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 methods and devices, computer program products, electronic equipment

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411237568.5, filed on September 4, 2024, entitled "Satellite Switching Method and Apparatus, Computer Program Product, Electronic Equipment", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and more specifically, to a satellite switching method, a satellite switching device, a computer program product, and an electronic device. Background Technology

[0004] 3GPP has studied satellite access in regenerative mode. With the development of satellite communications, single-layer satellite networks can no longer meet service demands. High Earth Orbit (GEO) satellites have long propagation delays, failing to meet the requirements of latency-sensitive services. Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites' rapid movement leads to frequent handover issues; when a user is about to leave the coverage area of ​​an LEO satellite, they need to switch to another satellite to avoid communication interruption. Therefore, integrating GEO and LEO satellites to build a multi-orbit satellite network is crucial for satellite communications.

[0005] To meet the needs of different services, a handover strategy needs to be established between geostationary orbit (GEO) satellites and low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites. Related technologies involve switching between GEO and LEO satellites through interaction between the satellites and terrestrial networks. This handover process is time-consuming, inefficient, and lacks convenience. Summary of the Invention

[0006] According to one aspect of this disclosure, a satellite handover method is provided, comprising: constructing a satellite IAB network by using at least one high-orbit satellite as an anchor point IAB and multiple 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 the handover conditions, if there is a high-orbit satellite in the satellite IAB network, the low-orbit satellite is switched to the new low-orbit satellite; if there are multiple high-orbit satellites in the satellite IAB network, the high-orbit satellite is switched to the new high-orbit satellite, and the low-orbit satellite is switched to the new low-orbit satellite through the new high-orbit satellite, thereby realizing satellite handover.

[0007] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the terminal satisfying the switching condition includes: determining that the terminal satisfies the switching condition when the terminal is at the edge of beam coverage and the signal quality of the current satellite to which the terminal is connected is lower than a tolerance threshold; or, determining that the terminal satisfies the switching condition when network congestion occurs on the current low-orbit satellite to which the terminal is connected.

[0008] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the step of switching the low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite to a new LEO satellite includes: a high-Earth orbit (HEO) satellite in the satellite IAB network receiving attribute information reported by the LEO satellite; the attribute information includes at least one of the LEO satellite's ephemeris information, a list of supported cells, and connection time; the HEO satellite receiving a measurement report and a handover request sent by the LEO satellite when network congestion occurs, the handover request including IAB congestion indication information indicating that the LEO satellite is overloaded; and the HEO satellite, in response to the handover request, selecting a new LEO satellite and performing the handover based on the ephemeris information and the LEO satellite's status information determined from the measurement report.

[0009] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the step of switching the low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite to a new LEO satellite includes: receiving attribute information periodically reported by the LEO satellite via a high-Earth orbit (HEO) satellite in a satellite IAB network; the attribute information includes at least one of the LEO satellite's own ephemeris information, a list of supported cells, and connection time; when the HEO satellite is detected to have left the cell where the terminal is located, the HEO satellite initiates the handover request based on the ephemeris information reported by the LEO satellite; in response to the handover request, a new LEO satellite is selected and the handover is performed based on the ephemeris information and the LEO satellite's status information determined from the measurement report.

[0010] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the step of switching a high-orbit satellite to a new high-orbit satellite and then switching a low-orbit satellite to a new low-orbit satellite via the new high-orbit satellite includes: the high-orbit satellite and the core network pre-configuring ephemeris information and receiving attribute information reported by the low-orbit satellite, the attribute information including at least one of the low-orbit satellite's ephemeris information, a list of supported cells, and connection time; the high-orbit satellite selecting a new high-orbit satellite based on the ephemeris information and the load status reported by the low-orbit satellite; and the high-orbit satellite sending a handover request to the new high-orbit satellite, so that the new high-orbit satellite selects the new low-orbit satellite and performs the handover.

[0011] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the selection of a new low-Earth orbit satellite includes: selecting a new high-Earth orbit satellite based on the ephemeris information of the low-Earth orbit satellite and the status information reported by the low-Earth orbit satellite.

[0012] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the method further includes: the terminal communicating with the core network through a satellite IAB network and storing satellite IAB operation instruction 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 to indicate that a high-orbit satellite is allowed to perform satellite handover as an anchor IAB.

[0013] According to one aspect of this disclosure, a satellite switching apparatus is provided, comprising: a network construction module configured to construct a satellite IAB network by using at least one high-orbit satellite as an anchor IAB and multiple low-orbit satellites as IAB nodes, and to communicate between a terminal and a core network based on the satellite IAB network; a first switching module configured to, when the terminal meets the switching conditions, switch the low-orbit satellite to a new low-orbit satellite if there is a high-orbit satellite in the satellite IAB network; and a second switching module configured to, if there are multiple high-orbit satellites in the satellite IAB network, switch the high-orbit satellite to a new high-orbit satellite, and then switch the low-orbit satellite to a new low-orbit satellite through the new high-orbit satellite, thereby realizing satellite switching.

[0014] According to one aspect of this disclosure, a computer program product is provided, comprising a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the satellite handover method described in any of the preceding claims.

[0015] According to one aspect of this 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 perform the satellite handover method described in any of the preceding claims by executing the executable instructions. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 schematically illustrates a flowchart of a satellite handover method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0017] Figure 2 schematically illustrates a satellite access process in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0018] Figure 3 schematically illustrates a diagram of an IAB network in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0019] Figure 4 schematically illustrates a satellite IAB network according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0020] Figure 5 schematically illustrates a satellite IAB network under the coverage of a single high-orbit satellite in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0021] Figure 6 schematically illustrates a satellite IAB network under the coverage of multiple high-orbit satellites in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0022] Figure 7 schematically illustrates the specific process of satellite handover under the coverage of a single high-orbit satellite in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0023] Figure 8 schematically illustrates the specific process of satellite switching under the coverage of multiple high-orbit satellites in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0024] Figure 9 schematically shows a block diagram of a satellite switching device in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0025] Figure 10 schematically illustrates a block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0026] Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, example embodiments can be implemented in many forms and should not be construed as limited to the examples set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided to make this disclosure more comprehensive and complete, and to fully convey the concept of the example embodiments to those skilled in the art. The described features, structures, or characteristics can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. In the following description, numerous specific details are provided to give a full understanding of embodiments of this disclosure. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that the technical solutions of this disclosure can be practiced with one or more of the specific details omitted, or other methods, components, apparatus, steps, etc., can be employed. In other instances, well-known technical solutions are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring various aspects of this disclosure.

[0027] Furthermore, the accompanying drawings are merely illustrative of this disclosure and are not necessarily drawn to scale. The same reference numerals in the drawings denote the same or similar parts, and therefore repeated descriptions of them will be omitted. Some block diagrams shown in the drawings are functional entities and do not necessarily correspond to physically or logically independent entities. These functional entities may be implemented in software, in one or more hardware modules or integrated circuits, or in different network and / or processor devices and / or microcontroller devices.

[0028] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this disclosure provides a satellite handover method applicable to satellite access scenarios based on regenerative mode. Referring to Figure 1, the method mainly includes the following steps:

[0029] In step S110, at least one high-orbit satellite is used as an anchor IAB, and multiple low-orbit satellites are used as IAB nodes to construct a satellite IAB network. The terminal communicates with the core network based on the satellite IAB network.

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

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

[0032] The technical solutions provided in this disclosure, on the one hand, construct a satellite IAB network based on high-orbit and low-orbit satellites. For different numbers of high-orbit satellites within the satellite IAB network, it is possible to switch only low-orbit satellites, or switch both high-orbit and low-orbit satellites. Different satellite switching procedures can be determined according to different scenarios, improving both the efficiency and convenience of satellite switching. On the other hand, the satellite IAB network can be constructed based on high-orbit and low-orbit satellites, integrating the IAB network into the satellite network. Through the fusion of high-orbit and low-orbit satellites, the interaction between satellites and the core website is reduced, meeting different types of business needs and increasing the application scope and applicability.

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

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

[0035] This embodiment of the disclosure can be applied to satellite access scenarios. Satellite access scenarios may include a terminal side and a network side, wherein the terminal side may include at least one terminal, and the network side may include a satellite, a gateway station, a core network, and a data network. The satellite access process based on the regeneration mode scenario is shown in Figure 2.

[0036] To achieve rapid handover between LEO and GEO satellites, a 5G NTN network architecture with integrated access backhaul can be used to realize the handover process between LEO and GEO satellites, that is, to merge the IAB network with GEO and LEO satellites. The IAB network can be a type of wireless relay in the 5G network architecture. An IAB network consists of an anchor IAB (IAB-donor) and IAB nodes. An IAB node consists of an IAB mobile terminal (IAB-MT) and an IAB base station (IAB-DU). Any IAB node connects to its parent node through its mobile terminal IAB-MT and provides services to its child nodes through the IAB base station IAB-DU, as shown in Figure 3.

[0037] Based on this, high-orbit satellites can be used as anchor IABs (IaB donors), and low-orbit satellites can be used as IAB nodes to construct a satellite IAB network. The satellites in this network operate and maintain their own ephemeris information. Referring to Figure 4, the IAB network architecture can include terminals, satellite IAB nodes, satellite ground stations, and a core network. The connection between the satellite ground station and the satellite IAB nodes is a backhaul link, and the connection between the terminal and the satellite IAB nodes is an access link. The connection between the satellite gateway and the core network is a non-IAB connection.

[0038] 3GPP TS 38.473 proposes that the downlink congestion status 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, handover procedures are designed for scenarios with a single high-orbit satellite and multiple high-orbit satellites. In this embodiment, for the single high-orbit satellite scenario, two handover triggering methods are designed: one is triggered by a low-orbit satellite, i.e., the low-orbit satellite initiates the handover request; the other is triggered by a high-orbit satellite GEO, i.e., the high-orbit satellite initiates the handover request. To support handover between satellites in different orbits, during handover, the terminal needs to be authorized to support high-orbit satellites as anchor IABs to execute satellite handover decisions. In addition, the network side needs to define satellite access capabilities that support IAB convergence. Introducing the above IAB network architecture can reduce the interaction between satellites and the core network, while achieving comprehensive service coverage for different services.

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

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

[0041] After constructing a satellite IAB network by using at least one high-orbit satellite as an anchor IAB and multiple low-orbit satellites as IAB nodes, communication connections can be established between terminals and the core network based on this satellite IAB network. Each high-orbit satellite's coverage area can include multiple low-orbit satellites. Multiple terminals can communicate via both high-orbit and low-orbit satellites. These terminals can include satellite mobile terminals, IoT gateways, vehicle-mounted mobile stations, shipborne mobile stations, etc. Different types of terminals can connect to different satellites; for example, they can connect to high-orbit satellites or low-orbit satellites. The coverage areas of different high-orbit satellites can overlap, and the coverage areas of different low-orbit satellites can also overlap.

[0042] In this embodiment of the disclosure, by introducing an IAB network between high-orbit and low-orbit satellites, the interaction between the satellite and the core network can be reduced, while global service coverage for different services can be achieved, thereby improving the coverage range.

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

[0044] In this embodiment of the disclosure, a satellite IAB network architecture under the coverage of a single high-orbit satellite can be constructed based on the satellite IAB network shown in Figure 4. Referring to Figure 5, the satellite IAB network under the coverage of a single high-orbit satellite can be applied to handover scenarios under the same high-orbit satellite.

[0045] In satellite communication networks, due to altitude, high-orbit GEO satellites have significant propagation delays, making them unsuitable for latency-sensitive services. The rapid movement of low-orbit LEO satellites leads to frequent handovers. When a user is about to leave the coverage area of ​​a LEO satellite, they need to switch to another satellite to avoid communication interruption.

[0046] A single low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite covers a relatively small area, and when the constellation size of LEO satellites is small, some areas may not be covered. Therefore, using a small-scale combination of LEO satellites and GEO satellites can meet the needs of different types of services. When the LEO constellation lacks continuous global coverage, terminals must connect to GEO satellites for normal communication. GEO satellites can also help balance the load on LEO satellites, preventing the termination of latency-sensitive services connected to LEO satellites.

[0047] To enable handover between different satellites, it's first necessary to determine if the terminal meets the handover conditions. For example, if the terminal is at the edge of the beam coverage area and the signal quality of the current satellite is below a tolerance threshold, the terminal meets the handover conditions. The current satellite can be either the currently connected low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite or the currently connected high-Earth orbit (HEO) satellite, specifically determined based on the beam coverage area where the terminal is located. Alternatively, if network congestion occurs when a LEO satellite passes through an area with high traffic, this congestion can degrade the performance of the entire network, necessitating a handover to a new HEO satellite for better service. Therefore, if network congestion occurs when the terminal's currently connected LEO satellite passes through an area with high traffic, the terminal also meets the handover conditions.

[0048] Since a satellite IAB network can include one or more high-orbit satellites, when the terminal meets the handover conditions, depending on the number of high-orbit satellites in the satellite IAB network, a horizontal handover of low-orbit satellites can be achieved by switching only low-orbit satellites, or a vertical handover of high-orbit and low-orbit satellites can be achieved by switching both high-orbit and low-orbit satellites. When switching between high-orbit and low-orbit satellites, the high-orbit satellite can be switched first, followed by the low-orbit satellite.

[0049] Next, we will first explain the application scenario involving a high-orbit satellite. If a high-orbit satellite exists in the satellite IAB network, a low-orbit satellite can be switched to a new low-orbit satellite. Here, the low-orbit satellite can be the source low-orbit satellite, which refers to the currently connected low-orbit satellite. For example, during the interaction between the terminal and the core network, a satellite IAB operation instruction message can be stored in the target network element of the core network NGC, so that subsequent network elements can obtain relevant subscription data from the target network element based on this 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, i.e., 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 converged satellite service. The subscription data may include the following: the terminal accesses a low-orbit or high-orbit satellite, and the high-orbit satellite acts as the anchor point for IAB satellite switching. It should be noted that the subscription data can be added, modified, or reduced according to actual needs; no specific limitations are made here.

[0050] Table 1

[0051] Furthermore, based on the network architecture shown in Figure 5, low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites can periodically report their own attribute information, including but not limited to ephemeris information, a list of supported cells, and connection times. The ephemeris information can be used for LEO satellite positioning, specifically including but not limited to the LEO satellite's orbital information, connection information, velocity, altitude, and overpass time, enabling ground control of the LEO satellites. The list of supported cells includes all supported TA cells. Connection times can include the connection timing and duration. High-Earth orbit (HEO) satellites and the core network can store the ephemeris information reported by LEO satellites and update it periodically.

[0052] Next, the low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite can send a measurement report and a handover request to the high-Earth orbit (HEO) satellite based on ephemeris information and its own load status. The test report may include various information about the LEO satellite, such as status information and other details. The HEO satellite can process and manage the LEO information based on the measurement report. In this embodiment, the handover request may include an IAB congestion indication message, which indicates that the LEO satellite is overloaded and a handover decision is required. Whether the LEO satellite is overloaded can be determined based on its reported load status. That is, when user distribution is uneven, if a LEO satellite experiences network congestion in an area with high traffic, a handover request can be initiated based on the LEO satellite, and this handover request includes an IAB congestion indication message indicating that the LEO satellite is overloaded.

[0053] A low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite initiates a handover request, which can be sent to a high-Earth orbit (HEO) satellite. After the HEO satellite receives the request, it can respond by selecting a new LEO satellite based on the LEO satellite's ephemeris information and its status information determined from a measurement report. The status information may include connectivity availability and connection duration. Based on this, the HEO satellite then performs the process of selecting a new LEO satellite. For example, when selecting a new LEO satellite based on ephemeris and status information, multiple satellite parameters can be determined based on these parameters, and multiple LEO satellites can be selected based on these parameters. These satellite parameters include distance, signal strength, payload capacity, connection time, and one or more cells from a supported cell list. Each satellite parameter can correspond to a priority level, with different parameters having different priorities. For example, the priorities from highest to lowest could be: distance, signal strength, payload capacity, connection time, and supported cell list. Alternatively, a score can be assigned to each satellite parameter of each LEO satellite, and a weight parameter can be pre-configured for each satellite parameter. The score of each LEO satellite's corresponding satellite parameter is then weighted and summed with the weighted score to obtain the score for each LEO satellite. The LEO satellite with the highest score is then selected as the new LEO satellite. The weight parameter can be determined based on the priority of the satellite parameter, and the weight parameter can be positively correlated with the priority; that is, the higher the priority, the larger the weight parameter.

[0054] Based on this, after switching the source LEO satellite to the new LEO satellite, the new LEO satellite can be used as a new node for terminal access. Referring to 38.401 8.2.3.1, after determining the new LEO satellite, the context of the source LEO satellite can be released, and the terminal UE can access the new LEO satellite, establishing a new BH RLC channel and routing entry. The routing entry can be used to represent the connection relationship with high-orbit satellites, such as which satellite it connects to, which high-orbit satellite it connects to, etc.

[0055] In other embodiments, based on the network architecture shown in Figure 5, low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites can periodically report their own attribute information, including but not limited to ephemeris information, a list of supported cells, and connection time. The ephemeris information can be used for positioning the LEO satellite, specifically including but not limited to its orbital information, connection information, velocity, altitude, and overpass time, to facilitate ground management of the LEO satellite. The list of supported cells can include all supported TA cells. Connection time can include the connection timing and duration. High-Earth orbit (HEO) satellites and the core network can store the ephemeris information reported by the LEO satellites and update it periodically. LEO satellites can send measurement reports to HEO satellites based on the ephemeris information and payload information. The test report can include various information about the LEO satellite, such as status information and other information. HEO satellites can process and manage the LEO information based on the measurement report.

[0056] Next, when a low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite is about to leave the terminal's cell, a high-Earth orbit (HEO) satellite can initiate a handover request based on the ephemeris information reported by the LEO satellite. The handover request initiated by the HEO satellite may include a handover request indication message. That is, a handover request can be initiated based on the HEO satellite when the LEO satellite is about to leave the terminal's cell.

[0057] In response to a handover request, a high-orbit satellite can select a new low-orbit satellite based on ephemeris information and the status information of low-orbit satellites determined from a measurement report. For example, when selecting a new low-orbit satellite based on ephemeris information and the status information of low-orbit satellites, multiple low-orbit satellites can be selected based on multiple satellite parameters. These parameters include distance, signal strength, payload capacity, connection time, and one or more from a list of supported cells. Each satellite parameter can correspond to a priority, with different priorities for different parameters. For example, the priority order from highest to lowest could be: distance, signal strength, payload capacity, connection time, and list of supported cells. Alternatively, the scores of the satellite parameters corresponding to each low-orbit satellite can be weighted and summed to obtain a score for each low-orbit satellite, and a new low-orbit satellite can be selected based on this score.

[0058] Based on this, the new low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite can be used as a new node for terminal access. Referring to 38.401 8.2.3.1, after determining the new LEO satellite, the context of the source LEO satellite can be released, and the terminal UE can access the new LEO satellite, establishing a new BH RLC channel and routing entry. The routing entry can be used to represent the connection relationship with high-Earth orbit (HEO) satellites.

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

[0060] In this embodiment of the disclosure, when there are multiple high-orbit satellites in the satellite IAB network, the network architecture of the satellite IAB network covered by multiple high-orbit satellites composed of high-orbit satellites and low-orbit satellites can be as shown in Figure 6. Based on the network architecture in Figure 6, there are two main types of handover in the GEO / LEO satellite IAB network: one is horizontal handover at the low-orbit satellite layer, and the other is vertical handover 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 Figure 6, the high-orbit satellites and the core network can be pre-configured with ephemeris information and receive attribute information reported by low-orbit satellites. The attribute information includes at least one of the following: ephemeris information of low-orbit satellites, a list of supported cells, and connection time.

[0062] Furthermore, when user distribution is uneven, network congestion occurs when low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites pass through areas with high traffic, and high-Earth orbit (HEO) satellites determine that LEO satellites are overloaded based on IAB congestion indication messages, the HEO satellites will decide to perform the handover decision. Specifically, the HEO satellites select a new HEO satellite based on ephemeris information and the load status reported by the LEO satellites. When selecting a new HEO satellite, multiple HEO satellites can still be selected based on multiple satellite parameters. These parameters include distance, signal strength, load capacity, connection time, and one or more cells from the supported cell list. Each satellite parameter can correspond to a priority, and different satellite parameters have different priorities. For example, the priority from highest to lowest can be: distance, signal strength, load capacity, connection time, and supported cell list. Of course, the priorities can also be adjusted according to actual needs, without specific limitations here. For example, the priority of satellite parameters when selecting HEO satellites can be different from the priority when selecting LEO satellites. Alternatively, the scores of the satellite parameters corresponding to each HEO satellite can be weighted and summed to obtain a score for each HEO satellite, and a new HEO satellite can be selected based on the score.

[0063] After a new high-orbit satellite is identified, the high-orbit satellite sends a handover request to the new high-orbit satellite to switch from the source high-orbit satellite to the new one, allowing the new high-orbit satellite to select a new low-orbit satellite. The source high-orbit satellite refers to the currently corresponding high-orbit satellite. For example, after initiating the handover request, the high-orbit satellite can select a new low-orbit satellite based on ephemeris information and the status information reported by the low-orbit satellite. The selection of a new low-orbit satellite can be based on the priority of satellite parameters, or on a weighted sum of the scores of each satellite parameter and its weight parameters.

[0064] Based on this, a new low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite can be used as a new node for terminal access, enabling the terminal to access both the new LEO and high-Earth orbit (HEO) satellites. Referring to section 38.401 8.2.3.1, after determining the new LEO satellite, the context of the original LEO satellite can be released, and the terminal (UE) randomly accesses the new LEO satellite, establishing a new BH RLC channel and routing entries. These routing entries can be used to represent the connection relationships between the terminal and the LEO and HEO satellites.

[0065] Figure 7 schematically illustrates a flowchart of satellite switching based on a single high-orbit satellite. Referring to Figure 7, the main components include the terminal, the source low-orbit satellite, the new low-orbit satellite, the high-orbit satellite, and the core network; specifically, the following steps are included:

[0066] In step S702, the terminal interacts with the core network and stores the satellite IAB operation instruction message in the 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 handover as the anchor IAB donor.

[0067] In step S704, low-orbit satellites periodically report their own ephemeris information, the list of supported TA cells, connection time, and other attribute information; high-orbit satellites and the core network store ephemeris information and update it periodically.

[0068] Step S706: When network congestion occurs in a high-traffic area when a low-Earth orbit satellite passes through it, the low-Earth orbit satellite sends a measurement report and a handover request to the high-Earth orbit satellite based on ephemeris information and load conditions.

[0069] 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 based on the ephemeris information.

[0070] In step S710, the high-orbit satellite selects a new low-orbit satellite based on the ephemeris information and the status information reported by the low-orbit satellite.

[0071] Step S712: Release the context of the source low-Earth orbit satellite and allow the terminal to access the new low-Earth orbit satellite.

[0072] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the network side needs to define satellite access capabilities that support IAB fusion.

[0073] In application scenarios where a high-orbit satellite exists, a handover request can be initiated by either a low-orbit or high-orbit satellite. Furthermore, a new low-orbit satellite can be switched based on the handover request, enabling multiple triggering methods and improving overall versatility.

[0074] Figure 8 schematically illustrates a flowchart of satellite switching based on multiple high-orbit satellites. Referring to Figure 8, the main components include the terminal, source low-orbit satellite, new low-orbit satellite, source high-orbit satellite, new high-orbit satellite, and core network; specifically, the following steps are included:

[0075] In step S802, the terminal interacts with the core network and stores the satellite IAB operation instruction message in the 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 handover as the anchor IAB donor.

[0076] In step S804, the high-orbit satellites and the core network are pre-configured with ephemeris information, and the low-orbit satellites periodically report their own ephemeris information, the list of supported TA cells, connection time and other attribute information; the high-orbit satellites and the core network store the ephemeris information and update it periodically.

[0077] Step S806: When network congestion occurs in areas with high traffic when a low-orbit satellite passes through, the source high-orbit satellite selects a new high-orbit satellite.

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

[0079] Step S810: The new high-orbit satellite selects a new low-orbit satellite based on the ephemeris information and the status information reported by the low-orbit satellite.

[0080] Step S812: Release the context of the source low-Earth orbit satellite, and the terminal accesses the new low-Earth orbit satellite and the new high-Earth orbit satellite.

[0081] In this embodiment of the disclosure, vertical switching between high-orbit and low-orbit satellites can be achieved, thus improving switching efficiency.

[0082] The technical solution in this disclosure, in order to support handover between satellites in different orbits, requires that the terminal be authorized to support GEO satellites as IAB donors to perform handover decisions, and the network side needs to define satellite access capabilities that support IAB convergence. The introduction of the IAB network architecture reduces the interaction between satellites and the core network to a certain extent, alleviating the load on the terrestrial network, while achieving global service coverage. Simultaneously, for GEO / LEO satellite collaborative communication networks in two different scenarios, accurate handover of satellite networks in regenerative mode is achieved by switching only low-Earth orbit satellites or switching both high-Earth orbit and low-Earth orbit satellites, further improving the integrated air-space-ground system.

[0083] This disclosure also provides a satellite switching device. Referring to Figure 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 using at least one high-orbit satellite as an anchor IAB and multiple low-orbit satellites as IAB nodes, and to communicate between the terminal and the core network based on the satellite IAB network.

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

[0086] The second switching module 903 is configured to switch the high-orbit satellite to a new high-orbit satellite if there are multiple high-orbit satellites in the satellite IAB network, and then switch the low-orbit satellite to a new low-orbit satellite through the new high-orbit satellite, so as to achieve satellite switching.

[0087] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the terminal satisfies the switching conditions, including:

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

[0089] Alternatively, when network congestion occurs on the low-Earth orbit satellite currently connected to the terminal, it can be determined that the terminal meets the switching conditions.

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

[0091] In the satellite IAB network, high-orbit satellites receive attribute information reported by low-orbit satellites; the attribute information includes at least one of the following: ephemeris information of the low-orbit satellites, a list of supported cells, and connection time.

[0092] The high-orbit satellite receives measurement reports and handover requests sent by the low-orbit satellite when network congestion occurs. The handover request includes IAB congestion indication information to indicate that the low-orbit satellite is overloaded.

[0093] In response to the switching request, the high-orbit satellite selects a new low-orbit satellite and switches to it based on ephemeris information and the status information of the low-orbit satellite determined from the measurement report.

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

[0095] The satellite receives attribute information periodically reported by low-Earth orbit satellites through high-Earth orbit satellites in the satellite IAB network; the attribute information includes at least one of the following: the low-Earth orbit satellite's own ephemeris information, a list of supported cells, and connection time.

[0096] When a low-orbit satellite is detected leaving the cell where the terminal is located, the high-orbit satellite initiates the handover request based on the ephemeris information reported by the low-orbit satellite.

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

[0098] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the step of switching a high-orbit satellite to a new high-orbit satellite and then switching a low-orbit satellite to a new low-orbit satellite via the new high-orbit satellite includes:

[0099] The high-orbit satellites and the core network are pre-configured with ephemeris information and receive attribute information reported by low-orbit satellites. The attribute information includes at least one of the following: ephemeris information of the low-orbit satellites, a list of supported cells, and connection time.

[0100] The high-orbit satellite selects a new high-orbit satellite based on ephemeris information and the payload information reported by the low-orbit satellite;

[0101] A high-orbit satellite sends a handover request to a new high-orbit satellite, so that the new high-orbit satellite can select a new low-orbit satellite and perform the handover.

[0102] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, selecting a new low-Earth orbit satellite includes:

[0103] The new high-orbit satellite is selected based on the ephemeris information of the low-orbit satellite and the status information reported by the low-orbit satellite.

[0104] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the apparatus further includes: a terminal communicating with a core network via a satellite IAB network and storing satellite IAB operation instruction 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-Earth orbit satellite or a high-Earth orbit satellite, and to indicate that a high-Earth 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-mentioned satellite switching device have been described in detail in the corresponding satellite switching method, so they will not be repeated here.

[0106] It should be noted that although several modules or units for the device used to perform actions have been mentioned in the detailed description above, this division is not mandatory. In fact, according to embodiments of this 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 and embodied by 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 systems, methods, or program products. Therefore, various aspects of this disclosure can be specifically implemented in the following forms: entirely in hardware, entirely in software (including firmware, microcode, etc.), or in a combination of hardware and software, collectively referred to herein as “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 one embodiment, the computer program product can be a tangible product containing a computer program, such as a computer-readable storage medium storing the computer program. The readable storage medium can be a storage medium based on electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or other signals, including but not limited to: random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), magnetic tape, floppy disk, flash memory, hard disk drive (HDD), solid-state drive (SSD), etc. For example, the computer program product can be implemented as a non-volatile storage medium storing the computer program, such as read-only memory, NAND flash memory, etc. In one embodiment, the computer program product can be an intangible product containing a computer program. For example, the computer program product can be implemented as a virtual digital product, such as an executable file, installation package, or other digital file storing the computer program.

[0119] Computer program code can be written in one or more programming languages. Examples of programming languages ​​include C, Java, and C++. Program code can execute entirely on the user's computing device, partially on the user's computing device, or as a standalone software package. It can also execute partially on the user's computing device and partially on a remote computing device, or entirely on a remote computing device or server. In cases involving remote computing devices, the remote computing device can be connected to the user's computing device via any type of network, such as a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or it can be connected to an external computing device (e.g., via an internet connection provided by a mobile network operator).

[0120] Computer programs can be carried or transmitted via signals such as electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, and infrared rays. Electronic devices can convert signals carrying computer programs into digital signals, thereby running the computer programs. When a computer program runs on an electronic device, its code is used to cause the electronic device to execute (more specifically, to be executed by the processor of the electronic device) the method steps of various exemplary embodiments of this disclosure.

[0121] From the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art will readily understand that the exemplary embodiments described herein can be implemented by software or by combining software with necessary hardware. Therefore, the technical solutions according to the embodiments of this disclosure can be embodied in the form of a software product, which can be stored in a non-volatile storage medium (such as a CD-ROM, USB flash drive, external hard drive, etc.) or on a network, including several instructions to cause a computing device (such as a personal computer, server, terminal device, or network device, etc.) to execute the methods according to the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0122] Furthermore, the above figures are merely illustrative of the processes included in the method according to exemplary embodiments of this disclosure and are not intended to be limiting. It is readily understood that the processes shown in the above figures do not indicate or limit the temporal order of these processes. Additionally, it is readily understood that these processes may be executed synchronously or asynchronously, for example, in multiple modules.

[0123] It should be noted that although several modules or units for the device used to perform actions have been mentioned in the detailed description above, this division is not mandatory. In fact, according to embodiments of this 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 and embodied by multiple modules or units.

[0124] Other embodiments of this disclosure will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the specification and practice of the disclosure herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of this disclosure that follow the general principles of this disclosure and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein. The specification and examples are to be considered exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of this disclosure are indicated by the claims.

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

Claims

1. A satellite handoff method, wherein, include: A satellite IAB network is constructed by using at least one high-orbit satellite as an anchor IAB and multiple low-orbit satellites as IAB nodes, and the terminal communicates with the core network based on the satellite IAB network. When the terminal meets the switching conditions, if there is a high-orbit satellite in the satellite IAB network, the low-orbit satellite will be switched to the new low-orbit satellite. If there are multiple high-orbit satellites in the satellite IAB network, the high-orbit satellites will be switched to new high-orbit satellites, and low-orbit satellites will be switched to new low-orbit satellites through the new high-orbit satellites, so as to realize satellite switching.

2. The satellite handover method of claim 1, wherein, The terminal meets the handover conditions, including: When the terminal is at the edge of the beam coverage and the signal quality of the current satellite to which the terminal is connected is lower than the tolerance threshold, it is determined that the terminal meets the switching conditions. Alternatively, when network congestion occurs on the low-Earth orbit satellite currently connected to the terminal, it can be determined that the terminal meets the switching conditions.

3. The satellite handoff method of claim 1, wherein, The step of switching the low-Earth orbit satellite to a new low-Earth orbit satellite includes: In the satellite IAB network, high-orbit satellites receive attribute information reported by low-orbit satellites; the attribute information includes at least one of the following: ephemeris information of the low-orbit satellites, a list of supported cells, and connection time. The high-orbit satellite receives measurement reports and handover requests sent by the low-orbit satellite when network congestion occurs. The handover request includes IAB congestion indication information to indicate that the low-orbit satellite is overloaded. In response to the switching request, the high-orbit satellite selects a new low-orbit satellite and switches to it based on ephemeris information and the status 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-Earth orbit satellite to a new low-Earth orbit satellite includes: The satellite receives attribute information periodically reported by low-Earth orbit satellites through high-Earth orbit satellites in the satellite IAB network; the attribute information includes at least one of the following: the low-Earth orbit satellite's own ephemeris information, a list of supported cells, and connection time. When a low-orbit satellite is detected leaving the cell where the terminal is located, the high-orbit satellite initiates the handover request based on the ephemeris information reported by the low-orbit satellite. In response to the handover request, a new low-Earth orbit satellite is selected and the handover is performed based on the ephemeris information and the status information of the low-Earth orbit satellite determined from the measurement report.

5. The satellite handoff method of claim 1, wherein, The process of switching a high-orbit satellite to a new high-orbit satellite, and then switching a low-orbit satellite to a new low-orbit satellite via the new high-orbit satellite, includes: The high-orbit satellites and the core network are pre-configured with ephemeris information and receive attribute information reported by low-orbit satellites. The attribute information includes at least one of the following: ephemeris information of the low-orbit satellites, a list of supported cells, and connection time. The high-orbit satellite selects a new high-orbit satellite based on ephemeris information and the payload information reported by the low-orbit satellite; A high-orbit satellite sends a handover request to a new high-orbit satellite, so that the new high-orbit satellite can select a new low-orbit satellite and perform the handover.

6. The satellite handoff method of claim 5, wherein, The selection of new low-Earth orbit satellites includes: The new high-orbit satellite is selected based on the ephemeris information of the low-orbit satellite and the status information reported by the low-orbit satellite.

7. The satellite handoff method of claim 1 wherein, The method further includes: The terminal communicates with the core network through the satellite IAB network and stores satellite IAB operation instruction information in the target network element of the core network, so that the network element can obtain the contracted data from the target network element. The contract data is used to indicate whether the terminal accesses a low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite or a high-Earth orbit (HEO) satellite, and to indicate that a HEO satellite is allowed to perform satellite handover as an anchor point (IAB).

8. A satellite switching device, wherein, include: The network construction module is configured to construct a satellite IAB network by using at least one high-orbit satellite as an anchor IAB and multiple low-orbit satellites as IAB nodes, and to enable communication between the terminal and the core network based on the satellite IAB network. The first switching module is configured to switch the low-orbit satellite to the new low-orbit satellite if there is a high-orbit satellite in the satellite IAB network when the terminal meets the switching conditions. The second switching module is configured to switch the high-orbit satellite to a new high-orbit satellite if there are multiple high-orbit satellites in the satellite IAB network, and then switch the low-orbit satellite to a new low-orbit satellite through the new high-orbit satellite, so as to achieve satellite switching.

9. A computer program product comprising a computer program, wherein, When the computer program is executed by the processor, it implements the satellite switching method according to any one of claims 1-7.

10. An electronic device, comprising: include: processor; as well as The memory is configured to store the executable instructions of the processor; The processor is configured to execute the satellite handover method of any one of claims 1 to 7 by executing the executable instructions.

Images