Communication method, terminal, first network device, system, and storage medium

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a communication method, a terminal, a first network device, a system, and a storage medium. The method comprises: a terminal receiving first information sent by a first network device, the first information being used for indicating a communication connection state between the first network device and a second network device, and the second network device comprising an access network device and / or a satellite network device; and according to the first information, assisting the terminal in executing a non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication process. In this way, the connection state between the first network device and other network devices is determined on the basis of the first information, and the terminal is assisted in executing the NTN communication process according to the connection state, thereby ensuring the communication performance of the NTN communication architecture.

Description

Communication method, terminal, first network device, system and storage medium TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of communication, and particularly relates to a communication method, a terminal, a first network device, a system and a storage medium. BACKGROUND

[0002] NTN (Non-terrestrial Network, non-terrestrial / ground communication) is an important technology introduced in a new generation communication system, and wireless resources are provided to a UE (User Equipment) by a satellite (or a drone) instead of a ground base station. According to different ways of processing signals by the satellite, the NTN communication process can be divided into a transparent mode and a regenerative mode, and signal transmission in the NTN communication architecture is realized based on the two transmission modes.

[0003] SUMMARY

[0004] In order to overcome the technical problem that the communication function is disordered due to the interruption of the inter-satellite link in the related art, the present disclosure provides a communication method, a terminal, a first network device, a system and a storage medium.

[0005] According to a first aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication method is provided, executed by a terminal, and the method comprises:

[0006] receiving first information sent by a first network device, the first information being used to indicate a communication connection state between the first network device and a second network device, the second network device comprising an access network device and / or a satellite network device;

[0007] According to the first information, assisting the terminal to execute an NTN (Non-terrestrial Network) communication process.

[0008] According to a second aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication method is provided, executed by a first network device, and the method comprises:

[0009] sending first information to a terminal, the first information being used to indicate a communication connection state between the first network device and a second network device, the second network device comprising an access network device and / or a satellite network device, and the first information being used to assist the terminal to execute an NTN communication process.

[0010] According to a third aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a terminal is provided, comprising:

[0011] The transceiver is configured to receive first information sent by the first network device, the first information being used to indicate a communication connection state between the first network device and a second network device, the second network device including an access network device and / or a satellite network device.

[0012] The processing module is configured to assist the terminal in performing a non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication process according to the first information.

[0013] According to a fourth aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure, a first network device is provided, comprising:

[0014] The transceiver is configured to send first information to a terminal, the first information being used to indicate a communication connection state between the first network device and a second network device, the second network device including an access network device and / or a satellite network device, the first information being used to assist the terminal in performing an NTN communication process.

[0015] According to a fifth aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure, a terminal is provided, comprising:

[0016] One or more processors;

[0017] The terminal is configured to perform the communication method according to any one of the first aspect of the present disclosure.

[0018] According to a sixth aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure, a first network device is provided, comprising:

[0019] One or more processors;

[0020] The first network device is configured to perform the communication method according to any one of the second aspect of the present disclosure.

[0021] According to a seventh aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure, a communication system is provided, comprising a terminal and a first network device, wherein the terminal is configured to implement the communication method according to any one of the first aspect of the present disclosure, and the first network device is configured to implement the communication method according to any one of the second aspect of the present disclosure.

[0022] According to an eighth aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure, a storage medium is provided, the storage medium storing instructions, when the instructions are run on a communication device, causing the communication device to perform the communication method according to any one of the first aspect of the present disclosure, or causing the communication device to perform the communication method according to any one of the second aspect of the present disclosure.

[0023] According to a ninth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a computer program product is provided, including a computer program and / or instructions, which, when executed by a communication device, implement the communication method according to any one of the first aspect of the present disclosure, or which, when executed by a communication device, implement the communication method according to any one of the second aspect of the present disclosure.

[0024] In the above solution, the terminal receives first information sent by the first network device, the first information being used to indicate a communication connection state between the first network device and a second network device, the second network device including an access network device and / or a satellite network device, and the terminal performs an NTN communication process with assistance according to the first information. Thus, the connection state between the first network device and other network devices is determined based on the first information, and the NTN communication process is performed with assistance according to the connection state, thereby ensuring the communication performance of the NTN communication architecture. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0025] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the following describes the drawings required for the embodiments, and the following drawings are only some embodiments of the present disclosure, and do not specifically limit the protection scope of the present disclosure.

[0026] FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram of an architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram of an NTN communication architecture according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] FIG. 1C is a schematic diagram of an NTN communication transparent transmission mode according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0029] FIG. 1D is a schematic diagram of an NTN communication regeneration mode according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] FIG. 1E is a flowchart of an SDT process based on an NTN network according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0031] FIG. 1F is a flowchart of an SDT process based on an NTN network according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0032] FIG. 1G is a flowchart of an RRC connection recovery process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0033] FIG. 1H is a flowchart of an RRC establishment process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0034] FIG. 1I is a flowchart of a UE activation process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0035] FIG. 1J is a flowchart of an RNA update process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0036] FIG. 2 is an interaction diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0037] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0038] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0039] FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0040] FIG. 6 is a structural diagram of a terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0041] FIG. 7 is a structural diagram of a first network device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0042] FIG. 8 is a structural diagram of a communication device 8100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0043] FIG. 9 is a structural diagram of a chip 8200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method, a terminal, a first network device, a system and a storage medium.

[0045] In a first aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method, performed by a terminal, comprising:

[0046] receiving first information sent by a first network device, the first information being used to indicate a communication connection state between the first network device and a second network device, the second network device comprising an access network device and / or a satellite network device;

[0047] According to the first information, assisting the terminal to perform a non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication process.

[0048] In the above embodiments, the terminal assists to perform the NTN communication process according to the first information sent by the network device, thereby ensuring the communication performance of the NTN communication architecture.

[0049] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first information comprises at least one of:

[0050] second information, the second information being used to indicate whether there is a communication connection between the first network device and the second network device;

[0051] third information, the third information being used to indicate whether the first network device can obtain context information of the terminal from the second network device.

[0052] first time information, the first time information being used to indicate a time when the communication connection exists between the first network device and the second network device;

[0053] second time information, the second time information being used to indicate a time when the communication connection does not exist between the first network device and the second network device;

[0054] third time information, the third time information being used to indicate a time when the first network device is able to acquire the context information from the second network device;

[0055] fourth time information, the fourth time information being used to indicate a time when the first network device is unable to acquire the context information from the second network device.

[0056] In the above embodiment, the connection time, the connection state, and the acquisition of the context information between the first network device and the second network device are indicated by the auxiliary information, so that the terminal can determine how to perform the NTN communication process based on the above connection conditions. The execution process of the terminal in the NTN communication process is specified.

[0057] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the communication connection includes an inter-satellite link connection and / or an interface connection between access network devices.

[0058] In the above embodiment, the first network device and the second network device can adopt multiple communication connection modes, so that when the first network device transmits the first information, the first information can be transmitted based on multiple different second network devices, so that the terminal can assist in performing different NTN communication processes based on different first information.

[0059] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the NTN communication process includes at least one of the following: short data transmission (SDT), radio resource control (RRC) re-establishment, RRC recovery, and radio access network notification area (RNA) update.

[0060] In the above embodiment, the NTN communication process is specified as a communication process that needs to acquire the context information of the terminal, so that the NTN communication process of the terminal side after the first network device and the second network device are disconnected is specified.

[0061] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first information includes identification information of the second network device, and the identification information includes at least one of the following: access network device identification information, satellite network device identification information, and cell identification information.

[0062] In the above embodiment, the second network device with or without a communication connection with the first network device is indicated by the identification information, reducing signal overhead in the first information transmission process and improving communication efficiency.

[0063] In some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the NTN communication process includes the SDT, and the assisting the terminal in performing the NTN communication process according to the first information includes:

[0064] According to the first information, it is determined that the serving cell of the terminal cannot obtain the context information, and the execution of the SDT is prohibited.

[0065] In the above embodiment, when the terminal determines that the context information cannot be obtained by the serving cell corresponding to the first network device based on the first information, the execution of the SDT is prohibited, thereby regulating the SDT process on the terminal side after the network side link is disconnected in the NTN communication process.

[0066] In some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the not performing the SDT includes at least one of the following:

[0067] Not selecting a first resource to initiate a random access (RACH), the first resource being a RACH resource for the SDT;

[0068] Not sending RRC recovery information;

[0069] Sending RRC recovery information to the first network device, the RRC recovery information not including uplink data;

[0070] Selecting a second resource to initiate a RACH, the second resource being a RACH resource not used for the SDT;

[0071] Prohibiting the execution of the SDT outside a time range corresponding to the first time information;

[0072] Prohibiting the execution of the SDT within a time range corresponding to the second time information;

[0073] Prohibiting the execution of the SDT outside a time range corresponding to the third time information;

[0074] Prohibiting the execution of the SDT within a time range corresponding to the fourth time information.

[0075] In the above embodiment, the multiple ways of regulating the terminal not to perform the SDT process can be applied to multiple communication scenarios.

[0076] In some embodiments of the first aspect, the NTN communication procedure comprises the SDT, and the assisting the terminal in performing the NTN communication procedure according to the first information comprises:

[0077] determining, according to the first information, that a serving cell of the terminal is capable of obtaining the context information, and performing the SDT.

[0078] In the above embodiments, the behavior of the terminal in assisting in performing the SDT procedure based on the first information is regulated, and the terminal initiates the SDT procedure when the terminal is capable of obtaining the context information.

[0079] In some embodiments of the first aspect, the NTN communication procedure comprises the RRC resume, and the assisting the terminal in performing the NTN communication procedure according to the first information comprises:

[0080] determining, according to the first information, that a serving cell of the terminal is incapable of obtaining the context information, and prohibiting the RRC resume.

[0081] In the above embodiments, the terminal is prohibited from performing the RRC resume procedure when the terminal determines that the context information cannot be obtained based on the first information, thereby setting a RRC resume determination condition for the terminal and regulating the RRC resume procedure of the terminal.

[0082] In some embodiments of the first aspect, the prohibiting the RRC resume comprises at least one of:

[0083] prohibiting sending first request information used to initiate the RRC resume to the first network device;

[0084] sending second request information to the first network device, the second request information being used to instruct the first network device to feed back RRC connection establishment information to the terminal according to the second request information;

[0085] initiating RRC connection establishment to the first network device;

[0086] prohibiting the RRC resume outside a time range corresponding to the first time information;

[0087] prohibiting the RRC resume within a time range corresponding to the second time information;

[0088] prohibiting the RRC resume outside a time range corresponding to the third time information;

[0089] prohibiting the RRC resume within a time range corresponding to the fourth time information.

[0090] In the above embodiments, the terminal is specified to perform the RRC recovery procedure in multiple manners to adapt to multiple communication scenarios.

[0091] In some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the NTN procedure comprises the RRC recovery, and the assisting the terminal in performing the NTN communication procedure according to the first information comprises:

[0092] determining, according to the first information, that a serving cell of the terminal is capable of obtaining the context information, and performing the RRC recovery.

[0093] In the above embodiments, the terminal is specified to perform the RRC recovery procedure based on the first information, and the terminal is capable of obtaining the context information, and initiates the RRC recovery procedure.

[0094] In some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the NTN communication procedure comprises the RRC re-establishment, and the assisting the terminal in performing the NTN communication procedure according to the first information comprises:

[0095] determining, according to the first information, that a serving cell of the terminal is incapable of obtaining the context information, and prohibiting the RRC re-establishment.

[0096] In the above embodiments, the terminal is specified to prohibit the RRC re-establishment procedure based on the first information when the terminal determines that the context information cannot be obtained, thereby setting a RRC re-establishment determination condition for the terminal and regulating the RRC re-establishment procedure of the terminal.

[0097] In some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the prohibiting the RRC re-establishment comprises at least one of:

[0098] prohibiting sending third request information used to initiate the RRC re-establishment to the first network device;

[0099] sending fourth request information to the first network device, the fourth request information being used to instruct the first network device to feed back RRC connection establishment information to the terminal according to the second request information;

[0100] initiating RRC connection establishment to the first network device;

[0101] prohibiting the RRC re-establishment outside a time range corresponding to the first time information;

[0102] prohibiting the RRC re-establishment within a time range corresponding to the second time information;

[0103] prohibiting the RRC re-establishment from being performed outside a time range corresponding to the third time information;

[0104] prohibiting the RRC re-establishment from being performed within a time range corresponding to the fourth time information.

[0105] In the above embodiments, the terminal is regulated to perform the RRC re-establishment process in multiple manners to adapt to multiple communication scenarios.

[0106] In some embodiments of the first aspect, the NTN procedure comprises the RRC re-establishment, and the assisting the terminal in performing the NTN communication procedure according to the first information comprises:

[0107] determining, according to the first information, that the serving cell of the terminal is capable of obtaining the context information, and performing the RRC re-establishment.

[0108] In the above embodiments, the terminal is regulated to perform the RRC re-establishment process based on the first information, and the terminal initiates the RRC re-establishment process when the terminal is capable of obtaining the context information.

[0109] In some embodiments of the first aspect, the NTN communication procedure comprises the RNA update, and the assisting the terminal in performing the NTN communication procedure according to the first information comprises:

[0110] determining that the serving cell of the terminal is located within a RAN notification area;

[0111] determining, according to the first information, that the serving cell is incapable of obtaining the context information, and performing the RNA update.

[0112] In the above embodiments, the terminal is regulated to perform the RNA update process based on the first information, and the terminal initiates the RNA update when the terminal is incapable of obtaining the context information.

[0113] In some embodiments of the first aspect, the performing the RNA update comprises:

[0114] switching the terminal from an RRC inactive state to an RRC connected state.

[0115] In the above embodiments, when the terminal needs to initiate the RNA update based on the first information, an activation process of the terminal can be performed to switch the terminal from the RRC inactive state to the RRC connected state, and the RNA update process of the terminal is regulated.

[0116] In some embodiments of the first aspect, the assisting the terminal in performing the NTN communication procedure according to the first information comprises:

[0117] determining, according to the first information, whether a serving cell of the terminal can acquire context information of the terminal, and generating a determination result;

[0118] assisting the terminal to perform the NTN communication process according to the determination result.

[0119] In the above embodiment, the terminal determines whether the serving cell can acquire the terminal context based on the first information, and assists the terminal to perform the NTN communication process based on different determination results, thereby standardizing the NTN communication process on the terminal side and ensuring the communication performance.

[0120] In some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first information includes identification information of the second network device, the first information is used to indicate that there is a communication connection between the first network device and the second network device, and the determining, according to the first information, whether the serving cell of the terminal can acquire the context information of the terminal includes:

[0121] in response to the identification information including cell identification information of the serving cell, determining that the serving cell can acquire the context information;

[0122] in response to the identification information not including the cell identification information, determining that the serving cell cannot acquire the context information.

[0123] In the above embodiment, the second network device that has a connection with the first network device is indicated to the terminal based on the identification information, and the terminal can determine whether the context information can be acquired by comparing the identification information with the identification of the serving cell. Therefore, the determination of the NTN communication process is based on the identification information, and the communication efficiency is improved.

[0124] In some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first information includes identification information of the second network device, the first information is used to indicate that there is no communication connection between the first network device and the second network device, and the determining, according to the first information, whether the serving cell of the terminal can acquire the context information of the terminal includes:

[0125] in response to the identification information including cell identification information of the serving cell, determining that the serving cell cannot acquire the context information;

[0126] in response to the identification information not including the cell identification information, determining that the serving cell can acquire the context information.

[0127] In the above embodiments, the terminal determines whether the context information can be acquired by the serving cell based on different identification information indication manners, and multiple determination manners are proposed to adapt to different communication scenarios.

[0128] In some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the assisting the terminal to perform the NTN communication procedure according to the first information comprises:

[0129] determining, according to the first information, whether there is a communication connection between the serving cell of the terminal and the last serving cell of the terminal, and generating a determination result;

[0130] assisting the terminal to perform the NTN communication procedure according to the determination result.

[0131] In the above embodiments, the terminal generates a determination result by determining whether there is a connection with the last serving cell based on the characteristics of the last serving cell, and assists the terminal to perform the NTN communication procedure based on different determination results. Thus, the terminal is suitable for different communication scenarios, and different determination manners are adopted, thereby improving the applicability of the assisting execution procedure.

[0132] In some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first information comprises identification information of the second network device, and the first information is used to indicate that there is a communication connection between the first network device and the second network device. The determining, according to the first information, whether there is a communication connection between the serving cell of the terminal and the last serving cell of the terminal comprises:

[0133] in response to the identification information comprising cell identification information of the last serving cell, determining that there is a communication connection between the serving cell and the last serving cell;

[0134] in response to the identification information not comprising cell identification information of the last serving cell, determining that there is no communication connection between the serving cell and the last serving cell.

[0135] In the above embodiments, the second network device that has a connection with the first network device is indicated to the terminal based on the identification information, and the terminal can determine whether the context information can be acquired by comparing the identification information with the identification of the serving cell. Thus, the determination of the NTN communication procedure is based on the identification information, and the communication efficiency is improved.

[0136] In some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first information comprises identification information of the second network device, the first information is used to indicate that there is no communication connection between the first network device and the second network device, and the determining, according to the first information, whether there is a communication connection between the serving cell of the terminal and the last serving cell of the terminal comprises:

[0137] In response to the identification information comprising cell identification information of the last serving cell, it is determined that there is no communication connection between the serving cell and the last serving cell.

[0138] In response to the identification information not comprising the cell identification information of the last serving cell, it is determined that there is a communication connection between the serving cell and the last serving cell.

[0139] In the above embodiments, the terminal determines whether the context information can be acquired by the serving cell based on different identification information indication manners, and multiple determination manners are proposed to adapt to different communication scenarios.

[0140] In some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the receiving the first information sent by the first network device comprises:

[0141] The first information is received from the last serving cell of the terminal and is carried by an RRC release message.

[0142] In the above embodiments, different ways are used to carry the first information based on different communication scenarios of the terminal, so that the method can be applied to different communication scenarios and the communication performance is guaranteed.

[0143] In some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the receiving the first information sent by the first network device comprises:

[0144] The first information is received from the serving cell of the terminal and is carried by a system message.

[0145] In the above embodiments, different ways are used to carry the first information based on different communication scenarios of the terminal, so that the method can be applied to different communication scenarios and the communication performance is guaranteed.

[0146] In the second aspect, the present embodiment proposes a communication method, which is executed by a first network device, and the method comprises:

[0147] The first information is transmitted to a terminal, and the first information is used to indicate a communication connection state between the first network device and a second network device, the second network device including an access network device and / or a satellite network device, and the first information is used to assist the terminal in performing an NTN communication process.

[0148] In the above embodiments, the network device transmits first information to the terminal to indicate a communication connection state between the network device and another network device, thereby assisting the terminal in performing an NTN communication process, and ensuring the communication performance of the NTN communication architecture.

[0149] In some embodiments in combination with the second aspect, the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0150] Second information, the second information is used to indicate whether there is a communication connection between the first network device and the second network device;

[0151] Third information, the third information is used to indicate whether the first network device can obtain context information of the terminal from the second network device;

[0152] First time information, the first time information is used to indicate a time when the first network device and the second network device have the communication connection;

[0153] Second time information, the second time information is used to indicate a time when the first network device and the second network device do not have the communication connection;

[0154] Third time information, the third time information is used to indicate a time when the first network device can obtain the context information from the second network device;

[0155] Fourth time information, the fourth time information is used to indicate a time when the first network device cannot obtain the context information from the second network device.

[0156] In some embodiments in combination with the second aspect, the communication connection includes an inter-satellite link connection and / or an interface connection between access network devices.

[0157] In some embodiments in combination with the second aspect, the NTN communication process includes at least one of the following: SDT, RRC re-establishment, RRC recovery, and radio access network notification area (RNA) update.

[0158] In some embodiments in combination with the second aspect, the first information includes identification information of the second network device, and the identification information includes at least one of the following: access network device identification information, satellite network device identification information, and cell identification information.

[0159] In some embodiments combining the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first information is carried by an RRC release message, and / or the first information is carried by a system message.

[0160] In a third aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a terminal, comprising:

[0161] a transceiver configured to receive first information sent by a first network device, the first information being used to indicate a communication connection state between the first network device and a second network device, the second network device comprising an access network device and / or a satellite network device;

[0162] a processing module configured to assist the terminal to perform a non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication process according to the first information.

[0163] In a fourth aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a first network device, comprising:

[0164] a transceiver configured to send first information to a terminal, the first information being used to indicate a communication connection state between the first network device and a second network device, the second network device comprising an access network device and / or a satellite network device, the first information being used to assist the terminal to perform an NTN communication process.

[0165] In a fifth aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a terminal, comprising:

[0166] one or more processors;

[0167] wherein the terminal is configured to perform the communication method of any one of the first aspect of the present disclosure.

[0168] In a sixth aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a first network device, comprising:

[0169] one or more processors;

[0170] wherein the first network device is configured to perform the communication method of any one of the second aspect of the present disclosure.

[0171] In a seventh aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication system, comprising a terminal and a first network device, wherein the terminal is configured to implement the communication method of any one of the first aspect of the present disclosure, and the first network device is configured to implement the communication method of any one of the second aspect of the present disclosure.

[0172] In an eighth aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a storage medium, which stores instructions, when the instructions are executed on a communication device, cause the communication device to perform the communication method according to any one of the first aspect of the present disclosure, or cause the communication device to perform the communication method according to any one of the second aspect of the present disclosure.

[0173] In a ninth aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a computer program product, which includes a computer program and / or instructions, when the computer program and / or instructions are executed on a communication device, implement the communication method according to any one of the first aspect of the present disclosure, or when the computer program and / or instructions are executed on a communication device, implement the communication method according to any one of the second aspect of the present disclosure.

[0174] In the above manner, the terminal receives first information sent by the first network device, the first information being used to indicate a communication connection state between the first network device and the second network device, the second network device including an access network device and / or a satellite network device, and the terminal performs an NTN communication process based on the first information. Thus, the connection state between the first network device and other network devices is determined based on the first information, and the NTN communication process is performed based on the connection state, thereby ensuring the communication performance of the NTN communication architecture.

[0175] It can be understood that the terminal, the first network device, the second network device, the access network device, the satellite network device, the communication system, the storage medium, the program product, the computer program, the chip or the chip system are all used to execute the method proposed in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Therefore, the beneficial effects that can be achieved thereby can refer to the beneficial effects in the corresponding method, which will not be described herein again.

[0176] The embodiments of the present disclosure propose a communication method, a terminal, a first network device, a system and a storage medium. In some embodiments, the communication method and the information processing method can be replaced with each other, the information processing device and the communication device can be replaced with each other, and the information processing system and the communication system can be replaced with each other.

[0177] The embodiments of the present disclosure are not exhaustive, but are only a part of the embodiments, and are not specific limitations on the protection scope of the present disclosure. In the case of no contradiction, each step in an embodiment can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the steps can be combined arbitrarily, for example, the scheme after removing some steps in an embodiment can also be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the order of the steps in an embodiment can be exchanged arbitrarily, in addition, the optional implementation manners in an embodiment can be combined arbitrarily; in addition, the embodiments can be combined arbitrarily, for example, the steps of different embodiments or part or all of the steps of different embodiments can be combined arbitrarily, an embodiment can be combined with the optional implementation manners of other embodiments.

[0178] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the terms and / or descriptions among the embodiments are consistent and can be referred to each other if there is no special description and logical conflict, and the technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0179] The terms used in the embodiments of the present disclosure are only for the purpose of describing particular embodiments and are not used as limitations of the present disclosure.

[0180] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified and logically conflicted, the elements expressed in singular form, such as "one", "one kind", "the", "the above", "the", "the above", "this" and the like, can represent "one and only one", and can also represent "one or more", "at least one" and the like. For example, in the case of using articles such as "a", "an", "the" and the like in English, the noun after the article can be understood as singular expression, and can also be understood as plural expression.

[0181] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, "plurality" refers to two or more.

[0182] In some embodiments, the terms "at least one of", "one or more", "a plurality of", "multiple" and the like can be replaced with each other.

[0183] In some embodiments, the description mode such as "at least one of A, B", "A and / or B", "A in one case and B in another case", "A in response to one case and B in response to another case" and the like can include the following technical solutions according to the case: A in some embodiments (A is executed regardless of B); B in some embodiments (B is executed regardless of A); A and B are selectively executed in some embodiments (A and B are selected from A and B); A and B are executed in some embodiments (A and B are executed). When there are more branches such as A, B, C, the above is similar.

[0184] In some embodiments, the description mode such as "A or B" and the like can include the following technical solutions according to the case: A in some embodiments (A is executed regardless of B); B in some embodiments (B is executed regardless of A); A and B are selectively executed in some embodiments (A and B are selected from A and B). When there are more branches such as A, B, C, the above is similar.

[0185] The prefix words of "first", "second" and the like in the embodiments of the present disclosure are merely used to distinguish different description objects, and do not constitute limitation on the position, order, priority, quantity or content of the description objects. The description objects are described in the claims or embodiments, and should not be construed as redundant limitation because of the use of the prefix words. For example, the description object is "field", and the ordinal words before "field" in "first field" and "second field" do not limit the position or order between "fields", and "first" and "second" do not limit whether the "fields" modified thereby are in the same message or not, nor limit the order of "first field" and "second field". For another example, the description object is "level", and the ordinal words before "level" in "first level" and "second level" do not limit the priority between "levels". For another example, the quantity of the description object is not limited by the ordinal words, and can be one or more. For example, "first device", wherein the quantity of "device" can be one or more. In addition, the objects modified by different prefix words can be the same or different, for example, the description object is "device", and "first device" and "second device" can be the same device or different devices, and the types thereof can be the same or different. For another example, the description object is "information", and "first information" and "second information" can be the same information or different information, and the contents thereof can be the same or different.

[0186] In some embodiments, "including A", "containing A", "for indicating A", "carrying A" can be interpreted as directly carrying A, or indirectly indicating A.

[0187] In some embodiments, the terms of "in response to", "in response to determining", "in the case of", "when", "when", "if", "if" and the like can be replaced with each other.

[0188] In some embodiments, the terms of "greater than", "greater than or equal to", "not less than", "more than", "more than or equal to", "not less than", "higher than", "higher than or equal to", "not lower than", "above" and the like can be replaced with each other, and the terms of "less than", "less than or equal to", "not greater than", "less than", "less than or equal to", "not more than", "lower than", "lower than or equal to", "not higher than", "below" and the like can be replaced with each other.

[0189] In some embodiments, the apparatuses and devices can be interpreted as physical, as well as virtual, whose names are not limited to the names described in the embodiments, and in some cases can also be understood as "equipment", "device", "circuit", "network element", "node", "function", "unit", "section", "system", "network", "chip", "chip system", "entity", "subject", etc.

[0190] In some embodiments, "network" can be interpreted as an apparatus contained in the network, such as an access network device, a core network device, etc.

[0191] In some embodiments, "access network device (AN device)" can also be referred to as "radio access network device (RAN device)", "base station (BS)", "radio base station", "fixed station", and in some embodiments can also be understood as "node", "access point", "transmission point (TP)", "reception point (RP)", "transmission / reception point (TRP)", "panel", "antenna panel", "antenna array", "cell", "macro cell", "small cell", "femto cell", "pico cell", "sector", "cell group", "serving cell", "carrier", "component carrier", "bandwidth part (BWP)", etc.

[0192] In some embodiments, a "terminal" or "terminal device" can be referred to as a "user equipment" (UE), a "user terminal," a "mobile station" (MS), a "mobile terminal" (MT), a subscriber station, a mobile unit, a subscriber unit, a wireless unit, a remote unit, a mobile device, a wireless device, a wireless communication device, a remote device, a mobile subscriber station, an access terminal, a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a remote terminal, a handset, a user agent, a mobile client, a client, and / or the like.

[0193] In some embodiments, data, information and / or the like can be obtained in compliance with laws and regulations of a country where the data, information and / or the like is obtained.

[0194] In some embodiments, data, information and / or the like can be obtained after obtaining consent of a user.

[0195] In addition, each element, each row, or each column in a table of embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and a combination of any element, any row, or any column can also be implemented as an independent embodiment.

[0196] FIG. 1A is an architecture diagram of a communication system, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system 100 includes a terminal 101 and a first network device 102.

[0197] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 includes at least one of a mobile phone, a wearable device, an Internet of Things device, a communication-capable automobile, a smart automobile, a tablet (Pad), a wireless transceiver-equipped computer, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal device in industrial control, a wireless terminal device in self-driving, a wireless terminal device in remote medical surgery, a wireless terminal device in a smart grid, a wireless terminal device in transportation safety, a wireless terminal device in a smart city, a wireless terminal device in a smart home, or the like, but is not limited thereto.

[0198] In some embodiments, the first network device 102 is at least one of a node or a device that accesses a terminal to a wireless network, such as an evolved NodeB (eNB) in a 5G communication system, a next generation eNB (ng-eNB), a next generation NodeB (gNB), a node B (NB), a home node B (HNB), a home evolved node B (HeNB), a wireless backhaul device, a radio network controller (RNC), a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a base band unit (BBU), a mobile switching center, a base station in a 6G communication system, an Open RAN, a Cloud RAN, a base station in another communication system, an access node in a Wi-Fi system, or the like, but is not limited thereto.

[0199] In some embodiments, the technical solutions of the present disclosure can be applied to an Open RAN architecture, in which case, the interfaces between or within the access network devices involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure can become internal interfaces of the Open RAN, and the processes and information interactions between these internal interfaces can be implemented through software or programs.

[0200] In some embodiments, the access network device can be composed of a central unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU), where the CU can also be referred to as a control unit. The CU-DU structure can split the protocol layers of the access network device, with some of the protocol layers being controlled by the CU and the rest or all of the protocol layers being distributed in the DUs and controlled by the CU, but is not limited thereto.

[0201] In some embodiments, the core network device 103 can be one device including the first network element 1031, the second network element 1032, and the like, or can be multiple devices or device groups including all or part of the first network element 1031, the second network element 1032, and the like. The network element can be virtual or physical. The core network includes at least one of an evolved packet core (EPC), a 5G core network (5GCN), and a next-generation core (NGC), for example.

[0202] It can be understood that the communication system described in the embodiments of the present disclosure is for more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the present disclosure, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions proposed in the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art can know that, as the system architecture evolves and new business scenarios appear, the technical solutions proposed in the present disclosure are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0203] The following embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to the communication system 100 shown in FIG. 1 or part of the subject, but are not limited thereto. The subjects shown in FIG. 1 are exemplary. The communication system can include all or part of the subjects in FIG. 1, or other subjects other than those in FIG. 1. The number and form of each subject is arbitrary. Each subject can be physical or virtual. The connection relationship between each subject is exemplary. Each subject can be connected or not connected. The connection between each subject can be in any manner, can be direct or indirect, and can be wired or wireless.

[0204] Embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), LTE-Beyond (LTE-B), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4th generation mobile communication system (4G), 5th generation mobile communication system (5G), 5G new radio (NR), Future Radio Access (FRA), New-Radio Access Technology (RAT), New Radio (NR), New radio access (NX), Future generation radio access (FX), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM (registered trademark)), CDMA2000, Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.20, Ultra-WideBand (UWB), Bluetooth (Bluetooth (registered trademark)), Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) network, Device-to-Device (D2D) system, Machine to Machine (M2M) system, Internet of Things (IoT) system, Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X), system using other communication methods, next-generation system expanded based thereon, and the like. Further, a plurality of systems can be applied in combination (for example, combination of LTE or LTE-A and 5G, and the like).

[0205] FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram of an NTN communication architecture, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1B, the NTN communication architecture includes a gateway, a UE, and a satellite. The gateway sends transmission data in a data network to the satellite (or unmanned aerial system platform) through a feeder link or a feedback link, and the satellite sends the transmission data to the UE through a service link. Or the UE sends data to the satellite (or unmanned aerial system platform) through a service link, and the satellite sends the data to the ground gateway through a feeder link or a feedback link.

[0206] FIG. 1C is a schematic diagram of an NTN communication transparent transmission mode, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1C, in the transparent transmission mode of the NTN communication architecture, the NTN ground station sends the signal of the gNB to the satellite, and the satellite converts the signal to the satellite frequency band and then sends the signal to the UE through the satellite frequency band. In the transmission process of the transparent transmission mode, the satellite does not demodulate the transmission signal sent by the gNB except for frequency conversion and signal amplification. In the transparent transmission mode, the satellite is similar to a repeater (repeater / relay) and transmits the signal transmitted by the gNB by replication.

[0207] FIG. 1D is a schematic diagram of an NTN communication regeneration mode, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1D, in the regeneration mode of the NTN communication architecture, the NTN ground station sends data to the satellite, and the gNB on the satellite processes the data and then sends the data to the UE.

[0208] In some embodiments, due to the deployment problem of the NTN network architecture and the corresponding movement of the satellite, there can be no inter-satellite link between different satellites, or the inter-satellite link between different satellites cannot exist continuously, thereby causing communication obstacle problems in the NTN communication transmission process.

[0209] In some embodiments, when the RRC (Radio Resource Control, radio resource control protocol) release message contains the SDT configuration, the Type 1 CG resource of the SDT is only valid in the P Cell (Primary Cell, primary cell) of the UE.

[0210] In some embodiments, in the SDT process based on the NTN network, only the RACH-based SDT needs to obtain the UE context information.

[0211] FIG. 1E is a flow diagram of an SDT procedure, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1E, the SDT (Small Data Transmission) between the UE and the gNB is initiated by RACH (Random Access Channel) resource or Type 1 CG (configured grant) resource transmission. Among them, the RACH resource for SDT is configured by the system information of the gNB, and the Type 1 CG resource is configured by the dedicated signaling in the RRC release message.

[0212] In an example, in the SDT procedure, (1) the UE is in an RRC inactive state, the UE sends an RRC resume request to a receiving gNB, and carries UL (Up-Link)-SDT data and / or UL-SDT signals in the RRC resume request; (2) the receiving gNB sends a UE context acquisition request to the last serving gNB based on the RRC resume request, or sends SDT indication information or SDT assistance information to the last serving gNB; (3) the last serving gNB feeds back a UE context acquisition response to the receiving gNB; (4) the receiving gNB continues the SDT in the RRC inactive state after receiving the UE context acquisition response; wherein the SDT procedure of the receiving gNB includes: UL-SDT data transmission between the receiving gNB and one or more UPFs (User Plane Function), address indication between the receiving gNB and the last gNB, UL-SDT data transmission between the UE and the receiving gNB based on the address indicated by the last gNB, UE transmission of subsequent UL-SDT data to the receiving gNB, and transmission of the subsequent UL-SDT data by the receiving gNB to the UPF; (5) when the gNB has a path switching requirement during the UL-SDT data transmission, the gNB sends a path switching request to an AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function); (6) the AMF sends a path switching feedback to the receiving gNB; after receiving the path switching feedback, the receiving gNB can send an uplink NAS (Non-Access Stratum) transmission to the AMF; after synchronizing the subsequent SDT signal based on the uplink NAS transmission, the receiving gNB interacts with the UE for the subsequent SDT signal; (7) when the receiving gNB decides to terminate the SDT data transmission in the RRC inactive state, the receiving gNB sends an RRC release message to the UE, so that the UE is in the RRC inactive state; (8) at the same time, the receiving gNB sends a UE context release message to the last serving gNB, so that the last serving gNB releases the UE context. In an example, in the above RA-based SDT data transmission procedure, the receiving gNB needs to relocate the UE context, so as to realize the SDT data transmission.

[0213] FIG. 1F is a flow diagram illustrating an SDT procedure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1F, the SDT between the UE and the gNB is initiated by a RACH (Random Access Channel) resource or a Type 1 CG (configured grant) resource transmission. The RACH resource is configured by system information of the gNB, and the Type 1 CG resource is configured by dedicated signaling in an RRC (Radio Resource Control) release message.

[0214] In an example, in the SDT transmission procedure, (1) the UE is in an RRC inactive state, the UE sends an RRC resume request to a receiving gNB, and carries UL-SDT data and / or UL-SDT signals in the RRC resume request; (2) the receiving gNB sends a UE context retrieval request to the last serving gNB, or sends SDT indication information or SDT assistance information to the last serving gNB based on the RRC resume request; (3) the last serving gNB determines to retain the UE context based on the UE context retrieval request; (4) the last serving gNB transfers part of the UE context to the receiving gNB; (5) the receiving gNB sends part of the UE context transfer confirmation information to the last serving gNB, wherein an RLC (Radio Link Control) entity for SDT data transmission is established in the receiving gNB, and a PDCP (Packet Data Convergence Protocol) entity is retained in the last serving gNB; based on the above entities, subsequent SDT data interaction between the UE and the receiving gNB, subsequent SDT data interaction between the receiving gNB and a UPF network element, and subsequent SDT data interaction between the receiving gNB and an AMF are implemented; (6) when the receiving gNB decides to end the SDT data transmission procedure, the receiving gNB sends a retrieve part of the UE context request to the last serving gNB; (7) the last serving gNB feeds back an RRC release message to the receiving gNB to release part of the UE context; (8) the receiving gNB feeds back an RRC release message to the UE. In the above RA-based SDT data transmission procedure, the UE context relocation function is not required, and the receiving gNB does not need to relocate the UE context.

[0215] In some embodiments, based on the data transmission process of the above-mentioned SDT, in the process of sending uplink data using SDT, the receiving gNB needs to obtain the UE context from the last serving gNB. Therefore, if there is no inter-satellite link connection or base station interface connection between the receiving gNB and the last serving gNB, the receiving gNB cannot successfully obtain the UE uplink context during the SDT process, and the uplink SDT data cannot be successfully sent, resulting in waste of RACH resources for SDT. Therefore, it is necessary to regulate the SDT process of the terminal based on the connection state of the receiving gNB and the last serving gNB, and to prevent the waste of RACH resources for SDT after the connection is interrupted, so as to ensure the communication performance of the UE.

[0216] FIG. 1G is a flow diagram of an RRC connection recovery process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1G, for RRC recovery, there is also a case where the receiving gNB obtains the UE context from the last serving gNB. If there is no inter-satellite link between the receiving gNB and the last serving gNB, the UE uplink context cannot be successfully obtained during the SDT data transmission process, and the RRC recovery fails.

[0217] FIG. 1H is a flow diagram of an RRC establishment process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1H, in the RRC establishment process, if the network can find the UE context and determine that the verification is successful based on the UE context, it is determined that the RRC re-establishment of the UE is successful. Or, if the network cannot retrieve the UE context, but sends an RRC Setup (RRC establishment), the UE RRC establishment can also be successful.

[0218] FIG. 1I is a flow diagram of a UE activation process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1I, in the UE activation process, when the UE is in the RAN (Radio Access Network) notification area, there can be no ISL (Intersatellite link) connection between the current serving cell of the UE and the last serving cell, resulting in that the UE cannot perform RNA (RAN notification area) update.

[0219] FIG. 1J is a flowchart of an RNA update process, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1J, the RNA update process includes: (1) the UE is in an RRC inactive state, sends an RRC resume request to the gNB, and sends RNA update information to the gNB; (2) the gNB sends a UE context request to the last gNB to request the UE context stored in the last gNB; (3) the last gNB feeds back the UE context to the gNB; (4) the gNB updates the current state of the UE to the inactive state; (5) the gNB sends an address request to the last gNB; (6) the gNB sends a path switching request to the AMF network element; (7) the AMF network element sends a path switching feedback to the gNB; (8) the gNB sends an RRC release message to the UE; and (9) the gNB sends UE context release information to the last gNB. In the above RNA update process, if there is no inter-satellite connection between the gNB and the last gNB, the UE cannot receive the RAN paging information, and the RNA update process cannot be successfully completed.

[0220] In some embodiments, for the above-mentioned NTN network-based regeneration mode, the state of the inter-satellite link between different satellites may change due to satellite movement, satellite link deployment, feeder link switching, or the like. For example, the interruption of the inter-satellite link hinders the communication function of the UE based on the NTN network, for example, the interruption of the inter-satellite link causes the receiving gNB to fail to obtain the UE context from the last serving gNB, resulting in the SDT, RRC resume, RRC re-establishment, RNA update, and RAN paging processes failing to proceed normally. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a communication method is provided, in which auxiliary information is provided by the network, the auxiliary information being used to indicate the connection state of the inter-satellite link or the UE context acquisition situation. The UE uses the auxiliary information to assist in performing the SDT, RRC resume, RRC re-establishment, RNA update, and RAN paging processes.

[0221] FIG. 2 is an interaction diagram of a communication method, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 2, the present embodiment relates to a communication method, and the method includes:

[0222] In step S2101, the first network device 102 sends first information to the terminal 101.

[0223] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 receives the first information.

[0224] In some embodiments, the first information is used to indicate the communication connection state between the first network device and the second network device.

[0225] For example, the first network device can be a network device currently providing services for the terminal, and the first network device sends the first information to the terminal based on system information. For example, the first network device can be the connected gNB in the above embodiment, which provides communication services for the terminal. The first network device can be a network device that last provides communication services for the terminal. When the terminal performs cell reselection, the terminal reselects from the first network device to the current network device, and the current network device provides data services for the terminal. At this time, the first network device is the last network device that provides services for the terminal. For example, the first network device can be the last serving gNB in the above embodiment, which is the last gNB that provides services for the terminal before the terminal enters the RRC inactive state.

[0226] In some embodiments, the second network device includes an access network device and / or a satellite network device.

[0227] In some embodiments, the first network device includes an access network device and / or a satellite network device.

[0228] For example, in the present embodiment, the first network device and the terminal perform data communication through the NTN network. The second network device can be an access network device and / or a satellite network device that has a communication connection with the first network device, or the second network device can be an access network device and / or a satellite network device that does not have a communication connection with the first network device.

[0229] In some embodiments, the communication connection state includes an inter-satellite link connection and / or an interface connection between access network devices.

[0230] For example, when the second network device is a satellite network device, the communication connection between the first network device and the second network device is an inter-satellite link connection. When the second network device is an access network device, the communication connection between the first network device and the second network device is a base station interface connection.

[0231] In some embodiments, the first network device indicates, to the terminal through the first information, a communication connection state between the first network device and the second network device, the communication connection state including that the first network device and the second network device exist in a communication connection or that the first network device and the second network device do not exist in a communication connection. In this embodiment, the number of second network devices is not limited, and the communication connection state between the first network device and one or more second network devices can be indicated to the terminal based on a subsequent NTN communication process. For example, the first network device needs to obtain UE context information in the process of NTN communication transmission, the second network device is a network device that stores the UE context, and the first network device sends the first information to the UE to indicate whether the first network device and the second network device exist in a communication connection, thereby indicating whether the first network device can obtain the UE context information. The UE performs different NTN communication processes at the first network device based on different indication results, wherein the NTN communication process is an NTN communication process that needs UE context for communication verification, for example, the NTN communication process includes an SDT process, an RRC recovery process, an RRC reestablishment process, and the like.

[0232] In some embodiments, the UE context information refers to a series of information that needs to be maintained and tracked by a network in a communication system in order to provide services to a UE. Examples of the UE context information include identity information, location information, connection state information, security information, quality of service parameters, bearer information, radio resource control state, network function selection information, and the like. Different UE context information can be set based on the maintenance and tracking requirements in different communication scenarios, and the embodiments are not limited in this regard.

[0233] In some embodiments, the second network device needs to obtain the UE context information, and the first network device is a network device that stores the UE context information. The first network device sends the first information to the UE to indicate whether the first network device and the second network device exist in a communication connection, thereby indicating whether the second network device can obtain the UE context information. The UE performs different NTN communication processes at the second network device based on different indication results.

[0234] In some embodiments, the first information is not limited in name, for example, it is “auxiliary information”, “connection state indication information”, “NTN communication process indication information”, “NTN communication process auxiliary information”, and the like.

[0235] In some embodiments, the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0236] The second information is used to indicate whether the first network device and the second network device exist in a communication connection;

[0237] The third information is used for indicating whether the first network device can obtain the context information of the terminal from the second network device.

[0238] The first time information is used for indicating the time when the first network device and the second network device have the communication connection.

[0239] The second time information is used for indicating the time when the first network device and the second network device do not have the communication connection.

[0240] The third time information is used for indicating the time when the first network device can obtain the context information from the second network device.

[0241] The fourth time information is used for indicating the time when the first network device cannot obtain the context information from the second network device.

[0242] In an example, the first information includes the second information, which indicates whether there is the communication connection between the first network device and the second network device.

[0243] The third information in the first information indicates whether the first network device can obtain the UE context information from the second network device. In this embodiment, the UE needs to perform the NTN communication process based on the UE context information, and therefore, the first information sent by the first network device can indicate whether the UE context information can be obtained from the second network device. At this time, the second network device is a network device that stores the UE context information.

[0244] In an example, the first information includes the third information, which indicates whether the first network device can send the UE context information to the second network device. In this embodiment, the UE needs to perform the NTN communication process based on the UE context information, and the first network device stores the UE context information. The first network device sends the first information to the second network device, and the first information can directly indicate whether the second network device can obtain the UE context information from the first network device. At this time, the first network device is a network device corresponding to the last serving cell that stores the UE context information, and the second network device is a network device that will provide communication services for the UE.

[0245] In an example, the first network device and the second network device, or the cells corresponding to the first network device and the second network device are in the RNA of the UE.

[0246] The first information includes first time information, which indicates the time when the first network device and the second network device have a communication connection. Typically, this time is one or more time ranges. The terminal can determine whether there is a communication connection between the first network device and the second network device at the current time based on the first time information, and determine whether the first network device can obtain UE context information from the second network device based on the determination result.

[0247] For example, the first information includes first time information, which indicates the time when the first network device and the second network device have a communication connection. Typically, this time is one or more time ranges. The terminal can determine whether there is a communication connection between the first network device and the second network device at the current time based on the first time information, and determine whether the second network device can obtain UE context information from the first network device based on the determination result. At this time, the first network device is the last network device that stores UE context information, and the second network device is the network device that will provide communication services to the UE.

[0248] The first information includes second time information, which indicates the time during which there is no communication connection between the first network device and the second network device. Based on the logic of the first time information, when the first information includes the second time information, there is no communication connection between the first network device and the second network device within the time range corresponding to the second time information, and the UE context information cannot be obtained from the second network device; outside the time range corresponding to the second time information, there is a communication connection between the first network device and the second network device, and the UE context information can be obtained from the second network device outside the time range corresponding to the second time information.

[0249] For example, the first information includes second time information, which indicates the time during which there is no communication connection between the first network device and the second network device. Based on the above logic, when the first information includes the second time information, there is no communication connection between the first network device and the second network device within the time range corresponding to the second time information. At this time, the first network device stores UE context information, and within the time range corresponding to the second time information, the first network device cannot send UE context information to the second network device. Outside the time range corresponding to the second time information, there is a communication connection between the first network device and the second network device, and outside the time range corresponding to the second time information, the first network device can send UE context information to the second network device. In this case, the first network device is the last network device that stores UE context information, and the second network device is the network device that will provide communication services to the UE.

[0250] The first information includes third time information, which indicates the time at which the first network device can obtain UE context information from the second network device. This time can be one or more time ranges, during which a communication connection exists between the first network device and the second network device. It should be noted that when the first information includes third time information, it means that within the time range corresponding to the third time information, the first network device can obtain UE context information from the second network device; outside the time range corresponding to the third time information, the first network device cannot obtain UE context information from the second network device.

[0251] For example, the first information includes third time information, which indicates the time when the second network device can obtain the UE context information from the first network device. This time can be one or more time ranges, and a communication connection exists between the first and second network devices. It should be noted that when the first information includes third time information, it means that within the time range corresponding to the third time information, the first network device can send the UE context information to the second network device; outside the time range corresponding to the third time information, the first network device cannot send the UE context information to the second network device. In this case, the first network device is the last network device that stores the UE context information, and the second network device is the network device that will provide communication services to the UE.

[0252] The first information includes fourth time information, which indicates the time during which the first network device cannot obtain context information from the second network device. This time can be one or more time ranges. During this time, there may be no communication connection between the first and second network devices. The disconnection of the communication connection prevents the first network device from obtaining the stored UE context information from the second network device. For example, at this time, there may be a communication connection between the first and second network devices, but due to transmission limitations in the second network device, the first network device cannot obtain the stored UE context information from the second network device. It should be noted that when the first information includes fourth time information, the first network device cannot obtain UE context information from the second network device within the time range corresponding to the fourth time information; outside the time range corresponding to the fourth time information, the first network device can obtain UE context information from the second network device.

[0253] For example, the first information includes fourth time information, which indicates the time during which the first network device cannot send UE context information to the second network device. This time can be one or more time ranges. During this time, there may be no communication connection between the first and second network devices; the disconnection prevents the first network device from sending UE context information to the second network device. Alternatively, a communication connection may exist between the first and second network devices, but due to transmission limitations in the first network device, it cannot send the stored UE context information to the second network device. It should be noted that when the first information includes fourth time information, within the time range corresponding to the fourth time information, the first network device cannot send UE context information to the second network device. Outside the time range corresponding to the fourth time information, the first network device can send UE context information to the second network device. In this case, the first network device is the last network device that stored the UE context information, and the second network device is the network device that will provide communication services to the UE.

[0254] In some embodiments, the first information includes the identification information of the second network device.

[0255] For example, in this embodiment, the identification information can indicate that the first network device in the domain has a communication connection with a second network device. This identification information may be the device number information, ID information, identity code information, etc. of the second network device.

[0256] In some embodiments, the identification information includes at least one of the following: access network device identification information, satellite network device identification information, and cell identification information.

[0257] For example, when the second network device is an access network device, the identification information corresponding to the second network device is the access network device identification information; when the second network device is a satellite network device, the identification information corresponding to the second network device is the satellite network device identification information; when the second network device is an access network device, the identification information of the second network device may be the cell identification information of the second network device that can obtain UE context information.

[0258] In some embodiments, step S2101 above includes:

[0259] The first network device sends the first information to the terminal via an RRC release message.

[0260] For example, at this time, the first network device is the last network device to provide communication services to the UE, and the serving cell of the terminal is the last serving cell that provided services to the terminal before the UE switched to the RRC inactive state. The last serving cell of the first network device sends the first information to the UE through the RRC (Radio Resource Control) release message.

[0261] In some embodiments, step S2101 above includes:

[0262] The first network device sends the first information to the terminal via system messages.

[0263] For example, at this time, the first network device is the network device currently providing services to the UE, or the first network device is the network device corresponding to the UE's serving cell, and the serving cell corresponding to the first network device sends the first information to the terminal through system messages.

[0264] In step S2102, the terminal assists in executing the NTN communication process based on the first information.

[0265] In some embodiments, the NTN communication process includes at least one of the following: SDT, RRC reconnection, RRC recovery, RNA update, and RAN paging.

[0266] In some embodiments, the NTN communication process includes SDT, and step S2102 above includes:

[0267] Based on the first information, the terminal determines that the serving cell of the terminal cannot obtain UE context information and prohibits the execution of SDT.

[0268] For example, when the first network device is the network device corresponding to the UE's last serving cell, the first message is carried out via RRC release message; when the first network device is the network device of the UE's current serving cell, the first message is carried out via the serving cell's system message.

[0269] In some embodiments, the network device corresponding to the serving cell of the terminal is a first network device or a second network device.

[0270] In some embodiments, the UE receives first information.

[0271] When the terminal determines, based on the first information, that the current serving cell cannot obtain the UE's context information, it prohibits the execution of the SDT procedure in the terminal. For example, if the first information includes any of the aforementioned time information, then the execution of SDT is prohibited outside the time range corresponding to the first and third time information, and prohibited within the time range corresponding to the second and fourth time information.

[0272] In some embodiments, the above step "disable SDT execution" may include at least one of the following:

[0273] The terminal does not select the first resource to initiate random access RACH, where the first resource is the RACH resource used for the SDT;

[0274] The terminal is prohibited from sending RRC recovery information;

[0275] The terminal sends an RRC recovery message to the network device. The RRC recovery information does not include uplink data.

[0276] The terminal selects a second resource to initiate RACH, and the second resource is a RACH resource that is not used for SDT;

[0277] The terminal is prohibited from executing SDT outside the time range corresponding to the first time information.

[0278] The terminal is prohibited from executing SDT within the time range corresponding to the second time information;

[0279] The terminal is prohibited from executing SDT outside the time range corresponding to the third time information;

[0280] The terminal is prohibited from executing SDT within the time range corresponding to the fourth time information.

[0281] For example, when SDT is determined to be prohibited based on the above method, the UE selects other resources to initiate the RACH procedure. These other resources are RACH resources not used for SDT, thereby avoiding the abuse of RACH resources used for SDT. When the UE determines not to perform the SDT procedure, it prohibits initiating the RRC recovery procedure to the serving cell, and correspondingly, the UE prohibits sending RRC recovery request messages. RRC recovery information is sent to the first network device, which does not include uplink data. An RRC establishment request message is sent to the first network device, and simultaneously, the UE initiates the RACH procedure using other resources, which are RACH resources not used for SDT. When the first information includes first time information, after determining that the UE will not perform SDT, the UE will not perform SDT outside the time range corresponding to the first time information. When the first information includes second time information, after determining that the UE will not perform SDT, the UE will not perform SDT within the time range corresponding to the second time information. When the first information includes third time information, after determining that the UE will not perform SDT, the UE will not perform SDT outside the time range corresponding to the third time information. When the first information includes the fourth time information, and it is determined that the UE will not execute SDT, the UE will not execute SDT within the time range corresponding to the fourth time information.

[0282] In some embodiments, the NTN communication process includes SDT, and step S2102 above includes:

[0283] Based on the first information, the terminal determines that its serving cell can obtain UE context information and performs SDT.

[0284] For example, based on the first information, it is determined that the serving cell of the terminal is currently able to obtain UE context information, and the SDT procedure is executed.

[0285] In some embodiments, the time range within which the serving cell of the terminal can obtain context information can be determined based on the first information, and the terminal can perform the SDT process within the corresponding time range.

[0286] In some embodiments, the NTN communication process includes RRC recovery, and step S2102 above includes:

[0287] Based on the first information, the terminal determines that the serving cell of the terminal cannot obtain context information;

[0288] The terminal is prohibited from performing RRC resume.

[0289] For example, during the RRC recovery process, it is necessary to obtain UE context information. If the terminal determines, based on the first information sent by the network device, that the terminal's serving cell cannot obtain UE context information, the terminal is prohibited from performing the RRC recovery process.

[0290] In some embodiments, the above step "disable RRC recovery" includes:

[0291] The terminal is prohibited from sending the first request information, which is used to initiate RRC recovery to the first network device.

[0292] The terminal sends a second request message to the first network device. The second request message is used to instruct the first network device to send back RRC connection establishment information to the terminal according to the second request message.

[0293] Initiate an RRC connection establishment request to the first network device;

[0294] RRC recovery is prohibited outside the time range corresponding to the first-time information.

[0295] RRC recovery is prohibited within the time range corresponding to the second time information.

[0296] RRC recovery is prohibited outside the time range corresponding to the third time information.

[0297] RRC recovery is prohibited within the time range corresponding to the fourth time information.

[0298] For example, when the UE determines that the serving cell cannot obtain the UE context information based on the first information, it can prohibit the execution of RRC recovery in the following ways: (1) The UE prohibits sending the first request information, which is an RRC recovery request. Prohibiting the UE from sending the first request information will prevent the UE from performing the RRC recovery process; (2) The UE sends the second request information to the serving cell. When the serving cell determines that the UE cannot obtain the corresponding context information based on the second request information and the first information sent by the UE, it feeds back the RRC connection establishment information to the UE, and then performs the RRC re-establishment process based on the RRC connection establishment information; (3) When the first information includes the first time information, after determining that the UE will not perform RRC recovery, the UE will not perform RRC recovery outside the time range corresponding to the first time information. When the first information includes the second time information, after determining that the UE will not perform RRC recovery, the UE will not perform RRC recovery within the time range corresponding to the second time information. When the first information includes the third time information, after determining that the UE will not perform RRC recovery, the UE will not perform RRC recovery outside the time range corresponding to the third time information. When the first information includes the fourth time information, and it is determined that the UE will not perform RRC recovery, the UE will not perform RRC recovery within the time range corresponding to the fourth time information.

[0299] In some embodiments, the NTN communication process includes RRC recovery, and step S2102 above includes:

[0300] Based on the first information, the terminal determines that its serving cell can obtain context information and performs RRC recovery.

[0301] For example, during RRC recovery, the serving cell needs to obtain UE context information. When the terminal determines that its serving cell can obtain UE context information based on the first information sent by the network device, it executes the RRC recovery process.

[0302] In some embodiments, the NTN communication process includes RRC re-establishment, and step S2102 above includes:

[0303] Based on the first information, the terminal determines that the serving cell of the terminal cannot obtain context information;

[0304] The terminal is prohibited from performing RRC re-establishment.

[0305] For example, during the RRC re-establishment process, it is necessary to obtain UE context information. If the terminal determines, based on the first information sent by the network device, that the serving cell of the terminal cannot obtain UE context information, the terminal is prohibited from performing the RRC re-establishment process.

[0306] In some embodiments, the above step "preventing RRC re-establishment" includes:

[0307] The terminal is prohibited from sending the first request information, which is used to initiate RRC re-establishment to the first network device;

[0308] The terminal sends a second request message to the first network device. The second request message is used to instruct the first network device to send back RRC connection establishment information to the terminal according to the second request message.

[0309] Initiate an RRC connection establishment to the first network device;

[0310] RRC re-establishment is prohibited outside the time range corresponding to the first-time information.

[0311] RRC re-establishment is prohibited within the time range corresponding to the second time information.

[0312] RRC re-establishment is prohibited outside the time range corresponding to the third time information.

[0313] RRC re-establishment is prohibited within the time range corresponding to the fourth time information.

[0314] For example, when the UE determines that it cannot obtain UE context information based on the first information, it can prohibit the execution of RRC re-establishment in the following ways: (1) The UE prohibits sending the first request information, which is an RRC re-establishment request. Prohibiting the UE from sending the first request information will prevent the UE from executing the RRC re-establishment process; (2) The UE sends the second request information to the first network device. Based on the second request information and the first information sent by the UE, the first network device determines that the UE cannot obtain UE context information and feeds back RRC connection establishment information to the UE. Based on the RRC connection establishment information, the first network device executes the RRC re-establishment process; (3) When the first information includes the first time information, after determining that the UE will not execute RRC re-establishment, the UE will not execute RRC re-establishment outside the time range corresponding to the first time information. When the first information includes the second time information, after determining that the UE will not execute RRC re-establishment, the UE will not execute RRC re-establishment within the time range corresponding to the second time information. When the first information includes the third time information, after determining that the UE will not execute RRC re-establishment, the UE will not execute RRC re-establishment outside the time range corresponding to the third time information. When the first information includes the fourth time information, and it is determined that the UE will not perform RRC re-establishment, the UE will not perform RRC re-establishment within the time range corresponding to the fourth time information.

[0315] In some embodiments, the NTN communication process includes RRC re-establishment, and step S2102 above includes:

[0316] Based on the first information, the terminal determines that the serving cell of the terminal can obtain context information and performs RRC re-establishment.

[0317] For example, during the RRC re-establishment process based on the NTN communication architecture, it is necessary to obtain UE context information. When the terminal determines that the serving cell of the terminal can obtain UE context information based on the first information sent by the network device, the RRC re-establishment process is executed.

[0318] In some embodiments, the NTN communication process includes RNA update, and step S2102 above includes:

[0319] The terminal determines that the corresponding serving cell is located within the RAN notification area;

[0320] Based on the first piece of information, the terminal determines that the serving cell cannot obtain context information and performs an RNA update.

[0321] For example, for RAN notification area updates, if the UE determines that the serving cell is within the RAN notification area and determines through the first information that the serving cell cannot obtain the UE context information, then the UE initiates the RNA update process.

[0322] In some embodiments, the above step "perform RNA update" includes:

[0323] The terminal switches from the RRC inactive state to the RRC connected state.

[0324] For example, the process of performing an RNA update can be to switch the UE's current state from an inactive state to an RRC connected state, so that the UE performs an RNA update in the RRC connected state.

[0325] In some embodiments, step S2102 above includes:

[0326] Based on the first information, the terminal determines whether the serving cell of the terminal can obtain the context information of the terminal, and generates a determination result.

[0327] Based on the determination result, the terminal assists the terminal in executing the NTN communication process.

[0328] For example, the UE determines whether its serving cell can obtain the UE context information based on the first information, generates a determination result, and then assists the UE in performing the NTN communication process based on the determination result.

[0329] In some embodiments, the first information includes the identification information of the second network device, and the first information indicates that there is a communication connection between the first network device and the second network device. The above step "the terminal determines whether the serving cell of the terminal can obtain the context information of the terminal based on the first information" includes:

[0330] If the identification information includes the cell identification information of the serving cell, the terminal determines that the serving cell can obtain context information; if the identification information does not include the cell identification information of the serving cell, the terminal determines that the serving cell cannot obtain context information.

[0331] For example, the first network device stores UE context information, the network device corresponding to the UE's serving cell is the second network device, and the identification information is the cell identification information that has a communication connection with the first network device. To enable the UE's NTN communication process in the second network device, the second network device needs to obtain the UE context information from the first network device. If the identification information includes the cell identification of the UE's current serving cell, it is determined that the current serving cell can obtain the UE context information; if the identification information does not include the cell identification of the UE's current serving cell, it is determined that the current serving cell cannot obtain the UE context information. Alternatively, if the identification information includes the cell identification of the network device corresponding to the UE's current serving cell, it is determined that the current serving cell can obtain the UE context information; if the identification information does not include the identification of the network device corresponding to the UE's current serving cell, it is determined that the current serving cell cannot obtain the UE context information.

[0332] In some embodiments, the first information includes the identification information of the second network device, and the first information indicates that there is no communication connection between the first network device and the second network device. The above step "the terminal determines whether the serving cell of the terminal can obtain the context information of the terminal based on the first information" includes:

[0333] The terminal responds to the identification information, which includes the cell identification information of the serving cell, and determines that the serving cell cannot obtain context information;

[0334] The terminal responds to the fact that the identification information does not include the cell identification information, and determines that the serving cell can obtain context information.

[0335] For example, the first network device stores UE context information, the network device corresponding to the UE's serving cell is the second network device, and the identification information is the cell identification information that has no communication connection with the first network device. To enable the UE's NTN communication process in the second network device, the second network device needs to obtain the UE context information from the first network device. If the identification information includes the cell identification of the UE's current serving cell, it is determined that the current serving cell cannot obtain the UE context information; if the identification information does not include the cell identification of the UE's current serving cell, it is determined that the current serving cell can obtain the UE context information; or if the identification information includes the cell identification of the network device corresponding to the UE's current serving cell, it is determined that the current serving cell cannot obtain the UE context information; if the identification information does not include the identification of the network device corresponding to the UE's current serving cell, it is determined that the current serving cell can obtain the UE context information.

[0336] In some embodiments, step S2102 above includes:

[0337] Based on the first information, the terminal determines whether there is a communication connection between the terminal's serving cell and the terminal's last serving cell, and generates a determination result;

[0338] Based on the determination result, the terminal assists the terminal in executing the NTN communication process.

[0339] For example, in this embodiment, the second network device stores UE context information, and the UE performs the NTN communication process in the first network device. If a communication connection exists between the first network device and the second network device, the first network device can obtain the UE context information from the second network device. The second network device is the network device of the UE's last serving cell. Based on the first information, the terminal determines whether a communication connection exists between the serving cell and the last serving cell, and generates a determination result. Based on different determination results, the terminal assists the UE in performing different NTN communication processes.

[0340] In some embodiments, the first information includes the identification information of the second network device. The first information is used to indicate that a communication connection exists between the first network device and the second network device. The above step of determining whether a communication connection exists between the serving cell of the terminal and the last serving cell of the terminal based on the first information includes:

[0341] The terminal responds to the identification information, including the cell identification information of the last serving cell, and determines that there is a communication connection between the serving cell and the last serving cell;

[0342] The terminal responds to the fact that the identification information does not include the cell identification information of the last serving cell, and determines that there is no communication connection between the serving cell and the last serving cell.

[0343] For example, the identification information is the identification information of a second network device, which is a network device that has a communication connection with the first network device. If the second network device stores UE context information, the first network device can obtain the UE context information from the second network device based on the communication connection.

[0344] In this embodiment, the network device corresponding to the last serving cell of the UE is the second network device. The last serving cell is the last cell that provides services to the UE before the UE switches to the inactive state. The network device corresponding to the last cell stores the UE context information, that is, the second network device stores the UE context information.

[0345] For example, if the identification information indicates that the device identification information of the second network device is the same as the device identification information corresponding to the last serving cell of the UE, or if the identification information indicates that the cell identification information of the cell corresponding to the second network device is the same as the cell identification information of the last serving cell of the UE, then it is determined that the second network device stores the UE context information, and there is a communication connection between the first network device and the second network device, or it is determined that the UE's serving cell can obtain the UE context information from the second network device.

[0346] If the device identification information of the second network device indicated by the identification information is different from the device identification information of the network device corresponding to the last serving cell of the UE, or if the identification information indicates the cell identification information of the cell corresponding to the second network device, but the cell identification information does not include the cell identification of the last serving cell of the UE, then it is determined that the second network device stores the UE context information, and there is no communication connection between the first network device and the second network device, or the UE's serving cell cannot obtain the UE context information from the last serving cell.

[0347] In some embodiments, the first information includes the identification information of the second network device. The first information is used to indicate that there is no communication connection between the first network device and the second network device. The above step of determining whether there is a communication connection between the terminal's serving cell and the terminal's last serving cell based on the first information includes:

[0348] The terminal responds to the identification information, including the cell identification information of the last serving cell, and determines that there is no communication connection between the serving cell and the last serving cell;

[0349] The terminal determines that a communication connection exists between the serving cell and the last serving cell when the identification information does not include the cell identification information of the last serving cell.

[0350] For example, the first information indicates that there is no communication connection between the first network device and the second network device. The identification information included in the first information is the device identification information of the second network device, or the cell identification information of the cell corresponding to the second network device.

[0351] If the identification information indicates that the device identification information of the second network device is the same as the device identification information corresponding to the last serving cell of the UE, or if the identification information indicates that the cell identification information of the cell corresponding to the second network device is the same as the cell identification information of the last serving cell of the UE, then it is determined that the second network device stores the UE context information, and there is no communication connection between the first network device and the second network device, or it is determined that the UE's serving cell cannot obtain the UE context information from the second network device.

[0352] If the identification information indicates that the device identification information of the second network device is different from the device identification information corresponding to the last serving cell of the UE, or if the identification information indicates that the cell identification information of the cell corresponding to the second network device does not include the cell identification of the last serving cell of the UE, then it is determined that the second network device does not store the UE context, the cell corresponding to the second network device is not the last serving cell of the UE, the first network device has a communication connection with the network device corresponding to the last serving cell, or the UE's serving cell can obtain the UE context information from the last serving cell.

[0353] In some embodiments, the names of information, etc., are not limited to the names described in the embodiments. Terms such as "information", "message", "signal", "signaling", "report", "configuration", "indication", "instruction", "command", "channel", "parameter", "domain", "field", "symbol", "symbol", "codebook", "codeword", "codepoint", "bit", "data", "program", and "chip" can be used interchangeably.

[0354] In some embodiments, the terms "codebook," "codeword," and "precoding matrix" can be used interchangeably. For example, a codebook can be a collection of one or more codewords / precoding matrices.

[0355] In some embodiments, the terms "uplink", "uplink", and "physical uplink" can be used interchangeably, as can the terms "downlink", "downlink", and "physical downlink", as well as the terms "sidelink", "sidelink", "sidelink communication", "sidelink communication", "direct connection", "direct link", "direct communication", and "direct link communication".

[0356] In some embodiments, the terms “downlink control information (DCI),” “downlink (DL) assignment,” “DL DCI,” “uplink (UL) grant,” and “UL DCI” can be used interchangeably.

[0357] In some embodiments, terms such as "physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH)" and "DL data" can be used interchangeably, as can terms such as "physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH)" and "UL data".

[0358] In some embodiments, the terms “radio”, “wireless”, “radio access network (RAN)”, “access network (AN)”, and “RAN-based” can be used interchangeably.

[0359] In some embodiments, the terms "search space", "search space set", "search space configuration", "search space set configuration", "control resource set (CORESET)", and "CORESET configuration" can be used interchangeably.

[0360] In some embodiments, the terms "synchronization signal (SS)," "synchronization signal block (SSB)," "reference signal (RS)," "pilot," and "pilot signal" can be used interchangeably.

[0361] In some embodiments, terms such as “moment,” “point in time,” “time,” and “time location” can be used interchangeably, as can terms such as “duration,” “segment,” “time window,” “window,” and “time.”

[0362] In some embodiments, the terms "component carrier (CC)," "cell," "frequency carrier," and "carrier frequency" can be used interchangeably.

[0363] In some embodiments, the terms “resource block (RB)”, “physical resource block (PRB)”, “sub-carrier group (SCG)”, “resource element group (REG)”, “PRB pair”, “RB pair”, “resource element (RE)”, and “sub-carrier” can be used interchangeably.

[0364] In some embodiments, terms such as wireless access scheme and waveform can be used interchangeably.

[0365] In some embodiments, the terms "precoding", "precoder", "weight", "precoding weight", "quasi-co-location (QCL)", "transmission configuration indication (TCI) status", "spatial relation", "spatial domain filter", "transmission power", "phase rotation", "antenna port", "antenna port group", "layer", "the number of layers", "rank", "resource", "resource set", "resource group", "beam", "beam width", "beam angular degree", "antenna", "antenna element", and "panel" can be used interchangeably.

[0366] In some embodiments, the terms “frame”, “radio frame”, “subframe”, “slot”, “sub-slot”, “mini-slot”, “symbol”, “symbol”, and “transmission time interval (TTI)” can be used interchangeably.

[0367] In some embodiments, “get,” “obtain,” “receive,” “transmit,” “bidirectional transmission,” and “send and / or receive” can be used interchangeably and can be interpreted as receiving from other entities, obtaining from protocols, obtaining from higher layers, obtaining through self-processing, or autonomous implementation, among other meanings.

[0368] In some embodiments, terms such as “send,” “transmit,” “report,” “distribute,” “transfer,” “bidirectional transmission,” “send and / or receive” can be used interchangeably.

[0369] In some embodiments, terms such as "certain," "preset," "default," "set," "indicated," "a certain," "any," and "first" can be used interchangeably. "Certain A," "preset A," "default A," "set A," "indicated A," "a certain A," "any A," and "first A" can be interpreted as A pre-defined in a protocol or the like, or as A obtained through setting, configuration, or instruction, or as specific A, a certain A, any A, or first A, but are not limited thereto.

[0370] In some embodiments, the determination or judgment can be made by a value represented by 1 bit (0 or 1), or by a true or false value (boolean), or by a comparison of numerical values ​​(e.g., a comparison with a predetermined value), but is not limited thereto.

[0371] In some embodiments, "not expecting to receive" can be interpreted as not receiving on time domain resources and / or frequency domain resources, or as not performing subsequent processing on the data after receiving it; "not expecting to send" can be interpreted as not sending, or as sending but not expecting the receiver to respond to the sent content.

[0372] The communication method involved in the embodiments of this disclosure may include at least one of steps S2101 to S2102. For example, step S2101 may be implemented as a standalone embodiment, step S2102 may be implemented as a standalone embodiment, and step S2101+S2102 may be implemented as a standalone embodiment, but is not limited thereto.

[0373] In some embodiments, steps S2101 and S2102 may be performed in an alternate order or simultaneously.

[0374] In some embodiments, step S2101 is optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or substituted in different embodiments.

[0375] In some embodiments, step S2102 is optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or substituted in different embodiments.

[0376] In some embodiments, other optional implementations described before or after the specification corresponding to FIG2 may be referred to.

[0377] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 3, the embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a communication method executed by a terminal, the method including:

[0378] Step S3101: Receive first information sent by the first network device. The first information is used to indicate the communication connection status between the first network device and the second network device. The second network device includes access network devices and / or satellite network devices.

[0379] The optional implementation of step S3101 can be found in the optional implementation of step S2101 in Figure 2 and other related parts in the embodiments involved in Figure 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0380] Step S3102: Based on the first information, the auxiliary terminal performs the non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication process.

[0381] The optional implementation of step S3102 can be found in the optional implementation of step S2102 in Figure 2 and other related parts in the embodiments involved in Figure 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0382] In some embodiments, steps S3101 and S3102 may be performed in an alternate order or simultaneously.

[0383] In some embodiments, step S3101 is optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or substituted in different embodiments.

[0384] In some embodiments, step S3102 is optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or substituted in different embodiments.

[0385] In some embodiments, other optional implementations may be described before or after the specification corresponding to FIG3.

[0386] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 4, the embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method executed by a first network device, the method comprising:

[0387] Step S4101: Send the first information to terminal 101.

[0388] In some embodiments, the first information is used to indicate the communication connection status between the first network device and the second network device, the second network device including access network device and / or satellite network device, and the first information is used to assist the terminal in performing the NTN communication process.

[0389] In some embodiments, the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0390] The second information is used to indicate whether a communication connection exists between the first network device and the second network device;

[0391] The third information is used to indicate whether the first network device can obtain the terminal's context information from the second network device;

[0392] First-time information is used to indicate the time when a communication connection exists between the first network device and the second network device.

[0393] The second time information is used to indicate the time when there is no communication connection between the first network device and the second network device.

[0394] Third time information, which indicates the time when the first network device is able to obtain context information from the second network device;

[0395] The fourth time information is used to indicate the time when the first network device cannot obtain context information from the second network device.

[0396] In some embodiments, the communication connection includes an inter-satellite link connection and / or an interface connection between access network devices.

[0397] In some embodiments, the NTN communication process includes at least one of the following: SDT, RRC re-establishment, RRC recovery, and radio access network notification area RNA update.

[0398] In some embodiments, the first information includes identification information of the second network device, which includes at least one of the following: access network device identification information, satellite network device identification information, and cell identification information.

[0399] In some embodiments, the first information is carried by an RRC release message and / or by a system message.

[0400] The optional implementation of step S4101 can be found in the optional implementation of step S2101 in Figure 2 and other related parts in the embodiments involved in Figure 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0401] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 5, the present disclosure relates to a communication method, which includes:

[0402] Step S5101: The network device sends auxiliary information to the terminal.

[0403] In some embodiments, the auxiliary information includes at least one of the following:

[0404] Whether there are connections with other base stations and / or satellites, including inter-satellite links and inter-base station interfaces;

[0405] Is it possible to obtain the UE context stored in other base stations and / or satellites?

[0406] First-time information, which indicates the time range within which a connection exists with other base stations or a connection does not exist with other base stations;

[0407] Second time information, wherein the second time information indicates the time range in which the context of the UE stored by other base stations or satellites can be obtained, or the second time information indicates the time range in which the context of the UE stored by other base stations or satellites cannot be obtained;

[0408] In step S5102, the terminal executes the NTN communication process based on the auxiliary information.

[0409] In some embodiments, the auxiliary information is used to assist the UE in performing at least one of the following procedures: SDT, RRC re-establishment, RRC recovery, and RNA update.

[0410] In some embodiments, the other base stations and / or satellites are indicated by identification information, which includes at least one of the following: base station identifier, cell identifier, and satellite identifier. For example, the identification information includes: gNB-ID, PCI (Physical Cell Identity), cellglobal-ID, NG RAN-ID, satellite ID, etc.

[0411] In some embodiments, during the SDT procedure, the UE determines whether its serving cell can obtain the UE's context using auxiliary information. If the serving cell cannot obtain the UE's context, the UE does not perform the SDT procedure, wherein the UE does not perform the SDT procedure in a manner that may include at least one of the following:

[0412] The UE does not select RACH resources for SDT to initiate RACH;

[0413] The UE does not send an RRC resume message;

[0414] The UE sends an RRC resume message, but the RRC resume message does not contain uplink data;

[0415] The UE selects RACH resources not used for SDT to initiate RACH and sends an RRC setup request message;

[0416] If the UE cannot obtain the context corresponding to the UE in the serving cell during the time period, the SDT procedure will not be initiated.

[0417] In some embodiments, for the SDT procedure, if the serving cell corresponding to the UE can obtain the UE's context, then the UE executes the SDT procedure.

[0418] In some embodiments, during the RRC re-establishment process, the UE determines whether its serving cell can obtain the UE's context using auxiliary information. If the serving cell cannot obtain the UE's context, the UE does not execute the RRC re-establishment process. The way in which the UE does not execute the RRC re-establishment process may include at least one of the following:

[0419] The UE does not send an RRC re-establishment request;

[0420] After receiving the RRC re-establishment request from the UE, the gNB sends an RRCsetup response to the UE.

[0421] If the UE determines that it cannot obtain the UE context, it initiates an RRC connection establishment procedure to the gNB, that is, sends an RRC setup request;

[0422] During the period when the serving cell cannot obtain the UE's context, the UE is prohibited from initiating the RRC re-establishment procedure. The UE waits until the serving cell can obtain the UE's context before initiating the RRC resume procedure to the gNB.

[0423] When a UE performs cell reselection, it selects a cell that can obtain the UE context and then executes the RRC re-establishment procedure.

[0424] In some embodiments, if the serving cell is able to obtain the UE's context, the UE performs an RRC re-establishment procedure.

[0425] In some embodiments, for the RNA update process, if the UE determines that the serving cell is within the RAN notification area and determines through auxiliary information that the cell cannot obtain the UE's context, then the UE initiates an RNA update, or the UE switches from the RRC inactive state to the RRC connected state.

[0426] In some embodiments, the UE determines whether its serving cell can obtain the UE's context by using auxiliary information, and also includes the UE determining whether its serving cell has a connection with the last serving cell by using auxiliary information.

[0427] In some embodiments, the UE determines whether its serving cell can obtain the UE's context by using auxiliary information. This includes: the UE determining whether it can obtain the UE's context by comparing the base station and / or satellite identifiers provided in the auxiliary information with the identifier of the last serving cell. Specifically, this includes the following scenarios:

[0428] The auxiliary information is used to indicate whether the UE’s current serving cell or the base station / satellite corresponding to the serving cell is connected to other base stations / satellites. If the identifier of the UE’s last serving cell or the base station / satellite corresponding to the last serving cell is present in the auxiliary information, the UE determines that the serving cell is connected to the last serving cell and / or can obtain the UE’s context. Otherwise, the UE determines that the serving cell is not connected to the last serving cell and / or cannot obtain the UE’s context.

[0429] The auxiliary information is used to indicate that the serving cell or the base station / satellite corresponding to the serving cell is not connected to other base stations / satellites. If the identifier of the UE's last serving cell or the base station / satellite corresponding to the last serving cell is present in the auxiliary information, the UE determines that the serving cell is not connected to the last serving cell and / or cannot obtain the UE's context. Otherwise, the UE determines that the serving cell is connected to the last serving cell and / or can obtain the UE's context.

[0430] The auxiliary information is used to indicate that the serving cell or the base station / satellite corresponding to the serving cell can obtain the UE context stored by other base stations / satellites. If the identifier of the UE's last serving cell or the base station / satellite corresponding to the last serving cell exists in the auxiliary information, the UE determines that the serving cell can obtain the UE's context; otherwise, the UE determines that the serving cell cannot obtain the UE's context.

[0431] The auxiliary information is used to indicate that the serving cell or the base station / satellite corresponding to the serving cell cannot obtain the UE context stored by other base stations / satellites. If the identifier of the UE's last serving cell or the base station / satellite corresponding to the last serving cell exists in the auxiliary information, the UE determines that the serving cell cannot obtain the UE's context; otherwise, the UE determines that the serving cell can obtain the UE's context.

[0432] In some embodiments, the UE may also utilize the time information stored in the auxiliary information, along with the UE's local time, to determine whether the serving cell can obtain the UE's context. For example, the auxiliary information includes first time information, which indicates the time range within which the serving cell or its corresponding base station / satellite has a connection with other base stations / satellites, wherein the other base stations / satellites store the UE's context. If the UE's current local time is not within this time range, the UE determines that the serving cell cannot obtain the UE's context; otherwise, the UE determines that the serving cell can obtain the UE's context.

[0433] In some embodiments, auxiliary information is sent via the RRC release message of the last serving cell or via a system message of the serving cell corresponding to the UE.

[0434] In this way, the network provides auxiliary information to indicate the inter-satellite link or UE context acquisition status. The UE uses the auxiliary information to assist in the execution of the NTN communication process, thereby ensuring the communication performance in the NTN communication architecture.

[0435] This disclosure also provides an apparatus for implementing any of the above methods. For example, an apparatus is provided that includes units or modules for implementing the steps performed by the terminal in any of the above methods. Alternatively, another apparatus is provided that includes units or modules for implementing the steps performed by a network device (e.g., an access network device, a core network functional node, a core network device, etc.) in any of the above methods.

[0436] It should be understood that the division of units or modules in the above device is only a logical functional division. In actual implementation, they can be fully or partially integrated into a single physical entity, or they can be physically separated. Furthermore, the units or modules in the device can be implemented by a processor calling software: for example, the device includes a processor connected to a memory containing instructions. The processor calls the instructions stored in the memory to implement any of the above methods or to implement the functions of the units or modules in the above device. The processor can be, for example, a general-purpose processor, such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU) or a microprocessor, and the memory can be internal or external to the device. Alternatively, the units or modules in the device can be implemented in the form of hardware circuits. The functionality of some or all of the units or modules can be achieved through the design of these hardware circuits, which can be understood as one or more processors. For example, in one implementation, the hardware circuit is an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The functionality of some or all of the units or modules is achieved through the design of the logical relationships between the components within the circuit. In another implementation, the hardware circuit can be implemented using a programmable logic device (PLD). Taking a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) as an example, it can include a large number of logic gates. The connection relationships between the logic gates are configured through configuration files, thereby achieving the functionality of some or all of the units or modules. All units or modules of the above device can be implemented entirely through processor-called software, entirely through hardware circuits, or partially through processor-called software with the remaining parts implemented through hardware circuits.

[0437] In this embodiment, the processor is a circuit with signal processing capabilities. In one implementation, the processor can be a circuit with instruction read and execute capabilities, such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a graphics processing unit (GPU) (which can be understood as a microprocessor), or a digital signal processor (DSP). In another implementation, the processor can implement certain functions through the logical relationships of hardware circuits. The logical relationships of the aforementioned hardware circuits are fixed or reconfigurable. For example, the processor is a hardware circuit implemented using an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a programmable logic device (PLD), such as an FPGA. In a reconfigurable hardware circuit, the process of the processor loading a configuration document and configuring the hardware circuit can be understood as the process of the processor loading instructions to implement the functions of some or all of the above units or modules. Furthermore, it can also be a hardware circuit designed for artificial intelligence, which can be understood as an ASIC, such as a Neural Network Processing Unit (NPU), a Tensor Processing Unit (TPU), or a Deep Learning Processing Unit (DPU).

[0438] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 6, the terminal 6100 may include a transceiver module 6101 and a processing module 6102. In some embodiments, the transceiver module 6101 is configured to receive first information sent by a first network device, the first information indicating the communication connection status between the first network device and a second network device, the second network device including an access network device and / or a satellite network device, and the processing module 6102 is configured to assist the terminal in performing a non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication process based on the first information. Optionally, the transceiver module 6101 and the processing module 6102 are used to perform at least one of the communication steps such as determination and / or acquisition performed by the terminal 101 in any of the above methods, which will not be elaborated here.

[0439] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 6101 may include a receiving module and a transmitting module, which may be separate or integrated. Optionally, the transmitting module may be interchangeable with a transmitter. The receiving module may be interchangeable with a receiver.

[0440] In some embodiments, the processing module 6102 may include an execution module and an acquisition module, which may be separate or integrated together. Optionally, the execution module may be interchangeable with an executor.

[0441] In some embodiments, the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0442] The second information is used to indicate whether a communication connection exists between the first network device and the second network device;

[0443] The third information is used to indicate whether the first network device can obtain the terminal's context information from the second network device;

[0444] First-time information is used to indicate the time when a communication connection exists between the first network device and the second network device.

[0445] The second time information is used to indicate the time when there is no communication connection between the first network device and the second network device.

[0446] Third time information, which indicates the time when the first network device is able to obtain context information from the second network device;

[0447] The fourth time information is used to indicate the time when the first network device cannot obtain context information from the second network device.

[0448] In some embodiments, the communication connection includes an inter-satellite link connection and / or an interface connection between access network devices.

[0449] In some embodiments, the NTN communication process includes at least one of the following: Short Data Transmission (SDT), Radio Resource Control (RRC) Re-establishment, RRC Recovery, and Radio Access Network Notification Area (RNA) Update.

[0450] In some embodiments, the first information includes identification information of the second network device, which includes at least one of the following: access network device identification information, satellite network device identification information, and cell identification information.

[0451] In some embodiments, the NTN communication process includes SDT, and the processing module 6102 is configured to:

[0452] Based on the first piece of information, it is determined that the serving cell of the terminal cannot obtain context information, and SDT is prohibited from being executed.

[0453] In some embodiments, prohibiting the execution of SDT includes at least one of the following:

[0454] If the first resource is not selected to initiate random access RACH, the first resource is the RACH resource used for SDT;

[0455] Do not send RRC recovery information;

[0456] Send RRC recovery information to the first network device. The RRC recovery information does not include uplink data.

[0457] Select a second resource to initiate RACH; the second resource is a RACH resource that is not used for SDT.

[0458] SDT execution is prohibited outside the time range corresponding to the first-time information.

[0459] SDT execution is prohibited within the time range corresponding to the second time information.

[0460] SDT execution is prohibited outside the time range corresponding to the third time information.

[0461] SDT execution is prohibited within the time range corresponding to the fourth time information.

[0462] In some embodiments, the NTN communication process includes SDT, and the processing module 6102 is configured to:

[0463] Based on the first information, it is determined that the serving cell of the terminal can obtain context information and perform SDT.

[0464] In some embodiments, the NTN communication process includes RRC recovery, and the processing module 6102 is configured to:

[0465] Based on the first piece of information, it is determined that the serving cell of the terminal cannot obtain context information, and RRC recovery is prohibited.

[0466] In some embodiments, prohibiting RRC recovery includes at least one of the following:

[0467] Sending the first request message is prohibited. The first request message is used to initiate an RRC recovery to the first network device.

[0468] Send a second request message to the first network device. The second request message is used to instruct the first network device to send back RRC connection establishment information to the terminal according to the second request message.

[0469] Initiate an RRC connection establishment to the first network device;

[0470] RRC recovery is prohibited outside the time range corresponding to the first-time information.

[0471] RRC recovery is prohibited within the time range corresponding to the second time information.

[0472] RRC recovery is prohibited outside the time range corresponding to the third time information.

[0473] RRC recovery is prohibited within the time range corresponding to the fourth time information.

[0474] In some embodiments, the NTN process includes RRC recovery, and the processing module 6102 is configured to:

[0475] Based on the first piece of information, it is determined that the serving cell of the terminal can obtain context information and perform RRC recovery.

[0476] In some embodiments, the NTN communication process includes RRC re-establishment, and the processing module 6102 is configured to:

[0477] Based on the first piece of information, it is determined that the serving cell of the terminal cannot obtain context information, and RRC re-establishment is prohibited.

[0478] In some embodiments, preventing RRC re-establishment includes at least one of the following:

[0479] Sending third request messages is prohibited. Third request messages are used to initiate RRC re-establishment to the first network device.

[0480] Send a fourth request message to the first network device. The fourth request message is used to instruct the first network device to send back RRC connection establishment information to the terminal based on the second request message.

[0481] Initiate an RRC connection establishment to the first network device;

[0482] RRC re-establishment is prohibited outside the time range corresponding to the first-time information.

[0483] RRC re-establishment is prohibited within the time range corresponding to the second time information.

[0484] RRC re-establishment is prohibited outside the time range corresponding to the third time information.

[0485] RRC re-establishment is prohibited within the time range corresponding to the fourth time information.

[0486] In some embodiments, the NTN process includes RRC re-establishment, and the processing module 6102 is configured to:

[0487] Based on the first piece of information, it is determined that the serving cell of the terminal can obtain context information and perform RRC re-establishment.

[0488] In some embodiments, the NTN communication process includes RNA updates, and the processing module 6102 is configured to:

[0489] The terminal's serving cell is located within the RAN notification area;

[0490] Based on the first piece of information, it is determined that the serving cell cannot obtain context information, and an RNA update is performed.

[0491] In some embodiments, the processing module 6102 is configured to:

[0492] Switch the terminal from RRC inactive state to RRC connected state.

[0493] In some embodiments, the processing module 6102 is configured to:

[0494] Based on the first information, determine whether the serving cell of the terminal can obtain the context information of the terminal, and generate a determination result;

[0495] Based on the determination result, the auxiliary terminal executes the NTN communication process.

[0496] In some embodiments, the first information includes identification information of the second network device. The first information is used to indicate that there is a communication connection between the first network device and the second network device. The processing module 6102 is configured to:

[0497] In response to the identification information including the cell identification information of the serving cell, it is determined that the serving cell can obtain context information;

[0498] Since the identification information does not include cell identification information, it is determined that the serving cell cannot obtain context information.

[0499] In some embodiments, the first information includes identification information of the second network device. The first information is used to indicate that there is no communication connection between the first network device and the second network device. The processing module 6102 is configured to:

[0500] In response to the fact that the identification information includes the cell identification information of the serving cell, it is determined that the serving cell cannot obtain context information;

[0501] In response to the fact that the identification information does not include cell identification information, it is determined that the serving cell can obtain context information.

[0502] In some embodiments, the processing module 6102 is configured to:

[0503] Based on the first information, determine whether there is a communication connection between the terminal's serving cell and the terminal's last serving cell, and generate a determination result;

[0504] Based on the determination result, the auxiliary terminal executes the NTN communication process.

[0505] In some embodiments, the first information includes identification information of the second network device. The first information is used to indicate that there is a communication connection between the first network device and the second network device. The processing module 6102 is configured to:

[0506] In response to the identification information including the cell identification information of the last serving cell, it is determined that a communication connection exists between the serving cell and the last serving cell;

[0507] In response to the fact that the identification information does not include the cell identification information of the last serving cell, it is determined that there is no communication connection between the serving cell and the last serving cell.

[0508] In some embodiments, the first information includes identification information of the second network device. The first information is used to indicate that there is no communication connection between the first network device and the second network device. The processing module 6102 is configured to:

[0509] In response to the identification information including the cell identification information of the last serving cell, it is determined that there is no communication connection between the serving cell and the last serving cell;

[0510] In response to the fact that the identification information does not include the cell identification information of the last serving cell, it is determined that there is a communication connection between the serving cell and the last serving cell.

[0511] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 6101 is configured to:

[0512] The receiving terminal receives the first information sent by the last serving cell, and the first information releases the message bearer via RRC.

[0513] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 6101 is configured to:

[0514] The receiving terminal receives the first information sent by the serving cell, which is carried by a system message.

[0515] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a first network device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 7, the first network device 7100 may include a transceiver module 7101. In some embodiments, the transceiver module 7101 is configured to send first information to a terminal. The first information is used to indicate the communication connection status between the first network device and a second network device. The second network device includes an access network device and / or a satellite network device. The first information is used to assist the terminal in performing the NTN communication process. Optionally, the transceiver module 7101 is used to perform at least one of the communication steps such as determination and / or acquisition performed by the first network device 7100 in any of the above methods, which will not be elaborated here.

[0516] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 7101 may include a receiving module and a transmitting module, which may be separate or integrated. Optionally, the transmitting module may be interchangeable with a transmitter. The receiving module may be interchangeable with a receiver.

[0517] In some embodiments, the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0518] The second information is used to indicate whether a communication connection exists between the first network device and the second network device;

[0519] The third information is used to indicate whether the first network device can obtain the terminal's context information from the second network device;

[0520] First-time information is used to indicate the time when a communication connection exists between the first network device and the second network device.

[0521] The second time information is used to indicate the time when there is no communication connection between the first network device and the second network device.

[0522] Third time information, which indicates the time when the first network device is able to obtain context information from the second network device;

[0523] The fourth time information is used to indicate the time when the first network device cannot obtain context information from the second network device.

[0524] In some embodiments, the communication connection includes an inter-satellite link connection and / or an interface connection between access network devices.

[0525] In some embodiments, the NTN communication process includes at least one of the following: SDT, RRC re-establishment, RRC recovery, and radio access network notification area RNA update.

[0526] In some embodiments, the first information includes identification information of the second network device, which includes at least one of the following: access network device identification information, satellite network device identification information, and cell identification information.

[0527] In some embodiments, the first information is carried by an RRC release message and / or by a system message.

[0528] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 8100 according to an embodiment of this disclosure. The communication device 8100 can be a network device (e.g., access network device, core network device, etc.), a terminal (e.g., user equipment, etc.), a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the network device in implementing any of the above methods, or a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the terminal in implementing any of the above methods. The communication device 8100 can be used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments; for details, please refer to the descriptions in the above method embodiments.

[0529] As shown in Figure 8, the communication device 8100 includes one or more third processors 8101. The third processor 8101 can be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, such as a baseband processor or a central processing unit (CPU). The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, while the CPU can be used to control communication devices (e.g., base stations, baseband chips, terminal devices, terminal device chips, DUs or CUs, etc.), execute programs, and process program data. Optionally, the communication device 8100 can be used to execute any of the above methods. Optionally, one or more third processors 8101 can be used to invoke instructions to cause the communication device 8100 to execute any of the above methods.

[0530] In some embodiments, the communication device 8100 further includes one or more third transceivers 8102. When the communication device 8100 includes one or more third transceivers 8102, the third transceiver 8102 performs at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving in the above method, and the third processor 8101 performs at least one of the other steps. In optional embodiments, the transceiver may include a receiver and / or a transmitter, which may be separate or integrated. Optionally, the terms transceiver, transceiver unit, transceiver, transceiver circuit, interface circuit, interface, etc., can be used interchangeably; the terms transmitter, sending unit, transmitter, sending circuit, etc., can be used interchangeably; and the terms receiver, receiving unit, receiver, receiving circuit, etc., can be used interchangeably.

[0531] In some embodiments, the communication device 8100 further includes one or more third memories 8103 for storing data. Optionally, all or part of the third memories 8103 may be located outside the communication device 8100. In optional embodiments, the communication device 8100 may include one or more first interface circuits 8104. Optionally, the first interface circuit 8104 is connected to the third memory 8103, and the first interface circuit 8104 can be used to receive data from the third memory 8103 or other devices, and can be used to send data to the third processor 8101 or other devices. For example, the first interface circuit 8104 can read data stored in the third memory 8103 and send the data to the third processor 8101.

[0532] The communication device 8100 described in the above embodiments may be a network device or a terminal, but the scope of the communication device 8100 described in this disclosure is not limited thereto, and the structure of the communication device 8100 may not be limited by FIG8. The communication device may be a standalone device or may be part of a larger device. For example, the communication device may be: (1) a standalone integrated circuit IC, or chip, or chip system or subsystem; (2) a collection of one or more ICs, optionally, the IC collection may also include storage components for storing data and programs; (3) an ASIC, such as a modem; (4) a module that can be embedded in other devices; (5) a receiver, terminal device, smart terminal device, cellular phone, wireless device, handheld device, mobile unit, vehicle device, network device, cloud device, artificial intelligence device, etc.; (6) others, etc.

[0533] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the structure of chip 8200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For cases where the communication device 8100 can be a chip or a chip system, the schematic diagram of chip 8200 shown in Figure 9 can be referenced, but is not limited thereto.

[0534] Chip 8200 includes one or more fourth processors 8201. Chip 8200 is used to perform any of the above methods.

[0535] In some embodiments, chip 8200 further includes one or more second interface circuits 8202. Optionally, terms such as interface circuit, interface, and transceiver pin can be used interchangeably. In some embodiments, chip 8200 further includes one or more fourth memories 8203 for storing data. Optionally, all or part of the fourth memories 8203 may be located outside chip 8200. Optionally, the second interface circuit 8202 is connected to the fourth memories 8203, and the second interface circuit 8202 can be used to receive data from the fourth memories 8203 or other devices, and the second interface circuit 8202 can be used to send data to the fourth memories 8203 or other devices. For example, the second interface circuit 8202 can read data stored in the fourth memories 8203 and send the data to the fourth processor 8201.

[0536] In some embodiments, the second interface circuit 8202 performs at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving in the above-described method. For example, the second interface circuit 8202 performing the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving in the above-described method refers to the second interface circuit 8202 performing data interaction between the fourth processor 8201, the chip 8200, the fourth memory 8203, or the transceiver device. In some embodiments, the fourth processor 8201 performs at least one of the other steps.

[0537] The modules and / or devices described in the various embodiments, such as virtual devices, physical devices, and chips, can be combined or separated arbitrarily as needed. Optionally, some or all steps can also be performed collaboratively by multiple modules and / or devices, which is not limited here.

[0538] This disclosure also proposes a storage medium storing instructions that, when executed on a communication device 8100, cause the communication device 8100 to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, the storage medium is an electronic storage medium. Optionally, the storage medium is a computer-readable storage medium, but not limited thereto; it may also be a storage medium readable by other devices. Optionally, the storage medium may be a non-transitory storage medium, but not limited thereto; it may also be a temporary storage medium.

[0539] This disclosure also provides a program product that, when executed by the communication device 8100, causes the communication device 8100 to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, the program product is a computer program product.

[0540] This disclosure also proposes a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform any of the above methods.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method is performed by a terminal, and the method comprises: receiving first information sent by a first network device, the first information being used to indicate a communication connection state between the first network device and a second network device, the second network device comprising an access network device and / or a satellite network device; assisting the terminal to perform a non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication process according to the first information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The first information comprises at least one of: second information used to indicate whether there is a communication connection between the first network device and the second network device; third information used to indicate whether the first network device can obtain context information of the terminal from the second network device; first time information used to indicate a time when the communication connection exists between the first network device and the second network device; second time information used to indicate a time when the communication connection does not exist between the first network device and the second network device; third time information used to indicate a time when the first network device can obtain the context information from the second network device; fourth time information used to indicate a time when the first network device cannot obtain the context information from the second network device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The communication connection comprises an inter-satellite link connection and / or an interface connection between access network devices.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein, The NTN communication process comprises at least one of: short data transmission (SDT), radio resource control (RRC) re-establishment, RRC recovery, and radio access network notification area (RNA) update.

5. The method according to any one of claims 2-4, characterized in that, The first information comprises identification information of the second network device, and the identification information comprises at least one of: access network device identification information, satellite network device identification information, and cell identification information.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein, The NTN communication process comprises the SDT, and the assisting the terminal to perform the NTN communication process according to the first information comprises: determining, according to the first information, that a serving cell of the terminal cannot obtain the context information, and prohibiting the SDT from being performed.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, The prohibiting the SDT from being performed comprises at least one of: prohibiting a first resource from being selected to initiate random access (RACH), the first resource being RACH resource used for the SDT; prohibiting RRC recovery information from being sent; sending RRC recovery information to the first network device, the RRC recovery information not comprising uplink data; selecting a second resource to initiate RACH, the second resource being RACH resource not used for the SDT; prohibiting the SDT from being performed outside a time range corresponding to the first time information; prohibiting the SDT from being performed within a time range corresponding to the second time information; prohibiting the SDT from being performed outside a time range corresponding to the third time information; prohibiting the SDT from being performed within a time range corresponding to the fourth time information.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein, The NTN communication process comprises the SDT, and the assisting the terminal to perform the NTN communication process according to the first information comprises: According to the first information, it is determined that the serving cell of the terminal can obtain the context information, and the SDT is performed.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein, The NTN communication process includes the RRC recovery, and the assisting the terminal in performing the NTN communication process according to the first information includes: According to the first information, it is determined that the serving cell of the terminal cannot obtain the context information, and the RRC recovery is prohibited.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, The prohibiting the RRC recovery includes at least one of: Prohibiting sending first request information used for initiating the RRC recovery to the first network device; Sending second request information to the first network device, the second request information being used for instructing the first network device to feed back RRC connection establishment information to the terminal according to the second request information; Initiating RRC connection establishment to the first network device; Prohibiting performing the RRC recovery outside a time range corresponding to the first time information; Prohibiting performing the RRC recovery within a time range corresponding to the second time information; Prohibiting performing the RRC recovery outside a time range corresponding to the third time information; Prohibiting performing the RRC recovery within a time range corresponding to the fourth time information.

11. The method of claim 4, wherein, The NTN process includes the RRC recovery, and the assisting the terminal in performing the NTN communication process according to the first information includes: According to the first information, it is determined that the serving cell of the terminal can obtain the context information, and the RRC recovery is performed.

12. The method of claim 4, wherein, The NTN communication process includes the RRC reestablishment, and the assisting the terminal in performing the NTN communication process according to the first information includes: According to the first information, it is determined that the serving cell of the terminal cannot obtain the context information, and the RRC reestablishment is prohibited.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, The prohibiting the RRC reestablishment includes at least one of: Prohibiting sending third request information used for initiating the RRC reestablishment to the first network device; Sending fourth request information to the first network device, the fourth request information being used for instructing the first network device to feed back RRC connection establishment information to the terminal according to the second request information; Initiating RRC connection establishment to the first network device; Prohibiting performing the RRC reestablishment outside a time range corresponding to the first time information; Prohibiting performing the RRC reestablishment within a time range corresponding to the second time information; Prohibiting performing the RRC reestablishment outside a time range corresponding to the third time information; Prohibiting performing the RRC reestablishment within a time range corresponding to the fourth time information.

14. The method of claim 4, wherein, The NTN process includes the RRC reestablishment, and the assisting the terminal in performing the NTN communication process according to the first information includes: According to the first information, it is determined that the serving cell of the terminal can obtain the context information, and the RRC reestablishment is performed.

15. The method of claim 4, wherein, The NTN communication procedure includes the RNA update, and the assisting the terminal in performing the NTN communication procedure according to the first information includes: determining that a serving cell of the terminal is located in a RAN notification area; determining, according to the first information, that the serving cell cannot acquire the context information, and performing the RNA update.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein, The performing the RNA update includes: switching the terminal from an RRC inactive state to an RRC connected state.

17. The method of any one of claims 1-16, wherein, The assisting the terminal in performing the NTN communication procedure according to the first information includes: determining, according to the first information, whether a serving cell of the terminal can acquire context information of the terminal, and generating a determination result; assisting the terminal in performing the NTN communication procedure according to the determination result.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein, The first information includes identification information of the second network device, the first information is used to indicate that there is a communication connection between the first network device and the second network device, and the determining, according to the first information, whether a serving cell of the terminal can acquire context information of the terminal includes: in response to the identification information including cell identification information of the serving cell, determining that the serving cell can acquire the context information; in response to the identification information not including the cell identification information, determining that the serving cell cannot acquire the context information. The first information includes identification information of the second network device, the first information is used to indicate that there is a communication connection between the first network device and the second network device, and the determining, according to the first information, whether a serving cell of the terminal can acquire context information of the terminal includes:

19. The method of claim 17, wherein, in response to the identification information including cell identification information of the serving cell, determining that the serving cell cannot acquire the context information; in response to the identification information not including the cell identification information, determining that the serving cell can acquire the context information. The assisting the terminal in performing the NTN communication procedure according to the first information includes:

20. The method of any one of claims 1-16, wherein, determining, according to the first information, whether a serving cell of the terminal and a last serving cell of the terminal have a communication connection, and generating a determination result; assisting the terminal in performing the NTN communication procedure according to the determination result. The first information includes identification information of the second network device, the first information is used to indicate that there is a communication connection between the first network device and the second network device, and the determining, according to the first information, whether a serving cell of the terminal and a last serving cell of the terminal have a communication connection includes:

21. The method of any one of claim 20, wherein, in response to the identification information including cell identification information of the last serving cell, determining that the serving cell and the last serving cell have a communication connection; in response to the identification information not including the cell identification information of the last serving cell, determining that the serving cell and the last serving cell do not have a communication connection. ​ 22. The method of any one of claim 20, wherein, The first information includes identification information of the second network device, the first information is used to indicate that there is no communication connection between the first network device and the second network device, and the determining whether there is a communication connection between the service cell of the terminal and the last service cell of the terminal according to the first information includes: In response to the identification information including cell identification information of the last service cell, it is determined that there is no communication connection between the service cell and the last service cell; In response to the identification information not including the cell identification information of the last service cell, it is determined that there is a communication connection between the service cell and the last service cell.

23. The method of any one of claims 1-22, wherein, The receiving first information sent by the first network device includes: Receiving the first information sent by the last service cell of the terminal, the first information being carried by an RRC release message.

24. The method of any one of claims 1-22, wherein, The receiving first information sent by the first network device includes: Receiving the first information sent by the service cell of the terminal, the first information being carried by a system message.

25. A method of communication, comprising: The method is performed by a first network device, and the method includes: Sending first information to a terminal, the first information being used to indicate a communication connection state between the first network device and a second network device, the second network device including an access network device and / or a satellite network device, and the first information being used to assist the terminal to perform an NTN communication process.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein, The first information includes at least one of the following: Second information, the second information being used to indicate whether there is a communication connection between the first network device and the second network device; Third information, the third information being used to indicate whether the first network device can obtain context information of the terminal from the second network device; First time information, the first time information being used to indicate a time when the first network device and the second network device have the communication connection; Second time information, the second time information being used to indicate a time when the first network device and the second network device do not have the communication connection; Third time information, the third time information being used to indicate a time when the first network device can obtain the context information from the second network device; Fourth time information, the fourth time information being used to indicate a time when the first network device cannot obtain the context information from the second network device. The communication connection includes an inter-satellite link connection and / or an interface connection between access network devices.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein, The NTN communication process includes at least one of the following: SDT, RRC re-establishment, RRC recovery, and radio access network notification area (RNA) update.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein, The first information includes identification information of the second network device, the identification information including at least one of the following: access network device identification information, satellite network device identification information, and cell identification information.

29. The method of any one of claims 25-28, wherein, The first information is carried by an RRC release message, and / or the first information is carried by a system message.

30. The method of any one of claims 25-28, wherein, It includes:

31. A terminal, characterized by ​ The transceiver module is configured to receive first information sent by the first network device, the first information being used to indicate a communication connection state between the first network device and a second network device, the second network device including an access network device and / or a satellite network device. The processing module is configured to assist the terminal in performing a non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication process according to the first information.

32. A first network device, comprising: The transceiver module is configured to send first information to a terminal, the first information being used to indicate a communication connection state between the first network device and a second network device, the second network device including an access network device and / or a satellite network device, the first information being used to assist the terminal in performing an NTN communication process. The transceiver module is configured to send first information to a terminal, the first information being used to indicate a communication connection state between the first network device and a second network device, the second network device including an access network device and / or a satellite network device, the first information being used to assist the terminal in performing an NTN communication process.

33. A terminal, characterized by One or more processors; The terminal is configured to perform the communication method of any one of claims 1-24. One or more processors; 34. A first network device, comprising: The first network device is configured to perform the communication method of any one of claims 25-30. The terminal and the first network device are configured to implement the communication method of any one of claims 1-24 and the communication method of any one of claims 25-30, respectively. The instructions, when executed on a communication device, cause the communication device to perform the communication method of any one of claims 1-24 or the communication method of any one of claims 25-30.

35. A communication system, characterized by The instructions, when executed on a communication device, cause the communication device to perform the communication method of any one of claims 1-24 or the communication method of any one of claims 25-30.

36. A storage medium, the storage medium storing instructions, wherein, ​ 37. A computer program product comprising computer programs and / or instructions, characterized in that, ​

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