Communication method, and apparatus

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of wireless communications. Provided are a communication method and an apparatus, which are used for improving the access accuracy of terminal devices and avoiding unnecessary access. In the present application, a terminal device receives a first message from a first network device, the first message comprising first configuration information corresponding to a second network device, the first configuration information being associated with a first time, and the first time being the time when the network device corresponding to the first configuration information allows the terminal device to access; and, on the basis of the first message, the terminal device is redirected to the second network device. The solution of the present application can avoid the access failure of the terminal device caused by the second network device not yet covering the position of the terminal device, thereby improving the access accuracy of terminal devices and avoiding unnecessary access.

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 the People's Republic of China on December 12, 2023, with application number 202311710242.5 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 wireless communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and device. Background Art

[0004] With the advancement of information technology, the demand for efficient, mobile, and diverse communications has become increasingly urgent. Currently, a key development focus in the wireless communications field is global mobile communications, of which satellite communications are a crucial component. Satellite communications play an irreplaceable role in key areas such as space, aviation, and maritime communications. Satellite communications offer long communication distances, wide coverage areas, and flexible networking, providing services for both fixed and mobile terminals.

[0005] Satellites move at high speed in space. Compared to satellites, terminal devices move slowly on the ground. Therefore, in satellite communication scenarios, it is necessary to consider the impact of satellite movement on the mobility management of terminal devices. For example, if the terminal device is located at the edge of the coverage area of ​​the service satellite due to the movement of the service satellite to which the terminal device is connected, thereby triggering a handover, but if the current terminal device does not support handover, the service satellite triggers the terminal device to perform a redirection operation. During redirection, the service satellite sends a redirection message to the terminal device. The redirection message includes the frequency information of the target satellite. The target satellite is the next satellite predicted by the service satellite to cover the terminal device. Based on the current redirection method, after receiving the redirection message, the terminal device will release the radio resource control (RRC) connection with the current service satellite and access the target satellite. However, if the target satellite has not yet covered the location of the terminal device, the terminal device will fail to access. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present application provides a communication method and apparatus for improving the accuracy of terminal device access and avoiding unnecessary access.

[0007] In a first aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication method that can be performed by a terminal device or a module (such as a chip) applied to the terminal device. Taking the terminal device performing the method as an example, the method includes: the terminal device receiving a first message from a first network device, the first message including first configuration information corresponding to a second network device, the first configuration information being associated with a first time, the first time being the time at which the network device corresponding to the first configuration information allows the terminal device to access; and the terminal device redirecting to the second network device based on the first message.

[0008] Through the above method, the first message received by the terminal device includes the first configuration information corresponding to the second network device. The terminal device can determine the first time corresponding to the second network device based on the first configuration information, and the first time is the time when the second network device allows the terminal device to access. Based on this, the terminal device can be redirected to the second network device at the time when the second network device allows access based on the first message. This can avoid access failures caused by the second network device not yet covering the terminal device's location, thereby improving the accuracy of terminal device access and avoiding unnecessary access.

[0009] In one possible design, the first configuration information corresponding to the second network device is used to indicate the second network device. The terminal device receives the ephemeris information of the second network device; and the terminal device determines the first time corresponding to the second network device based on the ephemeris information of the second network device.

[0010] Through the above method, the first network device can indicate the second network device to the terminal device through the first message, and the terminal device can accurately determine the first time that the second network device allows the terminal device to access based on the ephemeris information, so that the terminal device can be redirected to the second network device according to the first time corresponding to the second network device to avoid access failure.

[0011] In one possible design, the first configuration information corresponding to the second network device is used to indicate the first time.

[0012] Through the above method, the first network device can indicate to the terminal device through the first message the first time that the second network device allows the terminal device to access, so that the terminal device can avoid access failure by redirecting to the second network device according to the first time.

[0013] In one possible design, the first message includes first configuration information corresponding to multiple candidate network devices. The terminal device determines the second network device from the multiple candidate network devices.

[0014] Through the above method, the first network device can pre-configure the first configuration information corresponding to multiple candidate network devices for the terminal device through the first message. When an emergency occurs in the first network device and the configuration information of the second network device cannot be configured, the terminal device can select the redirected second network device from multiple candidate network devices, thereby quickly triggering the terminal device to perform the redirection operation.

[0015] In one possible design, the first message also includes second configuration information corresponding to each candidate network device, where the second configuration information is used to characterize the access capability of the corresponding candidate network device. The terminal device determines the second network device from the multiple candidate network devices based on the second configuration information corresponding to each candidate network device.

[0016] Through the above method, the terminal device can determine the second network device from multiple candidate network devices based on the access capabilities of the candidate network devices, such as selecting a candidate network device with better access capabilities as the second network device, thereby improving the performance of the terminal device after redirecting to the second network device.

[0017] In one possible design, the second configuration information includes load information and / or priority information of the corresponding candidate network device.

[0018] Through the above method, the terminal device can select a better candidate network device as the second network device based on the load information and / or priority information of the candidate network device, such as selecting a candidate network device with a smaller load or a higher priority as the second network device, thereby improving the performance of the terminal device after being redirected to the second network device.

[0019] In one possible design, the terminal device receives first indication information from a first network device, where the first indication information is used to indicate a second network device; the terminal device determines the second network device from multiple candidate network devices based on the first indication information.

[0020] Through the above method, the first network device pre-configures the first configuration information corresponding to multiple candidate network devices for the terminal device through the first message. When it is necessary to trigger the terminal device to perform a redirection operation, the first network device can directly indicate the second network device to the terminal device, thereby quickly triggering the terminal device to perform a redirection operation.

[0021] In one possible design, the terminal device determines that a first redirection trigger condition among at least one redirection trigger condition is satisfied; the terminal device determines that among multiple candidate network devices, the candidate network device corresponding to the first redirection trigger condition is the second network device.

[0022] Through the above method, the first network device pre-configures the first configuration information corresponding to multiple candidate network devices for the terminal device through the first message. When the terminal device determines that a redirection operation needs to be performed according to the preset redirection trigger condition, it can directly redirect to the currently satisfied candidate network device that meets the corresponding conditions, thereby quickly triggering the terminal device to perform the redirection operation.

[0023] In one possible design, the first configuration information also includes type indication information of the corresponding network device.

[0024] In one possible design, the terminal device determines the process of redirecting to the second network device based on the type indication information.

[0025] Through the above method, the terminal device receives the type indication information of the second network device sent by the first network device, and when performing the redirection operation, the terminal device can accurately initiate the redirection operation for the type of the second network device.

[0026] In one possible design, the first message includes identification information of at least one terminal group, and at least one terminal group includes a terminal device.

[0027] Through the above method, the first network device can trigger a redirection operation for at least one terminal group, thereby providing batch redirection instructions to the terminal devices included in the terminal group.

[0028] In a second aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication method that can be executed by a terminal device or a module (such as a chip) applied to the terminal device. Taking the terminal device executing the method as an example, the method includes: the terminal device receiving second indication information from a first network device, the second indication information instructing the terminal device to switch state; the terminal device switching from a current connected state to an inactive state; and after the terminal device meets the startup conditions for state recovery, switching from the inactive state to a connected state and accessing a third network device.

[0029] Through the above method, when the first network device is unable to provide services to the terminal device, it can instruct the terminal device to switch from a connected state to an inactive state, thereby suspending services for the terminal device. The terminal device then switches to a connected state and accesses the third network device after determining that the activation conditions are met. This can avoid the terminal device initiating access when it does not meet the access conditions, resulting in access failure.

[0030] In one possible design, the terminal device receives third indication information from the first network device, where the third indication information is used to indicate a start condition.

[0031] Through the above method, the first network device can indicate the starting conditions for state recovery to the terminal device, so that the terminal device can accurately perform state recovery according to the starting conditions.

[0032] In one possible design, the starting conditions include at least one of the following: time information of the terminal device performing status recovery, location information of the terminal device when the status is recovered, and signal quality of the downlink signal received by the terminal device meeting a threshold.

[0033] In one possible design, the terminal device receives fourth indication information from the first network device, and the fourth indication information includes access information of the third network device.

[0034] Through the above method, the terminal device can accurately access the third network device according to the access information of the third network device.

[0035] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be performed by a first network device or a module (such as a chip) applied to the first network device. Taking the first network device performing the method as an example, the method includes: the first network device generates a first message, the first message includes first configuration information corresponding to a second network device, the first configuration information is associated with a first time, the first time is the time when the network device corresponding to the first configuration information allows the terminal device to access, and the second network device is the network device to which the terminal device is to be redirected; the first network device sends the first message to the terminal device.

[0036] In one possible design, the first configuration information corresponding to the second network device is used to indicate the second network device.

[0037] In one possible design, the first network device sends the ephemeris information of the second network device to the terminal device; wherein the ephemeris information of the second network device is used to determine the first time corresponding to the second network device.

[0038] In one possible design, the first configuration information corresponding to the second network device is used to indicate the first time.

[0039] In one possible design, the first message includes first configuration information corresponding to multiple candidate network devices, and the multiple candidate network devices include the second network device.

[0040] In one possible design, the first message also includes second configuration information corresponding to each candidate network device, and the second configuration information is used to characterize the access capability of the corresponding candidate network device.

[0041] In one possible design, the second configuration information includes load information and / or priority information of the corresponding candidate network device.

[0042] In one possible design, the first network device sends first indication information to the terminal, where the first indication information is used to indicate the second network device.

[0043] In one possible design, the first configuration information also includes type indication information of the corresponding network device.

[0044] In one possible design, the first message includes identification information of at least one terminal group, and at least one terminal group includes a terminal device.

[0045] In a fourth aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, which can be performed by a first network device or a module (such as a chip) implemented in the first network device. Taking the first network device performing the method as an example, the method includes: the first network device generating second indication information, the second indication information instructing a terminal device to switch from a current connected state to an inactive state; and the first network device sending the second indication information to the terminal device.

[0046] In one possible design, the first network device generates a third indication message, and the third indication message is used to indicate the starting conditions for the terminal device to recover its state, and the state recovery includes switching from the inactive state to the connected state; and the third indication message is sent to the terminal device.

[0047] In one possible design, the starting conditions include at least one of the following: time information of the terminal device performing status recovery, location information of the terminal device when the status is recovered, and signal quality of the downlink signal received by the terminal device meeting a threshold.

[0048] In one possible design, the first network device sends fourth indication information to the terminal device, where the fourth indication information includes access information of the third network device.

[0049] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, which may be the aforementioned terminal device or the first network device. The communication device may include a communication module and a processing module to implement any of the aforementioned aspects 1 to 4, or any possible implementation of the aspects 1 to 4. The communication module is configured to perform transceiver operations, such as functions related to sending and receiving; the communication module may be referred to as a transceiver unit; optionally, the communication module includes a receiving module and a sending module. The processing module is configured to perform processing operations.

[0050] In one design, the communication device is a communication chip, the processing module may be one or more processors or processor cores, and the communication module may be an input / output circuit, an input / output interface, or an antenna port of the communication chip.

[0051] In another design, the communication module may be a transmitter and a receiver, or the communication module may be a transmitter and a receiver.

[0052] Optionally, the communication device further includes modules that can be used to execute any one of the first to fourth aspects above, or execute any possible implementation of the first to fourth aspects.

[0053] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, which may be the aforementioned terminal device or the first network device. The communication device may include a processor and a memory to perform any of the above-mentioned aspects from the first to the fourth aspect, or to perform any possible implementation of the above-mentioned aspects from the first to the fourth aspect. Optionally, it also includes a transceiver, the memory is used to store a computer program or instruction, and the processor is used to call and run the computer program or instruction from the memory. When the processor executes the computer program or instruction in the memory, the communication device performs any of the above-mentioned aspects from the first to the fourth aspect, or to perform any possible implementation of the above-mentioned aspects from the first to the fourth aspect.

[0054] Optionally, there are one or more processors and one or more memories.

[0055] Optionally, the memory may be integrated with the processor, or the memory may be provided separately from the processor.

[0056] Optionally, the transceiver may include a transmitter (transmitter) and a receiver (receiver).

[0057] In a seventh aspect, a communication device is provided. The communication device may be the aforementioned terminal device or the first network device. The communication device may include a processor to perform any of the aforementioned aspects 1 to 4, or any possible implementation of the aspects 1 to 4. The processor is coupled to a memory. Optionally, the communication device also includes a memory. Optionally, the communication device also includes a communication interface, and the processor is coupled to the communication interface.

[0058] In one implementation, when the communication device is a terminal device or a first network device, the communication interface may be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Alternatively, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit. Alternatively, the input / output interface may be an input / output circuit.

[0059] In another implementation, when the communication device is a chip or a chip system, the communication interface may be an input / output interface, an interface circuit, an output circuit, an input circuit, a pin, or related circuits on the chip or chip system. The processor may also be embodied as a processing circuit or a logic circuit.

[0060] In an eighth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, in which a computer program or instruction is stored. When the computer program or instruction is executed by a processor, any aspect of the above-mentioned first to fourth aspects, or any possible implementation method thereof, is implemented.

[0061] In a ninth aspect, a computer program product storing instructions is provided, which, when executed by a processor, implements any one of the first to fourth aspects above, or any possible implementation manner thereof.

[0062] In a tenth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a processor and a storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, implement any of the first to fourth aspects described above, or any possible implementation thereof. The communication device may be a system-on-a-chip. The system-on-a-chip may consist of a chip or may include a chip and other discrete components.

[0063] In the eleventh aspect, a communication system is also provided, which includes the terminal device described in the first or second aspect and the first network device described in the third or fourth aspect.

[0064] In the twelfth aspect, the present application also provides a chip, including a processor, which is coupled to a memory and is used to read and execute program instructions stored in the memory, so that the chip can implement any aspect of the above-mentioned first to fourth aspects, or any possible implementation method thereof.

[0065] For each of the above-mentioned aspects from the third to the twelfth aspects and the technical effects that may be achieved by each of the aspects, please refer to the above-mentioned description of the technical effects that can be achieved by various possible solutions in the first aspect or the second aspect, or each aspect, and no further details will be given here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0066] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a mobile communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0067] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a non-terrestrial network communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0068] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a satellite mobile communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0069] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of the relationship between a satellite and a terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0070] FIG5 is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0071] FIG6 is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0072] FIG7 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0073] FIG8 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0074] In order to more clearly describe the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the communication method and device provided in the embodiments of the present application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0075] The technology provided in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as satellite communication systems, high altitude platform station (HAPS) communication systems, drones and other non-terrestrial network (NTN) systems; for example, integrated communication and navigation (IcaN) systems, global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) and ultra-dense low-orbit satellite communication systems. The communication system applied in the embodiments of the present application can be integrated with the ground communication system. For example, the ground communication system can be a fourth generation (4G) communication system (for example, a long term evolution (LTE) system), a world-wide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication system, a fifth generation (5G) communication system (for example, a new radio (NR) system), and future communication networks.

[0076] A network element in a communication system can send signals to or receive signals from another network element. The signals may include information, signaling, or data. A network element may also be replaced by an entity, network entity, device, communication device, communication module, node, communication node, etc. The embodiments of this application use a network element as an example for description.

[0077] For example, a communication system may include at least one terminal device and at least one network device. The network device may send downlink signals to the terminal device, and / or the terminal device may send uplink signals to the network device. Furthermore, it is understood that if a communication system includes multiple terminal devices, the multiple terminal devices may also send signals to each other, i.e., both the signal-transmitting network element and the signal-receiving network element may be terminal devices.

[0078] Figure 1 shows the architecture of a mobile communication system. The communication system may include at least one network device (such as 110a and 110b in Figure 1) and at least one terminal device (such as 120a, 120b, 120c, 120d, 120e, and 120f in Figure 1). It should be understood that the communication system may include more or fewer network devices or terminal devices. Network devices or terminal devices may be hardware, functionally divided software, or a combination of the two. As shown in Figure 1, network device 110a can send downlink data to terminal devices 120a, 120b, and 120c, and can also receive uplink data sent by terminal devices 120a, 120b, and 120c. In addition, terminal devices 120d, 120e, and 120f may also form a communication system; for example, terminal device 120d can send data to terminal device 120e or terminal device 120f. The network device and the terminal device may communicate with each other through other devices or network elements; for example, the network device 110a may send downlink data to the terminal device 120d through the network device 110b.

[0079] The network device of the embodiment of the present application is a node in a radio access network (RAN), which can also be called a base station, or a RAN node (or device). Currently, some examples of access network devices 101 are: evolved node B (eNB), radio network controller (RNC), node B (NB), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), home base station (e.g., home evolved NodeB, or home Node B, HNB), baseband unit (BBU), access point (AP) in a wireless fidelity (WIFI) system, wireless relay node, wireless backhaul node, transmission point (TP) or transmission reception point (TRP), satellite, drone, etc. The network device can also be a base station (next generation NodeB, gNB) or TRP or TP in a 5G system, or one or a group of antenna panels (including multiple antenna panels) of a base station in a 5G system. In addition, the network device may also be a network node constituting a gNB or TP, such as a BBU, or a distributed unit (DU). Alternatively, the network device may also be a device-to-device (D2D) communication system, a machine-to-machine (M2M) communication system, an Internet of Things (IoT), an Internet of Vehicles communication system, or a device that performs network-side functions in other communication systems. The network device may also be a next-generation base station in a sixth-generation (6G) mobile communication system or a base station in a future mobile communication system. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the network device.

[0080] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, and different RAN nodes respectively implement part of the functions of the base station. For example, the RAN node can be a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU). The CU and DU can be set separately, or they can be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or radio frequency unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0081] 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 an open centralized unit (O-CU) or an open CU, DU may also be called an open distributed unit (O-DU), CU-CP may also be called an open centralized unit control plane (O-CU-CP), CU-UP may also be called an open centralized unit user plane (O-CU-UP), and RU may also be called an open radio unit (O-RU). For convenience of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU and RU as examples for description. Any of the 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.

[0082] The terminal device in the embodiments of the present application may also be referred to as user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), access terminal, subscriber unit, subscriber station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent, or user apparatus, etc. It is a device that provides voice or data connectivity to a user, and may also be an Internet of Things device. For example, the terminal device includes a handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, an in-vehicle device, etc. Currently, terminal devices can include: mobile phones, tablet computers, laptop computers, PDAs, mobile internet devices (MIDs), wearable devices (such as smart watches, smart bracelets, pedometers, etc.), in-vehicle devices (such as cars, bicycles, electric vehicles, airplanes, ships, trains, high-speed trains, etc.), virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, smart home devices (such as refrigerators, televisions, air conditioners, electricity meters, etc.), intelligent robots, workshop equipment, wireless terminals in self-driving cars, wireless terminals in remote medical surgery, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, wireless terminals in smart homes, and flying devices (such as intelligent robots, hot air balloons, drones, and airplanes). Terminal devices can also be other devices with terminal functions, for example, they can be devices that function as terminals in D2D communication.

[0083] In the embodiment of the present application, the functions of the terminal device may also be performed by a module (such as a chip or a modem) in the terminal device, or may be performed by a device that includes the functions of the terminal device.

[0084] Based on the description of the communication system architecture shown in Figure 1, the embodiment of this application uses a non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication system as an example. The NTN, which includes nodes such as satellite networks, high-altitude platforms, and drones, offers significant advantages, including global coverage, long-distance transmission, flexible networking, convenient deployment, and freedom from geographical restrictions. It has been widely used in a variety of fields, including maritime communications, positioning and navigation, disaster relief, scientific experiments, video broadcasting, and Earth observation. Ground-based 5G networks and satellite networks integrate with each other, leveraging their strengths and weaknesses to form a seamless, integrated global communication network covering land, sea, air, space, and ground, meeting the diverse service needs of users everywhere. In this embodiment of the application, NTN communication uses satellite communication as an example, or rather, the NTN communication system uses a satellite system as an example. As shown in Figure 2, the NTN communication system includes satellite 201 and terminal device 202. The explanation of terminal device 202 can refer to the above description of terminal devices. Satellite 201 can also be referred to as a high-altitude platform, a high-altitude aircraft, or a satellite base station. Considering the NTN communication system in relation to the terrestrial network communication system, satellite 201 can be considered as one or more network devices within the terrestrial network communication system architecture. Satellite 201 provides communication services to terminal device 202 and can also connect to core network equipment. The structure and functions of satellite 201 can also be referenced to the above description of network devices. The communication method between satellite 201 and terminal device 202 can also be referenced to the description in FIG1 . This description will not be repeated here. The solutions in the embodiments of this application can also be applied directly to terrestrial communication networks, or after minor modifications as would be appreciated by those skilled in the art, and will not be further described here.

[0085] Take the NTN communication system as an example of a satellite mobile communication system for illustration. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a satellite mobile communication system that can be applied in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 3, the satellite mobile communication system includes: 2 terminal devices (which can be referred to as terminals), 2 satellite base stations (the two 5G base stations shown in Figure 1), a ground station and a 5G core network. Among them, the satellite base station and the terminal device can communicate through the 5G new air interface. The two satellite base stations can communicate through the Xn interface. The satellite base station is connected to the ground station through the NG interface. The ground station is connected to the core network through the NG interface, and the NG interface can be wired or wireless. Satellites can usually form multiple beams, and each beam is similar to a cell / sector in a terrestrial mobile communication system (such as LTE / NR).

[0086] 5G base station: mainly used to provide wireless access services, dispatch wireless resources to access terminal devices, provide reliable wireless transmission protocols and data encryption protocols, etc.

[0087] 5G core network: mainly used to provide functions such as user access control, mobility management, session management, user security authentication, and billing. The core network consists of multiple functional units, which can be divided into control plane functional units and user plane processing units. Among them, the functional units (or network elements) of the control plane include access and mobility management function (AMF) and session management function network element (SMF). AMF is responsible for user access management, security authentication, and mobility management. SMF is responsible for session management of terminal devices (including session establishment, modification, and release), selection and reselection of user plane functional network elements, allocation of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses for terminal devices, quality of service (QoS) control, selection of UPF network elements that provide message forwarding functions, etc.

[0088] The user plane processing unit (or network element) includes a user plane function (UPF) unit. The UPF is responsible for managing functions such as transmission of user plane data and traffic statistics.

[0089] Ground station: Mainly responsible for forwarding signaling and business data between satellite and base station, or between satellite and core network.

[0090] 5G New Radio: refers to the wireless link between terminal devices and base stations.

[0091] Xn interface: represents the interface between 5G satellite base stations, mainly used for signaling interaction such as switching.

[0092] NG interface: refers to the interface between a 5G base station and the 5G core network, or the interface between a ground station and the core network, or the interface between a satellite base station and a ground station (in this case, the interface is a wireless link). It mainly interacts with the core network's non-access stratum (NAS) and other signaling, as well as user service data.

[0093] In the embodiments of the present application, the network devices in the terrestrial communication system and the satellites in the NTN communication system are uniformly regarded as network devices. The device used to implement the function of the network device can be a network device; it can also be a device that can support the network device to implement the function, such as a chip system, which can be installed in the network device. When describing the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application below, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application are described by taking the device used to implement the function of the network device as a satellite as an example. It can be understood that when the method provided by the embodiments of the present application is applied to a terrestrial network communication system, the actions performed by the satellite can be applied to the base station or network device for execution.

[0094] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, the application scenarios of the present application are introduced below. The application scenarios described in the embodiments of the present application are intended to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application. Ordinary technicians in this field can know that with the emergence of new scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0095] In satellite communications, terminal devices can access satellites and receive services provided by satellites. Since satellites move at high speed in space, in satellite communication scenarios, it is necessary to consider the movement of satellites so as to perform mobility management on terminal devices. Among them, the mobility management of terminal devices includes reselection, switching, and redirection. For example, after the terminal device accesses the satellite, as the satellite moves or the satellite load increases, the signal quality of the downlink signal received by the terminal device will deteriorate. The terminal device performs cell reselection and reselects a suitable cell to reside in based on the signal quality. The terminal device switches from the first satellite currently connected to the second satellite. The terminal device redirects when the terminal device needs to switch from the first satellite to the second satellite. If the current terminal device does not support switching (for example, due to the type of the terminal device, the second satellite cannot provide services to the terminal device), the first satellite sends a redirection message to the terminal device. The redirection message includes relevant information about the third satellite, instructing the terminal device to redirect to the third satellite.

[0096] Since the movement of satellites in space is regular, the movement patterns of satellites can be described by satellite ephemeris. During redirection, the first satellite can make a prediction based on the satellite's ephemeris information to predict the next satellite that will cover the location of the terminal device. As shown in Figure 4, terminal device A is currently connected to the first satellite, but as the first satellite moves, when terminal device A is at the edge of the first satellite's coverage area, the first satellite triggers terminal device A to perform a redirection operation. Based on the satellite's ephemeris information, the first satellite determines that the next satellite that will cover the location of the terminal device is the third satellite. The first satellite then sends a redirection message to the terminal device, instructing the terminal device to redirect to the third satellite. However, based on the current redirection method, after receiving the redirection message, the terminal device will release the RRC connection with the first satellite and access the third satellite. Since the third satellite does not currently cover the location of the terminal device, if the terminal device initiates access to the third satellite at this time, the access will fail.

[0097] Based on this, embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and apparatus. After receiving a redirection message from a currently connected satellite, a terminal device determines a time to initiate a redirection operation. Upon arrival of the determined time, the terminal device initiates the redirection operation, thereby avoiding access failures caused by the redirected satellite not yet covering the terminal device's location. The communication method provided in embodiments of the present application is further described in detail below with reference to FIG5 .

[0098] As shown in FIG5 , an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which may specifically include the following steps:

[0099] Step 500: The terminal device receives a first message from a first network device.

[0100] Correspondingly, the first network device generates a first message and sends the first message to the terminal device.

[0101] The first network device may be a network device currently accessed by the terminal device (for example, a satellite currently covering the location of the terminal device, to which the terminal device is accessed).

[0102] The first message includes first configuration information corresponding to the second network device. The first configuration information is associated with a first time, and the first time is the time when the network device corresponding to the first configuration information allows the terminal device to access.

[0103] The second network device is the network device to which the terminal device initiates the redirection operation. For example, the second network device may be the next network device that covers the location of the terminal device after the coverage area of ​​the first network device leaves the location of the terminal device.

[0104] For example, the time when the network device allows the terminal device to access can be understood as the time when the network device covers the location of the terminal device. When the network device covers the location of the terminal device, the terminal device can access the network device and the network device provides services to the terminal device. The first time can be a time range, such as the time range when the network device covers the location of the terminal device; or the first time can be a moment, such as the moment when the network device begins to cover the location of the terminal device, or any moment within the time range when the network device covers the location of the terminal device.

[0105] Step 501: The terminal device is redirected to the second network device according to the first message.

[0106] After the terminal device receives the first message, it can determine the first time corresponding to the second network device based on the first configuration information corresponding to the second network device included in the first message; the first time corresponding to the second network device is the time when the second network device allows the terminal device to access, and the terminal device can be redirected based on the first time corresponding to the second network device.

[0107] In an embodiment of the present application, each network device may correspond to a first configuration information, and the first configuration information is associated with a first time corresponding to each network device. Exemplarily, the terminal device may determine the first time corresponding to each network device based on the first configuration information corresponding to each network device, where the first time corresponding to the network device is the time at which the network device allows the terminal device to access.

[0108] Because the first message received by the terminal device in the embodiment of the present application includes the first configuration information corresponding to the second network device, the terminal device can determine the first time corresponding to the second network device based on the first configuration information corresponding to the second network device, and the first time corresponding to the second network device is the time when the second network device allows the terminal device to access. Based on this, the terminal device can be redirected to the second network device at the time when the second network device allows access based on the first message, which can avoid access failures caused by the second network device not yet covering the terminal device's location.

[0109] Regarding step 500 above, the first network device may send the first message to the terminal device in different situations. In different situations, the purpose and / or message type of the first message sent by the first network device to the terminal device may be different. The following describes each of the different situations.

[0110] Scenario 1:

[0111] When determining to trigger the terminal device to perform the redirection operation, the first network device sends a first message to the terminal device, where the first message is used to instruct the terminal device to perform the redirection operation.

[0112] Exemplarily, the first message may be a redirection message, or may be referred to as an RRC connection release message. The first message is used to instruct the terminal device to release the RRC connection between the terminal device and the first network device and to perform a redirection operation.

[0113] The first message may include first configuration information and configuration parameters corresponding to at least one network device; wherein the first configuration information corresponding to the network device is associated with the first time corresponding to the network device, and the configuration parameters may include frequency information, SMTC information, etc.

[0114] The content of the first message is introduced in detail below.

[0115] When a first message carries first configuration information and configuration parameters corresponding to one network device, the first message may also carry first configuration information and configuration parameters corresponding to a second network device. Accordingly, after receiving the first message, the terminal device determines the first time corresponding to the second network device based on the first configuration information corresponding to the second network device carried in the first message, and redirects to the second network device based on the first time corresponding to the second network device.

[0116] When the first message carries first configuration information and configuration parameters corresponding to multiple network devices, the first message may also carry first configuration information and configuration parameters corresponding to multiple candidate network devices. Accordingly, after receiving the first message, the terminal device determines a second network device from the multiple candidate network devices; then, based on the first configuration information corresponding to the second network device, the terminal device determines a first time corresponding to the second network device, and redirects to the second network device based on the first time corresponding to the second network device.

[0117] The following introduces the different information contents carried in the first message respectively.

[0118] 1. The first message includes first configuration information and configuration parameters corresponding to the second network device.

[0119] When the first network device determines that the terminal device meets the redirection conditions (for example, the terminal device is located at the edge of the coverage area of ​​the first network device, or the current load of the first network device is too large), the first network device determines that the terminal device is redirected to the second network device.

[0120] First configuration information corresponding to the second network device:

[0121] A. The first configuration information may be used to indicate the second network device; illustratively, the first configuration information is identification information of the second network device. The terminal device may determine the first time corresponding to the second network device based on the first configuration information corresponding to the second network device.

[0122] The terminal device may determine the first time according to the following methods:

[0123] The terminal device receives the ephemeris information of the second network device and determines the first time according to the ephemeris information of the second network device.

[0124] The terminal device may obtain the ephemeris information of the second network device from the received system message, and determine the first time according to the ephemeris information of the second network device and the location of the terminal device.

[0125] In an embodiment of the present application, a first network device may send a system message including ephemeris information of multiple network devices. Accordingly, a terminal device receives the system message from the first network device and obtains the ephemeris information of the second network device from the received system message based on the second network device indicated by the first configuration information (e.g., identification information of the second network device).

[0126] Exemplarily, the system message sent by the first network device may be a system information block 19 (SIB19). The first network device may send the SIB19 in a broadcast manner. The SIB19 includes ephemeris information of multiple network devices.

[0127] B. The first configuration information can be used to indicate a first time. After determining that the terminal device is redirected to the second network device, the first network device can determine, based on the ephemeris information of the second network device and the location of the terminal device, the time when the second network device covers the location of the terminal device as the first time. Exemplarily, the first time can be the time range when the second network device covers the location of the terminal device, or the first time can be a moment within the time range when the second network device covers the location of the terminal device, such as the moment when the second network device begins to cover the location of the terminal device.

[0128] When the first configuration information is used to indicate the first time (for example, the first configuration information is the first time corresponding to the second network device), the terminal device is redirected according to the first time indicated by the first configuration information.

[0129] Configuration parameters corresponding to the second network device include but are not limited to:

[0130] Frequency information, SMTC information.

[0131] in:

[0132] (1) Frequency information: The frequency information of the second network device may be the radio frequency of the second network device, and the terminal device may access the second network device according to the frequency information.

[0133] (2) SMTC information: can be used to instruct the terminal device to measure the offset, period, duration, and other information of the SSB, or the SMTC information can include the downlink timing of the second network device and the offset compared to the downlink timing of the first network device.

[0134] Optionally, the configuration parameters of the second network device may further include auxiliary information of the second network device; wherein the auxiliary information may include ephemeris information, synchronization parameters (such as common timing advance (TA)) and other information.

[0135] The terminal device receives the first message, determines the first time according to the first configuration information corresponding to the second network device in the first message, and redirects to the second network device according to the first time.

[0136] After determining the first time corresponding to the second network device, the terminal device may be redirected to the second network device in the following manner:

[0137] If the first time is a time range, the terminal device can be redirected to the second network device within the time range indicated by the first time; if the first time is a moment, for example, the moment is the moment when the second network device begins to cover the area where the terminal device is located, the terminal device can be redirected to the second network device at the moment indicated by the first time or within a certain period of time after the moment.

[0138] Optionally, the first configuration information may further include type indication information of the corresponding network device. The type indication information may be used to indicate the type of the corresponding network device; illustratively, the type of the network device may be a terrestrial network device, a non-terrestrial network device, or a relay user equipment (UE).

[0139] Correspondingly, the terminal device can determine the process of redirecting to the second network device based on the type indication information in the first configuration information corresponding to the second network device.

[0140] Exemplarily, if the type indication information indicates that the type of the second network device is a terrestrial network or a non-terrestrial network device, the terminal device determines to initiate the process of establishing a Uu interface to the second network device; if the type indication information indicates that the type of the second network device is a relay UE, the terminal device determines to initiate the process of establishing a PC-5 interface to the second network device.

[0141] In an embodiment of the present application, the establishment process initiated by the terminal device to the second network device can be implemented based on the existing access process; for example, the establishment process initiated by the terminal device to the second network device can include the establishment process of the Uu interface and the establishment process of the PC-5 interface.

[0142] 2. The first message includes first configuration information and configuration parameters corresponding to multiple candidate network devices.

[0143] When the first network device determines that the terminal device meets the redirection conditions (for example, the terminal device is located at the edge of the coverage area of ​​the first network device, or the current load of the first network device is too large), the first network device determines the second network device from multiple candidate network devices.

[0144] First configuration information corresponding to the candidate network device:

[0145] A. The first configuration information may be used to indicate a candidate network device; illustratively, the first configuration information is identification information of the candidate network device. The terminal device may determine the first time corresponding to the candidate network device based on the first configuration information corresponding to the candidate network device.

[0146] Among them, the specific method for the terminal device to determine the first time corresponding to the candidate network device can refer to the method for the terminal device to determine the first time corresponding to the second network device above, which will not be repeated here.

[0147] B. The first configuration information may be used to indicate a first time. The first network device may determine, based on the ephemeris information of the candidate network device and the location of the terminal device, the time at which the candidate network device covers the location of the terminal device as the first time. Exemplarily, the first time may be a time range during which the candidate network device covers the location of the terminal device, or the first time may be a moment within the time range during which the candidate network device covers the location of the terminal device, such as the moment when the candidate network device begins to cover the location of the terminal device.

[0148] Configuration parameters for candidate network devices include but are not limited to:

[0149] Frequency information, SMTC information.

[0150] in:

[0151] (1) Frequency information: The frequency information of the candidate network device may be the radio frequency of the candidate network device, and the terminal device may access the candidate network device according to the frequency information.

[0152] (2) SMTC information: can be used to instruct the terminal device to measure the offset, period, duration and other information of the SSB, or the SMTC information can include the downlink timing of the candidate network device and the offset compared to the downlink timing of the first network device.

[0153] Optionally, the configuration parameters of the candidate network device may further include auxiliary information of the candidate network device; wherein the auxiliary information may include ephemeris information, synchronization parameters (such as common TA) and other information.

[0154] When the first message includes first configuration information and configuration parameters corresponding to multiple candidate network devices, the first message may further include second configuration information corresponding to each candidate network device.

[0155] The second configuration information corresponding to the candidate network device can be used to characterize the access capability of the corresponding candidate network device. Exemplarily, the second configuration information can include load information and / or priority information of the candidate network device.

[0156] After receiving the first message, the terminal device can determine the second network device from multiple candidate network devices based on the second configuration information corresponding to each candidate network device.

[0157] Exemplarily, when the first message includes configuration parameters of multiple candidate network devices, the terminal device can select a candidate network device with better access capability from the multiple candidate network devices as the second network device to redirect to based on the second configuration information corresponding to each candidate network device.

[0158] The second configuration information includes load information and / or priority information of the corresponding candidate network device.

[0159] For example, when the second configuration information is load information, the terminal device can select a candidate network device with a smaller load from multiple candidate network devices as the second network device to be redirected; for another example, when the second configuration information is priority information, the terminal device can select a candidate network device with a higher priority from multiple candidate network devices as the second network device to be redirected.

[0160] After determining the second network device from multiple candidate network devices, the terminal device can determine the first time according to the first configuration information corresponding to the second network device, and redirect to the second network device according to the first time.

[0161] It should be noted that the specific manner in which the terminal device is redirected to the second network device at the first time can be found in the above introduction and will not be repeated here.

[0162] Optionally, the first configuration information corresponding to the candidate network device may further include type indication information of the candidate network device. The type indication information may be used to indicate the type of the corresponding candidate network device; illustratively, the type of the candidate network device may be a terrestrial network device, a non-terrestrial network device, or a relay UE.

[0163] Accordingly, after the terminal device determines the second network device from multiple candidate network devices, during the redirection process to the second network device, the terminal device may determine the process of redirecting to the second network device according to the type indication information of the second network device.

[0164] Exemplarily, if the type indication information indicates that the type of the second network device is a terrestrial network or a non-terrestrial network device, the terminal device determines to initiate the process of establishing a Uu interface to the second network device; if the type indication information indicates that the type of the second network device is a relay UE, the terminal device determines to initiate the process of establishing a PC-5 interface to the second network device.

[0165] Scenario 2:

[0166] During the access process of the terminal device (or in the process of providing services for the terminal device), the first network device pre-configures the terminal device with first configuration information and configuration parameters corresponding to at least one network device through a first message.

[0167] Exemplarily, the first message may be an RRC reconfiguration message. The first message is used to reconfigure the terminal device.

[0168] The first configuration information corresponding to the network device is associated with the first time corresponding to the network device. The first time corresponding to the network device is the time when the corresponding network device allows the terminal device to access, or the first time corresponding to the network device can be understood as the time when the corresponding network device covers the location of the terminal device. The configuration parameters corresponding to the network device may include frequency information, SMTC information, etc.

[0169] The content of the first message is introduced in detail below.

[0170] When a first message carries first configuration information and configuration parameters corresponding to one network device, the first message may also carry first configuration information and configuration parameters corresponding to a second network device. Accordingly, when the terminal device performs redirection, the first time corresponding to the second network device is determined based on the first configuration information corresponding to the second network device, and redirection to the second network device is performed based on the first time corresponding to the second network device.

[0171] When the first message carries the first configuration information and configuration parameters corresponding to multiple network devices, the first message may carry the first configuration information and configuration parameters corresponding to multiple candidate network devices. Accordingly, when the terminal device is redirected, the terminal device is redirected to the second network device among the multiple candidate network devices.

[0172] The following introduces the different information contents carried in the first message respectively.

[0173] 1. The first message includes first configuration information and configuration parameters corresponding to the second network device.

[0174] During the process of the terminal device accessing the first network device, the first network device may configure the terminal device with first configuration information and configuration parameters corresponding to the second network device via a first message; wherein the second network device may be the network device pre-configured by the first network device for the terminal device to access when redirection is triggered. Exemplarily, the second network device is the next network device that covers the location of the terminal device.

[0175] The first configuration information and configuration parameters corresponding to the second network device can be found in the introduction of scenario 1 and will not be repeated here.

[0176] After receiving the first message, the terminal device may store the first configuration information and configuration parameters corresponding to the second network device configured by the first network device through the first message.

[0177] When the first network device determines that the terminal device meets the redirection conditions (for example, the terminal device is located at the edge of the coverage area of ​​the first network device, or the current load of the first network device is too large), the first network device sends a second message to the terminal device, and the second message is used to instruct the terminal device to perform a redirection operation.

[0178] Optionally, the first network device may send the second message to the terminal device via a media access control (MAC) control element (CE) or downlink control information (DCI).

[0179] Exemplarily, the second message may be a redirection message, or may be referred to as an RRC connection release message. The second message is used to instruct the terminal device to release the RRC connection between the terminal device and the first network device and to perform a redirection operation.

[0180] Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the second message from the first network device, and the terminal device is redirected to the second network device.

[0181] The terminal device determines the first time corresponding to the second network device according to the first configuration information corresponding to the second network device, and redirects to the second network device according to the first time corresponding to the second network device.

[0182] It should be noted that the specific method for the terminal device to determine the first time corresponding to the second network device and redirect to the second network device according to the first time corresponding to the second network device can be found in the introduction to the above scenario 1 and will not be repeated here.

[0183] Optionally, the first configuration information may further include type indication information of the corresponding network device, wherein the type indication information may be used to indicate the type of the corresponding network device; illustratively, the type of the network device may be a terrestrial network device, a non-terrestrial network device, or a relay UE.

[0184] Correspondingly, the terminal device can determine the process of redirecting to the second network device based on the type indication information in the first configuration information corresponding to the second network device.

[0185] Exemplarily, if the type indication information indicates that the type of the second network device is a terrestrial network or a non-terrestrial network device, the terminal device determines to initiate the process of establishing a Uu interface to the second network device; if the type indication information indicates that the type of the second network device is a relay UE, the terminal device determines to initiate the process of establishing a PC-5 interface to the second network device.

[0186] 2. The first message includes first configuration information and configuration parameters corresponding to multiple candidate network devices.

[0187] During the process of the terminal device accessing the first network device, the first network device may configure the first configuration information and configuration parameters corresponding to multiple candidate network devices for the terminal device through the first message.

[0188] The first configuration information and configuration parameters corresponding to the candidate network device can be found in the introduction of scenario 1, which will not be repeated here.

[0189] After receiving the first message, the terminal device may store the first configuration information and configuration parameters corresponding to the multiple candidate network devices configured by the first network device through the first message.

[0190] In this case, when the first network device configures the terminal device with first configuration information and configuration parameters corresponding to multiple candidate network devices, in the embodiment of the present application, the first network device can trigger the terminal device to perform a redirection operation, or the terminal device can trigger the execution of the redirection operation. The following describes different redirection triggering methods.

[0191] Redirection triggering mode 1: The first network device triggers the terminal device to perform a redirection operation.

[0192] When the first network device determines that the terminal device meets the redirection condition (for example, the terminal device is located at the edge of the coverage area of ​​the first network device, or the current load of the first network device is too large), the first network device triggers the terminal device to perform a redirection operation.

[0193] One possible implementation manner is that the first network device sends a second message to the terminal device, where the second message is used to instruct the terminal device to perform a redirection operation.

[0194] The first network device may send the second message to the terminal device via MAC CE or DCI.

[0195] Exemplarily, the second message may be a redirection message, or may be referred to as an RRC connection release message. The second message is used to instruct the terminal device to release the RRC connection between the terminal device and the first network device and to perform a redirection operation.

[0196] When the first network device determines that the terminal device meets the redirection condition, it can determine a second network device from multiple candidate network devices and send first indication information to the terminal device, where the first indication information is used to indicate the second network device. Exemplarily, the first indication information can be identification information of the second network device.

[0197] Optionally, the first network device may carry the first indication information through the second message, or the second message may be sent independently of the second indication information.

[0198] Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first indication information from the first network device; and determines the second network device from a plurality of candidate network devices according to the first indication information.

[0199] Redirection trigger method 2: The terminal device triggers the execution of the redirection operation.

[0200] In this redirection triggering mode, the embodiment of the present application can define at least one redirection triggering condition for the terminal device to trigger the redirection operation. According to the defined at least one redirection triggering condition, the terminal device determines to trigger the redirection operation when one or more redirection triggering conditions are met.

[0201] Optionally, the types of redirection trigger conditions in the embodiment of the present application may include: signal conditions, location conditions, and time conditions.

[0202] Exemplarily, the signal conditions may include: link interruption, poor air interface signal quality (for example, the signal quality may be evaluated using a variety of air interface signal quality indicators), a bit error rate exceeding a threshold, etc. For example, during the process of the terminal device accessing the first network device, if the terminal device determines that a link interruption has occurred, the terminal device determines that a redirection triggering condition is satisfied, and the terminal device triggers a redirection operation; for another example, during the process of the terminal device accessing the first network device, if the terminal device determines that the air interface signal quality is poor, the terminal device determines that a redirection triggering condition is satisfied, and the terminal device triggers a redirection operation.

[0203] Exemplarily, the location condition may include: the elevation angle of the terminal device relative to the first network device is less than a threshold. For example, during access to the first network device, if the terminal device determines that the elevation angle relative to the first network device is less than the threshold, indicating that the terminal device is currently located at the edge of the coverage area of ​​the first network device, the terminal device determines that the redirection trigger condition is met, and the terminal device triggers the redirection operation.

[0204] Exemplarily, the time condition may include: exceeding a time range within which the first network device covers the location of the terminal device. For example, during access to the first network device, if the terminal device determines that the current time exceeds the time range within which the first network device covers the location of the terminal device, the terminal device determines that the redirection trigger condition is satisfied, and the terminal device triggers a redirection operation.

[0205] One possible implementation is that when the first network device configures the first configuration information and configuration parameters corresponding to multiple candidate network devices for the terminal device through a first message, and defines multiple trigger conditions, the embodiment of the present application can establish a correspondence between the candidate network devices and the trigger conditions.

[0206] Optionally, the terminal device determines that a first redirection trigger condition among at least one redirection trigger condition is satisfied; the terminal device determines that among multiple candidate network devices, the candidate network device corresponding to the first redirection trigger condition is the second network device.

[0207] Exemplarily, the at least one redirection trigger condition includes: redirection trigger condition 1 (link interruption occurs), redirection trigger condition 2 (poor air interface signal quality), and redirection trigger condition 3 (the elevation angle of the terminal device relative to the first network device is less than a threshold), and the multiple candidate network devices include candidate network device A, candidate network device B, and candidate network device C. Redirection trigger condition 1 corresponds to candidate network device A, redirection trigger condition 2 corresponds to candidate network device B, and redirection trigger condition 3 corresponds to candidate network device C. If the terminal device determines that redirection trigger condition 1 is currently met, the terminal determines that candidate network device A is the second network device.

[0208] Another possible implementation is that after the terminal device determines that the first redirection trigger condition among at least one redirection trigger condition is satisfied, it determines the second network device from multiple candidate network devices. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific manner in which the terminal device determines the second network device from multiple candidate network devices. For example, the terminal device may select a candidate network device with better channel quality from multiple candidate network devices as the second network device based on channel measurement. For another example, the terminal device may determine a candidate network device that is closer to the terminal device as the second network device based on the ephemeris information of multiple candidate network devices.

[0209] After the terminal device determines the second network device, it determines the first time corresponding to the second network device according to the first configuration information corresponding to the second network device, and redirects to the second network device according to the first time corresponding to the second network device.

[0210] It should be noted that the specific method for the terminal device to determine the first time corresponding to the second network device and redirect to the second network device according to the first time corresponding to the second network device can be found in the introduction to the above scenario 1 and will not be repeated here.

[0211] Optionally, the first configuration information corresponding to the candidate network device may further include type indication information of the candidate network device. The type indication information may be used to indicate the type of the corresponding candidate network device; illustratively, the type of the candidate network device may be a terrestrial network device, a non-terrestrial network device, or a relay UE.

[0212] Correspondingly, after the terminal device determines the second network device according to the first indication information, during the redirection process to the second network device, the terminal device can determine the process of redirecting to the second network device according to the type indication information of the second network device.

[0213] Exemplarily, if the type indication information indicates that the type of the second network device is a terrestrial network or a non-terrestrial network device, the terminal device determines to initiate the process of establishing a Uu interface to the second network device; if the type indication information indicates that the type of the second network device is a relay UE, the terminal device determines to initiate the process of establishing a PC-5 interface to the second network device.

[0214] Based on the technical solution provided in Scenario 2, the first network device pre-configures the first configuration information and configuration parameters corresponding to at least one network device for the terminal device. In this way, when an emergency occurs in the first network device (such as a sudden air interface link interruption, or a sudden sharp increase in network load), the first network device does not need to send the first configuration information and configuration parameters corresponding to at least one network device to the terminal device, and can quickly trigger the terminal device to perform a redirection operation.

[0215] Scenario 3:

[0216] The first network device triggers the terminal devices in the terminal group to perform a redirection operation based on the terminal group.

[0217] In this case, the first network device groups the multiple connected terminal devices.

[0218] The first network device groups multiple terminal devices that are connected. In this embodiment of the present application, terminal grouping can be implemented in a variety of different ways:

[0219] Grouping implementation mode 1: The first network device indicates the terminal group to which each terminal device is connected.

[0220] The first network device divides all connected terminal devices into multiple groups, and sends identification information of the terminal group to each connected terminal device.

[0221] Exemplarily, the first network device may send the group number of the terminal group to each connected terminal device in a unicast manner.

[0222] Grouping implementation method 2: The first network device groups the connected terminal devices according to the grouping rule, and correspondingly, the terminal device determines the group it belongs to according to the same grouping rule.

[0223] In this grouping implementation mode, the first network device and the terminal device may agree on a grouping rule, and the first network device and the terminal device use the same grouping rule to determine the terminal group to which the terminal device belongs.

[0224] Exemplarily, the grouping rule may be to perform a modulo operation on identification information (ID) of the terminal device to obtain a group number of the terminal group to which the terminal device belongs.

[0225] When determining to perform a redirection operation on at least one terminal group, the first network device sends a first message; the first message is used to instruct the terminal devices in the at least one terminal group to perform the redirection operation.

[0226] The first message may include identification information of the at least one terminal group.

[0227] Optionally, the first message may be public control signaling. Exemplarily, the first message may be a SIB message, or the first message may be broadcast or multicast MAC CE signaling, or the first message may be DCI scrambled by a public radio network temporary indentifier (RNTI).

[0228] Exemplarily, the first network device may determine to perform a redirection operation on at least one terminal group when it is determined that a feedback link (a link between a satellite and a ground station) fails.

[0229] Optionally, the first message may also include first configuration information and configuration parameters corresponding to at least one network device; wherein, the first configuration information corresponding to the network device is associated with the first time corresponding to the network device, and the configuration parameters may include frequency information, SMTC information, etc.

[0230] In an embodiment of the present application, the first network device may determine a second network device corresponding to each terminal group that needs to be redirected, where the second network device is the network device to which the terminal devices in the corresponding terminal group are to be redirected. The first message sent by the first network device includes first configuration information and configuration parameters corresponding to the second network device corresponding to each terminal group that needs to be redirected.

[0231] The first configuration information and configuration parameters corresponding to the second network device can be found in the introduction of scenario 1 and will not be repeated here.

[0232] The terminal device receives the first message. If it is determined that the first message indicates the terminal group to which it belongs, the terminal device determines the first time corresponding to the second network device based on the first configuration information of the second network device corresponding to the terminal group to which it belongs, and redirects to the second network device based on the first time corresponding to the second network device.

[0233] Alternatively, in an embodiment of the present application, the first network device may also carry first configuration information and configuration information corresponding to multiple candidate network devices in the first message. After receiving the first message, if the terminal device determines that the first message includes identification information of the terminal group to which it belongs, the terminal device may determine the second network device from the multiple candidate network devices.

[0234] The first configuration information and configuration parameters corresponding to the candidate network device can be found in the introduction of scenario 1, which will not be repeated here.

[0235] The terminal device receives the first message, determines the first time corresponding to the second network device according to the determined first configuration information corresponding to the second network device, and redirects to the second network device according to the first time corresponding to the second network device.

[0236] It should be noted that the specific method for the terminal device to determine the first time corresponding to the second network device and redirect to the second network device according to the first time corresponding to the second network device can be referred to the introduction in situation one and will not be repeated here.

[0237] An embodiment of the present application also provides a communication method and apparatus. When the first network device determines that it cannot provide services to the terminal device, it can instruct the terminal device to switch its state to an inactive state, and can indicate the starting conditions for restoring the terminal device's state. The terminal device accesses the network device after determining that the starting conditions are met, thereby avoiding unnecessary access.

[0238] As shown in FIG6 , an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which may specifically include the following steps:

[0239] Step 600: The terminal device receives second indication information from the first network device.

[0240] Correspondingly, the first network device generates second indication information and sends the second indication information to the terminal device.

[0241] Among them, the second indication information instructs the terminal device to switch status.

[0242] Exemplarily, the second indication information may be used to instruct the terminal device to switch from a current connected state to an inactive state.

[0243] Step 601: The terminal device switches from the current connected state to the inactive state.

[0244] Connected state of the terminal device: The terminal device establishes a connection with the access network device, and a connection is established between the access network device and the core network for the terminal device. Data transmission can be carried out at any time. This state does not require establishment delay, so the delay is the shortest.

[0245] Inactive state of a terminal device: The inactive state, also known as the deactivated state, is a state between the connected state and the idle state. There is no connection between the terminal device and the access network device, but a connection is established between the access network device and the core network for the terminal device. If data needs to be sent to the terminal device, the access network device sends a paging message. Upon receiving the paging message, the terminal device quickly establishes a connection with the access network device, switching from the inactive state to the connected state.

[0246] Step 602: After the terminal device meets the starting conditions for state recovery, the terminal device switches from the inactive state to the connected state and accesses the third network device.

[0247] The state recovery of the terminal device may be switching the terminal device from an inactive state to a connected state.

[0248] In the embodiment of the present application, the embodiment of the present application can configure the starting conditions for the terminal device to restore the state in a variety of ways:

[0249] Startup condition configuration method 1: The first network device configures the startup condition for the terminal device.

[0250] The first network device may send third indication information to the terminal device, where the third indication information is used to indicate a starting condition for the terminal device to perform state recovery.

[0251] In an embodiment of the present application, the first network device may send the second indication information and the third indication information through a single message (or signaling). For example, the first network device sends an RRC release message to the terminal device, where the RRC release message includes the second indication information and the third indication information. Alternatively, the first network device may send the second indication information and the third indication information through different messages (or signaling).

[0252] Startup condition configuration method 2: The terminal device pre-configures the startup conditions for state recovery.

[0253] In an embodiment of the present application, the starting conditions for state recovery can be pre-configured in the terminal device; for example, the starting conditions for state recovery are pre-stored in the terminal device.

[0254] Optionally, the start condition includes at least one of the following:

[0255] The time information of the terminal device's state recovery, the location information of the terminal device when the state is recovered, and the signal quality of the downlink signal received by the terminal device meet the threshold.

[0256] The following describes these startup conditions separately:

[0257] 1. Time information when the terminal device performs status recovery.

[0258] The first network device may configure time information for state recovery for the terminal device; illustratively, the time information may be a time range.

[0259] Correspondingly, after determining that the time corresponding to the time information has arrived, the terminal device determines that the start condition is met.

[0260] 2. The location information of the terminal device when the status is restored.

[0261] The first network device configures location information for state recovery for the terminal device; illustratively, the location information can be an area, or the location information can be the relative position relationship between the terminal device and the reference point (for example, the distance between the terminal device and the reference point is less than a threshold).

[0262] Accordingly, if the location information is an area, the terminal device determines that the start condition is met after determining that it is located in the area. Alternatively, if the location information is that the distance between the terminal device and a reference point is less than a threshold, the terminal device determines that the start condition is met after determining that the distance between the current location and the reference location is less than the threshold.

[0263] 3. The signal quality of the downlink signal received by the terminal device meets the threshold.

[0264] The signal quality of the downlink signal satisfies the threshold, which can be understood as the signal quality indicator (or parameter) of the downlink signal satisfies the threshold.

[0265] The first network device may configure at least one indicator or parameter representing the signal quality of a downlink signal for the terminal device, and configure thresholds corresponding to each indicator or parameter. Accordingly, the terminal device measures the downlink signal and determines that the initiation condition is met if the measured signal quality indicator or parameter meets the corresponding threshold.

[0266] After determining that the startup conditions are met, the terminal device recovers its state, switches from an inactive state to a connected state, and connects to a third network device, which can be the same network device as the first network device or a different network device.

[0267] In the embodiment of the present application, the first network device may send fourth indication information to the terminal device, where the fourth indication information includes access information of the third network device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the fourth indication information from the first network device.

[0268] Exemplarily, the access information of the third network device may include identification information of the third network device, frequency of the third network device, and other information.

[0269] After determining that the startup condition is met, the terminal device establishes a connection with the third network device.

[0270] Exemplarily, the terminal device may send an RRC Resume to the third network device; wherein the RRC Resume may be a signaling sent by the terminal device when switching from an inactive state to a connected state, and is used to request to establish a connection with the third network device.

[0271] Based on the solution provided by the embodiments of the present application, when the first network device determines that it cannot provide services to the terminal device, it can instruct the terminal device to switch from a connected state to an inactive state, thereby suspending services for the terminal device. Furthermore, by indicating the startup conditions for state recovery to the terminal device, the terminal device is instructed to switch back to a connected state when services can be provided again. After determining that the startup conditions are met, the terminal device switches to a connected state and accesses the third network device, thereby avoiding the terminal device initiating access when the access conditions are not met, resulting in access failure.

[0272] Based on the same concept, referring to FIG7 , an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device 700, which includes a processing module 701 and a communication module 702. The communication device 700 can be a terminal device, or a communication device applied to or used in conjunction with a terminal device, capable of implementing a communication method executed on the terminal device side; or the communication device 700 can be a first network device, or a communication device applied to or used in conjunction with a first network device, capable of implementing a communication method executed on the first network device side.

[0273] The communication module may also be referred to as a transceiver module, transceiver, transceiver, or transceiver device. The processing module may also be referred to as a processor, processing board, processing unit, or processing device. Optionally, the communication module is used to perform the sending and receiving operations of the terminal device or the first network device in the above method. The device used to implement the receiving function in the communication module can be considered a receiving unit, and the device used to implement the sending function in the communication module can be considered a sending unit. That is, the communication module includes a receiving unit and a sending unit.

[0274] When the communication device 700 is applied to a terminal device, the processing module 701 can be used to implement the processing function of the terminal device in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 or FIG. 6 , and the communication module 702 can be used to implement the transceiver function of the terminal device in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 or FIG. 6 .

[0275] When the communication device 700 is applied to the first network device, the processing module 701 can be used to implement the processing function of the first network device in the embodiment shown in Figure 5 or Figure 6, and the communication module 702 can be used to implement the sending and receiving function of the first network device in the embodiment shown in Figure 5 or Figure 6.

[0276] In addition, it should be noted that the aforementioned communication module and / or processing module can be implemented through virtual modules, for example, the processing module can be implemented through a software functional unit or a virtual device, and the communication module can be implemented through a software function or a virtual device. Alternatively, the processing module or the communication module can also be implemented through a physical device. For example, if the communication device is implemented using a chip / chip circuit, the communication module can be an input / output circuit and / or a communication interface that performs input operations (corresponding to the aforementioned receiving operations) and output operations (corresponding to the aforementioned sending operations); the processing module is an integrated processor, microprocessor, or integrated circuit.

[0277] The division of modules in the embodiments of the present application is illustrative and is merely a logical functional division. In actual implementation, other division methods may be used. Furthermore, the functional modules in the various embodiments of the present application may be integrated into a single processor, or may exist physically separately, or two or more modules may be integrated into a single module. The aforementioned integrated modules may be implemented in the form of hardware or software functional modules.

[0278] Based on the same technical concept, the embodiment of the present application further provides a communication device 800. For example, the communication device 800 can be a chip or a chip system. Optionally, in the embodiment of the present application, the chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0279] The communication device 800 can be used to implement the functions of the terminal device or the first network device described in the aforementioned embodiments. The communication device 800 may include at least one processor 810, which is coupled to a memory. Optionally, the memory may be located within the communication device, integrated with the processor, or located outside the communication device. For example, the communication device 800 may also include at least one memory 820. The memory 820 stores the necessary computer programs, computer programs, instructions, and / or data for implementing any of the aforementioned embodiments; the processor 810 may execute the computer program stored in the memory 820 to perform the method in any of the aforementioned embodiments.

[0280] The communication device 800 may also include a communication interface 830, and the communication device 800 can exchange information with other devices through the communication interface 830. Exemplarily, the communication interface 830 can be a transceiver, circuit, bus, module, pin, or other type of communication interface. When the communication device 800 is a chip-type device or circuit, the communication interface 830 in the communication device 800 can also be an input-output circuit that can input information (or receive information) and output information (or send information). The processor is an integrated processor or microprocessor or integrated circuit or logic circuit, and the processor can determine output information based on the input information.

[0281] The coupling in the embodiments of the present application is an indirect coupling or communication connection between devices, units, or modules, which can be electrical, mechanical, or other forms, and is used for information exchange between devices, units, or modules. The processor 810 may operate in conjunction with the memory 820 and the communication interface 830. The specific connection medium between the processor 810, memory 820, and communication interface 830 is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0282] Optionally, referring to FIG8 , the processor 810, the memory 820, and the communication interface 830 are interconnected via a bus 840. The bus 840 may be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, etc. The bus may be classified as an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, FIG8 shows only one thick line, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0283] In the embodiments of the present application, the processor may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, or a discrete hardware component, and may implement or execute the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of the present application may be directly implemented as being executed by a hardware processor, or may be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor.

[0284] In an embodiment of the present application, the memory may be a non-volatile memory, such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD), etc., or a volatile memory (volatile memory), such as a random-access memory (RAM). The memory is any other medium that can be used to carry or store a desired program code in the form of an instruction or data structure and can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto. The memory in the embodiment of the present application may also be a circuit or any other device that can implement a storage function, for storing program instructions and / or data.

[0285] Wherein: the communication device 800 can be applied to a terminal device, and the specific communication device 800 can be a terminal device, or a device that can support the terminal device to implement the terminal device function in any of the above-mentioned embodiments. The memory 820 stores a computer program (or instruction) and / or data that implements the terminal device function in any of the above-mentioned embodiments. The processor 810 can execute the computer program stored in the memory 820 to complete the method executed by the terminal device in any of the above-mentioned embodiments. Applied to a terminal device, the communication interface in the communication device 800 can be used to interact with other communication devices (such as a first network device and a second network device), and send information to other communication devices or receive information from other communication devices.

[0286] Wherein: the communication device 800 can be applied to a terminal device. Specifically, the communication device 800 can be a first network device, or a device that can support the first network device to implement the function of the first network device in any of the above-mentioned embodiments. The memory 820 stores a computer program (or instruction) and / or data that implements the function of the first network device in any of the above-mentioned embodiments. The processor 810 can execute the computer program stored in the memory 820 to complete the method performed by the first network device in any of the above-mentioned embodiments. Applied to the first network device, the communication interface in the communication device 800 can be used to interact with other communication devices (such as terminal devices) to send information to other communication devices or receive information from other communication devices.

[0287] The technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, they can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a terminal device, an access network device, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via a wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) method. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media integrated therein. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (eg, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (eg, a digital video disc (DVD)), or a semiconductor medium.

[0288] In the embodiments of the present application, under the premise that there is no logical contradiction, the embodiments may reference each other, for example, the methods and / or terms between method embodiments may reference each other, for example, the functions and / or terms between device embodiments may reference each other, for example, the functions and / or terms between device embodiments and method embodiments may reference each other.

[0289] Obviously, those skilled in the art may make various changes and modifications to the embodiments of the present application without departing from the scope of the embodiments of the present application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the embodiments of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the embodiments of the present application and their equivalents, the embodiments of the present application are intended to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to a terminal device, the method comprises: Receiving a first message from a first network device, the first message including first configuration information corresponding to a second network device, the first configuration information being associated with a first time, the first time being a time when the network device corresponding to the first configuration information allows the terminal device to access; Redirect to the second network device according to the first message.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first configuration information corresponding to the second network device is used to indicate the second network device, and the method further includes: Receiving ephemeris information of the second network device; The first time corresponding to the second network device is determined according to the ephemeris information of the second network device.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first configuration information corresponding to the second network device is used to indicate the first time.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The first message includes the first configuration information corresponding to a plurality of candidate network devices, and the method further includes: The second network device is determined from the plurality of candidate network devices.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The first message also includes second configuration information corresponding to each of the candidate network devices, where the second configuration information is used to characterize the access capability of the corresponding candidate network device; The determining the second network device from the multiple candidate network devices includes: The second network device is determined from the multiple candidate network devices according to the second configuration information corresponding to each of the candidate network devices.

6. The method according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that The second configuration information includes load information and / or priority information of the corresponding candidate network device.

7. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The determining the second network device from the multiple candidate network devices includes: receiving first indication information from the first network device, where the first indication information is used to indicate the second network device; The second network device is determined from the multiple candidate network devices according to the first indication information.

8. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that Determining the second network device from the multiple candidate network devices includes: Determining that a first redirection trigger condition among at least one redirection trigger condition is satisfied; It is determined that among the multiple candidate network devices, the candidate network device corresponding to the first redirection triggering condition is the second network device.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The first configuration information also includes type indication information of the corresponding network device.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The method further comprises: Determine a process of redirecting to the second network device according to the type indication information.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that: The first message includes identification information of at least one terminal group, and the at least one terminal group includes the terminal device.

12. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to a terminal device, the method comprises: receiving second indication information from the first network device, wherein the second indication information instructs the terminal device to switch state; Switch from the current connection state to the inactive state; After the starting condition for the terminal device to restore its state is met, the terminal device switches from the inactive state to the connected state and accesses a third network device.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The method further comprises: Receive third indication information from the first network device, where the third indication information is used to indicate the start condition.

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that The startup condition includes at least one of the following: The time information when the terminal device performs status recovery, the location information when the terminal device performs status recovery, and the signal quality of the downlink signal received by the terminal device meet the threshold.

15. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 14, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Fourth indication information is received from the first network device, where the fourth indication information includes access information of the third network device.

16. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to a first network device, the method comprises: Generate a first message, wherein the first message includes first configuration information corresponding to a second network device, the first configuration information is associated with a first time, the first time is a time when the network device corresponding to the first configuration information allows a terminal device to access, and the second network device is a network device to be redirected by the terminal device; Sending the first message to the terminal device.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that The first configuration information corresponding to the second network device is used to indicate the second network device.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that The method further comprises: Send the ephemeris information of the second network device to the terminal device.

19. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that The first configuration information corresponding to the second network device is used to indicate the first time.

20. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 19, characterized in that: The first message includes the first configuration information corresponding to a plurality of candidate network devices, and the plurality of candidate network devices includes the second network device.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein: The first message also includes second configuration information corresponding to each of the candidate network devices, where the second configuration information is used to characterize the access capability of the corresponding candidate network device.

22. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that The second configuration information includes load information and / or priority information of the corresponding candidate network device.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein: The method further comprises: Sending first indication information to the terminal, where the first indication information is used to indicate the second network device.

24. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 23, characterized in that: The first configuration information also includes type indication information of the corresponding network device.

25. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 24, characterized in that: The first message includes identification information of at least one terminal group, and the at least one terminal group includes the terminal device.

26. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to a first network device, the method comprises: Generate second indication information, wherein the second indication information indicates that the terminal device switches from a connected state to an inactive state; Sending second indication information to the terminal device.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein: The method further comprises: Generate third indication information, the third indication information is used to indicate a start condition for the terminal device to perform state recovery, the state recovery includes switching from the inactive state to the connected state; Send the third indication information to the terminal device.

28. The method according to claim 26 or 27, characterized in that The startup condition includes at least one of the following: The time information when the terminal device performs status recovery, the location information when the terminal device performs status recovery, and the signal quality of the downlink signal received by the terminal device meet the threshold.

29. The method according to any one of claims 26 to 28, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Send fourth indication information to the terminal device, wherein the fourth indication information includes access information of the third network device.

30. A communication device, characterized in that: It comprises a module for executing the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11, or a module for executing the method as claimed in any one of claims 12 to 15, a module for executing the method as claimed in any one of claims 16 to 25, or a module for executing the method as claimed in any one of claims 26 to 29.

31. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A processor, wherein the processor is coupled to a memory, the memory is used to store a computer program or instruction, and the processor is used to execute the computer program or instruction to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, or to implement the method according to any one of claims 12 to 15, to implement the method according to any one of claims 16 to 25, or to implement the method according to any one of claims 26 to 29.

32. A communication device, characterized in that: Including interface circuit and logic circuit; The interface circuit is used to communicate with a module outside the communication device; The logic circuit is used to execute a computer program to enable the communication device to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, or the method according to any one of claims 12 to 15, or the method according to any one of claims 16 to 25, or the method according to any one of claims 26 to 29.

33. A communication system, characterized in that: It comprises a terminal device for executing the method described in any one of claims 1 to 11 and 16 to 25, and a first network device for executing the method described in any one of claims 12 to 15 and 26 to 29.

34. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program or instruction. When the instruction is executed on a computer, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11 is implemented, or the method according to any one of claims 12 to 15 is implemented, or the method according to any one of claims 16 to 25 is implemented, or the method according to any one of claims 26 to 29 is implemented.

35. A computer program product, characterized in that Comprising a computer program, which, when executed by a communication device, implements the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11, or when executed by a communication device, implements the method as claimed in any one of claims 12 to 15, or when executed by a communication device, implements the method as claimed in any one of claims 16 to 25, or when executed by a communication device, implements the method as claimed in any one of claims 26 to 29.

36. A chip system, characterized in that: include: A processor, wherein the processor is used to execute the method of any one of claims 1 to 11, or the method of any one of claims 12 to 15, or the method of any one of claims 16 to 25, or the method of any one of claims 26 to 29.

Images