Wireless communication method and communication device

Abstract

Provided are a wireless communication method and a communication device. The method comprises: if a first condition is met, a first communication device sends first data to a second communication device, the first data being transmitted in a store-and-forward mode, wherein the first communication device comprises a network device, and the second communication device comprises an access network device; or the first communication device comprises a terminal device, and the second communication device comprises the access network device.

Description

Wireless communication method and communication device TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and more particularly, to a wireless communication method and a communication device. BACKGROUND

[0002] In a bent-pipe (also known as transparent) architecture non-terrestrial network (NTN) scenario, data can only be transmitted when both the service link and the feeder link are available. Therefore, there can be a problem of wasting the transmission capability of the satellite link.

[0003] SUMMARY

[0004] The present application provides a wireless communication method and a communication device. The various aspects involved in the present application are described below.

[0005] In a first aspect, a wireless communication method is provided, comprising: if a first condition is met, a first communication device sends first data to a second communication device, the first data being transmitted in a store-and-forward mode; wherein the first communication device comprises a network device, and the second communication device comprises an access network device; or the first communication device comprises a terminal device, and the second communication device comprises the access network device.

[0006] In a second aspect, a wireless communication method is provided, comprising: if a first condition is met, a second communication device receives first data sent by a first communication device, the first data being transmitted in a store-and-forward mode; wherein the first communication device comprises a network device, and the second communication device comprises an access network device; or the first communication device comprises a terminal device, and the second communication device comprises the access network device.

[0007] In a third aspect, a communication device is provided, the communication device being a first communication device, the communication device comprising: a first sending unit, configured to send first data to a second communication device if a first condition is met, the first data being transmitted in a store-and-forward mode; wherein the first communication device comprises a network device, and the second communication device comprises an access network device; or the first communication device comprises a terminal device, and the second communication device comprises the access network device.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided, the communication device being a first communication device, the communication device comprising: a first receiving unit configured to receive first data transmitted by the first communication device in a store-and-forward mode if a first condition is met, wherein the first communication device comprises a network device, and the second communication device comprises an access network device; or the first communication device comprises a terminal device, and the second communication device comprises the access network device.

[0009] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a processor, a memory, and a communication interface, the memory being configured to store one or more computer programs, and the processor being configured to invoke the computer program in the memory to cause the communication device to perform some or all of the steps described in the methods of the various aspects.

[0010] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, which comprises the communication device described above. In another possible design, the system can further comprise other devices interacting with the communication device in the solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application.

[0011] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer readable storage medium, which stores a computer program, and the computer program causes a computer to perform some or all of the steps in the methods of the various aspects.

[0012] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, which comprises a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a computer program, and the computer program is operable to cause a computer to perform some or all of the steps in the methods of the various aspects. In some implementations, the computer program product can be a software installation package.

[0013] In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a chip, which comprises a memory and a processor, and the processor can invoke and run a computer program from the memory to implement some or all of the steps described in the methods of the various aspects.

[0014] In a tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a device, which comprises a memory and a processor, and the processor can invoke and run a computer program from the memory to implement some or all of the steps described in the methods of the various aspects.

[0015] The first condition is introduced in the embodiments of the present application. The communication device determines whether to transmit the first data in the store-and-forward mode by judging whether the first condition is met. For example, if the first condition is met, the terminal device and the satellite or the satellite and the network device can transmit the first data in the store-and-forward mode. In this way, on the one hand, the data transmission in the store-and-forward mode can be supported to improve the utilization rate of the satellite link. On the other hand, the uniform first condition is used for judgment, which helps to ensure the synchronization of the negotiation between the terminal device and the satellite or the satellite and the network device, thereby helping to improve the success probability of the store-and-forward mode. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0016] FIG. 1A is an example of a system architecture of a wireless communication system to which embodiments of the present application can be applied.

[0017] FIG. 1B is an example of a system architecture of an NTN system to which embodiments of the present application can be applied.

[0018] FIG. 1C is an example of a system architecture of another NTN system to which embodiments of the present application can be applied.

[0019] FIG. 2 is an example of a system architecture of yet another NTN system to which embodiments of the present application can be applied.

[0020] FIG. 3 is an example of a system architecture of yet another NTN system to which embodiments of the present application can be applied.

[0021] FIG. 4 is an example of a link state in an NTN system provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0022] FIG. 5 is an example of a link state in an NTN system provided by another embodiment of the present application.

[0023] FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a wireless communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0024] FIG. 7 is an example of a link state in an NTN system provided by yet another embodiment of the present application.

[0025] FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a wireless communication method provided by another embodiment of the present application.

[0026] FIG. 9 is an example of a link state in an NTN system provided by yet another embodiment of the present application.

[0027] FIG. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0028] FIG. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided by another embodiment of the present application.

[0029] FIG. 12 is a schematic structural diagram of an apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] Communication system architecture

[0031] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, for example: global system of mobile communication (GSM) system, code division multiple access (CDMA) system, wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) system, general packet radio service (GPRS), long term evolution (LTE) system, advanced long term evolution (LTE-A) system, new radio (NR) system, evolved system of NR system, LTE-based access to unlicensed spectrum (LTE-U) system, NR-based access to unlicensed spectrum (NR-U) system, NTN system, universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS), wireless local area networks (WLAN), wireless fidelity (WiFi), 5th-generation (5G) system or other communication systems, for example, future communication systems such as 6th-generation mobile communication system, and satellite communication system, etc.

[0032] Generally speaking, the number of connections supported by the traditional communication system is limited and easy to implement. However, with the development of communication technology, the mobile communication system will not only support the traditional communication, but also support, for example, device to device (D2D) communication, machine to machine (M2M) communication, machine type communication (MTC), vehicle to vehicle (V2V) communication, or vehicle to everything (V2X) communication, etc. The embodiments of the present application can also be applied to these communication systems.

[0033] The communication system in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to a carrier aggregation (CA) scenario, can also be applied to a dual connectivity (DC) scenario, and can also be applied to a standalone (SA) network deployment scenario.

[0034] The communication system in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to an unlicensed spectrum, which can also be regarded as a shared spectrum, or can also be applied to a licensed spectrum, which can also be regarded as a dedicated spectrum.

[0035] The embodiments of the present application can be applied to an NTN system, and can also be applied to a terrestrial network (TN) system. As an example but not limitation, the NTN system includes an NR-based NTN system and an IOT-based NTN system.

[0036] The embodiments of the present application describe various embodiments in combination with network devices and terminal devices, wherein the terminal device can also be referred to as a user equipment (UE), an access terminal, a user unit, a user station, a mobile station, a mobile station (MS), a mobile terminal (MT), a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a user terminal, a terminal, a wireless communication device, a user agent or a user apparatus, etc.

[0037] In the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device can be a station (STATION, ST) in a WLAN, can be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA) device, a handheld device with wireless communication function, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a terminal device in a next-generation communication system such as an NR network, or a terminal device in a future evolved public land mobile network (PLMN) network, etc.

[0038] In the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device can refer to a device providing voice and / or data connectivity to users, and can be used to connect people, things and machines, for example, handheld devices with wireless connection function, vehicle-mounted devices, etc. The terminal device in the embodiments of the present application can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer (Pad), a notebook computer, a palm computer, a mobile internet device (MID), a wearable device, a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical surgery, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, etc. Optionally, the terminal device can be used to act as a base station. For example, the terminal device can act as a scheduling entity, which provides sidelink signals between terminal devices in V2X or D2D, etc. For example, a cellular phone and a car communicate with each other using sidelink signals. The cellular phone and the smart home device communicate with each other without relaying the communication signals through the base station.

[0039] In the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device can be deployed on land, including indoor or outdoor, handheld, wearable or vehicle-mounted; can also be deployed on the water surface (such as ships, etc.); and can also be deployed in the air (such as on airplanes, balloons and satellites, etc.).

[0040] In the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device can be a mobile phone, a pad, a computer with wireless transceiving function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal device in industrial control, a wireless terminal device in self driving, a wireless terminal device in remote medical, a wireless terminal device in smart grid, a wireless terminal device in transportation safety, a wireless terminal device in smart city, or a wireless terminal device in smart home, etc. The terminal device involved in the embodiments of the present application can also be referred to as a terminal, a user equipment (UE), an access terminal device, a vehicle-mounted terminal, an industrial control terminal, a UE unit, a UE station, a mobile station, a mobile station, a remote station, a remote terminal device, a mobile device, a UE, a wireless communication device, a UE agent, or a UE apparatus, etc. The terminal device can also be fixed or mobile.

[0041] By way of example and not limitation, in the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device can also be a wearable device. The wearable device can also be referred to as a wearable smart device, which is a general term for devices that are designed and developed by applying wearable technology to daily wear, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes, etc. The wearable device is a portable device that is directly worn on the body or integrated into the clothes or accessories of the user. The wearable device is not only a hardware device, but also has powerful functions through software support and data interaction and cloud interaction. The general wearable smart device includes a device with full functions and large size, which can realize complete or partial functions without relying on a smart phone, such as a smart watch or smart glasses, etc., and a device that focuses on a certain application function and needs to cooperate with other devices such as a smart phone, such as various smart wristbands and smart jewelry for monitoring vital signs, etc.

[0042] The network device in the embodiments of the present application can be a device for communicating with a terminal device, which can also be referred to as an access network device or a radio access network device, such as a network device, which can be a base station. The network device in the embodiments of the present application can refer to a radio access network (RAN) node (or device) that accesses a terminal device to a wireless network. The base station can broadly cover various names in the following or be replaced by the following names, such as: Node B (NodeB), evolved Node B (eNB), next generation Node B (gNB), relay station, access point, transmitting and receiving point (TRP), transmitting point (TP), master station MeNB, auxiliary station SeNB, multi-standard radio (MSR) node, home base station, network controller, access node, wireless node, access point (AP), transmission node, transceiver node, baseband unit (BBU), remote radio unit (RRU), active antenna unit (AAU), remote radio head (RRH), central unit (CU), distributed unit (DU), positioning node, etc. The base station can be a macro base station, a micro base station, a relay node, a donor node or the like, or a combination thereof. The base station can also refer to a communication module, modem or chip for being arranged in the foregoing device or apparatus. The base station can also be a mobile switching center and a device that undertakes the function of a base station in device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, network side device in 6G network, device that undertakes the function of a base station in future communication system, etc. The base station can support networks of the same or different access technologies. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the network device.

[0043] The base station can be fixed or mobile. For example, a helicopter or a drone can be configured to act as a mobile base station, and one or more cells can move according to the location of the mobile base station. In other examples, a helicopter or a drone can be configured to act as a device that communicates with another base station.

[0044] In some deployments, the network device in the embodiments of the present application can refer to a CU or a DU, or the network device includes a CU and a DU. The gNB can also include an AAU.

[0045] The network device and the terminal device can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; can also be deployed on water surface; can also be deployed on aircraft, balloons and satellites in the air. The scenarios in which the network device and the terminal device are located are not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0046] By way of example and not limitation, in the embodiments of the present application, the network device can have a mobile characteristic, for example, the network device can be a mobile device. In some embodiments of the present application, the network device can be a satellite, a balloon station. For example, the satellite can be a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite, a medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite, a geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellite, a high elliptical orbit (HEO) satellite, etc. In some embodiments of the present application, the network device can also be a base station arranged at a position on land, water, etc.

[0047] In the embodiments of the present application, the network device can serve a cell, and the terminal device communicates with the network device through a transmission resource (for example, a frequency domain resource, or a spectrum resource) used by the cell. The cell can be a cell corresponding to the network device (for example, a base station), and the cell can belong to a macro base station or a base station corresponding to a small cell. The small cell can include a metro cell, a micro cell, a pico cell, a femto cell, etc., and these small cells have the characteristics of small coverage and low transmit power, and are suitable for providing high-speed data transmission services.

[0048] Exemplarily, FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram of an architecture of a communication system provided by the embodiments of the present application. As shown in FIG. 1A, the communication system 100 can include a network device 110, which can be a device communicating with a terminal device 120 (or a communication terminal, a terminal). The network device 110 can provide communication coverage for a specific geographic area, and can communicate with the terminal device located in the coverage area.

[0049] FIG. 1A exemplarily shows one network device and two terminal devices. In some embodiments of the present application, the communication system 100 can include multiple network devices, and each network device can include other numbers of terminal devices in its coverage, which are not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0050] Exemplarily, FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram of another architecture of a communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application. Referring to FIG. 1B, the communication system includes a terminal device 1101 and a satellite 1102, and the terminal device 1101 and the satellite 1102 can perform wireless communication. The network formed by the terminal device 1101 and the satellite 1102 can also be referred to as an NTN. In the architecture of the communication system shown in FIG. 1B, the satellite 1102 can have the function of a base station, and the terminal device 1101 and the satellite 1102 can directly communicate with each other. In the system architecture, the satellite 1102 can be referred to as a network device. In some embodiments of the present application, the communication system can include a plurality of network devices 1102, and each network device 1102 can include a plurality of terminal devices in its coverage, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0051] Exemplarily, FIG. 1C is a schematic diagram of another architecture of a communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application. Referring to FIG. 1C, the communication system includes a terminal device 1201, a satellite 1202 and a base station 1203, and the terminal device 1201 and the satellite 1202 can perform wireless communication, and the satellite 1202 and the base station 1203 can communicate with each other. The network formed by the terminal device 1201, the satellite 1202 and the base station 1203 can also be referred to as an NTN. In the architecture of the communication system shown in FIG. 1C, the satellite 1202 can not have the function of a base station, and the communication between the terminal device 1201 and the base station 1203 needs to be relayed by the satellite 1202. In this system architecture, the base station 1203 can be referred to as a network device. In some embodiments of the present application, the communication system can include a plurality of network devices 1203, and each network device 1203 can include a plurality of terminal devices in its coverage, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0052] It should be noted that FIGS. 1A-1C only schematically show the system to which the present application is applicable, and of course, the method shown in the embodiments of the present application can also be applicable to other systems, for example, a 5G communication system, an LTE communication system, etc., which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0053] In some embodiments of the present application, the wireless communication system shown in FIGS. 1A-1C can also include a mobility management entity (MME), an access and mobility management function (AMF) and other network entities, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0054] It should be understood that the devices with communication functions in the network / system in the embodiments of the present application can be referred to as communication devices. For example, the communication system 100 shown in FIG. 1A, the communication devices can include network devices 110 and terminal devices 120 with communication functions, and the network devices 110 and the terminal devices 120 can be specific devices described above, which will not be described here again; the communication devices can also include other devices in the communication system 100, such as network controllers, mobile management entities and other network entities, which are not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0055] It should be understood that the "indication" mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can be direct indication, or indirect indication, or can represent an associated relationship. For example, A indicates B, which can mean that B can be obtained through A; or A indirectly indicates B, for example, A indicates C, and B can be obtained through C; or A and B have an associated relationship.

[0056] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the term "corresponding" can represent a direct or indirect corresponding relationship between the two, or an associated relationship between the two, or an indication and being indicated, configuration and being configured, etc.

[0057] The "configuration" in the embodiments of the present application can include at least one of system message, radio resource control (RRC) signaling and media access control control element (MAC CE).

[0058] In some embodiments of the present application, "predefined" or "preset" can be implemented by pre-storing corresponding codes, tables or other ways that can be used to indicate related information in devices (for example, including terminal devices and network devices), and the specific implementation manner is not limited in the present application. For example, the pre-defined can refer to the definition in the protocol.

[0059] In some embodiments of the present application, the "protocol" can refer to a standard protocol in the communication field, which can include LTE protocol, NR protocol and related protocols applied to future communication systems, which are not limited in the present application.

[0060] NTN

[0061] Currently, the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) international standard organization is studying NTN technology. The NTN generally adopts a satellite communication mode to provide communication services to ground users. Compared with a ground communication network (for example, a ground cellular network communication), satellite communication has many unique advantages.

[0062] First, satellite communication is not limited by the user's region. For example, a general ground communication network cannot cover the ocean, high mountains, deserts, and other areas where network equipment cannot be set up. Or, the ground communication network cannot cover some areas that are not covered due to sparse population. However, for satellite communication, because a satellite can cover a relatively large ground area, and the satellite can orbit around the earth, in theory, every corner of the earth can be covered by the satellite communication network.

[0063] Second, satellite communication has great social value. Satellite communication can cover remote mountainous areas, poor countries or regions at a low cost, so that people in these areas can enjoy advanced voice communication and mobile Internet technology. From this perspective, satellite communication helps to narrow the digital gap with developed areas and promote the development of these areas.

[0064] Third, satellite communication is far away, and the communication cost does not increase significantly with the increase of the communication distance.

[0065] Finally, satellite communication has high stability and is not affected by natural disasters.

[0066] Communication satellites can be divided into LEO satellites, MEO satellites, GEO satellites, HEO satellites, etc. according to the orbital height. At the current stage, the main research is LEO satellites and GEO satellites.

[0067] The height range of LEO satellites is generally 500km-1500km. Correspondingly, the orbital period of LEO satellites is about 1.5 hours-2 hours. For LEO satellites, the signal propagation delay of single-hop communication between users is generally less than 20ms. The maximum satellite visible time corresponding to LEO satellites is about 20 minutes. LEO satellites have the advantages of short signal propagation distance, less link loss, and low requirements for the transmit power of terminal devices.

[0068] The orbital height of GEO satellites is about 35786km. The period of GEO satellites rotating around the earth is 24 hours. For GEO satellites, the signal propagation delay of single-hop communication between users is generally about 250ms.

[0069] In order to ensure the coverage of the satellite and improve the system capacity of the whole satellite communication system, the satellite usually adopts multi-beam to cover the ground area, so that a satellite can form dozens or even hundreds of beams to cover the ground area. One beam of the satellite can cover a ground area with a diameter of tens to thousands of kilometers.

[0070] Currently, the NTN system can include an NR NTN system and an IoT NTN system.

[0071] NTN network architecture

[0072] The NTN network architecture can include the following network elements: gateway, feeder link, service link, and satellite.

[0073] One or more gateways can be included in the NTN network architecture, which can be used to connect the satellite and the ground public network. Generally, the gateway can be arranged on the ground.

[0074] The feeder link can refer to the link for communication between the gateway and the satellite.

[0075] The service link can refer to the link for communication between the terminal device and the satellite.

[0076] From the function provided by the satellite, the satellite can be divided into a transparent payload satellite and a regenerative payload satellite. Among them, the transparent payload satellite refers to a satellite that only provides the functions of radio frequency filtering, frequency conversion and amplification. Or in other words, the transparent payload satellite only provides transparent forwarding of signals and does not change the waveform signals it forwards. The regenerative payload satellite refers to a satellite that, in addition to providing the functions of radio frequency filtering, frequency conversion and amplification, can also provide one or more of the following functions: demodulation, decoding, routing, conversion, encoding, modulation, storage, etc. The regenerative payload satellite can have part or all of the functions of a base station. According to the different functions provided by the satellite in the NTN network, the NTN network architecture can be divided into a bent-pipe transponder architecture (or simply bent-pipe or transparent architecture) and a regenerative transponder architecture (or simply regenerative architecture), and FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 respectively show an example diagram of the bent-pipe NTN network architecture and the regenerative NTN network architecture.

[0077] Exemplarily, referring to FIG. 2, the NTN system 200 takes a satellite 210 as an air platform. The satellite radio access network includes the satellite 210, a service link 220, a feeder link 230, a terminal device 240, a gateway (GW) 250, and a network 260 including a base station and a core network. Among them, the service link 220 refers to the link between the satellite 210 and the terminal device 240. The feeder link 230 refers to the link between the gateway 250 and the satellite 210.

[0078] In the architecture shown in FIG. 2, the base station is located on the earth behind the gateway 250, and the satellite 210 acts as a relay. The satellite 210 operates as a repeater that forwards the feeder link 230 signal to the service link 220, or forwards the service link 220 signal to the feeder link 230. That is, the satellite 210 does not have the function of the base station, and the communication between the terminal device 240 and the base station in the network 260 needs to be relayed through the satellite 210.

[0079] Exemplarily, referring to FIG. 3, the satellite radio access network 300 includes a satellite 310, a service link 320, a feeder link 330, a terminal device 340, a gateway 350, and a network 360. Unlike the NTN system 200 in FIG. 2, in the NTN system 300, there is a base station on the satellite 310, and the network 360 behind the gateway 350 only includes a core network.

[0080] In the architecture shown in FIG. 3, the satellite 310 carries the base station 312 and can be directly connected to the earth-based core network through a link. The satellite 310 has the function of the base station, and the terminal device 340 can directly communicate with the satellite 310.

[0081] According to the above content, in the NTN scenario of the bent pipe architecture, data can only be transmitted when both the service link and the feeder link are available. Therefore, there may be a problem of wasting the transmission capacity of the satellite link. The following is illustrated by combining FIG. 4 and FIG. 5.

[0082] In order to solve the communication of water meters, electricity meters, oil pipeline monitoring and other Internet of Things devices, 3GPP introduces the narrow band Internet of Things (NB-IoT) technology in NTN, so that the NB-IoT terminal can access the wireless network of the operator through the satellite. Since the data volume of each NB-IoT terminal is very low, in order to further save expenses, the operator hopes to deploy as few satellites as possible, so the number of satellites that can support NT-IoT is small. For a specific NB-IoT terminal, the coverage of NTN is discontinuous in time, and for a specific ground gateway that supports NB-IoT data transmission, the satellite is not always available for data transmission.

[0083] Exemplarily, referring to FIG. 4, the service link is available in the time period T2-T4, and data can be transmitted between the terminal device and the satellite. The feeder link is available in the time period T1-T3, and data can be transmitted between the satellite and the ground gateway. For the satellite communication system of the bent pipe architecture, data can be transmitted only in the time period T2-T3. That is, data cannot be transmitted in the time period T1-T2 and the time period T3-T4.

[0084] Exemplarily, referring to FIG. 5, the service link is available in the time period T7-T8, and data can be transmitted between the terminal device and the satellite. The feeder link is available in the time period T5-T6, and data can be transmitted between the satellite and the ground gateway. For the satellite communication system of the bent pipe architecture, data cannot be transmitted in the time period T5-T6 and the time period T7-T8.

[0085] To solve the problem of low utilization of the satellite link in the above-described bent pipe architecture, a regenerative mode is proposed in the related art, so that the store-and-forward of the satellite becomes feasible. However, in the process of transmitting data in the store-and-forward mode, the terminal device and the satellite or the satellite and the network device can be out of synchronization, which can cause the store-and-forward to fail. For example, the satellite supports the store-and-forward mode, but the terminal device does not support the store-and-forward mode, which can cause the store-and-forward mode to fail. For another example, the network device and the satellite both support the store-and-forward mode, but some data services (for example, low-latency data services) of the network device do not support the store-and-forward mode, so that the store-and-forward mode can also fail when transmitting the data services in the store-and-forward mode.

[0086] To solve the above-described problem, the first condition is introduced in the embodiments of the present application. The communication device determines whether to transmit the first data in the store-and-forward mode by judging whether the first condition is met. For example, if the first condition is met, the terminal device and the satellite or the satellite and the network device can transmit the first data in the store-and-forward mode. In this way, on the one hand, the data transmission in the store-and-forward mode can be supported to improve the utilization of the satellite link. On the other hand, the uniform first condition is used for judgment, which helps to ensure the synchronization of the negotiation between the terminal device and the satellite or the satellite and the network device, thereby helping to improve the success probability of the store-and-forward mode. The wireless communication method in the embodiments of the present application is described in detail below in combination with FIG. 6.

[0087] FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of wireless communication according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method of FIG. 6 is described from the perspective of a first communication device interacting with a second communication device. In some embodiments, the first communication device can comprise a network device, which can be a core network element, such as a MME or an AMF, or the like. Of course, the network device can also be a gateway device, such as a gateway or a user plane function (UPF). The network device can be, for example, the gateway 350 or the network 360 of FIG. 3. The second communication device can comprise an access network device, such as a satellite device deploying base stations (also referred to as base station satellites or satellite base stations), such as the satellite 310 of FIG. 3.

[0088] In other embodiments, the first communication device can comprise a terminal device, which can be any of the terminal devices mentioned above, such as the terminal device 340 of FIG. 3. The second communication device can comprise an access network device, such as a satellite device deploying base stations, such as the satellite 310 of FIG. 3.

[0089] Referring to FIG. 6, at step S610, the first communication device can transmit first data to the second communication device if a first condition is satisfied, the first data being transmitted in a store-and-forward mode. The first data can be any type of uplink or downlink data, which is not limited in the present disclosure. It should be understood that when the first communication device comprises a terminal device and the second communication device comprises an access network device, the first data is uplink data; when the first communication device comprises a network device and the second communication device comprises an access network device, the first data is downlink data.

[0090] The embodiments of the present disclosure do not limit the target information associated with the first condition, which is described in detail below with examples.

[0091] For example, the target information can comprise a link state of a link between the network device and the access network device. The link between the network device and the access network device can be referred to as a feeder link. The link state of the link between the network device and the access network device can comprise an available state and an unavailable state. The first condition can be, for example, that the link state of the link between the network device and the access network device is in the available state. That is, if the link state of the link between the network device and the access network device is in the available state, the first data can be transmitted in the store-and-forward mode.

[0092] For another example, the target information can comprise a capability of the access network device, which is associated with the store-and-forward mode. That is, according to the capability of the access network device (which can also be referred to as the type of the access network device), it can be determined whether the access network device supports data transmission in the store-and-forward mode. If the capability of the access network device does not support data transmission in the store-and-forward mode, the first communication device and the second communication device can transmit the first data through the bent-pipe mode. If the capability of the access network device supports data transmission in the store-and-forward mode, the first communication device and the second communication device can transmit the first data through the store-and-forward mode.

[0093] For another example, the target information can comprise a storage capability of the access network device. The storage capability of the access network device can refer to the available storage amount of the access network device. For example, in some scenarios (such as scenarios of avoiding data transmission jam or reserving emergency available capacity), a first threshold of the available capacity of the access network device can be set, which is less than or equal to the maximum available capacity of the access network device. The first condition can be, for example, that the available storage capacity of the access network device is greater than or equal to the first threshold. That is, if the available storage amount of the access network device is greater than or equal to the first threshold, the access network device can support data transmission in the store-and-forward mode. The first threshold can be determined in a manner such as being predefined based on a protocol, being configured or preconfigured by a network device, and the like.

[0094] For another example, the target information can comprise a data amount of the first data. In some scenarios, the data amount transmitted at a time by using the store-and-forward mode can be limited, and therefore a second threshold of the data amount of the first data can be set. The first condition can be, for example, that the data amount of the first data is less than or equal to the second threshold. That is, if the data amount of the first data is less than or equal to the second threshold, the first communication device and the second device can support data transmission in the store-and-forward mode. The second threshold can be determined in a manner such as being predefined based on a protocol, being configured or preconfigured by a network device, and the like.

[0095] For another example, the target information can comprise a transmission latency of the first data. If the transmission latency of the first data can be satisfied (i.e., the transmission latency of the first data will not exceed the transmission latency budget of the first data) during the transmission of the first data in the store-and-forward mode, the first communication device can transmit the first data to the second communication device. If the transmission latency of the first data cannot be satisfied (i.e., the transmission latency of the first data will exceed) during the transmission of the first data in the store-and-forward mode, the first communication device can not transmit the first data to the second communication device or discard the first data. The first condition can be, for example, that the transmission latency required for transmitting the first data is less than or equal to the remaining latency budget of the first data. That is, if the transmission latency requirement of the first data can be satisfied during the transmission of the first data in the store-and-forward mode, the first communication device can transmit the first data to the second communication device in the store-and-forward mode.

[0096] For another example, the target information can comprise a service associated with the first data. It should be appreciated that some services (e.g., low latency services or services with strict latency stability requirements, which require that the latency variance of each data packet cannot be greater than a threshold. The threshold can be determined in a manner such as predefined by a protocol, configured by a network device, or preconfigured) can not support transmission in the store-and-forward mode. If the service associated with the first data does not support transmission in the store-and-forward mode, the first communication device and the second communication device can transmit the first data in the bent-pipe mode. Of course, if the service associated with the first data supports transmission in the store-and-forward mode, the first communication device and the second communication device can transmit the first data in the store-and-forward mode. The first condition can be, for example, that the service associated with the first data supports transmission in the store-and-forward mode.

[0097] For another example, the target information can comprise a data flow to which the first data belongs. It should be appreciated that some data flows (e.g., low latency data flows) can not support transmission in the store-and-forward mode. If the data flow to which the first data belongs does not support transmission in the store-and-forward mode, the first communication device and the second communication device can transmit the first data in the bent-pipe mode. Of course, if the data flow to which the first data belongs supports transmission in the store-and-forward mode, the first communication device and the second communication device can transmit the first data in the store-and-forward mode. The first condition can be, for example, that the data flow to which the first data belongs supports transmission in the store-and-forward mode.

[0098] It should be noted that, for each terminal device, the network device (such as a core network element) can determine whether the service or data flow to which the first data belongs can be transmitted in a store-and-forward manner, and notify the access network device (satellite base station). Alternatively, the access network device can determine whether the service or data flow to which the first data belongs can be transmitted in a store-and-forward manner, and notify the network device. It should be understood that, which factors are used by the core network element or the satellite base station to determine whether the service or data flow to which the first data belongs can be transmitted in a store-and-forward manner, is an internal implementation of the network element.

[0099] For example, the target information can include an available time period of the link between the access network device and the terminal device. According to the available time period, the terminal device or the access network device can determine a timing of transmitting the uplink data or the downlink data. The first condition can be that the first data is transmitted in the available time period of the first link, in which the access network device and the terminal device can transmit the first data in a store-and-forward mode. Of course, the access network device and the terminal device can also directly transmit the first data, in which case, the delay of transmitting the first data in the store-and-forward mode is 0, that is, this is a special store-and-forward mode.

[0100] It should be understood that the available time period of the first link can be determined according to the ephemeris information of the satellite and the position of the terminal device (such as the global positioning coordinates of the terminal device).

[0101] It should be noted that, in the embodiments of the present application, the transmission of the first data in the store-and-forward mode mainly refers to a case where the store-and-forward delay is greater than 0, or a case where the store-and-forward delay is greater than a certain threshold. The threshold can be specified by a protocol or configured by network management.

[0102] For example, the target information can include an available time period of the second link between the access network device and the network device. According to the available time period of the second link, the network device or the access network device can determine a timing of transmitting the first data. The first condition can be that the first data is transmitted in the available time period of the second link, in which the network device and the access network device can transmit the first data in a store-and-forward mode.

[0103] It should be understood that the available time period of the second link can be determined according to the ephemeris information of the satellite and the position of the network device (such as the global positioning coordinates of the network device). In some implementations, the available time period of the second link can be calculated by the access network device (such as a satellite device deploying a base station), and then notified to the network device. In other implementations, the network device can also be provided with auxiliary information such as the ephemeris information of the satellite, and then calculate the available time period of the second link according to the ephemeris information and its own geographic position.

[0104] The application does not make specific restrictions on the manner of providing the above-mentioned auxiliary information. For example, the above-mentioned auxiliary information can be provided to the network device by the network management platform; for another example, the above-mentioned auxiliary information can also be provided to the network device by the satellite base station. It should be noted that the auxiliary information can be the auxiliary information of one satellite, or the auxiliary information of multiple satellites.

[0105] It should be noted that the one or more target information associated with the first condition can be combined with each other to determine the first condition, and the application does not make specific restrictions thereon. For example, the storage capacity of the access network device and the data volume of the first data can be combined, and the first condition can be that the storage capacity required for storing the first data is less than or equal to the available storage capacity of the access network device. For example, the data volume of the first data transmitted by the network device in the store-and-forward mode cannot exceed the storage capacity (available storage capacity) of the access network device. As an example, referring to FIG. 7, since the gateway device transmits data to the satellite base station in the T5-T6 time period, all the data needs to be stored on the satellite base station, and the satellite base station can start downlink transmission only at the T7 moment. In order to ensure the success of transmitting data in the store-and-forward mode, the data volume of the first data transmitted in the T5-T6 time period cannot exceed the available storage capacity of the satellite base station. It should be understood that if the first data transmitted to the satellite base station in the T5-T6 time period can be forwarded to the terminal device before the T6 moment, it is not necessary to require that the data volume of the first data transmitted in the T5-T6 time period cannot exceed the available storage capacity of the satellite base station. Specifically, assuming that the T5-T6 time period in FIG. 7 overlaps with the T7-T8 time period (i.e., the first data can be forwarded to the terminal device before the T6 moment), in this case, the data transmitted in the overlapping time period can not occupy the available memory capacity of the satellite base station. In this way, the situation that the data volume of the first data transmitted in the T5-T6 time period exceeds the available storage capacity of the satellite base station can occur.

[0106] In some implementations, the access network device can send first indication information to the network device or the terminal device. The first indication information can indicate one or more of the following: the available storage capacity of the access network device; whether data can still be sent to the access network device; whether data of a certain data volume (such as 100 bytes) can still be sent to the access network device; whether data can be sent to the access network device at a certain data rate (such as 100 bps); whether data can be sent to the access network device at a percentage (such as 50%) of the agreed rate.

[0107] The indication object of the first indication information is not specifically limited in the present application. In some implementation manners, the first indication information indicates different terminal devices, for example, the first indication information can be used to indicate the available storage amount of the terminal device associated with the first data in the access network device, that is, the first indication information corresponds to the terminal device associated with the first data. In other implementation manners, the first indication information can also indicate different data flows, for example, the first indication information can be used to indicate the available storage amount of the data flow to which the first data belongs in the access network device, that is, the first indication information corresponds to the data flow to which the first data belongs. Of course, the first indication information can also not distinguish the indication object (such as not distinguishing the terminal device and not distinguishing the data flow), and the first indication information can be used to indicate the total available storage amount in the access network device.

[0108] In some implementation manners, since the available time period of the service link overlaps with the available time period of the feeder link in time, the network device cannot accurately obtain the available storage capacity of the access network device. At this time, the access network device can dynamically send the first indication information to dynamically indicate the available storage amount information of the access network device. As an example, referring back to FIG. 4, since the available time period T1-T3 of the service link overlaps with the available time period T2-T4 of the feeder link in time, when the network device (such as a gateway) sends the first data to the terminal device, it is possible that the transmission to the terminal device has been completed before T3 time, so the network device cannot determine in real time whether the data amount stored in the access network device (satellite base station) exceeds the storage capacity, at this time, the satellite base station can dynamically send the first indication information to indicate one or more of the following: one or more of the following: the available storage capacity of the access network device; whether data can still be sent to the access network device; still being able to send a certain data amount (such as 100 bytes of data) of data to the access network device; being able to send data to the access network device at a certain data rate (such as 100 bps); sending data to the access network device at a percentage (such as 50%) of the agreed rate.

[0109] In some implementation manners, if the first condition is not met, the first data can be discarded by the network device or the access network device. If the available storage capacity of the satellite is exceeded, the present application does not specifically limit the way in which the satellite discards data. For example, the satellite can discard the last data, or discard the first data (that is, always store the latest data in the cache), or discard data with low priority. The priority of the data can be indicated by the sender or determined by the satellite base station according to certain rules. For example, the priority of some data radio bearers (DRBs) can be lower than that of other DRBs.

[0110] It should be understood that the above discarding manners can be configured by a network management, or determined by the satellite base station itself, or determined by a core network control network element.

[0111] It should be understood that the discarding manner can inform the receiving side, inform the terminal device in the downlink, and inform the core network element in the uplink. Of course, the discarding manner can inform the sending side, inform the core network element in the downlink, and inform the terminal device in the uplink. The discarding manners in the uplink and the downlink can be different or the same.

[0112] In some implementations, the first communication device can further receive second information sent by the second communication device, and the second information is used to indicate that the first data is discarded or the first data has been transmitted in the store-and-forward mode.

[0113] In some implementations, the first communication device includes a network device, and the second communication device includes an access network device. If the terminal device is in an idle state or an inactive state, at this time, the terminal device does not have an access network identifier, the first communication device can send third information to the second communication device, and the third information includes an identifier of the terminal device. In this way, the access network device can know to which terminal device the first data is transmitted, and then can initiate paging according to the identifier of the terminal device. The identifier of the terminal device can be, for example, a system architecture evolution (SAE) temporary mobile station identifier (S-TMSI). It should be noted that if the terminal device is in an inactive state or an RRC connected state, the network device can inform the access network device of the terminal device to which the first data is transmitted through a logical channel between the network device and the access network device, without additional indication.

[0114] In other implementations, the third information can further include a first key of the terminal device. The first key can be used for communication between the access network device and the terminal device, for example, the access network device can encrypt downlink data by using the first key. The first key is generated before the terminal device is in a connected state, thereby helping to reduce the transmission delay of the first data.

[0115] In some implementations, the first communication device comprises a network device, and the second communication device comprises an access network device. If the terminal device is in an idle state, the first communication device can further send fourth information to the second communication device, where the fourth information contains parameters for the second communication device to establish a radio bearer for the terminal device. The parameters contained in the fourth information can be, for example, a capability parameter of the terminal device. According to the capability parameter of the terminal device, the access network device can establish a radio bearer for the terminal device and configure radio bearer parameters. The radio bearer can be, for example, a data radio bearer or a signaling radio bearer (SRB).

[0116] In some implementations, the first communication device comprises a network device, and the second communication device comprises an access network device. The first communication device can send a first container to the second communication device, where the first container contains information for generating a key of the terminal device and / or information for integrity protection of data of the terminal device. It should be understood that for each terminal device with data storage and forwarding, the network device can create a container for the terminal device with data storage and forwarding, and send the container to the access network device. Before sending the first data to the terminal device, the access network device can send the first container to the terminal device. In this way, the terminal device can derive various derived keys from the information in the first container, which can be used for decryption, encryption, integrity protection, and the like of the first data received by the terminal device.

[0117] In some implementations, the first communication device comprises a network device, and the second communication device comprises an access network device. The transmission time of the first data can be the transmission time of the network device to the access network device, and the target time period can be the time period during which the access network device and the terminal device perform data interaction. In the target time period, one or more of the following can be performed: the access network device pages the terminal device; and the access network device sends the first data to the terminal device.

[0118] In some implementations, the first communication device can send fifth information to the second communication device, where the fifth information is used to indicate one or more of the following: the data volume of the first data; the time period used for transmitting the first data; and the remaining latency budget of the first data. According to the fifth information, the access network device can better schedule or process the received first data.

[0119] It should be noted that the application does not make specific restrictions on the timing of sending the above-mentioned fifth information. Some information can be provided before sending the first data, such as the data volume. That is, before sending the first data to the second communication device, the first communication device can send the data volume of the first data to the second communication device. Some information can be provided when sending the first data, such as the data volume. That is, when sending the first data to the second communication device, the first communication device can send the remaining delay budget of the first data to the second communication device.

[0120] It is mentioned above that if the transmission delay requirement of the first data can be met in the process of transmitting the first data in the store-and-forward mode, the first communication device can transmit the first data to the second communication device in the store-and-forward mode. The following will be described in detail in conjunction with examples.

[0121] As an example, referring back to FIG. 7, the transmission delay budget of the first data includes: transmission delay budget a, transmission delay budget b, and transmission delay budget c. When the downlink data arrives at the gateway, the gateway determines whether to transmit the data to the satellite base station according to the time when the downlink data arrives and the delay budget of the first data. For the transmission delay budget a scenario, the first data is overdue before T7 time, which is earlier than the start time of the next “terminal device and satellite base station transmission time window T7-T8”, so the ground gateway does not transmit the first data to the satellite base station; for the transmission delay budget b scenario, the first data is overdue at T10 after T7 time, so the ground gateway transmits the first data to the satellite base station within the time window T5-T6. Alternatively, if the ground gateway cannot determine the start time of the next “terminal device and satellite base station transmission time window”, so as to determine whether the data packet can reach the terminal device within the delay budget, the first data is forwarded to the satellite base station for processing by the satellite base station.

[0122] In some implementations, continuing to refer to FIG. 7, when the ground gateway forwards the data to the satellite base station, the satellite base station can be notified of the “remaining delay budget of the data packet”, so as to determine the timing of forwarding the data to the terminal or discard the data packet to avoid exceeding the transmission delay budget of the data. For the transmission delay budget b scenario, the gateway transmits the first data to the satellite base station at T9 time, and indicates to the satellite base station that the data packet will be overdue at T10 time, or indicates a length of a time period, such as the length indicated by the transmission delay budget c. After receiving the notification, if there is a valid satellite-terminal transmission time period before T10, the satellite base station stores the data and waits for forwarding; if there is no valid satellite-terminal transmission time period before T10, the satellite base station discards the data packet.

[0123] In some implementations, before transmitting the downlink data, the satellite base station can notify a terminal device of a message, which can be used to indicate the amount of downlink data stored in the satellite and to be transmitted, and further, after the terminal device obtains the information, the terminal device can determine the amount of data that needs to be received by the terminal device, which helps the terminal device to quickly enter the sleep state after the reception of the data is completed, thereby saving energy.

[0124] In some implementations, the available time period of the first link includes a first time period, and the available time period of the second link includes a second time period, where the first time period is earlier than the second time period, and if the start time (which can also be referred to as the start moment) of the second time period is earlier than the expiration time of the time delay budget of the first data, the available time period of the first link satisfies the transmission time delay of the first data, and the first data can be transmitted in the first time period. As an example, referring to FIG. 9, for uplink data, the first time period can be the T1-T2 period, and the second time period can be the T3-T4 period, and if the start moment T3 of the second time period is earlier than or equal to the expiration time of the time delay budget of the first data, the first data can be transmitted in the first time period.

[0125] In some implementations, the available time period of the first link includes a first time period, and the available time period of the second link includes a second time period, where the first time period is earlier than the second time period, and if the start time (which can also be referred to as the start moment) of the second time period is earlier than the expiration time of the time delay budget of the first data, the available time period of the first link satisfies the transmission time delay of the first data, and the first data can be transmitted in the first time period. As an example, referring to FIG. 9, for uplink data, the first time period can be the T1-T2 period, and the second time period can be the T3-T4 period, and if the start moment T3 of the second time period is earlier than or equal to the expiration time of the time delay budget of the first data, the first data can be transmitted in the first time period.

[0126] In some implementations, the available time period of the first link includes a first time period, and the available time period of the second link includes a second time period, where the first time period is earlier than the second time period, and if the start time (which can also be referred to as the start moment) of the second time period is earlier than the expiration time of the time delay budget of the first data, the available time period of the first link satisfies the transmission time delay of the first data, and the first data can be transmitted in the first time period. As an example, referring to FIG. 9, for uplink data, the first time period can be the T1-T2 period, and the second time period can be the T3-T4 period, and if the start moment T3 of the second time period is earlier than or equal to the expiration time of the time delay budget of the first data, the first data can be transmitted in the first time period.

[0127] In some embodiments, the first communication device can inform the second communication device of the data volume of the first data, which can include the data volume of the first type of data and / or the data volume of the second type of data, according to the time delay budget of the first data and the time period used for transmitting the first data. As an example, referring to FIG. 9 again, the available time period of the first link includes the first time period and the third time period, and the available time period of the second link includes the second time period, the first time period can be the T1-T2 time period, the second time period can be the T3-T4 time period, and the third time period can be the T5-T6 time period. The first type of data can be data that needs to be transmitted in the uplink in the first time period T1-T2, and if the first type of data is transmitted in the third time period T5-T6, the transmission time delay budget of the first type of data will expire. The second type of data can be data that does not need to be transmitted in the uplink in the first time period T1-T2. For example, the second type of data can be transmitted in the first time period T1-T2 or the third time period T5-T6, and both satisfy the transmission budget requirement of the second type of data.

[0128] In some embodiments, the first communication device includes a terminal device, and the second communication device includes an access network device, and the first communication device receives target information sent by the second communication device. The target information includes one or more of the following: a link state of a link between the terminal device and the access network device; a capability of the access network device, the capability being associated with a store-and-forward mode; a storage capability of the access network device; a data volume of the first data; a transmission time delay of the first data; a service associated with the first data; a data flow to which the first data belongs; an available time period of a first link between the terminal device and the access network device; and an available time period of a second link between the access network device and a network device. For details, please refer to the foregoing description, which will not be repeated here.

[0129] As mentioned above, if the first condition is not met, the first data is discarded by the terminal device or the access network device. In some embodiments, the condition under which the first data is discarded by the terminal device or the access network device includes one or more of the following: if the end time of the fourth time period is later than the expiration time of the time delay budget of the first data, the fourth time period is the first time period in the available time period of the first link, or the fourth time period is the first time period in the available time period of the second link. As an example, referring to FIG. 9 again, the fourth time period can be the T1-T2 time period of the first link, and if the expiration time of the time delay budget of the first data is earlier than the T2 moment, the first data can be discarded by the terminal device or the access network device. As another example, referring to FIG. 9 again, the fourth time period can be the T3-T4 time period of the second link, and if the expiration time of the time delay budget of the first data is earlier than the T4 moment, the first data can be discarded by the terminal device or the access network device.

[0130] The embodiments of the downlink data transmission in the present application will be described in more detail below in conjunction with FIG. 8. It should be noted that the example of FIG. 8 is only to help those skilled in the art to understand the embodiments of the present application, and is not intended to limit the embodiments of the present application to the specific values or specific scenarios illustrated. Those skilled in the art can obviously make various equivalent modifications or changes according to the example of FIG. 8, and such modifications or changes also fall within the scope of the embodiments of the present application.

[0131] It should be noted that in the example of FIG. 8, the access network device is a satellite base station, and the network device includes a ground gateway (such as a gateway) and a core network element (such as an MME element).

[0132] Referring to FIG. 8, steps S812-S813 can be included in the time period 810 of transmitting data between the network device and the satellite base station. Steps S821-S830 can be included in the time period 820 of transmitting data between the satellite base station and the terminal device. The time period 810 and the time period 820 can overlap or not overlap, and the present application does not make specific limitations thereon.

[0133] In step S811, the ground gateway receives downlink data. The downlink data can be sent by the core network element or by the Internet, and the present application does not make specific limitations thereon.

[0134] In step S812, the ground gateway can send the downlink data in step S811 to the satellite base station.

[0135] In step S813, the core network element can send one or more of the following information to the satellite base station: a first container, a first key, the capability of the terminal device, and the identification (such as S-TMSI) of the terminal device. It should be understood that the present application does not limit the execution order of steps S811, S812 and S813.

[0136] It should be noted that after receiving the downlink data, the satellite determines the state of the terminal device that needs to receive the downlink data. If the terminal device is in the RRC connected state, the satellite can query the access network identifier (such as the cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) of the terminal device). After the transmission link between the satellite and the terminal device is available, the downlink data is transmitted to the terminal device using C-RNTI addressing. If the terminal device is in the inactive state, the satellite queries the access network identifier (such as the inactive radio network temporary identifier (I-RNTI) value (I-RNTI-value)) used by the terminal device, that is, the identifier used by the terminal device in the inactive state. After the transmission link between the satellite and the terminal device is available, the I-RNTI can be used to initiate paging. If the terminal device is in the idle state and the satellite does not have the identifier of the terminal device, the satellite base station can initiate paging to the UE through the system architecture evolution (SAE) temporary mobile station identifier (S-TMSI) provided by the core network element. The following mainly illustrates the case where the terminal device is in the idle state or the inactive state, see steps S821-S830.

[0137] In step S821, the satellite base station initiates paging. It should be understood that if the terminal device is in the idle state, the S-TMSI provided by the core network element is used as the terminal device identifier to initiate paging; if the terminal device is in the inactive state, the I-RNTI saved by the satellite base station itself is used as the terminal device identifier to initiate paging.

[0138] In step S822, after receiving the paging request message, the terminal device can send an RRC connection establishment request or an RRC connection resume request to the satellite base station. It should be understood that the terminal device in different states initiates different RRC procedures after receiving the paging. If the terminal device is in the idle state, an RRC connection establishment request is initiated, and the establishment request can include the S-TMSI; if the terminal device is in the inactive state, an RRC connection resume request is initiated, and the resume request can include the I-RNTI.

[0139] At step S823, after receiving the RRC connection setup request or RRC connection resume request message, the satellite base station can establish the mapping relationship between the C-RNTI and the S-TMSI, or the C-RNTI and the I-RNTI. It should be understood that the RRC connection setup / resume involves random access, and the satellite base station allocates the C-RNTI to the terminal device in the random access process. Further, the satellite base station can also associate the downlink data stored by itself and to be sent to the terminal device with the C-RNTI. And jump to step S824.

[0140] At step S824, the satellite base station sends the RRC connection setup request or RRC connection resume message to the terminal device.

[0141] At step S825, after receiving the RRC connection setup request or RRC connection resume message sent by the satellite base station, the terminal device can send the RRC connection setup complete message or the RRC resume complete message to the satellite base station.

[0142] It should be noted that in the related art, in step S825, the terminal device sends a non-access stratum (NAS) message, and the satellite base station transparently transmits the NAS message to the core network element, and the core network element receives the message as a paging response of the terminal device. However, for the satellite store-and-forward data scenario, the paging is not triggered by the core network element through a paging request message, but is initiated by the satellite base station when the core network element sends downlink data to the satellite base station. Therefore, there can be no process of “sending an NAS message, and the core network element taking the message as a paging response message”. That is, in step S825, if the terminal device already knows that the satellite works in the store-and-forward mode, the terminal device can not send the NAS message. Of course, if the terminal device does not know the working mode of the satellite, the terminal device can send the NAS message. In some implementation manners, the NAS message can be carried in the system broadcast message of the terminal device, and if the satellite base station receives the NAS message, the satellite base station can determine the processing flow according to its own working mode. For example, if the satellite base station works in the store-and-forward mode, the satellite base station can first store the NAS message and then forward it to the core network element; if the satellite base station does not work in the store-and-forward mode, the satellite base station can discard the NAS message.

[0143] At step S826, if the satellite base station determines that the terminal device is originally in the idle state, when the terminal device enters the RRC connected state, the satellite base station can first transmit a first container to the terminal device, and the first container is from the core network element.

[0144] At step S827, the terminal device can derive various derived keys from one or more parameters in the first container, which can be used for encryption, decryption, integrity protection, etc. of data / signaling

[0145] At step S828, the satellite base station encrypts the stored downlink data using the first key.

[0146] At step S829, the downlink data is transmitted to the terminal device using the C-RNTI of the terminal device for addressing.

[0147] At step S830, the terminal device decrypts, integrity protects, etc. the received downlink data using the derived keys. Then, the terminal device can deliver the processed data to the upper layer.

[0148] It can be understood that, before transmitting the downlink data, the satellite base station can also notify the terminal device of the amount of downlink data stored internally in the satellite to be transmitted, and after the terminal device obtains the information, the terminal device can determine the amount of data to be received by itself, which helps to quickly enter the sleep state after the reception of the data is completed, thereby saving energy.

[0149] The embodiments of uplink data transmission in the present application will be described in more detail below in conjunction with FIG. 9. It should be noted that the example of FIG. 9 is only to help those skilled in the art understand the embodiments of the present application, and is not intended to limit the embodiments of the present application to the specific values or specific scenarios exemplified. Those skilled in the art can obviously make various equivalent modifications or changes to the example of FIG. 9, and such modifications or changes also fall within the scope of the embodiments of the present application.

[0150] It should be noted that in the example of FIG. 9, the access network device is a satellite base station, and the network device includes a ground gateway (such as a gateway). The uplink data transmission can include steps 901-903.

[0151] At step 901, the satellite base station provides the terminal device with auxiliary information for store-and-forward. The auxiliary information can include one or more of the following:

[0152] (1) Whether the satellite base station supports the store-and-forward function. For example, it can be indicated by a Boolean variable or an enumeration variable.

[0153] (2) One or more time windows in which data can be transmitted between the terminal device and the satellite base station. For example, T1-T2 and T5-T6 in FIG. 9. In some embodiments, the values of T1, T2, T5, and T6 can be indicated, which can also be expressed in absolute time, and can also be expressed in system frame number (SFN) and / or subframe number; in other embodiments, the starting time T1 and the duration (duration 1, i.e., the length of the duration T2-T1) can be indicated; the duration (duration 1, i.e., the length of the duration T6-T5) of T5 can also be indicated. The unit of the duration length can be slot, millisecond, etc. It should be understood that the available time windows of the service link in FIG. 9 can be provided by the same satellite to cover the terminal device, or can be provided by different satellites to cover the terminal device, and the present application does not make a specific limitation in this regard.

[0154] (3) One or more time windows in which data can be transmitted between the satellite base station and the ground gateway. For example, T3-T4 in FIG. 9. The specific indication manner of the time window is similar to the indication manner in (2) above, and will not be described in detail herein.

[0155] At step 902, the terminal device sends first data to the satellite base station according to the assistance information.

[0156] The terminal device access layer receives the first data from the upper layer, and determines whether to transmit the first data to the satellite base station according to the transmission delay budget of the first data.

[0157] In some implementations, referring to FIG. 9, the transmission delay budget of the first data includes: transmission delay budget A, transmission delay budget B, and transmission delay budget C. It should be understood that based on the above three cases, the first data should be transmitted to the ground gateway within the delay budget.

[0158] Suppose that the first data packet arrives at the terminal device access layer at T0, and the transmission delay budget of the first data is case A, the delay budget of the first data expires before the starting time of the next “satellite base station and ground gateway transmission time window”, then the terminal device can directly discard the first data and does not transmit it to the satellite base station. Because even if it is transmitted to the satellite base station, it cannot be transmitted to the ground gateway on time.

[0159] Suppose that the transmission delay budget of the first data is case B, the delay budget of the first data expires after the starting time of the next (the nearest one after T2) “satellite base station and ground gateway transmission time window”, but expires before the starting time of the second “satellite base station and terminal device transmission time window”, then the terminal device must transmit the first data to the satellite base station within the T1-T2 time window, and if the first data cannot be transmitted to the satellite base station within the T1-T2 time window, the terminal device discards the first data.

[0160] If the transmission delay budget of the first data is Case C, and the delay budget of the first data expires after the start time of the second "satellite base station and terminal transmission time window", the terminal device can transmit the first data to the satellite base station in the T1-T2 time window, or can transmit the first data to the satellite base station in the T5-T6 time window. It should be understood that if the first data is transmitted to the satellite base station in the T5-T6 time window, the transmission delay budget of the first data can also expire, and the delay length of Case C and the time domain position of the second "satellite base station and ground gateway transmission time window" need to be considered.

[0161] In some implementations, when the terminal device indicates the amount of data to be transmitted to the satellite base station, the data can be divided into two categories according to the three delay cases in FIG. 9: one category is data that must be transmitted through the current time window T1-T2, and the amount of data is referred to as data amount 1 (i.e., the data amount of the first category of data) in the following description. Another category is data that can be transmitted in the second "satellite base station and terminal device transmission time window T5-T6" (of course, it can also be transmitted through the nearest time window T1-T2, but it is not necessary), and the amount of data is referred to as data amount 2 (i.e., the data amount of the second category of data) in the following description. When the terminal device indicates the amount of data to be transmitted to the satellite base station, the terminal device can report the data amount of the two categories of data separately, i.e., report data amount 1 and data amount 2, or report data amount 1 and "data amount 1 + data amount 2", or only report data amount 1 and not report data amount 2. The terminal device can use which reporting method can be configured by the satellite base station (for example, through dedicated signaling configuration, or through system broadcast message configuration), or can be specified by the protocol.

[0162] In some implementations, when the terminal device transmits the first data to the satellite base station, the terminal device can notify the base station of the "remaining transmission delay" of the first data, and the satellite base station determines the time of transmitting the first data in the next link according to the information. If the terminal device determines that the expiration time of the delay budget of the first data is before the end time of the next "satellite base station and ground gateway transmission time window", using this method, the satellite base station can forward the first data early to avoid exceeding the delay budget.

[0163] In some implementations, the remaining transmission delay of a batch of data can be indicated by a MAC CE, and the remaining transmission delay of each data packet in the first data can also be indicated in the header of the first data (e.g., a MAC header, a radio link control (RLC) header, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) header, etc.). This information can be indicated by the terminal device to the satellite base station at all times, or only when the satellite base station supports the store-and-forward mode, or only for the DRB that performs store-and-forward, or whether the terminal device indicates this information can be configured by the satellite base station, and the present application does not make a specific limitation.

[0164] In some implementations, when the terminal device indicates the remaining transmission delay of the first data, a time period (i.e., how long after the current time indicated) or a time point (i.e., to which time point the data expires) can be indicated. If a time point is indicated, the hyper frame number (HFN), the SFN, the subframe number, or the absolute time can be used for indication.

[0165] In step 903, the satellite base station forwards the data to the ground gateway

[0166] In some implementations, the satellite base station selects an appropriate time to forward the first data according to the remaining transmission delay of the first data provided by the terminal device. If the satellite base station still fails to forward the first data to the ground gateway at the time when the first data expires, the satellite base station notifies the terminal device that the first data forwarding fails. For example, the MAC CER RC message or the PDCP control protocol data unit (PDU) can be used for notification, and the content of the notification can be the start point and the end point of the PDCP sequence number (SN) of the data packet that fails to be transmitted, or the start point of the PDCP SN of the data packet that fails to be transmitted and a bit bitmap; the start point and the end point of the RLC SN of the data packet that fails to be transmitted, or the start point of the RLC SN of the data packet that fails to be transmitted and a bit bitmap. The present application does not make a specific limitation.

[0167] In some implementations, the satellite base station can also notify the terminal device of the "first data forwarding success". For example, the notification can be made through a MAC CE or an RRC message. The content of the notification can be the start point and the end point of the PDCP SN of the successfully transmitted data packet, or the start point of the PDCP SN of the successfully transmitted data packet and a bitmap. The content of the notification can also be the start point and the end point of the RLC SN of the successfully transmitted data packet, or the start point of the RLC SN of the successfully transmitted data packet and a bitmap.

[0168] According to the above description, the satellite communication can perform data transmission in the storage and forwarding mode, thereby reducing the number of required satellites and enabling the satellite to work without continuous coverage. For example, the data transmission of the NTN NB-IoT can be implemented at a low cost.

[0169] The method embodiments of the present application are described in detail above in combination with FIGS. 1 to 9. The device embodiments of the present application are described in detail below in combination with FIGS. 10 to 12. It should be understood that the description of the method embodiments corresponds to the description of the device embodiments, and therefore, the parts not described in detail can be referred to the foregoing method embodiments.

[0170] FIG. 10 is a structural schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 1000 shown in FIG. 10 can be a first communication device, which can include a first sending unit 1010. The first sending unit 1010 is configured to send first data to a second communication device in a storage and forwarding mode if a first condition is met, wherein the first communication device includes a network device, and the second communication device includes an access network device; or the first communication device includes a terminal device, and the second communication device includes the access network device.

[0171] Optionally, the first condition is associated with target information, and the target information includes one or more of the following: a link state of a link between the network device and the access network device; a capability of the access network device, the capability being associated with the storage and forwarding mode; a storage capability of the access network device; a data volume of the first data; a transmission delay of the first data; a service associated with the first data; a data flow to which the first data belongs; an available time period of a first link between the terminal device and the access network device; and an available time period of a second link between the access network device and the network device.

[0172] Optionally, the first condition comprises one or more of the following: a link state of a link between the network device and the access network device is available; a storage capacity required for storing the first data is less than or equal to an available storage capacity of the access network device; a service associated with the first data supports transmission in the store-and-forward mode; a data flow to which the first data belongs supports transmission in the store-and-forward mode; a time period during which the first link is available; a transmission delay required for transmitting the first data is less than or equal to a remaining delay budget of the first data.

[0173] Optionally, the available time period of the first link comprises a first time period, and the available time period of the second link comprises a second time period, wherein the first time period is earlier than the second time period, and the first data is transmitted through the first time period if a start time of the second time period is earlier than an expiration time of a delay budget of the first data.

[0174] Optionally, the available time period of the first link comprises a third time period, and the available time period of the second link comprises a second time period, wherein the second time period is earlier than the third time period, and the first data is transmitted through the second time period if a start time of the third time period is earlier than an expiration time of a delay budget of the first data.

[0175] Optionally, the available storage capacity of the access network device is indicated by first information sent by the access network device, wherein the first information corresponds to a terminal device associated with the first data and / or a data flow to which the first data belongs.

[0176] Optionally, if the first condition is not met, the first data is discarded by the first communication device or the second communication device.

[0177] Optionally, the first condition not being met comprises one or more of the following: if an end time of a fourth time period is later than an expiration time of a delay budget of the first data, the fourth time period is a first time period in the available time period of the first link, or the fourth time period is a first time period in the available time period of the second link.

[0178] Optionally, the communication device further comprises a receiving unit configured to receive second information sent by the second communication device, the second information being used to indicate that the first data is discarded, or the second information being used to indicate that the first data is transmitted in the store-and-forward mode.

[0179] Optionally, the first communication device comprises a network device, the second communication device comprises an access network device, and the terminal device is in an idle state or an inactive state, and the communication device further comprises a second sending unit configured to send third information to the second communication device, the third information comprising a first key of the terminal device and / or an identifier of the terminal device.

[0180] Optionally, the first communication device comprises a network device, the second communication device comprises an access network device, and the terminal device is in an idle state, and the communication device further comprises a third sending unit configured to send fourth information to the second communication device, the fourth information comprising a parameter used by the second communication device to establish a radio bearer for the terminal device.

[0181] Optionally, the first communication device comprises a network device, the second communication device comprises an access network device, and the communication device further comprises a fourth sending unit configured to send a first container to the second communication device, the first container comprising information used to generate a key of the terminal device and / or information used to perform integrity protection on data of the terminal device.

[0182] Optionally, the first communication device comprises a network device, the second communication device comprises an access network device, and a transmission time of the first data at least partially overlaps with a target time period, or the transmission time of the first data does not overlap with the target time period, wherein one or more of the following is performed in the target time period: the access network device pages the terminal device; and the access network device sends the first data to the terminal device.

[0183] Optionally, the communication device further comprises a fifth sending unit configured to send fifth information to the second communication device, the fifth information being used to indicate one or more of the following: a data amount of the first data; a time period used to transmit the first data; and a remaining latency budget of the first data.

[0184] Optionally, the network device comprises a gateway device and / or a core network device.

[0185] Optionally, the first sending unit 1010 can be a processor 1210. The communication device 1200 can further comprise a memory 1220 and a transceiver 1230, as shown in FIG. 12.

[0186] FIG. 11 is a structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 1100 shown in FIG. 11 can be a second communication device, and the communication device 1100 can include a first receiving unit 1110. The first receiving unit 1110 is configured to receive first data transmitted by a first communication device in a store-and-forward mode if a first condition is met, wherein the first communication device includes a network device, and the second communication device includes an access network device; or the first communication device includes a terminal device, and the second communication device includes the access network device.

[0187] Optionally, the first condition is associated with target information, and the target information includes one or more of the following: a link state of a link between the terminal device and the access network device; a link state of a link between the network device and the access network device; a capability of the access network device, the capability being associated with the store-and-forward mode; a storage capability of the access network device; a data volume of the first data; a transmission delay of the first data; a service associated with the first data; a data flow to which the first data belongs; an available time period of the first link between the terminal device and the access network device; an available time period of the second link between the access network device and the network device.

[0188] Optionally, the first condition includes one or more of the following: the link state of the link between the terminal device and the access network device is available; the link state of the link between the network device and the access network device is available; a storage capacity required for storing the first data is less than or equal to an available storage capacity of the access network device; the service associated with the first data supports transmission in the store-and-forward mode; the data flow to which the first data belongs supports transmission in the store-and-forward mode; the available time period of the first link; a transmission delay required for transmitting the first data is less than or equal to a remaining delay budget of the first data.

[0189] Optionally, the available time period of the first link includes a first time period, and the available time period of the second link includes a second time period, wherein the first time period is earlier than the second time period, and the first data is transmitted through the first time period if a start time of the second time period is earlier than an expiration time of a delay budget of the first data.

[0190] Optionally, the available time period of the first link includes a third time period, and the available time period of the second link includes a second time period, wherein the second time period is earlier than the third time period, and the first data is transmitted through the second time period if a start time of the third time period is earlier than an expiration time of a delay budget of the first data.

[0191] Optionally, the available storage capacity of the access network device is indicated by first information sent by the access network device, wherein the first information corresponds to the terminal device associated with the first data and / or a data flow to which the first data belongs.

[0192] Optionally, if the first condition is not met, the first data is discarded by the first communication device or the second communication device.

[0193] Optionally, the first condition not being met comprises one or more of the following: if an end time of a fourth time period is later than an expiration time of a time delay budget of the first data, the fourth time period is a first time period in available time periods of the first link, or the fourth time period is a first time period in available time periods of the second link.

[0194] Optionally, the communication device further comprises a sending unit configured to send second information to the first communication device, wherein the second information is used to indicate that the first data is discarded, or the second information is used to indicate that the first data is transmitted in the store-and-forward mode.

[0195] Optionally, the first communication device comprises a network device, the second communication device comprises an access network device, and the terminal device is in an idle state or an inactive state, and the communication device further comprises a second receiving unit configured to receive third information sent by the first communication device, wherein the third information comprises a first key of the terminal device and / or an identifier of the terminal device.

[0196] Optionally, the first communication device comprises a network device, the second communication device comprises an access network device, and the terminal device is in an idle state, and the communication device further comprises a third receiving unit configured to receive fourth information sent by the first communication device, wherein parameters included in the fourth information are used for the second communication device to establish a radio bearer for the terminal device.

[0197] Optionally, the first communication device comprises a network device, the second communication device comprises an access network device, and the communication device further comprises a fourth receiving unit configured to receive a first container sent by the first communication device, wherein information included in the first container is used to generate a key of the terminal device and / or information for integrity protection of data of the terminal device.

[0198] Optionally, the first communication device comprises a network device, the second communication device comprises an access network device, the transmission time of the first data at least partially overlaps with a target time period, or the transmission time of the first data does not overlap with the target time period, wherein one or more of the following is performed in the target time period: the access network device pages the terminal device; the access network device sends the first data to the terminal device.

[0199] Optionally, the communication device further comprises a fifth receiving unit, configured to receive fifth information sent by the first communication device, the fifth information being used to indicate one or more of the following: a data amount of the first data; a time period used for transmitting the first data; a remaining latency budget of the first data.

[0200] Optionally, the network device comprises a gateway device and / or a core network device.

[0201] Optionally, the first receiving unit 1110 can be the processor 1210. The communication device 1200 can further include a memory 1220 and a transceiver 1230, as shown in FIG. 12.

[0202] FIG. 12 is a schematic structural diagram of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application. The dashed line in FIG. 12 indicates that the unit or module is optional. The apparatus 1200 can be used to implement the method described in the above method embodiments. The apparatus 1200 can be a chip or a communication device.

[0203] The apparatus 1200 can include one or more processors 1210. The processor 1210 can support the apparatus 1200 to implement the method described in the foregoing method embodiments. The processor 1210 can be a general purpose processor or a dedicated processor. For example, the processor can be a central processing unit (CPU). Alternatively, the processor can also be other general purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, etc. The general purpose processor can be a microprocessor or the processor can also be any conventional processor.

[0204] The apparatus 1200 can further include one or more memories 1220. The memories 1220 store a program for execution by the processor 1210, such that the processor 1210 performs the methods described in the foregoing method embodiments. The memories 1220 can be independent of the processor 1210 or integrated in the processor 1210.

[0205] The apparatus 1200 can further include a transceiver 1230. The processor 1210 can communicate with other devices or chips through the transceiver 1230. For example, the processor 1210 can perform data transceiving with other devices or chips through the transceiver 1230.

[0206] Embodiments of the present application also provide a computer readable storage medium for storing a program. The computer readable storage medium can be applied to the terminal device provided by the embodiments of the present application, and the program causes the computer to execute the method performed by the terminal device in the various embodiments of the present application.

[0207] Embodiments of the present application also provide a computer program product. The computer program product includes a program. The computer program product can be applied to the terminal device provided by the embodiments of the present application, and the program causes the computer to execute the method performed by the terminal device in the various embodiments of the present application.

[0208] Embodiments of the present application also provide a computer program. The computer program can be applied to the terminal device provided by the embodiments of the present application, and the computer program causes the computer to execute the method performed by the terminal device in the various embodiments of the present application.

[0209] It should be understood that the terms "system" and "network" can be used interchangeably in the present application. In addition, the terms used in the present application are only used to explain the specific embodiments of the present application, and are not intended to limit the present application. The terms "first", "second", "third", and "fourth" and the like in the specification and claims of the present application and the drawings are used to distinguish different objects, and are not used to describe a particular order. In addition, the terms "include" and "have" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion.

[0210] In the embodiments of the present application, the "indication" mentioned can be direct indication, or indirect indication, or can be an indication with an associated relationship. For example, A indicates B, which can mean that A directly indicates B, for example, B can be obtained through A; or it can mean that A indirectly indicates B, for example, A indicates C, and B can be obtained through C; or it can mean that A and B have an associated relationship.

[0211] In embodiments of the present application, "B corresponding to A" means that B is associated with A, and B can be determined according to A. However, it should also be understood that determining B according to A does not mean that B is determined only according to A, but B can also be determined according to A and / or other information.

[0212] In embodiments of the present application, the term "corresponding" can mean a direct or indirect corresponding relationship between the two, can also mean an associated relationship between the two, or can indicate a relationship with the indicated, configured, and the like.

[0213] In embodiments of the present application, "predefined" or "preconfigured" can be implemented by pre-saving corresponding codes, tables or other ways that can be used to indicate related information in devices (for example, including terminal devices and network devices), and the present application does not limit the specific implementation manner. For example, predefinition can refer to definition in a protocol.

[0214] In embodiments of the present application, the "protocol" can refer to a standard protocol in the communication field, which can include, for example, an LTE protocol, an NR protocol, and a related protocol applied to a future communication system, and the present application does not limit this.

[0215] In embodiments of the present application, the term "and / or" is only a description of the association relationship between the associated objects, which means that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B, which can mean that A exists alone, A and B exist together, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " in this paper generally represents an "or" relationship between the associated objects before and after it.

[0216] In various embodiments of the present application, the size of the serial number of the above processes does not mean the order of execution, and the execution order of the processes should be determined according to its function and inherent logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0217] In several embodiments provided by the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, device and method can be implemented by other means. For example, the above-described device embodiments are only schematic, for example, the division of the units is only a logical function division, and actual implementation can be in another division manner, for example, a plurality of units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection between the shown or discussed mutual ones can be indirect coupling or communication connection through some interface, device or unit, and can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0218] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components displayed as units may or may not be physical units, i.e., may be located in one place, or may be distributed on multiple network units. Part or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of the embodiment of the present application according to actual needs.

[0219] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application can be integrated in one processing unit, or each unit can be physically present alone, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit.

[0220] In the above embodiments, all or part can be realized by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When realized by software, all or part can be realized in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When loaded and executed by a computer, the computer instructions produce the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer readable storage medium or transferred from one computer readable storage medium to another, for example, the computer instructions can be transferred from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center through wired (such as coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (such as infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) mode. The computer readable storage medium can be any available medium readable by a computer or a data storage device such as a server, data center, etc. integrated with one or more available media. The available media can be magnetic media (such as floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), optical media (such as digital video disc (DVD)) or semiconductor media (such as solid state disk (SSD)) and the like.

[0221] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto, any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or replacements within the technical range disclosed in the present application, which should be covered within the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method of wireless communication, the method comprising: The method comprises: if a first condition is met, a first communication device sends first data to a second communication device, the first data being transmitted in a store-and-forward mode; wherein the first communication device comprises a network device, and the second communication device comprises an access network device; or the first communication device comprises a terminal device, and the second communication device comprises the access network device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The first condition is associated with target information, and the target information comprises one or more of the following: a link state of a link between the terminal device and the access network device; a link state of a link between the network device and the access network device; a capability of the access network device, the capability being associated with the store-and-forward mode; a storage capability of the access network device; a data volume of the first data; a transmission delay of the first data; a service associated with the first data; a data flow to which the first data belongs; an available time period of a first link between the terminal device and the access network device; an available time period of a second link between the access network device and the network device.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first condition comprises one or more of the following: the link state of the link between the terminal device and the access network device is available; the link state of the link between the network device and the access network device is available; a storage capacity required for storing the first data is less than or equal to an available storage capacity of the access network device; the service associated with the first data supports transmission in the store-and-forward mode; the data flow to which the first data belongs supports transmission in the store-and-forward mode; the available time period of the first link; a transmission delay required for transmitting the first data is less than or equal to a remaining delay budget of the first data.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The available time period of the first link comprises a first time period, and the available time period of the second link comprises a second time period, wherein the first time period is earlier than the second time period, if a start time of the second time period is earlier than an expiration time of a delay budget of the first data, the first data is transmitted through the first time period.

5. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The available time period of the first link comprises a third time period, and the available time period of the second link comprises a second time period, wherein the second time period is earlier than the third time period, if a start time of the third time period is earlier than an expiration time of a delay budget of the first data, the first data is transmitted through the second time period.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The available storage capacity of the access network device is indicated by first information sent by the access network device, wherein the first information corresponds to a terminal device associated with the first data and / or a data flow to which the first data belongs.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, If the first condition is not met, the first data is discarded by the first communication device or the second communication device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, The first condition not being met comprises one or more of the following: if an end time of a fourth time period is later than an expiration time of a delay budget of the first data, the fourth time period being a first time period in the available time period of the first link, or the fourth time period being a first time period in the available time period of the second link.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, The method further includes: The first communication device receives second information sent by the second communication device, the second information being used to indicate that the first data is discarded, or The second information is used to indicate that the first data is transmitted in the store-and-forward mode.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, The first communication device includes a network device, the second communication device includes an access network device, and the terminal device is in an idle state or an inactive state, and the method further includes: The first communication device sends third information to the second communication device, the third information including a first key of the terminal device and / or an identifier of the terminal device.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1-10, characterized in that, The first communication device includes a network device, the second communication device includes an access network device, and the terminal device is in an idle state, and the method further includes: The first communication device sends fourth information to the second communication device, and a parameter included in the fourth information is used for the second communication device to establish a radio bearer for the terminal device.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1-11, characterized in that, The first communication device includes a network device, the second communication device includes an access network device, and the method further includes: The first communication device sends a first container to the second communication device, and information included in the first container is used to generate a key of the terminal device; and / or information used for integrity protection of data of the terminal device.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1-12, characterized in that, The first communication device includes a network device, the second communication device includes an access network device, A transmission time of the first data at least partially overlaps with a target time period, or the transmission time of the first data does not overlap with the target time period, wherein one or more of the following is performed in the target time period: The access network device pages the terminal device; The access network device sends first data to the terminal device.

14. The method of any one of claims 1-13, wherein, The method further includes: The first communication device sends fifth information to the second communication device, the fifth information being used to indicate one or more of the following: A data amount of the first data; A time period used for transmitting the first data; A remaining delay budget of the first data.

15. The method of any one of claims 1-14, wherein, The network device includes a gateway device and / or a core network device.

16. A method of wireless communication, the method comprising: includes: If a first condition is met, the second communication device receives first data sent by the first communication device, and the first data is transmitted in a store-and-forward mode; The first communication device includes a network device, and the second communication device includes an access network device; or The first communication device includes a terminal device, and the second communication device includes the access network device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein, The first condition is associated with target information, and the target information includes one or more of the following: A link state of a link between the terminal device and the access network device; A link state of a link between the network device and the access network device; A capability of the access network device, the capability being associated with the store-and-forward mode; A storage capability of the access network device; A data amount of the first data; A transmission delay of the first data; A service associated with the first data; A data flow to which the first data belongs; An available time period of a first link between the terminal device and the access network device; an available time period of a second link between the access network device and the network device.

18. The method of claim 16 or 17, wherein, the first condition comprises one or more of the following: a link state of a link between the terminal device and the access network device is available; a link state of a link between the network device and the access network device is available; a storage capacity required for storing the first data is less than or equal to an available storage capacity of the access network device; traffic associated with the first data is supported to be transmitted in the store-and-forward mode; a data flow to which the first data belongs is supported to be transmitted in the store-and-forward mode; is within the available time period of the first link; a transmission delay required for transmitting the first data is less than or equal to a remaining delay budget of the first data.

19. The method of claim 17 or 18, wherein, the available time period of the first link comprises a first time period, and the available time period of the second link comprises a second time period, wherein the first time period is earlier than the second time period, the first data is transmitted through the first time period if a start time of the second time period is earlier than an expiration time of the delay budget of the first data.

20. The method of claim 17 or 18, wherein, the available time period of the first link comprises a third time period, and the available time period of the second link comprises a second time period, wherein the second time period is earlier than the third time period, the first data is transmitted through the second time period if a start time of the third time period is earlier than an expiration time of the delay budget of the first data.

21. The method of any one of claims 16-20, wherein, the available storage capacity of the access network device is indicated by first information sent by the access network device, wherein the first information corresponds to a terminal device associated with the first data and / or a data flow to which the first data belongs.

22. The method of any one of claims 16-21, wherein, the first data is discarded by the first communication device or the second communication device if the first condition is not satisfied.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein, the first condition is not satisfied comprises one or more of the following: the fourth time period is a first time period in the available time period of the first link, or the fourth time period is a first time period in the available time period of the second link, if an end time of the fourth time period is later than the expiration time of the delay budget of the first data.

24. The method of any one of claims 16-23, wherein, the method further comprises: the second communication device sends second information to the first communication device, the second information being used to indicate that the first data is discarded, or the second information is used to indicate that the first data is transmitted in the store-and-forward mode.

25. The method of any one of claims 16-24, wherein, the first communication device comprises a network device, the second communication device comprises an access network device, and the terminal device is in an idle state or an inactive state, the method further comprises: the second communication device receives third information sent by the first communication device, the third information comprising a first key of the terminal device and / or an identifier of the terminal device.

26. The method of any one of claims 16-25, wherein, the first communication device comprises a network device, the second communication device comprises an access network device, and the terminal device is in an idle state, the method further comprises: the second communication device receives fourth information sent by the first communication device, parameters contained in the fourth information being used for the second communication device to establish a radio bearer for the terminal device.

27. The method of any one of claims 16-26, wherein, The first communication device comprises a network device, and the second communication device comprises an access network device, and the method further comprises: The second communication device receives the first container sent by the first communication device, and the information included in the first container is used to generate the information of the key of the terminal device; and / or the information of the data of the terminal device is integrity protected.

28. The method of any one of claims 16-27, wherein, The first communication device comprises a network device, and the second communication device comprises an access network device, The transmission time of the first data at least partially overlaps with the target time period, or the transmission time of the first data does not overlap with the target time period, wherein one or more of the following is performed in the target time period: The access network device pages the terminal device; The access network device sends the first data to the terminal device.

29. The method of any one of claims 16-28, wherein, The method further comprises: The second communication device receives the fifth information sent by the first communication device, and the fifth information is used to indicate one or more of the following: The data amount of the first data; The time period used for transmitting the first data; The remaining delay budget of the first data.

30. The method of any one of claims 16-29, wherein, The network device comprises a gateway device and / or a core network device.

31. A communications device, characterized by The communication device is a first communication device, and the communication device comprises: A first sending unit, configured to send first data to a second communication device if a first condition is met, wherein the first data is transmitted in a store-and-forward mode; The first communication device comprises a network device, and the second communication device comprises an access network device; or The first communication device comprises a terminal device, and the second communication device comprises the access network device.

32. The communication device of claim 31, wherein, The first condition is associated with target information, and the target information comprises one or more of the following: The link state of a link between the terminal device and the access network device; The link state of a link between the network device and the access network device; The capability of the access network device, which is associated with the store-and-forward mode; The storage capability of the access network device; The data amount of the first data; The transmission delay of the first data; The service associated with the first data; The data flow to which the first data belongs; The available time period of a first link between the terminal device and the access network device; The available time period of a second link between the access network device and the network device.

33. The communication device of claim 31 or 32, wherein, The first condition comprises one or more of the following: The link state of a link between the terminal device and the access network device is available; The link state of a link between the network device and the access network device is available; The storage capacity required for storing the first data is less than or equal to the available storage capacity of the access network device; The service associated with the first data supports transmission in the store-and-forward mode; The data flow to which the first data belongs supports transmission in the store-and-forward mode; It is within the available time period of the first link; The transmission delay required for transmitting the first data is less than or equal to the remaining delay budget of the first data.

34. The communication device of claim 32 or 33, wherein, The available time period of the first link comprises a first time period, and the available time period of the second link comprises a second time period, wherein the first time period is earlier than the second time period, If the start time of the second time period is earlier than the expiration time of the latency budget of the first data, the first data is transmitted through the first time period.

35. The communication device of claim 32 or 33, wherein, The available time period of the first link comprises a third time period, and the available time period of the second link comprises a second time period, wherein the second time period is earlier than the third time period, If the start time of the third time period is earlier than the expiration time of the latency budget of the first data, the first data is transmitted through the second time period.

36. The communication device of any of claims 31-35, wherein, The available storage capacity of the access network device is indicated by first information sent by the access network device, The first information corresponds to a terminal device associated with the first data and / or a data flow to which the first data belongs.

37. The communication device of any of claims 31-36, wherein, If the first condition is not met, the first data is discarded by the first communication device or the second communication device.

38. The communication device of claim 37, wherein, The first condition is not met includes one or more of the following: If the end time of the fourth time period is later than the expiration time of the latency budget of the first data, the fourth time period is the first time period in the available time period of the first link, or the fourth time period is the first time period in the available time period of the second link.

39. The communication device of any of claims 31-38, wherein, The communication device further comprises: A receiving unit configured to receive second information sent by the second communication device, the second information being used to indicate that the first data is discarded, or The second information is used to indicate that the first data is transmitted in the store-and-forward mode.

40. The communication device of any of claims 31-39, wherein, The first communication device comprises a network device, the second communication device comprises an access network device, and the terminal device is in an idle state or an inactive state, and the communication device further comprises: A second sending unit configured to send third information to the second communication device, the third information comprising a first key of the terminal device and / or an identifier of the terminal device.

41. The communication device of any one of claim 40, wherein, The first communication device comprises a network device, the second communication device comprises an access network device, and the terminal device is in an idle state, and the communication device further comprises: A third sending unit configured to send fourth information to the second communication device, the fourth information comprising parameters used by the second communication device to establish a radio bearer for the terminal device.

42. The communication device of any of claims 31-41, wherein, The first communication device comprises a network device, the second communication device comprises an access network device, and the communication device further comprises: A fourth sending unit configured to send a first container to the second communication device, the first container comprising information used to generate a key of the terminal device and / or information used to perform integrity protection on data of the terminal device.

43. The communication device of any of claims 31-42, wherein, The first communication device comprises a network device, the second communication device comprises an access network device, The transmission time of the first data at least partially overlaps with a target time period, or the transmission time of the first data does not overlap with the target time period, wherein one or more of the following is performed in the target time period: The access network device pages the terminal device; The access network device sends first data to the terminal device.

44. The communication device of any of claims 31-43, wherein, The communication device further includes: A fifth sending unit, configured to send fifth information to the second communication device, the fifth information being used to indicate one or more of the following: The data amount of the first data; The time period used for transmitting the first data; The remaining time delay budget of the first data.

45. The communication device of any of claims 31-44, wherein, The network device includes a gateway device and / or a core network device.

46. A wireless communication device, comprising: The communication device is a second communication device, and the communication device includes: A first receiving unit, configured to receive first data sent by a first communication device if a first condition is met, the first data being transmitted in a store-and-forward mode; The first communication device includes a network device, and the second communication device includes an access network device; or The first communication device includes a terminal device, and the second communication device includes the access network device.

47. The communication device of claim 46, wherein, The first condition is associated with target information, and the target information includes one or more of the following: The link state of a link between the terminal device and the access network device; The link state of a link between the network device and the access network device; The capability of the access network device, the capability being associated with the store-and-forward mode; The storage capability of the access network device; The data amount of the first data; The transmission time delay of the first data; The service associated with the first data; The data flow to which the first data belongs; The available time period of a first link between the terminal device and the access network device; The available time period of a second link between the access network device and the network device.

48. The communication device of claim 46 or 47, wherein, The first condition includes one or more of the following: The link state of a link between the terminal device and the access network device is available; The link state of a link between the network device and the access network device is available; The storage capacity required for storing the first data is less than or equal to the available storage capacity of the access network device; The service associated with the first data supports transmission in the store-and-forward mode; The data flow to which the first data belongs supports transmission in the store-and-forward mode; It is within the available time period of the first link; The transmission time delay required for transmitting the first data is less than or equal to the remaining time delay budget of the first data.

49. The communication device of claim 47 or 48, wherein, The available time period of the first link includes a first time period, and the available time period of the second link includes a second time period, wherein the first time period is earlier than the second time period, If the start time of the second time period is earlier than the expiration time of the time delay budget of the first data, the first data is transmitted through the first time period.

50. The communication device of claim 47 or 48, wherein, The available time period of the first link includes a third time period, and the available time period of the second link includes a second time period, wherein the second time period is earlier than the third time period, If the start time of the third time period is earlier than the expiration time of the time delay budget of the first data, the first data is transmitted through the second time period.

51. The communication device of any of claims 46-50, wherein, The available storage capacity of the access network device is indicated by first information sent by the access network device, The first information corresponds to a terminal device associated with the first data and / or a data flow to which the first data belongs.

52. The communication device of any of claims 46-51, wherein, If the first condition is not met, the first data is discarded by the first communication device or the second communication device.

53. The communication device of claim 52, wherein, The first condition not being met includes one or more of the following: If the end time of the fourth time period is later than the expiration time of the time delay budget of the first data, the fourth time period is the first time period in the available time periods of the first link, or the fourth time period is the first time period in the available time periods of the second link.

54. The communication device of any of claims 46-53, wherein, The communication device further includes: a sending unit configured to send second information to the first communication device, the second information being used to indicate that the first data is discarded, or The second information is used to indicate that the first data is transmitted in the store-and-forward mode.

55. The communication device of any of claims 46-54, wherein, The first communication device includes a network device, the second communication device includes an access network device, and the terminal device is in an idle state or an inactive state, and the communication device further includes: a second receiving unit configured to receive third information sent by the first communication device, the third information including a first key of the terminal device and / or an identifier of the terminal device.

56. The communication device of any of claims 46-55, wherein, The first communication device includes a network device, the second communication device includes an access network device, and the terminal device is in an idle state, and the communication device further includes: a third receiving unit configured to receive fourth information sent by the first communication device, the fourth information including parameters used by the second communication device to establish a radio bearer for the terminal device.

57. The communication device of any of claims 46-56, wherein, The first communication device includes a network device, the second communication device includes an access network device, and the communication device further includes: a fourth receiving unit configured to receive a first container sent by the first communication device, the first container including information used to generate a key of the terminal device and / or information used to perform integrity protection on data of the terminal device.

58. The communication device of any of claims 46-57, wherein, The first communication device includes a network device, the second communication device includes an access network device, The transmission time of the first data at least partially overlaps with a target time period, or the transmission time of the first data does not overlap with the target time period, wherein one or more of the following is performed in the target time period: The access network device pages the terminal device; The access network device sends first data to the terminal device.

59. The communication device of any of claims 46-58, wherein, The communication device further includes: a fifth receiving unit configured to receive fifth information sent by the first communication device, the fifth information being used to indicate one or more of the following: a data amount of the first data; a time period used to transmit the first data; a remaining time delay budget of the first data.

60. The communication device of any of claims 46-59, wherein, The network device includes a gateway device and / or a core network device.

61. A communications device, characterized by includes a transceiver, a memory, and a processor, the memory is used to store a program, and the processor is used to invoke the program in the memory to enable the communication device to perform the method in any one of claims 1-30.

62. An apparatus comprising: includes a processor configured to invoke a program from a memory to enable the apparatus to perform the method in any one of claims 1-30.

63. A chip, comprising: including a processor to call a program from a memory to cause a device in which the chip is installed to perform the method of any of claims 1-30.

64. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, having a program stored thereon, the program causing a computer to perform the method of any of claims 1-30.

65. A computer program product, characterised in that, including a program that causes a computer to perform the method of any of claims 1-30.

66. A computer program characterised in that, The computer program causes a computer to perform the method of any of claims 1-30.

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