Communication method, communication apparatus and computer-readable storage medium

Abstract

A communication method, a communication apparatus and a computer-readable storage medium. A terminal device can sense a target satellite and a switching time in advance, that is, the terminal device first determines the target satellite and the switching time, wherein the switching time is a moment after the current time, and the target satellite is a satellite that communicates with the terminal device after the switching time; and before the arrival of the switching time, the terminal device determines first posture information, wherein the first posture information is used for indicating a first posture, and the first posture is a posture in which the terminal device simultaneously communicates with a serving satellite and the target satellite. In other words, when the terminal device is in the first posture, the terminal device can communicate with the serving satellite; meanwhile, the terminal device can also communicate with the target satellite. In the present application, it is not necessary for a terminal device to calculate a posture at the arrival of a switching time, thereby reducing the time overheads of calculating the posture by the terminal device during satellite switching, and improving the efficiency of satellite switching.

Description

A communication method, a communication apparatus and a computer readable storage medium

[0001] The present application claims priority from the Chinese patent application No. 202410877532.7 filed on July 01, 2024, and entitled "A communication method, a communication apparatus and a computer readable storage medium", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication, and in particular, to a communication method, a communication apparatus and a computer readable storage medium. BACKGROUND

[0003] Terminal direct connection satellite refers to a communication mode in which a terminal device directly communicates with a satellite without the need of a ground base station for relay. This technology can realize data transmission and communication in scenarios where the ground communication network coverage is insufficient or does not exist (such as remote areas, sea navigation, air communication, emergency rescue, etc.).

[0004] Due to the relative motion between the satellite and the terminal device, the terminal device often needs to frequently access and switch between different satellites, which is also referred to as the process of satellite switching. In the process of satellite switching, the satellite that communicates with the terminal device before the satellite switching occurs is the serving satellite, and the satellite that communicates with the terminal device after the satellite switching succeeds is the target satellite. In the process of switching the terminal device from the serving satellite to the target satellite, the terminal device will disconnect the communication with the serving satellite and establish a communication link between the terminal device and the target satellite.

[0005] In the process of satellite switching, after the terminal device disconnects the communication with the serving satellite, the signal of the terminal device will be interrupted until the terminal device successfully establishes a communication link between the terminal device and the target satellite, and the terminal device can recover the signal. As can be seen, in the process of satellite switching, the signal of the terminal device will be interrupted, which reduces the communication quality.

[0006] Therefore, a more efficient satellite switching scheme is urgently needed. SUMMARY

[0007] The present application provides a communication method, a communication apparatus and a computer readable storage medium, which are used to improve the efficiency of satellite switching.

[0008] In a first aspect, the present application provides a communication method. The method is performed by a terminal device, or the terminal device can be a part of the terminal device (e.g., a circuit or a chip responsible for communication functions (such as a Modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system on chip (SoC) chip or a system in package (SIP) chip containing a modem core), or the terminal device can also be a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the terminal device. In the method, the terminal device communicates directly with a satellite, and the satellite that communicates with the terminal device at the current time is the serving satellite of the terminal device.

[0009] In the present application, the terminal device can perceive the target satellite and the switching time in advance before performing the satellite switching process, that is, the terminal device determines the target satellite and the switching time in advance. The switching time is a time after the current time, and the target satellite is a satellite that communicates with the terminal device after the switching time, or in other words, the target satellite is a satellite that provides services for the terminal device after the switching time.

[0010] As can be seen from the above, the switching time is a time after the current time. Therefore, before the switching time is reached, the terminal device determines the first attitude information. The first attitude information is used to indicate the first attitude, and the first attitude is an attitude for the terminal device to simultaneously communicate with the serving satellite and the target satellite. In other words, when the terminal device is in the first attitude, the terminal device can communicate with the serving satellite, and at the same time, the terminal device can also communicate with the target satellite.

[0011] In the present application, the terminal device determines the attitude that can simultaneously communicate with the serving satellite and the target satellite in advance before the switching time is reached. Therefore, the terminal device does not need to calculate the attitude when the switching time is reached, thereby saving the time cost of calculating the attitude of the terminal device in the satellite switching process, and improving the efficiency of satellite switching.

[0012] On the other hand, the terminal device allocates the task of complex attitude calculation to before the switching time, without occupying the resources during satellite switching, thereby improving the efficiency of satellite switching.

[0013] Based on the first aspect, in an optional implementation, the serving satellite sends a switching strategy to the terminal device, and the switching strategy is used by the terminal device to determine the target satellite and the switching time. After receiving the switching strategy, the terminal device can determine the target satellite and the switching time based on the switching strategy. Therefore, the serving satellite does not need to notify the terminal device of the target satellite and the switching time in advance, thereby reducing the load and resource cost of the serving satellite.

[0014] In an optional implementation based on the first aspect, the switching strategy comprises at least one of the following algorithms:

[0015] an algorithm based on shortest communication distance, denoted as min(d k ), where d k is the communication distance between the Kth candidate satellite and the terminal device. Specifically, the terminal device can select the candidate satellite closest to the terminal device from N candidate satellites as the target satellite, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1. The candidate satellite is a satellite currently available for terminal device switching. Optionally, the switching strategy can carry an identifier of the algorithm based on shortest communication distance, which is used to instruct the terminal device to determine the target satellite and the switching time based on the algorithm based on shortest communication distance;

[0016] an algorithm based on longest communication duration, denoted as max(t k ), where t k is the communication duration between the Kth candidate satellite and the terminal device. Specifically, the terminal device can select the candidate satellite with the longest communication duration from N candidate satellites as the target satellite. Optionally, the switching strategy can carry an identifier of the algorithm based on longest communication duration, which is used to instruct the terminal device to determine the target satellite and the switching time based on the algorithm based on longest communication duration;

[0017] an algorithm based on satellite orbit direction, in which the terminal device can select a candidate satellite with the same orbit direction as the target satellite, or can select a candidate satellite with the opposite orbit direction as the target satellite, or can not limit the orbit direction of the target satellite. Optionally, the switching strategy can carry an identifier of the algorithm based on satellite orbit direction, which is used to instruct the terminal device to determine the target satellite and the switching time based on the algorithm based on satellite orbit direction;

[0018] a weight of the algorithm based on shortest communication distance in the switching strategy;

[0019] a weight of the algorithm based on longest communication duration in the switching strategy;

[0020] a weight of the algorithm based on satellite orbit direction in the switching strategy.

[0021] In an optional implementation based on the first aspect, the target satellite and the switching time are determined by another device (e.g., a server or a service satellite), and then first information indicating the target satellite and the switching time is sent to the terminal device. After receiving the first information, the terminal device can determine the target satellite and the switching time based on the first information. Thus, the terminal device does not need to calculate the target satellite and the switching time, thereby reducing the resource consumption of the terminal device.

[0022] In an optional implementation based on the first aspect, the terminal device sends second information to the server, the second information indicating at least one of the location information of the terminal device, the signal quality, and the serving satellite. Optionally, the location information of the terminal device can be a current location of the terminal device, or can also be a location that the terminal device plans to reach but has not reached yet. After receiving the second information, the server determines the target satellite and the switching time based on at least one of the location information of the terminal device, the signal quality, and the serving satellite. Then, the server sends the terminal device the first information indicating the target satellite and the switching time. In this implementation, the terminal device does not need to calculate the target satellite and the switching time, thereby reducing the computational load of the terminal device.

[0023] In an optional implementation based on the first aspect, the terminal device can also send the second information to the serving satellite, the second information indicating at least one of the location information of the terminal device, the signal quality, and the serving satellite. Optionally, the location information of the terminal device can be a current location of the terminal device, or can also be a location that the terminal device plans to reach but has not reached yet. Optionally, the second information also indicates historical switching information of the terminal device, the historical switching information including the target satellite and the switching time in a past satellite switching process. After receiving the second information, the serving satellite determines the target satellite and the switching time based on at least one of the location information of the terminal device, the signal quality, and the serving satellite. Then, the serving satellite sends the terminal device the first information indicating the target satellite and the switching time. Similarly, in this implementation, the terminal device does not need to calculate the target satellite and the switching time, thereby reducing the computational load of the terminal device.

[0024] In an optional implementation based on the first aspect, the serving satellite or a network device (such as a base station) determines the target satellite and the switching time in advance. Then, the serving satellite sends the terminal device the first information indicating the target satellite and the switching time. In this implementation, the target satellite and the switching time determined by the serving satellite in advance are more accurate, and thus the success rate of satellite switching is higher.

[0025] In an optional implementation based on the first aspect, the serving satellite sends a switching instruction to the terminal device, the switching instruction being used to instruct the terminal device to access the target satellite. After receiving the switching instruction, the terminal device triggers a satellite switching process.

[0026] In an optional implementation of the first aspect, the terminal device adjusts to the first attitude based on the first attitude information since the first attitude information indicates the first attitude. At this time, the terminal device can communicate with the service satellite, and the terminal device can also communicate with the target satellite. In other words, when the terminal device is in the first attitude, the terminal device can transmit and receive data between the service satellite and the target satellite. Therefore, before the switching time is reached, the terminal device can still communicate with the service satellite in the first attitude. After the switching time is reached, the terminal device disconnects the connection with the service satellite in the first attitude, and the terminal device can communicate with the target satellite based on the first attitude, thereby avoiding communication interruption caused by the terminal device failing to adjust to an attitude that can communicate with the target satellite. On the other hand, since the terminal device adjusts to the first attitude that can communicate with the target satellite in advance, the satellite switching failure caused by the terminal device failing to aim at the target satellite is avoided, and the success rate of satellite switching is improved.

[0027] In an optional implementation of the first aspect, the terminal device determines second attitude information, the second attitude information is used to indicate a second attitude, and the second attitude is an attitude in which the terminal device can communicate with the target satellite and cannot communicate with the service satellite. In other words, when the terminal device is in the second attitude, the terminal device can communicate with the target satellite but cannot communicate with the service satellite. The terminal device can determine the second attitude information before the switching time is reached, or the terminal device can also determine the second information after the switching time is reached, which is not limited in the present application.

[0028] In an optional implementation of the first aspect, after the terminal device receives the switching instruction, the terminal device can adjust to the second attitude based on the second attitude information. As known from the above, the second attitude is an attitude in which the terminal device can communicate with the target satellite and cannot communicate with the service satellite. Therefore, in general, the signal quality of the terminal device when communicating with the target satellite in the second attitude is stronger than the signal quality of the terminal device when communicating with the target satellite in the first attitude. Therefore, the terminal device adjusting to the second attitude can improve the signal quality of the terminal device.

[0029] In a second aspect, the present application provides a communication method. The method is performed by a service satellite, or the service satellite can be a part of the service satellite (e.g., a circuit or a chip responsible for communication functions (such as a Modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system on chip (SoC) chip or a system in package (SIP) chip containing a modem core), etc.), or the service satellite can also be a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the service satellite. In the method, the service satellite determines third information, the third information being used by a terminal device to determine a target satellite and a switching time, the target satellite being a satellite that communicates with the terminal device after the switching time, and the switching time being a time after a current time;

[0030] The service satellite sends the third information to the terminal device, so that the terminal device determines first attitude information before reaching the switching time, the first attitude information indicating a first attitude, the first attitude being an attitude for the terminal device to simultaneously communicate with the service satellite and the target satellite.

[0031] Based on the second aspect, in an optional implementation, the third information includes a switching strategy, i.e., the service satellite sends the switching strategy to the terminal device, the switching strategy indicating the target satellite and the switching time for the terminal device to determine. After receiving the switching strategy, the terminal device can determine the target satellite and the switching time based on the switching strategy. Thus, the service satellite does not need to notify the terminal device of the target satellite and the switching time in advance, and the terminal device can determine the target satellite and the switching time, thereby reducing the load and resource consumption of the service satellite.

[0032] Based on the second aspect, in an optional implementation, the switching strategy includes at least one of the following algorithms:

[0033] an algorithm based on the shortest communication distance, denoted as min(d k ), where d k is the communication distance between the Kth candidate satellite and the terminal device. Specifically, the terminal device can select the closest candidate satellite from N candidate satellites as the target satellite, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1. The candidate satellite is a satellite currently available for the terminal device to switch. Optionally, the switching strategy can carry an identifier of the algorithm based on the shortest communication distance, the identifier being used to instruct the terminal device to determine the target satellite and the switching time by using the algorithm based on the shortest communication distance;

[0034] an algorithm based on the longest communication duration, denoted as max(t k ), where t kis a communication duration between the Kth candidate satellite and the terminal device. Specifically, the terminal device can select a candidate satellite with the longest communication duration from the N candidate satellites as the target satellite. Optionally, the switching strategy can carry an identifier of an algorithm based on the longest communication duration, and the identifier of the algorithm based on the longest communication duration is used to instruct the terminal device to determine the target satellite and the switching time by using the algorithm based on the longest communication duration.

[0035] The algorithm based on the satellite orbit direction, in which the terminal device can select a candidate satellite with a same orbit direction as the target satellite, or can select a candidate satellite with an opposite orbit direction as the target satellite, or can not limit the orbit direction of the target satellite. Optionally, the switching strategy can carry an identifier of an algorithm based on the satellite orbit direction, and the identifier of the algorithm based on the satellite orbit direction is used to instruct the terminal device to determine the target satellite and the switching time by using the algorithm based on the satellite orbit direction.

[0036] The weight of the algorithm based on the shortest communication distance in the switching strategy.

[0037] The weight of the algorithm based on the longest communication duration in the switching strategy.

[0038] The weight of the algorithm based on the satellite orbit direction in the switching strategy.

[0039] Based on the second aspect, in an optional implementation, the third information includes the first information, and the first information is used to indicate the target satellite and the switching time. Specifically, the service satellite or the network device (such as a base station) determines the target satellite and the switching time in advance. Then, the service satellite sends the first information indicating the target satellite and the switching time to the terminal device. In this implementation, the target satellite and the switching time determined by the service satellite in advance have high accuracy, and thus the success rate of satellite switching is high.

[0040] Based on the second aspect, in an optional implementation, the third information includes the first information, and the service satellite determines the third information in the following manner: the service satellite receives the second information from the terminal device, and the second information indicates at least one of the position information, the signal quality and the service satellite of the terminal device. Then, the service satellite determines the first information based on the second information.

[0041] Based on the second aspect, in an optional implementation, the service satellite sends a switching instruction to the terminal device, and the switching instruction is used to instruct the terminal device to access the target satellite. Then, the terminal device triggers the satellite switching process after receiving the switching instruction.

[0042] In a third aspect, the present application provides a communication method. The method is performed by a server, or the server can be a part of component in the server (for example, a circuit or a chip responsible for communication function (such as a Modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system on chip (SoC) chip or a system in package (SIP) chip containing a modem core), etc., or the server can also be a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the server function. A terminal device sends second information to a server, the second information indicating at least one of position information, signal quality and a serving satellite of the terminal device. Optionally, the position information of the terminal device can be a current position of the terminal device, or can also be a position that the terminal device plans to reach but has not reached yet. After receiving the second information, the server determines a target satellite and a switching time based on at least one of the position information, the signal quality and the serving satellite of the terminal device. Then, the server sends first information indicating the target satellite and the switching time to the terminal device. In this implementation manner, the first information does not need to be transmitted through a satellite direct link between the terminal device and the serving satellite, reducing the occupation of the satellite direct link and saving the communication resources between the terminal device and the serving satellite.

[0043] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which is a terminal device, and the communication device comprises a processing unit. The processing unit is configured to determine a target satellite and a switching time, wherein the target satellite is a satellite that communicates with the terminal device after the switching time, and the switching time is a time point after a current time; and the processing unit is further configured to determine, before the switching time is reached, first attitude information, the first attitude information being used to indicate a first attitude, and the first attitude being an attitude for the terminal device to simultaneously communicate with a serving satellite and the target satellite.

[0044] In the fourth aspect of the present application, the component modules of the communication device can also be configured to perform the steps performed in the various possible implementation manners of the first aspect and achieve the corresponding technical effects, and the details can be referred to the first aspect, which will not be described herein again.

[0045] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which is a serving satellite, and the communication device comprises a processing unit and a transceiver unit. The processing unit is configured to determine third information, the third information being used for a terminal device to determine a target satellite and a switching time, the target satellite being a satellite that communicates with the terminal device after the switching time, and the switching time being a time point after a current time;

[0046] The transceiver is configured to send third information to the terminal device, so that the terminal device determines first attitude information before reaching the switching time, the first attitude information indicating a first attitude, and the first attitude being an attitude for the terminal device to simultaneously communicate with the service satellite and the target satellite.

[0047] In the fifth aspect, the modules of the communication device can be further configured to perform the steps performed in the possible implementation manners of the second aspect, and achieve the corresponding technical effects. For details, refer to the second aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0048] In the sixth aspect, the application provides a communication device, which is a terminal device. The communication device comprises a processing unit and a transceiver. The transceiver is configured to receive second information from the terminal device, the second information indicating at least one of position information, signal quality and a service satellite of the terminal device.

[0049] The processing unit is configured to determine first information based on the second information, the first information indicating a target satellite and a switching time, the target satellite being a satellite that communicates with the terminal device after the switching time, and the switching time being a time after a current time.

[0050] The transceiver is further configured to send the first information to the terminal device, so that the terminal device determines first attitude information before reaching the switching time, the first attitude information indicating a first attitude, and the first attitude being an attitude for the terminal device to simultaneously communicate with the service satellite and the target satellite.

[0051] In the sixth aspect, the modules of the communication device can be further configured to perform the steps performed in the possible implementation manners of the third aspect, and achieve the corresponding technical effects. For details, refer to the third aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0052] In the seventh aspect, the application provides a communication device, comprising at least one processor and a memory coupled to the at least one processor. The memory is configured to store programs or instructions. The at least one processor is configured to execute the programs or instructions, so that the communication device implements the method in any one of the possible implementation manners of the first aspect to the third aspect. Optionally, the communication device can comprise the memory.

[0053] In the eighth aspect, the application provides a communication device, comprising at least one logic circuit and an input and output interface. The logic circuit is configured to execute the method as described in any one of the possible implementation manners of the first aspect to the third aspect.

[0054] In the ninth aspect, the application provides a communication system, comprising at least one of the terminal device, the service satellite and the server.

[0055] The tenth aspect of the present application provides a computer readable storage medium, which is used to store one or more computer execution instructions, when the computer execution instructions are executed by a processor, the processor executes the method in any possible implementation manner of any one of the first aspect to the third aspect.

[0056] The eleventh aspect of the present application provides a computer program product (or computer program), when the computer program in the computer program product is executed by the processor, the processor executes the method in any possible implementation manner of any one of the first aspect to the third aspect.

[0057] The twelfth aspect of the present application provides a chip system, which comprises at least one processor, and is used to support a communication apparatus to implement the method in any possible implementation manner of any one of the first aspect to the second aspect.

[0058] In a possible design, the chip system can further comprise a memory, which is used to store necessary program instructions and data of the communication apparatus. The chip system can be composed of a chip, or can comprise the chip and other discrete devices. Optionally, the chip system further comprises an interface circuit, which provides program instructions and / or data for the at least one processor.

[0059] The technical effects brought by any one of the second aspect to the eleventh aspect can refer to the technical effects brought by different design manners of the first aspect, which will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0060] FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are schematic diagrams of an existing scheme of aligning target satellites;

[0061] FIG. 3 is a possible, non-limiting architecture of a communication system in the present application;

[0062] FIG. 4 is a possible implementation of a communication method in the present application;

[0063] FIG. 5 is another possible implementation of a communication method in the present application;

[0064] FIG. 6 is a possible implementation of receiving first information by a terminal device in the present application;

[0065] FIG. 7 is a flowchart of verifying the first information by the terminal device in the present application;

[0066] FIG. 8 is another possible implementation of receiving first information by a terminal device in the present application;

[0067] FIG. 9 is a structure of a communication apparatus provided in the present application;

[0068] FIG. 10 is another schematic structural diagram of a communication apparatus provided in the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0069] The present application is described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the present application. The terms used in the embodiment part of the present application are only used to explain the specific embodiments of the present application, and are not intended to limit the present application. It is known to those skilled in the art that as technology develops and new scenarios appear, the technical solutions provided by the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0070] First, some terms or terms used in the present application are explained and described, which are also part of the invention.

[0071] (1) The terms "system" and "network" in the present application can be used interchangeably. "Multiple" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association between the associated objects, which means that there can be three kinds of relationships, for example, A and / or B, which means that A alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally represents a "or" relationship between the associated objects. "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" includes A, B, C, AB, AC, BC or ABC. Unless otherwise specified, the ordinal numbers mentioned in the present application, such as "first", "second", etc., are used to distinguish multiple objects, and are not used to limit the order, time sequence, priority or importance of multiple objects. In addition, the terms "include" and "have" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, for example, a process, method, system, product or device that includes a series of steps or units does not have to be limited to those steps or units clearly listed, but can include other steps or units that are not clearly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

[0072] (2) In the present application, "send" and "receive" represent the direction of signal transmission. For example, "sending information to XX" can be understood as the destination of the information being XX, which can include direct transmission through the air interface, or indirect transmission through the air interface by other units or modules. "Receiving information from YY" can be understood as the source of the information being YY, which can include direct reception from YY through the air interface, or indirect reception from YY through the air interface from other units or modules. "Send" can also be understood as the "output" of the chip interface, and "receive" can also be understood as the "input" of the chip interface.

[0073] In other words, the sending and receiving can be between devices, such as between a network device and a terminal device, or can be within a device, such as between components, modules, chips, software modules or hardware modules within a device through a bus, wire or interface.

[0074] It can be understood that the information can be processed, such as encoding and modulation, between the source and the destination of the information sending, but the destination can understand the effective information from the source. Similar expressions in this application can be understood similarly, and will not be repeated.

[0075] (3) Configuration and pre-configuration: in this application, configuration and pre-configuration will be used at the same time. Among them, the configuration refers to that the network device or server sends some parameter configuration information or parameter values to the terminal device through messages or signaling, so that the terminal device determines the communication parameters or resource in transmission according to the values or information. The pre-configuration is similar to the configuration, which can be the parameter information or parameter value agreed by the network device / server and the terminal device in advance, or the parameter information or parameter value adopted by the base station / network device or the terminal device according to the standard protocol, or the parameter information or parameter value pre-stored in the base station / server or the terminal device. This application does not limit this.

[0076] It should be understood that these values and parameters can be changed or updated.

[0077] (4) In this application, "indication" can include direct indication and indirect indication, and can also include explicit indication and implicit indication. The information indicated by a certain information (the first information and the second information described below) is called the to-be-indicated information. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to indicate the to-be-indicated information, for example but not limited to, the to-be-indicated information can be directly indicated, such as the to-be-indicated information itself or the index of the to-be-indicated information. The to-be-indicated information can also be indirectly indicated by indicating other information, where the other information and the to-be-indicated information have an association relationship; only a part of the to-be-indicated information can be indicated, and the other part of the to-be-indicated information is known or agreed in advance, for example, the arrangement order of each information agreed in advance (for example, pre-defined by a protocol) can be used to indicate a specific information, thereby reducing the indication overhead to a certain extent. The specific way of indication is not limited in this application. It can be understood that for the sender of the indication information, the indication information can be used to indicate the to-be-indicated information, and for the receiver of the indication information, the indication information can be used to determine the to-be-indicated information.

[0078] (5) Terminal device: can be a wireless terminal device capable of receiving network device scheduling and indication information, the wireless terminal device can be a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to a user, or a handheld device with a wireless connection function, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem.

[0079] The terminal device can communicate with one or more core networks or the Internet through a radio access network (RAN), and the terminal device can be a mobile terminal device, such as a mobile phone (also known as a "cellular" phone, mobile phone), a computer, and a data card, for example, it can be a portable, pocket-sized, handheld, computer-built-in, or vehicle-mounted mobile device that exchanges voice and / or data with a radio access network. For example, personal communication service (PCS) phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), tablets, computers with wireless transceiver functions, and the like. The wireless terminal device can also be referred to as a system, a subscriber unit, a subscriber station, a mobile station or a mobile station (MS), a remote station, an access point (AP), a remote terminal, an access terminal, a user terminal, a user agent, a subscriber station (SS), customer premises equipment (CPE), a terminal, user equipment (UE), a mobile terminal (MT), and the like.

[0080] By way of example, and without limitation, in the present application, the terminal device can also be a wearable device. The wearable device can also be referred to as a smart wearable device or a smart wearable device, etc. It is a general term for devices that apply wearable technology to the intelligent design and development of daily wear, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes, etc. Wearable devices are portable devices that can be worn directly on the body or integrated into the user's clothes or accessories. Wearable devices are not just hardware devices, but also have powerful functions through software support and data interaction, cloud interaction. Broadly speaking, smart wearable devices include devices with full functionality, large size, and the ability to achieve complete or partial functionality without relying on smartphones, such as smartwatches or smartglasses, etc., as well as devices that focus on a specific application function and need to be used with other devices such as smartphones, such as various smart wristbands, smart helmets, smart jewelry, etc.

[0081] The terminal device can also be a drone, a robot, a terminal device in device-to-device (D2D) communication, a terminal device in vehicle to everything (V2X), a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self driving, a wireless terminal in telemedicine or telehealth services, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, etc.

[0082] In addition, the terminal device can also be a terminal device in a communication system evolved after the 5th generation (5G) communication system (such as 5G Advanced or 6th generation (6G) communication system, etc.) or a terminal device in a future evolved public land mobile network (PLMN), etc. For example, 5G Advanced or 6G network can further expand the form and function of 5G communication terminal, 6G terminal includes but is not limited to vehicle, cellular network terminal (fusion satellite terminal function), drone, internet of things (IoT) device.

[0083] In this application, the terminal device can also obtain an artificial intelligence (AI) service provided by the network device. Optionally, the terminal device can also have AI processing capability.

[0084] (6) Network device: can be a device in a wireless network, for example, the network device can be a RAN node (or device) for accessing the terminal device to the wireless network, which can also be called a base station. At present, some examples of RAN devices are: base station, evolved NodeB (eNodeB), base station gNB (gNodeB) in 5G communication system, transmission reception point (TRP), evolved Node B (eNB), radio network controller (RNC), Node B (NB), home base station (for example, home evolved Node B, or home Node B, HNB), baseband unit (BBU), or wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) access point (AP) and the like. In addition, in a network structure, the network device can include a central unit (CU) node, or a distributed unit (DU) node, or a RAN device including a CU node and a DU node.

[0085] Optionally, the RAN node can also be a macro base station, a micro base station or an indoor station, a relay node or a donor node, or a wireless controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario. The RAN node can also be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle or a vehicle-mounted device, etc. For example, the access network device in vehicle to everything (V2X) technology can be a road side unit (RSU).

[0086] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes cooperate to assist a terminal to implement wireless access, and different RAN nodes respectively implement part of functions of a base station. For example, a RAN node can be a CU, a DU, a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU), etc. The CU and the DU can be separately configured, or can also be included in the same network element, for example, in a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or a radio frequency unit, for example, included in a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), a radio head (RH), or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0087] In different systems, the CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), the DU, or the RU can also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in an open RAN (O-RAN or ORAN) system, the CU can also be referred to as an O-CU (open CU), the DU can also be referred to as an O-DU, the CU-CP can also be referred to as an O-CU-CP, the CU-UP can also be referred to as an O-CU-UP, and the RU can also be referred to as an O-RU. For the convenience of description, the CU, the CU-CP, the CU-UP, the DU, and the RU are taken as examples for description in this application. Any one of the CU (or the CU-CP, the CU-UP), the DU, and the RU in this application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0088] The communication between the access network device and the terminal device follows a certain protocol layer structure. The protocol layer can include a control plane protocol layer and a user plane protocol layer. The control plane protocol layer can include at least one of the following: a radio resource control (RRC) layer, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, a media access control (MAC) layer, or a physical (PHY) layer, etc. The user plane protocol layer can include at least one of the following: a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, a PDCP layer, an RLC layer, a MAC layer, or a physical layer, etc.

[0089] For the correspondence between the network elements in the ORAN system and the protocol layer functions that can be implemented by the network elements, refer to Table 1 below.

[0090] Table 1

[0091] The network device can be another device that provides a wireless communication function for the terminal device. Embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the network device. For the convenience of description, the present application does not limit.

[0092] The network device can also include a core network device, for example, a mobility management entity (MME) in a fourth generation (4G) network, a home subscriber server (HSS), a serving gateway (S-GW), a policy and charging rules function (PCRF), a public data network gateway (PDN gateway or P-GW), a network element such as an access and mobility management function (AMF) in a 5G network, a user plane function (UPF), or a session management function (SMF). In addition, the core network device can also include other core network devices in the 5G network and the next generation network of the 5G network.

[0093] The network device described above can also be an AI-capable network node that can provide AI services for terminals or other network devices, for example, an AI node, a computing power node, an AI-capable RAN node, an AI-capable core network element, etc. on the network side (access network or core network).

[0094] In the present application, the device for implementing the function of the network device can be a network device or a device capable of supporting the network device to implement the function, such as a chip system, which can be installed in the network device. In the technical solutions provided in the present application, the device for implementing the function of the network device is taken as an example to describe the technical solutions provided in the present application.

[0095] It should be understood that, in the present application, the same or similar parts between various embodiments can be mutually referred to, unless otherwise specified. In the various embodiments of the present application, and the various methods / designs / implementation manners in the various embodiments, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments, and the various methods / designs / implementation manners in the various embodiments are consistent, and can be mutually referred to, unless otherwise specified and in conflict with logic. The technical features in different embodiments, and the various methods / designs / implementation manners in the various embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments, methods, or implementation manners according to their inherent logical relationship. The implementation manners of the present application described below do not constitute a limitation on the protection scope of the present application.

[0096] Next, possible, non-limiting scenarios related to the present application are introduced.

[0097] Terminal direct satellite refers to a communication mode in which a terminal device directly communicates with a satellite without the need for a ground base station to transit. This technology can realize data transmission and communication in scenarios where the ground communication network coverage is insufficient or does not exist (such as remote areas, sea navigation, aviation communication, emergency rescue, etc.).

[0098] The introduction of the current mainstream terminal direct satellite technical solution is specifically described in Table 2 below.

[0099] Table 2

[0100] As shown in Table 2, in the above-mentioned solution 1, the terminal manufacturer cooperates with the satellite operator to customize the terminal hardware. The satellite is not changed, and a dedicated communication protocol and satellite MSS frequency band are used. Most of the hardware, software, services, and applications in the terminal device are controlled and managed by one company or a group of closely cooperating companies, resulting in poor interoperability of the terminal device with external systems, forming a “closed” ecology. Moreover, under the constraints of satellite regulation, the current satellite communication system can usually only provide regional services. On the other hand, the communication rate of the solution 1 is generally not high, and it cannot provide high-speed services, mainly used to support emergency short messages, voice, etc.

[0101] In the above-mentioned solution 2, the satellite operator cooperates with the ground operator, and the inventory terminal device is not changed. The satellite is designed to adapt to the terminal device, and the operator spectrum (such as IMT spectrum) is used. However, the price cost of the ground IMT spectrum is very high, the spectrum distribution provided by the operator is relatively scattered, and the bandwidth is small, and the capacity ability is poor.

[0102] In the above-mentioned solution 3, many technologies and designs are introduced in the 3GPP NTN R18 standard to enhance the coverage capability. Moreover, a unified implementation standard is adopted, which is conducive to the long-term development of the terminal direct satellite technology.

[0103] Due to the relative movement between the satellite and the terminal device, the terminal device often needs to frequently access and switch between different satellites, which is also referred to as the process of satellite switching. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the terminal device of a certain manufacturer displays the attitude information for aligning the target satellite through the display screen, so that the user adjusts the attitude of the terminal device based on the attitude information.

[0104] In the process of satellite switching, the satellite that communicates with the terminal device before the satellite switching occurs is the serving satellite, and the satellite that communicates with the terminal device after the satellite switching succeeds is the target satellite. In the process of switching the terminal device from the serving satellite to the target satellite, the terminal device disconnects the communication with the serving satellite and establishes the communication link between the terminal device and the target satellite.

[0105] In the process of satellite switching, after the terminal device disconnects the communication with the serving satellite, the signal of the terminal device is interrupted until the terminal device successfully establishes the communication link between the terminal device and the target satellite, and the terminal device can recover the signal. As can be seen, in the process of satellite switching, the signal of the terminal device is interrupted, which reduces the communication quality.

[0106] On the other hand, for the satellite switching scenarios shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the user may take several seconds from seeing the displayed attitude information with the naked eye to completing the adjustment of the attitude, thereby causing the terminal device to fail to timely align the target satellite and establish the communication with the target satellite in the process of satellite switching, and causing the terminal device to have a low efficiency of performing satellite switching.

[0107] To solve the above problems, the present application provides a communication method, a communication device and a computer readable storage medium, which are used to improve the efficiency of satellite switching. The communication method, the communication device and the computer readable storage medium provided by the present application can be applied to a communication system, which includes at least one satellite and / or at least one terminal device. The satellite is used to provide communication services for the terminal device.

[0108] Please refer to FIG. 3, which is a possible and non-limiting architecture schematic diagram of the communication system in the present application. As shown in FIG. 3, the terminal device communicates with the satellite. For example, the satellite can transmit downlink data to the terminal device, wherein the downlink data can be encoded by channel coding, and the downlink data encoded by channel coding is transmitted to the terminal device after constellation modulation; the terminal device can also transmit uplink data to the satellite, wherein the uplink data can also be encoded by channel coding, and the uplink data encoded by channel coding is transmitted to the satellite after constellation modulation.

[0109] There are wireless links between different satellites to complete signaling interaction and user data transmission between satellites. The satellite is connected to the core network on the ground through the wireless link. The core network is used to realize user access control, mobility management, session management, user security authentication and billing services. The core network includes multiple functional units, and the core network can be divided into control plane and data plane functional entities. Among them, the functional entity of the control plane can be an access and mobility management unit (AMF), and the AMF is responsible for user access management, security authentication and mobility management functions. The functional entity of the control plane can be a user plane unit (UPF), and the UPF is responsible for managing user plane data transmission and traffic statistics functions. Optionally, the communication system also includes the foregoing network device (for example, a base station).

[0110] Next, the communication method provided by the present application is introduced. Please refer to FIG. 4, which is a possible implementation schematic diagram of the communication method in the present application. It should be understood that the satellite (including the service satellite and the target satellite) and the terminal device in FIG. 4 are taken as an example to illustrate the execution subject of the interaction method, but the present application does not limit the execution subject of the interaction method. For example, the terminal device in FIG. 4 can be a chip, a baseband chip, a modem chip, a system on chip (SoC) chip containing a modem core, a system in package (SIP) chip, a communication module, a chip system, a processor, a logic module or software in the terminal device; the satellite in FIG. 4 can be a chip, a chip system or a processor for supporting the satellite to implement the method; or the clock node can also be a logic node, a logic module or software for implementing all or part of the satellite functions.

[0111] As shown in FIG. 4, the communication method of the present application includes but is not limited to steps 101 to 102.

[0112] 101. The terminal device determines the target satellite and the switching time.

[0113] In the present application, the terminal device communicates directly with the satellite, that is, data (such as one or more of service data, signals, information and signaling) does not need to be transferred through the network device (such as a base station) on the ground, but can be transferred between the terminal device and the satellite. Among them, the satellite that communicates with the terminal device at the current time is the service satellite of the terminal device.

[0114] The satellites (including the serving satellite, the target satellite and the candidate satellite) involved in the present application can adopt the design of a regenerative satellite architecture and / or a transparent satellite architecture, or can also adopt other future evolved satellite architectures. Taking the serving satellite as an example, when the serving satellite adopts the regenerative satellite architecture, the “serving satellite sending the first information, the third information and / or the switching strategy” mentioned in the present application means that the first information, the third information and / or the switching strategy are generated and sent by the serving satellite, and the serving satellite is the source of the first information, the third information and / or the switching strategy; when the serving satellite adopts the transparent satellite architecture, the “serving satellite sending the first information, the third information and / or the switching strategy” mentioned in the present application means that the first information, the third information and / or the switching strategy are generated by the network equipment (for example, a base station) on the ground and sent to the terminal device, that is, the network equipment (for example, a base station) is the source of the first information, the third information and / or the switching strategy. The serving satellite is a transit node for transparent transmission, and forwards the first information, the third information and / or the switching strategy sent by the network equipment (for example, a base station) to the terminal device.

[0115] Optionally, the satellites (including the serving satellite and the target satellite) can be low earth orbit (LEO) satellites, medium earth orbit (MEO) satellites, high elliptical orbit (HEO) satellites or geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellites, or can also be other future evolved satellite types, which are not limited in the present application.

[0116] In the satellite switching process, the satellite that communicates with the terminal device after the satellite switching is successful is the target satellite of the terminal device, and the time when the terminal device performs the satellite switching process is the switching time. Optionally, the serving satellite can send a switching instruction to the terminal device, and the switching instruction is used to trigger the terminal device to perform the satellite switching process. For example, the time when the terminal device performs the satellite switching process in the present application can refer to the time when the serving satellite sends the switching instruction, or can also be the time when the terminal device receives the switching instruction, or can also be the effective time of the switching instruction after the terminal device receives the switching instruction.

[0117] In the present application, the terminal device can perceive the target satellite and the switching time in advance before performing the satellite switching process, that is, the terminal device determines the target satellite and the switching time in advance. The switching time is a time point after the current time, and the target satellite is a satellite that communicates with the terminal device after the switching time, or in other words, the target satellite is a satellite that provides services for the terminal device after the switching time.

[0118] 102. Before reaching the switching time, the terminal device determines the first attitude information.

[0119] As can be seen from the above, the switching time is a time point after the current time. Therefore, before reaching the switching time, the terminal device determines the first attitude information. The first attitude information is used to indicate the first attitude, and the first attitude is an attitude for the terminal device to simultaneously communicate with the serving satellite and the target satellite. In other words, when the terminal device is in the first attitude, the terminal device can communicate with the serving satellite, and at the same time, the terminal device can also communicate with the target satellite.

[0120] Optionally, the first attitude information includes the first attitude and / or an offset between the first attitude and the current attitude of the terminal device.

[0121] In the present application, the terminal device determines the attitude that can simultaneously communicate with the serving satellite and the target satellite in advance before reaching the switching time. Therefore, the terminal device does not need to calculate the attitude when reaching the switching time, thereby saving the time cost of calculating the attitude of the terminal device in the satellite switching process, and improving the efficiency of satellite switching.

[0122] On the other hand, the terminal device allocates the task of complex attitude calculation to before the switching time, without occupying the resources during satellite switching, thereby improving the efficiency of satellite switching.

[0123] Optionally, on the basis of steps 101 and 102 described in the embodiment of FIG. 4, the communication method provided by the present application can further include steps 103 and 104.

[0124] 103. The terminal device adjusts to the first attitude.

[0125] Since the first attitude information indicates the first attitude, the terminal device adjusts to the first attitude based on the first attitude information. At this time, the terminal device can communicate with the service satellite, and at the same time, the terminal device can also communicate with the target satellite. In other words, when the terminal device is in the first attitude, the terminal device can transmit and receive data between the service satellite, and at the same time, the terminal device can also transmit and receive data between the target satellite. Then, before reaching the switching time, the terminal device can still communicate with the service satellite in the first attitude. After reaching the switching time, the terminal device disconnects the connection with the service satellite in the first attitude, and without adjusting the attitude, the terminal device can communicate with the target satellite based on the first attitude, thereby avoiding the communication interruption caused by the terminal device not adjusting to the attitude capable of communicating with the target satellite. On the other hand, since the terminal device adjusts the first attitude capable of communicating with the target satellite in advance, the situation of satellite switching failure caused by being unable to aim at the target satellite is avoided, and the success rate of satellite switching is improved.

[0126] Exemplarily, the data transmitted and received by the terminal device can be one or more of service data, signals, information, and signaling.

[0127] Exemplarily, the terminal device can be a device with attitude adjustment capability, such as a smart car, a drone, a robot, or a mechanical arm, so as to be adjusted to the first attitude by the first attitude information. Alternatively, the terminal device can also display the first attitude information on a display screen, and then manually adjust the terminal device to the first attitude based on the first attitude information by a user.

[0128] 104. The terminal device receives the switching instruction from the service satellite.

[0129] The service satellite sends the switching instruction to the terminal device, and the switching instruction is used to instruct the terminal device to access the target satellite. Then, after receiving the switching instruction, the terminal device triggers the satellite switching process. Alternatively, the switching time indicated in the present application can refer to the time when the service satellite sends the switching instruction, or can also be the time when the terminal device receives the switching instruction, or can also be the effective time of the switching instruction after the terminal device receives the switching instruction.

[0130] Alternatively, the terminal device determines the second attitude information, and the second attitude information is used to indicate the second attitude. The second attitude is an attitude used for the terminal device to communicate with the target satellite and unable to communicate with the service satellite. In other words, when the terminal device is in the second attitude, the terminal device can communicate with the target satellite, but cannot communicate with the service satellite. Wherein, the terminal device can determine the second attitude information before reaching the switching time, or can also determine the second information after reaching the switching time, which is not limited in the present application.

[0131] Optionally, after the terminal device receives the switching instruction, the terminal device can be adjusted to the second attitude based on the second attitude information. As known from the above, the second attitude is an attitude for the terminal device to communicate with the target satellite and unable to communicate with the service satellite. Therefore, in general, the signal quality of the terminal device when communicating with the target satellite in the second attitude is stronger than the signal quality of the terminal device when communicating with the target satellite in the first attitude. Thus, the terminal device is adjusted to the second attitude, and the signal quality of the terminal device can be improved.

[0132] For example, the terminal device can be a device with attitude adjustment capability, such as a smart car, a drone, a robot, a mechanical arm, etc., so as to be adjusted to the second attitude by the second attitude information. Optionally, the terminal device can also display the second attitude information on the display screen, and then the user manually adjusts the terminal device to the second attitude based on the second attitude information.

[0133] Please refer to FIG. 5, which is another possible implementation of the communication method in the present application. As shown in FIG. 5, first, the terminal device communicates with the service satellite. Then the terminal device is in an attitude of only communicating with the service satellite, and at this time the terminal device does not need to be aligned with the target satellite. After the target satellite and the switching time are determined (i.e., step 101), the terminal device is adjusted to the first attitude. When the terminal device is in the first attitude, the terminal device can communicate with the service satellite, and also can communicate with the target satellite. After the switching time is reached, the terminal device is adjusted to the second attitude. When the terminal device is in the second attitude, the terminal device only communicates with the target satellite, and the terminal device does not need to be aligned with the service satellite.

[0134] In step 101 of the present application, the terminal device can determine the target satellite and the switching time through various implementation manners, which are introduced as follows.

[0135] Implementation manner one: the service satellite sends a switching strategy to the terminal device, and the switching strategy is used by the terminal device to determine the target satellite and the switching time. After the terminal device receives the switching strategy, the terminal device can determine the target satellite and the switching time based on the switching strategy. Thus, the service satellite does not need to notify the terminal device of the target satellite and the switching time in advance, which reduces the load and resource consumption of the service satellite.

[0136] Optionally, in actual application, the service satellite is configured with a handover strategy for determining the target satellite and the handover time, and the service satellite sends a handover instruction to the terminal device based on the handover strategy. Moreover, the service satellite sends the handover strategy to the terminal device, so that the service satellite and the terminal device can determine the target satellite and the handover time based on the same handover strategy, thereby making the target satellite and the handover time determined by the service satellite consistent with the target satellite and the handover time determined by the terminal device, avoiding the terminal device to incorrectly judge the target satellite and the handover time, resulting in failure of satellite handover, and improving the success rate of satellite handover.

[0137] If the service satellite adopts a regenerative satellite architecture, the handover strategy is selected by the service satellite and sent to the terminal device; if the service satellite adopts a transparent satellite architecture, the network device (for example, a base station) selects the handover strategy, and then the network device sends the handover strategy to the service satellite, and the service satellite forwards the handover strategy to the terminal device.

[0138] Optionally, each handover strategy corresponds to an index number, and the service satellite can send the handover strategy based on the index number. For example, when the service satellite sends the index number “1”, it means that the handover strategy corresponding to the index number “1” is adopted.

[0139] Optionally, the service satellite can send the handover strategy in the following ways: sending through cell-level broadcast, sending through beam-level broadcast, or sending through terminal device-level unicast.

[0140] In one possible implementation, the handover strategy includes at least one of the following:

[0141] an algorithm based on the shortest communication distance, denoted as min(d k ), where d k is the communication distance between the Kth candidate satellite and the terminal device. Specifically, the terminal device can select the closest candidate satellite from N candidate satellites as the target satellite, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1. The candidate satellite is a satellite currently available for terminal device handover. Optionally, the handover strategy can carry an identifier of the algorithm based on the shortest communication distance, which is used to instruct the terminal device to determine the target satellite and the handover time based on the algorithm based on the shortest communication distance.

[0142] an algorithm based on the longest communication duration, denoted as max(t k ), where t kis the communication duration between the Kth candidate satellite and the terminal device. Specifically, the terminal device can select a candidate satellite with the longest communication duration from the N candidate satellites as the target satellite. Optionally, the switching strategy can carry an identifier of an algorithm based on the longest communication duration, which is used to instruct the terminal device to determine the target satellite and the switching time based on the algorithm based on the longest communication duration;

[0143] The algorithm based on the satellite orbit direction, in which the terminal device can select a candidate satellite with the same orbit direction as the target satellite, or can select a candidate satellite with the opposite orbit direction as the target satellite, or can not limit the orbit direction of the target satellite. Optionally, the switching strategy can carry an identifier of an algorithm based on the satellite orbit direction, which is used to instruct the terminal device to determine the target satellite and the switching time based on the algorithm based on the satellite orbit direction;

[0144] The weight of the algorithm based on the shortest communication distance in the switching strategy;

[0145] The weight of the algorithm based on the longest communication duration in the switching strategy;

[0146] The weight of the algorithm based on the satellite orbit direction in the switching strategy.

[0147] For example, Table 3 below is an implementation example of a possible switching strategy.

[0148] Table 3

[0149] In the example of Table 3 above, max(a k +bt k ), indicating that the switching strategy (for example, switching strategy 5 and switching strategy 6) adopts an algorithm based on the shortest communication distance and the longest communication duration. Wherein a represents the weight of the communication distance (or the algorithm based on the shortest communication distance) in the switching strategy, b represents the weight of the communication duration (or the algorithm based on the longest communication duration) in the switching strategy, a≤0, b≥0, and a and b cannot be 0 at the same time. The difference between switching strategy 5 and switching strategy 6 is that switching strategy 5 only considers the same orbit direction, i.e. switching strategy 5 only selects a candidate satellite with the same orbit direction as the target satellite; while switching strategy 6 considers all orbit directions, i.e. switching strategy 6 does not limit the orbit direction of the target satellite.

[0150] Optionally, the serving satellite or the network device (e.g., base station) can update the handover strategy based on network environment, service demand, and / or performance of the terminal device, and the like, and send the updated handover strategy to the terminal device. For example, for a high latitude area, the number of visible satellites is large, and the serving satellite can send a handover strategy based on the longest communication time to reduce the handover frequency of the satellite; for a low latitude area, the number of visible satellites is small, and the serving satellite can send a handover strategy based on the shortest distance to improve the signal-to-noise ratio.

[0151] As can be seen from the above, in the first implementation, the terminal device determines the target satellite and the handover time based on the handover strategy. Optionally, in the present application, the target satellite and the handover time can also be determined by other devices (e.g., servers or serving satellites), and then the first information indicating the target satellite and the handover time is sent to the terminal device. Then, after receiving the first information, the terminal device can determine the target satellite and the handover time based on the first information. Thus, the terminal device does not need to calculate the target satellite and the handover time, thereby reducing the resource consumption of the terminal device.

[0152] In the present application, two implementation modes (as follows, the second implementation and the third implementation) of receiving the first information by the terminal device are provided, which are introduced as follows.

[0153] The second implementation: please refer to FIG. 6, which is a possible implementation schematic diagram of receiving the first information by the terminal device in the present application. As shown in FIG. 6, the terminal device sends the second information to the server, and the second information indicates at least one of the location information, the signal quality, and the serving satellite of the terminal device. The location information of the terminal device can be the current location of the terminal device, or can also be the location that the terminal device plans to reach but has not reached yet. Optionally, the second information also indicates the historical handover information of the terminal device, and the historical handover information includes the target satellite and the handover time in the past satellite handover process. After receiving the second information, the server determines the target satellite and the handover time based on at least one of the location information, the signal quality, and the serving satellite of the terminal device. Then, the server sends the first information indicating the target satellite and the handover time to the terminal device. In this implementation, the terminal device does not need to calculate the target satellite and the handover time, thereby reducing the computing power consumption of the terminal device.

[0154] Alternatively, the terminal device can also send second information to the service satellite, the second information indicating at least one of the location information of the terminal device, the signal quality, and the service satellite. The location information of the terminal device can be the current location of the terminal device, or can also be a location that the terminal device plans to reach but has not reached at present. Optionally, the second information also indicates historical switching information of the terminal device, the historical switching information including a target satellite and a switching time in a past satellite switching process. After receiving the second information, the service satellite determines the target satellite and the switching time based on at least one of the location information of the terminal device, the signal quality, and the service satellite. Then, the service satellite sends first information indicating the target satellite and the switching time to the terminal device. Similarly, in this implementation manner, the terminal device does not need to calculate the target satellite and the switching time, thereby reducing the calculation power consumption of the terminal device.

[0155] In the present application, the server can be a standalone physical server, or a server cluster or distributed system composed of multiple physical servers, or a cloud server providing cloud services, cloud databases, cloud computing, cloud functions, cloud storage, network services, cloud communication, middleware services, domain name services, security services, content delivery networks (CDNs), big data, or artificial intelligence platforms, etc. basic cloud computing services, and the specific implementation is not limited here. The terminal device and the server can be directly or indirectly connected through wired or wireless communication.

[0156] Optionally, the server or the service satellite is deployed with a neural network model for predicting the target satellite and the switching time. Therefore, before step 101, the neural network model can be trained to improve the correctness of the neural network model in predicting the target satellite and the switching time. For example, the server or the service satellite can collect training samples from various terminal devices. The training samples include the location information of the terminal device, the signal quality, the service satellite information (such as the identifier of the service satellite or the location information of the service satellite), the target satellite information (such as the identifier of the target satellite or the location information of the target satellite), and the switching time. During the training of the neural network model, the server or the service satellite can take the location information of the terminal device, the signal quality, and the service satellite information (such as the identifier of the service satellite or the location information of the service satellite) as the input of the neural network model, and take the target satellite information (such as the identifier of the target satellite or the location information of the target satellite) and the switching time as the output of the neural network model, and train the neural network model.

[0157] It should be understood that the neural network model can be replaced by other terms, such as a neural network, an artificial intelligence (AI) model, an AI neural network model, a machine learning model, an AI processing model, etc.

[0158] Optionally, after receiving the first information from the server or the service satellite, the terminal device can further verify whether the first information is valid. If the first information is valid, step 102 is performed; if the first information is invalid, step 102 is not performed (for example, the first information is discarded). Please refer to FIG. 7, which is a flowchart of the terminal device verifying the first information. As shown in FIG. 7, the terminal device receives the first information, which indicates the target satellite and the switching time. For example, the terminal device can predict whether the terminal device will perform satellite switching with the target satellite at the switching time based on the location information, the signal quality and the service satellite of the terminal device. If yes, the terminal device performs step 102; if no, the terminal device discards the first information.

[0159] In a third implementation, the target satellite and the handover time are determined by a serving satellite or a network device (e.g., a base station). Then, the first information indicating the target satellite and the handover time is sent by the serving satellite to the terminal device. In this implementation, the target satellite and the handover time determined by the serving satellite are more accurate, and thus the success rate of satellite handover is higher. Next, the serving satellite sends a handover instruction to the terminal device. Please refer to FIG. 8, which is another possible implementation of the terminal device receiving the first information. In the scenario shown in FIG. 8, the first information is a pre-configuration (Pre-config) message sent by the serving satellite to the terminal device at time t0. The Pre-config message includes target satellite information and a validity time of the handover instruction, where the target satellite information is used to indicate the target satellite, and the validity time of the handover instruction is used to indicate the handover time. For example, the target satellite information can include at least one of ephemeris information of the target satellite, a target satellite identifier, and a target physical cell identifier (PCI), and the validity time of the handover instruction is expressed as t0+T, where t0 is the time at which the Pre-config message is sent by the serving satellite, and T represents an interval between t0 and the time at which the handover instruction is sent by the serving satellite. After receiving the Pre-config message, the terminal device can determine the handover time through t0+T in the Pre-config message. Then, the terminal device determines the first attitude information based on the target satellite information in the Pre-config message, and adjusts to the first attitude before time t0+T. After reaching time t0+T, the terminal device receives the handover instruction from the serving satellite and performs satellite handover. Optionally, the terminal device also receives a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration message. Since the target satellite information (e.g., ephemeris information, a target satellite identifier, and a PCI) has been issued in the Pre-config message, the RRC reconfiguration message can no longer carry the target satellite information.

[0160] Correspondingly, the application further provides a related device for implementing the above scheme. Please refer to FIG. 9, which is a structural schematic diagram of a communication device 200 provided by the application. The communication device 200 can realize the functions of the terminal device (or the service satellite or the server) in the above method embodiments, and thus can also realize the beneficial effects possessed by the above method embodiments. In the application, the communication device 200 can be a terminal device (or a service satellite or a server), or an integrated circuit or an element etc. inside the terminal device (or the service satellite or the server), such as a chip, a baseband chip, a modem chip, a SoC chip containing a modem core, a system in package (SIP) chip, a communication module, a chip system, a processor, etc.

[0161] As shown in FIG. 9, the communication device 200 includes a transceiver unit 201 and a processing unit 202. Optionally, the transceiver unit 201 can include a sending unit and a receiving unit, which are respectively used for performing sending and receiving.

[0162] In a possible implementation, when the communication device 200 is used for executing the method performed by the terminal device in the corresponding embodiment of FIG. 4, the communication device 200 includes the transceiver unit 201 and the processing unit 202; the processing unit 202 is configured to determine a target satellite and a switching time, wherein the target satellite is a satellite that communicates with the terminal device after the switching time, and the switching time is a time point after a current time; the processing unit 202 is further configured to acquire second information, the second information indicating that the service data is used for second processing; and the processing unit 202 is further configured to determine, by the terminal device, first attitude information before the switching time is reached, the first attitude information being used for indicating a first attitude, and the first attitude being an attitude in which the terminal device simultaneously communicates with the service satellite and the target satellite.

[0163] Optionally, the transceiver unit 201 is configured to receive first information from the service satellite or the server, the first information being used for indicating the target satellite and the switching time.

[0164] In a possible implementation, when the communication device 200 is used for executing the method performed by the service satellite in the corresponding embodiment of FIG. 4, the communication device 200 includes the transceiver unit 201 and the processing unit 202; the processing unit 202 is configured to determine third information, the third information being used for the terminal device to determine a target satellite and a switching time, wherein the target satellite is a satellite that communicates with the terminal device after the switching time, and the switching time is a time point after a current time;

[0165] The transceiver unit 201 is configured to send the third information to the terminal device, so that the terminal device determines first attitude information before the switching time is reached, the first attitude information indicating a first attitude, and the first attitude being an attitude in which the terminal device simultaneously communicates with the service satellite and the target satellite.

[0166] In a possible implementation, when the communication apparatus 200 is configured to perform the method performed by the server in the corresponding embodiment of FIG. 4, the communication apparatus 200 includes a transceiver 201 and a processing unit 202; the transceiver 201 is configured to receive second information from a terminal device, the second information indicating at least one of position information, signal quality and a serving satellite of the terminal device;

[0167] The processing unit 202 is configured to determine first information based on the second information, the first information indicating a target satellite and a switching time, the target satellite being a satellite that communicates with the terminal device after the switching time, and the switching time being a time point after a current time.

[0168] The transceiver 201 is further configured to send the first information to the terminal device, so that the terminal device determines first attitude information before the switching time is reached, the first attitude information indicating a first attitude, the first attitude being an attitude for the terminal device to simultaneously communicate with the serving satellite and the target satellite.

[0169] It should be noted that the information interaction and execution process between the modules / units in the communication apparatus 200 are based on the same concept as the method embodiments of FIG. 4, and the specific content can be referred to the description of the method embodiments of FIG. 4.

[0170] Please refer to FIG. 10, which is another schematic structural diagram of the communication apparatus 300 provided in the present application. The communication apparatus 300 includes a logic circuit 301 and an input / output interface 302. The communication apparatus 300 can be a chip or an integrated circuit.

[0171] The transceiver 201 shown in FIG. 9 can be a communication interface, which can be the input / output interface 302 in FIG. 10. The input / output interface 302 can include an input interface and an output interface. Alternatively, the communication interface can be a transceiver circuit, which can include an input interface circuit and an output interface circuit.

[0172] In a possible implementation, when the apparatus 300 is configured to perform the method performed by the terminal device in the embodiments of FIG. 4 and related embodiments, the input / output interface 302 is configured to receive the first information and / or send the second information; and the logic circuit 301 is configured to determine the first attitude information according to the first information.

[0173] In a possible implementation, when the apparatus 300 is configured to execute the method performed by the service satellite in FIG. 4 and related embodiments, the logic circuit 301 is configured to determine third information, the third information being used by the terminal device to determine a target satellite and a switching time; and the input and output interface 302 is configured to send the third information to the terminal device, so that the terminal device determines first attitude information before the switching time is reached, the first attitude information indicating a first attitude, the first attitude being an attitude in which the terminal device communicates with the service satellite and the target satellite simultaneously.

[0174] In a possible implementation, when the apparatus 300 is configured to execute the method performed by the server in FIG. 4 and related embodiments, the input and output interface 302 is configured to receive second information from the terminal device, the second information indicating at least one of position information, signal quality and the service satellite of the terminal device; the logic circuit 301 is configured to determine first information based on the second information, the first information indicating a target satellite and a switching time, the target satellite being a satellite that communicates with the terminal device after the switching time, and the switching time being a time point after a current time; and the input and output interface 302 is further configured to send the first information to the terminal device, so that the terminal device determines first attitude information before the switching time is reached, the first attitude information indicating a first attitude, the first attitude being an attitude in which the terminal device communicates with the service satellite and the target satellite simultaneously.

[0175] The logic circuit 301 and the input and output interface 302 can also perform other steps and achieve corresponding beneficial effects performed by the terminal device, the service satellite or the server in any of the embodiments, which will not be described here.

[0176] In a possible implementation, the processing unit 202 shown in FIG. 9 can be the logic circuit 301 shown in FIG. 10.

[0177] Optionally, the logic circuit 301 can be a processing apparatus, and the functions of the processing apparatus can be partially or entirely implemented through software.

[0178] Optionally, the processing apparatus can include a memory and a processor, where the memory is configured to store a computer program, and the processor is configured to read and execute the computer program stored in the memory to perform corresponding processing and / or steps in any of the method embodiments.

[0179] Optionally, the processing apparatus can include only the processor. The memory for storing the computer program is located outside the processing apparatus, and the processor is connected with the memory through a circuit / wire to read and execute the computer program stored in the memory. The memory and the processor can be integrated together or can be physically independent of each other.

[0180] Optionally, the processing device can be one or more chips, or one or more integrated circuits. For example, the processing device can be one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), systems on chips (SoCs), central processing units (CPUs), network processors (NPs), digital signal processors (DSPs), micro controller units (MCUs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), or other integrated chips, or any combination of the above chips or processors, etc.

[0181] The embodiments of the present application further provide a computer readable storage medium for storing one or more computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the method described in the possible implementation manners of the terminal device, the service satellite, or the server.

[0182] The embodiments of the present application further provide a computer program product (or computer program), which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform the method of the possible implementation manners of the terminal device, the service satellite, or the server.

[0183] The embodiments of the present application further provide a chip system, which includes at least one processor configured to support a communication device to implement the functions involved in the possible implementation manners of the communication device. Optionally, the chip system further includes an interface circuit configured to provide the at least one processor with program instructions and / or data. In a possible design, the chip system can further include a memory configured to store the necessary program instructions and data of the communication device. The chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include a chip and other discrete components, and the communication device can be specifically the terminal device, the service satellite, or the server in the foregoing method embodiments.

[0184] The embodiments of the present application further provide a communication system, which includes the terminal device, the service satellite, or the server in any of the foregoing embodiments.

[0185] It should be further noted that the above-described apparatus embodiments are merely illustrative, wherein the units described as separate components can or can not be physically separate, and the components shown as units can or can not be physical units, i.e., can be located in one place, or can be distributed on multiple network units. Part or all of the modules can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the embodiment. In addition, the connection relationship between the modules in the apparatus embodiment provided in the present application indicates that there is a communication connection between them, which can be implemented as one or more communication buses or signal lines.

[0186] Through the description of the above embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the present application can be implemented by means of software and the necessary general hardware, and of course can also be implemented by special hardware including special integrated circuits, special CPUs, special memories, special components, etc. Generally, functions completed by computer programs can be easily implemented by corresponding hardware, and the specific hardware structure for implementing the same function can also be various, such as analog circuits, digital circuits or special circuits. However, for the present application, software program implementation is a better embodiment. Based on this understanding, the technical solutions of the present application can be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a readable storage medium, such as a computer floppy disk, U disk, mobile hard disk, ROM, RAM, magnetic disk or optical disk, etc., including a plurality of instructions to make a computer device (which can be a personal computer, training device, or network device, etc.) execute the methods described in various embodiments of the present application.

[0187] In the above embodiments, all or part can be implemented by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented by software, it can be implemented in the form of a computer program product in whole or in part.

[0188] The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the present application are 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 transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium, for example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, training device or data center to another website, computer, training device or data center through wired (such as coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (such as infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.). The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can store or a data storage device such as a training device, a data center, etc. integrated with one or more available media sets. The available media can be a magnetic medium (for example, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (for example, a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (for example, a solid state disk (SSD)), etc.

[0189] In various embodiments of the present application, if there is no special description and logical conflict, the terms between different embodiments, and / or the description is consistent and can be referred to each other, and the technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: The terminal device determines a target satellite and a switching time, wherein the target satellite is a satellite that communicates with the terminal device after the switching time, and the switching time is a time point after a current time; Before the switching time is reached, the terminal device determines first attitude information, the first attitude information being used to indicate a first attitude, the first attitude being an attitude for the terminal device to simultaneously communicate with a service satellite and the target satellite.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The terminal device determines a target satellite and a switching time, comprising: The terminal device receives a switching strategy from the service satellite, the switching strategy being used by the terminal device to determine the target satellite and the switching time; The terminal device determines the target satellite and the switching time based on the switching strategy.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The switching strategy comprises at least one of: an algorithm based on a shortest communication distance; an algorithm based on a longest communication duration; an algorithm based on a satellite orbit direction; a weight of the algorithm based on the shortest communication distance in the switching strategy; a weight of the algorithm based on the longest communication duration in the switching strategy; a weight of the algorithm based on the satellite orbit direction in the switching strategy.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, The terminal device determines a target satellite and a switching time, comprising: The terminal device receives first information, the first information indicating the target satellite and the switching time.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, The terminal device receives first information, comprising: The terminal device sends second information to a server or the service satellite, the second information indicating at least one of position information, signal quality of the terminal device, and the service satellite; The terminal device receives first information from the server or the service satellite, the first information being determined by the server based on the second information.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein, The terminal device receives first information, comprising: The terminal device receives first information from the service satellite.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, After the terminal device determines the first attitude information, the method further comprises: The terminal device receives a switching instruction from the service satellite, the switching instruction being used to instruct the terminal device to access the target satellite.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The method further comprises: The terminal device adjusts to the first attitude based on the first attitude information.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The method further comprises: The terminal device determines second attitude information, the second attitude information being used to indicate a second attitude, the second attitude being an attitude for the terminal device to communicate with the target satellite.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, The method further comprises: The terminal device adjusts to the second attitude based on the second attitude information.

11. A communication method, comprising: The method comprises: The service satellite determines third information, the third information being used by a terminal device to determine a target satellite and a switching time, wherein the target satellite is a satellite that communicates with the terminal device after the switching time, and the switching time is a time point after a current time; The service satellite sends the third information to the terminal device, so that the terminal device determines first attitude information before the switching time is reached, the first attitude information indicating a first attitude, the first attitude being an attitude for the terminal device to simultaneously communicate with a service satellite and the target satellite.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, The third information comprises a switching strategy, and the switching strategy is used by the terminal device to determine the target satellite and the switching time.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, The switching strategy comprises at least one of: an algorithm based on shortest communication distance; an algorithm based on longest communication duration; an algorithm based on satellite orbit direction; a weight of the algorithm based on shortest communication distance in the switching strategy; a weight of the algorithm based on longest communication duration in the switching strategy; a weight of the algorithm based on satellite orbit direction in the switching strategy.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein, The third information comprises first information, and the first information indicates a target satellite and a switching time.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein, The serving satellite determines third information, comprising: The serving satellite receives second information from the terminal device, and the second information indicates at least one of position information, signal quality and the serving satellite of the terminal device; The serving satellite determines the first information based on the second information.

16. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 15, characterized in that, The method further comprises: The serving satellite sends a switching instruction to the terminal device, and the switching instruction is used to instruct the terminal device to access the target satellite.

17. A method of communication, comprising: Comprise: The server receives second information from the terminal device, and the second information indicates at least one of position information, signal quality and the serving satellite of the terminal device; The server determines first information based on the second information, and the first information indicates a target satellite and a switching time, the target satellite is a satellite that communicates with the terminal device after the switching time, and the switching time is a time after the current time; The server sends the first information to the terminal device, so that the terminal device determines first attitude information before reaching the switching time, and the first attitude information indicates a first attitude, and the first attitude is an attitude for the terminal device to simultaneously communicate with the serving satellite and the target satellite.

18. A communications device, characterized by The communication device comprises at least one processor coupled with a memory, and the at least one processor is used to execute the method in any one of claims 1 to 17.

19. The communication apparatus according to claim 18, wherein The communication device is a chip or a chip system.

20. A readable storage medium, characterized by, The storage medium stores a computer program or instructions, and when the computer program or instructions are executed by the communication device, the method in any one of claims 1 to 17 is realized.

21. A computer program product, characterised in that, When the computer program product runs on the computer, the computer is caused to execute the method in any one of claims 1 to 17.

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