Method for indicating duration of timer and communication device

Abstract

The present application discloses a method for indicating the duration of a timer and a communication device. The method for indicating the duration of a timer comprises: determining the duration of a timer, the duration of the timer comprising a storage duration of uplink information and / or downlink information on a flight device, and the uplink information and / or the downlink information being information that needs to be transmitted during the operation of the timer; and sending indication information, the indication information indicating the duration of the timer. By adopting the present application, it is possible to improve the accuracy of the determined duration of the timer, thereby improving the success rate of communication.

Description

Timer duration indication method and communication device

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on December 20, 2023, with application number 202311765352.1 and application name “Timer duration indication method and communication device”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a timer duration indication method and a communication device. Background Art

[0003] Timers in communications are typically used to monitor the communication process. For example, after a communication device sends a message, a timer is started. If a response is received before the timer expires, the timer is stopped. If no response is received before the timer expires, the communication is considered a failure and the relevant communication process can be resent or terminated. The duration of this timer is typically short, such as a few seconds. With the advancement of communication technology, some network elements in the communication network will be deployed in aircraft, for example, access network equipment in the communication network will be deployed in satellites. The duration of timers in existing technologies is no longer suitable for the complex scenario of network elements in the communication network being deployed in aircraft. Therefore, they may not be able to effectively monitor the communication process, resulting in communication failures. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The embodiments of the present application provide a timer duration indication method and a communication device, which can improve the accuracy of the determined timer duration, thereby improving the communication success rate.

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for indicating the duration of a timer, including:

[0006] Determining a timer duration, where the timer duration includes a storage duration of uplink information and / or downlink information on the flight device, where the uplink information and / or downlink information is information that needs to be transmitted during the timer operation;

[0007] Sending indication information, where the indication information indicates the duration of the timer.

[0008] Based on the description of the first aspect, the determined timer duration includes the storage duration of the uplink information and / or downlink information that needs to be transmitted on the flight equipment during the operation of the timer. When determining the timer duration, the storage duration of the uplink information and / or downlink information on the flight equipment when the network communication between the flight equipment and the ground is discontinuous is taken into account, thereby improving the accuracy of the determined timer duration and improving the communication success rate.

[0009] In a possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0010] The value of the timer is set according to the duration of the timer.

[0011] By implementing this method, the timer value can be set according to the determined timer duration, thereby improving the communication success rate.

[0012] In one possible implementation, the method is applied to a first communication device;

[0013] The first communication device is a network element in a core network, or the first communication device is an access network device, or the first communication device is a terminal device.

[0014] By implementing this method, a network element in the core network or an access network device or a terminal device can determine the duration of the timer and indicate it to other devices, thereby improving the communication success rate.

[0015] In a possible implementation, the core network and the terminal device are deployed in a ground network, and the access network device is deployed in the satellite.

[0016] When implementing this method, the core network and terminal equipment are deployed in the ground network, and the access network equipment is deployed in the satellite. The information generated during the interaction between the terminal equipment and the core network may be stored in the access network equipment in the satellite due to the interruption of the communication link, thereby increasing the communication time. Accordingly, the timer duration must also include the time the information is stored on the satellite, thereby improving the communication success rate.

[0017] In a possible implementation, the sending of the instruction information includes:

[0018] sending the instruction information to the second communication device;

[0019] The second communication device includes at least one of the following: access and mobility management function AMF network element, session management function SMF network element, policy control function PCF network element, terminal equipment or user plane function UPF network element, access network equipment (such as RAN), unified data management function (unified data management, UDM) network element, policy control function (policy control function, PCF) network element, authentication service function (Authentication Server Function, AUSF) network element, mobile management entity (Mobile Managenment Entity, MME), short message service center (short message service center, SMSC), serving gateway Serving-Gateway, packet data network (Packet Data Network, PDN) gateway Gate-way.

[0020] By implementing this approach, the first communication device can send the duration of the timer to at least one network element, thereby facilitating each network element to set its own timer value and improving the communication success rate.

[0021] In one possible implementation, the first communication device is an AMF network element, the second communication device is a terminal device, and the indication information is carried in non-access layer NAS signaling or user plane message.

[0022] By implementing this method, after the AMF network element determines the duration of the timer, it can be sent to the terminal device through NAS signaling or user plane message, so that the terminal device can improve the accuracy of the set timer value.

[0023] In a possible implementation, the NAS signaling includes one of the following: identity authentication request, authorization request, registration response, downlink NAS transmission, configuration update message of the terminal device, and short message.

[0024] By implementing this approach, the timer duration can be carried in NAS signaling, thereby saving signaling overhead.

[0025] In a possible implementation, the indication information includes an index value and a time unit, and the index value indicates the number of the time units included in the duration of the timer.

[0026] By implementing this method, the quantity and time unit can be indicated separately, and the time unit can be indicated uniformly, saving expenses.

[0027] In a possible implementation, the flying device is a satellite, and determining the duration of the timer includes:

[0028] The duration of the timer is determined according to information about the satellite, where the information about the satellite includes information about a constellation associated with the satellite and / or operational information about the satellite.

[0029] By implementing this method, the duration of the timer can be determined in combination with information of the constellation associated with the satellite and / or the operation information of the satellite, thereby improving the accuracy of determining the duration of the timer.

[0030] In a possible implementation, the operation information of the satellite includes at least one of the following: ephemeris data of the satellite, orbital altitude of the satellite, operation period of the satellite, position of the satellite, or working time of the satellite;

[0031] The information of the satellite-associated constellation includes at least one of the following: the number of satellites included in the satellite-associated constellation, the number of satellites connected to ground stations in the satellite-associated constellation, the operation information of each satellite included in the satellite-associated constellation, and the communication information between the satellites in the satellite-associated constellation and the ground stations.

[0032] In a possible implementation, determining the duration of the timer according to the satellite information includes:

[0033] determining a timer duration based on the satellite information and the information of the third communication device;

[0034] The information of the third communication device includes the information of the ground station and / or the information of the terminal device; the information of the ground station includes the location information of the ground station and / or the time information of the ground station that can send and receive information, and the information of the terminal device includes the location information of the terminal device and / or the time information of the terminal device that can send and receive information.

[0035] By implementing this approach, when determining the duration of the timer, not only the satellite information but also the information of the third communication device associated with the satellite is considered, which can improve the accuracy of the determined duration of the timer.

[0036] In one possible implementation, the location information of the ground station includes at least one of the following: the geographical location of the ground station, the altitude of the ground station, and the speed of the ground station. The time information of the ground station's ability to send and receive information includes at least one of the following: the operating hours of the ground station and the time information during which the ground station can communicate with equipment on the satellite. This time information includes, for example, a start time and a duration.

[0037] The location information of the terminal device includes at least one of the following: the geographical location of the terminal device and the speed of the terminal device. The time information of the terminal device available for sending and receiving information includes at least one of the following: the periodic registration time of the terminal device, the deregistration time of the terminal device, the power saving information of the terminal device, the sleep time of the terminal device, the time information of the terminal device in the satellite coverage area, and the time information of the terminal device out of the coverage area. The time information includes, for example, a start time and a duration.

[0038] By implementing this method, the duration of the timer is determined in combination with the location information and / or the time when information can be sent and received of the ground station, as well as the location information and / or the time when information can be sent and received of the terminal device, the accuracy of the determined timer duration can be improved.

[0039] In a possible implementation, the satellite information and / or the ground station information comes from an application server and / or an operation and management function network element, and the terminal device information comes from the terminal device, or an application server, or an operation and management function network element.

[0040] By implementing this method, satellite information and / or information of the ground station and information of the terminal device can be obtained from other network elements, which facilitates determining the duration of the timer.

[0041] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for indicating the duration of a timer, including:

[0042] receiving indication information, the indication information indicating a timer duration, the timer duration including a storage duration of uplink information and / or downlink information on the flight device, the uplink information and / or downlink information being information that needs to be transmitted during the timer operation;

[0043] The value of the timer is set according to the duration of the timer.

[0044] In a possible implementation, the indication information includes an index value and a time unit, and the index value indicates the number of the time units included in the duration of the timer.

[0045] In a possible implementation, setting the value of the timer according to the duration of the timer includes:

[0046] The value of the timer is updated to the duration of the timer; or the remaining running duration of the running timer is set to the difference between the duration of the timer and the duration of the timer that has already run.

[0047] In a possible implementation, before setting the remaining running time of the running timer to the difference between the timer duration and the timer duration already running, the method further includes:

[0048] A message is sent and the timer is started, where the initial value of the timer is a default value or a preconfigured value.

[0049] By implementing this approach, a message is sent to set the timer value to an initial value before determining the timer duration, thereby facilitating updating the timer value after subsequently determining the timer duration.

[0050] In a possible implementation, the message is a NAS message.

[0051] In a possible implementation manner, the NAS message includes a registration request or a service request.

[0052] When this method is implemented, the terminal device will start the timer and set the initial value when sending a registration request or service request, so as to facilitate the subsequent update of the timer value.

[0053] In one possible implementation, the flight device is a satellite, and the default value or the preconfigured value is determined based on at least one of a network identifier selected by the terminal device, an access technology of the satellite, and an operating mode of a network in which the satellite is located;

[0054] The access technology includes one of the following: low-orbit satellite access, medium-orbit satellite access or high-orbit satellite access; the operating mode is a store-and-forward mode, wherein, in the store-and-forward mode, if the satellite cannot communicate with the ground station or terminal device, the uplink data and / or downlink data are stored in the device in the satellite, and when the satellite can communicate with the ground station or terminal device, the stored uplink data and / or downlink data are forwarded to the ground station or terminal device.

[0055] In this implementation, the default value or preconfigured value may also be determined based on at least one factor, taking into account satellite access technology, thereby also improving the accuracy of the initial value of the timer.

[0056] In a possible implementation manner, the indication information is carried in non-access stratum (NAS) signaling or a user plane message.

[0057] By implementing this method, the indication information is carried in NAS signaling or user plane messages, saving signaling overhead.

[0058] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, including:

[0059] a determining unit, configured to determine a duration of a timer, wherein the duration of the timer includes a storage duration of uplink information and / or downlink information on the flight device, the uplink information and / or downlink information being information that needs to be transmitted during the operation of the timer;

[0060] The sending unit is used to send indication information, where the indication information indicates the duration of the timer.

[0061] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, including:

[0062] a receiving unit, configured to receive indication information, the indication information indicating a timer duration, the timer duration including a storage duration of uplink information and / or downlink information on the flight device, the uplink information and / or downlink information being information that needs to be transmitted during the operation of the timer;

[0063] The setting unit is configured to set the value of the timer according to the duration of the timer.

[0064] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which includes a processor and a memory, the processor and the memory are connected to each other, the memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor is configured to execute the computer program to execute the method as described in the first aspect or any optional embodiment of the first aspect, or to execute the method as described in the second aspect or any optional embodiment of the second aspect.

[0065] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a chip, comprising a processor and an interface, wherein the processor and the interface are coupled; the interface is used to receive and / or output signals, and the processor is used to execute code instructions to execute the method as described in the first aspect or any optional embodiment of the first aspect, or to execute the method as described in the second aspect or any optional embodiment of the second aspect.

[0066] In the seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a module device, which includes a communication module, a power module, a storage module and a chip module, wherein: the power module is used to provide power to the module device; the storage module is used to store data and / or instructions; the communication module communicates with an external device; the chip module is used to call the data and / or instructions stored in the storage module, and execute the method as described in the first aspect or any optional embodiment of the first aspect, or execute the method as described in the second aspect or any optional embodiment of the second aspect.

[0067] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, wherein the computer program includes program instructions. When a computer executes the program instructions, the method described in the first aspect or any optional embodiment of the first aspect is implemented, or the method described in the second aspect or any optional embodiment of the second aspect is implemented.

[0068] In the ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program or computer code, and when it runs on a computer, it is used to implement the method described in the first aspect or any optional embodiment of the first aspect, or to implement the method described in the second aspect or any optional embodiment of the second aspect.

[0069] In a tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, which includes a first communication device and a second communication device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0070] FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram of a 5G communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0071] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0072] FIG3 a is a schematic diagram of the position of the flying equipment at time t1 provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0073] FIG3 b is a schematic diagram of the position of the flying equipment at time t2 provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0074] FIG4 is a flow chart of a method for indicating the duration of a timer provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0075] FIG5 is a flow chart of another method for indicating the duration of a timer provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0076] FIG6 is a scenario example of a method for indicating the duration of a timer provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0077] FIG7 is another scenario example of a timer duration indication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0078] FIG8 is another example of a scenario of a method for indicating the duration of a timer provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0079] FIG9 is another example of a scenario of a method for indicating the duration of a timer provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0080] FIG10 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0081] FIG11 is a schematic structural diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0082] FIG12 is a schematic structural diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0083] FIG13 is a schematic structural diagram of a module device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0084] In the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified, the character " / " indicates that the associated objects are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B can represent A or B. "And / or" describes the relationship between the associated objects, indicating that three possible relationships exist. For example, "A and / or B" can represent: A exists alone, A and B exists simultaneously, or B exists alone.

[0085] It should be pointed out that the words "first", "second", etc. involved in the embodiments of this application are only used for distinguishing description purposes, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated, nor can they be understood as indicating or implying order.

[0086] In the embodiments of the present application, "at least one" refers to one or more, and "plurality" refers to two or more. In addition, "at least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, which may include any combination of single items or plural items. For example, at least one of A, B, or C can represent: A, B, C, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A, B and C. Among them, each of A, B, and C can be an element itself, or a set containing one or more elements.

[0087] In the embodiments of this application, the terms "exemplary," "in some embodiments," and "in another embodiment" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" in this application should not be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, the use of the word "exemplary" is intended to present concepts in a concrete manner.

[0088] In the embodiments of this application, the terms "of," "corresponding," and "relevant" may sometimes be used interchangeably. It should be noted that, when the distinction between them is not emphasized, the meanings they convey are the same. In the embodiments of this application, the terms "communication" and "transmission" may sometimes be used interchangeably. It should be noted that, when the distinction between them is not emphasized, the meanings they convey are the same. For example, "transmission" may include "sending" and / or "receiving," and may be either a noun or a verb.

[0089] In the embodiments of this application, "equal to" can be used in conjunction with "greater than" and is applicable to the technical solution adopted when "greater than" is used, and can also be used in conjunction with "less than" and is applicable to the technical solution adopted when "less than" is used. It should be noted that when "equal to" is used in conjunction with "greater than", it cannot be used in conjunction with "less than"; and when "equal to" is used in conjunction with "less than", it cannot be used in conjunction with "greater than".

[0090] Before introducing the communication system of the embodiment of the present application, the network elements involved in the embodiment of the present application are first introduced in conjunction with the fifth generation (5G) system shown in Figure 1.

[0091] As shown in Figure 1 , the system can be divided into two parts: the access network and the core network. The access network is used to implement functions related to wireless access and primarily includes radio access network (RAN) equipment 102. The core network primarily includes the following key logical network elements: user plane function (UPF) 103, access and mobility management function (AMF) 105, session management function (SMF) 106, policy control function (PCF) 107, and unified data management function (UDM) 109. System 100 may also include user equipment (UE) 101, data network (DN) 104, and application function (AF) 108. The interfaces between the various network elements are shown in Figure 1 . It should be understood that network elements can also communicate using service-based interfaces. Network elements deployed in the core network can be referred to as core network devices. Devices deployed in the access network can be referred to as access network devices.

[0092] UE, also known as terminal equipment. A terminal device can communicate with one or more core networks (CNs) via RAN equipment. A terminal device can be referred to as an access terminal, terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, wireless network equipment, user agent, or user device. A terminal can be a cellular phone, cordless phone, Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, wireless local loop (WLL) station, personal digital assistant (PDA), handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, computing device or other device connected to a wireless modem, in-vehicle device, wearable device, or terminal device in the Internet of Things (IoT), vehicle network, or any other form of terminal device in future networks. The terminal device may also be a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, augmented reality (AR) terminal device with wireless transceiver capabilities, a wireless terminal device used in industrial control, a wireless terminal device used in self-driving, a wireless terminal device used in remote medical care, a wireless terminal device used in smart grids, a wireless terminal used in transportation safety, a wireless terminal device used in smart cities, or a wireless terminal used in smart homes. The terminal device may be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; on water (such as a ship); or in the air (such as on an airplane, balloon, or satellite).

[0093] RAN equipment is a device that connects terminal devices to a wireless network, specifically a base station. Base stations can include various types of base stations, such as macro base stations, micro base stations (also known as small stations), relay stations, access points, etc. Specifically, it can be an access point (AP) in a wireless local area network (WLAN), a base transceiver station (BTS) in a global system for mobile communications (GSM) or code division multiple access (CDMA), a base station (NodeB, NB) in wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), an evolved Node B (eNB or eNodeB) in LTE, a relay station or access point, or an in-vehicle device, wearable device, or the next generation Node B (gNB) in a 5G system.

[0094] UDM has the functions of managing user contract data and generating user authentication information.

[0095] AMF is mainly responsible for UE registration management, UE connection management, UE reachability management, UE access authorization and access authentication, UE security functions, UE mobility management, network slice selection, SMF selection and other functions.

[0096] The SMF is responsible for all control plane functions related to UE session management, including selection and control of the UPF, allocation and management of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, session Quality of Service (QoS) management, and obtaining policy and charging control (PCC) policies from the PCF. The SMF also serves as the termination point for the SM portion of non-access stratum (NAS) messages.

[0097] PCF has the function of providing policy rules to the control plane functional entity.

[0098] AF may be an application server, which may belong to an operator or a third party.

[0099] UPF is mainly responsible for processing user messages, such as forwarding and billing. It can serve as the anchor point for protocol data unit (PDU) session connection and is responsible for UE data message filtering, data transmission / forwarding, rate control, generation of billing information, user plane QoS processing, uplink transmission authentication, transmission level verification, downlink data packet caching and downlink data notification triggering.

[0100] A DN is a network that provides data transmission services to users, such as IP Multimedia Service (IMS) and the Internet. A DN can include an application server (AS). An AS is a software framework that provides an environment for application execution and offers services such as security, data and transaction support, and load balancing for large-scale distributed system management. UEs communicate with the AS to obtain application messages. It should be noted that the AF mentioned above is the control plane of the AS.

[0101] The method provided in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to a non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication system. As shown in FIG2 , the communication system may include a terminal device, an aircraft device (e.g., a satellite), a ground station (also referred to as a gateway), a core network, and a DN. FIG2 takes the aircraft device as an example of a satellite. In the embodiments of the present application, the access network device can be deployed in the aircraft device, and the core network can be deployed in a ground network. The ground network can be understood as a network on the surface of the earth, which can include at least one of land, ocean, and low altitude. For example, the network elements in the ground network can be deployed on land, ocean, or low altitude.

[0102] The terminal devices in the embodiments of the present application may be terminal devices on land, sea, or low altitude, for example, terminal devices on airplanes, terminal devices on ships, etc., and this application does not limit this.

[0103] The flying equipment in the embodiments of the present application may be a satellite, an aircraft, an airship, a balloon, an airplane, etc., and the present application does not limit this.

[0104] In one implementation, if the flying device is a satellite, the satellite may be a geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) satellite, a non-geostationary Earth orbit (NGEO) medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellite, a low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite, a high Earth orbit (GEO) satellite, or a high altitude platform station (HAPS). This application does not limit the specific type of satellite.

[0105] The ground station in the embodiments of the present application can be used to connect satellites to network elements in a ground network. The communication link between the ground station and the satellite can be called a feeder link (or response link); the communication link between the satellite and the terminal device can be called a service link.

[0106] It is understood that Figure 2 only shows one satellite and one ground station. In actual use, a multi-satellite and / or multi-ground station architecture may be adopted as needed. Each satellite may provide services to one or more terminal devices, each satellite may correspond to one or more ground stations, and each ground station may correspond to one or more satellites, etc., which are not specifically limited in this application.

[0107] Because an aerial device (e.g., a satellite) is constantly moving, the relative position between the aerial device and the terminal device or ground station is constantly changing. For example, as shown in FIG3a , at time t1 , the aerial device (e.g., a satellite) is above the terminal device, the service link between the aerial device (e.g., a satellite) and the terminal device is available, and the communication device on the aerial device can communicate with the terminal device, but the feeder link between the aerial device (e.g., a satellite) and the ground station is unavailable. At time t2 , as shown in FIG3b , the aerial device (e.g., a satellite) is above the ground station, the feeder link between the aerial device (e.g., a satellite) and the ground station is available, and the communication device on the aerial device can communicate with the ground station, but the service link between the aerial device (e.g., a satellite) and the terminal device is unavailable. Time t2 may be after time t1 .

[0108] The following explains some of the terms involved in the embodiments of the present application to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

[0109] 1. Satellite constellation.

[0110] A satellite constellation is a collection of satellites launched into orbit and functioning normally. It is typically composed of a network of satellites configured in a specific manner. Multiple satellites belonging to the same constellation can communicate with each other and transmit information.

[0111] 2. Ephemeris data

[0112] Ephemeris, also known as ephemeris, almanac, or almanac, is information used to locate the position of celestial bodies at any given moment. Terminal devices can search the network based on satellite ephemeris data, thereby improving the user experience. Satellite ephemeris primarily includes orbital plane parameters and satellite level parameters. It should be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, satellite ephemeris may also be referred to as ephemeris parameters, satellite ephemeris parameters, or other possible names, and this application does not limit this.

[0113] It should be noted that, in the following embodiments, storing the first information in the first communication device may also be understood as storing the first information in an aerial device, and the aerial device may be a satellite.

[0114] 3. Timer

[0115] In the embodiment of the present application, the timer is used to monitor the communication process. For example, when the communication device sends a message, the timer is started. If a response message is received before the timer expires, the timer is stopped. If no response message is received before the timer expires, the communication is considered to have failed and the relevant communication process can be resent or terminated.

[0116] Taking the terminal device sending a registration request to AMF as an example, the timer of the terminal device is T3510.

[0117] When the terminal device sends a registration request, it starts timer T3510. If the terminal device receives a registration acceptance response message or a registration rejection response message from the AMF before timer T3510 expires, the terminal device stops timer T3510 upon receiving the registration acceptance response message or registration rejection response message. If timer T3510 expires without receiving a response message, the communication is considered to have failed.

[0118] Taking the AMF sending a registration reception response message to the terminal device as an example, the AMF timer is T3550.

[0119] After the AMF receives the Registration Request from the terminal device, if the terminal device is allowed to register, the AMF sends a Registration Accept Response message to the terminal device and starts timer T3550. If the AMF receives a Registration Complete message from the terminal device before timer T3550 expires, the AMF stops timer T3550 upon receiving the Registration Complete message. If timer T3550 expires without receiving the Registration Complete message from the terminal device, the communication is considered to have failed.

[0120] It should be noted that the various technical solutions (or embodiments) of this application can be implemented independently or in combination based on certain internal connections. This application is not limited thereto. Furthermore, the various terms and definitions between the various embodiments can be referenced to each other. In each embodiment of this application, different implementations can also be implemented in combination or independently.

[0121] Please refer to FIG4 , which is a flow chart of a method for indicating the duration of a timer provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG4 , the method for indicating the duration of a timer in this embodiment may include some or all of the following steps:

[0122] 401. The first communication device determines the duration of a timer, where the duration of the timer includes the storage duration of uplink information and / or downlink information on the flight device. The uplink information and / or downlink information is information that needs to be transmitted during the operation of the timer.

[0123] In some embodiments, uplink information may refer to information sent by a terminal device to a network, and downlink information may refer to information sent by a network to a terminal device. The uplink information and / or downlink information is information that needs to be transmitted during the operation of the timer. In other words, the timer is used to monitor whether the uplink information and / or downlink information are successfully transmitted or whether they are transmitted at all. Exemplarily, taking uplink transmission as an example, when a terminal device sends uplink information, the timer is started. If downlink information corresponding to the uplink information is received before the timer times out, the timer is stopped. If the downlink information corresponding to the uplink information is still not received after the timer times out, it is considered that the communication has failed. Exemplarily, taking downlink transmission as an example, a network element or device in the network sends downlink information, the timer is started. If uplink information corresponding to the downlink information is received before the timer times out, the timer is stopped. If uplink information corresponding to the downlink information is still not received after the timer times out, it is considered that the communication has failed. Among them, the downlink information corresponding to the uplink information can be understood as the downlink information being the response information of the uplink information, and the uplink information corresponding to the downlink information can be understood as the uplink information being the response information of the downlink information.

[0124] For example, the terminal device sends a registration request to the network, and the registration request is uplink information. The response message sent by the network to the terminal device for the registration request is downlink information, and the response message can be a registration reception response message or a registration rejection response message. It is understandable that due to network reasons, the response message (i.e., downlink information) may not be transmitted or the transmission is unsuccessful or the transmission is delayed, which may cause the terminal device to not receive the response message during the timer operation, the timer times out, and the terminal device determines that the communication has failed, that is, the timer can supervise whether the registration request and response message are transmitted within the timer duration. For another example, the AMF in the network sends a registration reception response message to the terminal device as downlink information, and the terminal device sends a registration completion message to the AMF as uplink information. The information that needs to be transmitted during the operation of the timer can also be a registration reception response message (downlink information) and a registration completion message (uplink information), that is, the timer can supervise whether the registration reception response message and the registration completion message are transmitted within the timer duration.

[0125] In an embodiment of the present application, some network elements or devices in the network can be deployed in the flight device. Since the communication link between the flight device and the terminal device or the ground station may be interrupted, the uplink information and / or downlink information is stored on the flight device. For example, the access network device is deployed in the flight device, and the core network is deployed in the ground network. The terminal device needs to send a registration request to the AMF. The terminal device needs to first send the registration request to the access network device in the flight device. If the communication link between the flight device (which can also be replaced by the access network device) and the ground station is unavailable, the registration request needs to be stored in the access network device in the flight device. When the communication link between the flight device (which can also be replaced by the access network device) and the ground station is available, the stored registration request is sent to the AMF through the ground station. After receiving the registration request, the AMF can send a response message (such as a registration reception response message or a registration rejection response message) to the terminal device. Exemplarily, the AMF sends a response message to the access network device in the aircraft device. Since the communication link between the aircraft device (which may also be replaced by the access network device) and the terminal device is unavailable, the response message needs to be stored in the access network device in the aircraft device. When the communication link between the aircraft device (which may also be replaced by the access network device) and the terminal device becomes available, the stored response message is sent to the terminal device. From the time the terminal device sends the registration request to the time the response message is received, uplink information (e.g., the registration request) and downlink information (e.g., the response message) need to be stored in the aircraft device for a period of time. To improve the communication success rate, the timer duration needs to include the storage duration of the uplink information and / or downlink information on the aircraft device. For example, the timer duration needs to include the storage duration of the registration request and response message on the aircraft device, thereby improving the accuracy of the determined timer duration. It is understandable that in some implementations, there may be uplink information or downlink information stored in the flight device. For example, when the terminal device sends a registration request, it is stored in the flight device, but the response message corresponding to the registration request may not be stored in the flight device. That is, after the access network device in the flight device receives the response message, it determines that the communication link between the flight device and the terminal device is available, and then sends the response message to the terminal device.

[0126] In the embodiment of the present application, the duration of the timer determined by the first communication device may include the storage duration of the uplink information and / or downlink information in the flight equipment (which can be replaced by the access network equipment), thereby avoiding setting the timer duration too short and causing communication failure due to timer timeout due to the storage duration on the flight equipment, thereby improving the communication success rate.

[0127] The first communication device in the embodiment of the present application is a device for determining the duration of a timer.

[0128] In one possible implementation, the first communication device can be a network element in the core network, that is, the network element in the core network determines the duration of the timer. For example, the first communication device can be an AMF or PCF or a newly added network function (NF), etc.

[0129] In another possible implementation, the first communication device may be an access network device, that is, the access network device determines the duration of the timer, for example, it may be a RAN deployed in an aircraft device.

[0130] In another possible implementation, the first communication device may be a terminal device, that is, the terminal device determines the duration of the timer.

[0131] The uplink information in the embodiment of the present application may be uplink data, uplink control information, uplink control signaling, or uplink reference signal, etc. The downlink control information may be downlink data, downlink control information, downlink control signaling, or downlink reference signal, etc.

[0132] 402: The first communication device sends indication information to the second communication device, where the indication information indicates the duration of the timer. Correspondingly, the second communication device receives the indication information.

[0133] After determining the duration of the timer, the first communication device may indicate the duration of the timer to the second communication device, for example, by indicating the duration of the timer via indication information. Exemplarily, the indication information may include an index value and a time unit, where the index value indicates the number of time units included in the duration of the timer. Exemplarily, an index value may correspond to a quantity, for example, an index value of 1 corresponds to a quantity of 2, and an index value of 2 corresponds to a quantity of 3. The time unit may be minutes, hours, or the like. For example, if the duration of the timer is 2 hours and the time unit is hours, then an index value of 1 indicates a quantity of 2.

[0134] The second communication device includes at least one of the following: AMF network element, SMF network element, PCF network element, terminal equipment or UPF network element, etc.

[0135] In one possible implementation, the first communication device is AMF, and the second communication device can be a terminal device, or SMF, or UPF, or PCF. It can be understood that for network elements that have a direct interface with AMF, such as SMF and PCF, AMF can directly send indication information to SMF and PCF. For network elements that do not have a direct interface with AMF, AMF can indirectly send indication information to network elements that do not have a direct interface through other network elements. For example, if the second communication device is UPF, AMF can send indication information to UPF through SMF. If the second communication device is a terminal device, AMF can send indication information to the terminal device through the access network device via NAS signaling or user plane message. NAS signaling includes one of the following: identity request, authentication request, registration response, downlink NAS transport, terminal device configuration update message, and short message.

[0136] In another possible implementation, the first communication device is an access network device, and the second communication device may be a network element in the core network, for example, the second communication device is an AMF network element, an SMF network element, a PCF network element, or a UPF network element, or the like, or the second communication device may also be a terminal device. If the second communication device is a terminal device, the access network device may send the indication information to the terminal device via a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message. For example, it may be carried in a system message, and the system message may be a System Information Block (SIB), such as SIB1, SIB2, etc.

[0137] In another possible implementation, the first communication device is a terminal device, and the second communication device may be an access network device or a network element in the core network. For example, the second communication device is an AMF, and the terminal device may send the indication information to the AMF via a registration request or a service request.

[0138] 403. The second communication device sets a timer value according to the duration of the timer.

[0139] The second communication device determines the duration of the timer according to the received indication information, and sets the value of the timer according to the duration of the timer.

[0140] In one possible implementation, the timer value is updated to the timer duration indicated by the indication information. For example, if the second communication device determines that the timer is not running, the timer value is updated to the timer duration indicated by the indication information.

[0141] In another possible implementation, the remaining duration of a running timer is set to the difference between the duration of the timer indicated by the indication information and the duration of the timer's elapsed time. It is understood that the timer may be started when the second communications device sends a message, for example, when the second communications device sends an NAS message, where the NAS message includes a registration request or a service request. When the second communications device starts the timer, the timer value may be set to an initial value. For example, if the initial value is 3 hours, and the indication information is received and the second communications device has not received a response message to the NAS message, the timer has already run for 1 hour, and the indication information indicates 2 hours, then the remaining duration of the running timer is 2 hours - 1 hour = 1 hour, i.e., the remaining duration of the timer is set to 1 hour. If no response message to the NAS message is received when the timer expires, the second communications device determines that communication has failed.

[0142] The following example illustrates a method for determining the duration of a timer by the first communication device. In the following example, the flying device is a satellite.

[0143] The timer duration can be determined based on satellite information. The satellite information includes information about the satellite's associated constellation and / or the satellite's operational information. The satellite's operational information can include at least one of the following: satellite ephemeris data, satellite orbital altitude, satellite operational cycle, satellite position, or satellite operating hours. In one implementation, the timer duration can be determined based on the satellite's operational information. For example, the timer duration can be determined based on the satellite's operational cycle. As shown in the description of Figures 3a and 3b, one operational cycle of a satellite's operation can complete the transmission of uplink and downlink information. The timer duration can be equal to one operational cycle. For another example, the timer duration can be determined based on the satellite's operational cycle and information about the satellite's associated constellation. The constellation information can include at least one of the following: the number of satellites in the satellite's associated constellation, the number of satellites in the satellite's associated constellation connected to a ground station, operational information about each satellite in the satellite's associated constellation, and communication information between satellites in the satellite's associated constellation and the ground station. If the satellite's associated constellation includes multiple satellites connected to ground stations, the timer duration can be less than one operational cycle.

[0144] In another implementation, the duration of the timer may be determined based on satellite information and information of a third communication device, where the information of the third communication device may include ground station information and / or terminal equipment information.

[0145] The information of the ground station may include the location information of the ground station and / or the time information of the ground station when it can send and receive information, and the information of the terminal device may include the location information of the terminal device and / or the time information of the terminal device when it can send and receive information.

[0146] The location information of the ground station includes at least one of the following: the geographical location of the ground station, the altitude of the ground station, and the speed of the ground station. The time information of the ground station's ability to send and receive information includes the ground station's operating hours and the time information during which the ground station can communicate with equipment on the satellite. This time information includes, for example, the start time and duration.

[0147] The terminal device's location information includes at least one of the following: the terminal device's geographic location and the terminal device's speed. The terminal device's available time information for sending and receiving information includes at least one of the following: the terminal device's periodic registration time, the terminal device's deregistration time, the terminal device's power saving information, the terminal device's sleep time, the time the terminal device is within the satellite's coverage area, and the time the terminal device is outside the coverage area. This time information includes, for example, a start time and a duration.

[0148] For example, if the terminal device and the satellite are moving in the same direction, the time it takes for the satellite to re-move above the terminal device and successfully establish a communication link with the terminal device may be greater than one satellite operating cycle, i.e., the duration of the timer may be greater than one operating cycle. For another example, if the terminal device has a sleep period, it is necessary to further successfully establish a communication link with the terminal device during the terminal device's non-sleep period. Therefore, the duration of the timer may also take into account the time the terminal device can receive information.

[0149] For example, if the ground station also moves in the opposite direction to the satellite, the time it takes for the satellite to reach the ground station and successfully establish a communication link with the ground station will be less than one satellite operating cycle, meaning the timer duration will be less than one operating cycle. For another example, if the ground station stores operating hours, the satellite will need to establish a communication link with the ground station within the ground station's operating hours. Therefore, the timer duration may also take the ground station's operating hours into account.

[0150] The satellite information and / or ground station information used to determine the duration of the timer comes from the application server and / or the operation and management function network element, and the terminal device information comes from at least one of the terminal device, the application server or the operation and management function network element.

[0151] Please refer to FIG5 , which is a flow chart of another method for indicating the duration of a timer provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG5 , the method for indicating the duration of a timer in this embodiment may include some or all of the following steps:

[0152] 501. The second communication device sends a message and starts a timer. The initial value of the timer is a default value or a pre-configured value.

[0153] In the embodiment of the present application, step 501 may be an optional step.

[0154] When the second communication device sends a message, a timer is started, and the initial value of the timer is a default value (ie, a default value) or may be a preconfigured value, for example, the network device preconfigures the initial value through signaling.

[0155] In one possible implementation, the initial value may be determined based on at least one of the network identifier, satellite access technology, and operating mode of the network in which the satellite is located, selected by the second communication device. Exemplarily, the second communication device stores a correspondence between at least one of the network identifier, satellite access technology, or operating mode of the network in which the satellite is located and the initial value. This correspondence may be preconfigured. For example, one network identifier, one satellite access technology, and one network operating mode may correspond to one initial value. The second communication device may determine the corresponding initial value based on the selected network identifier, the selected network satellite access technology, and the operating mode of the network in which the satellite of the selected network is located.

[0156] Exemplarily, the network identifier may be a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) identifier.

[0157] The access technology of the satellite may include at least one of the following: low-orbit satellite access, medium-orbit satellite access or high-orbit satellite access. The operating mode of the network where the satellite is located may include a store-and-forward mode or a non-store-and-forward mode (also known as a real-time business mode). In the store-and-forward mode, if the satellite cannot communicate with the ground station or terminal device, the uplink information and / or downlink information may be stored in the access network device in the satellite, and when the satellite can communicate with the ground station or terminal device, the stored uplink information and / or downlink information will be forwarded to the ground station or terminal device. In the non-store-and-forward mode (also known as the real-time business mode), after the access network device in the satellite receives the uplink information, if the communication link between the satellite and the ground station is available, the access network device will send the uplink information to the ground station. If the communication link between the satellite and the ground station is unavailable, the access network device will not store the uplink information, but will discard the uplink information. Similarly, for downlink information, in non-store-and-forward mode, after the access network device in the satellite receives the downlink information, if the communication link between the satellite and the terminal device is available, the access network device will send the downlink information to the terminal device. If the communication link between the satellite and the terminal device is unavailable, the access network device will not store the downlink information but will discard the downlink information.

[0158] The initial value of the timer corresponding to the store-and-forward mode is greater than the initial value of the timer corresponding to the non-store-and-forward mode.

[0159] Exemplarily, the second communication device is a terminal device, and the message sent by the second communication device may be a NAS message, such as a registration request or a service request. The terminal device may send the NAS message to an access network device in the satellite, which may further send the message to a ground station. The ground station may forward the message to a corresponding network element, such as an AMF, which may then send a response message corresponding to the NAS message.

[0160] In a possible implementation, the message may include information of the terminal device, and the information of the terminal device is used to determine the duration of the timer.

[0161] 502. The first communication device determines the duration of a timer, where the duration of the timer includes the storage duration of uplink information and / or downlink information on the flight device. The uplink information and / or downlink information is information that needs to be transmitted during the operation of the timer.

[0162] Step 502 of the embodiment of the present application can store step 401 of the embodiment of Figure 4, which will not be repeated here.

[0163] 503. The first communication device sets a timer value according to the duration of the timer.

[0164] In this embodiment of the application, step 503 may be an optional step.

[0165] After determining the duration of the timer, the first communication device may set a value of the timer of the first communication device according to the duration of the timer.

[0166] In a possible implementation, the value of the timer of the first communication device is updated to the determined timer duration. For example, if the timer of the first communication device is not running, the value of the timer is updated to the determined timer duration.

[0167] In another possible implementation, the remaining running time of the timer of the first communication device that is running is set to the difference between the determined timer length and the time length that the timer of the first communication device has already run.

[0168] 504. The first communication device sends indication information to the second communication device, where the indication information indicates the duration of the timer. Correspondingly, the second communication device receives the indication information.

[0169] 505 , the second communication device sets a timer value according to the duration of the timer.

[0170] The second communication device determines the duration of the timer based on the indication information, and sets the value of the timer of the second communication device based on the duration of the timer. For example, the timer of the second communication device is in a non-running state, for example, the second communication device has received a response message corresponding to the message in step 501, and the value of the timer of the second communication device is updated to the duration of the timer indicated by the indication information. Alternatively, the timer of the second communication device is in a running state, for example, the second communication device has not received a response message corresponding to the message in step 501, and the timer of the second communication device has not timed out, and the remaining running duration of the running timer is set to the difference between the duration of the timer indicated by the indication information and the duration that the timer of the second communication device has been running.

[0171] For steps 504-505 of the embodiment of this application, please refer to steps 402-403 of the embodiment of Figure 4, and will not be repeated here.

[0172] The following describes several scenarios in the embodiments of the present application with reference to FIG6 to FIG9 :

[0173] Please refer to Figure 6 for a scenario example of a method for indicating the duration of a timer provided in an embodiment of the present application. In Figure 6, the network element AMF in the core network determines the duration of the timer as an example. The order of executing the following steps is not limited:

[0174] 601, AF / OAM sends the information of the access network equipment on the satellite and / or the information of the ground station to AMF.

[0175] The information of the access network device on the satellite can also be called satellite information. For the relevant description of the satellite information and the ground station information, please refer to the description of the above embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0176] 602. The UE determines an initial value of the timer.

[0177] The initial value of the timer may be a default value (i.e., a preconfigured value). The initial value may be determined based on at least one of the network identifier selected by the UE for access, the satellite access technology, and the operating mode of the network in which the satellite resides. For the description of step 602, reference may be made to the description of step 501 in the embodiment of FIG. 5 , and details are omitted here.

[0178] 603. The UE sends a registration request to the access network device and starts a timer, with the timer value being the initial value.

[0179] Alternatively, the UE may send a service request to the access network device, or other NAS signaling may be used, which is not limited in this application. The UE sends the registration request to the access network device on the satellite. For example, the UE establishes an RRC connection with the access network device and sends the registration request to the access network device.

[0180] 604 , determining that the communication link between the access network device and the ground station is unavailable, and the access network device stores the registration request.

[0181] The access network device may store the registration request, and the duration for which the access network device stores the registration request may be determined based on the satellite information and the ground station information.

[0182] 605 , when it is determined that the communication link between the access network device and the ground station is available, the access network device sends a registration request to the ground network.

[0183] If the communication link between the access network device and the ground station is available, the access network device can send the stored registration request to the ground station, and then send it to the AMF through the ground station.

[0184] 606. AMF determines the duration of the timer.

[0185] The AMF may determine the duration of the timer based on at least one of the access network device information, ground station information, or terminal device information obtained in step 601. For a specific determination method, please refer to the description of the preceding embodiment and will not be repeated here. The terminal device information may come from the terminal device, for example, carried in a registration request, or the terminal device information may come from the AF or OAM.

[0186] In some implementations, the AMF may set the value of the AMF timer based on the determined timer duration. For example, the AMF may set the value of the timer to the determined timer duration, or the AMF may set the value of the timer to the remaining runtime, where the remaining runtime is the difference between the timer duration indicated by the indication information and the duration of the AMF timer already running.

[0187] 607. AMF sends an indication message to SMF, where the indication message indicates the duration of the timer.

[0188] Accordingly, the SMF receives the indication information. The SMF may also set the value of the SMF timer according to the duration of the timer indicated by the indication information. For example, the SMF may set the value of the SMF timer to the determined duration of the timer, or the SMF may set the remaining running duration of the SMF timer to the difference between the duration of the timer indicated by the indication information and the duration of the SMF timer already running.

[0189] 608. SMF sends the indication information to UPF.

[0190] Accordingly, the UPF receives the indication information. The UPF may also set the value of the UPF timer based on the duration of the timer indicated by the indication information. For example, the UPF may set the value of the timer to the duration of the timer indicated by the indication information, or the UPF may set the remaining running time of the running timer to the difference between the duration of the timer indicated by the indication information and the duration of the UPF timer already running.

[0191] 609. AMF sends indication information to the access network device.

[0192] The AMF may send the indication information to the UE via NAS signaling. Specifically, the AMF may send the NAS signaling carrying the indication information to the access network device, which then sends it to the UE. For a description of the NAS signaling, refer to step 402 of FIG. 4 and will not be repeated here.

[0193] 610. Determine that the communication link between the access network device and the UE is unavailable, and the access network device stores indication information.

[0194] 611. When it is determined that the communication link between the access network device and the UE is available, the access network device sends indication information to the UE.

[0195] When the communication link between the access network device and the UE is unavailable, that is, the service link between the satellite and the UE is unavailable, the access network device may store the indication information. When the communication link between the access network device and the UE is available, the access network device sends the stored indication information to the UE. Specifically, after an RRC connection is established between the UE and the access network device, the indication information may be sent to one or more UEs via unicast or broadcast. The indication information may be carried in RRC signaling, for example, in a system message, which may be a system information block (SIB), such as SIB1, SIB2, etc.

[0196] 612. The UE sets a value of the UE timer according to the duration of the timer indicated by the indication information.

[0197] The UE's timer is in a non-running state, for example, the UE has received a response message corresponding to the registration request in step 603, then the value of the UE's timer is updated to the duration of the timer indicated by the indication information, or, the UE's timer is in a running state, for example, the UE has not received a response message corresponding to the registration request in step 603, and the UE's timer has not timed out, then the remaining running duration of the running timer is set to the difference between the duration of the timer indicated by the indication information and the duration that the UE's timer has been running.

[0198] Please refer to Figure 7 for another scenario example of the timer duration indication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. In Figure 7, the network element AMF in the core network is still used as an example to determine the timer duration. The order of execution of the following steps is not limited:

[0199] 701. AF / OAM sends at least one of the information of the access network equipment on the satellite, the information of the ground station, or the information of the UE to AMF.

[0200] The information of the access network equipment on the satellite can also be called satellite information. For the relevant description of the satellite information, ground station information and UE information, please refer to the description of the aforementioned embodiment and will not be repeated here.

[0201] 702. AMF determines the duration of the timer.

[0202] The AMF may determine the duration of the timer based on at least one of the satellite information, the ground station information, and the UE information obtained in step 701.

[0203] 703. AMF sends an indication message to SMF, where the indication message indicates the duration of the timer.

[0204] 704. SMF sends the indication information to UPF.

[0205] 705. AMF sends indication information to the access network device.

[0206] 706 , determining that the communication link between the access network device and the terminal device is unavailable, and the access network device stores the indication information.

[0207] 707. When it is determined that the communication link between the access network device and the terminal device is available, the access network device sends indication information to the UE.

[0208] For steps 703 to 707 of the embodiment of this application, please refer to steps 607 to 611 of the embodiment of Figure 6, and will not be repeated here.

[0209] 708. The UE sets a value of the UE timer according to the duration of the timer indicated by the indication information.

[0210] If the UE timer is in a non-running state, the value of the UE timer is updated to the duration of the timer indicated by the indication information.

[0211] Please refer to FIG8 , which is another example of a scenario of a method for indicating the duration of a timer provided in an embodiment of the present application. FIG8 takes the access network device determining the duration of the timer as an example. The order of executing the following steps is not limited:

[0212] 801. AF / OAM sends at least one of the information of the access network device on the satellite, the information of the ground station, or the information of the UE to the access network device.

[0213] 802. The access network device determines the duration of the timer.

[0214] The access network device may determine the duration of the timer based on at least one of the satellite information, the ground station information, and the UE information obtained in step 801 .

[0215] 803. The access network device sends an indication message to the AMF, where the indication message indicates the duration of the timer.

[0216] After the access network device determines the duration of the timer, it may send an indication message to a network element in the core network, indicating the duration of the timer. For example, the access network device may send the indication message to the AMF.

[0217] 804. AMF sends indication information to SMF.

[0218] 805. SMF sends indication information to UPF.

[0219] For steps 804 and 805 of the embodiment of this application, please refer to the description of steps 607 and 608 of the embodiment of Figure 6, which will not be repeated here.

[0220] 806. The access network device sends indication information to the UE.

[0221] When the communication link between the access network device and the UE is available, the access network device may send an indication to the UE to indicate the duration of the timer. Optionally, after an RRC connection is established between the UE and the access network device, the indication may be sent to one or more UEs via unicast or broadcast. The indication may be carried in RRC signaling, such as in a system message, which may be a System Information Block (SIB), such as SIB1 or SIB2.

[0222] 807. The UE sets a value of the UE timer according to the duration of the timer indicated by the indication information.

[0223] Regarding the manner in which the UE sets the value of the UE timer, reference may be made to the description of step 612 in FIG6 , which will not be repeated here.

[0224] Please refer to FIG9 , which is another scenario example of the method for indicating the duration of a timer provided in an embodiment of the present application. FIG9 takes the UE determining the duration of the timer as an example, and the order of executing the following steps is not limited:

[0225] 901. AF / OAM sends information of access network equipment on the satellite and / or information of the ground station to the UE.

[0226] 902. The UE determines the duration of the timer.

[0227] The UE may determine the duration of the timer based on at least one of information of the access network device on the satellite (also referred to as satellite information), information of the ground station, or information of the UE.

[0228] 903. The UE sets a value of the UE timer according to the determined timer duration.

[0229] Regarding the manner in which the UE sets the value of the UE timer, reference may be made to the description of step 612 in FIG6 , which will not be repeated here.

[0230] 904. The UE sends indication information to the access network device, where the indication information indicates the duration of the timer.

[0231] After determining the timer duration, the UE may send an indication to a network element in the core network via NAS signaling, indicating the timer duration. For example, the indication may be sent to the network element in the core network via a registration request or service request. Optionally, the UE may send NAS signaling carrying the indication to the access network device.

[0232] 905. The access network device sends an indication message to the AMF.

[0233] After receiving the NAS signaling carrying the indication information, the access network device can further send the NAS signaling to the AMF.

[0234] 906. AMF sends indication information to SMF.

[0235] 907. SMF sends indication information to UPF.

[0236] For steps 906 and 907 of the embodiment of this application, please refer to the description of steps 607 and 608 of the embodiment of Figure 6, which will not be repeated here.

[0237] Please refer to Figure 10, which is a structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device can be a first communication device, which can be applied to a terminal device, an access network device, or a network element in a core network. Exemplarily, the communication device can be a terminal device, an access network device, or a network element in a core network, or a device in a terminal device, an access network device, or a network element in a core network. For example, it can be a chip or chip module in the terminal device, access network device, or a network element in a core network, or a device that can be matched with a terminal device, an access network device, or a network element in a core network. The communication device 100 shown in Figure 10 may include a determining unit 110 and a sending unit 120. Optionally, the communication device 100 may also include a setting unit 130, wherein:

[0238] a determining unit 110 configured to determine a timer duration, where the timer duration includes a storage duration of uplink information and / or downlink information on the flight device, where the uplink information and / or downlink information is information that needs to be transmitted during the timer operation;

[0239] The sending unit 120 is configured to send indication information, where the indication information indicates the duration of the timer.

[0240] In a possible implementation, the communication device 100 may further include a setting unit 130, configured to set a value of the timer according to a duration of the timer.

[0241] In one possible implementation, the method is applied to a first communication device;

[0242] The first communication device is a network element in a core network, or the first communication device is an access network device, or the first communication device is a terminal device.

[0243] In a possible implementation, the core network and the terminal device are deployed in a ground network, and the access network device is deployed in the satellite.

[0244] In a possible implementation, the sending unit 120 is further configured to send the indication information to the second communication device;

[0245] The second communication device includes at least one of the following: access and mobility management function AMF network element, session management function SMF network element, policy control function PCF network element, terminal equipment or user plane function UPF network element, access network equipment, unified data management function UDM, authentication service function AUSF, mobile management entity MME, short message service center SMSC, service gateway, packet data network PDN gateway.

[0246] In one possible implementation, the first communication device is an AMF network element, the second communication device is a terminal device, and the indication information is carried in non-access layer NAS signaling or user plane message.

[0247] In a possible implementation, the NAS signaling includes one of the following: identity authentication request, authorization request, registration response, downlink NAS transmission, configuration update message of the terminal device, and short message.

[0248] In a possible implementation, the indication information includes an index value and a time unit, and the index value indicates the number of the time units included in the duration of the timer.

[0249] In a possible implementation, the flying device is a satellite, and the determining unit 110 is specifically configured to:

[0250] The duration of the timer is determined according to information about the satellite, where the information about the satellite includes information about a constellation associated with the satellite and / or operational information about the satellite.

[0251] In a possible implementation, the operation information of the satellite includes at least one of the following: ephemeris data of the satellite, orbital altitude of the satellite, operation period of the satellite, position of the satellite, or working time of the satellite;

[0252] The information of the satellite-associated constellation includes at least one of the following: the number of satellites included in the satellite-associated constellation, the number of satellites connected to ground stations in the satellite-associated constellation, the operation information of each satellite included in the satellite-associated constellation, and the communication information between the satellites in the satellite-associated constellation and the ground stations.

[0253] In a possible implementation, the determining unit 110 is specifically configured to:

[0254] determining a timer duration based on the satellite information and the information of the third communication device;

[0255] The information of the third communication device includes the information of the ground station and / or the information of the terminal device; the information of the ground station includes the location information of the ground station and / or the time information of the ground station that can send and receive information, and the information of the terminal device includes the location information of the terminal device and / or the time information of the terminal device that can send and receive information.

[0256] In a possible implementation, the location information of the ground station includes at least one of the following: the geographical location of the ground station, the altitude of the ground station, and the speed of the ground station; the time information of the ground station available for sending and receiving information includes the operating hours of the ground station;

[0257] The location information of the terminal device includes at least one of the following: the geographical location of the terminal device, the speed of the terminal device; the time information of the terminal device that can send and receive information includes at least one of the following: the periodic registration time of the terminal device, the deregistration time of the terminal device, the power saving information of the terminal device, and the sleep time of the terminal device.

[0258] In a possible implementation, the satellite information and / or the ground station information comes from an application server and / or an operation and management function network element, and the terminal device information comes from the terminal device, or an application server, or an operation and management function network element.

[0259] The specific description of the embodiment of FIG10 can refer to the description of the embodiments of FIG4 to FIG9 , which will not be repeated here.

[0260] Please refer to Figure 11, which is a structural diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device can be a second communication device, which can be applied to a terminal device, an access network device, or a network element in a core network. Exemplarily, the communication device can be a terminal device, an access network device, or a network element in a core network, or a device in a terminal device, an access network device, or a network element in a core network. For example, it can be a chip or chip module in the terminal device, access network device, or a network element in a core network, or a device that can be matched with a terminal device, an access network device, or a network element in a core network. The communication device 200 shown in Figure 11 may include a receiving unit 210 and a setting unit 220. Optionally, the communication device 200 may also include a sending unit 230, wherein:

[0261] A receiving unit 210 is configured to receive indication information, the indication information indicating a timer duration, the timer duration including a storage duration of uplink information and / or downlink information on the flight device, the uplink information and / or downlink information being information that needs to be transmitted during the operation of the timer;

[0262] The setting unit 220 is configured to set the value of the timer according to the duration of the timer.

[0263] In a possible implementation, the indication information includes an index value and a time unit, and the index value indicates the number of the time units included in the duration of the timer.

[0264] In one possible implementation, the setting unit 220 is specifically used to update the value of the timer to the duration of the timer; or, to set the remaining running duration of the running timer to the difference between the duration of the timer and the duration of the timer that has already run.

[0265] In a possible implementation, the communication device 200 may further include a sending unit 230, configured to send a message and start the timer, where the initial value of the timer is a default value or a preconfigured value.

[0266] In one possible implementation, the flying device is a satellite, and the initial value is determined based on at least one of a network identifier selected by the terminal device, an access technology of the satellite, and an operating mode of a network in which the satellite is located;

[0267] The access technology includes one of the following: low-orbit satellite access, medium-orbit satellite access or high-orbit satellite access; the operating mode is a store-and-forward mode, wherein, in the store-and-forward mode, if the satellite cannot communicate with the ground station or terminal device, the uplink information and / or downlink information is stored in the device in the satellite, and when the satellite can communicate with the ground station or terminal device, the stored uplink information and / or downlink information is forwarded to the ground station or terminal device.

[0268] In a possible implementation manner, the indication information is carried in non-access stratum (NAS) signaling or a user plane message.

[0269] For the specific description of the embodiment of FIG11 , reference can be made to the description of the embodiments of FIG4 to FIG9 , which will not be repeated here.

[0270] Please refer to Figure 12, which is a structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application, which is used to implement the functions of the first communication device in Figures 4 to 9 above, or to implement the functions of the second communication device in Figures 4 to 9 above. The communication device 300 can be a terminal device, an access network device or a network element in a core network, or a device for a terminal device, an access network device or a network element in a core network. The device for a terminal device, an access network device or a network element in a core network can be a chip system or a chip in a terminal device, an access network device or a network element in a core network. Among them, the chip system can be composed of chips, or it can include chips and other discrete devices.

[0271] The communication device 300 includes at least one processor 320 for implementing the data processing function of the first communication device or the second communication device in the method provided in the embodiment of the present application. The communication device 300 may also include a communication interface 310 for implementing the transceiver operation of the first communication device or the second communication device in the method provided in the embodiment of the present application. In the embodiment of the present application, the processor 320 may be a central processing unit (CPU), and the processor may also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may also be any conventional processor, etc. In the embodiment of the present application, the communication interface 310 may be a transceiver, circuit, bus, module or other type of communication interface for communicating with other devices via a transmission medium. For example, the communication interface 310 is used for the communication device 300 to communicate with other devices. The processor 320 uses the communication interface 310 to send and receive data and is used to implement the methods described in Figures 4 to 9 of the above method embodiments.

[0272] The communication device 300 may also include at least one memory 330 for storing program instructions and / or data. The memory 330 is coupled to the processor 320. The coupling in the embodiments of the present application is an indirect coupling or communication connection between devices, units, or modules, which may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms, and is used for information exchange between the devices, units, or modules. The processor 320 may operate in conjunction with the memory 330. The processor 320 may execute program instructions stored in the memory 330. At least one of the at least one memory may be included in the processor.

[0273] When the communication device 300 is turned on, the processor 320 can read the software program in the memory 330, interpret and execute the instructions of the software program, and process the data of the software program. When data needs to be sent wirelessly, the processor 320 performs baseband processing on the data to be sent and outputs the baseband signal to the radio frequency circuit (not shown in Figure 12). The radio frequency circuit performs radio frequency processing on the baseband signal and then transmits the radio frequency signal to the outside in the form of electromagnetic waves through the antenna. When data is sent to the communication device 300, the radio frequency circuit receives the radio frequency signal through the antenna, converts the radio frequency signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor 320. The processor 320 converts the baseband signal into data and processes the data.

[0274] In another implementation, the RF circuit and antenna may be provided independently of the processor 320 that performs baseband processing. For example, in a distributed scenario, the RF circuit and antenna may be remotely located independent of the device.

[0275] The specific connection medium between the communication interface 310, processor 320, and memory 330 is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. In Figure 12, the memory 330, processor 320, and communication interface 310 are connected via a bus 340. The bus is represented by a bold line in Figure 12. The connection method between other components is only for schematic illustration and is not intended to be limiting. The bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of representation, only one bold line is used in Figure 12, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0276] When the communication device 300 is specifically used in a terminal device, for example, when the communication device 300 is specifically a chip or a chip system, the communication interface 310 may output or receive a baseband signal. When the communication device 300 is specifically a terminal device, the communication interface 310 may output or receive a radio frequency signal.

[0277] It should be noted that the device can execute the relevant steps of the terminal equipment, access network equipment or network elements in the core network in the aforementioned method embodiment. For details, please refer to the implementation methods provided in the above steps, which will not be repeated here.

[0278] For each device or product applied to or integrated in the device, each module contained therein can be implemented by hardware such as circuits, and different modules can be located in the same component (for example, a chip, circuit module, etc.) or different components within the terminal device, or at least some of the modules can be implemented by a software program that runs on a processor integrated within the terminal device, and the remaining (if any) modules can be implemented by hardware such as circuits.

[0279] The memory may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memories. The non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, many forms of random access memory (RAM) are available, such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0280] An embodiment of the present application provides a chip. The chip includes a processor and, optionally, a memory. The processor may be one or more, and the memory may be one or more. The processor reads instructions and data stored in the memory to execute the methods illustrated in Figures 4-9 and the steps performed in related embodiments.

[0281] As shown in Figure 13, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of a module device provided in an embodiment of the present application, the module device 400 can execute the relevant steps of the first communication device in the aforementioned method embodiment, or the module device 400 can execute the relevant steps of the second communication device in the aforementioned method embodiment.

[0282] The module device 400 includes a communication module 410, a power module 420, a storage module 430, and a chip module 440. The power module 420 is used to provide power to the module device; the storage module 430 is used to store data and / or instructions; the communication module 410 is used to communicate with external devices; and the chip module 440 is used to access the data and / or instructions stored in the storage module 430. In conjunction with the communication module 410, the methods shown in Figures 4-9 and the steps performed in the related embodiments can be executed.

[0283] In an embodiment of the present application, a computer-readable storage medium is further provided. The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, wherein the computer program includes program instructions, and when an electronic device executes the program instructions, the electronic device implements the steps performed by the first communication device in the method shown in Figures 4 to 9 above, or implements the steps performed by the second communication device in the method shown in Figures 4 to 9 above.

[0284] The computer-readable storage medium may be an internal storage unit of the first communication device or the second communication device described in any of the aforementioned embodiments, such as a hard disk or memory of the device. The computer-readable storage medium may also be an external storage device of the terminal device or network device, such as a plug-in hard disk, a smart media card (SMC), a secure digital (SD) card, a flash card, etc. equipped on the device. Furthermore, the computer-readable storage medium may include both an internal storage unit of the terminal device or network device and an external storage device. The computer-readable storage medium is used to store the computer program and other programs and data required by the terminal device or network device. The computer-readable storage medium may also be used to temporarily store data that has been output or is to be output. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that contains a collection of one or more available media. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk, or a magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., a high-density digital video disc (DVD)), or a semiconductor medium. The semiconductor medium may be a solid-state drive.

[0285] Regarding the various modules / units contained in the various devices and products described in the above embodiments, they can be software modules / units, hardware modules / units, or partly software modules / units and partly hardware modules / units. For example, for various devices and products applied to or integrated in a chip, the various modules / units contained therein can all be implemented in the form of hardware such as circuits, or at least part of the modules / units can be implemented in the form of software programs, which run on the processor integrated inside the chip, and the remaining (if any) modules / units can be implemented in the form of hardware such as circuits; for various devices and products applied to or integrated in a chip module, the various modules / units contained therein can all be implemented in the form of hardware such as circuits, and different modules / units can be located in the same component of the chip module (such as a chip, circuit module, etc.) or in different components, or at least part of the modules / units can be implemented in the form of software programs. It can be implemented in the form of a software program that runs on a processor integrated inside the chip module, and the remaining (if any) modules / units can be implemented in the form of hardware such as circuits; for various devices and products applied to or integrated in the data acquisition node, the various modules / units contained therein can be implemented in the form of hardware such as circuits, and different modules / units can be located in the same component (for example, chip, circuit module, etc.) or different components in the terminal device, or at least some modules / units can be implemented in the form of a software program that runs on a processor integrated inside the data acquisition node, and the remaining (if any) modules / units can be implemented in the form of hardware such as circuits.

[0286] The above embodiments can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any other combination. When implemented using software, the above embodiments 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 or computer programs. When the computer instructions or computer program are loaded or executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, 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 by wired or wireless means.

[0287] It should be understood that in the various embodiments of the present application, the size of the serial numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0288] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed methods, devices, and systems can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic; for example, the division of the units is merely a logical function division, and there may be other division methods in actual implementation; for example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0289] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0290] In addition, the functional units in various embodiments of the present invention may be integrated into a single processing unit, each unit may be physically included separately, or two or more units may be integrated into a single unit. The aforementioned integrated units may be implemented in the form of hardware or hardware plus software functional units.

[0291] The above-mentioned integrated unit implemented in the form of a software functional unit can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. The above-mentioned software functional unit stored in a storage medium includes a number of instructions for causing a computer device (which can be a personal computer, server, or gateway node, etc.) to perform some steps of the method described in various embodiments of the present invention.

[0292] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that all or part of the processes in the above-described method embodiments can be implemented by instructing related hardware through a computer program. The program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and when executed, the program can include the processes in the above-described method embodiments. The storage medium can be a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a read-only memory (ROM), or a random access memory (RAM).

[0293] The above disclosure is only a preferred embodiment of the present application, and certainly cannot be used to limit the scope of rights of the present application. Ordinary technicians in this field can understand that all or part of the processes of the above embodiment and equivalent changes made in accordance with the claims of this application are still within the scope covered by the application.

Claims

1. A timer duration indication method, characterized in that: include: Determine a duration of a timer, where the duration of the timer includes a storage duration of uplink information and / or downlink information on the flight device, where the uplink information and / or the downlink information is information that needs to be transmitted during the operation of the timer; Send indication information, where the indication information indicates the duration of the timer.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further comprises: The value of the timer is set according to the duration of the timer.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The method is applied to a first communication device; The first communication device is a network element in a core network, or the first communication device is an access network device, or the first communication device is a terminal device.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The core network and the terminal equipment are deployed in a ground network, and the access network equipment is deployed in the satellite.

5. The method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that The sending instruction information includes: sending the indication information to the second communication device; The second communication device includes at least one of the following: access and mobility management function AMF network element, session management function SMF network element, policy control function PCF network element, terminal equipment or user plane function UPF network element, access network equipment, unified data management function UDM, authentication service function AUSF, mobile management entity MME, short message service center SMSC, service gateway, packet data network PDN gateway.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The first communication device is an AMF network element, the second communication device is a terminal device, and the indication information is carried in a non-access layer NAS signaling or a user plane message.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The NAS signaling includes one of the following: identity authentication request, authorization request, registration response, downlink NAS transmission, configuration update message of terminal equipment, and short message.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The indication information includes an index value and a time unit, and the index value indicates the number of the time units included in the duration of the timer.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The flying device is a satellite, and determining the duration of the timer includes: The duration of the timer is determined according to the satellite information, wherein the satellite information includes information of a constellation associated with the satellite and / or operation information of the satellite.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the satellite operation information comprises at least one of the following: ephemeris data of the satellite, orbital altitude of the satellite, operation period of the satellite, position of the satellite, or working time of the satellite; The information of the satellite-associated constellation includes at least one of the following: the number of satellites included in the satellite-associated constellation, the number of satellites connected to the ground station in the satellite-associated constellation, the operation information of each satellite included in the satellite-associated constellation, and the communication information between the satellites in the satellite-associated constellation and the ground station.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that Determining the duration of the timer according to the satellite information includes: Determining the duration of the timer according to the information of the satellite and the information of the third communication device; The information of the third communication device includes the information of the ground station and / or the information of the terminal device; the information of the ground station includes the location information of the ground station and / or the time information of the ground station that can send and receive information, and the information of the terminal device includes the location information of the terminal device and / or the time information of the terminal device that can send and receive information.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The location information of the ground station includes at least one of the following: the geographical location of the ground station, the altitude of the ground station, and the speed of the ground station; the time information of the ground station that can send and receive information includes the operating time of the ground station; The location information of the terminal device includes at least one of the following: the geographical location of the terminal device and the speed of the terminal device; the time information of the terminal device that can send and receive information includes at least one of the following: the periodic registration time of the terminal device, the deregistration time of the terminal device, the power saving information of the terminal device, and the sleep time of the terminal device.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that: The satellite information and / or the ground station information comes from an application server and / or an operation and management function network element, and the terminal device information comes from the terminal device, or an application server, or an operation and management function network element.

14. A timer duration indication method, characterized in that: include: receiving indication information, where the indication information indicates a duration of a timer, where the duration of the timer includes a storage duration of uplink information and / or downlink information on the flight device, where the uplink information and / or the downlink information is information that needs to be transmitted during the operation of the timer; The value of the timer is set according to the duration of the timer.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that The indication information includes an index value and a time unit, and the index value indicates the number of the time units included in the duration of the timer.

16. The method according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that The step of setting the value of the timer according to the duration of the timer includes: The value of the timer is updated to the duration of the timer; or the remaining running duration of the running timer is set to the difference between the duration of the timer and the duration of the timer that has already run.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that Before setting the remaining running time of the running timer to the difference between the timer length and the time length of the timer that has already run, the method further includes: A message is sent and the timer is started, wherein the initial value of the timer is a default value or a preconfigured value.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that The flying device is a satellite, and the initial value is determined based on at least one of a network identifier selected by the terminal device, an access technology of the satellite, and an operation mode of a network where the satellite is located; The access technology includes one of the following: low-orbit satellite access, medium-orbit satellite access or high-orbit satellite access; the operating mode is a store-and-forward mode, wherein, in the store-and-forward mode, if the satellite cannot communicate with the ground station or the terminal device, the uplink information and / or downlink information is stored in the device in the satellite, and when the satellite can communicate with the ground station or the terminal device, the stored uplink information and / or downlink information is forwarded to the ground station or the terminal device.

19. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 18, characterized in that: The indication information is carried in non-access layer NAS signaling or user plane message.

20. A communication device, characterized in that: include: a determining unit, configured to determine a duration of a timer, wherein the duration of the timer includes a storage duration of uplink information and / or downlink information on the flight device, wherein the uplink information and / or the downlink information is information that needs to be transmitted during the operation of the timer; The sending unit is used to send indication information, where the indication information indicates the duration of the timer.

21. A communication device, characterized in that: include: a receiving unit, configured to receive indication information, wherein the indication information indicates a duration of a timer, wherein the duration of the timer includes a storage duration of uplink information and / or downlink information on the flight device, wherein the uplink information and / or the downlink information is information that needs to be transmitted during the operation of the timer; The setting unit is used to set the value of the timer according to the duration of the timer.

22. A communication device, characterized in that: The communication device includes a processor and a memory, and the processor and the memory are connected to each other, wherein the memory is used to store a computer program, and the computer program includes program instructions. The processor calls the program instructions to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, or executes the method according to any one of claims 14 to 19.

23. A chip, characterized in that: The chip includes a processor and an interface, and the processor is coupled to the interface; the interface is used to receive or output signals, and the processor is used to execute code instructions, execute the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 13, or execute the method as described in any one of claims 14 to 19.

24. A module device, characterized in that: The module device includes a communication module, a power module, a storage module and a chip module, wherein: The power module is used to provide electrical energy to the module device; The storage module is used to store data and / or instructions; The communication module is used to communicate with external devices; The chip module is used to call the data and / or instructions stored in the storage module to execute the method described in any one of claims 1 to 13, or to execute the method described in any one of claims 14 to 19.

25. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, wherein the computer program includes program instructions. When a computer executes the program instructions, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13 is implemented; or the method according to any one of claims 14 to 19 is implemented.

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