Communication method and apparatus, and computer readable storage medium

Abstract

A communication method and apparatus, and a computer readable storage medium. The method comprises: receiving first signaling, wherein the first signaling comprises timeliness information, and the timeliness information is used for indicating the timeliness of the first signaling; sending second signaling, wherein the second signaling is used for requesting to update context of a terminal pointed by the first signaling, and the second signaling comprises the timeliness information of the first signaling; and receiving first information, wherein if the timeliness information indicates that the first signaling has expired, the first information is used for instructing to reject to update the context of the terminal pointed by the first signaling. The solution of the present application can avoid erroneous interruptions of a registration process during the use of a store-and-forward mode for communication.

Description

Communication method and device, and computer-readable storage medium

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on December 22, 2023, with application number 202311791608.6 and application name “Communication Method and Device, Computer-readable Storage Medium”, 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 communication method and device, and a computer-readable storage medium. Background Art

[0003] A common architecture for satellite communications involves base stations installed on satellites and core network elements on the ground. Satellites connect to core network elements via ground gateways (also known as ground stations or base stations), and terminals communicate with the core network via satellite. In the early stages of satellite network deployment, there were relatively few satellites and ground stations. This meant that the satellite could connect to the terminal but not the ground station, or vice versa. This resulted in intermittent end-to-end links (i.e., from the terminal to the core network) and intermittent data transmission.

[0004] To address this situation, a store-and-forward mechanism was introduced. Simply put, for uplink data, when the satellite and terminal are connected, the terminal sends data to the satellite, which stores it. When the satellite reaches a suitable location to connect with the ground gateway, it forwards the uplink data to the ground gateway. Downlink data is handled similarly: the ground gateway first sends the downlink data to the satellite, which stores it and then forwards it to the terminal when it reaches above the terminal and establishes a connection.

[0005] However, consider the following scenario: a terminal initiates a registration process (such as initial registration, periodic registration, or mobility registration). When the satellite is not connected to the core network, the terminal can begin the registration process on the satellite, and the satellite stores the terminal's registration request locally. When the satellite moves toward the terrestrial core network area, the terminal may reselect a cell due to its own mobility, reselect the terrestrial cell, and then re-initiate a new registration process and successfully register with the new core network. However, after this, when the satellite connects to the core network, the old registration request stored on the satellite will cause the core network to mistakenly believe that the terminal has initiated registration in the satellite cell again, and thus deregister the terminal's registration in the terrestrial cell. This deregistration operation is obviously inappropriate and will affect normal communication between the terminal and the core network. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The technical problem solved by this application is how to avoid the registration process from being erroneously interrupted when communicating in a store-and-forward mode.

[0007] To solve the above technical problems, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, including: receiving a first signaling, the first signaling including timeliness information, the timeliness information being used to indicate the timeliness of the first signaling; sending a second signaling, the second signaling being used to request an update of the context of the terminal pointed to by the first signaling, the second signaling including the timeliness information of the first signaling; receiving a first message, wherein, if the timeliness information indicates that the first signaling has expired, the first message is used to indicate a refusal to update the context of the terminal pointed to by the first signaling.

[0008] Optionally, if the timeliness information indicates that the first signaling is valid, the first information is used to confirm deletion of the context of the terminal pointed to by the first signaling.

[0009] Optionally, the timeliness information includes: timestamp information and / or numbering information, and the numbering information increases as the number of times the first signaling is sent increases.

[0010] Optionally, the first signaling is selected from: attach request signaling, tracking area update request signaling and initial user equipment message.

[0011] Optionally, the second signaling is selected from: context request signaling and location update request signaling.

[0012] To solve the above technical problems, an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication method, comprising: sending a first signaling, wherein the first signaling includes timeliness information, and the timeliness information is used to indicate the timeliness of the first signaling.

[0013] Optionally, the method further includes: before the first timer expires, if the signal quality of the cell pointed to by the first signaling is greater than a first preset threshold, suspending the cell reselection action.

[0014] Optionally, the first preset threshold is smaller than a standard threshold for triggering a cell reselection action.

[0015] Optionally, the timeliness information includes: timestamp information and / or numbering information, and the numbering information increases as the number of times the first signaling is sent increases.

[0016] Optionally, the first signaling is selected from: attach request signaling, tracking area update request signaling and initial user equipment message.

[0017] To solve the above technical problems, an embodiment of the present application also provides a communication method, including: receiving a second signaling, the second signaling being used to request an update of the context of the terminal pointed to by the first signaling, the second signaling including the expiration information of the first signaling; sending a first message, wherein, if the expiration information indicates that the first signaling has expired, the first message is used to indicate a refusal to update the context of the terminal pointed to by the first signaling.

[0018] Optionally, sending the first information includes: if a third signaling directed to the same terminal with a timeliness later than the first signaling has been received, sending the first information, and the first information is used to indicate a refusal to update the context of the terminal directed to by the first signaling.

[0019] Optionally, sending the first information also includes: if the timeliness of the first signaling is later than all signalings received in the history pointing to the same terminal, sending the first information, and the first information is used to indicate acceptance of updating the context of the terminal pointed to by the first signaling.

[0020] Optionally, the timeliness information includes: timestamp information and / or numbering information, and the numbering information increases as the number of times the first signaling is sent increases.

[0021] Optionally, the first signaling is selected from: attach request signaling, tracking area update request signaling and initial user equipment message.

[0022] Optionally, the second signaling is selected from: context request signaling and location update request signaling.

[0023] To solve the above technical problems, an embodiment of the present application also provides a communication device, including: a first receiving module, used to receive a first signaling, the first signaling including timeliness information, and the timeliness information is used to indicate the timeliness of the first signaling; a sending module, used to send a second signaling, the second signaling is used to request to update the context of the terminal pointed to by the first signaling, and the second signaling includes the timeliness information of the first signaling; a second receiving module, used to receive first information, wherein, if the timeliness information indicates that the first signaling has expired, then the first information is used to indicate a refusal to update the context of the terminal pointed to by the first signaling.

[0024] To solve the above technical problems, an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication device, including: a sending module, used to send a first signaling, the first signaling including timeliness information, and the timeliness information is used to indicate the timeliness of the first signaling.

[0025] To solve the above technical problems, an embodiment of the present application also provides a communication device, including: a receiving module for receiving a second signaling, the second signaling being used to request an update of the context of the terminal pointed to by the first signaling, the second signaling including the expiration information of the first signaling; a sending module for sending a first message, wherein, if the expiration information indicates that the first signaling has expired, the first information is used to indicate a refusal to update the context of the terminal pointed to by the first signaling.

[0026] To solve the above technical problems, an embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which is a non-volatile storage medium or a non-transient storage medium, on which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is run by a processor, the steps of the above method are executed.

[0027] To solve the above technical problems, an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication device, comprising a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program that can be run on the processor, and the processor executes the steps of the above method when running the computer program.

[0028] To solve the above technical problems, an embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product, including a computer program, which implements the above method when executed by a computer.

[0029] Compared with the prior art, the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application has the following beneficial effects:

[0030] On the core network side, specifically, on the first network element side of the core network, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, including: receiving a first signaling, the first signaling including timeliness information, the timeliness information being used to indicate the timeliness of the first signaling; sending a second signaling, the second signaling being used to request an update of the context of the terminal pointed to by the first signaling, the second signaling including the timeliness information of the first signaling; receiving a first message, wherein, if the timeliness information indicates that the first signaling has expired, the first message is used to indicate a refusal to update the context of the terminal pointed to by the first signaling.

[0031] Compared to the existing core network, which executes each received context update signaling, the store-and-forward mode is very likely to cause the registration process to be erroneously interrupted. This implementation adds timeliness information to the first signaling, and the second signaling sent by the first network element to the next node in the core network (for example, the second network element) carries this timeliness information. This allows the next node to determine whether the update request has expired and, therefore, accurately decide whether to respond to the update request. This prevents the registration process from being erroneously interrupted when communicating in the store-and-forward mode.

[0032] On the core network side, specifically, on the second network element side of the core network, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, including: receiving a second signaling, the second signaling being used to request an update of the context of the terminal pointed to by the first signaling, the second signaling including the expiration information of the first signaling; sending a first message, wherein, if the expiration information indicates that the first signaling has expired, the first message is used to indicate a refusal to update the context of the terminal pointed to by the first signaling.

[0033] Compared to the existing core network, which executes each received context update signaling request, the store-and-forward mode is very likely to cause the registration process to be erroneously interrupted. This embodiment carries timeliness information in the second signaling from a node on the core network (e.g., the first network element), allowing the second network element to determine whether the update request has expired and accurately make a decision to respond to or reject the update request, thus avoiding erroneous registration process interruptions when communicating in the store-and-forward mode.

[0034] On the terminal side or the satellite side, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, including: sending a first signaling, where the first signaling includes timeliness information, and the timeliness information is used to indicate the timeliness of the first signaling.

[0035] Compared with existing terminals or satellites that do not carry timeliness-related content when sending signaling, this implementation adds timeliness information in the first signaling, so that the core network element (for example, the first network element) that receives the first signaling can also carry the timeliness information when sending an update request to the next node in the core network (for example, the second network element), ensuring that the core network correctly makes a decision to respond to or reject the update request.

[0036] On the terminal side, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, including: before the expiration of a first timer, if the signal quality of the cell pointed to by the first signaling is greater than a first preset threshold, suspending the cell reselection action.

[0037] In the prior art, a terminal performs cell reselection when signal quality falls below a threshold (e.g., a standard threshold). In store-and-forward mode, this can easily lead to the terminal reselecting to a terrestrial cell before the satellite connects to the terrestrial gateway. At this point, the satellite sends the stored registration request to the terrestrial gateway, causing the terminal's registration with the terrestrial cell to be erroneously interrupted. In contrast, this implementation reduces the likelihood of erroneous deregistration in store-and-forward mode by suspending cell reselection until the first timer expires, providing a buffer for the satellite to connect to the terrestrial gateway. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] FIG1 is a diagram of a 5G NR satellite communication architecture provided by this application;

[0039] FIG2 is a diagram of a 4G LTE satellite communication architecture provided by this application;

[0040] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of an end-to-end link interruption provided by the present application;

[0041] FIG4 is a signaling interaction diagram of a communication method according to the first embodiment of the present application;

[0042] FIG5 is a signaling interaction diagram in a typical application scenario of an embodiment of the present application;

[0043] FIG6 is a signaling interaction diagram of a communication method according to the second embodiment of the present application;

[0044] FIG7 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to a third embodiment of the present application;

[0045] FIG8 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to a fourth embodiment of the present application;

[0046] FIG9 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to the fifth embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] The satellite communication network (referred to as satellite network) in the embodiment of the present application refers to the signaling and data between the satellite as a relay forwarding terminal and the network (for example, the core network). Specifically, a satellite communication architecture such as that shown in Figures 1 and 2 can be adopted. Referring to Figure 1, in the fifth-generation mobile communications technology (5G) new radio (NR, also known as new wireless) technology, the base station (gNB) is located on the satellite, and the core network related network elements (such as AMF, UPF (User Plane Function), etc.) are located on the ground. The link between the terminal and the satellite is called a service link, and the link between the satellite and the ground gateway is called a feeder link. Referring to Figure 2, in the 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology, the base station (eNB) is also located on the satellite, and the core network related network elements (for example, MME, S-GW (Serving GateWay, service gateway), etc.) are located on the ground.

[0048] The store-and-forward mode in the embodiment of the present application may refer to the situation where, when an end-to-end link interruption occurs as shown in FIG3 , the satellite is enabled to complete the signaling / data transfer between the terminal and the core network by means of store-and-forward. Referring to FIG3 , at time T1, the satellite moves above the terminal and establishes a connection with the terminal, but is unable to connect to the ground gateway. At this time, the satellite receives and stores the data sent by the terminal. At time T3, the satellite moves above the ground gateway, establishes a connection with the ground gateway, and establishes a connection with the core network element (such as AMF, UPF) through the ground gateway, but is unable to connect to the terminal. At this time, the satellite transmits the stored data sent by the terminal at time T1 to the core network element.

[0049] As mentioned in the background technology, in a satellite network, the satellite acts as a relay to forward signaling and data between the terminal and the network. When using store-and-forward mode, if the terminal initiates the initial registration process, the registration process will be interrupted due to satellite movement (for example, if the terminal initiates a registration request to the satellite at time T1, the satellite will not be able to connect to the core network and forward the registration request to it until time T3). If the terminal reselects the terrestrial cell at time T2 (between time T1 and time T3) during satellite movement, then after the satellite moves and connects to the core network at time T3, the terminal's registration in the terrestrial cell at time T2 will be incorrectly deregistered due to the satellite-side store-and-forwarded registration request at time T1.

[0050] To solve the above technical problems, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, including: receiving a first signaling, the first signaling including timeliness information, the timeliness information being used to indicate the timeliness of the first signaling; sending a second signaling, the second signaling being used to request an update of the context of the terminal pointed to by the first signaling, the second signaling including the timeliness information of the first signaling; receiving a first message, wherein, if the timeliness information indicates that the first signaling has expired, the first message is used to indicate a refusal to update the context of the terminal pointed to by the first signaling.

[0051] This embodiment adds expiration information to the first signaling, and the second signaling sent by the first network element to the next node in the core network (e.g., the second network element) carries this expiration information. This allows the next node to determine whether the update request has expired and, therefore, accurately decide whether to respond to the update request. This prevents the registration process from being erroneously interrupted when communicating in store-and-forward mode.

[0052] The first signaling in the embodiment of the present application is used to initiate an attachment process or a tracking area update process. In some embodiments, the first signaling may be, for example, an Attach Request signaling, which may be sent by the terminal to the core network element through the base station. In some embodiments, the first signaling may be, for example, a Tracking Area Update Request signaling, which may be sent by the terminal to the core network element through the base station. In some embodiments, the first signaling may also be, for example, an Initial UE message, which may be generated by the base station in response to the terminal initiating an Attach process or a Tracking Area Update process and sent to the core network element.

[0053] The base stations in the embodiments of the present application may include base stations deployed on satellites and base stations deployed on the ground. For ease of distinction, in the embodiments of the present application, base stations deployed on satellites are referred to as satellites, and base stations deployed on the ground are referred to as base stations. In the store-and-forward mode, there is a situation where the terminal sends a first signaling to the satellite at time T1 and sends a first signaling to the base station at time T2. The base station sends the first signaling to the core network element at time T2 (or at the latest before time T3), and the satellite sends the first signaling sent by the terminal at time T1 to the core network element at time T3.

[0054] The first network element in the embodiment of the present application refers to the core network element that has most recently received the first signaling, such as the core network element that received the first signaling sent by the satellite at time T3. Furthermore, the first network element can be a network element for managing mobility, such as an AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function) or an MME (Mobility Management Entity). Taking the MME as an example, the first network element can be understood as a new MME. However, in fact, in the store-and-forward mode, the new MME receives the first signaling sent by the terminal at time T1.

[0055] The second network element in the embodiment of the present application may be an HSS (Home Subscriber Server) in the attach process, and may be an old MME in the tracking area update process.

[0056] The third network element in the embodiments of the present application refers to the core network element that previously received the first signaling, such as the core network element that received the first signaling sent by the base station at time T2. Taking the MME as an example, the third network element can be understood as the old MME. However, in practice, in store-and-forward mode, the old MME receives the first signaling sent by the terminal at time T2, which is more recent.

[0057] In the embodiments of the present application, the second signaling and the third signaling are identical in content. For example, they may be signaling sent by a first network element to a second network element during an attach procedure or a tracking area update procedure, requesting a location or context update. In some embodiments, either the second signaling or the third signaling may be, for example, a context request signaling sent by the new MME to the old MME. In some embodiments, either the second signaling or the third signaling may be, for example, a location update request signaling sent by the new MME to the HSS.

[0058] The difference between the second signaling and the third signaling is that the sending end and timing of the first signaling that triggers the sending of the two are different. Specifically, in the store-and-forward mode, the terminal sends the first signaling to the satellite at time T1, the satellite sends the first signaling to the first network element at time T3, and the first network element sends the second signaling to the second network element. On the other hand, the terminal sends a new first signaling to the base station at time T2, the base station sends the new first signaling to the third network element at time T2, and the third network element sends the third signaling to the second network element. In other words, the second signaling is sent by the first network element in response to the first signaling sent by the satellite, and the third signaling is sent by the third network element in response to the first signaling sent by the base station. The first signaling that triggers the second signaling is sent from the terminal side earlier than the first signaling that triggers the third signaling, but the second signaling arrives at the second network element later than the third signaling.

[0059] In order to make the above-mentioned objectives, features and beneficial effects of the present application more obvious and easy to understand, the specific embodiments of the present application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0060] FIG4 is a signaling interaction diagram of a communication method according to the first embodiment of the present application.

[0061] This embodiment can be applied to communication scenarios where satellite networks adopt a store-and-forward mode.

[0062] In a specific implementation, in the communication method provided in steps S101 to S103 below, the steps implemented by the terminal can be executed by a chip with communication functions in the terminal or by a baseband chip in the terminal; the steps implemented by the network device can be executed by a chip with communication functions in the network device or by a baseband chip in the network device. The network device may include a first network element, a second network element, a third network element, a satellite, a base station, etc.

[0063] Specifically, referring to FIG4 , the communication method according to this embodiment may include the following steps:

[0064] In step S101, a terminal sends a first signaling to a first network element. Accordingly, the first network element receives the first signaling. The first signaling includes timeliness information, which indicates the timeliness of the first signaling.

[0065] In some embodiments, the timeliness information may include timestamp information, which is used to indicate the timestamp when the terminal sends the first signaling. For example, if the terminal sends the first signaling at time T1, the timestamp information included in the first signaling may be time T1.

[0066] In some embodiments, the timeliness information may include numbering information indicating the number of times the terminal has sent the first signaling. Specifically, the numbering information increases as the number of times the first signaling is sent increases. For example, if the terminal sends the first signaling at time T1, the corresponding numbering information carried in the first signaling is 1. Subsequently, the terminal sends the first signaling again at time T2, and the corresponding numbering information carried in the first signaling is 2.

[0067] In some embodiments, the timeliness information may include timestamp information and number information. For example, if a terminal sends a first signaling at time T1, the timeliness information in the corresponding first signaling is time T1 and the number is 1. Subsequently, the terminal sends another first signaling at time T2, and the timeliness information in the corresponding first signaling is time T2 and the number is 2.

[0068] For another example, the terminal sends a first signaling at time T1, and the corresponding timeliness information in the first signaling is numbered 1. In response to receiving the first signaling, the satellite further adds a timestamp information (corresponding to the timestamp when the terminal sends the first signaling) to the timeliness information of the first signaling as time T1.

[0069] In one specific implementation, referring again to Figure 4 , in response to receiving the first signaling, the first network element may execute step S102, where the first network element sends a second signaling to the second network element. Accordingly, the second network element receives the second signaling. The second signaling is used to request an update of the context of the terminal targeted by the first signaling, and the second signaling includes timeliness information of the first signaling.

[0070] Taking the first signaling used to initiate the attach process as an example, the first network element may carry the timeliness information in the first signaling in the location update request signaling and send it to the HSS.

[0071] Taking the first signaling used to initiate the tracking area update process as an example, the first network element can carry the timeliness information in the first signaling in the context request signaling and send it to the third network element.

[0072] In one specific implementation, with continued reference to Figure 4 , in response to receiving the second signaling, the second network element may execute step S103 , where the second network element sends the first information to the first network element, and the first network element receives the first information. If the expiration information indicates that the first signaling has expired, the first information indicates a refusal to update the context of the terminal targeted by the first signaling.

[0073] Specifically, the second network element may determine whether it has received a third signaling directed to the same terminal whose timeliness is later than that of the first signaling.

[0074] If the judgment result indicates that a third signaling directed to the same terminal has been received and has a timeliness later than the first signaling, the second network element sends the first information, and the first information is used to indicate a refusal to update the context of the terminal directed by the first signaling.

[0075] If the judgment result indicates that the timeliness of the first signaling is later than all previously received signalings directed to the same terminal, the first message is sent, and the first message is used to indicate acceptance of updating the context of the terminal directed by the first signaling. In other words, in this example, the first message is used to confirm the deletion of the context of the terminal directed by the first signaling.

[0076] In a typical application scenario, referring again to Figure 4 , a terminal sends a first signaling message to a satellite at time T1, and the satellite sends the first signaling message to a first network element at time T3. In this case, the timeliness information (denoted as timeliness information A) of the first signaling message is time T1 and / or number 1. A second signaling message sent by the first network element to the second network element includes timeliness information A, requesting a context update for the terminal.

[0077] During this time, the terminal sends another first signaling message to the third network element through the base station at time T2. The timeliness information (referred to as timeliness information B) of the first signaling message is time T2 and / or number 2. The third signaling message sent by the third network element to the second network element includes timeliness information B, requesting an update of the terminal's context.

[0078] Assume that the second network element receives the third signaling first and then the second signaling. Since the timeliness information A carried in the second signaling is earlier than the timeliness information B carried in the third signaling received earlier, the second network element rejects the update request of the first network element.

[0079] Assume that the second network element receives the second signaling first and then the third signaling. Since the timeliness information B carried in the third signaling is later than the timeliness information A carried in the second signaling received earlier, the second network element accepts the update request from the third network element.

[0080] As described above, this implementation adds expiration information to the first signaling, and the second signaling sent by the first network element to the next node in the core network (e.g., the second network element) carries this expiration information. This allows the next node to determine whether the update request has expired and, therefore, accurately decide whether to respond to the update request. This prevents the registration process from being erroneously interrupted when communicating in store-and-forward mode.

[0081] In a typical application scenario, taking the attach process (also known as the initial registration process) in 4G LTE as an example, the terminal may be in an idle state and has not registered with the network before, such as after the first power-on or restart.

[0082] Referring to Figure 5, after the Non-Access Stratum (NAS) signaling connection has been established, the terminal performs operation s1 and initiates the attachment process by sending an ATTACH REQUEST signaling (i.e., the first signaling) to the MME. The attachment request signaling contains time information and may further include: IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identification Number) or GUTI (Globally Unique Temporary UE Identity), Tracking Area Identity (TAI) (Last Visited TAI), terminal network capability (UE Network Capability), PDN (Packet Data Network) Internet Protocol (IP) option (PDN IP Option), connection type (Connect Type), etc.

[0083] The satellite performs operation s2, selects an MME and sends an attach request signaling. In one possible example, the terminal initiates an attach procedure, and the satellite includes timestamp information in an Initial UE message sent to the new MME.

[0084] If the new MME (corresponding to the first network element) to which the terminal is most recently connected is not the same as the old MME (corresponding to the third network element) to which the terminal was last connected when it left the network, then the new MME will perform operation s3 to send an ID request to the old MME to apply for the IMSI of the current terminal, so as to reallocate the GUTI for the current terminal.

[0085] If neither the new MME nor the old MME can identify the current terminal, the new MME performs operation s4 to send an ID request to the terminal. Subsequently, the terminal should tell the new MME its IMSI.

[0086] If there is no security context for the terminal in the current network, the new MME will initiate an authentication process. After the terminal and the new MME authenticate each other, relevant security contexts will be generated on both sides.

[0087] In operation s5a, in the case of roaming, the new MME should obtain the terminal's subscription information and other content from the HSS.

[0088] In operation s5b, after authentication is complete, the new MME may send a mobile device identity check request to the Equipment Identity Register (EIR). The new MME may check the mobile device identity in the EIR. At least when roaming, the new MME should pass the mobile device identity to the HSS.

[0089] Then, operation s6 is executed to update the encryption option between the new MME and the terminal.

[0090] If there are activated default bearer contexts in the new MME (for example, a bearer has been created when a previous connection attempt failed), the new MME performs operation s7 and sends a message to each PDN GW (P-GW for short) to delete these invalid bearer contexts.

[0091] Due to the change in the terminal's location (resulting in a change in the MME), the new MME performs operation s8 to send a location update request signaling (also called a location update request signaling, i.e., second signaling) to the HSS. The location update request signaling includes the timeliness information of the attach request signaling and may further indicate the MME identity, IMSI, and ME ID.

[0092] The HSS determines whether the new MME's attach request signaling has expired based on the expiration information carried in the location update request signaling. If the new MME's attach request signaling is valid, operations s9 and s10 are executed, and the old MME deletes the terminal's location information and corresponding bearer context stored in it. Furthermore, the HSS executes operation s11, where it responds with a location update response message (i.e., the first message) to the new MME, indicating that it has accepted the new MME's location update request (Update location ack).

[0093] If the attach request signaling from the new MME has expired, operation s11' is executed, and the HSS replies to the new MME with a location update response message (i.e., the first message), indicating that the new MME's location update request is rejected (Update location reject). Furthermore, in this example, operations s9 and s10 are not executed, thereby preventing the terminal's context from being erroneously deleted on the old MME due to the expired attach request. Furthermore, the new MME rejects the terminal's attach request.

[0094] In another typical application scenario, for example, a terminal initiates a tracking area update procedure. The terminal is registered with the network but is idle. The base station or core network can configure a tracking area list for the terminal. A tracking area consists of multiple cells. The terminal does not need to notify the network while moving within a tracking area listed in the tracking area list. However, if the terminal moves outside of the tracking area configured in the tracking area list, a tracking area update procedure must be initiated.

[0095] Specifically, the terminal may carry timestamp information and / or number information along with Tracking Area Update Request signaling (i.e., first signaling), and the number information is updated each time the terminal initiates a Tracking Area Update procedure. Alternatively, when the terminal initiates a Tracking Area Update procedure, the satellite may include timestamp information in an initial UE message (i.e., first signaling) sent to the new MME (corresponding to the first network element).

[0096] Furthermore, the new MME carries the timeliness information in a context request (Context Request) signaling (ie, the second signaling) and sends it to the old MME (corresponding to the second network element).

[0097] Furthermore, the old MME determines whether the tracking area update request signaling has expired based on the timeliness information. If it has expired, the old MME rejects the context request of the new MME.

[0098] FIG6 is a signaling interaction diagram of a communication method according to the second embodiment of the present application.

[0099] This embodiment can be applied to communication scenarios where satellite networks adopt a store-and-forward mode.

[0100] In a specific implementation, in the communication method provided in step S601 below, the steps implemented by the terminal may be performed by a chip with communication functions in the terminal or by a baseband chip in the terminal; the steps implemented by the network device may be performed by a chip with communication functions in the network device or by a baseband chip in the network device. The network device may include a satellite.

[0101] 6 , the terminal may execute step S601 , where the terminal sends a first signaling to the satellite, and the satellite receives the first signaling. At the same time, the terminal may start a first timer.

[0102] The first timer may be, for example, a T3510 timer.

[0103] Furthermore, before the first timer expires, if the signal quality of the cell pointed to by the first signaling is greater than a first preset threshold, the terminal suspends performing the cell reselection action. For example, the terminal may suspend sending new first signaling to the base station.

[0104] In some embodiments, the cell directed by the first signaling may be a non-terrestrial cell, that is, a satellite-associated cell.

[0105] In some embodiments, the signal quality may be characterized based on Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) and Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ).

[0106] For example, for a terminal that initiates an attachment process in a non-terrestrial cell and returns to an idle state, when the attachment process is in a pending state (that is, T3510 is still running), if the signal quality of the current non-terrestrial cell (such as RSRP / RSRQ) is greater than or equal to the first preset threshold, the terminal suspends cell reselection.

[0107] In some embodiments, the first preset threshold may be smaller than a standard threshold for triggering a cell reselection action, wherein the standard threshold is a threshold fixed in an existing protocol.

[0108] For example, the current protocol stipulates that cell reselection will be initiated when RSRP is lower than a standard threshold (such as 10), while in this embodiment, the terminal initiates cell reselection only when it detects that RSRP is lower than a first preset threshold (less than the standard threshold, such as 5).

[0109] In a typical application scenario, a terminal sends an attachment request to a satellite. While the attachment process is pending, existing technologies will cause the terminal to reselect a cell if it detects that the signal quality of a non-terrestrial cell falls below a threshold. If the terminal reselects to a terrestrial cell before the satellite connects to the terrestrial gateway, and the satellite then sends a stored registration request to the terrestrial gateway, the registration process between the terminal and the terrestrial cell will be incorrectly interrupted.

[0110] However, in store-and-forward mode, it's possible for the satellite to maintain a weak connection with the terminal (where the signal quality is between the standard threshold and a first preset threshold) while also being connected to the core network. For example, the terminal might send an attach request while the satellite isn't connected to the core network. The satellite then stores the attach request and then reconnects to the core network while moving away from the terminal while maintaining a weak connection. In this scenario, the satellite can successfully complete the terminal's registration with the core network, eliminating the need for the terminal to initiate cell reselection.

[0111] Accordingly, this implementation scheme lowers the threshold for triggering cell reselection (i.e., lowers it to a first preset threshold) and suspends the terminal from initiating a cell reselection operation (i.e., suspends the terminal from executing an action similar to sending a first signaling carrying time information B to the base station in Figure 4), thereby avoiding the reselected cell from being erroneously de-registered due to subsequent interaction between the satellite and the core network based on storage and forwarding data.

[0112] In this example, the first signaling sent in step S601 may also carry timeliness information.

[0113] As described above, by causing the terminal to suspend cell reselection before the first timer expires, a certain buffer time is given for the satellite to connect to the ground gateway, thereby reducing the possibility of erroneous deregistration operations in the store-and-forward mode from the source.

[0114] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 7 according to the third embodiment of the present application. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the communication device 7 according to this embodiment can be used to implement the method and technical solutions described in the embodiments described in FIG4 to FIG6 above.

[0115] Specifically, the communication device 7 described in this embodiment may include: a first receiving module 71, used to receive a first signaling, the first signaling includes timeliness information, and the timeliness information is used to indicate the timeliness of the first signaling; a sending module 72, used to send a second signaling, the second signaling is used to request to update the context of the terminal pointed to by the first signaling, and the second signaling includes the timeliness information of the first signaling; a second receiving module 73, used to receive first information, wherein, if the timeliness information indicates that the first signaling has expired, the first information is used to indicate a refusal to update the context of the terminal pointed to by the first signaling.

[0116] For more details about the working principle and working mode of the communication device 7, please refer to the relevant descriptions in Figures 4 to 6 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0117] In a specific implementation, the communication device 7 may correspond to a chip with a communication function in a network device, or to a chip with a data processing function, such as a system-on-a-chip (SOC) or a baseband chip; or to a chip module in a network device that includes a chip with a communication function; or to a chip module with a chip with a data processing function, or to a network device. In this example, the network device may be, for example, a first network element.

[0118] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 8 according to the fourth embodiment of the present application. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the communication device 8 described in this embodiment can be used to implement the method and technical solutions described in the embodiments described in FIG4 to FIG6 above.

[0119] Specifically, referring to FIG8 , the communication device 8 in this embodiment may include: a sending module 81 for sending a first signaling, where the first signaling includes timeliness information, and the timeliness information is used to indicate the timeliness of the first signaling.

[0120] For more details about the working principle and working mode of the communication device 8, please refer to the relevant descriptions in Figures 4 to 6 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0121] In a specific implementation, the above-mentioned communication device 8 can correspond to a chip with communication function in the terminal, or to a chip with data processing function, such as a system-on-a-chip (SOC), a baseband chip, etc.; or to a chip module in the terminal that includes a chip with communication function; or to a chip module with a chip with data processing function, or to a terminal.

[0122] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 9 according to the fifth embodiment of the present application. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the communication device 9 described in this embodiment can be used to implement the method and technical solutions described in the embodiments described in FIG4 to FIG6 above.

[0123] Specifically, the communication device 9 described in this embodiment may include: a receiving module 91, used to receive a second signaling, the second signaling is used to request to update the context of the terminal pointed to by the first signaling, and the second signaling includes the timeliness information of the first signaling; a sending module 92, used to send a first message, wherein, if the timeliness information indicates that the first signaling has expired, the first information is used to indicate a refusal to update the context of the terminal pointed to by the first signaling.

[0124] For more details about the working principle and working mode of the communication device 9, please refer to the relevant descriptions in Figures 4 to 6 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0125] In a specific implementation, the communication device 9 may correspond to a chip with communication functionality in a network device, or to a chip with data processing functionality, such as a system-on-a-chip (SOC) or a baseband chip; or to a chip module in a network device that includes a chip with communication functionality; or to a chip module with a chip with data processing functionality, or to a network device. In this example, the network device may be, for example, a second network element.

[0126] In specific implementations, the modules / units included in the various devices and products described in the above embodiments may be software modules / units or hardware modules / units, or may be partially software modules / units and partially hardware modules / units.

[0127] For example, for each device or product applied to or integrated into a chip, each module / unit contained therein may be implemented in the form of hardware such as circuits, or at least some of the modules / units may be implemented in the form of software programs, which run on a processor integrated inside the chip, and the remaining (if any) modules / units may be implemented in the form of hardware such as circuits; for each device or product applied to or integrated into a chip module, each module / unit contained therein may be implemented in the form of hardware such as circuits, and different modules / units may be located in the same component (such as a chip, circuit module, etc.) or different components of the chip module, or at least some of the modules / units may be implemented in the form of software programs. The element can be implemented in the form of a software program, which runs on the 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 terminal, 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, or, at least some modules / units can be implemented in the form of a software program, which runs on the processor integrated inside the terminal, and the remaining (if any) modules / units can be implemented in the form of hardware such as circuits.

[0128] The embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium, which is a non-volatile storage medium or a non-transitory storage medium, on which a computer program is stored, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the communication method provided in any of the above embodiments are executed. Preferably, the storage medium may include a computer-readable storage medium such as a non-volatile memory or a non-transitory memory. The storage medium may include ROM, RAM, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk, etc.

[0129] The present application also provides another communication device, including a memory and a processor. The memory stores a computer program executable on the processor, and when the processor executes the computer program, it executes the steps of the communication method provided in the embodiments corresponding to Figures 4 to 6 above. The communication device can be integrated into a terminal / network device, or the communication device can be, for example, a terminal / network device.

[0130] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product, which can be executed by a computer. When the computer program product is executed by the computer, any one of the above communication methods is executed.

[0131] The technical solution of the present application can be applied to the fifth generation (5G) communication system, as well as the fourth generation (4G) and third generation (3G) communication systems. It can also be applied to various new communication systems in the future, such as the sixth generation (6G) and seventh generation (7G), etc. The embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0132] The technical solution of this application is also applicable to different network architectures, including but not limited to relay network architecture, dual-link architecture, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) architecture, device-to-device (D2D) architecture, and other architectures.

[0133] The devices in the embodiments of the present application include network devices and terminal devices.

[0134] The network equipment in the embodiment of the present application includes a base station and a base station controller of the access network, and may also include a terminal.

[0135] The base station (BS) in the embodiment of the present application, which may also be referred to as a base station device, is a device deployed in a radio access network (RAN) to provide wireless communication functions. For example, the device providing base station functions in a 2G network includes a base transceiver station (BTS), the device providing base station functions in a 3G network includes a node B (NodeB), the device providing base station functions in a 4G network includes an evolved node B (eNB), and in wireless local area networks (WLANs), the device providing base station functions is an access point (AP), the device providing base station functions in 5G New Radio (NR) is a gNB, and the evolved node B (ng-eNB), wherein the gNB and the terminal communicate using NR technology, and the ng-eNB and the terminal communicate using Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) technology, and both gNB and ng-eNB can be connected to the 5G core network. The base station in the embodiment of the present application also includes a device that provides base station functions in a future new communication system, etc.

[0136] The base station controller in the embodiment of the present application, which may also be referred to as a base station controller device, is a device for managing base stations, such as a base station controller (BSC) in a 2G network, a radio network controller (RNC) in a 3G network, and may also refer to a device for controlling and managing base stations in future new communication systems.

[0137] The terminal in the embodiments of the present application may also be referred to as a terminal device, and may refer to various forms of user equipment (UE), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station (MS), remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, wireless communication device, user agent, or user device. The terminal device may also be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a Wireless Local Loop (WLL) station, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, an in-vehicle device, a wearable device, a terminal device in a future 5G network, or a terminal device in a future evolved Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), etc., and the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

[0138] Although the present application is disclosed as above, the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art may make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application shall be based on the scope defined by the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: include: receiving a first signaling, where the first signaling includes timeliness information, where the timeliness information is used to indicate timeliness of the first signaling; Sending a second signaling, where the second signaling is used to request updating of a context of the terminal pointed to by the first signaling, and the second signaling includes timeliness information of the first signaling; First information is received, wherein if the timeliness information indicates that the first signaling has expired, the first information is used to indicate a refusal to update the context of the terminal pointed to by the first signaling.

2. The communication method according to claim 1, characterized in that: If the timeliness information indicates that the first signaling is valid, the first information is used to confirm deletion of the context of the terminal pointed to by the first signaling.

3. The communication method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The timeliness information includes: timestamp information and / or numbering information, and the numbering information increases as the number of times the first signaling is sent increases.

4. The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The first signaling is selected from: attach request signaling, tracking area update request signaling and initial user equipment message.

5. The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The second signaling is selected from: context request signaling and location update request signaling.

6. A communication method, characterized in that: include: A first signaling is sent, where the first signaling includes timeliness information, and the timeliness information is used to indicate the timeliness of the first signaling.

7. The communication method according to claim 6, characterized in that: Also includes: Before the first timer expires, if the signal quality of the cell pointed to by the first signaling is greater than a first preset threshold, the cell reselection action is suspended.

8. The communication method according to claim 7, characterized in that: The first preset threshold is smaller than a standard threshold for triggering a cell reselection action.

9. The communication method according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that: The timeliness information includes: timestamp information and / or numbering information, and the numbering information increases as the number of times the first signaling is sent increases.

10. The communication method according to any one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that: The first signaling is selected from: attach request signaling, tracking area update request signaling and initial user equipment message.

11. A communication method, characterized in that: include: receiving a second signaling, where the second signaling is used to request updating of a context of a terminal pointed to by the first signaling, and the second signaling includes timeliness information of the first signaling; Sending first information, wherein if the timeliness information indicates that the first signaling has expired, the first information is used to indicate a refusal to update the context of the terminal pointed to by the first signaling.

12. The communication method according to claim 11, characterized in that: The sending of the first information comprises: If a third signaling directed to the same terminal with a timeliness later than the first signaling has been received, the first information is sent, and the first information is used to indicate a refusal to update the context of the terminal directed by the first signaling.

13. The communication method according to claim 11, characterized in that: The sending of the first information further includes: If the validity of the first signaling is later than all signalings received in the past and directed to the same terminal, the first information is sent, and the first information is used to indicate acceptance of updating the context of the terminal directed to by the first signaling.

14. The communication method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that: The timeliness information includes: timestamp information and / or numbering information, and the numbering information increases as the number of times the first signaling is sent increases.

15. The communication method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that: The first signaling is selected from: attach request signaling, tracking area update request signaling and initial user equipment message.

16. The communication method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that: The second signaling is selected from: context request signaling and location update request signaling.

17. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A first receiving module, configured to receive a first signaling, wherein the first signaling includes timeliness information, and the timeliness information is used to indicate timeliness of the first signaling; A sending module, configured to send a second signaling, where the second signaling is used to request to update the context of the terminal pointed to by the first signaling, and the second signaling includes timeliness information of the first signaling; The second receiving module is used to receive first information, wherein if the timeliness information indicates that the first signaling has expired, the first information is used to indicate a refusal to update the context of the terminal pointed to by the first signaling.

18. A communication device, characterized in that: include: The sending module is used to send a first signaling, where the first signaling includes timeliness information, and the timeliness information is used to indicate the timeliness of the first signaling.

19. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A receiving module, configured to receive a second signaling, wherein the second signaling is used to request to update the context of the terminal pointed to by the first signaling, and the second signaling includes timeliness information of the first signaling; A sending module is used to send first information, wherein if the timeliness information indicates that the first signaling has expired, the first information is used to indicate a refusal to update the context of the terminal pointed to by the first signaling.

20. A computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium is a non-volatile storage medium or a non-transient storage medium, and a computer program is stored thereon, wherein: When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 16 are performed.

21. A communication device, comprising a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program that can be run on the processor, characterized in that: When the processor runs the computer program, the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 16 are performed.

22. A computer program product, characterized in that The invention comprises a computer program, which implements the method according to any one of claims 1 to 16 when being executed by a computer.

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