Communication method and communication system supporting non-terrestrial networking

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to the technical field of communications, and provides a communication method and communication system supporting non-terrestrial networking. The method comprises: a policy control function (PCF) sending a network element registration request to a network repository and registration function, the network element registration request comprising proximity service capability information, so that the network repository and registration function ascertains and stores, on the basis of the proximity service capability information, the PCF as a network function supporting the capability that enables a terminal to access a network by means of a mobile relay-based satellite; and receiving a registration response message sent by the network repository and registration function, and, on the basis of the registration response message, determining whether the registration succeeded. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the network repository and registration function can ascertain and store information about the capability of the PCF to access the network by means of the mobile relay-based satellite, so that when the terminal requests to access the satellite by means of a proximity service, the PCF supporting the proximity service capability can be provided to the terminal.

Description

Communication method and communication system supporting non-terrestrial networking

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This disclosure claims priority to Chinese patent application number 202311586832.1, filed on November 24, 2023, entitled “Communication method and communication system supporting non-terrestrial networking”, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, apparatus, device, and medium supporting non-terrestrial networking. Background Art

[0004] Currently, the 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) satellite scenarios are more based on the NTN (Non-Terrestrial Network) architecture defined in R17. The SA1 R19 TR 22.865 technical report defines a new satellite scenario, in which the relevant use case proposes that ground terminals access the network through the architecture shown in Figure 1.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] Since Figure 1 is a brand new scenario, how to ensure better dynamic configuration of the terminal in the future and improve user experience is a problem that needs to be solved. The inventors found through research that in order to ensure better dynamic configuration of the terminal in the future, it is necessary to select PCF (Policy Control Function) that supports satellite access capabilities.

[0007] To address the above issues, the present disclosure provides a communication method, apparatus, device and medium that supports non-terrestrial networking, including functional expansion of PCF online registration and PCF discovery, thereby providing terminals with ProSe-based satellite access network requirements and providing users with a better user experience.

[0008] Other features and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description, or may be learned in part by practice of the present disclosure.

[0009] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a communication method supporting non-terrestrial networking is provided, which is executed by a policy control function (PCF). The method includes: sending a network element registration request to a network storage registration function, the network element registration request carrying information on the ability of the policy control function to support a terminal to access a network via a mobile relay-based satellite; receiving a registration response message sent by the network storage registration function, and determining whether the registration is successful based on the registration response message.

[0010] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a communication method supporting non-terrestrial networking is provided, which is executed by a policy control function (PCF). The method includes: sending a network element registration request to a network storage registration function, where the network element registration request includes proximity service capability information, so that the network storage registration function, based on the proximity service capability information, learns and stores the PCF as a network function that supports satellite access via proximity service; and receiving a registration response message sent by the network storage registration function, and determining whether the registration is successful based on the registration response message.

[0011] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method further includes: preconfiguring the PCF as a network function supporting access to satellite capabilities through proximity services.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method further includes: responding to a service request sent by the network access control and management function, determining a policy applicable to the network access control and management function; and sending the policy applicable to the network access control and management function to the network access control and management function.

[0013] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the base stations in the satellite capability network include one or more of the following: communication satellites, airplanes, balloons, and airships.

[0014] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a communication method supporting non-terrestrial networking is provided, which is executed by a network storage registration function, and the method includes: receiving a network element registration request sent by a policy control function PCF, the network element registration request including proximity service capability information; based on the proximity service capability information, obtaining and storing the network function of the PCF as a support for the terminal to access the network through a mobile relay-based satellite; and sending a registration response message to the PCF, the registration response message being used to inform the PCF whether the registration is successful.

[0015] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a communication method supporting non-terrestrial networking is provided, which is executed by a network storage registration function, and the method includes: receiving a network element registration request sent by a policy control function PCF, the network element registration request including proximity service capability information; based on the proximity service capability information, obtaining and storing the PCF as a network function that supports satellite access through proximity service; and sending a registration response message to the PCF, the registration response message being used to inform the PCF whether the registration is successful.

[0016] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method further includes: receiving a discovery request sent by a network access control and management function, the discovery request being used to discover a PCF that supports satellite access capabilities through proximity services; responding to the discovery request, locally searching for a PCF that has successfully registered and supports satellite access capabilities through proximity services; and sending a discovery response message to the network access control and management function, the discovery response message carrying relevant information about the PCF that has successfully registered and supports satellite access capabilities through proximity services.

[0017] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a communication method supporting non-terrestrial networking is provided, wherein a policy control function PCF sends a network element registration request to a network storage registration function, the network element registration request carries information on the ability of the policy control function to support a terminal to access a network through a satellite based on a mobile relay, and the method is executed by a network access control and management function, and the method includes: sending a discovery request to the network storage registration function, the discovery request being used to discover a PCF that supports the ability of the terminal to access a network through a satellite based on a mobile relay, so that the network storage registration function responds to the discovery request and locally searches for a PCF that has been successfully registered and supports the ability of the terminal to access a network through a satellite based on a mobile relay; and receiving a discovery response message sent by the network storage registration function, the discovery response message carrying relevant information on a PCF that has been successfully registered and supports the ability of the terminal to access a network through a satellite based on a mobile relay.

[0018] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a communication method supporting non-terrestrial networking is provided, wherein a policy control function PCF sends a network element registration request to a network storage registration function, where the network element registration request includes proximity service capability information, so that the network storage registration function, based on the proximity service capability information, learns and stores the PCF as a network function that supports satellite access capability through proximity service. The method is executed by a network access control and management function, and includes: sending a discovery request to the network storage registration function, where the discovery request is used to discover a PCF that supports satellite access capability through proximity service, so that the network storage registration function responds to the discovery request and locally searches for a PCF that has been successfully registered and supports satellite access capability through proximity service; and receiving a discovery response message sent by the network storage registration function, where the discovery response message carries relevant information about a PCF that has been successfully registered and supports satellite access capability through proximity service.

[0019] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method further includes: receiving a terminal registration request sent by the terminal through an access network, the registration request carrying a proximity service capability parameter, the proximity service capability parameter being used to indicate the proximity service capability possessed by the terminal, and the terminal at least possessing the capability of accessing a satellite through proximity service.

[0020] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the proximity service capability possessed by the terminal also includes one of the following or capabilities: proximity service direct discovery capability, proximity service direct communication capability, proximity service layer 2 terminal to network relay capability, proximity service layer 3 terminal to network relay capability, proximity service layer 2 remote terminal capability and proximity service layer 3 remote terminal capability.

[0021] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a communication system supporting non-terrestrial networking is provided, comprising:

[0022] The policy control function PCF is configured to send a network element registration request to the network storage function network storage registration function, where the network element registration request includes proximity service capability information;

[0023] a network storage registration function, configured to obtain and store, based on the proximity service capability information, the network capability of the PCF supporting satellite access via proximity service, and to send a registration response message to the PCF, the registration response message being used to inform the PCF whether the registration is successful;

[0024] Terminal, the terminal at least has the ability to access the satellite through proximity service.

[0025] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, an electronic device is provided, including: a memory for storing instructions; and a processor for calling the instructions stored in the memory to implement the above-mentioned communication method supporting non-terrestrial networking.

[0026] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, on which computer instructions are stored. When the computer instructions are executed by a processor, the above-mentioned communication method supporting non-terrestrial networking is implemented.

[0027] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a computer program product is provided. The computer program product stores instructions, and when the instructions are executed by a computer, the computer implements the above-mentioned communication method supporting non-terrestrial networking.

[0028] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a chip is provided, comprising at least one processor and an interface; the interface is used to provide program instructions or data to the at least one processor; and the at least one processor is used to execute program instructions to implement the above-mentioned communication method supporting non-terrestrial networking.

[0029] In the communication method and communication system supporting non-terrestrial networking provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure, the policy control function PCF sends a network element registration request to the network storage registration function. The network storage registration function obtains and stores, based on the information carried in the network element registration request, that the PCF is a network function that supports the terminal's ability to access the network through a satellite based on mobile relay. In this way, when the terminal requests to access the satellite through proximity service, the PCF that supports proximity service capability can be provided to the terminal.

[0030] It is to be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure.

[0032] Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present disclosure. A person skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without any creative effort.

[0033] FIG1 is a schematic diagram showing a method of providing satellite access to a remote terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0034] FIG2 shows a flow chart of a communication method supporting non-terrestrial networking in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0035] FIG3 shows a flow chart of another communication method supporting non-terrestrial networking in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0036] FIG4 shows a flow chart of another communication method supporting non-terrestrial networking in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0037] FIG5 shows a flow chart of a communication method for supporting non-terrestrial networking executed by a policy control function PCF in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0038] FIG6 shows a flow chart of a communication method supporting non-terrestrial networking executed by a network storage registration function in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0039] FIG7 shows a flow chart of a communication method supporting non-terrestrial networking and execution of network access control and management functions according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0040] FIG8 shows a schematic structural diagram of a communication system supporting non-terrestrial networking according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0041] FIG9 shows a structural block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] Example embodiments will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0043] It should be noted that example embodiments may be implemented in many forms and should not be construed as limited to the examples set forth herein.

[0044] Currently, 3GPP has defined a new satellite scenario in the SA1 R19 TR 22.865 technical report. In the relevant use case, it is proposed that ground terminals access the network through the architecture shown in Figure 1. In order to better dynamically configure the terminals in the future, it is necessary to select a PCF that supports satellite access capabilities.

[0045] The disclosed embodiment designs a PCF discovery method that supports satellite access capabilities, including functional expansion of PCF online registration and PCF discovery, thereby providing terminals with the needs of satellite access networks based on proximity services (ProSe), further improving the integrated air-ground-space system.

[0046] This exemplary implementation is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples.

[0047] FIG2 shows a flow chart of a communication method supporting non-terrestrial networking in an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG2 , the communication method supporting non-terrestrial networking provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure includes S201 - S203 .

[0048] In S201, the policy control function PCF sends a network element registration request to the network storage registration function, where the network element registration request includes proximity service capability information.

[0049] The network storage registration function may be a network element with a storage registration function. In one embodiment, the network storage registration function may be a network storage function (NRF) or a unified data repository function (UDR).

[0050] In some embodiments, the PCF may be preconfigured as a network function supporting satellite access via proximity services, that is, the PCF may be preconfigured as a network function supporting the terminal's ability to access the network via a satellite based on mobile relay.

[0051] In some embodiments, the base stations in the satellite-capable network include one or more of the following: communication satellites, aircraft, balloons, and airships.

[0052] In S202, the network storage registration function learns and stores, based on the network element registration request, that the PCF is a network function that supports satellite access through proximity services.

[0053] It is understood that the aforementioned satellite access capability via proximity services refers to accessing a satellite and subsequently accessing a network for communication via proximity services, i.e., accessing a network via a satellite using a mobile relay. Therefore, the satellite access capability via proximity services includes the capability to access a network via a satellite using a mobile relay.

[0054] In S201, the network element registration request includes proximity service capability information, that is, capability information of satellite access network based on mobile relay. In other words, the network element registration request carries capability information of the policy control function supporting the terminal to access the network through satellite access network based on mobile relay.

[0055] The network storage registration function obtains and stores the PCF as a network function that supports the terminal's ability to access the network through a satellite based on mobile relay based on the proximity service capability information.

[0056] In S203, the network storage registration function sends a registration response message to the PCF, so that the PCF determines whether the registration is successful based on the registration response message.

[0057] In the communication method and communication system supporting non-terrestrial networking provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure, the policy control function PCF sends a network element registration request to the network storage registration function. The network storage registration function obtains and stores, based on the proximity service capability information in the network element registration request, the PCF as a network function that supports satellite access capabilities through proximity services (the capability of accessing the network through satellites based on mobile relays). In this way, when the terminal requests satellite access capabilities through proximity services, the PCF that supports proximity service capabilities can be provided to the terminal.

[0058] FIG3 shows a flow chart of a communication method supporting non-terrestrial networking in an embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein steps S301 - S303 are the same as steps S201 - S203 and are not described again here.

[0059] In S304, the network access control and management function sends a discovery request to the network storage registration function, the discovery request being used to discover a PCF that supports satellite access via proximity services, wherein the satellite access via proximity services capability includes the capability of accessing the network via satellite based on mobile relay.

[0060] The network access control and management function may be a network element having the network access control and management function. In one embodiment, the network access control and management function may be an AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function).

[0061] In S305, the network storage registration function responds to the discovery request and searches locally for a PCF that has successfully registered and supports satellite access via proximity services, wherein the satellite access via proximity services includes the ability to access the network via satellite based on mobile relays.

[0062] In S306, the network storage registration function sends a discovery response message to the network access control and management function. The discovery response message carries relevant information of the PCF that has successfully registered and supports satellite access through proximity service.

[0063] In the communication method and communication system supporting non-terrestrial networking provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure, the policy control function PCF sends a network element registration request to the network storage registration function. The network storage registration function obtains and stores, based on the proximity service capability information in the network element registration request, the PCF as a network function that supports satellite access capabilities through proximity services (supports the ability of terminals to access the network through satellites based on mobile relays). In this way, when the terminal requests satellite access capabilities through proximity services, the PCF that supports proximity service capabilities can be provided to the terminal.

[0064] FIG4 shows a flow chart of a communication method supporting non-terrestrial networking in an embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein steps S401-S403 are the same as steps S201-S203, and steps S405-S407 are the same as steps S304-S306, which are not repeated here.

[0065] In S404, the remote terminal or relay terminal sends a terminal registration request to the network access control and management function via the radio access network (RAN). The registration request carries a proximity service capability parameter, which indicates the proximity service capability of the terminal. The terminal must at least be capable of accessing a satellite via proximity service. This registration request requests satellite access via proximity service, and requests that the network storage registration function provide a PCF that supports satellite access via proximity service.

[0066] In some embodiments, the proximity service capability of the terminal may also include one of the following or capabilities: 5G ProSe Direct Discovery, 5G ProSe Direct Communication, 5G ProSe Layer-2 UE-to-Network Relay, 5G ProSe Layer-3 UE-to-Network Relay, 5G ProSe Layer-2 Remote UE, and 5G ProSe Layer-3 Remote UE.

[0067] It should be noted that the PCF supporting satellite access through proximity services in the embodiments of the present disclosure may be a network function supporting the terminal's ability to access the network through a satellite based on mobile relay.

[0068] In some embodiments, the PCF needs to be pre-configured as a network function that can support access to satellite capabilities via ProSe.

[0069] When a PCF supporting the network function of satellite access via ProSe goes online, it is necessary to send a network element registration request (Nnrf_NF Management_NF Register Request) to the NRF to register with the NRF. This request carries the extended Prose capability indication information so that the network NRF stores the instance information indicating that the PCF supports satellite access via ProSe. The extended Prose capability refers to the ability to access the network via a prose-based satellite, such as a ProSe satellite relay UE / ProSe satellite remote UE.

[0070] It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the PCF may proactively contact the network storage registration function to register itself, and may also register the PCF with the network storage registration function through the network management OAM system.

[0071] The NRF stores the NF instance (PCF), which means that it knows that the PCF is a network function that supports satellite access via ProSe.

[0072] The NRF sends a registration response message to the PCF, indicating that the registration is successful.

[0073] A remote terminal / relay terminal sends a registration request to the (R)AN via satellite. The registration request message carries Prose capability information. Prose capability indicates the terminal's capabilities. By expanding Prose capability, the ability to access the network via Prose-based satellites is added, such as Prose satellite relay UEs / Prose satellite remote UEs. In other words, the disclosed embodiments expand Prose capability information and add the terminal's ability to access satellites via Prose.

[0074] The (R)AN selects an AMF based on the information carried in the Registration Request message.

[0075] (R)AN sends a registration request to AMF: N2 message (N2 parameters, registration request, as described in the above steps).

[0076] Based on the terminal subscription data obtained during the registration process, the AMF adds Prose capability indication information in the discovery request (Nnrf_NF Discovery_Request message) to indicate that the terminal requests the function of accessing the satellite network through ProSe and hopes that the NRF will provide a PCF that supports this function.

[0077] The NRF authorizes the discovery request and searches for a matching PCF locally.

[0078] The NRF sends a discovery response message to the PCF, carrying the relevant information found, such as the NF profile. The registration process is then completed according to the existing standards in 23.502.

[0079] FIG5 shows a flow chart of a communication method supporting non-terrestrial networking in an embodiment of the present disclosure, which is applied to a policy control function PCF. As shown in FIG5 , the communication method supporting non-terrestrial networking includes S502 - S504 .

[0080] S502, sending a network element registration request to the network storage registration function, where the network element registration request includes proximity service capability information, so that the network storage registration function learns and stores the PCF as a network function that supports satellite access via proximity service based on the proximity service capability information;

[0081] In some embodiments, the network element registration request includes proximity service capability information, so that the network storage registration function learns and stores, based on the proximity service capability information, that the PCF is a network function that supports satellite access via proximity service, wherein the satellite access via proximity service includes the capability to access the network via a mobile relay-based satellite. In other words, the network element registration request carries the capability of the policy control function to support the terminal's access to the network via a mobile relay-based satellite.

[0082] S504: Receive a registration response message sent by the network storage registration function, and determine whether the registration is successful based on the registration response message.

[0083] In some embodiments, the communication method supporting non-terrestrial networking further includes preconfiguring the PCF to support network functionality for accessing satellite capabilities via proximity services, wherein the accessing satellite capabilities via proximity services includes the capability to access a network via a satellite based on mobile relays.

[0084] In some embodiments, the communication method supporting non-terrestrial networking also includes responding to service requests sent by the network access control and management function, determining policies applicable to the network access control and management function; and sending the policies applicable to the network access control and management function to the network access control and management function.

[0085] In some embodiments, the base stations in the satellite-capable network include one or more of the following: communication satellites, aircraft, balloons, and airships.

[0086] FIG6 shows a flow chart of a communication method supporting non-terrestrial networking in an embodiment of the present disclosure, which is applied to a network storage registration function. As shown in FIG6 , the communication method supporting non-terrestrial networking includes S602 - S606 .

[0087] S602: Receive a network element registration request sent by a policy control function (PCF), where the network element registration request includes proximity service capability information; wherein the proximity service capability information includes capability information of the policy control function supporting a terminal to access a network via a satellite based on mobile relay.

[0088] S604: Based on the network element registration request, obtain and store the PCF as a network function that supports satellite access through proximity service; wherein the satellite access through proximity service capability includes the capability of accessing the network through a satellite based on mobile relay.

[0089] S606: Send a registration response message to the PCF. The registration response message is used to inform the PCF whether the registration is successful.

[0090] In some embodiments, the communication method supporting non-terrestrial networking further includes receiving a discovery request sent by a network access control and management function, the discovery request being used to discover a PCF that supports satellite access capabilities via proximity services; responding to the discovery request by locally searching for a PCF that has successfully registered and supports satellite access capabilities via proximity services; and sending a discovery response message to the network access control and management function, the discovery response message carrying relevant information about the PCF that has successfully registered and supports satellite access capabilities via proximity services. The satellite access capabilities via proximity services include the capability to access a network via a satellite based on a mobile relay.

[0091] Figure 7 shows a flow chart of a communication method supporting non-terrestrial networking in an embodiment of the present disclosure. The policy control function PCF sends a network element registration request to the network storage registration function. The network element registration request includes proximity service capability information, so that the network storage registration function can obtain and store the PCF as a network function that supports satellite access through proximity service capability based on the proximity service capability information. The communication method supporting non-terrestrial networking is applied to network access control and management functions. As shown in Figure 7, the communication method supporting non-terrestrial networking includes S702-S704.

[0092] S702, sending a discovery request to the network storage registration function, where the discovery request is used to discover a PCF that supports satellite access through proximity services, so that the network storage registration function responds to the discovery request and locally searches for a PCF that has been successfully registered and supports satellite access through proximity services;

[0093] S704: Receive a discovery response message sent by the network storage registration function, where the discovery response message carries information about a PCF that has successfully registered and supports satellite access via proximity services. The satellite access via proximity services capability includes the capability to access the network via a satellite based on mobile relays.

[0094] In some embodiments, the communication method supporting non-terrestrial networking further includes receiving a terminal registration request sent by the terminal through an access network, wherein the registration request carries a proximity service capability parameter, and the proximity service capability parameter is used to indicate the proximity service capability possessed by the terminal, and the terminal at least has the ability to access the network through a satellite based on mobile relay.

[0095] In some embodiments, the proximity service capability of the terminal further includes one or more of the following capabilities:

[0096] Nearest service direct discovery capability, Nearest service direct communication capability, Nearest service layer 2 terminal to network relay capability, Nearest service layer 3 terminal to network relay capability, Nearest service layer 2 remote terminal capability and Nearest service layer 3 remote terminal capability.

[0097] In the communication method and communication system supporting non-terrestrial networking provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure, the policy control function PCF sends a network element registration request to the network storage registration function. The network storage registration function learns and stores, based on the network element registration request, that the PCF is a network function that supports the terminal's ability to access the network through a satellite based on mobile relays. In this way, when the terminal requests to access the satellite through proximity service, the PCF that supports proximity service capabilities can be provided to the terminal.

[0098] In this disclosure, the term "and / or" simply describes an association relationship between related objects, indicating that three possible relationships exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " in this document generally indicates that the related objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0099] Furthermore, although the steps of the methods of the present disclosure are depicted in a particular order in the drawings, this does not require or imply that the steps must be performed in this particular order, or that all illustrated steps must be performed to achieve desired results.

[0100] In some embodiments, certain steps may be omitted, multiple steps may be combined into one step, and / or one step may be decomposed into multiple steps.

[0101] Based on the same inventive concept, an embodiment of the present disclosure also provides a communication system supporting non-terrestrial networking. As shown in FIG8 , the communication system 800 supporting non-terrestrial networking includes a policy control function 801 , a network storage registration function 802 and a terminal 803 .

[0102] The policy control function 801 is configured to send a network element registration request to the network storage function network storage registration function, where the network element registration request includes proximity service capability information;

[0103] The network storage registration function 802 is configured to obtain and store, based on the network element registration request, that the policy control function 801 is a network function that supports satellite access via proximity service, and to send a registration response message to the policy control function 801, where the registration response message is used to inform the policy control function 801 whether the registration is successful.

[0104] The terminal 803 at least has the capability of accessing the satellite via proximity service.

[0105] In some embodiments, the policy control function 801 is preconfigured as a network function that supports access to satellite capabilities via proximity services.

[0106] In some embodiments, the policy control function 801 is preconfigured as a network function that supports access to satellite capabilities via proximity services.

[0107] In some embodiments, the communication system supporting non-terrestrial networking 800 further includes a network access control and management function configured to send a discovery request to the network storage registration function 802, the discovery request being configured to discover a policy control function (PCF) supporting satellite access capabilities via proximity services.

[0108] The network storage registration function 802 is also used to respond to discovery requests, locally search for PCFs that have been successfully registered and support satellite access capabilities through proximity services; and send a discovery response message to the network access control and management function, where the discovery response message carries relevant information about PCFs that have been successfully registered and support satellite access capabilities through proximity services.

[0109] In some embodiments, accessing satellite capabilities via proximity services includes satellite access network capabilities via mobile relay-based satellite.

[0110] It should be noted that although several modules or units of the device for action execution are mentioned in the above detailed description, such division is not mandatory.

[0111] In fact, according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the features and functions of two or more modules or units described above can be embodied in one module or unit. Conversely, the features and functions of one module or unit described above can be further divided into multiple modules or units to be embodied.

[0112] Some of the blocks shown in the accompanying drawings are functional entities that do not necessarily correspond to physically or logically independent entities. These functional entities may be implemented in software, in one or more hardware modules or integrated circuits, or in different networks and / or processor devices and / or microcontroller devices.

[0113] The electronic device provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure is described below with reference to Figure 9. The electronic device 900 shown in Figure 9 is merely an example and should not limit the functions and scope of use of the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0114] FIG9 shows a schematic diagram of the architecture of an electronic device 900 provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG9 , the electronic device 900 includes but is not limited to: at least one processor 910 and at least one memory 920 .

[0115] Memory 920 is used to store instructions. In some embodiments, memory 920 may include a readable medium in the form of a volatile memory unit, such as a random access memory unit (RAM) 9201 and / or a cache memory unit 9202 , and may further include a read-only memory unit (ROM) 9203 .

[0116] In some embodiments, the memory 920 may also include a program / utility 9204 having a set (at least one) of program modules 9205. Such program modules 9205 include, but are not limited to, an operating system, one or more application programs, other program modules, and program data. Each of these examples, or some combination thereof, may include an implementation of a network environment. In some embodiments, the memory 920 may store an operating system. The operating system may be an operating system such as a real-time operating system (RTX), LINUX, UNIX, WINDOWS, or OS X. In some embodiments, the memory 920 may also store data.

[0117] As an example, the processor 910 may read data stored in the memory 920 . The data may be stored at the same storage address as the instruction, or the data may be stored at a different storage address than the instruction.

[0118] The processor 910 is configured to call instructions stored in the memory 920 to implement the steps of various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure described in the "Exemplary Method" section above. For example, the processor 910 may execute the steps of the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0119] It should be noted that the processor 910 may be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor. The processor 910 may include one or more processing cores, and the processor 910 executes various functional applications and data processing by running instructions.

[0120] In some embodiments, the processor 910 may include a central processing unit (CPU) and / or a baseband processor.

[0121] In some embodiments, the processor 910 may determine an instruction according to the priority identifier and / or function category information carried in each control instruction.

[0122] In the present disclosure, the processor 910 and the memory 920 may be provided separately or integrated together.

[0123] As an example, the processor 910 and the memory 920 may be integrated on a single board or a system on chip (SOC).

[0124] 9 , the electronic device 900 is implemented as a general-purpose computing device and may further include a bus 930 .

[0125] Bus 930 may represent one or more of several types of bus structures, including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, an accelerated graphics port, a processor, or a local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures.

[0126] The electronic device 900 may also communicate with one or more external devices 940 (e.g., a keyboard, a pointing device, a Bluetooth device, etc.), one or more devices that enable a user to interact with the electronic device 900, and / or any device that enables the electronic device 900 to communicate with one or more other computing devices (e.g., a router, a modem, etc.). Such communication may be performed through an input / output (I / O) interface 950.

[0127] Furthermore, the electronic device 900 can also communicate with one or more networks (eg, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN) and / or a public network, such as the Internet) through the network adapter 960 .

[0128] As shown in FIG. 9 , the network adapter 960 communicates with other modules of the electronic device 900 through the bus 930 .

[0129] It should be understood that although not shown in the figures, other hardware and / or software modules may be used in conjunction with the electronic device 900, including but not limited to: microcode, device drivers, redundant processing units, external disk drive arrays, RAID systems, tape drives, and data backup storage systems.

[0130] It should be understood that the structure illustrated in the embodiments of the present disclosure does not constitute a specific limitation on the electronic device 900. In other embodiments of the present disclosure, the electronic device 900 may include more or fewer components than those shown in FIG9 , or may combine or separate certain components, or may have different component arrangements. The components shown in FIG9 may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0131] The present disclosure also provides a computer-readable storage medium having computer instructions stored thereon. When the computer instructions are executed by a processor, the communication method supporting non-terrestrial networking described in the above method embodiment is implemented.

[0132] The computer-readable storage medium in the embodiments of the present disclosure is a computer instruction that can be sent, propagated or transmitted for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus or device.

[0133] As an example, computer readable storage media are non-volatile storage media.

[0134] In some embodiments, more specific examples of computer-readable storage media in the present disclosure may include, but are not limited to: an electrical connection with one or more wires, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0135] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the computer-readable storage medium may include a data signal propagated in baseband or as part of a carrier wave, which carries computer instructions (readable program codes).

[0136] Such a propagated data signal may take any of a variety of forms, including but not limited to electromagnetic signals, optical signals, or any suitable combination thereof.

[0137] In some examples, computing instructions contained on a computer-readable storage medium may be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless, wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0138] The embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a computer program product, which stores instructions. When the instructions are executed by a computer, the computer implements the communication method supporting non-terrestrial networking described in the above method embodiment.

[0139] The above instructions may be program codes. In specific implementations, the program codes may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages.

[0140] Programming languages ​​include object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Java, C++, etc., and conventional procedural programming languages ​​such as "C" or similar programming languages.

[0141] The program code may execute entirely on the user's computing device, partly on the user's computing device, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user's computing device and partly on a remote computing device or entirely on the remote computing device or server.

[0142] Where a remote computing device is involved, the remote computing device may be connected to the user computing device through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or may be connected to an external computing device (e.g., through the Internet using an Internet service provider).

[0143] The embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a chip, comprising at least one processor and an interface;

[0144] An interface for providing program instructions or data to at least one processor;

[0145] At least one processor is used to execute program instructions to implement the communication method supporting non-terrestrial networking described in the above method embodiment.

[0146] In some embodiments, the chip may further include a memory for storing program instructions and data, and the memory may be located inside or outside the processor.

[0147] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that all or part of the steps for implementing the above embodiments may be implemented in the following forms, namely: a complete hardware implementation, a complete software implementation (including firmware, microcode, etc.), or an implementation combining hardware and software, which may be collectively referred to herein as a "circuit," "module," or "system."

[0148] Other embodiments of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein.

[0149] This disclosure is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the present disclosure that follow the general principles of the present disclosure and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein. The specification and examples are to be considered as exemplary only, with the true scope and spirit of the present disclosure being indicated by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A communication method supporting non-terrestrial networking, characterized in that, The method is executed by a policy control function, and the method includes: Sending a network element registration request to a network storage registration function, where the network element registration request carries the capability information that the policy control function supports a terminal to access the satellite network through a mobile relay-based satellite access network; Receiving a registration response message sent by the network storage registration function, and determining whether the registration is successful based on the registration response message.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The method further includes: Pre-configuring the policy control function as a network function that supports a terminal to access the satellite network through a proximity service.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The network storage registration function receives a discovery request sent by the network access control and management function, where the discovery request is used to discover a policy control function that supports a terminal to access the satellite network through a proximity service; the network storage registration function responds to the discovery request, locally searches for a policy control function that has been successfully registered and supports a terminal to access the satellite network through a proximity service, and sends a discovery response message to the network access control and management function, where the discovery response message carries the relevant information of the policy control function that has been successfully registered and supports a terminal to access the satellite network through a proximity service.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein The method further includes: Responding to a service request sent by the network access control and management function, and determining a policy applicable to the network access control and management function; Issuing the policy applicable to the network access control and management function to the network access control and management function.

5. The method according to any one of claims 2-4, characterized in that, The capability of accessing the satellite network through a proximity service includes the capability of accessing the satellite network through a mobile relay-based satellite access network.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein The policy control function supports accessing one or more of the following base stations through a proximity service: Aircraft, balloons, and airships.

7. A communication method supporting non-terrestrial networking, characterized in that, The method is executed by a policy control function, and the method includes: Sending a network element registration request to a network storage registration function, where the network element registration request includes proximity service capability information, so that the network storage registration function can learn and store that the PCF is a network function that supports accessing the satellite network through a proximity service based on the proximity service capability information; Receiving a registration response message sent by the network storage registration function, and determining whether the registration is successful based on the registration response message.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein The method further includes: Pre-configuring the policy control function as a network function that supports a terminal to access the satellite network through a proximity service.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein The network storage registration function receives a discovery request sent by the network access control and management function, where the discovery request is used to discover a policy control function that supports a terminal to access the satellite network through a proximity service; the network storage registration function responds to the discovery request, locally searches for a policy control function that has been successfully registered and supports a terminal to access the satellite network through a proximity service, and sends a discovery response message to the network access control and management function, where the discovery response message carries the relevant information of the policy control function that has been successfully registered and supports a terminal to access the satellite network through a proximity service.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein The method further includes: Responding to a service request sent by the network access control and management function, and determining a policy applicable to the network access control and management function; Issuing the policy applicable to the network access control and management function to the network access control and management function.

11. According to the method described in any one of claims 7-10, characterized in that, The ability to access satellite through proximity services includes the ability to access the satellite network based on mobile relays.

12. The method according to claim 7, wherein The policy control function supports accessing one or more of the following base stations through proximity services: Aircraft, balloons, and airships.

13. A communication method supporting non-terrestrial networking, characterized in that, The method is executed by the network storage registration function, and the method includes: Receiving a network element registration request sent by the policy control function, where the network element registration request carries the information about the ability of the policy control function to support the terminal to access the satellite network based on mobile relays; Based on the network element registration request, learning and storing the network function of the policy control function to support the terminal to access the satellite network based on mobile relays; Sending a registration response message to the policy control function, where the registration response message is used to inform the policy control function whether the registration is successful.

14. A communication method supporting non-terrestrial networking, characterized in that, The method is executed by the network storage registration function, and the method includes: Receiving a network element registration request sent by the policy control function, where the network element registration request contains proximity service ability information; Based on the network element registration request, learning and storing the network function of the policy control function to support the ability to access satellite through proximity services; Sending a registration response message to the policy control function, where the registration response message is used to inform the policy control function whether the registration is successful.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein The method further includes: Receiving a discovery request sent by the network access control and management function, where the discovery request is used to discover the policy control function that supports the terminal to access satellite through proximity services; Responding to the discovery request, locally searching for the policy control function that has been successfully registered and supports the terminal to access satellite through proximity services; Sending a discovery response message to the network access control and management function, where the discovery response message carries the relevant information of the policy control function that has been successfully registered and supports the terminal to access satellite through proximity services.

16. The method according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that, The ability to access satellite through proximity services includes the ability to access the satellite network based on mobile relays.

17. A communication method supporting non-terrestrial networking, characterized in that, The policy control function sends a network element registration request to the network storage registration function, where the network element registration request carries the information about the ability of the policy control function to support the terminal to access the satellite network based on mobile relays. The method is executed by the network access control and management function, and the method includes: Sending a discovery request to the network storage registration function, where the discovery request is used to discover the policy control function that supports the terminal to access the satellite network based on mobile relays, so that the network storage registration function responds to the discovery request and locally searches for the policy control function that has been successfully registered and supports the terminal to access the satellite network based on mobile relays; Receiving a discovery response message sent by the network storage registration function, where the discovery response message carries the relevant information of the policy control function that has been successfully registered and supports the terminal to access the satellite network based on mobile relays.

18. A communication method supporting non-terrestrial networking, characterized in that, The policy control function sends a network element registration request to the network storage registration function, and the network element registration request includes proximity service capability information, so that the network storage registration function can learn and store that the PCF is a network function supporting satellite access capability through proximity service based on the network element registration request. The method is executed by the network access control and management function, and the method includes: Sending a discovery request to the network storage registration function, where the discovery request is used to discover the policy control function supporting satellite access capability through proximity service, so that the network storage registration function can respond to the discovery request and locally search for the policy control function that has been successfully registered and supports satellite access capability through proximity service; Receiving a discovery response message sent by the network storage registration function, where the discovery response message carries relevant information of the policy control function that has been successfully registered and supports satellite access capability through proximity service.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receiving a terminal registration request sent by the terminal through the access network, where the registration request carries proximity service capability parameters, and the proximity service capability parameters are used to indicate the proximity service capabilities of the terminal, and the terminal has at least the capability of accessing the satellite through proximity service.

20. The method according to claim 18 or 19, characterized in that, The capability of accessing the satellite through proximity service includes the capability of accessing the satellite access network based on mobile relay.

21. A communication system supporting non-terrestrial networking, characterized in that, Includes: The policy control function is used to send a network element registration request to the network storage function network storage registration function, and the network element registration request includes proximity service capability information; The network storage registration function is used to learn and store that the policy control function is a network function supporting satellite access capability through proximity service based on the network element registration request, and to send a registration response message to the policy control function, where the registration response message is used to inform the policy control function whether the registration is successful; The terminal has at least the capability of accessing the satellite through proximity service.

22. The communication system according to claim 21, characterized in that, The capability of accessing the satellite through proximity service includes the capability of accessing the satellite access network based on mobile relay; the proximity service capability information includes the capability information of the terminal accessing the satellite access network based on mobile relay.

23. An electronic device, characterized in that, Includes: A memory for storing instructions; A processor for calling the instructions stored in the memory to implement the communication method supporting non-terrestrial networking as described in any one of claims 1-20.

24. A computer-readable storage medium having computer instructions stored thereon, characterized in that, When the computer instructions are executed by the processor, the communication method supporting non-terrestrial networking as described in any one of claims 1-20 is implemented.

25. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product stores instructions, and when the instructions are executed by a computer, the computer is caused to implement the communication method supporting non-terrestrial networking as described in any one of claims 1-20.

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