Electronic device, method for wireless communication and computer-readable storage medium

Abstract

Provided are an electronic device, a method for wireless communication, and a computer-readable storage medium. The electronic device includes a processing circuit configured to select a primary base station and a secondary base station suitable for serving a user equipment based on estimated connection times for the candidate primary base station and the candidate secondary base station, and the candidate primary base station and the candidate secondary base station can include at least one non-transparent satellite base station moving with respect to the ground. According to at least one aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, by selecting a primary base station and a secondary base station suitable for serving a user equipment in a non-terrestrial network based on estimated connection times for the candidate primary base station and the candidate secondary base station, it is possible to avoid, as much as possible, an impact on transmission quality due to a connection time of the non-transparent satellite base station moving with respect to the ground being too short.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] This application claims priority to a Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on January 19, 2022, bearing application number 202210060568.7 and entitled "Electronic device, method for wireless communication and computer-readable storage medium", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present application relates to the field of wireless communication technology, and more particularly, to an electronic device, a method for wireless communication, and a computer-readable storage medium that aid in selecting a primary base station and a secondary base station suitable for serving a user equipment. [Background technology]

[0003] The 5th Generation Mobile Communication Technology (5G) technology can support the transmission of large amounts of data through multiple connections. In multiple connections, one cell (e.g., the main cell of one base station) is a primary cell, and one or more other cells (e.g., the main cells of one or more other base stations) are secondary cells, so that data can be transmitted through multiple connections between the network side equipment 5GC and the user equipment UE through multiple cells, as shown in the example of FIG. 1. The overall data transmission rate is greatly improved, which helps meet the demand for high-speed transmission.

[0004] In a non-terrestrial network, for example, when a user equipment downloads a video file or other large file, the network may have a large amount of data that needs to be transmitted to the user equipment. In this case, multiple connections using, for example, Carrier Aggregation (CA), can provide higher network speed and transmission traffic, allowing the user equipment to complete the transmission of a given data in a shorter time.

[0005] Therefore, it is desirable to be able to appropriately apply multi-connection to user equipment in non-terrestrial networks, and in particular, it is desirable to be able to select appropriate primary and secondary cells for user equipment. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The following provides a brief overview of the present disclosure to provide a basic understanding of certain aspects of the present disclosure. It should be understood that this overview is not an exhaustive overview of the present disclosure. It is not intended to identify key or critical parts of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Its purpose is to provide some concepts of the present disclosure in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that follows.

[0007] At least one aspect of the present disclosure aims to provide an electronic device, a method for wireless communication, and a computer-readable storage medium for selecting a primary base station and a secondary base station suitable for serving a user equipment in a non-terrestrial network, taking into account the estimated connection times of the candidate primary base stations and the candidate secondary base stations. Therefore, in this document, the expressions primary base station / secondary base station and primary cell / secondary cell are used interchangeably as necessary.

[0008] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, an electronic device is provided that includes processing circuitry configured to select primary and secondary base stations suitable for serving a user equipment based on estimated connection times for candidate primary and secondary base stations, where the candidate primary and secondary base stations include at least one non-transparent satellite base station moving relative to the ground.

[0009] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, an electronic device is provided, the electronic device including a processing circuit configured to receive notification by a network side equipment of primary base stations and secondary base stations suitable for serving a selected user equipment, the primary base stations and the secondary base stations being determined by the network side equipment based on estimated connection times for candidate primary base stations and candidate secondary base stations, the candidate primary base stations and the candidate secondary base stations including at least one non-transparent satellite base station moving with respect to the ground.

[0010] According to a further aspect of the present disclosure, there is further provided a method for wireless communication comprising selecting primary and secondary base stations suitable for serving a user equipment based on estimated connection times for the candidate primary and secondary base stations, the candidate primary and secondary base stations including at least one non-transparent satellite base station moving relative to the ground.

[0011] According to yet a further aspect of the present disclosure, there is further provided a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon executable instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform each function of the method for wireless communication or the electronic device.

[0012] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is further provided a computer program code and a computer program product for implementing the method according to the present disclosure described above.

[0013] According to at least one aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, by selecting primary base stations and secondary base stations suitable for serving user equipment in a non-terrestrial network based on estimated connection times for candidate primary base stations and candidate secondary base stations, it is possible to avoid, as much as possible, an impact on transmission quality caused by a connection time of a non-transparent satellite base station moving relative to the ground being too short.

[0014] In the following sections of the specification, other aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are described, and preferred embodiments are described in detail to fully disclose the embodiments of the present disclosure, but are not limited thereto. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] The drawings described herein are only for purposes of illustrating selected embodiments, not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining multiple connections in a 5G network. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a first configuration example of an electronic device according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining examples of candidate primary base stations and candidate secondary base stations. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of selecting a primary base station and a secondary base station based on an estimated connection time. [Figure 5A] FIG. 5A is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of a selected primary base station and a secondary base station. [Figure 5B] FIG. 5B is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of a selected primary base station and a secondary base station. [Figure 5C] FIG. 5C is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of a selected primary base station and a secondary base station. [Figure 5D]FIG. 5D is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of a selected primary base station and a secondary base station. [Figure 5E] FIG. 5E is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of a selected primary base station and a secondary base station. [Figure 5F] FIG. 5F is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of a selected primary base station and a secondary base station. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a second configuration example of the electronic device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of selecting candidate primary base stations and candidate secondary base stations based on an estimated connection quality. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a third exemplary configuration of the electronic device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a first configuration example of an electronic device according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a second exemplary configuration of an electronic device according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a flow chart illustrating an example process of a data transmission process using an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is an example flow to illustrate example signaling interactions of a process for selecting a primary base station and a secondary base station based on an estimated connection time. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is an example flow to illustrate example signaling interactions of a process for determining whether a current serving base station is suitable as a primary base station. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a flow chart illustrating an example signaling interaction of a process for determining a primary base station and a secondary base station based on measured signal quality. [Figure 15]FIG. 15 is a flow chart illustrating example signaling interactions of a process for determining a subsequent secondary base station based on measured signal quality. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating an example process of a method for wireless communication according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating an example process of a method for wireless communication according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a server to which the technology disclosed herein can be applied. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing a first example of a schematic configuration of an eNB to which the technology of the present disclosure can be applied. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 is a block diagram showing a second example of a schematic configuration of an eNB to which the technology of the present disclosure can be applied. [Figure 21] FIG. 21 is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a smartphone to which the technology of the present disclosure can be applied. [Figure 22] FIG. 22 is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a car navigation device to which the technology of the present disclosure can be applied.

[0017] While the present disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and substitutions, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the accompanying drawings and will herein be described in detail. It should be understood that the description of specific embodiments herein is not intended to limit the disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the disclosure is intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and substitutions falling within the spirit and scope of the disclosure. It should be noted that corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] Examples of the present disclosure are more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the present disclosure, its application, or uses.

[0019] Exemplary examples are provided to make the present disclosure more detailed and fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. Various specific details, such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, are described to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details are not necessarily required and that the exemplary embodiments can be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure. In some exemplary embodiments, well-known processes, well-known structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail.

[0020] The explanation will be given in the following order. 1. Problem Overview 2. Example of the configuration of the electronic device of the first embodiment (network side device) 2.1 First Configuration Example 2.2 Second configuration example 2.3 Third configuration example 2.4 Fourth configuration example 3. Example of the configuration of the electronic device of the second embodiment (terminal side device) 3.1 First Configuration Example 3.2 Second configuration example 4. Example Flow 5. Example of the Method 6. Application Examples

[0021] <1. Overview of the problem> As described above, it is desirable to be able to appropriately apply multi-connection to user equipment in a non-terrestrial network, including selecting appropriate primary and secondary cells, or appropriate primary and secondary base stations, for the user equipment.

[0022] However, the current multi-connection technology does not take into account the problem that the available time or connection time of the selected primary cell / secondary cell is too short, which requires switching of the primary cell and / or secondary cell in the multi-connection process, thus affecting the transmission quality. In a non-terrestrial network, the above case may occur when a non-transparent satellite base station (e.g., but not limited to, a medium Earth orbit (MEO) or low Earth orbit (LEO) non-transparent satellite base station) that moves relative to the ground is used as the primary base station or secondary base station. For example, when a predetermined data cannot be transmitted within the available time of the primary base station / secondary base station as a non-transparent satellite base station that moves relative to the ground, it is necessary to switch the primary cell and / or secondary cell of the user equipment, which may have a significant impact on the transmission quality.

[0023] In view of the above problems, the inventors propose a method for selecting primary base stations and secondary base stations suitable for serving user equipment in a non-terrestrial network based on the estimated connection times of candidate primary base stations and candidate secondary base stations, thereby avoiding the connection time of non-transparent satellite base stations moving relative to the ground being too short, thereby affecting transmission quality.

[0024] 2. Example of the Configuration of the Electronic Device of the First Example [2.1 First configuration example] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a first configuration example of an electronic device according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 2, the electronic device 200 may include a selection unit 210 and an optional communication unit 220 .

[0026] Here, each unit of the electronic device 100 may be included in a processing circuit. The electronic device 100 may include one processing circuit or multiple processing circuits. Furthermore, the processing circuit may include various individual functional units to perform various different functions and / or operations. These functional units may be physical or logical entities, and units with different names may be realized by the same physical entity.

[0027] The electronic device 200 is a network-side device. For example, the electronic device 200 may be a core network device, for example, a core network device in a 5G network. Alternatively, the electronic device 200 may be an electronic device connected to a core network device. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the electronic device 200 is described as a core network device itself, but a person skilled in the art can understand that the embodiment of the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0028] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the selection unit 210 of the electronic device 200 can select a primary base station and a secondary base station suitable for serving a user equipment based on the estimated connection time for the candidate primary base station and the candidate secondary base station, where the candidate primary base station and the candidate secondary base station include at least one non-transparent satellite base station moving with respect to the ground. Optionally, the candidate primary base station and the candidate secondary base station may further include other base station equipment other than the non-transparent satellite base station moving with respect to the ground, such as, but not limited to, a non-transparent satellite base station in a geostationary orbit (GEO), a terrestrial base station connected to a LEO / MEO transparent satellite, a terrestrial base station, a High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS), etc. Preferably, the selection unit 210 can select a candidate primary base station and a candidate secondary base station with the longest possible estimated connection time, so as to avoid or reduce as much as possible cell switching in the process of multi-connection. The optional communication unit 220 of the electronic device 200 can communicate with other equipment (e.g., but not limited to, a candidate primary base station, a candidate secondary base station, a user equipment, etc.).

[0029] For example, the selector 210 may select all possible primary base stations as preliminarily selected primary base stations, and all possible secondary base stations of each possible primary base station as preliminarily selected secondary base stations. In one example, the selector 210 may select a device capable of realizing the function of a base station that can be a switching target in a cell switching process of a user equipment as a preliminarily selected primary base station according to the principle of selecting a base station for the user equipment in a general cell switching process, and may select a device capable of realizing the base station function within a certain distance from each preliminarily selected primary base station as a preliminarily selected secondary base station. The selector 210 may determine the preliminarily selected primary / secondary base stations in various conventional manners according to the above principle, and therefore will not be described again here. The selector 210 may directly select these preliminarily selected primary / secondary base stations as candidate primary / secondary base stations, or instead, as in a second configuration described later, some primary / secondary base stations selected from the preliminarily selected primary / secondary base stations may be selected as candidate primary / secondary base stations (described later in detail).

[0030] 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of a pre-selected primary base station and a pre-selected secondary base station. As shown in FIG. 3, for example, a core network device 5GC having the function of an electronic device 200 communicates with a ground station ES in a satellite communication network, and communicates with each device in a non-terrestrial network, to determine a pre-selected primary base station PC_i and a corresponding pre-selected secondary base station SC_ij for a terrestrial user equipment UE, where i indicates the number of the primary base station, j indicates the number of the secondary base station, i=1, 2, and j=1, 2 (when i=1) or j=1, 2, 3 (when i=2). In the example of FIG. 3, for convenience of explanation, each pre-selected primary / secondary base station is a MEO / LEO non-transparent satellite base station, and is shown as an example of a non-transparent satellite base station that moves with respect to the ground, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In this configuration example, the selector 210 directly selects each pre-selected primary / secondary base station as a candidate primary / secondary base station, so in this configuration example, PC_i and SC_ij in FIG. 3 are also called candidate primary base stations and candidate secondary base stations.

[0031] For example, when the electronic device 200 as a network side device (e.g., a core network device) has a large amount of data to transmit to a user equipment and expects to establish multiple connections for data transmission, the selection unit 210 can obtain estimated connection times for candidate primary base stations and candidate secondary base stations, and select primary base stations and secondary base stations suitable for serving the user equipment based on the estimated connection times to establish multiple connections.

[0032] Optionally, the selection unit 210 can control the communication unit 220 of the electronic device 200 to send a notification to the user equipment (and, optionally, the selected primary base station and secondary base station) about the primary base station and secondary base station selected for the user equipment and suitable for serving the user equipment, so that the device receiving the notification can perform corresponding subsequent processing.

[0033] In one example, the primary base station and the secondary base station selected by the selection unit 210 are the primary base station and the secondary base station used in the multiple connections. In this case, the notification of the selected primary base station and the secondary base station transmitted by the communication unit 220 can, for example, cause the user equipment to switch to the selected primary base station (primary cell), cause the selected primary base station to establish a connection with the selected secondary base station, cause the selected secondary base station to establish a connection with the user equipment, and perform data transmission in the multiple connections.

[0034] In another example, the primary base station and the secondary base station selected by the selection unit 210 also need to undergo a subsequent final decision, for example, a final decision based on measured signal quality, such as the third configuration described later. In this case, the notification of the selected primary base station and the secondary base station sent by the communication unit 220 can, for example, cause the user equipment, the selected primary base station and the secondary base station to perform a process related to the subsequent final decision, which will be described in detail later.

[0035] (Example of estimated connection time) In one example, the estimated connection time considered by the selection unit 210 of the electronic device 200 may include a first connection time between a candidate primary base station and a user equipment, and a second connection time between a candidate primary base station and a candidate secondary base station. For example, in the example of Fig. 3, the estimated connection time for a candidate primary base station PC_i and its candidate secondary base station SC_ij may include a first connection time Ta_i between PC_i and the UE, and a second connection time Tb_ij between PC_i and SC_ij.

[0036] In a further preferred example, the estimated connection time can further include a third connection time between the candidate secondary base station and the user equipment. For example, in the example of Fig. 3, the estimated connection time for the candidate primary base station PC_i and its candidate secondary base station SC_ij can further include a third connection time Tc_ij between SC_ij and the UE.

[0037] (Example process for selecting primary and secondary base stations based on estimated connection time) The selection unit 210 of the electronic device 200 can select primary and secondary base stations suitable for serving the user equipment based on the estimated connection times, i.e., the above-mentioned first connection time, second connection time, and optional third connection time, in various suitable manners.

[0038] First, an exemplary process of the selection unit 210 selecting based only on the first connection time and the second connection time will be described. In one example, if there are candidate primary base stations and candidate secondary base stations that simultaneously have the longest first connection time and the longest second connection time, the selection unit 210 can, for example, directly select the candidate primary base station and the candidate secondary base station as the final primary base station and secondary base station. If there are no such candidate primary base stations and candidate secondary base stations, for example, the selection unit 210 can first select multiple candidate primary base stations with the longest first connection time, and then select from these candidate primary base stations a candidate primary base station and its corresponding one or more candidate secondary base stations that have the longest one or more second connection times or the largest sum of the one or more first connection times and the second connection time.

[0039] Next, a more preferred exemplary process in which the selection unit 210 further selects based on the third connection time will be described. In one preferred example, for example, the selection unit 210 first performs initial selection of candidate primary base stations and candidate secondary base stations based on the first connection time and the second connection time in a manner similar to the above exemplary manner, and then selects the candidate primary base station having the maximum one or more third connection times or the maximum sum of the one or more first connection times, the second connection time and the third connection time, and the corresponding one or more candidate secondary base stations, from the initially selected candidate primary base stations and candidate secondary base stations, as the finally selected primary base station and secondary base station.

[0040] For the simplified case of only two candidate primary base stations shown in Fig. 3, the selection unit 210 can select based on the first connection time, the second connection time, and the optional third connection time by a simplified process. For example, assume that the first connection times of the candidate primary base stations PC_1 and PC_2 satisfy Ta_2>Ta_1, the second connection times of each of the candidate secondary base stations SC_21, SC_22, SC_23 of the candidate primary base station PC_2 having the largest first connection time satisfy Tb_22>Tb_23>Tb_21, and the third connection time satisfies Tc_22>Tc_23>Tc_21. In this case, the selection unit 210 may select PC_2 having the maximum first connection time as the primary base station, and select SC_22 of the candidate secondary base station having the maximum one second connection time (and an optional maximum third connection time) as the final secondary base station, or select SC_22, SC23 of the candidate secondary base stations having the maximum two second connection times (and an optional maximum two third connection times) as the final secondary base station. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of selecting a primary base station and a secondary base station based on an estimated connection time, and shows the primary base station PC_2 and the secondary base station SC_22 selected through the above selection process by the selection unit 210, and may further include an optional secondary base station SC_23.

[0041] In each of the above examples, the selection unit 210 selects a primary base station and a secondary base station for the user equipment based on at least the first connection time and the second connection time. This selection method not only considers the possible connection time between the candidate primary base station and the user equipment, but also considers the possible connection time between the candidate primary base station and the candidate secondary base station. This not only helps to avoid or reduce as much as possible frequent switching of the primary cell (primary base station) due to relative movement between the primary base station and the user equipment, but also helps to avoid or reduce as much as possible frequent switching of the secondary cell due to connection loss between the secondary base station and the primary base station due to relative movement between the primary base station and the secondary base station, for example, so that the transmission quality of the multi-connection can be improved. In a further preferred example, the selection unit 210 further selects a primary base station and a secondary base station for the user equipment based on a third connection time, i.e., takes into account the possible connection time between the candidate secondary base station and the user equipment. This helps to avoid or reduce as much as possible frequent switching of the secondary cell due to relative movement between the secondary base station and the user equipment, for example, so that the transmission quality can be further improved. In addition, in non-terrestrial networks, the range of relative movement between the primary base station and the secondary base station is often larger than the range of relative movement between the primary base station and the secondary base station and the user equipment, so the primary base station and the secondary base station selected for the user equipment based only on the first connection time and the second connection time are also likely to satisfy the needs for the third connection time, thereby significantly improving the transmission quality.

[0042] (Example process for obtaining connection time) The selection unit 210 of the electronic device 200 can obtain connection times, including, for example, the above-mentioned first to third connection times, based on related information of the user equipment, the candidate primary base stations, and the candidate secondary base stations in various appropriate manners.

[0043] As a first example, consider the case where at least one of the two bodies to be connected is a non-transparent satellite base station that moves relative to the ground. In this case, the selection unit 210 can estimate the connection time between the two bodies based on the position, transmission power (and optional beam information) of each body, and the ephemeris chart of the non-transparent satellite base station.

[0044] For convenience of explanation, referring to the example of FIG. 3, one of the two bodies is a user equipment UE and the other is a LEO / MEO non-transparent satellite base station PC_1 as an example, an exemplary process of the selection unit 210 obtaining the first connection time Ta_1 between the two bodies will be described. Here, the geographical location of the UE is L UE and the transmission power is P UE and the spatial position of the LEO / MEO non-transparent satellite base station PC_1 is POS PC_1 and the transmission power is P PC_1 and the ephemeris chart is E PC_1 Then, the connection time between the UE and PC_1, i.e., the time that PC_1 can serve the UE, is a function of the above parameters, Ta_1=f C (L UE ,POS PC_1 ,EP C_1 ,P UE ,P PC_1 Optionally, the beam information B of the UE and the PC_1 is UE and B. PC_1 For example, if the beam direction is Ta_1=f C '(L UE ,POS PC_1 ,E PC_1 ,P UE ,P PC_1 ,B UE ,B PC_1 )

[0045] The selection unit 210 may select the first connection time Ta _1 For example, the selection unit 210 may calculate the broad signal coverage of each of the UE and PC_1 based on the above parameters, i.e., determine the geographic location L of the UE. UEand transmission power P UE (and optional beam information B UE , e.g., beam direction) and calculate the signal coverage of the UE and the spatial position POS of PC_1. PC_1 , and the transmission power P PC_1 (and optional beam information B PC_1 , e.g. beam direction) and calculate the signal coverage of PC_1 based on the ephemeris chart E of PC_1. PC_1 Depending on this, the time from when both UE and PC_1 enter the other's signal coverage to when one of them leaves the other's signal coverage may be calculated, and this time may be determined as the connection time of both.

[0046] The above exemplary processing of the selection unit 210 similarly applies to determining the second connection time between the candidate primary base station and the candidate secondary base station, and the third connection time between the candidate secondary base station and the user equipment, and therefore will not be described again here.

[0047] Optionally, to determine the connection time, the electronic device 200 may, for example, control the communication unit 220 via the connection unit 210 to communicate with connection entities such as candidate primary base stations, candidate secondary base stations, user equipment, etc., and obtain necessary information from these connection entities, such as, but not limited to, the location of the connection entities, transmission power, ephemeris chart, optional beam information, etc. In one example, the electronic device 200 is realized as a core network device, in which, for example, the ephemeris chart of each non-transparent satellite base station moving relative to the ground is pre-stored, and there is no need to obtain these information from the latter.

[0048] As a second example, consider the case where the two bodies to be connected do not include a non-transparent satellite base station that moves relative to the ground. In this case, the selection unit 210 can directly estimate the connection time between the two bodies to be infinite. Such a connection body may be, for example, a user equipment, a GEO non-transparent satellite base station, a terrestrial base station connected to a LEO / MEO transparent satellite, a terrestrial base station, a high altitude platform station HAPS, etc.

[0049] (Example of selected primary and secondary base stations) As described above, the candidate primary base station and the candidate secondary base station may include at least one non-transparent satellite base station moving relative to the ground, and may further include other base station equipment, such as, but not limited to, a GEO non-transparent satellite base station, a terrestrial base station connected to a LEO / MEO transmissive satellite, a terrestrial base station, a high altitude platform station HAPS, etc. Therefore, the primary base station and the secondary base station selected by the electronic device 200, for example, through the selection process of the selection unit 210, may include the above-mentioned various equipment. Hereinafter, examples of the selected primary base station and the secondary base station will be described with reference to Figures 5A-5F.

[0050] 5A to 5F are schematic diagrams for explaining examples of selected primary base station and secondary base station. FIG. 5A shows an example of a non-terrestrial network, and shows a core network device 5GC, a ground station ES, a plurality of base stations GEO, MEO-1 to MEO-3, LEO-1 to LEO-3, and a terrestrial user equipment UE. For example, the core network device 5GC having the function of the electronic device 200 communicates with the ground station ES (communicates with each base station via the ground station), and the LEO non-transparent satellite base station LEO-1 becomes the current serving base station of the UE. FIG. 5B to FIG. 5F show examples of the primary base station and secondary base station selected by the electronic device 200, for example, by the selection unit 210, for the exemplary case of FIG. 5A.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 5B, in one example, one GEO non-transparent satellite base station GEO may be selected as a primary base station P-cell, and one or more other possible base stations (LEO non-transparent satellite base stations LEO-2, LEO-3) may be selected as secondary base stations.

[0052] As shown in FIG. 5C, in one example, one LEO / MEO transparent satellite base station LEO-2 connected to a terrestrial base station may be selected as a primary base station P-cell, and one or more other possible base stations (LEO / MEO non-transparent satellite base stations MEO-1, LEO-3) may be selected as secondary base stations.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 5D, in one example, one terrestrial base station may be selected as a primary base station P-cell, and one or more other possible base stations (LEO non-transparent satellite base stations LEO-2, LEO-3) may be selected as secondary base stations.

[0054] As shown in FIG. 5E, in one example, one high altitude platform station HAPS may be selected as a primary base station P-cell, and one or more other possible base stations (LEO non-transparent satellite base stations LEO-2, LEO-3) may be selected as secondary base stations.

[0055] As shown in FIG. 5F, in one example, another LEO / MEO non-transparent satellite base station LEO-2 other than the current serving base station may be selected as the primary base station P-cell, and one or more other possible base stations (LEO non-transparent satellite base station LEO-3) may be selected as secondary base stations.

[0056] (Example of an exemplary process for preferentially considering the current serving base station) In the previous examples, for example, the examples referring to the description of FIG. 3 and the description of FIG. 4, for convenience of explanation, it has been described that the selection unit 210 of the electronic device 200 obtains estimated connection times for all candidate primary / secondary base stations, and selects a primary / secondary base station suitable for serving the user equipment from all the candidate primary / secondary base stations based on the estimated connection times.

[0057] In one example, the selection unit 210 of the electronic device 200 can give priority to considering the current serving base station and the possible secondary base station as the candidate primary base station and the candidate secondary base station, first obtain the estimated connection time only for these base stations, and determine whether they are suitable to be the primary / secondary base station based on the estimated connection time. The selection unit 210 performs the process described with reference to Figs. 3 and 4 above for all the candidate primary / secondary base stations only when the current serving base station and the possible secondary base station are not suitable.

[0058] More specifically, in this example, the selection unit 210 can determine whether the current serving base station can be a suitable primary base station for serving the user equipment based on an estimated connection time (first connection time) between the current serving base station, which is a non-transparent satellite base station moving relative to the ground, and the user equipment. For example, the selection unit 210 can determine whether the current serving base station is suitable as a primary base station based on a comparison between the estimated connection time and an estimated transmission time required to transmit data by making multiple connections using the current serving base station as a primary base station.

[0059] Meanwhile, the selection unit 210 may obtain the estimated connection time between the current serving base station and the user equipment by adopting the manner described in the first example of the above "Example Process of Obtaining Connection Time". For example, if the geographic location of the user equipment UE is L UE and the transmission power is P UE and the spatial location of the current service base station P, which is a LEO / MEO non-transparent satellite base station, is POS P and the transmission power is P P and the ephemeris chart is E P Assuming that, the connection time between the UE and the current serving base station P, i.e., the time that the base station P can serve the UE, is a function of the above parameters and is T P =f C (LUE ,POS P ,E P ,P UE ,P P )

[0060] On the other hand, the selection unit 210 selects the size S of the data to be transmitted. d , the time-frequency resource R P , and the time-frequency resource R S Based on this, the estimated transmission time T required to transmit data by making multiple connections using the current serving base station as the primary base station is calculated. n =f TR (S d ,R P ,R S ) may be obtained. The selection unit 210 may obtain candidate secondary base stations for this primary base station in various suitable manners and obtain the estimated transmission time in various suitable manners. As an example, the selection unit 210 selects one or more candidate secondary base stations among all pre-selected / candidate secondary base stations that can realize the function of a base station operating, for example, at a supplementary frequency within a certain distance from the current serving base station based on the longest possible (second) connection time between the current serving base station and the candidate secondary base station and, optionally, based on the longest possible (third) connection time between the current serving base station and the candidate secondary base station (preferably, the second connection time and the optional third connection time are longer than T P Above or T P , and select a candidate secondary base station that is as close as possible to the estimated transmission time T n =f TR (S d ,R P ,R S ), but this disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0061] The estimated connection time (first connection time) T between the current serving base station and the user equipment P , and the estimated transmission time T required to transmit data through multiple connections using the current serving base station as the primary base station. n After obtaining T P T n In the above case, the currently serving base station is determined and selected as a primary base station suitable for serving the user equipment, and the estimated transmission time T n The secondary base station used in calculating can be selected as a suitable secondary base station for serving the user equipment, so that there is no need to obtain estimated connection times for all candidate primary / secondary base stations and select a primary / secondary base station based on the estimated connection times, which is advantageous for reducing processing load and / or reducing cell switching.

[0062] In addition, the selection unit 210 selects T P T n If the estimated connection time is smaller than , it can be determined that the current serving base station is not suitable as a primary base station. In this case, the selection unit 210 performs a process of acquiring the estimated connection time for all the candidate primary / secondary base stations and selecting the primary / secondary base station based on the estimated connection time, similar to the method described in the previous example. Note that the selection unit 210 may exclude the current serving base station from the candidate primary base stations in the subsequent process, but may not exclude the current serving base station and may set it as a candidate primary base station. This is because the current serving base station is still the best selection among all the candidate primary base stations.

[0063] Optionally, to determine whether the current serving base station is suitable as a primary base station, the electronic device 200 can, for example, control the communication unit 220 via the selection unit 210 to communicate with the current serving base station, the user equipment, and the possible secondary base station, etc., which are connection entities, and obtain from these connection entities, information required for estimating the connection time, such as, but not limited to, the location of the connection entities, transmission power, ephemeris chart, optional beam information (and optionally, information required for estimating the transmission time, such as, for example, available time-frequency resources). In one example, the electronic device 200 is realized as a core network device, in which, for example, the ephemeris chart of each non-transparent satellite base station moving relative to the ground is pre-stored, so that there is no need to obtain these information from the latter.

[0064] [2.2 Second configuration example] FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a second configuration example of the electronic device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0065] As shown in Fig. 6, the electronic device 600 may include an optional pre-selection unit 630 in addition to units 610, 620 corresponding to the selection unit 210 and optional communication unit 220 of Fig. 2. Note that the units 610, 620 of the electronic device 600 may perform similar functions to their counterparts in the electronic device 200, and therefore only the difference therebetween, i.e., the pre-selection unit 630, will be described here. The pre-selection unit 630 may be configured to pre-select candidate primary base stations and candidate secondary base stations from the pre-selected primary base stations and the pre-selected secondary base stations based on estimated connection qualities for the pre-selected primary base stations and the pre-selected secondary base stations.

[0066] As in the first configuration example, the selection unit 610 can select all possible primary base stations as preliminarily selected primary base stations, and all possible secondary base stations of each possible primary base station as preliminarily selected secondary base stations. Returning to the example of FIG. 3, as shown in FIG. 3, for example, a core network device 5GC having the function of an electronic device 600 communicates with a terrestrial station ES in a satellite communication network, and communicates with each device in a non-terrestrial network, for example, to determine a preliminarily selected primary base station PC_i and a corresponding preliminarily selected secondary base station SC_ij for a terrestrial user equipment UE. The preliminarily selected unit 630 can preliminarily select candidate primary / secondary base stations based on estimated connection quality for these preliminarily selected primary / secondary base stations.

[0067] (Example of estimated connection quality) In one example, the estimated connection quality considered by the pre-selection unit 630 of the electronic device 600 may include a first connection quality between the pre-selected primary base station and the user equipment, and a second connection quality between the pre-selected primary base station and the pre-selected secondary base station. For example, in the example of Fig. 3, the estimated connection quality for the pre-selected primary base station PC_i and its pre-selected secondary base station SC_ij may include a first connection quality Qa_i between PC_i and the UE, and a second connection quality Qb_ij between PC_i and SC_ij.

[0068] In a further preferred example, the estimated connection quality may further include a third connection quality between the pre-selected secondary base station and the user equipment. For example, in the example of Fig. 3, the estimated connection quality for the pre-selected primary base station PC_i and its pre-selected secondary base station SC_ij may further include a third connection quality Qc_ij between SC_ij and the UE.

[0069] Example Process for Initial Selection of Primary Base Station and Candidate Secondary Base Stations Based on Estimated Connection Quality The pre-selection unit 630 of the electronic device 600 may select the candidate primary base stations and the candidate secondary base stations based on the estimated connection qualities, i.e., the above-mentioned first connection quality, second connection quality, and optional third connection quality, in various suitable manners.

[0070] In one example, the pre-selection unit 630 pre-sets appropriate thresholds (e.g., a first threshold Qath, a second threshold Qbth, and an optional third threshold Qbth) for connection quality, and selects the pre-selected primary base station and the pre-selected secondary base station whose first connection quality, the second connection quality (and the optional third) connection quality are all greater than the corresponding thresholds as the candidate primary base station and the candidate secondary base station. Instead, the pre-selection unit 630 may select the candidate primary / secondary base station from the pre-selected primary / secondary base stations based on the first connection quality, the second connection quality (and the optional third) connection quality, similar to the selection of the primary / secondary base station based on the first connection time, the second connection time, and the optional third connection time in the "exemplary process of selecting a primary base station and a secondary base station based on an estimated connection time" in the above first configuration example.

[0071] In the example shown in FIG. 3, the first connection qualities of the pre-selected primary base stations PC_1 and PC_2 are Qa_1 and Qa_2, respectively, with respect to the first threshold Qath.<Qath、Qa_2> The second connection qualities of the preliminarily selected secondary base stations SC_21, SC_22, and SC_23 of the preliminarily selected primary base station PC_2, which satisfies Qath and has a first connection quality higher than the first threshold, are respectively Qb_21, Qb_22, and Qb_23 with respect to the second threshold Qbth.<Qbth、Qb_22> It is assumed that the first and second connection qualities of SC_21, SC_22, and SC_23 satisfy Qc_21>Qcth, Qc_22>Qcth, and Qc_23>Qcth, respectively, with respect to a third threshold Qcth. In this case, the pre-selection unit 630 can select the pre-selected primary base station PC_2 and the pre-selected secondary base stations SC_22 and SC_23, whose first and second connection qualities (and the optional third connection quality) are all greater than the corresponding thresholds, as the candidate primary base station and the candidate secondary base station. Figure 7 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of selecting candidate primary base stations and candidate secondary base stations based on estimated connection quality, and shows that the above selection process by the pre-selection unit 610 excludes the pre-selected primary base station PC_1 whose first connection quality is lower than a first threshold and all of its pre-selected secondary base stations, and excludes the pre-selected secondary base station SC_21 whose second connection quality is lower than a second threshold, resulting in the initial selection of the primary base station PC_2 and the secondary base stations SC_22 and SC_23 as candidate primary base stations and candidate secondary base stations.

[0072] Thereafter, the selection unit 610 can perform a selection process based on the estimated connection time for the candidate primary base stations and the candidate secondary base stations selected by the pre-selection unit 630, similar to the selection unit 210 in the first configuration example, but here there is no overlap.

[0073] (Example process of obtaining connection quality) The pre-selection unit 630 of the electronic device 600 can obtain the connection qualities, including, for example, the above-mentioned first to third connection qualities, based on related information of the user equipment, the pre-selected primary base station, and the pre-selected secondary base station in various appropriate manners.

[0074] As an example, the pre-selector 630 may estimate the connection quality between two bodies based on the distance between the two bodies and the transmission power of each body.

[0075] For convenience of explanation, with reference to the example of FIG. 3, one of the two bodies is a user equipment UE and the other is a LEO / MEO non-transparent satellite base station PC_1 as an example, an exemplary process of the pre-selection unit 630 obtaining the first connection quality Qa_1 between the two bodies will be described. Here, the geographical location of the UE is L UE and the transmission power is P UE and the spatial position of the LEO / MEO non-transparent satellite base station PC_1 is POS PC_1 and the transmission power is P PC_1 The preselection unit 630 determines the position L of the UE and PC_1. UE and POS PC_1 Based on this, the distance between the two is obtained, and the UE's transmission power P UE Based on the distance, determine the received signal power or received signal quality (e.g., received signal quality in the form of SINR (Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio)) of the UE's transmitted signal at PC_1, and determine the transmission power P PC_1 and based on the above distance, determine the received signal power or received signal quality (e.g., received signal quality in SINR format) of the transmitted signal of PC_1 at the UE, and determine the connection quality between the UE and PC_1 based on the two received signal qualities.

[0076] The above exemplary process of the pre-selection unit 630 also applies to determining the second connection quality between the pre-selected primary base station and the pre-selected secondary base station, and the third connection quality between the pre-selected secondary base station and the user equipment, and therefore will not be described again here. Since the process of obtaining the estimated connection quality by the pre-selection unit is simpler than the process of obtaining the estimated connection time by the selection unit, performing the initial selection based on the estimated connection quality by the pre-selection unit is advantageous to reducing the processing load of the electronic device.

[0077] Optionally, to determine the connection quality, the electronic device 600 can, for example, control the communication unit 620 through the pre-selection unit 630 to communicate with connection bodies such as candidate primary base stations, candidate secondary base stations, user equipment, etc., and obtain necessary information from these connection bodies, such as, but not limited to, the location of the connection bodies, transmission power, etc.

[0078] [2.3 Third configuration example] FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a third exemplary configuration of the electronic device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0079] As shown in Fig. 8, the electronic device 800 may further include an optional determining unit 840 in addition to units 810, 820 corresponding to the selecting unit 210 and the optional communicating unit 220 of Fig. 2. The units 810, 820 of the electronic device 800 may perform similar functions to their counterparts in the electronic device 200, and therefore only the difference therebetween, i.e., the determining unit 840, will be described here. The determining unit 840 may be configured to determine the primary base station and the secondary base station serving the user equipment based on the measured signal qualities of the primary base station and the secondary base station selected by the selecting unit 810.

[0080] Returning to the example of Fig. 4, for example, a core network device 5GC having the function of an electronic device 800 communicates with a terrestrial station ES in a satellite communication network, and for example, communicates with each device in a non-terrestrial network, and selects a primary base station PC_2 and secondary base stations SC_22 and SC_23 for a terrestrial user equipment UE by a selection process based on an estimated connection time by a selection unit 810. A pre-selection unit 630 may make a final decision on candidate primary / secondary base stations based on measured signal quality for these primary / secondary base stations.

[0081] (Example of measured signal quality) In one example, the measured signal qualities considered by the determining unit 840 of the electronic device 800 include a first signal quality of a signal between the selected primary base station and the user equipment, and a second signal quality of a signal between the selected primary base station and the selected secondary base station. For example, in the example of Fig. 4, the measured signal qualities for the selected primary base station PC_2 and the selected secondary base station SC_22 or SC_23 may include a first signal quality Ma_2 between PC_2 and the UE, and a second connection quality Mb_22 or Mb_23 between PC_2 and SC_22 or SC_23.

[0082] In a further preferred example, the measured signal quality may further include a third signal quality of the signal between the selected secondary base station and the user equipment. For example, in the example of Fig. 4, the measured signal quality for the selected primary base station PC_2 and the selected secondary base station SC_22 or SC_23 may further include a third connection quality Mc_22 or Mc_23 between SC_22 or SC_23 and the UE.

[0083] (An exemplary process for final determination of primary and secondary base stations based on measured signal quality) The decision-making unit 840 of the electronic device 800 finally determines the primary base station and the secondary base station in various appropriate ways based on the measurement signal quality, that is, the above-mentioned first signal quality, second signal quality, and optional third signal quality.

[0084] In one example, the decision-making unit 840 pre-sets appropriate thresholds related to signal quality (for example, the first threshold Math, the second threshold Mbth, and the optional third threshold Mcth), and can determine the selected primary base station and secondary base station whose first signal quality, second signal quality (and optional third) signal quality are all greater than the corresponding thresholds as the final primary base station and secondary base station. Instead, the decision-making unit 840, for example, in the "exemplary process of selecting the primary base station and secondary base station based on the estimated connection time" in the above first configuration example, selects the primary / secondary base station based on the first connection time, the second connection time, and the optional third connection time in the same way as the method, and can make a decision on the final primary / secondary base station based on the first signal quality, the second signal quality (and optional third) signal quality from the selected primary / secondary base station.

[0085] In the case of the example shown in FIG. 4, assume that the first signal quality of the selected primary base station PC_2 satisfies Ma_2>Math with respect to the first threshold Math, the second signal qualities of the selected secondary base stations SC_22 and SC_23 satisfy Mb_22>Mbth and Mb_23<Mbth respectively with respect to the second threshold Mbth, and the third signal qualities of SC_22 and SC_23 satisfy Mc_22>Mcth and Mc_23>Mcth respectively with respect to the third threshold Mcth. In this case, the decision-making unit 840 may determine the primary base station PC_2 and the secondary base station SC_22 whose first signal quality, second signal quality (and optional third) signal quality are all greater than the corresponding thresholds as the final primary base station and secondary base station.

[0086] Since the actually measured signal quality can more accurately reflect the quality of the connection or signal between the connection bodies, the final selection by the decision unit based on the measured signal quality is advantageous for improving the transmission quality of subsequent multi-connection transmissions.

[0087] (Example process of obtaining signal quality) The electronic device 800 may interact with user equipment, candidate primary base stations, and candidate secondary base stations via the communication unit 820 in any suitable manner, requesting these devices to measure the signal quality between them, and obtaining signal qualities including, for example, the first to third signal qualities described above.

[0088] For example, the electronic device 800 controls the communication unit 820 through the selection unit 810 or the decision unit 840 to send a notification to the user equipment via the user equipment's current serving base station about the primary base station and secondary base station selected for the user equipment and suitable for serving the user equipment, and sends the notification to the selected primary base station and secondary base station, so that each device receiving the notification can process the corresponding (first, second, and optional third) signal quality measurements.

[0089] For example, the user equipment receiving the above notification can receive test signals transmitted from the selected primary base station (and optionally, the selected secondary base station) and measure the signal quality of these measured signals, for example, measuring a first signal quality between the user equipment and the primary base station (and optionally, a third signal quality between the user equipment and the secondary base station). Test signals can be transmitted / received between the selected primary base station receiving the above notification and the secondary base station to measure a second signal quality between them.

[0090] When the user equipment and the selected primary base station and secondary base station complete signal quality measurements, they may report the results to the electronic device 800 on the network side, and the determination unit 840 of the electronic device 800 may determine the final primary base station and secondary base station based on the acquired measurement results.

[0091] Alternatively, the electronic device 800 may, for example, control the communication unit 220 through the determination unit 840 to send a notification about the finally determined primary base station and secondary base station to the user equipment via the current serving base station of the user equipment, and send a notification to the finally determined primary base station and secondary base station. The user equipment receiving this notification may, for example, switch to the finally determined primary base station (primary cell), the finally determined primary base station establishes a connection with the finally determined secondary base station, and the finally determined secondary base station establishes a connection with the user equipment, and perform multi-connection data transmission, i.e., data transmission from the network to the user equipment.

[0092] It should be noted that the third configuration example described above with reference to FIG. 8 can be combined with the second configuration example previously described with reference to FIG. 6, i.e., in one combination example, the electronic device simultaneously includes, for example, the pre-selection unit 630 shown in FIG. 6 and, for example, the decision unit 840 shown in FIG. 8 to realize corresponding processing, and therefore will not be described again here.

[0093] [2.4 Fourth configuration example] The fourth configuration example of the electronic device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure may have a similar functional architecture, i.e., similar processing units, to the functional architecture of the previous first, second and / or third configuration examples, but may perform additional or different processing. Therefore, the block diagram thereof will be omitted here, and the processing thereof will be mainly described.

[0094] In the fourth configuration example, the case is considered where the current secondary base station selected by the selection unit of the electronic device for the user equipment is a non-transparent satellite base station that moves with respect to the ground. In this case, due to the characteristics of the current secondary base station moving with respect to the ground, after a certain time has passed, the signal quality between the current primary base station and / or the terrestrial user equipment may not satisfy the requirements for multi-connection, and the connection may be disconnected, that is, the current secondary base station is not suitable for multi-connection and a secondary base station needs to be reselected. In this case, the electronic device of the fourth configuration example can select a backup secondary base station suitable for serving the user equipment, and when the current secondary base station is not suitable for multi-connection, the backup secondary base station or a secondary base station further determined from the backup secondary base station can replace the current secondary base station.

[0095] (First example) In a first example, the electronic device of the fourth configuration example may have a functional architecture similar to the functional architecture of the first configuration example and / or the second configuration example, and may further select a backup secondary base station suitable for serving the user equipment by processing based on an estimated connection time and / or an estimated connection quality by the selection unit and / or the pre-selection unit when the current secondary base station selected for the user equipment by the selection unit is a non-transparent satellite base station moving relative to the ground.

[0096] For example, the selection unit and / or pre-selection unit of the electronic device may be configured to further select a backup secondary base station suitable for serving the user equipment based on an estimated connection time (e.g., the first connection time and the optional third connection time) and / or an estimated connection quality (e.g., the first connection quality and the optional third connection quality) between the candidate secondary base stations and the current primary base station selected for the user equipment and / or the user equipment.

[0097] In one example, the electronic device may select, by its selection unit, a candidate secondary base station having the longest possible connection time as a backup secondary base station capable of replacing the current secondary base station based on a first connection time between the candidate secondary base station and a current primary base station selected for the user equipment (and optionally a third connection time between the candidate secondary base station and the user equipment). In another example, prior to the above selection, the electronic device may select, by its (optional) pre-selection unit, a pre-selected secondary base station having a connection quality higher than a predefined threshold as a candidate secondary base station based on a first connection quality between the pre-selected secondary base station and a current primary base station selected for the user equipment (and optionally a third connection quality between the pre-selected secondary base station and the user equipment), and the selection unit may select a backup secondary base station capable of replacing the current secondary base station from these candidate secondary base stations.

[0098] The selection unit and / or pre-selection unit of the electronic device can obtain the estimated connection time and / or estimated connection quality and make a selection based on the estimated connection time and / or estimated connection quality in a manner similar to that previously described in the first and / or second configuration examples, and therefore will not be described again here.

[0099] Optionally, the electronic device can control its communication unit via its selection unit to send a notification to the user equipment (and, optionally, the current primary base station and the selected backup secondary base station) about the backup secondary base station selected for the user equipment, so that the device receiving the notification can perform corresponding subsequent processing.

[0100] In one example, the backup secondary base station selected by the electronic device is a subsequent secondary base station to replace the current secondary base station when the current secondary base station is not suitable for multiple connections. In this case, the notification of the selected backup secondary base station sent by the electronic device can, for example, cause the current primary base station to establish a connection with the backup secondary base station when the current secondary base station is not suitable for multiple connections, and the backup secondary base station to establish a connection with the user equipment to perform data transmission for multiple connections.

[0101] In another example, the backup secondary base station selected by the electronic device needs to undergo a subsequent final decision, for example a final decision based on measured signal quality as in the second example described below. In this case, the notification about the selected backup secondary base station sent by the electronic device can, for example, cause the user equipment, the current primary base station and the backup secondary base station to perform processing related to the subsequent final decision, which will be described in detail later.

[0102] (Second example) In a further second example, the electronic device according to the fourth configuration example, in addition to having the same functions as those of the first example and performing the same processing, can additionally have the same functions as the decision unit in the third configuration example, that is, can additionally have a decision unit. In this case, the decision unit of the electronic device can be configured to determine a subsequent secondary base station serving the user equipment based on signal quality (e.g., a first signal quality between the backup secondary base station and the current primary base station, and a third signal quality between the optional backup secondary base station and the user equipment) measured for a signal between the backup secondary base station selected by the selection unit and the current primary base station and / or the user equipment. Preferably, the signal quality is measured when the backup secondary base station approaches the current primary base station and / or the user equipment.

[0103] The decision unit of the electronic device can obtain measured signal quality associated with the backup secondary base station and make a selection based on the measured signal quality in a manner substantially similar to that described in the previous third configuration example.

[0104] For example, the determination unit may determine, as the subsequent secondary base station, a backup secondary base station whose measured signal quality (first signal quality and optional third signal quality) associated with the backup secondary base station is greater than a corresponding threshold. Alternatively, the determination unit may determine, as the final subsequent secondary base station, a backup secondary base station whose measured signal quality is the highest. The backup secondary base station whose "measured signal quality is the highest" may be, but is not limited to, a backup secondary base station whose first signal quality is the highest, or a backup secondary base station whose sum of the first signal quality and the third signal quality is the highest among multiple backup secondary base stations whose first signal quality is the highest.

[0105] In one preferred example of this embodiment, the signal qualities (e.g., the first signal quality and the optional third signal quality) between the backup secondary base station and the current primary base station and / or the user equipment are measured when the backup secondary base station approaches the current primary base station and / or the user equipment. Therefore, the electronic device may obtain, for example, the first signal quality and the optional third signal quality by interacting with one or more of the user equipment, the current primary base station, and the backup secondary base station via the communication unit in various suitable manners and requesting the relevant device to measure the required signal quality.

[0106] For example, the electronic device, through a selection unit or a decision unit, controls its communication unit to send a notification to the current primary base station and the selected backup secondary base station (and optionally, to the user equipment) about the selected backup secondary base station to the user equipment, so that the device receiving the notification performs measurements of the corresponding signal qualities (the first signal quality and the optional third signal quality).

[0107] For example, the determination unit of the electronic device and the current primary base station receiving the notification establish a first timer for each backup secondary base station, the timer time being the time required for the backup secondary base station to approach the current primary base station, i.e., to arrive close enough (e.g., within a predetermined distance) to the current primary base station. Optionally, the determination unit of the electronic device and the user equipment receiving the notification establish an optional second timer for each backup secondary base station, the timer time being the time required for the backup secondary base station to approach the user equipment. The determination unit of the electronic device controls the communication unit to send information to the backup secondary base station when the corresponding first timer or optional second timer times out, and instruct the backup secondary base station to send a test signal, and correspondingly instruct the current primary base station or user equipment to measure a first signal quality or an optional third signal quality between the backup user equipment and the backup user equipment. It should be noted that in one example, the first timer is used as the second timer. That is, the time of the optional second timer established by the determination unit of the electronic device and the user equipment for each backup secondary base station may be the time required for the backup secondary base station to approach the current primary base station, and such setting is based on the assumption that the current primary base station and the secondary base station are closest to each other, which is advantageous for simplifying processing.

[0108] When the current primary base station (and optionally, the user equipment) completes measurement of the signal quality between the current primary base station (and the backup secondary base station), it may report the results to the electronic equipment on the network side, and the decision unit of the electronic equipment may decide the final subsequent secondary base station based on the acquired measurement results.

[0109] Optionally, the electronic device may control the communication unit through the determination unit to send a notification about the finally determined subsequent secondary base station to the user equipment, for example, via the current primary base station, and send a notification to the current primary base station and the subsequent secondary base station. Based on the notification, when the current secondary base station is not suitable for multiple connections, the current primary base station may establish a connection with the subsequent secondary base station, and the subsequent secondary base station may establish a connection with the user equipment, and perform data transmission of multiple connections.

[0110] 3. Example of the configuration of the electronic device according to the second embodiment Corresponding to the configuration example of the electronic device on the network side in the first embodiment described above, a configuration example of the electronic device on the terminal side according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below. In the description of the first embodiment described above, the functions / processing of the electronic device on the terminal side have already been described, so here, a brief description will be given and unnecessary details will be omitted.

[0111] [3.1 First configuration example] FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a first configuration example of an electronic device according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0112] As shown in FIG. 9, the electronic device 900 may include a communication unit 910 .

[0113] Here, each unit of the electronic device 900 can be included in a processing circuit. Note that the electronic device 900 may include one processing circuit or multiple processing circuits. Furthermore, the processing circuit may include various individual functional units to perform various different functions and / or operations. Note that these functional units may be physical or logical entities, and units with different names may be realized by the same physical entity.

[0114] For example, the electronic device 900 may be a user device itself, for example, but not limited to, a terrestrial user device in a non-terrestrial network. Alternatively, the electronic device 900 may be an electronic device implemented in the above-mentioned user device. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the electronic device 900 will be described as an example of a terrestrial user device itself in a non-terrestrial network, but it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiment of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0115] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the communication unit 910 of the electronic device 900 can receive notification by the network side device about the primary base station and the secondary base station selected for the user equipment and suitable for serving the user equipment, where the primary base station and the secondary base station are determined by the network side device based on the estimated connection time for the candidate primary base station and the candidate secondary base station, and the candidate primary base station and the candidate secondary base station include at least one non-transparent satellite base station moving with respect to the ground. Of course, the candidate primary base station and the candidate secondary base station considered by the network side device may further include other base station equipment other than the non-transparent satellite base station moving with respect to the ground, such as, but not limited to, a GEO non-transparent satellite base station, a terrestrial base station connected to a LEO / MEO transparent satellite, a terrestrial base station, a high altitude platform station HAPS, etc.

[0116] Here, the network side device that sends the notification to the electronic device 900 may be, for example, the network side electronic device in each configuration example of the first embodiment, and the primary base station and the secondary base station indicated in the notification may be appropriately selected based on the estimated connection time (and optionally based on the estimated connection quality) according to the method described in the first embodiment, so they will not be described again here. In the process in which the network side device selects the primary base station / secondary base station for the electronic device 900, which is a user device, based on the estimated connection time (and optionally based on the estimated connection quality), the electronic device 900 can communicate or interact with the network side device via the communication unit 910, so that, according to the request of the network side device, the network side device can report related information required for obtaining the estimated connection time (and optionally, the estimated connection quality), and the related information is, for example, but not limited to, the position of the electronic device 900, the transmission power, optional beam information, etc.

[0117] For example, when a network side device (e.g., a core network device) has a large amount of data to transmit to the user device, which is the electronic device 900, and expects to establish multiple connections to transmit the data, the electronic device 900 can receive notification of the primary base station and secondary base station selected by the network side device for it, and perform corresponding subsequent processing based on the received notification.

[0118] In one example, the primary base station and the secondary base station selected by the network side device instructed by the notification received by the electronic device 900 are the primary base station and the secondary base station used in the multi-connection. In this case, the electronic device 900 that receives the notification about the selected primary base station and the secondary base station may switch to the selected primary base station (primary cell), for example. In addition, the selected primary base station that receives a similar notification from the network side device may establish a connection with the selected secondary base station, and the selected secondary base station that receives a similar notification from the network side device may establish a connection with the electronic device 900 that is the user device. Therefore, data transmission of the multi-connection can be performed between the network side device and the electronic device 900.

[0119] In another example, the primary base station and the secondary base station selected by the network side device, which are indicated in the notification received by the electronic device 900, need to undergo a subsequent final decision, for example, a final decision based on the measured signal quality as in the second configuration example described later. In this case, the electronic device 900 that receives the notification about the selected primary base station and the secondary base station can, for example, perform a process related to the subsequent final decision, which will be described in detail later.

[0120] [3.2 Second configuration example] FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a second exemplary configuration of an electronic device according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0121] As shown in Fig. 10, electronic device 1000 includes a section 1010 corresponding to communication section 910 of Fig. 9, as well as an optional measurement section 1020. Since communication section 1010 of electronic device 1000 may have similar functions as its counterpart in electronic device 900, only the differences will be described here, i.e., further configuration of communication section 1010 and the configuration of measurement section 1020.

[0122] The measurement unit 1020 of the electronic device 1000 may be configured to measure signal quality of a signal between the user equipment and a primary base station and / or a secondary base station selected for the user equipment, for example, a first signal quality between the user equipment and a primary base station selected for the user equipment, and optionally, a third signal quality between the user equipment and a secondary base station selected for the user equipment.

[0123] For example, the electronic device 1000, which is a user equipment, may receive a test signal from a selected primary base station (and optionally, a selected secondary base station) via the communication unit 1010 in response to a notification or request received from a network side equipment via the current serving base station of the user equipment, and measure the signal quality of these measured signals via the measurement unit 1020, for example, measuring a first signal quality between the user equipment and the primary base station (and optionally, a third signal quality between the user equipment and the secondary base station).

[0124] Also, the communication unit 1010 of the electronic device 1000 may be configured to report the measured signal qualities (the first signal quality and the optional third signal quality) acquired by the measurement unit 1020 to the network side equipment, so that the network side equipment determines the primary base station and / or the secondary base station serving the user equipment based at least in part on the measured signal qualities. For example, the network side equipment can make the above determination according to various schemes described in the third configuration example of the first embodiment, and therefore will not be described again here.

[0125] Moreover, the communication unit 1010 of the electronic device 1000 may be further configured to receive a notification of the finally determined primary base station and the secondary base station from the network side device via, for example, the current serving base station of the electronic device 1000 which is a user device. The electronic device 1000 which receives this notification can, for example, switch to the finally determined primary base station (primary cell). Furthermore, the finally determined primary base station which receives a similar notification from the network side device can establish a connection with the finally determined secondary base station, and the finally determined secondary base station which receives a similar notification from the network side device can establish a connection with the electronic device 1000 which is a user device. Therefore, data transmission of multiple connections can be performed between the network side device and the electronic device 1000.

[0126] [3.3 Third configuration example] The third configuration example of the electronic device according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure may have a similar functional architecture to that of the first or second configuration examples, i.e., may have similar processing units, but may perform additional or different processing. Therefore, the block diagram thereof will be omitted here, and the description will focus on the processing thereof.

[0127] In the third configuration example, the case is considered where the current secondary base station selected by the network side device for the electronic device being the user equipment is a non-transparent satellite base station that moves with respect to the ground. In this case, due to the characteristics of the current secondary base station moving with respect to the ground, after a certain time has passed, the signal quality between the current primary base station and / or the terrestrial user equipment may not satisfy the requirements for multi-connection, and thus the connection may be disconnected, that is, the current secondary base station is not suitable for multi-connection, and the selection of the secondary base station needs to be reselected. In this case, the electronic device of the third configuration example receives a notification from the network side device about a backup secondary base station suitable for serving the user equipment, and when the current secondary base station is not suitable for multi-connection, the backup secondary base station or a secondary base station further determined from the backup secondary base station can replace the current secondary base station. For example, the network side device can determine the backup secondary base station according to various methods described in the fourth configuration example of the second embodiment, and will not be described again here.

[0128] (First example) In the first example, the backup secondary base station selected by the network side device for the electronic device that is the user equipment is a subsequent secondary base station to replace the current secondary base station when the current secondary base station is not suitable for multiple connections. In this case, the electronic device of the third configuration example may have a functional architecture similar to that of the first configuration example, and may receive a notification about the backup secondary base station by the network side device via the current primary base station. Based on the notification, when the current secondary base station is not suitable for multiple connections, the current primary base station can establish a connection with the backup secondary base station, and the backup secondary base station that receives a similar notification from the network side device can establish a connection with the user equipment. Therefore, data transmission of multiple connections can be performed between the network side device and the electronic device by using the backup secondary base station.

[0129] (Second example) In a further second example, the backup secondary base station selected by the network side equipment for the electronic device being a user equipment also needs to undergo a subsequent final decision, for example a final decision based on a measured signal quality.

[0130] In this case, the electronic device of the third configuration example, in addition to having the same functions and executing the same processes as those of the first configuration example, can further have the same functions as the measurement unit and the communication unit in the second configuration example, that is, can additionally have a measurement unit and further arrange a communication unit. In this case, the measurement unit of this electronic device can preferably be configured to measure the signal quality (third signal quality) of the signal between the backup secondary base station and the user equipment when the backup secondary base station approaches the user equipment.

[0131] The measurement unit of the electronic device may, for example, perform a corresponding third signal quality measurement as necessary based on a notification received from the network side device about a backup secondary base station selected for the user equipment.

[0132] For example, the measurement unit of the electronic device may establish a timer for each backup secondary base station in response to a notification from the network side device, and the timer time is the time required for the backup secondary base station to approach the electronic device, which is the user equipment, i.e., the time for the backup secondary base station to arrive at a location sufficiently close to the electronic device (e.g., within a predetermined distance). The network side device may correspondingly establish a timer for each backup secondary base station and instruct the backup secondary base station to transmit a test signal when the corresponding timer times out, and the measurement unit of the electronic device may measure the signal quality of the test signal from the backup secondary base station received via the communication unit, i.e., the third signal quality, when the timer held by the device times out.

[0133] When the electronic device completes the measurement of the signal quality between the backup secondary base station and the measurement unit, the electronic device controls the communication unit of the electronic device to report the acquired measured signal quality to the network side device, and the network side device can determine a subsequent secondary base station to serve the user equipment based at least in part on the measured signal quality. For example, the network side device can determine the final subsequent secondary base station according to various methods described in the fourth configuration example of the second embodiment, and therefore will not be described again here.

[0134] Optionally, the communication unit of the electronic device may receive a notification about the finally determined subsequent secondary base station from the network side device, for example, via the current primary base station, and a similar notification is also sent to the current primary base station and the subsequent secondary base station. Based on the above notification, when the current secondary base station is not suitable for multiple connections, the current primary base station can establish a connection with the subsequent secondary base station, and the subsequent secondary base station can establish a connection with the user equipment. Thus, data transmission of multiple connections using the subsequent secondary base station can be performed between the network side device and the electronic device.

[0135] The above describes an exemplary configuration and processing of the network-side electronic device of the first embodiment, an exemplary configuration and processing of the terminal-side electronic device of the second embodiment, and example interactions between the two and between the two and base station equipment (current serving base station, candidate primary base station, candidate secondary base station, etc.). The above description has actually disclosed a communication system including the network-side electronic device of the first embodiment, the terminal-side electronic device of the second embodiment, and base station equipment (current serving base station, candidate primary base station, candidate secondary base station, etc.) that interacts with the two, so they will not be described again here.

[0136] Next, an example flow of some preferred embodiments will be outlined.

[0137] <4. Example flow> (Example of a data transmission process using an embodiment of the present disclosure) FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining an example process of a data transmission process using an embodiment of the present disclosure, which may be realized, for example, by processing of the electronic device of the first embodiment as a network side device, processing of the electronic device of the second embodiment as a user device, and interactions between both, and between them and base station equipment (current serving base station, candidate primary base station, candidate secondary base station, etc.).

[0138] As shown in FIG. 11, first, in step S1101, when the current serving base station of the user equipment is a non-transparent satellite base station moving relative to the ground, the network side equipment has a large amount of data to transmit to the user equipment and expects to establish multiple connections.

[0139] Then, the process may proceed to optional step S1102. In step S1102, the network side equipment determines whether the current serving base station can be the primary base station.

[0140] If the determination result in step S1102 is positive, the process proceeds to step S1103, where the current serving base station is set as the primary base station and the secondary base station is set as the secondary base station, and multiple connections are established with the user equipment. Then, in step S1107, the network side device transmits data to the user equipment using the multiple connections, and releases the multiple connections when the data transmission is completed, and the entire flow is completed.

[0141] If the determination result in step S1102 is negative, the process proceeds to step S1104, where the network side device determines whether or not it has selected / determined an appropriate primary base station and secondary base station for the user equipment. If the determination result in step S1104 is positive, the process proceeds to step S1105, where the selected / determined primary base station and secondary base station establish a multiple connection with the user equipment, and then performs the process of step S1107. If the determination result in step S1104 is negative, the process proceeds to step S1106, where the network side device continues to use the current serving base station (when multiple connections are not established) to transmit data to the user equipment.

[0142] Steps S1102 and S1103 in the above process example are optional, that is, steps S1104 and subsequent steps may be performed immediately after step S1101.

[0143] (Process of selecting primary and secondary base stations based on estimated connection time) FIG. 12 is an exemplary flow to illustrate exemplary signaling interactions of a process for selecting a primary base station and a secondary base station based on an estimated connection time, which may be realized, for example, by processing of the electronic device of the first embodiment as a network side equipment 5GC, processing of the electronic device of the second embodiment as a user equipment UE, and interactions between both and between the same and base station equipment (such as the current serving base station LEO / MEO gNB, candidate primary base station PC_2, candidate secondary base stations SC_22 and SC_23).

[0144] As shown in Figure 12, when the current serving base station of the user equipment UE is a non-transparent satellite base station moving with respect to the ground, i.e., LEO / MEO gNB, when the network side equipment 5GC has a large amount of data to transmit to the UE and expects to establish multiple connections, it requests the UE to report related information via the LEO / MEO gNB, and requests each candidate primary base station and candidate secondary base station to report related information. For convenience of illustration, only one candidate primary base station PC_2 and two candidate secondary base stations SC_22 and SC_23 are shown here, but there are other candidate primary base stations and candidate secondary base stations that are not shown in the exemplary flow.

[0145] Next, the network side equipment 5GC may obtain an estimated connection time for each candidate primary base station and candidate secondary base station based on the acquired related information, and select PC_2, SC_22, and SC_23 as appropriate primary base station and secondary base station based on the estimated connection time.

[0146] In this case, the network side equipment 5GC may send a notification of this selection result to the UE via the LEO / MEO gNB, and may also send notifications of this selection result to PC_2, SC_22, and SC_23, and receive confirmation messages ACK from these devices.

[0147] Alternatively, in one example, the selection result is a final decision result for the primary base station and the secondary base station, and the notification of the selection result requests the related device to switch or connect. In this case, the UE that receives the notification switches to PC_2 as the primary base station, and PC_2 establishes a connection with SC_22 and SC_23 as the secondary base stations, and SC_22 and SC_23 can establish a connection with the UE, thereby performing multi-connection data transmission.

[0148] Although not shown, optionally, in another example, the selection result of the network side device 5GC is not a final result and needs to be further determined. In this case, the process may not include the establishment of multiple connections and data transmission, but may include other related processes.

[0149] Also, although not shown, optionally, in another example, when the network side device 5GC has a large amount of data to transmit to the UE and expects to establish multiple connections, it first performs a process to determine whether the current serving base station is suitable as a primary base station, and performs the subsequent processes in Figure 12 only if it determines that the current serving base station is not suitable.

[0150] Also, although not shown, optionally, in a further example, when the network side device 5GC has a large amount of data to transmit to the UE and expects to establish multiple connections, it first acquires related information for each pre-selected primary base station and pre-selected secondary base station, performs a process of acquiring an estimated connection quality based on the related information, then pre-selects candidate primary base stations and candidate secondary base stations based on the estimated connection quality, and then performs the subsequent processes of Figure 12 on the candidate primary base stations and candidate secondary base stations.

[0151] (The process of determining whether the current serving base station is suitable as a primary base station) FIG. 13 is an exemplary flow for illustrating exemplary signaling interactions of a process for determining whether a current serving base station is suitable as a primary base station, which may be realized, for example, by processing of the electronic device of the first embodiment as a network side equipment 5GC, processing of the electronic device of the second embodiment as a user equipment UE, and interactions between both and between the same and base station equipment (current serving base station LEO / MEO gNB, candidate secondary base station SC, etc.).

[0152] As shown in Figure 13, when the current serving base station of the user equipment UE is a non-transparent satellite base station, i.e., a LEO / MEO gNB, which moves with respect to the ground, the network side equipment 5GC requests the UE, the LEO / MEO gNB, and possible secondary base stations (candidate secondary base stations) SC of the LEO / MEO gNB to report related information when the UE has a large amount of data to transmit and expects to establish multiple connections. For convenience of illustration, only one possible secondary base station is shown here, but the exemplary flow can be applied to multiple secondary base stations as well.

[0153] Next, the network side device 5GC obtains an estimated connection time between the UE and the LEO / MEO gNB based on the acquired related information, obtains an estimated transmission time for multi-connection data transmission by the LEO / MEO gNB to the candidate secondary base station SC, and determines whether the LEO / MEO gNB and the candidate secondary base station SC are suitable as a primary base station and secondary base station for the UE based on these two times.

[0154] For example, as shown in Fig. 13, the network side device 5GC may determine the LEO / MEO gNB and SC as the primary base station and secondary base station of the UE when the estimated connection time is equal to or greater than the estimated transmission time. In this case, the network side device 5GC may send a notification of this determination result to the UE, the LEO / MEO gNB and the SC, and receive a confirmation message ACK from these devices. Alternatively, the LEO / MEO gNB as the primary base station may establish a connection with the SC as the secondary base station, and the SC as the secondary base station may establish a connection with the UE, thereby enabling multi-connection data transmission.

[0155] Although not shown, the network side equipment 5GC may determine that the LEO / MEO gNB is not suitable as a primary base station for the UE if it finds that the estimated connection time is less than the estimated transmission time. In this case, the flow may switch to the process for all candidate primary base stations and candidate secondary base stations, for example as shown in Figure 12, and will not be described again here.

[0156] (Process for determining primary and secondary base stations based on measured signal quality) FIG. 14 is an exemplary flow to explain exemplary signaling interactions of a process for determining a primary base station and a secondary base station based on measured signal quality, which may be realized, for example, by processing of an electronic device according to the third configuration of the first embodiment as a network side equipment 5GC, processing of an electronic device according to the second configuration of the second embodiment as a user equipment UE, and interactions between both and between them and base station equipment (such as the current serving base station LEO / MEO gNB, candidate primary base station PC_2, candidate secondary base stations SC_22 and SC_23, etc.).

[0157] As shown in Figure 14, when the current serving base station of the user equipment UE is a non-transparent satellite base station moving with respect to the ground, i.e., a LEO / MEO gNB, when the network side equipment 5GC has a large amount of data to transmit to the UE and expects to establish multiple connections, it selects a candidate primary base station and a candidate secondary base station suitable for serving the UE, for example, through the exemplary flow of the previous Figure 12. For convenience of illustration, only one selected candidate primary base station PC_2 and two candidate secondary base stations SC_22 and SC_23 are shown here, but of course, in practical application, it is not limited thereto.

[0158] First, the network side equipment 5GC sends a notification about the selected candidate primary base station PC_2 and candidate secondary base stations SC_22 and SC_23 to the UE via the LEO / MEO gNB, and the UE prepares to receive test signals from these base station equipment and measure the signal quality.

[0159] In addition, the network side equipment 5GC sends a notification of the selection result to the selected candidate primary base station PC_2 and the candidate secondary base stations SC_22 and SC_23, so that the candidate primary base station PC_2 sends test signals to the candidate secondary base stations SC_22 and SC_23 and the UE, and the candidate secondary base stations SC_22 and SC_23 send test signals to the candidate primary base station PC_2 and the UE, and prepare to receive the corresponding test signals and measure the signal quality.

[0160] Subsequently, after completing their respective signal quality measurements, the UE, PC_2, SC_22 and SC_23 report the measured signal qualities to the network side equipment 5GC.

[0161] Next, the network side device 5GC determines PC_2 and SC_22 as appropriate primary base station and secondary base station based on the acquired signal quality.

[0162] In this case, the network side equipment 5GC may send a notification of this decision result to the UE via the LEO / MEO gNB, and may also send a notification of this decision result to PC_2 and SC_22, and receive a confirmation message ACK from these devices.

[0163] Alternatively, in this case, the UE can switch to PC_2 as a primary base station, and PC_2 can establish a connection with SC_22 as a secondary base station, and SC_22 can establish a connection with the UE, thereby enabling multi-connection data transmission.

[0164] (Process of determining subsequent secondary base stations based on measured signal quality) 15 is an exemplary flow for illustrating exemplary signaling interactions of a process for determining a subsequent secondary base station based on a measured signal quality, which may be realized, for example, by processing of an electronic device according to the fourth configuration of the first embodiment as a network side device 5GC, processing of an electronic device according to the third configuration of the second embodiment as a user equipment UE, and interactions between both of them and between the same and base station equipment (such as a current primary base station PC, a backup secondary base station SC_a, etc.). Note that for simplicity of illustration, the current secondary base station is not shown here.

[0165] As shown in Figure 15, when the current secondary base station of the user equipment UE is a non-transparent satellite base station moving with respect to the ground, for example, a LEO / MEO non-transparent satellite base station, the network side equipment 5GC selects a backup secondary base station suitable for serving the UE, for example, by the method described in the fourth configuration of the first embodiment. For convenience of illustration, only two backup secondary base stations SC_a and SC_b are shown here, but of course, in practical application, it is not limited thereto.

[0166] Next, the network side equipment 5GC sends a notification about the selected backup secondary base stations SC_a and SC_b to the current primary base station PC, which may include, for example, at least the time information of the timer used for the backup secondary base station SC_a and the time information of the timer used for the backup secondary base station SC_b, and the time information may indicate the time required for the corresponding backup secondary base station to approach the current primary base station PC, i.e., to arrive at a location sufficiently close to the current primary base station (for example, within a predetermined distance). In addition, the network side equipment 5GC further sends a notification about the selected backup secondary base stations SC_a and SC_b to the UE via the current primary base station PC, which may include, for example, at least the time information of the timer used for the backup secondary base station SC_a and the time information of the timer used for the backup secondary base station SC_b. To simplify the process, the time information provided to the UE here may also indicate the time required for the corresponding backup secondary base station to approach the current primary base station PC. In other words, for a particular backup secondary base station, the current primary base station PC and the UE can establish and maintain timers of the same time.

[0167] In addition, the network side equipment 5GC itself establishes the above-mentioned timer for each backup secondary base station, and when the corresponding timer times out, sends a notification to the corresponding backup secondary base station SC_a, SC_b to transmit a test signal to the current primary base station PC and the user equipment UE.

[0168] In this way, the primary base station PC and the UE can receive test signals from the corresponding backup secondary base station and measure the signal quality when the corresponding timers time out. In addition, the PC and the UE can report the measured signal quality to the network side equipment 5GC after completing their respective signal quality measurements. In the figure, for simplicity, the measurement and report of each of the PC and the UE are shown in a single block and a single report message, but the measurement is actually performed separately to the corresponding backup secondary base station when each timer times out, and the report can be performed individually or collectively, and is not limited here.

[0169] Next, the network side device 5GC may determine, for example, SC_a as the final subsequent secondary base station based on the acquired measured signal quality.

[0170] Optionally, in this case, the network side equipment 5GC may transmit a notification of this decision result to the UE via the current primary base station PC, and may also transmit a notification of this decision result to the subsequent secondary base station SC_a. Based on the above notification, selectively, for example, if the current primary base station is not suitable for multiple connections based on the signal quality of the current secondary base station measured by the current primary base station PC and / or the user equipment UE, the current primary base station may establish a connection with the subsequent secondary base station SC_a, and the subsequent secondary base station SC_a may establish a connection with the user equipment (i.e., switch to the subsequent secondary base station SC_a) to perform data transmission for multiple connections.

[0171] 5. Method Examples Corresponding to the above apparatus embodiments, the present disclosure provides the following method embodiments.

[0172] FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating an example process of a method for wireless communication according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0173] As shown in FIG. 16, in step S1601, a primary base station and a secondary base station suitable for serving a user equipment are selected based on an estimated connection time for the candidate primary base station and the candidate secondary base station, where the candidate primary base station and the candidate secondary base station include at least one non-transparent satellite base station moving relative to the ground.

[0174] As an example, the candidate primary base station may include a current serving base station of the user equipment, which is a non-transparent satellite base station. In this case, although not shown, the method may further include determining whether the current serving base station can be a suitable primary base station for serving the user equipment based on an estimated connection time between the current serving base station and the user equipment.

[0175] For example, the estimated connection time may include a first connection time between the candidate primary base station and the user equipment, and a second connection time between the candidate primary base station and the candidate secondary base station. Optionally, the estimated connection time may further include a third connection time between the candidate secondary base station and the user equipment.

[0176] For example, in step S1601, when at least one of the two bodies is a non-transparent satellite base station that moves relative to the ground, the connection time between the two bodies may be estimated, for example, based on the position and transmission power of each body and the ephemeris chart of the non-transparent satellite base station. When the two bodies do not include a non-transparent satellite base station that moves relative to the ground, for example, the connection time between the two bodies may be estimated to be infinite.

[0177] Also, although not shown, the method may further include, for example, before step S1601, pre-selecting candidate primary base stations and candidate secondary base stations from among the pre-selected primary base stations and the pre-selected secondary base stations based on estimated connection qualities for the pre-selected primary base station and the pre-selected secondary base station.

[0178] For example, the estimated connection quality may include a first connection quality between the pre-selected primary base station and the user equipment, and a second connection quality between the pre-selected primary base station and the pre-selected secondary base station. Optionally, the estimated connection quality may further include a third connection quality between the pre-selected secondary base station and the user equipment.

[0179] As an example, the connection quality between two bodies may be estimated based on the distance between the two bodies and the transmission power of each body.

[0180] Also, although not shown, the method may further include, for example, after step S1601, determining a primary base station and a secondary base station to serve the user equipment based on measured signal qualities for the selected primary base station and secondary base station.

[0181] By way of example, the measured signal quality may include a first signal quality of a signal between the selected primary base station and the user equipment, and a second signal quality of a signal between the selected primary base station and the selected secondary base station. Optionally, the measured signal quality may further include a third signal quality of a signal between the selected secondary base station and the user equipment.

[0182] Also, although not shown, the method may further include, for example, after step S1601, when the current secondary base station selected for the user equipment is a non-transparent satellite base station moving with respect to the ground, further selecting a backup secondary base station suitable for serving the user equipment based on an estimated connection time and / or an estimated connection quality between the candidate secondary base station and the current primary base station selected for the user equipment and / or the user equipment. Optionally, the method may further include, when the backup secondary base station approaches the current primary base station and / or the user equipment, determining a subsequent secondary base station to serve the user equipment based on a signal quality measured for a signal between the backup secondary base station and the current primary base station and / or the user equipment.

[0183] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the main body that performs the above method may be an electronic device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure, and therefore all of the embodiments relating to electronic devices according to each configuration of the first embodiment of the present disclosure above are applicable here.

[0184] FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating an example process of a method for wireless communication according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0185] As shown in FIG. 17, in step S1701, a notification is received by the network side equipment for a user equipment about primary base stations and secondary base stations suitable for serving the selected user equipment, and the primary base stations and the secondary base stations are determined by the network side equipment based on estimated connection times for candidate primary base stations and candidate secondary base stations, and the candidate primary base stations and the candidate secondary base stations include at least one non-transparent satellite base station moving relative to the ground.

[0186] Although not shown, the method may further include, for example, after step S1701, measuring a signal quality of a signal between the user equipment and a primary base station and / or a secondary base station selected for the user equipment, and reporting the measured signal quality to the network side equipment such that the network side equipment determines a primary base station and / or a secondary base station to serve the user equipment based at least in part on the measured signal quality.

[0187] Also, although not shown, the method may further include receiving a notification from the network side equipment about a backup secondary base station when a current secondary base station serving the user equipment is a non-transparent satellite base station moving with respect to the ground, measuring a signal quality of a signal between the backup secondary base station and the user equipment when the backup secondary base station approaches the user equipment, and reporting the measured signal quality to the network side equipment such that the network side equipment determines a subsequent secondary base station to serve the user equipment based at least in part on the measured signal quality.

[0188] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the main body that performs the above method may be an electronic device relating to each configuration according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure, and therefore all of the above embodiments relating to electronic devices relating to each configuration according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure are applicable here.

[0189] <6. Application Examples> The techniques of the present disclosure can be applied to a variety of products.

[0190] For example, the electronic devices 200, 600, 800 according to each configuration of the first embodiment (and the electronic device according to the fourth configuration) may be realized as any type of control entity, for example, any type of server such as a tower type server, a rack type server, a blade type server, etc. The electronic devices 200, 600, 800 (and the electronic device according to the fourth configuration) may be a control module mounted on the server (for example, an integrated circuit module including a single chip, and a card or blade inserted into a slot of a blade type server).

[0191] Also, the base station device that interacts with the network side electronic device of the first embodiment and the terminal side electronic device of the second embodiment may be realized as any type of base station device, such as a macro eNB or a small eNB, or may be realized as any type of gNB (base station in a 5G system). The small eNB may be an eNB that covers a cell smaller than a macro cell, such as a pico eNB, a micro eNB, and a home (femto) eNB. Instead, the base station may be realized as any other type of base station, such as a NodeB or a base station transceiver (BTS). The base station may include an entity (also called a base station device) configured to control wireless communication and one or more remote radio heads (RRHs) provided at a location different from the entity. The base station device that interacts with the network side electronic device of the first embodiment and the terminal side electronic device of the second embodiment may be realized as any type of TRP. The TRP has a function of transmission and reception, and may, for example, receive information from a user equipment and a base station device, or may transmit information to a user equipment and a base station device. In a specific example, the TRP provides services to user equipment and may be controlled by a base station device. Furthermore, the TRP may have a configuration similar to that of the base station device, or may only have a configuration related to the transmission and reception of information in the base station device.

[0192] Furthermore, the electronic devices 900, 1000 according to each configuration of the second embodiment (and the electronic devices according to the third configuration) may be realized as various user devices, and may be realized as mobile terminals (e.g., smartphones, tablet personal computers (PCs), notebook PCs, portable game terminals, portable / dongle mobile routers, and digital imaging devices) or in-vehicle terminals (e.g., car navigation devices). The user devices may also be realized as terminals that perform machine-to-machine (M2M) communication (also called machine-type communication (MTC) terminals). Note that the user devices may be wireless communication modules (e.g., integrated circuit modules including a single chip) mounted on each of the above user devices.

[0193] [Examples of application of control entities] 18 is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a server 1700 to which the technology of the present disclosure can be applied. The server 1700 includes a processor 1701, a memory 1702, a storage device 1703, a network interface 1704, and a bus 1706.

[0194] The processor 1701 is, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) or a digital signal processor (DSP), and controls the functions of the server 1700. The memory 1702 includes a random access memory (RAM) and a read-only memory (ROM), and stores data and programs executed by the processor 1701. The storage device 1703 can include a storage medium such as a semiconductor memory and a hard disk.

[0195] The network interface 1704 is a communication interface for connecting the server 1700 to a communication network 1705. The communication network 1705 may be a core network, such as an evolved packet core network (EPC), or a packet data network (PDN), such as the Internet.

[0196] The bus 1706 interconnects the processor 1701, the memory 1702, the storage device 1703, and the network interface 1704. The bus 1706 may include two or more buses, each having a different speed (e.g., a high-speed bus and a low-speed bus).

[0197] In the server 1700 shown in Fig. 18, the selection units in the electronic devices 200, 600, and 800 (and the electronic device according to the fourth configuration) of the first embodiment described with reference to Figs. 2, 6, and 8 may be realized by the processor 1701, and the preliminary selection unit of the electronic device 600 and the decision unit of the electronic device 800 (and the corresponding units of the electronic device according to the fourth configuration) may also be realized by the processor 1701. For example, the processor 1701 may execute the functions of the selection unit, preliminary selection unit, and / or decision unit by executing instructions stored in the memory 1702 or the storage device 1703. Also, the communication units in the electronic devices 200, 600, and 800 may be realized by the network interface 1704.

[0198] [Application examples for base stations] (First application example) 19 is a block diagram showing a first example of a schematic configuration of an eNB to which the technology of the present disclosure can be applied. The eNB 1800 includes one or more antennas 1810 and a base station device 1820. The base station device 1820 and each antenna 1810 may be connected to each other via an RF cable.

[0199] Each of the antennas 1810 includes a single or multiple antenna elements (e.g., multiple antenna elements included in a MIMO antenna) and is used for transmitting and receiving radio signals by the base station device 1820. The eNB 1800 may include multiple antennas 1810 as shown in FIG. 19. The multiple antennas 1810 may be compatible with, for example, multiple frequency bands used by the eNB 1800. Although FIG. 19 shows an example in which the eNB 1800 includes multiple antennas 1810, the eNB 1800 may include a single antenna 1810.

[0200] The base station device 1820 includes a controller 1821 , a memory 1822 , a network interface 1823 , and a wireless communication interface 1825 .

[0201] The controller 1821 may be, for example, a CPU or a DSP, and operates various functions of the upper layer of the base station device 1820. For example, the controller 1821 generates a data packet from data in a signal processed by the wireless communication interface 1825, and transfers the generated packet via the network interface 1823. The controller 1821 can generate a bundled packet by bundling data from multiple baseband processors, and transfer the generated bundled packet. The controller 1821 can also have a logical function of performing control such as radio resource control, radio bearer control, mobility management, admission control, or scheduling. The control can also be performed in cooperation with a nearby eNB or core network node. The memory 1822 includes a RAM and a ROM, and stores programs executed by the controller 1821 and various control data (for example, a terminal list, transmission power data, and scheduling data).

[0202] The network interface 1823 is a communication interface for connecting the base station device 1820 to the core network 1824. The controller 1821 can communicate with a core network node or other eNBs via the network interface 1823. In this case, the eNB 1800 and the core network node or other eNBs are connected to each other by a logical interface (e.g., an S1 interface and an X2 interface). The network interface 1823 may be a wired communication interface or a wireless communication interface for a wireless backhaul line. When the network interface 1823 is a wireless communication interface, the network interface 1823 can use a higher frequency band for wireless communication compared to the frequency band used by the wireless communication interface 1825.

[0203] The wireless communication interface 1825 supports any cellular communication method (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE) and LTE-Advanced) and provides wireless connection to terminals located in the cell of the eNB 1800 via the antenna 1810. The wireless communication interface 1825 may typically include, for example, a baseband (BB) processor 1826 and an RF circuit 1827. The BB processor 1826 may perform, for example, encoding / decoding, modulation / demodulation, and multiplexing / demultiplexing, and may perform various types of signal processing of layers (e.g., L1, media access control (MAC), radio link control (RLC), packet data aggregation protocol (PDCP)). The BB processor 1826 may have some or all of the above logical functions instead of the controller 1821. The BB processor 1826 may be a memory that stores a communication control program, or may be a module including a processor and related circuits configured to execute the program. Program updates may change the functionality of the BB processor 1826. The module may be a card or blade that is inserted into a slot in the base station device 1820. Alternatively, the module may be a chip mounted on the card or blade. At the same time, the RF circuitry 1827 may include, for example, mixers, filters, and amplifiers, and may transmit and receive radio signals via the antenna 1810.

[0204] As shown in FIG. 19, the wireless communication interface 1825 may include multiple BB processors 1826. For example, the multiple BB processors 1826 may be compatible with multiple frequency bands used by the eNB 1800. As shown in FIG. 19, the wireless communication interface 1825 may include multiple RF circuits 1827. For example, the multiple RF circuits 1827 may be compatible with multiple antenna elements. Although FIG. 19 shows an example in which the wireless communication interface 1825 includes multiple BB processors 1826 and multiple RF circuits 1827, the wireless communication interface 1825 may include a single BB processor 1826 or a single RF circuit 1827.

[0205] (Second application example) 20 is a block diagram showing a second example of a schematic configuration of an eNB to which the technology of the present disclosure can be applied. The eNB 1930 includes one or more antennas 1940, a base station device 1950, and an RRH 1960. The RRH 1960 and each antenna 1940 may be connected to each other via an RF cable. The base station device 1950 and the RRH 1960 may be connected to each other via a high-speed line such as an optical fiber cable.

[0206] Each of the antennas 1940 includes a single or multiple antenna elements (e.g., multiple antenna elements included in a MIMO antenna) and is used for transmitting and receiving radio signals by the RRH 1960. The eNB 1930 may include multiple antennas 1940 as shown in FIG. 20. The multiple antennas 1940 may be compatible with, for example, multiple frequency bands used by the eNB 1930. Although FIG. 20 illustrates an example in which the eNB 1930 includes multiple antennas 1940, the eNB 1930 may include a single antenna 1940.

[0207] The base station device 1950 includes a controller 1951, a memory 1952, a network interface 1953, a wireless communication interface 1955, and a connection interface 1957. The controller 1951, the memory 1952, and the network interface 1953 are similar to the controller 1821, the memory 1822, and the network interface 1823 described with reference to FIG.

[0208] The wireless communication interface 1955 supports any cellular communication method (e.g., LTE and LTE-Advanced) and provides wireless connection to a terminal located in a sector corresponding to the RRH 1960 via the RRH 1960 and the antenna 1940. The wireless communication interface 1955 may generally include, for example, a BB processor 1956. The BB processor 1956 is similar to the BB processor 1826 described with reference to FIG. 19 except that the BB processor 1956 is connected to the RF circuit 1964 of the RRH 1960 via a connection interface 1957. The wireless communication interface 1955 may include multiple BB processors 1956 as shown in FIG. 20. The multiple BB processors 1956 may be compatible with, for example, multiple frequency bands used by the eNB 1930. Note that, although FIG. 20 shows an example in which the wireless communication interface 1955 includes multiple BB processors 1956, the wireless communication interface 1955 may include a single BB processor 1956.

[0209] The connection interface 1957 is an interface for connecting the base station device 1950 (wireless communication interface 1955) to the RRH 1960. The connection interface 1957 may be a communication module for communication in the above-mentioned high-speed line for connecting the base station device 1950 (wireless communication interface 1955) to the RRH 1960.

[0210] The RRH 1960 includes a connection interface 1961 and a wireless communication interface 1963 .

[0211] The connection interface 1961 is an interface for connecting the RRH 1960 (wireless communication interface 1963) to the base station device 1950. The connection interface 1961 may be a communication module for communication in the above-mentioned high-speed line.

[0212] The wireless communication interface 1963 transmits and receives wireless signals via the antenna 1940. The wireless communication interface 1963 can typically include, for example, an RF circuit 1964. The RF circuit 1964 can include, for example, a mixer, a filter, and an amplifier, and can transmit and receive wireless signals via the antenna 1940. The wireless communication interface 1963 can include multiple RF circuits 1964 as shown in FIG. 20. The multiple RF circuits 1964 can support multiple antenna elements. Note that, although FIG. 20 shows an example in which the wireless communication interface 1963 includes multiple RF circuits 1964, the wireless communication interface 1963 may include a single RF circuit 1964.

[0213] [Examples of user equipment applications] (First application example) 21 is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a smartphone 2000 to which the technology of the present disclosure can be applied. The smartphone 2000 includes a processor 2001, a memory 2002, a storage device 2003, an external connection interface 2004, an image capture device 2006, a sensor 2007, a microphone 2008, an input device 2009, a display device 2010, a speaker 2011, a wireless communication interface 2012, one or more antenna switches 2015, one or more antennas 2016, a bus 2017, a battery 2018, and an auxiliary controller 2019.

[0214] The processor 2001 is, for example, a CPU or a system on chip (SoC), and can control the functions of the application layer and other layers of the smartphone 2000. The memory 2002 includes a RAM and a ROM, and stores data and programs executed by the processor 2001. The storage device 2003 can include storage media such as a semiconductor memory and a hard disk. The external connection interface 2004 is an interface for connecting an external device (for example, a memory card and a universal serial bus (USB) device) to the smartphone 2000.

[0215] The imaging device 2006 includes an image sensor (e.g., a charge-coupled device (CCD) and a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS)) and generates an image. The sensor 2007 can include a set of sensors such as a measurement sensor, a gyro sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, and an acceleration sensor. The microphone 2008 converts a sound input to the smartphone 2000 into an audio signal. The input device 2009 includes, for example, a touch sensor, a keypad, a keyboard, a button, or a switch configured to detect a touch on the screen of the display device 2010, and receives an operation or information input from a user. The display device 2010 includes a screen (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display), and displays an output image of the smartphone 2000. The speaker 2011 converts an audio signal output from the smartphone 2000 into a sound.

[0216] The wireless communication interface 2012 supports any cellular communication method (e.g., LTE and LTE-Advanced) and performs wireless communication. The wireless communication interface 2012 may typically include, for example, a BB processor 2013 and an RF circuit 2014. The BB processor 2013 may perform, for example, encoding / decoding, modulation / demodulation, and multiplexing / demultiplexing, and may perform various types of signal processing for wireless communication. At the same time, the RF circuit 2014 may include, for example, a mixer, a filter, and an amplifier, and may transmit and receive wireless signals via an antenna 2016. The wireless communication interface 2012 may be a single chip module on which the BB processor 2013 and the RF circuit 2014 are integrated. As shown in FIG. 21, the wireless communication interface 2012 may include multiple BB processors 2013 and multiple RF circuits 2014. Although FIG. 21 shows an example in which the wireless communication interface 2012 includes multiple BB processors 2013 and multiple RF circuits 2014, the wireless communication interface 2012 may include a single BB processor 2013 or a single RF circuit 2014.

[0217] In addition to the cellular communication system, the wireless communication interface 2012 can support other types of wireless communication systems, such as a short-range wireless communication system, a close-proximity communication system, a wireless terrestrial network (LAN) system, etc. In this case, the wireless communication interface 2012 can include a BB processor 2013 and an RF circuit 2014 for various wireless communication systems.

[0218] Each of the antenna switches 2015 switches the connection of the antenna 2016 between a plurality of circuits (eg, circuits used for different wireless communication methods) included in the wireless communication interface 2012.

[0219] Each of the antennas 2016 includes a single or multiple antenna elements (e.g., multiple antenna elements included in a MIMO antenna) and is used for transmitting and receiving wireless signals via the wireless communication interface 2012. The smartphone 2000 can include multiple antennas 2016 as shown in Fig. 21. Although Fig. 21 shows an example in which the smartphone 2000 includes multiple antennas 2016, the smartphone 2000 may include a single antenna 2016.

[0220] The smartphone 2000 may include an antenna 2016 for various wireless communication methods. In this case, the antenna switch 2015 may be omitted from the configuration of the smartphone 2000.

[0221] The bus 2017 connects the processor 2001, the memory 2002, the storage device 2003, the external connection interface 2004, the image capture device 2006, the sensor 2007, the microphone 2008, the input device 2009, the display device 2010, the speaker 2011, the wireless communication interface 2012, and the auxiliary controller 2019 to one another. The battery 2018 supplies power to each block of the smartphone 2000 shown in FIG. 21 via a power supply line, and the power supply line is partially represented as a dotted line in the drawing. The auxiliary controller 2019 operates the minimum necessary functions of the smartphone 2000, for example, in a sleep mode.

[0222] In the smartphone 2000 shown in Fig. 21, the communication unit in the electronic devices 900 and 1000 described with reference to Figs. 9 and 10 may be realized by a wireless communication interface 2012 and an optional antenna 2016. The function of the measurement unit in the electronic device 1000 may be realized by the processor 2001 or the auxiliary controller 2019 (or may be realized by controlling other related components). For example, the processor 2001 or the auxiliary controller 2019 may realize the function of the measurement unit by executing instructions stored in the memory 2002 or the storage device 2003.

[0223] (Second application example) 22 is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a car navigation device 2120 to which the technology of the present disclosure can be applied. The car navigation device 2120 includes a processor 2121, a memory 2122, a global positioning system (GPS) module 2124, a sensor 2125, a data interface 2126, a content player 2127, a storage medium interface 2128, an input device 2129, a display device 2130, a speaker 2131, a wireless communication interface 2133, one or more antenna switches 2136, one or more antennas 2137, and a battery 2138.

[0224] The processor 2121 is, for example, a CPU or SoC, and can control the navigation function and other functions of the car navigation device 2120. The memory 2122 includes a RAM and a ROM, and stores data and programs executed by the processor 2121.

[0225] The GPS module 2124 measures the position (e.g., latitude, longitude, altitude) of the car navigation device 2120 using GPS signals received from GPS satellites. The sensor 2125 may include a set of sensors such as a gyro sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, and an air pressure sensor. The data interface 2126 is connected to, for example, an in-vehicle network 2141 via a terminal (not shown) and acquires data generated by the vehicle (e.g., vehicle speed data).

[0226] The content player 2127 plays content stored on a storage medium (e.g., CD and DVD) inserted into the storage medium interface 2128. The input device 2129 includes, for example, a touch sensor, button, or switch configured to detect a touch on the screen of the display device 2130, and receives operations or information input from a user. The display device 2130 includes, for example, a screen such as an LCD or OLED display, and displays images of the navigation function or played content. The speaker 2131 outputs sounds of the navigation function or played content.

[0227] The wireless communication interface 2133 supports any cellular communication method (e.g., LTE and LTE-Advanced) and performs wireless communication. The wireless communication interface 2133 may typically include, for example, a BB processor 2134 and an RF circuit 2135. The BB processor 2134 may perform, for example, encoding / decoding, modulation / demodulation, and multiplexing / demultiplexing, and may perform various types of signal processing for wireless communication. At the same time, the RF circuit 2135 may include, for example, a mixer, a filter, and an amplifier, and may transmit and receive wireless signals via an antenna 2137. The wireless communication interface 2133 may also be a single chip module on which the BB processor 2134 and the RF circuit 2135 are integrated. As shown in FIG. 22, the wireless communication interface 2133 may include multiple BB processors 2134 and multiple RF circuits 2135. Although FIG. 22 shows an example in which the wireless communication interface 2133 includes multiple BB processors 2134 and multiple RF circuits 2135, the wireless communication interface 2133 may include a single BB processor 2134 or a single RF circuit 2135.

[0228] In addition to the cellular communication system, the wireless communication interface 2133 can support other types of wireless communication systems, such as a short-distance wireless communication system, a close-proximity communication system, a wireless LAN system, etc. In this case, the wireless communication interface 2133 can include a BB processor 2134 and an RF circuit 2135 for various wireless communication systems.

[0229] Each of the antenna switches 2136 switches the connection destination of the antenna 2137 between a plurality of circuits (eg, circuits used for different wireless communication methods) included in the wireless communication interface 2133.

[0230] Each of the antennas 2137 includes a single or multiple antenna elements (for example, multiple antenna elements included in a MIMO antenna) and is used for transmitting and receiving wireless signals via the wireless communication interface 2133. The car navigation device 2120 can include multiple antennas 2137 as shown in Fig. 22. Although Fig. 22 shows an example in which the car navigation device 2120 includes multiple antennas 2137, the car navigation device 2120 may include a single antenna 2137.

[0231] The car navigation device 2120 may include an antenna 2137 for various wireless communication methods. In this case, the antenna switch 2136 may be omitted from the configuration of the car navigation device 2120.

[0232] The battery 2138 supplies power to each block of the car navigation device 2120 shown in Fig. 22 via a power supply line, which is partially represented by a dotted line in the drawing. The battery 2138 stores the power supplied from the vehicle.

[0233] 22, the communication unit in the electronic devices 900 and 1000 described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10 may be realized by a wireless communication interface 2133 and an optional antenna 2137. The function of the measurement unit in the electronic device 1000 may be realized by a processor 2121 (or may be realized by controlling other related components). The processor 2121 may realize the function of the measurement unit by executing instructions stored in the memory 2122.

[0234] The technology of the present disclosure may be realized as an in-vehicle system (or vehicle) 2140 including one or more blocks of a car navigation device 2120, an in-vehicle network 2141, and a vehicle module 2142. The vehicle module 2142 generates vehicle data (e.g., vehicle speed, engine speed, and fault information) and outputs the generated data to the in-vehicle network 2141.

[0235] Although the preferred embodiment of the present disclosure has been described above with reference to the drawings, the present disclosure is of course not limited to the above examples. It should be understood that those skilled in the art can obtain various changes and modifications within the scope of the appended claims, and these changes and modifications are included in the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0236] For example, all of the parts indicated by dotted line blocks in the illustrated functional block diagram can be selected in the device to which the functional part corresponds, and the required functions can be realized by combining each selectable functional part in an appropriate manner.

[0237] For example, multiple functions included in one unit in the above embodiments can be realized by separate devices. Alternatively, multiple functions realized by multiple units in the above embodiments can each be realized by a separate device. Also, one of the above functions can be realized by multiple units. It goes without saying that such a configuration is included in the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0238] In this specification, the steps described in the flowcharts include not only processes executed in chronological order, but also processes executed in parallel or independently, not necessarily in chronological order. It goes without saying that the order of steps executed in chronological order may be changed as appropriate.

[0239] Although the above describes the embodiments of the present disclosure in detail with reference to the drawings, it should be understood that the above-described embodiments are only for explaining the present disclosure and do not limit the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art can make various modifications and changes to the above-described embodiments without departing from the substance and scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the scope of the present disclosure is limited only by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. and a processing circuit configured to select a primary base station and a secondary base station suitable for serving the user equipment based on estimated connection times for the candidate primary base stations and the candidate secondary base stations; The candidate primary base stations and the candidate secondary base stations include at least one non-transparent satellite base station moving relative to the earth.

2. The candidate primary base stations include a current serving base station of the user equipment, which is a non-transparent satellite base station; 13. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to determine, based on an estimated connection time between a current serving base station and the user equipment, whether the current serving base station can be a suitable primary base station for serving the user equipment.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the estimated connection times include a first connection time between the candidate primary base station and the user equipment, and a second connection time between the candidate primary base station and the candidate secondary base station.

4. The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the estimated connection time further comprises a third connection time between the candidate secondary base station and the user equipment.

5. The electronic device of any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to estimate a connection time between the two bodies based on the position and transmission power of each body and the ephemeris chart of the non-transparent satellite base station when at least one of the two bodies is a non-transparent satellite base station moving relative to the ground.

6. The electronic device of any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to estimate that the connection time between the two bodies is infinite when the two bodies do not include a non-transparent satellite base station that moves relative to the earth.

7. 2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to preselect candidate primary base stations and candidate secondary base stations from among the pre-selected primary base stations and the pre-selected secondary base stations based on estimated connection qualities for the pre-selected primary base stations and the pre-selected secondary base stations.

8. The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein the estimated connection qualities include a first connection quality between the pre-selected primary base station and the user equipment, and a second connection quality between the pre-selected primary base station and the pre-selected secondary base station.

9. The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the estimated connection quality further comprises a third connection quality between the pre-selected secondary base station and the user equipment.

10. 10. The electronic device of claim 8 or 9, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to estimate a connection quality between the two bodies based on a distance between the two bodies and a transmission power of each body.

11. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to determine a primary base station and a secondary base station to serve the user equipment based on measured signal qualities for the selected primary and secondary base stations.

12. 12. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the measured signal qualities include a first signal quality of a signal between the selected primary base station and the user equipment, and a second signal quality of a signal between the selected primary base station and the selected secondary base station.

13. The electronic device of claim 12 , wherein the measured signal qualities further include a third signal quality of the signal between the selected secondary base station and the user equipment.

14. 2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to select a backup secondary base station suitable for serving the user equipment based on an estimated connection time and / or an estimated connection quality between the candidate secondary base stations and the current primary base station selected for the user equipment and / or the user equipment when the current secondary base station selected for the user equipment is a non-transparent satellite base station moving with respect to the ground.

15. 15. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to determine a subsequent secondary base station to serve the user equipment based on a signal quality measured for a signal between the backup secondary base station and the current primary base station and / or the user equipment when the backup secondary base station approaches the current primary base station and / or the user equipment.

16. A processing circuit configured to receive a notification by a network side equipment of a primary base station and a secondary base station suitable for serving the selected user equipment, The primary base station and the secondary base station are determined by a network side device based on estimated connection times for candidate primary base stations and candidate secondary base stations; The candidate primary base stations and the candidate secondary base stations include at least one non-transparent satellite base station moving relative to the earth.

17. The processing circuit is measuring a signal quality of a signal between the user equipment and a primary base station and / or a secondary base station selected for the user equipment; 17. The electronic device of claim 16, further configured to report the measured signal quality to the network side equipment, such that the network side equipment determines a primary base station and / or a secondary base station serving the user equipment based at least in part on the measured signal quality.

18. The processing circuit is receiving notification from a network side device about a backup secondary base station when a current secondary base station serving the user equipment is a non-transparent satellite base station moving relative to the ground; measuring a signal quality of a signal between the backup secondary base station and the user equipment when the backup secondary base station approaches the user equipment; 17. The electronic device of claim 16, further configured to report the measured signal quality to the network side equipment, such that the network side equipment determines a subsequent secondary base station to serve the user equipment based at least in part on the measured signal quality.

19. selecting a suitable primary base station and a secondary base station for serving the user equipment based on estimated connection times for the candidate primary base stations and the candidate secondary base stations; A method for wireless communication, wherein the candidate primary base stations and the candidate secondary base stations include at least one non-transparent satellite base station that moves relative to the earth.

20. 20. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the method for wireless communication set forth in claim 19.

Images