Paging method and apparatus, and storage medium and program product

Abstract

Provided are a paging method and apparatus, and a storage medium and a program product. The paging method comprises: determining location information of a called user equipment (UE); on the basis of the location information, determining a target serving base station, which is deployed on a satellite; and sending to the target serving base station an instruction message, which is configured to instruct the target serving base station to send a paging message.

Description

Paging method and device, storage medium, and program product

[0001] The present disclosure claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411235003.3, filed on September 3, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a paging method and device, a storage medium, and a program product. BACKGROUND

[0003] In a wireless network, a traditional paging strategy usually needs to be completed based on tracking area (TA) management. There is a fixed mapping relationship between a tracking area and a geographical area and a base station identity (ID). Therefore, when the network needs to page a user equipment (UE), the corresponding base station can be found according to the TA information of the UE, and a paging message is broadcast on these base stations, and the UE can answer the phone after receiving the paging. SUMMARY

[0004] In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a paging method applied to a ground network node. The paging method includes determining location information of a called user equipment (UE), determining a target serving base station according to the location information, wherein the target serving base station is deployed on a satellite, and sending an indication message to the target serving base station, wherein the indication message is used to instruct the target serving base station to send a paging message.

[0005] In another aspect, the present disclosure provides a paging device. The paging device includes a determination module and a sending module. The determination module is configured to determine location information of a called user equipment (UE). The determination module is further configured to determine a target serving base station according to the location information, wherein the target serving base station is deployed on a satellite. The sending module is configured to send an indication message to the target serving base station, wherein the indication message is used to instruct the target serving base station to send a paging message.

[0006] In yet another aspect, a paging device is provided. The paging device includes a memory and a processor. The memory and the processor are coupled. The memory is configured to store instructions executable by the processor. When the processor executes the instructions, the paging method described in the above aspect is performed.

[0007] In yet another aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided. The computer-readable storage medium has stored thereon computer instructions, which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the paging method described in the above aspect.

[0008] In yet another aspect, a computer program product is provided. The computer program product includes computer program instructions that, when executed, implement the paging method of the above aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0009] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the present disclosure, the following will briefly introduce the drawings needed to be used in some embodiments of the present disclosure. Obviously, the drawings described in the following are only the drawings of some embodiments of the present disclosure, and other drawings can also be obtained by those skilled in the art according to these drawings.

[0010] FIG. 1 is an NTN communication system architecture diagram according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0011] FIG. 2 is another NTN communication system architecture diagram according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0012] FIG. 3 is a functional module schematic diagram of a ground network node according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0013] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a paging method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0014] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of another paging method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0015] FIG. 6 is a flowchart of yet another paging method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0016] FIG. 7 is a flowchart of yet another paging method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0017] FIG. 8 is a flowchart of yet another paging method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0018] FIG. 9 is a flowchart of yet another paging method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0019] FIG. 10 is a structural schematic diagram of a paging device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0020] FIG. 11 is a structural schematic diagram of another paging device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0021] FIG. 12 is a structural schematic diagram of yet another paging device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0022] FIG. 13 is a structural schematic diagram of yet another paging device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] In order to enable a person skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the technical solutions in the present disclosure will be described clearly and completely in combination with the drawings in the present disclosure. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, not all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by a person skilled in the art without creative labor fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.

[0024] It should be noted that in the present disclosure, the words “exemplary / illustrative” or “for example” are used to mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. Any embodiment or design presented as “exemplary / illustrative” or “for example” in the present disclosure should not be interpreted as being preferred or superior to other embodiments or design solutions. Rather, the use of “exemplary / illustrative” or “for example” is intended to present concepts in a concrete manner.

[0025] Hereinafter, the terms “first”, “second”, and the like are used only for descriptive purposes, and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implying the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined with “first”, “second”, and the like can explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features.

[0026] In the description of the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified, the symbol “ / ” represents the relationship of “or”, for example, A / B can represent A or B. “And / or” in this document only represents a description of the relationship between the associated objects, which means that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B can represent: only A, only B, and A and B. In addition, “at least one” means one or more, and “multiple” means two or more.

[0027] Before the embodiments of the present disclosure are explained in detail, some technologies related to the embodiments of the present disclosure are introduced.

[0028] Tracking Area (TA): is the location area of the packet domain in Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology, used for location management of terminals, to ensure that the core network can know the area where the UE is located when the UE is in an idle state.

[0029] Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN): refers to a network based on satellite communication network or unmanned aerial system (UAS) platform for wireless frequency transmission. These networks do not rely on ground base stations, but use space or aerial devices to provide communication services, so they are also called satellite communication networks.

[0030] In a conventional wireless network, a paging strategy usually needs to be completed based on tracking area (TA) management. However, the mapping relationship between a conventional tracking area and a geographic area and a base station ID is usually fixed.

[0031] For example, a tracking area can be divided by province / city / region, and the like. When a UE accesses a wireless network, the network stores the TA information when the UE accesses, and delivers a TA list to the UE. When the UE moves out of the TA list, the UE initiates a tracking area update (TAU) process to synchronize the TA area in which the UE is located in time, so as to ensure that the network can quickly find the gNB list to be paged when the network needs to page the UE, and broadcast a paging message on these gNBs. Correspondingly, the UE can answer the phone after receiving the paging.

[0032] However, in a non-terrestrial network (NTN), due to the high-speed movement of a satellite, the mapping relationship between a tracking area and a geographic area and a base station ID is complex and not unique, and the conventional tracking area division method is no longer applicable. Therefore, the strategy of relying on tracking area management for paging has also encountered challenges.

[0033] For example, if the TA information stored by the network is incorrect or the TA information is not updated in time, the paging success rate will decrease, and the network will expand the range for paging after a paging failure, which will cause large network resource consumption.

[0034] Some technologies strive to make tracking area management more complex, such as a dynamic update of a TA, and a plurality of TAs broadcast by a cell. However, these methods cannot solve the problems of a dynamic update of a TA broadcast by a cell and a difficult mapping between a TA and a satellite beam and a geographic area. Since the method of TA management is not perfect at present, the problems of a low paging success rate and large network resource consumption in an NTN network have not been solved.

[0035] To solve the above technical problems, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a paging method. An NTN network no longer needs to rely on a tracking area for paging, but performs paging based on location information of a called UE, which greatly improves the paging success rate and reduces the resource consumption of paging on the network.

[0036] The paging method provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to a non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication system, which can be a 5th generation mobile communication technology (5G) NTN communication system or a 6th generation mobile communication technology (6G) NTN communication system, and the embodiments of the present disclosure do not limit this.

[0037] FIG. 1 shows a structural schematic diagram of the NTN communication system. As shown in FIG. 1, the NTN communication system 10 can include a terrestrial network node 11, a satellite network node 12, and a user equipment (UE) 13. The satellite network node 12 is communicatively connected with the terrestrial network node 11 and the UE 13 respectively, and the terrestrial network node 11 can also be communicatively connected with the UE 13. FIG. 1 is only a schematic diagram and does not constitute a limitation on the applicable scenarios of the technical solutions provided by the present disclosure.

[0038] The satellite network node 12 and the UE 13 can be devices or entities that are already available in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), and the embodiments of the present disclosure do not limit the form of the satellite network node 12 and the UE 13.

[0039] The UE 13 can include a handheld device with wireless communication function, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a computing device, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, etc. For example, the terminal can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a notebook computer, a palm computer, a wearable device, a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical surgery, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, a vehicle or a vehicle-mounted module with wireless communication function, etc.

[0040] The satellite network nodes 12 can include low earth orbit satellites, medium earth orbit satellites, high earth orbit satellites, hot air balloons, unmanned aerial vehicles, or other aerial platforms. The satellite network nodes 12 can provide service coverage for terrestrial UEs (such as the UE 13) through cells. The links between the UEs and the satellite network nodes 12 are referred to as service links.

[0041] The satellite network nodes 12 are deployed with gNBs, and carry part or all of the functions of the gNBs, for example, the functions of the satellite-carrying distributed unit (DU) nodes. The satellites can generate cell signals and transmit the cell signals to the ground to form satellite cell coverage and provide service coverage for UEs on the ground. When the satellites carry all the functions of the gNBs, the satellites are connected to the core network equipment on the ground through the NTN gateway; when the satellites carry the functions of the DUs, the satellites are connected to the centralized unit (CU) nodes (which can be implemented by the ground gNBs) on the ground through the NTN gateway. This scenario can be referred to as a regenerative mode of the satellites. In this scenario, one or a combination of the satellites and the NTN gateway can be referred to as an access network system; or one or a combination of the satellites, the NTN gateway, and the ground CU nodes can be referred to as an access network system.

[0042] The ground network nodes 11, which can also be referred to as ground control centers (GCCs), can be deployed as separate network elements or integrated into existing core network equipment.

[0043] In some embodiments, when the ground network nodes 11 are integrated into existing core network equipment, the ground network nodes 11 can have all or part of the functions of the core network equipment.

[0044] In other embodiments, when the ground network nodes 11 are deployed as separate network elements, as shown in FIG. 2, the NTN communication system 10 can further include a core network equipment 14, wherein the ground network nodes 11 are in communication connection with the core network equipment 14. The core network equipment 14 is a device in the core network (CN) that provides service support for UEs, for example, a 5GC.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 3, the ground network nodes 11 can include a UE location information management module and a new type of paging module, and the ground network nodes 11 can plan a paging strategy according to dynamic location information of the UEs through cooperation of the two modules. The corresponding process can refer to the method embodiments described below, and thus will not be described here.

[0046] The application scenarios of the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited. The system architecture and business scenarios described in the embodiments of the present disclosure are used to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art can know that, with the evolution of network architecture and the appearance of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0047] FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of a paging method. As shown in FIG. 4, the paging method is applied to a ground network node and includes S201-S203.

[0048] S201, determining location information of a called user equipment (UE).

[0049] The location information can reflect the positioning location of the called UE. For example, the location information can be longitude and latitude, geographic coordinates, etc. The form of the location information is not limited in the present disclosure.

[0050] In some embodiments, the ground network node is deployed in the NTN network as a separate entity network element. The ground network node can receive a query message sent by a core network device, where the query message is used to query the paging area of the called UE. In response to the query message, the ground network node determines the location information of the called UE.

[0051] For example, when the called UE is paged, the core network device can receive a service request message from the network, which is used to request paging of the called UE. Further, the core network device sends a query message to the ground network node in response to the service request message to query the paging area of the called UE. Correspondingly, the ground network node determines the location information of the called UE in response to the query message after receiving the query message sent by the core network device, to page the called UE.

[0052] In some embodiments, the ground network node is integrated into the core network device. When the called UE is paged, the ground network node can receive a service request message from the network, which is used to request paging of the called UE, and determine the location information of the called UE in response to the query message.

[0053] In some embodiments, in the scenario of hybrid networking of non-terrestrial networks and ground networks, when the called UE is paged, the ground network node can receive a service request message from the network, which is used to request paging of the called UE. In response to the query message, the ground network node can first query the tracking area (TA) information of the called UE. In the case of querying the TA information, the ground network node can perform paging based on the TA information. In the case of not querying the TA information, the ground network node can determine the location information of the called UE to perform paging based on the location information.

[0054] Exemplarily, as shown in FIG. 5, in a non-terrestrial network + terrestrial network hybrid networking scenario, a UE supporting non-terrestrial network + terrestrial network does not store TA list information in UE-specific information if accessing and camping on a non-terrestrial network, and stores TA list information of the UE in UE-specific information if accessing and camping on a terrestrial network according to some techniques. When the 5GC receives a service request and needs to page the UE, the core network first queries the TA list information of the UE. If the TA list information is queried, it indicates that the UE accesses a terrestrial network, and the existing paging method (TA list-based paging) is used to send a paging message. When the core network fails to query the TA list, it indicates that the UE accesses a non-terrestrial network, and a non-TA paging method is used.

[0055] S202, determining a target service base station according to the location information.

[0056] The target service base station is deployed on a satellite.

[0057] In some embodiments, the ground network node can determine, according to the determined location information of the called UE, a current satellite corresponding to a current airspace range of the called UE from ephemeris information. Further, the ground network node determines a base station deployed on the current satellite as the target service base station.

[0058] It should be noted that ephemeris information refers to an accurate position or trajectory table of a celestial body changing with time in a global positioning system (GPS) measurement, which is a function of time. In the field of satellite communication, ephemeris information includes satellite ephemeris, which is accurate data for describing the position and velocity of a satellite. Satellite ephemeris determines the time, coordinates, orientation, and velocity of a flying body with a mathematical relationship between the six orbital parameters of Kepler's law, which includes semi-major axis, eccentricity, inclination, ascending node right ascension, argument of perigee, and true anomaly. Satellite ephemeris has extremely high accuracy, and can accurately calculate, predict, depict, and track the running state of the satellite, such as time, position, and velocity, and can depict the past, present, and future of the satellite in time.

[0059] In actual applications, after obtaining the location information of the called UE, the ground network node can substitute the location information into the position parameter item in the ephemeris information, and then calculate the current satellite corresponding to the location information, and take the satellite as the satellite corresponding to the current airspace range of the called UE.

[0060] S203, the ground network node sends an indication message to the target service base station.

[0061] The indication message is used to instruct the target service base station to send a paging message.

[0062] In some embodiments, the ground network node is deployed in the NTN network as an entity network element alone, and after determining the target serving base station, the ground network node can send an indication message to the target serving base station through the core network device to instruct the target serving base station to send a paging message.

[0063] In some embodiments, after determining the target serving base station, the ground network node can send the paging area information of the called UE to the core network device.

[0064] The paging area information includes the target serving base station determined by the ground network node according to the location information of the called UE.

[0065] For example, the paging area information can be a base station identifier (e.g., gNBid) or a base station list (e.g., gNBid list).

[0066] Correspondingly, after the core network device receives the paging area information of the called UE sent by the ground network node, the core network device sends an indication message to the target serving base station to instruct the target serving base station to send a paging message over the air interface.

[0067] Further, after receiving the indication message, the target serving base station can send a paging message over the air interface, and then the UE receives the paging and the phone is connected.

[0068] In some embodiments, the ground network node is integrated into the core network device, and when the called UE is paged, the ground network node can directly send an indication message to the target serving base station to instruct the target serving base station to send a paging message over the air interface.

[0069] The paging strategy based on the location information of the called UE in the embodiments of the present disclosure determines the target serving base station deployed on the satellite according to the location information of the called UE after determining the location information of the called UE, and sends an indication message to the target serving base station to instruct the target serving base station to send a paging message. In this way, the NTN network does not need to rely on the tracking area of the UE for paging, but directly pings according to the location information of the UE, avoiding the problem of low paging success rate and large resource consumption caused by relying on the tracking area for paging in the NTN network in some technologies.

[0070] In one design, the location information of the called UE can include at least one of current location information, historical location information, and predicted location information. To determine the location information of the called UE, as shown in FIG. 6, the present disclosure S201 can include S301-S304.

[0071] S301, query the current location information of the called UE.

[0072] In some embodiments, the called UE reports location information to the ground network node when accessing the non-terrestrial network NTN.

[0073] For example, the called UE can report location information to the ground network node through a GPS system, Beidou or other global positioning system.

[0074] After the called UE accesses the non-terrestrial network NTN, the called UE can also periodically report real-time location information to the ground network node.

[0075] For example, when the called UE periodically reports real-time location information to the ground network node, if the distance between the location information reported this time and the location information reported last time is less than or equal to a preset threshold, the location information reported this time is cancelled.

[0076] In some embodiments, the ground network node receives the real-time location information reported by the called UE and stores the real-time location information in a UE location information storage module under a UE location information management module. The ground network node can attempt to query the current location of the UE through a UE real-time location information acquisition module under the UE location information management module.

[0077] S302, in the case of querying the current location information of the called UE, the current location information is taken as the location information.

[0078] In some embodiments, if the UE real-time location information acquisition module in the ground network node successfully queries the current location information of the called UE, the result can be directly sent to a new paging module in the ground network node, so that the new paging module takes the received current location information as the location information of the called UE for subsequent paging procedures.

[0079] S303, in the case of not querying the current location information of the called UE and querying the historical location information of the called UE, the latest received historical location information is taken as the location information.

[0080] In some embodiments, in the case of not querying the current location information of the called UE, the ground network node can query the latest UE location information (i.e., historical location information) of the UE through the UE location information storage module and deliver the result to the new paging module.

[0081] For example, when the called UE loses GPS coverage or the UE turns off GPS positioning, etc., the ground network node can not be able to query the current location information of the called UE. In this case, the ground network node can take the latest received historical location information as the location information for subsequent paging procedures.

[0082] S304、In the case that the current location information of the called UE is not queried and the historical location information of the called UE is not queried, the predicted location information of the called UE is determined, and the predicted location information is taken as the location information.

[0083] In some embodiments, if the ground network node does not find the historical location information reported by the called UE, the predicted location information of the called UE is determined, and the predicted location information is taken as the location information.

[0084] In some embodiments, in order to determine the predicted location information of the called UE, the ground network node can obtain the residence base station information of the called UE. The residence base station information includes the historical residence base station identifier of the called UE and the time stamp of the called UE accessing each residence base station, and the residence base station is deployed on a satellite. Further, the ground network node can determine the predicted location information based on the residence base station information, and take the predicted location information as the location information of the called UE; the predicted location information is related to the coverage area of the satellite to which the residence base station in the residence base station information belongs.

[0085] Illustratively, the ground network node can determine the historical access satellite of the called UE from the mapping relationship between a plurality of base station identifiers and a plurality of satellite identifiers according to the historical residence base station identifier; wherein there is a mapping relationship between a base station and the satellite to which it belongs. Further, the ground network node can determine the historical coverage area corresponding to the historical access satellite according to the time stamp of the access, and take the location information of a location in the historical coverage area as the predicted location information.

[0086] The priority of the use of UE location information by the new paging module in this embodiment is as follows:

[0087] (1) Real-time location information is used first.

[0088] (2) The UE location information reported by the UE last time is used second.

[0089] (3) The UE movement prediction information is used last.

[0090] The ground network node calculates the geographical area covered by the historical camping gNBid (gNBid_A) + timestamp according to the historical camping gNBid (gNBid_A) and timestamp information in the UE movement prediction information, in combination with the satellite and gNBid mapping table planned by the operator, ephemeris information, calculates the current satellite covering the geographical area according to the ephemeris information and current time, and then obtains the gNBid information (gNBid_B) of the current satellite according to the satellite and gNBid mapping table planned by the operator, and takes the gNBid information (gNBid_B) of the current satellite as the final paging area. If the historical camping gNBid in the UE movement prediction information contains multiple, the current covering gNBid corresponding to the multiple historical camping gNBids is calculated respectively, and the set of these current covering gNBids is taken as the final paging area.

[0091] It can be understood that using the real-time position of the UE to calculate the paging area can obtain more accurate paging target gNBid information. In this case, the UE can be accurately paged, and the network resource consumption is small. Generally, the cell coverage range in the NTN network is very large, and the change of the UE position is relatively slow compared with the NTN cell. Using the historical position information has a high probability of successfully paging the UE. If the UE historical position information is not found in the stored information, the stored movement prediction information is used to calculate the paging area to obtain the possible paging target gNBid or gNBid list. Since the movement of the UE is relatively slow compared with the movement of the satellite, and the historical camping gNB covers a large geographical area (radius of several hundred kilometers), at this time, the movement of the satellite is mainly considered, and therefore this method has a high probability of successful paging.

[0092] In another design, in order to determine the location information of the called UE, as shown in FIG. 7, the present disclosure S201 can include S401-S403.

[0093] S401, query the current location information of the called UE.

[0094] S402, in the case of querying the current location information of the called UE, take the current location information as the location information.

[0095] S403, in the case of not querying the current location information of the called UE, determine the predicted location information of the called UE, and take the predicted location information as the location information.

[0096] It can be understood that in the case of not querying the current location information of the called UE in this embodiment, the ground network node can directly determine the predicted location information of the called UE, and take the predicted location information as the location information.

[0097] In one design, the ground network node can also maintain the stored predicted location information. The ground network node can store the history camped base station information reported by the called UE and the current camped base station information. Further, the ground network node deletes the camped base station information with a storage duration greater than or equal to a preset duration from the history camped base station information and the current camped base station information to obtain the camped base station information of the called UE.

[0098] For example, the UE adds the serving gNB id and the timestamp into the information when it initially registers, and adds the new serving gNB id and the timestamp into the mobility prediction information when it subsequently performs handover, re-establishment, or re-registration, and accumulates the information. When the storage time exceeds the valid time (such as 3 days), the expired gNB id information is cleaned up, and the gNB id information of the most recent time is kept from being cleaned up.

[0099] In one design, as shown in FIG. 8, taking the deployment of GCC as a standalone entity network element as an example, the paging method designed by the embodiments of the disclosure can include S501-S509.

[0100] S501, the UE accesses the NTN network.

[0101] It should be noted that in the NTN network architecture, the satellite can act as a base station, and the service link between the UE and the satellite can be implemented through NR.

[0102] The corresponding operation of the UE accessing the NTN can include:

[0103] 1. Search and discovery. The UE first searches and discovers available satellite signals. This usually involves listening to and parsing a specific signal broadcast by the satellite (such as SIB1, System Information Block 1) to obtain basic information and access parameters of the network.

[0104] 2. Cell selection and reselection. When multiple satellite signals are discovered, the UE will perform cell selection and reselection according to signal quality, network load, and other factors.

[0105] 3. Random access procedure. After selecting the target satellite, the UE initiates a random access procedure to establish an initial connection with the satellite. This includes sending a random access preamble, receiving a random access response, sending a connection request, and other operations.

[0106] 4. RRC connection establishment. After successful random access, the UE and the satellite establish a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection. This is the basis for data transmission and signaling interaction between the UE and the satellite.

[0107] In addition, in the NTN network, the satellite can be connected with the ground GCC, core network through the gateway. The feeder link between the satellite and the gateway is realized through a 3GPP / non-3GPP wireless interface. Further, the gateway is connected with the ground network to form a complete communication link.

[0108] In some embodiments, after the UE accesses the NTN network, the UE is in an idle state.

[0109] S502, the UE regularly acquires its real-time position and reports it to the GCC.

[0110] In some embodiments, the UE regularly acquires its real-time position using a GPS or other positioning module and reports it to the GCC (ground control center). If the UE has no positioning capability, this operation is skipped.

[0111] When the UE accesses, the UE needs to report the UE position information and the movement prediction information to the GCC at least once. The UE with positioning capability reports its accurate position, and all UEs report their movement prediction information, i.e., the latest gNB id of the UE, the historical gNB id list of the UE, etc.

[0112] In some embodiments, when the called UE periodically reports real-time position information to the ground network node, if the distance between the position information reported in this period and the position information reported in the last period is less than or equal to a preset threshold, the position information reporting in this period is cancelled.

[0113] For example, when the UE periodically reports the position, if it is judged that the movement distance of the UE from the last position reporting does not exceed 500 m (the distance value can be adjusted according to the NTN cell coverage radius), the periodic reporting in this period is cancelled; otherwise, the periodic reporting is normal. In this way, the UE can save power to a large extent.

[0114] S503, the UE is called.

[0115] In some embodiments, when the UE is called, the central core network can forward the call information to the core network 5GC registered by the UE.

[0116] S504, the 5GC requests the UE paging area information from the GCC.

[0117] S505, the GCC acquires the latest UE position information and calculates the paging area.

[0118] S506, the GCC returns the paging area information to the 5GC.

[0119] S507, the 5GC sends the paging message to the NTN base station covering the accurate UE position.

[0120] It should be noted that since the satellite in the NTN network plays the role of a base station, the NTN base station can be used to represent gNB or gNB list.

[0121] S508, the NTN base station transmits the paging message over the air interface.

[0122] S509, the UE receives the paging and the phone is connected.

[0123] In another design, as shown in FIG. 9, the GCC is integrated with the core network, and in this scenario, the GCC can be integrated into the existing core network device as a network element of the core network, and the integrated core network can have all the functions of the GCC. The paging method designed in the embodiment of the disclosure can include S601-S607.

[0124] S601, the UE accesses the NTN network.

[0125] Similarly, in the NTN network architecture, the satellite can play the role of a base station, and the service link between the UE and the satellite can be implemented through NR.

[0126] The corresponding operations of the UE accessing the NTN can include:

[0127] 1. Search and discovery. The UE first searches and discovers available satellite signals. This usually involves listening to and analyzing specific signals broadcast by the satellite (such as SIB1, System Information Block 1) to obtain basic information and access parameters of the network.

[0128] 2. Cell selection and reselection. When multiple satellite signals are discovered, the UE will perform cell selection and reselection according to signal quality, network load, and other factors.

[0129] 3. Random access procedure. After selecting the target satellite, the UE initiates a random access procedure to establish an initial connection with the satellite. This includes sending a random access preamble, receiving a random access response, sending a connection request, and other operations.

[0130] 4. RRC connection establishment. After successful random access, an RRC (Radio Resource Control) connection is established between the UE and the satellite. This is the basis for data transmission and signaling interaction between the UE and the satellite.

[0131] In addition, in the NTN network, the satellite can be connected to the ground GCC and core network through the gateway. The Feeder link between the satellite and the gateway is implemented through a 3GPP / non-3GPP wireless interface. Further, the gateway is connected to the ground network to form a complete communication link.

[0132] In some embodiments, the UE is in an idle state after accessing the NTN network.

[0133] S602, the UE regularly acquires its real-time position and reports it to the core network.

[0134] In some embodiments, the UE regularly acquires its real-time position using GPS or other positioning modules and reports it to the core network. If the UE has no positioning capability, this step is skipped.

[0135] The UE needs to report its position information and movement prediction information to the core network at least once when accessing. UEs with positioning capability will report their accurate positions, and all UEs will report their movement prediction information, such as the latest gNB id of the UE and the historical gNB id list of the UE.

[0136] In some embodiments, when the called UE periodically reports real-time position information to the ground network node, if the distance between the position information reported this time and the position information reported last time is less than or equal to a preset threshold, the position information reported this time is cancelled.

[0137] For example, when the UE periodically reports the position, if it is judged that the movement distance of the UE from the last position report does not exceed 500m (this distance value can be adjusted according to the NTN cell coverage radius), the periodic report this time is cancelled; otherwise, it is normally reported. In this way, the UE can save power to a large extent.

[0138] S603, the UE is called.

[0139] In some embodiments, when the UE is called, the core network can determine the position information of the called UE in response to the call information.

[0140] S604, the core network determines the position information of the called UE.

[0141] S605, the core network sends the paging message to the NTN network element corresponding to the gNB id.

[0142] It should be noted that since the satellite in the NTN network plays the role of the base station, the NTN base station can be used to represent gNB or gNB list.

[0143] S606, the NTN base station sends the paging message over the air.

[0144] S607, the UE receives the paging and the phone is connected.

[0145] It can be understood that, in order to achieve the above functions, the paging device comprises a hardware structure and / or a software module corresponding to each function. Those skilled in the art should easily realize that, in combination with the algorithm steps of each example described in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the present disclosure can be realized in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a certain function is realized in the form of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application of the technical solution and the design constraints. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to realize the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of the present disclosure.

[0146] The embodiments of the present disclosure can divide the paging device into function modules according to the above-mentioned method embodiments. For example, each function module can be divided according to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into one function module. The integrated module can be realized in the form of hardware or software. It should be noted that the division of modules in the embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrative, and is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, there can be another division method. The following will be described taking the example of dividing each function module according to each function.

[0147] FIG. 10 is a structural schematic diagram of a paging device provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure. The paging device can be applied to a ground network node, and can execute the paging method provided by the above-mentioned embodiments. As shown in FIG. 10, the paging device 600 comprises a determination module 601 and a sending module 602.

[0148] The determination module 601 is configured to determine location information of a called user equipment (UE). The determination module 601 is further configured to determine a target serving base station according to the location information, wherein the target serving base station is deployed on a satellite. The sending module 602 is configured to send an indication message to the target serving base station, wherein the indication message is used to instruct the target serving base station to send a paging message.

[0149] In some embodiments, the paging device 600 further comprises a receiving module 603, which is configured to receive a query message sent by a core network device, wherein the query message is used to query a paging area of the called UE. The determination module 601 is configured to determine the location information of the called UE in response to the query message. The sending module 602 is configured to send the indication message to the target serving base station through the core network device.

[0150] In some embodiments, the determination module 601 is configured to determine a current satellite corresponding to a current airspace range of the called UE from ephemeris information according to the location information, and determine a base station deployed on the current satellite as the target serving base station.

[0151] In some embodiments, the receiving module 603 is further configured to receive real-time location information reported by the called UE.

[0152] In some embodiments, the location information comprises at least one of current location information, historical location information, and predicted location information.

[0153] In some embodiments, the determining module 601 is configured to: in a case where the current location information of the called UE is queried, take the current location information as the location information; or in a case where the current location information of the called UE is not queried and the historical location information of the called UE is queried, take the latest received historical location information as the location information; or in a case where the current location information of the called UE is not queried, determine the predicted location information of the called UE and take the predicted location information as the location information; or in a case where the current location information of the called UE is not queried and the historical location information of the called UE is not queried, determine the predicted location information of the called UE and take the predicted location information as the location information.

[0154] In some embodiments, the determining module 601 is configured to: obtain the camping base station information of the called UE; the camping base station information comprises historical camping base station identifiers of the called UE and time stamps of the called UE accessing the respective camping base stations; the camping base stations are deployed on satellites; determine the predicted location information based on the camping base station information, and take the predicted location information as the location information of the called UE; the predicted location information is related to a coverage area of a satellite to which a camping base station in the camping base station information belongs.

[0155] In some embodiments, the determining module 601 is configured to: determine the historical accessed satellite of the called UE from a mapping relationship between a plurality of base station identifiers and a plurality of satellite identifiers according to the historical camping base station identifiers; there is a mapping relationship between a base station and a satellite to which the base station belongs; determine a historical coverage area corresponding to the historical accessed satellite according to the time stamp of the access, and take the location information of a location in the historical coverage area as the predicted location information.

[0156] In some embodiments, the paging apparatus 600 further comprises a processing module 604, which is configured to: store the historical camping base station information and the current camping base station information reported by the called UE; delete camping base station information in the historical camping base station information and the current camping base station information that has a storage duration greater than or equal to a preset duration, to obtain the camping base station information of the called UE.

[0157] In some embodiments, the determining module 601 is further configured to: obtain a query message, the query message being used to query a paging area of the called UE; and the determining module 601 is configured to: in response to the query message, determine the location information of the called UE.

[0158] In some embodiments, the receiving module 603 is further configured to receive a service request message, the service request message being used to request paging of the called UE, and query tracking area (TA) information of the called UE in response to the service request message. The determining module 601 is configured to determine location information of the called UE in a case where the tracking area (TA) information is not queried.

[0159] FIG. 11 is a structural schematic diagram of a paging apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure, which can be applied to a core network device and can execute the paging method provided by the above-mentioned embodiments. As shown in FIG. 11, the paging apparatus 700 includes a receiving module 701 and a sending module 702.

[0160] The receiving module 701 is configured to receive a service request message, the service request message being used to request paging of the called UE. The sending module 702 is configured to send a query message to a ground network node in response to the service request message, the query message being used to query a paging area of the called UE.

[0161] In some embodiments, the receiving module 701 is further configured to receive paging area information of the called UE sent by the ground network node, the paging area information including a target serving base station determined by the ground network node according to the location information of the called UE, and the target serving base station being deployed on a satellite. The sending module 702 is further configured to send an indication message to the target serving base station, the indication message being used to instruct the target serving base station to send a paging message over the air interface.

[0162] FIG. 12 is a structural schematic diagram of a paging apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure, which can be applied to a called UE and can execute the paging method provided by the above-mentioned embodiments. As shown in FIG. 12, the paging apparatus 800 includes a sending module 801.

[0163] The sending module 801 is configured to report location information to a ground network node when the called UE accesses a non-terrestrial network (NTN), the location information being used to determine a target serving base station of the called UE, and the target serving base station being deployed on a satellite.

[0164] In some embodiments, after the called UE accesses the non-terrestrial network (NTN), the sending module 801 is further configured to periodically report real-time location information to the ground network node.

[0165] In some embodiments, the sending module 801 is configured to, when the called UE periodically reports real-time location information to the ground network node, cancel the reporting of the location information of the current period if a distance between the location information reported in the current period and location information reported in a previous period is less than or equal to a preset threshold.

[0166] In the case of implementing the functions of the above-mentioned integrated modules in the form of hardware, the present embodiment provides another structure of the paging device involved in the above-mentioned embodiments. As shown in FIG. 13, the paging device 900 includes a memory 901, a processor 902, a communication interface 903, and a bus 904.

[0167] The memory 901 can be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device that can store static information and instructions, can be a random access memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device that can store dynamic information and instructions, can be an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a magnetic disk storage medium or other magnetic storage device, or can be any other medium capable of carrying or storing desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto.

[0168] The processor 902 can be a logic block, module, and circuit that implements or executes various exemplary methods described in combination with the present embodiment. The processor 902 can be a central processing unit, a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array or other programmable logic device, transistor logic, a hardware component, or any combination thereof. The processor 902 can implement or execute various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in combination with the present embodiment. The processor 902 can also be a combination that implements a computing function, such as a combination of one or more microprocessors, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, and the like.

[0169] The communication interface 903 is used to connect with other devices through a communication network. The communication network can be an Ethernet, a wireless access network, a wireless local area network (WLAN), and the like.

[0170] In some embodiments, the memory 901 can exist independently of the processor 902, and the memory 901 can be connected with the processor 902 through the bus 904 for storing instructions or program codes. When the processor 902 invokes and executes the instructions or program codes stored in the memory 901, the paging method provided by the present embodiment can be implemented.

[0171] In some embodiments, the memory 901 can also be integrated with the processor 902.

[0172] Bus 904, which can be an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, a proprietary bus, or some other bus, can be used to couple multiprocessor bus bridge 902 and I / O bus bridge 906 to each other and to the rest of system 900. Bus 904 can be split into buses operating in parallel and / or buses operating in series. For purposes of illustration, bus 904 is depicted as a single bus, but it should be understood that bus 904 can include multiple buses that intersect, merge, and / or otherwise interact.

[0173] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a computer readable storage medium (for example, a non-transitory computer readable storage medium) having stored computer program instructions, which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the paging method according to any one of the above embodiments.

[0174] Exemplarily, the above computer readable storage medium can include, but is not limited to, a magnetic storage device (for example, a hard disk, a floppy disk, or a magnetic tape, etc.), an optical disc (for example, a compact disk (CD), a digital versatile disc (DVD), etc.), a smart card, and a flash memory device (for example, an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), a card, a stick, or a key drive, etc.). The various computer readable storage media described in the present disclosure can represent one or more devices and / or other machine readable storage media for storing information. The term “machine readable storage medium” can include, but is not limited to, a wireless channel and various other media capable of storing, containing, and / or carrying instructions and / or data.

[0175] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a computer program product containing instructions, which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the paging method according to any one of the above embodiments.

[0176] The above is merely a specific implementation of the present disclosure, but the protection scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Any change or replacement within the technical scope disclosed in the present disclosure should be covered within the protection scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the protection scope of the present disclosure should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A paging method applied to a ground network node, wherein, The method comprises: determining location information of a called user equipment (UE); determining a target serving base station according to the location information, wherein the target serving base station is deployed on a satellite; sending an indication message to the target serving base station, wherein the indication message is used to instruct the target serving base station to send a paging message.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving a query message sent by a core network device, wherein the query message is used to query a paging area of the called UE; the determining of the location information of the called UE comprises: determining the location information of the called UE in response to the query message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, The ground network node is independently arranged with the core network, and the sending of the indication message to the target serving base station comprises: sending the indication message to the target serving base station through the core network device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, The determining of the target serving base station according to the location information comprises: determining a current satellite corresponding to a current airspace range of the called UE from ephemeris information according to the location information; and determining a base station deployed on the current satellite as the target serving base station.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving real-time location information reported by the called UE.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, The location information comprises at least one of current location information, historical location information, and predicted location information.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, The determining of the location information of the called UE comprises: in response to the current location information of the called UE being queried, taking the current location information as the location information; or in response to the current location information of the called UE not being queried and the historical location information of the called UE being queried, taking the historical location information received last time as the location information; or in response to the current location information of the called UE not being queried, determining predicted location information of the called UE and taking the predicted location information as the location information; or in response to the current location information of the called UE not being queried and the historical location information of the called UE not being queried, determining predicted location information of the called UE and taking the predicted location information as the location information.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, The determining of the predicted location information of the called UE comprises: obtaining camping base station information of the called UE, wherein the camping base station information comprises historical camping base station identifiers of the called UE and time stamps of the called UE accessing the respective camping base stations, and the camping base stations are deployed on satellites; and determining predicted location information based on the camping base station information and taking the predicted location information as the location information of the called UE, wherein the predicted location information is related to a coverage area of a satellite to which a camping base station in the camping base station information belongs.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, The determining of the predicted location information based on the camping base station information comprises: determining a historical access satellite of the called UE from a mapping relationship between a plurality of base station identifiers and a plurality of satellite identifiers according to the historical camping base station identifiers, wherein a mapping relationship exists between one base station of the plurality of base stations and a satellite to which the base station belongs. According to the timestamp of the access, a historical coverage area corresponding to the historical access satellite is determined, and position information of a position in the historical coverage area is taken as the predicted position information.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising: storing historical camped cell information reported by the called UE and current camped cell information; deleting camped cell information with a storage duration greater than or equal to a preset duration from the historical camped cell information and the current camped cell information, to obtain camped cell information of the called UE.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising: obtaining a query message, the query message being used to query a paging area of the called UE.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, The determination of the position information of the called UE comprises: in response to the query message, determining the position information of the called UE.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving a service request message, wherein the service request message is used to request paging of the called UE; in response to the service request message, querying tracking area (TA) information of the called UE.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein, The determination of the position information of the called user equipment (UE) comprises: in a case where the tracking area (TA) information is not queried, determining the position information of the called UE.

15. A paging method applied to a core network device, wherein, The method comprises: receiving a service request message, wherein the service request message is used to request paging of the called UE; in response to the service request message, sending a query message to a ground network node, wherein the query message is used to query a paging area of the called UE.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising: receiving paging area information of the called UE sent by the ground network node, wherein the paging area information comprises a target serving cell determined by the ground network node according to the position information of the called UE, the target serving cell being deployed on a satellite; sending an indication message to the target serving cell, the indication message being used to instruct the target serving cell to send a paging message over the air interface.

17. A paging method applied to a called user equipment (UE), wherein, The method comprises: when a called user equipment (UE) accesses a non-terrestrial network (NTN), reporting position information to a ground network node, wherein the position information is used to determine a target serving cell of the called UE, the target serving cell being deployed on a satellite.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein, After the called UE accesses the non-terrestrial network (NTN), the method further comprises: periodically reporting real-time position information to the ground network node.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein, The periodic reporting of real-time position information to the ground network node comprises: when the called UE periodically reports real-time position information to the ground network node, if a distance between the position information reported this time and position information reported last time is less than or equal to a preset threshold, canceling the reporting of the position information this time.

20. A paging device comprising: a memory and a processor; wherein the memory and the processor are coupled; the memory is used to store instructions executable by the processor; and the processor executes the instructions to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-19.

21. A computer readable storage medium, wherein, The computer readable storage medium has stored thereon computer instructions that, when executed at a computer, cause the computer to carry out the method according to any one of claims 1-19.

22. A computer program product, wherein, The computer program product comprises computer program instructions that, when executed, implement the method according to any one of claims 1-19.

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