End-to-end network system, and serving cell handover method and apparatus

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to the technical field of satellite communications, and in particular to an end-to-end network system, and a serving cell handover method and apparatus. The serving cell handover method comprises: the system comprises a gNB-control plane (CP), at least one gNB-user plane DP, a first satellite, and a second satellite, wherein: the gNB-CP is arranged on the first satellite, the at least one gNB-user plane DP is arranged on the second satellite, the gNB-CP and the at least one gNB-user plane DP are connected by means of an inter-satellite link radio resource interface, the satellite altitude of the first satellite is greater than that of the second satellite, a base station RRC layer protocol stack function is deployed on the gNB-CP, and base station PHY and L2 protocol stack functions are deployed on any gNB-user plane DP among the at least one gNB-user plane DP. The present disclosure can improve the handover efficiency and the continuity of network services, and can expand the application range of the system and increase the transmission rate of user plane data.

Description

End-to-end network system, serving cell switching method and device TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of satellite communication, and particularly relates to an end-to-end network system, a serving cell switching method and device. BACKGROUND

[0002] In a communication system, in order to ensure the continuity of services, a handover technology is introduced in a wireless mobile communication system. The handover can be divided into inter-system handover and intra-system handover in terms of scope, and the intra-system handover is further divided into inter-station handover, intra-station handover and cross access and mobility management function (AMF) handover. However, in the end-to-end network architecture under the 5th Generation Mobile Communication Technology (5G) non-terrestrial network (NTN) regenerative mode, the satellite carries the entire 5G generation nodeB (gNB) load and gNB-distributed unit (DU) load, so that the handover delay and data transmission delay are longer, the handover overhead is larger when the handover is frequent, and the handover efficiency is lower when the number of handover users is larger. SUMMARY

[0003] Therefore, the present disclosure provides an end-to-end network system, a serving cell switching method and device.

[0004] The technical solutions of the present disclosure are as follows:

[0005] According to a first aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a serving cell switching method is provided, applied to a gNB-control plane (CP), comprising: in the case that a handover determination result indicates that a target terminal is to be served by a serving cell switching, sending a terminal context establishment request to a first gNB-user plane (DP); receiving a terminal context establishment success message sent by the first gNB-user plane (DP) in response to the terminal context establishment request; sending handover indication information to a second gNB-user plane (DP), wherein the handover indication information is used to instruct the second gNB-user plane (DP) to send the handover indication to the target terminal, and in the case that the target terminal performs a serving cell switching operation, sending handover information to the first gNB-user plane (DP); and determining a handover result of the terminal according to the handover information and a receiving condition corresponding to the handover information.

[0006] According to some embodiments, wherein the handover information is handover success information, the method further comprises: receiving the handover success information sent by the first gNB-user plane DP within a preset time length, obtaining first terminal context deletion information, wherein the first terminal context deletion information is used to indicate that the second gNB-user plane DP deletes terminal context information; and sending the first terminal context deletion information to the second gNB-user plane DP.

[0007] According to some embodiments, the method further comprises: in the case that the handover information sent by the first gNB-user plane DP is handover failure information received within a preset time length or the handover information is not received within the preset time length, obtaining second terminal context deletion information, wherein the second terminal context deletion information is used to indicate that the first gNB-user plane DP deletes terminal context information; and sending the second terminal context deletion information to the first gNB-user plane DP.

[0008] According to some embodiments, before the sending of the handover indication information to the second gNB-user plane DP, the method further comprises: obtaining a first serving cell corresponding to the first gNB-user plane DP; obtaining a second serving cell corresponding to the second gNB-user plane DP; in the case that the first serving cell and the second serving cell are the same serving cell, determining that the handover indication information is physical downlink control channel order (PDCCH Order) information; and in the case that the first serving cell and the second serving cell are not the same serving cell, determining that the handover indication information is reconfiguration information or media access control control element (MAC CE) information.

[0009] According to some embodiments, the method further comprises: obtaining the handover determination result according to ephemeris information and cell planning information corresponding to a predicted position of the target terminal in a network management system.

[0010] According to a second aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a service cell switching method is provided, applied to a first gNB-user plane DP, comprising: receiving a terminal context establishment request sent by a gNB-control plane CP, wherein the terminal context establishment request is sent after the gNB-control plane CP obtains a switching determination result indicating that the target terminal is subjected to service cell switching; in response to the terminal context establishment request, establishing a terminal context; in the case that the terminal context establishment is successful, sending a terminal context establishment success message to the gNB-control plane CP; receiving and forwarding switching information sent by the target terminal to the gNB-control plane CP.

[0011] According to some embodiments, the method further comprises: receiving second terminal context deletion information sent by the gNB-control plane CP, wherein the second terminal context deletion information is obtained after the gNB-control plane CP receives switching information sent by the second gNB-user plane DP within a preset time length, the switching information being switching failure information or the gNB-control plane CP not receiving the switching information within the preset time length; deleting the terminal context.

[0012] According to a third aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a service cell switching method is provided, applied to a second gNB-control plane CP, comprising: receiving switching indication information sent by a gNB-control plane CP, wherein the switching indication information is used to instruct the second gNB-user plane DP to send the switching indication information to a target terminal; receiving switching information sent by the target terminal, wherein the switching information is sent in the case that the target terminal performs a service cell switching operation.

[0013] According to some embodiments, the method further comprises: receiving first terminal context deletion information sent by the gNB-control plane CP, wherein the first terminal context deletion information is obtained by the gNB-control plane CP in a preset time length, the gNB-control plane CP receiving switching success information sent by the first gNB-user plane DP; deleting terminal context information.

[0014] According to a fourth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a service cell switching apparatus is provided, comprising: a request sending unit configured to send a terminal context establishment request to a first gNB-user plane DP in a case where a switching determination result indicates that a target terminal is to be subjected to service cell switching; a message receiving unit configured to receive a terminal context establishment success message sent by the first gNB-user plane DP in response to the terminal context establishment request; an information sending unit configured to send switching indication information to a second gNB-user plane DP, wherein the switching indication information is used to instruct the second gNB-user plane DP to send the switching indication to the target terminal and send switching information to the first gNB-user plane DP in a case where the target terminal is subjected to a service cell switching operation; and a result determining unit configured to determine a switching result of the terminal according to the switching information and a receiving condition corresponding to the switching information.

[0015] According to a fifth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a service cell switching apparatus is provided, comprising: a request receiving unit configured to receive a terminal context establishment request sent by a gNB-control plane CP, wherein the terminal context establishment request is sent after a switching determination result obtained by the gNB-control plane CP indicates that a target terminal is to be subjected to service cell switching; a context establishing unit configured to establish a terminal context in response to the terminal context establishment request; a message sending unit configured to send a terminal context establishment success message to the gNB-control plane CP in a case where the terminal context is successfully established; and a first information receiving unit configured to receive and forward switching information sent by a target terminal to the gNB-control plane CP.

[0016] According to a sixth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a service cell switching apparatus is provided, comprising: a second information receiving unit configured to receive switching indication information sent by a gNB-control plane CP, wherein the switching indication information is used to instruct a second gNB-user plane DP to send the switching indication information to a target terminal; and the second information receiving unit is configured to receive switching information sent by the target terminal, wherein the switching information is information sent in a case where the target terminal is subjected to a service cell switching operation.

[0017] According to a seventh aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure, an end-to-end network system is provided, the system comprising a first satellite and at least one second satellite, wherein: a gNB-Control Plane (CP) is arranged on the first satellite, a gNB-User Plane (DP) is arranged on each of the at least one second satellite, the gNB-Control Plane CP and the at least one gNB-User Plane DP are connected through an inter-satellite link radio interface, the satellite altitude of the first satellite is greater than the satellite altitude of the second satellite, a base station Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer protocol stack function is deployed on the first satellite, and a base station Physical Layer (PHY) and Layer 2 (L2) protocol stack function is deployed on each of the second satellites.

[0018] According to some embodiments, the system further comprises at least one terminal and a non-terrestrial network gateway, the at least one terminal is connected to the at least one gNB-User Plane DP through a New Radio (NR)-Uu radio interface, and the at least one gNB-User Plane DP is connected to the non-terrestrial network gateway through a satellite radio interface (SRI), wherein one of the at least one gNB-User Plane DP corresponds to at least one terminal.

[0019] According to some embodiments, the system further comprises at least one terminal and a non-terrestrial network gateway, the at least one terminal is connected to the at least one gNB-User Plane DP through a NR-Uu radio interface, and the gNB-Control Plane CP is connected to the non-terrestrial network gateway through a satellite radio interface SRI, wherein one of the at least one gNB-User Plane DP corresponds to at least one terminal.

[0020] According to some embodiments, the inter-satellite link radio interface is an R1 interface, and the R1 interface is used to realize function cooperation and data interaction between the gNB-Control Plane CP and the at least one gNB-User Plane DP by using an R1 Application Protocol (R1AP) protocol.

[0021] According to some embodiments, the first satellite is one of a medium orbit satellite, a high elliptical orbit satellite, and a geosynchronous orbit satellite, and the second satellite is a low earth orbit satellite.

[0022] According to an eighth aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure, a network side device is provided, comprising: a processor; a memory for storing instructions executable by the processor; and wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions to implement the method for serving cell switching according to any one of the preceding aspects.

[0023] According to a ninth aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure, a storage medium is provided, which, when instructions in the storage medium are executed by a processor of an electronic device, enables the electronic device to perform the method for serving cell switching according to any one of the preceding aspects.

[0024] According to a tenth aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure, a computer program product is provided, comprising a computer program which, when executed by a processor, implements the method according to any one of the preceding aspects.

[0025] The technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure at least bring the following beneficial effects:

[0026] In some or related embodiments, the system comprises a first satellite and at least one second satellite, wherein: the first satellite is provided with a gNB-control plane CP, each of the at least one second satellite is provided with a gNB-user plane DP, the gNB-control plane CP and the at least one gNB-user plane DP are connected through an inter-satellite link radio resource interface, the satellite altitude of the first satellite is greater than the satellite altitude of the second satellite, the first satellite is deployed with a base station RRC layer protocol stack function, and each of the second satellite is deployed with a base station PHY and L2 protocol stack function. Therefore, the gNB-control plane CP and the gNB-DP can be arranged on satellites with different satellite altitudes, which can reduce the large switching delay and long data transmission delay caused by the large-scale distance between nodes in the non-ground network, and can determine the switching information according to the switching demand when the terminal switches, reduce the switching overhead caused by the simultaneous switching of the gNB-control plane CP and the gNB-DP when the entire gNB load and the gNB-DU load are carried on the satellite, improve the switching efficiency and the continuity of network service, and due to the reduction of switching delay and data transmission delay of a single terminal, the system can be used when there are many switching users, which can improve the application range of the system and the transmission rate of the user plane data.

[0027] It should be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are only exemplary and explanatory, and cannot limit the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0028] The accompanying drawings incorporated in and forming a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure without imposing undue limitation on the disclosure.

[0029] FIG. 1 is a background schematic diagram of a serving cell switching method according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0030] FIG. 2 is a background schematic diagram of a serving cell switching method according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0031] FIG. 3 is a background schematic diagram of a serving cell switching method according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0032] FIG. 4 is a background schematic diagram of a serving cell switching method according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0033] FIG. 5 is a control plane processing flowchart of conditional handover in an RRC connected state according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0034] FIG. 6 is an example schematic diagram of an end-to-end network system according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0035] FIG. 7 is an example schematic diagram of an end-to-end network system according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0036] FIG. 8 is an example schematic diagram of an end-to-end network system according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0037] FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a serving cell switching method according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0038] FIG. 10 is an interaction schematic diagram of a serving cell switching method according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0039] FIG. 11 is an interaction schematic diagram of a serving cell switching method according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0040] FIG. 12 is a flowchart of a serving cell switching method according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0041] FIG. 13 is a flowchart of a serving cell switching method according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0042] FIG. 14 is a block diagram of a serving cell switching apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0043] FIG. 15 is a block diagram of a serving cell switching apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0044] FIG. 16 is a block diagram of a serving cell switching apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0045] FIG. 17 is a block diagram of a network side device according to an exemplary embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] In order for those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions of the present disclosure, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings.

[0047] The present disclosure provides an end-to-end network system, a serving cell switching method and device. In some embodiments, the serving cell switching method, information processing method, communication method and the like can be replaced with each other, the serving cell switching device, information processing device, communication device and the like can be replaced with each other, and the information processing system, communication system and the like can be replaced with each other.

[0048] The embodiments of the present disclosure are not exhaustive, but only illustrate some embodiments, and are not specific limitations on the protection scope of the present disclosure. In the case of no contradiction, each step in an embodiment can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the steps can be combined arbitrarily, for example, the scheme after removing some steps in an embodiment can also be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the order of the steps in an embodiment can be exchanged arbitrarily, in addition, the optional implementation manners in an embodiment can be combined arbitrarily; in addition, the embodiments can be combined arbitrarily, for example, the steps of different embodiments or part of the steps of different embodiments can be combined arbitrarily, an embodiment can be combined with the optional implementation manners of other embodiments arbitrarily.

[0049] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the terms and / or descriptions between the embodiments are consistent and can be referred to each other if there is no special description and logical conflict, and the technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0050] The terms used in the embodiments of the present disclosure are only for the purpose of describing the specific embodiments, and not as a limitation on the present disclosure.

[0051] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified, the elements expressed in singular form, such as "one", "a", "the", "above", "said", "preceding", "this" and the like, can represent "one and only one", or "one or more", "at least one" and the like. For example, in the case of using articles such as "a", "an", "the" and the like in English, the noun after the article can be understood as singular expression, or can be understood as plural expression.

[0052] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0053] In some embodiments, the terms "at least one of," "one or more of," "a plurality of," "multiple," and the like can be used interchangeably.

[0054] In some embodiments, the recitations "at least one of A, B," "A and / or B," "in one case A, in another case B," "in response to a case A, in response to a case B," and the like can include the following technical solutions according to the case: in some embodiments A (A is executed regardless of B); in some embodiments B (B is executed regardless of A); in some embodiments, A and B are selectively executed (A and B are selectively executed); in some embodiments, A and B (A and B are executed). When there are more branches such as A, B, C, and the like, the above is similar.

[0055] In some embodiments, the recitations "A or B" and the like can include the following technical solutions according to the case: in some embodiments A (A is executed regardless of B); in some embodiments B (B is executed regardless of A); in some embodiments, A and B are selectively executed (A and B are selectively executed). When there are more branches such as A, B, C, and the like, the above is similar.

[0056] The prefix words "first", "second", and the like in the embodiments of the present disclosure are only used to distinguish different description objects, and do not constitute a limitation on the position, order, priority, quantity, or content of the description objects. The description of the description objects should refer to the description in the context of the claims or embodiments, and should not constitute an additional limitation because of the use of the prefix words. For example, the description objects are "fields", and the ordinal words before "fields" in "first field" and "second field" do not limit the position or order between "fields", and "first" and "second" do not limit whether the "fields" modified thereby are in the same message or not, nor do they limit the order of "first field" and "second field". For another example, the description objects are "levels", and the ordinal words before "levels" in "first level" and "second level" do not limit the priority between "levels". For another example, the quantity of the description objects is not limited by the ordinal words, and can be one or more. For example, "first device", wherein the quantity of "devices" can be one or more. In addition, the objects modified by different prefix words can be the same or different, for example, the description objects are "devices", and "first device" and "second device" can be the same device or different devices, and their types can be the same or different; for another example, the description objects are "information", and "first information" and "second information" can be the same information or different information, and their contents can be the same or different.

[0057] In some embodiments, "comprising", "including", "to indicate", "carrying", can be interpreted as directly carrying A, or indirectly indicating A.

[0058] In some embodiments, the terms "in response to", "in response to determining", "in the case of", "when", "when", "if", "if" and the like can be replaced with each other.

[0059] In some embodiments, the terms "greater than", "greater than or equal to", "not less than", "more than", "more than or equal to", "not less than", "higher than", "higher than or equal to", "not lower than", "above", and the like can be replaced with each other, and the terms "less than", "less than or equal to", "not greater than", "less than", "less than or equal to", "not more than", "lower than", "lower than or equal to", "not higher than", "below", and the like can be replaced with each other.

[0060] In some embodiments, the apparatus and device can be interpreted as physical or virtual, and its name is not limited to the name described in the embodiments, and in some cases can also be understood as "equipment", "device", "circuit", "network element", "node", "function", "unit", "section", "system", "network", "chip", "chip system", "entity", "subject" and the like.

[0061] In some embodiments, "network" can be interpreted as an apparatus included in the network, such as an access network device, a core network device, and the like.

[0062] In some embodiments, an “access network device (AN device)” can also be referred to as a “radio access network device (RAN device),” a “base station (BS),” a “radio base station,” a “fixed station,” and in some embodiments can also be understood as a “node,” an “access point,” a “transmission point (TP),” a “reception point (RP),” a “transmission / reception point (TRP),” a “panel,” an “antenna panel,” an “antenna array,” a “cell,” a “macro cell,” a “small cell,” a “femto cell,” a “pico cell,” a “sector,” a “cell group,” a “serving cell,” a “carrier,” a “component carrier,” a “bandwidth part (BWP),” and the like.

[0063] In some embodiments, a "terminal" or "terminal device" can be referred to as a "user equipment" (UE), a "user terminal," a "mobile station" (MS), a "mobile terminal" (MT), a subscriber station, a mobile unit, a subscriber unit, a wireless unit, a remote unit, a mobile device, a wireless device, a wireless communication device, a remote device, a mobile subscriber station, an access terminal, a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a remote terminal, a handset, a user agent, a mobile client, a client, etc.

[0064] In some embodiments, data, information, etc. can be acquired after consent from a user is obtained.

[0065] It should be noted that the terms "first", "second", and the like, herein do not necessarily have an ordinal, sequential, or chronologic implication, but are used to differentiate one element from another. It is to be understood that the terms so used in the description and the claims are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances. The implementations described herein are not meant to be an exhaustive list of all implementations which can be made in accordance with the disclosure. Rather, the implementations are merely illustrative and are not meant to limit the scope of the disclosure to these implementations. Rather, the scope of the disclosure is to be understood as not limited to the implementations described herein but rather parameterized by the claims and their equivalents.

[0066] In some embodiments, FIG. 1 to FIG. 4 are schematic diagrams illustrating a service cell switching method according to an exemplary embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 4, two end-to-end network architectures in the regenerative mode of 5G NTN are shown, including a satellite gNB and a satellite gNB-data unit (DU). As shown in FIG. 1, a user plane protocol architecture in the regenerative mode is shown, in which the entire gNB function is located on the satellite, and the user plane data is transmitted between the satellite and the gateway station through the SRI protocol, and the user packet data unit (PDU) is transmitted through the general packet radio service tunneling protocol user plane part (GTP-U) tunnel between the 5G core network (5GC) and the satellite.

[0067] As shown in FIG. 2, a control plane protocol architecture in the regenerative mode is shown, in which the entire gNB function is located on the satellite, and the NG-AP protocol is transmitted between the satellite gNB and the 5GC through the stream control transmission protocol (SCTP), and the non-access stratum (NAS) data is transmitted between the satellite next station base station gNB and the 5GC through the NG-AP protocol, but all through the NTN gateway.

[0068] As shown in FIG. 3, a user plane protocol architecture in the regenerative mode is shown, in which the gNB-DU (PHY, media access control layer (MAC), radio link layer control protocol (RLC) function is deployed on the satellite, and the gNB-CU (packet data convergence protocol (PDCP), service discovery application profile (SDAP), RRC) function is deployed on the ground, and the SRI protocol stack is used to transmit the user equipment (UE) user plane between the satellite and the NTN-gateway, and the user PDU is transmitted between the gNB-central unit (CU) and the satellite gNB-distributed unit (DU) through the GTP-U tunnel.

[0069] As shown in Figure 4, the control plane protocol architecture in the regenerative mode is shown, in which the gNB-DU function is deployed on the satellite, the gNB-CU function is deployed on the ground, the RRC PDU is transmitted between the gNB-CU and the satellite-borne gNB-DU through the F1-C protocol stack, the F1-C PDU is transmitted through the SCTP of IP, the IP packet is transmitted through the SRI protocol stack, and the Next Generation (NG)-AP protocol is transmitted between the 5GC and the gNB-CU through the SCTP protocol.

[0070] In some embodiments, for example, the regenerative mode in which the base station function is deployed to the satellite has been completed, which can include two structures, for example, the entire base station function deployed to the satellite (gNB) and the partial base station function deployed to the satellite (gNB-DU), wherein the entire base station function refers to the implementation of all protocol stack functions of the PHY layer, the MAC layer, the RLC layer, the PDCP layer, the service data adaptation protocol SDAP layer, and the RRC layer on the satellite, and the partial base station function refers to the implementation of the protocol stack functions of the PHY layer, the MAC layer, and the RLC layer on the satellite.

[0071] In order to ensure the continuity of services, the handover technology is introduced in the wireless mobile communication system. The handover can be divided into inter-system handover and intra-system handover in terms of scope, and the intra-system handover is further divided into inter-station handover, intra-station handover, and cross-AMF handover. In some embodiments, in order to improve the performance of handover, conditional handover is introduced in the non-terrestrial network, which allows the terminal to decide to perform handover when the conditions configured by the source station are met, and the control plane processing flow based on conditional handover in the RRC connected state is given in some embodiments, as shown in Figure 5. For example, the following steps can be included:

[0072] 0. Mobility control information provided by the AMF;

[0073] 1. Measurement control and reporting;

[0074] 2. Conditional handover command;

[0075] 3. Handover request;

[0076] 4. Admission control;

[0077] 5. Handover request confirmation;

[0078] 6. RRC reconfiguration;

[0079] 7. RRC reconfiguration complete;

[0080] Evaluate the conditional handover (CHO) condition;

[0081] Separate from the old unit and synchronize to the new unit;

[0082] 7a, early status transmission;

[0083] 8, CHO completion;

[0084] 8a, successful handover;

[0085] 8b, serial number (SN) status transmission;

[0086] 8c, handover channel.

[0087] In summary, since the satellite carries the entire gNB load and gNB-DU load, but under the constraints of highly dynamic service links, feeder links and inter-satellite links, the handover delay and service data transmission delay are relatively long, resulting in low handover efficiency and data transmission efficiency. In addition, due to the high-speed movement of the satellite base station under the on-board regeneration architecture, the UE is inevitably switched, which directly leads to a larger switching overhead compared to the ground network. In addition, frequent terminal switching will also exacerbate other potential problems related to mobility, such as service performance degradation caused by handover failure and service interruption, which is not suitable for scenarios with a large number of switching users.

[0088] FIG. 6 is an example schematic diagram of an end-to-end network system according to an example embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, the system includes a first satellite and at least one second satellite, wherein:

[0089] The first satellite is provided with a gNB-control plane CP, and each of the at least one second satellite is provided with a gNB-user plane DP. The gNB-control plane CP and the at least one gNB-user plane DP are connected through an inter-satellite link wireless resource interface. The satellite altitude of the first satellite is greater than the satellite altitude of the second satellite. The first satellite is deployed with a base station RRC layer protocol stack function, and each of the second satellites is deployed with a base station PHY and L2 protocol stack function. Therefore, the gNB-control plane CP and the gNB-DP can be arranged on satellites with different satellite altitudes, which can reduce the large switching delay and long data transmission delay caused by the large-scale distance between nodes in the non-terrestrial network. In addition, when the terminal switches, the switching information can be determined according to the switching requirements, which can reduce the switching overhead caused by the simultaneous switching of the gNB-control plane CP and the gNB-DP, improve the switching efficiency and the continuity of network services, and reduce the switching delay and data transmission delay of a single terminal. In addition, the system can be used when there are a large number of switching users, which can improve the applicability of the system and the transmission rate of the user plane data.

[0090] In some embodiments, the main reason for the ground terminal handover is the movement of the terminal, and the main reason for the terminal handover under the space-based base station is the high-speed movement of the base station, and the terminal will inevitably be handed over. Due to the accuracy of the ephemeris, the space-based base station and the terminal can combine the constellation, terminal position, wave speed management, wave position and other predictive information to obtain the target cell and the handover timing in advance, and whether to hand over the terminal can be determined in advance.

[0091] According to some embodiments, the gNB-control plane CP is arranged on the space-based base station A, which can also be referred to as a central node. The satellite on which the gNB-user plane DP is arranged can also be referred to as a distributed node. Among them, the satellite can also be referred to as a space-based base station, and the embodiments of the present disclosure do not limit this. Among them, the gNB-control plane CP can be arranged on the space-based base station A, which can also be used as a central node to connect one or more distributed nodes. The space-based base station on which the gNB-control plane CP is arranged can perform functions related to the control plane, such as radio resource control, mobility management, etc., save the security context information of the UE, the PDU session related context, and uniformly manage the distributed nodes.

[0092] According to some embodiments, the low-orbit satellite B and the low-orbit satellite B can be arranged with gNB-user plane DP, and the two satellites can be used as distributed nodes to mainly be responsible for the transmission of user plane data, which can include saving access layer context, PDU session related context and service cell related information. The gNB-DP on different satellites can be connected to the same gNB-CP.

[0093] In some embodiments, according to the principle of dividing the user plane and the control plane, while ensuring the business data throughput rate, the base station functions can be divided, which can be divided into PHY, L2 (MAC, RLC, PDCP, SDAP) and RRC. The divided base station functions can be deployed on low-orbit satellites and high-orbit satellites, respectively. The space-based base station A (gNB-control plane CP) can deploy the base station RRC layer protocol stack function as a central node, and the space-based base station B (gNB-user plane DP) and the space-based base station C (gNB-DP) can deploy the base station PHY and L2 protocol stack functions as distributed nodes.

[0094] According to some embodiments, multiple gNB-DPs can correspond to the same service cell, or one gNB-DP can correspond to one service cell. Among them, one gNB-control plane CP can manage multiple gNB-DPs corresponding to different service cells, or multiple different gNB-DPs corresponding to one service cell can be managed. The embodiments of the present disclosure do not limit this.

[0095] FIG. 7 is an example schematic diagram illustrating an end-to-end network system according to an example embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the system further includes at least one terminal and a non-terrestrial network gateway, the at least one terminal is connected with at least one gNB-user plane DP through an NR-Uu wireless resource interface, the at least one gNB-user plane DP is connected with the non-terrestrial network gateway through a satellite resource interface SRI, wherein one of the at least one gNB-user plane DP corresponds to the at least one terminal.

[0096] According to some embodiments, the spaceborne base station provided with the gNB-DP can implement the PHY, MAC, RLC, PDCP, and SDAP protocol stack functions. Since the data flow of the user plane does not need to pass through the RRC layer protocol stack, the user plane architecture of the end-to-end network system based on the present disclosure can be as shown in FIG. 7.

[0097] FIG. 8 is an example schematic diagram illustrating an end-to-end network system according to an example embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the system further includes at least one terminal and a non-terrestrial network gateway, the at least one terminal is connected with at least one gNB-user plane DP through an NR-Uu wireless resource interface, the gNB-control plane CP is connected with the non-terrestrial network gateway through a satellite resource interface SRI, wherein one of the at least one gNB-user plane DP corresponds to the at least one terminal.

[0098] According to some embodiments, in the control plane protocol stack architecture as shown in FIG. 8, the base station is divided into gNB-DP and gNB-CP according to the user plane and control plane functions, the spaceborne base station provided with the gNB-DP implements the PHY, MAC, RLC, and PDCP protocol stack functions, and the spaceborne base station provided with the gNB-CP implements the RRC protocol stack function.

[0099] According to some embodiments, the interstellar link wireless resource interface is an R1 interface, which is used to realize the function coordination and data interaction between the gNB-control plane CP and the at least one gNB-user plane DP by using the R1AP protocol. That is, the R1 interface is used for communication between the gNB-DP and the gNB-CP, and can be used for transmitting the R1AP protocol on the ISL, for example, to realize the function coordination and data interaction. Since one gNB-CP can manage one or more gNB-DPs at the same time, the same SRI will transmit all corresponding R1 interface instances. The main functions of the R1 interface can include, for example:

[0100] 1) Interface management function, including R1 interface establishment, configuration update of gNB-CP and gNB-DP, error indication, R1 interface coordination, and gNB-DP state indication function, etc.

[0101] 2) UE context management function, including functions such as establishment of UE context, modification of UE context, release of UE context, etc.

[0102] 3) RRC message transfer function, including downlink RRC message transfer from gNB-CP to gNB-DP and uplink RRC message transfer from gNB-DP to gNB-CP;

[0103] 4) System message management function and paging function;

[0104] 5) Data transfer and flow control function.

[0105] According to some embodiments, the first satellite is one of a medium earth orbit satellite, a high elliptical orbit satellite and a geosynchronous earth orbit satellite, and the second satellite is a low earth orbit satellite. For example, the first satellite can be a medium earth orbit satellite, and the second satellite can be a low earth orbit satellite.

[0106] In some embodiments, since the satellite altitude of the first satellite is greater than the satellite altitude of the second satellite, the specific first satellite and the specific second satellite are not limited. For example, the first satellite can be a high elliptical orbit satellite, and the second satellite can be a medium earth orbit satellite.

[0107] In addition, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, Table 1 is the satellite altitude, orbit and satellite coverage of a typical NTN network provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure:

[0108] Table 1

[0109] FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a service cell switching method according to an exemplary embodiment. As shown in FIG. 9, the service cell switching method can be used in a communication scenario, including the following steps:

[0110] In step S11, in the case where the switching determination result indicates service cell switching for the target terminal, a terminal context establishment request is sent to the first gNB-user plane DP;

[0111] In some embodiments, the embodiment of the present disclosure can be applied to the end-to-end network system shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, for example. The execution subject of the embodiment of the present disclosure can be, for example, a gNB-control plane CP, and can also be a satellite borne base station where the gNB-control plane CP is located, or a satellite where the gNB-control plane CP is located, without limitation.

[0112] In some embodiments, the terminal can obtain whether the serving cell needs to be switched according to the ephemeris information, i.e., the terminal can obtain the switching determination result according to the ephemeris information. The switching determination result can be obtained, for example, before the target terminal switches the serving cell. The terminal context establishment request can include, for example, a context related to the target terminal. The context related to the target terminal is not a fixed context. For example, when the target terminal changes, the context related to the target terminal can also change accordingly. For example, when the information included in the context related to the target terminal changes, the context related to the target terminal can also change accordingly.

[0113] According to some embodiments, the context related to the target terminal can include, for example, a UE security context, an access layer context, a PDU session related context, serving cell related information, PDU session related configuration, and the like.

[0114] In some embodiments, the method further includes:

[0115] According to the ephemeris information and the cell planning information corresponding to the predicted position of the target terminal in the network management system, the switching determination result is obtained. Therefore, whether the terminal corresponding serving cell needs to be switched can be determined in combination with the ephemeris information and the cell planning information, and the accuracy of the serving cell switching is improved.

[0116] In some embodiments, the switching determination result is not a fixed result. For example, when the determination method of the switching determination result changes, the switching determination result can also change accordingly. For example, when the target terminal changes, the switching determination result can also change accordingly.

[0117] In some embodiments, the first gNB-user plane DP can be, for example, the base station corresponding to the target terminal after switching. The first gNB-user plane DP is not a fixed gNB-user plane DP. For example, when the moving direction or the moving speed of the target terminal changes, the first gNB-user plane DP can also change accordingly.

[0118] In some embodiments, the terminal context establishment request can be, for example, a request for the first gNB-user plane DP to establish a terminal context. The terminal context establishment request is not a fixed request. For example, when the sending time point corresponding to the terminal context establishment request changes, the terminal context establishment request can also change accordingly.

[0119] According to some embodiments, when the switching determination result indicates that the target terminal needs to be switched to the serving cell, the terminal context establishment request is sent to the first gNB-user plane DP.

[0120] In step S12, a terminal context establishment success message sent by the first gNB-user plane DP for the terminal context establishment request is received;

[0121] In some embodiments, the terminal context establishment success message can be sent in the case of first gNB-user plane DP context establishment success, for example. For example, the first gNB-user plane DP can receive the terminal context establishment request and establish the terminal context according to the context related to the target terminal in the terminal context establishment request.

[0122] In some embodiments, the terminal context establishment success message sent by the first gNB-user plane DP for the terminal context establishment request can be received.

[0123] In step S13, handover indication information is sent to the second gNB-user plane DP, wherein the handover indication information is used to instruct the second gNB-user plane DP to send a handover indication to the target terminal, and in the case that the target terminal performs a serving cell handover operation, send handover information to the first gNB-user plane DP;

[0124] In some embodiments, the space-based base station where the second gNB-user plane DP is located can be, for example, the base station where the target terminal is located before the serving cell handover.

[0125] In some embodiments, the handover indication information is used to instruct the second gNB-user plane DP to send a handover indication to the target terminal, and in the case that the target terminal performs a serving cell handover operation, send handover information to the first gNB-user plane DP, for example.

[0126] The handover information can include, for example, handover success information and handover failure information. The present disclosure does not limit this.

[0127] According to some embodiments, the handover indication information can be sent to the second gNB-user plane DP.

[0128] According to some embodiments, before the handover indication information is sent to the second gNB-user plane DP, it further includes:

[0129] Obtaining a first serving cell corresponding to the first gNB-user plane DP;

[0130] Obtaining a second serving cell corresponding to the second gNB-user plane DP;

[0131] In the case that the first server cell and the second service cell are the same serving cell, determining that the handover indication information is physical downlink control channel signaling PDCCH Order information;

[0132] In a case that the first server cell is not the same as the second server cell, the handover indication information is determined as the reconfiguration information or the medium access control control element (MAC CE) information. Therefore, the specific information type of the handover indication information can be determined according to the server cell, the accuracy of the handover indication information transmission can be improved, and the accuracy of the server cell handover can be improved.

[0133] In some embodiments, the first server cell may, for example, be a server cell of a first gNB-user plane DP located in a satellite base station. The first in the first server cell is used to distinguish from the remaining server cells, and does not refer to a fixed server cell. For example, when the cell identifier of the first server cell changes, the first server cell can also change accordingly.

[0134] In some embodiments, the second server cell may, for example, be a server cell of a second gNB-user plane DP located in a satellite base station. The second in the second server cell is used to distinguish from the remaining server cells, and does not refer to a fixed server cell.

[0135] In some embodiments, the handover indication information may, for example, include information such as random access resources and server cells. The embodiments of the present disclosure do not limit this.

[0136] In step S14, the handover result of the terminal is determined according to the handover information and the receiving condition corresponding to the handover information.

[0137] In some embodiments, the receiving condition may, for example, be a condition for judging whether the server cell handover is successful. The receiving condition does not refer to a fixed result. For example, when the receiving condition is a timer, when the timing duration corresponding to the timer changes, the receiving condition can also change accordingly.

[0138] In some embodiments, the handover result may, for example, be used to indicate the result of whether the target terminal successfully switches the server cell. The handover result does not refer to a fixed result. For example, the handover result can include a handover success result, and the handover result can include a handover failure result.

[0139] In some embodiments, the handover result of the terminal may, for example, be determined according to the handover information and the receiving condition corresponding to the handover information.

[0140] In a case that the handover information is the handover success information, the method further includes:

[0141] The handover success information sent by the first gNB-user plane DP is received within a preset time period, and the first terminal context deletion information is obtained, wherein the first terminal context deletion information is used to indicate that the second gNB-user plane DP deletes the terminal context information;

[0142] Send the first terminal context deletion information to the second gNB-user plane DP. Therefore, the storage space occupied by the terminal context information can be reduced, and the resource utilization rate can be improved.

[0143] In some embodiments, the preset time length can be a fixed time length set by a timer, for example, and can also be a time length configured according to the current handover scenario, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0144] FIG. 10 is an interaction schematic diagram of a service cell handover method according to an exemplary embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, wherein the first gNB-user plane DP can be a target gNB-user plane DP, for example, and the second gNB-user plane DP can be a source gNB-user plane DP, for example. The method can include, for example: the gNB-CP sends a terminal context establishment request to the target gNB-user plane DP, and the target gNB-user plane DP can send a terminal context establishment success message to the gNB-CP. The gNB-CP can send handover indication information to the source gNB-user plane DP, and the source gNB-user plane DP can send the handover indication information to the terminal. The terminal can perform a service cell handover operation, and in the case of successful handover, sends random access (RA) success information to the target gNB-user plane DP. The target gNB-user plane DP can activate the terminal context and send the random access (RA) success information to the gNB-CP. The gNB-CP can send terminal context deletion information to the source gNB-user plane DP, and the source gNB-user plane DP can delete the terminal context in the source gNB-user plane DP.

[0145] According to some embodiments, the method further includes:

[0146] In the case that the handover information sent by the first gNB-user plane DP is handover failure information within a preset time length or the handover information is not received within the preset time length, the second terminal context deletion information is obtained, wherein the second terminal context deletion information is used to instruct the first gNB-user plane DP to delete the terminal context information;

[0147] Send the second terminal context deletion information to the first gNB-user plane DP.

[0148] FIG. 11 is an interaction diagram illustrating a method of serving cell switching according to an example embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, wherein the first gNB-user plane DP can be a target gNB-user plane DP for example, and the second gNB-user plane DP can be a source gNB-user plane DP for example, the method can include: sending, by the gNB-CP, a terminal context setup request to the target gNB-user plane DP, and the target gNB-user plane DP can send a terminal context setup success message to the gNB-CP. The gNB-CP can send switching indication information to the source gNB-user plane DP, and the source gNB-user plane DP can send the switching indication information to the terminal. The terminal can perform a serving cell switching operation, and in the case of switching failure, sending a random access (RA) failure message to the target gNB-user plane DP or the target gNB-user plane DP can determine that the switching fails if the target gNB-user plane DP does not receive a random access (RA) success message within a preset time period. The target gNB-user plane DP can send random access (RA) failure information to the gNB-CP. The gNB-CP can send a terminal context deletion message to the target gNB-user plane DP, and the target gNB-user plane DP can delete the terminal context in the target gNB-user plane DP. The RA failure information can further include a switching failure reason, for example.

[0149] In some or related embodiments, in the case where the switching determination result indicates that the target terminal performs a serving cell switching, the terminal context setup request is sent to the first gNB-user plane DP; the terminal context setup success message sent by the first gNB-user plane DP in response to the terminal context setup request is received; the switching indication information is sent to the second gNB-user plane DP, wherein the switching indication information is used to instruct the second gNB-user plane DP to send switching indication to the target terminal, and in the case where the target terminal performs a serving cell switching operation, the switching information is sent to the first gNB-user plane DP; and the switching result of the terminal is determined according to the switching information and the receiving condition corresponding to the switching information. Therefore, a switching mechanism can be provided, the success of switching can be determined according to the switching information, the service data throughput can be improved, the interaction signaling with the terminal can be reduced, the terminal switching delay can be reduced, and the continuity of network service can be improved.

[0150] FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a method of serving cell switching according to an example embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the method of serving cell switching can be used in a communication scenario, including the following steps:

[0151] In step S21, a terminal context establishment request sent by the gNB-control plane CP is received, wherein the terminal context establishment request is sent after the gNB-control plane CP obtains the handover determination result indicating that the target terminal is subjected to a serving cell handover.

[0152] According to some embodiments, the embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to the first gNB-user plane DP, for example, can be a satellite base station where the first gNB-user plane DP is located, or a satellite where the first gNB-user plane DP is located, or a target gNB-user plane DP. The embodiments of the present disclosure do not limit this.

[0153] The specific process is as described above, which will not be repeated here.

[0154] In step S22, in response to the terminal context establishment request, the terminal context is established.

[0155] The specific process is as described above, which will not be repeated here.

[0156] According to some embodiments, when the terminal context establishment request sent by the gNB-control plane CP is received, the terminal context can be established according to the context related to the target terminal in the terminal context establishment request. The information included in the terminal context can be as described above, for example.

[0157] In step S23, in the case that the terminal context establishment is successful, a terminal context establishment success message is sent to the gNB-control plane CP.

[0158] The specific process is as described above, which will not be repeated here.

[0159] In step S24, the handover information sent by the target terminal is received and forwarded to the gNB-control plane CP.

[0160] The specific process is as described above, which will not be repeated here.

[0161] According to some embodiments, the method further comprises:

[0162] Receiving second terminal context deletion information sent by the gNB-control plane CP, wherein the second terminal context deletion information is obtained after the gNB-control plane CP receives handover information sent by the second gNB-user plane DP within a preset time length, the handover information being handover failure information or no handover information being received within the preset time length.

[0163] Deleting the terminal context. Therefore, in the case that the terminal handover fails, the established terminal context can be deleted, the storage space occupied by the terminal context in the memory can be reduced, and the terminal context does not need to be activated, thereby improving the handover accuracy.

[0164] FIG. 13 is a flow chart illustrating a service cell switching method according to an example embodiment. As shown in FIG. 13, the service cell switching method can be used in a communication scenario, including the following steps:

[0165] In step S31, receiving sending switching indication information sent by a gNB-control plane (CP), wherein the switching indication information is used to instruct a second gNB-user plane (UP) DP to send switching indication information to a target terminal;

[0166] According to some embodiments, the embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to, for example, the second gNB-UP DP, specifically, for example, a satellite-based base station where the second gNB-UP DP is located, or a satellite where the second gNB-UP DP is located, or the source gNB-UP DP. The embodiments of the present disclosure do not limit this.

[0167] The specific process is as described above, which will not be repeated here.

[0168] In step S32, receiving switching information sent by the target terminal, wherein the switching information is sent in the case where the target terminal performs a service cell switching operation.

[0169] The specific process is as described above, which will not be repeated here.

[0170] According to some embodiments, the method further includes:

[0171] Receiving first terminal context deletion information sent by a gNB-control plane (CP), wherein the first terminal context deletion information is switching success information sent by the first gNB-UP DP and received by the gNB-control plane (CP) within a preset time length;

[0172] Deleting the terminal context information. Therefore, in the case where the terminal switching is successful, the established terminal context can be deleted, which can reduce the storage space occupied by the terminal context in the gNB-UP DP, and improve the resource utilization rate.

[0173] FIG. 14 is a block diagram of a service cell switching apparatus according to an example embodiment. Referring to FIG. 14, the apparatus 900 includes:

[0174] The request sending unit 1401 is configured to send a terminal context establishment request to the first gNB-UP DP in the case where the switching determination result indicates that the target terminal is subjected to a service cell switching.

[0175] The message receiving unit 1402 is configured to receive a terminal context establishment success message sent by the first gNB-UP DP in response to the terminal context establishment request.

[0176] The information sending unit 1403 is configured to send switching indication information to the second gNB-user plane DP, wherein the switching indication information is used to instruct the second gNB-user plane DP to send switching indication to the target terminal and send switching information to the first gNB-user plane DP in the case that the target terminal performs the serving cell switching operation;

[0177] The result determining unit 1404 is configured to determine the switching result of the terminal according to the switching information and the receiving condition corresponding to the switching information.

[0178] According to some embodiments, the switching information is switching success information, and the result determining unit 1404 is further configured to:

[0179] receive the switching success information sent by the first gNB-user plane DP within a preset time length, and obtain first terminal context deletion information, wherein the first terminal context deletion information is used to instruct the second gNB-user plane DP to delete the terminal context information;

[0180] send the first terminal context deletion information to the second gNB-user plane DP.

[0181] According to some embodiments, the result determining unit 1404 is further configured to:

[0182] receive the switching information sent by the first gNB-user plane DP within a preset time length as switching failure information or not receive the switching information within a preset time length, and obtain second terminal context deletion information, wherein the second terminal context deletion information is used to instruct the first gNB-user plane DP to delete the terminal context information;

[0183] send the second terminal context deletion information to the first gNB-user plane DP.

[0184] According to some embodiments, before the information sending unit 1403 sends the switching indication information to the second gNB-user plane DP, the information sending unit 1403 is further configured to:

[0185] obtain a first serving cell corresponding to the first gNB-user plane DP;

[0186] obtain a second serving cell corresponding to the second gNB-user plane DP;

[0187] in the case that the first serving cell and the second serving cell are the same serving cell, determine that the switching indication information is physical downlink control channel signaling (PDCCH Order) information;

[0188] in the case that the first serving cell and the second serving cell are not the same serving cell, determine that the switching indication information is reconfiguration information or medium access control control element (MAC CE) information.

[0189] According to some embodiments, the request sending unit 1401 is further configured to:

[0190] According to the ephemeris information and the cell planning information corresponding to the predicted position of the target terminal in the network management system, obtain the handover determination result.

[0191] As to the apparatus in the above embodiments, the specific manners in which various modules perform operations have been described in detail in the embodiments of the method, and thus will not be described here in detail.

[0192] In some or related embodiments, by the request sending unit 1401, configured to send a terminal context establishment request to the first gNB-user plane DP in the case that the handover determination result indicates that the target terminal performs the serving cell handover; the message receiving unit 1402, configured to receive a terminal context establishment success message sent by the first gNB-user plane DP in response to the terminal context establishment request; the information sending unit 1403, configured to send handover indication information to the second gNB-user plane DP, wherein the handover indication information is used to instruct the second gNB-user plane DP to send a handover instruction to the target terminal, and in the case that the target terminal performs the serving cell handover operation, send the handover information to the first gNB-user plane DP; and the result determining unit 1404, configured to determine the handover result of the terminal according to the handover information and the receiving condition corresponding to the handover information. Therefore, a handover mechanism can be provided, the success of the handover can be determined according to the handover information, the service data throughput rate can be improved, the interaction signaling with the terminal can be reduced, the terminal handover delay can be reduced, and the continuity of network service can be improved.

[0193] FIG. 15 is a block diagram of an apparatus for serving cell handover, according to an example embodiment. Referring to FIG. 15, the apparatus 1000 includes:

[0194] The request receiving unit 1501 is configured to receive a terminal context establishment request sent by a gNB-control plane CP, wherein the terminal context establishment request is sent after the gNB-control plane CP obtains a handover determination result indicating that the target terminal performs the serving cell handover;

[0195] The context establishment unit 1502 is configured to establish a terminal context in response to the terminal context establishment request;

[0196] The message sending unit 1503 is configured to send a terminal context establishment success message to the gNB-control plane CP in the case that the terminal context establishment is successful;

[0197] The first information receiving unit 1503 is configured to receive and forward the handover information sent by the target terminal to the gNB-control plane CP.

[0198] According to some embodiments, the first information receiving unit 1503 is further configured to:

[0199] receive second terminal context deletion information sent by the gNB-control plane CP, wherein the second terminal context deletion information is obtained after the gNB-control plane CP fails to receive handover information sent by the second gNB-user plane DP within a preset time length or does not receive the handover information within the preset time length;

[0200] delete the terminal context.

[0201] FIG. 16 is a block diagram of a service cell switching device according to an exemplary embodiment. Referring to FIG. 16, the device 1100 includes:

[0202] a second information receiving unit 1601 configured to receive handover indication information sent by the gNB-control plane CP, wherein the handover indication information is used to instruct the second gNB-user plane DP to send the handover indication information to the target terminal;

[0203] the second information receiving unit 1601 is configured to receive handover information sent by the target terminal, wherein the handover information is sent in the case that the target terminal performs a service cell switching operation.

[0204] According to some embodiments, the second information receiving unit 1601 is further configured to:

[0205] receive first terminal context deletion information sent by the gNB-control plane CP, wherein the first terminal context deletion information is handover success information sent by the first gNB-user plane DP and received by the gNB-control plane CP within a preset time length;

[0206] delete the terminal context information.

[0207] FIG. 17 is a block diagram of a network side device 1700 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For example, the network side device 1700 can be provided as a network side device. Referring to FIG. 17, the network side device 1700 includes a processing assembly 1722, which further includes at least one processor, and a memory resource represented by a memory 1732, for storing instructions executable by the processing assembly 1722, such as an application program. The application program stored in the memory 1732 can include one or more than one module each corresponding to a set of instructions. In addition, the processing assembly 1722 is configured to execute the instructions to perform any of the above-described methods.

[0208] The network-side device 1700 can also include a power supply component 1727 configured to perform power management for the network-side device 1700, a wired or wireless network interface 1750 configured to connect the network-side device 1700 to a network, and an input / output (I / O) interface 1758. The network-side device 1700 can operate based on an operating system stored in the memory 1732, such as Windows Server™, Mac OS X™, Unix™, Linux™, Free BSD™, or the like.

[0209] Various implementations of the systems and techniques described above can be realized in digital electronic circuitry, integrated circuitry, specially designed application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), computer hardware, firmware, software, and / or combinations thereof. These various implementations can include implementation in one or more computer programs that are executable and / or interpretable on a programmable system including at least one programmable processor, which can be special or general purpose, coupled to receive data and instructions from, and to transmit data and instructions to, a storage system, at least one input device, and at least one output device.

[0210] Program code to implement methods of the present disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. The program code can be provided to a processor or controller of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the program code, when executed by the processor or controller, produces a means for implementing the functions / acts specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams. The program code can be executed entirely on a machine, partially on a machine, partially on a machine and partially on a remote machine or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0211] In the context of this disclosure, a machine-readable medium can be a tangible medium that contains or stores a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The machine-readable medium can be a machine-readable signal medium or a machine-readable storage medium. A machine-readable medium can include but is not limited to an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of the machine-readable storage medium will include one or more lines of electrical connections, portable computer disks, hard disk drives, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), optical fibers, portable compact disc read-only memories (CD-ROMs), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0212] To provide for interaction with a user, the systems and techniques described here can be implemented on a computer having a display device (e.g., a CRT (cathode ray tube) or LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor) for displaying information to the user and a keyboard and a pointing device (e.g., a mouse or a trackball) by which the user can provide input to the computer. Other kinds of devices can be used to provide for interaction with a user as well; for example, feedback provided to the user can be any form of sensory feedback (e.g., visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback); and input from the user can be received in any form, including acoustic, speech, or tactile input.

[0213] The systems and techniques described here can be implemented in a computing system that includes a back end component (e.g., as a data server), or that includes a middleware component (e.g., an application server), or that includes a front end component (e.g., a user computer having a graphical user interface or a Web browser through which a user can interact with an implementation of the systems and techniques described here), or any combination of such back end, middleware, or front end components. The components of the system can be interconnected by any form or medium of digital data communication (e.g., a communication network). Examples of communication networks include a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), the Internet, and a blockchain network.

[0214] The computer system can include clients and servers. This relationship can be. remote, where each server is stored on a remote computer from a client. The clients and the servers can be connected through a communication network. The relationship can be a client-server relationship over a network. Servers can be cloud servers, also known as cloud computing servers or cloud hosts, which are a host product in the cloud computing service system. The servers can be servers of a distributed system, or servers combined with a blockchain.

[0215] It should be understood that the various forms of flow shown above can be reordered, steps added or removed. For example, the steps described in the present disclosure can be performed in parallel, sequentially, or in a different order, as long as the desired results of the technical solutions of the present disclosure can be achieved, which are not limited herein.

[0216] The above detailed description does not constitute a limitation on the protection scope of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art should understand that various modifications, combinations, sub-combinations and substitutions can be made according to design requirements and other factors. Any modifications, equivalent replacements and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present disclosure shall be included in the protection scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A serving cell handover method, characterized by, Applied to a gNB-control plane (CP), comprising: In the case that the switching determination result indicates to perform serving cell switching on the target terminal, sending a terminal context establishment request to a first gNB-user plane (UP) DP; Receiving a terminal context establishment success message sent by the first gNB-UP DP in response to the terminal context establishment request; Sending switching indication information to a second gNB-UP DP, wherein the switching indication information is used to instruct the second gNB-UP DP to send the switching indication to the target terminal, and in the case that the target terminal performs serving cell switching operation, send switching information to the first gNB-UP DP; According to the switching information and the receiving condition corresponding to the switching information, determining the switching result of the terminal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, Wherein, The switching information is switching success information, and the method further comprises: Receiving the switching success information sent by the first gNB-UP DP within a preset time length, obtaining first terminal context deletion information, wherein the first terminal context deletion information is used to instruct the second gNB-UP DP to delete the terminal context information; Sending the first terminal context deletion information to the second gNB-UP DP.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further comprises: In the case that the switching information sent by the first gNB-UP DP within a preset time length is switching failure information or the switching information is not received within the preset time length, obtaining second terminal context deletion information, wherein the second terminal context deletion information is used to instruct the first gNB-UP DP to delete the terminal context information; Sending the second terminal context deletion information to the first gNB-UP DP.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, Before the sending of the switching indication information to the second gNB-UP DP, the method further comprises: Obtaining a first serving cell corresponding to the first gNB-UP DP; Obtaining a second serving cell corresponding to the second gNB-UP DP; In the case that the first serving cell and the second serving cell are the same serving cell, determining that the switching indication information is physical downlink control channel signaling (PDCCH) order information; or In the case that the first serving cell and the second serving cell are not the same serving cell, determining that the switching indication information is reconfiguration information or medium access control control element (MAC CE) information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further comprises: According to the ephemeris information and the cell planning information corresponding to the predicted position of the target terminal in the network management system, obtaining the switching determination result.

6. A serving cell handover method, characterized by, Applied to a first gNB-UP DP, comprising: Receiving a terminal context establishment request sent by a gNB-CP, wherein the terminal context establishment request is sent after the gNB-CP obtains a switching determination result indicating to perform serving cell switching on a target terminal; In response to the terminal context establishment request, establishing a terminal context; In the case that the terminal context is established successfully, sending a terminal context establishment success message to the gNB-CP; receive and forward handover information sent by the target terminal to the gNB- control plane CP.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving first terminal context deletion information sent by the gNB- control plane CP, wherein the first terminal context deletion information is obtained after the gNB- control plane CP fails to receive handover success information sent by the first gNB- user plane DP within a preset time period; delete the terminal context.

8. A serving cell handover method, characterized by, The application is applied to a second gNB- control plane CP, comprising: receiving handover indication information sent by the gNB- control plane CP, wherein the handover indication information is used to instruct the second gNB- user plane DP to send the handover indication information to a target terminal; receive handover information sent by the target terminal, wherein the handover information is sent in the case that the target terminal performs a serving cell handover operation.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving first terminal context deletion information sent by the gNB- control plane CP, wherein the first terminal context deletion information is handover success information sent by the first gNB- user plane DP and received by the gNB- control plane CP within a preset time period; delete the terminal context information.

10. An end-to-end network system, characterized by The system comprises a first satellite and at least one second satellite, wherein: a gNB- control plane CP is arranged on the first satellite, and a gNB- user plane DP is arranged on each of the at least one second satellite, the gNB- control plane CP and the at least one gNB- user plane DP are connected through an inter-satellite link wireless resource interface, the satellite height of the first satellite is greater than that of the second satellite, a base station RRC layer protocol stack function is deployed on the first satellite, and a base station PHY and L2 protocol stack function is deployed on each of the second satellites.

11. A network-side device, characterized by comprising: comprise: a processor; a memory for storing instructions executable by the processor; wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions to implement the serving cell handover method according to any one of claims 1 to 5 or 6 to 7 or 8 to 9.

12. A storage medium, when instructions in the storage medium are executed by a processor of an electronic device, the electronic device is enabled to perform the serving cell handover method according to any one of claims 1 to 5 or 6 to 7 or 8 to 9.

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