Communication method, electronic device, and communication system

Abstract

The present application provides a communication method, an electronic device, and a communication system. The method comprises: identifying a paging message, thereby enabling a user equipment to distinguish between different paging messages, so that when the same paging message is repeatedly detected, the user equipment can ignore the paging message and thereby avoid a repeated response. According to the solution, by labeling a paging message, unnecessary responses are effectively avoided, thereby reducing the power consumption.

Description

Communication methods, electronic devices and communication systems

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411224907.6, filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on September 2, 2024, entitled "Communication Method, Electronic Device and Communication System", 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, electronic device and communication system. Background Technology

[0003] In the field of non-terrestrial network (NTN) technology, the terrestrial mobility management entity (MME) sends the same paging message to one or more satellites. However, since different satellites arrive at the same target user equipment (UE) area at different times, the target UE may detect the paging message multiple times and respond to it while detecting paging messages from different satellites. This results in the target UE responding to the same paging message multiple times, and these unnecessary repeated responses will inevitably cause unnecessary power consumption.

[0004] Therefore, how to reduce unnecessary responses to paging messages in order to reduce power consumption during paging is an urgent technical problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a communication method, electronic device, and communication system that can reduce unnecessary responses to paging messages, thereby reducing power consumption during paging.

[0006] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, applied to a first base station deployed on a first satellite, the method comprising: receiving a first paging message from a second mobility management entity (MME) deployed on the first satellite, the first paging message being used to page a first user equipment (UE), the first paging message carrying first identification information and second identification information; the first identification information being a numerical identifier, a time identifier, or a satellite identifier; the numerical identifier being used to indicate a numerical number of the first paging message; the time identifier being used to indicate a time stamp of the first paging message; the satellite identifier being used to indicate information about one or more satellites capable of paging the first UE according to the first paging message, the one or more satellites including the first satellite; the second identification information being used to represent identification information of the first UE; and sending a second paging message to one or more UEs, the second paging message being used to page the first UE, the second paging message carrying the first identification information and the second identification information, the one or more UEs including the first UE.

[0007] In the technical solution of this application, the UE can distinguish different paging messages by adding identification information to the paging message to mark different paging messages, thereby deciding whether to respond to the received paging message and reducing unnecessary responses.

[0008] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first identification information is generated in the second MME, and the first identification information is a time identifier or a satellite identifier.

[0009] In this implementation, the identification information can be generated by the second MME. In this case, the first identification information may be a time identifier or a satellite identifier, but it will not be a numerical identifier.

[0010] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first paging message is received by the second MME from the first MME.

[0011] When the identification information is generated at the first MME, it can be a numerical identifier, a time identifier, or a satellite identifier, since the first MME can number each paging message. However, when the identification information is generated at the second MME deployed on the first satellite, it is not possible to number each paging message individually, so a numerical identifier is not used; only a time identifier or a satellite identifier is used.

[0012] When the first paging message sent by the first MME carries the first identification information, it can be understood that the second MME deployed on the first satellite only needs to perform a forwarding task, forwarding the first paging message to the first base station, which then paging the corresponding UE, thus enabling the first UE to receive the paging message. When the second MME also needs to generate identification information, it can be understood that the second MME may receive a paging message without identification information, or it may generate the first identification information based on an instruction to paging the first UE. For example, assuming it receives the third paging message (described below), if the third paging message does not carry identification information, the second MME deployed on the first satellite still needs to determine the first identification information based on the third paging message, and then combine the third paging message and the first identification information to obtain the first paging message. In other words, the first paging message will carry the first identification information and will be used to paging the first UE.

[0013] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first identification information is indicated using common indication information in the second paging message, the common indication information being used to indicate a common indication for one or more UEs; or, the identification information is indicated using specified indication information in the second paging message, the specified indication information being used to indicate a specified indication for each of the one or more UEs.

[0014] This implementation provides two ways to indicate identification information to the UE: a general, common indication or an indication tailored to each UE. The former is simpler; the latter is more flexible. For example, it can indicate only one or several UEs, or it can indicate different types of identification information to different UEs. For instance, it can indicate a time identifier to one UE and a satellite identifier to another. Other cases will not be listed here.

[0015] In conjunction with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the first paging message includes indication information as to whether the first UE supports store-and-forward (S&F) mode, where S&F mode indicates the communication mode when the serving link and the feeder link are not simultaneously active; the method further includes: if the first UE supports S&F mode, sending a second paging message in either normal mode or S&F mode, where normal mode indicates the communication mode when both the serving link and the feeder link are active; or, if the first UE does not support S&F mode, sending a second paging message in normal mode.

[0016] In this implementation, the paging message is sent in a mode that depends on whether the first UE supports S&F mode, so that the first UE can detect the paging message and decide whether to respond in the corresponding mode.

[0017] Secondly, a communication method is provided, applied to a first UE, the method comprising: receiving a second paging message from a first base station deployed on a first satellite, wherein the first satellite is any one of one or more satellites capable of paging the first UE; the second paging message carrying first identification information and second identification information; the first identification information being a numerical identifier, a time identifier, or a satellite identifier; the numerical identifier indicating a numerical number corresponding to the second paging message; the time identifier indicating a time stamp corresponding to the second paging message; the satellite identifier indicating information of one or more satellites capable of paging the first UE, wherein the one or more satellites include the first satellite; the second identification information representing identification information of the first UE; and responding to the second paging message or ignoring responding to the second paging message according to the first identification information.

[0018] In conjunction with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, responding to or ignoring the second paging message based on the first identification information includes: if it is determined from the second paging message that the second paging message is for paging the first UE, responding to or ignoring the second paging message based on the identification information; or, if it is determined from the second paging message that the second paging message is not for paging the first UE, ignoring the response to the second paging message. In this implementation, a response is only made when the second paging message is intended to paging the first UE.

[0019] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, responding to or ignoring the response to the second paging message based on the first identification information includes: responding to the second paging message if it is determined, based on the identification information of the second paging message, that the second paging message has not yet been responded to; or ignoring the response to the second paging message if it is determined, based on the identification information of the second paging message, that the second paging message has already been responded to. This implementation primarily avoids duplicate responses; paging messages that have already been responded to are not responded to again.

[0020] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the above method further includes: determining whether the second paging message has been responded to based on the first identification information and the identification information record of the first UE, wherein the identification information record is used to store the identification information carried by the responded paging message. This implementation provides a method for determining whether a paging message has been responded to. It should be understood that there may also be a case where the identification information record is empty. In this case, since duplicate responses are impossible, the solution of this application does not need to be executed. Even if the solution of this application is executed, a response will still be initiated because the comparison result shows that the identification information record does not contain the identifier of the current paging message.

[0021] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first identification information is indicated using common indication information in the second paging message, the common indication information being used to indicate a common indication for one or more UEs paged by the first satellite; or, the identification information is indicated using specified indication information in the second paging message, the specified indication information being used to indicate a specified indication for each of the one or more UEs paged by the first satellite, the one or more UEs including the first UE.

[0022] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first UE supports a normal mode and a store-and-forward (S&F) mode. The normal mode represents a communication mode when both the serving link and the feeder link are active, and the S&F mode represents a communication mode when the serving link and the feeder link are not active simultaneously. When switching from the normal mode to the S&F mode, the above method further includes: if a second paging message is received in the normal mode and the first paging request corresponding to the second paging message has not yet been responded to, responding to the second paging message after switching to the S&F mode; or, if a second paging message is received in the normal mode and the first paging request corresponding to the second paging message has been responded to, ignoring the response to the second paging message and skipping receiving paging messages in the S&F mode after switching to the S&F mode; or, if a second paging message is received in the normal mode and the response to the second paging message has not yet been completed, based on the fact that the first UE has not disconnected the Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection with the first satellite at the end of the normal mode, the first UE continues to respond to the second paging message after switching to the S&F mode.

[0023] Thirdly, a communication method is provided, applied to a first MME, the method comprising: determining first identification information of a first paging message, the first paging message being used to page a first user equipment (UE); sending the first paging message to one or more satellites, the first paging message carrying first identification information and second identification information, the second identification information being used to represent the identification information of the first UE.

[0024] The technical effects of the third aspect can be referred to the relevant introduction in the first aspect, and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0025] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the first identification information is a numerical identifier, a time identifier, or a satellite identifier; the numerical identifier is used to indicate the numerical number of the first paging message; the time identifier is used to indicate the time tag of the first paging message; and the satellite identifier is used to indicate information about one or more satellites capable of paging the first UE.

[0026] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the above method further includes: sending a third paging message to one or more satellites, the third paging message carrying second identification information but not the first identification information, the third paging message being used to page the first UE.

[0027] Fourthly, a communication method is provided, applied to a second MME, the method comprising: receiving a third paging message from a first MME, the third paging message being used to page a first UE; the third paging message carrying second identification information, the second identification information being used to represent identification information of the first UE; determining first identification information; the first identification information being a time identifier or a satellite identifier; the time identifier being used to indicate the time stamp of the first paging message; the satellite identifier being used to indicate information of one or more satellites capable of paging the first UE according to the first paging message, the one or more satellites including the first satellite; and sending the first paging message to a first base station deployed on the first satellite, the first paging message carrying the first identification information and the second identification information, the first paging message being used to page the first UE.

[0028] The technical effects of the fourth aspect can be referred to the relevant introduction of the first aspect, and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0029] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the above method further includes: receiving a first paging message from a first MME; the first identification information is a numerical identifier, a time identifier, or a satellite identifier; the numerical identifier is used to indicate the numerical number of the first paging message; and forwarding the first paging message to a first base station.

[0030] In one example of this implementation, the identification information is a numerical identifier, a time identifier, or a satellite identifier; the numerical identifier is used to indicate the numerical number of the first paging message; the time identifier is used to indicate the time stamp of the first paging message; and the satellite identifier is used to indicate information about one or more satellites that can page the first UE according to the first paging message, wherein the one or more satellites include the first satellite.

[0031] Fifthly, a communication device is provided, comprising a unit consisting of software and / or hardware for performing any one of the methods of the first to fourth aspects.

[0032] A sixth aspect provides an electronic device including a memory, one or more processors, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein when the one or more processors execute the computer program, the electronic device is enabled to implement any one of the methods of the first to fourth aspects.

[0033] The electronic device can be a user equipment or a network device. When the electronic device is used to perform the steps performed by the user equipment in any of the methods of the first to fourth aspects, the electronic device can be a user equipment; when the electronic device is used to perform the steps performed by the first MME in any of the methods of the first to fourth aspects, the electronic device can be a network device (here, the first MME); when the electronic device is used to perform the steps performed by the second MME in any of the methods of the first to fourth aspects, the electronic device can be a network device (here, the second MME); when the electronic device is used to perform the steps performed by the first base station in any of the methods of the first to fourth aspects, the electronic device can be a network device (here, the first base station).

[0034] A seventh aspect provides a communication system including a user equipment (UE), a first MME, a second MME, and a first base station; the UE is capable of performing the steps performed by the UE in any one of the methods of the first to fourth aspects; the first MME is capable of performing the steps performed by the first MME in any one of the methods of the first to fourth aspects; the second MME is capable of performing the steps performed by the second MME in any one of the methods of the first to fourth aspects; and the first base station is capable of performing the steps performed by the first base station in any one of the methods of the first to fourth aspects.

[0035] Eighthly, a chip is provided, including a processor for reading and executing a computer program stored in a memory, wherein when the computer program is executed by the processor, the electronic device in which the chip resides is able to implement any one of the methods of the first to fourth aspects.

[0036] Optionally, the chip also includes a memory electrically connected to the processor.

[0037] Optionally, the chip may also include a communication interface.

[0038] Ninthly, a computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores a computer program, which, when executed by an electronic device, can implement any one of the methods of the first to fourth aspects.

[0039] In a tenth aspect, a computer program product is provided, comprising a computer program that, when executed by an electronic device, can implement any one of the methods of the first to fourth aspects. Attached Figure Description

[0040] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication scenario applicable to an embodiment of this application.

[0041] Figure 2 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of this application.

[0042] Figure 3 is a schematic flowchart of another communication method in an embodiment of this application.

[0043] Figure 4 is a schematic flowchart of another communication method according to an embodiment of this application.

[0044] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of responding to paging messages during different working mode switching processes according to an embodiment of this application.

[0045] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of this application.

[0046] Figure 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0047] The embodiments of this application will now be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0048] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication scenario applicable to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 1, the satellite communication system in this scenario includes at least one satellite device, at least one ground MME, and at least one user equipment (UE). The at least one satellite device is exemplified by satellites 1 to n, where n is a positive integer; the at least one ground MME is exemplified by MMEm; and the at least one UE is exemplified by UE1 and UE2. It should be understood that in actual communication scenarios, there is no limitation on the specific number of devices included, nor on the specific type of UE.

[0049] Figure 1 illustrates an example where each satellite includes an onboard MME and an onboard base station. For instance, satellite 1 includes an onboard MME (MME1 in Figure 1) and an onboard base station (base station 1), satellite 2 includes an onboard MME (MME2 in Figure 2) and an onboard base station (base station 2), and satellite n includes an onboard MME (MMEn in Figure 1) and an onboard base station (base station n).

[0050] It should be understood that on-board base stations can also be other types of network devices, as long as they can be used for paging in satellite communications.

[0051] Figure 1 illustrates a satellite communication scenario. In this scenario, when a ground-based MME wants to page a UE, it sends a paging message to at least one satellite corresponding to that UE. For example, Figure 1 shows that MMEm in the core network sends paging message A to satellites 1, 2, and n. This paging message is sent by the ground-based MMEm to the on-board MMEs deployed on each satellite. When any on-board MME on a satellite receives paging message A, it forwards it to the on-board base station deployed on that satellite. For example, MME1 sends it to base station 1. Each satellite (or specifically, each on-board base station deployed on a satellite) has its own paging range, which is the range within which UEs can be paged. Assuming the paging ranges of base stations 1 to n are shown as the dashed ellipses in Figure 1, UEs within these paging ranges are all UEs that can be paged by that satellite. As shown in Figure 1, some UEs may be within the paging range of multiple satellites simultaneously (e.g., UE1 and UE2 in Figure 1), while others may only be within the paging range of one satellite. It should also be understood that some UEs may not be within the paging range of any of the aforementioned satellites. The UE detects (listens for) paging messages from one or more satellites. When a UE is within the paging range of a satellite, it can detect the paging message sent by that satellite (specifically, the on-board base station deployed on that satellite) and respond to the received paging message. For example, when UE1 receives a paging message from base station 1, it can respond to that paging message.

[0052] The communication system can be a fourth-generation (4G), fifth-generation (5G), sixth-generation (6G), or long-term evolution (LTE) network that supports satellite communication scenarios.

[0053] In this application embodiment, the network device may include access network (AN) equipment and radio access network (RAN) equipment. Access network equipment, such as a base station (e.g., an access point), can refer to a device in the access network that communicates with a wireless terminal device via one or more cells over the air interface. A base station can be an evolved Node B (NodeB, eNB, or e-NodeB), or it may include a next-generation node B (gNB) or a next-generation evolved node B (ng-eNB) or an enhanced next-generation node B (gNB) in a 5G system. It may also include centralized units (CU) and distributed units (DU) in a cloud radio access network (Cloud RAN) system, or various nodes or base stations in a 6G system. The network device may also be a mobility management entity (MME), or it may be an access and mobility management function in a 5G system. Functions, AMFs, etc., will not be listed one by one.

[0054] User equipment, also known as terminal equipment, can include mobile phones, smartwatches, tablets, laptops, XR terminals, in-vehicle terminals, etc. XR terminals can also include virtual reality (VR) terminals, augmented reality (AR) terminals, and mixed reality (MR) terminals.

[0055] As shown in Figure 1, suppose MMEm wants to page UE1, so it sends paging message A to satellite 1 and satellite 2 (an example of one or more satellites corresponding to UE1). Specifically, it sends paging message A to MME1 in satellite 1 and MME2 in satellite 2. When MME1 receives paging message A, it forwards it to base station 1, which then initiates paging of all UEs within its paging range. When UE1 detects paging message A, it can respond to it. Similarly, when MME2 receives paging message A, it forwards it to base station 2, which then initiates paging of all UEs within its paging range. When UE1 detects paging message A, it can respond to it.

[0056] Because the satellite communication architecture may have service links and feeder links that are not simultaneously active, the satellite needs to store data first and then send the stored data after the other inactive link becomes active. This means that even if the MMEm sends paging message A to different satellites at the same time, the times at which different satellites page the UE may not be the same. Assume that base station 1 in satellite 1 sends paging message A at time t1 to at least one UE that base station 1 can page, including UE1; base station 2 in satellite 2 sends paging message A at time t2 to at least one UE that base station 2 can page, including UE1. This results in UE1 detecting paging message A twice and responding, with the second response becoming an unnecessary duplicate response.

[0057] It should be noted that, in the embodiments of this application, the normal mode is used to represent the communication mode when both the service link and the feeder link are in a valid state, while the store-and-forward mode is used to represent the communication mode when the service link and the feeder link are not in a valid state at the same time.

[0058] To address the aforementioned issues, this application provides a novel communication method. By identifying paging messages, the UE can distinguish between different paging messages, thereby avoiding multiple responses to the same paging message. This reduces unnecessary responses to paging messages and lowers power consumption during paging. The following description, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrates this method.

[0059] Figure 2 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of this application. The method shown in Figure 2 can be understood as illustrating the solution of this application from the perspective of the interaction between several devices, including a first MME, a second MME deployed on a first satellite, a first base station, and a first UE. The first MME can be any of the above-mentioned ground MMEs, such as MMEm; the first satellite can be any of the above-mentioned satellites, and the first UE can be any UE corresponding to any of the above-mentioned satellites; the second MME can be an on-board MME deployed on any of the above-mentioned satellites, such as MME1-MMEn; the first base station can be an on-board base station deployed on any of the above-mentioned satellites, but it should be understood that Figure 2 mainly describes the case where a second MME and a first base station are deployed on the first satellite.

[0060] S201, The second MME deployed on the first satellite sends a first paging message to the first base station deployed on the first satellite.

[0061] The first paging message is used to page the first user equipment (UE). The first paging message carries first identification information and second identification information. The first identification information can be seen as an identifier set to mark different paging messages. The second identification information is used to represent the identification information of the first UE.

[0062] In the embodiments of this application, the first identification information is mainly generated at the first MME or the second MME. Therefore, the identification information of the first paging message may be carried when the first MME sends the paging message to the second MME, or it may not be carried when the first MME sends the paging message to the second MME, but is generated by the second MME after receiving the paging message.

[0063] In one implementation, the first identification information is generated in the second MME, and the first identification information is a time identifier or a satellite identifier.

[0064] In this implementation, the first identification information can be generated by the second MME. In this case, the first identification information may be a time identifier or a satellite identifier, but it will not be a numerical identifier.

[0065] In another implementation, the first paging message is received by the second MME from the first MME. In this implementation, the first MME sends the first paging message, and the second MME directly forwards the first paging message.

[0066] In the scheme of this application embodiment, step S204 or step S205 may be included before step S201.

[0067] In one implementation, the method further includes: S204, the first MME sends a first paging message to the second MME. In this implementation, the second MME receives the first paging message carrying first identification information, and forwards the first paging message to the first base station during step S201.

[0068] In this implementation, step S204 further includes: the first MME determining first identification information for the first paging message, the first paging message being used to page the first UE, and the first identification information being used to mark the first paging message; the first MME sending the first paging message to one or more satellites, the first paging message carrying the first identification information and second identification information. In this implementation, the first satellite is one of the one or more satellites, and the first paging message is sent to each satellite. The first identification information is used to mark the first paging message, so any first paging message received by any of the aforementioned satellites carries the same identification information, namely the first identification information.

[0069] In this implementation, the first identification information is generated on the first MME side.

[0070] In another implementation, the method further includes: S205, the first MME sends a third paging message to the second MME, the third paging message carrying second identification information but not the first identification information. In this implementation, the second MME receives the third paging message without the first identification information. When executing step S201, it is necessary to first generate the first identification information based on the third paging message before sending the first paging message to the first base station.

[0071] It should be understood that the first MME will send a first paging message to one or more satellites, and the first satellite is one of those one or more satellites.

[0072] Since the first MME can number different paging messages, when the first identification information is generated on the first MME side, the paging message can be identified by a numerical identifier. It should also be understood that when the first identification information of the first paging message is determined, the first paging message has not yet been sent, but the determined first identification information will be carried in the sent first paging message. Therefore, it can be understood that the first identification information is generated first, and then written into the paging message to be sent, thereby generating the first paging message.

[0073] In one example, the first identification information is a numerical identifier, a time identifier, or a satellite identifier; the numerical identifier is used to indicate the numerical number of the first paging message; the time identifier is used to indicate the time stamp of the first paging message; the satellite identifier is used to indicate information about one or more satellites that can page the first UE according to the first paging message, including the first satellite.

[0074] It should also be noted that the second MME may generate the first identification information based on some possible instruction, and it is not necessarily only possible to generate the first identification information without carrying the third paging message.

[0075] Since the first MME can also know whether the first UE supports store-and-forward mode, it can also carry this indication in the first paging message or the third paging message sent by the first MME, so that the first satellite can send paging messages in a targeted manner.

[0076] In one implementation, the first paging message also indicates whether the first UE supports store-and-forward (S&F) mode. That is, the first paging message also includes indication information about whether the first UE supports S&F mode. This allows the first satellite (the first base station deployed on the first satellite) to decide whether to send the second paging message only in normal mode or in both modes. Especially in the former case, this prevents the satellite from directly releasing the first UE when normal mode ends.

[0077] Correspondingly, the first base station receives the first paging message from the second MME.

[0078] S202, The first base station sends a second paging message to the first UE.

[0079] It should be understood that the first base station deployed on the first satellite will send a second paging message to one or more UEs that the first satellite can page, and the first UE is one of those one or more UEs.

[0080] The second paging message is used to page the first UE. The second paging message carries first identification information and second identification information. The first identification information can be understood as a marker in the paging message, which can be used to instruct the first UE to respond to the second paging message based on the first identification information or to ignore the response (or not respond). As mentioned above, the first identification information can be generated by the second MME, or the second MME can already receive the first paging message carrying the first identification information. Therefore, considering steps S204 and S205, the first identification information can be generated on the first MME side and carried in the first paging message, or the first MME can send the third paging message to the second MME without carrying the first identification information, and the second MME deployed on the first satellite can generate the first identification information based on the received third paging message.

[0081] When the first identification information is generated on the first MME side, since the first MME can number each paging message separately, it can be a numerical identifier, a time identifier, or a satellite identifier; however, when the first identification information is generated on the first satellite, since it is impossible to number each paging message individually, a numerical identifier is not used, and only a time identifier or a satellite identifier is used.

[0082] When the first paging message sent by the first MME carries the first identification information, it can be understood that the second MME deployed on the first satellite only needs to perform a forwarding task, forwarding the first paging message to the first base station, which then paging the corresponding UE, thus enabling the first UE to receive the paging message. When the second MME also needs to generate the first identification information, it can be understood that the second MME may receive a paging message without the first identification information, or it may generate the first identification information based on an instruction to paging the first UE. For example, assuming it receives the third paging message (described below), if the third paging message does not carry the first identification information, the second MME deployed on the first satellite still needs to determine the first identification information based on the third paging message, and then combine the third paging message and the first identification information to obtain the first paging message. In other words, the first paging message will carry the first identification information and will be used to paging the first UE.

[0083] In one implementation, the first identification information is indicated using common indication information in the second paging message, which is used to indicate a common indication for one or more UEs; or, the identification information is indicated using specified indication information in the second paging message, which is used to indicate a specified indication for each of the one or more UEs.

[0084] This implementation provides two ways to indicate identification information to the UE: a general, common indication or an indication tailored to each UE. The former is simpler; the latter is more flexible. For example, it can indicate only one or several UEs, or the type of the first identification information indicated to different UEs can be different. For instance, one UE may be indicated with a time identifier, while another may be indicated with a satellite identifier. Other cases will not be listed here.

[0085] In one implementation, the first paging message is further used to indicate whether the first UE supports store-and-forward (S&F) mode; the method further includes: if the first UE supports S&F mode, the first satellite sends a second paging message in normal mode or S&F mode; or, if the first UE does not support S&F mode, the first satellite sends a second paging message in normal mode.

[0086] In this implementation, the paging message is sent in a mode that depends on whether the first UE supports S&F mode, so that the first UE can detect the paging message and decide whether to respond in the corresponding mode.

[0087] It should be noted that in this implementation, when the first MME sends the first paging message, the first paging message includes the indication information; when the first MME sends the third paging message that does not carry identification information, both the third paging message and the first paging message include the above indication.

[0088] In another implementation, if the first UE supports S&F mode, the first UE is not released when the normal mode ends.

[0089] Correspondingly, the first UE receives the second paging message from the first satellite.

[0090] S203. The first UE responds to the second paging message or ignores the response based on the first identification information.

[0091] It should be understood that "ignoring the response" means ignoring the response to the second paging message.

[0092] In one implementation, step S203 may include: if it is determined from the second paging message that the second paging message is for paging the first UE, responding to the second paging message based on the identification information or ignoring the second paging message in response; or, if it is determined from the second paging message that the second paging message is not for paging the first UE, ignoring the response to the second paging message in response.

[0093] In this implementation, the system only responds when the second paging message is to paging the first UE.

[0094] In another implementation, step S203 may include: responding to the second paging message if it is determined from the identification information of the second paging message that the second paging message has not yet been responded to; or ignoring responding to the second paging message if it is determined from the identification information of the second paging message that the second paging message has been responded to.

[0095] This implementation method primarily avoids duplicate responses; paging messages that have already been responded to will not be responded to again.

[0096] In one implementation, the method further includes: determining whether a second paging message has been responded to based on the first identification information and the identification information record of the first UE, wherein the identification information record stores the identification information carried by the responded paging message. This implementation provides a method for determining whether a second paging message has been responded to. If the identification information of the second paging message matches any identification information in the identification information record of the first UE, the second paging message can be considered to have been responded to; conversely, if the identification information of the second paging message does not match any identification information in the record of identification information of the first UE's responded paging messages, the second paging message can be considered not to have been responded to. It should be understood that there may also be a case where the identification information record is empty. In this case, since duplicate responses are impossible, the solution of this application does not need to be executed. Even if the solution of this application is executed, a response will be initiated because the comparison result shows that the identification information record does not contain the identifier of the current paging message.

[0097] In another implementation, the first UE supports both normal mode and store-and-forward (S&F) mode. When switching from normal mode to S&F mode, the method further includes: if a second paging message is received in normal mode and the first paging request corresponding to the second paging message has not yet been responded to, responding to the second paging message after switching to S&F mode; or, if a second paging message is received in normal mode and the first paging request corresponding to the second paging message has been responded to, ignoring responding to the second paging message after switching to S&F mode and skipping receiving paging messages in S&F mode; or, if a second paging message is received in normal mode and the response to the second paging message has not yet been completed, based on the fact that the first UE was not released by the first satellite at the end of normal mode, the first UE continues to respond to the second paging message after switching to S&F mode.

[0098] In this implementation, if the first satellite supports S&F mode based on the first UE, the first UE is not released when the first satellite switches from normal mode to S&F mode, so that the first UE can continue to respond to the second paging message after switching to S&F mode because it has not been released.

[0099] In one example, assuming the connection between the first satellite and the first UE is a radio resource control (RRC) connection, then the fact that the first UE was not released by the first satellite can be understood as the first UE not disconnecting the RRC connection with the first satellite. That is, the RRC connection between the first UE and the first satellite is still maintained when the normal mode ends. Therefore, when the first UE switches to S&F mode, it will still maintain the RRC connection with the first satellite.

[0100] The method shown in Figure 2 mainly involves paging the target UE (here, the first UE) using a paging message carrying first identification information after the first satellite receives a paging message from the first MME. This allows the target UE to decide whether to respond to the paging message based on the identification information.

[0101] Figure 3 is a schematic flowchart of another communication method according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 3 uses a satellite communication scenario consisting of a user equipment (UE), a ground MME (an example of a first MME), and a satellite (including a second MME and an on-board base station) as an example. The steps shown in Figure 3 are described below. Figure 3 can be seen as an example where the identification information is generated on the ground MME, the on-board MME forwards the paging message carrying the identification information from the ground MME to the on-board base station, and then the on-board base station pages the target UE.

[0102] It should be noted that Figures 3 and 4 are mainly used to illustrate the different situations when the first identification information is generated on different MMEs. Therefore, Figures 3 and 4 mainly focus on the first identification information and do not show the second identification information. Therefore, the identification information in Figures 3 and 4, unless otherwise specified, refers to the first identification information.

[0103] S301, The ground MME (an example of the first MME) sends a paging message #1 (an example of the first paging message in step S204) to at least one satellite-deployed on-board MME (an example of the second MME), the paging message carrying identification information.

[0104] In other words, there may be one or more onboard MMEs, and the second MME is one of the onboard MMEs deployed on at least one satellite.

[0105] Figure 3 uses the example of paging message #1 being used to paging the first UE.

[0106] The terrestrial MME can store the UE's registered tracking area (TA) information and information about one or more satellites that can reach that TA, including the satellite's arrival time, the time when the satellite reaches the area and the service link becomes effective, and the time when the feeder link of the satellite reaching the area can link with the ground (including start time, or start and end time). Therefore, when the terrestrial MME needs to page the UE, it can determine the identification information to carry when sending a paging message to one or more on-board MMEs or on-board base stations based on the above-mentioned relevant information corresponding to the UE stored in the terrestrial MME.

[0107] In other words, this identification information can be seen as a tag used to mark the paging message #1. The identification information is generated specifically for this paging and then carried in the paging message to be sent. When sending the paging message, the same paging message is sent to one or more satellites, so the paging messages received by these satellites will carry the same identification information.

[0108] In one implementation, the identification information is a numerical identifier, a time identifier, or a satellite identifier. This implementation provides examples of various identification information types, meaning that different identifier types can be used to identify paging messages.

[0109] In the method shown in Figure 3, the main approach is to assign the same identification information to paging messages with the same paging message, so that different paging messages can be distinguished by the identification information after receiving the paging message.

[0110] The identification information is a numerical identifier, meaning it is carried in paging messages sent by a ground-based MME to one or more on-board MMEs or on-board base stations. A numerical identifier can be understood as assigning a different numerical number to different paging messages. For example, for the same paging from the core network, the same numerical identifier can be used to identify all paging messages sent to one or more satellites (on-board MMEs or on-board base stations). The value can be any integer from 0 to N. Each value corresponds to a paging request from the core network, and different paging requests have different numerical identifiers.

[0111] In one implementation, the numerical identifier includes N distinct values, where N is a positive integer. Each value corresponds to a paging request, and each paging message carries this numerical identifier. In this implementation, for the same paging request, paging messages for the same paging request are marked with the same numerical value, thus allowing different paging messages to be distinguished based on the identifier information when any paging message is received.

[0112] Furthermore, setting a new value for each paging message would lead to an accumulation of paging messages and their identifiers, along with the data from already responded paging messages. Therefore, a range of values ​​for the identifier can be set, ensuring that all paging messages are marked with values ​​within that range. The values ​​within this range can also be used sequentially and cyclically to mark paging messages. For example, suppose the identifier includes integers from 1 to 50, a total of 50 values. These 50 values ​​can be used to mark paging messages. Each paging message can be marked with a value sequentially from 1 to 50 until value 50 is used, after which the value starts again from 1, and so on. However, it should be understood that the values ​​and their order are for illustrative purposes only and are not strictly limited. For example, other value ranges can be used, or values ​​can be used sequentially from 50 to 1, or even randomly ordered values ​​from 1 to 50. Other cases will not be listed individually.

[0113] The identification information is a time stamp, meaning it's carried in paging messages sent by a ground-based MME to one or more on-board MMEs or on-board base stations. A time stamp can be understood as assigning different time tags to different paging messages. For example, for the same paging message from the core network, the same time tag (time information) can be used to mark the paging message sent to one or more satellites (on-board MMEs or on-board base stations). The time tag can be minute-level time information, and the corresponding natural time can be the time the core network sends this paging message, ensuring that the paging messages sent to all satellites indicate the same time.

[0114] In one implementation, the time period corresponding to the time stamp is the first period, which is determined based on the satellite coverage period (the time it takes for a satellite to orbit the Earth once) of at least one satellite. This implementation ensures that the time stamp corresponding to each time stamp is unique throughout the entire time period, preventing new time stamps from duplicating historical time stamps due to the same satellite orbiting multiple times.

[0115] In another implementation, the time stamp in the time identifier is marked with the natural time of the perpetual calendar. This implementation can completely avoid the duplication of time stamps, but since the natural time of the perpetual calendar does not cycle, new time stamps will be continuously stored.

[0116] In the two implementation methods described above, the first method, which sets a first period, effectively avoids the situation of infinite data storage. However, the second method, because natural time progresses continuously and does not repeat, can lead to the infinite accumulation of stored data. Therefore, to avoid infinite storage and storage pressure, stored identification information can be deleted according to preset rules without affecting the execution of this application. For example, a storage capacity can be set, and the amount of stored identification information cannot exceed this capacity; or, stored identification information can be periodically cleared; or, when the amount of identification information data is greater than or equal to a preset data volume threshold, identification information with an early time tag that has already been responded to can be deleted; or, at preset time intervals, a preset number of identification information with an early time tag that has already been responded to can be deleted.

[0117] Satellite identification information refers to the inclusion of "satellite identifier" information in paging messages sent to one or more on-board MMEs or on-board base stations. A satellite identifier can be understood as identifying the paging message using the satellite of the target UE. For example, based on ephemeris information stored in the terrestrial MME or other stored relevant information, a satellite identifier can be added to the paging message originating from the core network for the same paging request. Other stored relevant information may include the UE's registered Tracking Area (TA) information, information about one or more satellites reaching that TA area (including the satellite's arrival time in the area, the time when the satellite arrives in the area and the service link begins to function effectively, and the time when the feeder link of the satellite reaching the area can connect to the ground (including start time, or start and end time)).

[0118] It should be understood that a satellite identifier is used to indicate the identifier of one or more satellites whose time periods of satellite link reachability coincide or overlap, or the identifier of one or more satellites existing within a predefined time range before and after this time.

[0119] Correspondingly, the at least one on-board MME receives paging message #1 sent by the ground MME.

[0120] S302, the at least one on-board MME receives and forwards paging message #1 to the on-board base station (an example of the first base station) corresponding to each on-board MME.

[0121] Correspondingly, each on-board base station (each MME corresponds to one on-board base station, so there is at least one on-board base station) receives the paging message #1 forwarded by the on-board MME corresponding to that on-board base station.

[0122] S303. Each satellite base station sends a paging message #2 to at least one UE within the reachable area.

[0123] The UE within the reachable area can be understood as a UE that can be paged within that area, and the aforementioned at least one UE can also be understood as one or more UEs that the on-board base station can page.

[0124] Paging message #2 can be considered an example of the second paging message. It should be understood that although the second paging message and the first paging message will carry the same identification information, other contents may not be the same. For example, the above-mentioned indication information on whether the first UE supports S&F mode is included in the first paging message, but does not need to be included in the second paging message.

[0125] S304. The first UE of the at least one UE responds to or ignores the paging message #2 based on the identification information of the detected paging message #2.

[0126] The first UE is any one of at least one UE.

[0127] When a UE detects a paging message, it records the identification information as described above when it detects a paging message under a satellite. If a subsequent paging message with the same identification information is detected by the UE from a later satellite, the UE will ignore the paging message and not respond. In one implementation, when the UE detects a paging message with the same numerical or time identifier as a previously detected paging message, it ignores the response to that paging message (i.e., ignores responding to the second paging message). Alternatively, if the identification information is a satellite identifier, then a paging response is only required for paging messages from satellites whose identifiers have not yet been responded to. In other words, for a received paging message with the same satellite identifier information as a previously recorded paging message, no paging response will be given for paging messages received under that satellite, but a response will still be given for paging messages received under other satellites.

[0128] The satellite base station can page the UE via the air interface, and the identification message carried can be identified in the paging message in the following two ways.

[0129] In the first approach, a common indication is added to a paging message to specify the identification information (i.e., this indication is added to the paging field). For example, assuming a paging message can page up to 16 UEs, the UE first determines whether it is being paged based on whether the paging message carries its own identity (ID) information. The common indication refers to the indication sent simultaneously to all UEs paged by the paging message.

[0130] The instruction information in this manner may include, for example:

[0131] Paging-v1910-Ies::=SEQUENCE{

[0132] Pagingtag, pagingTag

[0133] ...

[0134] }

[0135] As can be seen, pagingTag is a public indication information. For the current UE, that is, the UE corresponding to Paging-v1910 here, it is only necessary to look at the public indication information pagingTag in the above information under its own ID to find out the identification information of the paging message for this paging.

[0136] In the second approach, an indicator of this identification information is added to the paging message for each paged UE (i.e., the indicator is added to the pagingRecord field). After detecting the paging message, the UE needs to check if this indicator exists in its own information. In essence, the first approach places the identification information in a common, UE-independent indicator, while the second approach places it in a specific indicator for each UE.

[0137] The instruction information in this manner may include, for example:

[0138] PagingRecord-NB-r13::=SEQUENCE{

[0139] ue-Identity-r13,pagingUE-Indentity,

[0140] ...

[0141] }

[0142] PagingRecord-NB-v1610::=SEQUENCE{

[0143] mt-EDT-r16,ENUMERATED{true}

[0144] OPTIONAL—Need ON

[0145] ...

[0146] }

[0147] PagingRecord-NB-v1910::=SEQUENCE{

[0148] Pagingtag, pagingTag

[0149] ...

[0150] }

[0151] As can be seen, the above example contains indication information for multiple UEs. Other UEs have different indication content. For PagingRecord-NB-v1910, it contains the above-mentioned identification information for that UE. This indication is a dedicated indication.

[0152] In short, identification information can be distributed either using common indication information that does not distinguish between UEs, or using UE-specific indication information. The former is simpler; the latter is more flexible. For example, different types of identification information can be used for different UEs, or it can support some UEs' information not carrying identification information, while others' information does.

[0153] Figure 4 is a schematic flowchart of another communication method according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 4 uses a satellite communication scenario consisting of a user equipment (UE), a ground MME (an example of a first MME), and satellites (including on-board MMEs and on-board base stations) as an example. The steps shown in Figure 4 are described below. Figure 4 can be seen as an example where the identification information is generated on the on-board MME (an example of a second MME), the ground MME sends paging messages without identification information (an example of a third paging message), the on-board MME receives these paging messages, adds identification information to these paging messages, and then forwards them to the on-board base station (an example of a first base station), and then the on-board base station pages the target UE (e.g., the first UE). It should be understood that the equipment situations and processing steps involved in Figures 3 and 4 have many similarities. The biggest difference between the two is that the identification information is generated in different places and the type of identification information is different. Therefore, the content related to Figure 4 above can be referenced to Figure 4, and will not be repeated for the sake of brevity.

[0154] S401, The ground MME (an example of the first MME) sends a paging message #3 to at least one onboard MME deployed on a satellite. The paging message does not carry identification information.

[0155] It can be seen that the paging message #3 here is an example of the third paging message in step S205.

[0156] In other words, there may be one or more onboard MMEs, and the second MME is one of the onboard MMEs deployed on at least one satellite.

[0157] Figure 4 uses the example of paging message #3 being used to paging the first UE.

[0158] S402, the at least one on-board MME receives paging message #3 and forwards paging message #4 generated based on paging message #3 to the on-board base station corresponding to each on-board MME.

[0159] It can be seen that paging message #4 here is an example of the first paging message mentioned above.

[0160] One difference between Figure 4 and Figure 3 is that the identification information carried by paging message #4 in Figure 4 can be a time identifier or a satellite identifier, while the identification information of paging message #1 in Figure 3 can also be a numerical identifier. Other details can be found in Figure 3 and will not be repeated here.

[0161] This identification information can be seen as an identification based on paging message #3, and the paging message after the identification can be called paging message #4.

[0162] In one implementation, the identification information is a time identifier or a satellite identifier. This implementation provides examples of various identification information types, meaning that different identifier types can be used to identify paging messages.

[0163] Correspondingly, each on-board base station (each MME corresponds to one on-board base station, so there is at least one on-board base station) receives the paging message #4 forwarded by the on-board MME corresponding to that on-board base station.

[0164] S403. Each on-board base station sends a paging message #5 to at least one UE within the reachable area.

[0165] Paging message #5 can be seen as an example of the second paging message. Paging message #5 carries the same identification information as paging message #4, but the other contents of the two paging messages may be different.

[0166] S404, the first UE of the at least one UE responds to or ignores the paging message #5 based on the identification information of the detected paging message #5.

[0167] The first UE is any one of at least one UE.

[0168] When a UE detects a paging message, it records the identification information after detecting one from a satellite. If a subsequent paging message with the same identification information is detected from a later satellite, the UE will ignore it and not respond. In one implementation, when the UE detects a paging message with the same timestamp as a previously detected paging message, it ignores the response to that paging message (i.e., it ignores responding to the second paging message, or simply ignores the paging message). Alternatively, if the identification information is a satellite identifier, then a paging response is only required for paging messages from satellites whose identifiers have not yet been responded to. In other words, for a received paging message, if the identification information is the same as that of a previously recorded paging message, the UE will not respond to paging messages received from that satellite, but will still respond to paging messages received from other satellites.

[0169] Identification information can be distributed using either general indication information that does not distinguish between UEs, or it can be distributed using UE-specific indication information. The former is simpler; the latter is more flexible. For example, different types of identification information can be used for different UEs, or it can support some UEs' information not carrying identification information, while others' information does.

[0170] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating the response to paging messages during switching between different operating modes according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 5, when the satellite supports normal mode and store-and-forward (S&F) mode, a switch from one operating mode to another may occur.

[0171] As shown in Figure 5, where t represents a moment on the time axis, for the satellite, when it switches from normal mode to store-and-forward mode, the paging message sent by the onboard MME to the base station carries an indication of whether the UE to be paged supports store-and-forward capability. For UEs that support store-and-forward, the onboard base station can send paging messages in both S&F mode and normal mode. Correspondingly, for UEs that support both store-and-forward and normal modes, the UE can detect paging messages in both modes.

[0172] Therefore, during the transition from normal mode to store-and-forward mode, if the UE is in normal mode, it will detect paging messages. After switching to store-and-forward mode, if a paging message is detected but not yet responded to during the normal phase, the UE will directly respond to the paging message in store-and-forward mode. If a paging message is detected and responded to during the normal phase, the UE will skip detecting paging messages in store-and-forward mode. If a paging message is detected during the normal phase but the paging response is not completed, the on-board base station, based on the UE's store-and-forward capability, will not release the UE at the end of the normal phase (e.g., it will not release the RRC connection between the satellite and the UE), and will continue service transmission after entering store-and-forward mode. Otherwise, the on-board base station will release the UE based on the UE's lack of store-and-forward capability.

[0173] The methods of the embodiments of this application have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that although the steps in the flowcharts of the above embodiments are shown sequentially, these steps are not necessarily executed in the order shown in the figures. Unless explicitly stated herein, there is no strict order restriction on the execution of these steps, and they can be executed in other orders. Moreover, at least some steps in the flowcharts of the above embodiments may include multiple steps or multiple stages. These steps or stages are not necessarily completed at the same time, but can be executed at different times. The execution order of these steps or stages is not necessarily sequential, but can be performed alternately or in turn with other steps or at least a portion of the steps or stages of other steps. The apparatus of the embodiments of this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0174] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 6, the device 1000 includes a transceiver unit 1001 and a processing unit 1002. The device 1000 may be a user equipment or a network device, such as the UE, the first MME, and the first satellite described above; it may also be integrated into the user equipment or network device described above. The device 1000 may be used to perform the steps of any of the methods described above.

[0175] When the device 1000 is used to implement the functions implemented by the user equipment in any of the above methods, the device 1000 can be used to execute the steps executed by the user equipment in any of the above methods. For example, the transceiver unit 1001 can be used to execute step S202, and the processing unit 1002 can be used to execute step S203. Other cases will not be listed one by one. When the device 1000 is used to implement the functions implemented by the first MME in any of the above methods, the device 1000 can be used to execute the steps executed by the first MME in any of the above methods. When the device 1000 is used to implement the functions implemented by the first base station in any of the above methods, the device 1000 can be used to execute the steps executed by the first base station in any of the above methods. When the device 1000 is used to implement the functions implemented by the second MME in any of the above methods, the device 1000 can be used to execute the steps executed by the second MME in any of the above methods.

[0176] The device 1000 can also be used to perform the steps in Figures 3 and 4, which will not be described in detail here.

[0177] In one implementation, the device 1000 may further include a storage unit for storing relevant data. This storage unit may be integrated into any of the aforementioned units, or it may be a unit independent of all the aforementioned units.

[0178] Figure 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 7, the device 2000 includes a processor 2001 and an interface circuit 2002. The processor 2001 and the interface circuit 2002 are coupled to each other. It is understood that the interface circuit 2002 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, the communication device 2000 may further include a memory 2003 for storing instructions executed by the processor 2001, or storing input data required by the processor 2001 to execute instructions, or storing data generated after the processor 2001 executes instructions.

[0179] When the communication device 2000 is used to implement the method shown in Figures 3-5, the processor 2001 is used to implement the function of the processing unit 1002, and the interface circuit 2002 is used to implement the function of the transceiver unit 1001.

[0180] When the aforementioned communication device is a chip applied to a user equipment (UE), the UE chip implements the functions of the UE in the above method embodiments. The UE chip receives information from the network device, which can be understood as the information being first received by other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the UE, and then sent to the UE chip by these modules. The UE chip sends information to the network device, which can be understood as the information being first sent to other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the UE, and then sent to the network device by these modules.

[0181] When the aforementioned communication device is a chip applied to a network device, the network device chip implements the functions of the network device in the above method embodiments. The network device chip receives information from the user equipment, which can be understood as the information being first received by other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the network device, and then sent to the network device chip by these modules. The network device chip sends information to the user equipment, which can be understood as the information being sent to other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the network device, and then sent to the user equipment by these modules.

[0182] The processor in the embodiments of this application may be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0183] It should be noted that the information interaction and execution process between the above-mentioned devices / units are based on the same concept as the method embodiments of this application. For details on their specific functions and technical effects, please refer to the method embodiments section, and they will not be repeated here.

[0184] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the above-described division of functional units and modules is merely an example. In practical applications, the above functions can be assigned to different functional units and modules as needed, that is, the internal structure of the device can be divided into different functional units or modules to complete all or part of the functions described above. The functional units and modules in the embodiments can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit. Furthermore, the specific names of the functional units and modules are only for easy differentiation and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. The specific working process of the units and modules in the above system can be referred to the corresponding process in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0185] This application also provides an electronic device, comprising: one or more processors, a memory, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the one or more processors. When the one or more processors execute the computer program, the electronic device enables the electronic device to implement the steps in any of the above methods. When the electronic device is used to execute the steps performed by a user equipment in the above methods, the electronic device is a user equipment; when the electronic device is used to execute the steps performed by a network device in the above methods, the electronic device is that network device. That is, the electronic device can be the aforementioned UE, the first MME, or the first satellite, respectively used to execute the steps required by each of the three.

[0186] This application also provides a communication system including a user equipment (UE), a first mobility management entity (MME), and a first satellite; the UE is capable of performing the steps performed by the UE in any of the above methods; the first MME is capable of performing the steps performed by the first MME in any of the above methods; and the first satellite is capable of performing the steps performed by the first satellite in any of the above methods.

[0187] The first satellite may include a second MME and a first base station, which are used to perform the steps executed by the second MME and the first base station in any of the above methods, respectively.

[0188] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, which, when executed by an electronic device, can implement the steps in the above-described method embodiments.

[0189] Computer-readable media can include at least: any entity or device capable of carrying computer program code to a photographic / electronic device, recording media, computer memory, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), electrical carrier signals, telecommunication signals, and software distribution media. Examples include USB flash drives, portable hard drives, magnetic disks, or optical discs. In some jurisdictions, according to legislation and patent practice, computer-readable media cannot be electrical carrier signals or telecommunication signals.

[0190] This application provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program that, when executed by an electronic device, can implement the steps described in the various method embodiments above. The computer program includes computer program code, which may be in the form of source code, object code, executable file, or some intermediate form.

[0191] In the above embodiments, the descriptions of each embodiment have different focuses. For parts that are not described in detail or recorded in a certain embodiment, please refer to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0192] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0193] In the embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus / devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus / device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For instance, the division of modules or units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units 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; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0194] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0195] It should be understood that, when used in this application specification and the appended claims, the term "comprising" indicates the presence of the described features, integrals, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integrals, steps, operations, elements, components and / or a collection thereof.

[0196] It should also be understood that the term “and / or” as used in this application specification and the appended claims means any combination of one or more of the associated listed items and all possible combinations, and includes such combinations.

[0197] Furthermore, in the description of this application and the appended claims, the terms "first," "second," "third," etc., are used only to distinguish descriptions and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0198] 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.

[0199] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit them. 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 spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and should all be included within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A communication method, applied to a first base station deployed on a first satellite, characterized in that, include: A first paging message is received from a second mobility management entity (MME) deployed on the first satellite. The first paging message is used to page a first user equipment (UE). The first paging message carries first identification information and second identification information. The first identification information is a numerical identifier, a time identifier, or a satellite identifier. The numerical identifier is used to indicate the numerical number of the first paging message. The time identifier is used to indicate the time stamp of the first paging message. The satellite identifier is used to indicate information about one or more satellites that can page the first UE according to the first paging message, including the first satellite. The second identification information represents the identification information of the first UE. A second paging message is sent to one or more UEs. The second paging message is used to page the first UE. The second paging message carries the first identification information and the second identification information. The one or more UEs include the first UE.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first identification information is generated in the second MME, and the first identification information is a time identifier or a satellite identifier.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first paging message is received by the second MME from the first MME.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first identification information is indicated using common indication information in the second paging message, which is used to indicate a common indication for the one or more UEs; or, the identification information is indicated using specified indication information in the second paging message, which is used to indicate a specified indication for each of the one or more UEs.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The first paging message further includes indication information indicating whether the first UE supports store-and-forward (S&F) mode, wherein the S&F mode is used to represent the communication mode when the serving link and the feeder link are not simultaneously in an active state; the method further includes: If the first UE supports S&F mode, the second paging message is sent in either normal mode or S&F mode, wherein normal mode indicates a communication mode in which both the serving link and the feeder link are active; or... If the first UE does not support S&F mode, the second paging message is sent in normal mode.

6. A communication method applied to a first user equipment (UE), characterized in that, include: A second paging message is received from a first base station deployed on a first satellite, wherein the first satellite is any one of one or more satellites capable of paging the first UE; the second paging message carries first identification information and second identification information; the first identification information is a numerical identifier, a time identifier, or a satellite identifier; the numerical identifier is used to indicate the numerical number corresponding to the second paging message; the time identifier is used to indicate the time stamp corresponding to the second paging message; the satellite identifier is used to indicate information about one or more satellites capable of paging the first UE, wherein the one or more satellites include the first satellite; the second identification information is used to represent the identification information of the first UE; Based on the first identification information, respond to the second paging message or ignore responding to the second paging message.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The step of responding to or ignoring the second paging message based on the first identification information includes: If it is determined, based on the identification information of the second paging message, that the second paging message has not yet been responded to, then respond to the second paging message; or, If it is determined from the identification information of the second paging message that the second paging message has been responded to, then the response to the second paging message is ignored.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The method further includes: Based on the first identification information and the identification information record of the first UE, it is determined whether the second paging message has been responded to, wherein the identification information record includes the identification information carried by at least one paging message that has been responded to.

9. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that, The first identification information is indicated using common indication information in the second paging message, the common indication information being used to indicate a common indication for one or more UEs paged by the first satellite; or, the identification information is indicated using specified indication information in the second paging message, the specified indication information being used to indicate a specified indication for each of the one or more UEs paged by the first satellite; the one or more UEs include the first UE.

10. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that, The first UE supports normal mode and store-and-forward (S&F) mode. Normal mode represents the communication mode when both the serving link and the feeder link are active, and S&F mode represents the communication mode when the serving link and the feeder link are not active simultaneously. When switching from normal mode to S&F mode, the method further includes: If the second paging message is received in normal mode and has not yet been responded to, the second paging message shall be responded to after switching to the S&F mode; or, If the second paging message is received in normal mode and has already been responded to, after switching to the S&F mode, the response to the second paging message is ignored, and receiving paging messages in the S&F mode is skipped; or, If the second paging message is received in normal mode and the response to the second paging message has not yet been completed, the first UE continues to respond to the second paging message after switching to the S&F mode, based on the fact that the first UE has not disconnected the Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection with the first satellite when the normal mode ends.

11. A communication method applied to a first mobility management entity (MME), characterized in that, include: A first identification information is determined for the first paging message, which is used to paging a first user equipment (UE), and the first identification information is used to mark the first paging message; The first paging message is sent to one or more satellites. The first paging message carries the first identification information and the second identification information, and the second identification information is used to represent the identification information of the first UE.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The first identification information is a numerical identifier, a time identifier, or a satellite identifier; the numerical identifier is used to indicate the numerical number of the first paging message; the time identifier is used to indicate the time stamp of the first paging message; the satellite identifier is used to indicate information about one or more satellites that can page the first UE according to the first paging message.

13. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The method further includes: A third paging message is sent to one or more satellites, the third paging message carrying the second identification information but not the first identification information, the third paging message being used to page the first UE.

14. A communication method applied to a second mobility management entity (MME) deployed on a first satellite, characterized in that, include: Receive a third paging message from the first MME, the third paging message being used to page the first user equipment (UE); The third paging message carries second identification information, which is used to represent the identification information of the first UE; First identification information is determined; the first identification information is a time identifier or a satellite identifier; the time identifier is used to indicate the time stamp of the first paging message; the satellite identifier is used to indicate information about one or more satellites that can page the first UE according to the first paging message, and the one or more satellites include the first satellite; The first paging message is sent to the first base station deployed on the first satellite. The first paging message carries the first identification information and the second identification information. The first paging message is used to page the first UE.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The method further includes: The first paging message is received from the first MME; the first paging message carries the first identification information and the second identification information; the first identification information is a numerical identifier, a time identifier, or a satellite identifier; the numerical identifier is used to indicate the numerical number of the first paging message; The first paging message is forwarded to the first base station.

16. An electronic device, characterized in that, The electronic device includes: one or more processors, and memory; The memory is coupled to the one or more processors, the memory being used to store computer program code, the computer program code including computer instructions, the one or more processors invoking the computer instructions to cause the electronic device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 15.

17. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium includes instructions that, when executed on an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 15.

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