A paging system and method for non-terrestrial networks

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system (1) and method (100) for completing the integration between non-terrestrial networks (N) and current 5G terrestrial networks (N), and for realizing a paging method (100) for non-terrestrial networks (N).

Description

[0001] DESCRIPTION

[0002] A PAGING SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR NON-TERRESTRIAL NETWORKS

[0003] Technical Field

[0004] The present invention relates to a system and method for completing the integration between non-terrestrial networks and current 5G terrestrial networks, and for realizing a paging method for non-terrestrial networks.

[0005] Background of the Invention

[0006] Non-terrestrial networks must provide full coverage for users of NTN (NonTerrestrial Networks) Internet of Things (loT) devices supporting Rel-17 and Rel-18, and satellites must establish a link (feeder link) continuously with ground stations. It is very costly to have a ground station in Earth orbit or on the horizon of the Earth at all times so that mobile devices and NTN loT devices that can connect to the 5G communication network can achieve global coverage at the same time. NTN New Radio solutions can be used to enable the said mobile devices and loT devices to be in communication with the whole world at the same time. However, since loT services are low-cost and the return of loT services to GSM companies is lower than other services, there is a need for a separate solution for loT devices.

[0007] The main problems that need to be solved for NTN loT devices can be listed as follows:

[0008] - base station that is stationary in terrestrial networks is mobile in nonterrestrial networks;

[0009] in non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellites in non-terrestrial networks, as the satellites that will provide 5G communication are mobile in the orbit of the Earth, even if the NTN loT devices are stationary relative to the ground,the communication data to be transmitted have to be transmitted by more than one satellite;

[0010] - the NGSO satellite has to download the communication / transmission data it receives to the ground station, on the Earth without breaking the service link with the NTN loT device on the horizon;

[0011] - NTN loT devices are devices that operate with low energy, are sensitive and have low processing power, like terrestrial loT devices.

[0012] In the state of art, various solutions can be found that enable cell names included in the TA (Tracking Area) list to be updated by sharing non-terrestrial network information with the user device via paging messages, and that enable paging messages to be sent to multiple ground stations without taking into account 5G and 6G communication standards and energy savings.

[0013] However, in the state of art, no solution has been found that enables to avoid significant protocol changes both in the communication network and on the NTN loT devices side by using an algorithm that can be implemented with the minimum changes in the data transmission protocols included in the 3GPP standards; to check whether there is data for the user equipment in the buffer memory of the base station; and to prioritize the said user equipment during the communication, in the event that the non-access stratum (NAS) sent by the mobility management entity (MME) located on the satellite provides a continuity feature except for the first passage of the relevant satellite through the region where the user equipment is located.

[0014] The International patent document no. W02024227300, an application included in the state of the art, discloses devices, methods, apparatuses and computer-readable storage media for completing a Non-Access Stratum (NAS) procedure in an NTN store and forward architecture. The method included in the invention comprises: obtaining an indication comprising a unique identifier from a first radio access network (RAN) device, comprising a unique identifier assigned from the first RANdevice that enables the determination of an incomplete RRC (Radio Resource Control) procedure or NAS procedure through the first RAN device; detecting that a paging message has been received from a second RAN device indicating the apparatus to continue an incomplete RRC procedure or an incomplete NAS procedure; and transmitting it to the second RAN device to continue incomplete RRC or incomplete NAS procedures by using the stored context of the terminal device. The method included in the said invention comprises: receiving a message indicating a context of the terminal device generated by the first RAN device to continue the context of the terminal device on the second RAN device in order to continue incomplete RRC or NAS procedures with the terminal device from a core network device; transmitting a paging message indicating the terminal device in order to continue with incomplete RRC or incomplete NAS procedures; and receiving, from the terminal device, a request for communication between a second RAN device and the terminal device in order to continue with incomplete RRC or NAS procedures by using the context received from the core network device.

[0015] Summary of the Invention

[0016] An object of the present invention is to realize a paging system and method for nonterrestrial networks which enables to avoid significant protocol changes both in the communication network and on the NTN loT devices side by using an algorithm that can be implemented with the minimum changes in the data transmission protocols included in the 3GPP standards; to check whether there is data for the user equipment in the buffer memory of the base station; and to prioritize the said user equipment during the communication, in the event that the non-access stratum (NAS) sent by the mobility management entity (MME) located on the satellite provides a continuity feature except for the first passage of the relevant satellite through the region where the user equipment is located.

[0017] Detailed Description of the Invention“A Paging System and Method for Non-Terrestrial Networks” realized to fulfil the objective of the present invention is shown in the figures attached, in which:

[0018] Figure 1 is a schematic view of the inventive system.

[0019] Figure 2 is a flow diagram of the inventive method.

[0020] The components illustrated in the figures are individually numbered, where the numbers refer to the following:

[0021] 1. System

[0022] 2. Electronic device

[0023] 3. Ground station

[0024] 4. Communication satellite

[0025] N. Network

[0026] 100. Method

[0027] An inventive system (1) for completing the integration between non-terrestrial networks and current 5G terrestrial networks, and for realizing a paging method for non-terrestrial networks comprises

[0028] at least one electronic device (2) which is configured to enable the user to communicate with other persons, wired or wirelessly, through at least one network (N) infrastructure by means of the hardware located thereon; at least one ground station (3) which is connected to the core of the network (N) with which the electronic device (2) is signaling and is configured to perform data signaling with the electronic device (2) when necessary, during the communication of the electronic device (2) with the network (N); and at least one communication satellite (4) which is positioned in the orbit of the Earth; enables the non-terrestrial communication to be carried out with the ground station (3) to which it connects; and is configured to perform signaling with the electronic device (2) located in the specific coverage area; to have a base station thereon; to check whether there is communication dataassociated with the electronic device (2) in the buffer memory included in the base station thereon; to enable a paging message to be sent to the electronic device (2) when it detects that there is communication data related to the electronic device (2) in the said buffer memory; to enable the electronic device (2) and the base station thereon to save energy by not sending the paging message to the user device (2) if there is no communication data related to the electronic device (2) in the buffer memory; to enable the communication of the electronic device (2) with the network (N) to be maintained by prioritizing the said electronic device (2) if the non-access stratum is existing for the respective electronic device (2) during the first passage from the location where the respective electronic device (2) is located, since the non-access stratum (NAS) included in the mobility management entity (MME) located thereon will be deleted if it cannot establish a connection with the electronic device (2).

[0029] The electronic device (2) included in the inventive system (1) is a smart device in the form of a mobile phone, tablet computer or computer that can operate in 5G or 6G communication standards, configured to enable the user to communicate with other persons by means of the network (N) . In another embodiment of the invention, the electronic device (2) is an NTN loT device with low power consumption.

[0030] The ground station (3) included in the inventive system (1) is configured to establish connection with the non-terrestrial network (N), and to send the data (mobile terminating data) belonging to the electronic device (2) to the communication satellite (4) from the core of the said non-terrestrial network (N) when the store and forward feature is enabled on the non-terrestrial network (N).

[0031] The communication satellite (4) included in the inventive system (1) is configured to store the electronic device (2) data transmitted from the ground station (3) in the buffer memory of the base station located thereon, by means of the store and forward feature enabled thereon, after the link (feeder link) between it and theground station (3) from the horizon line is established in a stable manner. Then, the communication satellite (4) is configured to wait for the link (service link) between it and the electronic device (2) to be established before sending data from the base station thereon to the electronic device (2) when the store and forward feature is enabled in the non-terrestrial network (N); and then, once the link between it and the electronic device (2) is established from the horizon line, to send the paging message stored in the base station thereon to the electronic device (2) or to initiate the triggering so as to enable the electronic device (2) to transmit the radio resource control (RRC) message to the base station on it.

[0032] The communication satellite (4) is configured to prevent the electronic device (2) from transmitting the RRC message to itself, by means of the store and forward feature running thereon, when there is no data related to the electronic device (2) in the buffer memory of the base station located thereon. The communication satellite (4) is configured not to transmit the paging message to the electronic device (2), by means of the store and forward feature running thereon, when there is no data related to the electronic device (2) in the buffer memory of the base station located thereon. The communication satellite (4) is configured to enable the electronic device (2) and itself to save energy by enabling the electronic device (2) and itself to perform DRX (Discontinuous Reception) and DTX (Discontinuous Transmission) operations when it does not transmit the paging message to the electronic device (2), by means of the store and forward feature running thereon, when there is no data related to the electronic device (2) in the buffer memory of the base station located thereon, and thus, to avoid frequency pollution due to the presence of too many active electronic devices (2) in a cell in non-terrestrial networks (N). The communication satellite (4) is configured to enable both itself and the electronic device (2) to save energy by prioritizing the RRC message of the electronic device (2) if the non-access stratum is existing for the respective electronic device (2) during the second passage of itself from the location where the respective electronic device (2) is located, in the event that the non-access stratum(NAS) included in the mobility management entity (MME) located thereon cannot establish a connection with the electronic device (2).

[0033] An inventive method (100) for completing the integration between non-terrestrial networks and current 5G terrestrial networks, and for realizing a paging method for non-terrestrial networks comprises the steps of:

[0034] establishing the link (feeder link) between the non-terrestrial network (N) base station on the communication satellite (4) and the ground station (3), checking whether there is communication data associated with the electronic device (2) in the buffer memory included in the base station on the communication satellite (4), and establishing the link (service link) between the communication satellite (4) and the electronic device (2) through the store and forward feature afterthe checking process (101);

[0035] sending a paging message / signal from the communication satellite (4) to the electronic device (2) or the electronic device (2) sending an RRC message to the communication satellite (4) when the data of the electronic device (2) is included in the buffer memory of the base station located on the communication satellite (4) (102);

[0036] the base station (4) not sending the paging message to the electronic device (2) when the data of the electronic device (2) is not included in the buffer memory of the base station located on the communication satellite (4) (103); preventing the sending of the RRC message from the electronic device (2) to the communication satellite (4) when the data of the electronic device (2) is not included in the buffer memory of the base station located on the communication satellite (4) (104);

[0037] prioritizing the said electronic device (2) if the non-access stratum is existing for the respective electronic device (2) during the first passage from the location where the respective electronic device (2) is located when the non-access stratum (NAS) included in the mobility management entity (MME) located on the communication satellite (4) cannot establish a connection with the electronic device (2) (105); andcontinuing all the above steps throughout the time until the completion of all data exchange between the non-terrestrial network (N) base station on the communication satellite (4) and the electronic device (2) (106).

[0038] Industrial Application of the Invention

[0039] In the inventive system (1), the connection between the non-terrestrial network (N) base station on the communication satellite (4) and the ground station (3) is established. Then, it is enabled to check whether there is communication data associated with the electronic device (2) in the buffer memory included in the base station in the communication satellite (4). After the checking process, it is enabled to establish a link (service link) between the communication satellite (4) and the electronic device (2) by means of the store and forward feature. When the data of the electronic device (2) is included in the buffer memory of the base station located on the communication satellite (4), it is enabled to send a paging message / signal from the communication satellite (4) to the electronic device (2). When the data of the electronic device (2) is not included in the buffer memory of the base station located on the communication satellite (4), it is enabled that the base station does not send the paging message to the electronic device (2). When the data of the electronic device (2) is not included in the buffer memory of the base station located on the communication satellite (4), it is enabled to prevent the sending of the RRC message from the electronic device (2) to the communication satellite (4). It is enabled to prioritize the said electronic device (2) if the non-access stratum is existing for the respective electronic device (2) during the first passage of the said communication satellite (4) from the location where the respective electronic device (2) is located when the non-access stratum (NAS) located on the communication satellite (4) cannot establish a connection with the electronic device (2). In this way, both the communication satellite (4) and the electronic device (2) are enabled to save energy.By means of the inventive system (1) and method (100), it is enabled to avoid significant protocol changes both in the communication network and on the electronic devices (2) side by using an algorithm that can be implemented with the minimum changes in the data transmission protocols included in the 3GPP standards; to check whether there is data for the user equipment in the buffer memory of the base station; and to prioritize the said user equipment during the communication, in the event that the non-access stratum (NAS) sent by the mobility management entity (MME) located on the communication satellite (4) provides a continuity feature except for the first passage of the relevant communication satellite (4) through the region where the user equipment is located.

[0040] The inventive system (1) and method (100) operate within the scope of the Law on the Protection of Personal Data (KVKK). In this system (1) and method (100), the signaling and key performance indicator data of the network elements are used, and in this invention, operations are performed with the data used by the user devices and base stations, independent of the private data of the user. For this reason, in this system (1) and method (100), there are no inconvenient situations related to KVKK and data privacy.

[0041] Within these basic concepts; it is possible to develop various embodiments of the inventive “A Paging System (1) and Method (100) for Non-Terrestrial Networks”; the invention cannot be limited to examples disclosed herein and it is essentially according to claims.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A system (1) for completing the integration between non-terrestrial networks and current 5G terrestrial networks, and for realizing a paging method for non-terrestrial networks; comprisingat least one electronic device (2) which is configured to enable the user to communicate with other persons, wired or wirelessly, through at least one network (N) infrastructure by means of the hardware located thereon; and characterized byat least one ground station (3) which is connected to the core of the network (N) with which the electronic device (2) is signaling and is configured to perform data signaling with the electronic device (2) when necessary, during the communication of the electronic device (2) with the network (N); and at least one communication satellite (4) which is positioned in the orbit of the Earth; enables the non-terrestrial communication to be carried out with the ground station (3) to which it connects; and is configured to perform signaling with the electronic device (2) located in the specific coverage area; to have a base station thereon; to check whether there is communication data associated with the electronic device (2) in the buffer memory included in the base station thereon; to enable a paging message to be sent to the electronic device (2) when it detects that there is communication data related to the electronic device (2) in the said buffer memory; to enable the electronic device (2) and the base station thereon to save energy by not sending the paging message to the user device (2) if there is no communication data related to the electronic device (2) in the buffer memory; to enable the communication of the electronic device (2) with the network (N) to be maintained by prioritizing the said electronic device (2) if the non-access stratum is existing for the respective electronic device (2) during the first passage from the location where the respective electronic device (2) is located, since the non-access stratum (NAS) included in themobility management entity (MME) located thereon will be deleted if it cannot establish a connection with the electronic device (2).

2. A system (1) according to Claim 1; characterized by the electronic device (2) which is a smart device in the form of a mobile phone, tablet computer or computer that can operate in 5G or 6G communication standards, configured to enable the user to communicate with other persons by means of the network (N).

3. A system (1) according to Claim 1 or 2; characterized by the electronic device (2) which is an NTN loT device with low power consumption.

4. A system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims; characterized by the ground station (3) which is configured to establish connection with the nonterrestrial network (N), and to send the data (mobile terminating data) belonging to the electronic device (2) to the communication satellite (4) from the core of the said non-terrestrial network (N) when the store and forward feature is enabled on the non-terrestrial network (N).

5. A system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims; characterized by the communication satellite (4) which is configured to store the electronic device (2) data transmitted from the ground station (3) in the buffer memory of the base station located thereon, by means of the store and forward feature enabled thereon, after the link (feeder link) between it and the ground station (3) from the horizon line is established in a stable manner.

6. A system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims; characterized by the communication satellite (4) which is configured to wait for the link (service link) between it and the electronic device (2) to be established before sending data from the base station thereon to the electronic device (2) when the store and forward feature is enabled in the non-terrestrial network (N); and then, once the link between it and the electronic device (2) is established from the horizon line, to send thepaging message stored in the base station thereon to the electronic device (2) or to initiate the triggering so as to enable the electronic device (2) to transmit the radio resource control (RRC) message to the base station on it.

7. A system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims; characterized by the communication satellite (4) which is configured to prevent the electronic device (2) from transmitting the RRC message to itself, by means of the store and forward feature running thereon, when there is no data related to the electronic device (2) in the buffer memory of the base station located thereon.

8. A system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims; characterized by the communication satellite (4) which is configured not to transmit the paging message to the electronic device (2), by means of the store and forward feature running thereon, when there is no data related to the electronic device (2) in the buffer memory of the base station located thereon.

9. A system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims; characterized by the communication satellite (4) which is configured to enable the electronic device (2) and itself to save energy by enabling the electronic device (2) and itself to perform DRX (Discontinuous Reception) and DTX (Discontinuous Transmission) operations when it does not transmit the paging message to the electronic device (2), by means of the store and forward feature running thereon, when there is no data related to the electronic device (2) in the buffer memory of the base station located thereon, and thus, to avoid frequency pollution due to the presence of too many active electronic devices (2) in a cell in non -terrestrial networks (N).

10. A system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims; characterized by the communication satellite (4) which is configured to enable both itself and the electronic device (2) to save energy by prioritizing the RRC message of the electronic device (2) if the non-access stratum is existing for the respective electronic device (2) during the second passage of itself from the location where therespective electronic device (2) is located, in the event that the non-access stratum (NAS) included in the mobility management entity (MME) located thereon cannot establish a connection with the electronic device (2).

11. A method (100) for completing the integration between non-terrestrial networks (N) and current 5G terrestrial networks (N), and for realizing a paging method for non-terrestrial networks (N); characterized by the steps of:establishing the link (feeder link) between the non-terrestrial network (N) base station on the communication satellite (4) and the ground station (3), checking whether there is communication data associated with the electronic device (2) in the buffer memory included in the base station on the communication satellite (4), and establishing the link (service link) between the communication satellite (4) and the electronic device (2) through the store and forward feature afterthe checking process (101);sending a paging message / signal from the communication satellite (4) to the electronic device (2) or the electronic device (2) sending an RRC message to the communication satellite (4) when the data of the electronic device (2) is included in the buffer memory of the base station located on the communication satellite (4) (102);the base station (4) not sending the paging message to the electronic device (2) when the data of the electronic device (2) is not included in the buffer memory of the base station located on the communication satellite (4) (103); preventing the sending of the RRC message from the electronic device (2) to the communication satellite (4) when the data of the electronic device (2) is not included in the buffer memory of the base station located on the communication satellite (4) (104);prioritizing the said electronic device (2) if the non-access stratum is existing for the respective electronic device (2) during the first passage from the location where the respective electronic device (2) is located when the non-access stratum (NAS) included in the mobility management entity(MME) located on the communication satellite (4) cannot establish a connection with the electronic device (2) (105); andcontinuing all the above steps throughout the time until the completion of all data exchange between the non-terrestrial network (N) base station on the communication satellite (4) and the electronic device (2) (106).

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