Satellite communication-based communication method and apparatus

Abstract

A satellite communication-based communication method and an apparatus. The method comprises: when determining that a terminal is in a first RNA at a first moment, a first apparatus may determine, on the basis of the first RNA, one or more first satellites as target service access network devices of the terminal, wherein the first RNA comprises service areas corresponding to some or all cells of N satellites, and the first satellites are satellites among the N satellites; and the first apparatus may send a context of the terminal to the first satellites, or the first apparatus instructs one or more second satellites to send the context of the terminal to the first satellites.

Description

A communication method and device based on satellite communication

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on July 17, 2023, with application number 202310873366.9 and application name “A communication method and device based on satellite communication”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0003] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and device based on satellite communication. Background Art

[0004] To balance terminal power consumption and service transmission latency, an inactive state has been introduced. When a terminal is in the inactive state, no service is transmitted, resulting in lower power consumption. During this time, the connection between the terminal and the access network equipment is disconnected, but the access network equipment and the core network equipment remain connected. This minimizes service transmission latency when the terminal's service is restored.

[0005] When a terminal enters the inactive state from the connected state, the access network equipment configures a radio access network-based notification area (RNA) for the terminal. If the terminal moves within the RNA, the terminal does not need to notify the network. If the terminal moves outside the RNA, an RNA update process must be initiated.

[0006] At present, RNA is mainly used in terrestrial communication scenarios. How to apply RNA to non-terrestrial networks (NTN) communication scenarios requires further research.

[0007] Summary of the Invention

[0008] The present application provides a communication method and apparatus for applying RNA to NTN communication scenarios.

[0009] In a first aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication method. The method may be performed by a first apparatus. The first apparatus may be a terminal, an access network device, or a core network device, or a module applied to the terminal, access network device, or core network device, such as a chip, a chip system, or a processor. It may also be a logical node, a logical module, or software that implements all or part of the functions of the terminal, access network device, or core network device.

[0010] The method includes: a first device determining a first RNA of a terminal at a first moment, the first RNA including service areas corresponding to some or all cells of N satellites, where N is a positive integer. Based on the first RNA, the first device may determine one or more first satellites as target service access network devices for the terminal, where the first satellite is one of the N satellites. The first device may then send the terminal's context to the first satellite; alternatively, the first device may instruct one or more second satellites to send the terminal's context to the first satellite.

[0011] This method enables RNA to be applied in NTN communication scenarios. Furthermore, in this method, the first device can transmit the terminal context to the first satellite within the first RNA based on the first RNA, or instruct the second satellite to transmit the terminal context to the first satellite, thereby enabling the access network device within the updated RNA to promptly obtain the terminal context. This allows the access network device within the updated RNA to quickly provide services to the terminal when uplink and / or downlink transmission is required, thereby reducing the transmission latency of the terminal's services.

[0012] In one possible design, the first device may also determine a second RNA of the terminal at a second moment. The second RNA is different from the first RNA and includes the service areas corresponding to some or all of the cells of M satellites, where M is a positive integer. In this way, the RNA of the terminal may vary at different moments, allowing for flexible configuration of the terminal's RNA.

[0013] Optionally, the difference between the first RNA and the second RNA may be determined based on the mobility of the N satellites and the mobility of the M satellites. In this way, the RNA may be updated based on the mobility of the satellites, thereby being applicable to NTN communication scenarios.

[0014] In some possible embodiments, before the first device determines the second RNA of the terminal at the second moment, the first device may further receive first information, where the first information includes information indicating the second RNA. In this manner, the first device can accurately determine the second RNA of the terminal at the second moment based on the first information.

[0015] In other possible approaches, the first device may determine the second RNA based on the mobility of the M satellites at the second moment. In this way, the first device may determine the second RNA based on the mobility of the M satellites at the second moment, thereby eliminating the need to transmit information indicating the second RNA and reducing signaling overhead.

[0016] In some possible implementations, before the first device determines the first RNA of the terminal at the first moment, the first device may receive second information, where the second information includes information indicating the first RNA. Through this implementation, the first device can accurately determine the first RNA of the terminal at the first moment based on the second information.

[0017] In some other possible implementations, the first device determines the first RNA based on the mobility of N satellites at the first moment. With this implementation, the first device can determine the first RNA based on the mobility of N satellites at the first moment, thereby eliminating the need to transmit information indicating the first RNA, thereby reducing signaling overhead.

[0018] In one possible design, the first device can determine that the first satellite is the target service access network device of the terminal based on the ephemeris of the second satellite and the ephemeris of the first satellite. With this design, the first device can quickly and accurately determine that the first satellite is the target service access network device of the terminal.

[0019] In one possible design, the first device is a first satellite. The first device may send third information to the core network device, where the third information indicates that the first satellite is the target serving access network device for the terminal. With this design, the core network device can update parameters indicating the target serving access network device for the terminal without the terminal triggering an RNA update process, thereby reducing signaling overhead.

[0020] Optionally, the third satellite is any satellite among the N satellites, and a communication interface exists between the third satellite and one or more satellites among the N satellites. In this way, any satellite among the N satellites can communicate directly or indirectly with other satellites among the N satellites.

[0021] In one possible design, the first device is a terminal. When a third satellite serves as the terminal's service access network device and the terminal is no longer within the third satellite's service range, the first device selects a satellite from one or more satellites for communication. Optionally, the one or more satellites move in the same direction as the third satellite. Because a communication interface exists between the third satellite and the one or more satellites, this design allows the selected satellite to obtain the terminal's context from the third satellite, thereby quickly providing services to the terminal and reducing latency in terminal services. Furthermore, this design prevents the terminal from frequently reverting to an idle state.

[0022] In a second aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication method. The method may be performed by a first apparatus. The first apparatus may be a terminal, an access network device, or a core network device, or a module applied to the terminal, access network device, or core network device, such as a chip, a chip system, or a processor. It may also be a logical node, a logical module, or software that implements all or part of the functions of the terminal, access network device, or core network device.

[0023] The method includes: a first device determining a first RNA of a terminal at a first moment, the first RNA including service areas corresponding to some or all cells of N satellites, where N is a positive integer and the N satellites are satellites in a first orbit. The first device may determine, based on the first RNA, one or more first satellites as target service access network devices for the terminal, the first satellite being a satellite among the N satellites.

[0024] This method enables RNA to be applied to NTN communication scenarios. Furthermore, in this method, the first satellite stores the terminal context. Therefore, when the terminal needs to perform uplink and / or downlink transmission, access network devices within the first RNA other than the first satellite can conveniently obtain the terminal context from the first satellite, enabling rapid service provision to the terminal and reducing transmission latency for the terminal's services.

[0025] In one possible design, before the first device determines the first RNA of the terminal at the first moment, the first device may receive second information. The second information includes indication information of the first RNA; the indication information of the first RNA includes at least one of the following: indication information of some or all of the N satellites, or indication information of the first orbit. With this design, the first device can quickly and accurately determine the first RNA based on the second information. Furthermore, when the indication information of the first RNA includes at least one of the following: indication information of some of the N satellites, or indication information of the first orbit, the second information does not need to include indication information of all satellites corresponding to the first RNA, thereby saving signaling overhead.

[0026] Optionally, the third satellite is any satellite among the N satellites, and a communication interface exists between the third satellite and one or more satellites among the N satellites. In this way, any satellite among the N satellites can communicate directly or indirectly with other satellites among the N satellites.

[0027] In one possible design, the first device is a terminal. When a third satellite serves as the terminal's service access network device and the terminal is no longer within the third satellite's service range, the first device selects a satellite from one or more satellites for communication. Optionally, the one or more satellites move in the same direction as the third satellite. Because a communication interface exists between the third satellite and the one or more satellites, this design allows the selected satellite to obtain the terminal's context from the third satellite, thereby quickly providing services to the terminal and reducing latency in terminal services. Furthermore, this design prevents the terminal from frequently reverting to an idle state.

[0028] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, comprising a unit for executing each step in any of the above aspects.

[0029] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, comprising a processor, which is used to execute the methods described in the above aspects.

[0030] Optionally, the device may further include a memory for storing instructions and data. The memory is coupled to the processor, and when the processor executes the instructions stored in the memory, the methods described in the above aspects may be implemented.

[0031] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, comprising: a first device for executing the method provided in the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0032] Optionally, when the first device is a terminal, the communication system may further include at least one of the following: a first satellite, a second satellite, or a core network device. When the first device is a core network device, the communication system may further include at least one of the following: a terminal, a first satellite, or a second satellite. When the first device is a first satellite, the communication system may further include at least one of the following: a terminal, a second satellite, or a core network device. When the first device is a second satellite, the communication system may further include at least one of the following: a terminal, the first satellite, or a core network device.

[0033] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product comprising computer executable instructions, which, when run, enables some or all of the steps of the method described in any of the above aspects to be executed.

[0034] In the seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium, in which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is executed by a computer, the computer executes the method provided in any of the above aspects.

[0035] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a chip, which is used to read a computer program stored in a memory and execute the method provided in any of the above aspects.

[0036] Optionally, the chip is coupled to a memory, or the memory is part of the chip.

[0037] Ninthly, embodiments of the present application further provide a chip system, comprising a processor configured to support a computer device in implementing the method provided in any of the above aspects. In one possible design, the chip system further comprises a memory configured to store programs and data necessary for the computer device. The chip system may be composed of a chip alone, or may include a chip and other discrete components.

[0038] The technical effects that can be achieved in any of the third to ninth aspects mentioned above can refer to the description of the technical effects that can be achieved in any possible design in any of the first or second aspects mentioned above, and the repetitions will not be discussed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0039] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a wireless communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0040] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of another wireless communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] FIG3 is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] FIG4 is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0043] FIG5 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0044] FIG6 is a schematic structural diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0045] In order to more clearly describe the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the communication method and device provided by the embodiments of the present application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0046] The communication methods and devices provided in the embodiments of this application can be applied to non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication scenarios. NTN communication systems can include networking using devices such as drones, high altitude platform stations (HAPS), and satellites to provide services such as data transmission and voice communication to terminals. Furthermore, NTN systems can also include other aerial network devices, which are not limited in this application.

[0047] For example, Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of an NTN scenario applicable to embodiments of the present application. This NTN scenario can be an application scenario of a transparent forwarding architecture. In the scenario shown in Figure 1, a terminal can communicate with the core network (CN) through the access network, and then connect to the data network (DN) through the CN. Satellites and NTN gateways can serve as relay devices between the terminal and access network equipment or as remote radio units (RRUs) of access network equipment.

[0048] For example, Figure 2 illustrates another NTN scenario applicable to embodiments of the present application. This NTN scenario can be an application scenario of a regenerative architecture. In the scenario shown in Figure 2, a satellite can serve as an access network device, forming an access network with an NTN gateway and communicating with the core network through the NTN gateway. Furthermore, the satellite can provide wireless access services to terminals. Figure 2 exemplifies a regenerative satellite architecture without intersatellite links.

[0049] It should be noted that Figures 1 and 2 only illustrate one satellite and one NTN gateway. In actual use, an architecture with multiple satellites and / or multiple NTN gateways may be adopted as needed. Each satellite may provide services to one or more terminals, each NTN gateway may correspond to one or more satellites, and each satellite may correspond to one or more NTN gateways, although this embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit this.

[0050] It should be noted that FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are merely examples of NTN scenarios. NTN scenarios may also include other specific scenarios, which are not limited in this application.

[0051] The devices involved in the embodiments of the present application include terminals, access network devices, and core network devices.

[0052] A terminal, also known as a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), or mobile terminal (MT), refers to a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to a user. For example, a terminal can be a handheld device or vehicle-mounted device with wireless connectivity. Currently, some examples of terminals include: mobile phones, tablets, laptops, PDAs, mobile internet devices (MIDs), wearable devices, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving cars, wireless terminals in remote medical surgery, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, and wireless terminals in smart homes.

[0053] Access network equipment is equipment in the radio access network (RAN), and may also be called RAN equipment, nodes, base stations, etc.

[0054] In one possible scenario, the access network device may be an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next generation NodeB (gNB), a next generation base station in a 6G mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system, etc. The access network device may be a macro base station, a micro base station or an indoor station, a relay node or a donor node. Optionally, the access network device may also be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle or an on-board device, etc. For example, the access network device in the vehicle to everything (V2X) technology may be a road side unit (RSU). All or part of the functions of the access network device in this application may also be implemented by software functions running on hardware, or by virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (such as a cloud platform). The access network device in this application may also be a logical node, a logical module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the access network device.

[0055] In another possible scenario, multiple access network devices collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, and different access network devices respectively implement part of the functions of the base station. For example, the access network device can be a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU). The CU and DU can be set separately, or they can be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or radio frequency unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0056] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in the ORAN system, CU may also be called O-CU (Open CU), DU may also be called O-DU, CU-CP may also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP may also be called O-CU-UP, and RU may also be called O-RU. For the convenience of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU and RU as examples for description. Any unit of CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in this application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0057] It can be understood that in the NTN network, access network equipment can be deployed on satellites or other non-terrestrial equipment, or on the ground.

[0058] Core network equipment refers to equipment in the core network that provides service support for terminals. At present, some examples of core network equipment are: access and mobility management function (AMF) entity, session management function (SMF) entity, user plane function (UPF) entity, etc., which are not listed here one by one. Among them, the AMF entity can be responsible for terminal access management and mobility management; the SMF entity can be responsible for session management, such as user session establishment, etc.; the UPF entity can be a functional entity of the user plane, mainly responsible for connecting to the external network. It should be noted that the entity in this application can also be referred to as a network element or a functional entity. For example, the AMF entity can also be referred to as an AMF network element or an AMF functional entity. For another example, the SMF entity can also be referred to as an SMF network element or an SMF functional entity, etc.

[0059] In this application, the NTN network supports communication between terminals and non-terrestrial devices. The non-terrestrial devices can be aircraft or satellites with the processing functions of access network devices in a regenerative architecture, or can be deployed in the air or in the atmosphere as relay nodes or amplifiers with the processing functions of access network devices in a transparent forwarding architecture. In the architecture shown in Figure 1 or Figure 2, the non-terrestrial devices may include satellites (or aircraft, etc.). In the architecture shown in Figure 1 or Figure 2, the satellites, NTN gateways, access network devices, nodes in the CN, and nodes in the DN can be collectively referred to as network devices, and the NTN gateways and access network devices can be collectively referred to as ground stations.

[0060] In this application, "sending information to...(terminal)" can be understood as the destination of the information being the terminal, and can include directly or indirectly sending information to the terminal. "Receiving information from...(terminal)" can be understood as the source of the information being the terminal, and can include directly or indirectly receiving information from the terminal. The information may undergo necessary processing between the source and destination of the information, such as format changes, but the destination can understand the valid information from the source. Similar expressions in this application can be understood similarly and will not be repeated here.

[0061] The communication system and business scenarios described in the embodiments of the present application are intended to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application. A person skilled in the art will appreciate that, with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0062] The following first explains the relevant terms involved in the embodiments of the present application. It should be noted that these explanations are intended to make the embodiments of the present application easier to understand and should not be regarded as limiting the scope of protection claimed by this application.

[0063] 1) Radio resource control (RRC) connection status.

[0064] In a communication system, a terminal's RRC connection state includes three types: RRC connected state (RRC_connected, referred to as connected state), RRC idle state (RRC_idle, referred to as idle state), and RRC inactive state (RRC_inactive, referred to as inactive state). Among them, the idle state and the inactive state can be collectively referred to as the RRC inactive state.

[0065] When the terminal is in the idle state, the RRC connection between the terminal and the access network device is released, the access network device and the terminal no longer save the terminal context, and the terminal can receive broadcast information (such as system information) and paging messages sent by the access network device.

[0066] When a terminal is in an inactive state, the RRC connection between the terminal and the access network device is suspended. However, the access network device and the terminal continue to store the terminal's context, and the connection between the access network device and the core network device remains. When the terminal enters a connected state from an inactive state, the access network device and the terminal can quickly restore the RRC connection between the terminal and the access network device based on the stored terminal context, allowing the terminal to quickly return to the connected state.

[0067] When the terminal is in a connected state, an RRC connection exists between the terminal and the access network device, and the two can communicate based on the RRC connection.

[0068] 2) Ascending orbit and descending orbit.

[0069] Satellite orbits can be divided into ascending and descending orbits based on their direction of motion. In an ascending orbit, a satellite moves toward the North Pole; in a descending orbit, a satellite moves toward the South Pole. Since satellites orbit the Earth, a satellite orbit consists of both ascending and descending orbits.

[0070] 3) In this application, the service area corresponding to a cell may also be referred to as the area covered by the cell or the service area of ​​the cell.

[0071] 4) RNA.

[0072] When the terminal enters the inactive state from the connected state, the access network device that last served the terminal (for example, the last serving gNB) may send information indicating RNA to the terminal. The RNA may be an area configured for the access network device that last served the terminal, including the service area of ​​one or more cells. When the terminal moves within the RNA, the terminal does not need to notify the network side. When the terminal moves out of the RNA, the terminal may initiate an RNA update process. For example, the service range of access network device 1 is outside the RNA range. When the terminal moves within the service range of access network device 1, the terminal may initiate an RNA update process. Access network device 1 may obtain the context of the terminal from the access network device that last served the terminal, thereby providing services to the terminal.

[0073] Currently, RNA is primarily used in terrestrial networks. Further research is needed to apply RNA to NTN communication scenarios. Furthermore, in terrestrial networks, RNA updates are primarily triggered by terminal movement. In NTN communication scenarios, however, access network equipment such as satellites are also mobile. Therefore, even if a terminal does not move, it may no longer be within the original RNA, thus triggering an RNA update. Further research is also needed to ensure that access network equipment within the updated RNA can obtain the terminal context.

[0074] Based on this, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method. Figure 3 is a flow chart corresponding to the communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. Figure 3 illustrates the method by taking the first device as the execution subject as an example, but the present application does not limit the execution subject of the interaction illustration. For example, the first device can be a terminal, an access network device or a core network device, or a module applied to a terminal, an access network device or a core network device, such as a chip, a chip system or a processor, or a logical node, a logical module or software that can realize all or part of the functions of a terminal, an access network device or a core network device. Among them, the access network device is, for example, a satellite, and the core network device is, for example, an AMF. The following description will be made by taking the first device as a terminal, an access network device or a core network device as an example.

[0075] As shown in FIG3 , the method includes the following steps:

[0076] S301: The first device determines the first RNA of the terminal at the first moment.

[0077] The first RNA includes service areas corresponding to some or all cells of N satellites, where N is a positive integer. The service area of ​​each of the N satellites may correspond to a RAN area and a RAN identifier (ID). The RAN IDs of different satellites are different.

[0078] It is understood that the N satellites may be satellites in the same orbit (e.g., the first orbit). Alternatively, the N satellites may be satellites in at least two orbits. For example, the N satellites include: Satellite 1, Satellite 2, and Satellite 3. Satellite 1 is a satellite in Orbit 1, and Satellite 2 and Satellite 3 are satellites in Orbit 2.

[0079] Exemplarily, the third satellite is any one of N satellites, and a communication interface exists between the third satellite and one or more other satellites in the N satellites. This communication interface is, for example, an Xn interface. For example, the N satellites include: satellite 1, satellite 2, and satellite 3. A communication interface exists between satellite 1 and satellite 2, and a communication interface may also exist between satellite 2 and satellite 3. In this way, any one of the N satellites can communicate directly or indirectly with other satellites in the N satellites.

[0080] The manner in which the first device determines the first RNA of the terminal at the first moment will be described in the following description of “S301” and will not be expanded here.

[0081] S302: The first device determines, based on the first RNA, that a first satellite is a target service access network device of the terminal, where the first satellite is a satellite among N satellites corresponding to the first RNA.

[0082] The target service access network device may be the access network device for which the terminal's context needs to be obtained. For example, the first satellite is the target service access network device for the terminal at a first moment; thus, at the first moment, the first satellite may be the device for which the terminal's context needs to be obtained. Optionally, at the first moment, the terminal may be within the service area of ​​the first satellite. In this way, if the terminal needs to perform uplink and / or downlink transmission, after the first satellite obtains the terminal's context, the first satellite can quickly provide service to the terminal.

[0083] The manner in which the first device determines the first satellite as the target service access network device of the terminal will be described in the following description of “S302” and will not be expanded here.

[0084] It should be understood that the first satellite may be one or more satellites.

[0085] S303: The first device sends the context of the terminal to the first satellite; or the first device instructs the second satellite to send the context of the terminal to the first satellite.

[0086] When a first device sends the terminal's context to a first satellite, the first device may be a second satellite. The second satellite may be a satellite that stores the terminal's context. For example, the second satellite may be the target service access network device of the terminal at a second moment. The second satellite acquired the terminal's context at or before the second moment. When the time changes from the second moment to the first moment, the second satellite may send the terminal's context to the first satellite.

[0087] When a first device instructs a second satellite to transmit the terminal's context to the first satellite, the first device may be one of the following: the first satellite, a core network device, or a terminal. In this manner, the second satellite may transmit the terminal's context to the first satellite based on the instruction from the first device. The details of the second satellite are described above and are not further described here. For example, after determining that the first satellite is the target serving access network device for the terminal, the first device may transmit information 1 to the second satellite, indicating that the second satellite may transmit the terminal's context to the first satellite.

[0088] Optionally, after sending the context of the terminal to the first satellite, the second satellite may delete the locally stored context of the terminal, thereby releasing storage resources of the second satellite in a timely manner.

[0089] It should be understood that the second satellite may be one or more satellites. The second satellite may belong to N satellites or may not belong to N satellites.

[0090] In some possible implementations, if the first satellite fails to acquire the terminal's context, the terminal may fall back from the non-connected state to the idle state. For example, if the first satellite fails to acquire the terminal's context, the first satellite may instruct the terminal to fall back from the non-connected state to the idle state. After falling back to the idle state, the terminal may initiate a random access procedure with the first satellite. This application does not limit the specific content of the random access procedure.

[0091] The method shown in Figure 3 allows RNA to be applied to NTN communication scenarios. Furthermore, in this method, the first device can transmit the terminal context to the first satellite within the first RNA based on the first RNA, or instruct the second satellite to transmit the terminal context to the first satellite, thereby enabling the access network device within the updated RNA to promptly obtain the terminal context. This allows the access network device within the updated RNA to quickly provide services to the terminal when uplink and / or downlink transmission is required, thereby reducing the transmission latency of the terminal's services.

[0092] In some possible ways, in the method shown in Figure 3, the RNA of the terminal at different times may be different. The following is an example in which the RNA of the terminal at the first time is the first RNA, the RNA of the terminal at the second time is the second RNA, and the second RNA is different from the first RNA.

[0093] The content of the first RNA can be found in the description of the first RNA in S301 and will not be repeated here.

[0094] The second RNA includes the service areas corresponding to some or all of the cells of M satellites, where M is a positive integer. The service area of ​​each of the M satellites may correspond to a RAN area and a RAN ID. The RAN IDs of different satellites are different. The M satellites may be completely different from the N satellites or may partially overlap with the N satellites.

[0095] It is understood that any satellite among the M satellites may have a communication interface with one or more other satellites among the M satellites. This communication interface is, for example, an Xn interface. For example, the M satellites include satellite 4, satellite 5, and satellite 6. Satellite 4 and satellite 5 have a communication interface, and satellite 4 and satellite 6 also have a communication interface. In this way, any satellite among the M satellites can communicate directly or indirectly with other satellites among the M satellites.

[0096] In some possible embodiments, the difference between the first RNA and the second RNA is determined based on the mobility of N satellites and M satellites. The mobility of the N satellites may be determined based on the ephemeris of the N satellites, and the mobility of the M satellites may be determined based on the ephemeris of the M satellites. The ephemeris of the N satellites and the M satellites may be preconfigured or obtained by the first device from another device. Exemplarily, based on the ephemeris of the N satellites, it can be known that at a first moment, the service area corresponding to some or all of the cells of the N satellites is range 1. Based on the ephemeris of the M satellites, it can be known that at a second moment, the service area corresponding to some or all of the cells of the M satellites is also range 1.

[0097] Optionally, each step in the method shown in FIG3 may be implemented in the following manner.

[0098] 1. For S301:

[0099] There are multiple ways for the first device to determine the first RNA of the terminal at the first moment, for example, way a1 or way a2.

[0100] Mode a1: The first device receives second information including indication information of the first RNA. In this way, the first device can determine the first RNA of the terminal at the first moment based on the second information.

[0101] The indication information of the first RNA may include indication information (eg, IDs) of the N satellites. Thus, after receiving the second information, the first device can determine the first RNA based on the indication information of the N satellites.

[0102] In mode a1, the first device may be a terminal, a core network device, or a second satellite, and the second satellite may be, for example, a target service access network device of the terminal at the second moment.

[0103] In some examples, the first device is a terminal. When the terminal enters an inactive state from a connected state, the access network device that last served the terminal (hereinafter referred to as access network device A) may send second information to the terminal; accordingly, the terminal receives the second information from access network device A.

[0104] In other examples, the first device is a core network device. For example, when the terminal changes from a connected state to an inactive state, or when the terminal's RNA changes from the second RNA to another RNA (e.g., the first RNA), access network device A sends second information to the core network device; in response, the core network device receives the second information from access network device A. For another example, at a second moment, the core network device receives second information from a second satellite, where the second satellite can obtain the second information from access network device A.

[0105] In some other examples, the first device is a second satellite. For example, when a terminal switches from a connected state to an inactive state, access network device A sends second information to a second satellite; in response, the second satellite receives the second information from access network device A. For another example, when the terminal's RNA changes, the second satellite receives the second information from access network device A or another access network device. The other access network device may be the terminal's target service access network device before the RNA change.

[0106] Optionally, the second information may further include information indicating the first moment. For example, the information indicating the first moment may be the first moment, or information indicating a time period including the first moment. The information indicating the time period may include the start and end times of the time period, the start and duration of the time period, or the end and duration of the time period.

[0107] It should be understood that the second information can be carried in existing information or in new information, and this application does not limit this.

[0108] Through the method a1, the first device can accurately determine the first RNA of the terminal at the first moment according to the second information.

[0109] Mode a2: The first device may determine the first RNA according to the mobility of N satellites at the first moment; that is, the first RNA is determined according to the mobility of N satellites at the first moment.

[0110] In some possible implementations, the first RNA may be the RNA determined when the terminal enters the inactive state from a connected state, and the first device may be the access network device that last served the terminal (hereinafter referred to as access network device A). The first device may determine the first RNA based on the mobility of N satellites at the first moment and the terminal's location 1 when it enters the inactive state from a connected state. The mobility of the N satellites can be referred to above and will not be repeated here. For example, if the terminal's location 1 when it enters the inactive state from a connected state is within the service range of satellite 1, the first device may determine that the N satellites include satellite 1. The first device may then select N satellites including satellite 1 from the A satellites based on the ephemeris of the A satellites, thereby determining the first RNA. A is a positive integer; the A satellites may include only N satellites, or may include N satellites and satellites other than N satellites. The method for obtaining the ephemeris of the A satellites may refer to the above description of the method for obtaining the ephemeris of the N satellites. Optionally, the service ranges of the N satellites are continuous. In this way, after determining that N satellites include satellite 1, the first device can select N satellites from A satellites based on the ephemeris of A satellites whose service range is continuous with that of satellite 1 at the first moment, thereby determining the first RNA.

[0111] In other possible embodiments, the second RNA and the first RNA are the RNA before and after the update, respectively, and the first device may be a terminal, a core network device, an access network device A, or a second satellite. As previously described, the difference between the first RNA and the second RNA is determined based on the mobility of the N satellites and the M satellites. Therefore, the first device may determine the first RNA based on the mobility of the N satellites and the M satellites, as well as the second RNA. For example, at the second moment, the service area corresponding to some or all of the cells of the M satellites in the second RNA is range 1. If, at the first moment, the service area corresponding to some or all of the cells of N satellites out of the B satellites is range 1, the first device may determine that the first RNA includes the service area corresponding to some or all of the cells of the N satellites. Wherein, B is a positive integer; the B satellites may include only N satellites, or may include N satellites and satellites other than N satellites.

[0112] Through this method a2, the first device can determine the first RNA according to the mobility of N satellites at the first moment, thereby eliminating the need to transmit indication information of the first RNA, thereby saving signaling overhead.

[0113] 2. For S302:

[0114] In some possible implementations, the first device may determine that the first satellite is the target service access network device for the terminal based on the ephemeris of the second satellite and the ephemeris of N1 satellites among the N satellites. The second satellite may be a satellite among the M satellites corresponding to the second RNA, and the second satellite is the target service access network device for the terminal at the second moment. The N1 satellites include the first satellite, and N1 is a positive integer less than or equal to N. The N1 satellites may include only the first satellite, or may include the first satellite and satellites other than the first satellite.

[0115] For example, the second moment is before the first moment. The second RNA of the terminal at the second moment includes the service areas of satellite 1 and satellite 2; the first RNA of the terminal at the first moment includes the service areas of satellite 2 and satellite 3. The second satellite is satellite 1. Based on the ephemeris of satellite 1 and satellite 3, the first device can determine that the service range of satellite 1 at the second moment is the same as the service range of satellite 3 at the first moment, so that satellite 3 can be determined to be the first satellite, that is, satellite 3 is the target service access network device of the terminal. It should be understood that in this example, the first device can determine that the service range of satellite 1 at the second moment is the same as the service range of satellite 3 at the first moment based only on the ephemeris of satellite 1 and satellite 3; or after determining that the service range of satellite 1 at the second moment is different from the service range of satellite 2 at the first moment based on the ephemeris of satellite 1 and satellite 2, it can determine that the service range of satellite 1 at the second moment is the same as the service range of satellite 3 at the first moment based on the ephemeris of satellite 1 and satellite 3.

[0116] For another example, the second moment is before the first moment. The second RNA of the terminal at the second moment includes the service area of ​​satellite 1. The first RNA of the terminal at the first moment includes the service area of ​​satellite 2. The second satellite is satellite 1. Based on the ephemeris of satellites 1 and 2, the first device can determine that the service range of satellite 1 at the second moment is the same as the service range of satellite 2 at the first moment, thereby determining that satellite 2 is the first satellite, that is, satellite 2 is the target service access network device of the terminal.

[0117] In this way, the first device can quickly and accurately determine that the first satellite is the target service access network device of the terminal.

[0118] The content of S303 can be found in the above description of S303 and will not be repeated here.

[0119] In some possible ways, the first device may further determine the second RNA of the terminal at the second moment. There are multiple ways for the first device to determine the second RNA of the terminal at the second moment, for example, way b1 or way b2.

[0120] Mode b1: The first device receives first information including indication information of the second RNA. In this way, the first device can determine the second RNA of the terminal at the second moment based on the first information.

[0121] The indication information of the second RNA may include indication information (eg, IDs) of the M satellites. Thus, after receiving the first information, the first device can determine the second RNA based on the indication information of the M satellites.

[0122] The manner in which the first device receives the first information can refer to the manner in which the first device receives the second information in manner a1, and will not be described in detail here.

[0123] Optionally, the first information further includes indication information of the second moment. The specific content of the indication information of the second moment can be referred to the description of the indication information of the first moment in method a, and will not be repeated here.

[0124] It should be understood that the first information can be carried in existing information or in new information, and this application does not limit this.

[0125] Through the method b1, the first device can accurately determine the second RNA of the terminal at the second moment based on the first information.

[0126] Mode b2: The first device may determine the second RNA according to the mobility of the M satellites at the second moment; that is, the second RNA is determined according to the mobility of the M satellites at the second moment.

[0127] The first device can determine the content of the second RNA based on the mobility of M satellites at the second moment. Please refer to the description of method a2 for the first device determining the first RNA based on the mobility of N satellites at the first moment, which will not be repeated here.

[0128] Through this method b2, the first device can determine the second RNA according to the mobility of M satellites at the second moment, thereby eliminating the need to transmit indication information of the second RNA, thereby saving signaling overhead.

[0129] In some possible implementations, if the access network device storing the terminal's context changes from the second satellite to the first satellite, the core network device (e.g., AMF) needs to update the locally stored first parameter from the second satellite to the first satellite. When sending downlink information to the terminal, the core network device may instruct the satellite in the first parameter to page the terminal.

[0130] In some examples, the first device may be a core network device. After S302, the first device may update the locally stored first parameter from the second satellite to the first satellite. This reduces the RNA update process triggered by the terminal, thereby reducing signaling overhead.

[0131] In other examples, the first device is a first satellite. After S302, the first device may send third information to the core network device, indicating that the first satellite is the target service access network device for the terminal. After receiving the third information, the core network device may update the locally stored first parameters from the second satellite to the first satellite. The third information may be carried in an existing message (e.g., a path switch request message) or in a new message, which is not limited in this application.

[0132] In this way, the core network device can update the locally stored first parameter from the second satellite to the first satellite without the terminal triggering the RNA update process, thereby reducing signaling overhead.

[0133] An embodiment of the present application also provides a communication method. Figure 4 is a flow chart corresponding to the communication method provided by the embodiment of the present application. In Figure 4, the method is illustrated by taking the first device as the execution subject as an example, but the present application does not limit the execution subject of the interaction illustration. For example, the first device can be a terminal, an access network device or a core network device, or a module applied to a terminal, an access network device or a core network device, such as a chip, a chip system or a processor, or a logical node, a logical module or software that can realize all or part of the functions of a terminal, an access network device or a core network device. Among them, the access network device is, for example, a satellite, and the core network device is, for example, an AMF. The following description will be made by taking the first device as a terminal, an access network device or a core network device as an example.

[0134] As shown in FIG4 , the method includes the following steps:

[0135] S401: The first device determines the first RNA of the terminal at the first moment.

[0136] The first RNA includes the service areas corresponding to some or all of the cells of N satellites, where N is a positive integer. The N satellites are satellites in the first orbit. Alternatively, the N satellites may be all satellites in the first orbit. Thus, if the terminal does not move or moves within the first RNA, the RNA of the terminal at different times is the same, namely, the first RNA.

[0137] The contents of the first RNA and N satellites can be found in the description of the first RNA in S301 and will not be repeated here.

[0138] There are multiple ways for the first device to determine the first RNA of the terminal at the first moment, for example, way c1 or way c2.

[0139] Mode c1: The first device receives second information including information indicating the first RNA. In this way, the first device can determine the first RNA of the terminal at the first moment based on the second information.

[0140] There are multiple ways to indicate the indication information of the first RNA, which are described below with examples.

[0141] In some examples, the indication information of the first RNA includes indication information of the first orbit. In this way, after receiving the second information, the first device can determine that the satellites on the first orbit are the N satellites corresponding to the first RNA based on the indication information of the first orbit, thereby determining the first RNA. For example, the first orbit is orbit 3, and the satellites on orbit 3 include: satellite 1, satellite 2, and satellite 3. The second information includes indication information of orbit 3. After receiving the second information, the first device can determine that the first RNA includes: the service areas corresponding to some or all cells of satellite 1, satellite 2, and satellite 3. Through this example, the second information can include the indication information of the first orbit, and there is no need to include the indication information of all satellites corresponding to the first RNA, thereby saving signaling overhead.

[0142] In other examples, the indication information of the first RNA includes: indication information (for example, ID) of some of the N satellites. In this way, after receiving the second information, the first device can determine the first orbit in which the part of the satellites is located based on the indication information of the part of the N satellites, thereby determining that the satellites on the first orbit are the N satellites corresponding to the first RNA, and then determining the first RNA. For example, the first orbit is orbit 3, and the satellites on orbit 3 include: satellite 1, satellite 2, and satellite 3. The second information includes the indication information of satellite 1. After receiving the second information, the first device can determine that the orbit in which satellite 1 is located is orbit 3, thereby determining that the first RNA includes: service areas corresponding to some or all cells of satellite 1, satellite 2, and satellite 3. Through this example, the second information includes the indication information of some of the N satellites, and does not need to include the indication information of all satellites corresponding to the first RNA, thereby saving signaling overhead.

[0143] In some other examples, the indication information of the first RNA may include indication information (e.g., IDs) of the N satellites. Thus, after receiving the second information, the first device can determine the first RNA based on the indication information of the N satellites. In this example, the first device can quickly and accurately determine the first RNA.

[0144] Optionally, in method c1, the method in which the first device receives the second information can refer to method a1 and will not be repeated here.

[0145] It should be understood that the second information can be carried in existing information or in new information, and this application does not limit this.

[0146] Mode c2: The first device may determine the first RNA according to the mobility of N satellites at the first moment; that is, the first RNA is determined according to the mobility of N satellites at the first moment.

[0147] In some possible ways, the first RNA may be the RNA determined when the terminal enters the inactive state from the connected state, and the first device may be the access network device that served the terminal last time. The first device may determine the first RNA based on the mobility of the N satellites at the first moment and the position 1 of the terminal when it enters the inactive state from the connected state. The mobility of the N satellites can refer to method a2 and will not be repeated here. For example, the position 1 of the terminal when it enters the inactive state from the connected state is within the service range of satellite 1. Satellite 1 is a satellite on orbit 3, and the satellites on orbit 3 include: satellite 1, satellite 2 and satellite 3. Therefore, the first device may determine that the first RNA includes: the service areas corresponding to part or all of the cells of satellite 1, satellite 2 and satellite 3.

[0148] S402: The first device determines, based on the first RNA, that a first satellite is a target service access network device of the terminal, where the first satellite is a satellite among N satellites corresponding to the first RNA.

[0149] In some possible implementations, the first satellite is the access network device that last served the terminal (hereinafter referred to as access network device A). That is, when the N satellites corresponding to the first RNA are satellites in the first orbit, if the terminal does not move or moves within the first RNA, the target service access network device of the terminal may be access network device A. In this way, the first satellite (i.e., access network device A) stores the context of the terminal.

[0150] Optionally, if the terminal is in an inactive state, any of the N satellites may not obtain the terminal's context from other satellites in the N satellites, and the core network device may not update the locally stored context of the terminal, for example, by not updating the first parameter. For details on the first parameter, refer to the description of the first parameter in the method shown in FIG. 3 and are not further described here.

[0151] The method shown in Figure 4 allows RNA to be applied to NTN communication scenarios. Furthermore, in this method, the first satellite stores the terminal's context. Therefore, when the terminal needs to perform uplink and / or downlink transmission, access network devices within the first RNA, other than the first satellite, can conveniently obtain the terminal's context from the first satellite, enabling rapid service provision to the terminal and reducing transmission latency for the terminal's services.

[0152] In some possible embodiments, in the method shown in Figure 3 or Figure 4, the first device is a terminal. The third satellite is any one of N satellites, and a communication interface exists between the third satellite and one or more of the N satellites. When the third satellite is a service access network device for the terminal, and the terminal is no longer within the service range of the third satellite, the first device may select a satellite from the one or more satellites for communication. For example, the N satellites include: satellite 1, satellite 2, and satellite 3. There is a communication interface between satellite 1 and satellite 2, and there is a communication interface between satellite 2 and satellite 3. Satellite 1 is a service access network device for the terminal. If the terminal is no longer within the service range of satellite 1, the terminal may choose to communicate with satellite 2. Due to the communication interface between satellite 1 and satellite 2, satellite 2 can quickly obtain the terminal's context from satellite 1, thereby quickly providing services to the terminal and reducing the latency of the terminal's services.

[0153] Currently, when a terminal's service access network is served by a third satellite and the terminal is no longer within the third satellite's service range, the terminal can perform cell reselection or cell handover. During cell reselection or cell handover, the terminal selects the target satellite for reselection or handover based on the satellite's signal quality. However, if the target satellite is selected based solely on signal quality, the target satellite and the third satellite may be moving in different directions. Satellites moving in different directions lack a communication interface, which can quickly cause the terminal to revert to an idle state, for example, from an inactive state to an idle state.

[0154] To avoid frequent fallbacks to the idle state, when the terminal selects a satellite from the one or more satellites for communication, the one or more satellites move in the same direction as the third satellite. For example, the terminal may prioritize communication with a satellite that moves in the same direction as the third satellite, provided signal quality is met. The one or more satellites and the third satellite may both be in descending orbits, or the one or more satellites and the third satellite may both be in ascending orbits.

[0155] In some possible implementations, after S302 or S402, if the terminal transitions from an inactive state to an active state, the terminal's target access network device may obtain the terminal's context from the first satellite. For example, the terminal's target access network device may obtain the terminal's context from the first satellite via an Xn interface between the first satellite and the target access network device. Optionally, the terminal's target access network device may send information instructing a core network device (e.g., AMF) to update the terminal's context. The core network device may then update the locally stored terminal context.

[0156] Based on the same technical concept as the method embodiments of Figures 3 to 4, the embodiment of the present application provides a communication device through Figure 5, which can be used to perform the functions of the relevant steps in the above method embodiments. The functions can be implemented by hardware, or by software or hardware executing corresponding software implementations. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions. The structure of the communication device is shown in Figure 5, including a communication unit 501 and a processing unit 502. The communication device 500 can be applied to the first device in the method shown in Figure 3 or Figure 4, and can implement the communication method provided in the above embodiments of the present application and the examples. The functions of each unit in the communication device 500 are introduced below.

[0157] The communication unit 501 is used to receive and send information. In some embodiments, the communication unit 501 can be implemented through a physical interface, a communication module, a communication interface, or an input / output interface. The communication device 500 can be connected to a network cable or a power cable through the communication unit to establish a physical connection with other devices. In other embodiments, the communication unit 501 can be implemented through a transceiver, for example, a mobile communication module. The mobile communication module may include at least one antenna, at least one filter, a switch, a power amplifier, a low noise amplifier (LNA), etc.

[0158] The processing unit 502 can be used to support the communication device 500 in performing the processing actions in the above method embodiment. The processing unit 502 can be implemented by a processor. For example, the processor can be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0159] In one embodiment, the communication device 500 is applied to the first device in the embodiment of the present application shown in Figure 3. The specific functions of the processing unit 502 in this embodiment are introduced below.

[0160] The processing unit 502 is configured to: determine a first RNA of the terminal at a first moment, where the first RNA includes service areas corresponding to some or all cells of N satellites, where N is a positive integer; determine, based on the first RNA, one or more first satellites as target service access network devices for the terminal, where the first satellite is a satellite among the N satellites; send the context of the terminal to the first satellite through the communication unit 501; or instruct one or more second satellites to send the context of the terminal to the first satellite.

[0161] In some possible embodiments, the processing unit 502 is further used to: determine a second RNA of the terminal at a second moment, where the second RNA is different from the first RNA, and the second RNA includes service areas corresponding to some or all cells of M satellites, where M is a positive integer.

[0162] In some examples, the processing unit 502 may be configured to: before determining the second RNA of the terminal at the second moment, receive first information through the communication unit 501, where the first information includes information indicating the second RNA. In other examples, the processing unit 502 may be further configured to: determine the second RNA based on the mobility of M satellites at the second moment.

[0163] In some possible implementations, the processing unit 502 may be configured to: before determining the first RNA of the terminal at the first moment, receive second information through the communication unit 501, where the second information includes information indicating the first RNA. In other possible implementations, the processing unit 502 may be further configured to: determine the first RNA based on the mobility of N satellites at the first moment.

[0164] Optionally, the processing unit 502 is configured to determine, based on the ephemeris of the second satellite and the ephemeris of the first satellite, that the first satellite is a target service access network device of the terminal.

[0165] In some possible designs, the communication device 500 is a first satellite, and the processing unit 502 is further used to: send third information to the core network device through the communication unit 501, and the third information is used to indicate that the first satellite is the target service access network device of the terminal.

[0166] Optionally, the third satellite is any satellite among the N satellites, and a communication interface exists between the third satellite and one or more satellites among the N satellites.

[0167] In some possible designs, the communication device 500 is a terminal, and the processing unit 502 is also used to: when the third satellite is a service access network device of the terminal and the terminal is no longer within the service range of the third satellite, select a satellite from one or more satellites for communication.

[0168] In another embodiment, the communication device 500 is applied to the first device in the embodiment of the present application shown in Figure 4. The specific functions of the processing unit 502 in this embodiment are introduced below.

[0169] The processing unit 502 is configured to: determine a first wireless access network-based notification area RNA of the terminal at a first moment, where the first RNA includes service areas corresponding to some or all cells of N satellites, where N is a positive integer and the N satellites are satellites on a first orbit; and determine, based on the first RNA, one or more first satellites as target service access network devices of the terminal, where the first satellite is a satellite among the N satellites.

[0170] In some possible embodiments, the processing unit 502 is also used to: before determining the first RNA of the terminal at the first moment, receive second information through the communication unit 501, the second information includes indication information of the first RNA, and the indication information of the first RNA includes at least one of the following: indication information of some or all of the N satellites, or indication information of the first orbit.

[0171] Optionally, the third satellite is any satellite among the N satellites, and a communication interface exists between the third satellite and one or more satellites among the N satellites.

[0172] In some possible designs, the communication device 500 is a terminal, and the processing unit 502 is also used to: when the third satellite is a service access network device of the terminal and the terminal is no longer within the service range of the third satellite, select a satellite from one or more satellites for communication.

[0173] A more detailed description of the processing unit 502 and the communication unit 501 can be directly obtained by referring to the relevant descriptions in the method embodiments shown in Figures 3 and 4, and will not be repeated here.

[0174] It should be noted that the division of modules in the above embodiments of the present application is illustrative and is only a logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods. In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of the present application may be integrated into a processing unit, or may exist separately physically, or two or more units may be integrated into a single unit. The above-mentioned integrated units may be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional units.

[0175] If the integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application is essentially or the part that contributes to the prior art or all or part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product, and the computer software product is stored in a storage medium, including a number of instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) or a processor to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk.

[0176] Based on the same technical concept, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device as shown in Figure 6, which can be used to perform the relevant steps in the above method embodiments. The communication device can be applied to the first device in the method shown in Figure 3 or Figure 4, and can implement the communication method provided in the above embodiments and examples of the present application, and has the functions of the communication device shown in Figure 5. Referring to Figure 6, the communication device 600 includes: a processor 602. Optionally, the communication device 600 also includes: a transceiver 601 and a memory 603. Among them, the transceiver 601, the processor 602 and the memory 603 are interconnected.

[0177] Optionally, the transceiver 601, the processor 602, and the memory 603 are interconnected via a bus 604. The bus 604 may be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus. The bus may be classified as an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, FIG6 shows only one thick line, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0178] The transceiver 601 is used to receive and send information to achieve communication interaction with other devices. For example, the transceiver 601 can be implemented through a physical interface, a communication module, a communication interface, and an input / output interface.

[0179] The processor 602 may be used to support the communication device 600 in executing the processing actions in the above-described method embodiment. When the communication device 600 is used to implement the above-described method embodiment, the processor 602 may also be used to implement the functions of the processing unit 502. The processor 602 may be a CPU, other general-purpose processors, DSPs, ASICs, FPGAs, other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0180] In one embodiment, the communication device 600 is applied to the first device in the embodiment of the present application shown in Figure 3. The specific functions of the processor 602 in this embodiment are introduced below.

[0181] The processor 602 is configured to: determine a first RNA of the terminal at a first moment, where the first RNA includes service areas corresponding to some or all cells of N satellites, where N is a positive integer; determine, based on the first RNA, a first satellite as a target service access network device for the terminal, where the first satellite is a satellite among the N satellites; send the context of the terminal to the first satellite through the transceiver 601; or instruct the second satellite to send the context of the terminal to the first satellite.

[0182] In another embodiment, the communication device 600 is applied to the first device in the embodiment of the present application shown in Figure 4. The specific functions of the processor 602 in this embodiment are introduced below.

[0183] The processor 602 is configured to: determine a first wireless access network-based notification area RNA of the terminal at a first moment, where the first RNA includes service areas corresponding to some or all cells of N satellites, where N is a positive integer and the N satellites are satellites on a first orbit; and determine, based on the first RNA, that a first satellite is a target service access network device of the terminal, where the first satellite is a satellite among the N satellites.

[0184] The specific functions of the processor 602 can refer to the description of the communication method provided in the above embodiments and examples of the present application, as well as the specific functional description of the communication device 500 in the embodiment of the present application shown in Figure 5, and will not be repeated here.

[0185] The memory 603 is used to store program instructions and / or data, etc. Specifically, the program instructions may include program code, which includes computer operating instructions. The memory 603 may include RAM, and may also include non-volatile memory (non-volatile memory), such as at least one disk storage. The processor 602 executes the program instructions stored in the memory 603, and uses the data stored in the memory 603 to implement the above functions, thereby realizing the communication method provided in the above embodiment of the present application. The memory 603 can be integrated with the processor 602, or it can be a memory outside the communication device.

[0186] It is understood that the memory 603 in FIG. 6 of the present application can be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or can include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory can be ROM, programmable read-only memory (Programmable ROM, PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (Erasable PROM, EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (Electrically EPROM, EEPROM) or flash memory. The volatile memory can be RAM, which is used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct RAM bus random access memory (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory of the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0187] Based on the above embodiments, an embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product including computer-executable instructions. When the computer program product is run, the method provided in the above embodiments is executed.

[0188] Based on the above embodiments, an embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium, in which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is executed by a computer, the computer executes the method provided in the above embodiments.

[0189] The storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example and not limitation, computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer.

[0190] Based on the above embodiments, an embodiment of the present application further provides a chip, which is used to read a computer program stored in a memory to implement the method provided in the above embodiments.

[0191] Based on the above embodiments, embodiments of the present application provide a chip system, which includes a processor for supporting a computer device to implement the functions involved in each device in the above embodiments. In one possible design, the chip system also includes a memory for storing the necessary programs and data for the computer device. The chip system can be composed of a chip or can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0192] In the various embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified or there is a logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships.

[0193] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments of the present application can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, the present application can adopt the form of a complete hardware embodiment, a complete software embodiment, or an embodiment in combination with software and hardware. Moreover, the present application can adopt the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to magnetic disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) that contain computer-usable program code.

[0194] The present application is described with reference to the flowcharts and / or block diagrams of the methods, devices (systems), and computer program products according to the present application. It should be understood that each flow and / or box in the flow chart and / or block diagram, as well as the combination of the flow chart and / or box in the flow chart and / or block diagram, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device produce a device for implementing the functions specified in one or more flow charts and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0195] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce a product including an instruction device that implements the functions specified in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0196] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device so that a series of operating steps are executed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, so that the instructions executed on the computer or other programmable device provide steps for implementing the functions specified in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0197] In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three possible relationships exist. For example, "A and / or B" can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In the text description of this application, the character " / " generally indicates that the related objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0198] It is understood that the various numbers used in the embodiments of this application are merely for ease of description and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. The order of the sequence numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not necessarily imply a specific order of execution; the order of execution of the processes should be determined by their functions and inherent logic.

[0199] Obviously, those skilled in the art may make various changes and modifications to the present application without departing from the scope of the present application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents, the present application is intended to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: include: The first device determines a first notification area RNA based on a wireless access network of the terminal at a first moment, wherein the first RNA includes service areas corresponding to some or all cells of N satellites, where N is a positive integer; The first device determines, according to the first RNA, one or more first satellites as target service access network devices of the terminal, the first satellite being a satellite among the N satellites; The first device sends the context of the terminal to the first satellite; Alternatively, the first device instructs one or more second satellites to send the context of the terminal to the first satellite.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Also includes: The first device determines a second RNA of the terminal at a second moment, where the second RNA is different from the first RNA and includes service areas corresponding to some or all cells of M satellites, where M is a positive integer.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The difference is determined according to the mobility of the N satellites and the M satellites.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that Before the first device determines the second RNA of the terminal at the second moment, the method further includes: The first device receives first information, and the first information includes indication information of the second RNA.

5. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that: The first device determines the second RNA of the terminal at the second moment, including: The first device determines the second RNA according to the mobility of the M satellites at the second moment.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: Before the first device determines the first RNA of the terminal at the first moment, the method further includes: The first device receives second information, and the second information includes indication information of the first RNA.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The first device determines a first RNA of a terminal at a first moment, including: The first device determines the first RNA according to the mobility of the N satellites at the first moment.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that The first device determines, according to the first RNA, one or more first satellites as target service access network devices of the terminal, including: The first device determines that the first satellite is a target service access network device for the terminal according to the ephemeris of the second satellite and the ephemeris of the first satellite.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that The first device is the first satellite, and further includes: The first device sends third information to the core network device, where the third information is used to indicate that the first satellite is a target service access network device for the terminal.

10. A communication method, characterized in that: include: The first device determines a first wireless access network-based notification area RNA of the terminal at a first moment, wherein the first RNA includes a service area corresponding to some or all cells of N satellites, where N is a positive integer and the N satellites are satellites on a first orbit; The first device determines, based on the first RNA, one or more first satellites as target service access network devices for the terminal, and the first satellite is a satellite among the N satellites.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that Before the first device determines the first RNA of the terminal at the first moment, the method further includes: The first device receives second information, the second information includes indication information of the first RNA, the indication information of the first RNA includes at least one of the following: indication information of some or all of the N satellites, or indication information of the first orbit.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that The third satellite is any one of the N satellites, and a communication interface exists between the third satellite and one or more of the N satellites.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The first device is the terminal, and further includes: When the third satellite is a service access network device of the terminal and the terminal is no longer within the service range of the third satellite, the first device selects a satellite from the one or more satellites for communication.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that The movement direction of the one or more satellites is the same as the movement direction of the third satellite.

15. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A communication unit for receiving and sending information; A processing unit, configured to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14 through the communication unit.

16. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a processor configured to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

17. A communication system, characterized in that: The method comprises a first device, wherein the first device is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 1-14.

18. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are executed by the communication device, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14 is implemented.

19. A chip, characterized in that: The chip reads the computer program stored in the memory and executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

20. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product comprises: a computer program code, and when the computer program code is executed, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14 is implemented.

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