Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

Provided in the present application are a communication method and apparatus, which are applied in a satellite-to-ground handover process. The method comprises: acquiring a plurality of candidate control centers; and determining a target control center from among a plurality of candidate control centers on the basis of the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance between each of the plurality of candidate control centers and a source base station. In this way, the signaling overhead and handover latency between base stations can be reduced.

Description

Communication method and device

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application with application number 202311869880.1 filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on December 29, 2023, and priority to the Chinese patent application with the invention name “Communication Method and Device”, all contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communications, and more specifically, to a communication method and apparatus. Background Art

[0003] With the development of satellite communications, the integration of satellite communications and ground mobile communications has become increasingly important. Ground mobile communication networks have gone through the first generation (1 st generation,1G) to the fifth generation (5 th The rapid development of 5G (the fifth generation) has entered a critical phase in its development. Satellites, with their wide coverage, large beamforms, flexible networking, and unrestricted geographical connectivity, can effectively complement terrestrial communications. In the future, satellite communications and terrestrial mobile communications will form a seamless, integrated network.

[0004] Due to the mobility of satellite nodes and user nodes, how to reduce the signaling overhead and switching delay between base stations during the satellite-to-ground switching process is an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present application provides a communication method and apparatus, which can reduce signaling overhead and switching delay between base stations during satellite-to-ground switching.

[0006] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, comprising: obtaining a plurality of candidate control centers, and determining a target control center from the plurality of candidate control centers based on a number of transmission hops and a transmission distance between each of the plurality of candidate control centers and a source base station.

[0007] In the above technical solution, during satellite-to-ground handover, the target control center is determined based on the number of transmission hops and transmission distance between the candidate control center and the source base station. Because the target control center can access global information, it can subsequently select a more appropriate target base station for handover, thereby ensuring service continuity and network service quality. Furthermore, compared to solutions that determine the target base station through signaling exchanges between base stations, this method of determining the target control center during satellite-to-ground handover can reduce signaling overhead and handover latency between the base station and the target control center, thereby improving overall handover performance.

[0008] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, determining a target control center from multiple candidate control centers based on the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance between each candidate control center in the multiple candidate control centers and the source base station includes: determining a first control center from the multiple candidate control centers based on the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance between each candidate control center in the multiple candidate control centers and the source base station. Determining a second control center from the first candidate control center subset based on the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance between each candidate control center in the first candidate control center subset and the source base station, the first candidate control center subset including candidate control centers located on the ground among the multiple candidate control centers. Determining the target control center based on the first control center and the second control center.

[0009] In this way, by selecting the first control center from the global candidate control centers and the second control center from the ground candidate control centers, the method for determining the target control center is further refined, thereby obtaining a more reasonable target control center.

[0010] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, determining a first control center from a plurality of candidate control centers based on the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance between each candidate control center and the source base station includes: determining the first control center based on a first weight, a second weight, and the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance between each candidate control center in the plurality of candidate control centers and the source base station, wherein the first weight is a weight corresponding to the number of transmission hops, and the second weight is a weight corresponding to the transmission distance. Determining a second control center from a subset of first candidate control centers based on the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance between each candidate control center in the subset of first candidate control centers and the source base station includes: determining the second control center from the subset of first candidate control centers based on a third weight, a fourth weight, and the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance between each candidate control center in the subset of first candidate control centers and the source base station, wherein the third weight is a weight corresponding to the number of transmission hops, and the fourth weight is a weight corresponding to the transmission distance.

[0011] In this way, by using the weights for the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance, it is easier to determine the target control center by comprehensively considering the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance. The weights for the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance are adjustable, thereby increasing the flexibility of determining the first and second control centers. Furthermore, these two weights can be set more specifically in the future, thereby obtaining more appropriate first and second control centers.

[0012] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, determining the target control center based on the first control center and the second control center includes: when the first control center and the second control center are the same, determining the target control center as the first control center.

[0013] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the target control center is determined based on the first control center and the second control center, including: when the first control center and the second control center are different, the target control center is determined from the first control center and the second control center based on the transmission distance between the first control center and the source base station and the transmission distance between the second control center and the source base station.

[0014] In this way, the first control center and the second control center are obtained after comprehensively considering the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance, and the target control center is further determined by the transmission distance. This can reduce the signaling overhead and switching delay between the base station and the target control center, thereby improving the overall switching performance. Compared with the target control center obtained only by the number of transmission hops, there may be a situation where the number of transmission hops between the target control center and the source base station is relatively small, but the sum of the distances of the network functional entities transmitted between the target control center and the source base station is relatively long, which may result in higher network delays. In this way, the signaling overhead and switching delay between the base station and the target control center can be further reduced.

[0015] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the target control center is determined based on the first control center and the second control center, including: when the first control center and the second control center are different, the target control center is determined from the first control center and the second control center based on the number of transmission hops between the first control center and the source base station and the number of transmission hops between the second control center and the source base station.

[0016] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: receiving first indication information from a target control center, where the first indication information is used to indicate a target base station.

[0017] In conjunction with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: receiving a measurement report from a terminal device, determining a target base station based on the measurement report, and sending second indication information to a target control center, where the second indication information is used to indicate the target base station.

[0018] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: sending cached data information to the target base station.

[0019] In this way, when a satellite-to-ground handover occurs, the data information cached in the source base station is forwarded to the target base station, which can ensure complete data communication during the handover process.

[0020] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the source base station is a satellite-borne base station, and the target base station is a ground base station; or, the source base station is a ground base station, and the target base station is a satellite-borne base station.

[0021] Among them, the satellite-borne base station can be located on a low-orbit satellite and / or a medium-orbit satellite.

[0022] In a second aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a transceiver unit and a processing unit: the transceiver unit is configured to obtain multiple candidate control centers; and the processing unit is configured to determine a target control center from the multiple candidate control centers based on the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance between each candidate control center and a source base station.

[0023] It should be understood that the second aspect is a device corresponding to the first aspect. The beneficial effects brought about by the solution of the second aspect can be referred to the first aspect and will not be elaborated here.

[0024] In conjunction with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the processing unit is specifically configured to: determine a first control center from multiple candidate control centers based on the number of transmission hops and transmission distance between each candidate control center in the multiple candidate control centers and the source base station. Determine a second control center from the first candidate control center subset based on the number of transmission hops and transmission distance between each candidate control center in the first candidate control center subset and the source base station, the first candidate control center subset including candidate control centers located on the ground among the multiple candidate control centers. Determine a target control center based on the first control center and the second control center.

[0025] In conjunction with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the processing unit is specifically configured to: determine a first control center based on a first weight, a second weight, and the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance between each candidate control center in a plurality of candidate control centers and a source base station, where the first weight is a weight corresponding to the number of transmission hops, and the second weight is a weight corresponding to the transmission distance. Determine a second control center from the first candidate control center subset based on a third weight, a fourth weight, and the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance between each candidate control center in the first candidate control center subset and the source base station, where the third weight is a weight corresponding to the number of transmission hops, and the fourth weight is a weight corresponding to the transmission distance.

[0026] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the processing unit is specifically configured to: when the first control center and the second control center are the same, determine that the target control center is the first control center.

[0027] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the processing unit is specifically used to: when the first control center and the second control center are different, determine the target control center from the first control center and the second control center based on the transmission distance between the first control center and the source base station and the transmission distance between the second control center and the source base station.

[0028] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the processing unit is specifically used to: when the first control center and the second control center are different, determine the target control center from the first control center and the second control center based on the number of transmission hops between the first control center and the source base station and the number of transmission hops between the second control center and the source base station.

[0029] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the transceiver unit is further used to: receive first indication information from the target control center, where the first indication information is used to indicate the target base station.

[0030] In conjunction with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the transceiver unit is further configured to receive a measurement report from a terminal device. The processing unit is further configured to determine a target base station based on the measurement report. The transceiver unit is further configured to send second indication information to the target control center, where the second indication information is used to indicate the target base station.

[0031] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the transceiver unit is further configured to: send cached data information to the target base station.

[0032] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the source base station is a satellite-borne base station, and the target base station is a ground base station; or, the source base station is a ground base station, and the target base station is a satellite-borne base station.

[0033] In a third aspect, a communication device is provided, which includes: a memory for storing programs; a processor for executing computer program codes or instructions stored in the memory, and when the computer program codes or instructions stored in the memory are executed, the processor is used to execute the method provided in any one of the implementation modes of the first aspect above.

[0034] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a processor for executing the method provided by any one of the implementation methods of the first aspect above. In the process of executing these methods, the process of sending the above information and obtaining / receiving the above information in the above methods can be understood as the process of the processor outputting the above information, and the process of the processor receiving the input above information. When outputting the above information, the processor outputs the above information to the interface and transmits it through the interface. After being output by the processor, the above information may also need to undergo other processing before reaching the interface. Similarly, when the processor receives the input above information, the interface obtains / receives the above information and inputs it into the processor. Furthermore, after the interface receives the above information, the above information may need to undergo other processing before being input into the processor.

[0035] For the operations involved, such as transmission, sending, and acquisition / reception, unless otherwise specified, or if they do not conflict with their actual functions or internal logic in the relevant descriptions, they can be understood as output and reception, input and other operations, and can also be understood as transmission, sending and receiving operations performed by radio frequency circuits and antennas. This application does not limit this.

[0036] During implementation, the processor may be a processor specifically configured to execute the methods, or may be a processor that executes computer program code or instructions in a memory to execute the methods, such as a general-purpose processor. The memory may be a non-transitory memory, such as a read-only memory (ROM), which may be integrated with the processor on the same chip or may be disposed on separate chips. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the type of memory or the configuration of the memory and the processor.

[0037] In a fifth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores program code or instructions for execution by a device, wherein the program code or instructions include a method for executing any one of the implementations of the first aspect.

[0038] In a sixth aspect, a computer program product comprising instructions is provided, which, when run on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method provided in any one of the implementations of the first aspect.

[0039] In the seventh aspect, a chip is provided, which includes a processor and a communication interface. The processor reads instructions stored in a memory through the communication interface and executes the method provided by any one of the implementation methods of the first aspect above.

[0040] Optionally, as an implementation method, the chip may also include a memory, in which computer program code or instructions are stored, and the processor is used to execute the computer program code or instructions stored on the memory. When the computer program code or instructions are executed, the processor is used to execute the method provided in any one of the implementation methods of the first aspect above. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0041] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system;

[0042] FIG2 is an interactive diagram of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0043] FIG3 is an interactive diagram of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0044] FIG4 is a flow chart of a method for determining a control center provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0045] FIG5 is an interactive diagram of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0046] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0047] FIG7 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0048] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of a chip system provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0049] The technical solution in this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0050] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, the following points are explained:

[0051] First, in this application, unless otherwise specified or there is a logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments based on their internal logical relationships.

[0052] Second, in this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In the text description of this application, the character " / " generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b and c can mean: a, or b, or c, or a and b, or a and c, or b and c, or a, b and c. Wherein a, b and c can be single or multiple, respectively.

[0053] Third, in this application, "first," "second," and various numerical numbers (e.g., #1, #2, etc.) indicate distinctions made for ease of description and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. For example, they are used to distinguish between different control centers, etc., rather than to describe a specific order or precedence. It should be understood that the objects described in this manner can be interchanged where appropriate to enable description of solutions other than the embodiments of this application.

[0054] Fourth, in this application, expressions such as "when," "under the circumstances of," and "if" all imply that a corresponding action will be taken under certain objective circumstances. They do not limit the timeframe, do not require a judgment action to be taken when the action is taken, and do not imply any other limitations. Furthermore, the judgment action following these conditional conjunctions does not imply that the judgment action following the conditional conjunctions is the only condition for achieving the result; additional conditions may also be included to achieve the result.

[0055] Fifth, in this application, the terms "include" and "have" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product or apparatus that includes a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units that are not explicitly listed or are inherent to these processes, methods, products or apparatuses.

[0056] Sixth, in this application, "used to indicate" can include being used for direct indication and being used for indirect indication. When describing that a certain indication information is used to indicate A, it can include that the indication information directly indicates A or indirectly indicates A, and it does not mean that the indication information must carry A.

[0057] The indication methods involved in the embodiments of this application should be understood to encompass various methods that enable the party to be indicated to obtain information to be indicated. The information to be indicated can be sent as a whole or divided into multiple sub-information and sent separately. The transmission period and / or timing of these sub-information can be the same or different. This application does not limit the specific transmission method.

[0058] In the embodiments of the present application, the "indication information" may be an explicit indication, i.e., a direct indication via signaling, or may be obtained based on parameters indicated by the signaling, in combination with other rules, other parameters, or by deduction. It may also be an implicit indication, i.e., based on a rule or relationship, or based on other parameters, or by deduction. This application does not impose specific limitations on this.

[0059] Seventh, in this application, "protocol" may refer to a standard protocol in the field of communications, such as a 5G protocol, a new radio (NR) protocol, and related protocols used in future communication systems, and this application does not limit this. "Pre-setting" can be implemented by pre-saving corresponding codes, tables, or other methods that can be used to indicate relevant information in the device, and this application does not limit its specific implementation method.

[0060] Eighth, in this application, "storage" may refer to storage in one or more memories. The one or more memories may be provided separately or integrated into an encoder or decoder, a processor, or a communication device. The one or more memories may also be partially provided separately and partially integrated into a decoder, a processor, or a communication device. The type of memory may be any form of storage medium and is not limited in this application.

[0061] In order to facilitate understanding of the solutions of the embodiments of the present application, a brief description of the technical terms involved in the embodiments of the present application is first given.

[0062] 1. Satellite communications

[0063] Satellite communication technology refers to the technology that allows ground-based wireless communication devices to access a network via satellite, or for ground-based wireless communication devices to communicate with each other using satellites as relays. Compared to traditional mobile communication systems, satellite communication boasts a wider coverage area and can overcome natural geographical barriers such as oceans, deserts, and mountains.

[0064] In a satellite communication scenario, multiple satellites may be included, and the types of the multiple satellites may be the same or different. Wireless links exist between different satellites, which can complete signaling interaction and user data transmission between access network devices.

[0065] Different types of satellites have different orbital altitudes, resulting in different coverage areas, motion characteristics, and resulting propagation delays and jitter. For example, satellites can be categorized by orbit type as geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) satellites (i.e., high-orbit satellites), low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellites, and other satellites.

[0066] It should be noted that the base station satellite solutions involved in current satellite communications include some base station functions being located on MEO and some base station functions being located on LEO. The details will be explained in detail in conjunction with the communication system of FIG1 .

[0067] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system.

[0068] The communication system shown in Figure 1 is a communication network system that integrates medium-orbit and low-orbit satellites. The communication system includes terminal equipment, medium-orbit satellites, low-orbit satellites, ground stations, data networks, core network equipment, measurement and control stations, and network / satellite management centers.

[0069] Terminal device: This includes various wireless communication-enabled handheld devices, vehicle-mounted devices, wearable devices, computing devices, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem. Terminal devices are also referred to as terminals or simply devices. Terminal equipment may also refer to user equipment (UE), access terminal, subscriber unit, user agent, cellular phone, smart phone, wireless data card, personal digital assistant (PDA), tablet computer, wireless modem, handheld device, laptop computer, smart point of sale (POS), customer-premises equipment (CPE), machine type communication (MTC) terminal, communication equipment carried by high-altitude aircraft, wearable device, drone, robot, terminal in D2D, terminal in vehicle to everything (V2X), virtual reality (VR) terminal device, augmented reality (AR) terminal device, wireless terminal in industrial control, wireless terminal in self-driving, wireless terminal in remote medical, wireless terminal in smart grid, wireless terminal in transportation security, etc. Safety), wireless terminals in smart cities, wireless terminals in smart homes, or terminal devices in future communication networks, etc.

[0070] Medium-orbit satellites or low-orbit satellites can integrate some or all of the functions of base stations. It should be understood that medium-orbit satellites or low-orbit satellites can also integrate other functions, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this. In the embodiments of the present application, the functions of medium-orbit satellites and low-orbit satellites including base stations are used as an example for detailed explanation. Base station, also known as radio access network equipment (RAN): Access network equipment can also be called access equipment. RAN can manage wireless resources, provide access services for terminal equipment, and complete the forwarding of terminal equipment data between terminal equipment and the core network. RAN can also be understood as a base station in the network.

[0071] Exemplarily, the access network device may be any communication device with wireless transceiver functionality for communicating with a terminal device. The access network equipment includes but is not limited to: evolved Node B (eNB), radio network controller (RNC), Node B (NB), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), home evolved NodeB (HeNB, or home Node B, HNB), baseband unit (BBU), access point (AP) in wireless fidelity (WIFI) system, wireless relay node, wireless backhaul node, transmission point (TP) or transmission and reception point (TRP), etc., and can also be a 5G mobile communication system, such as a gNB in ​​an NR system, or a transmission point (TRP or TP), one or a group of (including multiple antenna panels) antenna panels of a base station in a 5G mobile communication system, or it can also be a network node constituting a gNB or a transmission point, such as a baseband unit (BBU) or a distributed unit (DU), etc.

[0072] In some deployments, a gNB may include a centralized unit (CU) and a DU. The gNB may also include an active antenna unit (AAU). The CU implements some gNB functions, while the DU implements some gNB functions. For example, the CU is responsible for processing non-real-time protocols and services, implementing the functions of the radio resource control (RRC) and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layers. The DU is responsible for processing physical layer protocols and real-time services, implementing the functions of the radio link control (RLC), media access control (MAC), and physical (PHY) layers. The AAU implements some physical layer processing functions, RF processing, and active antenna-related functions. RRC layer information is generated by the CU and ultimately encapsulated by the DU's PHY layer into PHY layer information, or is converted from PHY layer information. Therefore, in this architecture, higher-layer signaling, such as RRC layer signaling, can also be considered to be sent by the DU, or by a combination of the DU and the AAU. It is understood that the access network device may include one or more of a CU node, a DU node, and an AAU node. In addition, the CU may be classified as an access network device in the access network, or as an access network device in the core network (CN), which is not limited in this application. The base station shown in Figure 1 is illustrated using a gNB as an example.

[0073] A ground station, also known as a gateway (GW), is a satellite gateway (also called a transmitter or hub) that transmits data to and from the satellite to a local area network. It houses antennas and equipment that convert radio frequency (RF) signals into Internet protocol (IP) signals for terrestrial connectivity.

[0074] A data network (DN) is a combination of data terminal equipment, data processing equipment, and data communication equipment (including communication channels). It provides data transmission functions and resource sharing functions including data and data processing capabilities for communication stations and users distributed in different locations. It provides services such as operator services, Internet access, or third-party services, including servers. The server side implements video source encoding and rendering, etc.

[0075] Core network equipment may include user plane network elements, access management network elements, session management network elements, policy control network elements, unified data management network elements and other core network related functional network elements.

[0076] The user plane network element (UE) serves as the interface with the data network, performing functions such as user plane data forwarding, session / flow-level billing and statistics, and bandwidth limiting. This includes packet routing and forwarding, as well as quality of service (QoS) processing for user plane data. In a 5G mobile communication system, this UE may be a user plane function (UPF) NE.

[0077] The access management network element is primarily used for mobility management and access management. In a 5G mobile communication system, the access management network element can be an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element, which mainly performs functions such as mobility management and access authentication / authorization. In addition, it is also responsible for transmitting user policies between the terminal and the PCF network element. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific form of the future access management network element. For example, it may be divided into an access management network element and a mobility management network element.

[0078] The session management network element is mainly used for session management. In 5G mobile communication systems, this network element can be a session management function (SMF) network element, which is used for session management after user access, including protocol data unit (PDU) session establishment, modification, activation, deactivation, and release, as well as UE IP address allocation, DHCPv4 / v6 functions, ARP proxy, IPv6 Neighbor Solicitation Proxying for Ethernet PDU, selection and control of the user plane, determination of the session SSC mode, and roaming functions.

[0079] In a 5G mobile communication system, the policy control network element can be a policy control function (PCF) network element, which is mainly used to manage network behavior using a unified policy framework, provide policy rules and access subscription information related to policy decisions in the unified data repository (UDR) to the control plane function (AMF, SMF). Among them, the UDR is mainly used by the UDM to store and obtain subscription data, the PCF to store and obtain policy data, store and use structured data for capability exposure, and store application data for application detection.

[0080] In the 5G mobile communication system, the unified data management network element can be a unified data management (UDM) network element, which is mainly used to generate 3GPP AKA authentication certificates, user identity processing, access authorization based on contract information, service NF registration management, contract information management and other function-related data.

[0081] The tracking and control station is used to directly track, measure, telemeter, remotely control and communicate with the satellite. The tracking and control station transmits the received measurement and telemetry information to the network / satellite management center. The network / satellite management center sends instructions to the tracking and control station to communicate with the satellite to complete the control of the satellite.

[0082] As shown in Figure 1, a medium-orbit satellite may include some of the functions of a base station (e.g., gNB-CU) and the functions of an AMF. It should be understood that the satellite access and mobility management function (SAMF) network element may be a separate network element on the satellite. In future communications, it may also be divided into a satellite access management function network element and a satellite mobility management function network element. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the future existence of the access and mobility management network element. As shown in Figure 1, a low-orbit satellite may include some of the functions of a base station (e.g., gNB-DU). A ground station may include some of the functions of a base station (e.g., gNB-CU) and the functions of an AMF.

[0083] It should be understood that the AMF network elements deployed on ground stations and medium-orbit satellites in the embodiments of the present application can serve as a control center responsible for collecting global information.

[0084] The integration of satellite and terrestrial mobile communications is a growing trend in communications systems. The wide-area coverage of satellite networks complements the services of terrestrial mobile networks. Users can alternate between satellite and terrestrial networks to ensure service continuity, especially for devices that travel over large distances. Satellite-ground integrated handover is crucial for ensuring service continuity. For example, as shown in Figure 1, for devices on fast-moving vehicles such as airplanes, trains, ships, or cars, satellite-ground integration can ensure service continuity, thereby improving the user experience.

[0085] Current solutions for integrating satellite communications and terrestrial mobile communications primarily include inter-satellite handoff and satellite-to-ground handoff. Inter-satellite handoff does not consider the differences between satellite-based and ground-based base stations. Examples include inter-satellite handoff based on the staring beam satellite model and multi-satellite handoff strategies for low-orbit satellite networks based on user groups. Due to the large range of mobile devices involved, inter-satellite handoff alone can increase the probability of handoff failure. However, satellite-to-ground handoff, where the base station serving the terminal device switches to a terrestrial cellular base station, can reduce this probability.

[0086] Whether it's satellite-to-ground or inter-satellite handover, many solutions employ Xn handover, meaning the source base station initiating the handover searches for the target base station. The source base station needs to gather information through signaling interactions to identify candidate base stations, and then determine the target base station from among the candidate base stations. The complex signaling interactions in Xn handover can result in high handover latency and increased signaling overhead. Furthermore, if the source base station is a satellite-based base station, the mobility of both the satellite-based base station and the terminal device can cause the information collected by the source base station to determine the target base station to become outdated, increasing the handover failure rate.

[0087] In addition, whether it is satellite-to-ground handover or inter-satellite handover, the handover process of most current solutions is mainly aimed at the signaling interaction process of the user handover process, only considering the user's handover decision process, and not further designing the signaling interaction process for the correct forwarding of user data communication services during the handover process. As a result, it lacks integrity and cannot guarantee the complete data communication of users during the handover process.

[0088] In order to solve the above problems, the embodiments of the present application propose a communication method and apparatus, which will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 2 to 8.

[0089] FIG2 is an interactive schematic diagram of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. The present application takes the terminal device, the source base station, the target base station and the target control center as the execution subject of the interactive schematic as an example to illustrate the corresponding method, but the present application does not limit the execution subject of the interactive schematic. For example, the method implemented by the terminal device can also be implemented by a module (such as a chip, a chip system or a processor) of the terminal device, or by a logical node, a logical module or software that can realize all or part of the terminal device function. For another example, the method implemented by the source base station can also be implemented by a module (such as a chip, a chip system or a processor) of the source base station, or by a logical node, a logical module or software that can realize all or part of the source base station function. For another example, the method implemented by the target base station can also be implemented by a module (such as a chip, a chip system or a processor) of the target base station, or by a logical node, a logical module or software that can realize all or part of the target base station function. For another example, the method implemented by the target control center can also be implemented by a module (such as a chip, a chip system or a processor) of the target control center, or by a logical node, a logical module or software that can realize all or part of the target control center function.

[0090] S210: Acquire multiple candidate control centers.

[0091] Specifically, a plurality of candidate control centers are pre-configured in the source base station, wherein the plurality of candidate control centers may include the current control center of the source base station.

[0092] It should be understood that the control center in the embodiments of the present application can be a network element in the core network equipment, such as an AMF. Multiple candidate control centers can be located on a satellite or on the ground. For example, when the control center is located on a satellite, the satellite can be a MEO.

[0093] S220 , determining a target control center from the multiple candidate control centers according to the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance between each candidate control center and the source base station.

[0094] The number of transmission hops between the candidate control center and the source base station can be understood as the number of network functional entities that signaling between the candidate control center and the source base station needs to pass through. The transmission distance between the candidate control center and the source base station can be understood as the sum of the distances between the network functional entities that the candidate control center and the source base station need to pass through.

[0095] As one possible implementation, a first control center is determined from multiple candidate control centers based on the number of transmission hops and transmission distance between each candidate control center and the source base station. A second control center is determined from a subset of first candidate control centers based on the number of transmission hops and transmission distance between each candidate control center and the source base station. The first candidate control center subset includes candidate control centers located on the ground among the multiple candidate control centers. A target control center is determined based on the first and second control centers.

[0096] It should be understood that when selecting the first control center from the global candidate control centers, and when selecting the second control center from the first candidate control center subset, both the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance are comprehensively considered.

[0097] As a possible implementation, a first control center is determined based on a first weight, a second weight, and the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance between each candidate control center in a plurality of candidate control centers and a source base station, where the first weight is the weight corresponding to the number of transmission hops, and the second weight is the weight corresponding to the transmission distance. A second control center is determined from the first candidate control center subset based on a third weight, a fourth weight, and the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance between each candidate control center in the first candidate control center subset and the source base station, where the third weight is the weight corresponding to the number of transmission hops, and the fourth weight is the weight corresponding to the transmission distance.

[0098] It should be understood that the above-mentioned method of selecting the first control center and the second control center by weighting the number of transmission hops and the weight of the transmission distance can be normalized for the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance between each candidate control center and the source base station in order to facilitate the unification of the scale of the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance. The specific normalization method is not limited in the embodiments of this application.

[0099] The first weight may be the same as or different from the third weight, and the second weight may be the same as or different from the fourth weight.

[0100] It should also be understood that the selection strategy for the first weight and the second weight depends on the importance of the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance to the selection of the control center.

[0101] In some implementations, the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance between each candidate control center and the source base station can be input into a corresponding function as independent variables to obtain a value corresponding to each candidate control center, thereby selecting the first control center and the second control center. The embodiments of the present application do not limit how the first control center and the second control center are selected based on the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance.

[0102] As a possible implementation manner, when the first control center and the second control center are the same, the target control center is determined to be the first control center.

[0103] As a possible implementation method, when the first control center and the second control center are different, the target control center is determined from the first control center and the second control center based on the transmission distance between the first control center and the source base station and the transmission distance between the second control center and the source base station.

[0104] As a possible implementation method, when the first control center and the second control center are different, the target control center is determined from the first control center and the second control center based on the number of transmission hops between the first control center and the source base station and the number of transmission hops between the second control center and the source base station.

[0105] In certain implementations, the source base station determines as the target control center the candidate control center with the fewest hops among multiple first transmission hops and the shortest distance among multiple first transmission distances. The multiple first transmission hops include the number of transmission hops between each of the candidate control centers and the source base station, and the multiple first transmission distances include the transmission distances between each of the candidate control centers and the source base station.

[0106] In certain implementations, the source base station determines a first control center, where the number of transmission hops corresponding to the first control center is the minimum among the number of transmission hops corresponding to multiple candidate control centers. The source base station determines a second control center, where the number of transmission hops corresponding to the second control center is the minimum among the number of transmission hops corresponding to terrestrial candidate control centers, where the multiple candidate control centers include the terrestrial control center. The source base station determines a target control center based on the first and second control centers.

[0107] In certain implementations, when the first control center and the second control center are the same, the target control center is the first control center.

[0108] In certain implementations, when the first control center and the second control center are different, the control center corresponding to the shorter transmission distance between the first control center and the second control center is determined as the target control center.

[0109] In certain implementations, the source base station determines a first control center, where the transmission distance corresponding to the first control center is the shortest among the transmission distances corresponding to multiple candidate control centers. The source base station determines a second control center, where the transmission distance corresponding to the second control center is the shortest among the transmission hops corresponding to the multiple candidate terrestrial control centers, where the multiple candidate control centers include the terrestrial control center. The source base station determines a target control center based on the first and second control centers.

[0110] In certain implementations, when the first control center and the second control center are the same, the target control center is the first control center.

[0111] In some implementations, when the first control center and the second control center are different, the control center corresponding to the smaller number of transmission hops corresponding to the first control center and the second control center is determined as the target control center.

[0112] It should be understood that the target control center determined by the source base station (eg, satellite-borne base station) corresponding to the same location may be the same, which can reduce the signaling interaction between the satellite and the ground.

[0113] In the above technical solution, during satellite-to-ground handover, the target control center is determined based on the number of transmission hops and transmission distance between the candidate control center and the source base station. Because the target control center can access global information, it can subsequently select a more appropriate target base station for handover, thereby ensuring service continuity and network service quality. Furthermore, compared to solutions that determine the target base station through signaling exchanges between base stations, this method of determining the target control center during satellite-to-ground handover can reduce signaling overhead and handover latency between the base station and the target control center, thereby improving overall handover performance.

[0114] Optionally, in S230a, the target control center sends first indication information to the source base station, where the first indication information is used to indicate the target base station.

[0115] Optionally, S230b-1, the terminal device sends a measurement report to the source base station.

[0116] It should be understood that the measurement report may be generated by the terminal device monitoring the wireless signals of adjacent cells and / or adjacent satellites of the satellite-borne base station.

[0117] Optionally, in S230b-2, the source base station determines the target base station based on the measurement report.

[0118] It should be understood that the specific method of determining the target base station will be described in detail in FIG. 3 .

[0119] Optionally, S230b-3, the source base station sends a second indication message to the target control center, where the second indication message is used to indicate the target base station.

[0120] It should be understood that S230a is specifically the corresponding step when the target control center determines the target base station, which will be described in detail later in Figure 3. S230b-1 to S230b-3 are specifically the corresponding steps when the source base station determines the target base station, which will be described in detail later in Figure 5.

[0121] Optionally, in S240 , the source base station sends cached data information to the target base station.

[0122] The detailed interactive processes of the satellite-to-ground switching process and the ground-to-satellite switching process will be described in detail below with reference to FIG. 3 to FIG. 5 .

[0123] FIG3 is an interactive diagram of another communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. It can be understood that the present application uses the terminal device, the source base station, the target base station, the target control center and the user plane network element as the execution subject of the interactive diagram as an example to illustrate the corresponding method, but the present application does not limit the execution subject of the interactive diagram. For example, the method implemented by the terminal device can also be implemented by a module (such as a chip, a chip system or a processor) of the terminal device, and can also be implemented by a logical node, a logical module or software that can implement all or part of the terminal device function. For another example, the method implemented by the source base station can also be implemented by a module (such as a chip, a chip system or a processor) of the source base station, and can also be implemented by a logical node, a logical module or software that can implement all or part of the source base station function. For another example, the method implemented by the target base station can also be implemented by a module (such as a chip, a chip system or a processor) of the target base station, and can also be implemented by a logical node, a logical module or software that can implement all or part of the target base station function. For another example, the method implemented by the target control center can also be implemented by a module (such as a chip, a chip system or a processor) of the target control center, and can also be implemented by a logical node, a logical module or software that can implement all or part of the target control center function. For example, the method implemented by the user plane network element can also be implemented by the module of the user plane network element (such as a chip, chip system or processor), or by a logical node, logical module or software that can implement all or part of the user plane network element functions.

[0124] It should be understood that the source base station in Figure 3 is illustrated by taking a satellite-borne base station as an example, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0125] S301, the terminal device generates a measurement report and sends the measurement report to the source base station.

[0126] Specifically, the terminal device monitors wireless signals of adjacent cells and / or adjacent satellites of the satellite-borne base station and generates a measurement report.

[0127] The terminal device may periodically send measurement reports to the source base station, or the terminal device may trigger reporting of the measurement reports according to a message sent by the source base station. This embodiment of the present application does not impose any limitation on this.

[0128] The adjacent cells may be determined by the terminal device through broadcasting, or may be determined by the terminal device through signal measurement, and the adjacent satellites may be determined by the satellite-borne base station through broadcasting.

[0129] For example, the measurement report may include signal strength, signal quality, etc. of wireless signals of neighboring cells and / or neighboring satellites of the satellite-borne base station. This embodiment of the present application does not limit this.

[0130] S302: The source base station selects a target control center.

[0131] In one possible implementation, the source base station obtains multiple candidate control centers and determines a target control center based on the number of transmission hops and transmission distance between each candidate control center and the source base station.

[0132] Figure 4 is a flow chart of a method for determining a control center provided by an embodiment of the present application. Figure 4 is an example of determining a target control center.

[0133] S410: Acquire multiple candidate control centers.

[0134] S420a: The source base station determines a first control center from the multiple candidate control centers according to the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance between each candidate control center and the source base station.

[0135] S420b, the source base station determines the second control center from the first candidate control center subset based on the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance between each candidate control center in the first candidate control center subset and the source base station, where the first candidate control center subset includes candidate control centers located on the ground among multiple candidate control centers.

[0136] S430: Determine whether the first control center is the same as the second control center.

[0137] S440a: When the first control center and the second control center are the same, determine the target control center as the first control center.

[0138] S440b: When the first control center is not the second control center, determine the target control center from the first control center and the second control center according to the transmission distance between the first control center and the source base station and the transmission distance between the second control center and the source base station.

[0139] S303: The source base station sends a measurement report to the target control center, and the target control center receives the measurement report from the source base station.

[0140] Optionally, the message including the measurement report may also include service information and identification information of the terminal device. Alternatively, the source base station may also send the service information and identification information of the terminal device to the target control center.

[0141] For example, the service information of the terminal device may include QoS information, etc.

[0142] S304: The target control center determines the target base station based on the measurement report.

[0143] Specifically, the target control center queries the global identification information of the target base station based on the measurement report. For example, the global identification information of the target base station may include information such as the identity of the target base station.

[0144] As a possible implementation manner, the target control center determines the target base station based on at least one of the measurement report, service information of the terminal device, or the switching strategy.

[0145] Among them, the switching strategy can be preset in the target control center. For example, the switching strategy can include at least one of the priority switching strategy between the satellite base station and the ground base station (also called a cellular base station), the signal quality priority switching strategy, the service time priority switching strategy, the distance switching strategy, the channel number switching strategy or the load balancing switching strategy.

[0146] Exemplarily, a priority switching strategy is used to indicate that the target base station is prioritized as a satellite-based base station or a ground-based base station. A signal quality priority switching strategy is used to indicate that the target base station is prioritized as the base station with the strongest signal quality. A service time priority switching strategy is used to indicate that the target base station is prioritized as the base station with the longest service time. A distance switching strategy indicates that the target base station is prioritized as the base station with the shortest distance to the source base station. A channel quantity switching strategy is used to indicate that the target base station is prioritized as the base station with the largest number of available channels. A load balancing switching strategy is used to indicate that the target base station is prioritized as the base station with the lightest load.

[0147] It should be understood that the target control center may use measurement reports or not to use measurement reports to determine the target base station, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0148] In certain implementations, the target control center determines the target base station based on wireless signals of adjacent cells of the terminal device and / or adjacent satellites of the satellite-borne base station indicated in the measurement report.

[0149] In some implementations, the target control center determines the target base station based on the measurement report, service information of the terminal device, and the switching strategy.

[0150] S305a: The target control center sends a first handover request to the target base station, where the first handover request is used to request the target base station to allocate resources to the terminal device.

[0151] The first handover request may include identification information and service information of the terminal device. Exemplarily, the resource information requested for allocation may include one or more of antenna resources, time slot resources, frequency resources, or power resources allocated by the target base station to the terminal device.

[0152] S305b: The target base station reserves resources for the terminal device according to the service information and identification information of the terminal device, and sends a handover request response to the target control center.

[0153] The handover request response may include channel information of the random access process of the target base station.

[0154] S306a: The target control center sends a first handover command to the source base station, and the source base station receives the first handover command from the target control center.

[0155] Specifically, the target control center parses the handover request response to obtain channel information of the random access process of the target base station.

[0156] Optionally, the target control center generates a first handover command, wherein the first handover command may include identification information of the target base station and channel information of the random access process.

[0157] It should be understood that the first indication information of the optional step S230a may be carried in the first switching command.

[0158] S306b: The source base station sends a first switching command to the terminal device, and the terminal device receives the first switching command from the source base station.

[0159] S306c: The terminal device parses the first handover command and sends a first handover command response to the source base station. The source base station receives the first handover command response from the terminal device.

[0160] Specifically, the terminal device obtains the identification information of the target base station and the channel information of the random access process by parsing the first switching command.

[0161] S306d: The source base station sends a first handover command to the target control center, and the target control center receives the first handover command from the source base station.

[0162] S307, the terminal device performs random access and synchronization process with the target base station according to the identification information of the target base station and the channel information of the random access process.

[0163] It should be understood that the embodiment of the present application does not limit the execution order between S306c and S307.

[0164] S308a, the target base station allocates a service channel to the terminal device according to the resources reserved in S305b.

[0165] S308b, the terminal device establishes an uplink data link with the target base station through the service channel allocated in S308a.

[0166] S309a: The target base station sends a handover completion message to the target control center, and the target control center receives the handover completion message from the target base station.

[0167] Among them, the switching completion message can be used to indicate that the terminal device has successfully accessed the target base station.

[0168] S310: The source base station sends buffered data information to the target base station, wherein the buffered data information may include a downlink transmission sequence number or a buffer between the source base station and the terminal device.

[0169] It should be understood that the embodiment of the present application does not limit the execution order between S309a and S310.

[0170] S311a, after S309a, the target control center sends a resource release request to the source base station, where the resource release request includes identification information of the terminal device corresponding to the service channel to be released.

[0171] S311b, the source base station parses the resource release request, obtains the identification information of the terminal device corresponding to the service channel to be released, releases the resources corresponding to the identification information, and sends a resource release request response to the target control center.

[0172] The resource release request response is used to indicate that the service channel resources allocated by the source base station to the terminal device have been released.

[0173] S309b, after S311b, the target control center sends a handover completion response to the target base station, and the target base station receives the handover completion response from the target control center.

[0174] S312a: The destination base station sends a path switching request to the target control center.

[0175] S312b: The target control center sends a path switching request to the user plane network element, and the user plane network element receives the path switching request from the target control center.

[0176] The user plane network element may be a user plane network element in the core network, or may be a user plane network element corresponding to a terminal device of an opposite user of the terminal device.

[0177] S312c: The user plane network element sends a path switching response to the target control center, and the target control center receives the path switching response from the user plane network element.

[0178] Specifically, the user plane network element switches the user plane transmission path between the terminal device and the terminal device of the opposite user from a path passing through the source base station to a path passing through the target base station.

[0179] S312d: The target control center sends a path switching response to the target base station, and the target base station receives the path switching response from the target control center.

[0180] At this time, the data of the terminal device of the other user will be directly transmitted to the terminal device after passing through the target base station.

[0181] Figure 5 is an interactive diagram of another communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. It is understood that this application uses the terminal device, source base station, target base station, target control center, and user-plane network element as the execution entities of this interactive diagram to illustrate the corresponding method, but this application does not limit the execution entities of the interactive diagram. For details, please refer to the relevant description of Figure 3 and will not be repeated here.

[0182] It should be understood that the source base station in Figure 5 is illustrated by taking a ground base station as an example, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0183] Steps S501 and S502 and steps S301 and S302 are not described in detail here.

[0184] S503: The source base station determines a target base station.

[0185] It should be understood that the way the source base station determines the target base station is similar to S304 and will not be described in detail here. The difference is that if a handover strategy is used to determine the target base station, the handover strategy is pre-configured in the source base station.

[0186] S504: The source base station sends a second handover request to the target control center, where the second handover request is used to request the target base station to allocate resources to the terminal device. The second handover request includes identification information of the target base station.

[0187] It should be understood that the second indication information of the optional step S230b-3 may be carried in the second handover request.

[0188] S505a: The target control center sends a first handover request to the target base station. The first handover request is used to request the target base station to allocate resources to the terminal device.

[0189] It should be understood that a detailed description of the first switching request can be referred to S305a, which is not repeated here.

[0190] S505b is similar to S305b. Please refer to the relevant description of S305b and will not be repeated here.

[0191] S505c: The target control center sends a handover request response to the source base station, and the source base station receives the handover request response from the target control center.

[0192] S506a: The source base station sends a first switching command to the terminal device, and the terminal device receives the first switching command from the source base station.

[0193] Optionally, the source base station generates a first handover command. It should be understood that a detailed description of the first handover command can be referred to S306a, which is not repeated here.

[0194] S506b: The terminal device parses the first handover command and sends a first handover command response to the source base station. The source base station receives the first handover command response from the terminal device.

[0195] It should be understood that although the embodiment of the present application is described in detail using the source base station in Figure 3 as a satellite base station and the source base station in Figure 5 as a ground base station as an example, steps S503 to S506b in Figure 5 can also be directly used in the communication interaction process of Figure 3, and steps S303 to S306b in Figure 3 can also be directly used in the communication interaction process of Figure 5.

[0196] It should also be understood that if the source base station is a satellite-borne base station, the step of determining the target base station is implemented in the target control center, which can reduce the use of source base station resources.

[0197] Steps S507 to S512d are similar to steps S307 and S312d, and are not described in detail here.

[0198] The communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application is described in detail above with reference to Figures 2 to 5. It is understood that in order to implement the above functions, it includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to executing each function.

[0199] Those skilled in the art should be aware that, in combination with the units and algorithm steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed herein, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is performed in the form of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for specific applications, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this application.

[0200] The communication device provided in the embodiment of the present application is described in detail below with reference to Figures 6 to 8. It should be understood that the description of the device embodiment corresponds to the description of the method embodiment. Therefore, for matters not described in detail, reference can be made to the method embodiment above. For the sake of brevity, some contents are not repeated here.

[0201] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application. The device may include a processing unit 620, which is used to perform data processing. Optionally, the device may also include a transceiver unit 610, which may implement corresponding communication functions. The transceiver unit 610 may also be referred to as a communication interface or a communication unit or an interface unit. It should be understood that for the operations such as sending and receiving involved in this application, if there is no special explanation, or if it does not conflict with its actual function or internal logic in the relevant description, it can be more generally understood as operations such as output and input, rather than sending and receiving operations directly performed by the radio frequency circuit and antenna.

[0202] Optionally, the device may further include a storage unit, which may be used to store instructions and / or data. The processing unit 620 may read the instructions and / or data in the storage unit so that the device implements the aforementioned method embodiment.

[0203] The device can be used to perform the actions in the above method embodiments, the transceiver unit 610 is used to perform the acquisition or transceiver related operations in the above method embodiments, and the processing unit 620 is used to perform the processing related operations in the above method embodiments.

[0204] As a design, the device is used to execute the actions performed by the source base station in the method embodiments shown in Figures 2 to 5 above. The execution subject can be a chip, chip system or processor that supports the source base station to implement the corresponding method, or it can be a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the source base station.

[0205] Specifically, the transceiver unit 610 is configured to obtain multiple candidate control centers. The processing unit 620 is configured to determine a target control center from the multiple candidate control centers based on the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance between each candidate control center and the source base station.

[0206] For details not described in detail, please refer to the above method embodiment.

[0207] It should be understood that the specific process of each unit executing the above corresponding steps has been described in detail in the above method embodiment, and for the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0208] The processing unit 620 in the above embodiment can be implemented by at least one processor or processor-related circuit. The transceiver unit 610 can be implemented by a transceiver or transceiver-related circuit. The storage unit can be implemented by at least one memory.

[0209] FIG7 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0210] As shown in FIG7 , an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication device. The device includes a processor 710. Optionally, the device also includes a memory 720. The processor 710 is coupled to the memory 720. The memory 720 is configured to store computer programs, instructions, and / or data. The processor 710 is configured to execute the computer programs, instructions, and / or data stored in the memory 720, thereby executing the method described in the method embodiment above.

[0211] Optionally, the device includes one or more processors 710.

[0212] Optionally, as shown in FIG7 , the apparatus 700 may further include a memory 720 .

[0213] Optionally, the device may include one or more memories 720.

[0214] Optionally, the memory 720 may be integrated with the processor 710 or provided separately.

[0215] Optionally, as shown in Figure 7, the device may further include a transceiver 730, which is used to receive and / or send signals. For example, the processor 710 is used to control the transceiver 730 to receive and / or send signals.

[0216] As a solution, the device is used to implement the operations performed by the communication device (for example, terminal equipment, source base station, target base station, target control center) in the above method embodiment.

[0217] For example, the processor 710 is used to implement the processing-related operations performed by the source base station in the above method embodiment, and the transceiver 730 is used to implement the sending and receiving-related operations performed by the source base station in the above method embodiment.

[0218] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a chip system provided by an embodiment of the present application, as shown in Figure 8. The chip system (or it can also be called a processing system) includes a logic circuit 810 and an input / output interface (input / output interface) 820, and the logic circuit is used to couple with the input interface and transmit data parameters through the input / output interface to execute the method in the above method embodiment. The device installed with the chip system can implement the method and function of the embodiment of the present application. For example, the logic circuit 810 can be a processing circuit in the chip system to realize the control of the device installed with the chip system, and can also be coupled to a storage unit to call instructions in the storage unit so that the device can implement the method and function of the embodiment of the present application. The input / output interface 820 can be an input and output circuit in the chip system to output information processed by the chip system, or input data or signaling information to be processed into the chip system for processing.

[0219] As a solution, the chip system is used to implement the operations performed by the communication device in the above method embodiment.

[0220] For example, the logic circuit 810 is used to implement the processing-related operations in the above method embodiments, and the input / output interface 820 is used to implement the acquisition-related operations in the above method embodiments.

[0221] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium on which computer instructions are stored for implementing the method executed by a communication device (e.g., a terminal device, a source base station, a target base station, a target control center) in the above method embodiment.

[0222] For example, when the computer program is executed by a computer, the computer can implement the method performed by a communication device (for example, a terminal device, a source base station, a target base station, a target control center) in the above method embodiment.

[0223] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed by a computer, enables the computer to implement the method performed by a communication device (e.g., a terminal device, a source base station, a target base station, a target control center) in the above method embodiment.

[0224] The explanation of the relevant contents and beneficial effects of any of the above-mentioned devices can be referred to the corresponding method embodiments provided above, which will not be repeated here.

[0225] It should be understood that the processor mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may be a central processing unit (CPU), or may 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 gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc.

[0226] It should also be understood that the memory mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may be a volatile memory and / or a non-volatile memory. Among them, 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). For example, RAM can be used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, RAM may include the following forms: static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0227] It should be noted that when the processor is a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, discrete hardware component, the memory (storage module) can be integrated into the processor.

[0228] It should also be noted that the memory described herein is intended to comprise, but not be limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0229] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0230] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0231] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods 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. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0232] 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.

[0233] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0234] If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or the part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory ROM, a random access memory RAM, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0235] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, Including: Obtain multiple candidate control centers; Determine a target control center from the multiple candidate control centers according to the transmission hop count and transmission distance between each candidate control center in the multiple candidate control centers and the source base station.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The determining the target control center from the multiple candidate control centers according to the transmission hop count and transmission distance between each candidate control center in the multiple candidate control centers and the source base station includes: Determine a first control center from the multiple candidate control centers according to the transmission hop count and transmission distance between each candidate control center in the multiple candidate control centers and the source base station; Determine a second control center from the first candidate control center subset according to the transmission hop count and transmission distance between each candidate control center in the first candidate control center subset and the source base station, where the first candidate control center subset includes the candidate control centers located on the ground in the multiple candidate control centers; Determine the target control center according to the first control center and the second control center.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein The determining the first control center from the multiple candidate control centers according to the transmission hop count and transmission distance between each candidate control center and the source base station includes: Determine the first control center according to a first weight, a second weight, and the transmission hop count and transmission distance between each candidate control center in the multiple candidate control centers and the source base station, where the first weight is the weight corresponding to the transmission hop count, and the second weight is the weight corresponding to the transmission distance; The determining the second control center from the first candidate control center subset according to the transmission hop count and transmission distance between each candidate control center in the first candidate control center subset and the source base station includes: Determine the second control center from the first candidate control center subset according to a third weight, a fourth weight, and the transmission hop count and transmission distance between each candidate control center in the first candidate control center subset and the source base station, where the third weight is the weight corresponding to the transmission hop count, and the fourth weight is the weight corresponding to the transmission distance.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The determining the target control center according to the first control center and the second control center includes: When the first control center and the second control center are the same, determine the target control center as the first control center.

5. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The determining the target control center according to the first control center and the second control center includes: When the first control center and the second control center are different, determine the target control center from the first control center and the second control center according to the transmission distance between the first control center and the source base station and the transmission distance between the second control center and the source base station.

6. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The determining the target control center according to the first control center and the second control center includes: When the first control center and the second control center are different, determine the target control center from the first control center and the second control center according to the number of transmission hops between the first control center and the source base station and the number of transmission hops between the second control center and the source base station.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receiving first indication information from the target control center, where the first indication information is used to indicate a target base station.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The method further includes: Receiving a measurement report from a terminal device; Determining a target base station according to the measurement report; Sending second indication information to the target control center, where the second indication information is used to indicate the target base station.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that The method further includes: Sending cache data information to the target base station.

10. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that The source base station is a spaceborne base station and the target base station is a terrestrial base station; or, the source base station is a terrestrial base station and the target base station is a spaceborne base station.

11. A communication device, characterized in that, The apparatus includes a transceiver unit and a processing unit: The transceiver unit is configured to obtain a plurality of candidate control centers; The processing unit is configured to determine a target control center from the plurality of candidate control centers according to the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance between each candidate control center in the plurality of candidate control centers and the source base station.

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein Specifically, the processing unit is configured to: Determine a first control center from the plurality of candidate control centers according to the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance between each candidate control center in the plurality of candidate control centers and the source base station; Determine a second control center from the first subset of candidate control centers according to the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance between each candidate control center in the first subset of candidate control centers and the source base station, where the first subset of candidate control centers includes candidate control centers located on the ground in the plurality of candidate control centers; Determine the target control center according to the first control center and the second control center.

13. The device according to claim 12, characterized in that, Specifically, the processing unit is configured to: Determine a first control center according to a first weight, a second weight, and the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance between each candidate control center in the plurality of candidate control centers and the source base station, where the first weight is the weight corresponding to the number of transmission hops and the second weight is the weight corresponding to the transmission distance; Determine a second control center from the first subset of candidate control centers according to a third weight, a fourth weight, and the number of transmission hops and the transmission distance between each candidate control center in the first subset of candidate control centers and the source base station, where the third weight is the weight corresponding to the number of transmission hops and the fourth weight is the weight corresponding to the transmission distance.

14. The device according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that, Specifically, the processing unit is configured to: When the first control center and the second control center are the same, determine the target control center as the first control center.

15. The device according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that, Specifically, the processing unit is configured to: When the first control center and the second control center are different, determine the target control center from the first control center and the second control center according to the transmission distance between the first control center and the source base station and the transmission distance between the second control center and the source base station.

16. The device according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that The processing unit is specifically configured to: When the first control center and the second control center are different, determine the target control center from the first control center and the second control center according to the transmission hop count between the first control center and the source base station and the transmission hop count between the second control center and the source base station.

17. The device according to any one of claims 11 to 16, characterized in that, The transceiver unit is further configured to: Receive first indication information from the target control center, where the first indication information is used to indicate the target base station.

18. The apparatus according to any one of claims 11 to 16, wherein: The transceiver unit is further configured to: receive a measurement report from a terminal device; The processing unit is further configured to: determine the target base station according to the measurement report; The transceiver unit is further configured to: send second indication information to the target control center, where the second indication information is used to indicate the target base station.

19. The device according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that, The transceiver unit is further configured to: Send cache data information to the target base station.

20. The device according to any one of claims 17 to 19, characterized in that, The source base station is a spaceborne base station and the target base station is a terrestrial base station; or, the source base station is a terrestrial base station and the target base station is a spaceborne base station.

21. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes a processor, the processor is coupled with a memory, the memory is used to store computer program code or instructions, and the processor is used to execute the computer program code or instructions in the memory, so that the apparatus executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

22. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, Computer program code or instructions are stored on the computer-readable storage medium, and when the computer program code or instructions run on a computer, the computer executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

23. A computer program product, characterized in that, When the computer program product runs on a computer, the computer executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

24. A chip, characterized in that, The chip is coupled with the memory and is used to read and execute the program instructions stored in the memory to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

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