Communication method and corresponding device

Abstract

The present application provides a communication method, which can be applied to satellite communication. The method comprises: a first communication device sending a first ephemeris, wherein the first ephemeris is an ephemeris broadcast by at least one satellite and received by the first communication device; then receiving a constellation ephemeris from a second communication device, the constellation ephemeris comprising a second ephemeris of each satellite among a plurality of satellites, wherein the second ephemeris of a first satellite is determined by the second communication device on the basis of at least one first ephemeris of the first satellite; and then, selecting a satellite suitable for access, reselection, or handover on the basis of the constellation ephemeris. In the solution provided by the present application, because the constellation ephemeris comprises the second ephemerides of a large number of satellites, the accuracy of satellite selection by the second communication device can be improved.

Description

A communication method and corresponding apparatus

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese Patent Application No. 202411118571.5, filed on August 14, 2024, entitled "A communication method and corresponding apparatus", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, in particular to a communication method and corresponding apparatus. BACKGROUND

[0003] With the development of communication technology, satellite communication has been widely used. Satellite communication refers to using artificial satellites as relay stations to forward radio waves, thereby realizing communication between two or more terminal devices.

[0004] Because the satellite is in a state of motion, the satellite can be in different positions at different times to provide communication services for terminal devices in different areas. The terminal device also performs satellite switching to maintain a good communication state. The satellite broadcasts satellite ephemeris, which refers to the position or trajectory of the satellite over time. The terminal device can perform orbit prediction according to the satellite ephemeris when accessing, reselecting or switching the satellite, thereby selecting a suitable satellite to access, reselect.

[0005] Currently, each satellite usually only broadcasts its own satellite ephemeris and limited neighboring satellite ephemeris, and the satellite ephemeris obtained by the terminal device is limited. In addition, the time for using the satellite ephemeris to perform accurate orbit prediction is also limited, which will undoubtedly affect the accuracy of the terminal device selecting the satellite. SUMMARY

[0006] The present application provides a communication method for obtaining constellation ephemeris and improving the accuracy of a communication apparatus selecting a satellite. The present application also provides corresponding apparatus, computer readable storage medium and computer program product, etc.

[0007] The first aspect provides a communication method, comprising: sending a first ephemeris, the first ephemeris being a satellite ephemeris broadcast by at least one satellite received by a first communication apparatus; receiving a constellation ephemeris from a second communication apparatus, the constellation ephemeris comprising a second ephemeris of each satellite of a plurality of satellites, wherein the second ephemeris of a first satellite is determined by the second communication apparatus based on at least one first ephemeris of the first satellite, and the first satellite is any one of the plurality of satellites.

[0008] In this application, the first communication device can be a terminal device or a chip in a terminal device, or a network device (such as a base station) or a chip in a network device. The second communication device can be a cloud device (such as a server, a virtual machine (VM)), etc., or a network device (such as a base station, a core network device, etc.).

[0009] In this application, the satellite can be an artificial satellite (such as a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite, a medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite, a high earth orbit (HEO) satellite, etc.), or a drone, a spacecraft, a communication balloon, etc.

[0010] In this application, the first ephemeris refers to the ephemeris broadcast by the satellite. There can be one or more first ephemeris. When there are multiple first ephemeris, the multiple first ephemeris can be ephemeris broadcast by multiple satellites respectively, or can include ephemeris broadcast by the same satellite at different times.

[0011] In this application, the ephemeris refers to an accurate position or trajectory table that changes with time during the operation of the satellite.

[0012] In this application, the constellation ephemeris can be understood as an ephemeris list, which can include the index of each satellite in the multiple satellites and the corresponding second ephemeris of each satellite. The second ephemeris of the first satellite refers to the ephemeris obtained by the second communication device processing one or more first ephemeris of the first satellite. The second communication device receives the first ephemeris from multiple first communication devices, so the second communication device can obtain the first ephemeris broadcast by multiple satellites through multiple first communication devices, and thus determine the second ephemeris of each satellite in the multiple satellites.

[0013] The above-mentioned first aspect provides a scheme, and the first communication device can obtain the constellation ephemeris through the second communication device, thereby obtaining the second ephemeris of a large number of satellites. In this way, when selecting a satellite in the scenarios of access, reselection or handover, the constellation ephemeris can be used to select a suitable satellite, and the accuracy of satellite selection can be improved.

[0014] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving the region serviceability information of the first region from the second communication device, the region serviceability information including the correspondence between the first serviceable time and the information of the serviceable satellite, and the correspondence being used by the first communication device to determine the first ephemeris and / or the second ephemeris of the serviceable satellite corresponding to the first serviceable time.

[0015] In this application, the satellite that can provide communication service for the first communication device at the corresponding serviceable time is referred to as the serviceable satellite. The serviceable satellite generally refers to the satellite with an elevation angle greater than a certain minimum elevation angle for the first communication device. The minimum elevation angle can be 0 degrees, less than 0 degrees, or greater than 0 degrees, which is not limited in this application.

[0016] In this application, the first region generally refers to a certain geographical range, which is generally represented by latitude and longitude information and can be understood as the region within the range indicated by the latitude and longitude. Of course, the first region can also be a country, a province, a city, etc., and the first region can also be indicated by other means, which is not limited in this application. The first communication device is located in the first region. The first serviceable time is generally a time period, such as a time period from a start time to an end time, which can be in seconds, minutes, or hours, etc. The information of the serviceable satellite can be the index, identification or number of the serviceable satellite, etc.

[0017] In this possible implementation, because the second ephemeris of a large number of satellites is generally included in the constellation ephemeris, the first communication device can filter out the serviceable satellite that can provide communication service for the first communication device through the region serviceability information of the first region. In this way, the calculation amount of the first communication device for selecting a suitable satellite can be reduced, and the power consumption of the first communication device can be further reduced.

[0018] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: predicting the position and velocity of the serviceable satellite at the target time according to the second ephemeris of the serviceable satellite in the constellation ephemeris.

[0019] In this possible implementation, the position and velocity of the serviceable satellite at the target time are determined by the second ephemeris of the serviceable satellite, which can improve the accuracy of determining the satellite.

[0020] In one possible implementation, the information of the serviceable satellite corresponding to the first serviceable time includes the identification of each serviceable satellite corresponding to the first serviceable time, or differential information; wherein the differential information includes the new satellite identification or the reduced satellite identification of the serviceable satellite corresponding to the first serviceable time relative to the second serviceable time, and the second serviceable time is the previous time period of the first serviceable time.

[0021] In this possible implementation, the information of the serviceable satellite can be given in a full amount manner or in a differential manner. The full amount manner can be to give the index, number or identification of each serviceable satellite. The differential manner can be to give only the identification of the satellite that is increased or reduced relative to the previous time period. The full amount manner can directly show the serviceable satellite, and the differential manner can reduce the amount of data transmitted between the second communication device and the first communication device.

[0022] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: displaying an ephemeris management interface, the ephemeris management interface including at least one option, the at least one option including at least one of the following: an option of whether to upload satellite ephemeris, an option of whether to receive constellation ephemeris, an option of constellation type, an option of constellation ephemeris update frequency, or a configuration option of regional serviceability.

[0023] In this possible implementation, the first communication apparatus can enable the user to select various possible options by displaying the ephemeris management interface. In this way, the user's participation can be improved.

[0024] The second aspect of the present application provides a communication method, including: receiving first ephemeris from a plurality of first communication apparatuses, the first ephemeris being ephemeris broadcast by at least one satellite received by the first communication apparatus; determining constellation ephemeris, the constellation ephemeris including second ephemeris of each satellite of a plurality of satellites, wherein the second ephemeris of the first satellite is determined by the second communication apparatus based on at least one first ephemeris of the first satellite, the first satellite being any one of the plurality of satellites; and sending the constellation ephemeris to the first communication apparatus.

[0025] In the above second aspect, the second communication apparatus can collect a large amount of first ephemeris provided by the first communication apparatus, and then determine the second ephemeris of each satellite of the plurality of satellites to obtain the constellation ephemeris. In this way, the first communication apparatus can obtain the constellation ephemeris through the second communication apparatus, thereby obtaining the second ephemeris of a large number of satellites, and when selecting a satellite in scenarios such as access, reselection, or handover, the constellation ephemeris can be used to select a suitable satellite, and the accuracy of satellite selection can be improved.

[0026] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: determining regional serviceability information of a first region, the regional serviceability information including a correspondence between a first serviceable time and information of a serviceable satellite, the correspondence being used by the first communication apparatus to determine first ephemeris and / or second ephemeris of the serviceable satellite corresponding to the first serviceable time; and sending the regional serviceability information to the first communication apparatus.

[0027] In this possible implementation, the second communication apparatus can provide the first communication apparatus with the regional serviceability information of the first region, and the first communication apparatus can filter out the serviceable satellite that can provide communication services for the first communication apparatus according to the regional serviceability information. In this way, the orbit calculation amount of the first communication apparatus for selecting a suitable satellite can be reduced, and the power consumption of the first communication apparatus can be further reduced.

[0028] In a possible implementation, the information of the serviceable satellites corresponding to the first serviceable time comprises an identifier of each serviceable satellite corresponding to the first serviceable time, or differential information; wherein the differential information comprises an added satellite identifier or a reduced satellite identifier of the serviceable satellites corresponding to the first serviceable time relative to the second serviceable time, and the second serviceable time is a previous time period of the first serviceable time.

[0029] In this possible implementation, the information of the serviceable satellites can be given in a full amount manner or in a differential manner. The full amount manner can be to give an index, a number, or an identifier of each serviceable satellite. The differential manner can be to give only an identifier of a satellite that is added or reduced relative to a previous time period. The full amount manner can directly show the serviceable satellites, and the differential manner can reduce the amount of data transmitted between the second communication device and the first communication device.

[0030] In a possible implementation, the second ephemeris of the first satellite is obtained by fitting a plurality of first ephemerides of the first satellite.

[0031] In this possible implementation, the process of fitting the plurality of first ephemerides can be to fit six roots in the first ephemerides based on a time range requirement by using a Gauss-Newton method. The second ephemeris obtained in this way can have a low error for a long time and a low orbit calculation complexity.

[0032] In a possible implementation, the method further comprises: updating the constellation ephemeris if the constellation ephemeris exceeds a valid period.

[0033] In this possible implementation, the second communication device can update the constellation ephemeris in a timely manner, thereby improving the accuracy of the constellation ephemeris.

[0034] The third aspect of the present application provides a communication device, which can be the first communication device, comprising:

[0035] The transceiver is configured to transmit a first ephemeris, the first ephemeris being a first ephemeris received by the first communication device from at least one satellite.

[0036] The transceiver is further configured to receive a constellation ephemeris from the second communication device, the constellation ephemeris comprising a second ephemeris of each satellite of a plurality of satellites, wherein the second ephemeris of the first satellite is determined by the second communication device based on at least one first ephemeris of the first satellite, and the first satellite is any one of the plurality of satellites.

[0037] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module is further configured to receive region serviceability information of the first region from the second communication device, the region serviceability information comprising a correspondence between the first serviceable time and information of the serviceable satellites, the correspondence being used by the first communication device to determine the first ephemeris and / or the second ephemeris of the serviceable satellites corresponding to the first serviceable time.

[0038] In a possible implementation, the processing module is configured to predict the position and velocity of the serviceable satellites at the target time according to the second ephemeris of the serviceable satellites in the constellation ephemeris.

[0039] In a possible implementation, the information of the serviceable satellites corresponding to the first serviceable time comprises an identifier of each serviceable satellite corresponding to the first serviceable time, or differential information; wherein the differential information comprises an added satellite identifier or a reduced satellite identifier of the serviceable satellites corresponding to the first serviceable time relative to the second serviceable time, the second serviceable time being a previous time period of the first serviceable time.

[0040] In a possible implementation, the display module is configured to display an ephemeris management interface, the ephemeris management interface comprising at least one option, the at least one option comprising at least one of the following: an option of whether to upload satellite ephemeris, an option of whether to receive constellation ephemeris, an option of constellation type, an option of constellation ephemeris update frequency, or a configuration option of region serviceability.

[0041] The fourth aspect of the present application provides a communication device, which can be a second communication device in communication with a first communication device, the communication device comprising: a transceiver module and a processing module;

[0042] The transceiver module is configured to receive first ephemeris from a plurality of first communication devices, the first ephemeris being ephemeris broadcast by at least one satellite received by the first communication device;

[0043] The processing module is configured to determine a constellation ephemeris, the constellation ephemeris comprising a second ephemeris of each satellite of a plurality of satellites, wherein the second ephemeris of a first satellite is determined by the second communication device based on at least one first ephemeris of the first satellite, the first satellite being any one of the plurality of satellites.

[0044] The transceiver module is further configured to send the constellation ephemeris to the first communication device.

[0045] In a possible implementation, the processing module is further configured to determine region serviceability information of the first region, the region serviceability information comprising a correspondence between the first serviceable time and information of the serviceable satellites, the correspondence being used by the first communication device to determine the first ephemeris and / or the second ephemeris of the serviceable satellites corresponding to the first serviceable time.

[0046] The transceiver module is further configured to send the area serviceability information to the first communication device.

[0047] In a possible implementation, the information of the serviceable satellites corresponding to the first serviceable time comprises an identifier of each serviceable satellite corresponding to the first serviceable time, or differential information; wherein the differential information comprises an added satellite identifier or a reduced satellite identifier of the serviceable satellites corresponding to the first serviceable time relative to the second serviceable time, the second serviceable time being a time period before the first serviceable time.

[0048] In a possible implementation, the second ephemeris of the first satellite is obtained by fitting a plurality of first ephemerises of the first satellite.

[0049] In a possible implementation, the processing module is further configured to update the constellation ephemeris if the constellation ephemeris exceeds a valid period.

[0050] The fifth aspect of the present application provides a communication device, which comprises a processor. The processor is configured to invoke and run a computer program stored in a memory, so that the processor implements the method described in the first aspect or any of the implementation manners of the first aspect.

[0051] Optionally, the communication device further comprises a transceiver; and the processor is further configured to control the transceiver to transceive signals.

[0052] Optionally, the communication device comprises a memory, and the memory stores the computer program.

[0053] The communication device described in the fifth aspect above can be a device or a chip (system) in a device.

[0054] The sixth aspect of the present application provides a communication device, which comprises a processor. The processor is configured to invoke and run a computer program stored in a memory, so that the processor implements the method described in the second aspect or any of the implementation manners of the second aspect.

[0055] Optionally, the communication device further comprises a transceiver; and the processor is further configured to control the transceiver to transceive signals.

[0056] Optionally, the communication device comprises a memory, and the memory stores the computer program.

[0057] The communication device described in the sixth aspect above can be a device or a chip (system) in a device.

[0058] The seventh aspect of the present application provides a communication device, which can be the first communication device, or a module or unit (for example, a chip or a chip system or a circuit) corresponding to the method / operation / step / action described in the first aspect.

[0059] The eighth aspect of the present application provides a communication device, which can be a second communication device, or a module or unit (for example, a chip, or a chip system, or a circuit) corresponding to the method / operation / step / action described in the second aspect.

[0060] The ninth aspect of the present application provides a computer readable storage medium, including computer instructions, which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method / operation / step / action described in the first aspect or any of the implementation manners of the first aspect.

[0061] The tenth aspect of the present application provides a computer readable storage medium, including computer instructions, which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method / operation / step / action described in the second aspect or any of the implementation manners of the second aspect.

[0062] The eleventh aspect of the present application provides a computer program product including instructions, which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method / operation / step / action described in the first aspect or any of the implementation manners of the first aspect.

[0063] The twelfth aspect of the present application provides a computer program product including instructions, which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method / operation / step / action described in the second aspect or any of the implementation manners of the second aspect.

[0064] The thirteenth aspect of the present application provides a chip device, including a processor, configured to invoke a program stored in a memory, so as to cause the processor to perform the method / operation / step / action described in the first aspect or any of the implementation manners of the first aspect.

[0065] Optionally, the memory is located inside or outside the chip device.

[0066] The fourteenth aspect of the present application provides a chip device, including a processor, configured to invoke a program stored in a memory, so as to cause the processor to perform the method / operation / step / action described in the second aspect or any of the implementation manners of the second aspect.

[0067] Optionally, the memory is located inside or outside the chip device.

[0068] The fifteenth aspect of the present application provides a communication system, including a first communication device and a second communication device, the first communication device being configured to perform the method / operation / step / action described in the first aspect or any of the implementation manners of the first aspect, and the second communication device being configured to perform the method / operation / step / action described in the second aspect or any of the implementation manners of the second aspect.

[0069] The technical effects brought by the third aspect or any possible implementation manner of the third aspect, the fifth aspect, the seventh aspect, the ninth aspect, the eleventh aspect, the thirteenth aspect, or the fifteenth aspect can refer to the technical effects brought by the first aspect or different possible implementation manners of the first aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0070] The technical effects brought by the fourth aspect or any possible implementation manner of the fourth aspect, the sixth aspect, the eighth aspect, the tenth aspect, the twelfth aspect, or the fourteenth aspect can refer to the technical effects brought by the second aspect or different possible implementation manners of the second aspect, which will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0071] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an example of orbit elements of a satellite according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0072] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of errors corresponding to different orbit prediction methods according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0073] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0074] FIG. 4A is a schematic diagram of another structure of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0075] FIG. 4B is a schematic diagram of another structure of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0076] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0077] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an example of a satellite management interface according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0078] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of another example of a satellite management interface according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0079] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0080] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0081] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of another structure of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0082] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of another structure of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0083] With reference to the drawings, the embodiments of the present application will be described below. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part but not all of the embodiments of the present application. Based on the description of the embodiments of the present application, those skilled in the art can obtain the technical solutions provided by the present application, which can be applied to similar technical problems.

[0084] The terms "first", "second", and the like in the description and claims of the present application and the above drawings are used to distinguish similar objects, and do not necessarily indicate a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the data thus used can be interchanged under appropriate circumstances, so that the embodiments described herein can be implemented in an order other than that illustrated or described herein. In addition, the terms "include" and "have" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, for example, a process, method, system, product or device that includes a list of steps or units does not necessarily limit to those steps or units clearly listed, but can include other steps or units not clearly listed or inherent to such processes, methods, products or devices.

[0085] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method for obtaining constellation ephemeris, and improve the accuracy of selecting satellites by a communication device. The present application also provides corresponding devices, computer readable storage media and computer program products, etc. The following are described in detail.

[0086] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as satellite communication, 5th generation (5G) system or new radio (NR), long term evolution (LTE) system, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, LTE time division duplex (TDD), universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS), vehicle to everything (V2X) communication system, future communication network or future communication system after 5G network, etc.

[0087] For ease of understanding, the technical terms related to the embodiments of the present application are briefly introduced as follows:

[0088] 1. Satellite: generally refers to a celestial body that orbits a planet and moves periodically in a closed orbit. The satellite in the present application can include artificial satellites, unmanned aerial vehicles, unmanned spacecraft, communication balloons and other devices.

[0089] 2. Artificial satellite: generally refers to a spacecraft that orbits the Earth in a space orbit. Artificial satellites can include low earth orbit (LEO) satellites, medium earth orbit (MEO) satellites, high earth orbit (HEO) satellites, etc.

[0090] 3. Ephemeris: generally refers to an accurate position or trajectory table that changes with time during the operation of a satellite. The ephemeris can generally include time information and corresponding orbital six numbers.

[0091] 4. Orbital six numbers: generally refers to six orbital numbers necessary to determine the orbit of a celestial body or spacecraft moving in its Kepler orbit under the action of Newton's law of motion and Newton's law of universal gravitation. The orbital root is also called orbital element or orbital parameter. The orbital six numbers are usually calculated in the ephemeris in a certain time period, which is usually called the epoch time. The orbital six numbers can be understood with reference to FIG. 1 and Table 1.

[0092] The orbit of a celestial body (celestial body) and the reference plane (plane of reference) are shown in FIG. 1, wherein the celestial body refers to a satellite. The parameters in FIG. 1 can be understood with reference to Table 1.

[0093] Table 1: Orbital six numbers

[0094] In addition to the six parameters described in Table 1, the orbital semi-major axis and the orbital eccentricity can be converted with the average angular velocity, the orbital period, the apogee and the perigee radius, the height; the true anomaly can be converted with the mean anomaly, the perigee time; the ascending node right ascension can be converted with the ascending node longitude. Therefore, in actual use, some corresponding parameters in the six numbers can be replaced.

[0095] 5. Instantaneous elements: Also called osculating elements. If the earth is a perfect sphere with uniform mass distribution, the earth can be regarded as a point mass, and the orbit of LEO satellite is an ellipse with the center of the earth as the focus, which is Kepler's law. But due to some factors, the actual orbit of the satellite is constantly deviating from the ideal orbit determined by Kepler's law to varying degrees, which is called perturbation. Satellite perturbation refers to the shaking of the satellite on the ideal orbit due to factors such as uneven mass distribution and non-spherical symmetry of the earth, the gravity of the sun and the moon and other celestial bodies, atmospheric resistance, solar pressure, etc. Therefore, the influence of perturbation forces needs to be considered in satellite orbit prediction. In the two-body problem considering only central force, the satellite orbit is an ellipse, and other orbital elements except the mean anomaly do not change with time. After considering other perturbations, the satellite orbit is no longer a constant ellipse, but at each instant it is a momentary ellipse, which can be described by a set of orbital elements, called instantaneous elements. That is, under the action of perturbation forces, the instantaneous ellipse corresponding to the orbital elements of the spacecraft orbit changes with time.

[0096] 6. Mean elements: The part of the orbital elements that only changes in the long term after the periodic changes are removed. That is, in order to express the influence of various perturbation forces on the satellite orbit with relatively simple formulas, the periodic terms are eliminated by mathematical methods, which are called mean elements.

[0097] 7. Satellite serviceability: Refers to the serviceability of a satellite to a communication device at a certain location at a certain time, which can be calculated by the user elevation angle of the satellite at that location. When the user elevation angle of the location is greater than the minimum user elevation angle, the satellite is serviceable to the communication device, and the satellite can provide communication services for the terminal equipment at that location.

[0098] 8. Regional serviceability: Refers to the serviceability of a satellite to a region at a certain time. As long as there is a location in the region that is serviceable to the satellite, the satellite is serviceable to the region.

[0099] 9. Orbit prediction algorithm: that is, an orbit prediction algorithm based on ephemeris. There are three types of orbit prediction algorithms in general, namely, analytical method, semi-analytical method and numerical method. Among them, the analytical method refers to using the closed form solution of the satellite motion over time to generate the position and velocity of the satellite at a specific time. The semi-analytical method combines some numerical techniques, rather than just using approximations. The numerical method numerically integrates the satellite motion equation. Among them, the analytical method has fast calculation speed, but low accuracy. The numerical method has slow calculation speed, but high accuracy. Thus, the difference in error generated by different orbit prediction algorithms within a period of time is also large. As shown in FIG. 2, using the same ephemeris, within a few days, using different orbit prediction algorithms for orbit prediction, the error of the analytical method is shown as 201 in FIG. 2, which has reached the kilometer level, while the error of the numerical method is shown as 202 in FIG. 2, which is in the meter level. Currently, different orbit prediction methods can be used for different perturbation types (which can include Two Body, J2 perturbation model, J4 perturbation model, simplified general perturbation (SGP) 4 and high precision orbit prediction (HPOP) model). The types of orbit elements corresponding to different orbit prediction algorithms, as well as the corresponding accuracy and complexity can be understood by referring to Table 2.

[0100] Table 2: Perturbation type and orbit prediction algorithm

[0101] As can be seen from Table 2, the instantaneous element combined with the numerical method can predict very accurate satellite positions, but the calculation complexity is high, especially the long-time satellite ephemeris needs to be calculated. Due to the limited computing power of terminal devices, using the numerical method to predict the ephemeris for a long time requires a very long time, which is very energy-consuming for terminal devices. The flat element is suitable for terminal devices to perform orbit prediction. Orbit prediction within the available time can ensure a certain error range, but the error will gradually increase over time and will not be available beyond the available time. Therefore, when making orbit prediction, the terminal device can select a suitable orbit prediction algorithm according to the needs to use the ephemeris of the satellite to make orbit prediction. With the development of communication satellites, there may be tens of thousands of satellites in the earth's space, and there may be many satellites that can provide communication services to terminal devices at the same time. However, for safety reasons, satellites often only broadcast their own ephemeris. On the one hand, the terminal device may not be able to obtain the ephemeris of a large number of satellites, and on the other hand, due to the attitude of the terminal device, the surrounding shielding and other reasons, the ephemeris obtained by the terminal device is often not suitable for the satellite in communication with the terminal device. Therefore, when the terminal device wants to access a satellite, or reselect or switch a satellite, it is difficult to accurately select a suitable satellite, thereby affecting the communication quality.

[0102] Based on this, the embodiments of the present application provide a corresponding communication system, which can assist the communication device needing to select a satellite to accurately select a suitable satellite. The communication system provided by the embodiments of the present application will be introduced below in conjunction with the drawings.

[0103] Please refer to FIG. 3, which is an architecture schematic diagram of a communication system in the present application.

[0104] As shown in FIG. 3, the terminal device communicates with the satellite. For example, the satellite can transmit downlink data to the terminal device, wherein the downlink data can be encoded by channel coding, and the downlink data after channel coding is transmitted to the terminal device after constellation modulation; the terminal device can also transmit uplink data to the satellite, wherein the uplink data can also be encoded by channel coding, and the uplink data after channel coding is transmitted to the satellite after constellation modulation.

[0105] There is a wireless link between different satellites, which completes the signaling interaction and user data transmission between satellites. The satellite is connected to the core network on the ground through the wireless link. The core network is used to realize user access control, mobility management, session management, user security authentication and charging and other services. The core network includes multiple functional units, and the core network can be divided into control plane and data plane functional entities. Among them, the functional entity of the control plane can be an access and mobility management unit (AMF), and the AMF is responsible for user access management, security authentication and mobility management functions. The functional entity of the control plane can be a user plane unit (UPF), and the UPF is responsible for managing user plane data transmission and traffic statistics and other functions. Optionally, the communication system also includes the foregoing network device (for example, a base station).

[0106] With respect to the process of ephemeris management, the communication system of the embodiments of the present application can also be understood with reference to FIG. 4A. As shown in FIG. 4A, the structure of the communication system can include multiple satellites, multiple first communication devices, and a cloud system, and the cloud system includes a second communication device. In the communication system shown in FIG. 4A, the first communication device is a terminal device, and the second communication device can be a cloud device, such as a server, a virtual machine (VM), etc. In the communication system shown in FIG. 4A, the satellites can broadcast their respective first ephemeris, or broadcast the first ephemeris of a small number of satellites that are relatively close in distance. Each terminal device can receive the first ephemeris broadcast by one or more satellites, and then each terminal device can report the respective first ephemeris received by it to the cloud device. The cloud device can fit the first ephemeris reported by multiple terminal devices according to the satellites respectively, and can obtain the second ephemeris of each satellite, and further obtain constellation ephemeris. The cloud device can send the constellation ephemeris to each terminal device, so that each terminal device can obtain the second ephemeris of multiple satellites, and further use the second ephemeris of multiple satellites to perform orbit prediction, so as to select a suitable satellite for access, reselection, or handover.

[0107] In fact, the second communication device can also be a network device, which can be an access network device or a core network device, as long as it can fit multiple first ephemeris to obtain constellation ephemeris. The form of the second communication device is not limited in the present application.

[0108] In fact, the first communication device can also be a base station, as shown in FIG. 4B, taking the first communication device as a first base station and the second communication device as a second base station as an example, the structure of the communication system can include multiple satellites, multiple first base stations, and a second base station. In the communication system shown in FIG. 4B, the satellites can broadcast their respective first ephemeris, or broadcast the first ephemeris of a small number of satellites that are relatively close in distance. Each first base station can receive the first ephemeris broadcast by one or more satellites, and then each first base station can report the respective first ephemeris received by it to the second base station. The second base station can fit the first ephemeris reported by multiple first base stations according to the satellites respectively, and can obtain the second ephemeris of each satellite, and further obtain constellation ephemeris. The second base station can send the constellation ephemeris to each first base station, so that each first base station can obtain the second ephemeris of multiple satellites.

[0109] The terminal device and the network device of the present application are introduced as follows.

[0110] The terminal device can be a wireless terminal device capable of receiving network device scheduling and indication information. The wireless terminal device can be a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to a user, or a handheld device with wireless connection function, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem.

[0111] A terminal device can communicate with one or more core networks or the Internet via a radio access network (RAN), and the terminal device can be a mobile terminal device, such as a mobile phone (or called "cellular" phone, mobile phone), a computer, and a data card, for example, which can be a portable, pocket, hand-held, computer- built-in, or vehicle-mounted mobile device that exchanges voice and / or data with a radio access network. For example, a personal communication service (PCS) phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet, a computer with wireless transceiver function, and the like. The wireless terminal device can also be referred to as a system, a subscriber unit, a subscriber station, a mobile station or a mobile station (MS), a remote station, an access point (AP), a remote terminal, an access terminal, a user terminal, a user agent, a subscriber station (SS), customer premises equipment (CPE), a terminal, user equipment (UE), a mobile terminal (MT), and the like.

[0112] By way of example, and without limitation, in the present application, the terminal device can also be a wearable device. The wearable device can also be referred to as a smart wearable device or a smart wearable device, etc. It is a general term for devices that apply wearable technology to the intelligent design and development of daily wear, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes, etc. The wearable device is a portable device that can be directly worn on the body or integrated into the user's clothes or accessories. The wearable device is not just a hardware device, but also a powerful function through software support and data interaction, cloud interaction. The broad sense of wearable smart devices includes full-featured, large-sized devices that can realize complete or partial functions without relying on smart phones, such as smart watches or smart glasses, etc., and devices that focus on a certain application function and need to be used with other devices such as smart phones, such as various smart wristbands, smart helmets, smart jewelry, etc.

[0113] The terminal device can also be a drone, a robot, a terminal device in device-to-device (D2D) communication, a terminal device in vehicle to everything (V2X), a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self driving, a wireless terminal in telemedicine or telehealth services, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, etc.

[0114] In addition, the terminal device can also be a terminal device in a communication system evolved after the 5th generation (5G) communication system (such as 5G Advanced or future communication system, etc.) or a terminal device in a future evolved public land mobile network (PLMN), etc. For example, 5G Advanced or future communication network can further expand the form and function of 5G communication terminal. The terminal of the future communication network includes but is not limited to vehicles, cellular network terminals (with satellite terminal functions), drones, internet of things (IoT) devices.

[0115] In this application, the terminal device can also obtain an artificial intelligence (AI) service provided by the network device. Optionally, the terminal device can also have AI processing capability.

[0116] Network device: can be a device in a wireless network, for example, the network device can be a RAN node (or device) for accessing the terminal device to the wireless network, which can also be called a base station. At present, some examples of RAN devices are: base station (base station), evolved NodeB (eNodeB), base station gNB (gNodeB) in 5G communication system, transmission reception point (transmission reception point, TRP), evolved Node B (eNB), radio network controller (radio network controller, RNC), Node B (Node B, NB), home base station (for example, home evolved Node B, or home Node B, HNB), baseband unit (baseband unit, BBU), or wireless fidelity (wireless fidelity, Wi-Fi) access point (access point, AP) and the like. In addition, in one network structure, the network device can include a central unit (central unit, CU) node, or a distributed unit (distributed unit, DU) node, or a RAN device including a CU node and a DU node.

[0117] Optionally, the RAN node can also be a macro base station, a micro base station or an indoor station, a relay node or a donor node, or a wireless controller in a cloud radio access network (cloud radio access network, CRAN) scenario. The RAN node can also be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle or a vehicle-mounted device, etc. For example, the access network device in vehicle to everything (vehicle to everything, V2X) technology can be a road side unit (road side unit, RSU).

[0118] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes cooperate to assist a terminal to implement wireless access, and different RAN nodes respectively implement part of functions of a base station. For example, a RAN node can be a CU, a DU, a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU), etc. The CU and the DU can be separately configured, or can be included in the same network element, for example, in a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or a radio frequency unit, for example, in a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), a radio head (RH), or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0119] In different systems, the CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), the DU, or the RU can also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in an open RAN (O-RAN or ORAN) system, the CU can also be referred to as an O-CU (open CU), the DU can also be referred to as an O-DU, the CU-CP can also be referred to as an O-CU-CP, the CU-UP can also be referred to as an O-CU-UP, and the RU can also be referred to as an O-RU. For the convenience of description, the CU, the CU-CP, the CU-UP, the DU, and the RU are taken as examples for description in this application. Any one of the CU (or the CU-CP, the CU-UP), the DU, and the RU in this application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0120] The communication between the access network device and the terminal device complies with a certain protocol layer structure. The protocol layer can include a control plane protocol layer and a user plane protocol layer. The control plane protocol layer can include at least one of the following: a radio resource control (RRC) layer, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, a media access control (MAC) layer, or a physical (PHY) layer, etc. The user plane protocol layer can include at least one of the following: a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, a PDCP layer, an RLC layer, a MAC layer, or a physical layer, etc.

[0121] For the correspondence between the network elements in the ORAN system and the protocol layer functions that can be implemented by the network elements, refer to Table 3 below.

[0122] Table 3

[0123] The network device can be another device that provides a wireless communication function for the terminal device. Embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the network device. For the convenience of description, the present application does not limit.

[0124] The network device can also include a core network device, for example, a mobility management entity (MME) in a fourth generation (4th generation, 4G) network, a home subscriber server (HSS), a serving gateway (S-GW), a policy and charging rules function (PCRF), a public data network gateway (PDN gateway or P-GW), a network element such as an access and mobility management function (AMF) in a 5G network, a user plane function (UPF), or a session management function (SMF). In addition, the core network device can also include other core network devices in the 5G network and future communication networks of the 5G network.

[0125] The network device described above can also be an AI-capable network node that can provide AI services for terminals or other network devices, for example, AI nodes, computing power nodes, AI-capable RAN nodes, AI-capable core network elements, etc. on the network side (access network or core network).

[0126] In the present application, the device for implementing the function of the network device can be a network device or a device capable of supporting the network device to implement the function, such as a chip system, which can be installed in the network device. In the technical solutions provided in the present application, the device for implementing the function of the network device is taken as an example to describe the technical solutions provided in the present application.

[0127] It should be understood that, in the present application, the same or similar parts between various embodiments can be mutually referred to, unless otherwise specified. In the various embodiments of the present application, and the various methods / designs / implementation manners in the various embodiments, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments, and the various methods / designs / implementation manners in the various embodiments are consistent, and can be mutually referred to, unless otherwise specified and in conflict with logic. The technical features in different embodiments, and the various methods / designs / implementation manners in the various embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments, methods, or implementation manners according to their inherent logical relationship. The embodiments of the present application described below do not constitute a limitation on the protection scope of the present application.

[0128] The communication system and application scenario of the scheme of the present application are introduced above, and the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application is introduced below in combination with the interaction process of the first communication device and the second communication device. The first communication device and the second communication device can be understood by referring to the foregoing introduction.

[0129] As shown in FIG. 5, the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application includes:

[0130] S501. The first communication device sends the first ephemeris to the second communication device. Correspondingly, the second communication device receives the first ephemeris from the first communication device.

[0131] The first ephemeris is the ephemeris broadcast by at least one satellite received by the first communication device. The first ephemeris can be one or more, and when there are multiple first ephemeris, the multiple first ephemeris can be the ephemeris broadcast by multiple satellites respectively, or can include the ephemeris broadcast by the same satellite at different times.

[0132] S502. The second communication device determines the constellation ephemeris.

[0133] In the present application, the constellation ephemeris includes the second ephemeris of each satellite in the multiple satellites, wherein the second ephemeris of the first satellite is determined by the second communication device based on at least one first ephemeris of the first satellite, and the first satellite is any one of the multiple satellites.

[0134] The constellation ephemeris can be understood as a list of ephemeris, which can include the index of each satellite in the multiple satellites and the corresponding second ephemeris of each satellite. The second ephemeris of the first satellite refers to the ephemeris obtained after the second communication device processes one or more first ephemeris of the first satellite. The second communication device will receive the first ephemeris from multiple first communication devices, so the second communication device can obtain the first ephemeris broadcast by multiple satellites through multiple first communication devices, thereby determining the second ephemeris of each satellite in the multiple satellites.

[0135] The satellite ephemeris can be understood by referring to Table 4 below.

[0136] Table 4: Star Catalogue

[0137] The second ephemeris of each satellite in Table 4 can be obtained by fitting the first ephemeris of each satellite by the second communication device, and the fitting process can be performed by a Gauss-Newton algorithm.

[0138] The fitting process for the first satellite (for example, satellite 01) can be: the second communication device selects the first ephemeris in the first time range from the plurality of first ephemeris of the first satellite, and the first time range can be a time range later than a certain time point to the current time, of course, it can also be a time range defined in other ways, which is not limited by the present application.

[0139] When there are many first ephemeris of the first satellite in the first time range (for example, the number of first ephemeris is greater than the first threshold), the following relationship can be used to directly fit these first ephemeris. new_epoch = fit([σ t0 ,σ t1 ,σ t2 …])

[0140] Wherein, σ new_epoch represents the first time range, or the second ephemeris corresponding to the starting time point of the first time range. σ t0 represents the first ephemeris at t0 time, σ t1 represents the first ephemeris at t1 time, σ t2 represents the first ephemeris at t2 time, …. fit() represents the fitting function. t0, t1, t2, … are located in the first time range, or the time is later than the starting time point of the first time range.

[0141] When there are few first ephemeris of the first satellite in the first time range (for example, the number of first ephemeris is less than the first threshold), the following high-precision orbit propagation algorithm can be used to deduce: [rv t0 ,rv t1 ,rv t2 …] = propagator(σ t0 , [t0, t1, t2…])

[0142] Wherein, σ t0 represents the first ephemeris at t0 time, and propagator(σ t0 , [t0, t1, t2…]) represents the position and velocity corresponding to t0, t1, t2… deduced by σ t0 , that is: rv t0 , rv t1 , rv t2 …

[0143] Then, the corresponding first ephemeris σ of t0, t1, t2… can be derived t0 ,σ t1 ,σ t2 …

[0144] Then, the derived multiple first ephemeris σ t0 ,σ t1 ,σ t2 … are used to determine the second ephemeris of the first satellite, i.e., σ new_epoch , by σ new_epoch = fit([σ t0 ,σ t1 ,σ t2 …]).

[0145] S503. The second communication device sends the constellation ephemeris to the first communication device. Correspondingly, the first communication device receives the constellation ephemeris.

[0146] S504. The first communication device determines the position and velocity of the predicted serviceable satellite at the target time according to the constellation ephemeris.

[0147] The position and velocity of the predicted serviceable satellite at the target time can be used to select a satellite suitable for access, reselection or handover.

[0148] In the scheme provided in the present application, the second communication device can collect a large number of first ephemeris provided by the first communication device, and then determine the second ephemeris for each satellite in the multiple satellites, so as to obtain the constellation ephemeris. The first communication device can obtain the constellation ephemeris through the second communication device, so as to obtain the second ephemeris of a large number of satellites. In this way, when selecting a satellite in the scenarios of access, reselection or handover, the constellation ephemeris can be used to select a suitable satellite, and the accuracy of satellite selection can be improved.

[0149] Optionally, before S504, S504a, S504b and S504c can also be included.

[0150] S504a. The second communication device determines the regional serviceability information of the first region.

[0151] The regional serviceability information includes the corresponding relationship between the first serviceable time and the information of the serviceable satellite.

[0152] In the present application, the first region generally refers to a certain geographical range, which is generally represented by latitude and longitude information, and can be understood as a region within the range indicated by latitude and longitude. Of course, the first region can also be a country, a province, a city, etc., and the first region can also be indicated by other means, which is not limited in the present application. The first communication device is located in the first region. The first serviceable time is generally a time period, such as a period of time from a start time to an end time, which can be in seconds, minutes, or hours, etc. The information of the serviceable satellite can be the index, identification or number of the serviceable satellite, etc.

[0153] In the present application, the serviceable satellite refers to a satellite that can provide communication services for the first communication device at the corresponding serviceable time. The serviceable satellite generally refers to a satellite with an elevation angle greater than a certain minimum elevation angle for the first communication device. The minimum elevation angle can be 0 degrees, or less than 0 degrees, or greater than 0 degrees, which is not limited in the present application.

[0154] The process of determining the serviceable satellite by the second communication device can include:

[0155] From t0 to t end , the snapshot is divided according to t interval as an interval. For each snapshot, the satellite position of the current snapshot is calculated. All satellite positions at the current time t are calculated according to the constellation ephemeris.

[0156] The elevation angles of all satellites are calculated for a plurality of points U in the first region, and the satellite ID set with an elevation angle greater than or equal to the minimum elevation angle EL min is recorded, which is denoted as i∈U.

[0157] Combining the serviceable satellite sets of all points, the serviceable satellite list of the first region at time t

[0158] If the current time is t0, record t0 and the serviceable satellite list; if not, compare the current satellite list V t and the serviceable satellite list V t-1 of the previous snapshot, if V t ! = V t-1 , record the current time t and the serviceable satellite list V t , wherein the symbol (! =) represents not equal.

[0159] Finally, record the end time t end .

[0160] The information of the serviceable satellite corresponding to the first serviceable time includes an identifier of each serviceable satellite corresponding to the first serviceable time, or differential information; the differential information includes an added satellite identifier or a reduced satellite identifier of the serviceable satellite corresponding to the first serviceable time relative to the second serviceable time, and the second serviceable time is a previous time period of the first serviceable time.

[0161] The regional serviceability information can be understood with reference to Table 5 below.

[0162] Table 5: Serviceability information

[0163] In Table 5, the first column and the second column are the start time and the end time of the serviceable time. The serviceable time of the former row of the adjacent two rows can be understood as the second serviceable time, and the serviceable time of the latter row can be understood as the first serviceable time. The serviceable time of the adjacent two rows is usually continuous, of course, it can also be discontinuous, and the present application does not limit this.

[0164] In Table 5, the third column is the identifier of each serviceable satellite corresponding to the first serviceable time, and the first row in the fourth column gives the identifier of each serviceable satellite, that is, [25, 45, 35, 56], and each subsequent row gives the added satellite identifier or the reduced satellite identifier relative to the previous row in a differential form.

[0165] As can be seen from Table 5, the information of the serviceable satellite can be given in a full amount or in a differential manner. The full amount can be to give the index, number or identifier of each serviceable satellite. The differential manner can be to give only the identifier of the satellite that is added or reduced relative to the previous time period. The full amount can directly show the serviceable satellite, and the differential manner can reduce the amount of data transmitted between the second communication device and the first communication device.

[0166] S504b. The second communication device sends the regional serviceability information to the first communication device. Correspondingly, the first communication device receives the regional serviceability information from the second communication device.

[0167] S504c. The first communication device determines the first ephemeris and / or the second ephemeris of the serviceable satellite according to the regional serviceability information.

[0168] The first communication device can determine the serviceable satellite at the current time according to the serviceability information, and then filter the second ephemeris corresponding to the serviceable satellite from the constellation ephemeris, and of course, the first ephemeris can also be filtered from the first ephemeris received from the satellite before.

[0169] Taking a current time located in a range from 2024 / 4 / 18 12:15:31 to 2024 / 4 / 18 12:16:55 as an example, it can be determined from Table 5 that there are four serviceable satellites, and indexes or identities of the four serviceable satellites are [25, 45, 35, 56]. Then, a second ephemeris of satellite 24, a second ephemeris of satellite 45, a second ephemeris of satellite 35, and a second ephemeris of satellite 56 can be screened from constellation ephemeris shown in Table 4 according to the indexes or identities [25, 45, 35, 56] of the four serviceable satellites. Of course, a first ephemeris of satellite 24, a first ephemeris of satellite 45, a first ephemeris of satellite 35, and a first ephemeris of satellite 56 can also be screened from the first ephemeris received from the satellites before. Of course, if the first communication device does not receive the first ephemeris of the four satellites completely, only the first ephemeris contained therein needs to be determined.

[0170] Of course, if the serviceability information is the identity of the serviceable satellite in the form of difference, the identity of all serviceable satellites can be restored first, and then ephemeris screening is performed.

[0171] It can be known from the scheme that because the constellation ephemeris usually contains a large amount of second ephemeris of satellites, the first communication device can screen the serviceable satellites that can provide communication services for the first communication device through the regional serviceability information of the first region. In this way, the calculation amount of the first communication device for selecting a suitable satellite for orbit calculation can be reduced, and the power consumption of the first communication device is further reduced.

[0172] Correspondingly, S504 can specifically include: predicting the position and speed of the serviceable satellite at the target time according to the second ephemeris of the serviceable satellite in the constellation ephemeris.

[0173] The communication method provided in the embodiments of the present application can further include: displaying an ephemeris management interface, and the ephemeris management interface includes at least one option, and the at least one option includes at least one of the following: an option of whether to upload satellite ephemeris, an option of whether to receive constellation ephemeris, an option of constellation type, an option of constellation ephemeris update frequency, or a configuration option of regional serviceability.

[0174] Regarding the ephemeris management interface, taking the interface on a mobile phone as an example, as shown in FIG. 6, the ephemeris management interface includes:

[0175] 1. An option of whether to upload satellite ephemeris: if checked, it indicates that the first ephemeris needs to be uploaded to the second communication device; if not checked, the first communication device will not upload the first ephemeris to the second communication device.

[0176] 2. An option of whether to receive constellation ephemeris: if checked, it indicates that the constellation ephemeris is received; if not checked, it indicates that the constellation ephemeris is not received.

[0177] 3. Constellation Type: Constellation of Operator 1, Constellation of Operator 2, Constellation of Operator 3; by selecting one or more operator constellations, you can use the corresponding operator's satellites.

[0178] 4. Constellation and ephemeris update frequency; you can select the frequency of constellation and ephemeris updates, such as 1 hour or 2 hours as shown in Figure 6. Of course, you can also input the frequency of constellation and ephemeris updates through the time input box.

[0179] 5. Configuration of regional serviceability: This can include whether to issue regional serviceability information and / or the time interval of serviceability. The time interval of serviceability can be selected by checking boxes, such as 1 day and 7 days as shown in Figure 6. Of course, it can also be used to input the time interval of serviceability through the time input box.

[0180] If the user makes the corresponding selection, as shown in Figure 7, the user has checked the following options: upload the first ephemeris to the second communication device, receive constellation ephemeris, the constellation of operator 1, update the constellation ephemeris every hour, and send out regional serviceability information with a serviceability time interval of 1 day. Of course, Figure 7 is just an example; users can make different selections according to their needs. This can increase user engagement.

[0181] Referring to Figure 8 below, taking the example of the first communication device being a terminal device and the second communication device being a cloud device, the above communication method will be introduced.

[0182] As shown in Figure 8, the communication method includes:

[0183] S801. The terminal device obtains the first ephemeris of the satellite broadcast.

[0184] S802. The terminal device determines whether to upload the first ephemeris.

[0185] If, as shown in Figure 7, the user has selected the option "Whether to upload satellite ephemeris", then S804 will be executed; if the user has not selected the option "Whether to upload satellite ephemeris", then S804 will not be executed.

[0186] S803. The terminal device saves the first ephemeris in the local database.

[0187] S804. The terminal device uploads the first ephemeris to the cloud device.

[0188] S805. Cloud-based devices collect the first star ephemeris across the entire network.

[0189] Figure 8 illustrates a terminal device uploading the first ephemeris to a cloud device. In reality, many terminal devices can upload the first ephemeris to the cloud device, so that the cloud device can obtain the first ephemeris of multiple satellites across the entire network, thus forming a crowdsourced ephemeris.

[0190] S806. The cloud device saves all the first ephemeris collected from the whole network into a database of first ephemeris.

[0191] S807. The cloud device determines whether the current constellation ephemeris is outdated. If yes, S808 is performed.

[0192] S808. The cloud device obtains newer first ephemeris from the database of first ephemeris, and performs fitting to obtain the constellation ephemeris.

[0193] The cloud device can save the constellation ephemeris into a database of constellation ephemeris.

[0194] S809. The cloud device can perform regional serviceability prediction to determine regional serviceability information.

[0195] The cloud device can save the regional serviceability information into a database of regional serviceability.

[0196] S810. The terminal device receives the constellation ephemeris and the regional serviceability information from the cloud device.

[0197] The terminal device can also save the constellation ephemeris and the regional serviceability information into a local database.

[0198] S811. The terminal device performs orbit prediction according to the constellation ephemeris and the regional serviceability information.

[0199] Through the orbit prediction, the future position and velocity of the serviceable satellite can be determined, and then a suitable satellite can be selected for access, reselection or handover.

[0200] The related content of each step introduced in FIG. 8 can be understood by referring to the corresponding part in the foregoing embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0201] The communication system and the communication method in the embodiments of the present application are introduced above, and the communication apparatus provided by the embodiments of the present application is described below. Please refer to FIG. 9, which is a structural schematic diagram of the communication apparatus in the embodiments of the present application. The communication apparatus 900 can be used to perform the steps in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 to 8, and the specific implementation can refer to the related introduction in the foregoing method embodiments.

[0202] The communication apparatus 900 includes a transceiver module 901 and a processing module 902. The transceiver module 901 can realize corresponding communication functions, and the processing module 902 is used for data processing. The transceiver module 901 can also be called a communication interface or a communication unit.

[0203] Optionally, the communication apparatus 900 further includes a storage unit, which can be used to store instructions and / or data. The processing module 902 can read the instructions and / or data in the storage unit, so that the communication apparatus implements the foregoing method embodiments.

[0204] The communication apparatus 900 can be used to perform the actions in the foregoing method embodiments. The communication apparatus 900 can be a terminal device or an access network device, or a component or module configurable to a terminal device or an access network device. The transceiver module 901 is configured to perform the receiving related operations in the foregoing method embodiments, and the processing module 902 is configured to perform the processing related operations in the foregoing method embodiments.

[0205] Optionally, the transceiver module 901 can include a sending module and a receiving module. The sending module is configured to perform the sending operations in the foregoing method embodiments. The receiving module is configured to perform the receiving operations in the foregoing method embodiments.

[0206] It should be noted that the communication apparatus 900 can include the sending module, but not the receiving module. Alternatively, the communication apparatus 900 can include the receiving module, but not the sending module. Specifically, whether the sending module and the receiving module are included in the communication apparatus 900 can depend on whether the sending action and the receiving action are included in the foregoing scheme implemented by the communication apparatus 900.

[0207] As an example, the communication apparatus 900 is configured to perform the actions in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5.

[0208] The transceiver module 901 is configured to send the first ephemeris, the first ephemeris being an ephemeris broadcast by at least one satellite and received by the first communication apparatus; and receive the constellation ephemeris from the second communication apparatus, the constellation ephemeris including the second ephemeris of each satellite in the plurality of satellites, wherein the second ephemeris of the first satellite is determined by the second communication apparatus based on at least one first ephemeris of the first satellite, and the first satellite is any one of the plurality of satellites.

[0209] The processing module 902 is configured to predict the position and velocity of the serviceable satellite at the target time according to the second ephemeris of the serviceable satellite in the constellation ephemeris.

[0210] It should be understood that the specific process of each module performing the corresponding steps described above has been described in detail in the foregoing method embodiments, and thus will not be described here again for the sake of brevity.

[0211] The processing module 902 in the foregoing embodiments can be implemented by at least one processor or processor-related circuit. The transceiver module 901 can be implemented by a transceiver or transceiver-related circuit. The transceiver module 901 can also be referred to as a communication unit or a communication interface. The storage unit can be implemented by at least one memory.

[0212] The embodiment of the present application further provides another communication apparatus 1000. As shown in FIG. 10, the communication apparatus 1000 includes a processor 1010, the processor 1010 is coupled with a memory 1020, the memory 1020 is used for storing computer programs or instructions and / or data, and the processor 1010 is used for executing the computer programs or instructions and / or data stored in the memory 1020, so that the method in the above method embodiment is executed.

[0213] Optionally, the processor 1010 included in the communication apparatus 1000 is one or more.

[0214] Optionally, as shown in FIG. 10, the communication apparatus 1000 can further include the memory 1020.

[0215] Optionally, the memory 1020 included in the communication apparatus 1000 can be one or more.

[0216] Optionally, the memory 1020 can be integrated with the processor 1010 or separately arranged.

[0217] Optionally, as shown in FIG. 10, the communication apparatus 1000 can further include a transceiver 1030, the transceiver 1030 is used for receiving and / or sending signals. For example, the processor 1010 is used for controlling the transceiver 1030 to receive and / or send signals.

[0218] As an option, the communication apparatus 1000 is used to implement the operations in the above method embodiment.

[0219] For example, the processor 1010 is used to implement the operations related to processing in the above method embodiment, and the transceiver 1030 is used to implement the operations related to receiving and / or sending in the above method embodiment.

[0220] The embodiment of the present application further provides a communication apparatus 1000, which can be a terminal device or an access network device, or a chip or module in a terminal device or an access network device or a device in a core network. The communication apparatus 1000 can be used to execute the operations in the above method embodiments.

[0221] When the communication device 1000 is a communication device, Fig. 11 shows a simplified structural schematic diagram of the communication device. As shown in Fig. 11, the communication device includes a processor, a memory, a transceiver, wherein the memory can store computer program code, the transceiver includes a transmitter 1031, a receiver 1032, a radio frequency circuit (not shown in the figure), an antenna 1033, and an input and output device (not shown in the figure). The processor is mainly used for processing communication protocols and communication data, controlling the communication device, executing software programs, processing data of the software programs, etc. The memory is mainly used for storing software programs and data. The radio frequency circuit is mainly used for conversion between baseband signals and radio frequency signals and processing of the radio frequency signals. The antenna is mainly used for receiving and transmitting radio frequency signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. The input and output device, such as a touch screen, a display screen, a keyboard, etc., is mainly used for receiving user input data and outputting data to the user. It should be noted that some types of communication devices can not have an input and output device.

[0222] When data needs to be sent, the processor performs baseband processing on the data to be sent, and outputs the baseband signal to the radio frequency circuit. The radio frequency circuit performs radio frequency processing on the baseband signal, and transmits the radio frequency signal in the form of electromagnetic waves through the antenna. When data is sent to the communication device, the radio frequency circuit receives the radio frequency signal through the antenna, converts the radio frequency signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor. The processor converts the baseband signal into data and processes the data. For ease of illustration, only one memory, one processor, and one transceiver are shown in Fig. 11. In actual communication device products, there can be one or more processors and one or more memories. The memory can also be referred to as a storage medium or a storage device, etc. The memory can be independent of the processor or integrated with the processor. The embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0223] In the embodiments of the present application, the antenna and the radio frequency circuit with transceiving functions can be regarded as a transceiving unit of the communication device, and the processor with processing functions can be regarded as a processing unit of the communication device.

[0224] As shown in Fig. 11, the communication device includes a processor 1010, a memory 1020, and a transceiver 1030. The processor 1010 can also be referred to as a processing unit, a processing board, a processing module, a processing device, etc. The transceiver 1030 can also be referred to as a transceiving unit, a transceiver, a transceiving device, etc.

[0225] Optionally, devices in the transceiver 1030 for implementing the receiving function can be regarded as a receiving unit, and devices in the transceiver 1030 for implementing the sending function can be regarded as a sending unit, that is, the transceiver 1030 includes a receiver and a transmitter. The transceiver can also be referred to as a transceiver, a transceiving unit, or a transceiving circuit, etc. The receiver can also be referred to as a receiver, a receiving unit, or a receiving circuit, etc. The transmitter can also be referred to as a transmitter, a transmitting unit, or a transmitting circuit, etc.

[0226] For example, in an implementation manner, the processor 1010 is configured to perform the processing actions in the embodiments shown in FIG. 5, and the transceiver 1030 is configured to perform the transceiving actions in FIG. 5. For example, the transceiver 1030 is configured to perform the transceiving operations of steps S501 and S503 in the embodiments shown in FIG. 5. The processor 1010 is configured to perform the processing operations of step S502 in the embodiments shown in FIG. 5.

[0227] It should be understood that FIG. 11 is merely an example and not a limitation, and the above-described communication apparatus including a transceiving unit and a processing unit can not depend on the structure shown in FIG. 11.

[0228] When the communication apparatus 1000 is a chip, the chip includes a processor, a memory, and a transceiver. The transceiver can be an input-output circuit or a communication interface; the processor can be a processing unit integrated on the chip or a microprocessor or an integrated circuit. The sending operation of the communication apparatus in the above method embodiments can be understood as the output of the chip, and the receiving operation of the communication apparatus in the above method embodiments can be understood as the input of the chip.

[0229] The embodiments of the present application also provide a computer readable storage medium, which stores computer instructions for implementing the method in the above method embodiments.

[0230] For example, the computer program is executed by a computer, so that the computer can implement the method executed in the above method embodiments.

[0231] The embodiments of the present application also provide a computer program product including instructions, which are executed by a computer to make the computer implement the method executed in the above method embodiments.

[0232] The embodiments of the present application also provide a communication system, which includes the access network device and the terminal device in the above embodiments.

[0233] The embodiments of the present application also provide a chip apparatus, which includes a processor, and is configured to invoke computer degrees or computer instructions stored in a memory to make the processor execute the method in the embodiments shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 8.

[0234] In a possible implementation, the input of the chip device corresponds to the receiving operation in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 to 8, and the output of the chip device corresponds to the sending operation in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 to 8.

[0235] Optionally, the processor is coupled with the memory through an interface.

[0236] Optionally, the chip device further includes a memory, and the memory stores computer degrees or computer instructions.

[0237] The processor mentioned in any of the above can be a general central processing unit, a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits for executing programs for controlling the method of the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 to 8. The memory mentioned in any of the above can be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM), and the like.

[0238] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the explanation and beneficial effects of the related content in any of the above communication devices can refer to the corresponding method embodiments provided above, and will not be repeated here.

[0239] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working process of the system, device and unit described above can refer to the corresponding process in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0240] In several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, device and method can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic, for example, the division of the units is only a logical function division, and actual implementation can have another division manner, for example, a plurality of units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection between the units or components shown or discussed can be indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or units, and can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0241] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components displayed as units may or may not be physical units, that is, may be located in one place, or may be distributed on multiple network units. Part or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the embodiment scheme.

[0242] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application can be integrated in one processing unit, or each unit can be physically present alone, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit. The integrated unit can be realized in the form of hardware or in the form of a software functional unit.

[0243] The integrated unit, if realized in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on such understanding, the essential part of the technical scheme of the present application or the whole or part of the technical scheme can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium, including a plurality of instructions for causing a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or an access network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The foregoing storage medium includes: a U disk, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory, a random access memory, a magnetic disk or an optical disk, and various media that can store program codes.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: sending a first ephemeris, the first ephemeris being an ephemeris broadcast by at least one satellite and received by a first communication device; receiving constellation ephemeris from a second communication device, the constellation ephemeris comprising a second ephemeris of each satellite of a plurality of satellites, wherein the second ephemeris of a first satellite is determined by the second communication device based on at least one first ephemeris of the first satellite, the first satellite being any one of the plurality of satellites.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving regional serviceability information of a first region from the second communication device, the regional serviceability information comprising a correspondence between a first serviceable time and information of serviceable satellites, the correspondence being used by the first communication device to determine the first ephemeris and / or the second ephemeris of the serviceable satellites corresponding to the first serviceable time.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The method further comprises: predicting a position and a velocity of a serviceable satellite at a target time according to the second ephemeris of the serviceable satellite in the constellation ephemeris.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The information of the serviceable satellites corresponding to the first serviceable time comprises an identification of each serviceable satellite corresponding to the first serviceable time, or differential information; wherein the differential information comprises an added satellite identification or a reduced satellite identification of the serviceable satellites corresponding to the first serviceable time relative to a second serviceable time, the second serviceable time being a previous time period of the first serviceable time.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The method further comprises: displaying an ephemeris management interface, the ephemeris management interface comprising at least one option, the at least one option comprising at least one of the following: an option of whether to upload satellite ephemeris, an option of whether to receive constellation ephemeris, an option of constellation type, an option of constellation ephemeris update frequency, or a configuration option of regional serviceability.

6. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: receiving first ephemeris from a plurality of first communication devices, the first ephemeris being an ephemeris broadcast by at least one satellite and received by the first communication device; determining constellation ephemeris, the constellation ephemeris comprising a second ephemeris of each satellite of a plurality of satellites, wherein the second ephemeris of a first satellite is determined by the second communication device based on at least one first ephemeris of the first satellite, the first satellite being any one of the plurality of satellites; sending the constellation ephemeris to the first communication device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, The method further comprises: determining regional serviceability information of a first region, the regional serviceability information comprising a correspondence between a first serviceable time and information of serviceable satellites, the correspondence being used by the first communication device to determine the first ephemeris and / or the second ephemeris of the serviceable satellites corresponding to the first serviceable time; sending the regional serviceability information to the first communication device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, The information of the serviceable satellites corresponding to the first serviceable time comprises an identification of each serviceable satellite corresponding to the first serviceable time, or differential information; wherein the differential information comprises an added satellite identification or a reduced satellite identification of the serviceable satellites corresponding to the first serviceable time relative to a second serviceable time, the second serviceable time being a previous time period of the first serviceable time.

9. The method according to any one of claims 6-8, characterized in that, The second ephemeris of the first satellite is obtained by fitting a plurality of first ephemerides of the first satellite.

10. The method according to any one of claims 6-9, characterized in that, The method further comprises: If the constellation ephemeris exceeds a validity period, updating the constellation ephemeris.

11. A communications device, characterized by Comprising: a transceiver module and a processing module, the transceiver module is configured to perform the transmitting step or the receiving step in the method of any one of claims 1-10; the processing module is configured to perform the steps in the method of any one of claims 1-10 other than the transmitting step and the receiving step.

12. A communications device, characterized by comprising at least one processor coupled to a memory; the memory is configured to store a program or instructions; the at least one processor is configured to execute the program or instructions to cause the apparatus to implement the method of any one of claims 1-10.

13. A chip device, characterized by comprising a processor configured to invoke a program stored in a memory to cause the processor to perform the method of any one of claims 1-10.

14. The chip device of claim 13, wherein, the chip apparatus further comprises the memory.

15. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, the computer readable storage medium stores program instructions that, when executed, cause the method of any one of claims 1-10 to be performed.

16. A computer program product comprising program instructions, characterized in that, the program instructions, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1-10.

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