Satellite communication method and apparatus

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application relate to the technical field of communications, and provide a satellite communication method and apparatus. The method comprises: a terminal receives a first message from a network device, the first message comprising first information, the first information being used for indicating at least one satellite that the terminal is restricted from accessing or not restricted from accessing, and the at least one satellite comprising a first satellite; when the at least one satellite is a satellite that the terminal is restricted from accessing, if the terminal is within the coverage of the first satellite, the terminal does not measure the signal strength and / or signal quality of a cell covered by the first satellite; and when the at least one satellite is a satellite that the terminal is not restricted from accessing, if the terminal is within the coverage of the first satellite, the terminal measures the signal strength and / or signal quality of a cell covered by the first satellite, so that the terminal accesses a network by means of a specific satellite, thereby preventing the terminal from performing signal strength and / or signal quality measurement on a satellite to which access is restricted, and effectively reducing signaling overhead and reducing power consumption.

Description

A satellite communication method and device

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202510378463.X, filed on March 27, 2025, entitled "A Satellite Communication Method and Apparatus", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a satellite communication method and apparatus. Background Technology

[0003] Currently, most terminals possess multi-mode coexistence capabilities, meaning they can support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). For example, terminals can support 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G mobile communication technologies. This multi-mode coexistence capability allows terminals to maintain service continuity and stability when moving between different RATs. However, not all network operators support 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G networks; for instance, China Broadcasting Network has not independently deployed 2G / 3G / 4G networks. To prevent terminals from attempting to camp on restricted networks, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) introduced a RAT access restriction scheme. Networks can use radio access technology utilization control information elements (RAT utilization control IEs) to indicate to terminals the type of RAT they are restricted from accessing. At the #151 meeting of the core network and terminal working group 1 (CT WG1), it was also approved to add Sat-NG-RAN and Sat-E-UTRAN to the RAT utilization control IE. Sat-NG-RAN and Sat-E-UTRAN are used to indicate whether a terminal is restricted from accessing the corresponding RAT via satellite.

[0004] However, the above-mentioned RAT access restriction scheme is based on the RAT type. If the operator wants to control the terminal's access to a specific satellite, the above-mentioned RAT access restriction scheme is not supported. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a satellite communication method and apparatus that can support terminal access to specific satellites, avoiding the need for the terminal to measure the signal strength and / or signal quality of restricted satellites, thereby saving power consumption and reducing network load.

[0006] In a first aspect, a satellite communication method is provided, the method comprising: a terminal receiving a first message from a network device, the first message including first information, the first information indicating at least one satellite to which the terminal is restricted from access or is not restricted from access; the at least one satellite including a first satellite; if the terminal is within the coverage area of ​​the first satellite and is not within the coverage area of ​​the first satellite, the terminal not measuring the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the first satellite; if the terminal is within the coverage area of ​​the first satellite and is not within the coverage area of ​​the first satellite and is within the coverage area of ​​the first satellite, the terminal measuring the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the first satellite.

[0007] Based on the method provided in this application, the terminal obtains information about at least one satellite (including the first satellite) whose access is restricted or unrestricted by receiving first information from a network device. If at least one satellite is a restricted satellite, the terminal does not measure the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the first satellite while within its coverage area. If at least one satellite is an unrestricted satellite, the terminal measures the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the first satellite while within its coverage area. This allows the terminal to access the network through a specific satellite, avoiding the need to measure the signal strength and / or signal quality of cells covered by restricted satellites, thus saving power consumption.

[0008] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, if at least one satellite is a satellite to which the terminal is restricted from access, and if the terminal is within the coverage area of ​​the second satellite, the terminal measures the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the second satellite, and at least one satellite does not include the second satellite; if at least one satellite is a satellite to which the terminal is not restricted from access, and if the terminal is within the coverage area of ​​the second satellite, the terminal does not measure the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the second satellite, and at least one satellite does not include the second satellite.

[0009] In this implementation, the terminal receives first information from the network device to obtain information about at least one satellite (excluding the second satellite) whose access is restricted or unrestricted. If at least one satellite is a restricted satellite, the terminal measures the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the second satellite while within its coverage area. If at least one satellite is an unrestricted satellite, the terminal does not measure the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the second satellite while within its coverage area. This avoids the terminal measuring the signal strength and / or signal quality of cells covered by restricted satellites, effectively reducing signaling overhead and network load.

[0010] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, at least one satellite corresponds to at least one validity period. If the terminal is within the coverage area of ​​the first satellite, the terminal not measuring the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the first satellite includes: the terminal is within the coverage area of ​​the first satellite and the validity period corresponding to the first satellite has not expired, the terminal does not measure the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the first satellite; the validity period corresponding to the first satellite is included in at least one validity period; if the terminal is within the coverage area of ​​the first satellite, the terminal measuring the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the first satellite includes: the terminal is within the coverage area of ​​the first satellite and the validity period corresponding to the first satellite has not expired, the terminal measures the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the first satellite.

[0011] In this implementation, the terminal receives first information from the network device to obtain information about at least one satellite whose access is restricted or unrestricted, and the validity period of that satellite. If the at least one satellite indicated by the first information is a restricted satellite, the terminal is not allowed to switch to that satellite during the validity period. If the at least one satellite indicated by the first information is an unrestricted satellite, the terminal is allowed to switch to that satellite during the validity period. This allows control over the time the terminal spends on either the restricted or unrestricted satellites within the validity period.

[0012] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes: if at least one satellite is a satellite to which the terminal is restricted from access, and if the terminal is within the coverage area of ​​the first satellite and the validity period corresponding to the first satellite has expired, the terminal measures the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the first satellite; if at least one satellite is a satellite to which the terminal is not restricted from access, and if the terminal is within the coverage area of ​​the first satellite and the validity period corresponding to the first satellite has expired, the terminal does not measure the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the first satellite.

[0013] In this design, the terminal receives first information from the network device to obtain information about at least one satellite whose access is restricted or unrestricted, and the validity period of that satellite. If the at least one satellite indicated by the first information is a restricted satellite, the terminal is allowed to switch to that satellite after the validity period expires. If the at least one satellite indicated by the first information is an unrestricted satellite, the terminal is not allowed to switch to that satellite after the validity period expires. Thus, the validity period controls the time the terminal spends on either the restricted or unrestricted satellites.

[0014] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the first information includes a first field, a second field, and a third field; the first field is used to indicate the type of the first information; the second field is used to indicate the identifier of at least one satellite; and the third field is used to indicate that at least one satellite is a satellite for which the terminal is restricted from access, or that at least one satellite is a satellite for which the terminal is not restricted from access.

[0015] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the second field is used to indicate the identifier of at least one satellite and at least one validity period corresponding to the at least one satellite; or the first information may further include a fourth field, which is used to indicate a validity period corresponding to at least one satellite.

[0016] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the first message includes an attach accept message, a tracking area update response message, or a registration accept message.

[0017] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the attach accept message, the tracking area update response message, or the registration accept message includes a first control element, which includes first information.

[0018] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the first control information element further includes second information and third information, wherein the second information is used to indicate that the terminal is not restricted from accessing the 4G network via satellite, and the third information is used to indicate that the terminal is not restricted from accessing the 5G network via satellite.

[0019] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, after the terminal measures the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the first satellite, the method further includes: when the terminal is in a connected state, if the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the first satellite meets a preset threshold, the terminal sends a second message to the network device, the second message containing the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the first satellite; the terminal receives a third message from the network device, the third message being used to instruct the terminal to switch to the cell corresponding to the first satellite; when the terminal is in an idle state, if the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the first satellite meets a preset threshold, the terminal reselects to the cell corresponding to the first satellite.

[0020] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, after the terminal measures the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the second satellite, the method further includes: when the terminal is in a connected state, if the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the second satellite meets a preset threshold, the terminal sends a fourth message to the network device, the fourth message containing the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the second satellite; the terminal receives a fifth message from the network device, the fifth message being used to instruct the terminal to switch to the cell corresponding to the second satellite; when the terminal is in an idle state, if the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the second satellite meets a preset threshold, the terminal reselects to the cell corresponding to the second satellite.

[0021] In a second aspect, a satellite communication method is provided, the method comprising: a network device sending a first message to a terminal, the first message including first information, the first information being used to indicate at least one satellite to which the terminal is restricted from access or is not restricted from access.

[0022] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the first information includes a first field, a second field, and a third field; the first field is used to indicate the type of the first information; the second field is used to indicate the identifier of at least one satellite; and the third field is used to indicate that at least one satellite is a satellite for which the terminal is restricted from access, or that at least one satellite is a satellite for which the terminal is not restricted from access.

[0023] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the second field is used to indicate the identifier of at least one satellite and at least one validity period corresponding to the at least one satellite; or the first information may further include a fourth field, which is used to indicate a validity period corresponding to at least one satellite.

[0024] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the first message includes an attach accept message, a tracking area update response message, or a registration accept message.

[0025] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the attach accept message, the tracking area update response message, or the registration accept message includes a first control element, which includes first information.

[0026] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the first control information element further includes second information and third information, wherein the second information is used to indicate that the terminal is not restricted from accessing the 4G network via satellite, and the third information is used to indicate that the terminal is not restricted from accessing the 5G network via satellite.

[0027] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the method further includes: when at least one satellite is a satellite to which the terminal is not restricted from access, the network device receives a second message from the terminal, the second message containing the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the first satellite, and the at least one satellite includes the first satellite; the network device sends a third message to the terminal, the third message being used to instruct the terminal to switch to the cell corresponding to the first satellite.

[0028] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the method further includes: when at least one satellite is a satellite to which the terminal is restricted from access, the network device receives a fourth message from the terminal, the fourth message containing the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the second satellite, and at least one satellite does not include the second satellite; the network device sends a fifth message to the terminal, the fifth message being used to instruct the terminal to switch to the cell corresponding to the second satellite.

[0029] Thirdly, a communication device is provided, the communication device comprising one or more processors; the one or more processors are configured to execute a computer program or instructions, such that when the one or more processors execute the computer program or instructions, a communication method as described in any of the first to second aspects is performed.

[0030] In one possible implementation of the third aspect, the communication device further includes one or more memories coupled to one or more processors, the memories used to store the aforementioned computer program or instructions. In one possible implementation, the memories are located outside the communication device. In another possible implementation, the memories are located inside the communication device. In this application, the processor and memory can also be integrated into a single device, i.e., the processor and memory can be integrated together. In one possible implementation, the communication device further includes a transceiver for receiving and / or transmitting information.

[0031] In one possible design, the communication device further includes one or more communication interfaces coupled to one or more processors, and the communication interfaces are used to communicate with other modules outside the communication device.

[0032] Fourthly, this application provides a communication device, which includes an interface circuit and a logic circuit; the interface circuit is used to input and / or output information; the logic circuit is used to execute the communication method as described in any of the first to second aspects, and to process and / or generate information based on the information.

[0033] Fifthly, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions or programs that, when executed on a computer, cause the methods of any one of the first to second aspects to be performed.

[0034] In a sixth aspect, this application provides a chip comprising: a processor coupled to a memory for storing programs or instructions, wherein when the programs or instructions are executed by the processor, the methods of any one of the first to second aspects are performed.

[0035] In a seventh aspect, this application provides a computer program product containing computer instructions that, when run on a computer, causes the methods of any one of the first to second aspects to be executed.

[0036] Eighthly, this application provides a communication system, including a communication device for implementing the method in the first aspect, and a communication device for implementing the method in the second aspect.

[0037] The technical effects of any of the design methods in aspects two through eight can be found in the technical effects of any of the aspects in aspect one above, and will not be elaborated upon further. Attached Figure Description

[0038] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the UCU process provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0039] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a satellite communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0040] Figure 3 is a hardware structure diagram of a terminal provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0041] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating a satellite communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0042] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating another satellite communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0043] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0044] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0045] To ensure clarity and conciseness in the description of the following embodiments, a brief introduction to the relevant concepts or technologies is given first:

[0046] 1. Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN)

[0047] A PLMN (Public Land Mobile Network) is a network established and operated by a government or its approved operators to provide terrestrial mobile communication services to the public. The PLMN interconnects with the public switched telephone network (PSTN) to form a regional or national-level communication network. A PLMN consists of a mobile contrary code (MCC) and a mobile net code (MNC). The MCC uniquely represents the country of origin of the mobile user. For example, China's MCC is 460. The MNC uniquely represents the network within that country. For example, the MNC for China Mobile could include 00, and the MNC for China Unicom could include 01.

[0048] 2. Tracking Area Code (TAC)

[0049] The Tracking Area Code (TA) is a unique code used to identify a specific tracking area (TA) in a mobile communication network. A tracking area is a geographical region consisting of one or more cells. As a unique identifier, the TAC helps the core network determine the current location of a terminal. When a terminal is idle, the network records its approximate location using the TAC, so that when paging is needed, signals only need to be sent to all base stations within that tracking area, avoiding the waste of resources from network-wide broadcasting. Furthermore, the TAC supports mobility management, such as triggering a location update process when a terminal moves across areas, ensuring the network can track the device's location in real time.

[0050] 3. Attachment Process

[0051] The Attach procedure is the process by which a terminal initially accesses the network and registers or re-registers in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network. During the Attach procedure, the terminal first performs cell selection and camps on a suitable cell. Then, the terminal initiates a random access procedure to establish uplink synchronization with the network. After successful random access, a radio resource control (RRC) connection is established between the terminal and the eNodeB. The network then authenticates the terminal to ensure its legitimacy and performs other necessary network access security procedures. After successful authentication, the network establishes a default bearer for the terminal. This bearer serves as the data transmission channel between the terminal and the core network, supporting the transmission of voice, data, and multimedia services. Finally, the terminal sends an Attach completion message to the network to confirm successful registration. Upon receiving this message, the network allocates network resources such as a Location Access Point (TA) to the terminal and updates its location information.

[0052] 4. Tracking Area Update (TAU) Process

[0053] The TAU (Tracking Access Request) procedure is a crucial process in LTE networks to ensure real-time tracking of terminal locations. This procedure is triggered when a terminal moves to a new tracking area or meets periodic update conditions. Upon initiation, the terminal first performs random access, establishes uplink synchronization with the network, and then establishes an RRC (Redirect Relational Control) connection with the base station. Next, the terminal sends a TAU update request containing TA information. If the request carries an "active" flag, it indicates that the terminal wishes to establish or maintain a default bearer for data transmission. Upon receiving the request, the network performs authentication, permission checks, and location information updates. After successful authentication, the network confirms the TAU request, ensuring accurate tracking of the terminal's location. After completion, the terminal can choose to enter idle mode (IDLE) to wait for communication or continue performing other operations such as data transmission, depending on its needs.

[0054] Currently, most terminals possess multi-mode coexistence capabilities, meaning they can support multiple wireless access technologies, such as 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G. When a terminal moves between different network operators (RATs), this multi-mode coexistence capability allows the terminal to select the most suitable access technology and network configuration to maintain the continuity and stability of communication services. However, not all network operators have 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G networks. For example, China Broadcasting Network (CBN) has not independently deployed 2G / 3G / 4G networks, but mainly relies on the 700MHz frequency band to co-build a 5G network with China Mobile, providing 4G network services by sharing some of CBN's 4G network resources. Therefore, terminals belonging to CBN do not need to attempt to access 2G or 3G networks. Furthermore, terminals restricted from accessing 4G and / or 5G networks also do not need to attempt to access the networks they are restricted from accessing.

[0055] To address this need, 3GPP introduced a RAT access restriction scheme for terrestrial networks through the "Enhancement of Controlling RAT Utilization" section of its work item description. The network can carry a RAT utilization control IE (Interface Message) via Attach Accept messages. This IE indicates to the terminal which RAT it is restricted from accessing or which is not. If a terminal can access an unrestricted RAT but cannot access a restricted RAT, it will not attempt to access the restricted terrestrial radio access network.

[0056] For non-terrestrial networks (NTNs), such as satellite networks, there are scenarios where operators need to grant access permissions to specific users. Therefore, at the CT WG1 #151 meeting, CT Working Group 1 Document C1-245696 approved the inclusion of Sat-NG-RAN and Sat-E-UTRAN in the RAT utilization control IE. The RAT utilization control IE can be shown in Table 1.

[0057] Table 1

[0058] The RAT utilization control IE can consist of four octets, designated octets 1 through 4. Octet 1 is the RAT utilization control IEI. The IEI stands for "Information Element Identifier." An information element is the basic unit used to describe various information within a network protocol, and the IEI uniquely identifies these information elements. For example, the IEI can be used to identify the type of information element; each information element has a unique IEI value to distinguish different types of information. The IEI is designed to support protocol extensibility, allowing the addition of new information elements in the future without affecting the existing protocol structure. The first bit of octet 4 indicates whether access to the GSM EDGE (global system for mobile communications enhanced data rates for GSM evolution) radio access network (GERAN) is restricted. For example, a 0 in octet 4 indicates no restriction on terminal access to GERAN, while a 1 in octet 4 indicates restriction on terminal access to GERAN. The second bit of octet 4 indicates whether access to the UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN) is restricted. For example, a 0 in octet 4 indicates no restriction on terminal access to the UTRAN, and a 1 in octet 4 indicates restriction on terminal access to the UTRAN. The third bit of octet 4 indicates whether access to the evolved UMTS terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN) is restricted. For example, a 0 in octet 4 indicates no restriction on terminal access to the E-UTRAN, and a 1 in octet 4 indicates restriction on terminal access to the E-UTRAN. The fourth bit of octet 4 indicates whether access to the next-generation radio access network (NG-RAN) is restricted. For example, a 0 in octet 4 indicates no restriction on terminal access to the NG-RAN, and a 1 in octet 4 indicates restriction on terminal access to the NG-RAN.The fifth bit of octet 4 indicates whether access to the 4G network (satellite evolved UMTS terrestrial radio access network, Sat-E-UTRAN) is restricted via satellite. For example, a 0 in octet 4 indicates no restriction on terminal access to Sat-E-UTRAN, while a 1 indicates restriction on terminal access to Sat-E-UTRAN. The sixth bit of octet 4 indicates whether access to the 5G network (satellite next generation radio access network, Sat-NG-RAN) is restricted via satellite. For example, a 0 in octet 4 indicates no restriction on terminal access to Sat-NG-RAN, while a 1 in octet 4 indicates restriction on terminal access to Sat-NG-RAN.

[0059] The above RAT access restriction scheme is based on the RAT type. If the operator wants to control the terminal's access to a specific satellite, the above RAT access restriction scheme is not supported.

[0060] Furthermore, regardless of whether satellites operate in transparent or regenerative satellite payloads, the TACs broadcast by satellite are based on earth-stationary regions. If an operator can broadcast PLMNs and TACs via multiple satellites (e.g., GEO and LEO, multiple LEOs, and other combinations), these different satellites will broadcast the same PLMN and the same TAC to terminals in a specific area. Terminals cannot distinguish between different satellites from the same operator based on the PLMN and TAC. In this scenario, the current PLMN and cell selection mechanisms do not support operators controlling which terminals access a specific satellite constellation network.

[0061] In some related technologies, when a terminal is within the coverage area of ​​different satellites (i.e., the signal coverage area of ​​the satellites), the network can update the Sat-NG-RAN and Sat-E-UTRAN in the RAT utilization control IE through a User Control Update (UCU) procedure. The Sat-NG-RAN and Sat-E-UTRAN then notify the terminal whether it is restricted from accessing the corresponding network (e.g., 4G / 5G network) via satellite, thereby indirectly controlling the terminal's access to the corresponding network (e.g., 4G / 5G network) via a specific satellite. As shown in Figure 1, in the UCU procedure, the access and mobility management function (AMF) can send a configuration update command to the terminal. The configuration update command is used to indicate to the terminal whether to restrict the terminal's access to the network via satellite. The configuration update command can carry the RAT utilization control IE, which can include Sat-NG-RAN and Sat-E-UTRAN. After the AMF sends the configuration update command, it can start the T3555 timer. The terminal can then send a configuration update complete message to the AMF. This message indicates to the network whether the terminal has executed the configuration update command. If the AMF receives the configuration update complete message from the terminal before the T3555 timer expires, the AMF can stop the T3555 timer. If the AMF has not received the configuration update complete message from the terminal by the time the T3555 timer expires, the AMF can resend the configuration update command to the terminal.

[0062] The following example illustrates how the network updates the Sat-NG-RAN in the RAT utilization control IE via the UCU process. Assume that satellites 1 and 3 are allowed for terminal access (i.e., satellites 1 and 3 are satellites with unrestricted terminal access), while satellite 2 is a satellite that does not allow terminal access (i.e., satellite 2 is a satellite with restricted terminal access). When the terminal is within the coverage area of ​​satellite 1, the AMF can send configuration update command 1 to the terminal. The Sat-NG-RAN value in the RAT utilization control IE of configuration update command 1 is 0, meaning the terminal is allowed to access the 5G network via satellite. In this case, the terminal can access the 5G network via satellite 1. When the terminal is within the coverage area of ​​satellite 2, the AMF can send configuration update command 2 to the terminal. The Sat-NG-RAN value in the RAT utilization control IE of configuration update command 2 is 1, meaning the terminal is restricted from accessing the 5G network via satellite. In this case, the terminal cannot access the 5G network via satellite 2. When the terminal is within the coverage area of ​​satellite 3, the AMF can send configuration update command 3 to the terminal. In the RAT utilization control IE of configuration update command 3, the value of Sat-NG-RAN is 0, meaning there are no restrictions on the terminal accessing the 5G network via satellite. In this case, the terminal can access the 5G network via satellite 3.

[0063] In some cases, if the satellite for which the terminal has restricted access (e.g., satellite 2) is idle, the AMF can send configuration update command 4 to the terminal. In configuration update command 4, the Sat-NG-RAN value in the RAT utilization control IE is 0. In this case, the terminal can access the 5G network through the restricted satellite (e.g., satellite 2). If the satellites for which the terminal has unrestricted access (e.g., satellite 1 and satellite 3) are busy, the AMF can send configuration update command 5 to the terminal. In configuration update command 5, the Sat-NG-RAN value in the RAT utilization control IE is 1. In this case, the terminal cannot access the 5G network through the unrestricted satellites (e.g., satellite 1 and satellite 3).

[0064] Because different satellites of the same RAT may operate in high, medium, and low Earth orbits, their uses (e.g., different satellites may be used for communication, scientific research, monitoring, etc.) and the users allowed to access the satellite may differ. When a terminal is within the coverage area of ​​different satellites, the AMF needs to update the Sat-NG-RAN or Sat-E-UTRAN value in the RAT utilization control IE through a UCU procedure to notify the terminal whether it is allowed / not allowed to access the corresponding RAT via satellite. Under this mechanism, to enable a terminal to access a specific satellite, the network needs to frequently initiate the UCU procedure to update the RAT utilization control IE, which leads to additional Non-Access Stratum (NAS) signaling overhead. Furthermore, if the terminal is in idle mode, the network needs to page the terminal and then execute the UCU procedure to update the RAT utilization control IE, further increasing NAS signaling overhead.

[0065] Furthermore, if a terminal is within the coverage area of ​​multiple satellites at the same time, restricting the terminal's access to / from a specific satellite cannot be achieved using the aforementioned UCU process. For example, if satellite 1 and satellite 3 allow terminal access, while satellite 2 does not, and the terminal is simultaneously within the signal coverage area of ​​satellites 1, 2, and 3, it is impossible to control the terminal to access the 5G network through a specific satellite using a configuration update command.

[0066] This application provides a satellite communication method and apparatus that can indicate whether a terminal is restricted from accessing a 4G / 5G network through a specific satellite by extending auxiliary information, supporting terminal access to a specific satellite (i.e., supporting terminal access to the network through a specific satellite), which can effectively reduce signaling overhead and power consumption.

[0067] To better understand the satellite communication method provided in the embodiments of this application, the network architecture of the embodiments of this application is described below.

[0068] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a satellite communication system provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 2, the communication system of this application may include: one or more terminals (e.g., terminal 100), one or more satellites (e.g., satellite 200, satellite 201, satellite 202), network device 300, ground receiving platform 400, and core network device 500. Terminal 100 can communicate with ground receiving platform 400 through one satellite (e.g., satellite 200), or terminal 100 can communicate with ground receiving platform 400 through multiple satellites (e.g., satellite 201 and satellite 202). Ground receiving platform 400 can communicate with core network device 500. Terminal 100 can also communicate with core network device 500 through network device 300 (e.g., base station).

[0069] In this embodiment, terminal 100 can receive attach accept messages from network device 300. The attach accept message may carry first information, which can be used to indicate at least one satellite on which the terminal is not restricted from access. For example, at least one satellite includes satellite 200 but excludes satellite 201. That is, the terminal is not restricted from accessing satellite 200, but is restricted from accessing satellite 201. Then, terminal 100 can establish a connection with satellite 200, thereby accessing the ground receiving platform 400 and connecting to the core network device 500.

[0070] Terminal 100 is a device with wireless transceiver capabilities. Terminal 100 can be a wireless terminal or a wired terminal. A wireless terminal can be a device providing voice and / or other service data connectivity to a user, a handheld device with wireless connectivity, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem. The wireless terminal can communicate with one or more core networks via the RAN. The wireless terminal can be a mobile terminal, such as a mobile phone (or "cellular" phone) and a computer with a mobile terminal, for example, a portable, pocket-sized, handheld, computer-embedded, or vehicle-mounted mobile device, without limitation herein.

[0071] Satellite equipment is categorized into high-Earth orbit (HEO), medium-Earth orbit (MEO), and low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites based on their orbital altitude. HEO satellites include geostationary orbit (GEO) satellites. MEO satellites include medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellites, such as GPS, Galileo, and the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System. LEO satellites include low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites. The satellite equipment in this embodiment can be any of the above-mentioned types. For example, satellite 200 can be GEO, and satellites 201 and 202 can be LEO, or other types of satellites; no limitation is made here.

[0072] Network device 300 can be a base station, an access point, or an access network device, or it can refer to a device in the access network that communicates with a wireless terminal through one or more sectors on the air interface (referred to as the air interface), but is not limited here.

[0073] The ground receiving platform 400 can be used to receive satellite signals and communicate with the core network equipment 500.

[0074] Core network equipment 500 refers to equipment in the core network (CN) that provides service support for terminal equipment. Core network equipment can be mobility management equipment. Currently, some examples of core network equipment include: AMF, session management function (SMF) entity, user plane function (UPF) entity, etc., which will not be listed here.

[0075] Referring to Figure 3, it is a hardware structure diagram of a terminal provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0076] The terminal 200 may include: a processor 210, a satellite communication processor 211 (a processor with satellite communication function, or a satellite communication chip, which may also have other communication functions, such as cellular communication function), an internal memory 221, a charging management module 230, a power management module 231, a battery 232, antenna 1, antenna 2, antenna 3, a mobile communication module 251, a satellite communication module 252, a wireless communication module 253, an audio module 270, a speaker 270A, a receiver 270B, a microphone 270C, a headphone jack 270D, a sensor module 280, a display screen 294, and a user identification card (such as a SIM card) interface 295, etc.

[0077] It is understood that the structure illustrated in this embodiment does not constitute a specific limitation on terminal 200. In other embodiments, terminal 200 may include more or fewer components than illustrated, or combine some components, or split some components, or reuse some components. The illustrated components may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0078] Processor 210 may include one or more processing units, such as: application processor (AP, which may include a satellite protocol stack), graphics processing unit (GPU), image signal processor (ISP), controller, memory, video codec, digital signal processor (DSP), baseband processor (Modem, which may include a cellular protocol stack and cellular physical layer), and / or neural network processing unit (NPU), etc. Different processing units may be independent devices or integrated into one or more processors.

[0079] In some embodiments, the processor 210 may include one or more interfaces. Interfaces may include an inter-integrated circuit (I2C) interface, an inter-integrated circuit sound (I2S) interface, a pulse code modulation (PCM) interface, a universal asynchronous receiver / transmitter (UART) interface, a mobile industry processor interface (MIPI), a general-purpose input / output (GPIO) interface, a user identification card (such as a SIM card) interface, and / or a universal serial bus (USB) interface, etc.

[0080] Satellite communication processor 211 is communicatively connected to the access point (AP) in processor 210. Satellite communication processor 211 may include a satellite protocol stack and a satellite physical layer. When part or all of the satellite protocol stack is integrated into the AP, communication can occur between the satellite protocol stack in the AP and the satellite physical layer in satellite communication processor 211 via this connection.

[0081] The charging management module 230 receives charging input from the charger. The charger can be a wireless charger or a wired charger. The power management module 231 connects the battery 232, the charging management module 230, and the processor 210. The power management module 231 receives input from the battery 232 and / or the charging management module 230, and supplies power to the processor 210, internal memory 221, external memory, display 294, camera 293, and wireless communication module 253, etc.

[0082] The wireless communication function of terminal 200 can be implemented through antenna 1, antenna 2, antenna 3, mobile communication module 251, satellite communication module 252, wireless communication module 253, AP, modem, and satellite communication chip. Antenna 1, antenna 2, and antenna 3 are used to transmit and receive electromagnetic wave signals.

[0083] The mobile communication module 251 can provide a solution for cellular communication (such as 2G / 3G / 4G / 5G) applications on the terminal 200. The mobile communication module 251 may include at least one filter, switch, power amplifier, low noise amplifier (LNA), etc. The mobile communication module 251 can receive electromagnetic waves via antenna 1, and perform filtering, amplification, and other processing on the received electromagnetic waves before transmitting them to the modem for demodulation. The mobile communication module 251 can also amplify the signal modulated by the modem and convert it into electromagnetic waves for radiation via antenna 1.

[0084] Satellite communication module 252 can provide a satellite communication solution for application on terminal 200. Satellite communication module 252 may include at least one filter, switch, power amplifier, low-noise amplifier, etc. Satellite communication module 252 can receive electromagnetic waves via antenna 2, and perform filtering, amplification, and other processing on the received electromagnetic waves before transmitting them to the satellite communication chip (i.e., satellite communication processor 211) and AP for processing. Satellite communication module 252 can also amplify the signal processed by AP and satellite communication chip, and then convert it into electromagnetic waves for radiation via antenna 2.

[0085] The satellite communication module 252 can be independent of the satellite communication processor 211. Alternatively, the satellite communication module 252 can be partially encapsulated within the satellite communication processor 211. For example, the RFIC in the satellite communication module 252 can be encapsulated within the satellite communication processor 211.

[0086] The wireless communication module 253 can provide solutions for wireless communication applications on the terminal 200, including WLAN (such as Wi-Fi), Bluetooth, GNSS, frequency modulation (FM), near-field communication (NFC), and infrared (IR). The wireless communication module 253 can be one or more devices integrating at least one communication processing module. The wireless communication module 253 receives electromagnetic waves via antenna 3, performs frequency modulation and filtering of the electromagnetic wave signal, and sends the processed signal to processor 210. The wireless communication module 253 can also receive signals to be transmitted from processor 210, perform frequency modulation and amplification, and convert them into electromagnetic waves for radiation via antenna 3.

[0087] In some embodiments, antenna 1 of terminal 200 is coupled to mobile communication module 251, and antenna 3 is coupled to wireless communication module 253, enabling terminal 200 to communicate with networks and other devices via wireless communication technology. Wireless communication technologies may include Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Time-Division Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA), Long Term Evolution (LTE), BitTorrent, Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), WLAN, NFC, FM, and / or IR technologies, etc. GNSS can include GPS, GLONASS, BDS, QZSS, and / or SBAS.

[0088] The AP can output sound signals through audio devices (not limited to speaker 270A, receiver 270B, etc.), or display images or videos through display screen 294.

[0089] Terminal 200 implements display functions through GPU, display screen 294, and AP, such as displaying the on / off switch of satellite communication and cellular communication, as well as displaying the application interface of various applications such as calls and text messages.

[0090] Internal memory 221 can be used to store computer executable program code, which includes instructions. Processor 210 executes various functional applications and data processing of terminal 200 by running the instructions stored in internal memory 221. Internal memory 221 may include a program storage area and a data storage area.

[0091] Terminal 200 can implement audio functions such as music playback and recording through an audio module 270, a speaker 270A, a receiver 270B, a microphone 270C, a headphone jack 270D, and an application processor. In some embodiments, during a cellular or satellite network call, terminal 200 can capture the user's voice through the microphone 270C and play voice messages from the other end through headphones connected to the speaker 270A, receiver 270B, or headphone jack 270D.

[0092] The SIM card interface 295 is used to connect a SIM card. The terminal 200 may include 1-N SIM card interfaces 295. The SIM card can be inserted into or removed from the SIM card interface 295 to achieve contact and separation with the terminal 200. The terminal 200 may support one or more SIM card interfaces. The SIM card interface 295 may support Nano SIM cards, Micro SIM cards, SIM cards, etc. Multiple cards can be inserted into the same SIM card interface 295 simultaneously. The multiple cards can be of the same or different types. The SIM card interface 295 may also be compatible with different types of SIM cards. The SIM card interface 295 may also be compatible with external memory cards. The terminal 200 interacts with the network through the SIM card to realize functions such as calls and data communication. In some embodiments, the terminal 200 uses an eSIM, i.e., an embedded SIM card. The eSIM card can be embedded in the terminal 200 and cannot be separated from the terminal 200.

[0093] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, "at least one" refers to one or more, and "more than one" refers to two or more. Furthermore, to facilitate a clear description of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used in the embodiments of this application to distinguish identical or similar items with substantially the same function and effect. Those skilled in the art will understand that the terms "first," "second," etc., do not limit the quantity or execution order, and that "first," "second," etc., do not necessarily imply differences.

[0094] As shown in Figure 4, this application provides a satellite communication method, which is illustrated by an example of a network device instructing a terminal that the terminal is restricted from accessing at least one satellite. The method includes:

[0095] S401. The network device sends a first message to the terminal. The first message includes first information, which is used to indicate at least one satellite that the terminal is restricted from accessing.

[0096] The first message may include an Attach Accept message, a Tracking Area Update Accept (TAU Accept) message, or a Registration Accept (RA) message. The first message may include a first control element, which includes first information (also known as extended auxiliary information). The extended auxiliary information indicates at least one satellite for which the terminal is restricted from access. For example, the first control element may be a RAT utilization control IE.

[0097] In some embodiments, the first control element may further include second and third information, wherein the second information (e.g., Sat-E-UTRAN) is used to indicate that the terminal is not restricted from accessing the 4G network via satellite. The third information (e.g., Sat-NG-RAN) is used to indicate that the terminal is not restricted from accessing the 5G network via satellite.

[0098] Before sending an Attach Accept message to a terminal, the network device can receive an Attach Request message from the terminal. The Attach Request message instructs the terminal to initiate a registration request to the network device to establish a connection and access the service. Before sending a TAU Accept message to the terminal, the network device can receive a Tracking Area Update Request (TAU Request) message from the terminal. The TAU Request message instructs the terminal to request an update of its location information within the network device during movement, ensuring the network continuously tracks the terminal's location and maintains the service connection. Before sending an RA message to the terminal, the network device can receive a Registration Request message from the terminal. The Registration Request message instructs the terminal to initiate a registration request to the network device.

[0099] In some embodiments, the first information may include a first field, a second field, and a third field. The first field indicates the type of the first information. The second field indicates the identifier of at least one satellite. The third field indicates that the at least one satellite is a satellite for which the terminal has restricted access.

[0100] Furthermore, the first information may also include a fourth field, which indicates a validity period corresponding to at least one satellite. Alternatively, the second field may indicate the identifier of at least one satellite and at least one validity period corresponding to at least one satellite.

[0101] In one possible implementation, the validity period can be indicated by a moment (timestamp) or a time period. When the validity period is indicated by an end time, if the current time is before the end time, it means the current time is valid; if the current time is after the end time, it means the current time is not valid. When the validity period is indicated by an effective time period, if the current time is within the effective time period, it means the current time is valid; if the current time is outside the effective time period, it means the current time is not valid.

[0102] For example, the first field can be a Satlite INFO TAG (auxiliary information identifier). The second field can be a Satlite info (satellite ID list), which can include one or more satellite IDs, with different satellite IDs indicating different satellites. The third field can be the Type of Satlite INFO (list type). The fourth field can be the expiration date.

[0103] For example, as shown in Table 2, extended auxiliary information may include a first field (e.g., Satlite INFO TAG), a second field (e.g., Satlite info), and a third field (e.g., Type of Satlite INFO). As shown in Table 3 or Table 4, extended auxiliary information may also include a fourth field (expiration date). The positions of the fields in Tables 2-4 may differ. As shown in Table 2 or Table 3, the Satlite INFO TAG may be the first to third positions of octet 5, and the Type of Satlite INFO may be the fourth to eighth positions of octet 5. As shown in Table 4, the Type of Satlite INFO may be the first to third positions of octet 5, and the Satlite INFO TAG may be the fourth to eighth positions of octet 5. As shown in Table 3 or Table 4, the expiration date may be the first to eighth positions of octet 7.

[0104] Table 2

[0105] Table 3

[0106] Table 4

[0107] For example, the Satlite INFO TAG can be 0101, indicating that the extended auxiliary information is satellite-related. The Satlite info can be 011011, where each two bits can represent a satellite ID. For instance, the first two bits (01) are the ID of satellite 1, the middle two bits (10) are the ID of satellite 2, and the last two bits (11) are the ID of satellite 3. The Type of Satlite INFO can be 11111, indicating that the Satlite info is used to indicate satellites that the terminal is not allowed to access. For example, satellites 1-3 are satellites for which the terminal is restricted from access.

[0108] As shown in Table 3 or Table 4, multiple satellite IDs in the Satlite info can correspond to a validity period. Taking a validity period ending at time 1 as an example, before time 1, the terminal is not allowed to access at least one satellite indicated by the Satlite info (e.g., satellite 1, satellite 2, satellite 3), and after time 1, the terminal is allowed to access at least one satellite indicated by the Satlite info (e.g., satellite 1, satellite 2, satellite 3). In some examples, multiple satellite IDs in the Satlite info can have a one-to-one correspondence with the validity period, with one satellite ID corresponding to one validity period. As shown in Table 5, satellite ID1 can correspond to time 1 / validity period 1, satellite ID2 can correspond to time 2 / validity period 2, and satellite ID3 can correspond to time 3 / validity period 3. Taking a validity period of time 1, time 2, and validity period 3 as an example, before time 1, the terminal is not allowed to access satellite 1, and after time 1, the terminal is allowed to access satellite 1. Before time 2, the terminal is not allowed to access satellite 2, and after time 2, the terminal is allowed to access satellite 2. If the current time falls within the effective time period 3, the terminal is not allowed to access satellite 3. If the current time exceeds the effective time period, the terminal is allowed to access satellite 3.

[0109] Table 5

[0110] It is understood that the Satlite INFO TAG, Type of Satlite INFO, Satlite info, or validity period may include one or more bits, and the number of bits occupied by the field can be selected according to the actual situation. This application embodiment does not limit this.

[0111] The extended auxiliary information in the above embodiments and the extended auxiliary information including the Satlite INFO TAG, Type of Satlite INFO, Satlite info, and expiration date field are just some examples. The specific content of the extended auxiliary information is not limited in the embodiments of this application.

[0112] S402, The terminal parses the first information in the first message.

[0113] The terminal parses the first information (extended auxiliary information) in the first message (Attach Accept message, TAU Accept message, or RA message).

[0114] The first information is used to indicate at least one satellite whose access to the terminal is restricted. Taking the example that the at least one satellite indicated by the first information includes a first satellite (the first satellite is included in the list of satellites whose access to the terminal is restricted) but does not include a second satellite (the second satellite is not included in the list of satellites whose access to the terminal is restricted), the terminal can execute step S403 or S404.

[0115] S403. If the terminal is within the coverage area of ​​the first satellite, the terminal does not measure the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the first satellite.

[0116] If the terminal is within the signal coverage area of ​​the first satellite, the terminal does not need to measure the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the first satellite. On the one hand, if the terminal is in a connected state, the terminal does not need to measure the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the first satellite and report the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the first satellite to the network equipment (e.g., base station). On the other hand, if the terminal is in an idle state, the terminal does not need to measure the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the first satellite to determine whether to reselect to the cell corresponding to the first satellite.

[0117] S404. If the terminal is within the coverage area of ​​the second satellite, the terminal measures the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the second satellite.

[0118] If the terminal is within the signal coverage area of ​​the second satellite, it can measure the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cells covered by the second satellite. On one hand, if the terminal is in a connected state, it can measure the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cells covered by the second satellite and report this information to network equipment (e.g., a base station). On the other hand, if the terminal is in an idle state, it can measure the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cells covered by the second satellite and determine whether to reselect to the cell corresponding to the second satellite.

[0119] After executing S404, if the terminal is in a connected state, the terminal can execute steps S405-S407; if the terminal is in an idle state, the terminal can execute step S408.

[0120] S405. The terminal sends a measurement report (fourth message) to the network device. The measurement report includes the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the second satellite.

[0121] After the terminal completes the measurement, it sends a measurement report to the network device when the entry conditions of a certain measurement event are met. For example, taking the measurement event A5 as an example, the A5 event is that the signal quality of each cell covered by the second satellite is higher than the threshold value 1, and the signal quality of each cell covered by the currently connected satellite is lower than the threshold value 2. The threshold values ​​1 and 2 are preset threshold values.

[0122] S406. The network device sends a handover instruction message (fifth message) to the terminal, which instructs the terminal to switch to the cell corresponding to the second satellite.

[0123] When a network device determines that the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the second satellite meets certain conditions, it can send a handover instruction message (the fifth message) to the terminal, instructing the terminal to switch to the cell corresponding to the second satellite. These specific conditions may include the signal strength of the cell covered by the second satellite exceeding a certain threshold, or the signal quality being better than that of the currently serving satellite cell. For example, if the signal strength of the cell covered by the second satellite exceeds -100dBm and is 5dB better than the signal strength of the cell covered by the currently connected satellite, the network device will determine that a handover to the cell corresponding to the second satellite is necessary.

[0124] S407, The terminal switches to the cell corresponding to the second satellite.

[0125] The terminal can switch to the cell corresponding to the second satellite based on the handover instruction message sent by the network device.

[0126] S408, The terminal reselects to the cell corresponding to the second satellite.

[0127] When the terminal is in an idle state and within the satellite signal coverage area, it can determine whether to reselect to the cell corresponding to the second satellite based on the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the second satellite. For example, the terminal can continuously monitor the signal quality of the currently connected satellite, including parameters such as signal strength, signal quality, and signal-to-noise ratio. If the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the current satellite drops below a preset threshold, while the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the second satellite meets the preset threshold, the terminal can reselect to the cell corresponding to the second satellite.

[0128] Optionally, after performing steps S403-S408, the terminal may perform step S409.

[0129] S409. After the validity period expires, the restriction on terminal access to satellites will be lifted.

[0130] When the extended auxiliary information includes a validity period field, the terminal is not restricted to accessing at least one satellite (e.g., the first satellite) indicated by the extended auxiliary information after the validity period expires.

[0131] When the validity period expires, if the terminal is within the coverage area of ​​the first satellite, it can measure the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the first satellite. If the terminal is in connected mode, it can also report the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the first satellite to the network device (e.g., a base station). If the terminal is in idle mode, it can determine whether to reselect to the cell corresponding to the first satellite based on the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the first satellite.

[0132] As shown in Figure 5, this application embodiment provides another satellite communication method, which is illustrated by an example of a network device instructing a terminal to access at least one satellite without restriction. The method includes:

[0133] S501. The network device sends a first message to the terminal. The first message includes first information, which is used to indicate at least one satellite that the terminal can access without restriction.

[0134] The first message may include a first control element, which includes first information (also known as extended auxiliary information). The extended auxiliary information is used to indicate at least one satellite that the terminal can access without restriction.

[0135] In some embodiments, the first information may include a first field, a second field, and a third field. The first field indicates the type of the first information. The second field indicates the identifier of at least one satellite. The third field indicates that the at least one satellite is a satellite for which the terminal is not restricted from access.

[0136] Furthermore, the first information may also include a fourth field, which indicates a validity period corresponding to at least one satellite. Alternatively, the second field may indicate the identifier of at least one satellite and at least one validity period corresponding to at least one satellite.

[0137] The relevant descriptions of the first control cell, second field, third field, fourth field, etc. are referenced in S401 and will not be repeated here.

[0138] S502, The terminal parses the first information in the first message.

[0139] The terminal parses the first information (extended auxiliary information) in the first message (Attach Accept message, TAU Accept message, or RA message).

[0140] The first information is used to indicate at least one satellite for which the terminal is not restricted from access. Taking the example that the at least one satellite indicated by the first information includes the first satellite (the first satellite is included in the list of satellites for which the terminal is not restricted from access) but does not include the second satellite (the second satellite is not included in the list of satellites for which the terminal is not restricted from access), the terminal can execute step S503 or S504.

[0141] S503. If the terminal is within the coverage area of ​​the first satellite, the terminal measures the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the first satellite.

[0142] If the terminal is within the signal coverage area of ​​the first satellite, it can measure the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cells covered by the first satellite. On one hand, if the terminal is in a connected state, it can measure the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cells covered by the first satellite and report this information to network equipment (e.g., a base station). On the other hand, if the terminal is in an idle state, it can measure the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cells covered by the first satellite and determine whether to reselect to the cell corresponding to the first satellite.

[0143] After executing S503, if the terminal is in a connected state, the terminal can execute steps S505-S507; if the terminal is in an idle state, the terminal can execute step S508.

[0144] S504. If the terminal is within the coverage area of ​​the second satellite, the terminal does not measure the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the second satellite.

[0145] If the terminal is within the signal coverage area of ​​the second satellite, the terminal does not need to measure the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the second satellite. On the one hand, if the terminal is in a connected state, the terminal does not need to measure the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the second satellite and report the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the second satellite to the network equipment (e.g., base station). On the other hand, if the terminal is in an idle state, the terminal does not need to measure the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the second satellite to determine whether to reselect to the cell corresponding to the second satellite.

[0146] S505. The terminal sends a measurement report (second message) to the network device. The measurement report includes the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the first satellite.

[0147] After the terminal completes the measurement, it sends a measurement report to the network device when the entry conditions of a certain measurement event are met. For example, taking the measurement event A5 as an example, the A5 event is that the signal quality of each cell covered by the first satellite is higher than the threshold value 1, and the signal quality of each cell covered by the currently connected satellite is lower than the threshold value 2. The threshold values ​​1 and 2 are preset threshold values.

[0148] S506. The network device sends a handover instruction message (third message) to the terminal, which instructs the terminal to switch to the cell corresponding to the first satellite.

[0149] When the network device determines that the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the first satellite meets specific conditions, it can send a handover instruction message (third message) to the terminal to instruct the terminal to hand over to the cell corresponding to the first satellite. The description of the specific conditions can be found in step S406 and will not be repeated here.

[0150] S507, the terminal switches to the cell corresponding to the first satellite.

[0151] The terminal can switch to the cell corresponding to the first satellite based on the handover instruction message sent by the network device.

[0152] S508, the terminal reselects to the cell corresponding to the first satellite.

[0153] When the terminal is in an idle state and within the satellite signal coverage area, it can determine whether to reselect to the cell corresponding to the first satellite based on the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the first satellite. For specific reselection operations, please refer to step S408, which will not be elaborated here.

[0154] Optionally, after performing steps S503-S508, the terminal may perform step S509.

[0155] S509. After the validity period expires, the restriction on terminal access to satellites will be lifted.

[0156] When the extended auxiliary information includes a validity period field, the terminal is restricted from accessing at least one satellite (e.g., the first satellite) indicated by the extended auxiliary information after the validity period expires.

[0157] That is, when the validity period expires, if the terminal is within the coverage area of ​​the first satellite, the terminal does not need to measure the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the first satellite. On the one hand, if the terminal is in a connected state, the terminal does not need to measure the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the first satellite and report the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the first satellite to the network equipment (e.g., base station). On the other hand, if the terminal is in an idle state, the terminal does not need to measure the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the first satellite to determine whether to reselect to the cell corresponding to the first satellite.

[0158] It should be noted that the various embodiments of this application can be implemented independently or in combination, without limitation. Unless otherwise specified or in conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions between the different embodiments provided in this application are consistent and can be referenced mutually. Technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments based on their inherent logical relationships.

[0159] It is understood that in the embodiments of this application, the executing entity may perform some or all of the steps in the embodiments of this application. These steps or operations are merely examples, and the embodiments of this application may also perform other operations or variations thereof. Furthermore, the steps may be executed in different orders as presented in the embodiments of this application, and it is not necessary to execute all the operations in the embodiments of this application.

[0160] The foregoing primarily describes the solutions provided in this application from the perspective of device-to-device interaction. It is understood that each device, in order to achieve the aforementioned functions, includes corresponding hardware structures and / or software modules for executing each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, based on the algorithm steps of the examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or by computer software driving hardware 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 application.

[0161] This application embodiment can divide each device into functional modules according to the above method example. For example, each function can be divided into a separate functional module, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The integrated module can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional module. It should be noted that the module division in this application embodiment is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods.

[0162] Figure 6 shows a communication device 1600 in which each function is divided into functional modules. The communication device 1600 can perform the actions performed by the terminal and network device in the methods shown in Figures 4 and 5. All relevant content of each step involved in the above method embodiments can be referred to the functional description of the corresponding functional module. The technical effects that can be obtained can be referred to the above method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0163] The communication device 1600 may include a transceiver module 1601 and a processing module 1602. Exemplarily, the communication device 1600 may be a communication equipment, or a chip or other combination device or component having the aforementioned communication device functions. When the communication device 1600 is a communication equipment, the transceiver module 1601 may be a transceiver, which may include an antenna and radio frequency circuits; the processing module 1602 may be a processor (or processing circuit), such as a baseband processor, which may include one or more central processing units (CPUs). When the communication device 1600 is a component having the aforementioned communication device functions, the transceiver module 1601 may be a radio frequency unit; the processing module 1602 may be a processor (or processing circuit), such as a baseband processor. When the communication device 1600 is a chip system, the transceiver module 1601 may be an input / output interface of a chip (e.g., a baseband chip); the processing module 1602 may be a processor (or processing circuit) of the chip system, and may include one or more central processing units. It should be understood that the transceiver module 1601 in the embodiments of this application can be implemented by a transceiver or transceiver-related circuit components; the processing module 1602 can be implemented by a processor or processor-related circuit components (or, referred to as processing circuit).

[0164] For example, transceiver module 1601 can be used to perform all the transceiver operations performed by the communication device in the embodiments shown in FIG4 and FIG5, and / or to support other processes of the technology described herein; processing module 1602 can be used to perform all operations other than the transceiver operations performed by the communication device in the embodiments shown in FIG4 and FIG5, and / or to support other processes of the technology described herein.

[0165] As another possible implementation, the transceiver module 1601 in Figure 6 can be replaced by a transceiver unit that integrates the functions of the transceiver module 1601; the processing module 1602 can be replaced by a processor that integrates the functions of the processing module 1602. Furthermore, the communication device 1600 shown in Figure 6 may also include a memory.

[0166] This application embodiment also provides a communication device 1700 as shown in FIG7. The communication device 1700 can be a terminal or a chip or system-on-a-chip in a terminal; it can also be a network device or a chip or system-on-a-chip in a network device. As shown in FIG7, the communication device 1700 includes a processor 1701, a transceiver 1702, and a communication line 1703.

[0167] Furthermore, the communication device 1700 may also include a memory 1704. The processor 1701, the memory 1704, and the transceiver 1702 can be connected via a communication line 1703.

[0168] The processor 1701 can be a central processing unit (CPU), a general-purpose processor, a network processor (NP), a digital signal processor (DSP), a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a programmable logic device (PLD), or any combination thereof. The processor 1701 can also be other devices with processing capabilities, such as circuits, devices, or software modules, without limitation.

[0169] Transceiver 1702 is used to communicate with other devices or other communication networks. Other communication networks can be Ethernet, RAN, wireless local area networks (WLAN), etc. Transceiver 1702 can be a module, circuit, transceiver, or any device capable of enabling communication.

[0170] Communication line 1703 is used to transmit information between the components included in communication device 1700.

[0171] Memory 1704 is used to store instructions. These instructions can be computer programs.

[0172] The memory 1704 can be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device that can store static information and / or instructions; it can also be a random access memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device that can store information and / or instructions; it can also be an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compressed optical discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital universal optical discs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, etc., without limitation.

[0173] It should be noted that the memory 1704 can exist independently of the processor 1701, or it can be integrated with the processor 1701. The memory 1704 can be used to store instructions, program code, or some data, etc. The memory 1704 can be located inside or outside the communication device 1700, without limitation. The processor 1701 is used to execute the instructions stored in the memory 1704 to implement the communication method provided in the following embodiments of this application.

[0174] In one example, processor 1701 may include one or more CPUs, such as CPU0 and CPU1 in Figure 7.

[0175] As an optional implementation, the communication device 1700 may include multiple processors, for example, in addition to processor 1701 in FIG. 7, it may also include processor 1707.

[0176] As an optional implementation, the communication device 1700 also includes an output device 1705 and an input device 1706. For example, the input device 1706 is a device such as a keyboard, mouse, microphone, or joystick, and the output device 1705 is a device such as a display screen or speaker.

[0177] It should be noted that the communication device 1700 can be a desktop computer, a portable computer, a web server, a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a wireless terminal, an embedded device, a chip system, or a device with a similar structure to that shown in Figure 7. Furthermore, the composition shown in Figure 7 does not constitute a limitation on the communication device. In addition to the components shown in Figure 7, the communication device may include more or fewer components than shown, or combine certain components, or have different component arrangements.

[0178] In this embodiment of the application, the chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices.

[0179] Furthermore, the actions, terms, etc., involved in the various embodiments of this application can be referenced interchangeably without limitation. The message names or parameter names in the messages exchanged between the various devices in the embodiments of this application are merely examples, and other names may be used in specific implementations without limitation.

[0180] This application also provides a computer program product that, when executed by a computer, can implement the functions of any of the above method embodiments.

[0181] This application also provides a computer program that, when executed by a computer, can implement the functions of any of the above method embodiments.

[0182] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium. All or part of the processes in the above method embodiments can be implemented by a computer program instructing related hardware. This program can be stored in the computer-readable storage medium, and when executed, it can include the processes of the above method embodiments. The computer-readable storage medium can be an internal storage unit of the terminal (including a data sending end and / or a data receiving end) of any of the foregoing embodiments, such as the terminal's hard disk or memory. The computer-readable storage medium can also be an external storage device of the terminal, such as a plug-in hard disk, smart media card (SMC), secure digital (SD) card, flash card, etc., equipped on the terminal. Further, the computer-readable storage medium can include both the terminal's internal storage unit and external storage devices. The computer-readable storage medium is used to store the computer program and other programs and data required by the terminal. The computer-readable storage medium can also be used to temporarily store data that has been output or will be output.

[0183] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of modules or units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another device, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between devices or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0184] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. A component shown as a unit can be one or more physical units; that is, it can be located in one place or distributed in multiple different locations. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0185] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit.

[0186] If the integrated unit is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application embodiment, or all or part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a device (which may be a microcontroller, chip, etc.) or processor to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, ROM, RAM, magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0187] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit them. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application.

Claims

1. A satellite communication method, characterized in that, include: The terminal receives a first message from a network device. The first message includes first information, which indicates whether the terminal is restricted from accessing or not restricted from accessing at least one satellite. The at least one satellite includes the first satellite. If at least one of the satellites is a satellite to which the terminal is restricted from access, and if the terminal is within the coverage area of ​​the first satellite, the terminal does not measure the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the first satellite; If at least one of the satellites is a satellite to which the terminal is not restricted from access, and if the terminal is within the coverage area of ​​the first satellite, the terminal measures the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the first satellite.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, If the terminal is within the coverage area of ​​a second satellite, and the at least one satellite is a satellite whose access is restricted, the terminal measures the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the second satellite. The at least one satellite does not include the second satellite. If the terminal is within the coverage area of ​​the second satellite and at least one of the satellites is a satellite to which the terminal is not restricted from access, the terminal does not measure the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the second satellite. The second satellite is not included in the at least one satellite.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The at least one satellite corresponds to at least one validity period. If the terminal is within the coverage area of ​​the first satellite, the terminal does not measure the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the first satellite, including: The terminal is within the coverage area of ​​the first satellite, and the validity period corresponding to the first satellite has not expired. The terminal does not measure the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the first satellite; the validity period corresponding to the first satellite is included in the at least one validity period. If the terminal is within the coverage area of ​​the first satellite, the terminal measuring the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the first satellite includes: The terminal is within the coverage area of ​​the first satellite, and the validity period corresponding to the first satellite has not expired. The terminal measures the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the first satellite.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The method further includes: If at least one of the satellites is a satellite to which the terminal is restricted from access, and if the terminal is within the coverage area of ​​the first satellite and the validity period corresponding to the first satellite has expired, the terminal measures the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the first satellite. If at least one of the satellites is a satellite to which the terminal is not restricted from access, and if the terminal is within the coverage area of ​​the first satellite and the validity period corresponding to the first satellite has expired, the terminal will not measure the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the first satellite.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The first information includes a first field, a second field, and a third field; the first field is used to indicate the type of the first information; the second field is used to indicate the identifier of the at least one satellite; the third field is used to indicate that the at least one satellite is a satellite for which the terminal is restricted from access, or the third field is used to indicate that the at least one satellite is a satellite for which the terminal is not restricted from access.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The second field is used to indicate the identifier of the at least one satellite and at least one validity period corresponding to the at least one satellite; or The first information also includes a fourth field, which is used to indicate a validity period corresponding to the at least one satellite.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The first message includes an attach accept message, a tracking area update response message, or a registration accept message.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The attach accept message, the tracking area update response message, or the registration accept message includes a first control element, which includes the first information.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The first control information element further includes second information and third information, wherein the second information is used to indicate that the terminal is not restricted from accessing the 4G network via satellite, and the third information is used to indicate that the terminal is not restricted from accessing the 5G network via satellite.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, After the terminal measures the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the first satellite, the method further includes: When the terminal is in a connected state, if the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the first satellite meets a preset threshold, the terminal sends a second message to the network device, the second message containing the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the first satellite; The terminal receives a third message from the network device, the third message being used to instruct the terminal to switch to the cell corresponding to the first satellite; If the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the first satellite meets a preset threshold when the terminal is in an idle state, the terminal will reselect the cell corresponding to the first satellite.

11. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, After the terminal measures the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the second satellite, the method further includes: When the terminal is in a connected state, if the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the second satellite meets a preset threshold, the terminal sends a fourth message to the network device, the fourth message containing the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the second satellite; The terminal receives a fifth message from the network device, the fifth message being used to instruct the terminal to switch to the cell corresponding to the second satellite; If the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the second satellite meets a preset threshold when the terminal is in an idle state, the terminal will reselect the cell corresponding to the second satellite.

12. A satellite communication method, characterized in that, include: The network device sends a first message to the terminal, the first message including first information, the first information being used to indicate whether the terminal is restricted from accessing or not restricted from accessing at least one satellite.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The first information includes a first field, a second field, and a third field; the first field is used to indicate the type of the first information; the second field is used to indicate the identifier of the at least one satellite; the third field is used to indicate that the at least one satellite is a satellite whose access to the terminal is restricted, or that the at least one satellite is a satellite whose access to the terminal is not restricted.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that, The second field is used to indicate the identifier of the at least one satellite and at least one validity period corresponding to the at least one satellite; or The first information also includes a fourth field, which is used to indicate a validity period corresponding to the at least one satellite.

15. The method according to any one of claims 12-14, characterized in that, The first message includes an attach accept message, a tracking area update response message, or a registration accept message.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The attach accept message, the tracking area update response message, or the registration accept message includes a first control element, which includes the first information.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that, The first control information element further includes second information and third information, wherein the second information is used to indicate that the terminal is not restricted from accessing the 4G network via satellite, and the third information is used to indicate that the terminal is not restricted from accessing the 5G network via satellite.

18. The method according to any one of claims 12-17, characterized in that, The method further includes: If the at least one satellite is a satellite on which the terminal is not restricted from access, the network device receives a second message from the terminal, the second message containing the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the first satellite, and the at least one satellite includes the first satellite; The network device sends a third message to the terminal, the third message being used to instruct the terminal to switch to the cell corresponding to the first satellite.

19. The method according to any one of claims 12-18, characterized in that, The method further includes: In the case where at least one of the satellites is a satellite to which the terminal is restricted from access, the network device receives a fourth message from the terminal, the fourth message containing the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cell covered by the second satellite, wherein the at least one satellite does not include the second satellite; The network device sends a fifth message to the terminal, which instructs the terminal to switch to the cell corresponding to the second satellite.

20. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes a processor; the processor is configured to run a computer program or instructions to cause the method as described in any one of claims 1-11 to be performed, or to cause the method as described in any one of claims 12-19 to be performed.

21. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes an interface circuit and a logic circuit; the interface circuit is used for inputting and / or outputting information; the logic circuit is used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-11, or to perform the method as described in any one of claims 12-19.

22. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions or programs that, when executed on a computer, cause the method as described in any one of claims 1-11 to be performed, or cause the method as described in any one of claims 12-19 to be performed.

23. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes a computer program or computer instructions; when some or all of the computer program or computer instructions are run on a computer, they cause the method as described in any one of claims 1-11 to be performed, or cause the method as described in any one of claims 12-19 to be performed.

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