Communication method, and apparatus and system

Abstract

The present application provides a communication method, and an apparatus and a system. The method comprises: on the basis of first information corresponding to at least one edge application server (EAS), determining a first EAS associated group, wherein the at least one EAS comprises an EAS deployed on a satellite, the at least one EAS comprises an EAS in the first EAS associated group, and the first information of each EAS deployed on the satellite is used for indicating connection information of the satellite corresponding to the EAS; and sending the first EAS associated group. Thus, the possibility of service interruption in scenarios including that an EAS is deployed on a satellite can be effectively reduced.

Description

Communication method, device and system

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on February 19, 2024, with application number 202410188824.X and application name “A Communication Method, Device and System”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communications, and in particular to a communication method, device, and system. Background Art

[0003] In the communications field, the SA6 standard of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) defines the discovery process for edge enabler servers (EES) and edge application servers (EAS). This process provides EES platform discovery and application instance discovery at the application layer. In current edge computing technology, applications deployed in edge data networks (EDN) are referred to as application instances. During the discovery process, the EES acts as a local domain name system server (local DNS server), and user equipment (UE) obtains the application instance address from the multi-access edge computing (MEC) platform. In other words, when the UE discovers the EAS, it can first discover the EES platform and then discover the EAS from the EES platform.

[0004] In the scenario where EAS is deployed on a satellite, the EAS discovery process can cause service interruption. How to reduce service interruption becomes a problem that needs to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present application provides a communication method, apparatus, and system that can effectively reduce the possibility of service interruption in scenarios including EAS deployed on satellites.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present application provides a communication method that can be implemented by an EES or a component within the EES, such as at least one of a processor, a transceiver, a processing module, or a transceiver module. Taking the EES as an example, the method includes: determining a first EAS association group based on first information corresponding to at least one EAS, wherein the at least one EAS includes an EAS deployed on a satellite, the at least one EAS includes EASs in the first EAS association group, and the first information for each EAS deployed on the satellite indicates connection information of the satellite corresponding to the EAS; and transmitting the first EAS association group.

[0007] In the communication method of the present application, the EES can obtain the first EAS association group through the first EAS information and provide it to the UE, so that the UE can determine the EAS that can be connected subsequently based on the first EAS association group, thereby avoiding repeated execution of the EAS discovery process. In the scenario where the EAS is deployed on a satellite, due to the movement of the satellite, this operation of switching the EAS connection is more frequent. Therefore, discovering the EAS through the communication method provided by the present application can effectively reduce service interruptions caused by the UE executing the EAS discovery process multiple times.

[0008] The first information of each EAS deployed on the satellite is used to indicate the connection information of the corresponding satellite. In this application, the satellite and the EAS deployed on the satellite are defined as the corresponding satellite and EAS.

[0009] In one possible implementation, the connectivity information indicates the satellite's connectivity information in time; or, the connectivity information indicates the satellite's connectivity information in space; or, the connectivity information indicates the satellite's connectivity information in both time and space. Spatial connectivity information may refer to the connectivity information of the satellite's location mapped on the ground, such as the satellite's connectivity information in a certain country, province, or city, or street, or the satellite's connectivity information on a certain operator's network.

[0010] The EES can obtain the first information corresponding to at least one EAS in various ways, such as by obtaining the first information from the EES through connection information sent by the EAS, or by obtaining connection information from a satellite deployed with the EAS. This application provides a method for the EES to obtain the first information of the EAS through the following three possible implementation methods.

[0011] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving a first request message sent by a first EAS, the at least one EAS including the first EAS, the first request message carrying first information of the first EAS; and obtaining the first information of the first EAS based on the first request message. This method can determine the first information of each EAS based on the first information received from each EAS, which simplifies EES processing and reduces the overhead of the EES in obtaining the first information of the EAS.

[0012] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving a first request message sent by a first EAS, the first EAS being an EAS deployed on a first satellite in the at least one EAS, the first request message carrying at least one of a satellite identifier or connection information of the first satellite; obtaining a satellite association group, the satellite association group including second information corresponding to at least one satellite, the second information being used to indicate at least one of a corresponding satellite identifier or connection information, the at least one satellite including the first satellite; and determining the first information of the first EAS based on the first request message of the first EAS and the second information of the first satellite. In this method, the EES can first determine the EAS corresponding to the satellite identifier by using the satellite identifier. For example, if the first satellite corresponds to the first EAS, the EES can determine the connection information of the EAS based on the connection information of the first satellite. Similarly, the EES can determine the first information of each EAS. The implementation methods for the EES to obtain the first information of the EAS are more diverse, and the communication method is applicable to a wider range of scenarios.

[0013] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving a first request message sent by a first EAS, where the first EAS is an EAS deployed on a first satellite in the at least one EAS, and the first request message carries the second information of the first satellite; and determining the first information of the first EAS based on the second information of the first satellite. This method determines the satellite identifier corresponding to the EAS and the satellite connection status through the second information of the satellite, and determines the first information of each EAS. This makes the implementation method of obtaining the first information of the EAS more diverse. In this method, the EES can determine the satellite identifier, the satellite's second information, and the EAS, and determine the first information of the EAS based on the correspondence between the three. This also makes the implementation method of the EES obtaining the first information of the EAS more diverse, and the communication method is applicable to a wider range of scenarios.

[0014] In a second aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which can be implemented by an EES or a component in the EES, such as at least one of a processor, a transceiver, a processing module, or a transceiver module. Taking the execution subject as an EES as an example, the method includes: determining a first EAS association group based on first information corresponding to at least one EAS, wherein the at least one EAS includes an EAS deployed on a satellite, the at least one EAS includes an EAS in the first EAS association group, and the first information of each EAS deployed on the satellite is used to indicate the connection information of the satellite corresponding to the EAS; receiving a second request message, the second request message carrying application information; determining a second EAS association group based on the application information and the first EAS association group; and sending the second EAS association group.

[0015] When providing an EAS association group for a UE, the content included in the second EAS association group may be further determined from the first EAS association group according to the needs of the UE, so that the provided second EAS association group better meets the needs of the UE.

[0016] The first information of each EAS deployed on the satellite is used to indicate the connection information of the corresponding satellite. In this application, the satellite and the EAS deployed on the satellite are defined as the corresponding satellite and EAS.

[0017] In one possible implementation, the connectivity information indicates the satellite's connectivity information in time; or, the connectivity information indicates the satellite's connectivity information in space; or, the connectivity information indicates the satellite's connectivity information in both time and space. Spatial connectivity information may refer to the connectivity information of the satellite's location mapped on the ground, such as the satellite's connectivity information in a certain country, province, or city, or street, or the satellite's connectivity information on a certain operator's network.

[0018] The EES can obtain the first information corresponding to at least one EAS in various ways, such as by obtaining the first information from the EES through connection information sent by the EAS, or by obtaining connection information from a satellite deployed with the EAS. This application provides a method for the EES to obtain the first information of the EAS through the following three possible implementation methods.

[0019] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving a first request message sent by a first EAS, the at least one EAS including the first EAS, the first request message carrying first information of the first EAS; and obtaining the first information of the first EAS based on the first request message. This method can determine the first information of each EAS based on the first information received from each EAS, which simplifies EES processing and reduces the overhead of the EES in obtaining the first information of the EAS.

[0020] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving a first request message sent by a first EAS, the first EAS being an EAS deployed on a first satellite in the at least one EAS, the first request message carrying at least one of a satellite identifier or connection information of the first satellite; obtaining a satellite association group, the satellite association group including second information corresponding to at least one satellite, the second information being used to indicate at least one of a corresponding satellite identifier or connection information, the at least one satellite including the first satellite; and determining the first information of the first EAS based on the first request message of the first EAS and the second information of the first satellite. In this method, the EES can first determine the EAS corresponding to the satellite identifier by using the satellite identifier. For example, if the first satellite corresponds to the first EAS, the EES can determine the connection information of the EAS based on the connection information of the first satellite. Similarly, the EES can determine the first information of each EAS. The implementation methods for the EES to obtain the first information of the EAS are more diverse, and the communication method is applicable to a wider range of scenarios.

[0021] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving a first request message sent by a first EAS, where the first EAS is an EAS deployed on a first satellite in the at least one EAS, and the first request message carries the second information of the first satellite; and determining the first information of the first EAS based on the second information of the first satellite. This method determines the satellite identifier corresponding to the EAS and the satellite connection status through the second information of the satellite, and determines the first information of each EAS. This makes the implementation method of obtaining the first information of the EAS more diverse. In this method, the EES can determine the satellite identifier, the satellite's second information, and the EAS, and determine the first information of the EAS based on the correspondence between the three. This also makes the implementation method of the EES obtaining the first information of the EAS more diverse, and the communication method is applicable to a wider range of scenarios.

[0022] In one possible implementation, the application information corresponds to an EAS; determining a second EAS association group based on the application information and the first EAS association group; sending the second EAS association group includes: determining the second EAS association group from the first EAS association group based on the EAS corresponding to the application information; and sending a response message, wherein the response message includes the second EAS association group.

[0023] In a possible implementation, the method also includes: the second request message also includes first location information, the first location information includes at least one location information of the UE, the at least one location information includes current location information of the UE, or at least one predicted location information of the UE, wherein the location information includes at least one of a location or a time corresponding to the location; determining the second EAS association group based on the application information and the first EAS association group includes: determining the second EAS association group based on the application information, the first location information and the first EAS association group.

[0024] In one possible implementation, the method also includes: if the at least one location information includes the current location of the UE, the response message is also used to indicate that in the second EAS association group, the UE should access the EAS at the current location; if the at least one location information includes at least one predicted location information of the UE, the predicted location information includes a predicted location and a predicted time corresponding to the predicted location, the response message is used to indicate that in the second EAS association group, the UE should access the EAS at each of the predicted locations and the predicted time corresponding to the predicted location.

[0025] The EES can provide the first EAS association group to the UE in two ways. One is that when the UE provides the first location information, the EES can indicate to the UE that the EAS corresponding to the first location information should be accessed. For example, if the EES obtains the UE's current location, it can indicate that the UE should access the EAS at the current location. If the EES obtains the UE's predicted location, such as the initial location, it can indicate that the UE should access the EAS at the initial location. Optionally, if the first location information also includes the time corresponding to the initial location, the EES can instruct the UE to access the EAS at the initial location at that time. In one possible implementation, if the at least one location information includes the UE's current location information, the response message is also used to indicate that the UE should access the EAS at the current location in the first EAS association group; if the at least one location information includes at least one predicted location information of the UE, the response message is also used to indicate that the UE should access the EAS corresponding to each predicted location information in the first EAS association group. Another method is that after the EES sends the first EAS association group to the UE, the UE determines that it should access the EAS based on the first location information. The communication method provided in the present application makes the method of discovering EAS more flexible by sending different response messages to the UE, and the UE follows the instructions or independently determines whether to access the EAS.

[0026] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: the EES providing the UE with a second EAS association group, such as by sending a response message to the UE, the response message including the second EAS association group. In this case, the UE can determine the EAS to access after receiving the second EAS association group, making the EAS discovery method more flexible.

[0027] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: the EES can provide the UE with all connectable EASs, and the UE determines the first EAS association group or the second EAS association group according to demand, which can reduce EES operations, save EES overhead, and make the method of discovering EAS more flexible.

[0028] It should be understood that the second aspect of this application corresponds to the technical solution of the first aspect of this application, and the beneficial effects achieved by each aspect and the corresponding feasible implementation methods are similar, which will not be repeated here.

[0029] In a third aspect, the present application provides a communication method that can be implemented by an EAS. Taking any EAS as an example, the method includes: sending a first request message to the EAS.

[0030] In a possible implementation, the first request message carries first information of a first EAS, where the first information is used to indicate connection information of a first satellite corresponding to the first EAS.

[0031] In a possible implementation manner, the first request message carries at least one of a satellite identifier or connection information of the first satellite, and a first EAS is deployed on the first satellite.

[0032] In a possible implementation, the connection information is used to indicate the connectability information of the satellite in time; or, the connection information is used to indicate the connectability information of the satellite EAS in space; or, the connection information is used to indicate the connectability information of the satellite in time and space.

[0033] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: determining an EES association group associated with the first EAS;

[0034] The first request message is sent to at least one of the EESs in the EES association group.

[0035] It should be understood that the third aspect of this application corresponds to the technical solution of the first aspect of this application, and the beneficial effects achieved by each aspect and the corresponding feasible implementation methods are similar, which will not be repeated here.

[0036] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which can be implemented by a UE or a component within the UE, such as at least one of a processor, a transceiver, a processing module, or a transceiver module. Taking the UE as an example, the method includes receiving an EAS association group sent by an EES, where the EAS association group includes a first EAS association group or a second EAS association group.

[0037] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: sending a second request message to the EES, where the second request message carries application information.

[0038] In one possible implementation, the method also includes: sending a second request message to the EES, the second request message carrying application information and first location information, the first location information including at least one location information of the UE, the at least one location information including the current location information of the UE, or at least one predicted location information of the UE, wherein the location information includes at least one of the location or the time corresponding to the location.

[0039] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving the edge application server EAS association group sent by the edge enabling server EES includes: receiving a response message, the response message carrying the first EAS association group; the method further includes: determining at least one that should access the EAS based on the first EAS association group, the UE's application information and the first location information.

[0040] In a possible implementation, the method further includes receiving an edge application server EAS association group sent by an edge enabling server EES, including: receiving a response message, the response message carrying the second EAS association group; the method also includes: determining at least one EAS that should be accessed based on the second EAS association group and the first location information of the UE.

[0041] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving the edge application server EAS association group sent by the edge enabling server EES includes: receiving a response message, the response message carrying the second EAS association group and indicating that in the second EAS association group, the UE at the current location should access the EAS.

[0042] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving the edge application server EAS association group sent by the edge enabling server EES, including: receiving a response message, the response message carrying the second EAS association group, and indicating that in the second EAS association group, the UE should access the EAS at each predicted location and the predicted time corresponding to the predicted location.

[0043] It should be understood that the fourth aspect of this application corresponds to the technical solution of the first aspect of this application, and the beneficial effects achieved by each aspect and the corresponding feasible implementation methods are similar, which will not be repeated here.

[0044] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which includes a transceiver module and a processing module, and can implement the communication method of the first aspect.

[0045] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which includes a transceiver module and a processing module, and can implement the communication method of the second aspect.

[0046] In a seventh aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which includes a transceiver module and a processing module, and can implement the communication method of the third aspect.

[0047] In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which includes a transceiver module and a processing module, and can implement the communication method of the fourth aspect.

[0048] In a ninth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, comprising at least one processor coupled to a storage medium, the storage medium storing instructions, wherein when the instructions are executed by the processor, the processor is configured to perform the method as described in any of the above aspects or any possible implementation of any of the aspects. The storage medium may be included in the device or may be located external to the device.

[0049] In a tenth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, implements the method according to any one of the above aspects or any possible implementation of any one of the aspects.

[0050] In an eleventh aspect, the present application provides a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed on a processor, implement the method according to any one of the above aspects or any possible implementation of any one of the aspects.

[0051] In a twelfth aspect, the present application provides a chip, comprising: a port circuit and a processor. The port circuit is connected to the processor, and the processor is configured to cause the chip to perform some or all of the operations included in the method of any of the aforementioned aspects and any possible implementation of any of the aforementioned aspects.

[0052] In a thirteenth aspect, the present application provides a system comprising at least one of the fifth to twelfth aspects.

[0053] It should be understood that the fifth to twelfth aspects of the present application are consistent with or correspond to the technical solutions of the first, second or third aspects of the present application, and the beneficial effects achieved by each aspect and the corresponding feasible implementation methods are similar, which will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0054] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative work.

[0055] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0056] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0057] FIG3 is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0058] FIG4 is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0059] FIG5 is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0060] FIG6 is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0061] FIG7 is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0062] FIG8 is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0063] FIG9 is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0064] FIG10 is a flow chart of an EAS discovery method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0065] FIG11 is a schematic structural diagram of an EES or a device in an EES provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0066] FIG12 is a schematic structural diagram of another EES or a device in an EES provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0067] FIG13 is a schematic structural diagram of a first EAS or a device in the first EAS provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0068] FIG14 is a schematic structural diagram of a UE or a device in a UE provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0069] FIG15 is a schematic structural diagram of a device 60 according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0070] FIG16 is a schematic structural diagram of a device 70 provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0071] In order to enable people in this technical field to better understand the solutions in this application, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below in combination with the drawings in the embodiments of this application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of this application, not all of the embodiments.

[0072] The term "and / or" herein is merely a description of the association relationship between associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. A and B can be single or multiple. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions is used to indicate any combination of the listed items. For example, at least one of A, B, and / or C can mean: A exists alone, B exists alone, C exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, B and C exist at the same time, A and C exist at the same time, and A, B, and C exist at the same time. A, B, and C can be single or multiple.

[0073] In the description and claims of the embodiments of this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used to distinguish different objects, rather than to describe a specific order of objects. For example, the terms "first target object" and "second target object" are used to distinguish different objects, rather than to describe a specific order of objects.

[0074] In the embodiments of this application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of this application should not be interpreted as being preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a concrete manner.

[0075] In the description of the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified, "multiple" means two or more. For example, "multiple processing units" means two or more processing units; "multiple systems" means two or more systems.

[0076] For ease of understanding, the following first explains the relevant nouns or terms used in the embodiments of this application:

[0077] 1. EDN

[0078] A common understanding is that in one understanding, EDN only contains one data network, which is a local data network (local DN), which includes edge enabling functions and can be identified by a data network access identifier (DNAI) and a data network name (also known as an application instance or edge application). It is a network logical concept; in another understanding, EDN is a peer concept of the central cloud, which can be understood as a local data center (geographical location concept), can be identified by DNAI, and can contain multiple local data networks.

[0079] 2. Application Examples (Edge Applications)

[0080] Refers to applications deployed in edge data networks, specifically referring to an application on a server (such as social media software, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR)), or an instance deployed and running in an EDN. An application instance can deploy one or more EASs in one or more EDNs. EASs deployed and running in different EDNs can be considered different EASs of an application instance. They can share a domain name, use an IP address, or use different Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. Optionally, EAS can also be referred to as an edge application (server), application instance, edge application instance, MEC application (server), EAS function, etc.

[0081] 3. Application Client (AC)

[0082] The application client is the UE-side counterpart of the edge application. It allows users to access application services from the application server. The application client is a client program used on the terminal side. It can connect to the application server in the cloud or to the EAS deployed and running in one or more EDNs to access application services.

[0083] 4. EES

[0084] It can provide some enabling capabilities for application instances deployed in EDN, and can better support the deployment of applications in MEC. It can support the registration of edge applications, authentication and authorization of UE, and provide UE with IP address information of application instances. It can also further support obtaining the identification and IP address information of application instances, and further send the identification and IP address information of application instances to the edge data network configuration server. EES is deployed in EDN. Generally, EAS is registered on an EES, or the information of an EAS is configured on an EES through the management system. The EES is called the EES associated with the EAS. The EES controls, manages the EAS registered and configured on the EES.

[0085] 5. Edge enabler client (EEC)

[0086] The EES is the UE-side counterpart of the EES. The EEC is used to register EEC information and application client information with the EES, perform security authentication and authorization, obtain the EAS IP address from the EES, and provide edge computing capabilities to the application client. For example, the EAS discovery service returns the EAS IP address to the application client.

[0087] 6. Edge Configuration Server (ECS)

[0088] Responsible for EDN configuration, such as providing EES information to the UE. It can also directly provide application instance information to the UE and interact with the application's DNS to obtain application instance information. It can also obtain and store application instance and IP address information from other functional entities.

[0089] Application users sign a service agreement with the application provider to provide services to the application users. Application users log in to the application client on their terminal and communicate with the EAS through the connection between the application client and the EAS. The enabling client is a middleware layer, generally located in the operating system or between the application client and the operating system. The application client can obtain edge enabling services from the enabling client in the form of an application programming interface (API).

[0090] 7. EES associated with EAS

[0091] An EAS is registered on an EES, or the information of an EAS is configured on an EES through the management system. The EES is called the EES associated with the EAS.

[0092] 8. EAS Discovery Process

[0093] Typically, a UE, such as an EEC within the UE, needs to discover an EES from the ECS, which then discovers an EAS from the EES. One example involves: discovering an EES from the ECS includes: the EEC requests or subscribes to the EES corresponding to the UE's location from the ECS; the EEC discovers the EES-enabled platform or EDN of interest from the ECS; the ECS contains detailed information about application instances; obtains a DNAI based on the UE's location; combines the DNAI with the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) and the EES profile to select the appropriate EES for each application, taking into account the UE's location and other optional filters; obtains current or potential DNAIs; and the EEC obtains information about one or more EESs from the ECS. The EEC then discovers EAS references from the EES: the EEC initially discovers the application to be accessed from the EES; the EES matches the registered application information. Based on information about locally registered or online edge application instances and user-provided discovery filter parameters, the EES matches edge application instances that meet the user's request. If multiple edge application instances meet the requirements, multiple edge application instances may be returned; and the EES returns the EAS information to the EEC. The EEC can then provide it to the application client, allowing the client to connect to the edge application instance.

[0094] The communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to different network systems, such as: fifth generation (5G) or new radio (NR) system, long term evolution (LTE) system, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, LTE time division duplex (TDD) system, etc. The method provided in the embodiment of the present application can also be applied to future communication systems, such as the sixth generation mobile communication system, etc. In addition, it can also be applied to device to device (D2D) communication, vehicle to everything (V2X) communication, machine to machine (M2M) communication, machine type communication (MTC), and Internet of Things (IoT) communication system or other communication system. The following is an example of the application-enabled MEC architecture designed in 3GPP's SA6, but it is not limited to this. FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG1 , the network includes a UE, a CN, an EDN, and an ECS. The communication method can be executed by the UE or an AC or EEC in the UE on the UE side, and by an EAS or EES on the EDN side. Based on the scenario described in SA6 regarding EAS deployment on a satellite, an embodiment of the present application further provides an example in which an EAS is deployed on a non-synchronous satellite and an EES and ECS are deployed on the ground. Referring to FIG2 , a system 100 in this scenario includes a UE 10, a satellite 20, and some network elements. The network elements include an EES (including a first EES 30, a second EES, and a third EES) and an ECS deployed on the ground, and an EAS (including a first EAS 40 and a second EAS) deployed on a non-synchronous satellite. The UE 10 can also be an access terminal, a user unit, a user station, a mobile station, a mobile station, a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a user terminal, a terminal, a wireless communication device, a user agent, or a user device.Such as mobile phones, tablets, laptops, PDAs, mobile internet devices (MIDs), wearable devices, VR, AR, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving, wireless terminals in remote medical surgery, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, wireless terminals in smart homes, cellular phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), handheld devices with wireless communication capabilities, computing devices or other processing devices connected to wireless modems, wearable devices, etc.

[0095] Below, with reference to Figures 1 and 2, several examples are provided to illustrate the communication methods of embodiments of the present application. In the following examples, the UE can be any component of the UE, such as the EEC. The various message names, EAS names, EES names, satellite names, etc. provided in the processes and descriptions of the following embodiments are each a possible implementation and are not intended to be limiting.

[0096] FIG3 is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG3 , the method is executed by EES, and the method includes: S101 to S102.

[0097] S101. The EES determines a first EAS association group based on first information corresponding to at least one EAS, wherein the at least one EAS includes an EAS deployed on a satellite, the at least one EAS includes an EAS in the first EAS association group, and the first information of each EAS deployed on the satellite is used to indicate connection information of the satellite corresponding to the EAS.

[0098] Exemplarily, referring to FIG2 , the first EAS and the second EAS are EASs deployed on satellites, and the EES can determine the first EAS association group based on the first information corresponding to at least one EAS obtained. In the embodiment of the present application, the EAS deployed on a certain satellite is referred to as the EAS corresponding to the satellite. If the first EES confirms that the satellite will be connected to the first EES based on the connection information of the satellite corresponding to the first EAS, it can be determined that the first EAS belongs to the first EAS association group of the first EES, wherein if the first EES is connected to the satellite on which the first EAS is deployed at a certain time and place, it is equivalent to the first EAS belonging to the first EAS association group of the first EES; similarly, if the first EES confirms that the satellite will be connected to the first EES based on the connection information of the satellite corresponding to the second EAS, it can be determined that the second EAS belongs to the first EAS association group of the first EES. In this case, the EAS associated with the first EES includes the first EAS and the second EAS, and the first EAS association group of the first EES can include relevant information of the first EAS and the second EAS, such as the EAS identity identifier (identity document, ID), the EAS endpoint (EAS endpoint), EAS performance information, ephemeris information corresponding to the EAS (ephemeris information refers to the connection status of a satellite at a certain time (or time period) and a certain position. For example, the ephemeris information of the first satellite may be that the first satellite can be connected to an EES or a UE at a certain time or time period; or, the ephemeris information of the first satellite may be that the first satellite can be connected to an EES or a UE in a certain area; or, the ephemeris information of the first satellite may be that it can be connected to a UE or an EES in a certain area at a certain time or time period), etc.; if the first EES confirms that the satellite corresponding to the second EAS will not be connected to the first EES based on the connection information of the satellite, it can be determined that the second EAS does not belong to the first EAS association group of the first EES. In this case, the EAS associated with the first EES includes the first EAS, that is, the first EAS association group of the first EES includes the relevant information of the first EAS.

[0099] Exemplarily, the first information is used to indicate the connection information of the satellite corresponding to the EAS. If the EAS is deployed on a satellite, the first information may include relevant information of the satellite on which the corresponding EAS is deployed. For example, if the first EAS is deployed on the first satellite, the first information of the first EAS may include the satellite identifier of the first satellite, thereby determining the connection information of the first satellite on which the first EAS is deployed.

[0100] In the case of multiple satellites and multiple EASs in the system, each EAS deployed on the satellite provides edge computing services to the UE at the corresponding location at the time and location when the corresponding satellite is connected to the EES. At this time, each EES can determine the first EAS association group based on the connection information between each EAS and it, where the connection information refers to the connectable information of the satellite on which the EAS is deployed, including the connectable information of the satellite in time; or, the connectable information of the satellite EAS in space; or, the connectable information of the satellite in time and space. The spatial connectable information can refer to the connectable information of the location of the satellite mapped on the ground, such as the connectable information of the satellite in a certain country, a certain province, a certain city, or a certain street, or the connectable information of the satellite in a certain operator's network, etc. Exemplarily, based on the first information corresponding to the EAS, the first EAS association group obtained may include relevant information of each EAS, and the relevant information of the EAS includes EAS ID, EAS address information (EAS endpoint, including uniform resource locator (URI), Internet protocol (IP) address and other address information), EAS performance information, and connection information of each EAS.

[0101] It should be noted that EES can obtain the first information of EAS in several ways: one is that EAS sends a registration request message to EES, and the registration request message can carry the first information; the other is that EES can obtain the first information of EAS through the system.

[0102] S102. The EES sends a first EAS association group.

[0103] Optionally, the EES may send a first EAS association group to the UE, so that the UE connected to the EES may obtain relevant information of the EAS based on the first EAS association group, and then connect to the EAS to be accessed at the corresponding time, corresponding location, or corresponding time and location according to the first EAS association group.

[0104] The communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application can obtain a first EAS association group through the EES and provide it to the UE, so that the UE can achieve connection with multiple EASs based on the first EAS association group, without having to repeatedly perform the EAS discovery process after disconnecting from each EAS before connecting to a new EAS. Referring to the example of Figure 2, if the UE is currently connected to the first EAS, but as the satellite where the first EAS is located moves, after a period of time, the first EAS can no longer provide services to the UE, if the UE does not obtain the first EAS association group provided by the EES, then after disconnecting from the first EAS, the UE needs to go through the EAS discovery process again to find an EAS that can provide services. However, the EES determines based on the first information of the EAS that after the first EAS is moved, the satellite deploying the second EAS will access the EES, thereby obtaining a first EAS association group including the first EAS and the second EAS. After the EES sends the first EAS association group to the UE, if the second EAS can also provide the required services for the UE, the UE can access the second EAS after disconnecting from the first EAS based on the first EAS association group, thereby effectively reducing the number of times the UE executes the EAS discovery process and reducing the possibility of service interruption caused by the UE executing the EAS discovery process.

[0105] In addition, the EES can also send the ephemeris information of each EAS in the first EAS association group to the UE. At this time, the UE can connect to the EAS to be accessed at the corresponding time, corresponding location, or corresponding time and location based on the above-mentioned first EAS association group and the ephemeris information.

[0106] The method for EES to obtain the first information corresponding to at least one EAS includes obtaining through EAS, or obtaining through a satellite deployed with EAS, etc. The embodiment of the present application uses the following example to illustrate the method for EES to obtain the first information corresponding to EAS.

[0107] The method of obtaining the corresponding first information by EES through the message sent by EAS will be explained in the future. Figure 4 is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method can be executed by EAS and EES, and the method is an example. EAS can be any EAS, such as EAS can include the first EAS or the second EAS. As shown in Figure 4, the method includes S201 to S205.

[0108] S201: Each EAS configures or determines a corresponding EES association group.

[0109] In the embodiments of the present application, EASs that provide the same edge computing service to UEs are represented by the same EAS ID or application identifier, so that when explaining, it is known that these EASs are the same application, such as a shopping application or a chat application. In actual use scenarios, the EAS identifiers of the same application deployed on different satellites, or deployed on the ground and on a satellite, can be different, and this is not limited to the examples in the embodiments of the present application.

[0110] For example, if at least one EAS includes a first EAS deployed on a first satellite, a third EAS deployed on the first satellite, and a second EAS and a fourth EAS deployed on a second satellite, the first EAS can configure an EES association group associated with the first EAS, such as obtaining the configured EES association group through Operation Administration and Maintenance (OAM) according to the order in which the first EAS connects to the EESs. For example, the first EAS (deployed on the first satellite) connects to the first EES from 9:00 to 10:00, to the fifth EES from 10:00 to 11:00, ..., to the third EES from 17:00 to 18:00, and to the first EES from 18:00 to 19:00. The EES association group associated with the first EAS includes: the first EES, the fifth EES ... the third EES, and the first EES. Furthermore, the EES association group can also include information such as the EES identity (ID) corresponding to each EES or the EES endpoint. Referring to the first EAS, according to the order in which the EAS connects to the EES, the second EAS, the third EAS, and the fourth EAS are respectively configured with the EES associated therewith. For example, the EES association group of the second EAS configured on the first base station includes: the first EES, the second EES, ..., the first EES and the third EES; the EES association group of the second EAS deployed on the second satellite includes: the first EES, the fourth EES, ..., the fifth EES and the third EES, etc.

[0111] S202: Each EAS sends a first request message to each EES according to its corresponding EES association group.

[0112] Referring to the example in S201, the EES association group of the first EAS includes the first EES, the fifth EES, ..., the third EES, and the first EES. The first EAS can send the first request message to the first EES, the fifth EES, ..., the third EES, respectively. Exemplarily, the first request message can be a registration request message (or called an EAS registration request message), and the first EAS sends registration request messages to the first EES, the fifth EES, ..., the third EES, respectively. The registration request message carries the first information of the first EAS. The first information of the first EAS can include the connection information of the first EAS, that is, the ephemeris information of the first satellite corresponding to the first EAS. The connection information is used to indicate the connectability information of the satellite in time; or, the connection information is used to indicate the connectability information of the satellite in space; or, the connection information is used to indicate the connectability information of the satellite in time and space. Referring to the example in S201, the first EAS is deployed on the first satellite. The ephemeris information of the first satellite includes that the first satellite is available in a certain area at a certain time. Accordingly, the first EAS can also connect to the EES in this area at this time to provide edge computing services.

[0113] For example, the first satellite can be connected to by the UE or EES from 9:00 to 10:00; or, the first satellite can be connected to by the UE or EES within the first area; or, the first satellite can be connected to by the UE or EES within the first area from 9:00 to 10:00; or, the first satellite can be connected to by the UE or EES within the first area from 9:00 to 10:00.

[0114] For example, the ephemeris information of the first satellite may be connected to the first EES in the first region from 9:00 to 10:00, connected to the second EES in the second region from 10:00 to 11:00, connected to the third EES in the sixth region from 17:00 to 18:00, and connected to the first EES in the first region from 18:00 to 19:00. The ephemeris information of the second satellite may be connected to the first EES in the second region from 9:00 to 10:00, connected to the fourth EES in the eighth region from 10:00 to 11:00, connected to the fifth EES in the first region from 17:00 to 18:00, connected to the third EES in the sixth region from 18:00 to 19:00, and so on.

[0115] For example, assuming that the EAS ID corresponding to application 1 is 1, the EAS ID corresponding to application 2 is 2, and the EAS ID corresponding to application 3 is 3, the EAS ID of the first EAS is EAS ID 1, the EAS ID of the second EAS is EAS ID 2, the EAS ID of the third EAS is EAS ID 2, the EAS ID of the fourth EAS is EAS ID 1, and the EAS ID of the fifth EAS is EAS ID 3. For application 1, the group of EASs associated with the EES includes the first EAS and the fourth EAS; for application 2, the group of EASs associated with the EES includes the second EAS and the third EAS, and so on.

[0116] Optionally, the first information of the first EAS may include not only the ephemeris information of the first satellite, but also EAS-related information, such as EAS ID 1. The first information of the second EAS may include not only the ephemeris information of the second satellite, but also EAS-related information, such as EAS ID 2. Similarly, if the third EAS is also deployed on the first satellite, the first information sent by the third EAS may include the ephemeris information of the first satellite and EAS-related information, such as EAS ID 2. If the fourth EAS is also deployed on the second satellite, the first information sent by the fourth EAS may include the ephemeris information of the second satellite and EAS-related information, such as EAS ID 1. The same applies to other EASs.

[0117] S203. The EES receives a first request message sent by at least one EAS and replies with a response message.

[0118] For example, if a first EES receives a registration request message from a first EAS deployed on a first satellite and a second EAS deployed on a second satellite, the first EES sends a response message to the first EAS and the second EAS. The response message may be a registration response message including information indicating whether the registration was successful or failed. If the registration of the second EAS fails, the first EES may send a registration response message to the second EAS to inform it of the registration failure, or may not send a registration response message to the second EAS to indicate the registration failure.

[0119] Since the EES may receive first request messages sent by multiple EASs, and the reception time may be different, after receiving the first request message of one EAS, the EES can obtain the first information of the EAS corresponding to the first request message and receive the first request messages of other EASs. Therefore, when S202 and S203 are executed, S204 and S205 may also be executed. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the order of executing the steps.

[0120] In addition, after receiving the first request message sent by the EAS, the EES may also send a corresponding response message to the EAS after determining the first EAS association group. In other words, S204 and S205 may be executed between S202 and S203, such as S204 and S205 may be executed before S203 sends a response message. The order of execution is not limited to the examples in the embodiments of the present application.

[0121] S204. The EES obtains first information of the EAS corresponding to the first request message according to the first request message.

[0122] For example, if the first EES receives the first information sent by multiple EASs and determines the following information based on the first information of each EAS: the first EAS is connected to the first EES in the first area from 9:00 to 10:00, and the EAS identifier of the first EAS is EAS ID 1; the second EAS is connected to the first EES in the second area from 9:00 to 10:00, and the EAS identifier of the second EAS is EAS ID 2; the third EAS is connected to the first EES in the first area from 9:00 to 10:00, and the EAS identifier of the third EAS is EAS ID 2; the fourth EAS is connected to the first EES in the second area from 9:00 to 10:00, and the EAS identifier of the fourth EAS is EAS ID 1; the fifth EAS is connected to the first EES in the sixth area from 10:00 to 11:00, and the EAS identifier of the fifth EAS is EAS ID 2. The second EAS is again connected to the first EES in the second area from 17:00 to 18:00, and the first EAS is again connected to the first EES in the first area from 18:00 to 19:00, etc. The second EES receives the first information sent by each EAS and determines based on the first information of each EAS that the second EAS is connected to the second EES in the second area from 10:00 to 11:00, etc.

[0123] S205. The EES determines a first EAS association group according to the first information of each EAS.

[0124] For example, taking the example of the first EES referring to S204 and determining the first EAS association group as an example, the first EAS association group in the following example is an example of the possibility of an EES associating each EAS, and is not limited by name or example form. The first EAS association group can be implemented in the form of a list with reference to Table 1. Table 1 uses the first location information including the location and the time corresponding to the location as an example for illustration.

[0125] Table 1

[0126] Alternatively, the first EAS association group can refer to Table 2 and Table 3, and a first EAS association group can be generated for each EAS ID. In this way, when the UE needs a service provided by a certain application, the EES can send the first EAS association group of the EAS ID corresponding to the required application to the UE. The first EAS association group can be implemented in the form of a list or described by information. In this embodiment of the application, the first EAS association group generated corresponding to EAS ID 1 is Table 2, and the first EAS association group generated corresponding to EAS ID 2 is Table 3 as an example, but this is not limited to this.

[0127] Table 2

[0128] Table 3

[0129] Alternatively, the first EAS association group can refer to Table 4 and generate a first EAS association group for each area. In this way, when the UE is in a certain area, the first EAS association group corresponding to its location can be sent to the UE. The first EAS association group can be implemented in the form of a list or described by information. The embodiment of the present application uses the first EAS association group generated corresponding to the first area as Table 4 as an example for explanation, but is not limited to this.

[0130] Table 4

[0131] In general, the first EES determines a first EAS association group based on the first information of each EAS. Specifically, the first EAS association group is obtained based on the connection status of each EAS to the first EAS. The first EAS association group may include connection information for each EAS and correspond to each EAS ID. Alternatively, a first EAS association group may be obtained for each EAS ID. For example, when the information carried in the request message sent by the UE corresponds to one or more EAS IDs, the corresponding first EAS association group is sent to the UE. For example, when the UE requests to discover the EAS with EAS ID 1, the first EES may send Table 2 to the UE. Alternatively, a first EAS association group may be obtained for each region. For example, when the UE is determined to be in or about to be in one or more regions, the corresponding first EAS association group is sent to the UE. For example, when the first EES determines that the UE is in region 1, Table 4 is sent to the UE. Alternatively, the first EAS association group may be obtained based on other parameters, such as time. This method of classifying the first EAS association groups according to different parameters and sending them to the first EAS can reduce the information carried in the message sending the first EAS association group and correspondingly reduce the storage space required by the UE after receiving the message.

[0132] A method for obtaining the corresponding first information by deploying an EAS satellite through EES will be described in the future. Figure 5 is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method can be executed by EAS and EES, and the method is an example. EAS can be any EAS, such as EAS can include a first EAS or a second EAS. As shown in Figure 5, the method includes S301 to S306.

[0133] S301: EES obtains a satellite association group, where the satellite association group includes second information of each satellite, where the second information is used to indicate at least one of a corresponding satellite identifier or connection information.

[0134] Exemplarily, an EES obtains a satellite association group associated with the EES from the OAM system. The satellite association group includes at least one satellite, and each satellite in the satellite association group is connectable to the EES and is therefore referred to as being associated with the EES. Optionally, the satellites associated with the EES can be configured by the OAM system based on the satellite's trajectory.

[0135] Optionally, the satellite association group may include the satellite identifier of each satellite, or the connection information of each satellite, or the satellite identifier and connection information of each satellite. The satellite identifier may be any information that can identify the satellite, such as a SAT ID, satellite address information, etc. The embodiment of the present application is described by taking the satellite identifier being a SAT ID as an example. Taking the satellite association group including the satellite identifier and connection information of each satellite (i.e., the ephemeris information of the satellite) as an example, the SAT ID of the first satellite is SAT ID 1, which is connected to the first EES from 9:00 to 10:00, the SAT ID of the third satellite is SAT ID 3, and the SAT ID of the ninth satellite is SAT ID 9, which is connected to the first EES from 15:00 to 17:00. In this way, the satellite association group acquired by the first EES includes the first satellite with SAT ID 1, the third satellite with SAT ID 3, and the ninth satellite with SAT ID 9.

[0136] Optionally, assuming that OAM configures information of ten satellites for EES according to satellite operation rules, the satellite association group acquired by EES includes SAT IDs of the first satellite to the tenth satellite.

[0137] S302: Each EAS is configured with a corresponding satellite identifier.

[0138] For a specific application, multiple EASs may be deployed on satellites. For example, EAS ID 1 corresponds to one or more EASs (i.e., one or more EAS servers, corresponding to different address information). The application instance of EAS ID 1 may be deployed on the first satellite, the third satellite, and the fourth satellite. Then, the application instance (i.e., EAS) corresponding to EAS ID 1 deployed on the first satellite may be configured with SAT ID 1, the application instance corresponding to EAS ID 1 deployed on the third satellite may be configured with SAT ID 3, the application instance corresponding to EAS ID 1 deployed on the fourth satellite may be configured with SAT ID 4, and so on.

[0139] There is no sequential relationship between S301 and S302 , and S303 is executed after S301 and S302 .

[0140] S303: Each EAS sends a first request message to the EES, where the first request message includes at least one of each EAS ID, EAS address information, and a satellite identifier corresponding to the EAS.

[0141] Exemplarily, the first request message may be a registration request message (or referred to as an EAS registration request message).

[0142] In one possible implementation, a first EAS is deployed on a first satellite. A satellite identifier, such as a satellite identity (SAT ID), configured for the first EAS deployed on the first satellite may be the satellite identifier of the first satellite, such as SAT ID 1. A registration request message sent by the first EAS to the EES carries second information, and the second information includes SAT ID 1.

[0143] In one possible implementation, since each satellite corresponds to one piece of ephemeris information, if the first EAS is deployed on the first satellite with the satellite identifier SAT ID 1, the registration request message sent by the first EAS to the EES carries the second information, and the second information includes the ephemeris information of the first satellite.

[0144] In a possible implementation, the second information includes SAT ID 1 and ephemeris information of the first satellite corresponding to SAT ID 1.

[0145] S304. The EES receives a first request message sent by at least one EAS and replies with a response message.

[0146] For the reply response message, please refer to the example of S203, which will not be elaborated here.

[0147] S305. The EES determines first information of each EAS according to the first request message and the satellite association group.

[0148] In one possible implementation, the EES obtains a satellite identifier, such as SAT ID 1, from the second information of the first request message. The EES then determines the first information of the first EAS based on SAT ID 1 and the ephemeris information of the first satellite in the satellite association group obtained through S301. The first information of other EASs can be obtained by referring to the method of the first EAS, and no further examples will be given.

[0149] For example, suppose an EES, such as a first EES, determines that its satellite association group includes a first satellite with SAT ID 1, a third satellite with SAT ID 3, and a ninth satellite with SAT ID 9. A first EAS deployed on the first satellite sends a first request message to the first EES, wherein the second information includes that the EAS ID of the first EAS is EAS ID 1, or the second information includes that the satellite identifier corresponding to the first EAS is SAT ID 1. Based on this second information and the acquired satellite association group, the first EES can determine that the first EAS with EAS ID 1 is associated with the first satellite with SAT ID 1. That is, the first information of EAS ID 1 can be determined based on the ephemeris information of the first satellite. If the ephemeris information of the first satellite indicates that the first EAS is connected to the first EES between 9:00 and 10:00, the first information of the first EAS may include: the first EAS can connect to the first EES between 9:00 and 10:00 to provide the application service corresponding to EAS ID 1 to the UE. Suppose the fifth EAS deployed on the third satellite also sends a first request message to the first EES, in which the second information includes that the EAS ID of the fifth EAS is EAS ID 3, or that the satellite identifier corresponding to the first EAS is SAT ID 3. The first EES can determine, based on this first request message and the acquired satellite association group, that the fifth EAS with EAS ID 3 is associated with the third satellite with SAT ID 3. That is, the first information of EAS ID 3 can be determined based on the ephemeris information of the third satellite. If the ephemeris information of the third satellite indicates that it is connected to the first EES between 12:00 and 13:00, the first information of the fifth EAS may include: the fifth EAS can connect to the first EES between 12:00 and 13:00 to provide the UE with application services corresponding to EAS ID 3, etc.

[0150] In one possible implementation, the first request message of each EAS carries not only a satellite identifier but also the connection information of the satellite. In this case, the EES may not execute S301. When executing S305, the EES obtains the first information of the EAS deployed on the satellite based on the satellite identifier and connection information of the satellite carried in the first request message. For example, the first request message sent by the first EAS deployed on the first satellite to the first EES includes that SAT ID 1 can be connected to the first EES between 9:00 and 10:00. Therefore, the first information determined by the first EES for the first EAS includes that it can be connected to the first EES between S9:00 and 10:00 to provide application services for the UE. The EAS ID corresponding to the first EAS can be carried in the second information or determined by the EES through other methods without limitation.

[0151] S306. The EES determines a first EAS association group according to the first information of each EAS.

[0152] Please refer to the example of S205, which will not be described in detail here.

[0153] In the embodiment of the present application, through the method provided in Figure 4 or Figure 5, after an EES obtains the first EAS association group, the first EAS association group can be sent to the UE, such as being carried in a response message and sent to the UE. It can also be further obtained according to the UE's request message. The second EAS association group is sent to the UE, and all EASs that the EES can connect to can be determined as an association group and sent to the UE, etc.

[0154] Figure 6 is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application, illustrating an example in which the EES further obtains a second EAS association group based on a request message from the UE and then sends it to the UE. As shown in Figure 6, the method includes S401 to S404, or S401, S402, S405, and S406. S401 to S403 can be performed after S201 to S205 provided in Figure 4, or after S301 to S306 provided in Figure 5.

[0155] S401. UE sends a second request message to EES.

[0156] The UE may send a second request message to the EES. After receiving the second request message, the EES provides the EAS association group to the UE based on the second request message. For example, the UE sends the second request message to the first EES.

[0157] In an example, if the first EES receives the second request message sent by the UE, it may provide the UE with an EAS association group consisting of all EASs that can access the first EES based on the second request message.

[0158] In one example, in order to make the EAS in the first EAS association group provided to the UE more in line with the UE's needs, the UE sends a second request message to the first EES carrying application information. The application information corresponds to the EAS, that is, an EAS can be determined based on the application information. The application information can be at least one of an EAS ID, an application identifier (application ID), an ACID, and other information. For example, the application information can be an EAS ID. If the UE requires the service of EAS ID 1, EAS ID 1 is carried in the second request message.

[0159] In one example, the second request message may also carry first location information, where the first location information includes at least one location information of the UE. For example, the first location information may include at least one location information of the UE, such as the UE's current location information, or at least one predicted location information of the UE. The current location information includes at least one of the UE's current location or current time, and the predicted location information includes at least one of a predicted time and a predicted location corresponding to the predicted time. Exemplarily, the first location information includes the UE's current location; or the first location information includes the UE's predicted location; or the first location information includes the UE's predicted location corresponding to at least one predicted time; or the first location information includes the UE's current location and a predicted location corresponding to at least one predicted time; or the first location information includes at least one predicted time and the predicted location corresponding to each predicted time; or the first location information includes at least one predicted time of the UE, etc. This allows the first EES to determine an EAS association group for the UE based on the first location information, such as the EAS association group shown in Table 4, or to indicate to the UE that it should access the EAS based on the first location information. S402: The EES receives the second request message. In an example, if the second request message carries application information and first location information, S403 and S404 are executed.

[0160] In an example, if the second request message carries application information, S405 and S406 are executed.

[0161] S403: The EES determines a second EAS association group according to the second request message and the first EAS association group.

[0162] Exemplarily, if the second request message includes application information, the EES determines the second EAS association group from the first EAS association group based on the EAS corresponding to the application information. For example, if the first EES receives the second request message from the UE, the application message carried in the second request message is: the EAS ID of the EAS requested by the UE is EAS ID 2. Referring to the example of S205, if the first EES obtains the first EAS association group as shown in Table 1, it can determine the EAS corresponding to EAS ID 2 and its related information from Table 1 based on EAS ID 2 to obtain the second EAS association group. The second EAS association group can be a table as shown in Table 3, or it can be information composed of the second EAS and the third EAS and their corresponding related information, etc. If the first EAS association group obtained by the first EES is a plurality of EAS association groups distinguished by EAS ID, then according to EAS ID2, Table 3 is selected from the plurality of EAS association groups as the second EAS association group, etc.

[0163] The second request message also includes the first location information. For example, the second request message may also carry at least one location information of the UE. In this case, when determining the second EAS association group from the first EAS association group, each location information should also be taken into account. For example, the first EAS association group obtained by the first EES is Table 1. If the first location information in the second request message includes the UE's location information as the first area, and the EAS corresponding to the application information is EAS ID1, then the first EES can determine the second EAS association group as: the first EAS (connected to the first EES from 9:00 to 10:00 and 18:00 to 19:00), the fourth EAS (connected to the first EES from 10:00 to 11:00), and the sixth EAS (connected to the first EES from 10:00 to 11:00). Since the fourth and sixth EAS are in the same time period and can provide edge computing services of EAS ID1 in the same area, the second EAS association group can include the first EAS and either the fourth or sixth EAS. If the first location information in the second request message includes that the UE is in the first area from 10:00 to 11:00, and the EAS corresponding to the application information is EAS ID1, the first EES determines that the second EAS association group includes at least one of the fourth EAS and the sixth EAS.

[0164] S404. The EES sends a response message, where the response message includes the second EAS association group.

[0165] Exemplarily, the first EES sends a response message to the UE, where the response message carries the second EAS association group, or the response message carries the second EAS association group and indicates that the UE should access the EAS.

[0166] Exemplarily, the response message indicating that the EAS should be accessed may include: if the first location information includes an initial location predicted by the UE and a time corresponding to the initial location, the EES may determine an EAS to be accessed in the first EAS association group based on the initial location and the time corresponding to the initial location; if the first location information includes the current location of the UE, the EES may determine an EAS to be accessed in the first EAS association group based on the current location and the current time. If the first location information includes multiple predicted location information, or includes the current location and at least one predicted location information, the corresponding EAS to be accessed may be obtained respectively according to the method in this example. Accordingly, the response message may indicate that the UE should access the EAS corresponding to the current location; or the response message may also indicate that the UE should access the EAS at the predicted location corresponding to one or more predicted times, etc., the predicted time includes the initial time of the UE's access, and the corresponding predicted location is the initial location of the UE's access.

[0167] Referring to the example of S403, if the first EES determines that the current location of the UE is the first area and the current time is 10:30 according to the first location information, the UE may be instructed to access the fourth EAS or the sixth EAS.

[0168] S405. The EES sends a response message, where the response message includes the first EAS association group.

[0169] In an example, if the first EES receives the second request message sent by the UE, it may provide the UE with an EAS association group consisting of all EASs that can access the first EES based on the second request message.

[0170] In one example, the second request message carries application information, for example, the application information may be an EAS ID. If the UE requires edge computing services of EAS ID 1 and EAS ID 2, the first EES may carry the first EAS association groups corresponding to EAS ID 1 and EAS ID 2 in the response message, which may be Table 2 and Table 3. Alternatively, when the request message does not carry the EAS ID or the first location information of the UE, step S403 is not performed. In this case, the first EES may carry Table 1 including relevant information of EAS ID 1 and EAS ID 2 in the response message.

[0171] S406. The UE determines a second EAS association group.

[0172] The UE determines the second EAS association group according to the UE's application information, at least one item of the UE's first location information, and information in the first EAS association group.

[0173] Optionally, the response message received by the UE carries the first EAS association group, and the second EAS association group can be determined according to the application information required by the UE, or the second EAS association group can be determined according to the application information required by the UE and the first location information.

[0174] For example, if the required application information is to access an EAS whose EAS ID is EAS ID 2, and the first EAS association group carried in the response message is shown in Table 1, then the EAS corresponding to EAS ID 2 and related information can be determined from Table 1 according to EAS ID 2 to obtain a second EAS association group, such as a second EAS association group similar to Table 3.

[0175] For example, if the required application information is to access an EAS with an EAS ID of EAS ID 2, and the first location information of the UE is that the UE is in the first area, the UE can determine the second EAS association group from the first EAS association group shown in Table 1 as follows: the first EAS (connected to the first EES from 9:00 to 10:00 and 18:00 to 19:00), the fourth EAS (connected to the first EES from 10:00 to 11:00), and the sixth EAS (connected to the first EES from 10:00 to 11:00). Since the fourth EAS and the sixth EAS are in the same time period and can provide edge computing services of EAS ID1 in the same area, the UE can select at least one of the fourth EAS and the sixth EAS as the content of the second EAS association group, etc. Optionally, if the response message received by the UE carries the second EAS association group, the second EAS association group can be obtained according to the response message.

[0176] Furthermore, after the UE obtains the second EAS association group, it can further determine the EAS that the UE should access based on the UE's first location information, and access it according to the time and area to be accessed. For example, the UE can connect to the corresponding EAS to be accessed based on its current location and current time. For example, the UE is currently in the first area, the current time is 9:00, and the UE needs to connect to the EAS with EAS ID 1. The UE determines, based on the second EAS association group, that the first EAS deployed on the first satellite can connect to the UE in the first area from 9:00 to 10:00. Therefore, the UE can determine that the EAS to be accessed in the first area from 9:00 to 10:00 is the first EAS on the first satellite, etc. Similarly, the UE can also determine other EAS to be accessed based on at least one of the other locations or times included in the first location information. Optionally, if the response message received by the UE carries the connection information of all EASs corresponding to the EES, the UE can determine the first EAS association group from the connection information of all EASs based on the EAS ID corresponding to the application information it needs, and can also determine the second EAS association group by selecting the area, or time and area, corresponding to the first location information from the determined first EAS association group based on the first location information of the UE. This method can refer to the above example and will not be expanded.

[0177] FIG7 is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG7 , the method includes S501 to S504, or S501 to S503, S505, and S506. The method provided in FIG7 can be performed after S201 to S205 provided in FIG4 , or after S301 to S306 provided in FIG5 , etc. In one possible implementation, the method provided in FIG7 can be performed before S401.

[0178] Optionally, the ECS may obtain the corresponding information of the EES through pre-configuration or from the OAM system. In this case, the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application may include steps S503 and S504, or S503, S505, and S506.

[0179] S501. The EES sends a third request message to the ECS. The third request message carries corresponding information of the EES.

[0180] Exemplarily, the third request message may be a registration request message, and the corresponding information of the EES includes information such as the EES ID and the EES endpoint of the EES. For example, the registration request message sent by the first EES to the ECS may carry at least one of the EES ID and the first EES endpoint.

[0181] S502. The ECS sends a corresponding response message to the EES.

[0182] Exemplarily, the ECS receives the registration request message sent by the first EES and sends a response message to the first EES indicating whether the registration is successful or failed according to the registration request message. The method of indicating whether the registration is successful or failed in the response message can be referred to S203 and will not be repeated here.

[0183] S503. If the UE needs to obtain edge computing services, it sends a fourth request message to the ECS, where the fourth request message carries information about the edge computing services.

[0184] Exemplarily, the information of the edge computing service may be application information, at least one of an application client profile, wherein the information included in the application client profile includes one or more of the following information centers: AC ID, application ID, desired service area (geographic area or topological area), EAS ID, desired AC service key performance indicator (KPI), and the minimum required application client service key performance indicator AC service KPI.

[0185] Exemplarily, the fourth request message may be an EES discovery request message or a service provisioning request message. The edge computing service information may include an application client profile, etc. If the information that the UE needs to obtain edge computing services includes the desired service area 1, the fourth request message may include the desired service area 1.

[0186] S504. The ECS determines that the EES provides edge computing services for the UE and notifies the UE.

[0187] Exemplarily, the ECS selects one or more EESs to provide edge computing services for the UE based on the first location information of the UE and the service area of ​​the EES, wherein if the fourth request message carries the first location information of the UE, the ECS can determine the first location information of the UE through the fourth request message, and the ECS selects one or more EESs to provide edge computing services for the UE based on the first location information of the UE and the service area of ​​the EES. If the fourth request message does not carry the first location information of the UE, the ECS can obtain the current location of the UE based on the location from which the UE sends the fourth request message; or, the ECS can obtain the current location of the UE from the 5G core network (5G core, 5GC) based on the UE ID; and then the ECS selects one or more EESs to provide edge computing services for the UE based on the local policy.

[0188] Optionally, the ECS may send relevant information of the determined EES, including EES ID, EES endpoint and other information, to the UE. For example, the UE needs to obtain the edge computing service of the desired service area 1. If the ECS determines that the EAS with EAS ID 1 can provide this edge computing service based on the desired service area 1 in the received fourth request message, referring to the above example, the EAS corresponding to EAS ID 1 includes the first EAS and the fourth EAS, and the UE can determine that the EES that can be connected to the first EAS and the fourth EAS is the EES that can provide edge computing services for the UE.

[0189] S505. The ECS sends at least one EES to the UE.

[0190] The ECS may also send relevant information of at least one EES to the UE without determining an EES to provide edge computing services for the UE, and the UE may determine an EES to provide edge computing services based on the received relevant information of each EES.

[0191] S506. The UE determines that the EES provides edge computing services.

[0192] The method for the UE to determine the EES refers to the method for the ECS to determine the EES in S504. For example, the UE determines the relevant information of each EES based on the received at least one EES, including the EES ID, EES endpoint, etc. If the UE needs to obtain the edge computing service of the desired service area 1, that is, the EAS corresponding to EAS ID 1 provides this edge computing service, the UE determines at least one EES that can be connected to the first EAS and the fourth EAS to provide the edge computing service.

[0193] Referring to the method provided in FIG6 , the ECS may determine multiple EESs to provide edge computing services for the UE, or the UE may determine multiple EESs to provide edge computing services on its own, and therefore, the UE sends a second request message to each determined EES. For example, the ECS may determine a first EES and a second EES for the UE, and the UE (such as the EEC in the UE) may send a second request message to the first EES and the second EES respectively. Alternatively, the UE determines an EES from multiple EESs based on the first location information, such as the current location of the UE, and sends a second request message to it.

[0194] FIG8 is a flow chart of another communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application, which is executed by a UE, such as an EEC in the UE, and includes S701. S701 may be executed in S404 when the response message carries the second EAS association group and indicates that EAS access should be performed.

[0195] S701. The UE receives a response message including a second EAS association group and an indication, and accesses the EAS according to the indication.

[0196] Optionally, the UE accesses the corresponding EAS at the corresponding location and time according to the instruction of the response message.

[0197] Corresponding to the example of S404, if the response message carries the first EES, the second EAS association group can be determined as: the first EAS (connected to the first EES from 9:00 to 10:00 and 18:00 to 19:00), the fourth EAS (connected to the first EES from 10:00 to 11:00), and the sixth EAS (connected to the first EES from 10:00 to 11:00), indicating that the EAS to be accessed by the UE between 10:00 and 11:00 is the fourth EAS. The UE can access the fourth EAS based on this indication. After the connection in this time period is complete, the UE can determine the next EAS to be accessed based on the second EAS association group.

[0198] The communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application can cope with the scenario where there is at least one EAS deployed on a satellite, and provide an EAS association group for the UE, so that the UE can connect to the EAS according to the connection requirements corresponding to different first location information and EAS IDs. Since when the EAS is deployed on a satellite, the movement of the satellite causes each EAS deployed on the satellite to provide services to the UE for a period of time. When the satellite moves to a position where the UE cannot connect, the UE needs to rediscover a new EAS, repeat the EAS discovery process and cause service interruption. The communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application effectively reduces the number of times the UE repeatedly discovers the EAS, optimizes the EAS discovery process, can reduce the number of times the EAS discovery process is repeatedly executed, reduce service interruption caused by executing the EAS discovery process, and improve communication efficiency.

[0199] In the embodiment of the present application, after an EES obtains the first EAS association group through the method provided in Figure 4 or Figure 5, the first EAS association group can be sent to the UE, such as being carried in a response message and sent to the UE. The method provided in Figure 6 can also be referred to to obtain the second EAS association group and send it to the UE. All EASs that the EES can connect to can also be determined as an association group and sent to the UE, etc.

[0200] Figure 9 is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application, which is executed by a UE, such as an EEC in the UE, and includes S801 and S802. S801 and S802 can be executed when the response message does not include an indication, such as when the response message carries the second EAS association group in S404.

[0201] S801. The UE receives a response message, which carries an EAS association group.

[0202] The EAS association group includes at least one of a first EAS association group, a second EAS association group, and all EASs to which the EES can connect.

[0203] S802: The UE determines that the UE should access the EAS according to the EAS association group and the first location information.

[0204] In one possible implementation, if the response message received by the UE carries the first EAS association group, the UE can directly determine from it that it should access the EAS. For example, based on the current time being 9:00 and the UE needing to connect to the EAS with EAS ID 1, the UE can query Table 1 and determine that the EAS to be connected is the first EAS. Alternatively, if the response message carries connection information for all EASs corresponding to the EES, the UE can also directly determine from it that it should access the EAS. In one possible implementation, if the EAS association group received by the UE does not include relevant information about EASs after 12:00, the UE can resend an EAS discovery request message to the EES when it is about to lose connection to the current satellite, such as before 12:00, and restart the EAS discovery process by referring to S201 to S205 and S301 to S306. Alternatively, referring to the method in S406, the UE can determine the second EAS association group from the first EAS association group, and then determine the EAS to be connected from the second EAS association group.

[0205] In a possible implementation, if the response message received by the UE carries the second EAS association group, the UE may also determine from the second EAS association group that it should access the EAS. The method may refer to S406.

[0206] In a possible implementation, if the response message received by the UE carries at least one of all EASs connectable to the EES, the UE may also determine to access the EAS by referring to the method for determining the EAS to be accessed from the first EAS association group.

[0207] In some practical application scenarios, the embodiment of the present application may provide an EAS discovery method. FIG10 is a flow chart of the EAS discovery method provided by the embodiment of the present application, which includes: step a, step b, and step c.

[0208] Step a: The EES determines a first EAS association group.

[0209] For example, step a may refer to steps S201 to S205, or step a may refer to steps S301 to S306. There are multiple methods for the EES to obtain the first information corresponding to each EAS. If the first information is obtained through a message sent from the EAS to the EES, step a may refer to steps S201 to S205. If the first information of the EAS is obtained through information about the satellite on which the EAS is deployed, step a may refer to steps S301 to S306.

[0210] Step b: The UE determines the EES.

[0211] Exemplarily, in the case where the ECS obtains the corresponding information of the EES through pre-configuration or from the OAM system, step b may refer to S503, S504 and S505, or step b may refer to S503, S505 and S506.

[0212] When the EES sends the third request message to the ECS and the ECS obtains the corresponding information of the EES through the third request message, step b may refer to S501 to S504, or step b may refer to S501 to S503, S505 and S506.

[0213] Step c: The UE determines a second EAS association group.

[0214] In an example, the second request message carries application information and the first location information, and step c may refer to S401 to S404. The UE may obtain the second EAS association group according to the response message sent by the EES.

[0215] In an example, the second request message carries application information, and step c may refer to S401, S402, S405, and S406.

[0216] Furthermore, after the UE determines the second EAS association group, it can also determine that it should access the EAS. If the response message includes an indication corresponding to accessing the EAS, S701 can be executed after S401 to S404; if the response message only carries the second EAS association group, S401, S402, S405, S801, S406 and S802 can be executed.

[0217] The communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application can cope with the scenario where there is at least one EAS deployed on a satellite, and provide an EAS association group for the UE, so that the UE can connect to the EAS according to the connection requirements corresponding to different first location information and EAS IDs. Since when the EAS is deployed on a satellite, the movement of the satellite causes each EAS deployed on the satellite to provide services to the UE for a period of time. When the satellite moves to a position where the UE cannot connect, the UE needs to rediscover a new EAS, repeat the EAS discovery process and cause service interruption. The communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application effectively reduces the number of times the UE repeatedly discovers the EAS, optimizes the EAS discovery process, can reduce the number of times the EAS discovery process is repeatedly executed, reduce service interruption caused by executing the EAS discovery process, and improve communication efficiency.

[0218] FIG11 is a schematic structural diagram of an EES or a device in an EES provided in an embodiment of the present application. Taking the EES as an example, as shown in FIG11 , the EES 30 includes: a processing module 301 , a sending module 302 , and a receiving module 303 .

[0219] The processing module 301 is configured to determine a first EAS association group based on first information corresponding to at least one EAS, wherein the at least one EAS includes an EAS deployed on a satellite, the at least one EAS includes an EAS in the first EAS association group, and the first information of each EAS deployed on the satellite is used to indicate connection information of the satellite corresponding to the EAS.

[0220] The sending module 302 is configured to send a first EAS association group.

[0221] In one possible implementation, the connectivity information indicates the satellite's connectivity information in time; or, the connectivity information indicates the satellite's connectivity information in space; or, the connectivity information indicates the satellite's connectivity information in both time and space. Spatial connectivity information may refer to the connectivity information of the satellite's location mapped on the ground, such as the satellite's connectivity information in a certain country, province, or city, or street, or the satellite's connectivity information on a certain operator's network.

[0222] In one possible implementation, the receiving module 303 is configured to receive a first request message sent by a first EAS, the at least one EAS including the first EAS, and the first request message carries first information of the first EAS. The processing module 301 is specifically configured to obtain the first information of the first EAS according to the first request message.

[0223] In one possible implementation, the receiving module 303 is further configured to receive a first request message sent by a first EAS, where the first EAS is an EAS deployed on a first satellite among the at least one EAS, and the first request message carries at least one of a satellite identifier or connection information of the first satellite. The processing module 301 is further configured to determine first information of the first EAS based on the first request message of the first EAS and second information of the first satellite.

[0224] In one possible implementation, the receiving module 303 is further configured to receive a first request message sent by a first EAS, where the first EAS is an EAS deployed on a first satellite among the at least one EAS, and the first request message carries second information about the first satellite. The processing module 301 is further configured to determine the first information of the first EAS based on the second information about the first satellite.

[0225] It should be understood that the modules shown in Figure 11 are only examples, and each module can refer to the method portion in the embodiment of the present application to perform its operation, or perform a variation of its operation. In the examples provided in the embodiment of the present application, other operations can also be performed, and are not limited to the examples in the embodiment of the present application.

[0226] FIG12 is a schematic structural diagram of another EES or a device in an EES provided in an embodiment of the present application. Taking the EES as an example, as shown in FIG12 , the EES 40 includes: a processing module 401 , a sending module 402 , and a receiving module 403 .

[0227] Processing module 401 is used to determine a first EAS association group based on first information corresponding to at least one EAS, wherein the at least one EAS includes an EAS deployed on a satellite, the at least one EAS includes an EAS in the first EAS association group, and the first information of each EAS deployed on the satellite is used to indicate connection information of the satellite corresponding to the EAS.

[0228] The receiving module 403 receives a second request message, where the second request message carries application information.

[0229] The processing module 401 is further configured to determine a second EAS association group according to the application information and the first EAS association group.

[0230] The sending module 402 is configured to send a first EAS association group.

[0231] In one possible implementation, the connectivity information indicates the satellite's connectivity information in time; or, the connectivity information indicates the satellite's connectivity information in space; or, the connectivity information indicates the satellite's connectivity information in both time and space. Spatial connectivity information may refer to the connectivity information of the satellite's location mapped on the ground, such as the satellite's connectivity information in a certain country, province, or city, or street, or the satellite's connectivity information on a certain operator's network.

[0232] In a possible implementation, the application information corresponds to an EAS; the processing module 401 is specifically configured to determine a second EAS association group from the first EAS association group according to the EAS corresponding to the application information.

[0233] The sending module 402 is specifically configured to send a response message, the response message including the second EAS association group

[0234] In one possible implementation, the receiving module 403 is configured to receive a first request message sent by a first EAS, the at least one EAS including the first EAS, and the first request message carries first information of the first EAS. The processing module 401 is specifically configured to obtain the first information of the first EAS according to the first request message.

[0235] In one possible implementation, the receiving module 403 is further configured to receive a first request message sent by a first EAS, where the first EAS is an EAS deployed on a first satellite among the at least one EAS, and the first request message carries at least one of a satellite identifier or connection information of the first satellite. The processing module 401 is further configured to determine first information of the first EAS based on the first request message of the first EAS and second information of the first satellite.

[0236] In one possible implementation, the receiving module 403 is further configured to receive a first request message sent by a first EAS, where the first EAS is an EAS deployed on a first satellite among the at least one EAS, and the first request message carries second information about the first satellite. The processing module 401 is further configured to determine the first information of the first EAS based on the second information about the first satellite.

[0237] In one possible implementation, the second request message also includes first location information, the first location information includes at least one location information of the UE, the at least one location information includes the current location information of the UE, or at least one predicted location information of the UE, wherein the location information includes at least one item of the location or the time corresponding to the location; the processing module 401 is specifically used to determine the second EAS association group based on the application information, the first location information and the first EAS association group.

[0238] In one possible implementation, if at least one location information includes the current location of the UE, the response message is also used to indicate that in the second EAS association group, the UE should access the EAS at the current location; if at least one location information includes at least one predicted location information of the UE, the predicted location information includes the predicted location and the predicted time corresponding to the predicted location, the response message is used to indicate that in the second EAS association group, the UE should access the EAS at each predicted location and the predicted time corresponding to the predicted location.

[0239] It should be understood that the modules shown in Figure 12 are only examples, and each module can refer to the method portion in the embodiment of the present application to perform its operation, or perform a variation of its operation. In the examples provided in the embodiment of the present application, other operations can also be performed, and are not limited to the examples in the embodiment of the present application.

[0240] Taking the EAS as the first EAS as an example, Figure 13 is a structural diagram of a first EAS or a device in the first EAS provided in an embodiment of the present application. The EAS in the embodiment of the present application can refer to the first EAS. As shown in Figure 13, the first EAS 50 includes: a sending module 501, a processing module 502 and a receiving module 503.

[0241] The sending module 501 is configured to send a first request message to the EES.

[0242] In a possible implementation manner, the first request message carries first information of the first EAS, where the first information is used to indicate connection information of a first satellite corresponding to the first EAS.

[0243] In a possible implementation, the first request message carries at least one of a satellite identifier or connection information of a first satellite, and a first EAS is deployed on the first satellite.

[0244] In a possible implementation, the connection information is used to indicate the connectability information of the satellite in time; or, the connection information is used to indicate the connectability information of the satellite in space; or, the connection information is used to indicate the connectability information of the satellite in time and space.

[0245] In a possible implementation, the first EAS further includes: a processing module 502 configured to determine an EES association group associated with the first EAS; and a sending module 501 configured to send a first request message to at least one EES in the EES association group.

[0246] It should be understood that the modules shown in Figure 13 are only examples, and each module can refer to the method portion in the embodiment of the present application to perform its operation, or perform a variation of its operation. In the examples provided in the embodiment of the present application, other operations can also be performed, and are not limited to the examples in the embodiment of the present application.

[0247] FIG14 is a structural diagram of a UE or a device in a UE provided in an embodiment of the present application. Taking the UE as an example, as shown in FIG14 , the UE 10 includes: a receiving module 101 , a processing module 102 and a sending module 103 .

[0248] The receiving module 101 is configured to receive an EAS association group sent by an EES, where the EAS association group includes a first EAS association group or a second EAS association group.

[0249] In a possible implementation, the sending module 103 is configured to send a second request message to the EES, wherein the second request message carries application information.

[0250] In one possible implementation, the sending module 103 is also used to send a second request message to the EES, wherein the second request message carries application information and first location information, wherein the first location information includes at least one location information of the UE, and the at least one location information includes the current location information of the UE, or at least one predicted location information of the UE, wherein the location information includes at least one of the location or the time corresponding to the location.

[0251] In a possible implementation, the receiving module 101 is specifically configured to receive a response message carrying the first EAS association group. The processing module 102 is specifically configured to determine, based on the first EAS association group, the UE's application information and the first location information, that at least one UE should access the EAS.

[0252] In a possible implementation, the receiving module 101 is specifically configured to receive a response message carrying the second EAS association group. The processing module 102 is specifically configured to determine, based on the second EAS association group and the first location information of the UE, whether at least one UE should access the EAS.

[0253] In a possible implementation, the receiving module 101 is specifically configured to receive a response message, where the response message carries the second EAS association group and indicates that in the second EAS association group, the UE at the current location should access the EAS.

[0254] In one possible implementation, the receiving module 101 is specifically configured to receive a response message, the response message carrying the second EAS association group and indicating that, in the second EAS association group, the UE should access the EAS at each predicted location and at a predicted time corresponding to the predicted location.

[0255] It should be understood that the modules shown in Figure 14 are only examples, and each module can refer to the method portion in the embodiment of the present application to perform its operation, or perform a variation of its operation. In the examples provided in the embodiment of the present application, other operations can also be performed, and are not limited to the examples in the embodiment of the present application.

[0256] In the embodiments of the present application, the devices provided in Figures 11 to 14 can all be applied in the scenarios provided in Figures 1 and 2, respectively as UE 10 or a component of a UE (such as an EEC), EES 30 or a component of an EES, and EAS 40 or a component of an EAS, to implement the communication methods provided in the embodiments of the present application. Furthermore, the UE 10 or a component of a UE 10, the EES 30 or a component of an EES, and the EAS 40 or a component of an EAS provided in the embodiments of the present application can be combined and applied in the communication methods provided in Figures 3 to 9 to discover the EAS.

[0257] In addition, Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a device 60 according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 15, the device 60 shown in Figure 15 includes a transceiver 601 and a processor 602. The device 60 can be used to perform the method in the above embodiment. The device 60 is equivalent to the UE exemplified in the method, or the EES exemplified in the method, or the EAS exemplified in the method.

[0258] It should be noted that the division of the various parts in the embodiments of the present application is schematic and is merely a logical functional division. In actual implementation, other division methods may be used. The various functions in the embodiments of the present application may be integrated into a single processor, or the transceiver and processor may exist separately. The aforementioned integrated devices may be implemented in the form of hardware, such as a chip, or in the form of software functional units.

[0259] In addition, an embodiment of the present application further provides a device 70, as shown in FIG16 , which is a schematic structural diagram of a device 70 provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG16 , the device 70 may include a processor 701, a memory 702 coupled to the processor 701, and a transceiver 703. The transceiver 703 may include an MR, an LR, a communication interface, an optical module, etc., for receiving messages or data information, etc. The processor 701 may include a central processing unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), or a combination of a CPU and an NP, for executing the relevant steps of the wake-up signal processing in the device exemplified in the above embodiment. The processor may also be an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), or a combination thereof. The above-mentioned PLD may be a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a generic array logic (GAL), or any combination thereof. The processor 701 may refer to a single processor or may include multiple processors. The memory 702 may include a volatile memory, such as a random-access memory (RAM); the memory may also include a non-volatile memory, such as a read-only memory (ROM), a flash memory, a hard disk drive (HDD), or a solid-state drive (SSD); the memory 702 may also include a combination of the above types of memory. The memory 702 may refer to a single memory or may include multiple memories for storing program instructions. In one embodiment, the memory 702 stores computer-readable instructions, which include multiple software modules, such as a sending module, a processing module, and a receiving module. After executing each software module, the processor 701 may perform corresponding operations according to the instructions of each software module. In this embodiment, the operation performed by a software module actually refers to the operation performed by the processor 701 according to the instructions of the software module.Optionally, the processor 701 may also store program codes or instructions for executing the embodiments of the present application. In this case, the processor 701 does not need to read the program codes or instructions from the memory 702.

[0260] The device 70 can be used to execute the method in the above embodiment. Specifically, the device 70 can be used as a UE, EES or EAS to execute the method and perform the corresponding steps in the above embodiment.

[0261] In addition, embodiments of the present application further provide a communication device. The communication device includes a storage medium and a processor connected to the storage medium. The storage medium stores instructions, and when the instructions are executed by the processor, the processor is configured to implement some or all of the operations of any of the methods in any of the aforementioned embodiments.

[0262] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores instructions. When the computer-readable storage medium is executed on a processor, it implements part or all of the operations in any of the methods in any of the aforementioned embodiments.

[0263] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product, including a computer program, which, when executed on a processor, implements part or all of the operations in any of the methods in any of the aforementioned embodiments.

[0264] The present application also provides a chip including an interface circuit and a processor connected to each other, wherein the processor is configured to cause the chip to execute part or all of the operations in any of the methods in any of the aforementioned embodiments.

[0265] An embodiment of the present application also provides a chip system, including: a processor, the processor is coupled to a memory, the memory is used to store programs or instructions, when the program or instructions are executed by the processor, the chip system implements part or all of the operations of any one of the methods of any one of the embodiments described above.

[0266] Optionally, there may be one or more processors in the chip system. The processor may be implemented in hardware or software. When implemented in hardware, the processor may be a logic circuit, an integrated circuit, etc. When implemented in software, the processor may be a general-purpose processor implemented by reading software code stored in a memory.

[0267] Optionally, the memory in the chip system may be one or more. The memory may be integrated with the processor or may be provided separately from the processor, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. For example, the memory may be a non-transient processor, such as a read-only memory (ROM), which may be integrated with the processor on the same chip or provided on different chips. The embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit the type of memory or the configuration of the memory and the processor.

[0268] Exemplarily, the chip system can be an FPGA, an ASIC, a system on chip (SoC), a CPU, an NP, a digital signal processor (DSP), a microcontroller unit (MCU), a programmable logic device (PLD), or other integrated chips.

[0269] The present application also provides a system including one or more of the above-mentioned devices, apparatuses, computer-readable storage media, computer program products, chips, or chip systems, which can be applied in the scenarios shown in FIG1 or FIG2 , but are not limited thereto.

[0270] The terms "first," "second," "third," "fourth," and the like (if any) in the specification and claims of this application and in the accompanying drawings are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a particular order or sequential sequence. It should be understood that the terms used in this manner are interchangeable where appropriate so that the embodiments described herein can be implemented in an order other than that illustrated or described herein. In addition, the terms "including" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions, e.g., a process, method, system, product, or apparatus comprising a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to such processes, methods, products, or apparatus.

[0271] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0272] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For example, the division of units is only a logical business division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be an indirect coupling or communication connection through some interface, device or unit, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0273] Units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0274] In addition, each business unit in each embodiment of the present application can be integrated into a processing unit, each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into a single unit. The above-mentioned integrated units can be implemented in the form of hardware or software business units.

[0275] If the integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software business unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, all or part of the technical solution of the present application can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes a number of instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the various embodiments of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: U disk, mobile hard disk, ROM, RAM, Random Access Memory, disk or optical disk, etc. Various media that can store program code.

[0276] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, in one or more of the examples above, the services described herein may be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, these services may be stored in a computer-readable medium or transmitted as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include computer storage media and communication media, wherein communication media include any medium that facilitates the transmission of computer programs from one location to another. Storage media may be any available medium that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer.

[0277] The above specific implementation methods further describe in detail the purpose, technical solutions and beneficial effects of this application. It should be understood that the above are only specific implementation methods of this application.

[0278] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, rather than to limit them. Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or make equivalent replacements for some of the technical features therein. However, these modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: include: Determining a first EAS association group based on first information corresponding to at least one edge application server EAS, wherein the at least one EAS includes an EAS deployed on a satellite, the at least one EAS includes an EAS in the first EAS association group, and the first information of each EAS deployed on the satellite is used to indicate connection information of the satellite corresponding to the EAS; The first EAS association group is sent.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The connection information is used to indicate the connectable information of the satellite in time; or, The connection information is used to indicate the satellite's connectable information in space; or, The connection information is used to indicate the connectable information of the satellite in time and space.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that Also includes: receiving a first request message sent by a first EAS, where the at least one EAS includes the first EAS, and the first request message carries first information of the first EAS; Acquire first information of the first EAS according to the first request message.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that Also includes: receiving a first request message sent by a first EAS, where the first EAS is an EAS deployed on a first satellite among the at least one EAS, and the first request message carries at least one of a satellite identifier or connection information of the first satellite; Acquire a satellite association group, where the satellite association group includes second information corresponding to at least one satellite, where the second information is used to indicate at least one of a corresponding satellite identifier or connection information, and the at least one satellite includes the first satellite; First information of the first EAS is determined according to the first request message of the first EAS and the second information of the first satellite.

5. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that Also includes: receiving a first request message sent by a first EAS, where the first EAS is an EAS deployed on a first satellite among the at least one EAS, and the first request message carries second information of the first satellite; The first information of the first EAS is determined according to the second information of the first satellite.

6. A communication method, characterized in that: include: Determining a first EAS association group based on first information corresponding to at least one edge application server EAS, wherein the at least one EAS includes an EAS deployed on a satellite, the at least one EAS includes an EAS in the first EAS association group, and the first information of each EAS deployed on the satellite is used to indicate connection information of the satellite corresponding to the EAS; receiving a second request message, where the second request message carries application information; determining a second EAS association group based on the application information and the first EAS association group; The second EAS association group is sent.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The application information corresponds to EAS; determining a second EAS association group based on the application information and the first EAS association group; Sending the second EAS association group includes: determining, according to the EAS corresponding to the application information, the second EAS association group from the first EAS association group; A response message is sent, where the response message includes the second EAS association group.

8. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The second request message further includes first location information, where the first location information includes at least one piece of location information of the UE, where the at least one piece of location information includes current location information of the UE, or at least one piece of predicted location information of the UE, where the location information includes at least one of a location or a time corresponding to the location; The determining, according to the application information and the first EAS association group, a second EAS association group includes: A second EAS association group is determined according to the application information, the first location information, and the first EAS association group.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that If the at least one location information includes the current location of the UE, the response message is further used to indicate that in the second EAS association group, the UE should access the EAS at the current location; If the at least one location information includes at least one predicted location information of the UE, the predicted location information includes a predicted location and a predicted time corresponding to the predicted location, the response message is used to indicate that in the second EAS association group, the UE should access the EAS at each of the predicted locations and the predicted time corresponding to the predicted location.

10. A communication method, characterized in that: include: A first request message is sent to the edge enabling server EES.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The first request message carries first information of a first EAS, where the first information is used to indicate connection information of a first satellite corresponding to the first EAS.

12. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The first request message carries at least one of a satellite identifier or connection information of the first satellite, and a first EAS is deployed on the first satellite.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that Also includes: determining an EES association group associated with the first EAS; The first request message is sent to at least one of the EESs in the EES association group.

14. A communication method, characterized in that: include: An edge application server EAS association group sent by an edge enabling server EES is received, where the EAS association group includes a first EAS association group or a second EAS association group.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that Also includes: A second request message is sent to the EES, where the second request message carries application information.

16. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that Also includes: A second request message is sent to the EES, wherein the second request message carries application information and first location information, wherein the first location information includes at least one location information of the UE, and the at least one location information includes the current location information of the UE, or at least one predicted location information of the UE, wherein the location information includes at least one of the location or the time corresponding to the location.

17. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 16, characterized in that The receiving edge application server EAS association group sent by the edge enabling server EES includes: receiving a response message, where the response message carries the first EAS association group; The method further comprises: It is determined that at least one UE should access the EAS according to the first EAS association group, the application information of the UE, and the first location information.

18. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 16, characterized in that The receiving edge application server EAS association group sent by the edge enabling server EES includes: receiving a response message, where the response message carries the second EAS association group; The method further comprises: According to the second EAS association group and the first location information of the UE, it is determined that at least one should access the EAS.

19. The method according to claim 16, wherein The receiving edge application server EAS association group sent by the edge enabling server EES includes: A response message is received, where the response message carries the second EAS association group and indicates that in the second EAS association group, the UE should access the EAS at the current location.

20. The method according to claim 16, wherein The receiving edge application server EAS association group sent by the edge enabling server EES includes: A response message is received, where the response message carries the second EAS association group and indicates that in the second EAS association group, the UE should access the EAS at each of the predicted locations and the predicted time corresponding to the predicted location.

21. A communication device, characterized in that: The communication device comprises means for performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

22. A communication device, characterized in that: The communication device comprises means for performing the method according to any one of claims 6 to 9.

23. A communication device, characterized in that: The communication device comprises means for performing the method according to any one of claims 10 to 13.

24. A communication device, characterized in that: The communication device comprises means for performing the method according to any one of claims 14 to 20.

25. A communication device, characterized in that: The communication device includes at least one processor, which is configured to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, or configured to execute the method according to any one of claims 6 to 9, or configured to execute the method according to any one of claims 10 to 13, or configured to execute the method according to any one of claims 14 to 20.

26. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The computer-readable storage medium includes instructions that, when executed, enable the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5 to be implemented, or enable the method according to any one of claims 6 to 9 to be implemented, or enable the method according to any one of claims 10 to 13 to be implemented, or enable the method according to any one of claims 14 to 20 to be implemented.

27. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product comprises instructions which, when executed, cause the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5 to be implemented, or the method according to any one of claims 6 to 9 to be implemented, or the method according to any one of claims 10 to 13 to be implemented, or the method according to any one of claims 14 to 20 to be implemented.

28. A chip, characterized in that: include: A port circuit and a processor, wherein the port circuit and the processor are connected, and the processor is used to cause the chip to execute the method described in any one of claims 1 to 5, or the method described in any one of claims 6 to 9, or the method described in any one of claims 10 to 13, or the method described in any one of claims 14 to 20.

29. A communication system, characterized in that: including at least one of the following communication devices: A communication device for implementing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5; A communication device for implementing the method according to any one of claims 6 to 9; A communication device for implementing the method according to any one of claims 10 to 13; A communication device implementing the method according to any one of claims 14 to 20.

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