Information receiving methods and apparatuses, information sending methods and apparatuses, and terminal, network device and storage medium

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to the technical field of communications, and particularly relates to information receiving methods and apparatuses, information sending methods and apparatuses, and a terminal, a network device and a storage medium. An information receiving method comprises: receiving first information sent by an air network device, wherein the first information is used for indicating information related to storage and forwarding of the air network device. On the basis of the present disclosure, the air network device can indicate to a first terminal the information related to storage and forwarding of the air network device by means of the first information, so that the first terminal can know the information related to storage and forwarding of the air network device in a relatively comprehensive manner, and thus the first terminal can accordingly choose to execute suitable operations, which is conducive to avoiding the technical problems whereby uplink information is abandoned by the air network device, storage and forwarding operations of the air network device cannot meet service requirements of the uplink information, etc., after the first terminal sends the uplink information to the air network device.

Description

Information receiving and sending method and device, terminal, network equipment and storage medium Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to an information receiving method, an information sending method, a terminal, a 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 methods for receiving and sending information and devices, terminals, network equipment, and storage media to solve technical problems in related technologies.

[0006] According to a first aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for receiving information is proposed, which is executed by a first terminal. The method includes: receiving first information sent by an air network device, wherein the first information is used to indicate storage and forwarding related information of the air network device.

[0007] According to a second aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for sending information is proposed, which is executed by an air network device. The method includes: sending first information to a first terminal, wherein the first information is used to indicate storage and forwarding related information of the air network device.

[0008] According to a third aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for sending information is proposed, which is executed by a first terminal. The method includes: sending first information to an air network device, wherein the first information is used to indicate storage and forwarding related information of uplink information that needs to be sent to the air network device.

[0009] According to a fourth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for receiving information is proposed, which is executed by an air network device. The method includes: receiving first information sent by a first terminal, wherein the first information is used to indicate storage and forwarding related information of uplink information that needs to be sent to the air network device.

[0010] According to the fifth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, an information receiving device is proposed, which is arranged in a first terminal, and the device includes: a receiving module, configured to receive first information sent by an airborne network device, wherein the first information is used to indicate storage and forwarding related information of the airborne network device.

[0011] According to the sixth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, an information sending device is proposed, which is arranged in an airborne network device, and the device includes: a sending module, configured to send first information to a first terminal, wherein the first information is used to indicate storage and forwarding related information of the airborne network device.

[0012] According to the seventh aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, an information sending device is proposed, which is arranged at a first terminal, and the device includes: a sending module, configured to send first information to an air network device, wherein the first information is used to indicate storage and forwarding related information of uplink information that needs to be sent to the air network device.

[0013] According to an eighth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, an information receiving device is proposed, which is arranged in an airborne network device, and the device includes: a receiving module, configured to receive first information sent by a first terminal, wherein the first information is used to indicate storage and forwarding related information of uplink information that needs to be sent to the airborne network device.

[0014] According to the ninth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a terminal is proposed, comprising: one or more processors; wherein the terminal is used to execute the information receiving method described in the first aspect, and / or the information sending method described in the third aspect.

[0015] According to the tenth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a network device is proposed, comprising: one or more processors; wherein the network device is used to execute the information sending method described in the second aspect, and / or the information receiving method described in the fourth aspect.

[0016] According to the eleventh aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication system is proposed, comprising a terminal and a network device, wherein the terminal is configured to implement the information receiving method described in the first aspect and / or the information sending method described in the third aspect, and the network device is configured to implement the information sending method described in the second aspect and / or the information receiving method described in the fourth aspect.

[0017] According to the twelfth aspect of the embodiment 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 receiving method described in the first aspect, and / or the information sending method described in the second aspect, the information sending method described in the third aspect, and / or the information receiving method described in the fourth aspect.

[0018] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the air network device can indicate the storage and forwarding related information of the air network device to the first terminal through the first information, so that the first terminal can have a relatively comprehensive understanding of the storage and forwarding information of the air network device, so that the first terminal can choose to perform appropriate operations accordingly, which is conducive to avoiding technical problems such as the uplink information being discarded by the air network device after the first terminal sends the uplink information to the air network device, and the storage and forwarding operation of the air network device cannot meet the business needs of the uplink information.

[0019] The first terminal can indicate to the air network device through the first information the storage and forwarding related information of the uplink information that the first terminal needs to send to the air network device, so that the air network device can have a relatively comprehensive understanding of the uplink information and the storage and forwarding related content, so that the air network device can choose appropriately whether to allow the storage of the uplink information sent by the first terminal. This is conducive to avoiding technical problems such as the uplink information being discarded by the air network device after the first terminal sends the uplink information to the air network device, and the storage and forwarding operation of the air network device being unable to meet the business needs of the uplink information. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] 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.

[0021] FIG1 is a schematic diagram showing the architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] FIG2A is an interactive schematic diagram illustrating an information receiving method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] FIG2B is an interactive diagram illustrating a method for receiving information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] FIG2C is an interactive diagram illustrating a method for sending information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] FIG2D is an interactive diagram illustrating a method for sending information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] FIG3 is a schematic flowchart showing a method for receiving information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] FIG4 is a schematic flowchart showing a method for sending information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] FIG5 is a schematic flowchart showing a method for sending information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0029] FIG6 is a schematic flowchart showing a method for receiving information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] FIG7 is a schematic block diagram of an information receiving device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0031] FIG8 is a schematic block diagram of an information sending device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0032] FIG9 is a schematic block diagram of an information sending device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0033] FIG10 is a schematic block diagram of an information receiving device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0034] FIG11A is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0035] FIG11B is a schematic diagram of the structure of a chip proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide methods for receiving and sending information, and devices, terminals, network equipment, and storage media.

[0037] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes an information receiving method, which is executed by a first terminal, and the method includes: receiving first information sent by an air network device, wherein the first information is used to indicate storage and forwarding related information of the air network device.

[0038] In the above embodiment, the air network device can indicate the storage and forwarding related information of the air network device to the first terminal through the first information, so that the first terminal can have a relatively comprehensive understanding of the storage and forwarding information of the air network device, so that the first terminal can choose to perform appropriate operations accordingly, which is conducive to avoiding technical problems such as the uplink information being discarded by the air network device after the first terminal sends the uplink information to the air network device, and the storage and forwarding operation of the air network device cannot meet the business needs of the uplink information.

[0039] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect. In some embodiments, the storage-and-forwarding related information of the airborne network device includes at least one of the following: whether the airborne network device supports storage-and-forwarding; whether the first link between the airborne network device and the ground network device is available; the availability time of the first link; the unavailability time of the first link; the storage space of the airborne network device; information about ground network devices to which the airborne network device can connect; and the delay of the airborne network device performing storage-and-forwarding.

[0040] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: determining whether to send uplink information to the air network device according to the store-and-forward related information.

[0041] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect. In some embodiments, the method further includes: determining to send uplink information to the air network device, and the first terminal is in a non-connected state, sending the uplink information to the air network device in one of the following ways: sending the uplink information to the air network device through advance data transmission; establishing a radio resource control connection with the air network device, or restoring the radio resource control connection, or reestablishing the radio resource control connection, and sending the uplink information to the air network device through the radio resource control connection.

[0042] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the method further comprises at least one of the following:

[0043] receiving first indication information sent by the airborne network device, wherein the first indication information is used to instruct the airborne network device to allow storage of the uplink information;

[0044] Second indication information sent by the airborne network device is received, wherein the second indication information is used to instruct the airborne network device not to allow storage of the uplink information.

[0045] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes an information sending method, which is executed by an air network device, and the method includes: sending first information to a first terminal, wherein the first information is used to indicate storage and forwarding related information of the air network device.

[0046] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the storage-and-forwarding related information of the airborne network device includes at least one of the following: whether the airborne network device supports storage-and-forwarding; whether the first link between the airborne network device and the ground network device is available; the availability time of the first link; the unavailability time of the first link; the storage space of the airborne network device; information about ground network devices to which the airborne network device can connect; and the delay of the airborne network device performing storage-and-forwarding.

[0047] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first information is used by the first terminal to determine whether to send uplink information to the air network device.

[0048] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the method further comprises at least one of the following:

[0049] Sending first indication information to the first terminal, wherein the first indication information is used to instruct the air network device to permit storage of the uplink information;

[0050] Second indication information is sent to the first terminal, wherein the second indication information is used to instruct the air network device not to allow storage of the uplink information.

[0051] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: determining whether to permit storage of the uplink information sent by the first terminal based on at least one of the following: a reason why the first terminal sends the uplink information to the air network device; a priority of the first terminal; or a priority of the uplink information.

[0052] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes an information sending method, which is executed by a first terminal, and the method includes: sending first information to an air network device, wherein the first information is used to indicate storage and forwarding related information of uplink information that needs to be sent to the air network device.

[0053] In the above embodiment, the first terminal can indicate to the air network device through the first information the storage and forwarding related information of the uplink information that the first terminal needs to send to the air network device, so that the air network device can have a relatively comprehensive understanding of the uplink information and the storage and forwarding related content, so that the air network device can choose appropriately whether to allow the storage of the uplink information sent by the first terminal. This is conducive to avoiding technical problems such as the uplink information being discarded by the air network device after the first terminal sends the uplink information to the air network device, and the storage and forwarding operation of the air network device being unable to meet the business needs of the uplink information.

[0054] In combination with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the storage and forwarding related information of the uplink information includes at least one of the following: whether the uplink information needs to be stored and forwarded; storage resources required for the uplink information; and a storage and forwarding delay allowed for the uplink information.

[0055] In combination with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the first information is used by the air network device to determine whether to allow storage of the uplink information.

[0056] In conjunction with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the method further comprises at least one of the following:

[0057] receiving first indication information sent by the airborne network device, wherein the first indication information is used to instruct the airborne network device to allow storage of the uplink information;

[0058] Second indication information sent by the airborne network device is received, wherein the second indication information is used to instruct the airborne network device not to allow storage of the uplink information.

[0059] In conjunction with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the first indication information is further used to indicate the size of uplink information that the first terminal is allowed to send.

[0060] In combination with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the second indication information is further used to indicate a reason why the storage of the uplink information is not permitted.

[0061] In combination with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the cause includes at least one of the following: insufficient storage resources in the airborne network device; or unavailability of a first link between the airborne network device and the ground network device.

[0062] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes an information receiving method, which is executed by an air network device, and the method includes: receiving first information sent by a first terminal, wherein the first information is used to indicate storage and forwarding related information of uplink information that needs to be sent to the air network device.

[0063] In conjunction with some embodiments of the fourth aspect, in some embodiments, the storage and forwarding related information of the uplink information includes at least one of the following: whether the uplink information needs to be stored and forwarded; storage resources required for the uplink information; and a storage and forwarding delay allowed for the uplink information.

[0064] In combination with some embodiments of the fourth aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: determining whether to allow storage of the uplink information according to the first information.

[0065] In conjunction with some embodiments of the fourth aspect, in some embodiments, the method further comprises at least one of the following:

[0066] Sending first indication information to the first terminal, wherein the first indication information is used to instruct the air network device to permit storage of the uplink information;

[0067] Second indication information is sent to the first terminal, wherein the second indication information is used to instruct the air network device not to allow storage of the uplink information.

[0068] In conjunction with some embodiments of the fourth aspect, in some embodiments, the first indication information is further used to indicate the size of uplink information that the first terminal is allowed to send.

[0069] In conjunction with some embodiments of the fourth aspect, in some embodiments, the second indication information is further used to indicate a reason why the storage of the uplink information is not permitted.

[0070] In conjunction with some embodiments of the fourth aspect, in some embodiments, the cause includes at least one of the following: insufficient storage resources in the airborne network device; or unavailability of a first link between the airborne network device and the ground network device.

[0071] In the fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes an information receiving device, which is arranged in a first terminal, and the device includes: a receiving module, configured to receive first information sent by an air network device, wherein the first information is used to indicate storage and forwarding related information of the air network device.

[0072] In the sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes an information sending device, which is arranged in an airborne network device, and the device includes: a sending module, configured to send first information to a first terminal, wherein the first information is used to indicate storage and forwarding related information of the airborne network device.

[0073] In the seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes an information sending device, which is arranged in a first terminal, and the device includes: a sending module, configured to send first information to an air network device, wherein the first information is used to indicate storage and forwarding related information of uplink information that needs to be sent to the air network device.

[0074] In the eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes an information receiving device, which is arranged in an airborne network device, and the device includes: a receiving module, configured to receive first information sent by a first terminal, wherein the first information is used to indicate storage and forwarding related information of uplink information that needs to be sent to the airborne network device.

[0075] In the ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a terminal, comprising: one or more processors; wherein, the terminal is used to execute the information receiving method described in any one of the first aspect and the optional embodiments of the first aspect, and / or the information sending method described in any one of the third aspect and the optional embodiments of the third aspect.

[0076] In the tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a network device, comprising: one or more processors; wherein the network device is used to execute the information sending 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 fourth aspect and the optional embodiments of the fourth aspect.

[0077] In the eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a communication system, including a terminal and a network device, wherein the terminal is configured to implement the information receiving method described in any one of the first aspect and the optional embodiments of the first aspect, and / or the information sending method described in any one of the third aspect and the optional embodiments of the third aspect, and the network device is configured to implement the information sending 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 fourth aspect and the optional embodiments of the fourth aspect.

[0078] In the twelfth 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 receiving method described in any one of the first aspect and the optional embodiments of the first aspect, and / or the information sending method described in any one of the third aspect and the optional embodiments of the third aspect, and / or the information sending 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 fourth aspect and the optional embodiments of the fourth aspect.

[0079] In the thirteenth 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 information receiving method described in any one of the first aspect and the optional embodiments of the first aspect, and / or the information sending method described in any one of the third aspect and the optional embodiments of the third aspect, and / or the information sending 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 fourth aspect and the optional embodiments of the fourth aspect.

[0080] In the fourteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a computer program, which, when running on a computer, enables the computer to execute the information receiving method described in any one of the first aspect and the optional embodiment of the first aspect, and / or the information sending method described in any one of the third aspect and the optional embodiment of the third aspect, and / or the information sending method described in any one of the second aspect and the optional embodiment of the second aspect, and / or the information receiving method described in any one of the fourth aspect and the optional embodiment of the fourth aspect.

[0081] It is understandable that the above-mentioned information receiving and sending 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.

[0082] The present disclosure provides information receiving and sending methods and devices, terminals, network devices, and storage media. In some embodiments, the terms information receiving and sending methods, information processing methods, and communication methods are interchangeable; the terms information receiving and sending devices, information processing devices, and communication devices are interchangeable; and the terms information processing system and communication system are interchangeable.

[0083] 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.

[0084] 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.

[0085] 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.

[0086] 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.

[0087] 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.

[0088] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, “plurality” refers to two or more.

[0089] In some embodiments, the terms "at least one," "one or more," "a plurality of," "multiple," etc. may be used interchangeably.

[0090] 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.

[0091] 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.

[0092] 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.

[0093] 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," "first information" and "second information" can be the same or different information, and their content can be the same or different.

[0094] 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.

[0095] 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.

[0096] 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.

[0097] 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.

[0098] In some embodiments, "network" may be interpreted as devices included in the network (eg, access network equipment, core network equipment, etc.).

[0099] 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.

[0100] 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.

[0101] 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.

[0102] 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.

[0103] In some embodiments, obtaining data, information, etc. may comply with the laws and regulations of the country where the data is obtained.

[0104] In some embodiments, data, information, etc. may be obtained with the user's consent.

[0105] 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.

[0106] FIG1 is a schematic diagram showing the architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0107] As shown in FIG1 , a communication system 100 includes a terminal 101 and an airborne network device 102 , wherein the airborne network device can communicate with a ground network device.

[0108] In some embodiments, the aerial network device includes at least one of the following: a satellite, an aerial platform, or a drone.

[0109] In some embodiments, the ground network equipment includes at least one of the following: access network equipment, core network equipment.

[0110] 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.

[0111] 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.

[0112] 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).

[0113] 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.

[0114] 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.

[0115] 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.

[0116] 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.

[0117] 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).

[0118] 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.

[0119] 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.

[0120] 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.

[0121] For example, the base station may include at least one of the following: eNB, gNB.

[0122] For example, the core network may include at least one of the following: a 4G core network and a 5G core network.

[0123] 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).

[0124] 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.

[0125] 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.

[0126] 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.

[0127] 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.

[0128] 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.

[0129] 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.

[0130] 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.

[0131] 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.

[0132] However, the capabilities and status of different airborne network devices can lead to differences in store-and-forward information. For example, some airborne network devices support store-and-forward, while others do not. Some airborne network devices have relatively large storage spaces, while others have relatively small ones. Some airborne network devices have relatively large store-and-forward latency, while others have relatively small latency.

[0133] These storage and forwarding related information will affect the empty storage and forwarding process. If the terminal sends uplink information that needs to be stored and forwarded to the air network device without understanding the storage and forwarding related information of the air network device, it may cause the uplink information to be discarded by the air network device, and the storage and forwarding operation of the air network device may not meet the business needs of the uplink information. Technical problems such as this may occur.

[0134] 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.

[0135] 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.

[0136] 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.

[0137] 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.

[0138] FIG2A is an interactive schematic diagram illustrating an information receiving method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0139] As shown in FIG2A , the information receiving method may include the following steps:

[0140] In step S201, the air network device sends first information to the first terminal.

[0141] In some embodiments, the first information is used to indicate storage and forwarding related information of the airborne network device.

[0142] In some embodiments, the first terminal receives first information sent by the air network device.

[0143] In some embodiments, the first terminal determines the storage and forwarding related information of the airborne network device based on the first information.

[0144] In some embodiments, the first information may be broadcast information, such as system information (SI), paging, etc., or may be groupcast information or multicast information, which is not limited in the present disclosure.

[0145] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the air network device can indicate the storage and forwarding related information of the air network device to the first terminal through the first information, so that the first terminal can have a relatively comprehensive understanding of the storage and forwarding information of the air network device, so that the first terminal can choose to perform appropriate operations accordingly, which is conducive to avoiding technical problems such as the uplink information being discarded by the air network device after the first terminal sends the uplink information to the air network device, and the storage and forwarding operation of the air network device cannot meet the business needs of the uplink information.

[0146] In some embodiments, the storage and forwarding related information of the airborne network device includes at least one of the following:

[0147] Whether the airborne network equipment supports store-and-forward;

[0148] Whether the first link between the airborne network device and the ground network device is available;

[0149] The availability time of the first link;

[0150] Unavailable time of the first link;

[0151] storage space for airborne network equipment;

[0152] The information of the ground network device to which the aerial network device can connect may include, for example, an identifier of the ground network device. For example, taking the ground network device including an MME, the information of the ground network device may be an identifier of the MME or an MME group identifier;

[0153] The latency of airborne network equipment performing store-and-forward.

[0154] It should be noted that the storage and forwarding related information of the air network device is not limited to the above items, and the present disclosure does not limit this.

[0155] In step S202, the first terminal may determine whether to send uplink information to the air network device based on the storage and forwarding related information.

[0156] 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.

[0157] 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.

[0158] In some embodiments, the aerial network equipment may implement the function of a base station, and the ground network equipment may implement the function of a core network device.

[0159] In other embodiments, the aerial network equipment can realize the functions of a base station and some functions of a core network device, and the ground network equipment can realize some functions of a core network device.

[0160] For example, if the first terminal determines that the airborne network device does not support store-and-forward, it may not send uplink information to the airborne network device, thereby avoiding unnecessary signaling overhead and connection request failure, and saving terminal power; if it determines that the airborne network device supports store-and-forward, it sends uplink information to the airborne network device.

[0161] For example, when the first link is unavailable, the first terminal may not send uplink information to the airborne network device, thereby avoiding unnecessary signaling overhead and connection request failure, and saving terminal power; when the first link is available, uplink information can be sent to the airborne network device.

[0162] For example, when the first link is unavailable and the storage space of the airborne network device is smaller than the storage space required for the uplink information, the first terminal may not send uplink information to the airborne network device, thereby avoiding unnecessary signaling overhead and connection request failure, and saving terminal power; when the first link is unavailable and the storage space of the airborne network device is greater than or equal to the storage space required for the uplink information, the first terminal may send uplink information to the airborne network device.

[0163] For example, when the first link is unavailable and the interval from the available time of the first link to the current time (that is, the unavailable time of the first link) is greater than the service delay allowed by the uplink information, the first terminal may not send uplink information to the airborne network device, thereby avoiding unnecessary signaling overhead and connection request failure, and saving terminal power; when the first link is unavailable and the interval from the available time of the first link to the current time (that is, the unavailable time of the first link) is less than or equal to the service delay allowed by the uplink information, the first terminal may send uplink information to the airborne network device.

[0164] For example, when the ground network device to which the aerial network device can be connected includes the network device to which the uplink information needs to be sent, the first terminal can send uplink information to the aerial network device; when the ground network device to which the aerial network device can be connected does not include the network device to which the uplink information needs to be sent, the first terminal may not send uplink information to the aerial network device, thereby avoiding unnecessary signaling overhead and connection request failure, and saving terminal power.

[0165] For example, if the delay of the airborne network device in executing store-and-forward is greater than the service delay allowed by the uplink information, the first terminal may not send uplink information to the airborne network device, thereby avoiding unnecessary signaling overhead and connection request failure, and saving terminal power; if the delay of the airborne network device in executing store-and-forward is less than or equal to the service delay allowed by the uplink information, the uplink information may be sent to the airborne network device.

[0166] It should be noted that the first terminal determines whether to send uplink information to the airborne network device based on the storage and forwarding related information of the airborne network device. This is not limited to the above embodiments, and other methods can also be used to determine whether to send uplink information to the airborne network device based on the storage and forwarding related information.

[0167] In some embodiments, the first terminal determines to send uplink information to the airborne network device, and the first terminal is in a non-connected state (e.g., an idle state or an inactive state). The first terminal may send the uplink information to the airborne network device in one of the following ways:

[0168] Sending uplink information to airborne network equipment through early data transmission;

[0169] Establish a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection with the airborne network device, or restore the RRC connection, or re-establish the RRC connection, and send uplink information to the airborne network device through the RRC connection.

[0170] In some embodiments, when the first terminal is in a non-connected state, if it is determined to send uplink information to the airborne network device, the first terminal may send the uplink information to the airborne network device by means of advance data transmission.

[0171] 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 air network device.

[0172] In some embodiments, when the first terminal is in a non-connected state, if it is determined to send uplink information to the air network device, the first terminal can establish a wireless resource control connection with the air network device, or restore the wireless resource control connection, or re-establish the wireless resource control connection, and then send the uplink information to the air network device through the wireless resource control connection.

[0173] In some embodiments, when the first terminal is in a connected state, if it is determined to send uplink information to the airborne network device, the first terminal may directly send the uplink information to the airborne network device through a radio resource control connection.

[0174] In some embodiments, the first terminal can send uplink information to the airborne 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 airborne network device.

[0175] In some embodiments, the first terminal may send uplink information to the airborne 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 airborne network device.

[0176] 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.

[0177] In some embodiments, after the aerial network device receives the uplink information sent by the first terminal, if the first link between the aerial network device and the ground network device is valid, the aerial network device may forward the uplink information to the ground network device through the first link.

[0178] If the first link between the aerial network device and the ground network device is invalid, for example, the first link is disconnected, the aerial network device may choose to store the uplink information sent by the first terminal, or may choose not to store the uplink information sent by the first terminal.

[0179] For example, when the airborne network device chooses to store uplink information sent by the first terminal, it may send first indication information to the first terminal, indicating that the airborne network device is authorized to store the uplink information. In this case, the terminal can determine based on the first indication information that the airborne network device is authorized to store the uplink information, thereby eliminating the need to resend the uplink information.

[0180] For example, if the airborne network device chooses not to store the uplink information sent by the first terminal, it may send second indication information to the first terminal, the second indication information being used to instruct the airborne network device not to store the uplink information. In this case, the terminal can determine based on the first indication information that the airborne network device does not store the uplink information and can thus choose to resend the uplink information as needed (of course, it is also possible not to resend the uplink information).

[0181] It should be noted that the first indication information and the second indication information in the above embodiment may be included in the RRC message or in other information, such as downlink control information (DCI), media access control layer control element (MAC CE), etc., and this disclosure does not limit this.

[0182] In some embodiments, the airborne network device may determine whether to permit storage of the uplink information sent by the first terminal based on at least one of the following:

[0183] The reason why the first terminal sends the uplink information to the air network device;

[0184] The priority of the first terminal may be determined, for example, based on the terminal identifier, the terminal type, etc.;

[0185] The priority of the uplink information may be determined, for example, based on the type of uplink information, service, etc.;

[0186] The size of the uplink information.

[0187] In some embodiments, when the airborne network device receives uplink information sent by the first terminal, it may also receive uplink information sent by other terminals.

[0188] In some embodiments, when the air network device only receives uplink information sent by the first terminal, the air network device only needs to determine whether to allow the storage of the uplink information sent by the first terminal based on at least one of the reason why the first terminal sends the uplink information to the air network device, the priority of the first terminal, the priority of the uplink information sent by the first terminal, and the size of the uplink information sent by the first terminal.

[0189] Taking the example of an airborne network device determining whether to permit storage of uplink information sent by the first terminal based on the reason why the first terminal sends the uplink information to the airborne network device, the reason may be determined based on an instruction from the terminal, or may be determined based on the type of uplink information, service, etc. For example, if the reason is a predefined reason (which may be determined based on a protocol agreement, or determined through negotiation with the terminal, or determined based on an instruction from the ground network device), storage of the uplink information sent by the first terminal may be permitted; if the reason is not a predefined reason, storage of the uplink information sent by the first terminal may not be permitted.

[0190] Taking the example of the aerial network device determining whether to allow the storage of the uplink information sent by the first terminal based on the size of the uplink information, if the size of the uplink information is less than or equal to the storage space threshold (which can be determined based on the protocol agreement, or determined by negotiation with the terminal, or determined according to the instructions of the ground network device, or determined according to the storage space of the first aerial network device), the storage of the uplink information sent by the first terminal can be allowed; if the size of the uplink information is greater than the storage space threshold, the storage of the uplink information sent by the first terminal may not be allowed.

[0191] In some embodiments, when the air network device receives uplink information sent by multiple terminals (including the first terminal), the air network device needs to determine whether to allow the storage of the uplink information sent by the first terminal based on at least one of the reason why each terminal sends the uplink information to the air network device, the priority of each terminal, the priority of the uplink information sent by each terminal, and the size of the uplink information sent by each terminal.

[0192] Take, for example, the case where the airborne network device determines whether to allow the storage of the uplink information sent by the first terminal based on the priority of the uplink information sent by each terminal. The airborne network device can determine the priority order of multiple terminals from high to low (for example, the priority relationship of multiple terminals can be based on a protocol agreement, or determined according to an indication from a ground network device), and then can only allow the storage of the uplink information of the first n terminals (for example, a value determined based on a protocol agreement, or a value determined according to an indication from a ground network device). If the first terminal belongs to the first n terminals, then the storage of the uplink information sent by the first terminal can be allowed; otherwise, the storage of the uplink information sent by the first terminal is not allowed.

[0193] For example, an aerial network device determines whether to allow storage of uplink information sent by a first terminal based on the size of the uplink information sent by each terminal. The aerial network device can determine the size ranking of the uplink information of multiple terminals and, therefore, only allow storage of uplink information from the first m terminals (e.g., a value determined based on a protocol agreement or a value determined by instructions from a ground network device). If the first terminal is one of the first m terminals, storage of the uplink information sent by the first terminal is permitted; otherwise, storage of the uplink information sent by the first terminal is not permitted.

[0194] The airborne network device may also determine whether to permit storage of uplink information sent by the first terminal based on various types of information. For example, it may first determine whether the sum of the sizes of the uplink information sent by multiple terminals is greater than the storage space of the airborne network device. If so, it may further determine whether to permit storage of the uplink information sent by the first terminal based on the priority of the uplink information sent by each terminal. Alternatively, it may determine whether to permit storage of the uplink information sent by the first terminal based on the size of the uplink information sent by each terminal. Furthermore, if the sum of the sizes of the uplink information sent by multiple terminals is less than or equal to the storage space of the airborne network device, it may be determined that storage of the uplink information sent by each terminal is permitted, without further determination.

[0195] It should be noted that the air network device is not limited to determining whether to allow the storage of the uplink information sent by the first terminal based on the reasons, priorities, sizes, etc. in the above-mentioned embodiments. It can also give other information (such as the time when the uplink information is received) to determine whether to allow the storage of the uplink information sent by the first terminal. The embodiments of the present disclosure do not limit this.

[0196] FIG2B is an interactive diagram illustrating a method for receiving information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0197] As shown in FIG2B , a terminal in a non-connected state is taken as an example.

[0198] In step S201A, the airborne network device sends first information, such as system information, to the first terminal. The system information is used to indicate storage and forwarding related information of the airborne network device.

[0199] The storage and forwarding related information of the airborne network device includes at least one of the following information:

[0200] Store-and-forward support capability information, used to indicate whether the airborne network device supports store-and-forward;

[0201] Feeder link (i.e., first link) availability indication, used to indicate whether the current feeder link is available;

[0202] Feeder link unavailable time, used to indicate the time when the feeder link is unavailable;

[0203] Feeder link available time, used to indicate the time when the feeder link is available;

[0204] Available storage space size, used to indicate the size of available storage space in the air network device;

[0205] Connectable ground network device identification information, where the ground network device identification is used to indicate the ground network device to which the terminal and the aerial network device can connect, such as MME group ID and MME ID, but not limited thereto.

[0206] The possible transmission delay of executing storage is used to indicate the delay of the air network device executing storage and forwarding.

[0207] In step S202A, the first terminal determines to send uplink information to the air network device based on the store-and-forward related information in the received first information. The uplink information can be normal UL data or MO data.

[0208] The first terminal may be in a non-connected state or a connected state. When the first terminal is in the connected state, the first terminal may directly send uplink information to the airborne network device. When the first terminal is in the non-connected state, the first terminal may first establish or restore an RRC connection and then send the uplink information to the airborne network device through the RRC connection.

[0209] For example, the first terminal may send uplink information to the airborne network device through a user plane or a control plane, and this disclosure does not limit this.

[0210] For example, the uplink information may be included in a UL NAS PDU and / or a UL UP bearer.

[0211] For example, the terminal may be an NB-IoT device or an IoT device, but is not limited thereto.

[0212] The following steps S203A, S204A, and S205A provide an exemplary description of the RRC connection establishment process.

[0213] In step S203A, the first terminal sends a radio resource control connection request (RRCConnectionRequest) to the air network device.

[0214] In step S204A, the air network device sends a radio resource control connection establishment (RRCConnectionSetup) message to the first terminal.

[0215] In step S205A, the first terminal sends a radio resource control setup complete (RRCConnectionSetupComplete) message to the air network device. For example, the radio resource control setup complete message may carry uplink information, such as the uplink information may be carried in a UL NAS PDU.

[0216] In step S206A, after receiving the first information, the airborne network device may determine that storage of the uplink information is permitted.

[0217] For example, the air network device may determine whether to perform a store-and-forward operation on the uplink information based on the size of the uplink information.

[0218] For example, when an airborne network device receives uplink information sent by multiple terminals, it can determine which terminal to perform the store-and-forward operation on the uplink information sent by the terminal based on the reason for the terminal requesting to establish an RRC connection, and / or the priority of the uplink information, and / or the priority of the terminal.

[0219] Optionally, in step S207A, the air network device allows the storage of uplink information sent by the terminal, and the air network device may send first indication information to the terminal, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate that the air network device allows the storage of the uplink information.

[0220] The airborne network device allows storage of uplink information sent by the terminal. The airborne network device may send second indication information to the terminal, wherein the second indication information is used to indicate that the airborne network device does not allow storage of the uplink information.

[0221] The terminal may determine whether to resend the uplink information to the air network device according to whether the received indication information is the first indication information or the second indication information.

[0222] For example, the first indication information and / or the second indication information may be carried in an RRC message, such as an RRC connection release message.

[0223] If the airborne network device needs to disconnect the RRC connection with the first terminal (for example, the signal quality between the airborne network device and the first terminal is poor due to movement in the air), it can send a radio resource control connection release (RRCConnectionRelease) message to the first terminal and carry first indication information in the radio resource control connection release message to indicate that the airborne network device is allowed to store uplink information.

[0224] It should be noted that, if the first terminal is in a connected state, the first indication information may be carried in a DL NAS PDU, and the DL NAS PDU may be carried in a downlink information transfer (DL Information Transfer) signaling.

[0225] In step S208A, when the first link is available, the aerial network device may forward the uplink information to the ground network device via the first link.

[0226] The communication method involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of steps S201 and S202. For example, step S201 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, step S202 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, and steps S201+S202 may be implemented as independent embodiments, but are not limited thereto.

[0227] In some embodiments, steps S201 and S202 may be performed in an interchangeable order or simultaneously.

[0228] In some embodiments, step S201 is optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0229] In some embodiments, step S202 is optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0230] In some embodiments, reference may be made to other optional implementations described before or after the description corresponding to FIG. 2A .

[0231] FIG2C is an interactive diagram illustrating a method for sending information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0232] As shown in FIG2C , the information sending method may include the following steps:

[0233] In step S203, the first terminal sends first information to the air network device.

[0234] In some embodiments, the first information is used to indicate storage and forwarding related information of uplink information that the first terminal needs to send to the air network device.

[0235] In some embodiments, the air network device receives first information sent by the first terminal.

[0236] In some embodiments, the air network determines, based on the first information, storage and forwarding related information of uplink information that the first terminal needs to send to the air network device.

[0237] In some embodiments, the first information may be carried in an RRC message, such as an RRCConnectionRequest. Of course, the first information is not limited to being carried in an RRC message and sent to the air network device, but may also be sent to the air network device in other ways, which is not limited in the present disclosure.

[0238] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first terminal can indicate to the air network device through the first information the storage and forwarding related information of the uplink information that the first terminal needs to send to the air network device, so that the air network device can have a relatively comprehensive understanding of the uplink information and the storage and forwarding related content, so that the air network device can choose appropriately whether to allow the storage of the uplink information sent by the first terminal. This is conducive to avoiding technical problems such as the uplink information being discarded by the air network device after the first terminal sends the uplink information to the air network device, and the storage and forwarding operation of the air network device being unable to meet the business needs of the uplink information.

[0239] In some embodiments, before sending the first information to the airborne network device, the first terminal may first receive second information from the airborne network device, where the second information is used to at least indicate whether the airborne network device supports store-and-forward. The first terminal may only send the first information to the airborne network device if it determines that the airborne network device supports store-and-forward.

[0240] 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.

[0241] 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.

[0242] In some embodiments, the storage and forwarding related information of the uplink information includes at least one of the following:

[0243] Whether uplink information needs to be stored and forwarded;

[0244] The storage resources required for uplink information can also be called the size of uplink information;

[0245] The allowed store-and-forward delay for uplink information.

[0246] It should be noted that the storage and forwarding related information of the uplink information is not limited to the above items. For example, it can also include information of the ground network device to which the uplink information needs to be sent. This disclosure does not limit this.

[0247] In step S204, the air network device determines whether to allow storage of the uplink information according to the first information.

[0248] For example, the airborne network device determines, based on the storage and forwarding related information of the uplink information, that the uplink information needs to be stored and forwarded, and the airborne network device itself also supports storage and forwarding, and may determine that the uplink information is allowed to be stored, thereby allowing the first terminal to access the airborne network device; and if it is determined that the uplink information needs to be stored and forwarded, but the airborne network device itself does not support storage and forwarding, it may determine that the uplink information is not allowed to be stored, thereby not allowing the first terminal to access the airborne network device (for example, sending an RRC connection rejection message or an RRC connection release message to the first terminal).

[0249] For example, the airborne network device may compare the storage resources required for the uplink information with the storage resources of the airborne network device. If the storage resources required for the uplink information are less than or equal to the storage resources of the airborne network device, it may be determined that the uplink information is allowed to be stored, thereby allowing the first terminal to access the airborne network device; if the storage resources required for the uplink information are greater than the storage resources of the airborne network device, it may be determined that the uplink information is not allowed to be stored, thereby not allowing the first terminal to access the airborne network device.

[0250] For example, the airborne network device may compare the storage and forwarding delay permitted for the uplink information with the delay for the airborne network device to perform storage and forwarding. If the storage and forwarding delay permitted for the uplink information is greater than or equal to the delay for the airborne network device to perform storage and forwarding, it may be determined that the uplink information is permitted to be stored, thereby allowing the first terminal to access the airborne network device. If the storage and forwarding delay permitted for the uplink information is less than the delay for the airborne network device to perform storage and forwarding, it may be determined that the uplink information is not permitted to be stored, thereby not allowing the first terminal to access the airborne network device.

[0251] In some embodiments, when the airborne network device allows storage of uplink information sent by the first terminal, first indication information may be sent to the first terminal, where the first indication information is used to indicate that the airborne network device allows storage of the uplink information. In this case, the first terminal sends the uplink information to the airborne network device.

[0252] In some embodiments, the first terminal can send uplink information to the airborne 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 airborne network device.

[0253] In some embodiments, the first terminal may send uplink information to the airborne 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 airborne network device.

[0254] 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.

[0255] In some embodiments, the first indication information is further used to indicate the size of uplink information permitted to be sent by the first terminal. Based on the first indication information, the first terminal can determine the size of the uplink information permitted to be sent by the first terminal. Thus, when subsequently sending uplink information, the first terminal selects a size of the uplink information to be sent that is smaller than or equal to the size of the uplink information permitted to be sent by the air network device, so that the air network device can successfully store the uplink information.

[0256] In some embodiments, when the airborne network device chooses not to allow storage of uplink information sent by the first terminal, second indication information may be sent to the first terminal, indicating that the airborne network device does not permit storage of the uplink information. In this case, the first terminal does not send the uplink information to the airborne network device. Furthermore, in this case, the first terminal may send the first information to other airborne network devices so that the uplink information can be sent to the other airborne network devices if the other airborne network devices permit storage of the uplink information.

[0257] It should be noted that the first indication information and the second indication information in the above embodiment may be included in the RRC message or in other information, such as downlink control information (DCI), media access control layer control element (MAC CE), etc., and this disclosure does not limit this.

[0258] In some embodiments, the second indication information is further used to indicate the reason why the storage of the uplink information is not permitted.

[0259] In some embodiments, the reason includes at least one of the following:

[0260] Insufficient storage resources in airborne network equipment;

[0261] A first link between the airborne network device and the ground network device is unavailable.

[0262] In some embodiments, after the first terminal determines the reason for not permitting storage of the uplink information according to the second indication information, it may choose to perform an appropriate subsequent operation based on the reason.

[0263] For example, when the reason for not allowing the storage of uplink information is insufficient storage resources in the air network device, the first terminal can choose to send the first information to other air network devices, so that when the other air network devices allow the storage of uplink information, the uplink information can be sent to other air network devices; or, the first terminal can reduce the size of the uplink information to be sent and resend the first information to the air network device. The storage resources required for the uplink information in the first indication information will also be less, which is conducive to ensuring that the storage resources in the air network device are sufficient for storing uplink information, thereby allowing the storage of the uplink information of the first terminal.

[0264] For example, when the reason for not allowing the storage of uplink information is that the first link is unavailable, the first terminal can choose to send the first information to other airborne network devices, so that when the other airborne network devices allow the storage of uplink information, the uplink information can be sent to other airborne network devices; or, the first terminal can wait for a period of time and then send the first information to the airborne network device. Since the first link may become available after a period of time, it is conducive to meeting the conditions for the airborne network device to allow the storage of the uplink information of the first terminal.

[0265] FIG2D is an interactive diagram illustrating a method for sending information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0266] As shown in FIG2D , the case where the terminal is in a disconnected state is taken as an example.

[0267] In step S201B, the airborne network device sends first information, such as system information, to the first terminal. The first information is used to indicate whether the airborne network device supports store-and-forward.

[0268] In step S202B, when the first terminal determines that the airborne network device supports store-and-forward, the first terminal may send the first information to the airborne network device.

[0269] For example, when the terminal is in a connected state, the first information can be directly sent to the air network device.

[0270] For example, when the terminal is in a non-connected state, it can first establish or restore an RRC connection, and then send the first information to the air network device through the RRC connection. For example, during the RRC connection establishment process, the terminal can send the first information to the air network device through RRCConnectionRequest.

[0271] For example, the first information is used to indicate storage and forwarding related information of uplink information that the first terminal needs to send to the airborne network device. The storage and forwarding related information of the airborne network device includes at least one of the following:

[0272] Whether the airborne network device supports store-and-forward;

[0273] Whether the first link between the aerial network device and the ground network device is available;

[0274] The available time of the first link;

[0275] unavailable time of the first link;

[0276] the storage space of the aerial network device;

[0277] Information about ground network devices to which the aerial network device can connect;

[0278] The air network device performs a store-and-forward delay.

[0279] In step S203B, the airborne network device determines, based on the first information, whether to allow storage of the uplink information that the first terminal needs to send. Specific determination methods can be referred to the above embodiments and will not be described in detail here.

[0280] In step S204B, the airborne network device may send first indication information to the terminal, where the first indication information is used to instruct the airborne network device to allow the uplink information to be stored.

[0281] Optionally, the first indication information is further used to indicate the size of uplink information that the first terminal is allowed to send.

[0282] For example, the network device may carry first indication information in an RRCConnectionSetup message sent to the first terminal, indicating permission to store uplink information that the first terminal needs to send.

[0283] In step S205B, after receiving the first indication information, the first terminal may send uplink information to the terminal.

[0284] For example, the first terminal may send uplink information to the airborne network device through a user plane or a control plane, and this disclosure does not limit this.

[0285] For example, the uplink information may be included in a UL NAS PDU and / or a UL UP bearer.

[0286] For example, the terminal may be an NB-IoT device or an IoT device, but is not limited thereto.

[0287] For example, the terminal carries uplink information in the RRCConnectionSetupComplete message sent to the air network device. For example, the uplink information can be carried in the UL NAS PDU.

[0288] After receiving the first information, the airborne network device may store the uplink information.

[0289] In step S206B, when the first link is available, the aerial network device may forward the uplink information to the ground network device via the first link.

[0290] The communication method involved in the embodiment of the present disclosure may include at least one of steps S203 to S204. For example, step S203 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, step S204 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, and steps S203+S204 may be implemented as independent embodiments, but are not limited thereto.

[0291] In some embodiments, steps S203 and S204 may be performed in an interchangeable order or simultaneously.

[0292] In some embodiments, step S203 is optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0293] In some embodiments, step S204 is optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0294] In some embodiments, reference may be made to other optional implementations described before or after the description corresponding to FIG. 2B .

[0295] In a first aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method for receiving information. Figure 3 is a schematic flow chart illustrating a method for receiving information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method for receiving information illustrated in this embodiment may be executed by a first terminal.

[0296] As shown in FIG3 , the information receiving method may include the following steps:

[0297] In step S301, first information sent by an airborne network device is received, wherein the first information is used to indicate storage and forwarding related information of the airborne network device.

[0298] 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.

[0299] In some embodiments, the storage and forwarding related information of the aerial network device includes at least one of the following: whether the aerial network device supports storage and forwarding; whether the first link between the aerial network device and the ground network device is available; the available time of the first link; the unavailable time of the first link; the storage space of the aerial network device; the information of the ground network device to which the aerial network device can be connected; and the delay of the aerial network device in performing storage and forwarding.

[0300] In some embodiments, the method further includes: determining whether to send uplink information to the air network device based on the store-and-forward related information.

[0301] In some embodiments, the method further includes: determining to send uplink information to the air network device, and the first terminal is in a non-connected state, and sending the uplink information to the air network device in one of the following ways: sending the uplink information to the air network device through advance data transmission; establishing a wireless resource control connection with the air network device, or restoring the wireless resource control connection, or reconstructing the wireless resource control connection, and sending the uplink information to the air network device through the wireless resource control connection.

[0302] In some embodiments, the method further comprises at least one of the following:

[0303] receiving first indication information sent by the airborne network device, wherein the first indication information is used to instruct the airborne network device to allow storage of the uplink information;

[0304] Second indication information sent by the airborne network device is received, wherein the second indication information is used to instruct the airborne network device not to allow storage of the uplink information.

[0305] For the first aspect and the optional implementation of the optional embodiment of the first aspect, please refer to the optional implementation in the embodiment shown in FIG2A and other related parts in the embodiment involved in FIG2A , which will not be repeated here.

[0306] In a second aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method for sending information. Figure 4 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 network device.

[0307] As shown in FIG4 , the information sending method may include the following steps:

[0308] In step S401, first information is sent to a first terminal, wherein the first information is used to indicate storage and forwarding related information of the air network device.

[0309] 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.

[0310] In some embodiments, the storage and forwarding related information of the aerial network device includes at least one of the following: whether the aerial network device supports storage and forwarding; whether the first link between the aerial network device and the ground network device is available; the available time of the first link; the unavailable time of the first link; the storage space of the aerial network device; the information of the ground network device to which the aerial network device can be connected; and the delay of the aerial network device in performing storage and forwarding.

[0311] In some embodiments, the first information is used by the first terminal to determine whether to send uplink information to the air network device.

[0312] In some embodiments, the method further comprises at least one of the following:

[0313] Sending first indication information to the first terminal, wherein the first indication information is used to instruct the air network device to permit storage of the uplink information;

[0314] Second indication information is sent to the first terminal, wherein the second indication information is used to instruct the air network device not to allow storage of the uplink information.

[0315] In some embodiments, the method further includes: determining whether to allow storage of the uplink information sent by the first terminal based on at least one of the following: the reason why the first terminal sends the uplink information to the air network device; the priority of the first terminal; the priority of the uplink information.

[0316] The second aspect and the optional implementation of the optional embodiment of the second aspect can be referred to the optional implementation in the embodiment shown in Figure 2A and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0317] In a third aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method for sending information. Figure 5 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 may be executed by a first terminal.

[0318] As shown in FIG5 , the information sending method may include the following steps:

[0319] In step S501, first information is sent to an airborne network device, wherein the first information is used to indicate storage and forwarding related information of uplink information that needs to be sent to the airborne network device.

[0320] 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.

[0321] In some embodiments, the storage and forwarding related information of the uplink information includes at least one of the following: whether the uplink information needs to be stored and forwarded; the storage resources required for the uplink information; and the storage and forwarding delay allowed for the uplink information.

[0322] In some embodiments, the first information is used by the air network device to determine whether to allow storage of the uplink information.

[0323] In some embodiments, the method further comprises at least one of the following:

[0324] receiving first indication information sent by the airborne network device, wherein the first indication information is used to instruct the airborne network device to allow storage of the uplink information;

[0325] Second indication information sent by the airborne network device is received, wherein the second indication information is used to instruct the airborne network device not to allow storage of the uplink information.

[0326] In some embodiments, the first indication information is further used to indicate the size of uplink information that the first terminal is allowed to send.

[0327] In some embodiments, the second indication information is further used to indicate the reason why the storage of the uplink information is not permitted.

[0328] In some embodiments, the cause includes at least one of the following: insufficient storage resources in the airborne network device; or unavailability of a first link between the airborne network device and the ground network device.

[0329] 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 FIG2B and other related parts in the embodiment involved in FIG2B , which will not be repeated here.

[0330] Fourthly, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method for receiving information. Figure 6 is a schematic flow chart illustrating a method for receiving information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method for receiving information shown in this embodiment can be executed by a network device.

[0331] As shown in FIG6 , the information receiving method may include the following steps:

[0332] In step S601, first information sent by a first terminal is received, wherein the first information is used to indicate storage and forwarding related information of uplink information that needs to be sent to the air network device.

[0333] It should be noted that the embodiment shown in FIG. 6 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.

[0334] In some embodiments, the storage and forwarding related information of the uplink information includes at least one of the following: whether the uplink information needs to be stored and forwarded; the storage resources required for the uplink information; and the storage and forwarding delay allowed for the uplink information.

[0335] In some embodiments, the method further includes: determining whether to permit storage of the uplink information based on the first information.

[0336] In some embodiments, the method further comprises at least one of the following:

[0337] Sending first indication information to the first terminal, wherein the first indication information is used to instruct the air network device to permit storage of the uplink information;

[0338] Second indication information is sent to the first terminal, wherein the second indication information is used to instruct the air network device not to allow storage of the uplink information.

[0339] In some embodiments, the first indication information is further used to indicate the size of uplink information that the first terminal is allowed to send.

[0340] In some embodiments, the second indication information is further used to indicate the reason why the storage of the uplink information is not permitted.

[0341] In some embodiments, the cause includes at least one of the following: insufficient storage resources in the airborne network device; or unavailability of a first link between the airborne network device and the ground network device.

[0342] The fourth aspect and the optional implementation methods of the optional embodiments of the fourth aspect can be found in the optional implementation methods in the embodiment shown in Figure 2B and other related parts of the embodiment involved in Figure 2B, which will not be repeated here.

[0343] 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.

[0344] 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.

[0345] In some embodiments, the terms "downlink control information (DCI)", "downlink (DL) assignment", "DL DCI", "uplink (UL) grant", "UL DCI" and the like may be used interchangeably.

[0346] In some embodiments, the terms “physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH)”, “DL data”, etc. may be used interchangeably, and the terms “physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH)”, “UL data”, etc. may be used interchangeably.

[0347] 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.

[0348] In some embodiments, terms such as "send", "transmit", "report", "download", "transmit", "bidirectional transmission", "send and / or receive" can be used interchangeably.

[0349] In some embodiments, the determination or judgment can be performed by a value represented by 1 bit (0 or 1), or by a true or false value (Boolean value) represented by true or false, or by comparison of numerical values ​​(for example, comparison with a predetermined value), but is not limited thereto.

[0350] In some embodiments, "not expecting to receive" can be interpreted as not receiving on time domain resources and / or frequency domain resources, or as not performing subsequent processing on the data after receiving it; "not expecting to send" can be interpreted as not sending, or as sending but not expecting the recipient to respond to the content sent.

[0351] 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.

[0352] 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 .

[0353] In some embodiments, the information receiving device is provided in the first terminal.

[0354] In some embodiments, the receiving module is configured to receive first information sent by an airborne network device, wherein the first information is used to indicate storage and forwarding related information of the airborne network device.

[0355] In some embodiments, the storage and forwarding related information of the airborne network device includes at least one of the following:

[0356] Whether the airborne network device supports store-and-forward;

[0357] Whether the first link between the aerial network device and the ground network device is available;

[0358] The available time of the first link;

[0359] unavailable time of the first link;

[0360] the storage space of the aerial network device;

[0361] Information about ground network devices to which the aerial network device can connect;

[0362] The air network device performs a store-and-forward delay.

[0363] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes: a processing module configured to determine whether to send uplink information to the air network device according to the store-and-forward related information.

[0364] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes: a sending module configured to determine that uplink information is to be sent to the airborne network device, and the first terminal is in a disconnected state, and to send the uplink information to the airborne network device in one of the following ways:

[0365] Sending the uplink information to the air network device by advance data transmission;

[0366] Establish a radio resource control connection with the air network device, or restore the radio resource control connection, or re-establish the radio resource control connection, and send the uplink information to the air network device through the radio resource control connection.

[0367] In some embodiments, the receiving module is further configured to do at least one of the following:

[0368] receiving first indication information sent by the airborne network device, wherein the first indication information is used to instruct the airborne network device to allow storage of the uplink information;

[0369] Second indication information sent by the airborne network device is received, wherein the second indication information is used to instruct the airborne network device not to allow storage of the uplink information.

[0370] In some embodiments, the uplink information is sent via a control plane, or the uplink information is sent via a user plane.

[0371] FIG8 is a schematic block diagram of an information sending device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG8 , the information sending device includes: a sending module 801 .

[0372] In some embodiments, the information sending device is set in the air network equipment.

[0373] In some embodiments, the sending module is configured to send first information to the first terminal, wherein the first information is used to indicate storage and forwarding related information of the air network device.

[0374] In some embodiments, the storage and forwarding related information of the airborne network device includes at least one of the following:

[0375] Whether the airborne network device supports store-and-forward;

[0376] Whether the first link between the aerial network device and the ground network device is available;

[0377] The available time of the first link;

[0378] unavailable time of the first link;

[0379] the storage space of the aerial network device;

[0380] Information about ground network devices to which the aerial network device can connect;

[0381] The air network device performs a store-and-forward delay.

[0382] In some embodiments, the first information is used by the first terminal to determine whether to send uplink information to the air network device.

[0383] In some embodiments, the sending module is further configured to do at least one of the following:

[0384] Sending first indication information to the first terminal, wherein the first indication information is used to instruct the air network device to permit storage of the uplink information;

[0385] Second indication information is sent to the first terminal, wherein the second indication information is used to instruct the air network device not to allow storage of the uplink information.

[0386] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes: a processing module configured to determine whether to permit storage of the uplink information sent by the first terminal according to at least one of the following:

[0387] a reason why the first terminal sends the uplink information to the air network device;

[0388] the priority of the first terminal;

[0389] The priority of the uplink information.

[0390] In some embodiments, the uplink information is sent via a control plane, or the uplink information is sent via a user plane.

[0391] FIG9 is a schematic block diagram of an information sending device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG9 , the information sending device includes: a sending module 901 .

[0392] In some embodiments, the information sending device is provided in the first terminal.

[0393] The sending module is configured to send first information to the airborne network device, wherein the first information is used to indicate storage and forwarding related information of uplink information that needs to be sent to the airborne network device.

[0394] In some embodiments, the storage and forwarding related information of the uplink information includes at least one of the following: whether the uplink information needs to be stored and forwarded; the storage resources required for the uplink information; and the storage and forwarding delay allowed for the uplink information.

[0395] In some embodiments, the first information is used by the air network device to determine whether to allow storage of the uplink information.

[0396] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes a receiving module configured to do at least one of the following:

[0397] receiving first indication information sent by the airborne network device, wherein the first indication information is used to instruct the airborne network device to allow storage of the uplink information;

[0398] Second indication information sent by the airborne network device is received, wherein the second indication information is used to instruct the airborne network device not to allow storage of the uplink information.

[0399] In some embodiments, the first indication information is further used to indicate the size of uplink information that the first terminal is allowed to send.

[0400] In some embodiments, the second indication information is further used to indicate the reason why the storage of the uplink information is not permitted.

[0401] In some embodiments, the cause includes at least one of the following: insufficient storage resources in the airborne network device; or unavailability of a first link between the airborne network device and the ground network device.

[0402] FIG10 is a schematic block diagram of an information receiving device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG10 , the information receiving device includes: a receiving module 1001 .

[0403] In some embodiments, the information receiving device may be provided in an airborne network device.

[0404] In some embodiments, the receiving module is configured to receive first information sent by the first terminal, wherein the first information is used to indicate storage and forwarding related information of uplink information that needs to be sent to the air network device.

[0405] In some embodiments, the storage and forwarding related information of the uplink information includes at least one of the following: whether the uplink information needs to be stored and forwarded; the storage resources required for the uplink information; and the storage and forwarding delay allowed for the uplink information.

[0406] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes: a processing module configured to determine whether to permit storage of the uplink information according to the first information.

[0407] In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises at least one of the following:

[0408] Sending first indication information to the first terminal, wherein the first indication information is used to instruct the air network device to permit storage of the uplink information;

[0409] Second indication information is sent to the first terminal, wherein the second indication information is used to instruct the air network device not to allow storage of the uplink information.

[0410] In some embodiments, the first indication information is further used to indicate the size of uplink information that the first terminal is allowed to send.

[0411] In some embodiments, the second indication information is further used to indicate the reason why the storage of the uplink information is not permitted.

[0412] In some embodiments, the cause includes at least one of the following: insufficient storage resources in the airborne network device; or unavailability of a first link between the airborne network device and the ground network device.

[0413] 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.

[0414] 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.

[0415] 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.

[0416] 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.

[0417] Figure 11A is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 11100 proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure. Communication device 11100 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 11100 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.

[0418] As shown in Figure 11A, the communication device 11100 includes one or more processors 11101. The processor 11101 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 11100 is used to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, one or more processors 11101 are used to call instructions to enable the communication device 11100 to perform any of the above methods.

[0419] In some embodiments, the communication device 11100 further includes one or more transceivers 11102. When the communication device 11100 includes one or more transceivers 11102, the transceiver 11102 performs at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving in the above method (e.g., steps S201, S202, S203, S204, but not limited thereto), and the processor 11101 performs at least one of the other steps (e.g., steps S201, S202, S203, S204, 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.

[0420] In some embodiments, the communication device 11100 further includes one or more memories 11103 for storing data. Alternatively, all or part of the memories 11103 may be located outside the communication device 11100. In alternative embodiments, the communication device 11100 may include one or more interface circuits 11104. Optionally, the interface circuits 11104 are connected to the memory 11102 and may be configured to receive data from the memory 11102 or other devices, or to send data to the memory 11102 or other devices. For example, the interface circuits 11104 may read data stored in the memory 11102 and send the data to the processor 11101.

[0421] The communication device 11100 described in the above embodiments may be a network device or a terminal, but the scope of the communication device 11100 described in the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the structure of the communication device 11100 may not be limited to FIG. 11A. 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.

[0422] FIG11B is a schematic diagram of the structure of a chip 11200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. If the communication device 11100 can be a chip or a chip system, please refer to the schematic diagram of the structure of the chip 11200 shown in FIG11B , but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0423] The chip 11200 includes one or more processors 11201. The chip 11200 is configured to execute any of the above methods.

[0424] In some embodiments, chip 11200 further includes one or more interface circuits 11202. Alternatively, the terms interface circuit, interface, and transceiver pins may be used interchangeably. In some embodiments, chip 11200 further includes one or more memories 11203 for storing data. Alternatively, all or part of memory 11203 may be located external to chip 11200. Optionally, interface circuit 11202 is connected to memory 11203. Interface circuit 11202 may be configured to receive data from memory 11203 or other devices, or to send data to memory 11203 or other devices. For example, interface circuit 11202 may read data stored in memory 11203 and send the data to processor 11201.

[0425] In some embodiments, the interface circuit 11202 performs at least one of the communication steps (e.g., steps S201, S202, S203, and S204, but not limited thereto) of the aforementioned method. Interface circuit 11202 performing the communication steps (e.g., steps S201, S202, S203, and S204, but not limited thereto) of the aforementioned method. For example, interface circuit 11202 performing the communication steps (e.g., steps S201, S202, S203, and S204, but not limited thereto) of the aforementioned method means that interface circuit 11202 performs data exchange between processor 11201, chip 11200, memory 11203, or a transceiver device. In some embodiments, processor 11201 performs at least one of the other steps (e.g., steps S201, S202, S203, and S204, but not limited thereto).

[0426] 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.

[0427] The present disclosure also provides a storage medium having instructions stored thereon. When the instructions are executed on the communication device 11100, the communication device 11100 is caused 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 transient storage medium.

[0428] The present disclosure also provides a program product, which, when executed by the communication device 11100, enables the communication device 11100 to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, the program product is a computer program product.

[0429] 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 receiving method, characterized in that, Executed by a first terminal, the method includes: Receiving first information sent by an air network device, where the first information is used to indicate storage and forwarding related information of the air network device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The storage and forwarding related information of the air network device includes at least one of the following: Whether the air network device supports storage and forwarding; Whether a first link between the air network device and a ground network device is available; The available time of the first link; The unavailable time of the first link; The storage space of the air network device; Information of the ground network devices that the air network device can connect to; The latency of the air network device performing storage and forwarding.

3. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that, The method further includes: Determining whether to send uplink information to the air network device according to the storage and forwarding related information.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The method further includes: Determining to send uplink information to the air network device, and when the first terminal is in a disconnected state, sending the uplink information to the air network device by one of the following methods: Sending the uplink information to the air network device through early data transmission; Establishing a radio resource control connection with the air network device, or restoring a radio resource control connection, or reconstructing a radio resource control connection, and sending the uplink information to the air network device through the radio resource control connection.

5. The method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that, The method further includes at least one of the following: Receiving first indication information sent by the air network device, where the first indication information is used to indicate that the air network device permits storing the uplink information; Receiving second indication information sent by the air network device, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the air network device does not permit storing the uplink information.

6. A method for sending information, characterized in that, Executed by an air network device, the method includes: Sending first information to a first terminal, where the first information is used to indicate storage and forwarding related information of the air network device.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein The storage and forwarding related information of the air network device includes at least one of the following: Whether the air network device supports storage and forwarding; Whether a first link between the air network device and a ground network device is available; The available time of the first link; The unavailable time of the first link; The storage space of the air network device; Information of the ground network devices that the air network device can connect to; The latency of the air network device performing storage and forwarding.

8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that, The first information is used for the first terminal to determine whether to send uplink information to the air network device.

9. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that, The method further includes at least one of the following: Sending first indication information to the first terminal, where the first indication information is used to indicate that the air network device permits storing the uplink information; Sending second indication information to the first terminal, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the air network device does not permit storing the uplink information.

10. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that The method further includes: Determining whether to permit storing the uplink information sent by the first terminal according to at least one of the following: The reason for the first terminal to send the uplink information to the air network device; The priority of the first terminal; The priority of the uplink information.

11. A method for sending information, characterized in that, Executed by a first terminal, the method includes: Sending first information to an air network device, where the first information is used to indicate storage and forwarding related information of uplink information to be sent to the air network device.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein, The storage and forwarding related information of the uplink information includes at least one of the following: Whether the uplink information needs to be stored and forwarded; The storage resources required for the uplink information; The permitted storage and forwarding delay of the uplink information.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that, The first information is used for the air network device to determine whether to permit storing the uplink information.

14. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that, The method further includes at least one of the following: Receiving first indication information sent by the air network device, where the first indication information is used to indicate that the air network device permits storing the uplink information; Receiving second indication information sent by the air network device, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the air network device does not permit storing the uplink information.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein The first indication information is further used to indicate the size of the uplink information permitted to be sent by the first terminal.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein The second indication information is further used to indicate the reason for not permitting storing the uplink information.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein The reason includes at least one of the following: Insufficient storage resources in the air network device; The first link between the air network device and the ground network device is unavailable.

18. An information receiving method, characterized in that, Executed by an air network device, the method includes: Receiving first information sent by a first terminal, where the first information is used to indicate storage and forwarding related information of uplink information to be sent to the air network device.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein The storage and forwarding related information of the uplink information includes at least one of the following: Whether the uplink information needs to be stored and forwarded; The storage resources required for the uplink information; The permitted storage and forwarding delay of the uplink information.

20. The method according to claim 18 or 19, characterized in that The method further includes: Determining whether to permit storing the uplink information according to the first information.

21. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 20, characterized in that, The method further includes at least one of the following: Sending first indication information to the first terminal, where the first indication information is used to indicate that the air network device permits storing the uplink information; Sending second indication information to the first terminal, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the air network device does not permit storing the uplink information.

22. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that, The first indication information is further used to indicate the size of the uplink information permitted to be sent by the first terminal.

23. The method according to claim 21, wherein The second indication information is further used to indicate the reason for not permitting storing the uplink information.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein The reason includes at least one of the following: Insufficient storage resources in the air network device; The first link between the air network device and the ground network device is unavailable.

25. An information receiving device, characterized in that, Disposed in a first terminal, the apparatus includes: A receiving module, configured to receive first information sent by an air network device, where the first information is used to indicate the storage and forwarding related information of the air network device.

26. An information sending device, characterized in that, Disposed in an air network device, the apparatus includes: A sending module, configured to send first information to a first terminal, where the first information is used to indicate the storage and forwarding related information of the air network device.

27. An information sending device, characterized in that, Disposed in a first terminal, the apparatus includes: A sending module, configured to send first information to an air network device, where the first information is used to indicate information related to store-and-forward of uplink information that needs to be sent to the air network device.

28. An information receiving device, characterized in that, Disposed in an air network device, the apparatus includes: A receiving module, configured to receive the first information sent by a first terminal, where the first information is used to indicate information related to store-and-forward of uplink information that needs to be sent to the air network device.

29. A terminal, characterized in that, Includes: One or more processors; Wherein, the terminal is used to execute the information receiving method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, and / or, the information sending method according to any one of claims 11 to 17.

30. A network device, characterized in that, Includes: One or more processors; Wherein, the network device is used to execute the information sending method according to any one of claims 6 to 10, and / or, the information receiving method according to any one of claims 18 to 24.

31. A communication system, characterized in that, Includes a terminal and a network device, wherein the terminal is configured to implement the information receiving method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, and / or, the information sending method according to any one of claims 11 to 17, and the network device is configured to implement the information sending method according to any one of claims 6 to 10, and / or, the information receiving method according to any one of claims 18 to 24.

32. A storage medium storing instructions, characterized in that, When the instruction runs on a communication device, the communication device is caused to execute the information receiving method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, and / or, the information sending method according to any one of claims 11 to 17, the information sending method according to any one of claims 6 to 10, and / or, the information receiving method according to any one of claims 18 to 24.

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