Communication methods, communication apparatuses, communication system and storage medium

Abstract

Provided in the embodiments of the present application are communication methods, communication apparatuses, a communication system and a storage medium, which are aimed at improving the quality of service of a terminal device. A communication method provided in the present application comprises: when an NTN network device identifies that it is necessary to switch from a normal mode to a store-and-forward mode, if a terminal device has a store-and-forward capability, sending an information query request to the terminal device; receiving an information query response message from the terminal device, wherein the information query response message comprises a store-and-forward state parameter; and on the basis of the store-and-forward state parameter, determining whether it is suitable to provide a store-and-forward service for the terminal device. In the solution, the NTN network device acquires the store-and-forward state parameter of the terminal device, and evaluates, on the basis of the store-and-forward state parameter, whether it is suitable to provide the store-and-forward service for the terminal device, so that, when it is suitable to provide the store-and-forward service for the terminal device, the NTN network device can communicate with the terminal device on the basis of the store-and-forward mode, thereby improving the quality of service of the terminal device.

Description

A communication method, communication device, communication system, and storage medium

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411168857.4, filed on August 23, 2024, entitled "A Communication Method, Communication Device, Communication System and Storage Medium", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, communication device, communication system and storage medium. Background Technology

[0003] Due to its advantages such as global coverage and flexible deployment, non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) are now widely used in various communication scenarios. When using satellite communication networks within a NTN, the limited coverage of ground stations forces the feeder link between the satellite and ground station to be interrupted as the satellite moves. When the feeder link between the satellite and ground station is about to break or has already broken, NTN network equipment typically switches the communication mode with the terminal equipment directly from normal mode to store-and-forward mode.

[0004] However, if NTN network devices directly switch the communication mode between themselves and terminal devices from normal mode to store-and-forward mode, it may cause service interruption for the terminal devices, resulting in poor quality of service (QoS) for the terminal devices. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a communication method, communication device, and storage medium, with the aim of improving the service quality of terminal devices.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this application provides the following technical solution:

[0007] A first aspect of this application provides a communication method applied to an NTN network device, the method comprising:

[0008] When the NTN network device recognizes that a switch from normal mode to store-and-forward mode is required, if the terminal device has store-and-forward capability, it sends an information query request to the terminal device.

[0009] Receive an information query response message from the terminal device, the information query response message including the store-forward status parameters of the terminal device;

[0010] The suitability for providing store-and-forward services to terminal devices is determined based on the store-and-forward status parameters.

[0011] In the above implementation scheme, in order to improve the service quality of terminal devices, when the NTN network device recognizes that a switch from normal mode to store-forward mode is required, and the terminal device has store-forward capability, the NTN network device can further obtain the store-forward status parameters of the terminal device. Based on the store-forward status parameters, it can evaluate whether it is suitable to provide store-forward services to the terminal device. This allows it to communicate with the terminal device based on store-forward mode only when it is determined that it is suitable to provide store-forward services. This avoids service interruptions caused by the NTN network device directly switching the communication mode with the terminal device from normal mode to store-forward mode and not being suitable to provide store-forward services to the terminal device, thereby improving the service quality of terminal devices.

[0012] In one possible implementation of the first aspect of this application, the method further includes: if it is determined, based on the store-and-forward state parameters, that it is suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device, then the NTN network device switches to store-and-forward mode to provide communication services to the terminal device. In the above implementation, if the NTN network device determines, based on the store-and-forward state parameters, that it is suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device, the NTN network device can first switch the communication mode from normal mode to store-and-forward mode, and then communicate with the terminal device based on the store-and-forward mode. This avoids service interruptions caused by the NTN network device directly switching the communication mode with the terminal device from normal mode to store-and-forward mode, and thus is unsuitable for providing store-and-forward services to the terminal device, thereby improving the service quality of the terminal device.

[0013] In one possible implementation of the first aspect of this application, the NTN network device identifies a situation requiring a switch from normal mode to store-and-forward mode when the power supply link between the NTN network device and the terrestrial core network device is about to be or has already been disconnected. In the above implementation, when the power supply link between the NTN network device and the terrestrial core network device is about to be or has already been disconnected, the NTN network device can determine that it needs to switch the communication mode from normal mode to store-and-forward mode.

[0014] In one possible implementation of the first aspect of this application, the store-and-forward status parameters include first indication information and pending data parameters. The first indication information indicates whether the terminal device allows store-and-forward, and the pending data parameters include the total amount of pending data from the terminal device and the maximum allowed latency for the pending data. In the above implementation, the store-and-forward status parameters received by the NTN network device may include the first indication information and the pending data parameters. The pending data parameters may include the total amount of pending data from the terminal device and the maximum allowed latency for the pending data. That is, the NTN network device can evaluate whether it is suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device based on the first indication information and the pending data parameters. This allows it to communicate with the terminal device based on the store-and-forward mode only when it is determined that the service is suitable. This avoids service interruptions caused by the NTN network device directly switching the communication mode with the terminal device from normal mode to store-and-forward mode, and thus improves the service quality of the terminal device.

[0015] In one possible implementation of the first aspect of this application, determining whether it is suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device based on the store-and-forward status parameters includes: if the first indication information indicates that the terminal device is allowed to perform store-and-forward, and the total data volume is less than or equal to a first threshold, and the maximum latency is greater than or equal to a second threshold, determining that it is suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device; if the first indication information indicates that the terminal device is not allowed to perform store-and-forward, or the total data volume is greater than the first threshold, or the maximum latency is less than the second threshold, determining that it is not suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device. In the above implementation scheme, when the first indication information in the store-and-forward status parameters sent by the terminal device indicates that the terminal device is allowed to perform store-and-forward at this time, and the total amount of data to be sent by the terminal device in the store-and-forward status parameters is less than or equal to the first threshold, and the maximum allowable delay of the data to be sent in the store-and-forward status parameters is greater than or equal to the second threshold, the NTN network device can determine that the terminal device's current state is suitable for store-and-forward service, and can communicate with the terminal device based on the store-and-forward mode. This avoids the situation where the NTN network device directly switches the communication mode between itself and the terminal device from the normal mode to the store-and-forward mode, and is not suitable for providing store-and-forward service to the terminal device, resulting in service interruption, thereby improving the service quality of the terminal device.

[0016] In one possible implementation of the first aspect of this application, the first threshold includes the storage space size of the NTN network device, or the size determined by the memory of the NTN network device; the second threshold is a latency threshold for data transmission by the NTN network device. In the above implementation, the first threshold can be determined based on the storage space size of the NTN network device or the size determined by the memory of the NTN network device, and the second threshold can be determined based on the latency threshold for data transmission by the NTN network device.

[0017] In one possible implementation of the first aspect of this application, before sending a terminal information query request to the terminal device, the method further includes: sending a capability query request to the terminal device; receiving a capability query response message from the terminal device, the capability query response message including second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate whether the terminal device has store-and-forward capability. In the above implementation, before sending the terminal information query request to the terminal device, the NTN network device can determine whether the terminal device has store-and-forward capability by sending a capability query request and obtaining the second indication information from the capability query response message returned by the terminal device. This allows the NTN network device to further obtain the store-and-forward status parameters of the terminal device when the terminal device has store-and-forward capability, and to evaluate whether it is suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device based on the store-and-forward status parameters. This ensures that when it is determined that it is suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device, communication with the terminal device is based on the store-and-forward mode, avoiding service interruptions caused by the NTN network device directly switching the communication mode with the terminal device from normal mode to store-and-forward mode, and thus improving the service quality of the terminal device.

[0018] In one possible implementation of the first aspect of this application, if the second indication information indicates that the terminal device has store-and-forward capability, the capability query response message further includes third indication information, which is used to indicate whether the terminal device can report store-and-forward status parameters; if the third indication information indicates that the terminal device can report store-and-forward status parameters, an information query request is sent to the terminal device; if the third indication information indicates that the terminal device cannot report store-and-forward status parameters, the NTN network device switches to store-and-forward mode to provide communication services to the terminal device. In the above implementation scheme, if the second indication information in the capability query response message returned by the terminal device indicates that the terminal device has store-and-forward capability, the capability query response message can also include a third indication information indicating whether the terminal device can report store-and-forward status parameters. This allows the NTN network device to further determine the status and capability of the terminal device, so that the NTN network device can make timely decisions based on the status and capability of the terminal device. Furthermore, when the third indication information in the capability query response message returned by the terminal device indicates that the terminal device can report store-and-forward status parameters, it means that the NTN network device can obtain the store-and-forward status parameters from the terminal device. In other words, the NTN network device can evaluate whether it is suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device. At this time, the NTN network device can send an information query request to the terminal device to obtain the store-and-forward status parameters of the terminal device. When the third indication information in the capability query response message returned by the terminal device indicates that the terminal device cannot report store-and-forward status parameters, it means that the NTN network device cannot obtain the store-and-forward status parameters from the terminal device. In other words, the NTN network device cannot evaluate whether it is suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device. At this time, NTN network devices can be adapted to provide store-and-forward services for terminal devices by default. They can directly switch to store-and-forward mode to communicate with terminal devices, avoiding service interruptions caused by NTN network devices directly switching the communication mode with terminal devices from normal mode to store-and-forward mode and being unsuitable for providing store-and-forward services to terminal devices. This improves the service quality of terminal devices.

[0019] In one possible implementation of the first aspect of this application, if the second indication information indicates that the terminal device has store-and-forward capability, the method further includes: if the capability query response message does not include third indication information, then the NTN network device switches to store-and-forward mode to provide communication services to the terminal device; wherein the third indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal device can report store-and-forward status parameters. In the above implementation, if the second indication information carried in the capability query response message indicates that the terminal device has store-and-forward capability, and the capability query response message does not simultaneously carry third indication information for indicating whether the terminal device can report store-and-forward status parameters, then the NTN network device can determine that the terminal device cannot report store-and-forward status parameters, meaning that the NTN network device cannot obtain store-and-forward status parameters from the terminal device, that is, the NTN network device cannot evaluate whether it is suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device. At this time, NTN network devices can be adapted to provide store-and-forward services for terminal devices by default. They can directly switch to store-and-forward mode to communicate with terminal devices, avoiding service interruptions caused by NTN network devices directly switching the communication mode with terminal devices from normal mode to store-and-forward mode and being unsuitable for providing store-and-forward services to terminal devices. This improves the service quality of terminal devices.

[0020] In one possible implementation of the first aspect of this application, the method further includes: disconnecting the connection with the terminal device if the terminal device does not have store-and-forward capability; and disconnecting the connection with the terminal device if it is not suitable to provide store-and-forward service to the terminal device. In the above implementation, if the NTN network device determines that the terminal device does not have store-and-forward capability, it can directly determine that it is not suitable to provide store-and-forward service to the terminal device, and at this time, the connection with the terminal device can be disconnected. Furthermore, if the NTN network device assesses and determines that it is not suitable to provide store-and-forward service to the terminal device, it can also disconnect the connection with the terminal device, so that the terminal device can transmit data through other NTN network devices. This avoids service interruption caused by the NTN network device directly switching the communication mode with the terminal device from normal mode to store-and-forward mode and being unsuitable to provide store-and-forward service to the terminal device, thereby improving the service quality of the terminal device.

[0021] In one possible implementation of the first aspect of this application, the signaling used to carry the information query request includes one of radio resource control signaling, system messages, downlink control information signaling, and media access control layer control element signaling; the signaling used to carry the information query response message includes one of radio resource control response messages, media access control layer control element signaling, physical random access channel messages, and physical uplink shared channel messages. In the above implementation, the information query request can be carried using any one of radio resource control signaling, system messages, downlink control information signaling, and media access control layer control element signaling, and the information query response message can also be carried using any one of radio resource control response messages, media access control layer control element signaling, physical random access channel messages, and physical uplink shared channel messages.

[0022] In one possible implementation of the first aspect of this application, the terminal device includes a new wireless NR device or an Internet of Things (IoT) terminal device; the NTN network device includes any one of an NTN base station, a satellite base station, a drone network device, a high-altitude platform network device, an aircraft network device, and a communication balloon network device.

[0023] A second aspect of this application provides a communication method applied to a terminal device, the method comprising:

[0024] Receive information query requests from NTN network devices;

[0025] The NTN network device sends an information query response message, which includes store-and-forward status parameters, so that the NTN network device can determine whether it is suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device based on the store-and-forward status parameters.

[0026] In the above implementation scheme, in order to improve the service quality of terminal devices, when the terminal device has store-and-forward capability, the terminal device can send store-and-forward status parameters to the NTN network device through an information query response message. This allows the NTN network device to obtain the store-and-forward status parameters of the terminal device and evaluate whether it is suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device based on the store-and-forward status parameters. This enables the NTN network device to communicate with the terminal device based on the store-and-forward mode only when it is determined that it is suitable to provide store-and-forward services. This avoids the situation where the NTN network device directly switches the communication mode with the terminal device from normal mode to store-and-forward mode and is not suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device, which would cause service interruption. This improves the service quality of the terminal device.

[0027] In one possible implementation of the second aspect of this application, if the NTN network device determines, based on the store-and-forward state parameters, that it is suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device, it switches to store-and-forward mode to communicate with the NTN network device.

[0028] In one possible implementation of the second aspect of this application, the store-and-forward status parameter includes first indication information and pending data parameter. The first indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal device allows store-and-forward. The pending data parameter includes the total amount of pending data of the terminal device and the maximum allowed latency of the pending data.

[0029] In one possible implementation of the second aspect of this application, before receiving the information query request from the NTN network device, the method further includes:

[0030] Receive capability query requests from NTN network devices;

[0031] A capability query response message is sent to the NTN network device. The capability query response message includes second indication information, which is used to indicate whether the terminal device has store-and-forward capability.

[0032] In one possible implementation of the second aspect of this application, if the second indication information indicates that the terminal device has store-and-forward capability, the capability query response message further includes third indication information, which is used to indicate whether the terminal device can report store-and-forward status parameters.

[0033] If the third indication information indicates that the terminal device can report store-and-forward status parameters, it can receive an information query request from the NTN network device;

[0034] If the third indication information indicates that the terminal device cannot report the store-and-forward status parameters, it communicates with the NTN network device based on the store-and-forward mode.

[0035] In one possible implementation of the second aspect of this application, if the second indication information indicates that the terminal device has store-and-forward capability, the method further includes:

[0036] If the capability query response message does not include third indication information, then switch to store-and-forward mode to communicate with the NTN network device;

[0037] The third indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal device can report store-and-forward status parameters.

[0038] In one possible implementation of the second aspect of this application, the method further includes:

[0039] If the terminal device does not have store-and-forward capability, disconnect the connection with the NTN network device.

[0040] In one possible implementation of the second aspect of this application, the signaling used to carry the information query request includes one of radio resource control signaling, system messages, downlink control information signaling, and media access control layer control element signaling; the signaling used to carry the information query response message includes one of radio resource control response messages, media access control layer control element signaling, physical random access channel messages, and physical uplink shared channel messages.

[0041] In one possible implementation of the second aspect of this application, the terminal device is a terminal device in the Internet of Things (IoT) terminal access technology based on non-terrestrial networks, and the NTN network device is a network device in the Internet of Things (IoT) terminal access technology based on non-terrestrial networks.

[0042] A third aspect of this application provides a communication method applied to a terminal device and an NTN network device, wherein the terminal device performs the following method:

[0043] When the NTN network device recognizes that a switch from normal mode to store-and-forward mode is required, if the terminal device has store-and-forward capability, it sends an information query request to the terminal device.

[0044] Receive an information query response message from the terminal device, the information query response message including the store-forward status parameters of the terminal device;

[0045] Determine whether it is suitable to provide store-forward service to the terminal device based on the store-forward status parameters;

[0046] The NTN network device performs the following method:

[0047] Receive information query requests from non-terrestrial network (NTN) devices;

[0048] The NTN network device sends an information query response message, which includes store-and-forward status parameters, so that the NTN network device can determine whether it is suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device based on the store-and-forward status parameters.

[0049] A fourth aspect of this application provides a communication device, specifically an NTN network device, the communication device comprising:

[0050] The sending module is used to send an information query request to the terminal device if the terminal device has store-forward capability when the NTN network device recognizes that a switch from normal mode to store-forward mode is required.

[0051] The receiving module is configured to receive an information query response message from the terminal device, wherein the information query response message includes the store-and-forward status parameters of the terminal device;

[0052] The determination module is used to determine whether it is suitable to provide store-forward service to the terminal device based on the store-forward status parameters.

[0053] The fifth aspect of this application provides a communication device, specifically a terminal device, the communication device comprising:

[0054] The receiving module is used to receive information query requests from NTN network devices;

[0055] The sending module is used to send an information query response message to the NTN network device. The information query response message includes store-and-forward status parameters, so that the NTN network device can determine whether it is suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device based on the store-and-forward status parameters.

[0056] A sixth aspect of this application provides a communication device, comprising: a memory and at least one processor. The memory is used to store a program, and the at least one processor is used to execute the computer program or computer instructions stored in the memory, so that the communication device implements any of the communication methods provided in the first aspect of this application.

[0057] A seventh aspect of this application provides a communication device, comprising: a memory and at least one processor. The memory is used to store a program, and the at least one processor is used to execute the computer program or computer instructions stored in the memory, so that the communication device implements any of the communication methods provided in the second aspect of this application.

[0058] An eighth aspect of this application provides a communication system, the communication system comprising a terminal device and an NTN network device:

[0059] The terminal device is used to execute any of the communication methods provided in the first aspect of this application, and the NTN network device is used to execute any of the communication methods provided in the second aspect of this application.

[0060] The ninth aspect of this application is a computer storage medium for storing a computer program, which, when executed, is used to implement any of the communication methods provided in the first or second aspect of this application.

[0061] The tenth aspect of this application provides a computer program product containing instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform any of the communication methods described in the first or second aspect above.

[0062] The eleventh aspect of this application provides a chip system including a processor for supporting a terminal device or NTN network device in implementing the functions involved in the above aspects, such as transmitting or processing data and / or information involved in the above methods. In one possible design, the chip system further includes a memory for storing necessary program instructions and data for the terminal device or NTN network device. The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices. Attached Figure Description

[0063] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the system architecture of the communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0064] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a satellite communication network provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0065] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of another satellite communication network provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0066] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the interaction process between an NTN network device and a terminal device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0067] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of another interaction process between an NTN network device and a terminal device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0068] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0069] Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0070] Figure 8 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application on the base station side;

[0071] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0072] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0073] Figure 11 is a structural example diagram of an electronic device disclosed in an embodiment of this application;

[0074] Figure 12 is a structural example diagram of another electronic device disclosed in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0075] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The terminology used in the following embodiments is for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and is not intended to be a limitation of this application. As used in the specification and appended claims of this application, the singular expressions "a," "an," "the," "the," "the," and "this" are intended to also include expressions such as "one or more," unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that in the embodiments of this application, "one or more" refers to one, two, or more; "and / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships may exist; for example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0076] References to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" as described in this specification mean that one or more embodiments of this application include a specific feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment. Therefore, the phrases "in one embodiment," "in some embodiments," "in other embodiments," "in still other embodiments," etc., appearing in different parts of this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, but rather mean "one or more, but not all, embodiments," unless otherwise specifically emphasized. The terms "comprising," "including," "having," and variations thereof mean "including but not limited to," unless otherwise specifically emphasized.

[0077] The "multiple" mentioned in the embodiments of this application refers to two or more. It should be noted that in the description of the embodiments of this application, terms such as "first" and "second" are used only for the purpose of distinguishing descriptions and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance, nor should they be construed as indicating or implying order.

[0078] The embodiments of this application are applied to communication systems, which can be second-generation (2G) communication systems, third-generation (3G) communication systems, LTE systems, fifth-generation (5G) communication systems, LTE and 5G hybrid architectures, 5G New Radio (5G NR) systems, and new communication systems that will emerge in the future development of communication.

[0079] A satellite communication system includes a first device and a second device. The first device can be a network-side device used to provide network communication functions; in some cases, it is also called a network device or network element. The network device can typically be a base station (including functional units of a base station, or a combination of functional units of base stations) or a core network unit. The core network unit can be a functional unit within the core network, including but not limited to Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) units or Session Management Function (SMF) units. The second device can be a device accessing the network, typically a terminal device. An example of a communication system is shown in Figure 1, which includes a base station 11 and a terminal 12. For example, the first device can be a terminal device in a satellite communication system, and the second device can be an NTN network device in the satellite communication system.

[0080] In the embodiments provided in this application, the base station can be any device with wireless transceiver capabilities, including but not limited to: evolved base stations (NodeB, eNB, or e-NodeB) in Long Term Evolution (LTE), base stations (gNodeB or gNB) or transmission receiving points / transmission reception points (TRPs) in New Radio (NR), base stations in subsequent 3GPP evolutions, access nodes in Wi-Fi systems, wireless relay nodes, wireless backhaul nodes, etc. The base station can be: macro base station, micro base station, pico base station, small cell, relay station, or balloon station, etc. The base station can contain one or more co-located or non-co-located transmission reception points (TRPs). The base station can also be a radio controller, centralized unit (CU), and / or distributed unit (DU) in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario. The base station can communicate with terminal devices or communicate with terminal devices through relay stations. The terminal device can communicate with multiple base stations using different technologies. For example, it can communicate with base stations supporting LTE networks, base stations supporting 5G networks, or even have dual connections with both LTE and 5G base stations. As another example, the network device specifically refers to a network device in a satellite communication system, namely an NTN network device. For instance, an NTN network device includes any one of the following: an NTN base station (gNB), a drone network device, a high-altitude platform network device, an aircraft network device, or a communication balloon network device. This application does not limit the specific implementation of the NTN network device; these are merely examples of possible scenarios.

[0081] In the embodiments provided in this application, the terminal device can take various forms, such as a mobile phone, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver capabilities, virtual reality (VR) terminal device, augmented reality (AR) terminal device, wireless terminal device in industrial control, vehicle-mounted terminal device, wireless terminal device in self-driving, wireless terminal device in remote medical care, wireless terminal device in smart grid, wireless terminal device in transportation safety, wireless terminal device in smart city, wireless terminal device in smart home, wearable terminal device, etc. The terminal device may also be referred to as a terminal device, user equipment (UE), access terminal device, vehicle-mounted terminal device, industrial control terminal device, UE unit, UE station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal device, mobile device, UE terminal device, terminal device, wireless communication device, UE agent, or UE device, etc. The terminal device can also be a fixed terminal device or a mobile terminal device. The terminal device can also be a new wireless NR device or an Internet of Things (IoT) terminal device.

[0082] In communication systems, Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) technology is one of the technological directions for direct satellite connection between mobile phones and satellites, serving as an important supplement to terrestrial cellular communication technology. By integrating satellite communication networks with terrestrial 5G networks, NTN technology can provide ubiquitous coverage regardless of terrain, connecting multiple dimensions of space, air, land, and sea to form an integrated ubiquitous access network, enabling on-demand access in all scenarios. Non-terrestrial networks are not limited by geographical location, achieving seamless global communication; furthermore, satellite communication networks can be flexibly deployed to quickly respond to various communication needs. Due to the advantages of global coverage and flexible deployment, non-terrestrial networks are now widely used in various communication scenarios.

[0083] Furthermore, Internet of Things-Non-Terrestrial Network (IoT-NTN) is an important branch of non-terrestrial network technology, aiming to provide connectivity services for IoT devices through non-terrestrial network means such as satellite communication. With the rapid development of IoT technology, more and more devices need to access networks to achieve interconnectivity. However, in some remote areas or regions such as oceans and airspace where traditional terrestrial networks are difficult to cover, connectivity for IoT devices has become a challenge. The emergence of IoT-NTN technology is precisely to solve this problem, achieving wide-area coverage and remote connectivity for IoT devices through non-terrestrial network means such as satellite.

[0084] Referring to Figure 2, when using a satellite communication network outside of a terrestrial network for communication, due to the limited coverage of ground stations, the same satellite often cannot simultaneously provide a service link to the terminal equipment and a feeder link to the ground station as the satellite moves. A feeder link refers to a radio link from a fixed earth station to a space station (such as a satellite), or from a space station to a fixed earth station. This type of link is mainly used for space radio communication services other than fixed satellite services. Specifically, the feeder link plays a crucial role in satellite communication systems, connecting the ground station (or gateway) and the satellite. The service link connects the terminal equipment and NTN network equipment in the satellite communication network to enable data transmission and service interaction.

[0085] Referring to Figure 3, when the satellite is in state A, the NTN network equipment on the satellite maintains a power supply link with the ground station and a service link with the terminal equipment. At this time, the communication mode of the NTN network equipment on the satellite is normal. While maintaining connectivity, as the satellite moves from state A to state B, the service link between the NTN network equipment and the terminal equipment remains, but the power supply link between the NTN network equipment and the ground station is disconnected. In this case, the NTN network equipment needs to switch its communication mode from normal mode to store-and-forward (S&F) mode to continue data transmission. However, if the NTN network equipment directly switches its communication mode from normal mode to store-and-forward mode without knowing the amount of data to be transmitted or the data latency of the terminal equipment (i.e., if the NTN network equipment is unsure whether it is suitable to provide store-and-forward service to the terminal equipment), it may cause service interruption for the terminal equipment, resulting in poor Quality of Service (QoS).

[0086] NTN network devices can distinguish between normal mode and store-and-forward mode in their communication with terminal devices, depending on whether store-and-forward technology is used. When the communication mode between the NTN network device and the terminal device is normal, both the NTN network device and the terminal device are in a normal or active state. This means that the hardware and software systems of both the NTN network device and the terminal device are operating normally and ready to respond to communication requests at any time. Furthermore, both the NTN network device and the terminal device can send and receive data normally, and the real-time performance of the communication is usually high. This means that the NTN network device and the terminal device can respond to communication requests and complete data transmission faster.

[0087] When NTN network devices use store-and-forward mode for communication with terminal devices, both the NTN network device and the terminal device first store the received data locally, and then forward the data to the target device based on network conditions or other factors. In other words, once conditions permit, the NTN network device and the terminal device will forward the locally stored data to the target device. Store-and-forward mode generally offers high reliability because it allows the terminal device and NTN network device to temporarily store data when network conditions are poor and resume transmission once conditions improve, which helps reduce the risk of data loss and transmission failure.

[0088] To make the technical solution of this application clearer and easier to understand, the communication method of the embodiments of this application is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments of this application are applicable to data transmission processes in wireless communication scenarios. In this embodiment, data transmission between a terminal device and an NTN network device is taken as an example, such as data transmission between a single terminal device and an NTN network device. The NTN network device may include an eNB or a gNB. The above-described data transmission between a terminal device and an NTN network device is merely a feasible example. The embodiments of this application can be applied to data transmission between terminal devices, data transmission between NTN network devices, or data transmission between two network elements in a wireless communication network.

[0089] Please refer to Figure 4, which shows a schematic diagram of an interaction process between an NTN network device and a terminal device provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication method provided in this embodiment mainly includes the following steps:

[0090] 401. When an NTN network device detects that a switch from normal mode to store-and-forward mode is required, if the terminal device has store-and-forward capability, the NTN network device sends an information query request to the terminal device.

[0091] In this embodiment, when the NTN network device detects a need to switch the communication mode from normal mode to store-and-forward mode, the NTN network device can first determine whether the terminal device has store-and-forward capabilities. It is understood that whether the terminal device has store-and-forward capabilities is fundamental to whether the terminal device can provide store-and-forward services. If the terminal device does not have store-and-forward capabilities, it is not suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device. If the terminal device has store-and-forward capabilities and the ability to report store-and-forward parameters, the NTN network device can send an information query request to the terminal device to obtain its store-and-forward status parameters. Based on these parameters, the NTN network device can evaluate whether it is suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device. This allows communication with the terminal device to proceed only when it is determined that it is suitable to provide store-and-forward services, avoiding service interruptions caused by the NTN network device directly switching the communication mode from normal mode to store-and-forward mode and then being unsuitable for providing store-and-forward services. This improves the service quality of the terminal device. It is understandable that the information query request can carry query fields containing the store-and-forward status parameters of the terminal device. When the communication technology between the NTN network device and the terminal device uses NTN technology, the information query request can specifically be a UE Information Request Message; when the communication technology between the NTN network device and the terminal device uses IoT-NTN technology, the information query request can specifically be a UE Information Request-NarrowBand Message. Specifically, the NTN network device can send the information query request to the terminal device through the Uu interface, where the Uu interface is the interface between the terminal device and the fixed network part of the Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) system, and is an important open interface in the WCDMA system.

[0092] In this embodiment, the terminal information request message or the terminal information request narrowband message can be modified to include a query field for the store-and-forward status parameters of the terminal device. Specifically, taking the terminal information request narrowband message as an example, the modified terminal information request narrowband message can be as follows:

[0093] The terminal information request narrowband message may include the fields “UEInformationRequest-NB-r19-IEs” and “UEInformationRequest-NB-r19-Ies::=SEQUENCE{

[0094] StoreAndForward-r19 BOOLEAN,

[0095] nonCriticalExtension SEQUENCE{}OPTIONAL

[0096] The "}" field allows the terminal device to request the corresponding store-and-forward status parameters from the narrowband message based on the received terminal information and report them to the NTN network device.

[0097] Furthermore, store-and-forward (S&F) technology is a data transmission method in which data is first stored intact in the buffers of intermediate nodes (such as routers and switches) during transmission. Only after the entire data packet has been fully received and verified is it forwarded to the next node. This method ensures data integrity and reliability but may introduce some transmission delay. Store-and-forward technology is widely used in various communication networks, including local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), the Internet, and satellite communications. Especially in satellite communications, due to the long propagation delay and high error rate of the communication link between the satellite and the ground station, store-and-forward technology is typically used to improve the reliability and integrity of data transmission.

[0098] In one possible implementation of this application, the signaling used to carry the information query request may include one of the following: Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, System Information (SI) message, Downlink Control Information (DCI) signaling, and Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (MAC CE) signaling. In this embodiment, the information query request can be carried using any one of the following signaling methods: Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, System Information (SI) message, Downlink Control Information (DCI) signaling, and Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (MAC CE) signaling. It is understood that RRC signaling is primarily responsible for managing, configuring, and controlling radio resources in the wireless communication system. SI contains a series of configuration and control information broadcast by the network device to the terminal device; this information is crucial for the user equipment to correctly access the network, conduct data communication, and maintain network connectivity. DCI signaling is mainly used to transmit various downlink control information from the network device to the terminal device. MAC CE signaling is a control element in the MAC layer, used to transmit MAC layer control information between the terminal device and the network device.

[0099] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the NTN network device identifies a situation requiring a switch from normal mode to store-and-forward mode when the power supply link between the NTN network device and the terrestrial core network device is about to be or has already been disconnected. In this application embodiment, when the power supply link between the NTN network device and the terrestrial core network device is about to be or has already been disconnected, the NTN network device can determine that it needs to switch the communication mode from normal mode to store-and-forward mode.

[0100] In one possible implementation of the embodiments of this application, it further includes:

[0101] A1. If the terminal device does not have store-and-forward capability, the NTN network device will disconnect from the terminal device.

[0102] In this embodiment, if the NTN network device determines that the terminal device does not have store-and-forward capabilities, it can directly determine that it is not suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device. In this case, the NTN network device can disconnect from the terminal device, allowing the terminal device to transmit data through other NTN network devices. This avoids service interruption caused by the NTN network device directly switching the communication mode with the terminal device from normal mode to store-and-forward mode and being unsuitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device, thereby improving the service quality of the terminal device.

[0103] 402. The terminal device receives an information query request from the NTN network device.

[0104] In this embodiment, the terminal device can receive an information query request from the NTN network device, so that it can report its store-forward status parameters to the NTN network device based on the information query request. This allows the NTN network device to evaluate whether it is suitable to provide store-forward services to the terminal device based on the store-forward status parameters. When it is determined that it is suitable to provide store-forward services to the terminal device, communication with the terminal device can be based on the store-forward mode. This avoids service interruption caused by the NTN network device directly switching the communication mode with the terminal device from normal mode to store-forward mode, and thus improving the service quality of the terminal device.

[0105] 403. The terminal device sends an information query response message to the NTN network device.

[0106] The information query response message includes store-and-forward status parameters.

[0107] In this embodiment, when a terminal device receives an information query request from an NTN network device, it can obtain its own store-and-forward status parameters and report these parameters to the NTN network device based on the information query response message. This allows the NTN network device to evaluate whether it is suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device based on these parameters. If it is determined that the terminal device is suitable for providing store-and-forward services, it can then communicate with the terminal device using the store-and-forward mode. This avoids service interruptions caused by the NTN network device directly switching the communication mode from normal to store-and-forward mode, which may not be suitable for providing store-and-forward services, thus improving the service quality of the terminal device. It is understood that the store-and-forward status parameters are parameters required to evaluate whether the terminal device is suitable for providing store-and-forward services when it possesses store-and-forward capabilities. The information query response message may carry fields indicating the store-and-forward status parameters of the terminal device. When the communication technology between the NTN network device and the terminal device adopts NTN technology, the information query response message can specifically be a UE Information Response Message; when the communication technology between the NTN network device and the terminal device adopts IoT-NTN technology, the information query request can specifically be a UE Information Response-NarrowBand Message.

[0108] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the store-and-forward status parameters include first indication information and pending data parameters. The first indication information indicates whether the terminal device allows store-and-forward, and the pending data parameters include the total amount of pending data to be sent by the terminal device and the maximum allowed latency for the pending data. In this application embodiment, the store-and-forward status parameters reported by the terminal device to the NTN network device may specifically include the first indication information indicating whether the terminal device allows store-and-forward and the pending data parameters. The pending data parameters may include the total amount of pending data to be sent by the terminal device and the maximum allowed latency for the pending data. This allows the NTN network device to accurately evaluate whether it is suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device based on the first indication information and the pending data parameters. This enables the NTN network device to communicate with the terminal device based on the store-and-forward mode only when it is determined that it is suitable to provide store-and-forward services. This avoids service interruptions caused by the NTN network device directly switching the communication mode with the terminal device from normal mode to store-and-forward mode, and thus improving the service quality of the terminal device.

[0109] Specifically, the terminal device can first assess whether store-and-forward is allowed based on its own status and the specific details of the transmitted service data, and can generate a first indication message based on the assessment result. Furthermore, the terminal device can query the total amount of data to be sent and the maximum allowed latency for the data to be sent. Finally, it can report the first indication message, the total amount of data to be sent, and the maximum allowed latency for the data to be sent, as well as other store-and-forward status parameters, to the NTN network device through an information query response message.

[0110] In this embodiment, the terminal information response message or the terminal information response narrowband message can be modified to carry store-and-forward status parameters reported by the terminal device. Specifically, taking the terminal information response narrowband message as an example, the modified terminal information response narrowband message can be as follows:

[0111] The terminal information response narrowband message may include the fields “UEInformationResponse-NB-r19-IEs” and “UEInformationResponse-NB-r19-IEs::=SEQUENCE{

[0112] storeAndForward-Report-r19 StoreAndForward-Report-r19 OPTIONAL,

[0113] lateNonCriticalExtension OCTET STRING OPTIONAL,

[0114] nonCriticalExtension SEQUENCE{}OPTIONAL,

[0115] }

[0116] StoreAndForward-Report-r19::= SEQUENCE{

[0117] Prohibits -r19 BOOLEAN,

[0118] dataToBeSent-r19 INTEGER(0..100000),

[0119] delayMax-r19 INTEGER(0..7200),

[0120] The fields are: prohibits-r19, which can be the first indication information, used to indicate whether the terminal device allows store-and-forward; dataToBeSent-r19, which can be used to indicate the total amount of data to be sent by the terminal device, which can be in KB or B; and delayMax-r19, which can be used to indicate the maximum allowed delay of the data to be sent.

[0121] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the signaling used to carry the information query response message may include one of the following: Radio Resource Control (RRC) response message, Media Access Control (MAC) layer control element signaling, Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) message, and Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) message. In this application embodiment, the information query response message can be carried using any one of the following signaling methods: Radio Resource Control (RRC) response message, Media Access Control (MAC) layer control element signaling, Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) message, and Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) message. It is understood that PRACH is a key channel for initial connection between terminal equipment and network equipment, used to implement uplink synchronization and random access procedures. PUSCH is a physical channel used to carry uplink user data in mobile communication systems such as LTE and 5G. It is a shared channel in the uplink, allowing multiple users to share resources on the same physical channel in a time-division manner, thereby improving network transmission efficiency.

[0122] 404. The NTN network device receives an information query response message from the terminal device.

[0123] The information query response message includes the store-and-forward status parameters of the terminal device.

[0124] In this embodiment, after the terminal device sends an information query response message to the NTN network device, the NTN network device can receive the information query response message from the terminal device, which includes store-and-forward status parameters. This allows the NTN network device to evaluate whether it is suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device based on the store-and-forward status parameters. When it is determined that it is suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device, it can then communicate with the terminal device based on the store-and-forward mode. This avoids service interruptions caused by the NTN network device directly switching the communication mode with the terminal device from normal mode to store-and-forward mode, and thus improving the service quality of the terminal device.

[0125] 405. NTN network devices determine whether they are suitable to provide store-and-forward services to terminal devices based on store-and-forward status parameters.

[0126] In this embodiment, after obtaining the store-and-forward status parameters sent by the terminal device, the NTN network device can evaluate whether it is suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device based on the store-and-forward status parameters. It is understood that based on the store-and-forward status parameters sent by the terminal device, the NTN network device can accurately evaluate whether it is suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device. This allows the NTN network device to communicate with the terminal device based on the store-and-forward mode only when it determines that it is suitable to provide store-and-forward services. This avoids service interruptions caused by the NTN network device directly switching the communication mode with the terminal device from normal mode to store-and-forward mode, and thus improving the service quality of the terminal device.

[0127] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, step 405 of the NTN network device determining whether it is suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device based on store-and-forward status parameters includes:

[0128] B1. If the first indication information indicates that the terminal device is allowed to perform store-and-forward, and the total data volume is less than or equal to the first threshold, and the maximum latency is greater than or equal to the second threshold, it is determined that it is suitable to provide store-and-forward service to the terminal device.

[0129] B2. If the first indication information indicates that the terminal device is not allowed to perform store-and-forward, or the total data volume is greater than the first threshold, or the maximum delay value is less than the second threshold, it is determined that it is not suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device.

[0130] In this embodiment, the store-and-forward status parameters sent by the terminal device may specifically include first indication information indicating whether the terminal device allows store-and-forward and pending data parameters. The pending data parameters may include the total amount of pending data and the maximum allowed latency for the pending data. After receiving the store-and-forward status parameters sent by the terminal device, the NTN network device can determine whether the terminal device allows store-and-forward based on the first indication information in the store-and-forward status parameters. It can also compare the total amount of pending data in the store-and-forward status parameters with a first threshold and compare the maximum allowed latency for the pending data in the store-and-forward status parameters with a second threshold to assess whether the current state of the terminal device is suitable for providing store-and-forward services. The first and second thresholds can be set by the NTN network device according to actual conditions. Specifically, if the NTN network device determines that the first indication information indicates that the terminal device is allowed to perform store-and-forward, and the total amount of data to be sent by the terminal device is less than or equal to the first threshold, and the maximum latency of the data to be sent is greater than or equal to the second threshold, then the NTN network device can determine that it is suitable to provide store-and-forward service to the terminal device; otherwise, it can determine that it is not suitable to provide store-and-forward service to the terminal device. That is, if the NTN network device determines that the first indication information indicates that the terminal device is not allowed to perform store-and-forward, or the total amount of data to be sent by the terminal device is greater than the first threshold, or the maximum latency of the data to be sent is less than the second threshold, then the NTN network device can determine that it is not suitable to provide store-and-forward service to the terminal device.

[0131] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the first threshold includes the storage space size of the NTN network device, or the size determined by the memory of the NTN network device; the second threshold is a latency threshold for data transmission by the NTN network device. In the above implementation scheme, the first threshold can be determined based on the storage space size of the NTN network device or the size determined by the memory of the NTN network device, and the second threshold can be determined based on the latency threshold for data transmission by the NTN network device.

[0132] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, after the NTN network device determines whether it is suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device based on the store-and-forward state parameters in step 405, the following steps may also be performed:

[0133] 406. If the store-and-forward status parameters determine that it is suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device, the NTN network device switches to store-and-forward mode to provide communication services to the terminal device.

[0134] In this embodiment, if the NTN network device determines that it is suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device, it can switch the communication mode with the terminal device from normal mode to store-and-forward mode, and communicate with the terminal device based on store-and-forward mode. This avoids service interruptions caused by the NTN network device directly switching the communication mode with the terminal device from normal mode to store-and-forward mode, and thus being unsuitable for providing store-and-forward services to the terminal device, thereby improving the service quality of the terminal device. It is understood that when the NTN network device communicates with the terminal device based on store-and-forward mode, it can first completely receive and store the data from the terminal device, and then, after certain processing, such as verification and encoding, forward the data to the next target node at an appropriate time.

[0135] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, if it is determined based on the store-and-forward status parameters that the NTN network device is not suitable for providing store-and-forward services to the terminal device, the NTN network device disconnects from the terminal device. In this embodiment, if the NTN network device determines that it is not suitable for providing store-and-forward services to the terminal device, it can disconnect from the terminal device, allowing the terminal device to transmit data through other NTN network devices. This avoids service interruptions caused by the NTN network device directly switching the communication mode with the terminal device from normal mode to store-and-forward mode and being unsuitable for providing store-and-forward services, thereby improving the service quality of the terminal device.

[0136] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, step 406, where the NTN network device switches to store-and-forward mode to provide communication services to the terminal device, includes:

[0137] C1 and NTN network devices switch the communication mode from normal mode to store-and-forward mode.

[0138] C2 and NTN network devices communicate with terminal devices based on store-and-forward mode.

[0139] In this embodiment, when the NTN network device determines that it is suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device, the NTN network device can first switch the communication mode from normal mode to store-and-forward mode, and then communicate with the terminal device based on the store-and-forward mode. This avoids the service interruption caused by the NTN network device directly switching the communication mode with the terminal device from normal mode to store-and-forward mode and not being suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device, thereby improving the service quality of the terminal device.

[0140] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the terminal device is a terminal device in the IoT terminal access technology based on non-terrestrial networks, and the NTN network device is a network device in the IoT terminal access technology based on non-terrestrial networks. In this application embodiment, the communication technology between the NTN network device and the terminal device can adopt IoT-NTN technology, that is, the communication method can be applied to IoT-NTN technology.

[0141] As illustrated by the examples in the foregoing embodiments, in order to improve the service quality of terminal devices, when a terminal device has store-and-forward capability, the NTN network device can further obtain the store-and-forward status parameters of the terminal device, and can evaluate whether it is suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device based on the store-and-forward status parameters. This allows the network device to communicate with the terminal device based on the store-and-forward mode only when it is determined that it is suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device. This avoids the situation where the NTN network device directly switches the communication mode with the terminal device from the normal mode to the store-and-forward mode, and is not suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device, which would cause service interruption. This improves the service quality of the terminal device.

[0142] Please refer to Figure 5, which illustrates a second interaction flow between an NTN network device and a terminal device provided in an embodiment of this application. Another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application mainly includes the following steps:

[0143] 501. The NTN network device sends a capability query request to the terminal device.

[0144] In this embodiment, after the NTN network device and the terminal device establish a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection, the NTN network device can send a capability query request to the terminal device to obtain information about the various capabilities possessed by the terminal device. Specifically, when the communication technology between the NTN network device and the terminal device uses NTN technology, the capability query request can be a UE Capability Enquiry Message; when the communication technology between the NTN network device and the terminal device uses IoT-NTN technology, the capability query request can be a UE Capability Enquiry-NarrowBand Message.

[0145] Understandably, in order to improve the service quality of terminal devices, modifications can be made to the protocol based on 3GPP TS36.306-i10, specifically as follows:

[0146] 4 UE radio access capability parameters

[0147] ...

[0148] The following UE radio access capability parameters specified in clause 4 are applicable in NB-IoT:

[0149] -ue-Category-NB in ​​NB-IoT(clause 4.1C)

[0150] ...

[0151] -locationInfo-r16(clause 4.3.12.5)

[0152] -storeAndFowardInfo-r19(clause 4.3.12.6)

[0153] The new section "storeAndForwardInfo-r19 (clause 4.3.12.6)" has been added, and a subsection 4.3.12.6 can be added to explain the capabilities of "storeAndForwardInfo-r19", specifically:

[0154] 4.3.12.6 storeAndForwardInfo-r19

[0155] This field indicates whether the UE supports reporting of storing and forwarding information in StoreAndForward-Report upon request from the network as specified in TS 36.331[5]. This feature is only applicable if the UE supports any ue-Category-NB.

[0156] Understandably, by making the above modifications based on the 3GPP TS36.306-i10 protocol, terminal devices can report information and parameters related to store-and-forward to NTN network devices. This allows NTN network devices to obtain such information and parameters from the terminal devices, enabling them to accurately assess whether they are suitable for providing store-and-forward services to the terminal devices. Once it is determined that they are suitable for providing store-and-forward services, NTN network devices will communicate with the terminal devices based on the store-and-forward mode. This avoids service interruptions caused by NTN network devices directly switching the communication mode between them from normal mode to store-and-forward mode, and thus improving the service quality of the terminal devices.

[0157] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the signaling used to carry the capability query request may include one of the following: radio resource control signaling, system messages, downlink control information signaling, and media access control layer control element signaling. In this application embodiment, the capability query request can be carried using any one of the following signaling methods: radio resource control signaling, system messages, downlink control information signaling, and media access control layer control element signaling.

[0158] 502. The terminal device receives a capability query request from the NTN network device.

[0159] In this embodiment of the application, after the NTN network device and the terminal device establish a radio resource control connection, the terminal device can receive a capability query request from the NTN network device so that it can report its own capabilities to the NTN network device, thereby enabling the NTN network device to know the various capabilities of the terminal device.

[0160] 503. The terminal device sends a capability query response message to the NTN network device.

[0161] The capability query response message includes a second indication information, which is used to indicate whether the terminal device has store-and-forward capability.

[0162] In this embodiment, after receiving a capability query request from an NTN network device, the terminal device can determine whether it possesses store-and-forward capability and generate second indication information to indicate whether the terminal device has store-and-forward capability. It can then send the second indication information to the NTN network device based on the capability query response message, allowing the NTN network device to determine whether the terminal device has store-and-forward capability based on the second indication information carried in the capability query response message. This enables the NTN network device to perform subsequent operations based on whether the terminal device possesses store-and-forward capability. It is understood that when the communication technology between the NTN network device and the terminal device uses NTN technology, the capability query response message can specifically be a UE Capability Information Message; when the communication technology between the NTN network device and the terminal device uses IoT-NTN technology, the capability query response message can specifically be a UE Capability Information-NarrowBand Message.

[0163] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, if the second indication information indicates that the terminal device has store-and-forward capability, the capability query response message further includes third indication information, which is used to indicate whether the terminal device can report store-and-forward status parameters. In this application embodiment, if the second indication information carried in the capability query response message sent by the terminal device to the NTN network device indicates that the terminal device has store-and-forward capability, the capability query response message sent by the terminal device to the NTN network device can also carry third indication information for indicating whether the terminal device can report store-and-forward status parameters. That is, if the terminal device has store-and-forward capability, the terminal device can also report to the NTN network device whether it can further report store-and-forward status parameters, that is, report whether the terminal device has the capability to report store-and-forward status parameters. This enables the NTN network device to further determine the status and capability of the terminal device, so that the NTN network device can make timely decisions based on the status and capability of the terminal device. This avoids the situation where the NTN network device directly switches the communication mode between itself and the terminal device from normal mode to store-and-forward mode and is not suitable for providing store-and-forward services to the terminal device, resulting in service interruption, thereby improving the service quality of the terminal device.

[0164] Specifically, the terminal capability information message or the terminal capability information narrowband message can be modified to carry third indication information reported by the terminal device. For example, the modified terminal capability information narrowband message can be as follows:

[0165] UE-EUTRA-Capability-v16f0-IEs::=SEQUENCE{

[0166] son-Parameters-v16f0 SON-Parameters-NB-v16f0,

[0167] nonCriticalExtension SON-Parameters-NB-v19 OPTIONAL

[0168] }

[0169] SON-Parameters-NB-v19::=SEQUENCE{

[0170] storeAndForwardInfo-r19 ENUMERATED{supported} OPTIONAL

[0171] nonCriticalExtension SEQUENCE{}OPTIONAL

[0172] }

[0173] Among them, the terminal capability information narrowband message can add the fields "SON-Parameters-NB-v19" and "SON-Parameters-NB-v19::=SEQUENCE{

[0174] storeAndForwardInfo-r19 ENUMERATED{supported}OPTIONAL

[0175] nonCriticalExtension SEQUENCE{}OPTIONAL

[0176] The field “}”, where the “SON-Parameters-NB-v19” field can be a third indication information.

[0177] One possible implementation of this application embodiment further includes:

[0178] D1. If the third indication information indicates that the terminal device can report store-and-forward status parameters, it can receive information query requests from NTN network devices.

[0179] D2. If the third indication information indicates that the terminal device cannot report the store-and-forward status parameters, the terminal device switches to store-and-forward mode to communicate with the NTN network device.

[0180] In this embodiment, if the capability query response message reported by the terminal device carries not only the second indication information but also the third indication information indicating whether the terminal device can report store-forward status parameters, and if the third indication information in the capability query response message returned by the terminal device indicates that the terminal device can report store-forward status parameters, it means that the NTN network device can obtain the store-forward status parameters from the terminal device. That is, the NTN network device can evaluate whether it is suitable to provide store-forward services to the terminal device. At this time, the NTN network device can send an information query request to the terminal device to obtain the store-forward status parameters of the terminal device. That is, the terminal device can receive the information query request from the NTN network device and report the store-forward status parameters. If the third indication information indicates that the terminal device cannot report the store-forward status parameters, it means that the NTN network device cannot obtain the store-forward status parameters from the terminal device. That is, the NTN network device cannot evaluate whether it is suitable to provide store-forward services to the terminal device. At this time, NTN network devices can be adapted to provide store-and-forward services for terminal devices by default. Terminal devices can communicate directly with NTN network devices based on store-and-forward mode, avoiding service interruptions caused by NTN network devices directly switching the communication mode between them and terminal devices from normal mode to store-and-forward mode and being unsuitable for providing store-and-forward services to terminal devices, thereby improving the service quality of terminal devices.

[0181] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the signaling used to carry the capability query response message may include one of the following: Radio Resource Control (RRC) response message, Media Access Control (MAC) control element signaling, Physical Random Access Channel (PRAN) message, and Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PHS) message. In this application embodiment, the capability query response message can be carried using any one of the following signaling methods: Radio Resource Control (RRC) response message (i.e., RRC response message), Media Access Control (MAC) control element signaling (i.e., MAC CE) signaling, Physical Random Access Channel (PRAN) message, and Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PHS) message.

[0182] 504. The NTN network device receives a capability query response message from the terminal device.

[0183] The capability query response message includes a second indication information, which is used to indicate whether the terminal device has store-and-forward capability.

[0184] In this embodiment of the application, after the terminal device sends a capability query response message to the NTN network device, the NTN network device can receive the capability query response message from the terminal device, so that the NTN network device can determine the capabilities of the terminal device based on the capability query response message, so that the NTN network device can perform subsequent operations based on the capabilities of the terminal device.

[0185] One possible implementation of this application embodiment further includes:

[0186] E1. If the third indication information indicates that the terminal device can report store-and-forward status parameters, it can receive information query requests from NTN network devices.

[0187] E2. If the third indication information indicates that the terminal device cannot report the store-and-forward status parameters, the NTN network device switches to store-and-forward mode to provide communication services to the terminal device.

[0188] In this embodiment, if the capability query response message received by the NTN network device carries not only the second indication information but also a third indication information indicating whether the terminal device can report store-and-forward status parameters, and the third indication information indicates that the terminal device can report store-and-forward status parameters, it means that the NTN network device can obtain the store-and-forward status parameters from the terminal device. That is, the NTN network device can evaluate whether it is suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device. In this case, the NTN network device can send an information query request to the terminal device to obtain the store-and-forward status parameters of the terminal device. If the third indication information indicates that the terminal device cannot report store-and-forward status parameters, the NTN network device can determine that it cannot obtain the store-and-forward status parameters of the terminal device, meaning that the NTN network device cannot evaluate whether it is suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device. At this time, NTN network devices can be adapted to provide store-and-forward services to terminal devices by default. They can switch the communication mode with terminal devices from normal mode to store-and-forward mode and communicate with terminal devices based on store-and-forward mode. This avoids the service interruption caused by NTN network devices directly switching the communication mode with terminal devices from normal mode to store-and-forward mode and being unsuitable for providing store-and-forward services to terminal devices, thereby improving the service quality of terminal devices.

[0189] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, if the second indication information indicates that the terminal device has store-and-forward capability, it further includes:

[0190] F1. If the capability query response message does not include third indication information, the NTN network device switches to store-and-forward mode to provide communication services to the terminal device.

[0191] The third indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal device can report store-and-forward status parameters.

[0192] In this embodiment, if the second indication information carried in the capability query response message indicates that the terminal device has store-and-forward capability, and the capability query response message does not simultaneously carry the third indication information indicating whether the terminal device can report store-and-forward status parameters, then the NTN network device can determine that the terminal device cannot report store-and-forward status parameters. This means that the NTN network device cannot obtain store-and-forward status parameters from the terminal device, i.e., the NTN network device cannot evaluate whether it is suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device. At this time, the NTN network device can default to being suitable for providing store-and-forward services to the terminal device and can directly communicate with the terminal device based on the store-and-forward mode. This avoids the service interruption caused by the NTN network device directly switching the communication mode with the terminal device from normal mode to store-and-forward mode and being unsuitable for providing store-and-forward services to the terminal device, thereby improving the service quality of the terminal device.

[0193] After step 504, the NTN network device learns whether the terminal device has store-and-forward capability.

[0194] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, when the NTN network device recognizes that it needs to switch from normal mode to store-and-forward mode, it performs the following steps 505-510.

[0195] In another possible implementation of this application embodiment, when the NTN network device is already in store-and-forward mode, the following steps 505-510 are performed.

[0196] 505. If the terminal device has store-and-forward capability, the NTN network device sends an information query request to the terminal device.

[0197] 506. The terminal device receives an information query request from the NTN network device.

[0198] 507. The terminal device sends an information query response message to the NTN network device.

[0199] 508. NTN network devices receive information query response messages from terminal devices.

[0200] 509. NTN network devices determine whether they are suitable to provide store-and-forward services to terminal devices based on store-and-forward status parameters.

[0201] 510. If the store-and-forward status parameters determine that it is suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device, the NTN network device switches to store-and-forward mode to provide communication services to the terminal device.

[0202] Steps 505 to 510 described above are similar to steps 401 to 406 in the previous embodiments, and will not be described in detail here.

[0203] As illustrated by the foregoing embodiments, in order to improve the service quality of terminal devices, after the NTN network device establishes a radio resource control connection with the terminal device, the NTN network device can send a capability query request to the terminal device to learn about the various capabilities of the terminal device. Furthermore, when the terminal device has store-and-forward capabilities, the NTN network device can further obtain the store-and-forward status parameters of the terminal device and evaluate whether it is suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device based on these parameters. This allows the network device to communicate with the terminal device based on the store-and-forward mode only when it is determined that the terminal device is suitable for providing store-and-forward services. This avoids service interruptions caused by the NTN network device directly switching the communication mode with the terminal device from normal mode to store-and-forward mode, and thus improving the service quality of the terminal device.

[0204] Please refer to Figure 6, which shows a flowchart of a communication method. This method is executed by an NTN network device. The NTN network device can execute steps 601 to 604 in the following method. The communication method provided in this application embodiment may include:

[0205] 601. When an NTN network device detects that a switch from normal mode to store-and-forward mode is required, if the terminal device has store-and-forward capability, the NTN network device sends an information query request to the terminal device.

[0206] 602. NTN network devices receive information query response messages from terminal devices.

[0207] 603. NTN network devices determine whether they are suitable to provide store-and-forward services to terminal devices based on store-and-forward status parameters.

[0208] Step 601 is similar to step 401 in the previous embodiment, step 602 is similar to step 404 in the previous embodiment, and step 603 is similar to step 405 in the previous embodiment. They will not be described in detail here.

[0209] As illustrated by the examples in the foregoing embodiments, in order to improve the service quality of terminal devices, when a terminal device has store-and-forward capability, the NTN network device can further obtain the store-and-forward status parameters of the terminal device, and can evaluate whether it is suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device based on the store-and-forward status parameters. This allows the network device to communicate with the terminal device based on the store-and-forward mode only when it is determined that it is suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device. This avoids the situation where the NTN network device directly switches the communication mode with the terminal device from the normal mode to the store-and-forward mode, and is not suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device, which would cause service interruption. This improves the service quality of the terminal device.

[0210] Please refer to Figure 7, which is a flowchart illustrating a communication method. This method is executed by a terminal device, which can perform steps 701 to 704 of the following method. The communication method provided in this application embodiment may include:

[0211] 701. The terminal device receives an information query request from the NTN network device.

[0212] 702. The terminal device sends an information query response message to the NTN network device.

[0213] Step 701 is similar to step 402 in the previous embodiment, and step 702 is similar to step 403 in the previous embodiment, so it will not be described in detail here.

[0214] As illustrated by the foregoing examples, in order to improve the service quality of terminal devices, when a terminal device has store-and-forward capability, it can send store-and-forward status parameters to the NTN network device through an information query response message. This allows the NTN network device to obtain the store-and-forward status parameters of the terminal device and evaluate whether it is suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device based on these parameters. This ensures that when it is determined that the terminal device is suitable for providing store-and-forward services, it can then communicate with the terminal device based on the store-and-forward mode. This avoids service interruptions caused by the NTN network device directly switching the communication mode with the terminal device from normal mode to store-and-forward mode, and the terminal device being unsuitable for providing store-and-forward services. Therefore, the service quality of the terminal device is improved.

[0215] To make the technical solution of this application clearer and easier to understand, the positioning method of this application will be explained in detail below with reference to specific data transmission scenarios of NTN network devices and terminal devices.

[0216] Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in this application at the base station side. The communication method in this application includes:

[0217] S1. If the UE and the base station are in RRC connection state, the base station determines whether the UE has S&F capability; if the UE and the base station are not in RRC connection state, the base station ends the process.

[0218] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, when the terminal device UE is in RRC connected state, the steps following S2 are executed when the base station is about to switch from normal mode to store-and-forward mode, or when the base station has already switched from normal mode to store-and-forward mode, or when the base station is already in store-and-forward mode.

[0219] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the base station is a satellite gNB or an NTN gNB.

[0220] S2. If the UE has S&F capability, the base station determines whether the UE has the ability to report store-and-forward status parameters, wherein the store-and-forward status parameters include first indication information and pending data parameters. The first indication information is used to indicate whether the UE allows store-and-forward, and the pending data parameters include the total amount of pending data of the terminal device and the maximum allowed delay of the pending data. If the UE does not have S&F capability, the base station disconnects the RRC connection with the UE.

[0221] S3. If the UE has the capability to report store-and-forward status parameters, the base station initiates a query process for the store-and-forward status parameters on the UE side. This process takes place on the Uu interface and is independent of the Mobility Management Entity (MME). The signaling for the query bearer can be UEInformationRequest or UEInformationRequest-NB. An S&F-ReportReq information element can be added to the signaling for the query bearer. The UE reports its store-and-forward status parameters through UEInformationResponse or UEInformationResponse-NB.

[0222] S4. After receiving the store-and-forward status parameters from the UE, the base station can perform policy selection based on the store-and-forward status parameters. Specifically, this includes the following steps:

[0223] S4.1 If the UE does not allow S&F store-and-forward, that is, the first indication information indicates that the UE does not allow store-and-forward, then the RRC release procedure is directly started, that is, the RRC connection with the UE is disconnected.

[0224] S4.2 If the UE does not disable S&F store-and-forward, i.e., in a preferred embodiment, the first indication information indicates that the UE allows store-and-forward, the base station can assess whether it is suitable to provide store-and-forward service to the UE based on the total amount of pending data and the tolerable latency of the pending data in the store-and-forward status parameters reported by the UE. If it can be provided, the base station switches to S&F mode to communicate with the UE; otherwise, it initiates the RRC release procedure.

[0225] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the base station can assess whether it is suitable to provide store-and-forward service to the UE based on the total amount of pending data and the tolerable latency of the pending data in the store-and-forward status parameters reported by the UE, including:

[0226] 1) The base station determines the UE's suitability for store-and-forward service based on the total amount of data to be transmitted. If the total amount of data exceeds the threshold for transmittable data, the base station assesses that the UE is not suitable for providing store-and-forward service. The UE can switch to another satellite base station to provide data transmission service, or fall back to 4G or other standards to transmit the data. The threshold for transmittable data is the size of the base station's storage space, or is determined by the base station's storage space. The base station is a satellite gNB or NTN gNB, and its store-and-forward data space is limited, determined by its memory. When the total amount of data to be transmitted exceeds the size of the base station's storage space, the base station cannot provide store-and-forward service for the UE. The first threshold described above is the threshold for transmittable data.

[0227] 2) The base station determines the UE's suitability for store-and-forward service based on the latency of the data to be transmitted. If the tolerable latency of the data to be transmitted is less than a latency threshold, the base station assesses that the UE is not suitable for providing store-and-forward service. The UE can switch to another satellite base station to provide data transmission service, or fall back to 4G or other standards to transmit the data to be transmitted. The latency threshold is determined by the data stored by the base station. The base station stores data in its storage space and performs store-and-forward service after a certain latency threshold. The base station performs store-and-forward service after storing data for a period of time; the maximum acceptable time for the base station is the latency threshold. When the tolerable latency of the data to be transmitted is less than the latency threshold for the base station to store and forward data, the base station cannot provide store-and-forward service to the UE. The second threshold described above is the latency threshold, and the maximum latency is the tolerable latency of the data to be transmitted.

[0228] 3) If the total amount of data to be sent does not exceed the threshold of the amount of data that can be sent, and the tolerable latency of the data to be sent is greater than the latency threshold, then the base station assesses that the UE is suitable for providing store-and-forward service to the UE. Wherein, when the UE sends the data to be sent, it expects the data to be sent to the peer within a certain period of time, and the maximum value of the certain period of time is the tolerable latency of the data to be sent.

[0229] As illustrated by the examples in the foregoing embodiments, in order to improve the service quality of the UE, when the UE has store-and-forward capability, the base station can further obtain the UE's store-and-forward status parameters, and can evaluate whether the UE is suitable for providing store-and-forward service based on the store-and-forward status parameters. Finally, when it is determined that the UE is suitable for providing store-and-forward service, the base station communicates with the UE based on the store-and-forward mode, avoiding the situation where the base station directly switches the communication mode between the base station and the UE from the normal mode to the store-and-forward mode, and the UE is unable to provide store-and-forward service, thereby improving the service quality of the UE.

[0230] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device can specifically be an NTN network device, and the communication device specifically includes:

[0231] The sending module 901 is used to send an information query request to the terminal device if the terminal device has store-forward capability when the NTN network device recognizes that a switch from normal mode to store-forward mode is required.

[0232] The receiving module 902 is configured to receive an information query response message from the terminal device, the information query response message including the store-and-forward status parameters of the terminal device;

[0233] The determination module 903 is used to determine whether it is suitable to provide store-forward service to the terminal device based on the store-forward status parameters.

[0234] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the apparatus further includes:

[0235] The communication module is configured to switch the NTN network device to store-forward mode to provide communication services to the terminal device if it is determined, based on the store-forward status parameters, that it is suitable to provide store-forward services to the terminal device.

[0236] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the NTN network device identifies a situation requiring a switch from normal mode to store-and-forward mode, including:

[0237] The power supply link between the NTN network equipment and the ground core network equipment is about to be or has already been disconnected.

[0238] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the store-and-forward status parameter includes first indication information and pending data parameter. The first indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal device allows store-and-forward. The pending data parameter includes the total amount of pending data of the terminal device and the maximum allowed latency of the pending data.

[0239] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the determining module 903 is specifically used for:

[0240] If the first indication information indicates that the terminal device allows store-and-forward, and the total data volume is less than or equal to the first threshold, and the maximum latency is greater than or equal to the second threshold, it is determined that it is suitable to provide store-and-forward service to the terminal device.

[0241] If the first indication information indicates that the terminal device is not allowed to perform store-and-forward, or the total data volume is greater than the first threshold, or the maximum latency is less than the second threshold, it is determined that it is not suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device.

[0242] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the apparatus further includes:

[0243] The sending module 901 is also used to send a capability query request to the terminal device;

[0244] The receiving module 902 is further configured to receive a capability query response message from a terminal device, the capability query response message including second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate whether the terminal device has store-and-forward capability.

[0245] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, if the second indication information indicates that the terminal device has store-and-forward capability, the capability query response message further includes third indication information, which is used to indicate whether the terminal device can report store-and-forward status parameters; the apparatus further includes:

[0246] The sending module 901 is further configured to send an information query request to the terminal device if the third indication information indicates that the terminal device can report store-and-forward status parameters;

[0247] The communication module is configured to switch the NTN network device to store-and-forward mode to provide communication services to the terminal device if the third indication information indicates that the terminal device cannot report the store-and-forward status parameters.

[0248] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, if the second indication information indicates that the terminal device has store-and-forward capability, the method further includes:

[0249] The communication module is further configured to switch the NTN network device to store-and-forward mode to provide communication services to the terminal device if the capability query response message does not include the third indication information, wherein the third indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal device can report store-and-forward status parameters.

[0250] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the apparatus further includes:

[0251] The communication module is used to disconnect from the terminal device if the terminal device does not have store-and-forward capability.

[0252] The communication module is further configured to disconnect from the terminal device if it is determined, based on the store-and-forward status parameters, that it is not suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device.

[0253] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the signaling used to carry the information query request includes one of radio resource control signaling, system message, downlink control information signaling, and media access control layer control element signaling;

[0254] The signaling used to carry the information query response message includes one of the following: radio resource control response message, media access control layer control element signaling, physical random access channel message, and physical uplink shared channel message.

[0255] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the terminal device includes a new wireless NR device or an Internet of Things (IoT) terminal device; the NTN network device includes any one of NTN base stations, satellite base stations, drone network devices, high-altitude platform network devices, aircraft network devices, and communication balloon network devices.

[0256] As illustrated by the examples in the foregoing embodiments, in order to improve the service quality of terminal devices, when a terminal device has store-and-forward capability, the NTN network device can further obtain the store-and-forward status parameters of the terminal device, and can evaluate whether it is suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device based on the store-and-forward status parameters. This allows the network device to communicate with the terminal device based on the store-and-forward mode only when it is determined that it is suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device. This avoids the situation where the NTN network device directly switches the communication mode with the terminal device from the normal mode to the store-and-forward mode, and is not suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device, which would cause service interruption. This improves the service quality of the terminal device.

[0257] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device can specifically be a terminal device, and the communication device specifically includes:

[0258] The receiving module 1001 is used to receive information query requests from NTN network devices;

[0259] The sending module 1002 is used to send an information query response message to the NTN network device. The information query response message includes store-and-forward status parameters so that the NTN network device can determine whether it is suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device based on the store-and-forward status parameters.

[0260] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the apparatus further includes:

[0261] The communication module 1003 is used to switch to store-forward mode and communicate with the NTN network device if the NTN network device determines, based on the store-forward status parameters, that it is suitable to provide store-forward services to the terminal device.

[0262] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the store-and-forward status parameter includes first indication information and pending data parameter. The first indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal device allows store-and-forward. The pending data parameter includes the total amount of pending data of the terminal device and the maximum allowed latency of the pending data.

[0263] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the apparatus further includes:

[0264] The receiving module 1001 is also used to receive capability query requests from NTN network devices;

[0265] The sending module 1002 is further configured to send a capability query response message to the NTN network device. The capability query response message includes second indication information, which is used to indicate whether the terminal device has store-and-forward capability.

[0266] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, if the second indication information indicates that the terminal device has store-and-forward capability, the capability query response message further includes third indication information, which is used to indicate whether the terminal device can report store-and-forward status parameters. The device further includes:

[0267] The receiving module 1001 is further configured to receive an information query request from the NTN network device if the third indication information indicates that the terminal device can report store-and-forward status parameters;

[0268] The communication module is used to switch to store-forward mode to communicate with the NTN network device if the third indication information indicates that the terminal device cannot report store-forward status parameters.

[0269] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, if the second indication information indicates that the terminal device has store-and-forward capability, the apparatus further includes:

[0270] The communication module 1003 is further configured to switch to store-and-forward mode to communicate with the NTN network device if the capability query response message does not include the third indication information, wherein the third indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal device can report store-and-forward status parameters.

[0271] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the apparatus further includes:

[0272] The communication module 1003 is also used to disconnect the connection with the NTN network device if the terminal device does not have store-and-forward capability.

[0273] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the signaling used to carry the information query request includes one of radio resource control signaling, system message, downlink control information signaling, and media access control layer control element signaling;

[0274] The signaling used to carry the information query response message includes one of the following: radio resource control response message, media access control layer control element signaling, physical random access channel message, and physical uplink shared channel message.

[0275] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the terminal device includes a new wireless NR device or an Internet of Things (IoT) terminal device; the NTN network device includes any one of NTN base stations, satellite base stations, drone network devices, high-altitude platform network devices, aircraft network devices, and communication balloon network devices.

[0276] As illustrated by the foregoing examples, in order to improve the service quality of terminal devices, when a terminal device has store-and-forward capability, it can send store-and-forward status parameters to the NTN network device through an information query response message. This allows the NTN network device to obtain the store-and-forward status parameters of the terminal device and evaluate whether it is suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device based on these parameters. This ensures that when it is determined that the terminal device is suitable for providing store-and-forward services, it can then communicate with the terminal device based on the store-and-forward mode. This avoids service interruptions caused by the NTN network device directly switching the communication mode with the terminal device from normal mode to store-and-forward mode, and the terminal device being unsuitable for providing store-and-forward services. Therefore, the service quality of the terminal device is improved.

[0277] In a preferred embodiment of this application, the NTN network device includes a satellite base station or a satellite gNB, and the described communication method includes a communication method between a terminal device (UE) and a satellite base station / satellite gNB. The described communication system includes a communication system between a terminal device (UE) and a satellite base station / satellite gNB. The described terminal device is an NR device or an IoT terminal device.

[0278] Figure 11 illustrates an example of the composition of an electronic device according to an embodiment of this application. This electronic device may be a first device, including but not limited to a base station and a core network unit. Figure 11 shows a simplified schematic diagram of a base station structure. The base station includes part 1110, part 1120, and part 1130. Part 1110 is mainly used for baseband processing and controlling the base station; part 1110 is typically the control center of the base station, often referred to as a processor, used to control the base station to execute the processing operations on the first device side in the above method embodiments. Part 1120 is mainly used for storing computer program code and data. Part 1130 is mainly used for transmitting and receiving radio frequency signals and converting radio frequency signals to baseband signals; part 1130 is often referred to as a transceiver module, transceiver, transceiver circuit, or transceiver. The transceiver module of part 1130, also referred to as a transceiver or transceiver, includes an antenna 1133 and a radio frequency circuit (not shown in the figure), wherein the radio frequency circuit is mainly used for radio frequency processing. Optionally, the device used to implement the receiving function in part 1130 can be regarded as a receiver, and the device used to implement the transmitting function can be regarded as a transmitter. That is, part 1130 includes receiver 1132 and transmitter 1131. The receiver can also be called a receiving module, receiver, or receiving circuit, etc., and the transmitter can be called a transmitting module, transmitter, or transmitting circuit, etc.

[0279] Sections 1110 and 1120 may include one or more circuit boards, each of which may include one or more processors and one or more memories. The processors are used to read and execute programs from the memories to implement baseband processing functions and control the base station. If multiple circuit boards exist, they can be interconnected to enhance processing capabilities. As an optional implementation, multiple circuit boards may share one or more processors, multiple circuit boards may share one or more memories, or multiple circuit boards may simultaneously share one or more processors.

[0280] For example, in one implementation, the transceiver module of section 1130 is used to execute the transceiver-related processes performed by the base station (first device) in the aforementioned method embodiments. The processor of section 1110 is used to execute the processing-related processes performed by the base station in the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0281] It should be understood that Figure 11 is merely an example and not a limitation, and the NTN network device described above, including the processor, memory, and transceiver, may not depend on the structure shown in Figure 11.

[0282] Figure 12 illustrates another example of the composition of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of this application. This electronic device can be a second device, which can be a terminal device, including but not limited to mobile phones, smart wearable devices (such as smartwatches), and other electronic devices. Taking a mobile phone as an example, the electronic device may include a processor 310, an external memory interface 320, an internal memory 321, a display screen 330, a camera 340, antenna 1, antenna 2, a mobile communication module 350, and a wireless communication module 360, etc.

[0283] It is understood that the structure illustrated in this embodiment does not constitute a specific limitation on the electronic device. In other embodiments, the electronic device may include more or fewer components than illustrated, or combine some components, or split some components, or have different component arrangements. The illustrated components may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0284] Processor 310 may include one or more processing units, such as: application processor (AP), modem processor, graphics processing unit (GPU), image signal processor (ISP), controller, video codec, digital signal processor (DSP), baseband processor, and / or neural network processing unit (NPU), etc. Different processing units may be independent devices or integrated into one or more processors.

[0285] It is understood that the interface connection relationships between the modules illustrated in this embodiment are merely illustrative and do not constitute a limitation on the structure of the electronic device. In other embodiments of this application, the electronic device may also employ different interface connection methods or combinations of multiple interface connection methods as described in the above embodiments.

[0286] The external storage interface 320 can be used to connect an external memory card, such as a Micro SD card, to expand the storage capacity of the electronic device. The external memory card communicates with the processor 310 through the external storage interface 320 to perform data storage functions. For example, music, video, and other files can be saved on the external memory card.

[0287] Internal memory 321 can be used to store executable program code, including instructions. Processor 310 executes various functional applications and data processing of the electronic device by running the instructions stored in internal memory 321. Internal memory 321 may include a program storage area and a data storage area. The program storage area may store the operating system, at least one application program required for a function (such as sound playback, image playback, etc.), etc. The data storage area may store data created during the use of the electronic device (such as audio data, phonebook, etc.). Furthermore, internal memory 321 may include high-speed random access memory, and may also include non-volatile memory, such as at least one disk storage device, flash memory device, universal flash storage (UFS), etc. Processor 310 executes various functional applications and data processing of the electronic device by running instructions stored in internal memory 321 and / or instructions stored in memory located within the processor.

[0288] The wireless communication function of electronic devices can be realized through antenna 1, antenna 2, mobile communication module 350, wireless communication module 360, modem processor and baseband processor, etc.

[0289] Antenna 1 and antenna 2 are used to transmit and receive electromagnetic wave signals. Each antenna in the electronic device can be used to cover one or more communication frequency bands. Different antennas can also be reused to improve antenna utilization. For example, antenna 1 can be reused as a diversity antenna for a wireless local area network. In some other embodiments, the antennas can be used in conjunction with a tuning switch.

[0290] The mobile communication module 350 can provide solutions for wireless communication applications including 2G / 3G / 4G / 5G in electronic devices. The mobile communication module 350 may include at least one filter, switch, power amplifier, low noise amplifier (LNA), etc. The mobile communication module 350 can receive electromagnetic waves via antenna 1, and perform filtering, amplification, and other processing on the received electromagnetic waves before transmitting them to a modem processor for demodulation. The mobile communication module 350 can also amplify the signal modulated by the modem processor and convert it into electromagnetic waves for radiation via antenna 1. In some embodiments, at least some functional modules of the mobile communication module 350 may be housed in the processor 310. In some embodiments, at least some functional modules of the mobile communication module 350 and at least some modules of the processor 310 may be housed in the same device.

[0291] In some embodiments, the electronic device initiates or receives call requests via the mobile communication module 350 and the antenna 1.

[0292] Furthermore, an operating system runs on top of the aforementioned components. Examples include iOS, Android, and Windows operating systems. Applications can be installed and run on this operating system. Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, explanations and beneficial effects of the relevant content in any of the above-described electronic devices can be found in the corresponding method embodiments provided above, and will not be repeated here.

[0293] This application also provides a communication system, which may include a first device (such as an NTN network device such as a base station) as shown in FIG11 and a second device (such as a terminal device such as a mobile phone) as shown in FIG12.

[0294] In this application, the terminal device or NTN network device may include a hardware layer, an operating system layer running on top of the hardware layer, and an application layer running on top of the operating system layer. The hardware layer may include hardware such as a central processing unit (CPU), a memory management unit (MMU), and memory (also known as main memory). The operating system layer may be any one or more computer operating systems that implement business processing through processes, such as Linux, Unix, Android, iOS, or Windows. The application layer may include applications such as browsers, address books, word processing software, and instant messaging software.

[0295] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and modules described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0296] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of modules is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple modules or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces, or indirect coupling or communication connection between devices or modules, and may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0297] The modules described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as modules may or may not be physical modules; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network modules. Some or all of the modules can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0298] Furthermore, the functional modules in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing module, or each module can exist physically separately, or two or more modules can be integrated into one module. The integrated modules described above can be implemented in hardware or as software functional modules.

[0299] If the integrated module is implemented as a software functional module and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the essential contribution of the technical solution of this application, or all or part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, or an NTN network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the processes of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory, random access memory, magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0300] The above-described embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit it. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method, applied to non-terrestrial network (NTN) devices, includes: When the NTN network device recognizes that a switch from normal mode to store-and-forward mode is required, if the terminal device has store-and-forward capability, it sends an information query request to the terminal device. Receive an information query response message from the terminal device, the information query response message including the store-forward status parameters of the terminal device; The suitability for providing store-and-forward services to the terminal device is determined based on the store-and-forward status parameters.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further includes: If the store-and-forward status parameters determine that it is suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device, then the NTN network device switches to store-and-forward mode to provide communication services to the terminal device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, The NTN network device identifies situations requiring a switch from normal mode to store-forward mode, including: The power supply link between the NTN network equipment and the ground core network equipment is about to be or has already been disconnected.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The store-and-forward status parameters include first indication information and pending data parameters. The first indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal device allows store-and-forward. The pending data parameters include the total amount of pending data of the terminal device and the maximum allowed latency of the pending data.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, The step of determining whether it is suitable to provide store-and-forward service to the terminal device based on the store-and-forward status parameters includes: If the first indication information indicates that the terminal device allows store-and-forward, and the total data volume is less than or equal to the first threshold, and the maximum latency is greater than or equal to the second threshold, it is determined that it is suitable to provide store-and-forward service to the terminal device. If the first indication information indicates that the terminal device is not allowed to perform store-and-forward, or the total data volume is greater than the first threshold, or the maximum latency is less than the second threshold, it is determined that it is not suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, The first threshold includes the storage space size of the NTN network device, or the size determined by the memory of the NTN network device; The second threshold is the latency threshold for the NTN network device to send data.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, Before sending a terminal information query request to the terminal device, the method further includes: Send a capability query request to the terminal device; The terminal device receives a capability query response message, which includes second indication information, indicating whether the terminal device has store-and-forward capability.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, If the second indication information indicates that the terminal device has store-and-forward capability, the capability query response message also includes a third indication information, which is used to indicate whether the terminal device can report store-and-forward status parameters; If the third indication information indicates that the terminal device can report the store-and-forward status parameters, an information query request is sent to the terminal device; If the third indication information indicates that the terminal device is unable to report the store-and-forward status parameters, the NTN network device switches to store-and-forward mode to provide communication services to the terminal device.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein, If the second indication information indicates that the terminal device has store-and-forward capability, the method further includes: If the capability query response message does not include third indication information, the NTN network device switches to store-and-forward mode to provide communication services to the terminal device. The third indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal device can report store-and-forward status parameters.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The method further includes: If the terminal device does not have store-and-forward capability, then disconnect from the terminal device; If it is determined, based on the store-and-forward status parameters, that it is not suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device, then the connection with the terminal device shall be disconnected.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The signaling used to carry the information query request includes one of the following: radio resource control signaling, system message, downlink control information signaling, and media access control layer control element signaling; The signaling used to carry the information query response message includes one of the following: radio resource control response message, media access control layer control element signaling, physical random access channel message, and physical uplink shared channel message.

12. The method of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The terminal device includes a new wireless NR device or an Internet of Things (IoT) terminal device. The NTN network equipment includes any one of the following: NTN base station, satellite base station, UAV network equipment, high-altitude platform network equipment, aircraft network equipment, and communication balloon network equipment.

13. A communication method, comprising: Applied to a terminal device, the method includes: Receive information query requests from non-terrestrial network (NTN) devices; The NTN network device sends an information query response message, which includes store-and-forward status parameters, so that the NTN network device can determine whether it is suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device based on the store-and-forward status parameters.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein, The method further includes: If the NTN network device determines that it is suitable to provide store-forward service to the terminal device based on the store-forward status parameters, it switches to store-forward mode to communicate with the NTN network device.

15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that, The store-and-forward status parameters include first indication information and pending data parameters. The first indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal device allows store-and-forward. The pending data parameters include the total amount of pending data of the terminal device and the maximum allowed latency of the pending data.

16. The method according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that Before receiving the information query request from the non-terrestrial network (NTN) device, the method further includes: Receive capability query requests from NTN network devices; A capability query response message is sent to the NTN network device. The capability query response message includes second indication information, which is used to indicate whether the terminal device has store-and-forward capability.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein, If the second indication information indicates that the terminal device has store-and-forward capability, the capability query response message also includes a third indication information, which is used to indicate whether the terminal device can report store-and-forward status parameters; If the third indication information indicates that the terminal device can report store-and-forward status parameters, it can receive an information query request from the NTN network device; If the third indication information indicates that the terminal device cannot report the store-and-forward status parameters, then switch to store-and-forward mode to communicate with the NTN network device.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein, If the second indication information indicates that the terminal device has store-and-forward capability, the method further includes: If the capability query response message does not include third indication information, then switch to store-and-forward mode to communicate with the NTN network device; The third indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal device can report store-and-forward status parameters.

19. The method of any one of claims 13 or 14, wherein, The method further includes: If the terminal device does not have store-and-forward capability, disconnect the connection with the NTN network device.

20. The method of any one of claims 13 or 14, wherein, The signaling used to carry the information query request includes one of the following: radio resource control signaling, system message, downlink control information signaling, and media access control layer control element signaling; The signaling used to carry the information query response message includes one of the following: radio resource control response message, media access control layer control element signaling, physical random access channel message, and physical uplink shared channel message.

21. The method of any one of claims 13 or 14, wherein, The terminal device includes a new wireless NR device or an Internet of Things (IoT) terminal device. The NTN network equipment includes any one of the following: NTN base station, satellite base station, UAV network equipment, high-altitude platform network equipment, aircraft network equipment, and communication balloon network equipment.

22. A method of communication, comprising: Applied to terminal devices and non-terrestrial NTN network devices, the terminal devices perform the following method: When the NTN network device recognizes that a switch from normal mode to store-and-forward mode is required, if the terminal device has store-and-forward capability, it sends an information query request to the terminal device. Receive an information query response message from the terminal device, the information query response message including the store-forward status parameters of the terminal device; Determine whether it is suitable to provide store-forward service to the terminal device based on the store-forward status parameters; The NTN network device performs the following method: Receive information query requests from non-terrestrial network (NTN) devices; The NTN network device sends an information query response message, which includes store-and-forward status parameters, so that the NTN network device can determine whether it is suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device based on the store-and-forward status parameters.

23. A communications device, characterized by The communication device is specifically a non-terrestrial network (NTN) device, which includes: The sending module is used to send an information query request to the terminal device if the terminal device has store-forward capability when the NTN network device recognizes that a switch from normal mode to store-forward mode is required. The receiving module is configured to receive an information query response message from the terminal device, wherein the information query response message includes the store-and-forward status parameters of the terminal device; The determination module is used to determine whether it is suitable to provide store-forward service to the terminal device based on the store-forward status parameters.

24. A communications device, characterized by The communication device is specifically a terminal device, and the communication device includes: The receiving module is used to receive information query requests from non-terrestrial network (NTN) devices; The sending module is used to send an information query response message to the NTN network device. The information query response message includes store-and-forward status parameters, so that the NTN network device can determine whether it is suitable to provide store-and-forward services to the terminal device based on the store-and-forward status parameters.

25. A communications device, characterized by The communication device includes: Memory is used to store computer programs or computer instructions; A processor for executing a computer program or computer instructions stored in the memory, causing the communication device to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 12, or causing the communication device to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 13 to 21.

26. A communication system, characterized by The communication system includes terminal equipment and NTN network equipment: The terminal device is used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 12, and the NTN network device is used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 13 to 21.

27. A computer storage medium for storing a computer program, which, when executed, is used to implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 12, or to implement the method of any one of claims 13 to 21.

Images