Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

The present application discloses a communication method and apparatus. The method comprises: a terminal can receive resource configuration information and first information from a first satellite. The resource configuration information is used for configuring an uplink resource, and the first information is used for determining whether the terminal is located within a first range. After the terminal enters the coverage of a second satellite, if the terminal is located within the first range, the terminal can use the uplink resource to send an RRC request to the second satellite. By means of the method, after entering the coverage of the second satellite, the terminal can send the RRC request to the second satellite on the basis of the uplink resource configured by the resource configuration information, and the terminal does not need to send a random access signal and likewise does not need to receive an RAR. Therefore, the communication delay of terminals during cross-satellite access can be shortened, network congestion caused by simultaneous random access of a large number of terminals can be avoided or reduced, and the access efficiency can be improved.

Description

Communication method and device

[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 October 30, 2023, with application number 202311428317.0 and application name “A Communication Method and Device”, 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. Background Art

[0004] In non-terrestrial networks (NTNs), as satellites move, the satellites that can provide services to terminals may change. For example, in time period 1, satellite 1 can provide services to terminals 1 to M; in time period 2, satellite 2 can provide services to terminals 1 to M, where M is a positive integer. If the coverage of satellite 1 and satellite 2 is discontinuous, time period 1 and time period 2 are also discontinuous. In this way, between the end time of time period 1 and the start time of time period 2, no satellite provides services to terminals 1 to M. After terminals 1 to M enter the coverage of satellite 2, multiple terminals from terminal 1 to terminal M may need to re-initiate the random access process, causing communication delays.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present application provides a communication method and apparatus for improving the efficiency of random access and shortening the communication delay of a terminal during inter-satellite access.

[0007] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be applied to a first device. The first device can be a terminal or a module in the terminal (such as a circuit, chip, chip system or processor), and can also be a logical node, logic module or software that can implement all or part of the terminal functions. The following description takes the first device as an example. The method may include: the terminal can receive resource configuration information and first information from a first satellite. The resource configuration information is used to configure uplink resources, and the first information is used to determine whether the terminal is within a first range. After the terminal enters the coverage of the second satellite, if it is determined that the terminal is within the first range according to the first information, the terminal can use the uplink resources to send an RRC request to the second satellite.

[0008] Using this method, after entering the coverage area of ​​a second satellite, a terminal can send an RRC request to the second satellite based on the uplink resources configured in the resource configuration information, thereby achieving random access. This method eliminates the need for the terminal to send a random access signal or receive an RAR. This reduces communication latency during inter-satellite access, avoids or reduces network congestion caused by a large number of terminals simultaneously performing random access, and improves access efficiency.

[0009] Furthermore, after the terminal enters the coverage area of ​​the second satellite, the terminal can determine whether to use the uplink resources configured in the resource configuration information to send an RRC request to the second satellite based on changes in its own location. Specifically, only when the terminal is within the first coverage area does the terminal use the uplink resources configured in the resource configuration information to send an RRC request to the second satellite. In this way, the second satellite can point its antenna toward the terminal based on the first coverage area, thereby receiving the RRC request from the terminal. This can avoid or reduce access failures caused by terminal movement, shorten communication latency during inter-satellite access, avoid or reduce network congestion caused by a large number of terminals simultaneously performing random access, and improve access efficiency.

[0010] In one possible design, the first information can be used to indicate a distance threshold. If the distance between the first location and the second location is less than the distance threshold, the terminal is within the first range; and / or, if the distance between the first location and the second location is greater than or equal to the distance threshold, the terminal is outside the first range. The first location is the location of the terminal when it leaves the coverage area of ​​the first satellite, and the second location is the location of the terminal when it enters the coverage area of ​​the second satellite. With this design, the first information can be used to indicate the distance threshold. In this way, the terminal can quickly and accurately determine whether the terminal is within the first range based on the first information. Furthermore, in this design, the first information only needs to indicate the distance threshold, resulting in low overhead.

[0011] In one possible design, after a terminal enters the coverage area of ​​a second satellite, if the terminal is determined to be outside the first range based on the first information, the terminal sends a random access signal to the second satellite. With this design, after the terminal enters the coverage area of ​​the second satellite, the terminal can determine, based on its own location change, whether to use the uplink resources configured in the resource configuration information to send an RRC request to the second satellite. When the terminal is outside the first range, the terminal cannot use the uplink resources configured in the resource configuration information to send an RRC request to the second satellite and can directly send a random access signal to the second satellite. This avoids or reduces access failures caused by terminal mobility, shortens communication latency during inter-satellite access, and improves access efficiency.

[0012] In one possible design, a terminal may send a random access signal to a second satellite at a first time. The first time is determined based on the time-frequency resources of the preamble allocated by the second satellite and the terminal's identifier. Because the first time is related to the terminal's identifier and the identifiers of different terminals are different, the first times determined by different terminals are likely to be different. This can avoid or reduce network congestion caused by a large number of terminals simultaneously performing random access, thereby improving access efficiency.

[0013] In one possible design, the first moment is determined based on the time-frequency resources of the preamble allocated by the second satellite, an identifier of the terminal, and second information. The second information includes at least one of the following: the number of terminal groups, the first duration, or a coefficient related to the first duration. With this design, the terminal can quickly and accurately determine the first moment.

[0014] In one possible design, the terminal can also receive second information from the first or second satellite. This design allows the terminal to quickly and accurately obtain the second information. Furthermore, because the second information is received by the terminal in real time, the network can configure appropriate second information for the terminal, increasing configuration flexibility.

[0015] In one possible design, the time interval between the first time instant and the second time instant satisfies the following formula: (UE_ID mod N)*(delayTimer*T delay )

[0016] Among them, UE_ID is the terminal identifier, N is the number of terminal groups, mod represents the modulo operation, T delay is the first duration, delayTimer is a coefficient related to the first duration, and the second time is the time at which the terminal sends the random access signal, determined based on the time-frequency resources of the preamble allocated by the second satellite. In this design, terminals can be divided into N terminal groups based on their identifiers. Terminals in different terminal groups send random access signals at different times, thereby avoiding or reducing network congestion caused by a large number of terminals simultaneously performing random access, thereby improving access efficiency.

[0017] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be applied to a second device. The second device can be a first satellite or a module (such as a circuit, chip, chip system, or processor) in the first satellite. It can also be a logical node, logic module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the first satellite. The following description takes the second device as the first satellite as an example. The method may include: the first satellite sends resource configuration information to the terminal, where the resource configuration information is used to configure uplink resources. The first satellite also sends first information to the terminal, so that after the terminal enters the coverage area of ​​the second satellite, if the terminal determines that the terminal is within the first range based on the first information, the uplink resource carries the RRC request sent by the terminal to the second satellite.

[0018] In one possible design, the first information may be used to indicate a distance threshold. If the distance between the first location and the second location is less than the distance threshold, the terminal is within the first range; and / or if the distance between the first location and the second location is greater than or equal to the distance threshold, the terminal is outside the first range. The first location is the location of the terminal when it leaves the coverage area of ​​the first satellite, and the second location is the location of the terminal when it enters the coverage area of ​​the second satellite.

[0019] In one possible design, a first satellite may send second information to a terminal. The second information, the time-frequency resources of the preamble allocated by the second satellite, and the terminal identifier may be used to determine a first moment, where the first moment is when the terminal sends a random access signal to the second satellite. The random access signal is sent after the terminal enters coverage of the second satellite and when the terminal is outside the first coverage. Optionally, the second information includes at least one of the following: the number of terminal groups, the first duration, or a coefficient related to the first duration.

[0020] In one possible design, the time interval between the first time instant and the second time instant satisfies the following formula: (UE_ID mod N)*(delayTimer*T delay )

[0021] Among them, UE_ID is the terminal identifier, N is the number of terminal groups, mod represents the modulo operation, T delay is the first duration, delayTimer is a coefficient related to the first duration, and the second moment is the moment when the terminal sends the random access signal determined according to the time-frequency resources of the preamble code allocated by the second satellite.

[0022] In a third aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication method that can be applied to a first device. The first device can be a terminal or a module in the terminal (e.g., a circuit, chip, chip system, or processor). It can also be a logical node, logic module, or software that can implement all or part of the terminal's functions. The following description uses the terminal as an example. The method can include: the terminal generating a random access signal. After the terminal enters the coverage area of ​​a second satellite, the terminal can send the random access signal to the second satellite at a first moment. The first moment is determined based on the time-frequency resources of the preamble allocated by the second satellite and the terminal's identifier.

[0023] With this method, after a terminal enters the coverage area of ​​a second satellite, the terminal may transmit a random access signal to the second satellite at a first time. Because the first time is related to the terminal's identifier, which varies from terminal to terminal, the first times determined by different terminals are likely to be different. This avoids or reduces network congestion caused by a large number of terminals simultaneously performing random access, thereby improving access efficiency.

[0024] In one possible design, the first moment is determined based on the time-frequency resources of the preamble allocated by the second satellite, an identifier of the terminal, and second information. The second information includes at least one of the following: the number of terminal groups, the first duration, or a coefficient related to the first duration. With this design, the terminal can quickly and accurately determine the first moment.

[0025] In one possible design, the terminal can receive the second information. This design allows the terminal to quickly and accurately obtain the second information. Furthermore, because the second information is received by the terminal in real time, the network can configure appropriate second information for the terminal, improving configuration flexibility.

[0026] In one possible design, the time interval between the first time instant and the second time instant satisfies the following formula: (UE_ID mod N)*(delayTimer*T delay )

[0027] Among them, UE_ID is the terminal identifier, N is the number of terminal groups, mod represents the modulo operation, T delay is the first duration, delayTimer is a coefficient related to the first duration, and the second time is the time at which the terminal sends the random access signal, determined based on the time-frequency resources of the preamble allocated by the second satellite. In this design, terminals can be divided into N terminal groups based on their identifiers. Terminals in different terminal groups send random access signals at different times, thereby avoiding or reducing network congestion caused by a large number of terminals simultaneously performing random access, thereby improving access efficiency.

[0028] In a fourth aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication method that can be applied to a third device. The third device can be a second satellite or a module (e.g., a circuit, chip, chip system, or processor) in the second satellite. It can also be a logical node, logic module, or software that can implement all or part of the second satellite's functions. The following description uses the first device as a terminal as an example. The method may include: the second satellite receiving a random access signal sent by the terminal at a first time, where the first time is determined based on the time-frequency resources of the preamble allocated by the second satellite and an identifier of the terminal.

[0029] In one possible design, the first moment is determined based on a time-frequency resource of a preamble allocated by the second satellite, an identifier of the terminal, and second information, wherein the second information includes at least one of the following: a number of terminal groups, the first duration, or a coefficient related to the first duration.

[0030] In one possible design, the second satellite may send second information to the terminal.

[0031] In one possible design, the time interval between the first time instant and the second time instant satisfies the following formula: (UE_ID mod N)*(delayTimer*T delay )

[0032] Among them, UE_ID is the terminal identifier, N is the number of terminal groups, mod represents the modulo operation, T delay is the first duration, delayTimer is a coefficient related to the first duration, and the second moment is the moment when the terminal sends the random access signal determined according to the time-frequency resources of the preamble code allocated by the second satellite.

[0033] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which may be a terminal or a module in a terminal (such as a circuit, chip, chip system or processor), or a logical node, logic module or software that can implement all or part of the terminal functions. The communication device has the function of implementing the first or third aspect above. For example, the communication device includes a module or unit or means corresponding to the operation involved in the first or third aspect above, and the module or unit or means may be implemented by software, or by hardware, or the corresponding software may be implemented by hardware.

[0034] In one possible design, the communication device includes a processing unit and an interface unit. The interface unit can be used to send and receive signals to enable communication between the communication device and other devices; the processing unit can be used to perform certain internal operations of the communication device. The functions performed by the processing unit and the interface unit can correspond to the operations described in the first or third aspects above.

[0035] In one possible design, the communication device includes a processor, which can be coupled to a memory. The memory can store the necessary computer programs or instructions for implementing the functions of the first or third aspects described above. The processor can execute the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory. When the computer programs or instructions are executed, the communication device implements the method of any possible design of the first or third aspects described above.

[0036] In one possible design, the communication device includes a processor and a memory. The memory may store the necessary computer programs or instructions for implementing the functions of the first or third aspect. The processor may execute the computer program or instructions stored in the memory. When the computer program or instructions are executed, the communication device implements the method of any possible design of the first or third aspect.

[0037] In one possible design, the communication device includes a processor and an interface circuit, wherein the processor is used to communicate with other devices through the interface circuit and execute the method in any possible design of the first aspect or the third aspect above.

[0038] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which may be a satellite or a module in a satellite (such as a circuit, chip, chip system or processor), or a logical node, logic module or software that can implement all or part of the satellite functions. The communication device has the function of implementing the second or fourth aspect above. For example, the communication device includes a module or unit or means corresponding to the operations involved in the second or fourth aspect above. The module or unit or means may be implemented by software, or by hardware, or the corresponding software may be implemented by hardware.

[0039] In one possible design, the communication device includes a processing unit and an interface unit. The interface unit can be used to transmit and receive signals to enable communication between the communication device and other devices; the processing unit can be used to perform certain internal operations of the communication device. The functions performed by the processing unit and the interface unit can correspond to the operations described in the second or fourth aspects above.

[0040] In one possible design, the communication device includes a processor, which can be coupled to a memory. The memory can store the necessary computer programs or instructions for implementing the functions of the second or fourth aspects described above. The processor can execute the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory. When the computer programs or instructions are executed, the communication device implements the method of any possible design of the second or fourth aspects described above.

[0041] In one possible design, the communication device includes a processor and a memory. The memory may store the necessary computer programs or instructions for implementing the functions of the second or fourth aspect. The processor may execute the computer program or instructions stored in the memory. When the computer program or instructions are executed, the communication device implements the method of any possible design of the second or fourth aspect.

[0042] In one possible design, the communication device includes a processor and an interface circuit, wherein the processor is used to communicate with other devices through the interface circuit and execute the method in any possible design of the second aspect or the fourth aspect above.

[0043] It can be understood that in the fifth aspect or the sixth aspect above, the processor can be implemented by hardware or by software. When implemented by hardware, the processor can be a logic circuit, an integrated circuit, etc.; when implemented by software, the processor can be a general-purpose processor, which is implemented by reading the software code stored in the memory. In addition, the above processors can be one or more, and the memories can be one or more. The memory can be integrated with the processor, or the memory and the processor can be set separately. In the specific implementation process, the memory can be integrated with the processor on the same chip, or can be set on different chips respectively. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the type of memory and the setting method of the memory and the processor.

[0044] In a seventh aspect, the present application provides a communication system, which may include the communication device described in the fifth aspect and the communication device described in the sixth aspect. For example, the communication system includes a terminal and a first satellite; wherein the terminal is configured to perform the communication method provided in the first aspect, and the first satellite is configured to perform the communication method provided in the second aspect. For another example, the communication system includes a terminal and a second satellite; wherein the terminal is configured to perform the communication method provided in the third aspect, and the second satellite is configured to perform the communication method provided in the fourth aspect.

[0045] In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program or instruction. When the computer program or instruction is executed, the method in any possible design of any aspect from the first to the fourth aspects mentioned above is implemented.

[0046] In a ninth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program code. When the computer program code is executed, the method in any possible design of any aspect from the first to the fourth aspects is implemented.

[0047] In a tenth aspect, the present application provides a chip for reading a computer program stored in a memory to execute a method in any possible design of any one of the first to fourth aspects above.

[0048] The technical effects that can be achieved in any of the second, fourth to tenth 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 third aspects mentioned above, and the repetitions will not be discussed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0049] FIG1 is an architecture diagram of a first communication system provided by this application;

[0050] FIG2 is an architecture diagram of a second communication system provided by this application;

[0051] FIG3 is an architecture diagram of a third communication system provided by this application;

[0052] FIG4 is an architecture diagram of a fourth communication system provided by this application;

[0053] FIG5 is an architecture diagram of a fifth communication system provided by this application;

[0054] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of a discontinuous coverage scenario provided by this application;

[0055] FIG7 is a flow chart of a communication method provided by the present application;

[0056] FIG8 is a flow chart of another communication method provided by the present application;

[0057] FIG9 is a structural diagram of a communication device provided by the present application;

[0058] FIG10 is a structural diagram of another communication device provided in this application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0059] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application. The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS), wireless local area network (WLAN), wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) system, fourth generation (4G) mobile communication system (such as long term evolution (LTE) system), fifth generation (5G) mobile communication system (such as NR system), NTN communication system, and future evolved communication system (such as sixth generation (6G) mobile communication system). The communication system can be applied to machine to machine (M2M) network, machine type communication (MTC) or other networks.

[0060] This application will present various aspects, embodiments, or features in the context of systems that may include multiple devices, components, modules, etc. It should be understood and appreciated that each system may include additional devices, components, modules, etc., and / or may not include all of the devices, components, modules, etc. discussed in conjunction with the figures. Furthermore, combinations of these aspects may also be used.

[0061] The method provided in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to an NTN communication system. Figure 1 shows the architecture of an NTN communication system applicable to the embodiments of the present application. The communication system may include a terminal, a first access network device, and a second access network device. The communication link between the first access network device and the second access network device is a feedback link (or feeder link); the communication link between the second access network device and the terminal is a service link.

[0062] The first access network device may be a gateway station (also called a ground station, earth station, gateway, or gateway station) or a base station.

[0063] The second access network device may be a satellite (or satellite base station) or a high altitude platform station (HAPS), etc. The satellite may include at least one of the following: a geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellite (or a geosynchronous orbit satellite) or a non-geostationary earth orbit (NGEO). The non-geostationary earth orbit satellite may include at least one of the following: a medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite or a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite. There is no limitation here.

[0064] In an embodiment of the present application, the communication mode of the second access network device may include a regenerative mode and a transparent mode. When the communication mode of the second access network device is the regenerative mode, the second access network device may serve as a base station for wireless communication. Exemplarily, the second access network device may include a next generation NodeB (gNB) or a distributed unit (DU). When the communication mode of the second access network device is the transparent mode, the second access network device may perform frequency conversion forwarding on the signal.

[0065] It should be understood that Figure 1 only shows one first access network device and one second access network device. In actual use, an architecture with multiple first access network devices and / or one second access network device may be adopted as needed. Each second access network device may provide services to one or more terminals, each second access network device may correspond to one or more first access network devices, and each first access network device may correspond to one or more second access network devices, which is not specifically limited in this application.

[0066] In this application, a terminal may also be referred to as user equipment (UE), access terminal, subscriber unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station (MS), remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal equipment, wireless communication device, user agent or user device.

[0067] A terminal can be a device that provides wireless communication capabilities, such as a handheld device or vehicle-mounted device with wireless connection capabilities. Currently, some examples of terminals include: mobile phones, satellite mobile terminals, cellular phones, smart phones, tablet computers, laptop computers, PDAs, mobile internet devices (MIDs), wearable devices (such as smart watches, smart bracelets, pedometers, smart glasses, etc.), vehicle-mounted devices (such as cars, bicycles, electric vehicles, airplanes, ships, trains, high-speed trains, etc.), satellite terminals, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, smart point of sale (POS) machines, customer-premises equipment (CPE), wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving, 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. The present invention also includes wireless terminals (e.g., refrigerators, televisions, air conditioners, electric meters, etc.) in a home, intelligent robots, robotic arms, cellular phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), handheld devices with wireless communication capabilities, computing devices or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, flying devices (e.g., intelligent robots, hot air balloons, drones, airplanes), terminals in the 5th generation (5G) network, or terminals in a future-evolved public land mobile network (PLMN), etc., which are not limited in the embodiments of the present application. As an example and not a limitation, in the embodiments of the present application, the terminal may also be a mobile terminal (MT) in an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node.When an IAB node faces its parent node, it can be regarded as a terminal. In this case, the IAB node plays the role of MT.

[0068] The embodiments of this application do not limit the device form factor of the terminal. The device used to implement the terminal's function can be a terminal; it can also be a device that supports the terminal in implementing the function, such as a chip system. The device can be installed in the terminal or used in conjunction with the terminal. In the embodiments of this application, the chip system can be composed of a chip or include a chip and other discrete components.

[0069] In this application, an access network device is a device that provides wireless communication functions for a terminal, and the terminal can communicate with a core network device through the access network device. As a node in a wireless access network, an access network device can also be called a base station, a radio access network (RAN) node (or device), or an access point (AP). A communication system may include multiple access network devices, which can be nodes of the same type or different types. In some scenarios, the roles of the access network device and the terminal are relative. For example, network element #A can be a helicopter or a drone, which can be configured as a mobile base station and access the RAN through network element #B. For those terminals that access the RAN through network element #A, network element #A is a base station; but for network element #B, network element #A is a terminal.

[0070] In one possible scenario, an access network device can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmitting and receiving point (TRP), a transmitting point (TP), a gNB, a next-generation base station in a 6G mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, a satellite, an access point (AP) in a WiFi system, an IAB node, a mobile switching center, or an access network device in an NTN communication system. That is, it can be deployed on a high-altitude platform or satellite, for example. The access network device can be a macro base station, a micro base station, an indoor station, a relay node, a donor node, or a radio controller in a cloud RAN (CRAN) scenario. The access network device can also be a device that functions as a base station in device-to-device (D2D) communication, Internet of Vehicles (IoV) communication, drone communication, or machine communication. Alternatively, the access network device can be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle, or an onboard device. For example, the access network device in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology can be a roadside unit (RSU).

[0071] 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), DU, CU-control plane (CP), CU-user plane (UP), or radio unit (RU). The CU and DU can be set separately, or can also 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). It can be understood that the access network device can be a CU node, a DU node, or a device including a CU node and a DU node. In addition, the CU can be divided into an access network device in the access network RAN, or the CU can be divided into an access network device in the core network CN, which is not limited here.

[0072] 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.

[0073] In the embodiments of the present application, the form of the access network device is not limited. The device used to implement the functions of the access network device can be the access network device; it can also be a device that supports the access network device to implement the functions, such as a chip system. The device can be installed in the access network device or used in conjunction with the access network device.

[0074] Access network equipment and terminals can be fixed or mobile. They can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; on water; and in the air on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of access network equipment and terminals.

[0075] In this application, core network equipment refers to the network elements included in the core network part of a mobile communication system. For example, core network equipment refers to the network function (NF) network element and user plane function (UPF) network element included in the core network part. Core network equipment can connect terminals to different data networks and perform services such as billing, mobility management, session management, and user plane forwarding. Currently, some examples of NF network elements include: unified data management (UDM) network element, unified data repository (UDR) network element, network exposure function (NEF) network element, application function (AF) network element, policy control function (PCF) network element, access and mobility management function (AMF) network element, session management function (SMF) network element, network repository function (NRF) network element, etc.

[0076] FIG2 shows a satellite communication system in a transparent transmission mode applicable to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG2 , the satellite may adopt a non-3GPP (3 rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) radio protocol (non-3GPP radio protocol) access network. Satellites can forward signals between terminals and satellite ground stations. Communication connections can be established between terminals and satellites, and between satellites and satellite ground stations, via non-3GPP radio protocol interfaces. Satellite ground stations can include access points. Satellite ground stations can communicate with the core network (CN) via NG interfaces (such as N2 interfaces and / or N3 interfaces, etc.), and between the CN and the data network (DN) via the N6 interface.

[0077] Figure 3 shows another satellite communication system in transparent transmission mode applicable to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 3, the satellite can access the network through the NR wireless protocol. The satellite can forward signals between the terminal and the satellite ground station. A communication connection can be established between the terminal and the satellite through the NR wireless protocol interface, and a communication connection can be established between the satellite and the satellite ground station through the NR wireless protocol interface (such as the Uu interface). The satellite ground station can be a base station. The interface between the satellite ground station, CN and DN is the same as that in Figure 2 and will not be repeated here.

[0078] Figure 4 shows a satellite communication system in a regeneration mode applicable to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 4, a base station is carried in the satellite, and a base station is also carried in the satellite ground station. A communication connection can be established between the terminal and the satellite through an NR wireless protocol interface (such as a Uu interface), and a communication connection can be established between the satellite and the satellite ground station through an NR wireless protocol interface (such as an Xn interface). The interface between the satellite ground station, CN, and DN is the same as that in Figure 2 and will not be repeated here. Optionally, in the satellite communication system shown in Figure 4, the satellite ground station may be a gateway, but does not include a base station.

[0079] Figure 5 shows another satellite communication system in regeneration mode applicable to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 5, the satellite is equipped with a DU and the satellite ground station includes a CU. A communication connection can be established between the terminal and the satellite through an NR wireless protocol interface (such as a Uu interface), and a communication connection can be established between the satellite and the satellite ground station through an NR wireless protocol interface (such as an F1 interface). The interface between the satellite ground station, CN, and DN is the same as that in Figure 2 and will not be repeated here.

[0080] 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.

[0081] (1) Random access:

[0082] Random access is the process initiated by the terminal to achieve uplink synchronization between the terminal and the access network device after the two devices have achieved downlink synchronization. Random access can be divided into contention-based random access and non-contention-free random access, which are described below.

[0083] Contention-based random access is also called four-step random access. In contention-based random access, the terminal can send a random access signal to the access network device, and the random access signal includes a preamble. The access network device can detect the preamble and estimate the delay from the terminal to the access network device based on the preamble, thereby determining the timing advance (TA). The access network device sends a random access response (RAR) to the terminal. The RAR includes the TA, the time-frequency resource location of the uplink scheduling configured by the access network device for the terminal, etc. The terminal sends a radio resource control (RRC) request at the time-frequency resource location included in the RAR. The RRC request can also be called message 3 (Msg3). After receiving the RRC request, the access network device can send a contention resolution message to the terminal, thereby completing the random access.

[0084] Non-contention-based random access, also known as two-step random access, involves a terminal sending a preamble based on instructions from the access network device. After receiving the preamble, the access network device sends a RAR to the terminal, completing random access.

[0085] (2) Connected state, also known as RRC connected state. When the terminal device is in the connected state, an RRC connection exists between the terminal device and the access network device, and the two can communicate through the RRC connection.

[0086] (3) Resources: In this application, resources may include time domain resources and / or frequency domain resources. For example, time domain resources may include resources on a subframe, time slot, or symbol; frequency domain resources may include resources on a resource block (RB) or a resource block group (RBG).

[0087] (4) Non-continuous coverage:

[0088] In an NTN, multiple satellites can provide continuous coverage. Due to the long satellite launch cycle, some areas may experience discontinuous coverage between satellite launch and the completion of the continuous coverage network. For example, as shown in Figure 6, during time period 1, M terminals (e.g., terminals 1 through M) are within the coverage of satellite 1. That is, during time period 1, satellite 1 can provide service to terminals 1 through M. As the satellite moves, these M terminals move out of satellite 1's coverage and lose service. Satellite 2 does not provide service to these M terminals until they are within its coverage.

[0089] After the M terminals enter the coverage area of ​​satellite 2, multiple terminals from terminal 1 to terminal M may need to access the network, requiring them to re-initiate the random access procedure, causing communication delays. Furthermore, after the M terminals enter the coverage area of ​​satellite 2, a large number of terminals may simultaneously initiate random access procedures, causing network congestion.

[0090] In view of this, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method. FIG7 is a flow chart corresponding to the communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG7, the method includes:

[0091] S701: A first satellite sends resource configuration information to a terminal; correspondingly, the terminal receives the resource configuration information from the first satellite.

[0092] Optionally, when the terminal is about to leave the coverage of the first satellite, the first satellite may send the resource configuration information to the terminal. For example, if the first satellite determines that the terminal will leave the coverage of the first satellite after a duration of 1, the first satellite may send the resource configuration information to the terminal. The basis for the first satellite determining that the terminal will leave the coverage of the first satellite after a duration of 1 may include one or more of the first satellite's ephemeris, the terminal's moving speed, and the terminal's moving direction. Duration 1 may be preconfigured, for example, as specified by a protocol; may be determined by the first satellite; or may be determined by another device (e.g., a core network device) and then notified to the first satellite.

[0093] The terminal may be in a connected state; in other words, an RRC connection exists between the terminal and the first satellite. Thus, the first satellite can send resource configuration information to the connected terminal, eliminating the need to send resource configuration information to all terminals that will leave the coverage of the first satellite, thereby saving signaling overhead.

[0094] The resource configuration information can be used to configure uplink resources. The uplink resources can be used by the terminal to send an RRC request to the second satellite after entering the coverage of the second satellite. Exemplarily, the resource configuration information may include indication information of the uplink resource. For example, the resource information may include: frequency domain offset information and time domain information. The frequency domain offset information indicates the frequency offset between the uplink resource and the center frequency point, and the time domain information indicates the time domain position of the uplink resource (such as the starting frame and / or starting symbol). The configuration information can be carried in a traditional message or in a new message, and this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0095] In some implementations, to enable the second satellite to receive the RRC request from the terminal using the uplink resource, the second satellite may learn that the uplink resource is used for the terminal to send an RRC request to the second satellite after entering the coverage of the second satellite. In some examples, after configuring the uplink resource for the terminal, the first satellite may notify the second satellite that the uplink resource is used for the terminal to send an RRC request to the second satellite after entering the coverage of the second satellite. In other examples, the uplink resource is the resource configured by the second satellite for the terminal to send the RRC request. After configuring the uplink resource, the second satellite notifies the first satellite of the uplink resource, and the first satellite may then execute step S701.

[0096] S702: A first satellite sends first information to a terminal; accordingly, the terminal receives the first information from the first satellite.

[0097] Optionally, when the terminal is about to leave the coverage of the first satellite, the first satellite may send the first information to the terminal. For example, if the first satellite determines that the terminal will leave the coverage of the first satellite after a duration of 1, the first satellite may send the first information to the terminal. The details of the first satellite determining that the terminal will leave the coverage of the first satellite after a duration of 1 are described in S701 and are not further described here.

[0098] The first information can be used to determine whether the terminal is within the first range. In this way, after receiving the first information, the terminal can determine whether the terminal is within the first range based on the first information. The specific content of the first information being used to determine whether the terminal is within the first range will be described in the following methods a1 and a2, which will not be expanded here. The first information can be carried in a traditional message or in a new message. The first information and resource configuration information can be carried in the same message or in different messages. When the first information and resource configuration information are carried in different messages, the execution order of S701 and S702 is not limited.

[0099] S703: After the terminal enters the coverage of the second satellite, if the terminal is within the first range, the terminal sends an RRC request to the second satellite using the uplink resources configured by the resource configuration information; accordingly, the second satellite receives the RRC request sent by the terminal using the uplink resources.

[0100] Optionally, after the terminal enters the coverage of the second satellite, if the terminal has a network access requirement and the terminal is located within the first range, the terminal may send an RRC request to the second satellite using the uplink resources configured by the resource configuration information.

[0101] Using the method shown in Figure 7, after entering the coverage area of ​​the second satellite, the terminal can send an RRC request to the second satellite based on the uplink resources configured in the resource configuration information, thereby achieving random access. In this method, the terminal does not need to send a random access signal or receive an RAR. This shortens the communication delay during inter-satellite access, avoids or reduces network congestion caused by a large number of terminals simultaneously performing random access, and improves access efficiency.

[0102] Furthermore, in discontinuous coverage scenarios, the terminal's location may change significantly from leaving the coverage of the first satellite to entering the coverage of the second satellite. Consequently, when the terminal sends an RRC request using reserved uplink resources, the second satellite may not receive the request. For example, when the terminal leaves the coverage of the first satellite, it is located at the edge of the first satellite's coverage. The first satellite allocates uplink resources for the terminal based on the terminal's location when it leaves the first satellite's coverage. When the second satellite moves over the terminal, it attempts to receive the RRC request from the terminal using the uplink resources allocated for the terminal based on the terminal's location when it leaves the coverage of the first satellite. If the terminal's location changes significantly, the second satellite's antenna may not be pointing toward the terminal. Specifically, because the second satellite's antenna is directional, if the terminal's location changes significantly, the terminal may no longer be within the pointing range of the second satellite's antenna. Therefore, if the terminal's location changes significantly, the second satellite may not receive the RRC request from the terminal, resulting in the terminal being unable to access.

[0103] Using the method shown in Figure 7, after a terminal enters the coverage area of ​​a second satellite, the terminal can determine whether to use the uplink resources configured in the resource configuration information to send an RRC request to the second satellite based on its own location changes. Specifically, only when the terminal is within the first coverage area does the terminal use the uplink resources configured in the resource configuration information to send an RRC request to the second satellite. In this way, the second satellite can point its antenna toward the terminal based on the first coverage area, thereby receiving the RRC request from the terminal. This can avoid or reduce access failures caused by terminal movement, shorten communication latency during inter-satellite access, avoid or reduce network congestion caused by a large number of terminals simultaneously performing random access, and improve access efficiency.

[0104] As mentioned above, the first information may be used to determine whether the terminal is located within the first range. There are multiple ways to determine whether the terminal is located within the first range, for example, way a1 or way a2.

[0105] Method a1:

[0106] The first information may be used to indicate a distance threshold. If the distance between the first location and the second location is less than the distance threshold, the terminal is within the first range; and / or if the distance between the first location and the second location is greater than or equal to the distance threshold, the terminal is outside the first range. Thus, after receiving the first information, the terminal can determine whether the terminal is within the first range based on the first information.

[0107] In some possible approaches, the first location is the location of the terminal when it leaves the coverage of the first satellite, and the second location is the location of the terminal when it enters the coverage of the second satellite. Optionally, in this approach, the terminal may send an RRC request to the second satellite using the uplink resources configured in the resource configuration information upon entering the coverage of the second satellite or within a duration 2 after entering the coverage of the second satellite. Duration 2 may be preconfigured, for example, as specified by a protocol; may be determined by the terminal; or may be determined by another device (e.g., the first satellite or the second satellite) and then notified to the terminal.

[0108] In other possible approaches, the first location is the location of the terminal when it leaves the coverage of the first satellite, and the second location is the location of the terminal when it determines to access the second satellite. Optionally, in this approach, the terminal may send an RRC request to the second satellite using the uplink resources configured in the resource configuration information when determining to access the second satellite or within a duration 3 after determining to access the second satellite. Duration 3 may be preconfigured, for example, as specified by a protocol; may be determined by the terminal; or may be determined by another device (e.g., the first satellite or the second satellite) and notified to the terminal.

[0109] There are multiple ways for the first information to indicate the distance threshold, which are illustrated below. In some examples, the first information may include the distance threshold. For example, the first information includes: 50 meters, indicating that the distance threshold is 50 meters. In other examples, there is a correspondence between the first information and the distance threshold. For example, the correspondence between at least one candidate distance threshold and at least one index is shown in Table 1. If the first information includes index 0, the distance threshold is 50 meters. If the first information includes index 1, the distance threshold is 100 meters.

[0110] Table 1

[0111] It should be understood that when the first information is used to determine whether the terminal is located within the first range through method a1, the first information is also used to determine whether the distance between the first position and the second position is less than the distance threshold; S703 can be replaced by: after the terminal enters the coverage range of the second satellite, if the distance between the first position and the second position is less than the distance threshold, the terminal uses the uplink resources configured by the resource configuration information to send an RRC request to the second satellite; the following step A1 can be replaced by: after the terminal enters the coverage range of the second satellite, if the distance between the first position and the second position is greater than or equal to the distance threshold, the terminal sends a random access signal to the second satellite.

[0112] In some possible approaches, “less than” in approach a1 may be replaced by “less than or equal to”, and / or “greater than or equal to” may be replaced by “greater than”.

[0113] In mode a1, the first information can be used to indicate the distance threshold, so that the terminal can quickly and accurately determine whether the terminal is within the first range based on the first information. In addition, in this mode, the first information only needs to indicate the distance threshold, which reduces the overhead.

[0114] Method a2:

[0115] The first information is used to indicate the first range. Thus, the terminal can determine whether the terminal is within the first range based on the first information. In some examples, the first information may directly indicate the first range. For example, the first information includes the coordinate range of the first range. In other examples, the first information may include information that corresponds to the first range. For example, the first information indicates the administrative area corresponding to the first range, such as Town A, and the first range is the range of the administrative area.

[0116] Through manner a2, the first information can be used to indicate the first range, so that the terminal can quickly and accurately determine whether the terminal is located within the first range based on the first information.

[0117] In some possible embodiments, the method shown in FIG7 further includes step A1:

[0118] Step A1: After the terminal enters the coverage area of ​​the second satellite, if the terminal is outside the first coverage area, the terminal transmits a random access signal to the second satellite. In response, the second satellite receives the random access signal from the terminal. That is, after the terminal enters the coverage area of ​​the second satellite, if the terminal is outside the first coverage area, the terminal may initiate random access, which may be either contention-based or non-contention-based.

[0119] In this manner, after the terminal enters the coverage area of ​​the second satellite, the terminal can determine whether to use the uplink resources configured in the resource configuration information to send an RRC request to the second satellite based on its own location change. When the terminal is outside the first coverage area, it cannot use the uplink resources configured in the resource configuration information to send an RRC request to the second satellite and can directly send a random access signal to the second satellite. This avoids or reduces access failures caused by terminal movement, shortens communication delays during inter-satellite access, and improves access efficiency.

[0120] In some possible approaches, in step A1, the terminal may transmit a random access signal to the second satellite at a first time; accordingly, the second satellite receives the random access signal transmitted by the terminal at the first time. The first time may be determined based on the time-frequency resources of the preamble allocated by the second satellite and the terminal identifier. Thus, the terminal may determine the first time based on the time-frequency resources of the preamble allocated by the second satellite and the terminal identifier.

[0121] There are various ways for a terminal to obtain the time-frequency resources for the preamble allocated by the second satellite, as exemplified below. In some examples, after entering the coverage area of ​​the second satellite, the terminal can obtain the time-frequency resources for the preamble allocated by the second satellite from the second satellite. In other examples, when the terminal is within the coverage area of ​​the first satellite, the second satellite can transmit the time-frequency resources for the preamble allocated by the second satellite to the terminal via the first satellite.

[0122] There are many forms of terminal identification. Exemplarily, the terminal identification is related to the terminal's 5G S temporary mobile subscriber identification (5GS-temporary mobile subscription identifier, 5G-S-TMSI). For example, if the terminal is configured for extended discontinuous reception (eDRX), the terminal identification is 5G-S-TMSI mod 4096; if the terminal is not configured for eDRX, the terminal identification is 5G-S-TMSI mod 1024. Wherein, mod is a modulo operation.

[0123] Since the first moment is related to the terminal identifier, and the identifiers of different terminals are different, the first moments determined by different terminals are also likely to be different, thereby avoiding or reducing network congestion caused by a large number of terminals performing random access simultaneously, and improving access efficiency.

[0124] In some implementations, the first time may be determined based on the time-frequency resources of the preamble allocated by the second satellite, the terminal's identifier, and the second information. Thus, the terminal may determine the first time based on the time-frequency resources of the preamble allocated by the second satellite, the terminal's identifier, and the second information. The second information includes at least one of the following:

[0125] 1. Number of terminal groups: may indicate the number of terminal groups within the coverage of the second satellite.

[0126] 2. First duration: This may be related to the synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel (PBCH) block (SSB) period. For example, the first duration is the SSB period or an integer multiple of the SSB period. The first duration may also be referred to by other names, such as the delayed access period duration.

[0127] 3. A coefficient related to the first duration: for example, 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16. The coefficient related to the first duration may also have other names, for example, delayed access timer.

[0128] The following first describes how the terminal obtains the second information. There are multiple ways for the terminal to obtain the second information, for example, way b1 or way b2.

[0129] Mode b1: the terminal can receive the second information.

[0130] In some examples, a first satellite may transmit second information to a terminal; in response, the terminal may receive the second information from the first satellite. This second information may be configured by the first satellite or notified to the first satellite after being configured by the second satellite. Optionally, in this example, the second information may be transmitted by the first satellite to the terminal when the terminal is about to leave the coverage area of ​​the first satellite. In this example, the second information, resource configuration information, and one or more of the first information may be carried in the same message or in separate messages.

[0131] In other examples, the second satellite may transmit the second information to the terminal; accordingly, the terminal may receive the second information from the second satellite. The second information may be configured by the second satellite. Optionally, in this example, the second information may be transmitted by the second satellite to the terminal after the terminal enters the coverage area of ​​the second satellite. For example, the second information may be broadcast by the second satellite, and thus the terminal may receive the second information after entering the coverage area of ​​the second satellite.

[0132] The second information can be carried in a traditional message or in a new message, and this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0133] In this way, the terminal can quickly and accurately obtain the second information. Moreover, since the second information is received by the terminal in real time, the network side can configure appropriate second information for the terminal, thereby improving the flexibility of configuration.

[0134] Mode b2: The second information is pre-configured, for example, specified by a protocol.

[0135] Optionally, when the second information includes multiple pieces of information, the terminal may obtain all of the second information through method b1 or method b2; or, the terminal may obtain a portion of the second information through method b1 and another portion of the second information through method b2. For example, the second information includes: a first duration and a coefficient related to the first duration. The terminal may obtain the first duration and the coefficient related to the first duration through method b1; or, the terminal may obtain the first duration and the coefficient related to the first duration through method b2; or, the terminal may obtain the coefficient related to the first duration through method b1 and obtain the first duration through method b2.

[0136] The following describes how the first moment can be determined based on the time-frequency resources of the preamble allocated by the second satellite, the terminal identifier, and the second information. There are multiple ways to determine the first moment based on the time-frequency resources of the preamble allocated by the second satellite, the terminal identifier, and the second information, such as method c1 or method c2.

[0137] Method c1: The time interval between the first moment and the second moment conforms to formula (1). Thus, the terminal can determine the first moment according to formula (1). (UE_ID mod N)*(delayTimer*T delay ) (1)

[0138] Among them, UE_ID is the terminal identifier, N is the number of terminal groups, T delay is the first duration, delayTimer is a coefficient related to the first duration, and the second time is the time at which the terminal sends the random access signal, determined based on the time-frequency resources of the preamble allocated by the second satellite. In other words, the terminal can advance or delay the transmission of the random access signal by a time duration of 4, where the time duration 4 is the time interval.

[0139] In this method, terminals can be divided into N terminal groups according to their identifiers. The terminals in different terminal groups send random access signals at different times, thereby avoiding or reducing network congestion caused by a large number of terminals performing random access at the same time and improving access efficiency. For example, if UE_ID is 3, N is 2, T delay The same as the SSB period, which is 20 milliseconds (ms), if delayTimer is 4, the terminal can delay (UE_ID mod N)*(delayTimer*T delay)=80ms to send a random access signal, that is, the terminal delays 80ms to access. If UE_ID is 4, N is 2, T delay If the delayTimer is 4, the terminal can delay (UE_ID mod N)*(delayTimer*T delay )=0ms. In this way, the terminals with odd identifiers are divided into one terminal group, and the terminals with even identifiers are divided into another terminal group. The terminals in different terminal groups send random access signals at different times.

[0140] Optionally, within the same terminal group, the same coefficient related to the first duration may be configured for different terminals, or different coefficients related to the first duration may be configured for different terminals. When different coefficients related to the first duration are configured for different terminals within the same terminal group, different terminals within the same terminal group send random access signals at different times, thereby further avoiding or reducing network congestion caused by a large number of terminals performing random access at the same time, thereby improving access efficiency. For example, if UE_ID is 3, N is 2, T delay If the delayTimer is 4, the terminal can delay (UE_ID mod N)*(delayTimer*T delay )=80ms to send a random access signal, that is, the terminal delays 80ms to access. If UE_ID is 5, N is 2, T delay If the delayTimer is 8, the terminal can delay (UE_ID mod N)*(delayTimer*T delay In this way, the terminals identified as odd numbers are divided into a terminal group, and different terminals in the terminal group send random access signals at different times.

[0141] Method c2: The time interval between the first moment and the second moment can conform to formula (2). In this way, the terminal can determine the first moment according to formula (1). (UE_ID mod N)*T delay (2)

[0142] The meanings of the second moment and the parameters in formula (2) can be referred to in method c1 and will not be repeated here.

[0143] In this method, terminals can be divided into N terminal groups according to their identifiers. The terminals in different terminal groups send random access signals at different times, thereby avoiding or reducing network congestion caused by a large number of terminals performing random access at the same time and improving access efficiency. For example, if UE_ID is 3, N is 2, T delayIf it is 20ms, the terminal can delay (UE_ID mod N)*T delay =20ms to send a random access signal, that is, the terminal delays 80ms to access. If UE_ID is 4, N is 2, T delay If it is 20ms, the terminal can delay (UE_ID mod N)*T delay =0ms to send a random access signal. In this way, terminals with odd identifiers are divided into one terminal group, and terminals with even identifiers are divided into another terminal group. The timings at which terminals in different terminal groups send random access signals are different.

[0144] The present application provides another communication method. FIG8 is a flow chart of the communication method provided in the present application. As shown in FIG8, the method includes:

[0145] S801: The terminal generates a random access signal.

[0146] Optionally, after the terminal enters the coverage of the second satellite, if the terminal has a network access requirement, the terminal may generate a random access signal. The random access signal may be a random access signal in contention-based random access or a random access signal in non-contention-based random access.

[0147] S802: After the terminal enters coverage of a second satellite, the terminal transmits a random access signal to the second satellite at a first time. In response, the second satellite receives the random access signal transmitted by the terminal at the first time. The first time is determined based on the time-frequency resources of the preamble allocated by the second satellite and the terminal identifier.

[0148] Among them, the specific content of the random access signal sent by the terminal to the second satellite at the first moment can refer to the description of the terminal sending the random access signal to the second satellite at the first moment in step A1; the specific content of the first moment can refer to the description of the first moment in step A1, which is not repeated here.

[0149] Using the method shown in Figure 8, after a terminal enters the coverage area of ​​a second satellite, the terminal can send a random access signal to the second satellite at a first moment. Because the first moment is related to the terminal's identifier, which varies from terminal to terminal, the first moments determined by different terminals are likely to be different. This can avoid or reduce network congestion caused by a large number of terminals simultaneously performing random access, thereby improving access efficiency.

[0150] Based on the same technical concept as the above-mentioned method embodiment, the embodiment of the present application provides a corresponding communication device, which can be used to perform the functions of the relevant steps in the above-mentioned method embodiment. The function can be implemented by hardware, can be implemented by software, or can be implemented by hardware executing the corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above-mentioned functions. The communication device can be a terminal, or can be a module in a terminal (such as a circuit or a chip), or can be a logical node, logical module or software that can implement all or part of the terminal functions; or the communication device can be a satellite or a module in a satellite (such as a circuit or a chip), or can be a logical node, logical module or software that can implement all or part of the satellite functions.

[0151] In a possible implementation, the structure of the communication device provided in the embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG9 , and includes an interface unit 901 and a processing unit 902. The functions of each unit in the communication device 900 are introduced below.

[0152] The interface unit 901 is used to input and / or output information. Input information can be replaced by receiving information, and output information can be replaced by sending information. When outputting information, the interface unit 901 can output information to other devices outside the communication device 900, or it can output information to other units in the communication device 900. In some embodiments, the interface unit 901 can be implemented by at least one of a physical interface, a communication module, a communication interface, and an input / output interface. In other embodiments, the interface unit 901 can be implemented by an interface circuit, for example, a mobile communication module. The mobile communication module may include one or more of at least one antenna, at least one filter, a switch, a power amplifier, a low noise amplifier (LNA), etc.

[0153] The processing unit 902 can be used to support the communication device 900 in performing the processing actions in the above-mentioned method embodiment. The processing unit 902 can be implemented by one or more processors. 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.

[0154] In one embodiment, the communication device 900 is applied to the terminal in the embodiment of the present application shown in Figure 7. The specific functions of the processing unit 902 in this embodiment are introduced below.

[0155] Processing unit 902 is configured to receive resource configuration information from the first satellite through interface unit 901, where the resource configuration information is used to configure uplink resources; receive first information from the first satellite through interface unit 901, where the first information is used to determine whether the terminal is within a first range; and after the terminal enters the coverage area of ​​the second satellite, if it is determined based on the first information that the terminal is within the first range, send an RRC request to the second satellite through interface unit 901 using uplink resources.

[0156] In some possible embodiments, the processing unit 902 is further configured to: after the terminal enters the coverage of the second satellite, if it is determined according to the first information that the terminal is outside the first range, send a random access signal to the second satellite through the interface unit 901.

[0157] Exemplarily, the processing unit 902 is specifically configured to: send a random access signal to the second satellite through the interface unit 901 at a first time, where the first time is determined according to the time-frequency resources of the preamble allocated by the second satellite and the identifier of the terminal.

[0158] Optionally, the processing unit 902 is further configured to: receive second information from the first satellite or the second satellite through the interface unit 901 .

[0159] In another embodiment, the communication device 900 is applied to the first satellite in the embodiment of the present application shown in Figure 7. The specific functions of the processing unit 902 in this embodiment are introduced below.

[0160] The processing unit 902 is configured to send resource configuration information to the terminal through the interface unit 901, where the resource configuration information is used to configure uplink resources. The processing unit 902 is configured to send first information to the terminal through the interface unit 901, so that after the terminal enters the coverage area of ​​the second satellite, if it is determined according to the first information that the terminal is within the first range, the RRC request sent by the terminal to the second satellite is carried by the terminal based on the uplink resources.

[0161] In some possible embodiments, the processing unit 902 is further used to: send second information to the terminal through the interface unit 901, where the second information, the time-frequency resources of the preamble code allocated by the second satellite, and the terminal identifier are used to determine the first moment, where the first moment is the moment when the terminal sends a random access signal to the second satellite. The random access signal is sent after the terminal enters the coverage range of the second satellite and when the terminal is outside the first range. The second information includes at least one of the following: the number of terminal groups, the first duration, or a coefficient related to the first duration.

[0162] In yet another embodiment, the communication device 900 is applied to the terminal in the embodiment of the present application shown in Figure 8. The specific functions of the processing unit 902 in this embodiment are introduced below.

[0163] The processing unit 902 is configured to generate a random access signal; after the terminal enters the coverage of the second satellite, the random access signal is sent to the second satellite through the interface unit 901 at a first time, where the first time is determined based on the time-frequency resources of the preamble code allocated by the second satellite and the terminal identifier.

[0164] In some possible embodiments, the processing unit 902 is further configured to: receive second information through the interface unit 901 .

[0165] In yet another embodiment, the communication device 900 is applied to the second satellite in the embodiment of the present application shown in Figure 8. The specific functions of the processing unit 902 in this embodiment are described below.

[0166] The processing unit 902 is configured to receive, through the interface unit 901, a random access signal sent by the terminal at a first time, where the first time is determined based on the time-frequency resources of the preamble allocated by the second satellite and the identifier of the terminal.

[0167] In some possible embodiments, the processing unit 902 is further configured to: send the second information to the terminal through the interface unit 901 .

[0168] A more detailed description of the processing unit 902 and the interface unit 901 can be directly obtained by referring to the relevant descriptions in the method embodiments shown in Figures 7 and 8, and will not be repeated here.

[0169] 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.

[0170] If the above-mentioned 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, 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, which is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, server, or 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.

[0171] In one possible implementation, the communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG10 . The communication device 1000 includes a processor 1002. Optionally, the communication device 1000 also includes an interface circuit 1001 and a memory 1003. The interface circuit 1001, the processor 1002, and the memory 1003 are coupled to each other.

[0172] Optionally, the interface circuit 1001, the processor 1002, and the memory 1003 are coupled to each other via a bus 1004. Bus 1004 may be a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus or an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus. Buses can be classified as address buses, data buses, control buses, etc. For ease of illustration, FIG10 shows only one thick line, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0173] Interface circuit 1001 is used to input and / or output information. Inputting information can be replaced by receiving information, and outputting information can be replaced by sending information. When outputting information, interface circuit 1001 can output information to other devices outside of communication device 1000, or to other units within communication device 1000. Exemplarily, interface circuit 1001 can be implemented via at least one of a physical interface, a communication module, a communication interface, an input / output interface, and a mobile communication module. The mobile communication module may include one or more of at least one antenna, at least one filter, a switch, a power amplifier, an LNA, and the like.

[0174] Processor 1002 can be used to support communication device 1000 in executing the processing actions in the above-described method embodiments. When communication device 1000 is used to implement the above-described method embodiments, processor 1002 can also be used to implement the functions of processing unit 902. Processor 1002 can 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 can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0175] In one embodiment, the communication device 1000 is applied to the terminal in the embodiment of the present application shown in Figure 7. The specific functions of the processor 1002 in this embodiment are introduced below.

[0176] Processor 1002 is configured to: receive resource configuration information from a first satellite through interface circuit 1001, where the resource configuration information is used to configure uplink resources; receive first information from the first satellite through interface circuit 1001, where the first information is used to determine whether the terminal is within a first range; and after the terminal enters coverage of a second satellite, if it is determined based on the first information that the terminal is within the first range, send an RRC request to the second satellite through interface circuit 1001 using uplink resources.

[0177] In another embodiment, the communication device 1000 is applied to the first satellite in the embodiment of the present application shown in Figure 7. The specific functions of the processor 1002 in this embodiment are described below.

[0178] Processor 1002 is configured to: send resource configuration information to the terminal through interface circuit 1001, where the resource configuration information is used to configure uplink resources; and send first information to the terminal through interface circuit 1001, so that after the terminal enters the coverage area of ​​the second satellite, if it is determined according to the first information that the terminal is within the first range, then carry an RRC request sent by the terminal to the second satellite based on the uplink resources.

[0179] In yet another embodiment, the communication device 1000 is applied to the terminal in the embodiment of the present application shown in Figure 8. The specific functions of the processor 1002 in this embodiment are described below.

[0180] Processor 1002 is configured to generate a random access signal; after the terminal enters the coverage of the second satellite, send the random access signal to the second satellite through interface circuit 1001 at a first time, where the first time is determined based on the time-frequency resources of the preamble code allocated by the second satellite and the identifier of the terminal.

[0181] In yet another embodiment, the communication device 1000 is applied to the second satellite in the embodiment of the present application shown in Figure 8. The specific functions of the processor 1002 in this embodiment are described below.

[0182] The processor 1002 is configured to receive, through the interface circuit 1001, a random access signal sent by the terminal at a first time, where the first time is determined based on the time-frequency resources of the preamble allocated by the second satellite and the identifier of the terminal.

[0183] The specific functions of the processor 1002 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 900 in the embodiment of the present application shown in Figure 9, and will not be repeated here.

[0184] Memory 1003 is used to store program instructions and / or data, etc. Specifically, the program instructions may include program code, which includes computer operation instructions. Memory 1003 may include RAM, and may also include non-volatile memory (non-volatile memory), such as at least one disk storage. Processor 1002 executes the program instructions stored in memory 1003, and uses the data stored in memory 1003 to implement the above functions, thereby realizing the communication method provided in the above-mentioned embodiment of the present application. Memory 1003 can be integrated with processor 1002, or it can be a memory outside the communication device.

[0185] It is understood that the memory 1003 in FIG. 10 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 a ROM, a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory can be a RAM, which is used as an external cache. By way of example but 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 rambus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that memory of the systems and methods described herein is intended to comprise, but not be limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0186] 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.

[0187] 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.

[0188] 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.

[0189] 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.

[0190] 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.

[0191] In the various embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified or there is any 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.

[0192] 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.

[0193] 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.

[0194] 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.

[0195] 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.

[0196] 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.

[0197] 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: Applied to terminals, including: receiving resource configuration information from a first satellite, where the resource configuration information is used to configure uplink resources; receiving first information from the first satellite, where the first information is used to determine whether the terminal is within a first range; After the terminal enters the coverage of the second satellite, if it is determined according to the first information that the terminal is located within the first range, a radio resource control RRC request is sent to the second satellite using the uplink resource.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first information is used to determine whether the terminal is within a first range, including: The first information is used to indicate a distance threshold, and if the distance between the first position and the second position is less than the distance threshold, the terminal is located within the first range; and / or if the distance between the first position and the second position is greater than or equal to the distance threshold, the terminal is located outside the first range; The first position is the position of the terminal when it leaves the coverage of the first satellite, and the second position is the position of the terminal when it enters the coverage of the second satellite.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that Also includes: After the terminal enters the coverage area of ​​the second satellite, if it is determined according to the first information that the terminal is outside the first range, a random access signal is sent to the second satellite.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The sending a random access signal to the second satellite comprises: A random access signal is sent to the second satellite at a first time, where the first time is determined according to the time-frequency resources of the preamble code allocated by the second satellite and the identifier of the terminal.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The first time is determined according to the time-frequency resources of the preamble code allocated by the second satellite and the identifier of the terminal, including: The first moment is determined based on the time-frequency resources of the preamble code allocated by the second satellite, the identifier of the terminal and second information, and the second information includes at least one of the following: the number of terminal groups, the first duration or a coefficient related to the first duration.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that Also includes: The second information is received from the first satellite or the second satellite.

7. The method according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that The time interval between the first time and the second time conforms to the following formula: (UE_ID mod N)*(delayTimer*T delay ) Wherein, UE_ID is the identifier of the terminal, N is the number of the terminal group, mod represents the modulus operation, T delay is the first duration, delayTimer is a coefficient related to the first duration, and the second time is the time for the terminal to send the random access signal determined according to the time-frequency resources of the preamble code allocated by the second satellite.

8. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to the first satellite, including: Sending resource configuration information to the terminal, where the resource configuration information is used to configure uplink resources; The first information is sent to the terminal so that after the terminal enters the coverage of the second satellite, if it is determined according to the first information that the terminal is located within the first range, a radio resource control RRC request sent by the terminal to the second satellite is carried by the uplink resource.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The first information specifically indicates a distance threshold, and if the distance between the first position and the second position is less than the distance threshold, the terminal is located within the first range; and / or if the distance between the first position and the second position is greater than or equal to the distance threshold, the terminal is located outside the first range; The first position is the position of the terminal when it leaves the coverage of the first satellite, and the second position is the position of the terminal when it enters the coverage of the second satellite.

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that Also includes: Sending second information to the terminal, where the second information, the time-frequency resources of the preamble code allocated by the second satellite, and the identifier of the terminal are used to determine a first moment, where the first moment is the moment when the terminal sends a random access signal to the second satellite, and the random access signal is sent after the terminal enters the coverage of the second satellite and when the terminal is outside the first range, and the second information includes at least one of the following: the number of terminal groups, a first duration, or a coefficient related to the first duration.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The time interval between the first time instant and the second time instant conforms to the following formula: (UE_ID mod N)*(delayTimer*T delay ) Wherein, UE_ID is the identifier of the terminal, N is the number of the terminal group, mod represents the modulus operation, T delay For the first time length, delayTimer is a coefficient related to the first duration, and the second time is the time for sending the random access signal determined by the terminal according to the time-frequency resources of the preamble code allocated by the second satellite.

12. A communication device, characterized in that: include: An interface unit for receiving and sending information; A processing unit, configured to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11 through the interface unit.

13. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a processor configured to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

14. 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 11 is implemented.

15. 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 11 is implemented.

Images