Information transmission method, communication apparatus and communication system

Abstract

Provided in the present application are an information transmission method, a communication apparatus and a communication system. The method comprises: a terminal receiving first time information, wherein the first time information is used for indicating a first moment; and when having received first indication information, the terminal determining that the first moment is associated with a disconnection time of a feeder link, wherein the first indication information is used for indicating that a network device supports a store and forward mode, and the store and forward mode comprises the case where a service link and the feeder link are not simultaneously present, and / or the first indication information comprises second time information, the second time information is used for indicating a second moment, and the second moment is associated with a disconnection time of the service link. The effective operation of a store and forward mode in a system can be realized.

Description

Information transmission method, communication apparatus, and communication system

[0001] The present application claims priority to the Chinese Patent Application No. 202411389628.5, filed on September 30, 2024, and entitled "Information Transmission Method, Communication Apparatus, and Communication System", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communications, and more particularly, to an information transmission method, a communication apparatus, and a communication system. BACKGROUND

[0003] Satellite communication is not affected by geographical environment, climate conditions, and natural disasters, and has advantages of wide coverage, long communication distance, high reliability, great flexibility, and high throughput. In a mobile communication system, part of the functions of an access network are implemented by a satellite, which can provide communication services for areas (such as oceans and forests) that are difficult to be covered by a ground network, and enhance the reliability of the mobile communication system.

[0004] For non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellites, the satellite may not have a connectable ground network or the ground coverage range may change due to satellite movement. For this case, it has been agreed in the Release-19 (R-19) study phase of the mobile communication standard to support a store and forward (S&F) satellite operation mode in the Release-19 (R-19) of the mobile communication standard. The S&F mode refers to that the satellite can support the simultaneous existence of a feeder link between the satellite and a ground network and a service link between the satellite and a terminal. The S&F mode can support some communication services with low communication requirements. In the mobile communication system, a corresponding mechanism needs to be designed to support the S&F mode. SUMMARY

[0005] Embodiments of the present application provide an information transmission method, a communication apparatus, and a communication system, which can realize effective operation of the store and forward mode in the system.

[0006] In a first aspect, an information transmission method is provided. The method can be performed by a terminal, or can be performed by a unit / module / component (such as a chip, a chip system, a logic circuit, or software) configurable to (or configurable for use by) the terminal. Hereinafter, the method is described by taking the terminal as an example.

[0007] The method comprises: receiving, by the terminal, first time information, the first time information being used to indicate a first time point; determining, by the terminal, that the first time point is associated with a feeder link disconnection time in a case where first indication information is received, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate that the network device supports a store-and-forward mode, the store-and-forward mode comprising that a service link and the feeder link do not exist at the same time; and / or the first indication information comprises second time information, the second time information being used to indicate a second time point, the second time point being associated with a service link disconnection time.

[0008] According to the above scheme, when the network device supports the store-and-forward mode, the network device is in different states due to the existence or nonexistence of the feeder link and the service link, and the transformation between the different states has a certain impact on the terminal, and the corresponding terminal operation can be different. Therefore, the network device can send time information associated with the link state change of the network device, and the terminal can determine the link state change to which the time information is specifically associated, so that the terminal can perform the corresponding operation. The store-and-forward mode can be effectively run in the system, and unnecessary power consumption caused by the terminal being unable to determine the link state change can be reduced.

[0009] In a case where the terminal receives the first indication information, the terminal determines that the first time point is associated with the feeder link disconnection time. The terminal determines that the first time point is associated with the feeder link disconnection time, comprising: the terminal determines that the feeder link is disconnected at or after the first time point.

[0010] It should be noted that the link disconnection can be replaced by the link nonexistence, the link service stop or the link stop serving, or the link not being in a connected state.

[0011] Optionally, the time information (such as the first time information to the fifth time information) associated with the link state change can be broadcast information. For example, the time information can be carried in a SIB. In the embodiment of the present application, different time information can be carried in the same SIB or different SIBs.

[0012] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further comprises: receiving, by the terminal, the first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate that the network device supports the store-and-forward mode, and the first time point being associated with the feeder link disconnection time. Receiving, by the terminal, third time information according to the first time point, the third time information being used to indicate a third time point, wherein the third time point is associated with an end time of the store-and-forward mode, or the third time point is associated with the service link disconnection time.

[0013] According to the scheme, after the terminal receives the first indication information, the terminal can determine, according to the first indication information, that the first time indicated by the first time information is associated with the power feeding link disconnection time, and the terminal can consider that the service link will not be disconnected at least before and after the first time, and the current cell can still provide services, and therefore, the terminal can not need to perform a cell reselection process or a cell handover process based on the first time to redetermine another cell that can provide services.

[0014] When the power feeding link of the network device is disconnected, the network device is in a power feeding link disconnection storage forwarding mode, and the network device can determine time information (such as third time information) associated with a subsequent link state change according to the subsequent link state change, to notify the terminal. Accordingly, the terminal receives the third time information at the first time or after the first time, to obtain a time associated with the subsequent link state change time, and to perform a corresponding operation.

[0015] Through the scheme, the terminal can have a more accurate understanding of the link state, and unnecessary power consumption of the terminal can be reduced.

[0016] With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: the terminal receives the first indication information, and the first indication information includes the second time information, and the first time is associated with the power feeding link disconnection time. The terminal performs one or more of the following according to the second time:

[0017] Neighboring cell measurement, a cell handover process, a radio resource control (RRC) connection reestablishment process, or a cell reselection process.

[0018] In the scheme, the terminal can consider that the service link is disconnected at the second time or after the second time, and the terminal needs to perform a cell reselection process or a cell handover process before the service link is disconnected, to redetermine another cell that can provide services. By performing the above processes, the continuity of communication can be maintained, and the probability of communication interruption caused by not timely determining another cell that can provide services can be reduced.

[0019] With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, to determine the first time associated link state change time, the following implementations can also be included:

[0020] In one implementation, when the first time information is carried in a first field, the terminal determines that the first time is associated with an end time of the storage forwarding mode, and the first field is a field corresponding to the end time of the storage forwarding mode.

[0021] In another implementation, in a case that the first time information is carried in the second field, the terminal determines that the first time is associated with the service link disconnection time or the feeder link disconnection time, where the second field is a field corresponding to the service link disconnection time or the feeder link disconnection time.

[0022] According to the above scheme, the terminal can determine the link state change time associated with the time information according to the definition of the field where the time information is located. Misunderstanding of the terminal on the time information can be avoided.

[0023] Optionally, the first field and the second field can be different fields of the same message. Alternatively, the first field and the second field are different fields in different messages.

[0024] For example, the terminal obtains the first time information in the first field, and then determines that the first time is associated with the end time of the store-and-forward mode. If the terminal further obtains another time information in the second field, the terminal can determine that the time indicated by the time information carried in the second field is associated with the service stop time according to the service stop time (the service link disconnection time or the feeder link disconnection time) corresponding to the second field, and which link the service stop time is associated with can be determined according to the first indication information or the second indication information.

[0025] For another example, the terminal obtains the first time information in the second field, and then determines that the first time is associated with the service stop time. If the terminal further obtains another time information in the first field, the terminal can determine that the time indicated by the time information carried in the first field is associated with the end time of the store-and-forward mode according to the end time of the store-and-forward mode corresponding to the first field.

[0026] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: in a case that the second indication information is received and the first time information is carried in the second field, the terminal determines that the first time is associated with the service link disconnection time, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the network device is in the store-and-forward mode, and the second field is a field corresponding to the service link disconnection time or the feeder link disconnection time.

[0027] Alternatively, in a case that the second indication information is received, the terminal can determine that the second field is a field corresponding to the service link disconnection time. According to the received first time information carried in the second field, the terminal can determine that the first time indicated by the first time information is associated with the service link disconnection time.

[0028] Optionally, the terminal receives the second indication information. According to the second indication information and the first time information obtained in the second field, the terminal determines that the first time is associated with the service link disconnection time.

[0029] According to the above scheme, the terminal learns the current link state of the network device through the second indication information, so that the time information indicates the time associated with the link change time according to the current link state. The terminal can determine the time information indicating the time associated with the link state change time while reducing unnecessary signaling overhead.

[0030] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: in a case where the first time is associated with the end time of the store-and-forward mode, the terminal receives fourth time information according to the first time, the fourth time information being used to indicate a fourth time, wherein the fourth time is associated with a time when the service link is disconnected, or the fourth time is associated with a time when the feeding link is disconnected.

[0031] According to the above scheme, the terminal can understand that the service link will not be disconnected at least within a period of time before and after the first time, and the current cell can still provide services, so that the terminal can not need to perform a cell reselection process or a cell handover process based on the first time to redetermine another cell that can provide services. In this way, the terminal can have a more accurate understanding of the link state, and unnecessary power consumption of the terminal can be reduced.

[0032] After the end of the store-and-forward mode of the network device, the current state of the network device changes to the first state, and the network device can determine time information associated with a subsequent link state change according to the subsequent link state change to notify the terminal. If the time information is fourth time information, the network device sends the fourth time information. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the fourth time information at or after the first time to obtain a time associated with a subsequent link state change time, and then performs a corresponding operation.

[0033] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: in a case where the first indication information is not received, determining that the first time is associated with the service link disconnection time.

[0034] According to the above scheme, the terminal can determine the link state change time associated with the first time based on whether the first indication information is received. The terminal can determine the time information indicating the time associated with the link state change time while reducing unnecessary signaling overhead.

[0035] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: in a case where the first time is associated with the service link disconnection time, the terminal performs one or more of the following according to the first time:

[0036] A neighbor cell measurement, a cell handover procedure, a radio resource control (RRC) connection reestablishment procedure, or a cell reselection procedure.

[0037] According to the above scheme, the terminal needs to perform a cell reselection procedure or a cell handover procedure before the service link is disconnected to re-determine another cell capable of providing services. By performing the above procedures, the continuity of communication can be maintained, and the probability of communication interruption due to the failure to timely determine another cell capable of providing services can be reduced.

[0038] In a second aspect, a method for information transmission is provided. The method can be performed by a network device, or can be performed by a unit / module / component (such as a chip, a chip system, a logic circuit, or software) configurable to (or usable for) the network device. Hereinafter, the network device is taken as an example for illustration.

[0039] The method includes: sending, by the network device, first time information, the first time information being used to indicate a first time point. In a case where the first time point is associated with a feeder link disconnection time, sending, by the network device, first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate that the network device supports a store-and-forward mode, the store-and-forward mode including that a service link and the feeder link are not simultaneously in a connected state, and / or the first indication information including second time information, the second time information being used to indicate a second time point, the second time point being associated with the service link disconnection time.

[0040] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first indication information is used to indicate that the network device supports the store-and-forward mode, and the method further includes: in a case where the first time point is associated with the feeder link disconnection time, sending, by the network device, third time information according to the first time point, the third time information being used to indicate a third time point. The third time point is associated with an end time of the store-and-forward mode, or the third time point is associated with the service link disconnection time.

[0041] In an implementation, in a case where the first time point is associated with the end time of the store-and-forward mode, the first time information is carried in a first field, and the first field is a field corresponding to the end time of the store-and-forward mode.

[0042] In another implementation, in a case where the first time point is associated with the service link disconnection time, the first time information is carried in a second field, and the second field is a field corresponding to the service link disconnection time.

[0043] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: in a case where the first time is associated with an end time of the store-and-forward mode, the network device does not send second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate that the network device is in the store-and-forward mode.

[0044] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: in a case where the first time is associated with a service link disconnection time, the network device sends second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate that the network device is in the store-and-forward mode.

[0045] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: in a case where the first time is associated with an end time of the store-and-forward mode, the network device sends fourth time information according to the first time, the fourth time information being used to indicate a fourth time. The fourth time is associated with a service link disconnection time, or the fourth time is associated with a feeder link disconnection time.

[0046] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: in a case where the first time is associated with a service link disconnection time, the network device does not send the first indication information.

[0047] In a third aspect, a communication apparatus is provided. In one design, the apparatus can include a module corresponding to each of the methods / applications / steps / actions described in the first aspect or any of the implementations of the first aspect. The module can be hardware circuitry, software, or a combination of hardware circuitry and software. In one design, the apparatus includes a transceiver configured to receive first time information, the first time information being used to indicate a first time. A processing unit is configured to determine, in a case where the first indication information is received, that the first time is associated with a feeder link disconnection time. The first indication information is used to indicate that the network device supports a store-and-forward mode, the store-and-forward mode including that a service link and the feeder link do not exist at the same time; and / or the first indication information includes second time information, the second time information being used to indicate a second time, the second time being associated with a service link disconnection time.

[0048] In a fourth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided. In one design, the apparatus can include a module corresponding to each of the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the second aspect or any of the implementations of the second aspect. The module can be implemented in hardware circuitry, software, or both. In one design, the apparatus includes a processing unit configured to determine first time information, the first time information being indicative of a first time. The apparatus also includes a transceiver configured to transmit the first time information. The transceiver is further configured to transmit first indication information in a case that the first time is associated with a feeder link disconnection time, where the first indication information is indicative of that the network device supports a store-and-forward mode, the store-and-forward mode including that the service link and the feeder link are not simultaneously in a connected state, and / or the first indication information includes second time information, the second time information being indicative of a second time, the second time being associated with a service link disconnection time.

[0049] In a fifth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided. The communication apparatus includes a processor. The processor can implement the method in the first aspect or the sixth aspect and any of the possible implementations of the first aspect or the sixth aspect. Optionally, the communication apparatus further includes a memory, and the processor is coupled to the memory and configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to implement the method in the first aspect or the sixth aspect and any of the possible implementations of the first aspect or the sixth aspect. Optionally, the communication apparatus further includes a communication interface, and the processor is coupled to the communication interface. In embodiments of the present application, the communication interface can be a transceiver, a pin, a circuit, a bus, a module, or any other type of communication interface, which is not limited.

[0050] In one implementation, the communication apparatus is a communication device (e.g., a terminal device or an access network device). When the communication apparatus is a communication device, the communication interface can be a transceiver, or an input / output interface.

[0051] In another implementation, the communication apparatus is a chip configured in a communication device. When the communication apparatus is a chip configured in a communication device, the communication interface can be an input / output interface.

[0052] Optionally, the transceiver can be a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface can be an input / output circuit.

[0053] In a sixth aspect, a processor is provided. The processor includes an input circuit, an output circuit, and a processing circuit. The processing circuit is configured to receive a signal via the input circuit and transmit a signal via the output circuit, such that the processor implements the method in the first aspect or the sixth aspect and any of the possible implementations of the first aspect or the sixth aspect.

[0054] In the implementation process, the processor can be one or more chips, the input circuit can be an input pin, the output circuit can be an output pin, and the processing circuit can be a transistor, a gate circuit, a flip-flop, various logic circuits, etc. The input signal received by the input circuit can be received and input by, for example but not limited to, a receiver, the output signal output by the output circuit can be output to and transmitted by, for example but not limited to, a transmitter, and the input circuit and the output circuit can be the same circuit which is used as the input circuit and the output circuit at different times. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific implementation of the processor and various circuits.

[0055] In a seventh aspect, a computer program product is provided, which includes a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions), which, when executed, causes a computer to perform the method of the first aspect or the sixth aspect and any possible implementation manner of the first aspect or the sixth aspect.

[0056] In an eighth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions), which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method of the first aspect or the sixth aspect and any possible implementation manner of the first aspect or the sixth aspect.

[0057] In a ninth aspect, a communication system is provided, which includes a first communication device for performing the communication device of the first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect, and a second communication device for performing the communication device of the second aspect or any possible implementation manner of the second aspect.

[0058] It should be understood that the beneficial effects of the features corresponding to the first aspect in the second aspect to the ninth aspect can be referred to the related description of the first aspect, which will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0059] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system architecture suitable for embodiments of the present application;

[0060] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of one architecture of NTN suitable for embodiments of the present application;

[0061] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of another architecture of NTN suitable for embodiments of the present application;

[0062] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of quasi-fixed cell coverage provided by embodiments of the present application;

[0063] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of mobile cell coverage provided by embodiments of the present application;

[0064] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of store-and-forward mode provided by embodiments of the present application;

[0065] FIG. 7 is a schematic flow chart of an information transmission method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0066] FIGS. 8 to 11 are schematic diagrams of different scenarios according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0067] FIG. 12 is a schematic block diagram of an example of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0068] FIG. 13 is a schematic structural diagram of another example of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0069] For the convenience of understanding the embodiments of the present application, the following explanations are first made:

[0070] In the present application, "indication" can include direct indication, indirect indication, display indication, and implicit indication. When describing that certain indication information is used to indicate A, it can be understood that the indication information carries A, directly indicates A, or indirectly indicates A.

[0071] In the present application, " / " can represent that the objects before and after the " / " are in an "or" relationship, for example, A / B can represent A or B; "and / or" can be used to describe the existence of three relationships of associated objects, for example, A and / or B, which can represent three cases of A existing alone, A and B existing together, and B existing alone, where A and B can be singular or plural.

[0072] In the present application, "at least one" means one or more, and "multiple" means two or more, such as three, four, or more. Similar expressions (such as at least one, at least one, etc.) are the same. "At least one of the following", "one or more of the following" or the like means any combination of these items, which can include only a single item or a combination of multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, or b, or c; a and b; or, a and c; or, b and c; or, a and b and c. Where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0073] In the present application, in order to facilitate the description of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, "first", "second", and the like can be used for differentiation in the embodiments of the present application. The "first", "second", and the like do not limit the quantity and execution order, and the "first", "second", and the like do not necessarily mean different.

[0074] In this application, the words "exemplary," "example," or "e.g." are used to mean example, by way of illustration or demonstration, and should not be construed as meaning "preferred" or "advantageous" over other embodiments or designs. The use of "exemplary," "example," or "e.g." is intended to present the relevant concept in a concrete manner, facilitating understanding.

[0075] In this application, "sending information / data" only represents the direction of information / data transmission, including direct sending by the communication interface (such as air interface (short for air interface)) of the device, "sending" can also be understood as the "output" of the module interface, and "sending" can include indirect sending by the processing unit through the communication interface, that is, the processing unit outputs information / data through the module interface, and then transmits to the communication interface of the device for sending. "Receiving information / data" only represents the direction of information / data transmission, including direct receiving by the communication interface, "receiving" can also be understood as the "input" of the module interface, and "receiving information / data" can include indirect receiving by the processing unit through the communication interface, that is, the communication interface receives information / data, and then transmits to the module interface of the processing unit, and the module interface inputs the information / data to the processing unit. "Sending information / data to (such as terminal)" can be understood as that the destination of the information is the terminal. It can include direct or indirect sending of information / data to the terminal. "Receiving information / data from (such as terminal)" can be understood as that the source of the information is the terminal. It can include direct or indirect receiving of information / data from the terminal. The information / data between the source and the destination of the information / data transmission can be processed as necessary, such as format change, etc., but the destination can understand the valid information / data from the source. Similar expressions in this application can be understood similarly, and will not be repeated here.

[0076] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as long term evolution (LTE) system, 5th generation (5G) communication system, satellite communication system, wireless fidelity (WiFi) system, and the solutions provided by the present application can also be applied to future communication systems or other communication systems, etc. The present application does not make any limitation in this regard.

[0077] Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of yet another possible, non-limiting, communication system. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system 10 includes a radio access network (RAN) 100, a core network (CN) 200, and a data network (DN) 300. The RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (e.g., 110a and 110b in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 110) and at least one terminal (e.g., 120a-120j in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 120). Other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in Figure 1), can also be included in the RAN 100. The terminals 120 are wirelessly connected to the RAN nodes 110. The access network nodes (or RAN nodes) 110 are connected to the core network 200 through wireless or wired connections. The core network devices in the core network 200 and the access network nodes 110 in the RAN 100 can be different physical devices respectively, or can be the same physical device integrating the core network logical functions and the radio access network logical functions.

[0078] The RAN 100 can be a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) related cellular system, e.g., a 4G, 5G, future evolutions of them, or future communication systems. The RAN 100 can also be an open RAN (O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system. The RAN 100 can also be a communication system integrating two or more of the above systems.

[0079] The access network nodes 110, which can also be referred to as access network devices, RAN entities, or access nodes, form part of the communication system and help terminals to access the wireless access. The access network nodes 110 in the communication system 10 can be of the same type or of different types. In some scenarios, the roles of the access network nodes 110 and the terminals 120 are relative, e.g., the network element 120i in Figure 1 can be a helicopter or a drone, which can be configured to be a mobile base station. For a terminal 120j accessing the RAN 100 through the network element 120i, the network element 120i is a base station; but for the base station 110a, the network element 120i is a terminal. The access network nodes 110 and the terminals 120 are sometimes referred to as communication apparatuses, e.g., the network elements 110a and 110b in Figure 1 can be understood as communication apparatuses with base station functionalities, and the network elements 120a-120j can be understood as communication apparatuses with terminal functionalities.

[0080] In a possible scenario, the access network node can be a base station, such as an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a next generation NodeB (gNB), a base station in a future mobile communication system. The access network node can be a macro base station (such as 110a in FIG. 1), a micro base station or an indoor station (such as 110b in FIG. 1), a relay node or a donor node, or a wireless controller in a CRAN scenario. Alternatively, the access network node can be an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), an access node in a WiFi system, and the like. Optionally, the access network node can also be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle or a vehicle-mounted device, and the like. For example, the access network device in vehicle to everything (V2X) technology can be a road side unit (RSU). All or part of the functions of the access network node in the present application can also be implemented by software functions running on hardware, or by virtualized functions instantiated on a platform (such as a cloud platform). The access network node in the present application can also be a logical node, a logical module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the access network node.

[0081] In another possible scenario, multiple access network nodes cooperate to assist a terminal to implement wireless access, and different access network nodes respectively implement part of the functions of a base station. For example, the access network node can be a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU), and the like. The CU and the DU can be separately arranged, or can be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or a radio frequency unit, such as a radio frequency remote unit (RRU), an active antenna processing unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0082] The terminal can also be referred to as a terminal device, a user equipment (UE), a mobile station, a mobile terminal, etc. The terminal can be widely applied to various scenarios for communication. The scenarios include, for example, but are not limited to, at least one of the following: enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC), massive machine-type communications (mMTC), D2D, V2X, machine-type communication (MTC), internet of things (IOT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, automatic driving, remote medical treatment, smart power grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wear, smart transportation, sensing terminal, terminal integrated with communication and sensing, or smart city, etc. The terminal can be a mobile phone (such as 120a, 120j and 120e in FIG. 1), a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function (such as 120g in FIG. 1), a customer-premises equipment (CPE), a smart point of sale (POS) machine, a wearable device, a vehicle (such as 120b in FIG. 1), a drone, a helicopter, an airplane (such as 120i in FIG. 1), a ship, a robot, a mechanical arm, a sensor, a perceiver, or a smart home device (such as 120h in FIG. 1), etc.

[0083] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a possible, non-limiting system. The system architecture shown in FIG. 2 is a system architecture of an NTN network, the satellite has all the protocol layer processing functions of the access network node, which can be referred to as a satellite base station, the ground mobile terminal (such as a user equipment (UE)) can communicate with the satellite base station through an air interface (such as a user-universal terrestrial radio access network (Uu)) interface, and access the network through the satellite base station. The satellite base station is backhauled to the ground station through a microwave, and the ground station is connected to the core network (CN) through a wired connection. The link between the satellite base station and the ground station can be referred to as a satellite radio interface (SRI) link or a feeder link. The satellite base station can deliver signaling / service data with the core network through a next generation (NG) interface, and the ground station is responsible for forwarding signaling / service data between the satellite base station and the core network. The core network can deliver service data with a data network (DN). As shown in FIG. 2, there is an inter-satellite link (ISL) between the satellite base stations, and the Xn interface can be established between the satellite base stations based on the ISL. The Xn interface is used for signaling interaction between satellites, etc.

[0084] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of another possible, non-limiting system. As shown in FIG. 3, the ground mobile terminal (such as a UE) communicates with the ground base station through the Uu interface, and the satellite can realize transparent payload transmission between the UE and the ground base station. The satellite and the ground station can be considered as a remote radio unit of the ground base station, which realizes functions such as radio frequency filtering, frequency conversion and amplification of signals, and the signal waveform does not change; the satellite forwarding is transparent to the UE.

[0085] The related technologies and terms involved in the present application are described below.

[0086] I. NTN cell

[0087] Non-terrestrial network (NTN) refers to a network or part of a network that uses radio frequency (RF) of a satellite (or uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) platform or high-altitude platform). A typical NTN network provides communication services through a satellite.

[0088] Generally, the orbit of the satellite can be divided into geostationary earth orbit (GEO) and NGEO. Among them, NGSO includes low earth orbit (LEO) with an altitude of about 300 kilometers to 1500 kilometers and medium earth orbit (MEO) with an altitude of about 7000 kilometers to 25000 kilometers.

[0089] The cells in the NTN network (referred to as NTN cells) can be divided into:

[0090] Fixed cell: or stationary cell, refers to the coverage of the cell is fixed, does not change with time. That is, the cell covers a fixed geographical area. The fixed cell can be a cell managed by a GEO satellite.

[0091] Quasi-geostationary cell: or quasi-fixed cell, the coverage of the cell is a geographical area within a limited time period, and is another geographical area within another time period. For example, the quasi-geostationary cell can be a cell managed by an NGSO satellite. As shown in FIG. 4, the satellite can control the beam direction to keep the cell coverage unchanged within a limited time period, such as T1 to T3. The satellite can control the beam direction to keep the cell coverage unchanged.

[0092] Earth-moving cell: or moving cell, the coverage of the cell moves on the ground with the satellite. For example, the earth-moving cell can be a cell managed by an NGSO satellite, such as a satellite with fixed or non-steerable beams. As shown in FIG. 5, the coverage of the satellite changes with the movement of the satellite, and the geographical area covered by the cell at T1, T2, and T3 is different, which is geographical area 1 to geographical area 3, respectively.

[0093] II. Store and forward (S&F) mode

[0094] The store-and-forward mode includes that the service link and the feeder link do not exist at the same time. The service link refers to the link between the terminal and the satellite, and the feeder link refers to the link between the satellite and the ground network (such as a ground station, or a ground core network, or a ground gateway station). The store-and-forward mode can include that the service link does not exist and the feeder link exists, as shown in T1 in FIG. 6, the feeder link exists between the satellite and the ground network, and the service link does not exist between the satellite and the terminal shown in FIG. 6 at T1. Alternatively, the store-and-forward mode can include that the service link exists and the feeder link does not exist, as shown in T2 in FIG. 6, the service link exists between the satellite and the terminal, and the feeder link does not exist between the satellite and the ground network. It should be understood that the feeder link of the satellite and the service link with the terminal can both exist between T1 and T2 shown in FIG. 6, which is not limited in the present application.

[0095] The satellite has the function of a base station or the function of part of a base station, which can be understood as a base station on satellite or a part of a base station on satellite. Taking the base station on satellite as an example, when the base station is in the store-and-forward mode, the path between the core network, the base station, and the terminal is not a path, that is, when the link between the core network and the base station exists, the link between the base station and the terminal does not exist, or when the link between the base station and the terminal exists, the link between the core network and the base station does not exist.

[0096] When the satellite operates in the normal / default mode, the signaling / data exchange between the terminal accessing the network through the satellite and the ground network requires that the service link and the feeder link exist at the same time, so that when the terminal interacts with the satellite through the service link, the end-to-end path of the terminal, the satellite, and the ground network is a path.

[0097] However, when the satellite operates in the store-and-forward mode, the end-to-end signaling / data exchange is composed of two steps (including step A and step B) that are not synchronized in time. For example, in step A, the signaling / data exchange occurs between the terminal and the satellite, at this time, the satellite is not connected to the ground network, that is, the satellite can operate the service link without an available feeder link connection. In step B, the path between the satellite and the ground network is established, so that the satellite and the ground network can communicate, and thus the signaling / data exchange can be performed.

[0098] The store-and-forward mode can support some services with low communication requirements, for example, it can support the low-latency (or delay-tolerant) / non-real-time IoT satellite services provided by the NGEO satellite.

[0099] The store-and-forward mode can also be referred to as a store-and-forward mode, or a store-and-forward mode, and the specific name of the mode is not limited in the present application.

[0100] Optionally, the link (such as the feeder link and / or the service link) not existing can include, but is not limited to, one or more of the following:

[0101] The link being disconnected, the service of the link being stopped, the link not being connected, the link not supporting signal (including data / information / sequence, etc.) transmission, the link being unable to meet the transmission requirement, the interface corresponding to the link not existing, the interface corresponding to the link not being established, or the interface corresponding to the link being invalid.

[0102] It should be understood that the link not existing and the above can be mutually replaced according to the specific implementation.

[0103] In the embodiments of the present application, the execution subject can be a terminal (such as a first terminal), a network device, or a module (such as a chip, a chip system, a logic circuit, or software) configured in (or for) the terminal or the network device in the terminal or the network device. Hereinafter, the execution subject is taken as the terminal and the network device for example. When the execution subject is a module in the terminal or the network device, the receiving / sending can be understood as the input / output, that is, the module communicates with other modules or components of the terminal or the network device. In addition, the processing performed by a single execution subject can also be divided into processing performed by multiple execution subjects, which can be logically and / or physically separated. For example, the processing performed by the network device can be divided into processing performed by at least one of the CU, the DU, the RU, etc. It should be noted that the network device in the embodiments of the present application can be a satellite, or other network devices that can work in a store-and-forward mode, or network devices that can implement the above-mentioned store-and-forward mode function or similar function.

[0104] When the network device supports the store-and-forward mode, the network device is in different states due to the existence or nonexistence of the feeder link and the service link, and the transformation between the different states has a certain impact on the terminal, and the corresponding terminal operation can be different. Therefore, the network device can send time information associated with the change of the link state of the network device, and the terminal can determine the link state associated with the time information, so as to perform the corresponding operation. The store-and-forward mode can be effectively run in the system, and unnecessary power consumption of the terminal can be reduced.

[0105] The technical solutions in the present application will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0106] FIG. 7 is a schematic flowchart of an information transmission method provided by the embodiments of the present application, which can include, but is not limited to, the following S701 and S702.

[0107] S701, a network device sends first time information, the first time information being used to indicate a first time point.

[0108] When the network device supports the store-and-forward mode, the link state of the network device can be one of the following states:

[0109] The first state: both the service link and the feeder link exist;

[0110] The second state: the service link exists and the feeder link does not exist;

[0111] The third state: the service link does not exist and the feeder link exists;

[0112] The fourth state: both the service link and the feeder link do not exist.

[0113] When the network device is in the store-and-forward mode, the link state can be the second state or the third state. When the link state of the network device is the first state, the network device can be referred to as being in a normal mode, or a default mode, or a regular mode, and the name of the mode is not limited in the present application

[0114] The network device can send time information to indicate a time point associated with a link state change, and the first terminal can determine the link state associated with the time point, and then perform a corresponding operation. The first terminal is a terminal supporting the store-and-forward mode. Alternatively, the first terminal is a terminal supporting a delay-tolerant service or a non-real-time service. The first terminal can maintain a service link connection with the network device when the feeder link of the network device is disconnected.

[0115] In an embodiment, when the network device supports the store-and-forward mode, the network device can send time information to indicate a time point associated with a service stop time, wherein the service stop time can be a feeder link service stop time (i.e., a feeder link disconnection time) or a service link service stop time (i.e., a service link disconnection time).

[0116] That is, the network device can send time information to indicate a time point associated with a time when the link state of the network device is in the second state and / or the third state or the first state for the next time.

[0117] In this embodiment, the first time point can be associated with the feeder link disconnection time or the service link disconnection time.

[0118] In another embodiment, when the network device supports the store-and-forward mode, the network device can send time information to indicate a time point associated with a next state start time of the network device, and the next state of the link of the network device can be at least one of the first state to the fourth state.

[0119] In this embodiment, the first time point can be associated with the time of disconnection of the feeder link, the time of disconnection of the service link, or the end time of the store-and-forward mode.

[0120] The end time of the store-and-forward mode can be referred to as the start time of the normal mode, or the start time when both the feeder link and the service link exist.

[0121] Optionally, the first time information is broadcast information.

[0122] For example, the first time information can be carried in system information (SI), and the system information can include an SI block (SIB). The first time information can be specifically carried in the SIB in the SI.

[0123] The first time information can be common information of a system (or a cell) and be sent by the network device in a broadcast manner, which can save signaling overhead and improve resource utilization. It should be understood that the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto, and the first time information can also be sent as multicast information or unicast information.

[0124] The first terminal receives the first time information from the network device, and can determine that the first time point indicated by the first time information is associated with the change of the link state of the network device. Different link state changes of the network device will cause the first terminal to perform different operations. Therefore, the first terminal can determine the link state associated with the first time point after receiving the first time information, and then perform corresponding operations.

[0125] The link state change associated with the first time point indicated by the first time information will be described in detail in combination with possible change scenarios of the link state of the network device.

[0126] Scenario 1: The current link state of the network device is the first state, and both the service link and the feeder link of the network device exist.

[0127] When the link of the network device is in the first state, the next state of the network device can be the second state (disconnection of the feeder link) or the third state (disconnection of the service link), which will be introduced respectively.

[0128] Scenario 1-1: As shown in FIG. 8, the current link state (such as the time T1) of the network device is the first state, and the next link state (such as the time T2) is the second state.

[0129] The network device can determine that the next link state is the second state, that is, the power feeding link of the network device will be disconnected after a period of time. The network device can determine first time information according to the power feeding link disconnection time, the first time information indicating a first time point related to the power feeding link disconnection time.

[0130] The network device can send the first indication information when the current state of the link is the first state and the next state is the second state. Or, the network device can send the first indication information when the first time point is associated with the power feeding link disconnection time.

[0131] S702, the first terminal determines that the first time point is associated with the power feeding link disconnection time when the first indication information is received.

[0132] The first indication information is used to indicate that the network device supports the store-and-forward mode. And / or, the first indication information includes second time information, the second time information being used to indicate a second time point, the second time point being associated with the service link disconnection time.

[0133] That is, the first indication information implicitly indicates that the first time point is associated with the power feeding link disconnection time by indicating that the store-and-forward mode is supported and / or indicating the second time point. That is, when the first terminal receives the first indication information from the network device, the first indication information indicates that the network device (for example, a satellite) supports the store-and-forward mode, and the first terminal determines that the first time point is associated with the power feeding link disconnection time according to the received first indication information. However, the present application is not limited thereto, and the first indication information can also be explicitly indicated that the first time point is associated with the power feeding link disconnection. For example, the first indication information can be used to indicate that the first time point is associated with the power feeding link disconnection time. The first terminal determines that the first time point is associated with the power feeding link disconnection time when the first indication information is received.

[0134] The first time point being associated with the power feeding link disconnection time can be understood as that the power feeding link is disconnected at or after the first time point. The first terminal believes that the power feeding link will not be disconnected before the first time point.

[0135] Optionally, the first terminal receives the first indication information, and the first terminal can determine, according to the first indication information, that the first time is associated with the power feeding link disconnection time. Because the first terminal can determine that the power feeding link or the service link is disconnected at or after the first time after receiving the first time information, in the case that the first terminal receives the first indication information, the first terminal can determine that the disconnected link is the power feeding link. Further, the first terminal can consider that the power feeding link disconnection time is the store-and-forward mode start time, and the first terminal determines that the first time is associated with the power feeding link disconnection time can be replaced with: the first terminal determines that the first time is the store-and-forward mode start time. That is, the first terminal can determine that the service stop time associated with the first time is the service stop time of the power feeding link, instead of the service stop time of the service link.

[0136] The first terminal can understand that the service link will not be disconnected at least before and after the first time, and the current cell can still provide services, and the first terminal can not need to perform a cell reselection process or a cell handover process based on the first time to re-determine another cell that can provide services. In this way, the first terminal can have a more accurate understanding of the link state, and unnecessary power consumption of the first terminal can be reduced. It should be understood that the network device is in the store-and-forward mode at or after the first time, the power feeding link is disconnected and the service link exists, that is, the terminal can consider that the service link will not be disconnected for a period of time at or after the first time according to the first time, and the specific service link disconnection time needs to be determined according to the time associated with the service link indicated by the network device.

[0137] Exemplarily, the first indication information can be carried in a master information block (MIB), a SIB, or a common radio resource control (RRC) message.

[0138] Optionally, the first indication information and the first time information can be carried in the same message or different messages.

[0139] For example, the first indication information and the first time information can be carried in the same SIB, or the first indication information and the first time information can be carried in different SIBs, and the different SIBs can be carried in the same SI or different SIs. The present application does not limit this.

[0140] In an embodiment, the first indication information is used to indicate that the network device supports the store-and-forward mode.

[0141] The first terminal receives the first indication information and the first time information from the network device. According to the first indication information, the first terminal can determine that the network device supports the store-and-forward mode. According to the first indication information, the first terminal can determine that the first time indicated by the first time information is associated with the feeder link disconnection time. Optionally, according to the first time, the first terminal receives third time information indicating a third time. The third time is associated with the end time of the store-and-forward mode, or the third time is associated with the service link disconnection time.

[0142] The network device can send the third time information at or after the first time. The first terminal can receive the third time information at or after the first time. Thus, the time associated with the link state change time of the network device after the first time is obtained.

[0143] For example, the time information associated with the network state change time (such as one or more of the first time information to the fifth time information in the embodiments of the present application) can be carried in the SIB. The first terminal can receive the SIB according to the scheduling information of the SIB, and thus obtain the time information. However, the present application is not limited thereto. The time information can also be carried in other messages.

[0144] After the feeder link of the network device is disconnected, the current state of the network device changes to the second state. The network device can determine the time information associated with the subsequent link state change according to the subsequent link state change, to notify the first terminal. For example, the time information is the third time information, and the network device sends the third time information. In the case that the network device is in the second state, the next link state can be the service link disconnection, and the third time indicated by the third time information is associated with the service link disconnection time. Alternatively, the next state of the network device can be the feeder link recovery, that is, the end of the store-and-forward mode, and the third time indicated by the third time information is associated with the end time of the store-and-forward mode. The specific indication manner of the time information sent by the network device when the network device is in the second state, and the corresponding operation of the first terminal can be implemented by referring to the introduction of scenario 2 below, and will not be described herein.

[0145] In the second implementation, the first indication information includes second time information indicating a second time associated with the service link disconnection time.

[0146] According to the first indication information, the first terminal can determine that the first time is associated with the feeder link disconnection time, and the second time is associated with the service link disconnection time.

[0147] Optionally, according to the second time, the first terminal performs one or more of the following:

[0148] The neighboring cell measurement, the cell handover procedure, the radio resource control (RRC) connection reestablishment procedure, or the cell reselection procedure.

[0149] The first terminal can consider that the service link is disconnected at or after the second time, and the first terminal needs to perform a cell reselection procedure or a cell handover procedure before the service link is disconnected to re-determine another cell capable of providing services. For specific implementation, reference can be made to the manner in which the second terminal performs the above procedure, which will not be described herein again.

[0150] In this embodiment, the first indication information can or can not include other information. When the first indication information only includes the second time information, the first indication information can be considered as the second time information. When the first terminal receives the first indication information, it is determined that the first time is associated with the feeding link, which can be replaced by: when the first terminal receives the second time information, it is determined that the first time is associated with the feeding link. When the first terminal receives the first indication information, it can be replaced by: the first terminal receives the second time information.

[0151] Optionally, the first indication information is further used to indicate that the store-and-forward mode is supported, that is, the first indication information indicates that the store-and-forward mode is supported and includes the second time information used to indicate the second time. Alternatively, it can be understood that the network device implicitly indicates that the store-and-forward mode is supported by including the second time information in the first indication information. The first terminal can determine that the network device supports the store-and-forward mode according to the received first time information and the second time information.

[0152] Optionally, the first time information and the second time information can be located in different fields, for example, the first time information is carried in field A, which is a field corresponding to the service stop time, and the second time information is carried in field B, which is a field corresponding to the service link stop time. When the first terminal receives the first time information carried in field A, the first terminal determines that the first time indicated by the first time information is associated with the service stop time, and whether it is specifically associated with the feeding link disconnection time or the service link disconnection time needs to be further determined. In the case where the first terminal receives the first indication information (that is, receives the second time information carried in field B), the first terminal determines that field A is specifically associated with the feeding link disconnection time. In the case where the first terminal does not receive the first indication information (that is, does not receive the second time information carried in field B), the first terminal determines that field A is specifically associated with the service link disconnection time.

[0153] In one example, the first time information and the second time information can be located in the same message, and the field A and the field B belong to different fields of the same message. For example, the first SIB includes the field A and the field B, the first terminal receives the first SIB, obtains the field A in the first SIB to obtain the first time information, and obtains the field B in the first field to obtain the second time information.

[0154] In another example, the first time information and the second time information can be located in different messages, and the field A and the field B belong to different messages. For example, the second SIB includes the field A, and the third SIB includes the field B. The first terminal can receive the second SIB, obtain the field A in the second SIB to obtain the first time information. The first terminal can receive the third SIB, obtain the field B in the third SIB to obtain the second time information.

[0155] Optionally, the second terminal receives the first time information carried in the field A, and determines that the first time indicated by the first time information is associated with the service stop time. The second terminal is a terminal that does not support the store-and-forward mode. The second terminal performs one or more of the following according to the first time:

[0156] Adjacent cell measurement, cell handover process, radio resource control (RRC) connection re-establishment process, or cell reselection process.

[0157] The specific implementation of the above process can be implemented as described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0158] Scenario 1-2, as shown in FIG. 9, the current link state of the network device (such as T1 time) is the first state, and the next link state (such as T2 time) is the third state.

[0159] The network device can determine that the next link state is the third state, that is, the service link of the network device will be disconnected after a period of time. The network device can determine the first time information according to the service link disconnection time, and the first time indicated by the first time information is associated with the service link disconnection time.

[0160] The first time associated with the service link disconnection time can be understood as the service link being disconnected at or after the first time. The first terminal believes that the service link will not be disconnected before the first time.

[0161] After the first terminal receives the first time information, the first terminal can determine that the first time indicated by the first time information is associated with the service link disconnection time.

[0162] In the third implementation, the first time information is carried in the field C, and the field C is a field corresponding to the service link stop time.

[0163] For example, the field C is located in the third SIB, the first terminal receives the third SIB, and the first terminal obtains the first time information in the field C, so that the first terminal determines that the first time information indicates the first time point associated with the service link disconnection time according to the field C being the field corresponding to the service link disconnection time.

[0164] In an implementation form four, the first terminal determines that the first time point is associated with the service link disconnection time in a case where the first terminal does not receive the first indication information. The first indication information is used to indicate that the network device supports the store-and-forward mode.

[0165] For example, the first time information is carried in the field A, and the field A is the field corresponding to the service link disconnection time or the feeder link disconnection time. In a case where the first terminal does not receive the first indication information, the first terminal determines that the field A is the field corresponding to the service link disconnection time, and the field A is used to carry the time information associated with the service link disconnection time. Then, the first terminal determines that the first time information carried in the field A indicates the first time point associated with the service link disconnection time. In a case where the first terminal receives the first indication information, the first terminal can determine that the field A is the field corresponding to the feeder link disconnection time, and the field A is used to carry the time information associated with the feeder link disconnection time. That is, in the implementation form one of the foregoing scenario 1-1, the first time information is carried in the field A, and the first terminal determines that the field A is the field corresponding to the feeder link disconnection time according to the first indication information, and the first time point is associated with the feeder link disconnection time.

[0166] Optionally, the first terminal not receiving the first indication information can include that the first terminal does not receive the first indication information during the network device being in the current state (or after entering the current state). The first terminal can determine that the network device has been in the current state or has entered the current state based on the time information sent by the network device in the previous link state.

[0167] Optionally, the first terminal not receiving the first indication information can include that the first terminal receives a message used to carry the first indication information, and the first terminal determines not to receive the first indication information in a case where the first indication information is not included in the message. Alternatively, the first terminal determines not to receive the first indication information in a case where the first terminal does not detect the message used to carry the first indication information on the corresponding resource.

[0168] For example, the first indication information is carried in a system message, the first terminal receives the system message, and the first terminal determines not to receive the first indication information according to the system message not carrying the first indication information. Alternatively, the first terminal determines to receive the first indication information according to the system message carrying the first indication information.

[0169] Optionally, the first terminal performs one or more of the following according to the first time point:

[0170] a neighbor cell measurement, a cell handover procedure, a radio resource control (RRC) connection reestablishment procedure, or a cell reselection procedure.

[0171] The first terminal can consider that the service link is disconnected at or after the first time instant, and the first terminal needs to perform a cell reselection procedure or a cell handover procedure before the service link is disconnected to re-determine another cell capable of providing service. For details, refer to the implementation of the second terminal performing the above procedures according to the first time instant associated with the service disconnection time, which is not repeated here.

[0172] Optionally, the second terminal receives the first time information carried in the field A, and determines that the first time instant indicated by the first time information is associated with the second state. The second terminal is a terminal that does not support the store-and-forward mode. The second terminal performs one or more of the following according to the first time instant:

[0173] a neighbor cell measurement, a cell handover procedure, a radio resource control (RRC) connection reestablishment procedure, or a cell reselection procedure.

[0174] Scenario 2: The current link state of the network device is the second state, the service link exists and the power feeding link does not exist, that is, the network device is in the store-and-forward mode.

[0175] When the network device is in the second state, the network device can send second indication information, which is used to indicate that the network device is in the store-and-forward mode. The first terminal receives the second indication information, and can determine that the network device is in the store-and-forward mode. However, since the first terminal can receive the second indication information from the network device, it indicates that the service link between the first terminal and the network device exists, and therefore the store-and-forward mode indicated by the second indication information is the second state in which the service link exists and the power feeding link does not exist.

[0176] When the link of the network device is in the second state, the next link state of the network device can be the fourth state (the service link is disconnected, that is, neither the service link nor the power feeding link exists) or the first state (both the service link and the power feeding link exist), which are introduced below.

[0177] Scenario 2-1: As shown in FIG. 10, the current link state (at T1) of the network device is the second state, and the next link state (at T2) is the fourth state.

[0178] The network device can determine that the next link state is the fourth state, that is, the service link will be disconnected after a period of time in the case that the feeder link does not exist. The network device can determine the first time information according to the service link disconnection time, the first time information indicating a first time point related to the service link disconnection time.

[0179] For the first terminal, in the case that the second indication information is received and the first time information is carried in the field A, the first terminal can determine that the first time point is associated with the service link disconnection time, where the field A is a field corresponding to the service link disconnection time or the feeder link disconnection time.

[0180] Alternatively, in the case that the second indication information is received, the first terminal can determine that the time point indicated by the time information carried in the field A is associated with the service link disconnection time. The first terminal can determine that the first time point indicated by the first time information is associated with the service link disconnection time according to that the first time information is carried in the field A.

[0181] The first terminal receives the second indication information, determines that the network device is in the store-and-forward mode, and the feeder link does not exist. Then, the first terminal can determine that the field A is the field corresponding to the service link disconnection time according to the second indication information, and thus the first terminal determines that the first time point is associated with the service link disconnection time.

[0182] Optionally, the first terminal can perform one or more of the following according to the first time point:

[0183] Adjacent cell measurement, cell handover process, radio resource control (RRC) connection reestablishment process, or cell reselection process.

[0184] The first terminal can consider that the service link is disconnected at or after the first time point, and the first terminal needs to perform a cell reselection process or a cell handover process before the service link is disconnected to re-determine another cell capable of providing service. For details, reference can be made to the implementation of the second terminal performing the above processes according to the first time point associated with the service link disconnection time, which will not be described herein again.

[0185] Scenario 2-2, as shown in FIG. 11, the current link state of the network device (at T1 time point) is the second state, and the next link state (at T2 time point) is the first state.

[0186] The network device can determine that the next link state is the first state, that is, the network device will exist the feeder link after a period of time, and the store-and-forward mode of the network device will end after a period of time, that is, it will be in the normal mode in which the service link and the feeder link both exist.

[0187] In a specific implementation, the network device can indicate the time associated with the service stop time by sending time information, and for a non-service stop time, the network device can not send time information to indicate the time associated with the non-service stop time, such as the service recovery time, i.e., the power link and / or service link recovery time. For details, see the description of embodiment five below. Alternatively, the network device sends time information associated with each link state change for the network device to know the link state change of the network device. For details, see the description of embodiment six below.

[0188] In embodiment five, the network device does not notify the first terminal to end the store-and-forward mode, and the network device does not send time information associated with the end time of the store-and-forward mode. The network device can determine the time of the latest subsequent service link disconnection, and determine the first time information according to the service link disconnection time.

[0189] For example, the next state of the network device is the first state, and the third state, i.e., the service link is disconnected, can be after the first state. The network device determines the first time information according to the service link disconnection time, and the first time indicated by the first time information is associated with the service link disconnection time. Alternatively, the network device can be disconnected after the first state, i.e., the network device will return to the second state, and the fourth state will be the next state, i.e., in the case of power link disconnection, the service link is also disconnected, and the network device will be in the fourth state where neither the service link nor the power link exists. The network device can determine the first time information according to the service link disconnection time, i.e., the fourth state start time, and the first time indicated by the first time information is associated with the service link disconnection time. However, the application is not limited thereto, and the service link disconnection can occur after more state changes.

[0190] In this embodiment five, the network device sends the first time information, and the first time indicated by the first time information is associated with the service link disconnection. The first terminal can determine that the first time is associated with the service link disconnection time according to the reception of the second indication information and the fact that the first time information is carried in field A.

[0191] Optionally, the first terminal performs one or more of the following according to the first time:

[0192] Adjacent cell measurement, cell handover process, radio resource control (RRC) connection re-establishment process, or cell reselection process.

[0193] The first terminal can consider that the service link is disconnected at or after the first time, and the first terminal needs to perform a cell reselection procedure or a cell handover procedure before the service link is disconnected to re-determine another cell capable of providing services. The implementation of the first terminal performing the above procedure according to the first time associated with the service link disconnection time can be implemented with reference to the implementation of the second terminal described above, and will not be described here.

[0194] In the sixth implementation, the network device notifies the first terminal that the store-and-forward mode ends, and the network device can determine first time information according to an end time of the store-and-forward mode, the first time information indicating that the first time is associated with the end time of the store-and-forward mode.

[0195] The first time information can be carried in field D, which is a field corresponding to the end time of the store-and-forward mode. The first terminal determines that the first time is associated with the end time of the store-and-forward mode according to the first time information carried in field D.

[0196] In an optional manner, the first terminal receives fourth time information according to the first time, the fourth time information being used to indicate a fourth time, the fourth time being associated with the feeder link disconnection time or the fourth time being associated with the service link disconnection time.

[0197] The network device can send the fourth time information at or after the first time. The first terminal can receive the fourth time information at or after the first time. Thus, the time associated with the link state change time of the network device after the first time is obtained.

[0198] The first terminal obtains system messages according to the first time (for example, at or after the first time). For example, time information (for example, the fourth time information) associated with the network state change time can be carried in a SIB. The first terminal can receive the SIB according to scheduling information of the SIB, so as to obtain the time information. However, the application is not limited thereto. The time information can also be carried in other messages.

[0199] After the network device ends the store-and-forward mode, the current state of the network device changes to the first state, and the network device can determine time information associated with a subsequent link state change according to the subsequent link state change, to notify the first terminal. If the time information is fourth time information, the network device sends the fourth time information. In a case where the network device is in the first state, the next link state can be disconnection of the service link, and the fourth time indicated by the fourth time information is associated with the disconnection time of the service link. Alternatively, the next state of the network device can be disconnection of the feeding link, that is, the store-and-forward mode starts, and the fourth time indicated by the fourth time information is associated with the disconnection time of the feeding link, that is, the start time of the store-and-forward mode. For details of the indication manner of the time information sent by the network device in the first state, and the corresponding operation of the first terminal, reference can be made to the foregoing description of scenario 1, which will not be described herein again.

[0200] In another optional manner, in a case where the current link state of the network device is the second state and the next link state is the first state, the network device not only sends the first time information, but also sends fifth time information, which is used to indicate a fifth time associated with the disconnection time of the service link.

[0201] That is, the network device not only sends the first time information indicating the first time associated with the end time of the store-and-forward mode, but also sends the fifth time information indicating the fifth time associated with the disconnection time of the service link. The fifth time information is carried in field A, which is a field corresponding to the disconnection time of the service link or the disconnection time of the feeding link.

[0202] In one example, the first terminal obtains the fifth time information in field A, and the first terminal can determine that the fifth time indicated by the fifth time information is associated with the disconnection time of the service link or the disconnection time of the feeding link. Since the network device is in the store-and-forward mode in scenario 2-2, the first terminal can receive second indication information from the network device, and determine that the network device is in the store-and-forward mode in which the feeding link does not exist, that is, the second state. Therefore, the first terminal can determine, according to the second indication information, that the current field A is a field corresponding to the disconnection time of the service link, and the first terminal can specifically determine that the fifth time is associated with the disconnection time of the service link.

[0203] In another example, the first terminal can determine that the field A is the field corresponding to the service link disconnection time in the case that the first terminal receives the time information associated with the end time of the store-and-forward link, and the fifth time indicated by the fifth time information carried by the field A is associated with the service link disconnection. In other words, in the case that the first terminal obtains the time information carried by the field D, the first terminal can determine that the field A is the field corresponding to the service link disconnection time, instead of the field corresponding to the feeder link disconnection time.

[0204] In the case that the first terminal receives the time information associated with the end time of the store-and-forward link in the field D, the first terminal can also know that the network device is in the store-and-forward mode in which the feeder link does not exist, i.e., the second state. Therefore, the first terminal can determine that the time indicated by the time information obtained in the field A is associated with the service link disconnection time.

[0205] Optionally, the first terminal performs one or more of the following according to the fifth time:

[0206] Adjacent cell measurement, cell handover procedure, radio resource control (RRC) connection reestablishment procedure, or cell reselection procedure.

[0207] The first terminal can consider that the service link is disconnected at or after the fifth time, and the first terminal needs to perform a cell reselection procedure or a cell handover procedure to determine another cell that can provide service before the service link is disconnected. The implementation can be performed according to the implementation of the second terminal performing the above procedure according to the first time associated with the service link disconnection time, which is not described herein.

[0208] According to the above scheme, the network device can send time information associated with the link state change of the network device, and the first terminal can determine the link state associated with the time information, and then perform corresponding operations. The store-and-forward mode can be effectively implemented in the system, and unnecessary power consumption of the first terminal can be reduced.

[0209] The method provided in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7 can be applied to quasi-fixed cells and / or mobile cells. In other words, the cell managed by the network device (i.e., the cell providing network service for the first terminal) is a quasi-fixed cell and / or a mobile cell.

[0210] When the cell managed by the network device is a mobile cell, since the cell coverage changes in real time over time, the service link disconnection time can be different for different first terminals within the cell coverage, and the network device can send the time information associated with the service link disconnection time to the first terminal in a unicast manner. The time information associated with the feeder link disconnection time can be sent by the network device in a unicast manner or a broadcast manner. In the above scenario 1-1, the network device sends the time information associated with the feeder link disconnection time. The following will be described in detail in combination with scenario 1-1 that the network device sends the time information associated with the feeder link disconnection time when the first terminal is within the coverage of the mobile cell.

[0211] In the above scenario 1-1, the mobile cell managed by the network device currently operates in the normal mode, and the next link state is the store-and-forward mode in which the feeder link does not exist. The first time information is used to indicate the first time point, and the first time point is associated with the feeder link disconnection time.

[0212] In an embodiment, the first time information can be unicast information, and the first time information is carried in a field A, which is a field corresponding to the service link disconnection time or the feeder link disconnection time.

[0213] For example, the RRC message of the first terminal includes the field A, the first terminal receives the RRC message from the network device, and obtains the first time information from the field A in the RRC message. However, the present application is not limited thereto, and the field A can also be located in the medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) of the first terminal.

[0214] In this embodiment, the first indication information is used to indicate that the network device supports the store-and-forward mode, and / or the first indication information includes second time information used to indicate a second time point.

[0215] When the first terminal receives the first indication information, it is determined that the first time point indicated by the first time information is associated with the feeder link disconnection time. Alternatively, when the first terminal receives the first indication information, it is determined that the field A is a field corresponding to the feeder link disconnection time, and further, the first terminal can determine that the first time point indicated by the first time information obtained from the field A is associated with the feeder link disconnection time.

[0216] The first terminal determines that the first time indicated by the first time information is associated with the service link disconnection time in the case that the first indication information is not received. In other words, the first terminal determines that the field A is the field corresponding to the service link disconnection time in the case that the first indication information is not received, and further, the first terminal can determine that the first time indicated by the first time information obtained from the field A is associated with the feeder link disconnection time.

[0217] In another implementation, the first time information can be broadcast information, i.e., the network device broadcasts the time information associated with the feeder link disconnection time in the mobile cell. The first terminal can determine that the time information broadcast by the network device is the time information associated with the feeder link according to that the cell is a mobile cell.

[0218] In this implementation, when the first terminal is located in the coverage of the mobile cell, the first terminal can determine that the received time information broadcast by the network device is the time information associated with the feeder link. In other words, when the first terminal is in the coverage of the mobile cell, the first terminal can determine whether the time information broadcast by the network device is associated with the feeder link disconnection time without the first indication information.

[0219] In this implementation, the first terminal can determine that the network device supports the store-and-forward mode according to that the time information broadcast by the network device is received in the mobile cell. Alternatively, the network device can still send the first indication information for indicating that the network device supports the store-and-forward mode. The first terminal can determine that the network device supports the store-and-forward mode according to the first indication information.

[0220] In another implementation, the first time information can be broadcast information, the first indication information is used for indicating that the network device supports the store-and-forward mode, and the first terminal determines that the first time is associated with the feeder link disconnection time in the case that the first indication information is received, including: the first terminal determines that the time information broadcast by the network device is associated with the feeder link disconnection time in the case that the first indication information is received in the mobile cell. The first terminal determines that the first time indicated by the received time information broadcast by the network device is associated with the feeder link disconnection time.

[0221] In this embodiment, when the first terminal is located in the coverage of the mobile cell, the first terminal can determine, according to the first indication information, that the network device supports the store-and-forward mode, so as to determine that the network device will broadcast the time information associated with the feeder link disconnection time, and accordingly, the first terminal can acquire the time information broadcast by the network device, and determine the time point associated with the feeder link disconnection time according to the time information. When the first terminal is in the mobile cell, the first terminal can determine, according to the first indication information, that the network device does not support the store-and-forward mode, so the first terminal can determine that the network device will not broadcast the time information associated with the feeder link disconnection time, and thus does not need to acquire the time information.

[0222] When the first terminal is located in the coverage of the mobile cell and acquires the time point associated with the feeder link disconnection time, such as the first time point, the first terminal can not perform the cell reselection process and the cell switching process based on the first time point.

[0223] It can be understood that, in order to implement the functions in the above embodiments, the network device and the terminal include corresponding hardware structures and / or software modules for performing various functions. Those skilled in the art should easily realize that, in combination with the units and method steps of the examples described in the embodiments disclosed in the present application, the present application can be realized in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a certain function is implemented in hardware or computer software driven hardware depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0224] FIGS. 12 and 13 are structural schematic diagrams of possible communication apparatuses provided by embodiments of the present application. These communication apparatuses can be used to implement the functions of the network device or the terminal (such as the first terminal or the second terminal) in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects possessed by the above method embodiments. In embodiments of the present application, the communication apparatus can be an access network node as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, can be one of the terminals 120a-120j as shown in FIG. 1, can be the access network node 110a or 110b as shown in FIG. 1, can be the satellite base station as shown in FIG. 2, can be the satellite as an RRU as shown in FIG. 3, and can also be a unit / module / component (such as a chip, a chip system, a logic circuit or software) applied to a terminal or an access network node.

[0225] The communication apparatus 1200 includes a transceiver unit 1220, which can be used to receive or send information, and the communication apparatus 1200 can also include a processing unit 1210, which can be used to process instructions or data to implement corresponding operations.

[0226] It should be understood that, when the communication apparatus 1200 is a chip configured in (or used for) a communication device, the transceiver unit 1220 in the communication apparatus 1200 can be an input / output interface or circuit of the chip, and the processing unit 1210 in the communication apparatus 1200 can be a processor in the chip.

[0227] Optionally, the communication apparatus 1200 can further include a storage unit 1230, which can be used to store instructions or data, and the processing unit 1210 can execute the instructions or data stored in the storage unit to enable the communication apparatus to implement corresponding operations.

[0228] The communication apparatus 1200 can be used to implement the functions of the network device or the first terminal in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 7.

[0229] When the communication apparatus 1200 is used to implement the functions of the first terminal in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 7, the transceiver unit 1220 is configured to receive first time information, the first time information being used to indicate a first time. The processing unit 1210 is configured to determine, in a case where first indication information is received, that the first time is associated with a power feeding link disconnection time, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate that the network device supports a store-and-forward mode, and the store-and-forward mode includes that a service link and the power feeding link do not exist at the same time; and / or the first indication information includes second time information, the second time information being used to indicate a second time, and the second time is associated with a service link disconnection time.

[0230] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1220 is further configured to receive the first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate that the network device supports the store-and-forward mode, and the first time is associated with a power feeding link disconnection time.

[0231] The processing unit 1210 is further configured to receive, according to the first time, third time information, the third time information being used to indicate a third time.

[0232] The third time is associated with an end time of the store-and-forward mode, or the third time is associated with the service link disconnection time.

[0233] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1220 is further configured to receive the first indication information, the first indication information including the second time information, and the first time is associated with a power feeding link disconnection time.

[0234] The processing unit 1210 is further configured to perform one or more of the following according to the second time:

[0235] Adjacent cell measurement, cell handover procedure, radio resource control (RRC) connection reestablishment procedure, or cell reselection procedure.

[0236] Optionally, the processing unit 1210 is further configured to:

[0237] In a case that the first time information is carried in the first field, determine that the first time point is associated with an end time of the store-and-forward mode, wherein the first field is a field corresponding to the end time of the store-and-forward mode; or

[0238] In a case that the first time information is carried in the second field, determine that the first time point is associated with the service link disconnection time or the feeder link disconnection time, wherein the second field is a field corresponding to the service link disconnection time or the feeder link disconnection time.

[0239] Optionally, the processing unit 1210 is further configured to, in a case that the transceiver 1220 receives second indication information and the first time information is carried in the second field, determine that the first time point is associated with the service link disconnection time, wherein the second indication information is used to indicate that the network device is in the store-and-forward mode, and the second field is a field corresponding to the service link disconnection time or the feeder link disconnection time.

[0240] Optionally, the processing unit 1210 is further configured to, in a case that the first time point is associated with the end time of the store-and-forward mode, receive fourth time information according to the first time point, the fourth time information being used to indicate a fourth time point, wherein the fourth time point is associated with a time of service link disconnection, or the fourth time point is associated with a time of feeder link disconnection.

[0241] Optionally, in a case that the first indication information is not received, the processing unit 1210 is further configured to determine that the first time point is associated with the service link disconnection time.

[0242] Optionally, in a case that the first time point is associated with the service link disconnection time, the processing unit 1210 is further configured to perform one or more of the following according to the first time point:

[0243] a neighbor cell measurement, a cell handover procedure, a radio resource control (RRC) connection reestablishment procedure, or a cell reselection procedure.

[0244] When the communication apparatus 1200 is configured to implement the function of the first terminal in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the processing unit 1210 is configured to determine first time information, the first time information being used to indicate a first time. The transceiver unit 1220 is configured to send the first time information. The transceiver unit 1220 is further configured to send first indication information in a case that the first time is associated with a power link disconnection time, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate that the network device supports a store-and-forward mode, the store-and-forward mode including that the service link and the power link are not simultaneously in a connection state, and / or the first indication information includes second time information, the second time information being used to indicate a second time, the second time being associated with a service link disconnection time.

[0245] Optionally, the first indication information is used to indicate that the network device supports the store-and-forward mode, and the processing unit 1210 is further configured to send third time information according to the first time in a case that the first time is associated with the power link disconnection time, the third time information being used to indicate a third time,

[0246] wherein the third time is associated with an end time of the store-and-forward mode, or the third time is associated with the service link disconnection time.

[0247] Optionally, in a case that the first time is associated with the end time of the store-and-forward mode, the first time information is carried in a first field, wherein the first field is a field corresponding to the end time of the store-and-forward mode; or in a case that the first time is associated with the service link disconnection time, the first time information is carried in a second field, the second field being a field corresponding to the service link disconnection time.

[0248] Optionally, the processing unit 1210 is further configured to determine not to send second indication information in a case that the first time is associated with the end time of the store-and-forward mode, the second indication information being used to indicate that the network device is in the store-and-forward mode.

[0249] Optionally, in a case that the first time is associated with the service link disconnection time, the transceiver unit 1220 is further configured to send second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate that the network device is in the store-and-forward mode.

[0250] Optionally, in a case that the first time is associated with the end time of the store-and-forward mode, the processing unit 1210 is further configured to send fourth time information according to the first time, the fourth time information being used to indicate a fourth time, wherein the fourth time is associated with the service link disconnection time, or the fourth time is associated with the power link disconnection time.

[0251] Optionally, the processing unit 1210 is further configured to determine not to send the first indication information in a case that the first time instant is associated with the service link disconnection time.

[0252] For more details of the processing unit 1210 and the transceiver unit 1220, please refer to the related description in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 7.

[0253] It should be understood that the transceiver unit 1220 in the communication apparatus 1200 can be implemented by a communication interface (such as a transceiver, a transceiving circuit, an input / output interface, or a pin, etc.), and when the communication interface is a transceiver, the transceiver can be composed of a receiver and / or a transmitter. The processing unit 1210 in the communication apparatus 1200 can be implemented by at least one processor, and the processing unit 1210 in the communication apparatus 1200 can also be implemented by at least one logic circuit. Optionally, the communication apparatus 1200 further includes a storage unit, which can be implemented by a memory.

[0254] As shown in FIG. 13, the communication apparatus 1300 includes a processor 1310 and an interface circuit 1320. The processor 1310 and the interface circuit 1320 are coupled with each other. It can be understood that the interface circuit 1320 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, the communication apparatus 1300 can further include a memory 1330, which is used to store instructions executed by the processor 1310 or store input data required by the processor 1310 to execute instructions or store data generated after the processor 1310 executes instructions.

[0255] In an implementation manner, the memory 1330 can also be integrated in the processor 1310 or independent of the processor 1310.

[0256] When the communication apparatus 1300 is used to implement the method shown in FIG. 7, the processor 1310 is used to implement the functions of the processing unit 1210 described above, and the interface circuit 1320 is used to implement the functions of the transceiver unit 1220 described above.

[0257] When the above communication apparatus is a chip applied to a terminal device, the terminal device chip can implement the functions of the terminal in the above method embodiments. The terminal device chip receives information from other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the terminal device, and the information is sent by a network device to the terminal device; or the terminal device chip sends information to other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the terminal device, and the information is sent by the terminal device to the network device.

[0258] When the communication device is a module applied to a network device, the network device module can implement the functions of the network device in the method embodiments. The network device module receives information from other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the network device, and the information is sent by the terminal device to the network device; or the network device module sends information to other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the network device, and the information is sent by the network device to the terminal device. The network device module herein can be a baseband chip of the network device, or a DU or other module, and the DU herein can be a DU under an open radio access network (O-RAN) architecture.

[0259] It can be understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application can be a central processing unit (CPU), and can also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor, or any conventional processor.

[0260] The method steps in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in hardware, or in software instructions executable by a processor. The software instructions can be composed of corresponding software modules, and the software modules can be stored in a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory, an erasable programmable read-only memory, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, a register, a hard disk, a mobile hard disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium well known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor, so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. The storage medium can also be an integral part of the processor. The processor and the storage medium can be located in an ASIC. In addition, the ASIC can be located in an access network device or a terminal device. The processor and the storage medium can also exist as discrete components in the access network device or the terminal device.

[0261] According to the method provided in the embodiments of the application, the embodiments of the present application further provide a computer program product, which comprises computer program codes, when the computer program codes are executed by one or more processors, causing an apparatus comprising the processors to execute the method shown in FIG. 7.

[0262] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented by software, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer programs or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments are performed. The computer can be a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user equipment or other programmable apparatus.

[0263] According to the method provided in the embodiments of the present application, the embodiments of the present application further provide a computer-readable storage medium storing the computer programs or instructions described above, which, when executed by one or more processors, cause an apparatus including the processors to perform the method shown in FIG. 7.

[0264] The computer programs or instructions described above can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium, for example, the computer programs or instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center through wired or wireless manner. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server, data center and the like integrated with one or more available media. The available media can be a magnetic medium, for example, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape; or an optical medium, for example, a digital video disc; or a semiconductor medium, for example, a solid state disk. The computer-readable storage medium can be a volatile or non-volatile storage medium, or can include both volatile and non-volatile storage media.

[0265] According to the method provided in the embodiments of the present application, the embodiments of the present application further provide a communication system including one or more network devices described above. The system can further include one or more first terminals described above.

[0266] In several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, device and method can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device described above is only schematic, for example, the division of the units is only a logical function division, and actual implementation can have another division manner, for example, a plurality of units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection between the units shown or discussed can be indirect coupling or communication connection through some interface, device or unit, and can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0267] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components displayed as units may or may not be physical units, that is, may be located in one place, or may be distributed to multiple network units. Part or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of the scheme according to actual needs.

[0268] In various embodiments of the present application, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be mutually referred to if there is no special description and logical conflict. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0269] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto, and any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or replacements within the technical scope disclosed by the present application, which should be covered within the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method of information transmission, characterized in that, Comprise: receiving first time information, the first time information being used to indicate a first time point; in a case where first indication information is received, determining that the first time point is associated with a feeder link disconnection time, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate that the network device supports a store-and-forward mode, the store-and-forward mode comprising that a service link and the feeder link do not exist at the same time; and / or, the first indication information comprises second time information, the second time information being used to indicate a second time point, the second time point being associated with a service link disconnection time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving the first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate that the network device supports the store-and-forward mode, the first time point being associated with a feeder link disconnection time; according to the first time point, receiving third time information, the third time information being used to indicate a third time point, wherein the third time point is associated with an end time of the store-and-forward mode, or the third time point is associated with the service link disconnection time.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving the first indication information, the first indication information comprising the second time information, the first time point being associated with a feeder link disconnection time; according to the second time point, performing one or more of the following: neighboring cell measurement, cell handover procedure, radio resource control (RRC) connection re-establishment procedure, or cell reselection procedure.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The method further comprises: in a case where the first time information is carried in a first field, determining that the first time point is associated with an end time of the store-and-forward mode, wherein the first field is a field corresponding to the end time of the store-and-forward mode; or, in a case where the first time information is carried in a second field, determining that the first time point is associated with the service link disconnection time or the feeder link disconnection time, wherein the second field is a field corresponding to the service link disconnection time or the feeder link disconnection time.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The method further comprises: in a case where second indication information is received and the first time information is carried in a second field, determining that the first time point is associated with the service link disconnection time, wherein the second indication information is used to indicate that the network device is in the store-and-forward mode, and the second field is a field corresponding to the service link disconnection time or the feeder link disconnection time.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The method further comprises: in a case where the first time point is associated with an end time of the store-and-forward mode, according to the first time point, receiving fourth time information, the fourth time information being used to indicate a fourth time point, wherein the fourth time point is associated with a service link disconnection time, or the fourth time point is associated with a feeder link disconnection time.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The method further comprises: in a case where the first indication information is not received, determining that the first time point is associated with the service link disconnection time.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The method further comprises: in a case where the first time point is associated with the service link disconnection time, according to the first time point, performing one or more of the following: A neighbor cell measurement, a cell handover procedure, a radio resource control (RRC) connection reestablishment procedure, or a cell reselection procedure.

9. An information transmission method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: sending first time information, the first time information being used to indicate a first time point; in a case where the first time point is associated with a power feeding link disconnection time, sending first indication information, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate that a network device supports a store-and-forward mode, the store-and-forward mode comprising a case where a service link and the power feeding link are not simultaneously in a connected state, and / or the first indication information comprises second time information, the second time information being used to indicate a second time point, the second time point being associated with a service link disconnection time.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, The first indication information is used to indicate that a network device supports a store-and-forward mode, and the method further comprises: in a case where the first time point is associated with a power feeding link disconnection time, sending third time information according to the first time point, the third time information being used to indicate a third time point, wherein the third time point is associated with an end time of the store-and-forward mode, or the third time point is associated with the service link disconnection time.

11. The method of claim 9 or 10, wherein, in a case where the first time point is associated with the end time of the store-and-forward mode, the first time information is carried in a first field, wherein the first field is a field corresponding to the end time of the store-and-forward mode; or in a case where the first time point is associated with the service link disconnection time, the first time information is carried in a second field, the second field being a field corresponding to the service link disconnection time.

12. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that, The method further comprises: in a case where the first time point is associated with the end time of the store-and-forward mode, not sending second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate that the network device is in the store-and-forward mode.

13. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 12, characterized in that, The method further comprises: in a case where the first time point is associated with the service link disconnection time, sending second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate that the network device is in the store-and-forward mode.

14. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 13, characterized in that, The method further comprises: in a case where the first time point is associated with the end time of the store-and-forward mode, sending fourth time information according to the first time point, the fourth time information being used to indicate a fourth time point, wherein the fourth time point is associated with a service link disconnection time, or the fourth time point is associated with a power feeding link disconnection time.

15. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 14, characterized in that, The method further comprises: in a case where the first time point is associated with the service link disconnection time, not sending the first indication information.

16. A communications device, characterized by The method comprises: a transceiver, configured to receive first time information, the first time information being used to indicate a first time point; a processing unit, configured to, in a case where first indication information is received, determine that the first time point is associated with a power feeding link disconnection time, The first indication information is used to indicate that the network device supports the store-and-forward mode, and the store-and-forward mode comprises that the service link and the feeding link do not exist at the same time.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein, the transceiver is further configured to receive the first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate that the network device supports the store-and-forward mode, and the first time point is associated with a feeding link disconnection time; the processing unit is further configured to receive third time information according to the first time point, the third time information being used to indicate a third time point, wherein the third time point is associated with an end time of the store-and-forward mode, or the third time point is associated with the service link disconnection time.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein, the transceiver is further configured to receive the first indication information, the first indication information comprising the second time information, and the first time point is associated with a feeding link disconnection time; the processing unit is further configured to perform one or more of the following according to the second time point: a neighbor cell measurement, a cell handover procedure, a radio resource control (RRC) connection reestablishment procedure, or a cell reselection procedure.

19. The apparatus of any one of claims 16-18, wherein, in a case where the first time information is carried in a first field, the processing unit is further configured to determine that the first time point is associated with an end time of the store-and-forward mode, wherein the first field is a field corresponding to the end time of the store-and-forward mode; or in a case where the first time information is carried in a second field, the processing unit is further configured to determine that the first time point is associated with the service link disconnection time or the feeding link disconnection time, wherein the second field is a field corresponding to the service link disconnection time or the feeding link disconnection time.

20. The apparatus of any one of claims 16-19, wherein, in a case where second indication information is received and the first time information is carried in a second field, the processing unit is further configured to determine that the first time point is associated with the service link disconnection time, wherein the second indication information is used to indicate that the network device is in the store-and-forward mode, and the second field is a field corresponding to the service link disconnection time or a feeding link disconnection time.

21. The apparatus of any one of claims 16-20, wherein, in a case where the first time point is associated with an end time of the store-and-forward mode, the processing unit is further configured to receive fourth time information according to the first time point, the fourth time information being used to indicate a fourth time point, wherein the fourth time point is associated with a service link disconnection time, or the fourth time point is associated with a feeding link disconnection time.

22. The apparatus of any one of claims 16-21, wherein, the apparatus further comprises: In a case where the first indication information is not received, it is determined that the first time instant is associated with the service link disconnection time.

23. The apparatus of any one of claims 16-22, wherein, The apparatus further includes: In a case where the first time instant is associated with the service link disconnection time, the following one or more of the following is performed according to the first time instant: a neighbor cell measurement, a cell handover procedure, a radio resource control (RRC) connection reestablishment procedure, or a cell reselection procedure.

24. A communications device, characterized by includes: a processing unit configured to determine first time information, the first time information being used to indicate a first time instant; a transceiver configured to transmit the first time information; the transceiver is further configured to, in a case where the first time instant is associated with the power feeding link disconnection time, transmit first indication information, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate that the network device supports a store-and-forward mode, the store-and-forward mode including that the service link and the power feeding link are not simultaneously in a connected state, and / or the first indication information includes second time information, the second time information being used to indicate a second time instant, the second time instant being associated with the service link disconnection time.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein, the first indication information is used to indicate that the network device supports a store-and-forward mode, in a case where the first time instant is associated with the power feeding link disconnection time, the processing unit is further configured to, according to the first time instant, transmit third time information, the third time information being used to indicate a third time instant, wherein the third time instant is associated with an end time of the store-and-forward mode, or the third time instant is associated with the service link disconnection time.

26. The apparatus of any one of claims 24 or 25, wherein in a case where the first time instant is associated with an end time of the store-and-forward mode, the first time information is carried in a first field, wherein the first field is a field corresponding to the end time of the store-and-forward mode; or in a case where the first time instant is associated with the service link disconnection time, the first time information is carried in a second field, the second field being a field corresponding to the service link disconnection time.

27. The apparatus of any one of claims 24 to 26, wherein the processing unit is further configured to, in a case where the first time instant is associated with an end time of the store-and-forward mode, determine not to transmit second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate that the network device is in the store-and-forward mode.

28. The apparatus of any one of claims 24 to 27, wherein in a case where the first time instant is associated with the service link disconnection time, the transceiver is further configured to transmit second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate that the network device is in the store-and-forward mode.

29. The apparatus of any one of claims 24 to 28, wherein in a case where the first time instant is associated with an end time of the store-and-forward mode, the processing unit is further configured to, according to the first time instant, transmit fourth time information, the fourth time information being used to indicate a fourth time instant, The fourth time point is associated with a time when the service link is disconnected, or the fourth time point is associated with a time when the power feeding link is disconnected.

30. The apparatus of any one of claims 24-29, wherein, The processing unit is further configured to determine not to send the first indication information in a case that the first time point is associated with a time when the service link is disconnected.

31. A communications device, characterized by The communication apparatus includes a processor coupled with a memory, the memory is configured to store a computer program, and the processor is configured to execute the computer program stored in the memory to enable the communication apparatus to perform the method of any one of claims 1-8, or to enable the communication apparatus to perform the method of any one of claims 9-15.

32. A communications device, characterized by The communication apparatus includes a processor and a communication interface, the processor is configured to control the communication interface to implement the method of any one of claims 1-8, or to implement the method of any one of claims 9-15.

33. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer program product includes a computer program, when the computer program is executed, the computer program enables a computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1-15.

34. A computer program product, characterised in that, The computer program product includes a computer program, when the computer program is executed, the computer program enables a computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1-15.

35. A communication system, characterized by The communication apparatus includes a first communication apparatus configured to perform the method of any one of claims 1-8, and a second communication apparatus configured to perform the method of any one of claims 9-15.

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