Communication method, communication device, communication system, and storage medium

Abstract

The present application relates to a communication method, a communication device, a communication system, and a storage medium. The communication method comprises: a first access network device receives first information sent by a terminal, wherein the first information is used for indicating that the terminal supports the establishment of a connection with a second access network device, and the first access network device and the second access network device are located on different satellites. Thus, a dual connectivity process across satellite orbits can be effectively supported, thereby greatly improving the rate of terminals and reducing service latency, and providing better services for terminals in NTN scenarios; the present application is applicable to multi-orbit satellite scenarios.

Description

Communication methods, communication equipment, communication systems and storage media Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, communication device, communication system and storage medium. Background Technology

[0002] Non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) can provide wireless resources via satellite (or unmanned aircraft system (UAS) platforms). Summary of the Invention

[0003] This disclosure provides a communication method, communication device, communication system, and storage medium.

[0004] The first aspect of this disclosure provides a communication method performed by a first access network device, comprising: receiving first information sent by a terminal, wherein the first information is used to indicate that the terminal supports establishing a connection with a second access network device, the first access network device and the second access network device being located on different satellites.

[0005] A second aspect of this disclosure provides a communication method executed by a terminal, comprising: sending first information to a first access network device, wherein the first information is used to instruct the terminal to support establishing a connection with a second access network device, the first access network device and the second access network device being located on different satellites.

[0006] A third aspect of this disclosure provides a communication method executed by a core network device, comprising: determining second information, wherein the second information is used to indicate the satellite where an access network device is located, the access network device including at least a first access network device and / or a second access network device, the second information being determined by the first access network device based on at least one of first information, second indication information, and satellite ephemeris information, the first information being used to indicate that a terminal supports establishing a connection with the second access network device, the first access network device and the second access network device being located on different satellites, and the second indication information being used to indicate whether a logical connection exists between the first access network device and the second access network device.

[0007] A fourth aspect of this disclosure provides a first access network device, the first access network device comprising: a transceiver module for receiving first information sent by a terminal, wherein the first information is used to instruct the terminal to support establishing a connection with a second access network device, and the first access network device and the second access network device are located on different satellites.

[0008] A fifth aspect of this disclosure provides a terminal, the terminal including: a transceiver module for sending first information to a first access network device, wherein the first information is used to indicate that the terminal supports establishing a connection with a second access network device, the first access network device and the second access network device being located on different satellites.

[0009] A sixth aspect of this disclosure provides a core network device, comprising: a processing module for determining second information, wherein the second information is used to indicate the satellite where an access network device is located, the access network device including at least: a first access network device and / or a second access network device, the second information being determined by the first access network device based on at least one of first information, second indication information, and satellite ephemeris information, the first information being used to indicate that a terminal supports establishing a connection with the second access network device, the first access network device and the second access network device being located on different satellites, and the second indication information being used to indicate whether a logical connection exists between the first access network device and the second access network device.

[0010] A seventh aspect of this disclosure provides a communication device comprising: one or more processors; wherein the processors are configured to perform the method as described in the first aspect, or the method as described in the second aspect, or the method as described in the third aspect.

[0011] An eighth aspect of this disclosure provides a communication system, which includes a first access network device, a terminal, and a core network device. The first access network device is used to perform the method as described in the first aspect above, the terminal is used to perform the method as described in the second aspect above, and the core network device is used to perform the method as described in the third aspect above.

[0012] A ninth aspect embodiment of this disclosure provides a storage medium storing instructions that, when executed on a communication device, cause the communication device to perform the method as described in the first aspect, or the method as described in the second aspect, or the method as described in the third aspect.

[0013] A tenth aspect embodiment of this disclosure provides a computer program product including a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the method as described in the first aspect above, or the method as described in the second aspect above, or the method as described in the third aspect above.

[0014] The solution proposed in this disclosure, in the above embodiments, involves a first access network device receiving first information sent by a terminal. This first information instructs the terminal to support establishing a connection with a second access network device, located on different satellites. This effectively supports dual-connection processes across satellite orbits, significantly improving terminal speed and reducing service latency, providing better service to terminals in NTN scenarios, and is suitable for multi-orbit satellite scenarios. Attached Figure Description

[0015] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments or background art of this disclosure, the accompanying drawings used in the embodiments or background art of this disclosure will be described below.

[0016] Figure 1A is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0017] Figure 1B is a schematic diagram of an NTN network in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0018] Figure 1C is a schematic diagram of the transparent transmission mode in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0019] Figure 1D is a schematic diagram of the regeneration mode in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0020] Figure 1E is a schematic diagram of multi-track, multi-layer carrier aggregation in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0021] Figure 2A is an interactive schematic diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0022] Figure 2B is an interactive schematic diagram of a communication method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0023] Figure 3 is an interactive schematic diagram of a communication method according to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0024] Figure 4 is an interactive schematic diagram of a communication method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0025] Figure 5 is an interactive schematic diagram of a communication method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0026] Figure 6A is a schematic diagram of an application in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0027] Figure 6B is a schematic diagram of another application in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0028] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device proposed in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0029] Figure 8A is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device proposed in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0030] Figure 8B is a schematic diagram of the chip structure proposed in an embodiment of this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0031] This disclosure provides communication methods, communication devices, communication systems, and storage media.

[0032] In a first aspect, embodiments of this disclosure propose a communication method, which is executed by a first access network device, including: receiving first information sent by a terminal, wherein the first information is used to indicate that the terminal supports establishing a connection with a second access network device, and the first access network device and the second access network device are located on different satellites.

[0033] In the above embodiment, the first access network device receives first information sent by the terminal, wherein the first information is used to instruct the terminal to support establishing a connection with the second access network device, and the first and second access network devices are located on different satellites. This effectively supports dual-connection processes across satellite orbits, thereby significantly improving terminal speed and reducing service latency, and providing better services for terminals in NTN scenarios, making it suitable for multi-orbit satellite scenarios.

[0034] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0035] First indication information, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate support for establishing a connection;

[0036] Terminal location information;

[0037] First cell identifier, wherein the first cell identifier is used to identify the first cell where the terminal is located;

[0038] Second cell information, wherein the second cell information is used to indicate the second cell measured by the terminal.

[0039] In the above embodiments, the content contained in the first information can be personalized based on the communication requirements of the actual multi-track satellite scenario, thereby improving the accuracy and flexibility of the first information indication, effectively applicable to multi-track satellite scenarios, and effectively ensuring the timeliness and accuracy of connection establishment.

[0040] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the second cell information includes at least one of the following:

[0041] Second community identifier, wherein the second community identifier is used to identify the second community;

[0042] Device identifier, wherein the device identifier is used to identify the access network device where the second cell is located;

[0043] Satellite identifier, wherein the satellite identifier is used to identify the satellite where the second cell is located;

[0044] Track information, where track information is used to indicate the track where the second cell is located;

[0045] The terminal's signal quality in the second cell.

[0046] In the above embodiments, it is possible to effectively ensure the selection of a superior second access network device. When a connection is established between the terminal and the selected second access network device, the communication quality of the connection can be effectively ensured, thereby supporting the improvement of communication performance in multi-track satellite scenarios.

[0047] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first information sent by the receiving terminal includes:

[0048] The receiving terminal sends a first message, wherein the first message is used to request the establishment or modification of a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session, and the first message includes: first information.

[0049] In the above embodiments, the terminal can send a first message to the first access network device to indicate first information, and the first message is used to request the establishment or modification of a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session, thereby enabling connection establishment during the PDU session establishment or modification process. This is effectively applicable to multi-orbit satellite scenarios and enables more flexible services to be supported in multi-orbit satellite scenarios.

[0050] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes:

[0051] The second information is determined based on at least one of the first information, the second indication information, and the satellite ephemeris information, wherein the second indication information is used to indicate whether there is a logical connection between the first access network device and the second access network device, and the second information is used to indicate the satellite where the access network device is located;

[0052] Send the second message to the core network equipment.

[0053] In the above embodiments, the core network device can flexibly select at least one of the first information, the second indication information, and the satellite ephemeris information based on the actual communication needs of the multi-orbit satellite scenario to determine the specific content contained in the second information. This can improve the flexibility and accuracy of the second information indication and also greatly improve communication flexibility, making it suitable for personalized communication needs in multi-orbit satellite scenarios.

[0054] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the second information includes at least one of the following:

[0055] First satellite information, wherein the first satellite information is used to indicate the satellite information of the access network device currently connected to by the terminal;

[0056] Second satellite information, wherein the second satellite information is used to indicate the satellite information of the access network equipment supported by the terminal.

[0057] In the above embodiments, the flexibility of the second information indication can be greatly improved, which is effectively applicable to multi-track satellite scenarios. When the first access network device indicates the second information to the core network device, the core network device can more accurately know the access network device currently connected to the terminal, or the satellite situation of the access network device currently connected to the terminal, which facilitates the improvement of the overall connection establishment efficiency and effect.

[0058] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first satellite information includes at least one of the following:

[0059] The identifier of the access network device currently connected to the terminal;

[0060] The orbital information of the satellite on which the access network device currently connected to the terminal is located;

[0061] The identifier of the satellite where the access network device currently connected to the terminal is located;

[0062] First delay information, wherein the first delay information is used to indicate the transmission delay of the access network device currently connected to the terminal.

[0063] In the above embodiments, the core network equipment can more accurately know the satellite status of the access network equipment currently connected to the terminal, which facilitates the improvement of overall connection establishment efficiency and effectiveness.

[0064] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the second satellite information includes at least one of the following:

[0065] Identifiers of the access network devices that the terminal supports connecting to;

[0066] The terminal supports the orbital information of the satellites on which the connected access network devices are located;

[0067] The identifier of the satellite on which the terminal supports connecting to the access network equipment.

[0068] The second delay information is used to indicate the transmission delay of the access network equipment supported by the terminal connection.

[0069] In the above embodiments, the core network equipment can more accurately know the satellite status of the access network equipment supported by the terminal, which facilitates the improvement of the overall connection establishment efficiency and effect.

[0070] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, sending second information to the core network device includes:

[0071] Send a second message to the core network equipment, wherein the second message includes: the information in the first message used to request the establishment or modification of a PDU session, and the second information.

[0072] In the above embodiments, the first access network device sends a second message to the core network device. The second message includes: information from the first message used to request the establishment or modification of a PDU session, and second information, thereby enabling connection establishment during the establishment or modification of the PDU session. This is effectively applicable to multi-orbit satellite scenarios and enables more flexible services to be supported in multi-orbit satellite scenarios.

[0073] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes:

[0074] Receive a third message sent by the core network device, wherein the third message is used to request the establishment or modification of PDU session resources, and the third message includes: Quality of Service (QoS) requirement information;

[0075] The second access network device is determined based on the second information and the third message;

[0076] Send third information to the second access network device, wherein the third information includes at least second indication information, which is used to indicate the time when the terminal accesses the second access network device.

[0077] In the above embodiments, the first access network device can select a second access network device from the access network devices supported by the terminal connection based on the second information and QoS requirement information, thereby ensuring the selection of a suitable second access network device and ensuring the effective implementation of services in multi-track satellite scenarios. Furthermore, the second indication information is used to instruct the second access network device on the time when the terminal will access the second access network device, enabling the second access network device to effectively know the terminal's access time. This allows the second access network device to reserve or release resources for the terminal, thereby improving connection establishment efficiency.

[0078] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the second instruction information includes at least one of the following:

[0079] The start time of terminal access to the second access network device;

[0080] The duration of terminal access to the second access network device.

[0081] In the above embodiments, the accuracy and flexibility of the indication of "the time when the terminal accesses the second access network device" can be improved, as well as the resource utilization of the second device, and unnecessary signaling overhead can be reduced, thus effectively applying it to multi-track satellite scenarios.

[0082] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, sending third information to the second access network device includes at least one of the following:

[0083] The third information is sent to the second access network device through the logical connection between the first access network device and the second access network device.

[0084] Send third information to the core network device, wherein the third information further includes: third indication information, the third indication information is used to instruct the second access network device, and the third indication information is used by the core network device to send the third information to the second access network device.

[0085] In the above embodiments, if there is a logical connection between the first access network device and the second access network device, the first access network device can directly send the third information to the second access network device. If there is no logical connection between the first access network device and the second access network device, the first access network device sends the third information to the second access network device through the core network device. This greatly improves the flexibility of information transmission and is flexibly applicable to multi-track satellite scenarios.

[0086] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes:

[0087] The terminal sends connection information for at least one candidate access network device, wherein the candidate access network device is an access network device that the terminal supports connecting to, and the connection information is used by the terminal to select a second access network device to connect to from at least one candidate access network device.

[0088] In the above embodiments, the first access network device can send connection information of at least one candidate access network device to the terminal. The candidate access network devices are those supported by the terminal, and the connection information is used by the terminal to select a second access network device to connect to from among the at least one candidate access network device. This allows for timely and effective configuration of connection information for one or more candidate access network devices for the terminal, ensuring that the terminal can accurately select the second access network device and guaranteeing communication performance.

[0089] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes:

[0090] Send a fourth message to the core network equipment, wherein the fourth message is used to indicate the Transport Network Layer (TNL) information of the second access network equipment.

[0091] In the above embodiments, the first access network device can send fourth information to the core network device, wherein the fourth information is used to indicate the Transport Network Layer (TNL) information of the second access network device. This enables the core network device to transmit downlink data to the terminal through the second access network device based on the TNL information of the second access network device, thereby improving downlink data transmission efficiency and communication performance.

[0092] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, a fourth message is sent to the core network device, including:

[0093] Send a fourth message to the core network equipment. The fourth message is used to respond to the establishment or modification of PDU session resources. The fourth message includes: fourth information.

[0094] In the above embodiments, when the first access network device receives a third message sent by the core network device, which requests the establishment or modification of PDU session resources, the first access network device can respond to the third message by sending a fourth message to the core network device. The fourth message can be used to respond to the establishment of PDU session resources and to indicate fourth information to the core network device, thereby indicating the TNL information of the second access network device based on the fourth information. Therefore, when the fourth message is a feedback message (or response message) to the third message, adding an SN connection can be achieved during the establishment of PDU session resources, thus improving efficiency, reducing signaling overhead, and enhancing system efficiency.

[0095] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, TNL information is associated with time information, wherein the time information is used to indicate the time of the second access network device serving the terminal.

[0096] In the above embodiments, the core network device can effectively know the time when the second access network device serves the terminal, ensuring that the core network device can correctly transmit downlink data to the terminal through the second access network device. The core network device can also flexibly schedule multiple downlink transmissions based on the time information associated with the TNL information of different second access network devices, thereby greatly supporting and improving the downlink data transmission effect.

[0097] Secondly, embodiments of this disclosure propose a communication method executed by a terminal, comprising: sending first information to a first access network device, wherein the first information is used to instruct the terminal to support establishing a connection with a second access network device, the first access network device and the second access network device being located on different satellites.

[0098] In the above embodiments, the terminal can send first information to the first access network device, thereby instructing the first access network device to support establishing a connection with the second access network device, where the first and second access network devices are located on different satellites. This effectively supports dual-connection processes across satellite orbits, significantly improving terminal speed and reducing service latency, and providing better service for terminals in NTN scenarios, making it suitable for multi-orbit satellite scenarios.

[0099] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0100] First indication information, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate support for establishing a connection;

[0101] Terminal location information;

[0102] First cell identifier, wherein the first cell identifier is used to identify the first cell where the terminal is located;

[0103] Second cell information, wherein the second cell information is used to indicate the second cell measured by the terminal.

[0104] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the second cell information includes at least one of the following:

[0105] Second community identifier, wherein the second community identifier is used to identify the second community;

[0106] Device identifier, wherein the device identifier is used to identify the access network device where the second cell is located;

[0107] Satellite identifier, wherein the satellite identifier is used to identify the satellite where the second cell is located;

[0108] Track information, where track information is used to indicate the track where the second cell is located;

[0109] The terminal's signal quality in the second cell.

[0110] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, sending first information to the first access network device includes:

[0111] Send a first message to the first access network device, wherein the first message is used to request the establishment or modification of a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session, and the first message includes: first information.

[0112] In the above embodiments, the terminal can send a first message to the first access network device to indicate first information, and the first message is used to request the establishment or modification of a PDU session, thereby enabling connection establishment during the PDU session establishment or modification process. This is effectively applicable to multi-orbit satellite scenarios and enables more flexible services to be supported in multi-orbit satellite scenarios.

[0113] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes:

[0114] Receive connection information of at least one candidate access network device sent by the first access network device, wherein the candidate access network device is an access network device that the terminal supports connecting to;

[0115] Based on the connection information, select the second access network device to be connected from at least one candidate access network device.

[0116] In the above embodiments, the terminal can receive connection information of at least one candidate access network device sent by the first access network device, and the terminal can select a second access network device to connect to from the at least one candidate access network device according to the connection information. Thus, the terminal can select the second access network device in a timely and effective manner, ensuring communication performance.

[0117] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes:

[0118] A random access procedure is initiated to the second access network device to be connected, wherein the random access procedure is used to establish a connection between the terminal and the second access network device.

[0119] In the above embodiments, the terminal can initiate a random access procedure to the second access network device to establish a connection between the terminal and the second access network device. This significantly improves connection timeliness and, in multi-orbit satellite scenarios, effectively enhances communication efficiency and performance.

[0120] Thirdly, embodiments of this disclosure propose a communication method executed by a core network device, comprising: determining second information, wherein the second information is used to indicate the satellite where the access network device is located, the access network device including at least: a first access network device and / or a second access network device, the second information being determined by the first access network device based on at least one of first information, second indication information, and satellite ephemeris information, the first information being used to indicate that a terminal supports establishing a connection with the second access network device, the first access network device and the second access network device being located on different satellites, and the second indication information being used to indicate whether a logical connection exists between the first access network device and the second access network device.

[0121] In the above embodiments, the core network device can determine the second information. The second information is determined by the first access network device based on at least one of the first information, the second indication information, and satellite ephemeris information. The first information is used to instruct the terminal to support establishing a connection with the second access network device, which is located on different satellites. This effectively supports dual-connectivity processes across satellite orbits, significantly improving terminal speed and reducing service latency, providing better service for terminals in NTN scenarios, and is suitable for multi-orbit satellite scenarios.

[0122] In conjunction with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, determining the second information includes:

[0123] Receive the second information sent by the first access network device.

[0124] In the above embodiments, the core network device can receive second information sent by the first access network device, the second information indicating the satellite where the access network device is located. Therefore, the core network device can obtain a more accurate information about the satellite where the access network device is located based on the second information, thereby effectively ensuring the performance and stability of the connection establishment when the core network device assists in establishing a connection.

[0125] In conjunction with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the second information includes at least one of the following:

[0126] First satellite information, wherein the first satellite information is used to indicate the satellite information of the access network device currently connected to by the terminal;

[0127] Second satellite information, wherein the second satellite information is used to indicate the satellite information of the access network equipment supported by the terminal.

[0128] In conjunction with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the first satellite information includes at least one of the following:

[0129] The identifier of the access network device currently connected to the terminal;

[0130] The orbital information of the satellite on which the access network device currently connected to the terminal is located;

[0131] The identifier of the satellite where the access network device currently connected to the terminal is located;

[0132] First delay information, wherein the first delay information is used to indicate the transmission delay of the access network device currently connected to the terminal.

[0133] In conjunction with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the second satellite information includes at least one of the following:

[0134] Identifiers of the access network devices that the terminal supports connecting to;

[0135] The terminal supports the orbital information of the satellites on which the connected access network devices are located;

[0136] The identifier of the satellite on which the terminal supports connecting to the access network equipment.

[0137] The second delay information is used to indicate the transmission delay of the access network equipment supported by the terminal connection.

[0138] In conjunction with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, receiving second information sent by the first access network device includes:

[0139] The system receives a second message sent by the first access network device, wherein the second message is used to request the establishment or modification of a PDU session, and the second message includes: second information.

[0140] In the above embodiments, the core network device can receive the second message sent by the first access network device, and learn about the information in the first message used to request the establishment or modification of the PDU session and the second information through the second message, so that the connection can be established during the establishment or modification of the PDU session. This is effective for multi-orbit satellite scenarios and enables more flexible services to be supported in multi-orbit satellite scenarios.

[0141] In conjunction with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes:

[0142] Send a third message to the first access network device, wherein the third message is used to request the establishment or modification of PDU session resources, and the third message includes: Quality of Service (QoS) requirement information;

[0143] The terminal receives third information sent by the first access network device, wherein the third information includes at least one of the second indication information and the third indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate the time when the terminal accesses the second access network device, and the third indication information being used to indicate the second access network device.

[0144] According to the third instruction information, send the third information to the second access network device.

[0145] In the above embodiments, the first access network device sends third information to the second access network device through the core network device. That is to say, the core network device can receive the third information sent by the first access network device and send the third information to the second access network device. This can greatly improve the flexibility of information transmission and is effectively applicable to scenarios where there is no logical connection between the first access network device and the second access network device, as well as flexibly applicable to multi-track satellite scenarios.

[0146] In conjunction with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the second instruction information includes at least one of the following:

[0147] The start time of terminal access to the second access network device;

[0148] The duration of terminal access to the second access network device.

[0149] In conjunction with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes:

[0150] The system receives fourth information sent by the first access network device, wherein the fourth information is used to indicate the Transmission Network Layer (TNL) information of the second access network device.

[0151] In the above embodiments, the core network device can receive fourth information sent by the first access network device, wherein the fourth information is used to indicate the Transport Network Layer (TNL) information of the second access network device. Therefore, the core network device can transmit downlink data to the terminal through the second access network device based on the TNL information of the second access network device, thereby improving downlink data transmission efficiency and communication performance.

[0152] In conjunction with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, receiving fourth information sent by the first access network device includes:

[0153] The system receives a fourth message sent by the first access network device. The fourth message is used to respond to the establishment or modification of PDU session resources. The fourth message includes: fourth information.

[0154] In the above embodiments, the core network device can receive a fourth message sent by the first access network device in response to the third message. The fourth message can be used to respond to the establishment of PDU session resources, and the core network device can obtain the fourth information indicated by the first access network device through the fourth message, and further obtain the TNL information of the second access network device. Therefore, when the fourth message is a feedback message (or response message) to the third message, the addition of the SN connection can be realized during the establishment of PDU session resources, thereby improving efficiency, reducing signaling overhead, and improving system efficiency.

[0155] In conjunction with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, TNL information is associated with time information, wherein the time information is used to indicate the time of the second access network device serving the terminal.

[0156] Fourthly, this disclosure provides a first access network device, which includes a transceiver module for receiving first information sent by a terminal, wherein the first information is used to instruct the terminal to support establishing a connection with a second access network device, and the first access network device and the second access network device are located on different satellites.

[0157] In the above embodiment, the first access network device receives first information sent by the terminal, wherein the first information is used to instruct the terminal to support establishing a connection with the second access network device, and the first and second access network devices are located on different satellites. This effectively supports dual-connection processes across satellite orbits, thereby significantly improving terminal speed and reducing service latency, and providing better services for terminals in NTN scenarios, making it suitable for multi-orbit satellite scenarios.

[0158] Fifthly, this disclosure provides a terminal comprising: a transceiver module for sending first information to a first access network device, wherein the first information is used to indicate that the terminal supports establishing a connection with a second access network device, the first access network device and the second access network device being located on different satellites.

[0159] In the above embodiments, the terminal can send first information to the first access network device, thereby instructing the first access network device to support establishing a connection with the second access network device, where the first and second access network devices are located on different satellites. This effectively supports dual-connection processes across satellite orbits, significantly improving terminal speed and reducing service latency, and providing better service for terminals in NTN scenarios, making it suitable for multi-orbit satellite scenarios.

[0160] In a sixth aspect, embodiments of this disclosure propose a core network device, which includes: a processing module for determining second information, wherein the second information is used to indicate the satellite where an access network device is located, and the access network device includes at least: a first access network device and / or a second access network device, wherein the second information is determined by the first access network device based on at least one of first information, second indication information, and satellite ephemeris information, wherein the first information is used to indicate that a terminal supports establishing a connection with the second access network device, wherein the first access network device and the second access network device are located on different satellites, and the second indication information is used to indicate whether there is a logical connection between the first access network device and the second access network device.

[0161] In the above embodiments, the core network device can determine the second information. The second information is determined by the first access network device based on at least one of the first information, the second indication information, and satellite ephemeris information. The first information is used to instruct the terminal to support establishing a connection with the second access network device, which is located on different satellites. This effectively supports dual-connectivity processes across satellite orbits, significantly improving terminal speed and reducing service latency, providing better service for terminals in NTN scenarios, and is suitable for multi-orbit satellite scenarios.

[0162] In a seventh aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a communication device, the communication device comprising: one or more processors; wherein the communication device is configured to execute the first aspect and optional implementations thereof, or to execute the second aspect and optional implementations thereof, or to execute the third aspect and optional implementations thereof.

[0163] Eighthly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a communication system comprising: a first access network device, a terminal, and a core network device; wherein the first access network device is configured to perform the method described in the first aspect and optional implementations thereof, the terminal is configured to perform the method described in the second aspect and optional implementations thereof, and the core network device is configured to perform the method described in the third aspect and optional implementations thereof.

[0164] In a ninth aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a storage medium storing instructions that, when executed on a communication device, cause the communication device to perform the method described in the first aspect and its optional implementations, or the method described in the second aspect and its optional implementations, or the method described in the third aspect and its optional implementations.

[0165] In a tenth aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a program product that, when executed by a communication device, causes the communication device to perform the method described in the first aspect and its optional implementations, or the method described in the second aspect and its optional implementations, or the method described in the third aspect and its optional implementations.

[0166] In one aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method as described in the first aspect and optional implementations of the first aspect, or the method as described in the second aspect and optional implementations of the second aspect, or the method as described in the third aspect and optional implementations of the third aspect.

[0167] In a twelfth aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a chip or chip system. The chip or chip system includes processing circuitry configured to perform the method described according to the first aspect and optional implementations thereof, or configured to perform the method described according to the second aspect and optional implementations thereof, or configured to perform the method described according to the third aspect and optional implementations thereof.

[0168] It is understood that the aforementioned first access network device, terminal, core network device, communication device, communication system, storage medium, program product, computer program, chip, or chip system are all used to execute the methods proposed in the embodiments of this disclosure. Therefore, the beneficial effects that can be achieved can be referred to the beneficial effects in the corresponding methods, and will not be repeated here.

[0169] This disclosure provides a communication method, a communication device, a communication system, and a storage medium. In some embodiments, the terms "communication method" and "information processing method" can be used interchangeably, as can the terms "communication method apparatus" and "information processing apparatus" and "communication apparatus," and the terms "transmission system" and "information processing system" and "communication system."

[0170] This disclosure is not exhaustive, but merely illustrative of some embodiments, and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this disclosure. Unless otherwise specified, each step in a particular embodiment can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the steps can be arbitrarily combined. For example, a solution after removing some steps in a particular embodiment can also be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the order of the steps in a particular embodiment can be arbitrarily interchanged. Furthermore, the optional implementation methods in a particular embodiment can be arbitrarily combined; moreover, the embodiments can be arbitrarily combined, for example, some or all steps of different embodiments can be arbitrarily combined, and a particular embodiment can be arbitrarily combined with the optional implementation methods of other embodiments.

[0171] In each of the disclosed embodiments, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions of the embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. Technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments based on their inherent logical relationships.

[0172] The terminology used in the embodiments of this disclosure is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure.

[0173] In this disclosure, unless otherwise stated, elements expressed in the singular form, such as "a," "an," "the," "the," "the aforementioned," "the," "this," etc., can mean "one and only one," or "one or more," "at least one," etc. For example, when using articles such as "a," "an," "the," etc. in translation, the noun following the article can be understood as either a singular or a plural expression.

[0174] In the embodiments disclosed herein, "multiple" refers to two or more.

[0175] In some embodiments, the terms “at least one of”, “one or more”, “a plurality of”, “multiple”, etc., may be used interchangeably.

[0176] In some embodiments, the notation "at least one of A and B", "A and / or B", "A in one case, B in another", "in response to one case A, in response to another case B", etc., may include the following technical solutions depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (execute A regardless of B); in some embodiments, B (execute B regardless of A); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed); in some embodiments, A and B (both A and B are executed). The same applies when there are more branches such as A, B, C, etc.

[0177] In some embodiments, the notation "A or B" may include the following technical solutions, depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (execution of A regardless of B); in some embodiments, B (execution of B regardless of A); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed). The same applies when there are more branches such as A, B, C, etc.

[0178] The prefixes "first," "second," etc., used in the embodiments of this disclosure are merely for distinguishing different descriptive objects and do not impose restrictions on the position, order, priority, quantity, or content of the descriptive objects. The description of the descriptive objects is found in the claims or the context of the embodiments, and the use of prefixes should not constitute unnecessary restrictions. For example, if the descriptive object is a "field," the ordinal numbers preceding "field" in "first field" and "second field" do not restrict the position or order of the "fields." "First" and "second" do not restrict whether the "fields" they modify are in the same message, nor do they restrict the order of "first field" and "second field." Similarly, if the descriptive object is a "level," the ordinal numbers preceding "level" in "first level" and "second level" do not restrict the priority between "levels." Furthermore, the number of descriptive objects is not limited by ordinal numbers and can be one or more. For example, in "first device," the number of "devices" can be one or more. Furthermore, the objects modified by different prefixes can be the same or different. For example, if the object being described is "device", then "first device" and "second device" can be the same device or different devices, and their types can be the same or different. Similarly, if the object being described is "information", then "first information" and "second information" can be the same information or different information, and their content can be the same or different.

[0179] In some embodiments, “including A,” “containing A,” “for indicating A,” and “carrying A” can be interpreted as directly carrying A or indirectly indicating A.

[0180] In some embodiments, the terms “in response to…”, “in response to determining…”, “in the case of…”, “when…”, “if…”, “if…”, etc., can be used interchangeably.

[0181] In some embodiments, the terms “greater than,” “greater than or equal to,” “not less than,” “more than,” “more than or equal to,” “not less than,” “higher than,” “higher than or equal to,” “not lower than,” and “above” can be used interchangeably, as can the terms “less than,” “less than or equal to,” “not greater than,” “less than,” “less than or equal to,” “not more than,” “lower than,” “lower than or equal to,” “not higher than,” and “below”.

[0182] In some embodiments, the apparatus and device may be interpreted as physical or virtual, and their names are not limited to the names recorded in the embodiments. In some cases, they may also be understood as "equipment", "device", "circuit", "network element", "node", "function", "unit", "section", "system", "network", "chip", "chip system", "entity", "body", etc.

[0183] In some embodiments, "network" can be interpreted as devices included in the network, such as access network devices, core network devices, etc.

[0184] In some embodiments, "access network device (AN device)" may also be referred to as "radio access network device (RAN device)," "base station (BS)," "radio base station," or "fixed station." In some embodiments, it may also be understood as "node," "access point," "transmission point (TP)," "reception point (RP)," "transmission / reception point (TRP)," "panel," "antenna panel," "antenna array," "cell," "macro cell," "small cell," "femto cell," "pico cell," "sector," "cell group," "serving cell," "carrier," "component carrier," or "bandwidth part (BWP)."

[0185] In some embodiments, "terminal" or "terminal device" may be referred to as "user equipment (UE)," "user terminal," "Narrow Band-Internet of Things (NB-IoT) device," "mobile station (MS)," "mobile terminal (MT)," "subscriber station," "mobile unit," "subscriber unit," "wireless unit," "remote unit," "mobile device," "wireless device," "wireless communication device," "remote device," "mobile subscriber station," "access terminal," "mobile terminal," "wireless terminal," "remote terminal," "handset," "user agent," "mobile client," "client," etc.

[0186] In some embodiments, access network devices, core network devices, or network devices can be replaced by terminals. For example, embodiments of this disclosure can also be applied to structures where communication between access network devices, core network devices, or network devices and terminals is replaced by communication between multiple terminals (e.g., device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), etc.). In this case, the structure can also be configured such that the terminal has all or part of the functions of the access network device. Furthermore, terms such as "uplink" and "downlink" can be replaced with terms corresponding to communication between terminals (e.g., "sidelink"). For example, uplink channel, downlink channel, etc., can be replaced with sidelink channel, and uplink link, downlink, etc., can be replaced with sidelink link.

[0187] In some embodiments, the terminal may be replaced by an access network device, a core network device, or a network device. In this case, the access network device, core network device, or network device may also be configured to have all or some of the functions of the terminal.

[0188] In some embodiments, the acquisition of data, information, etc., may comply with the laws and regulations of the country where the location is situated.

[0189] In some embodiments, data, information, etc., may be obtained with the user's consent.

[0190] Figure 1A is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 1A, the communication system 100 may include a terminal 101, a core network device 102, and an access network device 103.

[0191] In some embodiments, terminal 101 may include, for example, at least one of the following: mobile phone, wearable device, Internet of Things device, car with communication function, smart car, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver function, virtual reality (VR) terminal device, augmented reality (AR) terminal device, wireless terminal device in industrial control, wireless terminal device in self-driving, wireless terminal device in remote medical surgery, wireless terminal device in smart grid, wireless terminal device in transportation safety, wireless terminal device in smart city, and wireless terminal device in smart home, but is not limited thereto.

[0192] In some embodiments, the core network device 102 may be a single device, including a first network element, a second network element, etc., or it may be multiple devices or a group of devices, each including all or part of the first network element and the second network element. Network elements may be virtual or physical. The core network may include, for example, at least one of an Evolved Packet Core (EPC), a 5G Core Network (5GCN), and a Next Generation Core (NGC).

[0193] In some embodiments, the first network element is, for example, an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) network element, though the name is not limited thereto. The AMF network element is a logical node function network element on the core network side. It serves as the core network control plane access point for terminals and radio, receiving all connection and session-related information from user equipment and performing registration, connection, reachability, and mobility management. Furthermore, the AMF network element provides a session management message transmission channel for terminal equipment and the Session Management Function (SMF) network element, providing authentication and authorization functions for user access.

[0194] In some embodiments, the first network element is used to provide access and mobility management functions.

[0195] In some embodiments, the second network element is, for example, a Session Management Function (SMF) network element, though the name is not limited thereto. The SMF network element can be used for session management, allocation and management of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses for terminals, selection and control of User Plane Functions (UPFs), flow control, policy enforcement, and Quality of Service (QoS) control, among other things.

[0196] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 and the core network device 102 can be connected through the access network device 103. Optionally, the access network device 103 may be, for example, a node or device that connects the terminal to the wireless network. The access network device 103 may include at least one of the following in a 5G communication system: evolved Node B (eNB), next generation eNB (ng-eNB), next generation Node B (gNB), node B (NB), home node B (HNB), home evolved node B (HeNB), wireless backhaul device, radio network controller (RNC), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), base band unit (BBU), mobile switching center, base station in a 6G communication system, open RAN, cloud RAN, base station in other communication systems, and access node in a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system, but is not limited thereto.

[0197] It is understood that the communication system described in this disclosure is for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of this disclosure, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions proposed in this disclosure. As those skilled in the art will know, with the evolution of system architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions proposed in this disclosure are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0198] The following embodiments of this disclosure can be applied to the communication system 100 shown in FIG1A, or to some of the main bodies, but are not limited thereto. The main bodies shown in FIG1A are illustrative. The communication system may include all or some of the main bodies in FIG1A, or it may include other main bodies outside of FIG1A. The number and form of each main body are arbitrary. The connection relationship between the main bodies is illustrative. The main bodies may not be connected or may be connected. The connection can be in any way, it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection, it can be a wired connection or a wireless connection.

[0199] The embodiments disclosed herein can be applied to Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), LTE-Beyond (LTE-B), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4th generation mobile communication system (4G), 5th generation mobile communication system (5G), 5G new radio (NR), 6th generation mobile communication system (6G), Future Radio Access (FRA), New-Radio Access Technology (RAT), New Radio (NR), New radio access (NX), Future generation radio access (FX), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), CDMA2000, Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), and IEEE 802.20, Ultra-Wideband (UWB), Bluetooth (a registered trademark), Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) networks, Device-to-Device (D2D) systems, Machine-to-Machine (M2M) systems, Internet of Things (IoT) systems, Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) systems, systems utilizing other communication methods, and next-generation systems built upon them, etc. Furthermore, multiple systems can be combined (e.g., a combination of LTE or LTE-A with 5G).

[0200] Alternatively, a non-terrestrial network (NTN) can provide wireless resources via satellite (or an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) platform) instead of ground base stations. As shown in Figure 1B, which is a schematic diagram of an NTN network in this embodiment, it includes a satellite or UAS platform, a gateway, and a data network (DN). The satellite or UAS platform can cover several beam footprints. The satellite or UAS platform provides services to user equipments via a service link and communicates with the gateway and DN via a feeder link.

[0201] Optionally, based on the different ways the satellite processes signals, it can be divided into transparent transmission mode and regeneration mode. As shown in Figure 1C, which is a schematic diagram of the transparent transmission mode in this embodiment of the present disclosure, Figure 1C includes: a terminal (UE), a satellite, an NTN gateway, a base station (gNB), a 5G core network (5G CN), a remote radio unit (RRU), an NR Uu interface, an NG interface, an N6 interface, and a DN; wherein, the RRU may include the aforementioned satellite and NTN gateway. The NTN gateway transmits the base station (gNB) signal to the satellite, and the satellite converts the signal to the satellite frequency band before transmitting it to the terminal (UE) through the satellite frequency band. In this process, except for frequency conversion and signal amplification, the satellite does not demodulate the gNB signal, similar to a repeater. As shown in Figure 1D, which is a schematic diagram of the regeneration mode in the embodiment of this disclosure, in Figure 1D, NG over SRI indicates that the NG protocol is transmitted based on the Satellite Radio Interface (SRI). After the NTN ground station sends the gNB signal to the satellite, the satellite first demodulates and decodes the signal and then re-encodes and modulates it (this process is regeneration), and then sends the regenerated signal through the satellite frequency band.

[0202] Optionally, Table 1 shows examples of satellite altitudes, orbits, and satellite coverage for a typical NTN network.

[0203] Table 1

[0204] Optionally, the 6G integrated space-ground system is a unified network integrating multiple heterogeneous networks, such as space-based multi-layer subnetworks (e.g., high-orbit satellites, medium- and low-orbit satellites, and monitoring equipment) and terrestrial cellular multi-layer subnetworks (e.g., macrocells, microcells, and picocells). It provides users with efficient network services and ensures a good user experience in different scenarios. In terms of network architecture: it continues to support transparent transmission mode and regenerative mode; it considers supporting CU-DU separation architecture; it considers supporting the uplink of some base station functions or some core network elements; it considers supporting multiple connections between satellite and ground and / or between satellites; it considers supporting high- and low-orbit coordination; and it considers supporting integrated access and power supply.

[0205] Optionally, under the regenerative payload architecture, multi-track, multi-layer dual links can be supported to improve terminal speed and reduce service latency, thereby providing better services for terminals in NTN scenarios. As shown in Figure 1E, Figure 1E is a schematic diagram of multi-track, multi-layer carrier aggregation in an embodiment of this disclosure. Here, ISL represents Inter-Satellite Link.

[0206] Alternatively, the following terms can be used interchangeably:

[0207] “eNB” and “gNB”, “base station” and “NG-RAN node” are interchangeable;

[0208] "Mobility Management Entity (MME)" can be used interchangeably with "CN", "AMF", and "Session Management Function (SMF)".

[0209] The "Serving Gateway (S-GW)" can be interchanged with the "User Plane Function (UPF)".

[0210] “Bearer” can be used interchangeably with “Protocol Data Unit (PDU) Session”, “Evolved Radio Access Bearer (E-RAB)”, “Evolved Packet System (EPS) Bearer”, and “Quality of Service Flow (QoS Flow)”.

[0211] The "Next Generation Application Proposal (NGAP)" is interchangeable with the "S1 Application Proposal (S1AP)".

[0212] Optionally, in this embodiment of the disclosure, the first access network device can be a master node (MN) and the second access network device can be a secondary node (SN). Of course, the names of MN and SN are not limited to these. That is to say, the first access network device and / or the second access network device can also be nodes with any other possible names, and there is no restriction on this.

[0213] Figure 2A is an interactive schematic diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 2A, the embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method that can be used in a communication system 100. The communication system 100 may include a terminal, a first access network device, a second access network device, and a core network device, without limitation. The above method includes:

[0214] Step S2101: The terminal sends a first message to the first access network device. The first message includes: first information.

[0215] Optionally, in some embodiments, the terminal may be, for example, a UE, the first access network device may be, for example, the serving base station of the terminal, and the first access network device may be a master node (MN).

[0216] Optionally, in some embodiments, the UE may send a first message to the MN, which may include first information.

[0217] Optionally, in some other embodiments, the first message may not contain the first information. That is, the terminal may send a first message to the first access network device, but the first message may not contain the first information. The terminal may send the first information to the first access network device through other messages, and there is no restriction on this.

[0218] Optionally, in some embodiments, the first message is used to request the establishment or modification of a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session. For example, the first message may be an uplink Non-Access Stratum (NAS) transmission message, which may include a PDU session establishment request or modification message. For example, the UE may send an uplink NAS transmission message to the MN, including the PDU session establishment request or modification message, and indicate the first information through the uplink NAS transmission message.

[0219] The first information is used to instruct the terminal to support establishing a connection with the second access network device. Optionally, in some embodiments, the second access network device can be a base station or a secondary node (SN). The first and second access network devices are located on different satellites. Optionally, in some embodiments, the first access network device can be located on a first satellite, and the second access network device can be located on a second satellite; the first and second satellites can be different satellites. The first and second satellites can be in the same orbit or in different orbits. For example, the first satellite can be a GEO satellite, and the second satellite can be a LEO satellite; there is no limitation in this regard.

[0220] Optionally, in some embodiments, the UE may send an uplink NAS transmission message to the MN, wherein the uplink NAS transmission message may include a PDU session establishment request message or a PDU session modification request message, and indicate first information to the MN through the uplink NAS transmission message, so as to instruct the UE to support the establishment of a connection with the SN based on the first information.

[0221] Optionally, in some embodiments, the terminal can send a first message to the first access network device to indicate first information, and the first message is used to request the establishment or modification of a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session, thereby enabling connection establishment during the PDU session establishment or modification process. This is effectively applicable to multi-orbit satellite scenarios and enables more flexible services to be supported in multi-orbit satellite scenarios.

[0222] Optionally, in some embodiments, the first information includes at least one of the following: first indication information, terminal location information, first cell identifier, and second cell information. The first indication information is used to indicate that the terminal supports establishing a connection with the second access network device or to indicate that the terminal suggests establishing a connection with the second access network device. The first cell identifier is used to identify the first cell where the terminal is located, and the second cell information is used to indicate the second cell measured by the terminal. Therefore, the content of the first information can be customized based on the communication requirements of actual multi-track satellite scenarios, thereby improving the accuracy and flexibility of the first information indication, effectively applying it to multi-track satellite scenarios, and effectively ensuring the timeliness and accuracy of connection establishment.

[0223] In this context, the first cell refers to the cell where the terminal is located. The second cell refers to the second cell (or neighboring cell) measured by the terminal. The second cell can be, for example, a low-Earth orbit (LEO) cell, which the terminal determines based on its measurements. For instance, a LEO cell with good signal quality as measured by the terminal.

[0224] Optionally, in some embodiments, the second cell information includes at least one of the following: a second cell identifier, a device identifier, a satellite identifier, orbit information, and the signal quality of the terminal in the second cell; wherein, the second cell identifier is used to identify the second cell; the device identifier is used to identify the access network device where the second cell is located; the satellite identifier is used to identify the satellite where the second cell is located; and the orbit information is used to indicate the orbit where the second cell is located. This effectively ensures the selection of a superior second access network device, and when a connection is established between the terminal and the selected second access network device, it effectively ensures the communication quality of the connection, thereby supporting improved communication performance in multi-orbit satellite scenarios.

[0225] The "access network device where the second cell is located" can be one or more candidate access network devices (also referred to as candidate access network devices). The second access network device that needs to establish a connection with the terminal can be selected from one or more candidate access network devices. For example, the terminal can select the second access network device from one or more candidate access network devices; or the first access network device can select the second access network device from one or more candidate access network devices; or the terminal and the first access network device can jointly decide to select the second access network device from one or more candidate access network devices, without any restrictions.

[0226] In step S2102, the first access network device determines the second information based on at least one of the first information, the second indication information, and the satellite ephemeris information.

[0227] Optionally, in some embodiments, the first access network device may receive a first message sent by the terminal during the process of receiving the first information sent by the terminal. The first message is used to request the establishment or modification of a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session, and includes first information. For example, the MN may receive an uplink NAS transmission message sent by the UE, including a PDU session establishment request message or a PDU session modification request message, and obtain the first information from the uplink NAS transmission message.

[0228] Alternatively, in some other embodiments, the first access network device may receive the first information through any other possible message (such as a new message), without limitation.

[0229] The second indication information is used to indicate whether a logical connection exists between the first access network device and the second access network device. This logical connection can be, for example, an inter-satellite link or a power supply link. Optionally, in some embodiments, the second indication information can be used to indicate whether an inter-satellite link exists between the first access network device and the second access network device; or the second indication information can be used to indicate whether a power supply link exists between the first access network device and the second access network device.

[0230] The second information is used to indicate the satellite where the access network device is located. Optionally, in some embodiments, the access network device indicated in the second information may include at least one of the following: the access network device currently connected to by the terminal, or an access network device that the terminal supports connecting to. For example, the access network device indicated in the second information may be one or more SNs, such as the SN currently connected to by the terminal, the SN the terminal is currently connecting to, or the SN that the terminal supports connecting to; there is no limitation on this.

[0231] Optionally, in some embodiments, the second information includes at least one of the following: first satellite information and second satellite information; wherein the first satellite information is used to indicate the satellite information of the access network device currently connected to by the terminal; and the second satellite information is used to indicate the satellite information of the access network device supported by the terminal. This significantly improves the flexibility of the second information indication, effectively adapting to multi-track satellite scenarios. Furthermore, when the first access network device indicates the second information to the core network device, the core network device can more accurately obtain information about the access network device currently connected to by the terminal, or the satellite information of the access network device currently accessed by the terminal, thereby improving the overall connection establishment efficiency and effectiveness.

[0232] Optionally, in some embodiments, the first satellite information includes at least one of the following: the identifier of the access network device currently connected to the terminal; the orbital information of the satellite where the access network device currently connected to the terminal is located; the identifier of the satellite where the access network device currently connected to the terminal is located; and first delay information, wherein the first delay information is used to indicate the transmission delay of the access network device currently connected to the terminal. This allows the core network equipment to more accurately obtain information about the satellite where the access network device currently connected to the terminal is located, facilitating improved overall connection establishment efficiency and effectiveness.

[0233] Optionally, in some embodiments, the second satellite information includes at least one of the following: an identifier of the access network device supported by the terminal; orbital information of the satellite containing the access network device supported by the terminal; an identifier of the satellite containing the access network device supported by the terminal; and second delay information, wherein the second delay information is used to indicate the transmission delay of the access network device supported by the terminal. This allows the core network equipment to more accurately determine the satellite location of the access network device supported by the terminal, facilitating improved overall connection establishment efficiency and effectiveness.

[0234] The satellite ephemeris information mentioned above can be ephemeris information of various related satellites. For example, the ephemeris information of the satellite where the first access network device is located, the ephemeris information of the satellite where the second access network device is located, the ephemeris information of the satellite where the terminal supports connection is located, etc. Satellite ephemeris information can be used to indicate the operating status (such as speed, position, etc.) of one or more satellites, and there are no restrictions on this.

[0235] Optionally, in some embodiments, the core network device can receive first information sent by the first access network device and determine second indication information and satellite ephemeris information. Then, the core network device can determine the specific content contained in the second information based on at least one of the first information, the second indication information, and the satellite ephemeris information. That is to say, the core network device can flexibly select at least one of the first information, the second indication information, and the satellite ephemeris information to determine the specific content contained in the second information based on the actual communication needs of the multi-orbit satellite scenario. This can improve the flexibility and accuracy of the second information indication and also significantly improve communication flexibility, making it suitable for personalized communication needs in multi-orbit satellite scenarios.

[0236] Optionally, in some embodiments, the core network device may determine the specific content contained in the second information based on local policies and by referring to at least one of the first information, the second indication information, and the satellite ephemeris information; or the core network device may select at least one of the first information, the second indication information, and the satellite ephemeris information based on a protocol agreement to determine the specific content contained in the second information; or the core network device may determine the specific content contained in the second information based on at least one of the first information, the second indication information, and the satellite ephemeris information in any other possible manner, without limitation.

[0237] In step S2103, the first access network device sends a second message to the core network device. The second message includes: second information.

[0238] Optionally, in some embodiments, the core network equipment may be, for example, an AMF or an SMF.

[0239] Optionally, in some embodiments, after determining the second information based on at least one of the first information, the second indication information, and the satellite ephemeris information, the first access network device can indicate the second information to the core network device by sending a second message.

[0240] The second message is used to transmit a request message from the terminal to establish or modify a PDU session. Optionally, in some embodiments, the first access network device can indicate the second information to the core network device by sending an uplink NAS transmission message including a PDU session establishment request message or a PDU session modification message to the core network device.

[0241] Optionally, in some embodiments, the MN can send an uplink NAS transmission message containing a PDU session establishment request message to the SMF through the AMF to indicate the second information to the SMF; or the MN can send an uplink NAS transmission message containing a PDU session modification request message to the SMF through the AMF to indicate the second information to the SMF.

[0242] Optionally, in some embodiments, the second message may further include the information in the first message used to request the establishment or modification of a PDU session. That is, the first message may include "information used to request the establishment or modification of a PDU session." After receiving the first message sent by the terminal, the first access network device can obtain the "information used to request the establishment or modification of a PDU session" from the first message, and include the "information used to request the establishment or modification of a PDU session" and the second information together in the second message, and send the second message to the core network device.

[0243] In step S2104, the core network device sends a third message to the first access network device. The third message includes QoS requirement information.

[0244] Optionally, in some embodiments, the core network device may receive a second message sent by the first access network device and learn from the second message "information for requesting the establishment or modification of a PDU session" and second information. The "information for requesting the establishment or modification of a PDU session" may be used to trigger the core network device to initiate a request to establish or modify PDU session resources, while the second information may be used by the core network device to determine the Quality of Service (QoS) requirement information.

[0245] Optionally, in some embodiments, when the core network device receives a second message sent by the first access network device, the second message being used to request the establishment or modification of a PDU session, the core network device may respond to receiving the second message by sending a third message back to the first access network device, the third message including: Quality of Service (QoS) requirement information.

[0246] The third message is used to request the establishment or modification of PDU session resources. That is, the third message is used to request the establishment of PDU session resources, or to request the modification of PDU session resources.

[0247] Optionally, in some embodiments, the core network device may receive a PDU session establishment request message sent by the first access network device and send a PDU session resource establishment request message back to the first access network device. The core network device may carry QoS requirement information in the PDU session resource establishment request message.

[0248] Optionally, in some embodiments, the core network device may receive a PDU session modification request message sent by the first access network device and send a PDU session resource modification request message back to the first access network device. The core network device may carry QoS requirement information in the PDU session resource modification request message.

[0249] Optionally, in some embodiments, the SMF can receive the uplink NAS transmission message sent by the MN through the AMF, and based on the PDU session establishment request message in the uplink NAS transmission message, send a PDU session resource establishment request message back to the MN through the AMF. The PDU session resource establishment request message may carry QoS requirement information.

[0250] Optionally, in some embodiments, the SMF can receive the uplink NAS transmission message sent by the MN through the AMF, and based on the PDU session modification request message in the uplink NAS transmission message, the SMF can send a PDU session resource modification request message back to the MN through the AMF. The PDU session resource modification request message can carry QoS requirement information.

[0251] The aforementioned "QoS requirement information" can be used to describe QoS requirements, such as low latency requirements, etc.

[0252] In step S2105, the first access network device determines the second access network device based on the second information and the third message.

[0253] Optionally, in some embodiments, the first access network device may receive a third message sent by the core network device and obtain QoS requirement information from the third message.

[0254] The third message is used to request the establishment or modification of PDU session resources. That is, the third message is used to request the establishment of PDU session resources, or to request the modification of PDU session resources.

[0255] Optionally, in some embodiments, the MN can receive the PDU session resource establishment request message sent by the SMF through the AMF, and obtain QoS requirement information from the PDU session resource establishment request message.

[0256] Optionally, in some embodiments, the MN can receive the PDU session resource modification request message sent by the SMF through the AMF, and obtain QoS requirement information from the PDU session resource modification request message.

[0257] Optionally, in some embodiments, after receiving the third message and the second information, the first access network device can determine the second access network device based on the second information and the third message. Optionally, in some embodiments, the first access network device can determine the second access network device based on the QoS requirement information in the second information and the third message. Optionally, in some embodiments, the first access network device can select the second access network device from the access network devices supported by the terminal for connection based on the second information and the QoS requirement information. For example, if the first access network device determines that it needs to select an access network device that supports low-latency services based on the second information and the QoS requirement information, it can select the access network device that supports low-latency services from the access network devices supported by the terminal for connection and use that access network device as the second access network device.

[0258] In step S2106, the first access network device sends third information to the second access network device, the third information including at least the second indication information.

[0259] The third information may include at least the second indication information, which indicates the time when the terminal accesses the second access network device. That is, after determining the second access network device, the first access network device can send third information to the second access network device, where the third information includes at least the second indication information. This allows the second access network device to effectively know the time of the terminal's access, enabling it to reserve or release resources for the terminal, thereby improving connection establishment efficiency.

[0260] Optionally, in some embodiments, the second indication information includes at least one of the following: the start time of terminal access to the second access network device, and the duration of terminal access to the second access network device. This improves the accuracy and flexibility of the indication of "terminal access time to the second access network device," as well as the resource utilization of the second device, reduces unnecessary signaling overhead, and thus is effectively applicable to multi-track satellite scenarios.

[0261] Optionally, in some embodiments, the second access network device can be an SN, and the third information can be, for example, an SN add request message or an SN modify request message. The SN add request message or the SN modify request message can contain time-based condition information, wherein the "time-based condition information" is an optional example of the second indication information.

[0262] Optionally, in some embodiments, if a logical connection exists between the first access network device and the second access network device (e.g., an inter-satellite link or a power supply link), the first access network device can directly send the third information to the second access network device. Optionally, in this embodiment, if a logical connection exists between the first access network device and the second access network device, the first access network device can send the third information to the second access network device through the logical connection (e.g., an inter-satellite link or a power supply link), and the second access network device can receive the third information sent by the first access network device through the logical connection with the first access network device.

[0263] Optionally, in some other embodiments, if there is no logical connection between the first access network device and the second access network device, the first access network device sends third information to the second access network device through the core network device, as shown in the embodiment of Figure 2B below.

[0264] Optionally, in some embodiments, if there is a logical connection between MN and SN, the method provided in this embodiment can be used, and MN can send third information to SN through the logical connection to indicate to SN the time when the terminal accesses the second access network device through the second indication information in the third information.

[0265] Optionally, in some embodiments, if there is an inter-satellite link between MN and SN, the method provided in this embodiment can be used, and MN can send third information to SN through the inter-satellite link to indicate to SN the time when the terminal accesses the second access network device through the second indication information in the third information.

[0266] Optionally, in some embodiments, if there is a power supply link between MN and SN, the method provided in this embodiment can be used, in which MN can send third information to SN through the power supply link, so as to indicate to SN the time when the terminal accesses the second access network device through the second indication information in the third information.

[0267] In step S2107, the second access network device reserves or releases resources for the terminal according to the second instruction information.

[0268] Optionally, in some embodiments, the first access network device sends third information to the second access network device. The third information includes at least second indication information. The second access network device can then obtain the second indication information from the third information and, based on the second indication information, know the time when the terminal accesses the second access network device. The second access network device can reserve or release resources for the terminal based on the "time when the terminal accesses the second access network device" to ensure the efficiency and accuracy of connection establishment.

[0269] Optionally, in some embodiments, if there is an inter-satellite link between MN and SN, SN can receive third information sent by MN through the inter-satellite link, and can obtain second indication information from the third information, as well as the time when UE accesses SN based on the second indication information. SN can reserve or release resources for UE based on the "time when UE accesses SN".

[0270] Optionally, in some embodiments, if there is a power supply link between MN and SN, SN can receive the third information sent by MN through the power supply link, and can obtain the second indication information from the third information, as well as the time when UE accesses SN based on the second indication information. SN can reserve or release resources for UE based on the "time when UE accesses SN".

[0271] In step S2108, the first access network device sends connection information of at least one candidate access network device to the terminal.

[0272] Optionally, in some embodiments, the first access network device may send connection information of at least one candidate access network device to the terminal. The connection information may be, for example, the configuration of access resources (e.g., random access information), etc., and is not limited thereto.

[0273] Optionally, in some embodiments, the candidate access network device can be an access network device that the terminal supports connecting to. This "access network device that the terminal supports connecting to" can be the access network device where the second cell measured by the terminal is located. If the terminal measures multiple second cells, each corresponding to one access network device, then the "access network device that the terminal supports connecting to" can also be at least some of the multiple access network devices corresponding to the multiple second cells, without limitation. Optionally, in some embodiments, the candidate access network device has corresponding connection information, which is used by the terminal to select the second access network device to connect to from at least one candidate access network device.

[0274] Optionally, in some embodiments, the MN may send connection information of one or more SNs to the UE, where the SN may be an SN that the UE supports for connection. The connection information of the SN may be, for example, the access resource configuration information and access conditions of the SN.

[0275] In step S2109, the terminal selects the second access network device to be connected from at least one candidate access network device based on the connection information.

[0276] Optionally, in some embodiments, the terminal may receive connection information of at least one candidate access network device sent by the first access network device.

[0277] For example, if the access information includes time information, i.e., the SN is added or modified based on time, for example, when time condition T1 is met, the UE accesses the second base station on the second satellite through the access information corresponding to time T1; when time condition T2 is met, the UE accesses the third base station on the third satellite through the access information corresponding to time T2.

[0278] Optionally, in some embodiments, the UE may receive connection information from one or more SNs sent by the MN.

[0279] Optionally, in some embodiments, the terminal can select a second access network device to connect to from at least one candidate access network device based on connection information. For example, the terminal can select a candidate access network device that meets certain conditions from multiple candidate access network devices based on access information, and determine the candidate access network device that meets the conditions as the second access network device to connect to. Subsequently, the terminal can initiate the establishment of a connection with the second access network device.

[0280] Optionally, in some embodiments, the UE can select the SN to connect to from multiple SNs based on the connection information of the SN. For example, the UE can select a SN that meets the conditions based on the access resource configuration, time information, etc. configured for each SN as described above, and then the UE can initiate the establishment of a connection with the selected SN.

[0281] Optionally, in some embodiments, the second access network device selected by the terminal and the second access network device determined by the first access network device based on QoS requirement information can be the same access network device. During the selection process, the terminal can interact with the first access network device to jointly determine the second access network device. Alternatively, steps S2105 and S2109 can be executed separately. For example, the first access network device can determine the second access network device based on the second information and the third message, or the terminal can select the second access network device to be connected from at least one candidate access network device based on the connection information. Specifically, the decision can be customized according to the actual communication requirements of the multi-track satellite scenario, and there are no restrictions on this.

[0282] In step S2110, the terminal initiates a random access procedure to the second access network device to be connected.

[0283] The random access procedure is used to establish a connection between the terminal and the second access network device. That is, the terminal can select a second access network device as the second access network device to be connected to, and then the terminal initiates a random access procedure to the second access network device to be connected to. This random access procedure can be used to establish a connection between the terminal and the second access network device.

[0284] Optionally, in some embodiments, a random access procedure is used to establish a connection between the UE and the selected SN. That is, the UE can initiate a random access procedure to the SN to which it needs to connect, and this random access procedure can be used to establish a connection between the UE and the SN to which it needs to connect.

[0285] Step S2111: The first access network device sends a fourth message to the core network device. The fourth message includes: fourth information.

[0286] The fourth information is used to indicate the Transport Network Layer (TNL) information of the second access network device. This TNL information can be used by the core network device to send downlink data to the terminal through the second access network device. Optionally, in some embodiments, the fourth information can be used to indicate the TNL information of at least one SN, through which the AMF or SMF can send downlink data to the SN. When there is TNL information for multiple SNs, it indicates that the first access network device has indicated the SN TNL time for the UE at a future time, wherein the TNL information may include time information corresponding to the TNL information that needs to be used.

[0287] Optionally, in some embodiments, the first access network device may send a fourth message to the core network device and indicate fourth information to the core network device through the fourth message. The fourth message is used to respond to the establishment or modification of PDU session resources, and may include TNL information of one or more second access network devices. Optionally, in some embodiments, the fourth message may be used to respond to the establishment of PDU session resources; that is, if the third message is used to request the establishment of PDU session resources, then the fourth message may be a response message to the aforementioned third message. Optionally, in some embodiments, the fourth message may be used to respond to the modification of PDU session resources; that is, if the third message is used to request the modification of PDU session resources, then the fourth message may be a response message to the aforementioned third message.

[0288] Optionally, in some embodiments, the fourth message can be a response message to the third message. Thus, when the first access network device receives the third message from the core network device (the third message requests the establishment or modification of PDU session resources), it can respond by sending a fourth message to the core network device. This fourth message can be used to respond to the establishment of PDU session resources and to indicate fourth information to the core network device, thereby indicating the TNL information of the second access network device based on this fourth information. Therefore, when the fourth message is a feedback message (or response message) to the third message, adding an SN connection can be achieved during the establishment of PDU session resources, thereby increasing efficiency, reducing signaling overhead, and improving system efficiency.

[0289] Optionally, in some embodiments, the MN receives a third message sent by the AMF or SMF, the third message being used to request the establishment of a PDU session resource. In response to the third message, the MN may send a fourth message to the AMF or SMF, the fourth message being used to respond to the establishment of the PDU session resource. The MN may indicate fourth information to the AMF or SMF through the fourth message, so as to indicate the TNL information of the SN to the AMF or SMF based on the fourth information.

[0290] Optionally, in some embodiments, the MN receives a third message sent by the AMF or SMF, the third message being used to request modification of the PDU session resources. In response to the third message, the MN may send a fourth message to the AMF or SMF. The fourth message may be used to respond to the modification of the PDU session resources. The MN may indicate fourth information to the AMF or SMF through the fourth message, so as to indicate the TNL information of the SN to the AMF or SMF based on the fourth information.

[0291] Optionally, in some embodiments, after the AMF or SMF learns the TNL information of the SN, the AMF or SMF can use the TNL information of the SN to send downlink data to the UE through the SN.

[0292] Optionally, in some embodiments, TNL information is associated with time information, wherein the time information is used to indicate the time of the second access network device serving the terminal. TNL information of different second access network devices can be associated with different time information, or they can be associated with the same time information. For example, the fourth message may include TNL information of one or more SNs (an optional example of the fourth information described above). Optionally, the TNL information of each SN corresponds to different time conditions (an optional example of the time information described above), that is, the SN serving the UE is different at different time stages. When the core network sends downlink data to the UE, it can select a suitable SN to transmit downlink data according to the time conditions. Optionally, in some embodiments, to consider the reliability of data transmission, the corresponding time stages of different SNs may overlap, ensuring that during the SN switching process of the UE, more than one SN may receive downlink data from the core network. SNs connected to the UE can send downlink data to the UE, while SNs not connected to the UE can discard downlink data received from the core network based on time.

[0293] Optionally, in some embodiments, the core network device may further include a User Plane Function (UPF). Optionally, in some embodiments, the AMF or SMF may initiate a bearer modification procedure with the UPF to indicate the TNL information of the corresponding SN to the UPF. Optionally, in some embodiments, the AMF or SMF may initiate a bearer modification procedure with the UPF to indicate the TNL information of the corresponding SN to the UPF.

[0294] Optionally, in some embodiments, the terminal may initiate a connection establishment process with the next second access network device. Specifically, refer to the connection establishment process described in the embodiments of this disclosure to establish a connection with the next second access network device. For example, the UE may initiate a connection establishment process with the next SN.

[0295] The communication method involved in the embodiments of this disclosure may include at least one of steps S2101 to S2111. For example, steps S2101, S2102, S2103, S2104, S2105, S2106, S2107, S2108, S2109, S2110, and S2111 can each be implemented as an independent embodiment, steps S2101+S2102 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, steps S2101+S2103 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, steps S2101+S2104 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, steps S2101+S2105 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and steps S2101+S2106... These steps can be implemented as independent embodiments. Steps S2102+S2103, S2102+S2104, S2102+S2105, S2101+S2102+S2103, S2102+S2103+S2104, and so on. However, they are not limited to these steps.

[0296] In the embodiments disclosed herein, some or all of the steps and their optional implementations may be arbitrarily combined with some or all of the steps in other embodiments, or may be arbitrarily combined with the optional implementations in other embodiments.

[0297] In the embodiments disclosed herein, each step and its optional implementation can also be carried out independently.

[0298] In this embodiment, the terminal sends a first message to the first access network device, the first message including: first information. The first access network device determines second information based on at least one of the first information, second indication information, and satellite ephemeris information. The first access network device sends a second message to the core network device, the second message including: second information. The core network device sends a third message to the first access network device, the third message including: QoS requirement information. The first access network device determines a second access network device based on the second information and the third message. The first access network device sends third information to the second access network device, the third information including at least the second indication information. The second access network device reserves or releases resources for the terminal based on the second indication information. The first access network device sends connection information of at least one candidate access network device to the terminal. Based on the connection information, the terminal selects the second access network device to connect from the at least one candidate access network device. The terminal initiates a random access procedure to the second access network device to connect. The first access network device sends a fourth message to the core network device, the fourth message including: fourth information. Therefore, this effectively supports dual-connection processes across satellite orbits, thereby significantly improving terminal speed and reducing service latency, and providing better services for terminals in NTN scenarios, suitable for multi-orbit satellite scenarios. Furthermore, by adding a connection addition process during PDU session establishment, more flexible services can be supported in multi-orbit satellite scenarios.

[0299] It should be noted that in the following embodiments, the descriptions of the same or corresponding terms and method steps as in the above embodiments can be found in the above embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0300] Figure 2B is an interactive schematic diagram of a communication method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 2B, the embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method that can be used in a communication system 100. The communication system 100 may include a terminal, a first access network device, a second access network device, and a core network device. In this embodiment, there may be no logical connection (inter-satellite link or feeder link) between the first access network device and the second access network device. In this case, the first access network device can send third information to the second access network device through the core network device. Optionally, in this embodiment, the content described in S2101-S2105 and S2107-S2111 of the above embodiments can also be executed. For details, please refer to the above embodiments, which will not be repeated here. The above method includes:

[0301] In step S2201, the first access network device sends third information to the core network device. The third information includes: second indication information and third indication information.

[0302] Optionally, in this embodiment, the descriptions of the first access network device, core network device, third information, and second indication information can be found in the above embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0303] Optionally, in some embodiments, the third information may be, for example, an SN add request message, which may include an SN add request message and may also include time-based condition information, wherein the "time-based condition information" is an optional example of the second indication information.

[0304] Optionally, in some embodiments, the third information may further include third indication information, which is used to indicate the second access network device. Optionally, in some embodiments, the third indication information may be, for example, the node identifier of the second access network device, and / or the identifier of the satellite to which the second access network device resides, etc. The third indication information enables the core network device to know which specific second access network device to send the third information to. The third indication information may also be referred to as "SN node info".

[0305] Optionally, in some embodiments, the third information may also include the identifier of the first access network device, thereby enabling the core network device to be instructed to initiate the request by the first access network device.

[0306] In step S2202, the core network device sends third information to the second access network device according to the third instruction information.

[0307] Optionally, in some embodiments, the core network device may receive third information sent by the first access network device, and obtain third indication information from the third information, and obtain information through the third indication information about which second access network device to send the third information to, and then the core network device may send the third information to the "second access network device".

[0308] Optionally, in some embodiments, the core network device may send an SN add request message to the indicated second access network device. The SN add request message may carry the identifier of the first access network device to indicate the first access network device that initiated the request.

[0309] Optionally, in some embodiments, the second access network device may receive an SN add request message sent by the core network device and send an SN add request confirmation message to the core network device.

[0310] Optionally, in some embodiments, the core network device sends the received SN add request confirmation message to the first access network device.

[0311] Optionally, in some embodiments, after the Radio Resource Control (RRC) reconfiguration is completed and the terminal successfully accesses the second access network device, the first access network device may send a notification message to the core network device to send an SN reconfiguration completion notification message. The SN reconfiguration completion notification message may carry SN node information (an optional example of the third indication information mentioned above).

[0312] Optionally, in some embodiments, the core network device may send an SN reconfiguration complete message to the second access network device based on the SN node information.

[0313] Optionally, in some embodiments, the number of the above-mentioned "SN node information" can be one or more, and different SN node information corresponds to different SNs (an optional example of the above-mentioned second access network device).

[0314] The communication method involved in the embodiments of this disclosure may include at least one of steps S2201 to S2202. For example, steps S2201 and S2202 may be implemented as independent embodiments, and steps S2201+S2202 may be implemented as independent embodiments, but are not limited thereto.

[0315] In the embodiments disclosed herein, some or all of the steps and their optional implementations may be arbitrarily combined with some or all of the steps in other embodiments, or may be arbitrarily combined with the optional implementations in other embodiments.

[0316] In this embodiment, the first access network device sends third information to the core network device. This third information includes a second indication and a third indication. Based on the third indication, the core network device sends the third information to the second access network device. It can also execute the content described in S2101-S2105 and S2107-S2111 of the above embodiments. This effectively supports dual-connection processes across satellite orbits, significantly improving terminal speed and reducing service latency, and providing better services for terminals in NTN scenarios, making it suitable for multi-orbit satellite scenarios. Furthermore, by adding a connection addition process during PDU session establishment, more flexible services can be supported in multi-orbit satellite scenarios. Additionally, it is effectively applicable to communication scenarios where there is no logical link between the first and second access network devices. In this scenario, the first access network device on the satellite can achieve information interaction with the second access network device on the satellite through a power supply link with the ground core network, thereby ensuring communication performance in multi-orbit satellite scenarios.

[0317] Figure 3 is an interactive schematic diagram illustrating a communication method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 3, the embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a communication method that can be used in a first access network device. The method includes:

[0318] Step S3101: Receive first information sent by the terminal, wherein the first information is used to indicate that the terminal supports establishing a connection with the second access network device, and the first access network device and the second access network device are located on different satellites.

[0319] The communication method involved in the embodiments of this disclosure may include step S3101. For example, step S3101 may be implemented as a standalone embodiment, but is not limited thereto.

[0320] In the embodiments disclosed herein, some or all of the steps and their optional implementations may be arbitrarily combined with some or all of the steps in other embodiments, or may be arbitrarily combined with the optional implementations in other embodiments.

[0321] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0322] First indication information, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate support for establishing a connection;

[0323] Terminal location information;

[0324] First cell identifier, wherein the first cell identifier is used to identify the first cell where the terminal is located;

[0325] Second cell information, wherein the second cell information is used to indicate the second cell measured by the terminal.

[0326] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the second cell information includes at least one of the following:

[0327] Second community identifier, wherein the second community identifier is used to identify the second community;

[0328] Device identifier, wherein the device identifier is used to identify the access network device where the second cell is located;

[0329] Satellite identifier, wherein the satellite identifier is used to identify the satellite where the second cell is located;

[0330] Track information, where track information is used to indicate the track where the second cell is located;

[0331] The terminal's signal quality in the second cell.

[0332] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the first information sent by the receiving terminal includes:

[0333] The receiving terminal sends a first message, wherein the first message is used to request the establishment or modification of a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session, and the first message includes: first information.

[0334] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the method further includes:

[0335] The second information is determined based on at least one of the first information, the second indication information, and the satellite ephemeris information, wherein the second indication information is used to indicate whether there is a logical connection between the first access network device and the second access network device, and the second information is used to indicate the satellite where the access network device is located;

[0336] Send the second message to the core network equipment.

[0337] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the second information includes at least one of the following:

[0338] First satellite information, wherein the first satellite information is used to indicate the satellite information of the access network device currently connected to by the terminal;

[0339] Second satellite information, wherein the second satellite information is used to indicate the satellite information of the access network equipment supported by the terminal.

[0340] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the first satellite information includes at least one of the following:

[0341] The identifier of the access network device currently connected to the terminal;

[0342] The orbital information of the satellite on which the access network device currently connected to the terminal is located;

[0343] The identifier of the satellite where the access network device currently connected to the terminal is located;

[0344] First delay information, wherein the first delay information is used to indicate the transmission delay of the access network device currently connected to the terminal.

[0345] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the second satellite information includes at least one of the following:

[0346] Identifiers of the access network devices that the terminal supports connecting to;

[0347] The terminal supports the orbital information of the satellites on which the connected access network devices are located;

[0348] The identifier of the satellite on which the terminal supports connecting to the access network equipment.

[0349] The second delay information is used to indicate the transmission delay of the access network equipment supported by the terminal connection.

[0350] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, sending second information to the core network device includes:

[0351] Send a second message to the core network equipment, wherein the second message includes: the information in the first message used to request the establishment or modification of a PDU session, and the second information.

[0352] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the method further includes:

[0353] Receive a third message sent by the core network device, wherein the third message is used to request the establishment or modification of PDU session resources, and the third message includes: Quality of Service (QoS) requirement information;

[0354] The second access network device is determined based on the second information and the third message;

[0355] Send third information to the second access network device, wherein the third information includes at least second indication information, which is used to indicate the time when the terminal accesses the second access network device.

[0356] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the second indication information includes at least one of the following:

[0357] The start time of terminal access to the second access network device;

[0358] The duration of terminal access to the second access network device.

[0359] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, sending third information to the second access network device includes at least one of the following:

[0360] The third information is sent to the second access network device through the logical connection between the first access network device and the second access network device.

[0361] Send third information to the core network device, wherein the third information further includes: third indication information, the third indication information is used to instruct the second access network device, and the third indication information is used by the core network device to send the third information to the second access network device.

[0362] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the method further includes:

[0363] The terminal sends connection information for at least one candidate access network device, wherein the candidate access network device is an access network device that the terminal supports connecting to, and the connection information is used by the terminal to select a second access network device to connect to from at least one candidate access network device.

[0364] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the method further includes:

[0365] Send a fourth message to the core network equipment, wherein the fourth message is used to indicate the Transport Network Layer (TNL) information of the second access network equipment.

[0366] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, a fourth message is sent to the core network device, including:

[0367] Send a fourth message to the core network equipment. The fourth message is used to respond to the establishment or modification of PDU session resources. The fourth message includes: fourth information.

[0368] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, TNL information is associated with time information, wherein the time information is used to indicate the time of the second access network device serving the terminal.

[0369] Figure 4 is an interactive schematic diagram illustrating a communication method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 4, the embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a communication method that can be used in a terminal. The method includes:

[0370] Step S4101: Send first information to the first access network device, wherein the first information is used to instruct the terminal to support establishing a connection with the second access network device, and the first access network device and the second access network device are located on different satellites.

[0371] The communication method involved in the embodiments of this disclosure may include step S4101. For example, step S4101 may be implemented as a standalone embodiment, but is not limited thereto.

[0372] In the embodiments disclosed herein, some or all of the steps and their optional implementations may be arbitrarily combined with some or all of the steps in other embodiments, or may be arbitrarily combined with the optional implementations in other embodiments.

[0373] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0374] First indication information, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate support for establishing a connection;

[0375] Terminal location information;

[0376] First cell identifier, wherein the first cell identifier is used to identify the first cell where the terminal is located;

[0377] Second cell information, wherein the second cell information is used to indicate the second cell measured by the terminal.

[0378] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the second cell information includes at least one of the following:

[0379] Second community identifier, wherein the second community identifier is used to identify the second community;

[0380] Device identifier, wherein the device identifier is used to identify the access network device where the second cell is located;

[0381] Satellite identifier, wherein the satellite identifier is used to identify the satellite where the second cell is located;

[0382] Track information, where track information is used to indicate the track where the second cell is located;

[0383] The terminal's signal quality in the second cell.

[0384] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, sending first information to the first access network device includes:

[0385] Send a first message to the first access network device, wherein the first message is used to request the establishment or modification of a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session, and the first message includes: first information.

[0386] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the method further includes:

[0387] Receive connection information of at least one candidate access network device sent by the first access network device, wherein the candidate access network device is an access network device that the terminal supports connecting to;

[0388] Based on the connection information, select the second access network device to be connected from at least one candidate access network device.

[0389] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the method further includes:

[0390] A random access procedure is initiated to the second access network device to be connected, wherein the random access procedure is used to establish a connection between the terminal and the second access network device.

[0391] Figure 5 is an interactive schematic diagram illustrating a communication method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 5, the embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a communication method that can be used in core network equipment. The method includes:

[0392] Step S5101: Determine the second information, wherein the second information is used to indicate the satellite where the access network device is located, and the access network device includes at least: a first access network device and / or a second access network device, the second information is determined by the first access network device based on at least one of the first information, the second indication information, and the satellite ephemeris information, the first information is used to indicate that the terminal supports establishing a connection with the second access network device, the first access network device and the second access network device are located on different satellites, and the second indication information is used to indicate whether there is a logical connection between the first access network device and the second access network device.

[0393] The communication method involved in the embodiments of this disclosure may include step S5101. For example, step S5101 may be implemented as a standalone embodiment, but is not limited thereto.

[0394] In the embodiments disclosed herein, some or all of the steps and their optional implementations may be arbitrarily combined with some or all of the steps in other embodiments, or may be arbitrarily combined with the optional implementations in other embodiments.

[0395] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, determining the second information includes:

[0396] Receive the second information sent by the first access network device.

[0397] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the second information includes at least one of the following:

[0398] First satellite information, wherein the first satellite information is used to indicate the satellite information of the access network device currently connected to by the terminal;

[0399] Second satellite information, wherein the second satellite information is used to indicate the satellite information of the access network equipment supported by the terminal.

[0400] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the first satellite information includes at least one of the following:

[0401] The identifier of the access network device currently connected to the terminal;

[0402] The orbital information of the satellite on which the access network device currently connected to the terminal is located;

[0403] The identifier of the satellite where the access network device currently connected to the terminal is located;

[0404] First delay information, wherein the first delay information is used to indicate the transmission delay of the access network device currently connected to the terminal.

[0405] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the second satellite information includes at least one of the following:

[0406] Identifiers of the access network devices that the terminal supports connecting to;

[0407] The terminal supports the orbital information of the satellites on which the connected access network devices are located;

[0408] The identifier of the satellite on which the terminal supports connecting to the access network equipment.

[0409] The second delay information is used to indicate the transmission delay of the access network equipment supported by the terminal connection.

[0410] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, receiving the second information sent by the first access network device includes:

[0411] The system receives a second message sent by the first access network device, wherein the second message is used to request the establishment or modification of a PDU session, and the second message includes: second information.

[0412] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the method further includes:

[0413] Send a third message to the first access network device, wherein the third message is used to request the establishment or modification of PDU session resources, and the third message includes: Quality of Service (QoS) requirement information;

[0414] The terminal receives third information sent by the first access network device, wherein the third information includes at least one of the second indication information and the third indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate the time when the terminal accesses the second access network device, and the third indication information being used to indicate the second access network device.

[0415] According to the third instruction information, send the third information to the second access network device.

[0416] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the second indication information includes at least one of the following:

[0417] The start time of terminal access to the second access network device;

[0418] The duration of terminal access to the second access network device.

[0419] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the method further includes:

[0420] The system receives fourth information sent by the first access network device, wherein the fourth information is used to indicate the Transmission Network Layer (TNL) information of the second access network device.

[0421] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, receiving fourth information sent by the first access network device includes:

[0422] The system receives a fourth message sent by the first access network device. The fourth message is used to respond to the establishment or modification of PDU session resources. The fourth message includes: fourth information.

[0423] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, TNL information is associated with time information, wherein the time information is used to indicate the time of the second access network device serving the terminal.

[0424] Examples of the above embodiments are illustrated below:

[0425] The example uses UE as the terminal, MN as the first access network device (e.g., the UE's serving base station), SN as the second access network device, and AMF or SMF as the core network device.

[0426] In this embodiment of the disclosure, considering that the service latency supported by different orbits may be different, a dual connection process across satellite orbits can be supported.

[0427] In this embodiment of the disclosure, an SN addition process can be added during the PDU session establishment process to support more flexible services in multi-orbit satellite scenarios.

[0428] Optionally, in some embodiments, the UE considers multi-orbit satellite information when initiating a PDU session establishment request.

[0429] Optionally, in some embodiments, the UE indicates relevant auxiliary information for the base station multitrack connection (UE location information and measured neighbor cell information (an optional example of the second cell information mentioned above)) in the message initiating the PDU session establishment request.

[0430] Optionally, in some embodiments, the base station determines information about other orbits that the UE is connecting to or can connect to based on the UE's instructions, the inter-satellite link status (an optional example of the second instruction information mentioned above), and satellite ephemeris information.

[0431] Optionally, in some embodiments, an SN connection is established during the PDU session resource establishment process.

[0432] Optionally, in some embodiments, one or more future SN connection information are determined based on at least one of satellite ephemeris information, UE location information, and UE measurement information (an optional example of the second cell information mentioned above). SN connection can be time-based. That is, different SNs can be connected at different times so that resources are reserved for the corresponding SNs.

[0433] Optionally, in some embodiments, the SN addition process is supported in the absence of inter-satellite links.

[0434] As shown in Figure 6A, Figure 6A is an application diagram of an embodiment of this disclosure. In Figure 6A, the terminal is UE, the first access network device is the first node (MN), the second access network device is the third node (SN) and the fourth node (SN), and the core network device is the second node (AMF / SMF) for example. The core network device may also include UPF. The number of SNs can be one or more. The first node (MN) and SN can be located on the same track or on different tracks. Different SNs can be located on the same track or on different tracks. In Figure 6A, the first node (MN) is located at GEO and the SN is located at LEO for example, but there are no restrictions on this.

[0435] 0-1a. The UE sends uplink non-access stratum (NAS) information (including NAS (PDU session request) and suggested low-Earth orbit cell information) to the first node (MN).

[0436] Optionally, in some embodiments, the suggested low orbit cell information may also be referred to as suggested low orbit cell info.

[0437] Optionally, in some embodiments, the uplink NAS information can be UL NAS Information, and the PDU session request can be a PDU session request.

[0438] Optionally, in some embodiments, the first node (MN) may be, for example, the serving base station of the UE.

[0439] For example, the UE can send a first message to its serving base station. This first message is used to transmit a message requesting the establishment or modification of a PDU session. The first message can be, for example, the PDU session request mentioned above.

[0440] Optionally, in some embodiments, the first message may include first information, which includes at least one of the following:

[0441] Multiple connection suggestion indication (an optional example of the first indication information above) is used to indicate to the serving base station that multiple connections need to be established up to the UE to satisfy the service request;

[0442] UE location information is used to indicate the UE's location. It can be a specific geographical location or a mapped cell ID. The mapped cell ID can be used to indicate the UE's location.

[0443] The suggested cell information (an optional example of the second cell information mentioned above) is used to indicate the suggested neighboring cell information measured by the UE;

[0444] The suggested community information includes at least one of the following:

[0445] The location of the cell tower is indicated by the base station identifier.

[0446] Community signage;

[0447] The satellite identifier of the community;

[0448] Information about the rail transit system where the residential area is located;

[0449] The signal quality of the cell measured by the UE.

[0450] Optionally, in some embodiments, the suggested cell information may be suggested low-Earth orbit (LEO) cell information, wherein the LEO cell may be determined by the UE based on measurements, for example, an LEO cell with good signal quality measured by the UE.

[0451] Optionally, in some embodiments, the first message is sent by the UE access layer (UE AS), which sends the first message based on an instruction from the UE upper layer. For example, when the UE AS measures a multi-track cell, it can instruct the UE upper layer, which can determine whether to initiate the establishment or modification of a PDU session based on a configuration policy to support low-latency and / or high-throughput services.

[0452] 0-2a. The first node (MN) sends an uplink NAS transmission (containing NAS (PDU session request) and candidate low-Earth orbit cell information) to the second node (AMF / SMF).

[0453] Optionally, in some embodiments, the uplink NAS transfer can be a UL NAS Transfer.

[0454] Optionally, in some embodiments, the candidate low orbit cell information can be candidate low orbit cell info.

[0455] Optionally, in some embodiments, the AMF and / or SMF may also be referred to as the second node.

[0456] Optionally, in some embodiments, the first node (MN) sends a second message to the second node (AMF / SMF), the second message being used to transmit the UE's PDU session modification or establishment request.

[0457] Optionally, in some embodiments, the first node (MN) can send a second message to the SMF via the AMF.

[0458] Optionally, in some embodiments, the second message is, for example, the aforementioned uplink NAS transmission.

[0459] Optionally, in some embodiments, the second message may include at least one of the following:

[0460] The SN information currently connected to the UE (an optional example of the first satellite information mentioned above) is used to indicate the orbit or satellite information of the SN currently established for the UE;

[0461] The UE can connect to SN information (an optional example of the second satellite information mentioned above), which indicates the orbit or satellite information of the available SN;

[0462] The latency information supported by the SN (an optional example of the first latency information or the second latency information mentioned above) is used to indicate the transmission latency supported by the SN, wherein the transmission latency supported by the SN can be determined based on the orbital information of the satellite of the SN that the UE can connect to or the SN that is being connected to.

[0463] Optionally, in some embodiments, the connectable SN information may be determined based on the UE's measurement reports and whether there is an inter-satellite link between the first node (MN) and the SN.

[0464] Optionally, in some embodiments, the first node (MN) determines the content of the second message based on at least one of the first information, the inter-satellite link status, and the satellite ephemeris information. The inter-satellite link status can be used to indicate whether an inter-satellite link exists between the first node (MN) and the SN.

[0465] 0-3a. The second node (AMF / SMF) sends a PDU session resource establishment / modification request (containing a QoS stream with low latency requirements / high guaranteed bit rate (GBR)) to the first node (MN).

[0466] Optionally, in some embodiments, the PDU session resource setup / modification request may be a PDU session resource setup / modify request.

[0467] Optionally, in some embodiments, the SMF sends a PDU session resource establishment / modification request to the first node (MN) via the AMF.

[0468] Optionally, in some embodiments, the second node initiates a PDU session establishment or modification process on the core network side based on the second message.

[0469] In some embodiments, the second node (AMF / SMF) sends a third message to the first node (MN), wherein the third message is used to establish or modify PDU session resources.

[0470] In some embodiments, the third message includes a request to establish a low-latency or high-rate QoS flow.

[0471] 1a. The first node (MN) sends an SN add request to the SN (including time-based condition information).

[0472] Optionally, in some embodiments, the SN addition request can be an SN Addition Request.

[0473] Optionally, in some embodiments, the time-based condition information can be time condition info.

[0474] Optionally, in some embodiments, the first node (MN) determines whether to initiate an SN addition or modification process based on a third message. The first node (MN) may send an SN addition request or an SN modification request to one or more SNs (the third node (SN) and / or the fourth node (SN) in Figure 6A).

[0475] Optionally, in some embodiments, considering the mobility of the SN on a low-Earth orbit satellite, the first node (MN) may initiate an SN establishment request to the next SN in advance. The SN addition request or SN modification request may include time-based condition information indicating the time at which the UE may access the SN. This time-based condition information includes a start time and / or duration.

[0476] Optionally, in some embodiments, the SN can reserve or release resources for the UE based on time-based condition information.

[0477] Optionally, in some embodiments, the SN add request or SN modify request is transmitted based on the inter-satellite link between the first node (MN) and the third node (SN) or the fourth node (SN).

[0478] 2a. The SN sends an acknowledgment message to the first node (MN) confirming the SN addition request.

[0479] Optionally, in some embodiments, the confirmation message for the SN addition request can be SN Addition Request Acknowledge.

[0480] Optionally, in some embodiments, the third node (SN) and the fourth node (SN) send an acknowledgment message to the first node.

[0481] 3a. The first node (MN) sends an RRC configuration message to the UE (including the RRC configuration of the first node (MN) and the RRC configuration of the SN).

[0482] Optionally, in some embodiments, the RRC configuration message may be RRCReconfiguration.

[0483] Optionally, in some embodiments, the RRC configuration of the first node (MN) can be "First Node (MN) RRCReconfiguration*". The RRC configuration of the SN can be "containing SN RRCReconfiguration**".

[0484] Optionally, in some embodiments, the first node (MN) can configure connection information for at least one SN for the UE.

[0485] 4a. The UE sends an RRC configuration complete message to the first node (MN).

[0486] Optionally, in some embodiments, the RRC configuration completion message can be RRCReconfigurationComplete.

[0487] Optionally, in some embodiments, the UE selects a SN that meets the conditions for access based on the configuration in step 3a.

[0488] Optionally, the SN that meets the conditions can be, for example, a third node (SN).

[0489] 4aa. The UE sends an RRC configuration complete message (including SN configuration complete indication) to the first node (MN).

[0490] 5a. The first node (MN) sends an SN configuration complete message to the SN.

[0491] Optionally, in some embodiments, the SN configuration completion message may be SN Reconfiguration Complete.

[0492] Optionally, in some embodiments, the UE sends an SN configuration complete message to the third node (SN) through the first node (MN).

[0493] 6a. The UE initiates a random access procedure to the SN.

[0494] Alternatively, in some embodiments, the random access procedure may be a Random Access Procedure.

[0495] Optionally, in some embodiments, the UE initiates a random access procedure to a third node (SN).

[0496] 7a. The first node (MN) sends a PDU session resource establishment / modification response message (containing TNL information of multiple SNs based on time information) to the SMF through the AMF.

[0497] Optionally, in some embodiments, the PDU session resource setup / modify response message can be a PDU session resource setup / modify response.

[0498] Optionally, in some embodiments, the TNL information of multiple SNs based on time information can be, for example, a list of TNL info of SN(s) with time info.

[0499] Optionally, in some embodiments, time information may be referred to as time conditions.

[0500] Optionally, in some embodiments, the first node (MN) sends a fourth message (i.e., the PDU session resource establishment / modification response message mentioned above) to the second node (AMF / SMF), wherein the fourth message may be a feedback message of the third message (i.e., the PDU session resource establishment / modification request mentioned above).

[0501] Optionally, in some embodiments, the first node (MN) sends a fourth message to the SMF via the AMF.

[0502] Optionally, in some embodiments, the fourth message may include Transport Network Layer (TNL) information of one or more SNs, wherein the TNL information of each SN corresponds to different time conditions, that is, the SN serving the UE is different at different time stages, and when the core network sends downlink data to the UE, it can select the appropriate SN to transmit data according to the time conditions.

[0503] In some embodiments, to ensure data transmission reliability, the times corresponding to different SNs may overlap. That is, during UE SN switching, more than one SN may receive downlink data from the core network. Only the SN connected to the UE can send data to the UE, while SNs not connected to the UE can discard downlink data received from the core network based on time information. When the fourth message is a feedback message to the third message, it makes adding SN connections more efficient, reduces signaling overhead, and improves system efficiency.

[0504] 8a. AMF / SMF initiates the process of modifying the bearer of UPF.

[0505] Optionally, in some embodiments, the bearer modification process can be referred to as Bearer Modification.

[0506] Optionally, in some embodiments, the second node (AMF / SMF) initiates a bearer modification process with the UPF to indicate the downlink TNL information corresponding to the UPF.

[0507] 9a. The UE sends an RRC configuration complete message (including an SN configuration complete indication) to the first node (MN).

[0508] 10a. The first node (MN) sends an SN configuration complete message to the fourth node (the next SN).

[0509] 11a. The UE initiates a random access procedure to the fourth node (the next SN).

[0510] Optionally, in some embodiments, the UE initiates a connection establishment process with the fourth node (the next SN).

[0511] 12a. The first node (MN) sends a PDU session resource modification instruction (containing the TNL information of the SN) to the SMF through the AMF.

[0512] Optionally, in some embodiments, the PDU session resource modification indication may be represented as a PDU session resource modify indication.

[0513] 13a. AMF / SMF initiates the process of modifying the bearer of UPF.

[0514] Optionally, in some embodiments, the UE can exchange data packets with the UPF via the connected SN.

[0515] Optionally, in some embodiments, the first node (MN) may indicate the TNL information of the fourth node (next SN) to the second node (AMF / SMF), and the second node (AMF / SMF) instructs the UPF to update the TNL information.

[0516] Optionally, in some embodiments, if the TNL information of the fourth node (the next SN) and the corresponding time have already been included in step 7a, steps 12a and 13a can be omitted.

[0517] As shown in Figure 6B, Figure 6B is another application schematic diagram in an embodiment of this disclosure. In Figure 6B, the terminal is UE, the first access network device is the first node (MN), the second access network device is the third node (SN), and the core network device is the second node (AMF / SMF) for example. The first node (MN) and SN can be located on the same track or on different tracks. In Figure 6B, the first node (MN) is located at GEO and the SN is located at LEO for example, but there is no limitation in this respect.

[0518] 1b. The first node (MN) sends an SN addition request message (containing SN node information and SN addition request) to the second node (AMF / SMF).

[0519] Optionally, in some embodiments, the SN adds a requirement message, which may be, for example, an SN Addition Required message. The SN node information may be SN node info.

[0520] Optionally, in some embodiments, the first node (MN) may send an SN addition request message to the second node (AMF / SMF), wherein the SN addition request message includes requested SN node information (SN node identifier and / or satellite identifier, an optional example of the third indication information mentioned above) and an SN addition request.

[0521] 2b. The second node (AMF / SMF) sends an SN add request to the third node (SN).

[0522] Optionally, in some embodiments, the second node (AMF / SMF) sends an SN add request to the indicated third node (SN). Optionally, the SN add request may carry an identifier of the first node (MN) to indicate the first node (MN) that initiated the request.

[0523] 3b. The third node (SN) sends an acknowledgment message for the SN addition request to the second node (AMF / SMF).

[0524] Optionally, in some embodiments, the third node (SN) sends an acknowledgment message of the SN addition request to the second node (AMF / SMF).

[0525] 4b. The second node (AMF / SMF) sends an acknowledgment message for the SN addition request to the first node (MN).

[0526] Optionally, in some embodiments, the second node (AMF / SMF) sends the acknowledgment message received in step 3b to the first node (MN).

[0527] 5b. The UE, the first node (MN), and the third node (SN) interact to complete the RRC configuration and the UE access the SN.

[0528] 6b. The first node (MN) sends an RRC configuration completion notification message (containing SN node information and SN configuration completion indication) to the second node (AMF / SMF).

[0529] Optionally, in some embodiments, the RRC configuration complete notification message can be an SN Reconfiguration Complete notification.

[0530] Optionally, in some embodiments, after the RRC reconfiguration is completed and the UE successfully accesses the SN, the first node (MN) sends an SN configuration completion notification message to the second node (AMF / SMF), wherein the SN configuration completion notification message may carry SN node information.

[0531] 7b. The second node (AMF / SMF) sends an SN configuration complete message to the third node (SN).

[0532] Optionally, in some embodiments, the second node (AMF / SMF) sends an SN configuration complete message to the SN based on the SN node information.

[0533] Optionally, in some embodiments, the aforementioned SN node information may be one or more.

[0534] Optionally, in some embodiments, the process in this embodiment is applicable to situations where there is no inter-satellite link between the first node (MN) and the third node (SN), and the base station on the satellite can achieve information exchange through the feeder link between it and the ground core network.

[0535] This disclosure also provides embodiments of an apparatus for implementing any of the above methods. For example, an apparatus is provided that includes units or modules for implementing the steps performed by the terminal in any of the above methods. Alternatively, another apparatus is provided that includes units or modules for implementing the steps performed by a network device (e.g., a RAN) in any of the above methods.

[0536] It should be understood that the division of units or modules in the above device is only a logical functional division. In actual implementation, they can be fully or partially integrated into a single physical entity, or they can be physically separated. Furthermore, the units or modules in the device can be implemented by a processor calling software: for example, the device includes a processor connected to a memory containing instructions. The processor calls the instructions stored in the memory to implement any of the above methods or to implement the functions of the units or modules in the above device. The processor can be, for example, a general-purpose processor, such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU) or a microprocessor, and the memory can be internal or external to the device. Alternatively, the units or modules in the device can be implemented in the form of hardware circuits. The functionality of some or all of the units or modules can be achieved through the design of these hardware circuits, which can be understood as one or more processors. For example, in one implementation, the hardware circuit is an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The functionality of some or all of the units or modules is achieved through the design of the logical relationships between the components within the circuit. In another implementation, the hardware circuit can be implemented using a programmable logic device (PLD). Taking a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) as an example, it can include a large number of logic gates. The connection relationships between the logic gates are configured through configuration files, thereby achieving the functionality of some or all of the units or modules. All units or modules of the above device can be implemented entirely through processor-called software, entirely through hardware circuits, or partially through processor-called software with the remaining parts implemented through hardware circuits.

[0537] In this embodiment, the processor is a circuit with signal processing capabilities. In one implementation, the processor can be a circuit with instruction read and execute capabilities, such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a graphics processing unit (GPU) (which can be understood as a microprocessor), or a digital signal processor (DSP). In another implementation, the processor can implement certain functions through the logical relationships of hardware circuits. The logical relationships of the aforementioned hardware circuits are fixed or reconfigurable. For example, the processor is a hardware circuit implemented using an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a programmable logic device (PLD), such as an FPGA. In a reconfigurable hardware circuit, the process of the processor loading a configuration document and configuring the hardware circuit can be understood as the process of the processor loading instructions to implement the functions of some or all of the above units or modules. Furthermore, it can also be a hardware circuit designed for artificial intelligence, which can be understood as an ASIC, such as a Neural Network Processing Unit (NPU), a Tensor Processing Unit (TPU), or a Deep Learning Processing Unit (DPU).

[0538] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device proposed in an embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 7, the communication device 7100 may include at least one of a transceiver module 7101, a processing module 7102, etc.

[0539] In some embodiments, the communication device 7100 is a first access network device, wherein...

[0540] The transceiver module 7101 is used to receive first information sent by the terminal, wherein the first information is used to indicate that the terminal supports establishing a connection with the second access network device, and the first access network device and the second access network device are located on different satellites.

[0541] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0542] First indication information, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate support for establishing a connection;

[0543] Terminal location information;

[0544] First cell identifier, wherein the first cell identifier is used to identify the first cell where the terminal is located;

[0545] Second cell information, wherein the second cell information is used to indicate the second cell measured by the terminal.

[0546] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the second cell information includes at least one of the following:

[0547] Second community identifier, wherein the second community identifier is used to identify the second community;

[0548] Device identifier, wherein the device identifier is used to identify the access network device where the second cell is located;

[0549] Satellite identifier, wherein the satellite identifier is used to identify the satellite where the second cell is located;

[0550] Track information, where track information is used to indicate the track where the second cell is located;

[0551] The terminal's signal quality in the second cell.

[0552] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the transceiver module 7101 is used to receive a first message sent by the terminal, wherein the first message is used to request the establishment or modification of a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session, and the first message includes: first information.

[0553] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the processing module 7102 is used to determine the second information based on at least one of the first information, the second indication information, and the satellite ephemeris information, wherein the second indication information is used to indicate whether there is a logical connection between the first access network device and the second access network device, and the second information is used to indicate the satellite where the access network device is located.

[0554] The transceiver module 7101 is used to send second information to the core network equipment.

[0555] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the second information includes at least one of the following:

[0556] First satellite information, wherein the first satellite information is used to indicate the satellite information of the access network device currently connected to by the terminal;

[0557] Second satellite information, wherein the second satellite information is used to indicate the satellite information of the access network equipment supported by the terminal.

[0558] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the first satellite information includes at least one of the following:

[0559] The identifier of the access network device currently connected to the terminal;

[0560] The orbital information of the satellite on which the access network device currently connected to the terminal is located;

[0561] The identifier of the satellite where the access network device currently connected to the terminal is located;

[0562] First delay information, wherein the first delay information is used to indicate the transmission delay of the access network device currently connected to the terminal.

[0563] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the second satellite information includes at least one of the following:

[0564] Identifiers of the access network devices that the terminal supports connecting to;

[0565] The terminal supports the orbital information of the satellites on which the connected access network devices are located;

[0566] The identifier of the satellite on which the terminal supports connecting to the access network equipment.

[0567] The second delay information is used to indicate the transmission delay of the access network equipment supported by the terminal connection.

[0568] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the transceiver module 7101 is used to send a second message to the core network device, wherein the second message includes: information in the first message used to request the establishment or modification of a PDU session, and second information.

[0569] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the transceiver module 7101 is used to receive a third message sent by the core network device, wherein the third message is used to request the establishment or modification of PDU session resources, and the third message includes: Quality of Service (QoS) requirement information.

[0570] The processing module 7102 is used to determine the second access network device based on the second information and the third message.

[0571] The transceiver module 7101 is used to send third information to the second access network device, wherein the third information includes at least second indication information, which is used to indicate the time when the terminal accesses the second access network device.

[0572] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the second indication information includes at least one of the following:

[0573] The start time of terminal access to the second access network device;

[0574] The duration of terminal access to the second access network device.

[0575] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the transceiver module 7101 is configured to perform at least one of the following:

[0576] The third information is sent to the second access network device through the logical connection between the first access network device and the second access network device.

[0577] Send third information to the core network device, wherein the third information further includes: third indication information, the third indication information is used to instruct the second access network device, and the third indication information is used by the core network device to send the third information to the second access network device.

[0578] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the transceiver module 7101 is used to send connection information of at least one candidate access network device to the terminal, wherein the candidate access network device is an access network device that the terminal supports connecting to, and the connection information is used by the terminal to select a second access network device to connect to from at least one candidate access network device.

[0579] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the transceiver module 7101 is used to send fourth information to the core network device, wherein the fourth information is used to indicate the transport network layer (TNL) information of the second access network device.

[0580] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the transceiver module 7101 is used to send a fourth message to the core network device, wherein the fourth message is used to respond to the establishment or modification of PDU session resources, and the fourth message includes: fourth information.

[0581] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, TNL information is associated with time information, wherein the time information is used to indicate the time of the second access network device serving the terminal.

[0582] Optionally, the transceiver module is used to perform at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving performed by the first access network device in any of the above methods, which will not be elaborated here.

[0583] Optionally, the above processing module is used to perform at least one of the other steps performed by the first access network device in any of the above methods, which will not be elaborated here.

[0584] In some embodiments, the communication device 7100 is a terminal, wherein...

[0585] The transceiver module 7101 is used to send first information to the first access network device, wherein the first information is used to instruct the terminal to support the establishment of a connection with the second access network device, and the first access network device and the second access network device are located on different satellites.

[0586] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0587] First indication information, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate support for establishing a connection;

[0588] Terminal location information;

[0589] First cell identifier, wherein the first cell identifier is used to identify the first cell where the terminal is located;

[0590] Second cell information, wherein the second cell information is used to indicate the second cell measured by the terminal.

[0591] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the second cell information includes at least one of the following:

[0592] Second community identifier, wherein the second community identifier is used to identify the second community;

[0593] Device identifier, wherein the device identifier is used to identify the access network device where the second cell is located;

[0594] Satellite identifier, wherein the satellite identifier is used to identify the satellite where the second cell is located;

[0595] Track information, where track information is used to indicate the track where the second cell is located;

[0596] The terminal's signal quality in the second cell.

[0597] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the transceiver module 7101 is used to send a first message to a first access network device, wherein the first message is used to request the establishment or modification of a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session, and the first message includes: first information.

[0598] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the transceiver module 7101 is configured to receive connection information of at least one candidate access network device sent by the first access network device, wherein the candidate access network device is an access network device that the terminal supports connecting to.

[0599] The processing module 7102 is used to select a second access network device to be connected from at least one candidate access network device based on the connection information.

[0600] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the transceiver module 7101 is used to initiate a random access procedure to the second access network device to be connected, wherein the random access procedure is used to establish a connection between the terminal and the second access network device.

[0601] Optionally, the transceiver module described above is used to perform at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving performed by the terminal in any of the above methods, which will not be elaborated here.

[0602] Optionally, the above processing module is used to perform at least one of the other steps executed by the terminal in any of the above methods, which will not be elaborated here.

[0603] In some embodiments, the communication device 7100 is a core network device, wherein...

[0604] The processing module 7102 is used to determine second information, wherein the second information is used to indicate the satellite where the access network device is located, and the access network device includes at least: a first access network device and / or a second access network device, the second information is determined by the first access network device based on at least one of the first information, the second indication information, and the satellite ephemeris information, the first information is used to indicate that the terminal supports establishing a connection with the second access network device, the first access network device and the second access network device are located on different satellites, and the second indication information is used to indicate whether there is a logical connection between the first access network device and the second access network device.

[0605] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the transceiver module 7101 is used for:

[0606] Receive the second information sent by the first access network device.

[0607] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the second information includes at least one of the following:

[0608] First satellite information, wherein the first satellite information is used to indicate the satellite information of the access network device currently connected to by the terminal;

[0609] Second satellite information, wherein the second satellite information is used to indicate the satellite information of the access network equipment supported by the terminal.

[0610] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the first satellite information includes at least one of the following:

[0611] The identifier of the access network device currently connected to the terminal;

[0612] The orbital information of the satellite on which the access network device currently connected to the terminal is located;

[0613] The identifier of the satellite where the access network device currently connected to the terminal is located;

[0614] First delay information, wherein the first delay information is used to indicate the transmission delay of the access network device currently connected to the terminal.

[0615] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the second satellite information includes at least one of the following:

[0616] Identifiers of the access network devices that the terminal supports connecting to;

[0617] The terminal supports the orbital information of the satellites on which the connected access network devices are located;

[0618] The identifier of the satellite on which the terminal supports connecting to the access network equipment.

[0619] The second delay information is used to indicate the transmission delay of the access network equipment supported by the terminal connection.

[0620] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the transceiver module 7101 is used for:

[0621] The system receives a second message sent by the first access network device, wherein the second message is used to request the establishment or modification of a PDU session, and the second message includes: second information.

[0622] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the transceiver module 7101 is used for:

[0623] Send a third message to the first access network device, wherein the third message is used to request the establishment or modification of PDU session resources, and the third message includes: Quality of Service (QoS) requirement information;

[0624] The terminal receives third information sent by the first access network device, wherein the third information includes at least one of the second indication information and the third indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate the time when the terminal accesses the second access network device, and the third indication information being used to indicate the second access network device.

[0625] According to the third instruction information, send the third information to the second access network device.

[0626] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the second indication information includes at least one of the following:

[0627] The start time of terminal access to the second access network device;

[0628] The duration of terminal access to the second access network device.

[0629] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the transceiver module 7101 is used for:

[0630] The system receives fourth information sent by the first access network device, wherein the fourth information is used to indicate the Transmission Network Layer (TNL) information of the second access network device.

[0631] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the transceiver module 7101 is used for:

[0632] The system receives a fourth message sent by the first access network device. The fourth message is used to respond to the establishment or modification of PDU session resources. The fourth message includes: fourth information.

[0633] Optionally, in some embodiments of this disclosure, TNL information is associated with time information, wherein the time information is used to indicate the time of the second access network device serving the terminal.

[0634] Optionally, the transceiver module described above is used to perform at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving performed by the core network device in any of the above methods, which will not be elaborated here.

[0635] Optionally, the above processing module is used to perform at least one of the other steps performed by the core network device in any of the above methods, which will not be elaborated here.

[0636] Figure 8A is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device proposed in an embodiment of this disclosure. The communication device 8100 can be the terminal described above, or it can be the network device described above. The communication device 8100 can be a network device (e.g., access network device, core network device, etc.), a terminal (e.g., user equipment, etc.), a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the network device in implementing any of the above methods, or a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the terminal in implementing any of the above methods. The communication device 8100 can be used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments; for details, please refer to the descriptions in the above method embodiments.

[0637] As shown in Figure 8A, the communication device 8100 includes one or more processors 8101. The processor 8101 can be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, such as a baseband processor or a central processing unit (CPU). The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, while the CPU can be used to control communication devices (e.g., base stations, baseband chips, terminal devices, terminal device chips, DUs or CUs, etc.), execute programs, and process program data. The communication device 8100 is used to execute any of the above methods.

[0638] In some embodiments, the communication device 8100 further includes one or more memories 8102 for storing instructions. Optionally, all or part of the memories 8102 may also be located outside the communication device 8100.

[0639] In some embodiments, the communication device 8100 further includes one or more transceivers 8103. When the communication device 8100 includes one or more transceivers 8103, the transceivers 8103 perform at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving in the above method, and the processor 8101 performs other steps.

[0640] In some embodiments, a transceiver may include a receiver and / or a transmitter, which may be separate or integrated. Optionally, the terms transceiver, transceiver unit, transceiver, transceiver circuit, etc., may be used interchangeably; the terms transmitter, transmitting unit, transmitter, transmitting circuit, etc., may be used interchangeably; and the terms receiver, receiving unit, receiver, receiving circuit, etc., may be used interchangeably.

[0641] In some embodiments, the communication device 8100 may include one or more interface circuits 8104. Optionally, the interface circuit 8104 is connected to the memory 8102, and the interface circuit 8104 can be used to receive signals from the memory 8102 or other devices, and can be used to send signals to the memory 8102 or other devices. For example, the interface circuit 8104 can read instructions stored in the memory 8102 and send the instructions to the processor 8101.

[0642] The communication device 8100 described in the above embodiments may be a network device or a terminal, but the scope of the communication device 8100 described in this disclosure is not limited thereto, and the structure of the communication device 8100 may not be limited by FIG8A. The communication device may be a standalone device or may be part of a larger device. For example, the communication device may be: (1) a standalone integrated circuit IC, or chip, or chip system or subsystem; (2) a collection of one or more ICs, optionally, the IC collection may also include storage components for storing data and programs; (3) an ASIC, such as a modem; (4) a module that can be embedded in other devices; (5) a receiver, terminal device, smart terminal device, cellular phone, wireless device, handheld device, mobile unit, vehicle device, network device, cloud device, artificial intelligence device, etc.; (6) others, etc.

[0643] Figure 8B is a schematic diagram of the chip structure proposed in an embodiment of this disclosure. For cases where the communication device 8100 can be a chip or a chip system, please refer to the schematic diagram of the chip 8200 shown in Figure 8B, but it is not limited thereto.

[0644] Chip 8200 includes one or more processors 8201, which are used to perform any of the above methods.

[0645] In some embodiments, chip 8200 further includes one or more interface circuits 8202. Optionally, the interface circuit 8202 is connected to memory 8203, and the interface circuit 8202 can be used to receive signals from memory 8203 or other devices, and the interface circuit 8202 can be used to send signals to memory 8203 or other devices. For example, the interface circuit 8202 can read instructions stored in memory 8203 and send the instructions to processor 8201.

[0646] In some embodiments, the interface circuit 8202 performs at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving in the above method, and the processor 8201 performs at least one of the other steps.

[0647] In some embodiments, the terms interface circuit, interface, transceiver pin, transceiver, etc., can be used interchangeably.

[0648] In some embodiments, chip 8200 further includes one or more memories 8203 for storing instructions. Optionally, all or part of the memories 8203 may be located outside of chip 8200.

[0649] This disclosure also proposes a storage medium storing instructions that, when executed on a communication device 8100, cause the communication device 8100 to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, the storage medium is an electronic storage medium. Optionally, the storage medium is a computer-readable storage medium, but not limited thereto; it may also be a storage medium readable by other devices. Optionally, the storage medium may be a non-transitory storage medium, but not limited thereto; it may also be a temporary storage medium.

[0650] This disclosure also provides a program product that, when executed by the communication device 8100, causes the communication device 8100 to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, the program product is a computer program product.

[0651] This disclosure also proposes a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform any of the above methods.

[0652] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved, in whole or in part, through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, it can be implemented, in whole or in part, as a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs. When the computer program is loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this disclosure are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer program can be transferred from one website, computer, server, or data center to another via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium accessible to a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available media may be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes), optical media (e.g., high-density digital video discs (DVDs)), or semiconductor media (e.g., solid-state disks (SSDs)).

[0653] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this disclosure.

[0654] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0655] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this disclosure, but the scope of protection of this disclosure is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this disclosure should be included within the scope of protection of this disclosure. Therefore, the scope of protection of this disclosure should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, The method is performed by a first access network device, and the method includes: The receiving terminal sends first information, wherein the first information is used to indicate that the terminal supports establishing a connection with a second access network device, the first access network device and the second access network device being located on different satellites.

2. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The first information includes at least one of the following: First indication information, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate support for establishing the connection; The location information of the terminal; First cell identifier, wherein the first cell identifier is used to identify the first cell where the terminal is located; Second cell information, wherein the second cell information is used to indicate the second cell measured by the terminal.

3. The method as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The second cell information includes at least one of the following: Second cell identifier, wherein the second cell identifier is used to identify the second cell; Device identifier, wherein the device identifier is used to identify the access network device to which the second cell is located; Satellite identifier, wherein the satellite identifier is used to identify the satellite in which the second cell is located; Track information, wherein the track information is used to indicate the track in which the second cell is located; The terminal's signal quality in the second cell.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The first information sent by the receiving terminal includes: The terminal sends a first message, wherein the first message is used to request the establishment or modification of a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session, and the first message includes: the first information.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The method further includes: The second information is determined based on at least one of the first information, the second indication information, and the satellite ephemeris information, wherein the second indication information is used to indicate whether there is a logical connection between the first access network device and the second access network device, and the second information is used to indicate the satellite where the access network device is located; Send the second information to the core network equipment.

6. The method as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The second information includes at least one of the following: First satellite information, wherein the first satellite information is used to indicate the satellite information of the access network device currently connected to by the terminal; The second satellite information is used to indicate the satellite information of the access network equipment that the terminal supports connecting to.

7. The method as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The first satellite information includes at least one of the following: The identifier of the access network device currently connected to the terminal; The orbital information of the satellite where the access network device currently connected to the terminal is located; The identifier of the satellite where the access network device currently connected to the terminal is located; First delay information, wherein the first delay information is used to indicate the transmission delay of the access network device currently connected to the terminal.

8. The method according to any one of claims 6-7, characterized in that, The second satellite information includes at least one of the following: The terminal supports the identification of access network devices that can be connected. The terminal supports the orbital information of the satellites where the connected access network devices are located; The terminal supports the identification of the satellite where the access network equipment it connects to is located. The second delay information is used to indicate the transmission delay of the access network devices supported by the terminal.

9. The method according to any one of claims 5-8, characterized in that, Sending the second information to the core network equipment includes: Send a second message to the core network device, wherein the second message includes: the information in the first message used to request the establishment or modification of a PDU session, and the second information.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1-3 and 5-9, characterized in that, The method further includes: The third message sent by the core network device is received, wherein the third message is used to request the establishment or modification of PDU session resources, and the third message includes: Quality of Service (QoS) requirement information; The second access network device is determined based on the second information and the third message; Send a third message to the second access network device, wherein the third message includes at least a second indication message, the second indication message being used to indicate the time when the terminal accesses the second access network device.

11. The method as described in claim 10, characterized in that, The second indication information includes at least one of the following: The start time of the terminal's access to the second access network device; The duration for which the terminal accesses the second access network device.

12. The method according to any one of claims 10-11, characterized in that, Sending the third information to the second access network device includes at least one of the following: The third information is sent to the second access network device through the logical connection between the first access network device and the second access network device. Sending third information to the core network device, wherein the third information further includes: third indication information, the third indication information being used to instruct the second access network device, the third indication information being used by the core network device to send the third information to the second access network device.

13. The method according to any one of claims 5-12, characterized in that, The method further includes: The terminal sends connection information for at least one candidate access network device, wherein the candidate access network device is an access network device that the terminal supports connecting to, and the connection information is used by the terminal to select the second access network device to connect to from the at least one candidate access network device.

14. The method according to any one of claims 10-13, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a fourth message to the core network device, wherein the fourth message is used to indicate the transport network layer (TNL) information of the second access network device.

15. The method as described in claim 14, characterized in that, Sending the fourth information to the core network device includes: A fourth message is sent to the core network device, wherein the fourth message is used to respond to the establishment or modification of PDU session resources, and the fourth message includes: the fourth information.

16. The method according to any one of claims 14-15, characterized in that, The TNL information is associated with time information, wherein the time information is used to indicate the time during which the second access network device serves the terminal.

17. A communication method, characterized in that, The method is executed by a terminal, and the method includes: Send first information to a first access network device, wherein the first information is used to instruct the terminal to support establishing a connection with a second access network device, the first access network device and the second access network device being located on different satellites.

18. The method as described in claim 17, characterized in that, The first information includes at least one of the following: First indication information, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate support for establishing the connection; The location information of the terminal; First cell identifier, wherein the first cell identifier is used to identify the first cell where the terminal is located; Second cell information, wherein the second cell information is used to indicate the second cell measured by the terminal.

19. The method as described in claim 18, characterized in that, The second cell information includes at least one of the following: Second cell identifier, wherein the second cell identifier is used to identify the second cell; Device identifier, wherein the device identifier is used to identify the access network device to which the second cell is located; Satellite identifier, wherein the satellite identifier is used to identify the satellite in which the second cell is located; Track information, wherein the track information is used to indicate the track in which the second cell is located; The terminal's signal quality in the second cell.

20. The method according to any one of claims 17-19, characterized in that, Sending the first information to the first access network device includes: Send a first message to the first access network device, wherein the first message is used to request the establishment or modification of a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session, and the first message includes: the first information.

21. The method according to any one of claims 17-20, characterized in that, The method further includes: The terminal receives connection information of at least one candidate access network device sent by the first access network device, wherein the candidate access network device is an access network device that the terminal supports connecting to; Based on the connection information, the second access network device to be connected is selected from the at least one candidate access network device.

22. The method according to any one of claims 17-21, characterized in that, The method further includes: A random access procedure is initiated to the second access network device to be connected, wherein the random access procedure is used to establish a connection between the terminal and the second access network device.

23. A communication method, characterized in that, The method is executed by a core network device, and the method includes: The second information is determined, wherein the second information is used to indicate the satellite where the access network device is located, and the access network device includes at least: a first access network device and / or a second access network device, the second information is determined by the first access network device based on at least one of the first information, the second indication information, and the satellite ephemeris information, the first information is used to indicate that the terminal supports establishing a connection with the second access network device, the first access network device and the second access network device are located on different satellites, and the second indication information is used to indicate whether there is a logical connection between the first access network device and the second access network device.

24. The method as described in claim 23, characterized in that, The determination of the second information includes: Receive the second information sent by the first access network device.

25. The method according to any one of claims 23-24, characterized in that, The second information includes at least one of the following: First satellite information, wherein the first satellite information is used to indicate the satellite information of the access network device currently connected to by the terminal; The second satellite information is used to indicate the satellite information of the access network equipment that the terminal supports connecting to.

26. The method as described in claim 25, characterized in that, The first satellite information includes at least one of the following: The identifier of the access network device currently connected to the terminal; The orbital information of the satellite where the access network device currently connected to the terminal is located; The identifier of the satellite where the access network device currently connected to the terminal is located; First delay information, wherein the first delay information is used to indicate the transmission delay of the access network device currently connected to the terminal.

27. The method according to any one of claims 25-26, characterized in that, The second satellite information includes at least one of the following: The terminal supports the identification of access network devices that can be connected. The terminal supports the orbital information of the satellites where the connected access network devices are located; The terminal supports the identification of the satellite where the access network equipment it connects to is located. The second delay information is used to indicate the transmission delay of the access network devices supported by the terminal.

28. The method according to any one of claims 24-27, characterized in that, The receipt of the second information sent by the first access network device includes: The system receives a second message sent by the first access network device, wherein the second message is used to request the establishment or modification of a PDU session, and the second message includes: the second information.

29. The method as described in claim 28, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a third message to the first access network device, wherein the third message is used to request the establishment or modification of PDU session resources, and the third message includes: Quality of Service (QoS) requirement information; The terminal receives third information sent by the first access network device, wherein the third information includes at least one of a second indication information and a third indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate the time when the terminal accesses the second access network device, and the third indication information being used to indicate the second access network device; According to the third instruction information, the third information is sent to the second access network device.

30. The method as described in claim 29, characterized in that, The second indication information includes at least one of the following: The start time of the terminal's access to the second access network device; The duration for which the terminal accesses the second access network device.

31. The method according to any one of claims 29-30, characterized in that, The method further includes: The system receives fourth information sent by the first access network device, wherein the fourth information is used to indicate the transport network layer (TNL) information of the second access network device.

32. The method as described in claim 31, characterized in that, The receipt of the fourth information sent by the first access network device includes: The system receives a fourth message sent by the first access network device, wherein the fourth message is used to respond to the establishment or modification of PDU session resources, and the fourth message includes: the fourth information.

33. The method according to any one of claims 31-32, characterized in that, The TNL information is associated with time information, wherein the time information is used to indicate the time during which the second access network device serves the terminal.

34. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device is used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-16, 17-22, and 23-33.

35. A communication system, characterized in that, The device includes a terminal, a first access network device, a second access network device, and a core network device, wherein the first access network device is used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-16, the terminal is used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 17-22, and the core network device is used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 23-33.

36. A storage medium storing instructions, characterized in that, When the instruction is executed on the communication device, the communication device performs the method as described in any one of claims 1-33.

37. A computer program product, characterized in that, Includes a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the method of any one of claims 1-33.

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