Handover control method, functional network element, communication system and electronic device
By utilizing functional network elements to determine the target satellite in an integrated air-space-ground network, the problem of service continuity for user equipment under satellite network topology changes and mobility conditions has been solved. This enables continuous switching of user equipment between multiple satellites, improving communication quality and service continuity.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- WO · WO
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- CHINA TELECOM CORP LTD TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION CENTER
- Filing Date
- 2025-10-22
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-15
AI Technical Summary
In future integrated space-air-ground network scenarios, existing technologies have failed to effectively solve the problem of service continuity when user equipment switches between different satellites, especially in the case of changes in satellite network topology and user movement, how to select target satellites to ensure communication quality.
The first functional network element receives the handover target determination request sent by the second functional network element, combines the user equipment's location information, the currently accessed satellite identifier, and the satellite network topology change information, determines the target satellite within the service time range, and controls the user equipment to perform continuous handover.
It improved the service continuity of user equipment, ensured the stability and reliability of communication quality, reduced interruptions during handover, and achieved load balancing and efficient resource utilization among multiple satellites.
Smart Images
Figure CN2025129253_15052026_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
Handover control method, functional network element, communication system and electronic device
[0001] The present disclosure claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 202411595762.0, filed on November 08, 2024, entitled "Handover control method, functional network element, communication system and electronic device", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of satellite communication, in particular to a handover control method, a functional network element, a communication system and an electronic device. BACKGROUND
[0003] In the future space-air-ground integrated network scenario, a base station can be directly deployed on a satellite to communicate with a user equipment (UE). As the user equipment moves or the satellite moves, the user equipment needs to be handed over between different satellites.
[0004] Currently, in the 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) standard, the handover process of the base station on the satellite and the logical base station is being studied.
[0005] It should be noted that the information disclosed in the above background section is only used to strengthen the understanding of the background of the present disclosure, and therefore can include information that does not constitute prior art known to those of ordinary skill in the art. SUMMARY
[0006] Although the handover process of the logical base station is being studied in the 3GPP standard, there is no solution on how to select a target satellite before handover.
[0007] One of the technical problems to be solved by the present disclosure is to provide a handover control method, which can select a target satellite for a user equipment before handover, improve the service continuity of the user equipment, and improve the communication quality.
[0008] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a handover control method is provided, executed by a first functional network element, comprising: receiving a handover target determination request sent by a second functional network element, wherein the handover target determination request comprises location information of a user equipment, a service time range, and an identifier of a currently accessed satellite; determining one or more target satellites for the user equipment to perform continuous handover within the service time range according to the location information of the user equipment, the identifier of the currently accessed satellite, and change information of a topology structure of a satellite network; sending a handover target determination response to the second functional network element, wherein the handover target determination response comprises an identifier of the one or more target satellites, so that the second functional network element controls handover of the user equipment according to the identifier of the one or more target satellites.
[0009] In some embodiments, determining the one or more target satellites for the user equipment to perform continuous handover within the service time range according to the location information of the user equipment, the identifier of the currently accessed satellite, and the change information of the topology structure of the satellite network comprises: determining the one or more target satellites for the user equipment to perform continuous handover within the service time range according to the location information of the user equipment, the identifier of the currently accessed satellite, the change information of the topology structure of the satellite network, and load information of a plurality of satellites in the satellite network.
[0010] In some embodiments, determining the one or more target satellites for the user equipment to perform continuous handover within the service time range according to the location information of the user equipment, the identifier of the currently accessed satellite, the change information of the topology structure of the satellite network, and load information of a plurality of satellites in the satellite network comprises: determining the change information of the topology structure of the satellite network within the service time range according to running information of the plurality of satellites and a current topology structure of the satellite network; and determining the one or more target satellites for the user equipment to perform continuous handover within the service time range according to the location information of the user equipment, the identifier of the currently accessed satellite, the change information of the topology structure of the satellite network, and the load information of the plurality of satellites.
[0011] In some embodiments, determining the one or more target satellites for the continuous handover of the user equipment within the service time range according to the location information of the user equipment, the identity of the currently accessed satellite, the change information of the topology structure of the satellite network, and the load information of the plurality of satellites comprises: determining one or more candidate satellites capable of providing services for the user equipment within the service time range and a time range in which the one or more candidate satellites provide services according to the location information of the user equipment, the load information of the plurality of satellites, and operation information of the plurality of satellites; determining a communication connection relationship between the currently accessed satellite and the one or more candidate satellites within the service time range according to the identity of the currently accessed satellite and the change information of the topology structure of the satellite network; and determining the one or more target satellites for the continuous handover of the user equipment within the service time range according to the communication connection relationship between the currently accessed satellite and the one or more candidate satellites, and the time range in which the one or more candidate satellites provide services.
[0012] In some embodiments, determining the one or more target satellites for the continuous handover of the user equipment within the service time range according to the communication connection relationship between the currently accessed satellite and the one or more candidate satellites, and the time range in which the one or more candidate satellites provide services comprises: determining one or more groups of satellites for the continuous handover of the user equipment within the service time range according to the communication connection relationship between the currently accessed satellite and the one or more candidate satellites, and the time range in which the one or more candidate satellites provide services; and in a case where a plurality of groups of satellites are determined, selecting one group of satellites as the one or more target satellites according to the load information of each group of satellites in the plurality of groups of satellites.
[0013] In some embodiments, in a case where a plurality of target satellites for the continuous handover of the user equipment are determined, the identities of the plurality of target satellites are arranged in an order in which the user equipment performs handover.
[0014] In some embodiments, receiving the handover target determination request sent by the second function network element comprises: receiving the handover target determination request sent by the second function network element after the user equipment accesses the currently accessed satellite and completes a session establishment process.
[0015] In some embodiments, the first function network element is a satellite network management function (SNMF) network element, and the second function network element is an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element.
[0016] In some embodiments, in a case where a plurality of target satellites for the continuous handover of the user equipment are determined, the plurality of target satellites are located in the same or different satellite orbits.
[0017] According to some other embodiments of this disclosure, a handover control method is provided, executed by a second functional network element, comprising: sending a handover target determination request to a first functional network element, wherein the handover target determination request includes the location information of the user equipment, the service time range, and the identifier of the currently accessed satellite; receiving a handover target determination response sent by the first functional network element, wherein the handover target determination response includes the identifiers of one or more target satellites, and the one or more target satellites are determined based on the location information of the user equipment, the service time range, the identifier of the currently accessed satellite, and the change information of the satellite network topology; and controlling the continuous handover of the user equipment within the service time range based on the identifiers of the one or more target satellites.
[0018] In some embodiments, controlling the handover of user equipment within a service time range based on the identifiers of one or more target satellites includes: converting the identifiers of one or more target satellites into the identifiers of one or more target base stations; and controlling the user equipment to continuously handover within the service time range based on the identifiers of one or more target base stations.
[0019] In some embodiments, controlling a user equipment to continuously hand over within a service time range based on the identifiers of one or more target base stations includes: receiving a handover confirmation request sent by a base station currently connected to the user equipment, wherein the handover confirmation request includes the identifier of the user equipment and the identifier of the currently connected base station; searching for the identifiers of one or more target base stations based on the identifier of the user equipment; determining the identifier of the current target base station based on the identifiers of one or more target base stations and the identifier of the currently connected base station; and sending a handover confirmation response to the currently connected base station, wherein the handover confirmation response includes the identifier of the current target base station, so that the user equipment can hand over from the currently connected base station to the current target base station.
[0020] In some embodiments, sending a handover target determination request to a first functional network element includes: after the user equipment accesses the currently accessed satellite and completes the session establishment process, sending a handover target determination request to the first functional network element.
[0021] In some embodiments, the identifier of one or more target satellites includes the identifiers of multiple target satellites, which are arranged in the order in which the user equipment switches, and the multiple target satellites are located in the same or different satellite orbits.
[0022] In some embodiments, the first functional network element is a Satellite Network Management Function (SNMF) network element, and the second functional network element is an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) network element.
[0023] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, a functional network element is provided as a first functional network element, comprising: a receiving module configured to receive a handover target determination request sent by a second functional network element, wherein the handover target determination request includes location information of a user equipment, a service time range, and an identifier of a currently accessed satellite; a determining module configured to determine one or more target satellites for handover of the user equipment based on the location information of the user equipment, the service time range, and the identifier of the currently accessed satellite; and a sending module configured to send a handover target determination response to the second functional network element, wherein the handover target determination response includes the identifiers of one or more target satellites, so that the second functional network element controls the handover of the user equipment based on the identifiers of one or more target satellites.
[0024] According to further embodiments of this disclosure, a functional network element is provided as a second functional network element, comprising: a sending module configured to send a handover target determination request to a first functional network element, wherein the handover target determination request includes location information of the user equipment, service time range, and identifiers of currently accessed satellites; a receiving module configured to receive a handover target determination response sent by the first functional network element, wherein the handover target determination response includes identifiers of one or more target satellites, and the one or more target satellites are determined based on the location information of the user equipment, service time range, and identifiers of currently accessed satellites; and a control module configured to control the handover of the user equipment within the service time range based on the identifiers of one or more target satellites.
[0025] According to further embodiments of the present disclosure, an electronic device is provided, including: a processor; and a memory coupled to the processor for storing instructions, which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform a switching control method according to any embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0026] According to further embodiments of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided having a computer program stored thereon, wherein the program, when executed by a processor, implements the switching method of any embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0027] According to further embodiments of the present disclosure, a computer program product is provided, including instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method as described in any embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0028] In the handover control method disclosed herein, a first functional network element receives a handover target determination request sent by a second functional network element. This request carries the location information of the user equipment (UE), the service time range, and the identifier of the currently accessed satellite. The first functional network element can obtain information about changes in the satellite network topology. Based on the UE's location information, the identifier of the currently accessed satellite, and the changes in the satellite network topology, the first functional network element determines one or more target satellites for continuous handover within the service time range. The first functional network element sends the identifiers of the one or more target satellites in a handover target determination response to the second functional network element, enabling the second functional network element to control the UE to continuously handover between the currently accessed satellite and one or more target satellites. This handover control method, in determining target satellites for the UE, references the service time range and changes in the satellite network topology, ensuring that the determined target satellites can provide continuous service to the UE within the service time range. Furthermore, it can determine multiple target satellites for the UE at once, allowing the UE to maintain service continuity by continuously handover between multiple target satellites. Therefore, this handover control method can improve the service continuity of the UE, thereby improving communication quality.
[0029] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and are not intended to limit this disclosure. Attached Figure Description
[0030] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this disclosure. It is obvious that the drawings described below are merely some embodiments of this disclosure, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without any inventive effort.
[0031] Figure 1 shows a flowchart illustrating a switching control method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0032] Figure 2 shows a flowchart illustrating a switching control method according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0033] Figure 3 shows a flowchart of a switching control method according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0034] Figure 4 shows a schematic diagram of the network architecture of some embodiments of this disclosure.
[0035] Figure 5 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of functional network elements in some embodiments of this disclosure.
[0036] Figure 6 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of functional network elements in some other embodiments of this disclosure.
[0037] Figure 7 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0038] Figure 8 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0039] Figure 9 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device according to other embodiments of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation
[0040] Exemplary embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, these exemplary embodiments can be implemented in many forms and should not be construed as limited to the examples set forth herein; rather, they are provided so that this disclosure will be more comprehensive and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the exemplary embodiments to those skilled in the art. The described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.
[0041] In real-world scenarios, the handover of user equipment (UE) between base stations on satellites is closely related to changes in the satellite network topology. In base station-to-satellite scenarios, due to the complexity of the satellite network topology and the different movement speeds of satellites in different orbits, connections are time-varying. To reduce interruptions and improve service continuity for UEs during the execution of real-time services such as voice calls, this disclosure proposes a handover control method. Some embodiments of this handover control method are described below with reference to Figures 1-4.
[0042] Figure 1 is a flowchart of some embodiments of the handover control method of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 1, the method of this embodiment includes steps S102 to S106. The method of this embodiment is executed by a first functional network element.
[0043] In step S102, a handover target determination request sent by the second functional network element is received.
[0044] For example, the first functional network element is SNMF (Satellite Network Management Function). The name of the first functional network element can be determined according to actual needs and is not limited to the examples given. The first functional network element can be an existing network element in the 3GPP standard or a newly added network element. The first functional network element can be used to acquire or manage the topology of the satellite network and can acquire information about the topology in real time. The first functional network element can also manage or acquire information about each satellite in the satellite network in real time, such as one or more of the satellite's identifier, location, ephemeris information, and operational information. For example, the second functional network element is AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function), and is not limited to the examples given.
[0045] For example, a handover target determination request includes the user equipment's location information, service time range, and the identifier of the currently accessed satellite. The service time range can be represented by the service duration, start and end times, etc., and is not limited to the examples given. Different types of service time ranges can be pre-configured, and these ranges can be calculated based on the actual execution duration of each type of service. This service time range can also be sent by the user equipment and determined by the user equipment according to its needs. The handover target determination request may also include the identifier of the cell currently accessed by the user equipment.
[0046] In step S104, based on the location information of the user equipment, the identifier of the currently accessed satellite, and the change information of the satellite network topology, one or more target satellites for continuous switching of the user equipment within the service time range are determined.
[0047] A satellite network's topology includes the communication connections between multiple satellites within the network, such as whether communication interfaces exist between satellites. A satellite network can include multiple satellites in multiple orbits. Since medium- and low-Earth orbit satellites orbit the Earth, the topology of a satellite network changes in real time.
[0048] One or more target satellites can continuously provide services to the user equipment for a period of time that covers the service timeframe. If the timeframe for continuous service from the currently accessing satellite and one target satellite covers the service timeframe, then only one target satellite needs to be identified. For example, after the currently accessing satellite provides service for a period, the user equipment switches to the target satellite, which continues to provide service until the service ends. When multiple target satellites are required to continuously provide service to the user equipment to complete the service, multiple target satellites need to be identified for the user equipment.
[0049] When multiple target satellites are identified for continuous handover of user equipment, the user equipment will switch between the multiple target satellites sequentially.
[0050] In step S106, a handover target determination response is sent to the second functional network element.
[0051] For example, the handover target determination response includes identifiers of one or more target satellites. The handover target determination response may also include a queue consisting of currently accessed satellites and identifiers of one or more target satellites. In some embodiments, when multiple target satellites are determined for continuous handover of the user equipment, the identifiers of the multiple target satellites are arranged in the order in which the user equipment performs the handover. The first functional network element may also determine one or more target cells corresponding to one or more target satellites and send the identifiers of one or more target cells to the second functional network element.
[0052] Subsequently, if the handover conditions are met, the second functional network element controls the user equipment to switch between the currently accessed satellite and one or more target satellites in sequence, based on the identifiers of one or more target satellites.
[0053] In the method of the above embodiments, a first functional network element receives a handover target determination request sent by a second functional network element, which carries the location information of the user equipment, the service time range, and the identifier of the currently accessed satellite. The first functional network element can obtain information about changes in the satellite network topology, and then, based on the location information of the user equipment, the identifier of the currently accessed satellite, and the information about changes in the satellite network topology, determines one or more target satellites for continuous handover of the user equipment within the service time range. The first functional network element sends the identifiers of one or more target satellites in the handover target determination response to the second functional network element, so that the second functional network element can control the user equipment to continuously handover between the currently accessed satellite and one or more target satellites. The method of the above embodiments, in determining target satellites for the user equipment, references the service time range and the information about changes in the satellite network topology, enabling the determined target satellites to provide continuous service to the user equipment within the service time range. Furthermore, it can determine multiple target satellites for the user equipment at once, allowing the user equipment to maintain service continuity by continuously handover between multiple target satellites. Therefore, the method of the above embodiments can improve the service continuity of user equipment, thereby improving communication quality.
[0054] The following describes a handover control method performed by a second functional network element, with reference to some embodiments.
[0055] Figure 2 is a flowchart of some other embodiments of the handover control method of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 2, the method of this embodiment includes steps S202 to S206. The method of this embodiment is executed by a second functional network element.
[0056] In step S202, a handover target determination request is sent to the first functional network element.
[0057] For example, a handover target determination request includes the user equipment's location information, the service time range, and the identifier of the currently accessed satellite.
[0058] In step S204, a handover target determination response is received from the first functional network element.
[0059] For example, the target determination response includes the identifiers of one or more target satellites, which are determined based on the user equipment's location information, service time range, the identifiers of currently accessed satellites, and changes in the satellite network topology.
[0060] In step S206, based on the identifiers of one or more target satellites, the user equipment is controlled to continuously switch within the service time range.
[0061] When the handover conditions are met, the second functional network element controls the user equipment to switch between the currently accessed satellite and one or more target satellites in sequence, based on the identifiers of one or more target satellites.
[0062] In the method of the above embodiments, the first functional network element sends the user equipment's location information, service time range, and the identifier of the currently accessed satellite to the second functional network element, and receives the identifiers of one or more target satellites returned by the second functional network element, thereby controlling the user equipment to continuously switch between the currently accessed satellite and one or more target satellites. The method of the above embodiments can improve the service continuity of user equipment, thereby improving communication quality.
[0063] The following describes how to identify one or more target satellites using some examples.
[0064] In some embodiments, one or more target satellites for continuous switching of the user equipment are determined based on the location information of the user equipment, the identifier of the currently accessed satellite, the change information of the satellite network topology, and the load information of multiple satellites in the satellite network.
[0065] In determining one or more target satellites, in addition to considering the user equipment's location information, the identifiers of currently accessed satellites, and changes in the satellite network topology, the load information of multiple satellites is also taken into account. This allows the user equipment to select satellites with lighter loads to ensure communication quality. The load information of each satellite can be determined based on at least one of the following: the number of connected user equipment, the transceiver occupancy rate, and the transceiver idle rate, and is not limited to the examples given.
[0066] Referencing satellite load information during the identification of one or more target satellites can improve the communication quality of user equipment and balance the load among multiple satellites, effectively utilizing their resources.
[0067] In some embodiments, the changes in the topology of the satellite network within the service time range are determined based on the operational information of multiple satellites and the current topology of the satellite network; and one or more target satellites for continuous switching of the user equipment are determined based on the location information of the user equipment, the identifier of the currently accessed satellite, the changes in the topology of the satellite network, and the load information of multiple satellites.
[0068] The operational information of multiple satellites can be determined based on the ephemeris information of each satellite, including information such as the satellite's speed and position. Based on the operational information of multiple satellites and the current topology of the satellite network, the satellites with communication connections within the operational time frame, and the connection time frame, can be determined.
[0069] In some embodiments, based on the location information of the user equipment, the load information of multiple satellites, and the operational information of multiple satellites, one or more candidate satellites capable of providing services to the user equipment within the service time period are determined, as well as the service time period of the one or more candidate satellites. Based on the identifier of the currently accessed satellite and the change information of the satellite network topology, the communication connection relationship between the currently accessed satellite and one or more candidate satellites within the service time period is determined. Based on the communication connection relationship between the currently accessed satellite and one or more candidate satellites and the service time period of the one or more candidate satellites, one or more target satellites for continuous switching of the user equipment within the service time period are determined.
[0070] When a user equipment (UE) is within the satellite's coverage area, the satellite can provide services to the UE. The satellite can also provide services to the UE if its load information is below a threshold. One or more candidate satellites can be selected based on the UE's location information, the load information of multiple satellites, and the operational information of multiple satellites. During the service period, the UE will be within the coverage area of one or more candidate satellites for a certain time, and the load information of those candidate satellites will be below the threshold.
[0071] Furthermore, based on the changes in the satellite network topology, candidate satellites with communication connections to the currently accessed satellites and their connection time ranges can be determined within the service time frame, as well as the communication connection relationships and connection time ranges among multiple candidate satellites. Switching can only occur between satellites with existing communication connections. Furthermore, based on the communication connection relationships and connection time ranges between the currently accessed satellites and one or more candidate satellites, and the service time ranges provided by one or more candidate satellites, one or more target satellites are selected.
[0072] This process involves selecting one or more target satellites based on the communication connections between currently connected satellites and one or more candidate satellites, the connection time range, the service time range of one or more candidate satellites, and the load information of one or more candidate satellites. Target satellites can be selected sequentially according to the switching order, and the candidate satellite with the lowest load can be selected as the target satellite each time.
[0073] In some embodiments, based on the communication connection relationship between the currently accessed satellites and one or more candidate satellites, and the service time range of one or more candidate satellites, one or more groups of satellites are determined for continuous switching of user equipment within the service time range; if multiple groups of satellites are determined, one group of satellites is selected as one or more target satellites based on the load information of each group of satellites in the multiple groups of satellites.
[0074] When multiple satellite groups are identified, each group can include one or more satellites that can serve as target satellites. The group with the lowest payload can be selected from these multiple groups.
[0075] In cases where multiple target satellites are identified for continuous handover of user equipment, the multiple target satellites are located in the same or different satellite orbits.
[0076] The methods described in the above embodiments can more accurately select one or more target satellites for user equipment, thereby improving the continuity of user equipment services and enhancing communication quality.
[0077] Some further embodiments of the switching control method of this disclosure are described below with reference to Figure 3.
[0078] Figure 3 is a flowchart of some further embodiments of the switching control method of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 3, the method of this embodiment includes steps S302 to S310.
[0079] In step S302, the user equipment accesses the current satellite and completes the session establishment process.
[0080] After the user equipment completes the session establishment, it can know the type of service currently being performed by the user equipment and determine the service time range.
[0081] In step S304, the second functional network element sends a handover target determination request to the first functional network element.
[0082] The target switching request includes the user equipment's location information, the service time range, and the identifier of the currently accessed satellite.
[0083] In step S306, the first functional network element determines one or more target satellites for continuous switching of user equipment within the service time range based on the location information of the user equipment, the identifier of the currently accessed satellite, and the change information of the satellite network topology.
[0084] In step S308, the first functional network element sends a handover target determination response to the second functional network element.
[0085] In step S310, the second functional network element controls the switching of user equipment based on the identifiers of one or more target satellites.
[0086] In some embodiments, the second functional network element converts the identifiers of one or more target satellites into the identifiers of one or more target base stations; and controls the user equipment to continuously switch within the service time range based on the identifiers of one or more target base stations.
[0087] The correspondence between satellite identifiers and base station identifiers can be stored in the second functional network element or other network elements, and the second functional network element can perform the conversion between the two.
[0088] In some embodiments, the second functional network element receives a handover confirmation request sent by the base station currently connected to the user equipment, wherein the handover confirmation request includes the identifier of the user equipment and the identifier of the currently connected base station; searches for the identifiers of one or more target base stations based on the identifier of the user equipment; determines the identifier of the current target base station based on the identifiers of one or more target base stations and the identifier of the currently connected base station; and sends a handover confirmation response to the currently connected base station, wherein the handover confirmation response includes the identifier of the current target base station, so that the user equipment can hand over from the currently connected base station to the current target base station.
[0089] The second functional network element can store the identifier of the user equipment (UE) and the identifiers of one or more target base stations. When storing the identifiers of multiple target base stations, the above process can be executed cyclically according to the handover order of the multiple target base stations. Alternatively, the second functional network element can proactively send the identifiers of multiple target base stations and the handover order to each target base station before handover, or send the identifier of the next target base station in the handover order to each target base station, so that each target base station knows in advance which base station the UE will be handed over to.
[0090] The second functional network element can send a handover confirmation response via high-orbit satellite or directly to the currently connected base station. The second functional network element can also receive handover confirmation requests from the currently connected base station via high-orbit satellite or directly.
[0091] For details on the specific switchover preparation and execution processes, please refer to the solutions in the standard; they will not be elaborated upon here.
[0092] As shown in Figure 4, the satellite system consists of multiple satellites in different orbits. The user equipment is currently connected to satellite SAT-1, which is also base station 1. The AMF can send a handover target confirmation request to the SNMF. The SNMF calculates whether the user equipment's service time is less than the continuous service time of the two satellites (e.g., short message service), and returns the queue [base station 1, base station 2] or [SAT-1, SAT-2], or only base station 2 or SAT-2. If the service time is greater than the continuous service time of the two satellites (e.g., voice service), the SNMF returns the queue [base station 1, base station 3, base station 4] or [SAT-1, SAT-3, SAT-4], or only [base station 3, base station 4] or [SAT-3, SAT-4].
[0093] The method described in the above embodiments implements a satellite base station handover method that ensures service continuity. This allows the network side to assist the on-board base station in achieving deterministic and continuous handover, improving access reliability, fully guaranteeing the continuity of terminal data services, and greatly avoiding the instability of non-terrestrial access. Based on this method, direct satellite connection services for mobile phones can be implemented. According to the method described in the above embodiments, more reliable and controllable continuous handover of user-oriented base stations can be achieved. The method described in the above embodiments can be used to realize multi-track cooperative communication of satellites in the future, and has good application prospects and value.
[0094] This disclosure also provides a functional network element that can be used as the first functional network element, which is described below with reference to Figure 5.
[0095] Figure 5 is a structural diagram of some embodiments of the functional network elements of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 5, the functional network element 50 of this embodiment includes: a receiving module 510, a determining module 520, and a sending module 530.
[0096] The receiving module 510 is configured to receive a handover target determination request sent by the second functional network element, wherein the handover target determination request includes the location information of the user equipment, the service time range, and the identifier of the currently accessed satellite.
[0097] The determination module 520 is configured to determine one or more target satellites for user equipment to perform handover based on the user equipment's location information, service time range, and the identifier of the currently accessed satellite.
[0098] The transmitting module 530 is configured to send a handover target determination response to the second functional network element, wherein the handover target determination response includes the identifiers of one or more target satellites, so that the second functional network element controls the handover of user equipment based on the identifiers of one or more target satellites.
[0099] In some embodiments, the determining module 520 is configured to determine one or more target satellites for continuous switching of the user equipment within the service time range, based on the location information of the user equipment, the identifier of the currently accessed satellite, the change information of the satellite network topology, and the load information of multiple satellites in the satellite network.
[0100] In some embodiments, the determining module 520 is configured to determine, based on the operational information of multiple satellites and the current topology of the satellite network, the change information of the satellite network topology within the service time range; and to determine, based on the location information of the user equipment, the identifier of the currently accessed satellite, the change information of the satellite network topology, and the load information of multiple satellites, one or more target satellites for continuous switching of the user equipment within the service time range.
[0101] In some embodiments, the determining module 520 is configured to: determine one or more candidate satellites capable of providing services to the user equipment within the service time period, and the service time period of the one or more candidate satellites, based on the location information of the user equipment, the load information of multiple satellites, and the operation information of multiple satellites; determine the communication connection relationship between the currently accessed satellites and one or more candidate satellites within the service time period, based on the identifier of the currently accessed satellite and the change information of the satellite network topology; and determine one or more target satellites for continuous switching of the user equipment within the service time period, based on the communication connection relationship between the currently accessed satellites and one or more candidate satellites and the service time period of the one or more candidate satellites.
[0102] In some embodiments, the determining module 520 is configured to determine one or more groups of satellites for continuous switching of user equipment within the service time range based on the communication connection relationship between the currently accessed satellites and one or more candidate satellites and the service time range of one or more candidate satellites; in the case of determining multiple groups of satellites, select one group of satellites as one or more target satellites based on the load information of each group of satellites in the multiple groups of satellites.
[0103] In some embodiments, when multiple target satellites are identified for continuous handover of user equipment, the identifiers of the multiple target satellites are arranged in the order in which the user equipment is handoverdone.
[0104] In some embodiments, the receiving module 510 is configured to receive a handover target determination request sent by a second functional network element after the user equipment accesses the currently accessed satellite and completes the session establishment process.
[0105] In some embodiments, when multiple target satellites are identified for continuous switching of user equipment, the multiple target satellites are located in the same or different satellite orbits.
[0106] This disclosure also provides a functional network element that can serve as a second functional network element, which is described below in conjunction with some embodiments.
[0107] Figure 6 is a structural diagram of some embodiments of the functional network elements of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 6, the functional network element 60 of this embodiment includes: a transmitting module 610, a receiving module 620, and a control module 630.
[0108] The sending module 610 is configured to send a handover target determination request to the first functional network element, wherein the handover target determination request includes the location information of the user equipment, the service time range, and the identifier of the currently accessed satellite.
[0109] The receiving module 620 is configured to receive a handover target determination response sent by the first functional network element. The handover target determination response includes the identifiers of one or more target satellites, which are determined based on the location information of the user equipment, the service time range, and the identifier of the currently accessed satellite.
[0110] The control module 630 is configured to control the switching of user equipment within a service time range based on the identifiers of one or more target satellites.
[0111] In some embodiments, the control module 630 is configured to convert the identifiers of one or more target satellites into the identifiers of one or more target base stations; and to control the user equipment to continuously switch within the service time range based on the identifiers of one or more target base stations.
[0112] In some embodiments, the receiving module 620 is configured to receive a handover confirmation request sent by the base station currently connected to the user equipment, wherein the handover confirmation request includes the identifier of the user equipment and the identifier of the currently connected base station; the control module 630 is configured to search for the identifiers of one or more target base stations based on the identifier of the user equipment; and determine the identifier of the current target base station based on the identifiers of one or more target base stations and the identifier of the currently connected base station; the sending module 610 is configured to send a handover confirmation response to the currently connected base station, wherein the handover confirmation response includes the identifier of the current target base station, so that the user equipment can hand over from the currently connected base station to the current target base station.
[0113] In some embodiments, the sending module 610 is configured to send a handover target determination request to the first functional network element after the user equipment accesses the currently accessed satellite and completes the session establishment process.
[0114] In some embodiments, the identifier of one or more target satellites includes the identifiers of multiple target satellites, which are arranged in the order in which the user equipment switches, and the multiple target satellites are located in the same or different satellite orbits.
[0115] In some embodiments, the first functional network element is a Satellite Network Management Function (SNMF) network element, and the second functional network element is an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) network element.
[0116] This disclosure also provides a communication system, which is described below with reference to Figure 7.
[0117] Figure 7 is a structural diagram of some embodiments of the communication system disclosed herein. As shown in Figure 7, the system 7 of this embodiment includes: functional network element 50 and functional network element 60, where functional network element 50 can serve as a first functional network element and functional network element 60 can serve as a second functional network element.
[0118] System 7 may also include multiple satellites 72.
[0119] This disclosure also provides an electronic device, which is described below with reference to Figures 8 and 9.
[0120] Figure 8 is a structural diagram of some embodiments of the electronic device of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 8, the electronic device 80 of this embodiment includes: a memory 810 and a processor 820 coupled to the memory 810. The processor 820 is configured to execute the switching control method in any of the embodiments of this disclosure based on instructions stored in the memory 810.
[0121] The memory 810 may include, for example, system memory, fixed non-volatile storage media, etc. The system memory may store, for example, an operating system, application programs, a boot loader, a database, and other programs.
[0122] Figure 9 is a structural diagram of some other embodiments of the electronic device disclosed herein. As shown in Figure 9, the electronic device 90 of this embodiment includes a memory 910 and a processor 920, which are similar to the memory 810 and processor 820, respectively. It may also include an input / output interface 930, a network interface 940, a storage interface 950, etc. These interfaces 930, 940, 950, and the memory 910 and processor 920 can be connected, for example, via a bus 960. The input / output interface 930 provides a connection interface for input / output devices such as a display, mouse, keyboard, and touchscreen. The network interface 940 provides a connection interface for various networked devices, such as connecting to a database server or cloud storage server. The storage interface 950 provides a connection interface for external storage devices such as SD cards and USB flash drives.
[0123] Those skilled in the art will understand that embodiments of this disclosure can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, this disclosure can take the form of a completely hardware embodiment, a completely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, this disclosure can take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable non-transitory storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.
[0124] This disclosure is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of this disclosure. It should be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions specified in one or more flowchart illustrations and / or one or more block diagrams.
[0125] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means that implement the functions specified in one or more flowcharts and / or one or more block diagrams.
[0126] These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process, such that the instructions, which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus, provide steps for implementing the functions specified in one or more flowcharts and / or one or more block diagrams.
[0127] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of this disclosure and is not intended to limit this disclosure. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this disclosure should be included within the protection scope of this disclosure.
Claims
1. A switching control method, executed by a first functional network element, comprising: The system receives a handover target determination request sent by a second functional network element, wherein the handover target determination request includes the user equipment's location information, service time range, and the identifier of the currently accessed satellite; Based on the location information of the user equipment, the identifier of the currently accessed satellite, and the change information of the satellite network topology, determine one or more target satellites for continuous switching of the user equipment within the service time range; The second functional network element sends a handover target determination response, wherein the handover target determination response includes the identifiers of the one or more target satellites, so that the second functional network element controls the handover of the user equipment based on the identifiers of the one or more target satellites.
2. The switching control method according to claim 1, wherein, The step of determining one or more target satellites for continuous handover of the user equipment within the service time range, based on the location information of the user equipment, the identifier of the currently accessed satellite, and the change information of the satellite network topology, includes: Based on the location information of the user equipment, the identifier of the currently accessed satellite, the topology change information of the satellite network, and the load information of multiple satellites in the satellite network, one or more target satellites for continuous switching of the user equipment are determined within the service time range.
3. The switching control method according to claim 2, wherein, The step of determining one or more target satellites for continuous handover of the user equipment within the service time range, based on the location information of the user equipment, the identifier of the currently accessed satellite, the topology change information of the satellite network, and the load information of multiple satellites in the satellite network, includes: Based on the operational information of the multiple satellites and the current topology of the satellite network, determine the changes in the topology of the satellite network within the service time range; Based on the location information of the user equipment, the identifier of the currently accessed satellite, the topology change information of the satellite network, and the load information of the multiple satellites, one or more target satellites are determined for continuous switching of the user equipment within the service time range.
4. The switching control method according to claim 3, wherein, The step of determining one or more target satellites for continuous handover of the user equipment within the service time range, based on the location information of the user equipment, the identifier of the currently accessed satellite, the topology change information of the satellite network, and the load information of the multiple satellites, includes: Based on the location information of the user equipment, the load information of the multiple satellites, and the operation information of the multiple satellites, determine one or more candidate satellites that can provide services to the user equipment within the service time range, and the time range within which the one or more candidate satellites provide services; Based on the identifier of the currently accessed satellite and the change information of the satellite network topology, determine the communication connection relationship between the currently accessed satellite and the one or more candidate satellites within the service time range; Based on the communication connection relationship between the currently accessed satellite and the one or more candidate satellites, and the service time range of the one or more candidate satellites, determine one or more target satellites for continuous switching of the user equipment within the service time range.
5. The switching control method according to claim 4, wherein, The step of determining one or more target satellites for continuous switching of the user equipment within the service time range, based on the communication connection relationship between the currently accessed satellite and the one or more candidate satellites and the service time range of the one or more candidate satellites, includes: Based on the communication connection relationship between the currently accessed satellite and the one or more candidate satellites, and the service time range of the one or more candidate satellites, determine one or more groups of satellites for continuous switching of the user equipment within the service time range; In the case of multiple groups of satellites, one group of satellites is selected as the one or more target satellites based on the payload information of each group of satellites.
6. The switching control method according to any one of claims 1-5, wherein, When multiple target satellites are identified for continuous handover of the user equipment, the identifiers of the multiple target satellites are arranged in the order in which the user equipment is handoverdone.
7. The switching control method according to any one of claims 1-5, wherein, The receiving of the handover target determination request sent by the second functional network element includes: After the user equipment accesses the currently accessed satellite and completes the session establishment process, it receives a handover target determination request sent by the second functional network element.
8. The switching control method according to any one of claims 1-5, wherein, The first functional network element is the Satellite Network Management Function (SNMF) network element, and the second functional network element is the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) network element.
9. The switching control method according to any one of claims 1-5, wherein, In the case of identifying multiple target satellites for continuous switching of the user equipment, the multiple target satellites are located in the same or different satellite orbits.
10. A switching control method, executed by a second functional network element, comprising: Send a handover target determination request to the first functional network element, wherein the handover target determination request includes the location information of the user equipment, the service time range, and the identifier of the currently accessed satellite; The system receives a handover target determination response from the first functional network element, wherein the handover target determination response includes the identifiers of one or more target satellites, and the one or more target satellites are determined based on the location information of the user equipment, the service time range, the identifier of the currently accessed satellite, and the change information of the satellite network topology. Based on the identifiers of the one or more target satellites, the user equipment is controlled to continuously switch within the service time range.
11. The switching control method according to claim 10, wherein, The step of controlling the switching of the user equipment within the service time range based on the identifiers of the one or more target satellites includes: Convert the identifiers of the one or more target satellites into the identifiers of the one or more target base stations; Based on the identifiers of the one or more target base stations, the user equipment is controlled to continuously switch within the service time range.
12. The switching control method according to claim 11, wherein, The step of controlling the user equipment to continuously switch within the service time range based on the identifiers of the one or more target base stations includes: The user equipment receives a handover confirmation request sent by the base station currently connected to it, wherein the handover confirmation request includes the identifier of the user equipment and the identifier of the currently connected base station; The identifiers of the one or more target base stations are located based on the identifier of the user equipment; The identifier of the current target base station is determined based on the identifiers of the one or more target base stations and the identifier of the currently connected base station; A handover confirmation response is sent to the currently connected base station, wherein the handover confirmation response includes the identifier of the current target base station, so that the user equipment can hand over from the currently connected base station to the current target base station.
13. The switching control method according to any one of claims 10-12, wherein, Sending a handover target determination request to the first functional network element includes: After the user equipment accesses the currently accessed satellite and completes the session establishment process, it sends a handover target determination request to the first functional network element.
14. The switching control method according to any one of claims 10-12, wherein, The identifiers of the one or more target satellites include the identifiers of multiple target satellites, which are arranged in the order in which the user equipment switches, and the multiple target satellites are located in the same or different satellite orbits.
15. The switching control method according to any one of claims 10-12, wherein, The first functional network element is the Satellite Network Management Function (SNMF) network element, and the second functional network element is the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) network element.
16. A functional network element, as a first functional network element, comprising: The receiving module is configured to receive a handover target determination request sent by the second functional network element, wherein the handover target determination request includes the location information of the user equipment, the service time range, and the identifier of the currently accessed satellite; The determination module is configured to determine one or more target satellites for the user equipment to perform handover based on the location information of the user equipment, the service time range, and the identifier of the currently accessed satellite; The transmitting module is configured to send a handover target determination response to the second functional network element, wherein the handover target determination response includes the identifiers of the one or more target satellites, so that the second functional network element controls the handover of the user equipment based on the identifiers of the one or more target satellites.
17. A functional network element, as a second functional network element, comprising: The sending module is configured to send a handover target determination request to the first functional network element, wherein the handover target determination request includes the location information of the user equipment, the service time range, and the identifier of the currently accessed satellite; The receiving module is configured to receive a handover target determination response sent by the first functional network element, wherein the handover target determination response includes the identifiers of one or more target satellites, and the one or more target satellites are determined based on the location information of the user equipment, the service time range, and the identifier of the currently accessed satellite; The control module is configured to control the switching of the user equipment within the service time range based on the identifiers of the one or more target satellites.
18. An electronic device comprising: processor; as well as A memory coupled to the processor is used to store instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the switching control method as described in any one of claims 1 to 15.
19. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, wherein, When the program is executed by the processor, it implements the switching control method as described in any one of claims 1 to 15.
20. A computer program product comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the switching control method as described in any one of claims 1 to 15.
21. A communication system, comprising: The functional network element of claim 16 is the first functional network element, and the functional network element of claim 17 is the second functional network element.