Data forwarding method, apparatus, and system

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of satellite communications, and provides a data forwarding method, an apparatus, and a system. The method is applied to a system comprising a satellite and user equipments. In the method, the satellite pre-receives and pre-stores data that needs to be forwarded to the user equipments located in a target service area; and when the satellite enters the target service area, the satellite respectively forwards in different time periods data to the user equipments located in different service sub-areas, wherein the target service area is divided into N service sub-areas, the service time of the satellite in the target service area is divided into a plurality of time periods, the plurality of time periods comprise N time periods, and the N time periods are in one-to-one correspondence with the N service sub-areas. In the present application, data is forwarded in batches to user equipments located in a target service area, thereby avoiding the problems such as network congestion and signaling storms.

Description

Data forwarding method, device and system

[0001] The present application claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 202410866130.7, filed on June 28, 2024, and entitled "Data forwarding method, device and system", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the technical field of satellite communication, and in particular to a data forwarding method, device and system. BACKGROUND

[0003] With the application of the Internet of Things (IoT) in non-terrestrial networks (NTN), a store & forward (S&F) mode is proposed for data transmission to meet the requirements of services with low real-time requirements. Specifically, when a satellite passes through a gateway station, the core network sends the downlink data of the user equipment to be served by the satellite to the satellite. The satellite receives and stores these data. Then, when the satellite enters the target service area of the user equipment, the satellite initiates paging to the user equipment in the area that needs to receive data to inform the user equipment that the downlink data has arrived. Then, the user equipment initiates random access in response to the paging message of the satellite to receive the downlink data forwarded by the satellite.

[0004] However, this mode changes the downlink forwarding data of multiple user equipments in a time range into a centralized data delivery in a short time. Since the coverage of the satellite is large and the number of user equipments is large, if a large number of user equipments receive the paging message at the same time and then initiate random access at a similar time, network congestion and signaling storm problems may be caused. SUMMARY

[0005] The present application provides a data forwarding method, device and system, which proposes that the service time of the satellite in the target service area can be divided into multiple time periods, and the data can be forwarded to the user equipment in the target service area in batches in multiple time periods, so that network congestion and signaling storm problems can be avoided.

[0006] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a data forwarding method, applied to a satellite, the method comprising: pre-receiving and storing data to be forwarded to user equipment in a target service area; when the satellite enters the target service area, forwarding the data to user equipment in different sub-service areas in the target service area in different time periods, wherein the target service area is divided into N sub-service areas, and the service time of the satellite in the target service area is divided into multiple time periods, the multiple time periods including N time periods, and the N time periods correspond to the N sub-service areas one by one.

[0007] The present application scheme proposes to physically divide the target service area and the service time (for example, divide the target service area into N sub-service areas, and divide the service time of the satellite in the target service area into multiple time periods), so that when the satellite enters the target service area, the data can be forwarded to user equipment in different sub-service areas in different time periods, thereby avoiding network congestion and signaling storm and other problems.

[0008] Optionally, the division of the target service area and the service time can be performed before the satellite enters the target service area, or can be performed when the satellite enters the target service area, which is not limited.

[0009] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations, the forwarding of the data to the user equipment in different sub-service areas in the target service area in different time periods comprises: in an i-th time period of the N time periods, sending m first paging messages to all first user equipment in the target service area that have not received data in the first i-1 time periods, each of the m first paging messages being used to instruct first user equipment in an i-th sub-service area to receive data; receiving a first response message sent by the first user equipment in the i-th sub-service area, the first response message being used to instruct the satellite to forward data; and forwarding the data to the first user equipment in the i-th sub-service area based on the first response message.

[0010] It should be noted that the conventional paging message usually only includes the ID and access type of the user equipment that needs to be directionally paged, but based on the scheme of the present application, the satellite cannot know which user equipment is in the sub-service area corresponding to the time period when initiating paging in the time period, and cannot know which user equipment needs to be directionally paged. Based on this, the present application proposes that when paging in a time period, a paging message can be sent to all user equipment in the current target service area that has not received data, and an indication field is added in the paging message to indicate that the user equipment in the sub-service area corresponding to the current time period can receive data, so that when the user equipment receives the paging message, it can determine which sub-service area the user equipment is currently in based on the paging message, and judge whether the user equipment itself needs to receive data based on the location of the user equipment itself (for example, receiving data when it is determined that the user equipment is in the sub-service area indicated by the paging message, and not receiving data when it is determined that the user equipment is not in the sub-service area indicated by the paging message).

[0011] In a possible implementation, the indication field includes the identity (ID) of the sub-service area corresponding to the current time period.

[0012] In addition, it should also be noted that the number of IDs and access types of user equipment that a single paging message can carry is limited, for example, a single paging message can only carry 32 IDs and access types of user equipment, which means that a paging message can at most page 32 user equipment. In this case, if all user equipment that has not received data needs to be paged in a time period, and the number of all user equipment is large, multiple paging messages need to be sent, each paging message including the IDs and access types of part of the user equipment that has not received data (i.e., each paging message is used to page part of the user equipment) and the newly added indication field, so that all user equipment that has not received data receives the paging message and can determine whether the user equipment itself needs to receive data based on the received paging message.

[0013] It can be understood that the satellite can determine which user equipment has received data and which user equipment has not received data before the current time period based on the data forwarding situation in each time period, and then can page the user equipment that has not received data in the current time period.

[0014] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations, the all first user equipment is divided into m groups, the m groups and the m first paging messages correspond to each other one by one, and each first paging message includes the ID of the i-th sub-service area and the IDs and access types of the first user equipment included in the group corresponding to the paging message.

[0015] Based on this, the set of the m first paging messages can include the IDs and the access types of all the first user equipments, and each first paging message includes the ID of the ith sub-service area. Based on this, all the user equipments that have not received data can receive the paging message, and can determine whether to receive data based on the received paging message.

[0016] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations, the method further includes: forwarding data to, in the ith-1 time period, the second user equipment in the ith-1 sub-service area among all the second user equipments in the target service area that have not received data in the first i-2 time periods; and removing the second user equipment in the ith-1 sub-service area from all the second user equipments to obtain all the first user equipments.

[0017] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations, the plurality of time periods further includes an (N+1)th time period, and the method further includes: in the (N+1)th time period, sending k second paging messages to all the third user equipments in the target service area that have not received data in the first N time periods, the k second paging messages being used to instruct all the third user equipments to receive data; receiving a second response message sent by all the third user equipments; and forwarding data to all the third user equipments based on the second response message.

[0018] Considering the mobility of the user equipment, there can be a problem that the user equipment does not receive the forwarded data due to moving across the sub-service areas in the N time periods. For example, when the paging message instructs the user equipment in the first sub-service area to receive data in the first time period, a certain user equipment is in the third sub-service area; but when the paging message instructs the user equipment in the third sub-service area to receive data in the third time period, the user equipment moves to other sub-service areas, and until the Nth time period, the user equipment does not receive the forwarded data due to the movement.

[0019] Based on this, the present application proposes that the service time of the satellite in the target service area can be divided into N+1 time periods in advance, and in the (N+1)th time period, the user equipment that has not received data in the first N time periods is checked, and the paging is initiated again to ensure the reliability of the satellite in the store-and-forward mode.

[0020] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations, all the third user equipments are divided into k groups, the k groups and the k second paging messages correspond to each other, and each second paging message of the k second paging messages includes the IDs and the access types of the third user equipments included in the group corresponding to the second paging message.

[0021] It should be understood that in the N+1 time period, only the user equipment which has not received data in the current time period needs to be paged again, and the satellite can determine which user equipment has not received data based on the data forwarding situation. Therefore, in this case, the paging message sent by the satellite only needs to include the ID and access type of the user equipment which has not received data at the current time period.

[0022] In addition, similarly, since the number of IDs and access types of user equipment that can be carried by a single paging message is limited, if a large number of user equipment needs to be paged, multiple paging messages need to be used for paging, and each paging message is used to page a part of the IDs and access types of user equipment.

[0023] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations, before forwarding the data to the user equipment in different sub-service areas in the target service area in different time periods, the method further includes: dividing the target service area into the N sub-service areas; and dividing the service time of the satellite in the target service area into the plurality of time periods.

[0024] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations, the dividing the target service area into the N sub-service areas includes: dividing the target service area into the N sub-service areas evenly.

[0025] Optionally, each sub-service area can be a circular area, an elliptical area, a square area, or other regular-shaped areas, and can also be other irregular-shaped areas, without limitation.

[0026] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations, the dividing the target service area into the N sub-service areas includes: dividing the target service area into the N sub-service areas according to the distribution density of user equipment in the target service area, wherein the size of the sub-service area and the distribution density of user equipment are inversely proportional.

[0027] To balance the number of user equipment in different sub-service areas, the present application proposes that the target service area can be divided into N sub-service areas according to the distribution density of user equipment in the target service area. For example, for the case of a larger distribution density, the corresponding sub-service area can be divided smaller to reduce the number of user equipment in the sub-service area; and for the case of a smaller distribution density, the corresponding sub-service area can be divided larger to increase the number of user equipment in the sub-service area.

[0028] In some implementations of the first aspect, the pre-receiving and storing the data that needs to be forwarded to the user equipment located in the target service area includes: receiving, when the satellite passes the gateway station, the data that needs to be forwarded to the user equipment located in the target service area and sent by the core network; and storing the data of the user equipment located in the target service area.

[0029] It should be understood that in the store-and-forward mode, the core network needs to first send the data required by the user equipment to the satellite, and the satellite stores the data and forwards the data to the user equipment when it subsequently enters the service area where the user equipment is located.

[0030] In some implementations of the first aspect, the satellite includes a medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite or a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite.

[0031] In the second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a data forwarding method. The method is applied to a target user equipment located in a target service area of a satellite. The satellite pre-stores data that needs to be forwarded to the target user equipment. The target service area is divided into N sub-service areas. A service time of the satellite in the target service area is divided into a plurality of time periods. The plurality of time periods include N time periods. The N time periods correspond to the N sub-service areas one by one. When the satellite enters the target service area, the method includes: receiving a division range of each sub-service area in the N sub-service areas sent by the satellite; in the i-th time period in the N time periods, and when the target user equipment does not receive data in the first i-1 time periods, receiving a first paging message sent by the satellite. The first paging message is used to instruct user equipment located in the i-th sub-service area to receive data. Determining whether the target user equipment is located in the i-th sub-service area based on the division range. When it is confirmed that the target user equipment is located in the i-th sub-service area, sending a first response message to the satellite. The first response message is used to request the satellite to forward data. Receiving data forwarded by the satellite. Or, when it is confirmed that the target user equipment is not located in the i-th sub-service area, ignoring the first paging message.

[0032] It should be understood that in the case where the target service area is divided into N sub-service areas, and the service time of the satellite in the target service area is divided into a plurality of time periods, when the satellite enters the target service area, the satellite can forward data to user equipment located in different sub-service areas in different time periods through paging respectively.

[0033] It should be noted that the conventional paging message usually only includes the ID and access type of the user equipment which needs to be directedly paged, but based on the scheme of the present application, the satellite cannot know which user equipment is in the sub-service area corresponding to the time period when initiating paging in the time period, and thus cannot know which user equipment needs to be directedly paged. Therefore, in the present application, an indication field is further added in the paging message sent by the current satellite to indicate that the user equipment in the sub-service area corresponding to the current time period can receive data.

[0034] In a possible implementation, the indication field includes the ID of the sub-service area corresponding to the current time period.

[0035] Based on this, if the target user equipment has not received data in the time period, the target user equipment can receive the paging message sent by the satellite, and determine whether to receive the data forwarded by the satellite based on the indication of the paging message, for example, receive the data forwarded by the satellite when being in the sub-service area indicated by the paging message, and not receive the data forwarded by the satellite when not being in the sub-service area indicated by the paging message, so as to avoid problems such as network congestion and signaling storm.

[0036] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations, the first paging message includes the ID of the i th sub-service area and the ID and access type of the target user equipment.

[0037] Since the ID and access type of the target user equipment are included in the paging message, the target user equipment can receive the paging message based on this. Since the ID of the i th sub-service area is also included in the paging message, the target user equipment can determine whether to receive data based on the position of the target user equipment and the division range of the sub-service area.

[0038] It should be understood that the paging message can also include the ID and access type of other user equipment which has not received data, which means that the paging message can simultaneously page multiple user equipment.

[0039] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations, the multiple time periods further include an (N+1) th time period, and if the target user equipment has not received the data forwarded by the satellite in the first N time periods, the method further includes: receiving a second paging message sent by the satellite in the (N+1) th time period, the second paging message being used to instruct the target user equipment to receive data; sending a second response message to the satellite, the second response message being used to request the satellite to forward data; and receiving the data forwarded by the satellite.

[0040] Considering the mobility of the target user equipment, there can be a problem that the target user equipment does not receive the forwarded data due to moving across the sub-service areas in N time periods. The application proposes that the service time of the satellite in the target service area can be divided into N+1 time periods in advance, and in the N+1 time period, the user equipment that has not received the data is checked and is directed to initiate the paging again to ensure the reliability of the satellite in the store-and-forward mode.

[0041] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations, the second paging message includes the ID and the access type of the target user equipment.

[0042] Since the ID and the access type of the target user equipment are included in the paging message, based on this, the target user equipment can receive the paging message.

[0043] Similarly, the ID and the access type of other user equipment that has not received the data can also be included in the paging message, that is, the paging message can page multiple user equipment at the same time.

[0044] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations, the determining whether the target user equipment is in the i-th sub-service area based on the division range includes: determining whether the target user equipment is in the i-th sub-service area based on the division range and the location information of the target user equipment.

[0045] The location information of the target user equipment can be determined based on the positioning of a global positioning system (GPS).

[0046] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations, the receiving the division range of each of the N sub-service areas sent by the satellite includes: receiving the division range of each of the N sub-service areas sent by the satellite in a system broadcast manner.

[0047] Optionally, the system broadcast can be a system broadcast of an NTN base station.

[0048] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations, the satellite includes a MEO satellite or a LEO satellite.

[0049] In a third aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a data forwarding method, applied to a satellite, the method comprising: pre-receiving and storing data to be forwarded to user equipment in a target service area; when the satellite enters the target service area, forwarding data to different groups of user equipment in the target service area in different time periods, wherein the user equipment in the target service area is divided into N groups, and the service time of the satellite in the target service area is divided into multiple time periods, the multiple time periods comprising N time periods, and the N time periods correspond to the N groups one by one.

[0050] The embodiments of the present application propose to physically divide the user equipment in the target service area and the service time (for example, divide the user equipment in the target service area into N groups, and divide the service time of the satellite in the target service area into multiple time periods), so that when the satellite enters the target service area, data can be forwarded to different groups of user equipment in different time periods, thereby avoiding problems such as network congestion and signaling storm.

[0051] Optionally, the division of the user equipment and the service time can be performed before the satellite enters the target service area, or can be performed when the satellite enters the target service area, which is not limited.

[0052] In combination with the third aspect, in some implementations, the forwarding of data to different groups of user equipment in the target service area in different time periods comprises: in an i-th time period of the N time periods, sending q third paging messages to an i-th group of user equipment of the N groups, the q third paging messages being used to instruct the i-th group of user equipment to receive data; receiving a third response message sent by the i-th group of user equipment, the third response message being used to instruct the satellite to forward data; and the satellite forwarding data to the i-th group of user equipment based on the third response message.

[0053] It should be noted that, since the grouping operation of the user equipment in the target service area is completed by the satellite, the satellite stores the IDs of the user equipment included in each group. Based on this, in a certain time period, the paging message sent by the satellite can only include the IDs and access types of the user equipment in the group corresponding to the time period.

[0054] In addition, it should also be noted that the number of IDs and access types of user equipment that can be carried by a single paging message is limited. In this case, if the number of a certain group of user equipment to be paged in a certain time period is large, multiple paging messages need to be sent, each paging message including the IDs and access types of part of the user equipment in the group, so that each user equipment in the group is paged and receives data based on the received paging message.

[0055] In some implementations, the i-th group of user equipments is divided into q groups, and each of the q groups corresponds to one of the q third paging messages, and each of the q third paging messages comprises IDs and access types of user equipments included in the group corresponding to the third paging message.

[0056] Based on this, the set of the q third paging messages can comprise IDs and access types of all user equipments in the i-th group of user equipments. Based on this, in the i-th time period, the i-th group of user equipments can all receive the paging message, thereby being able to receive data based on the received paging message.

[0057] In some implementations, before forwarding data to different groups of user equipments in the target service area at different time periods, the method further comprises: dividing user equipments in the target service area into N groups; and dividing a service time of the satellite in the target service area into a plurality of time periods.

[0058] In some implementations, dividing the user equipments in the target service area into N groups comprises: dividing the user equipments in the target service area into N groups based on remainders obtained by dividing IDs of each user equipment by N.

[0059] To ensure relative balance of the number of user equipments in each group, the present application proposes grouping based on remainders obtained by dividing IDs of each user equipment by N, for example, grouping user equipments with a remainder of 1 as a group, grouping user equipments with a remainder of 2 as a group, and so on.

[0060] In some implementations, the plurality of time periods further comprises an N+1-th time period, and the method further comprises: in the N+1-th time period, sending p fourth paging messages to user equipments in the target service area that have not received data in the first N time periods, the p fourth paging messages being used to instruct the user equipments that have not received data to receive data; receiving a fourth response message sent by the user equipments that have not received data; and forwarding data to the user equipments that have not received data based on the fourth response message.

[0061] Considering that a paging message can be lost or a random access channel (RACH) access can fail due to insufficient downlink coverage and uplink power, and so on, thereby causing a situation in which a user equipment does not receive forwarded data in N time periods. The present application proposes that the service time of the satellite in the target service area can be divided into N+1 time periods in advance, and in the N+1-th time period, user equipments that have not received data are checked, and paging is initiated again to the user equipments to ensure reliability of forwarding data by the satellite in the store-and-forward mode.

[0062] In some implementations, the user equipments that have not received the data are divided into p groups, each of the p groups corresponds to one of the p fourth paging messages, and each of the p fourth paging messages includes the IDs and the access types of the user equipments in the group to which the fourth paging message corresponds.

[0063] It should be understood that, in the N+1 time period, only the user equipments that have not received the data in the current time period need to be paged again, and the satellite can determine which user equipments have not received the data based on the data forwarding situation. Therefore, in this case, the paging message sent by the satellite only needs to include the IDs and the access types of the user equipments that have not received the data in the current time period.

[0064] In addition, similarly, because the number of IDs and access types of user equipments that can be carried by a single paging message is limited, if a large number of user equipments need to be paged, a plurality of paging messages need to be used to page a part of the IDs and the access types of the user equipments.

[0065] In some implementations, the receiving and storing the data that needs to be forwarded to the user equipments in the target service area includes: receiving, when the satellite passes through the gateway station, the data that needs to be forwarded to the user equipments in the target service area sent by the core network; and storing the data of the user equipments in the target service area.

[0066] It should be understood that, in the store-and-forward mode, the core network needs to send the data required by the user equipments to the satellite first, the satellite stores the data, and then forwards the data to the user equipments when the satellite enters the service area where the user equipments are located later.

[0067] In some implementations, the satellite includes a MEO satellite or a LEO satellite.

[0068] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a data forwarding method. The method is applied to a target user equipment. The target user equipment is located in a target service area of a satellite. The satellite pre-stores data to be forwarded to the target user equipment. All user equipments in the target service area are divided into N groups. The target user equipment is divided into an i-th group. A service time of the satellite in the target service area is divided into a plurality of time periods. The plurality of time periods include N time periods. The N time periods correspond to the N groups one by one. When the satellite enters the target service area, the method includes: receiving a third paging message sent by the satellite in an i-th time period of the N time periods. The third paging message is used to instruct the target user equipment to receive data. Sending a third response message to the satellite. The third response message is used to request the satellite to forward data. Receiving the data forwarded by the satellite.

[0069] It should be understood that, in the case that all user equipments in the target service area are divided into N groups and the service time of the satellite in the target service area is divided into a plurality of time periods, the satellite can forward data to different groups of user equipments in different time periods by paging when the satellite enters the target service area.

[0070] Based on this, in the case that the target user equipment is divided into an i-th group, the target user equipment can receive a paging message sent by the satellite in an i-th time period and receive data based on the paging message. In other time periods, the target user equipment cannot receive a paging message sent by the satellite, so it does not receive data, thereby avoiding problems such as network congestion and signaling storm.

[0071] In combination with the fourth aspect, in some implementations, the third paging message includes an ID and an access type of the target user equipment.

[0072] Since the ID and the access type of the target user equipment are included in the paging message, the target user equipment can receive the paging message based on this.

[0073] It should be understood that the paging message can also include the IDs and the access types of other user equipments in the i-th group, that is, the paging message can page multiple user equipments at the same time.

[0074] In combination with the fourth aspect, in some implementations, the plurality of time periods further include an (N+1)-th time period. If the target user equipment does not receive data forwarded by the satellite in the first N time periods, the method further includes: receiving a fourth paging message sent by the satellite in the (N+1)-th time period. The fourth paging message is used to instruct the target user equipment to receive data. Sending a fourth response message to the satellite. The fourth response message is used to request the satellite to forward data. Receiving the data forwarded by the satellite.

[0075] Considering that the paging message can be lost or RACH access fails due to insufficient downlink coverage and uplink power, etc., resulting in the target user equipment not receiving the forwarding data within N time periods. The application proposes that the service time of the satellite in the target service area can be divided into N+1 time periods in advance, and in the N+1 time period, the user equipment that has not received the data is checked, and the paging is initiated again to ensure the reliability of the satellite in the store-and-forward mode.

[0076] In combination with the fourth aspect, in some implementations, the fourth paging message includes the ID and access type of the target user equipment.

[0077] Since the ID and access type of the target user equipment are included in the paging message, based on this, the target user equipment can receive the paging message.

[0078] Similarly, the ID and access type of other user equipment that has not received the satellite forwarding data can also be included in the paging message, which means that the paging message can page multiple user equipment at the same time.

[0079] In combination with the fourth aspect, in some implementations, the satellite includes a MEO satellite or a LEO satellite.

[0080] In the fifth aspect, the embodiments of the application provide a data forwarding apparatus. The apparatus can be a satellite, or can also be a chip, module or unit configured at the satellite end. Specifically, the apparatus includes at least one processor coupled with a memory, which can be used to execute instructions in the memory to implement the method in the first aspect and any possible implementation manner in the first aspect.

[0081] Optionally, the apparatus further includes the memory. Optionally, the apparatus further includes a communication interface, and the processor is coupled with the communication interface.

[0082] In the sixth aspect, the embodiments of the application provide a data forwarding apparatus. The apparatus can be a user equipment, or can also be a chip, module or unit configured in the user equipment. Specifically, the apparatus includes at least one processor coupled with a memory, which can be used to execute instructions in the memory to implement the method in the second aspect and any possible implementation manner in the second aspect.

[0083] Optionally, the apparatus further includes the memory. Optionally, the apparatus further includes a communication interface, and the processor is coupled with the communication interface.

[0084] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a data forwarding apparatus, which can be a satellite, or can also be a chip, module or unit configured at a satellite end. Specifically, the apparatus comprises at least one processor coupled with a memory, which is configured to execute instructions in the memory to implement the method in the third aspect and any possible implementation manner of the third aspect.

[0085] Optionally, the apparatus further comprises the memory. Optionally, the apparatus further comprises a communication interface, and the processor is coupled with the communication interface.

[0086] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a data forwarding apparatus, which can be a user equipment, or can also be a chip, module or unit configured in the user equipment. Specifically, the apparatus comprises at least one processor coupled with a memory, which is configured to execute instructions in the memory to implement the method in the fourth aspect and any possible implementation manner of the fourth aspect.

[0087] Optionally, the apparatus further comprises the memory. Optionally, the apparatus further comprises a communication interface, and the processor is coupled with the communication interface.

[0088] In a ninth aspect, a processor is provided, comprising an input circuit, an output circuit and a processing circuit. The processing circuit is configured to receive a signal through the input circuit and transmit a signal through the output circuit, so that the processor executes the method in the first aspect, the second aspect, the third aspect or the fourth aspect and any possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the second aspect, the third aspect or the fourth aspect.

[0089] In the implementation process, the processor can be a chip, the input circuit can be an input pin, the output circuit can be an output pin, and the processing circuit can be a transistor, a gate circuit, a flip-flop and various logic circuits, etc. The input signal received by the input circuit can be received and input by, for example but not limited to, a receiver, the signal output by the output circuit can be output to and transmitted by, for example but not limited to, a transmitter, and the input circuit and the output circuit can be the same circuit which is used as the input circuit and the output circuit at different times. The present application does not limit the specific implementation of the processor and various circuits.

[0090] In a tenth aspect, a processing apparatus is provided, comprising a processor and a memory. The processor is configured to read instructions stored in the memory, and can receive a signal through a receiver and transmit a signal through a transmitter to execute the method in the first aspect, the second aspect, the third aspect or the fourth aspect and any possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the second aspect, the third aspect or the fourth aspect.

[0091] Optionally, the processor is one or more, and the memory is one or more.

[0092] Optionally, the memory can be integrated with the processor, or the memory and the processor are separately arranged.

[0093] In the implementation process, the memory can be a non-transitory memory, such as a read only memory (ROM), which can be integrated on the same chip with the processor, or arranged separately on different chips. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the type of memory and the arrangement of the memory and the processor.

[0094] It should be understood that the related data interaction process, such as sending indication information, can be the process of outputting indication information from the processor, and receiving capability information can be the process of receiving input capability information by the processor. Specifically, the data output by the processor can be output to the transmitter, and the input data received by the processor can come from the receiver. Wherein, the transmitter and the receiver can be collectively referred to as the transceiver.

[0095] The processing device in the tenth aspect described above can be a chip, and the processor can be implemented by hardware or software. When implemented by hardware, the processor can be a logic circuit, an integrated circuit, etc. When implemented by software, the processor can be a general-purpose processor, which realizes by reading software code stored in the memory. The memory can be integrated in the processor, or can exist independently outside the processor.

[0096] The eleventh aspect provides a computer program product, which comprises a computer program (also referred to as code or instruction), which, when executed, causes a computer to execute the method in the first aspect, the second aspect, the third aspect or the fourth aspect, and any possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the second aspect, the third aspect or the fourth aspect.

[0097] The twelfth aspect provides a computer readable medium, which stores a computer program (also referred to as code or instruction), which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to execute the method in the first aspect, the second aspect, the third aspect or the fourth aspect, and any possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the second aspect, the third aspect or the fourth aspect.

[0098] In a thirteenth aspect, a data forwarding system is provided, including a satellite and a user equipment, wherein the satellite is configured to perform the method in the first aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect, and the user equipment is configured to perform the method in the second aspect and any possible implementation of the second aspect; or the satellite is configured to perform the method in the third aspect and any possible implementation of the third aspect, and the user equipment is configured to perform the method in the fourth aspect and any possible implementation of the fourth aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0099] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0100] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a store-and-forward principle according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0101] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a satellite serving a certain area according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0102] FIG. 4 is a schematic flowchart of a data forwarding method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0103] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a time period and a sub-service area according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0104] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a data structure of a paging message according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0105] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of an interaction between a satellite and a target user equipment in an i-th time period according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0106] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of another time period and sub-service area according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0107] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of another data structure of a paging message according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0108] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of an interaction between a satellite and a target user equipment in an N+1-th time period according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0109] FIG. 11 is a schematic flowchart of another data forwarding method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0110] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of a user equipment grouping and time period division according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0111] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of another interaction between a satellite and a target user equipment in an i-th time period according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0112] FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of another manner of grouping user equipment and dividing time periods according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0113] FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of interaction between a satellite and target user equipment in an N+1 time period according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0114] FIG. 16 is a schematic structural diagram of a data forwarding device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0115] FIG. 17 is a schematic structural diagram of another data forwarding device according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0116] In order to facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, the following points are explained before the embodiments of the present application are introduced.

[0117] First, in the embodiments of the present application, "for indicating" can include for directly indicating and for indirectly indicating. For example, when describing that certain indication information is for indicating information I, it can include that the indication information directly indicates I or indirectly indicates I, and it does not mean that I must be carried in the indication information.

[0118] Second, in the embodiments shown below, the first, second, and various numbers are only for distinguishing, and do not limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application.

[0119] Third, it should be noted that the words "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of the present application are used to represent an example, illustration, or description. Any embodiment or design scheme described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the present application should not be interpreted as more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or design schemes. Rather, the words "exemplary" or "for example" are intended to present the relevant concept in a specific manner.

[0120] Fourth, "at least one" means one or more, and "multiple" means two or more. The association relationship of the associated objects is described, 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, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally represents an "or" relationship between the associated objects before and after it. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions means any combination of these items, including any combination of single item or multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b, and c can mean a, or b, or c, or a and b, or a and c, or b and c, or a, b, and c. Where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0121] For the convenience of understanding the embodiments of the present application, the terms involved in the embodiments of the present application are briefly explained below.

[0122] NTN: As the name implies, it is relative to the traditional ground network, and adopts satellites and high-altitude platforms (HAP) and other technologies to participate in network deployment.

[0123] S&F mode: In satellite communication, S&F mode is an important data transmission mode. In this mode, the data required by the user equipment is first sent to the satellite by the core network, and the satellite stores these data. Subsequently, the satellite transmits the stored data to the user equipment when it enters the service area of the user equipment. This mode is very useful for communication that needs to cover a large range or cross a large number of network nodes.

[0124] Satellite gateway station: also known as satellite gateway station, is the hub connecting the ground communication network and satellite system. Its functions include: signal conversion, i.e. converting the signal in the ground communication network into a signal suitable for satellite transmission, and receiving the signal from the satellite and converting it into a signal suitable for the ground network; data processing, i.e. processing and managing the data traffic transmitted through the satellite, and routing and forwarding data packets; control and management, i.e. controlling the operation of the satellite, monitoring the status and performance of the satellite, and performing power control, frequency management and other operations to ensure the stability and efficiency of communication.

[0125] Feeder link: refers to the communication link between the satellite and the satellite gateway station.

[0126] Mobile terminated (MT) data: refers to data sent to a mobile device, in which case the mobile device is the receiver of data transmission, not the sender. Conversely, data sent from a mobile device is called mobile originated (MO) data.

[0127] The scheme of the present application will be described in detail below in conjunction with the drawings.

[0128] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system 100 suitable for the data forwarding method of the embodiments of the present application. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system 100 can include a core network 110, a satellite 120 and a user equipment 130.

[0129] Among them, the core network 110 is the center of the entire communication network, responsible for processing user data, call control, user registration and identity authentication, and other key functions. In modern mobile communication networks (such as 4G or 5G), the main components of the core network include: mobility management entity (MME), used to manage user device access, tracking and paging functions; home subscriber server (HSS), used to store user subscription data and authentication information; Serving Gateway (SGW), responsible for user data transmission and routing; packet data network gateway (PGW), used to connect mobile networks and external data networks, and handle user data sessions; policy and charging rules function (PCRF), used to manage policy and charging rules; access and mobility management function (AMF), in 5G networks, responsible for access and mobility management; user plane function (UPF), in 5G networks, responsible for user data forwarding and processing.

[0130] The satellite 120 can be a MEO satellite or a LEO satellite. Among them, the MEO satellite refers to a satellite with an orbital height of 2000-36000 kilometers, that is, an orbit between a LEO satellite and a geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellite; the LEO satellite refers to a satellite with an orbital height of about 400-2000 kilometers.

[0131] The user equipment (UE) 130 can be referred to as a terminal device, an access terminal, a user unit, a user station, a mobile station, a mobile, 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. The user equipment in the embodiments of the present application can be a mobile phone, a pad, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (VR) user equipment, an augmented reality (AR) user equipment, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, and the like.

[0132] It should be understood that FIG. 1 is only a simplified schematic diagram for illustration, and other devices can also be included in the communication system 100, which are not shown in FIG. 1.

[0133] Based on the above communication system, for services with low real-time requirements, a data transmission in a store-and-forward mode is proposed. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, during the time when the satellite passes through the gateway station and has a feeder link (i.e., at T1 in FIG. 2): the core network sends the downlink data of the user equipment to be served by the satellite to the satellite through the S1 interface; accordingly, the satellite receives and stores the downlink data of the user equipment; in addition, the MME of the core network can also instruct the satellite to subsequently initiate paging for the user equipment with MT data. With the movement of the satellite, during the time when the satellite can cover the user equipment and the user equipment and the satellite can establish a service link (i.e., at T2 in FIG. 2): the satellite can notify the user equipment that the downlink forwarding data has arrived by means of paging; accordingly, the user equipment initiates random access in response to the paging message of the satellite to receive the downlink data forwarded by the satellite.

[0134] However, the store-and-forward mode changes the downlink forwarding data of multiple user equipment in a relatively random time range into a centralized data delivery in a short time; and due to the large coverage of the satellite and the large number of user equipment, if a large number of user equipment simultaneously receive the paging message and then initiate random access at a similar time, network congestion problem can be caused.

[0135] And for the low-orbit (i.e. MEO / LEO) earth-fix satellite, the situation will be particularly serious, as shown in FIG. 3, the earth-fix satellite usually serves a certain area for a period of time (for example, from T3 to T4 in FIG. 3), and the earth-fix satellite re-enters the service area at the moment, according to the existing protocol, it needs to initiate a paging to all user equipment in the area that needs to receive the forwarded data, considering the coverage of the earth-fix satellite, in the user equipment concentrated area, the above process needs to page a large number of user equipment, which will cause a signaling storm, resulting in the unavailability of the entire satellite service.

[0136] Based on this, the present application proposes that the service time of the satellite in the target service area can be divided into multiple time periods, and the data in the target service area can be forwarded to the user equipment in batches in multiple time periods, so as to avoid the problems such as network congestion and signaling storm.

[0137] The following will introduce the data forwarding method provided by the embodiments of the present application based on the following two implementation modes (i.e. implementation mode 1 and implementation mode 2).

[0138] It should be understood that the implementation mode 1 and the implementation mode 2 can be applied to the communication system 100 shown in FIG. 1. It should also be understood that the embodiments shown below do not particularly limit the specific structure of the execution subject of the method provided by the embodiments of the present application, as long as it can communicate according to the method provided by the embodiments of the present application by running the program in which the code of the method provided by the embodiments of the present application is recorded, for example, the execution subject of the method provided by the embodiments of the present application can be a satellite or a user equipment, or a functional module in the satellite or the user equipment that can call and execute the program.

[0139] In the following, without loss of generality, the interaction between the satellite and the user equipment is taken as an example to illustrate the data forwarding method provided by the embodiments of the present application in detail.

[0140] FIG. 4 is a schematic flowchart of a data forwarding method provided by the embodiments of the present application (i.e. implementation mode 1). It should be noted that the method 400 can be applied to a communication system including a satellite and a user equipment, as shown in FIG. 4, the method 400 includes steps S410 and S420, and the following will illustrate the steps in the method in detail.

[0141] S410, the satellite pre-receives and stores the data that needs to be forwarded to the user equipment in the target service area.

[0142] It should be understood that, based on the store-and-forward mode, before the satellite enters the target service area, and when the satellite passes through the gateway station, the core network needs to send the data of the user equipment in the target service area to the satellite in advance, and accordingly, the satellite receives and stores these data, and then forwards them to the user equipment when it subsequently enters the service area where the user equipment is located.

[0143] S420, when the satellite enters the target service area, the satellite forwards data to user equipment in different sub-service areas in the target service area in different time periods. Accordingly, the user equipment in different sub-service areas receives the data forwarded by the satellite in different time periods.

[0144] Wherein, the target service area can be divided into N sub-service areas in advance, and the service time of the satellite in the target service area can be divided into multiple time periods in advance, the multiple time periods include N time periods, and the N time periods correspond to the N sub-service areas one by one. As an example, FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a division mode of time periods and sub-service areas provided by an embodiment of the present application, as shown in FIG. 5, the target service area is divided into N sub-service areas, and the service time of the satellite in the target service area is divided into N time periods, and the N time periods correspond to the N sub-service areas one by one.

[0145] Based on this, in the first time period of the N time periods, the satellite can forward data to user equipment in the first sub-service area; in the second time period of the N time periods, the satellite can forward data to user equipment in the second sub-service area; in the third time period of the N time periods, the satellite can forward data to user equipment in the third sub-service area, and so on.

[0146] Before the satellite forwards data to user equipment in different sub-service areas in the target service area in different time periods, the satellite can divide the target service area into N sub-service areas in advance, and divide the service time of the satellite in the target service area into multiple time periods.

[0147] Optionally, the satellite can divide the target service area and the service time before entering the target service area, or can divide the target service area and the service time when entering the target service area, which is not limited.

[0148] Optionally, the lengths of different time periods can be the same or different, which is not limited.

[0149] Optionally, the sub-service areas divided by the present application can overlap with each other or not, and the sizes of different sub-service areas can be the same or different, which is not limited.

[0150] As an example, the satellite can equally divide the target service area into N sub-service areas. Each sub-service area can be a circular area, an elliptical area, a square area, or other regular-shaped areas, or irregular-shaped areas, without limitation.

[0151] As another example, to balance the number of user equipment in different sub-service areas, the satellite can also divide the target service area into N sub-service areas according to the distribution density of user equipment in the target service area, where the size of the sub-service area and the distribution density of user equipment are inversely proportional. For example, for a larger distribution density, the corresponding sub-service area can be divided smaller to reduce the number of user equipment in the sub-service area; and for a smaller distribution density, the corresponding sub-service area can be divided larger to increase the number of user equipment in the sub-service area.

[0152] After the satellite divides the target service area into N sub-service areas, the satellite can send the division range of each sub-service area in the N sub-service areas to the user equipment in the target service area, and accordingly, each user equipment in the target service area receives the division range of each sub-service area in the N sub-service areas sent by the satellite.

[0153] Optionally, the satellite can send the division range of each sub-service area in the N sub-service areas through system broadcast.

[0154] Optionally, the system broadcast can be a system broadcast of the NTN base station.

[0155] Optionally, the satellite can be a MEO satellite or a LEO satellite.

[0156] The present application proposes to physically divide the target service area and the service time (for example, divide the target service area into N sub-service areas, and divide the service time of the satellite in the target service area into multiple time periods), so that when the satellite enters the target service area, the satellite can forward data to user equipment in different sub-service areas in different time periods, thereby avoiding network congestion and signaling storm and other problems.

[0157] The following takes the i-th time period in the N time periods as an example to illustrate how the satellite forwards data to all user equipment in the i-th sub-service area in the i-th time period.

[0158] Specifically, in the i-th time period, the satellite sends m paging messages (which can also be described as m first paging messages) to all user equipments (which can also be described as all first user equipments) in the target service area that have not received data (i.e., have not received data in the previous i-1 time periods), each of the m paging messages indicating that user equipments in the i-th sub-service area receive data; accordingly, each of the all user equipments in the target service area that have not received data receives a paging message sent by the satellite. Then, each of the all user equipments that have not received data determines whether it is in the i-th sub-service area according to its current location and the partition range of the sub-service area. Then, the user equipment that determines it is in the i-th sub-service area among the all user equipments that have not received data sends a response message (which can also be described as a first response message) to the satellite, the response message indicating that the satellite forwards data; accordingly, the satellite receives the response message sent by the user equipment in the i-th sub-service area. Next, the satellite forwards data to the user equipment in the i-th sub-service area based on the response message; accordingly, the user equipment in the i-th sub-service area receives the forwarded data from the satellite. And the user equipment that determines it is not in the i-th sub-service area among the all user equipments that have not received data does not respond.

[0159] It can be understood that the satellite can determine which user equipments have received data and which user equipments have not received data before the current time period based on the data forwarding situation in each time period. For example, assuming that the satellite knows that there are A user equipments (which can also be described as all second user equipments) that have not received data in the previous i-2 time periods when it enters the i-1-th time period of the N time periods, and the satellite forwards data to B user equipments (which can also be described as second user equipments in the i-1-th sub-service area) in the i-1-th sub-service area in the target service area in the i-1-th time period, then the satellite can know that there are A-B user equipments that have not received data (which can be described as all first user equipments described above; based on this, all first user equipments described above can be obtained by removing second user equipments in the i-1-th sub-service area from all second user equipments) when it enters the i-th time period.

[0160] It should be noted that the conventional paging message usually only includes the ID and access type of the user equipment that needs to be directionally paged, but based on the scheme of the present application, the satellite cannot know which user equipment is in the sub-service area corresponding to the time period when initiating paging in the time period, and cannot know which user equipment needs to be directionally paged. Based on this, the present application proposes that when paging in a time period, a paging message can be sent to all user equipment in the current target service area that has not received data, and an indication field (as shown in FIG. 6) is added in the paging message to indicate that the user equipment in the sub-service area corresponding to the current time period can receive data, so that when the user equipment receives the paging message, it can determine which sub-service area the user equipment is currently in based on the paging message, and judge whether it needs to receive data based on its own location (for example, receiving data when it is determined that it is in the sub-service area indicated by the paging message, and not receiving data when it is determined that it is not in the sub-service area indicated by the paging message).

[0161] In addition, it should also be noted that the number of IDs and access types of user equipment that a single paging message can carry is limited, for example, a single paging message can only carry 32 IDs and access types of user equipment, which means that a paging message can at most page 32 user equipment. In this case, if all user equipment that has not received data needs to be paged in a time period, and the number of all user equipment is large, multiple paging messages need to be sent, each paging message including the IDs and access types of part of the user equipment that has not received data (i.e., each paging message is used to page part of the user equipment) and the newly added indication field, so that all user equipment that has not received data receives the paging message and can determine whether it needs to receive data based on the received paging message.

[0162] In a possible implementation, the indication field includes the ID of the sub-service area corresponding to the current time period (as shown in FIG. 6), and all user equipment that has not received data in the current time period is divided into m groups, and the m groups and the m paging messages need to be one-to-one corresponding. Based on this, each of the m paging messages can include the ID of the i-th sub-service area and the IDs and access types of the user equipment included in the group corresponding to the paging message.

[0163] Based on this, the set of m paging messages can include the IDs and access types of all user equipment that has not received data, and each paging message includes the ID of the i-th sub-service area. Based on this, all user equipment that has not received data can receive the paging message, and can determine whether it needs to receive data based on the received paging message.

[0164] The following takes the ith time period as an example to introduce the interaction between the satellite and a target user equipment of all user equipments which have not received data (i.e. have not received data in the first i-1 time periods) in this time period. As shown in the method 700 in FIG. 7, in the ith time period, the satellite and the target user equipment can realize data forwarding based on the following steps S710-S750.

[0165] S710, the satellite sends a paging message (which can be one of the above m paging messages) to the target user equipment, and the paging message is used to instruct user equipments in the ith sub-service area to receive data; accordingly, the target user equipment receives the paging message sent by the satellite.

[0166] Specifically, the paging message includes the ID of the ith sub-service area and the ID and access type of the target user equipment.

[0167] Since the ID and access type of the target user equipment are included in the paging message, based on this, the target user equipment can receive the paging message; and since the ID of the ith sub-service area is also included in the paging message, based on this, the target user equipment can determine whether it is in the ith sub-service area based on its own position and the received division range of the sub-service area, and further determine whether to receive data.

[0168] Optionally, the paging message can also include the IDs and access types of other user equipments which have not received data, that is, the paging message can page multiple user equipments at the same time.

[0169] S720, the target user equipment determines whether it is in the ith sub-service area based on the division range of the sub-service area.

[0170] Specifically, the target user equipment can determine whether it is in the ith sub-service area based on the division range and its own position information. The position information of the target user equipment can be determined based on GPS positioning.

[0171] Optionally, the target user equipment can continue to perform S730 and S740 when it confirms that it is in the ith sub-service area; and the target user equipment can continue to perform S750 when it confirms that it is not in the ith sub-service area.

[0172] S730, the target user equipment sends a response message to the satellite when it confirms that it is in the ith sub-service area, and the response message is used to request the satellite to forward data; accordingly, the satellite receives the response message sent by the target user equipment.

[0173] S740, the satellite forwards the data to the target user equipment based on the response message; correspondingly, the target user equipment receives the data forwarded by the satellite.

[0174] S750, when the target user equipment confirms that it is not in the i-th sub-service area, it ignores the paging message sent by the satellite.

[0175] Based on this, during the time period, if the target user equipment has not received the data, the target user equipment can receive the paging message sent by the satellite, and determine whether to receive the forwarded data of the satellite based on the indication of the paging message, for example, when it is in the sub-service area indicated by the paging message, it receives the data forwarded by the satellite, and when it is not in the sub-service area indicated by the paging message, it does not receive the data forwarded by the satellite, thereby avoiding problems such as network congestion and signaling storm.

[0176] In addition, considering the mobility of the user equipment, there may be a problem that the user equipment does not receive the forwarded data due to moving across the sub-service areas within N time periods, for example, when the paging message indicates that the user equipment in the first sub-service area receives data in the first time period, a certain user equipment is in the third sub-service area; but when the paging message indicates that the user equipment in the third sub-service area receives data in the third time period, the user equipment moves to other sub-service areas, and until the N-th time period, the user equipment has never received the forwarded data due to the movement.

[0177] Based on this, the present application proposes that the service time of the satellite in the target service area can be divided into N+1 time periods in advance, wherein the first N time periods and the N sub-service areas have a one-to-one correspondence (as shown in FIG. 8), so as to forward data to the user equipment in different sub-service areas in the first N time periods, and in the N+1 time period, check the user equipment that has not received the data (i.e., has not received the data in the first N time periods), and initiate paging to it in a targeted manner, so as to ensure the reliability of the satellite in the storage forwarding mode.

[0178] Specifically, in the N+1 time period, the satellite can send k paging messages (which can also be described as k second paging messages) to all user equipment (which can also be described as all third user equipment) in the target service area that have not received data, the k paging messages being used to instruct all user equipment that have not received data to receive data; accordingly, each of the all user equipment in the target service area that have not received data receives a paging message of the k paging messages sent by the satellite. Subsequently, the all user equipment that have not received data respectively send response messages (which can also be described as second response messages) to the satellite, accordingly, the satellite receives the response message sent by each of the user equipment, and forwards data to the user equipment based on the response message, accordingly, each of the user equipment receives the data forwarded by the satellite.

[0179] It should be understood that in the N+1 time period, only the user equipment that have not received data need to be paged, and the satellite can determine which user equipment have not received data based on the data forwarding situation. Therefore, in this case, the paging message sent by the satellite only needs to include the ID and access type of the user equipment that have not received data.

[0180] And since the number of IDs and access types of user equipment that can be carried by a single paging message is limited, if a large number of user equipment need to be paged, multiple paging messages need to be used for paging, each paging message being used to page a part of the IDs and access types of user equipment.

[0181] Based on the above introduction, all user equipment that have not received data can be divided into k groups, wherein the k groups and the k paging messages need to be one-to-one corresponding. Based on this, each of the k paging messages includes the IDs and access types of the user equipment included in the corresponding group (as shown in FIG. 9), and the set of the k paging messages can include the IDs and access types of all user equipment that have not received data.

[0182] The following takes the target user equipment that have not received data in the N+1 time period as an example to introduce the interaction between the satellite and the target user equipment in this time period. As shown in the method 1000 of FIG. 10, in the N+1 time period, the satellite and the target user equipment can realize data forwarding based on the following steps S1010 to S1030.

[0183] S1010, the satellite sends a paging message (which can be a paging message of the k paging messages) to the target user equipment, the paging message being used to instruct the target user equipment to receive data; accordingly, the target user equipment receives the paging message sent by the satellite.

[0184] Specifically, the paging message can include the ID and access type of the target user equipment.

[0185] Since the ID and access type of the target user equipment are included in the paging message, based on this, the target user equipment can receive the paging message.

[0186] Likewise, the ID and access type of other user equipment which has not received data can also be included in the paging message, that is, the paging message can page multiple user equipment at the same time.

[0187] S1020, the target user equipment sends a response message to the satellite, the response message being used to request the satellite to forward data; correspondingly, the satellite receives the response message sent by the target user equipment.

[0188] S1030, the satellite forwards data to the target user equipment based on the response message; correspondingly, the target user equipment receives the data forwarded by the satellite.

[0189] Based on this, if the target user equipment has not received data within the time period, the target user equipment can receive the paging message sent by the satellite and receive data based on the paging message, so as to ensure the reliability of the satellite in forwarding data in the store-and-forward mode.

[0190] FIG. 11 is a schematic flowchart of another data forwarding method (i.e., implementation manner 2) provided by the embodiments of the present application. It should be noted that the method 1100 can be applied to a communication system including a satellite and user equipment, as shown in FIG. 11, the method 1100 includes steps S1110 and S1120, and the following will be specifically described.

[0191] S1110, the satellite pre-receives and stores data which needs to be forwarded to user equipment in a target service area.

[0192] It should be understood that based on the store-and-forward mode, before the satellite enters the target service area, and when the satellite passes through a gateway station, the core network needs to send data of user equipment in the target service area to the satellite, correspondingly, the satellite receives and stores these data, and then forwards the data to the user equipment when subsequently entering the service area where the user equipment is located.

[0193] S1120, when the satellite enters the target service area, the satellite forwards data to different groups of user equipment in the target service area in different time periods. Correspondingly, the different groups of user equipment receive the data forwarded by the satellite in different time periods.

[0194] The user equipment in the target service area can be divided into N groups in advance, and the service time of the satellite in the target service area can be divided into multiple time periods, the multiple time periods including N time periods, and the N time periods corresponding to the N groups one by one. As an example, FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of a user equipment grouping and time period division method provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 12, the user equipment in the target service area is divided into N groups, the service time is divided into N time periods, and the N groups and the N time periods have a one-to-one correspondence.

[0195] Based on this, in the first time period of the N time periods, the satellite forwards data to the user equipment in the first group; in the second time period of the N time periods, the satellite forwards data to the user equipment in the second group; in the third time period of the N time periods, the satellite forwards data to the user equipment in the third group, and so on.

[0196] Before the satellite forwards data to the user equipment in different groups in the target service area in different time periods, the satellite can divide the user equipment in the target service area into N groups in advance, and divide the service time of the satellite in the target service area into multiple time periods.

[0197] Optionally, the satellite can divide the user equipment and the service time before entering the target service area, or can divide the user equipment and the service time when entering the target service area, which is not limited.

[0198] Optionally, the lengths of different time periods can be the same or different, which is not limited.

[0199] Optionally, the number of user equipment in each group can be the same or different, which is not limited.

[0200] Optionally, in order to ensure the relative balance of the number of user equipment in each group, the user equipment in the target service area can be grouped based on the remainder obtained by dividing the ID of each user equipment by N, for example, the user equipment with a remainder of 1 is grouped as a group, the user equipment with a remainder of 2 is grouped as a group, and so on, and the user equipment in the target service area is divided into N groups.

[0201] Optionally, the satellite can be a MEO satellite or a LEO satellite.

[0202] The application divides the user equipment in the target service area and the service time into physical parts (for example, divides the user equipment in the target service area into N groups and divides the service time of the satellite in the target service area into multiple time periods), so that when the satellite enters the target service area, the satellite can forward data to different groups of user equipment in different time periods, thereby avoiding network congestion and signaling storm and other problems.

[0203] The following describes how the satellite forwards data to the user equipment in the i-th group in the i-th time period in N time periods.

[0204] Specifically, in the i-th time period, the satellite sends q paging messages (which can also be described as q third paging messages) to the user equipment in the i-th group, and the q paging messages are used to instruct the user equipment in the i-th group to receive data; correspondingly, each user equipment in the i-th group receives a paging message in the q paging messages sent by the satellite. Subsequently, each user equipment in the i-th group sends a response message (which can also be described as a third response message) to the satellite, and the response message is used to instruct the satellite to forward data; correspondingly, the satellite receives the response message sent by the user equipment in the i-th group. Then, the satellite forwards data to the user equipment in the i-th group based on the response message; correspondingly, the user equipment in the i-th group receives the forwarded data of the satellite.

[0205] It should be noted that since the grouping of the user equipment in the target service area is completed by the satellite, the satellite stores the IDs of the user equipment in each group. Based on this, in a certain time period, the paging message sent by the satellite can only include the IDs and access types of the user equipment in the group corresponding to the time period.

[0206] In addition, it should be noted that the number of IDs and access types that a single paging message can carry is limited. In this case, if the number of user equipment in a certain group that needs to be paged is large in a certain time period, multiple paging messages need to be sent, each paging message including the IDs and access types of part of the user equipment in the group, so that each user equipment in the group is paged and receives data based on the received paging message.

[0207] Optionally, the i-th group of user equipment described above can be divided into q groups, and the q groups and the q paging messages need to be one-to-one correspondence. Based on this, each paging message in the q paging messages can include the IDs and access types of the user equipment included in the group corresponding to the paging message.

[0208] Based on this, the set of the q third paging messages can include the IDs and access types of all user equipment in the ith group of user equipment. Based on this, in the ith time period, the user equipment in the ith group of user equipment can all receive the paging message, thereby being able to receive data based on the received paging message.

[0209] Next, taking a target user equipment in the ith group of user equipment as an example, the interaction between the satellite and the target user equipment is introduced. As shown in method 1300 in FIG. 13, in the ith time period, the satellite and the target user equipment can implement data forwarding based on the following steps S1310 to S1330.

[0210] S1310, the satellite sends a paging message (which can be one of the above q paging messages) to the target user equipment, and the paging message is used to instruct the target user equipment to receive data; correspondingly, the target user equipment receives the paging message sent by the satellite.

[0211] Specifically, the paging message includes the ID and access type of the target user equipment. Since the ID and access type of the target user equipment are included in the paging message, based on this, the target user equipment can receive the paging message.

[0212] Alternatively, the paging message can also include the IDs and access types of other user equipment in the ith group, that is, the paging message can page multiple user equipment at the same time.

[0213] S1320, the target user equipment sends a response message to the satellite, and the response message is used to request the satellite to forward data; correspondingly, the satellite receives the response message sent by the target user equipment.

[0214] S1330, the satellite forwards data to the target user equipment based on the response message; correspondingly, the target user equipment receives the data forwarded by the satellite.

[0215] Based on this, in the case that the target user equipment is divided into the ith group, in the ith time period, the target user equipment can receive the paging message sent by the satellite and receive data based on the paging message, and in other time periods, the target user equipment cannot receive the paging message sent by the satellite, and thus does not receive data, thereby being able to avoid problems such as network congestion and signaling storm.

[0216] In addition, considering that the paging message is lost or the RACH access fails due to insufficient downlink coverage and uplink power, and the like, the user equipment does not receive the forwarding data in N time periods. The application proposes that the service time of the satellite in the target service area can be divided into N+1 time periods in advance, wherein the first N time periods and the N groups have a one-to-one correspondence (as shown in FIG. 14), so as to forward the data to different groups of user equipment in the first N time periods, respectively, and in the N+1 time period, the user equipment that has not received the data is checked, and the paging is initiated again to ensure the reliability of the satellite in the forwarding mode.

[0217] Specifically, in the N+1 time period, the satellite can send p paging messages (which can also be described as p fourth paging messages) to the user equipment in the target service area that has not received the data (that is, has not received the data in the first N time periods), and the p paging messages are used to instruct all the user equipment that has not received the data to receive the data; accordingly, each of the user equipment that has not received the data in the target service area receives a paging message in the p paging messages sent by the satellite. Subsequently, the user equipment that has not received the data sends a response message (which can also be described as a fourth response message) to the satellite, respectively, accordingly, the satellite receives the response message sent by each of the user equipment, and forwards the data to the user equipment based on the response message, respectively, and each of the user equipment receives the data forwarded by the satellite.

[0218] It should be understood that in the N+1 time period, only the user equipment that has not received the data in the current time period needs to be paged again, and the satellite can determine which user equipment has not received the data based on the forwarding of the data. Therefore, in this case, the paging message sent by the satellite only needs to include the ID and access type of the user equipment that has not received the data.

[0219] In addition, similarly, since the number of IDs and access types of user equipment that can be carried by a single paging message is limited, if a large number of user equipment needs to be paged, multiple paging messages need to be used for paging, and each paging message is used to page a part of the IDs and access types of user equipment.

[0220] Based on this, the user equipment that has not received the data can be divided into p groups, wherein the p groups and the p paging messages need to have a one-to-one correspondence. Based on this, each of the p paging messages includes the ID and access type of the user equipment included in the group corresponding to the paging message, and the set of the p paging messages can include the ID and access type of all the user equipment that has not received the data.

[0221] The following takes the target user equipment not receiving data at the N+1 time period as an example to introduce the interaction between the satellite and the target user equipment at the time period. As shown in method 1500 in FIG. 15, at the N+1 time period, the satellite and the target user equipment can implement data forwarding based on steps S1510-S1530.

[0222] S1510, the satellite sends a paging message (which can be one of the p paging messages) to the target user equipment, and the paging message is used to instruct the target user equipment to receive data; correspondingly, the target user equipment receives the paging message sent by the satellite.

[0223] Specifically, the paging message can include the ID and access type of the target user equipment.

[0224] Since the paging message includes the ID and access type of the target user equipment, based on this, the target user equipment can receive the paging message.

[0225] Similarly, the paging message can also include the IDs and access types of other user equipments that have not received data, that is, the paging message can page multiple user equipments at the same time.

[0226] S1520, the target user equipment sends a response message to the satellite, and the response message is used to request the satellite to forward data; correspondingly, the satellite receives the response message sent by the target user equipment.

[0227] S1530, the satellite forwards data to the target user equipment based on the response message; correspondingly, the target user equipment receives the data forwarded by the satellite.

[0228] Based on this, at the time period, if the target user equipment has not received data, the target user equipment can receive the paging message sent by the satellite and receive data based on the paging message, to ensure the reliability of the satellite forwarding data in the store-and-forward mode.

[0229] The above describes the data forwarding method provided by the embodiments of the present application in detail. The following describes the data forwarding apparatus provided by the embodiments of the present application in combination with FIG. 16 and FIG. 17.

[0230] FIG. 16 is a schematic structural diagram of a data forwarding apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 16, the apparatus 1600 can include a communication unit 1610 and a storage unit 1620.

[0231] In a possible design, the apparatus 1600 can correspond to the satellite mentioned in the implementation manner 1, and the apparatus 1600 can be a satellite, or a chip, module or unit configured in the satellite.

[0232] For example, when the apparatus 1600 is used to implement the above-described implementation manner 1, the communication unit 1610 can be configured to perform the receiving operation of the satellite in step S410 and the data forwarding operation of the satellite in step S420; and the storage unit 1620 can be configured to perform the storing operation of the satellite in step S410.

[0233] Optionally, the communication unit 1610 can also be configured to perform the operations related to the satellite in steps S710, S730 and S740.

[0234] Optionally, the communication unit 1610 can also be configured to perform the operations related to the satellite in steps S1010 to S1030.

[0235] It should be understood that the specific process of each unit performing the corresponding steps has been described in detail in the above method embodiments, and thus will not be described here for simplicity.

[0236] In another possible design, the apparatus 1600 can correspond to the satellite mentioned in the above-described implementation manner 2, and the apparatus 1600 can be the satellite, or a chip, module or unit configured in the satellite.

[0237] For example, when the apparatus 1600 is used to implement the above-described implementation manner 2, the communication unit 1610 can be configured to perform the receiving operation of the satellite in step S1110 and the data forwarding operation of the satellite in step S1120; and the storage unit 1620 can be configured to perform the storing operation of the satellite in step S1110.

[0238] Optionally, the communication unit 1610 can also be configured to perform the operations related to the satellite in steps S1310 to S1330.

[0239] Optionally, the communication unit 1610 can also be configured to perform the operations related to the satellite in steps S1510 to S1530.

[0240] It should be understood that the specific process of each unit performing the corresponding steps has been described in detail in the above method embodiments, and thus will not be described here for simplicity.

[0241] FIG. 17 is a schematic structural diagram of another data forwarding apparatus provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 17, the apparatus 1700 can include a communication unit 1710.

[0242] In a possible design, the apparatus 1700 can correspond to the user equipment mentioned in the above-described implementation manner 1, and the apparatus 1700 can be the user equipment, or a chip, module or unit configured in the user equipment.

[0243] For example, when the apparatus 1700 is used to implement the above-described implementation manner 1, the communication unit 1710 can be configured to implement the receiving operation of the user equipment in step S420.

[0244] Optionally, the communication unit 1710 can also be configured to implement the operations related to the user equipment in steps S710, S730 and S740 described above; and the apparatus 1700 can further include a processing unit 1720 configured to implement the operations related to the user equipment in steps S720 and S750 described above.

[0245] Optionally, the communication unit 1710 can also be configured to implement the operations related to the user equipment in steps S1010 to S1030 described above.

[0246] It should be understood that the specific processes by which the units perform the corresponding steps described above have been described in detail in the method embodiments described above, and thus will not be described here for brevity.

[0247] In another possible design, the apparatus 1700 can correspond to the user equipment mentioned in the above-described implementation manner 2, and the apparatus 1700 can be the user equipment, or a chip, module or unit configured in the user equipment.

[0248] For example, when the apparatus 1700 is used to implement the above-described implementation manner 2, the communication unit 1710 can be configured to implement the receiving operation of the user equipment in step S1120.

[0249] Optionally, the communication unit 1710 can also be configured to implement the operations related to the user equipment in steps S1310 to S1330 described above.

[0250] Optionally, the communication unit 1710 can also be configured to implement the operations related to the user equipment in steps S1510 to S1530 described above.

[0251] It should be understood that the specific processes by which the units perform the corresponding steps described above have been described in detail in the method embodiments described above, and thus will not be described here for brevity.

[0252] The embodiments of the present application further provide a computer program product including one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions according to the embodiments of the present application are wholly or partially generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network or other programmable devices. 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 a wired (for example, coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (for example, infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) manner. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server, data center, etc. integrated with one or more available media sets. For example, the available media can include magnetic media (for example, floppy disk, hard disk or magnetic tape), optical media (for example, digital versatile disc (DVD)) or semiconductor media (for example, solid state disk (SSD)) and the like.

[0253] The embodiments of the present application further provide a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium stores computer programs or instructions. The computer programs or instructions are executed by a processor to implement the above method (including the processing steps corresponding to the satellite in the above method embodiments and / or the processing steps corresponding to the user equipment in the above method embodiments). The method described in the above embodiments can be wholly or partially implemented by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions can be stored as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium or transmitted on a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium can include computer storage medium and communication medium, and can also include any medium that can transfer computer programs from one place to another. The storage medium can be any target medium that can be accessed by a computer.

[0254] As a possible design, the computer readable medium can include a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a ROM, a random access memory (RAM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or other optical disk storage; the computer readable medium can include a magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage device. Moreover, any connection line can also be properly referred to as a computer readable medium. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, a server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, an optical fiber cable, a twisted pair, a DSL, or wireless technology (such as infrared, radio, and microwave), the coaxial cable, the optical fiber cable, the twisted pair, the DSL, or the wireless technology (such as infrared, radio, and microwave) is included in the definition of the medium. As used herein, a disk and a disc include a compact disc (CD), a laser disc, an optical disc, a DVD, a floppy disk, and a Blu-ray disc, where a disk usually reproduces data magnetically, while a disc reproduces data optically with a laser. Combinations of the above should also be included in the scope of the computer readable medium.

[0255] The embodiments of the present application are described with reference to the flowcharts and / or block diagrams of the methods, devices (systems), and computer program products according to the embodiments of the present application. It should be understood that each flow and / or block in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams, as well as a combination of flows and / or blocks in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing devices to produce a machine, so that the instructions executed by the computer or other programmable data processing devices produce a device that implements the functions specified in one or more flows in the flowcharts and / or one or more blocks in the block diagrams.

[0256] The above detailed description of the specific implementation is further detailed for the purpose of the present application, technical solutions and beneficial effects, and it should be understood that the above is only a specific implementation of the present application, and is not used to limit the protection scope of the present application, and any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made on the basis of the technical solutions of the present application should be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A data forwarding method, characterized by, The method is applied to a satellite, and the method comprises: pre-receiving and storing data to be forwarded to user equipment in a target service area; when the satellite enters the target service area, forwarding data to user equipment in different sub-service areas in the target service area in different time periods, wherein the target service area is divided into N sub-service areas, the service time of the satellite in the target service area is divided into multiple time periods, the multiple time periods include N time periods, and the N time periods correspond to the N sub-service areas one by one.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The forwarding of data to user equipment in different sub-service areas in the target service area in different time periods comprises: in the i-th time period of the N time periods, sending m first paging messages to all first user equipment in the target service area which has not received data in the first i-1 time periods, each of the m first paging messages being used to instruct first user equipment in the i-th sub-service area to receive data; receiving a first response message sent by first user equipment in the i-th sub-service area, the first response message being used to instruct the satellite to forward data; forwarding data to first user equipment in the i-th sub-service area based on the first response message.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The all first user equipment is divided into m groups, the m groups and the m first paging messages correspond to each other one by one, each of the first paging messages comprises an identification ID of the i-th sub-service area and the ID and access type of first user equipment included in the corresponding group.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The method further comprises: in the i-1 time period of the N time periods, forwarding data to second user equipment in the i-1 sub-service area in the target service area which has not received data in the first i-2 time periods; obtaining the all first user equipment by removing the second user equipment in the i-1 sub-service area from the all second user equipment.

5. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that, The multiple time periods further comprise an N+1 time period, and the method further comprises: in the N+1 time period, sending k second paging messages to all third user equipment in the target service area which has not received data in the first N time periods, the k second paging messages being used to instruct the all third user equipment to receive data; receiving a second response message sent by the all third user equipment; forwarding data to the all third user equipment based on the second response message.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, The all third user equipment is divided into k groups, the k groups and the k second paging messages correspond to each other one by one, each of the k second paging messages comprising the ID and access type of third user equipment included in the corresponding group.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, Before forwarding data to user equipment in different sub-service areas in the target service area in different time periods, the method further comprises: dividing the target service area into the N sub-service areas; divide a service time of the satellite in the target service area into the plurality of time periods.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, The dividing the target service area into the N sub-service areas comprises: The target service area is evenly divided into the N sub-service areas. Alternatively, the target service area is divided into the N sub-service areas according to a distribution density of user equipment in the target service area, wherein a size of a sub-service area and the distribution density of user equipment are in inverse proportion.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The pre-receiving and storing of the data to be forwarded to the user equipment in the target service area comprises: receiving, when the satellite passes through the gateway station, the data to be forwarded to the user equipment in the target service area sent by the core network; storing the data of the user equipment in the target service area.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The satellite comprises a medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite or a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite.

11. A data forwarding method, characterized by, The method is applied to a target user equipment, the target user equipment is in a target service area of a satellite, the satellite pre-stores data to be forwarded to the target user equipment, the target service area is divided into N sub-service areas, a service time of the satellite in the target service area is divided into a plurality of time periods, the plurality of time periods comprise N time periods, and the N time periods correspond to the N sub-service areas one by one. When the satellite enters the target service area, the method comprises: receiving a division range of each of the N sub-service areas sent by the satellite; in an i-th time period of the N time periods, and when the target user equipment does not receive data in the first i-1 time periods, receiving a first paging message sent by the satellite, the first paging message is used to instruct user equipment in the i-th sub-service area to receive data; determining whether the target user equipment is in the i-th sub-service area based on the division range; when it is confirmed that the target user equipment is in the i-th sub-service area, sending a first response message to the satellite, the first response message is used to request the satellite to forward data; receiving the data forwarded by the satellite; or, when it is confirmed that the target user equipment is not in the i-th sub-service area, ignoring the first paging message.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, The first paging message comprises an identification (ID) of the i-th sub-service area and an ID and an access type of the target user equipment.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that, The plurality of time periods further comprise an (N+1)-th time period, and if the target user equipment does not receive the data forwarded by the satellite in the first N time periods, the method further comprises: in the (N+1)-th time period, receiving a second paging message sent by the satellite, the second paging message is used to instruct the target user equipment to receive data; sending a second response message to the satellite, the second response message is used to request the satellite to forward data; receiving the data forwarded by the satellite.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein, The second paging message comprises an ID and an access type of the target user equipment.

15. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 14, characterized in that, The determining whether the target user equipment is in the i-th sub-service area based on the division range comprises: determining whether the target user equipment is in the i-th sub-service area based on the partition range and location information of the target user equipment.

16. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 15, characterized in that, The receiving the partition range of each of the N sub-service areas sent by the satellite comprises: The receiving the partition range of each of the N sub-service areas sent by the satellite comprises:

17. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 16, characterized in that, The satellite comprises a medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite or a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite.

18. A data forwarding apparatus, characterized by comprising: comprising at least one processor configured to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 10.

19. A data forwarding apparatus, characterized by comprising: comprising at least one processor configured to perform the method of any one of claims 11 to 17.

20. A data forwarding system, characterized by comprising a satellite configured to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 10 and a user equipment configured to perform the method of any one of claims 11 to 17.

21. A computer readable medium characterized by comprising a computer program which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 10.

22. A computer readable medium characterized by comprising a computer program which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 11 to 17.

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