Information sending method and apparatus, information receiving method and apparatus, terminal, aerial network deivice, and ground network device

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to the technical field of communications, and in particular to an information sending method and apparatus, an information receiving method and apparatus, a terminal, an aerial network device, and a ground network device. The information sending method comprises: sending uplink information and first auxiliary information to a first aerial network device, wherein the first auxiliary information is used for indicating whether a terminal expects to receive downlink information corresponding to the uplink information. On the basis of the present disclosure, a terminal sends first auxiliary information to a first aerial network device, enabling the first aerial network device to determine whether the terminal expects to receive downlink information corresponding to uplink information, so that the first aerial network device performs an appropriate operation, thereby helping to ameliorate problems such as a communication delay and the waste of communication resources.

Description

Information sending and receiving method and device, terminal, aerial and ground network equipment Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to an information sending method, an information receiving method, an information sending device, an information receiving device, a terminal, an aerial network device, a ground network device, a communication system, and a storage medium. Background Art

[0002] With the development of communication technology, communication technology is no longer limited to communication between ground devices. For example, in a non-terrestrial network (NTN), a terminal can communicate with ground network devices via a satellite in the air.

[0003] Since satellites are constantly moving in the air, the status of the links between satellites and terminals and between satellites and ground network equipment will change, leading to some technical problems.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide information sending and receiving methods and devices, terminals, and aerial and ground network equipment to solve technical problems in related technologies.

[0006] According to the first aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for sending information is proposed, which is executed by a terminal. The method includes: sending uplink information and first auxiliary information to a first air network device, wherein the first auxiliary information is used to indicate whether the terminal expects to receive downlink information corresponding to the uplink information.

[0007] According to the second aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for receiving information is proposed, which is executed by a first air network device. The method includes: receiving uplink information and first auxiliary information sent by a terminal, wherein the first auxiliary information is used to indicate whether the terminal expects to receive downlink information corresponding to the uplink information.

[0008] According to the third aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for receiving information is proposed, which is executed by a ground network device. The method includes: after establishing a connection with a first air network device, receiving uplink information and second auxiliary information stored by the first air network device, wherein the uplink information is sent by the terminal to the first air network device, and the second auxiliary information is used to indicate at least one of the following: the uplink information is information that has been stored and forwarded; whether the context of the terminal is suspended; whether the context of the terminal is saved in the first air network device; whether the link between the first air network device and the terminal is available; whether the first air network device expects to receive second confirmation information used to characterize that the ground network device has successfully received the uplink information.

[0009] According to the fourth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, an information sending device is proposed, which includes: a sending module, configured to send uplink information and first auxiliary information to a first air network device, wherein the first auxiliary information is used to indicate whether the terminal expects to receive downlink information corresponding to the uplink information.

[0010] According to the fifth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, an information receiving device is proposed, which includes: a receiving module configured to receive uplink information and first auxiliary information sent by a terminal, wherein the first auxiliary information is used to indicate whether the terminal expects to receive downlink information corresponding to the uplink information.

[0011] According to the sixth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, an information receiving device is proposed, which includes: a receiving module, configured to receive uplink information and second auxiliary information stored in a first air network device after establishing a connection with the first air network device, wherein the uplink information is sent by a terminal to the first air network device, and the second auxiliary information is used to indicate at least one of the following: the uplink information is information that has been stored and forwarded; whether the context of the terminal is suspended; whether the context of the terminal is saved in the first air network device; whether the link between the first air network device and the terminal is available; whether the first air network device expects to receive a second confirmation information used to characterize that the ground network device has successfully received the uplink information.

[0012] According to a seventh aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a terminal is proposed, comprising: one or more processors; wherein the terminal is used to execute the information sending method described in any one of the first aspect and the optional embodiments of the first aspect.

[0013] According to an eighth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, an airborne network device is proposed, comprising: one or more processors; wherein the airborne network device is used to execute the information receiving method described in any one of the second aspect and the optional embodiments of the second aspect.

[0014] According to the ninth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a ground network device is proposed, comprising: one or more processors; wherein the ground network device is used to execute the information receiving method described in any one of the third aspect and the optional embodiments of the third aspect.

[0015] According to the tenth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a communication system is proposed, including a terminal, an aerial network device, and a ground network device, wherein the terminal is configured to implement the information sending method described in any one of the first aspect and the optional embodiments of the first aspect, the aerial network device is configured to implement the information receiving method described in any one of the second aspect and the optional embodiments of the second aspect, and the ground network device is configured to implement the information receiving method described in any one of the third aspect and the optional embodiments of the third aspect.

[0016] According to the eleventh aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a storage medium is proposed, which stores instructions. When the instructions are executed on a communication device, the communication device executes the information sending method described in any one of the first aspect and the optional embodiments of the first aspect, and / or the information receiving method described in any one of the second aspect and the optional embodiments of the second aspect, and / or the information receiving method described in any one of the third aspect and the optional embodiments of the third aspect.

[0017] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the terminal sends the first auxiliary information to the first air network device, so that the first air network device can determine whether the terminal expects to receive downlink information corresponding to the uplink information, so that the first air network device can make appropriate operations, which is conducive to alleviating problems such as communication delay and waste of communication resources. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present disclosure. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative work.

[0019] FIG1 is a schematic diagram showing the architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] FIG2A is an interactive schematic diagram illustrating a method for sending information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] FIG2B is an interactive diagram illustrating a method for sending information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] FIG3 is a schematic flowchart showing a method for sending information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] FIG4 is a schematic flow chart showing a method for receiving information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] FIG5 is a schematic flowchart showing a method for receiving information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] FIG6 is a schematic block diagram of an information sending device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] FIG7 is a schematic block diagram of an information receiving device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] FIG8 is a schematic block diagram of an information receiving device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] FIG9A is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0029] FIG9B is a schematic diagram of the structure of the chip proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide information sending and receiving methods and devices, terminals, and aerial and ground network equipment.

[0031] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes an information sending method, which is executed by a terminal, and the method includes: sending uplink information and first auxiliary information to a first air network device, wherein the first auxiliary information is used to indicate whether the terminal expects to receive downlink information corresponding to the uplink information.

[0032] In the above embodiment, the terminal sends the first auxiliary information to the first air network device, so that the first air network device can determine whether the terminal expects to receive downlink information corresponding to the uplink information, so that the first air network device can make appropriate operations, which is conducive to alleviating problems such as communication delay and waste of communication resources.

[0033] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect. In some embodiments, the first auxiliary information is further used to indicate at least one of the following: whether the downlink information is periodic information; the period of the downlink information; and whether the terminal expects to receive first confirmation information indicating that the first airborne network device successfully forwarded the uplink information to the ground network device.

[0034] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first auxiliary information is used by the first air network device to determine at least one of the following: whether to perform store-and-forwarding on the uplink information; and whether to maintain the context of the terminal.

[0035] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: receiving first indication information sent by the first air network device, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate at least one of the following: a time to access the first air network device; and a cell to access the first air network device.

[0036] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect. In some embodiments, the method further includes: receiving at least one of the following sent by the first aerial network device: the stored-forwarded downlink information, wherein the downlink information is sent from the ground network device to the first aerial network device; and first confirmation information, wherein the first confirmation information is used to indicate that the first aerial network device successfully forwarded the uplink information to the ground network device.

[0037] In the second aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes an information receiving method, which is executed by a first air network device, and the method includes: receiving uplink information and first auxiliary information sent by a terminal, wherein the first auxiliary information is used to indicate whether the terminal expects to receive downlink information corresponding to the uplink information.

[0038] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect. In some embodiments, the first auxiliary information is further used to indicate at least one of the following: whether the downlink information is periodic information; the period of the downlink information; and whether the terminal expects to receive first confirmation information indicating that the first airborne network device successfully forwarded the uplink information to the ground network device.

[0039] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first auxiliary information is used by the first air network device to determine at least one of the following: whether to perform store-and-forwarding on the uplink information; and whether to maintain the context of the terminal.

[0040] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: sending first indication information to the terminal, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate at least one of the following: a time to access the first air network device; and a cell to access the first air network device.

[0041] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect. In some embodiments, the method further includes: sending to the terminal at least one of the following: the stored and forwarded downlink information, wherein the downlink information is sent from the ground network device to the first airborne network device; first confirmation information, wherein the first confirmation information is used to indicate that the first airborne network device successfully forwarded the uplink information to the ground network device.

[0042] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: storing the uplink information; and forwarding the uplink information to the ground network device after establishing a connection with the ground network device.

[0043] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect. In some embodiments, the method further includes: sending second auxiliary information to the ground network device, wherein the second auxiliary information is used to indicate at least one of the following: the uplink information is information that has undergone store-and-forwarding; whether the context of the terminal is suspended; whether the context of the terminal is saved in the first airborne network device; whether the link between the first airborne network device and the terminal is available; and whether the first airborne network device expects to receive second confirmation information used to indicate that the ground network device has successfully received the uplink information.

[0044] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the second auxiliary information is used by the ground network device to determine at least one of the following: whether to retain the context of the terminal; and whether to send information to the terminal via a second air network device.

[0045] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: receiving the downlink information sent by the ground network device that needs to be sent to the terminal.

[0046] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: storing the downlink information; and sending second indication information to the ground network device, wherein the second indication information is used to indicate that the first airborne network device has stored or successfully forwarded the downlink information.

[0047] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes an information receiving method, which is executed by a ground network device, and the method includes: after establishing a connection with a first air network device, receiving uplink information and second auxiliary information stored by the first air network device, wherein the uplink information is sent by the terminal to the first air network device, and the second auxiliary information is used to indicate at least one of the following: the uplink information is information that has been stored and forwarded; whether the context of the terminal is suspended; whether the context of the terminal is saved in the first air network device; whether the link between the first air network device and the terminal is available; whether the first air network device expects to receive a second confirmation information used to characterize that the ground network device has successfully received the uplink information.

[0048] In combination with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the second auxiliary information is used by the ground network device to determine at least one of the following: whether to retain the context of the terminal; and whether to send information to the terminal via a second airborne network device.

[0049] In combination with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: determining to retain the context of the terminal, sending information to the terminal through the first air network device, and sending the downlink information to be sent to the terminal to the first air network device.

[0050] In combination with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: receiving second indication information sent by the ground network device, wherein the second indication information is used to indicate that the first airborne network device has stored or successfully forwarded the downlink information.

[0051] In the fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes an information sending device, which includes: a sending module, configured to send uplink information and first auxiliary information to a first air network device, wherein the first auxiliary information is used to indicate whether the terminal expects to receive downlink information corresponding to the uplink information.

[0052] In the fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes an information receiving device, which includes: a receiving module, configured to receive uplink information and first auxiliary information sent by a terminal, wherein the first auxiliary information is used to indicate whether the terminal expects to receive downlink information corresponding to the uplink information.

[0053] In the sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes an information receiving device, which includes: a receiving module, configured to receive uplink information and second auxiliary information stored in the first air network device after establishing a connection with the first air network device, wherein the uplink information is sent by the terminal to the first air network device, and the second auxiliary information is used to indicate at least one of the following: the uplink information is information that has been stored and forwarded; whether the context of the terminal is suspended; whether the context of the terminal is saved in the first air network device; whether the link between the first air network device and the terminal is available; whether the first air network device expects to receive the second confirmation information used to characterize that the ground network device has successfully received the uplink information.

[0054] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a terminal, comprising: one or more processors; wherein the terminal is used to execute the information sending method described in any one of the first aspect and the optional embodiments of the first aspect.

[0055] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes an airborne network device, comprising: one or more processors; wherein the airborne network device is used to execute the information receiving method described in any one of the second aspect and the optional embodiments of the second aspect.

[0056] In the ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a ground network device, comprising: one or more processors; wherein the ground network device is used to execute the information receiving method described in any one of the third aspect and the optional embodiments of the third aspect.

[0057] In the tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a communication system, including a terminal, an aerial network device, and a ground network device, wherein the terminal is configured to implement the information sending method described in any one of the first aspect and the optional embodiments of the first aspect, the aerial network device is configured to implement the information receiving method described in any one of the second aspect and the optional embodiments of the second aspect, and the ground network device is configured to implement the information receiving method described in any one of the third aspect and the optional embodiments of the third aspect.

[0058] In the eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a storage medium, which stores instructions. When the instructions are executed on a communication device, the communication device executes the information sending method described in any one of the first aspect and the optional embodiments of the first aspect, and / or the information receiving method described in any one of the second aspect and the optional embodiments of the second aspect, and / or the information receiving method described in any one of the third aspect and the optional embodiments of the third aspect.

[0059] In the twelfth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a program product. When the program product is executed by a communication device, the communication device executes the method described in any one of the first aspect, the optional embodiment of the first aspect, the second aspect, the optional embodiment of the second aspect, the third aspect, and the optional embodiment of the third aspect.

[0060] In the thirteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a computer program, which, when running on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method described in any one of the first aspect, the optional embodiment of the first aspect, the second aspect, the optional embodiment of the second aspect, the third aspect, and the optional embodiment of the third aspect.

[0061] It is understandable that the above-mentioned information sending and receiving devices, communication equipment, communication systems, storage media, program products, and computer programs are all used to execute the methods proposed in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Therefore, the beneficial effects that can be achieved can refer to the beneficial effects of the corresponding methods and will not be repeated here.

[0062] The disclosed embodiments provide information sending and receiving methods and devices, terminals, and aerial and ground network equipment. In some embodiments, the terms "information sending and receiving methods" and "information processing methods" and "communication methods" are interchangeable; the terms "information sending and receiving devices" and "information processing devices" and "communication devices" are interchangeable; and the terms "information processing system" and "communication system" are interchangeable.

[0063] The embodiments of the present disclosure are not exhaustive and are merely illustrative of some embodiments, and are not intended to be a specific limitation on the scope of protection of the present disclosure. In the absence of contradiction, each step in a certain embodiment can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the steps can be arbitrarily combined. For example, a solution after removing some steps in a certain embodiment can also be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the order of the steps in a certain embodiment can be arbitrarily exchanged. In addition, the optional implementation methods in a certain embodiment can be arbitrarily combined; in addition, the embodiments can be arbitrarily combined. For example, some or all steps of different embodiments can be arbitrarily combined, and a certain embodiment can be arbitrarily combined with the optional implementation methods of other embodiments.

[0064] In each embodiment of the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified or provided for by logic, the terms and / or descriptions between the embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form a new embodiment based on their inherent logical relationships.

[0065] The terms used in the embodiments of the present disclosure are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure.

[0066] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified, elements expressed in the singular form, such as "a", "an", "the", "above", "said", "aforementioned", "this", etc., may mean "one and only one", or "one or more", "at least one", etc.

[0067] For example, when using articles such as “a”, “an”, and “the” in English in translation, the noun following the article can be understood as a singular expression or a plural expression.

[0068] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, “plurality” refers to two or more.

[0069] In some embodiments, the terms "at least one," "one or more," "a plurality of," "multiple," etc. may be used interchangeably.

[0070] In some embodiments, descriptions such as "at least one of A and B," "A and / or B," "A in one case, B in another case," or "in response to one case A, in response to another case B" may include the following technical solutions depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (A is executed independently of B); in some embodiments, B (B is executed independently of A); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed); and in some embodiments, A and B (both A and B are executed). The above is also applicable when there are more branches such as A, B, and C.

[0071] In some embodiments, "A or B" and other descriptions may include the following technical solutions depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (A is executed independently of B); in some embodiments, B (B is executed independently of A); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed). The above is also applicable when there are more branches such as A, B, C, etc.

[0072] The prefixes such as "first" and "second" in the embodiments of the present disclosure are only used to distinguish different description objects and do not constitute any restrictions on the position, order, priority, quantity or content of the description objects. For the statement of the description objects, please refer to the description in the context of the claims or embodiments, and no unnecessary restrictions should be constituted due to the use of prefixes.

[0073] For example, if the description object is "field," the ordinal number preceding "field" in "first field" and "second field" does not restrict the position or order of the "fields." "First" and "second" do not restrict whether the modified "fields" are in the same message, nor do they restrict the order of the "first field" and "second field." For another example, if the description object is "level," the ordinal number preceding "level" in "first level" and "second level" does not restrict the priority of the "levels." For another example, the number of description objects is not restricted by the ordinal number and can be one or more. For example, in the case of "first device," the number of "devices" can be one or more. Furthermore, the objects modified by different prefixes can be the same or different. For example, if the description object is "device," "first device" and "second device" can be the same or different devices, and their types can be the same or different. For another example, if the description object is "information," "uplink information" and "downlink information" can be the same or different information, and their content can be the same or different.

[0074] In some embodiments, “including A,” “comprising A,” “used to indicate A,” and “carrying A” can be interpreted as directly carrying A or indirectly indicating A.

[0075] In some embodiments, terms such as "in response to...", "in response to determining...", "in the case of...", "at the time of...", "when...", "if...", "if...", etc. can be used interchangeably.

[0076] In some embodiments, terms such as "greater than", "greater than or equal to", "not less than", "more than", "more than or equal to", "not less than", "higher than", "higher than or equal to", "not less than", and "above" can be replaced with each other, and terms such as "less than", "less than or equal to", "not greater than", "less than", "less than or equal to", "not more than", "lower than", "lower than or equal to", "not higher than", and "below" can be replaced with each other.

[0077] In some embodiments, devices, etc. can be interpreted as physical or virtual, and their names are not limited to the names recorded in the embodiments. Terms such as "device", "equipment", "device", "circuit", "network element", "node", "function", "unit", "section", "system", "network", "chip", "chip system", "entity", and "subject" can be used interchangeably.

[0078] In some embodiments, "network" can be interpreted as devices included in the network (eg, access network equipment, core network equipment, etc.).

[0079] In some embodiments, the terms "access network device (AN device)", "radio access network device (RAN device)", "base station (BS)", "radio base station" "fixed station", "node", "access point", "transmission point (TP)", "reception point (RP)", "transmission / reception point (TRP)", "panel", "antenna panel", "antenna array", "cell", "macro cell", "small cell", "femto cell", "pico cell", "sector", "cell group", "serving cell", "carrier", "component carrier", "bandwidth part (BWP)" and the like may be used interchangeably.

[0080] In some embodiments, the terms "terminal", "terminal device", "user equipment (UE)", "user terminal", "mobile station (MS)", "mobile terminal (MT)", subscriber station, mobile unit, subscriber unit, wireless unit, remote unit, mobile device, wireless device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile subscriber station, access terminal, mobile terminal, wireless terminal, remote terminal, handset, user agent, mobile client, client, etc. can be used interchangeably.

[0081] In some embodiments, the access network device, the core network device, or the network device can be replaced by a terminal. For example, the various embodiments of the present disclosure can also be applied to a structure in which the communication between the access network device, the core network device, or the network device and the terminal is replaced by communication between multiple terminals (for example, device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), etc.). In this case, it is also possible to set the structure in which the terminal has all or part of the functions of the access network device. In addition, terms such as "uplink" and "downlink" can also be replaced by terms corresponding to communication between terminals (for example, "side"). For example, uplink channels, downlink channels, etc. can be replaced by side channels, and uplinks, downlinks, etc. can be replaced by side links.

[0082] In some embodiments, the terminal may be replaced by an access network device, a core network device, or a network device. In this case, the access network device, the core network device, or the network device may have a structure that has all or part of the functions of the terminal.

[0083] In some embodiments, obtaining data, information, etc. may comply with the laws and regulations of the country where the data is obtained.

[0084] In some embodiments, data, information, etc. may be obtained with the user's consent.

[0085] In addition, each element, each row, or each column in the table of the embodiment of the present disclosure can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the combination of any elements, any rows, and any columns can also be implemented as an independent embodiment.

[0086] FIG1 is a schematic diagram showing the architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0087] As shown in FIG1 , a communication system 100 includes a terminal 101 and a network device 102 , wherein the network device includes at least one of the following: an access network device and a core network device.

[0088] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 includes, for example, a mobile phone, a wearable device, an Internet of Things device, a car with communication function, a smart car, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal device in industrial control, a wireless terminal device in self-driving, a wireless terminal device in remote medical surgery, a wireless terminal device in a smart grid, a wireless terminal device in transportation safety, a wireless terminal device in a smart city, and at least one of a wireless terminal device in a smart home, but is not limited thereto.

[0089] In some embodiments, the access network device is, for example, a node or device that accesses a terminal to a wireless network. The access network device may include an evolved NodeB (eNB), a next generation evolved NodeB (ng-eNB), a next generation NodeB (gNB), a node B (NB), a home node B (HNB), a home evolved nodeB (HeNB), a wireless backhaul device, a radio network controller (RNC), a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a base band unit (BBU), a mobile switching center, a base station in a 6G communication system, an open base station (Open RAN), a cloud base station (Cloud RAN), a base station in other communication systems, and at least one of an access node in a Wi-Fi system, but is not limited thereto.

[0090] In some embodiments, a core network device may be a device including one or more network elements, or may be multiple devices or device groups, each including all or part of the one or more network elements. The network element may be virtual or physical. The core network may include, for example, at least one of an Evolved Packet Core (EPC), a 5G Core Network (5GCN), and a Next Generation Core (NGC).

[0091] In some embodiments, the technical solution of the present disclosure can be applied to the Open RAN architecture. In this case, the interfaces between or within the access network devices involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be transformed into internal interfaces of the Open RAN, and the processes and information interactions between these internal interfaces can be implemented through software or programs.

[0092] In some embodiments, the access network device can be composed of a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU), where the CU can also be called a control unit. The CU-DU structure can be used to split the protocol layer of the access network device, with the functions of some protocol layers centrally controlled by the CU, and the functions of the remaining part or all of the protocol layers distributed in the DU, which is centrally controlled by the CU, but is not limited to this.

[0093] It can be understood that the communication system described in the embodiment of the present disclosure is for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solution of the embodiment of the present disclosure, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solution proposed in the embodiment of the present disclosure. Ordinary technicians in this field can know that with the evolution of the system architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solution proposed in the embodiment of the present disclosure is also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0094] The following embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied to the communication system 100 shown in FIG1 , or a portion thereof, but are not limited thereto. The entities shown in FIG1 are illustrative only. The communication system may include all or part of the entities shown in FIG1 , or may include other entities outside of FIG1 . The number and form of the entities are arbitrary, and the entities may be physical or virtual. The connection relationships between the entities are illustrative only. The entities may be connected or disconnected, and the connection may be in any manner, including direct or indirect, wired or wireless.

[0095] The embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), LTE-Beyond (LTE-B), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4th generation mobile communication system (4G), 5th generation mobile communication system (5G), 5G new radio (NR), future radio access (FRA), new radio access technology (RAT), new radio (NR), new radio access (NX), future generation radio access (FX), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM (registered trademark)), CDMA2000, Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.20, Ultra-WideBand (UWB), Bluetooth (registered trademark), Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) networks, Device-to-Device (D2D) systems, Machine-to-Machine (M2M) systems, Internet of Things (IoT) systems, Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X), systems utilizing other communication methods, and next-generation systems based on and extending these methods. Furthermore, multiple systems may be combined (for example, a combination of LTE or LTE-A with 5G).

[0096] In some embodiments, the terminal may communicate in a non-terrestrial network (NTN). For example, the terminal may communicate with a terrestrial network device through an aerial network device in the non-terrestrial network.

[0097] For example, aerial network equipment can be satellites, aerial platforms, drones, etc. Aerial network equipment can serve as relay equipment, base stations, core networks, gateways, Mobility Management Entities (MMEs), etc.

[0098] For example, the ground network equipment may include at least one of the following: a base station, a core network, a gateway, and a mobility management entity.

[0099] For example, the base station may include at least one of the following: eNB, gNB.

[0100] For example, the core network may include at least one of the following: a 4G core network and a 5G core network.

[0101] For example, the gateway may include at least one of the following: a serving gateway (Serving GateWay, S-GW), a packet data network gateway (PDN (Packet Data Network) GateWay, P-GW).

[0102] For example, MME can be a core network, or a network element (or function) in the core network, such as an access mobility management function (AMF), a session management function (SMF), and a user plane function (UPF), where the above-mentioned S-GW may also refer to UPF.

[0103] Because the aerial network equipment moves in the air, the distance between the aerial network equipment and the ground network equipment will change (for example, non-geostationary satellites), or due to link failure, the first link between the aerial network equipment and the ground network equipment (for example, it can be called a feeder link) generally cannot maintain continuous connection during the communication process and will be disconnected for some time periods.

[0104] Similarly, the distance between the airborne network device and the terminal may also change, causing the second link between the airborne network device and the terminal (eg, a service link) to generally not remain connected during the communication process and to be disconnected within certain periods of time.

[0105] A link that is disconnected may also be referred to as a link that is unavailable, and a link that is not disconnected may also be referred to as a link that is available.

[0106] In some embodiments, considering that the first link and the second link may be disconnected during the terminal communication process, the air network device may communicate based on a store and forward mode.

[0107] For example, when the first link is available, the airborne network device receives information #1 that needs to be sent to the terminal from the ground network device. If the second link is also available, the airborne network device may choose not to store information #1 and directly send information #1 to the terminal. If the second link is unavailable, the airborne network device may choose to store information #1 and then send information #1 to the terminal when the second link is available later.

[0108] For example, when the second link is available, the aerial network device receives information #2 from the terminal that needs to be sent to the ground network device. If the first link is also available, the aerial network device can choose not to store information #2 and directly send information #2 to the ground network device. If the first link is unavailable, the aerial network device can choose to store information #2 and then send information #2 to the ground network device when the first link is available later.

[0109] It can be seen that when the airborne network device communicates based on the store-and-forward mode, even if the communication link (such as the first link and / or the second link) is disconnected, the airborne network device can store the information and forward the stored information to the target device when the subsequent link is available. This is conducive to ensuring that the terminal can successfully complete the communication in the non-ground network.

[0110] However, in some embodiments, the uplink and downlink communication requirements of different business communications are different. For example, when a terminal is performing a certain business communication, after sending uplink information to the air network, the business does not have downlink information corresponding to the uplink information that needs to be received by the terminal; for example, when a terminal is performing a certain business communication, after sending uplink information to the air network, the business also has downlink information corresponding to the uplink information that needs to be received by the terminal.

[0111] After the terminal sends uplink information to the airborne network device, it does not need to receive the downlink information corresponding to the uplink information. Alternatively, after the terminal sends uplink information to the airborne network device, it needs to receive the downlink information corresponding to the uplink information. For these two situations, the operations that the airborne network device needs to perform are different.

[0112] Therefore, if the air network device does not know whether the terminal needs to receive the downlink information corresponding to the uplink information after receiving the uplink information sent by the terminal, it may perform inappropriate operations, resulting in technical problems such as communication delays and waste of communication resources.

[0113] In some embodiments, for information from a terminal or a ground network device, the mode in which the airborne network device processes the information may include at least one of the following: a transparent transmission mode and a regeneration mode.

[0114] In transparent transmission mode, the ground network device can send information to the airborne network device. The airborne network device converts the information to the airborne network device's frequency band and then sends the information to the terminal through the airborne network device's frequency band. In some embodiments, the information is amplified. However, other than frequency conversion and signal amplification, the airborne network device does not demodulate the information. In this case, the airborne network device can be regarded as a repeater.

[0115] In regeneration mode, ground-based network equipment can send information to airborne network equipment, which can then demodulate and decode the information, then re-encode and modulate it (regeneration primarily refers to this process), and then transmit the coded and modulated information to the terminal. Of course, in this mode, the airborne network equipment can also perform operations such as frequency band conversion and signal amplification. In this case, the airborne network equipment can be considered an access network device, such as a base station.

[0116] In some embodiments, the airborne network device can perform the operations described in the embodiments of this disclosure in regeneration mode; or in some embodiments, the airborne network device can perform the operations described in the embodiments of this disclosure in transparent transmission mode. The airborne network device in regeneration mode can function as a base station, core network, gateway, MME, etc.

[0117] FIG2A is an interactive schematic diagram illustrating a method for sending information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0118] As shown in FIG2A , the information sending method may include the following steps:

[0119] In step S201, the terminal sends uplink information and first auxiliary information to the first air network device.

[0120] For example, when the second link between the terminal and the first air network device is available, the terminal may send uplink information to the first air network device and may also send first auxiliary information to the first air network device.

[0121] In some embodiments, the first terminal may be an Internet of Things (IoT) device, such as a Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT) device, or a traditional device.

[0122] In some embodiments, the uplink information may include data or signaling, which is not limited by the present disclosure. The data may be ordinary uplink data or mobile originated (MO) uplink data. For example, when the first terminal is an IoT device, the uplink information may include IoT data.

[0123] In some embodiments, the first terminal is in a non-connected state (e.g., an idle state or an inactive state), and the first terminal can send uplink information to the first air network device in one of the following ways:

[0124] sending the uplink information and the first auxiliary information to the first air network device through early data transmission;

[0125] A radio resource control (RRC) connection is established with the air network device, or the radio resource control connection is restored, or the radio resource control connection is reestablished, and the uplink information and the first auxiliary information are sent to the first air network device through the radio resource control connection.

[0126] Among them, early data transmission means that the first terminal can perform data transmission during the connection establishment process. For example, when the first terminal establishes a connection through random access, it can carry uplink data through a random access message (such as Msg3 in 4-step random access, MsgA in 2-step random access) to send it to the first air network device.

[0127] In some embodiments, when the first terminal is in a connected state, the first terminal may directly send uplink information to the first air network device through a radio resource control connection.

[0128] In some embodiments, the first terminal can send uplink information to the air network device through the control plane (CP). For example, the first terminal can carry the uplink information in an uplink non-access stratum protocol data unit (UL NAS (Non-access stratum) PDU (Protocol Data Unit)) and send it to the first air network device.

[0129] In some embodiments, the first terminal may send uplink information to the air network device via a user plane (UP). For example, the first terminal may carry the uplink information in an uplink user plane (UL UP) bearer and send it to the first air network device.

[0130] For example, the UL UP bearer may include at least one of the following: a PDU session, a Quality of Service (OoS) flow, an Evolved Radio Access Bearer (E-RAB), and an Evolved Packet System (EPS) bearer.

[0131] In some embodiments, the first aerial network device may implement the function of a base station, and the ground network device may implement the function of a core network device.

[0132] In other embodiments, the first air network device can implement the functions of a base station and some functions of a core network device, and the ground network device can implement some functions of a core network device.

[0133] In some embodiments, the first auxiliary information is used to indicate whether the terminal expects to receive downlink information corresponding to the uplink information. The downlink information may include data or signaling, which is not limited in this disclosure.

[0134] In some embodiments, the first air network device receives the uplink information and the first auxiliary information sent by the terminal.

[0135] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the terminal sends the first auxiliary information to the first air network device, so that the first air network device can determine whether the terminal expects to receive downlink information corresponding to the uplink information, so that the first air network device can make appropriate operations, which is conducive to alleviating problems such as communication delay and waste of communication resources.

[0136] In some embodiments, the first assistance information is used by the first air network device to determine at least one of the following:

[0137] Whether to perform store-and-forward of uplink information;

[0138] Whether to maintain the terminal context.

[0139] For example, the first auxiliary information is used to indicate that the terminal expects to receive downlink information corresponding to the uplink information. Based on this, the first network device can determine that it needs to communicate with the terminal in the future, so it can maintain the context of the terminal so that when it is necessary to send downlink information to the terminal in the future, it can communicate with the terminal as soon as possible based on the uplink context of the terminal.

[0140] It should be noted that the operations performed by the first air network device based on the first auxiliary information are not limited to the above two operations, and other operations may also be performed based on the first auxiliary information, and this disclosure does not limit this. For example, the first auxiliary information is used to indicate that the terminal expects to receive downlink information corresponding to the uplink information. The first network device may carry suspend information in the radio resource control release (RRCRelease) message sent to the terminal to instruct the terminal to maintain the context so that when it is subsequently necessary to receive downlink information, it can resume communication with the first network device as soon as possible.

[0141] In some embodiments, the first auxiliary information is further used to indicate at least one of the following:

[0142] Whether the downlink information is periodic information;

[0143] The period of downlink information;

[0144] Whether the terminal expects to receive first confirmation information indicating that the first airborne network device successfully forwards (also referred to as delivers) the uplink information to the ground network device.

[0145] In some embodiments, the first assistance information may further indicate whether the terminal desires to receive the first confirmation information.

[0146] For example, the first airborne network device determines based on the first auxiliary information that the terminal expects to receive the first confirmation information, and subsequently sends the first confirmation information to the terminal if the uplink information is successfully forwarded to the ground network device. In this case, the terminal does not need to resend the uplink information to the first airborne network device.

[0147] For example, if the first airborne network device fails to successfully store the uplink information or fails to successfully forward the uplink information to the ground network device, it may send first negative information to the terminal to indicate that the uplink information was not successfully forwarded to the ground network device. In this case, the terminal does not need to resend the uplink information to the first airborne network device so that the first airborne network device can forward the uplink information to the ground network device.

[0148] First confirmation information indicating that the first airborne network device has successfully forwarded (also referred to as delivered) the uplink information to the ground network device.

[0149] In some embodiments, the first air network device may send first indication information to the terminal, where the first indication information is used to indicate at least one of the following:

[0150] Time of access to the first air network device;

[0151] Access a cell of the first air network device (for example, may be indicated by a cell identifier).

[0152] For example, the terminal determines the time to access the first air network device based on the first indication information, and then can attempt to establish a connection with the first air network device at that time, or listen to the paging message sent by the first air network device so as to be able to communicate with the first air network device in a timely manner (for example, receive downlink information).

[0153] For example, the terminal determines the cell to access the first air network device based on the first indication information, and then can attempt to establish a connection with the first air network device in the cell, or monitor the paging message sent by the first air network device, so as to be able to communicate with the first air network device in a timely manner (for example, receive downlink information).

[0154] In some embodiments, the first airborne network device may store the uplink information; and after establishing a connection with the ground network device, forward the uplink information to the ground network device.

[0155] For example, when the first link between the first airborne network device and the ground network device is unavailable, the first airborne network device may choose to store the uplink information and forward the uplink information to the ground network device when the first link is available later.

[0156] For example, when the first link between the first aerial network device and the ground network device is available, the first aerial network device can choose to send the uplink information directly to the ground network device, or can choose to store the uplink information and subsequently send the stored uplink information to the ground network device as needed.

[0157] It should be noted that the first airborne network device forwards the uplink information to the ground network device, for example, by sending it through an initial terminal message (initial UE message) or by other messages or methods, and this disclosure does not limit this.

[0158] In step S202 , the first airborne network device may send second auxiliary information to the ground network device.

[0159] In some embodiments, the second auxiliary information is used to indicate at least one of the following:

[0160] Uplink information is information that has been stored and forwarded;

[0161] Whether the terminal context is suspended;

[0162] whether the context of the terminal is stored in the first air network device;

[0163] Whether the link between the first air network device and the terminal is available;

[0164] Whether the first airborne network device expects to receive second confirmation information indicating that the ground network device successfully receives the uplink information.

[0165] In some embodiments, the second assistance information is used by the ground network device to determine at least one of the following:

[0166] Whether to preserve the terminal context;

[0167] Whether to send information to the terminal through the second air network device.

[0168] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first airborne network device may send second assistance information to the ground network device, so as to assist the ground network device in performing appropriate operations.

[0169] For example, the ground network device determines that the context of the terminal is suspended based on the second auxiliary information, and / or the context of the terminal is saved in the first airborne network device. The ground network device can choose to retain the context of the terminal so as to communicate with the terminal as soon as possible (for example, sending downlink information to the terminal through the first airborne network device).

[0170] For example, the ground network device determines to release the context of the terminal according to the second auxiliary information, and / or the first airborne network device releases the context of the terminal. The ground network device may choose to release the context of the terminal to avoid wasting storage resources.

[0171] For example, the ground network device determines that the second link between the first airborne network device and the terminal is available based on the second auxiliary information, and then the downlink information can be sent to the first airborne network device so that the first airborne network device can send the downlink information to the terminal as soon as possible through the available second link.

[0172] For example, the ground network device determines that the second link between the first airborne network device and the terminal is unavailable based on the second auxiliary information. Then, it can determine a second airborne network device whose link with the terminal is available, and send downlink information to the second airborne network device, so that the second airborne network device can send the downlink information to the terminal as soon as possible through the available link.

[0173] It should be noted that the operations that the ground network device can perform based on the second auxiliary information are not limited to the operations described in the above embodiments. Other operations can also be performed based on the second auxiliary information, and this disclosure does not limit this. For example, if the ground network device determines based on the second auxiliary information that the first airborne network device expects to receive the second confirmation information, then when the ground network device successfully receives the uplink information forwarded by the first airborne network device, it can send the second confirmation information to the first airborne network device.

[0174] In some embodiments, the ground network device may send downlink information to the first airborne network device and may indicate that the downlink information needs to be sent to the terminal, for example, by indicating the downlink information using the terminal's identifier. The first airborne network device may then receive the downlink information that needs to be sent to the terminal from the ground network device.

[0175] In some embodiments, the ground network device may send downlink information to the first airborne network device when determining to retain the context of the terminal and sending information to the terminal through the first airborne network device.

[0176] It should be noted that the information sent by the ground network device to the first airborne network device may not be limited to the downlink information corresponding to the uplink information sent by the terminal, but may also include other information that needs to be sent to the terminal.

[0177] In some embodiments, the first airborne network device may store downlink information sent by the ground network device.

[0178] In some embodiments, if the first airborne network device successfully stores the downlink information, it may send second indication information to the ground network device, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the first airborne network device has successfully stored the downlink information. In this case, the ground network device does not need to resend the downlink information to the first airborne network device.

[0179] If the second indication information is used to indicate that the first airborne network device has failed to store the downlink information, the ground network device may resend the downlink information to the first airborne network device so that the first airborne network device can successfully store the downlink information.

[0180] Alternatively, when the second indication information indicates that the first airborne network device has failed to successfully store the downlink information, the second indication information may also indicate the reason why the first airborne network device has failed to successfully store the downlink information, such as insufficient storage space. Based on this, the ground network device may adjust the data volume of the downlink information so that after the adjusted downlink information is sent to the first airborne network device, the first airborne network device can successfully store the downlink information.

[0181] In some embodiments, the first airborne network device may forward the second information to the terminal and send second indication information to the ground network device, wherein the second indication information is used to indicate that the first airborne network device has successfully forwarded the downlink information. In this case, the ground network device does not need to resend the downlink information to the first airborne network device.

[0182] If the second indication information is used to indicate that the first airborne network device has failed to forward the downlink information, the ground network device may resend the downlink information to the first airborne network device so that the first airborne network device can successfully forward the downlink information.

[0183] Alternatively, when the second indication information indicates that the first airborne network device has failed to forward the downlink information successfully, the second indication information may also indicate the reason why the first airborne network device has failed to forward the downlink information successfully, such as the downlink information being lost. Based on this, the ground network device may resend the downlink information to the first airborne network device so that the first airborne network device can successfully forward the downlink information.

[0184] In step S203, the first air network device sends downlink information to the terminal.

[0185] In some embodiments, the downlink information may be stored and forwarded by the first airborne network device. For example, the downlink information is sent from the ground network device to the first airborne network device;

[0186] For example, when the second link between the terminal and the first air network device is available, the terminal may perform RRC connection establishment or RRC connection recovery, and receive downlink information sent by the first air network device through the RRC connection.

[0187] In some embodiments, the first airborne network device sends first confirmation information to the terminal, wherein the first confirmation information is used to indicate that the first airborne network device successfully forwards the uplink information to the ground network device.

[0188] For example, when the second link between the terminal and the first airborne network device is available, the terminal may establish or restore an RRC connection. The first airborne network device may send first confirmation information to the terminal via the RRC connection. The terminal may determine, based on the first confirmation information, that the first airborne network device has successfully forwarded the uplink information to the ground network device. Accordingly, the terminal may not need to send the uplink information to the first airborne network device. If the terminal determines, based on the first confirmation information, that the first airborne network device has not successfully forwarded the uplink information to the ground network device, the terminal may resend the uplink information to the first airborne network device so that the first airborne network device can successfully forward the uplink information to the ground network device.

[0189] FIG2B is an interactive diagram illustrating a method for sending information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0190] As shown in FIG2B , the information sending method may include the following steps:

[0191] In step S201A, the terminal sends a radio resource control connection request (RRCConnectionRequest) message to the air network device.

[0192] Among them, the terminal is an NB-IoT device or an IoT device.

[0193] In step S202A, the air network device sends a radio resource control connection setup (RRCConnectionSetup) message to the terminal.

[0194] In step S203A, the terminal sends a radio resource control connection setup complete (RRCConnectionSetupComplete) message to the air network device, wherein the radio resource control connection setup complete message may include a UL NAS PDU, wherein the UL NAS PDU may include uplink information that the terminal needs to send, such as MO data.

[0195] The radio resource control connection establishment complete message may further carry first auxiliary information, where the first auxiliary information includes at least one of the following:

[0196] DL data indication information is used to indicate whether there is downlink data to be received in this uplink transmission;

[0197] DL data periodicity indication, used to indicate whether there is periodic downlink data to be received in this uplink transmission;

[0198] DL data cycle information, used to indicate the downlink data transmission cycle corresponding to this uplink transmission;

[0199] UL data delivery confirmation information expectation indication information, used to indicate the expectation of receiving confirmation information on whether the UL data is successfully delivered;

[0200] The airborne network device receives the radio resource control connection establishment completion message and can determine whether to agree to perform the store-and-forward operation of the uplink data and / or whether to maintain the terminal context based on the first auxiliary information in order to receive and send subsequent downlink data and signaling.

[0201] In step 204A, the air network device sends an RRC message (eg, an RRC connection release message or an RRC reconfiguration message) to the terminal. The RRC message includes suspend information to instruct the terminal to maintain the terminal context so as to receive subsequent downlink information.

[0202] In some embodiments, the RRC message may further include first time information (e.g., used to indicate the time of accessing the first air network device) and / or first cell identification information (e.g., used to indicate the cell of accessing the first air network device). The terminal may, based on the first time and / or the first cell identification information, begin receiving downlink information at the time indicated by the first time, and / or restore the RRC connection from the cell indicated by the first cell identification at the time indicated by the first time, and then receive the downlink information.

[0203] In step 205A, the air network device saves the terminal context and the received UL NAS PDU (eg, including uplink information).

[0204] When the aerial network device is able to connect to the terrestrial network device, the aerial network device sends an initial UE message to the terrestrial network device, wherein the initial UE message includes the stored UL NAS PDU.

[0205] Optionally, the initial UE message may further include second auxiliary information, where the second auxiliary information includes at least one of the following:

[0206] Store-and-forward indication information, used to indicate whether the UL NAS PDU is to be stored and forwarded;

[0207] Terminal context suspension indication information, used to indicate whether the terminal context is suspended, or used to indicate whether the relevant context is saved on the air network device and the terminal side;

[0208] Service link indication, used to indicate whether the service link between the air network device and the terminal is available;

[0209] The expectation indication information of the uplink information delivery confirmation information is used to indicate the expectation to receive confirmation information of whether the uplink information is successfully delivered.

[0210] Upon receiving the initial UE message, the terrestrial network device may determine, based on the second auxiliary information, whether to perform at least one of the following operations:

[0211] Preserve terminal context;

[0212] Release the terminal context immediately;

[0213] Another airborne network device (eg, a second airborne network device) is selected to transmit the downlink information.

[0214] In step 206A, the ground network device determines to retain the terminal context and transmit downlink information through the last served airborne network device. The ground network device sends a downlink NAS transmission message, such as a DL NAS PDU, to the airborne network device. The DL NAS PDU may include downlink information to be sent to the terminal.

[0215] Step 207A: Optionally, after determining to receive and store the DL NAS PDU, the airborne network device sends NAS PDU storage indication information to the MME to indicate whether the DL NAS PDU is successfully stored and / or forwarded. The NAS PDU storage indication information may be carried in an S1AP message.

[0216] Step 208A, optionally, the airborne network device may page the terminal at an appropriate time and in an appropriate tracking area or cell.

[0217] Step 209A: The terminal responds to the paging, or initiates an RRC connection establishment or RRC establishment recovery process according to the first time information and / or the first cell identifier received in step 104.

[0218] Step 210A: After the RRC connection is established or restored, the air network device forwards the stored DL NAS PDU and / or uplink data delivery confirmation notification information to the terminal. The uplink data delivery notification information is used to indicate that the UL NAS PDU sent by the terminal is successfully delivered.

[0219] Accordingly, the effect can be achieved: through the above transmission method, the transmission of downlink information can be completed while preserving the terminal context unchanged and the provided air network equipment unchanged.

[0220] The communication method involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of steps S201 to S203. For example, step S201 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step S202 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step S203 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, steps S201+S202 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, steps S201+S203 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, steps S202+S203 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and steps S201+S202+S203 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, but are not limited thereto.

[0221] In some embodiments, steps S201 and S202 may be performed in an interchangeable order or simultaneously.

[0222] In some embodiments, steps S201 and S203 may be performed in an interchangeable order or simultaneously.

[0223] In some embodiments, steps S202 and S203 may be performed in an interchangeable order or simultaneously.

[0224] In some embodiments, step S201 is optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0225] In some embodiments, step S202 is optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0226] In some embodiments, step S203 is optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0227] In some embodiments, reference may be made to other optional implementations described before or after the description corresponding to FIG. 2A .

[0228] In a first aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method for sending information. Figure 3 is a schematic flow chart illustrating a method for sending information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method for sending information illustrated in this embodiment can be executed by a terminal.

[0229] As shown in FIG3 , the information sending method may include the following steps:

[0230] In step S301, uplink information and first auxiliary information are sent to a first air network device, wherein the first auxiliary information is used to indicate whether the terminal expects to receive downlink information corresponding to the uplink information.

[0231] It should be noted that the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 can be implemented independently or in combination with at least one other embodiment in the present disclosure. The specific selection can be made as needed and the present disclosure does not limit it.

[0232] In some embodiments, the first auxiliary information is also used to indicate at least one of the following: whether the downlink information is periodic information; the period of the downlink information; whether the terminal expects to receive a first confirmation information used to characterize that the first air network device successfully forwarded the uplink information to the ground network device.

[0233] In some embodiments, the first auxiliary information is used by the first air network device to determine at least one of the following: whether to perform store-and-forwarding of the uplink information; and whether to maintain the context of the terminal.

[0234] In some embodiments, the method further includes: receiving first indication information sent by the first air network device, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate at least one of the following: time to access the first air network device; cell to access the first air network device.

[0235] In some embodiments, the method further includes: receiving at least one of the following sent by the first aerial network device: the stored and forwarded downlink information, wherein the downlink information is sent from the ground network device to the first aerial network device; first confirmation information, wherein the first confirmation information is used to indicate that the first aerial network device successfully forwarded the uplink information to the ground network device.

[0236] For the first aspect and the optional implementation of the optional embodiment of the first aspect, reference can be made to the optional implementation in the embodiment shown in FIG2 and other related parts in the embodiment involved in FIG2A , which will not be described in detail here.

[0237] In a second aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide an information receiving method. Figure 4 is a schematic flow chart illustrating an information receiving method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The information receiving method illustrated in this embodiment may be executed by a first air network device.

[0238] As shown in FIG4 , the information receiving method may include the following steps:

[0239] In step S401, uplink information and first auxiliary information sent by a terminal are received, wherein the first auxiliary information is used to indicate whether the terminal expects to receive downlink information corresponding to the uplink information.

[0240] It should be noted that the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 can be implemented independently or in combination with at least one other embodiment in the present disclosure. The specific selection can be made as needed and the present disclosure does not limit it.

[0241] In some embodiments, the first auxiliary information is also used to indicate at least one of the following: whether the downlink information is periodic information; the period of the downlink information; whether the terminal expects to receive a first confirmation information used to characterize that the first air network device successfully forwarded the uplink information to the ground network device.

[0242] In some embodiments, the first auxiliary information is used by the first air network device to determine at least one of the following: whether to perform store-and-forwarding of the uplink information; and whether to maintain the context of the terminal.

[0243] In some embodiments, the method further includes: sending first indication information to the terminal, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate at least one of the following: time to access the first air network device; and cell to access the first air network device.

[0244] In some embodiments, the method further includes: sending to the terminal at least one of the following: the stored and forwarded downlink information, wherein the downlink information is sent from the ground network device to the first airborne network device; first confirmation information, wherein the first confirmation information is used to indicate that the first airborne network device successfully forwarded the uplink information to the ground network device.

[0245] In some embodiments, the method further includes: storing the uplink information; and forwarding the uplink information to the ground network device after establishing a connection with the ground network device.

[0246] In some embodiments, the method also includes: sending second auxiliary information to the ground network device, wherein the second auxiliary information is used to indicate at least one of the following: the uplink information is information that has been stored and forwarded; whether the context of the terminal is suspended; whether the context of the terminal is saved in the first air network device; whether the link between the first air network device and the terminal is available; whether the first air network device expects to receive a second confirmation information used to characterize that the ground network device has successfully received the uplink information.

[0247] In some embodiments, the second auxiliary information is used by the ground network device to determine at least one of the following: whether to retain the context of the terminal; and whether to send information to the terminal through a second air network device.

[0248] In some embodiments, the method further includes: receiving the downlink information sent by the ground network device that needs to be sent to the terminal.

[0249] In some embodiments, the method further includes: storing the downlink information; and sending second indication information to the ground network device, wherein the second indication information is used to indicate that the first airborne network device has stored or successfully forwarded the downlink information.

[0250] For the second aspect and the optional implementation of the optional embodiment of the second aspect, please refer to the optional implementation in the embodiment shown in FIG2 and other related parts in the embodiment involved in FIG2A , which will not be repeated here.

[0251] In a third aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide an information receiving method. Figure 5 is a schematic flow chart illustrating an information receiving method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The information receiving method illustrated in this embodiment can be executed by a ground network device.

[0252] As shown in FIG5 , the information receiving method may include the following steps:

[0253] In step S501, after establishing a connection with a first air network device, uplink information and second auxiliary information stored by the first air network device are received, wherein the uplink information is sent by the terminal to the first air network device, and the second auxiliary information is used to indicate at least one of the following:

[0254] The uplink information is information that has been stored and forwarded;

[0255] Whether the context of the terminal is suspended;

[0256] whether the context of the terminal is stored in the first air network device;

[0257] Whether the link between the first air network device and the terminal is available;

[0258] Whether the first aerial network device expects to receive second confirmation information indicating that the ground network device successfully receives the uplink information.

[0259] It should be noted that the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 can be implemented independently or in combination with at least one other embodiment in the present disclosure. The specific selection can be made as needed and the present disclosure does not limit it.

[0260] In some embodiments, the second auxiliary information is used by the ground network device to determine at least one of the following: whether to retain the context of the terminal; and whether to send information to the terminal through a second air network device.

[0261] In some embodiments, the method further includes: determining to retain the context of the terminal, and sending information to the terminal through the first air network device, and sending the downlink information that needs to be sent to the terminal to the first air network device.

[0262] In some embodiments, the method further includes: receiving second indication information sent by the ground network device, wherein the second indication information is used to indicate that the first airborne network device has stored or successfully forwarded the downlink information.

[0263] For the third aspect and the optional implementation of the optional embodiment of the third aspect, please refer to the optional implementation in the embodiment shown in FIG2 and other related parts in the embodiment involved in FIG2A , which will not be repeated here.

[0264] In some embodiments, the names of information, etc. are not limited to the names described in the embodiments, and terms such as "information", "message", "signal", "signaling", "report", "configuration", "indication", "instruction", "command", "channel", "parameter", "domain", "field", "symbol", "symbol", "codeword", "codebook", "codeword", "codepoint", "bit", "data", "program", and "chip" can be used interchangeably.

[0265] In some embodiments, terms such as "uplink", "uplink", "physical uplink" can be interchangeable with each other, and terms such as "downlink", "downlink", "physical downlink" can be interchangeable with each other, and terms such as "side", "sidelink", "side communication", "sidelink communication", "direct connection", "direct link", "direct communication", "direct link communication" can be interchangeable with each other.

[0266] In some embodiments, terms such as "moment", "time point", "time", and "time position" can be replaced with each other, and terms such as "duration", "period", "time window", "window", and "time" can be replaced with each other.

[0267] In some embodiments, "obtain", "get", "get", "receive", "transmit", "bidirectional transmission", "send and / or receive" can be interchangeable, and can be interpreted as receiving from other entities, obtaining from protocols, obtaining from higher layers, obtaining by self-processing, autonomous implementation, etc.

[0268] In some embodiments, terms such as "send", "transmit", "report", "download", "transmit", "bidirectional transmission", "send and / or receive" can be used interchangeably.

[0269] Corresponding to the aforementioned embodiments of the information receiving method and the information sending method, the present disclosure also provides embodiments of an information receiving device and an information sending device.

[0270] FIG6 is a schematic block diagram of an information sending device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG6 , the information sending device includes: a sending module 601 .

[0271] In some embodiments, the information sending device may be provided in a terminal.

[0272] In some embodiments, the sending module is configured to send uplink information and first auxiliary information to the first air network device, wherein the first auxiliary information is used to indicate whether the terminal expects to receive downlink information corresponding to the uplink information.

[0273] In some embodiments, the first auxiliary information is also used to indicate at least one of the following: whether the downlink information is periodic information; the period of the downlink information; whether the terminal expects to receive a first confirmation information used to characterize that the first air network device successfully forwarded the uplink information to the ground network device.

[0274] In some embodiments, the first auxiliary information is used by the first air network device to determine at least one of the following: whether to perform store-and-forwarding of the uplink information; and whether to maintain the context of the terminal.

[0275] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes: a receiving module configured to receive first indication information sent by the first air network device, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate at least one of the following: the time of accessing the first air network device; the cell of accessing the first air network device.

[0276] In some embodiments, the device also includes: a receiving module, configured to receive at least one of the following sent by the first aerial network device: the stored and forwarded downlink information, wherein the downlink information is sent from the ground network device to the first aerial network device; first confirmation information, wherein the first confirmation information is used to indicate that the first aerial network device successfully forwarded the uplink information to the ground network device.

[0277] FIG7 is a schematic block diagram of an information receiving device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG7 , the information receiving device includes: a receiving module 701 .

[0278] In some embodiments, the information receiving device may be provided in the first airborne network device.

[0279] In some embodiments, the receiving module is configured to receive uplink information and first auxiliary information sent by the terminal, wherein the first auxiliary information is used to indicate whether the terminal expects to receive downlink information corresponding to the uplink information.

[0280] In some embodiments, the first auxiliary information is also used to indicate at least one of the following: whether the downlink information is periodic information; the period of the downlink information; whether the terminal expects to receive a first confirmation information used to characterize that the first air network device successfully forwarded the uplink information to the ground network device.

[0281] In some embodiments, the first auxiliary information is used by the first air network device to determine at least one of the following: whether to perform store-and-forwarding of the uplink information; and whether to maintain the context of the terminal.

[0282] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes: a sending module configured to send first indication information to the terminal, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate at least one of the following: a time to access the first air network device; a cell to access the first air network device.

[0283] In some embodiments, the device also includes: a sending module, configured to send at least one of the following to the terminal: the stored and forwarded downlink information, wherein the downlink information is sent from the ground network device to the first airborne network device; first confirmation information, wherein the first confirmation information is used to indicate that the first airborne network device successfully forwarded the uplink information to the ground network device.

[0284] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes: a storage module configured to store the uplink information; and a sending module configured to forward the uplink information to the ground network device after establishing a connection with the ground network device.

[0285] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes: a sending module configured to send second auxiliary information to the ground network device, wherein the second auxiliary information is used to indicate at least one of the following: the uplink information is information that has been stored and forwarded; whether the context of the terminal is suspended; whether the context of the terminal is saved in the first air network device; whether the link between the first air network device and the terminal is available; whether the first air network device expects to receive a second confirmation information used to characterize that the ground network device has successfully received the uplink information.

[0286] In some embodiments, the second auxiliary information is used by the ground network device to determine at least one of the following: whether to retain the context of the terminal; and whether to send information to the terminal through a second air network device.

[0287] In some embodiments, the receiving module is further configured to receive the downlink information sent by the ground network device that needs to be sent to the terminal.

[0288] In some embodiments, the device also includes: a storage module configured to store the downlink information; a sending module configured to send second indication information to the ground network device, wherein the second indication information is used to indicate that the first airborne network device has stored or successfully forwarded the downlink information.

[0289] FIG8 is a schematic block diagram of an information receiving device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG8 , the information receiving device includes: a receiving module 801 .

[0290] In some embodiments, the information receiving device may be provided in a ground network device.

[0291] In some embodiments, the receiving module is configured to receive uplink information stored in the first air network device after establishing a connection with the first air network device, wherein the uplink information is sent by the terminal to the first air network device.

[0292] In some embodiments, the receiving module can also receive second auxiliary information, and the second auxiliary information is used to indicate at least one of the following: the uplink information is information that has been stored and forwarded; whether the context of the terminal is suspended; whether the context of the terminal is saved in the first air network device; whether the link between the first air network device and the terminal is available; whether the first air network device expects to receive a second confirmation information used to characterize that the ground network device has successfully received the uplink information.

[0293] In some embodiments, the second auxiliary information is used by the ground network device to determine at least one of the following: whether to retain the context of the terminal; and whether to send information to the terminal through a second air network device.

[0294] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes: a sending module configured to determine to retain the context of the terminal, and to send information to the terminal through the first air network device, and to send the downlink information that needs to be sent to the terminal to the first air network device.

[0295] In some embodiments, the receiving module is further configured to receive second indication information sent by the ground network device, wherein the second indication information is used to indicate that the first airborne network device has stored or successfully forwarded the downlink information.

[0296] For the device embodiment, since it basically corresponds to the method embodiment, the relevant parts can be referred to the partial description of the method embodiment. The device embodiment described above is merely illustrative, wherein the modules described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components displayed as modules may or may not be physical modules, that is, they may be located in one place, or they may be distributed on multiple network modules. Some or all of the modules can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the scheme of this embodiment. Those of ordinary skill in the art can understand and implement it without paying any creative work.

[0297] The embodiments of the present disclosure further provide an apparatus for implementing any of the above methods. For example, an apparatus is provided, comprising units or modules for implementing each step performed by a terminal in any of the above methods. For another example, another apparatus is provided, comprising units or modules for implementing each step performed by a network device (e.g., an access network device, a core network function node, a core network device, etc.) in any of the above methods.

[0298] It should be understood that the division of the various units or modules in the above device is merely a division of logical functions. In actual implementation, they may be fully or partially integrated into a physical entity, or they may be physically separated. In addition, the units or modules in the device may be implemented in the form of a processor calling software: for example, the device includes a processor, the processor is connected to a memory, and the memory stores instructions. The processor calls the instructions stored in the memory to implement any of the above methods or implement the functions of the various units or modules of the above device, wherein the processor is, for example, a general-purpose processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a microprocessor, and the memory is a memory within the device or a memory outside the device. Alternatively, the units or modules in the device can be implemented in the form of hardware circuits, and the functions of some or all of the units or modules can be realized by designing the hardware circuits. The above-mentioned hardware circuits can be understood as one or more processors; for example, in one implementation, the above-mentioned hardware circuit is an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), which realizes the functions of some or all of the above units or modules by designing the logical relationship of the components in the circuit; for example, in another implementation, the above-mentioned hardware circuit can be realized by a programmable logic device (PLD). Taking a field programmable gate array (FPGA) as an example, it can include a large number of logic gate circuits, and the connection relationship between the logic gate circuits is configured by configuring the configuration file, thereby realizing the functions of some or all of the above units or modules. All units or modules of the above devices can be realized in the form of software called by the processor, or in the form of hardware circuits, or in part by the form of software called by the processor, and the rest by hardware circuits.

[0299] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the processor is a circuit with signal processing capabilities. In one implementation, the processor can be a circuit with instruction reading and execution capabilities, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a graphics processing unit (GPU) (which can be understood as a microprocessor), or a digital signal processor (DSP). In another implementation, the processor can implement certain functions through the logical relationship of the hardware circuit. The logical relationship of the above-mentioned hardware circuit is fixed or reconfigurable. For example, the processor is a hardware circuit implemented by an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a programmable logic device (PLD), such as an FPGA. In a reconfigurable hardware circuit, the process of the processor loading a configuration document and implementing the hardware circuit configuration can be understood as the process of the processor loading instructions to implement the functions of some or all of the above units or modules. In addition, it can also be a hardware circuit designed for artificial intelligence, which can be understood as an ASIC, such as a neural network processing unit (NPU), a tensor processing unit (TPU), a deep learning processing unit (DPU), etc.

[0300] Figure 9A is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 9100 proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure. Communication device 9100 can be a network device (e.g., an access network device, a core network device, etc.), a terminal (e.g., a user equipment, etc.), a chip, a chip system, or a processor that supports a network device to implement any of the above methods, or a chip, a chip system, or a processor that supports a terminal to implement any of the above methods. Communication device 9100 can be used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments. For details, please refer to the description of the above method embodiments.

[0301] As shown in Figure 9A, the communication device 9100 includes one or more processors 9101. The processor 9101 can be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, for example, a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor can be used to process the communication protocol and communication data, and the central processing unit can be used to control the communication device (such as a base station, a baseband chip, a terminal device, a terminal device chip, a DU or a CU, etc.), execute programs, and process program data. Optionally, the communication device 9100 is used to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, one or more processors 9101 are used to call instructions to enable the communication device 9100 to perform any of the above methods.

[0302] In some embodiments, the communication device 9100 further includes one or more transceivers 9102. When the communication device 9100 includes one or more transceivers 9102, the transceiver 9102 performs at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving in the above method (for example, steps S201, S2021, and S203, but not limited thereto), and the processor 9101 performs at least one of the other steps (for example, steps S201, S2021, and S203, but not limited thereto). In an optional embodiment, the transceiver may include a receiver and / or a transmitter, and the receiver and transmitter may be separate or integrated. Optionally, the terms transceiver, transceiver unit, transceiver, transceiver circuit, interface circuit, and interface may be interchangeable, the terms transmitter, transmitting unit, transmitter, and transmitting circuit may be interchangeable, and the terms receiver, receiving unit, receiver, and receiving circuit may be interchangeable.

[0303] In some embodiments, the communication device 9100 further includes one or more memories 9103 for storing data. Alternatively, all or part of the memories 9103 may be located outside the communication device 9100. In alternative embodiments, the communication device 9100 may include one or more interface circuits 9104. Optionally, the interface circuits 9104 are connected to the memory 9102 and may be configured to receive data from the memory 9102 or other devices, or to send data to the memory 9102 or other devices. For example, the interface circuits 9104 may read data stored in the memory 9102 and send the data to the processor 9101.

[0304] The communication device 9100 described in the above embodiments may be a network device or a terminal, but the scope of the communication device 9100 described in the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the structure of the communication device 9100 may not be limited by FIG. 9A. The communication device may be an independent device or may be part of a larger device. For example, the communication device may be: 1) an independent integrated circuit IC, or a chip, or a chip system or subsystem; (2) a collection of one or more ICs, optionally, the above IC collection may also include a storage component for storing data or programs; (3) an ASIC, such as a modem; (4) a module that can be embedded in other devices; (5) a receiver, a terminal device, an intelligent terminal device, a cellular phone, a wireless device, a handheld device, a mobile unit, an in-vehicle device, a network device, a cloud device, an artificial intelligence device, etc.; (6) others, etc.

[0305] 9B is a schematic diagram of the structure of a chip 9200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. If the communication device 9100 can be a chip or a chip system, please refer to the schematic diagram of the structure of the chip 9200 shown in FIG9B , but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0306] The chip 9200 includes one or more processors 9201. The chip 9200 is configured to execute any of the above methods.

[0307] In some embodiments, chip 9200 further includes one or more interface circuits 9202. Terms such as interface circuit, interface, and transceiver pins may be used interchangeably. In some embodiments, chip 9200 further includes one or more memories 9203 for storing data. Alternatively, all or part of memory 9203 may be located external to chip 9200. Optionally, interface circuit 9202 is connected to memory 9203 and may be used to receive data from memory 9203 or other devices, or may be used to send data to memory 9203 or other devices. For example, interface circuit 9202 may read data stored in memory 9203 and send the data to processor 9201.

[0308] In some embodiments, the interface circuit 9202 performs at least one of the communication steps (e.g., steps S201, S2021, and S203) described above. For example, the interface circuit 9202 performing the communication steps (e.g., steps S201, S2021, and S203) described above means that the interface circuit 9202 performs data exchange between the processor 9201, chip 9200, memory 9203, or a transceiver device. In some embodiments, the processor 9201 performs at least one of the other steps (e.g., steps S201, S2021, and S203, but not limited thereto).

[0309] The modules and / or devices described in various embodiments, such as virtual devices, physical devices, and chips, can be arbitrarily combined or separated according to circumstances. Optionally, some or all steps can also be performed collaboratively by multiple modules and / or devices, which is not limited here.

[0310] The present disclosure also proposes a storage medium having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed on the communication device 9100, causes the communication device 9100 to execute any of the above methods. Optionally, the storage medium is an electronic storage medium. Optionally, the storage medium is a computer-readable storage medium, but is not limited thereto and may also be a storage medium readable by other devices. Optionally, the storage medium may be a non-transitory storage medium, but is not limited thereto and may also be a temporary storage medium.

[0311] The present disclosure also provides a program product, which, when executed by the communication device 9100, enables the communication device 9100 to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, the program product is a computer program product.

[0312] The present disclosure also proposes a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform any one of the above methods.

Claims

1. An information sending method, characterized in that, Executed by a terminal, the method includes: Sending uplink information and first auxiliary information to a first air network device, where the first auxiliary information is used to indicate whether the terminal expects to receive downlink information corresponding to the uplink information.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first auxiliary information is further used to indicate at least one of the following: Whether the downlink information is periodic information; The period of the downlink information; Whether the terminal expects to receive first confirmation information for characterizing that the first air network device successfully forwards the uplink information to a ground network device.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first auxiliary information is used for the first air network device to determine at least one of the following: Whether to perform store-and-forward of the uplink information; Whether to maintain the context of the terminal.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The method further includes: Receiving first indication information sent by the first air network device, where the first indication information is used to indicate at least one of the following: The time to access the first air network device; The cell to access the first air network device.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receiving at least one of the following sent by the first air network device: The store-and-forwarded downlink information, where the downlink information is sent from the ground network device to the first air network device; First confirmation information, where the first confirmation information is used to characterize that the first air network device successfully forwards the uplink information to the ground network device.

6. An information receiving method, characterized in that, Executed by a first air network device, the method includes: Receiving uplink information and first auxiliary information sent by a terminal, where the first auxiliary information is used to indicate whether the terminal expects to receive downlink information corresponding to the uplink information.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein The first auxiliary information is further used to indicate at least one of the following: Whether the downlink information is periodic information; The period of the downlink information; Whether the terminal expects to receive first confirmation information for characterizing that the first air network device successfully forwards the uplink information to a ground network device.

8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that, The first auxiliary information is used for the first air network device to determine at least one of the following: Whether to perform store-and-forward of the uplink information; Whether to maintain the context of the terminal.

9. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that, The method further includes: Sending first indication information to the terminal, where the first indication information is used to indicate at least one of the following: The time to access the first air network device; The cell to access the first air network device.

10. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that, The method further includes: Sending at least one of the following to the terminal: The store-and-forwarded downlink information, where the downlink information is sent from the ground network device to the first air network device; First confirmation information, where the first confirmation information is used to characterize that the first air network device successfully forwards the uplink information to the ground network device.

11. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 10, characterized in that The method further includes: Storing the uplink information; After establishing a connection with the ground network device, forwarding the uplink information to the ground network device.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein The method further includes: Sending second auxiliary information to the ground network device, where the second auxiliary information is used to indicate at least one of the following: The uplink information is information that has been store-and-forwarded; Whether the context of the terminal is suspended; Whether the context of the terminal is saved in the first air network device; Whether the link between the first air network device and the terminal is available; Whether the first air network device expects to receive second confirmation information for characterizing that the ground network device has successfully received the uplink information.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The second auxiliary information is used for the ground network device to determine at least one of the following: Whether to retain the context of the terminal; Whether to send information to the terminal through the second air network device.

14. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receiving the downlink information that needs to be sent to the terminal and sent by the ground network device.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein The method further includes: Storing the downlink information; Sending second indication information to the ground network device, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the first air network device has stored or successfully forwarded the downlink information.

16. An information receiving method, characterized in that, Executed by a ground network device, the method includes: After establishing a connection with the first air network device, receiving the uplink information and second auxiliary information stored by the first air network device, where the uplink information is sent by the terminal to the first air network device, and the second auxiliary information is used to indicate at least one of the following: The uplink information is information that has been stored and forwarded; Whether the context of the terminal is suspended; Whether the context of the terminal is saved in the first air network device; Whether the link between the first air network device and the terminal is available; Whether the first air network device expects to receive second confirmation information for characterizing that the ground network device has successfully received the uplink information.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that, The second auxiliary information is used for the ground network device to determine at least one of the following: Whether to retain the context of the terminal; Whether to send information to the terminal through the second air network device.

18. The method according to claim 16 or 17, characterized in that, The method further includes: Determining to retain the context of the terminal, and sending information to the terminal through the first air network device, and sending the downlink information that needs to be sent to the terminal to the first air network device.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein The method further includes: Receiving the second indication information sent by the ground network device, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the first air network device has stored or successfully forwarded the downlink information.

20. An information sending device, characterized in that, The apparatus includes: A sending module, configured to send uplink information and first auxiliary information to a first air network device, where the first auxiliary information is used to indicate whether the terminal expects to receive downlink information corresponding to the uplink information.

21. An information receiving device, characterized in that, The apparatus includes: A receiving module, configured to receive uplink information and first auxiliary information sent by a terminal, where the first auxiliary information is used to indicate whether the terminal expects to receive downlink information corresponding to the uplink information.

22. An information receiving device, characterized in that, Executed by a ground network device, the apparatus includes: A receiving module, configured to receive the uplink information and second auxiliary information stored by the first air network device after establishing a connection with the first air network device, where the uplink information is sent by the terminal to the first air network device, and the second auxiliary information is used to indicate at least one of the following: The uplink information is information that has been stored and forwarded; Whether the context of the terminal is suspended; Whether the context of the terminal is saved in the first air network device; Whether the link between the first air network device and the terminal is available; Whether the first air network device expects to receive second confirmation information for characterizing that the ground network device has successfully received the uplink information.

23. A terminal, characterized in that, Comprising: One or more processors; Wherein, the terminal is configured to execute the information sending method according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

24. An aerial network device, characterized in that, Comprising: One or more processors; Wherein, the air network device is configured to execute the information receiving method according to any one of claims 6 to 15.

25. A ground network device, characterized in that, Comprising: One or more processors; Wherein, the ground network device is configured to execute the information receiving method according to any one of claims 16 to 19.

26. A communication system, characterized in that, Comprising a terminal, an air network device, and a ground network device, wherein the terminal is configured to implement the information sending method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, the air network device is configured to implement the information receiving method according to any one of claims 6 to 15, and the ground network device is configured to implement the information receiving method according to any one of claims 16 to 19.

27. A storage medium, the storage medium stores instructions, characterized in that, When the instruction runs on the communication device, the communication device is caused to execute the information sending method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, and / or the information receiving method according to any one of claims 6 to 15, and / or the information receiving method according to any one of claims 16 to 19.

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