Satellite handover method and apparatus, computer program product, and electronic device

Abstract

A satellite handover method and apparatus, a computer program product, and an electronic device, which relate to the technical field of satellite handover. The method comprises: using at least one geostationary Earth orbit satellite as an anchor IAB, using a plurality of low Earth orbit satellites as IAB nodes to construct a satellite IAB network, and performing communication between a terminal and a core network on the basis of the satellite IAB network (S110); when the terminal satisfies a handover condition, if there is one geostationary Earth orbit satellite in the satellite IAB network, performing handover from a low Earth orbit satellite to a new low Earth orbit satellite (S120); and if a plurality of geostationary Earth orbit satellites are present in the satellite IAB network, performing handover from a geostationary Earth orbit satellite to a new geostationary Earth orbit satellite, and then performing handover from the low Earth orbit satellite to the new low Earth orbit satellite by means of the new geostationary Earth orbit satellite, so as to achieve satellite handover (S130). The method improves satellite handover efficiency.

Description

Satellite switching method and device, computer program product and electronic device

[0001] Cross-reference to Related Applications

[0002] The present application claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 202411237568.5, filed on September 4, 2024, and entitled "Satellite switching method and device, computer program product and electronic device", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to the field of communication technology, in particular to a satellite switching method, a satellite switching device, a computer program product and an electronic device. BACKGROUND

[0004] 3GPP has studied satellite access in regenerative mode. With the development of satellite communication, a single-layer satellite network cannot meet the needs of services. The propagation delay of a high orbit (GEO) satellite is relatively long, which cannot meet the requirements of delay-sensitive services. The rapid movement of a low orbit (LEO) satellite can cause frequent switching problems. When a user is about to leave the coverage range of a LEO satellite, it is necessary to switch to another satellite to avoid communication interruption. Therefore, it is very important to build a multi-orbit satellite network by integrating GEO and LEO satellites for satellite communication.

[0005] In order to meet the needs of different services, it is necessary to establish a switching strategy between a geosynchronous orbit (GEO) satellite and a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite. In related technologies, a high orbit satellite and a low orbit satellite are switched through interaction between a satellite and a ground network. This switching process consumes a lot of time, has low efficiency and poor convenience. SUMMARY

[0006] According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a satellite switching method is provided, comprising: constructing a satellite IAB network by taking at least one high orbit satellite as an anchor point IAB and taking a plurality of low orbit satellites as IAB nodes, and communicating a terminal with a core network based on the satellite IAB network; when the terminal meets a switching condition, if there is one high orbit satellite in the satellite IAB network, switching a low orbit satellite to a new low orbit satellite; if there are a plurality of high orbit satellites in the satellite IAB network, switching a high orbit satellite to a new high orbit satellite, and switching a low orbit satellite to a new low orbit satellite through the new high orbit satellite, to realize satellite switching.

[0007] In an example embodiment of the present disclosure, the terminal satisfies the handover condition, comprising: determining that the terminal satisfies the handover condition when the terminal is at the edge of beam coverage and the signal quality of the current satellite connected by the terminal is lower than a tolerance threshold; or determining that the terminal satisfies the handover condition when network congestion occurs in the current low-orbit satellite connected by the terminal.

[0008] In an example embodiment of the present disclosure, the switching of the low-orbit satellite to a new low-orbit satellite comprises: a high-orbit satellite in a satellite IAB network receiving attribute information reported by a low-orbit satellite, the attribute information comprising at least one of ephemeris information of the low-orbit satellite, a supported cell list, and a connection time; the high-orbit satellite receiving a measurement report and a handover request sent by the low-orbit satellite when network congestion occurs, the handover request comprising IAB congestion indication information indicating that the low-orbit satellite has been overloaded; and the high-orbit satellite selecting a new low-orbit satellite and performing switching in response to the handover request according to the ephemeris information and state information of the low-orbit satellite determined from the measurement report.

[0009] In an example embodiment of the present disclosure, the switching of the low-orbit satellite to a new low-orbit satellite comprises: a high-orbit satellite in a satellite IAB network receiving attribute information periodically reported by a low-orbit satellite, the attribute information comprising at least one of ephemeris information of the low-orbit satellite itself, a supported cell list, and a connection time; the high-orbit satellite initiating the handover request according to the ephemeris information reported by the low-orbit satellite when detecting that the low-orbit satellite leaves a cell where a terminal is located; and the high-orbit satellite selecting a new low-orbit satellite and performing switching in response to the handover request according to the ephemeris information and state information of the low-orbit satellite determined from the measurement report.

[0010] In an example embodiment of the present disclosure, the switching of the high-orbit satellite to a new high-orbit satellite and the switching of the low-orbit satellite to a new low-orbit satellite through the new high-orbit satellite comprises: a high-orbit satellite being pre-configured with ephemeris information by a core network and receiving attribute information reported by a low-orbit satellite, the attribute information comprising at least one of ephemeris information of the low-orbit satellite, a supported cell list, and a connection time; the high-orbit satellite selecting a new high-orbit satellite according to the ephemeris information and a load condition reported by the low-orbit satellite; and the high-orbit satellite sending a handover request to the new high-orbit satellite to enable the new high-orbit satellite to select a new low-orbit satellite and perform switching.

[0011] In an example embodiment of the present disclosure, the selecting of the new low-orbit satellite comprises: the new high-orbit satellite selecting a new low-orbit satellite according to ephemeris information of the low-orbit satellite and state information reported by the low-orbit satellite.

[0012] In an example embodiment of the present disclosure, the method further comprises: the terminal communicates with the core network through the satellite IAB network, and stores satellite IAB operation indication information in a target network element of the core network, so that the network element can obtain subscription data from the target network element; wherein the subscription data is used to indicate that the terminal accesses a low-orbit satellite or a high-orbit satellite, and is used to indicate that the high-orbit satellite is allowed to perform satellite handover as an anchor IAB.

[0013] According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a satellite handover apparatus is provided, comprising: a network building module configured to build a satellite IAB network by taking at least one high-orbit satellite as an anchor IAB and taking a plurality of low-orbit satellites as IAB nodes, and to communicate a terminal with a core network based on the satellite IAB network; a first handover module configured to switch a low-orbit satellite to a new low-orbit satellite if there is one high-orbit satellite in the satellite IAB network when the terminal meets a handover condition; and a second handover module configured to switch a high-orbit satellite to a new high-orbit satellite, and switch a low-orbit satellite to a new low-orbit satellite through the new high-orbit satellite, to realize satellite handover.

[0014] According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a computer program product is provided, comprising a computer program which, when executed by a processor, implements the satellite handover method of any of the above.

[0015] According to an aspect of the present disclosure, an electronic device is provided, comprising: a processor; and a memory configured to store executable instructions of the processor; wherein the processor is configured to execute the satellite handover method of any of the above via execution of the executable instructions. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0016] FIG. 1 schematically shows a flowchart of a satellite handover method in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0017] FIG. 2 schematically shows a schematic diagram of a satellite access process in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0018] FIG. 3 schematically shows a schematic diagram of an IAB network in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0019] FIG. 4 schematically shows a schematic diagram of a satellite IAB network in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] FIG. 5 schematically shows a schematic diagram of a satellite IAB network under coverage of a single high-orbit satellite in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] FIG. 6 schematically shows a schematic diagram of a satellite IAB network under coverage of a plurality of high-orbit satellites in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] FIG. 7 schematically shows a specific flowchart of satellite switching under coverage of a single high-orbit satellite in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] FIG. 8 schematically shows a specific flowchart of satellite switching under coverage of multiple high-orbit satellites in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] FIG. 9 schematically shows a block diagram of a satellite switching device in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] FIG. 10 schematically shows a block diagram of an electronic device in an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] Example implementations will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Example implementations may, however, be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the implementations set forth herein; rather, these implementations are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the example implementations to those skilled in the art. The described features, structures, or characteristics can be combined in one or more implementations. In the following description, numerous specific details are provided to give a thorough understanding of implementations of the disclosure. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however, that the implementations of the disclosure can be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or with other methods, components, materials, and so forth. In other instances, well-known structures have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the aspects of the disclosure.

[0027] Furthermore, the accompanying drawings are only schematic and are non-limiting detailed descriptions of implementations, and do not necessarily reflect all possible implementations. Identical reference numerals in different drawings denote the same or similar functionalities. In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of implementations. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that the implementations can be practiced without some or all of these specific details. In other instances, well known structures have not been described in detail in order to avoid obscuring the aspects of the disclosure.

[0028] To solve the above technical problem, a satellite switching method is provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure, which can be applied to a satellite access scenario based on a regenerative mode, and mainly includes the following steps with reference to FIG. 1.

[0029] In step S110, at least one high-orbit satellite is taken as an anchor IAB, a plurality of low-orbit satellites are taken as IAB nodes to construct a satellite IAB network, and a terminal and a core network are communicated based on the satellite IAB network.

[0030] In step S120, when the terminal meets the switching condition, if there is one high-orbit satellite in the satellite IAB network, the low-orbit satellite is switched to a new low-orbit satellite;

[0031] In step S130, if there are multiple high-orbit satellites in the satellite IAB network, the high-orbit satellite is switched to a new high-orbit satellite, and the low-orbit satellite is switched to a new low-orbit satellite through the new high-orbit satellite, to realize satellite switching.

[0032] The technical solution provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure has the following advantages. On the one hand, based on the high-orbit satellite and the low-orbit satellite, the satellite IAB network is constructed, and for different numbers of high-orbit satellites contained in the satellite IAB network, only the low-orbit satellite can be switched, or the high-orbit satellite and the low-orbit satellite can be switched, different satellite switching processes can be determined according to different scenarios, the efficiency of satellite switching is improved, and the convenience of satellite switching is also improved. On the other hand, the satellite IAB network can be constructed based on the high-orbit satellite and the low-orbit satellite, the IAB network is integrated into the satellite network, through the integration of the high-orbit satellite and the low-orbit satellite, the interaction between the satellite and the core website is reduced, different types of business demands can be met, and the application range and applicability are increased.

[0033] Next, the satellite switching method in the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 1.

[0034] In step S110, at least one high-orbit satellite is used as an anchor IAB, multiple low-orbit satellites are used as IAB nodes to construct a satellite IAB network, and the terminal and the core network are communicated based on the satellite IAB network.

[0035] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the satellite access scenario can be applied. In the satellite access scenario, the terminal side and the network side can be included, the terminal side can include at least one terminal, and the network side can include a satellite, a gateway station, a core network, and a data network. The satellite access process based on the regenerative mode scenario can refer to FIG. 2.

[0036] To realize fast switching between low-orbit LEO satellites and high-orbit GEO satellites, a 5G NTN network architecture based on integrated access backhaul can be used to realize the switching process between low-orbit satellites and high-orbit satellites, that is, the IAB network is integrated with high-orbit satellites and low-orbit satellites. The IAB network can be a wireless relay in the 5G network architecture, and an IAB network includes an anchor IAB (IAB-donor) and an IAB node (IAB node). The IAB node is composed of an IAB mobile terminal (IAB-MT) and an IAB base station (IAB-DU). Any IAB node is connected to its parent node through its mobile terminal IAB-MT, and provides services for its child nodes through the IAB base station IAB-DU, as shown in FIG. 3.

[0037] On this basis, the high-orbit satellite can be used as an anchor IAB, that is, an IAB donor, and the low-orbit satellite can be used as an IAB node, that is, an IAB node, to construct a satellite IAB network, and the satellites in the satellite IAB network run and maintain their own ephemeris information. Referring to FIG. 4, the IAB network architecture of the satellite IAB network can include terminals, satellite IAB nodes, satellite ground stations, and a core network. Among them, the satellite ground station and the satellite IAB node are backhaul links, and the terminal and the satellite IAB node are access links. The satellite gateway and the core network are Non-IAB connections.

[0038] 3GPP TS 38.473 proposes that the downlink congestion of the base station IAB-DU or IAB donor-DU can be reported to the centralized unit IAB-donor-CU, and the centralized unit IAB-donor-CU should take measures to reduce overload. Based on this architecture, switching procedures are designed for single high-orbit satellite and multiple high-orbit satellite deployment scenarios. In the embodiment of the disclosure, for a single high-orbit satellite scenario, two switching trigger modes are designed, one is triggered by a low-orbit satellite, that is, the low-orbit satellite initiates a switching request; and the other is triggered by a high-orbit satellite GEO, that is, the high-orbit satellite initiates a switching request. To support switching between satellites in different orbits, the terminal needs to be authorized to support high-orbit satellites as anchor IABs when switching to make satellite switching decisions. In addition, the network side needs to define satellite access capabilities that support IAB integration. The introduction of the above IAB network architecture can reduce the interaction between satellites and the core network, and can also realize comprehensive service coverage of different services.

[0039] Among them, the centralized unit IAB-donor-CU and the base station IAB-DU are two key components in the 5G network. The IAB-donor-CU (Integrated Access Backhaul Donor Centralized Unit) is responsible for the functions of controlling and managing wireless access and backhaul. In the 5G network architecture, the CU is the part of the network function set, usually located in the core of the network, responsible for processing complex signal processing and connection management.

[0040] The IAB-DU (Integrated Access Backhaul Distributed Unit) is a distributed unit, that is, a base station, which is closer to the receiving and transmitting end of the wireless signal and communicates directly with the user equipment. The DU is responsible for the processing of the physical layer, including signal modulation and demodulation, and operations related to wireless signals.

[0041] After constructing a satellite IAB network by taking at least one high-orbit satellite as an anchor IAB and multiple low-orbit satellites as IAB nodes, a communication connection can be established between a terminal and a core network based on the satellite IAB network. Each high-orbit satellite can include multiple low-orbit satellites within its coverage range. Multiple terminals can communicate through high-orbit satellites and low-orbit satellites. The multiple terminals can include satellite mobile terminals, Internet of Things gateways, vehicle-mounted mobile stations, ship-mounted mobile stations, etc. Different types of terminals can connect to different satellites, such as high-orbit satellites or low-orbit satellites. The coverage ranges of different high-orbit satellites can overlap, and the coverage ranges of different low-orbit satellites can also overlap.

[0042] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, by introducing an IAB network between high-orbit satellites and low-orbit satellites, the interaction between satellites and the core network can be reduced, and at the same time, global service coverage of different services can be achieved, and the coverage range can be improved.

[0043] In step S120, when the terminal meets the handover condition, if there is one high-orbit satellite in the satellite IAB network, the low-orbit satellite is switched to a new low-orbit satellite.

[0044] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, based on the satellite IAB network shown in FIG. 4, a satellite IAB network architecture under a single high-orbit satellite coverage can be constructed. The satellite IAB network under a single high-orbit satellite coverage is shown in FIG. 5, which can be applied to a handover scenario under the same high-orbit satellite.

[0045] In a satellite communication network, due to the altitude, the propagation delay of a high orbit GEO satellite is large, which cannot meet the requirements of delay-sensitive services. The rapid movement of a low orbit LEO satellite can cause frequent switching. When a user is about to leave the coverage range of a low orbit LEO satellite, it is necessary to switch to another satellite to avoid communication interruption.

[0046] A single low orbit satellite covers a small area, and when the size of a low orbit satellite constellation is small, some areas cannot be covered by a low orbit satellite. Based on this, the use of small-scale low orbit LEO satellites and high orbit GEO satellites can meet the requirements of different types of services. When a low orbit LEO constellation does not have continuous global coverage, a terminal must connect to a high orbit GEO satellite to communicate normally. High orbit GEO satellites can also help balance the load of low orbit LEO satellites and avoid the termination of delay-sensitive services connected to low orbit LEO satellites.

[0047] In order to realize switching between different satellites, it can be first determined whether a terminal meets a switching condition. Exemplarily, when the terminal is at the edge of a beam coverage area and the signal quality of a current satellite is lower than a tolerance threshold, it can be determined that the terminal meets the switching condition. The current satellite can be a currently connected low orbit satellite or a currently connected high orbit satellite, which can be determined according to the beam coverage area in which the terminal is located. Alternatively, when a low orbit satellite passes through an area with large traffic, network congestion occurs in the low orbit satellite, which can cause the performance of the entire network to decline, and the terminal has to switch to a new high orbit satellite to obtain better service. Therefore, when the current low orbit satellite connected by the terminal passes through an area with large traffic and network congestion occurs, it can also be determined that the terminal meets the switching condition.

[0048] Since a satellite IAB network can include one high orbit satellite or multiple high orbit satellites. Based on this, when it is determined that a terminal meets a switching condition, the number of high orbit satellites included in the satellite IAB network can be used to switch only a low orbit satellite to realize horizontal switching of the low orbit satellite, or to switch a high orbit satellite and a low orbit satellite to realize vertical switching of the high orbit satellite layer and the low orbit satellite layer. When switching a high orbit satellite and a low orbit satellite, the high orbit satellite can be switched first and then the low orbit satellite.

[0049] Next, first, the application scenario of existing one high orbit satellite is described. If there is one high orbit satellite in the satellite IAB network, the low orbit satellite can be switched to a new low orbit satellite. The low orbit satellite here can be a source low orbit satellite, which refers to the currently connected low orbit satellite. Exemplarily, in the process of interaction between the terminal and the core network, the satellite IAB operation instruction message can be stored in the target network element of the core network NGC, so that the subsequent network element obtains the related subscription data from the target network element according to the satellite IAB operation instruction message. The target network element can be a UDM (Unified Data Management) network element. Referring to Table 1, the data type of the subscription data can be access and mobility subscription data, that is, the data required for terminal registration and mobility management. The subscription data can be used to indicate whether the terminal is authorized to use the IAB integrated satellite service, and the subscription data can include the following contents: the terminal accesses the low orbit satellite or the high orbit satellite, and the high orbit satellite as an anchor IAB performs satellite switching. It should be noted that the subscription data can be increased, modified or reduced according to actual needs, which is not limited here.

[0050] Table 1

[0051] Further, based on the network architecture in FIG. 5, the low orbit satellite can periodically report its attribute information, including but not limited to ephemeris information, supported cell list, and connection time, etc. Among them, the ephemeris information can be used to locate the low orbit satellite, which can specifically include but not limited to the orbit information, connection information, speed, height, and over-the-top time of the low orbit satellite, so that the ground can manage the low orbit satellite. The supported cell list contains all the TA cells that can be supported. The connection time can include the connection opportunity and the connection duration. The high orbit satellite and the core network can store the ephemeris information reported by the low orbit satellite and update it periodically.

[0052] Next, the low orbit satellite can send a measurement report and a handover request to the high orbit satellite according to the ephemeris information and its own load condition. The measurement report can include multiple information of the low orbit satellite, such as state information and other information, etc., and the high orbit satellite can process and manage the low orbit information according to the measurement report. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the handover request can include an IAB congestion indication message, which is used to indicate that the low orbit satellite has been overloaded and needs to perform a handover decision. Whether the low orbit satellite has been overloaded can be determined according to the load condition of the low orbit satellite reported by itself. That is, when the user distribution is uneven, if the low orbit satellite occurs network congestion by passing through an area with large traffic, the low orbit satellite can initiate a handover request based on this, and the handover request includes an IAB congestion indication message indicating that the low orbit satellite has been overloaded.

[0053] The low-orbit satellite initiates a handover request, and can send the handover request to the high-orbit satellite. After sending the handover request to the high-orbit satellite, the high-orbit satellite can select a new low-orbit satellite in response to the handover request according to the ephemeris information of the low-orbit satellite and the state information of the low-orbit satellite determined from the measurement report. The state information can include information such as whether it can be connected, connection duration, etc. On this basis, the high-orbit satellite performs the process of selecting a new low-orbit satellite. Illustratively, when selecting a new low-orbit satellite according to the ephemeris information and the state information of the low-orbit satellite, a plurality of satellite parameters can be determined according to the ephemeris information and the state information, and a plurality of low-orbit satellites can be selected according to the plurality of satellite parameters. The plurality of satellite parameters include one or more of distance, signal strength, load quantity, connection time, and supported cell list. Each satellite parameter can correspond to a priority, and the priorities of different satellite parameters are different. For example, the order of priorities from large to small can be arranged as: distance, signal strength, load quantity, connection time, and supported cell list. In addition, a score can be determined for each satellite parameter of each low-orbit satellite, and a weight parameter can be pre-configured for each satellite parameter. The score of each satellite parameter corresponding to each low-orbit satellite is weighted and summed with the weight score to obtain a score of each low-orbit satellite, and the low-orbit satellite with the largest score is further determined as the new low-orbit satellite. The weight parameter can be determined according to the priority of the satellite parameter, and the weight parameter can be positively correlated with the priority, that is, the larger the priority, the larger the weight parameter.

[0054] On this basis, after switching the source low-orbit satellite to the new low-orbit satellite, the new low-orbit satellite can be used as a new node for terminal access. As known from 38.401 8.2.3.1, after determining the new low-orbit satellite, the context of the source low-orbit satellite can be released, the terminal UE accesses the new low-orbit satellite, and a new BH RLC channel and routing entry are established. The routing entry can be used to represent the connection relationship between the high-orbit satellite, such as which satellite to connect to, which high-orbit satellite to connect to, etc.

[0055] In some embodiments, based on the network architecture in FIG. 5, the low-orbit satellite can periodically report its attribute information, including but not limited to ephemeris information, supported cell list, and connection time, etc. The ephemeris information can be used for positioning the low-orbit satellite, and can specifically include but not limited to orbit information, connection information, speed, height, and over-the-top time of the low-orbit satellite, so as to facilitate the ground to manage the low-orbit satellite. The supported cell list can contain all the supported TA cells. The connection time can include connection time and connection duration. The high-orbit satellite and the core network can store the ephemeris information reported by the low-orbit satellite and periodically update it. The low-orbit satellite can send a measurement report to the high-orbit satellite according to the ephemeris information and load information. The measurement report can include multiple information of the low-orbit satellite, such as state information and other information, etc. The high-orbit satellite can process and manage the low-orbit information according to the measurement report.

[0056] Next, in the case that the low-orbit satellite is about to leave the cell where the terminal is located, the high-orbit satellite can initiate a handover request according to the ephemeris information reported by the low-orbit satellite. The handover request initiated by the high-orbit satellite can include a handover request indication message. That is, when the low-orbit satellite is about to leave the cell where the terminal is located, the handover request can be initiated based on the high-orbit satellite.

[0057] The high-orbit satellite can select a new low-orbit satellite according to the ephemeris information and the state information of the low-orbit satellite determined from the measurement report in response to the handover request. For example, when selecting a new low-orbit satellite according to the ephemeris information and the state information of the low-orbit satellite, multiple low-orbit satellites can be selected according to multiple satellite parameters. The multiple satellite parameters can include one or more of distance, signal strength, load quantity, connection time, and supported cell list. Each satellite parameter can correspond to a priority, and the priorities of different satellite parameters can be different. For example, the priorities can be arranged in descending order as follows: distance, signal strength, load quantity, connection time, and supported cell list. Alternatively, the score of each low-orbit satellite can be obtained by weighting and summing the scores of the satellite parameters corresponding to each low-orbit satellite and the weight scores, and a new low-orbit satellite can be selected according to the score.

[0058] Based on this, the new low-orbit satellite can be used as a new node for the terminal to access. As known from 38.401 8.2.3.1, after determining the new low-orbit satellite, the context of the source low-orbit satellite can be released, the terminal UE accesses the new low-orbit satellite, and a new BH RLC channel and routing entry are established. The routing entry can be used to represent the connection relationship between the high-orbit satellite.

[0059] In step S130, if there are multiple high-orbit satellites in the satellite IAB network, the high-orbit satellite is switched to a new high-orbit satellite, and the low-orbit satellite is switched to a new low-orbit satellite through the new high-orbit satellite, so as to realize satellite switching.

[0060] In the satellite IAB network with multiple high-orbit satellites, the network architecture of the satellite IAB network under the coverage of multiple high-orbit satellites formed by high-orbit satellites and low-orbit satellites can be as shown in FIG. 6. Based on the network architecture in FIG. 6, there are mainly two types of switching in the GEO / LEO satellite IAB network: one is horizontal switching of the low-orbit satellite layer, and the other is vertical switching between the low-orbit satellite layer and the high-orbit satellite layer.

[0061] Based on the satellite IAB network with multiple high-orbit satellites shown in FIG. 6, the high-orbit satellites can be pre-configured with ephemeris information and receive attribute information reported by the low-orbit satellites, the attribute information including at least one of ephemeris information, a supported cell list, and connection time of the low-orbit satellites.

[0062] Further, when the user distribution is uneven, network congestion occurs in the area with large traffic of the low-orbit satellites, and the high-orbit satellites determine to perform switching decision by the high-orbit satellites when the high-orbit satellites determine that the low-orbit satellites are overloaded according to the IAB congestion indication message. Specifically, the high-orbit satellites select new high-orbit satellites according to the ephemeris information and the load condition reported by the low-orbit satellites. When selecting new high-orbit satellites, the multiple high-orbit satellites can still be selected according to multiple satellite parameters. The multiple satellite parameters include one or more of distance, signal strength, load quantity, connection time, and supported cell list. Each satellite parameter can correspond to a priority, and the priorities of different satellite parameters are different. For example, the priorities can be arranged in descending order as follows: distance, signal strength, load quantity, connection time, and supported cell list. Of course, the priorities can be adjusted according to actual needs, which are not limited here. For example, the priorities of the satellite parameters when selecting high-orbit satellites can be different from those when selecting low-orbit satellites. In addition, the score of each high-orbit satellite corresponding to the satellite parameters can be weighted and summed with the weight score to obtain the score of each high-orbit satellite, and the new high-orbit satellites are selected according to the score.

[0063] After determining the new high-orbit satellites, the high-orbit satellites send a switching request to the new high-orbit satellites to switch the source high-orbit satellites to the new high-orbit satellites, so that the new high-orbit satellites select new low-orbit satellites. The source high-orbit satellites refer to the current corresponding high-orbit satellites. For example, after initiating the switching request, the high-orbit satellites can select new low-orbit satellites according to the ephemeris information and the state information reported by the low-orbit satellites, wherein the new low-orbit satellites can be selected according to the priorities of the satellite parameters, or the scores obtained by weighted sum of the scores of each satellite parameter and the weight parameters.

[0064] Based on this, a new low-orbit satellite can be accessed as a new node by a terminal to enable the terminal to access a new low-orbit satellite and a new high-orbit satellite. As known from 38.401 8.2.3.1, after a new low-orbit satellite is determined, the context of the source low-orbit satellite can be released, the terminal UE accesses the new low-orbit satellite, and a new BH RLC channel and routing entry are established. The routing entry can be used to represent the connection relationship between the terminal and the low-orbit satellite and the high-orbit satellite.

[0065] A flowchart for satellite switching according to a single high-orbit satellite is schematically shown in FIG. 7. Referring to FIG. 7, the main components include a terminal, a source low-orbit satellite, a new low-orbit satellite, a high-orbit satellite, and a core network. The specific steps include the following:

[0066] In step S702, the terminal interacts with the core network, and a satellite IAB operation indication message is stored in a UDM network element of the core network, so that subsequent network elements can obtain relevant subscription data from the UDM network element. The subscription data allows the high-orbit satellite GEO to perform satellite switching as an anchor IAB donor.

[0067] In step S704, the low-orbit satellite periodically reports ephemeris information, a supported TA cell list, connection time, and other attribute information of the low-orbit satellite. The high-orbit satellite stores the ephemeris information and periodically updates the ephemeris information.

[0068] In step S706, when network congestion occurs in a region with heavy traffic of the low-orbit satellite, the low-orbit satellite sends a measurement report and a handover request to the high-orbit satellite according to the ephemeris information and the load condition.

[0069] In step S708, when the low-orbit satellite is about to leave the cell where the terminal is located, the low-orbit satellite initiates a handover request according to the ephemeris information.

[0070] In step S710, the high-orbit satellite selects a new low-orbit satellite according to the ephemeris information and the state information reported by the low-orbit satellite.

[0071] In step S712, the context of the source low-orbit satellite is released, and the terminal accesses the new low-orbit satellite.

[0072] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the network side needs to define a satellite access capability supporting IAB fusion.

[0073] In the application scenario where there is one high-orbit satellite, the low-orbit satellite or the high-orbit satellite can initiate a handover request. Further, a new low-orbit satellite can be switched according to the handover request, which realizes multi-mode triggering and can improve comprehensiveness.

[0074] A flowchart of satellite switching according to a plurality of high-orbit satellites is shown in FIG. 8. Referring to FIG. 8, the flowchart mainly includes a terminal, a source low-orbit satellite, a new low-orbit satellite, a source high-orbit satellite, a new high-orbit satellite, and a core network. Specifically, the flowchart includes the following steps:

[0075] In step S802, the terminal interacts with the core network, and a satellite IAB operation indication message is stored in a UDM network element of the core network, so that subsequent network elements can obtain relevant subscription data from the UDM network element. The subscription data allows the high-orbit satellite GEO to perform satellite switching as an anchor point IAB donor.

[0076] In step S804, the high-orbit satellite and the core network are preconfigured with ephemeris information, and the low-orbit satellite periodically reports its ephemeris information, a supported TA cell list, and connection time attribute information. The high-orbit satellite and the core network store the ephemeris information and periodically update it.

[0077] In step S806, when network congestion occurs in a region with heavy traffic of the low-orbit satellite, the source high-orbit satellite selects a new high-orbit satellite.

[0078] In step S808, the source high-orbit satellite sends a switching request to the new high-orbit satellite.

[0079] In step S810, the new high-orbit satellite selects a new low-orbit satellite according to the ephemeris information and the state information reported by the low-orbit satellite.

[0080] In step S812, the context of the source low-orbit satellite is released, and the terminal accesses the new low-orbit satellite and the new high-orbit satellite.

[0081] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, vertical switching between high-orbit satellites and low-orbit satellites can be realized, thereby improving switching efficiency.

[0082] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure support switching between satellites in different orbits. The terminal is authorized to support GEO satellites as IAB donors to make switching decisions. The network side needs to define satellite access capabilities that support IAB integration. The introduction of the IAB network architecture reduces the interaction between satellites and the core network to some extent, reduces the load of the ground network, and enables global service coverage of the business. At the same time, for GEO / LEO satellite cooperative communication networks in two different scenarios, by switching only the low-orbit satellite or switching the high-orbit satellite and the low-orbit satellite, accurate satellite network switching in the regeneration mode is realized, and the space-ground integration system is further improved.

[0083] The present disclosure also provides a satellite switching device. Referring to FIG. 9, the satellite switching device 900 mainly includes the following modules:

[0084] The network construction module 901 is configured to construct a satellite IAB network by taking at least one high-orbit satellite as an anchor IAB and taking a plurality of low-orbit satellites as IAB nodes, and to communicate between a terminal and a core network based on the satellite IAB network.

[0085] The first switching module 902 is configured to, when the terminal meets a switching condition, if there is one high-orbit satellite in the satellite IAB network, switch a low-orbit satellite to a new low-orbit satellite.

[0086] The second switching module 903 is configured to, if there are a plurality of high-orbit satellites in the satellite IAB network, switch a high-orbit satellite to a new high-orbit satellite, and switch a low-orbit satellite to a new low-orbit satellite through the new high-orbit satellite, to realize satellite switching.

[0087] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the terminal meets a switching condition, including:

[0088] When the terminal is at a beam coverage edge and a signal quality of a current satellite connected by the terminal is lower than a tolerance threshold, it is determined that the terminal meets the switching condition.

[0089] Or, when network congestion occurs in a current low-orbit satellite connected by the terminal, it is determined that the terminal meets the switching condition.

[0090] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the switching of the low-orbit satellite to a new low-orbit satellite includes:

[0091] The high-orbit satellite in the satellite IAB network receives attribute information reported by the low-orbit satellite, and the attribute information includes at least one of ephemeris information, a supported cell list, and a connection time of the low-orbit satellite.

[0092] The high-orbit satellite receives a measurement report and a switching request sent by the low-orbit satellite when network congestion occurs, and the switching request includes IAB congestion indication information indicating that the low-orbit satellite has been overloaded.

[0093] The high-orbit satellite selects a new low-orbit satellite and performs switching in response to the switching request, according to the ephemeris information and state information of the low-orbit satellite determined from the measurement report.

[0094] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the switching of the low-orbit satellite to a new low-orbit satellite includes:

[0095] The attribute information is periodically reported by the low-orbit satellite and received by the high-orbit satellite in the satellite IAB network, and the attribute information includes at least one of ephemeris information, a supported cell list, and a connection time of the low-orbit satellite.

[0096] In response to detecting that the low-orbit satellite leaves the cell where the terminal is located, the high-orbit satellite initiates the handover request according to the ephemeris information reported by the low-orbit satellite.

[0097] In response to the handover request, a new low-orbit satellite is selected and handover is performed according to the ephemeris information and the state information of the low-orbit satellite determined from the measurement report.

[0098] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the switching the high-orbit satellite to a new high-orbit satellite and switching the low-orbit satellite to a new low-orbit satellite through the new high-orbit satellite comprises:

[0099] The high-orbit satellite is pre-configured with ephemeris information by the core network, and receives attribute information reported by the low-orbit satellite, the attribute information comprising at least one of ephemeris information, a supported cell list, and a connection time of the low-orbit satellite.

[0100] The high-orbit satellite selects a new high-orbit satellite according to the ephemeris information and the load condition reported by the low-orbit satellite.

[0101] The high-orbit satellite sends a handover request to the new high-orbit satellite, so that the new high-orbit satellite selects a new low-orbit satellite and performs handover.

[0102] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the selecting a new low-orbit satellite comprises:

[0103] The new high-orbit satellite selects a new low-orbit satellite according to the ephemeris information of the low-orbit satellite and the state information reported by the low-orbit satellite.

[0104] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the apparatus further comprises: the terminal communicates with the core network through the satellite IAB network, and stores satellite IAB operation indication information in a target network element of the core network, so that the network element can obtain subscription data from the target network element; wherein the subscription data is used to indicate that the terminal accesses the low-orbit satellite or the high-orbit satellite, and is used to indicate that the high-orbit satellite is allowed to perform satellite handover as an anchor IAB.

[0105] It should be noted that the specific details of each module in the above satellite handover apparatus have been described in detail in the corresponding satellite handover method, and therefore will not be described here.

[0106] It should be noted that although several modules or units of the device for action execution are mentioned in the above detailed description, such division is not mandatory. In fact, according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the features and functions of two or more modules or units described above can be embodied in one module or unit. Conversely, the features and functions of one module or unit described above can be further divided into multiple modules or units.

[0107] Furthermore, although the steps of the method in this disclosure are described in a specific order in the accompanying drawings, this does not require or imply that the steps must be performed in that specific order, or that all the steps shown must be performed to achieve the desired result. Additional or alternative steps may be omitted, multiple steps may be combined into one step, and / or a step may be broken down into multiple steps.

[0108] In an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, an electronic device capable of implementing the above-described method is also provided.

[0109] Those skilled in the art will understand that various aspects of this disclosure can be implemented as a system, method, or program product. Therefore, various aspects of this disclosure can be specifically implemented in the following forms: a completely hardware implementation, a completely software implementation (including firmware, microcode, etc.), or a combination of hardware and software aspects, collectively referred to herein as a "circuit," "module," or "system."

[0110] The electronic device 1000 according to this embodiment of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to FIG10. The electronic device 1000 shown in FIG10 is merely an example and should not be construed as limiting the functionality and scope of use of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0111] As shown in Figure 10, the electronic device 1000 is presented in the form of a general-purpose computing device. The components of the electronic device 1000 may include, but are not limited to: at least one processing unit 1010, at least one storage unit 1020, a bus 1030 connecting different system components (including storage unit 1020 and processing unit 1010), and a display unit 1040.

[0112] The storage unit stores program code that can be executed by the processing unit 1010, causing the processing unit 1010 to perform the steps described in the "Exemplary Methods" section of this specification according to various exemplary embodiments of this disclosure. For example, the processing unit 1010 can perform the steps shown in FIG1.

[0113] Storage unit 1020 may include readable media in the form of volatile storage units, such as random access memory (RAM) 10201 and / or cache memory 10202, and may further include read-only memory (ROM) 10203.

[0114] Storage unit 1020 may also include a program / utility 10204 having a set (at least one) program module 10205, such program module 10205 including but not limited to: operating system, one or more application programs, other program modules and program data, each or some combination of these examples may include an implementation of a network environment.

[0115] Bus 1030 can represent one or more of several types of bus structures, including a memory cell bus or memory cell controller, a peripheral bus, a graphics acceleration port, a processing unit, or a local bus using any of the multiple bus structures.

[0116] Electronic device 1000 can also communicate with one or more external devices 1100 (e.g., keyboard, pointing device, Bluetooth device, etc.), one or more devices that enable a user to interact with electronic device 1000, and / or any device that enables electronic device 1000 to communicate with one or more other computing devices (e.g., router, modem, etc.). This communication can be performed via input / output (I / O) interface 1050. Furthermore, electronic device 1000 can also communicate with one or more networks (e.g., local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), and / or public networks, such as the Internet) via network adapter 1060. As shown, network adapter 1060 communicates with other modules of electronic device 1000 via bus 1030. It should be understood that, although not shown in the figures, other hardware and / or software modules can be used in conjunction with electronic device 1000, including but not limited to: microcode, device drivers, redundant processing units, external disk drive arrays, RAID systems, tape drives, and data backup storage systems.

[0117] It should be noted that some embodiments of this disclosure also provide a computer program product, which includes a computer program that implements the above-described method when executed by a processor.

[0118] In an embodiment, the computer program product can be a tangible product that contains the computer program, such as a computer-readable storage medium storing the computer program. The computer-readable storage medium can be a storage medium based on electric, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or any other type of signal that carries the computer program. Examples of the computer-readable storage medium include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), tape, floppy disks, flash memory (Flash), hard disk drive (HDD), solid-state drive (SSD), and the like. For example, the computer program product can be implemented as a non-volatile storage medium that stores the computer program, such as read-only memory (ROM), Nand Flash, and the like. In an embodiment, the computer program product can be an intangible product that contains the computer program. For example, the computer program product can be implemented as a virtual digital product, such as an executable file, an installation package, or the like, that stores the computer program.

[0119] The code of the computer program can be written in one or more programming languages. Examples of programming languages include C, Java, C++, and the like. The program code can execute entirely on the user's computing device, or partly on the user's computing device and partly on a remote computing device, or entirely on the remote computing device or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computing device can be connected to the user's computing device through any type of network, such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), or the like, or the connection can be made to an external computing device, such as through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider (ISP).

[0120] The computer program can be carried or transmitted by an electric, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or any other type of signal. An electronic device can convert the signal carrying the computer program into a digital signal, and then run the computer program. When the computer program is run on the electronic device, the code of the computer program is used to make the electronic device perform (more specifically, the processor of the electronic device can be made to perform) the method steps of various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0121] From the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the example embodiments described herein can be implemented by software and / or by hardware and / or by a combination of software and hardware. The technical solutions according to the embodiments of the present disclosure can be embodied in a software product, which can be stored in a non-volatile storage medium (which can be a CD-ROM, a USB flash disk, a mobile hard disk, or the like) or a network, and includes a number of instructions to make a computing device (which can be a personal computer, a server, a terminal device, or a network device, etc.) execute the methods according to the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0122] Further, the above-described diagrams are merely schematic illustrations of the processes included in the method according to the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, and are not intended for limiting purposes. It is readily understood that the processes shown in the above-described diagrams do not indicate or limit the time sequence of the processes. In addition, it is also readily understood that the processes can be executed, for example, synchronously or asynchronously in a plurality of modules.

[0123] It should be noted that, although several modules or units of the device for action execution are mentioned in the above detailed description, such division is not mandatory. Indeed, according to embodiments of the present disclosure, the features and functionalities of two or more modules or units described above can be embodied in one module or unit. Conversely, the features and functionalities of one module or unit described above can be further divided into embodied by a plurality of modules or units.

[0124] Other embodiments of the present disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon considering the specification and practice of the disclosure herein. The present application is intended to cover any variations, uses or adaptive changes of this disclosure that follow the general principles thereof and include common general knowledge or customary technical practices in the art not specifically disclosed. The specification and examples are to be regarded as exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of the present disclosure are indicated by the claims.

[0125] It is to be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the precise construction described above and shown in the drawings, and that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope thereof. The scope of the present disclosure is limited only by the claims appended hereto.

Claims

1. A satellite handoff method, wherein, The method comprises the following steps: constructing a satellite IAB network by taking at least one high-orbit satellite as an anchor point IAB and taking a plurality of low-orbit satellites as IAB nodes, and communicating between a terminal and a core network based on the satellite IAB network; when the terminal meets a handover condition, if there is one high-orbit satellite in the satellite IAB network, switching a low-orbit satellite to a new low-orbit satellite; if there are a plurality of high-orbit satellites in the satellite IAB network, switching the high-orbit satellites to new high-orbit satellites, and switching the low-orbit satellites to new low-orbit satellites through the new high-orbit satellites, so as to realize satellite handover.

2. The satellite handover method of claim 1, wherein, The terminal meets the handover condition, comprising: when the terminal is at the edge of beam coverage and the signal quality of the current satellite connected by the terminal is lower than a tolerance threshold, determining that the terminal meets the handover condition; or, when network congestion occurs in the current low-orbit satellite connected by the terminal, determining that the terminal meets the handover condition.

3. The satellite handoff method of claim 1, wherein, The step of switching the low-orbit satellite to a new low-orbit satellite, comprising: a high-orbit satellite in the satellite IAB network receives attribute information reported by a low-orbit satellite; the attribute information comprises at least one of ephemeris information of the low-orbit satellite, a supported cell list, and a connection time; the high-orbit satellite receives a measurement report and a handover request sent by the low-orbit satellite when network congestion occurs, and the handover request comprises IAB congestion indication information for indicating that the low-orbit satellite has been overloaded; the high-orbit satellite selects a new low-orbit satellite and performs handover in response to the handover request according to the ephemeris information and state information of the low-orbit satellite determined from the measurement report.

4. The satellite handoff method of claim 1, wherein, The step of switching the low-orbit satellite to a new low-orbit satellite, comprising: receiving attribute information periodically reported by a low-orbit satellite through a high-orbit satellite in the satellite IAB network; the attribute information comprises at least one of ephemeris information of the low-orbit satellite itself, a supported cell list, and a connection time; when it is detected that the low-orbit satellite leaves a cell where the terminal is located, initiating the handover request according to the ephemeris information reported by the low-orbit satellite by the high-orbit satellite; in response to the handover request, selecting a new low-orbit satellite and performing handover according to the ephemeris information and state information of the low-orbit satellite determined from the measurement report.

5. The satellite handoff method of claim 1, wherein, The step of switching the high-orbit satellite to a new high-orbit satellite and switching the low-orbit satellite to a new low-orbit satellite through the new high-orbit satellite, comprising: the high-orbit satellite and the core network are pre-configured with ephemeris information, and the high-orbit satellite receives attribute information reported by a low-orbit satellite; the attribute information comprises at least one of ephemeris information of the low-orbit satellite, a supported cell list, and a connection time; the high-orbit satellite selects a new high-orbit satellite according to the ephemeris information and the load condition of the low-orbit satellite; the high-orbit satellite sends a handover request to the new high-orbit satellite, so that the new high-orbit satellite selects a new low-orbit satellite and performs handover.

6. The satellite handoff method of claim 5, wherein, The step of selecting a new low-orbit satellite, comprising: the new high-orbit satellite selects a new low-orbit satellite according to the ephemeris information of the low-orbit satellite and the state information reported by the low-orbit satellite.

7. The satellite handoff method of claim 1 wherein, The method further comprises: the terminal communicates with the core network through the satellite IAB network, and stores satellite IAB operation indication information in a target network element of the core network, so that the network element can obtain subscription data from the target network element; The subscription data is used to indicate that the terminal accesses a low-orbit satellite or a high-orbit satellite, and is used to indicate that the high-orbit satellite is allowed to perform satellite handover as an anchor IAB.

8. A satellite switching device, wherein, Comprise: a network construction module configured to construct a satellite IAB network by taking at least one high-orbit satellite as an anchor IAB and taking a plurality of low-orbit satellites as IAB nodes, and to communicate between a terminal and a core network based on the satellite IAB network; a first handover module configured to, when a terminal meets a handover condition, if there is one high-orbit satellite in the satellite IAB network, hand over a low-orbit satellite to a new low-orbit satellite; a second handover module configured to, if there are a plurality of high-orbit satellites in the satellite IAB network, hand over a high-orbit satellite to a new high-orbit satellite, and hand over a low-orbit satellite to a new low-orbit satellite through the new high-orbit satellite, to realize satellite handover.

9. A computer program product comprising a computer program, wherein, The computer program is executed by a processor to realize the satellite handover method of any one of claims 1-7.

10. An electronic device, comprising: Comprise: a processor; and a memory configured to store executable instructions of the processor; wherein the processor is configured to execute the satellite handover method of any one of claims 1-7 via execution of the executable instructions.

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