In some embodiments, the control module 61 is configured to determine that the communication between the first user equipment and the second user equipment is converted from inter-satellite routing to ground routing if at least one of the following conditions is met: there is no inter-satellite link between the target satellite and the satellite serving the second user equipment, or the distance between the target satellite and the satellite serving the second user equipment exceeds a preset distance.

[0097] In some embodiments, during the process of the first user equipment performing satellite handover or on-board base station handover, the second user equipment is configured to send uplink data to the first user equipment through the on-board base station of the second user equipment, the first ground UPF, the second ground UPF, and the base station on the source satellite serving the first user equipment.

[0098] In some embodiments, when the first user equipment completes satellite handover or on-board base station handover, the second user equipment is configured to send uplink data to the first user equipment through the on-board base station of the second user equipment, the first ground UPF, the second ground UPF, the uplink classifier or local UPF on the source satellite serving the first user equipment, and the base station on the target satellite of the first user equipment.

[0099] In some embodiments, during the process of a first user equipment performing a satellite handover or on-board base station handover, the first user equipment is configured to send downlink data to the second user equipment through an inter-satellite link between a source satellite serving the first user equipment and a satellite serving the second user equipment.

[0100] In some embodiments, when the first user equipment completes satellite handover or on-board base station handover, the first user equipment is configured to send downlink data to the second user equipment through the inter-satellite link between the target satellite of the first user equipment and the source satellite serving the first user equipment, and the inter-satellite link between the source satellite serving the first user equipment and the satellite serving the second user equipment.

[0101] In some embodiments, satellite handover or on-board base station handover is performed when at least one of the first user equipment or the source satellite serving the first user equipment moves.

[0102] In some embodiments, SMF 6 is configured to remove at least one of the uplink classifier or local UPF on the source satellite serving the first user equipment when the first user equipment completes satellite handover or on-board base station handover.

[0103] In some embodiments, SMF 6 is configured to remove at least one of the uplink classifiers or local UPFs on a satellite serving a second user equipment after removing at least one of the uplink classifiers or local UPFs on a source satellite serving a first user equipment.

[0104] In some embodiments, when the first user equipment completes satellite handover or on-board base station handover, the first user equipment and the second user equipment are configured to communicate through the second ground UPF and the first ground UPF.

[0105] In some embodiments, the first user equipment and the second user equipment belong to the same virtual network group.

[0106] This disclosure improves the session continuity when falling back to ground routing when the satellite direct routing fails due to the user equipment performing satellite handover or on-board base station handover, thereby enhancing communication reliability by controlling the base station of the second user equipment communicating with the first user equipment to send uplink data to the first ground UPF when the first user equipment performs satellite handover or on-board base station handover.

[0107] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the structure of a first user equipment according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For example... Figure 7 As shown, the first user equipment 7 includes a receiving module 71, which is configured to receive uplink data sent by the second user equipment through the first ground UPF in response to the first user equipment performing satellite handover or on-board base station handover.

[0108] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the structure of a second user equipment according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For example... Figure 8 As shown, the second user equipment 8 includes a transmission module configured to transmit uplink data of the second user equipment to the first ground UPF via the satellite base station of the second user equipment in response to the first user equipment performing satellite handover or on-board base station handover.

[0109] Figure 9 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For example... Figure 9 As shown, the communication system 9 includes the SMF as described above, as a first SMF 91; and a second SMF 92, configured to remove at least one of the uplink classifier or local UPF on the source satellite serving the first user equipment in response to the first user equipment completing a satellite handover or on-board base station handover.

[0110] In some embodiments, the first SMF is configured to remove at least one of the uplink classifier or local UPF on the source satellite serving the first user equipment when the first user equipment completes satellite handover or on-board base station handover.

[0111] In some embodiments, the first SMF and the second SMF belong to the same SMF set. An SMF set typically consists of multiple SMF devices from the same manufacturer, and SMF devices within the same SMF set do not need to standardize the communication interface between the two SMFs.

[0112] In some embodiments, the communication system 9 further includes a first user equipment as described above 18; and a second user equipment as described above.

[0113] In some embodiments, the first user equipment and the second user equipment belong to the same virtual network group.

[0114] This disclosure improves the session continuity when falling back to ground routing when the satellite direct routing fails due to the user equipment performing satellite handover or on-board base station handover, thereby enhancing communication reliability by controlling the base station of the second user equipment communicating with the first user equipment to send uplink data to the first ground UPF when the first user equipment performs satellite handover or on-board base station handover.

[0115] In the embodiments of this disclosure, the SMF, the first user equipment, and the second user equipment can each be implemented by various computing devices or computer systems. The following describes the implementation in conjunction with... Figure 10 as well as Figure 11 Describe it.

[0116] Figure 10 A schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For example... Figure 10 As shown, the electronic device 10 of this embodiment includes a memory 101 and a processor 102 coupled to the memory 101. The processor 102 is configured to execute communication methods in any of the embodiments of this disclosure based on instructions stored in the memory 101.

[0117] The memory 101 may include, for example, system memory, fixed non-volatile storage media, etc. The system memory may store, for example, an operating system, application programs, a boot loader, a database, and other programs.

[0118] Figure 11 A schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device according to other embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For example... Figure 11As shown, the electronic device 11 in this embodiment includes a memory 111 and a processor 112, which are similar to memory 101 and processor 102, respectively. It may also include an input / output interface 113, a network interface 114, a storage interface 115, etc. These interfaces 113, 114, 115, and the memory 111 and processor 112 can be connected, for example, via a bus 116. The input / output interface 113 provides a connection interface for input / output devices such as a display, mouse, keyboard, and touchscreen. The network interface 114 provides a connection interface for various networked devices, such as connecting to a database server or cloud storage server. The storage interface 115 provides a connection interface for external storage devices such as SD cards and USB flash drives.

[0119] Embodiments of this disclosure also provide a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that the program, when executed by a processor, implements any of the aforementioned communication methods.

[0120] Embodiments of this disclosure also provide a computer program product including instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform any of the foregoing communication methods.

[0121] Those skilled in the art will understand that embodiments of this disclosure can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, this disclosure can take the form of a completely hardware embodiment, a completely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, this disclosure can take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable non-transitory storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0122] This disclosure is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of this disclosure. It should be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create a machine for implementing the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams. Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A device that provides the functions specified in one or more boxes.

[0123] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means, which are implemented in a process Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The function specified in one or more boxes.

[0124] These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing equipment to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable equipment to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby providing instructions that execute on the computer or other programmable equipment for implementing the process. Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The steps of the function specified in one or more boxes.

[0125] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of this disclosure and is not intended to limit this disclosure. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this disclosure should be included within the protection scope of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A communication method, executed by a session management function (SMF), comprising: In response to the first user equipment performing satellite handover or on-board base station handover, the system controls the on-board base station of the second user equipment communicating with the first user equipment to send the uplink data of the second user equipment to the first ground user plane function (UPF).

2. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein, The satellite base station that controls the second user equipment communicating with the first user equipment to send the uplink data of the second user equipment to the first ground UPF includes: If it is determined that the communication between the first user equipment and the second user equipment has been changed from inter-satellite routing to terrestrial routing, the on-board base station of the second user equipment communicating with the first user equipment is controlled to send the uplink data of the second user equipment to the first terrestrial UPF.

3. The communication method according to claim 2 further includes: Based on the identification information of the target satellite for the satellite handover or on-board base station handover performed by the first user equipment, it is determined whether the communication between the first user equipment and the second user equipment is converted from inter-satellite routing to terrestrial routing.

4. The communication method according to claim 3 further includes: The system receives a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session context modification request sent by the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), wherein the PDU session context modification request includes the identification information of the target satellite.

5. The communication method according to claim 3, wherein, Determining whether the communication between the first user equipment and the second user equipment is converted from inter-satellite routing to terrestrial routing includes: If it is determined that there is no inter-satellite link between the target satellite and the satellite serving the second user equipment, or the distance between the target satellite and the satellite serving the second user equipment exceeds at least one of the preset distances, then the communication between the first user equipment and the second user equipment is converted from inter-satellite routing to ground routing.

6. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein, During the process of the first user equipment performing the satellite handover or on-board base station handover, the second user equipment is configured to send uplink data to the first user equipment through the on-board base station of the second user equipment, the first ground UPF, the second ground UPF, and the base station on the source satellite serving the first user equipment.

7. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein, When the first user equipment completes the satellite handover or on-board base station handover, the second user equipment is configured to send uplink data to the first user equipment through the on-board base station of the second user equipment, the first ground UPF, the second ground UPF, the uplink classifier or local UPF on the source satellite serving the first user equipment, and the base station on the target satellite of the first user equipment.

8. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein, During the process of the first user equipment performing the satellite handover or on-board base station handover, the first user equipment is configured to send downlink data to the second user equipment through the inter-satellite link between the source satellite serving the first user equipment and the satellite serving the second user equipment.

9. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein, When the first user equipment completes the satellite handover or on-board base station handover, the first user equipment is configured to send downlink data to the second user equipment through the inter-satellite link between the target satellite of the first user equipment and the source satellite serving the first user equipment, and the inter-satellite link between the source satellite serving the first user equipment and the satellite serving the second user equipment.

10. The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein, The satellite handover or on-board base station handover is performed when at least one of the first user equipment or the source satellite serving the first user equipment is moved.

11. The communication method according to claim 1, further comprising: If the first user equipment completes the satellite handover or on-board base station handover, remove at least one of the uplink classifier or local UPF on the source satellite serving the first user equipment.

12. The communication method according to claim 1 or 11, further comprising: After removing at least one of the uplink classifiers or local UPFs on the source satellite serving the first user equipment, remove at least one of the uplink classifiers or local UPFs on the satellite serving the second user equipment.

13. The communication method according to claim 1 or 11, wherein, When the first user equipment completes the satellite handover or on-board base station handover, the first user equipment and the second user equipment are configured to communicate through the second ground UPF and the first ground UPF.

14. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein, The first user equipment and the second user equipment belong to the same virtual network group.

15. A communication method, performed by a first user equipment, comprising: In response to the first user equipment performing satellite handover or on-board base station handover, the system receives uplink data sent by the second user equipment through the first ground UPF.

16. A communication method, performed by a second user equipment, comprising: In response to the first user equipment performing satellite handover or on-board base station handover, the uplink data of the second user equipment is sent to the first ground UPF through the on-board base station of the second user equipment.

17. An SMF comprising: The control module is configured to, in response to the first user equipment performing satellite handover or on-board base station handover, control the on-board base station of the second user equipment communicating with the first user equipment to send the uplink data of the second user equipment to the first ground UPF.

18. A user equipment, wherein the user equipment is a first user equipment, comprising: The receiving module is configured to receive uplink data sent by the second user equipment through the first ground UPF in response to the first user equipment performing satellite handover or on-board base station handover.

19. A user equipment, wherein the user equipment is a second user equipment, comprising: The transmitting module is configured to transmit the uplink data of the second user equipment to the first ground UPF via the satellite base station of the second user equipment in response to the first user equipment performing satellite handover or on-board base station handover.

20. A communication system, comprising: The SMF as described in claim 17, as the first SMF; The second SMF is configured to remove at least one of the uplink classifier or local UPF on the source satellite serving the first user equipment in response to the first user equipment completing the satellite handover or on-board base station handover.

21. The communication system according to claim 20, wherein, The first SMF is configured to remove at least one of the uplink classifier or local UPF on the source satellite serving the first user equipment when the first user equipment completes the satellite handover or on-board base station handover.

22. The communication system according to claim 20 or 21, wherein, The first SMF and the second SMF belong to the same SMF set.

23. The communication system according to claim 20 or 21, further comprising: The first user equipment as described in claim 18; The second user equipment as described in claim 19.

24. The communication system according to claim 23, wherein, The first user equipment and the second user equipment belong to the same virtual network group.

25. An electronic device, comprising: processor; as well as A memory coupled to the processor is used to store instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the communication method as described in any one of claims 1 to 16.

26. A computer-readable storage medium having computer instructions stored thereon, wherein, When executed by the processor, this instruction implements the communication method as described in any one of claims 1 to 16.

27. A computer program product comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the communication method as described in any one of claims 1 to 16.

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