WO2024067750A1 - Non-terrestrial network positioning method and device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to the technical field of non-terrestrial network communications, and in particular, to a non-terrestrial network positioning method and a device. The method comprises: sending (receiving) first information; and/or receiving (sending) paging information, and/or establishing a connection between a user equipment and a network device, and/or performing data transmission between the user equipment and the network device; and/or performing a handover between the user equipment and the network device, wherein the first information is used for the network device that receives the first information to acquire the location of the user equipment. By means of the technical solution of the present invention, a user equipment enables a network device by means of first information to acquire the location of the user equipment according to the first information, and then perform operations such as paging and handover according to the location of the user equipment, so as to ensure the communication quality in the case that the user equipment does not have a positioning capability and the user equipment and the network device are in a non-connected state, and perfect the technical research of non-terrestrial networks, thereby improving the system performance of the non-terrestrial networks, and improving the operation experience of the user equipment.

Description

Non-terrestrial network positioning method and device

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on September 28, 2022, with application number 202211212372.1 and application name “A non-ground network positioning method and device”, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of non-terrestrial network communication technology, and in particular to a non-terrestrial network positioning method and device.

Background technique

Although 5G has begun commercial use, it is unable to guarantee network coverage in remote ocean and land areas due to geographical conditions and business models. In order to break through terrain restrictions, integrating satellite communications with ground networks to form a global three-dimensional integrated network with seamless coverage of land, sea, air, and space has become a research hotspot in academia and industry. International organizations such as 3GPP and ITU have also established corresponding working groups to conduct standardization research on satellite-ground integration. Among them, the NTN (Non-terrestrial networks) project initiated by 3GPP is committed to integrating satellite communications with 5G, solving the key issues of NR (New Radio) supporting NTN, providing a technical basis for 6G satellite-ground integration research, realizing the deep integration of air-ground-space integrated networks, and providing user devices with broader and more diversified communication services.

However, in existing technical research, since access network equipment in non-terrestrial networks, such as NGSO (Non-GeoStationary Orbit) satellites, moves very quickly relative to the location of any user equipment. For example, in a 2-hour orbit, a LEO (Low Earth Orbit) satellite can be in the field of view of a user equipment that is stationary relative to the ground for about 20 minutes. In addition, each LEO satellite may have many beams, and the time that the UE is in the radiation range of a beam is usually only a few minutes. This rapid movement will cause problems in the positioning process of the mobile UE, and will also cause problems in the UE's paging, handover and other processes.

Therefore, the prior art urgently needs a positioning method for non-terrestrial networks.

Summary of the invention

In view of the problems existing in the current technology, the present invention provides a positioning method and device for a non-terrestrial network.

In a first aspect, a non-terrestrial network positioning method is provided, the method being executed by a user equipment, the method comprising: include:

Sending a first message; and/or

receiving paging information, and/or establishing a connection with a network device, and/or performing data transmission with the network device; and/or

Perform switching between user equipment and network equipment;

The first information is used by a network device that receives the first information to obtain the location of the user equipment.

In a second aspect, a non-terrestrial network positioning method is provided, the method being performed by a network device, the method comprising:

Receiving first information; obtaining a location of a user device that sends the first information; and/or

Sending paging information, and/or establishing a connection with a user equipment, and/or performing data transmission with the user equipment; and/or

Perform switching between user equipment and network equipment;

The first information is used by the network device to obtain the location of the user equipment that sends the first information.

In a third aspect, a user equipment for non-terrestrial network positioning is provided, including:

A sending module, used for sending the first information; and/or

A receiving module for receiving paging information; and/or a connecting module for establishing a connection with a network device; and/or a transmitting module for transmitting data with the network device;

A switching module, used for switching between user equipment and network equipment;

The first information is used by a network device that receives the first information to obtain the location of the user equipment.

In a fourth aspect, a network device for non-terrestrial network positioning is provided, including:

a receiving module, configured to receive first information; a location module, configured to obtain a location of a user device that sends the first information; and/or

a sending module for sending paging information; and/or a connection module for establishing a connection with a user equipment; and/or a transmission module for performing data transmission with the user equipment; and/or

A switching module, used for switching between user equipment and network equipment;

The first information is used by the network device to obtain the location of the user equipment that sends the first information.

In a fifth aspect, a user device is provided, comprising: a processor, a memory, and a program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein when the program is executed by the processor, the steps of the method described in any one of the first aspects are implemented.

A sixth aspect provides a network device, including:

A processor, a memory, and a program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, the program When executed by the processor, the steps of the method described in any one of the second aspects are implemented.

In a seventh aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, comprising a computer program, wherein when the computer program is executed by a processor, the processor implements the method described above.

The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: the user equipment uses the first information to enable the network equipment to obtain the location of the user equipment according to the first information, and then perform paging, switching and other operations according to the location of the user equipment, so as to ensure the communication quality of the user equipment in situations where the user equipment does not have positioning capability, the user equipment and the network equipment are in a non-connected state, etc., improve the technical research of non-terrestrial networks, enhance the system performance of non-terrestrial networks, and improve the user equipment operation experience.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG1 is a schematic flow chart of a method for positioning a non-terrestrial network NTN in one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG2 is a flow chart of a method for positioning a non-terrestrial network NTN in one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG3 is a schematic flow chart of a method for positioning a non-terrestrial network NTN in one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG4 is a schematic flow chart of a method for obtaining a location of a user equipment in one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic flow chart of a method for sending the paging message in one embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed ways

The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments, but they are not intended to limit the present invention.

The present invention provides a non-terrestrial network positioning method, as shown in FIG1 , the method is executed by a user equipment, and the method includes:

Sending a first message; and/or

Receiving paging information, and/or establishing a connection with a network device, and/or performing data transmission with a network device; and/or

Perform switching between user equipment and network equipment;

The first information is used by a network device that receives the first information to obtain the location of the user equipment.

In an implementation manner provided by the present invention, the method is executed by a user equipment, and the method includes:

Sending the first message;

The first information is used by a network device that receives the first information to obtain a location of the user equipment.

The non-ground network positioning method provided by the present invention enables the network device to obtain the location of the user equipment according to the first information through the first information, and then perform paging, switching and other operations according to the location of the user equipment to ensure the communication quality of the user equipment in the case of lack of positioning capability, the user equipment and the network equipment being in a non-connected state, etc., to improve the technical research of non-ground networks, enhance the system performance of non-ground networks, and improve the user equipment operation experience.

In another implementation manner provided by the present invention, the method is executed by a user equipment, and the method includes:

Sending a first message; and/or

Receive paging information; and/or establish a connection with a network device; and/or perform data transmission with a network device;

The first information is used by a network device that receives the first information to obtain a location of the user equipment.

The connection state between the user equipment and the network equipment may include a non-connection state.

Accordingly, when executing the non-terrestrial network method, the user equipment may perform the following operation steps:

The user equipment only sends the first information; or only receives the paging information; or only establishes a connection with the network equipment; or only performs data transmission with the network equipment.

The user equipment may send the first information and receive the paging information; or may send the first information and establish a connection with the network device; or may send the first information and perform data transmission with the network device; or may receive the paging information and establish a connection with the network device; or may receive the paging information and perform data transmission with the network device; or may establish a connection with the network device and perform data transmission with the network device.

The user equipment may also send the first information, receive the paging information, and establish a connection with the network device; or may send the first information, receive the paging information, and perform data transmission with the network device; or may send the first information, establish a connection with the network device, and perform data transmission with the network device; or may receive the paging information, establish a connection with the network device, and perform data transmission with the network device.

The user equipment can also send the first information, receive paging information, establish a connection with the network equipment, and perform data transmission with the network equipment. This implementation method can not only ensure the communication quality of the user equipment when it does not have positioning capability, the user equipment and the network equipment are in a non-connected state, etc., improve the technical research of non-terrestrial networks, improve the system performance of non-terrestrial networks, and improve the user equipment operation experience, but also ensure the continuity of the user equipment receiving services, reduce the service reception delay, and improve the user experience.

It should be noted that the positioning method provided by the present invention can also be applied to the switching process. Accordingly, the user equipment sends the first information, so that the network equipment receiving the first information obtains the location of the user equipment. The current network equipment determines the target network equipment according to the location of the user equipment to realize the switching of the user equipment, etc.

In another implementation manner provided by the present invention, the method is executed by a user equipment, and the method includes:

Sending a first message; and/or

Send a switching request to switch between the user equipment and the network equipment;

The first information is used by a network device that receives the first information to obtain a location of the user equipment.

Accordingly, when executing the non-terrestrial network method, the user equipment may perform the following operation steps:

The user equipment sends the first information; and performs a switch between the user equipment and the network equipment.

In the implementation manner provided by the present invention, the length of the first information is 0 bits, that is, the data body of the first information does not contain any data.

In the implementation manner provided by the present invention, the first information is associated with the sending time of the first information, that is, the scrambling code for scrambling the first information is associated with the sending time of the first information, and/or the subheader portion corresponding to the first information is associated with the sending time, and/or the data body of the first information is associated with the sending time, etc. The association manner of the sending time can be expressed as: including the sending time, including other information associated with the sending time of the first information, an identifier identifying the sending time of the first information, a timestamp, etc.

In the implementation manner provided by the present invention, the length of the first information is 0 bits and is associated with the sending time of the first information, that is, the data body of the first information does not contain any data, and the scrambling code and/or corresponding sub-header part of the first information is associated with the sending time of the first information.

In the implementation manner provided by the present invention, the connection state between the user equipment and the network equipment includes a non-connection state.

Specifically, whether the user equipment realizes communication only through the non-terrestrial network NTN, or realizes communication through the integration of the terrestrial network and the non-terrestrial network, there is a situation where the user equipment and the network equipment are in a non-connected state. Accordingly, a first information can be introduced, and the user equipment sends the first information to enable the network equipment receiving the first information to obtain the user equipment location, thereby realizing subsequent operations, such as paging, establishing a connection, data transmission, etc. Among them, "non-connected state" refers to a state where the user equipment and the network equipment are not connected, such as "RRC_idle (Radio Resource Control idle, RRC idle state)", "RRC_inactive (Radio Resource Control inactive, RRC inactive state)", "CM_idle (Connection Management idle, CM idle state)", "CM_inactive (Connection Management inactive, CM inactive state)", or other non-connected states.

In the implementation manner provided by the present invention, the network device includes any one of the following: non-terrestrial access network equipment, terrestrial access network equipment, core network equipment;

Non-terrestrial access network equipment includes satellites.

Specifically, the network equipment may include ground access network equipment and core network equipment, and communication is achieved only through the ground network. The network equipment may also include non-ground access network equipment and core network equipment, and communication is achieved only through the non-ground network. The network equipment may also include non-ground access network equipment, ground access network equipment and core network equipment, and communication is achieved through the integration of the ground network and the non-ground network.

Among them, non-ground access network equipment includes satellites, including geosynchronous satellites and non-geosynchronous satellites. The altitude of geosynchronous satellites is 35786km, and non-geosynchronous satellites include low-earth orbit satellites with an altitude range of 600-1500km and medium-earth orbit satellites with an altitude range of 7000-20000km. Non-ground access network equipment can also include space/space platforms such as space stations and spacecrafts, and aerial platforms such as aircraft and drones. The altitude of aerial platforms is 8-50km.

In the implementation manner provided by the present invention, only non-terrestrial access equipment is included between the user equipment and the core network equipment, and the connection state of the user equipment to the core network equipment through the non-terrestrial access equipment is in a non-connected state (for example, an idle state or an inactive state), that is, the user equipment and the core network equipment are in a non-connected state (for example, an idle state or an inactive state).

In the implementation manner provided by the invention, a non-ground access device and a ground access device are included between the user equipment and the core network equipment, and the connection state of the user equipment from the non-ground access device to the core network equipment is a non-connected state (for example, an idle state or an inactive state), and at this time, the connection state of the user equipment from the ground access device to the core network equipment is not limited. That is to say, the user equipment is in a non-connected state (for example, an idle state or an inactive state) from the non-ground access device to the core network equipment, and is in a non-connected state (for example, an idle state or an inactive state) from the ground access device to the core network equipment; or the user equipment is in a non-connected state (for example, an idle state or an inactive state) from the non-ground access device to the core network equipment, and the user equipment is in a connected state from the ground access device to the core network equipment.

In the implementation manner provided by the present invention, only a ground access device is included between the user equipment and the core network equipment, and the connection state of the user equipment to the core network equipment through the ground access device is in a non-connected state (for example, an idle state or an inactive state), that is, the user equipment and the core network equipment are in a non-connected state (for example, an idle state or an inactive state).

In the implementation manner provided by the present invention, a ground access device and a non-ground access device are included between the user equipment and the core network equipment, and the connection state of the user equipment from the ground access device to the core network equipment is a non-connected state (for example, an idle state or an inactive state), and at this time, the connection state of the user equipment from the non-ground access device to the core network equipment is not limited. That is, the user equipment is in a non-connected state (for example, an idle state or an inactive state) from the ground access device to the core network equipment, and is in a non-connected state (for example, an idle state or an inactive state) from the non-ground access device to the core network equipment; or the user equipment is in a non-connected state (for example, an idle state or an inactive state) from the ground access device to the core network equipment, and the user equipment is in a connected state from the non-ground access device to the core network equipment.

Furthermore, by sending the first information, the user equipment can enable the network device that receives the first information to obtain the location of the user equipment, thereby realizing subsequent paging of the user equipment. It can also establish a connection between the user equipment, non-ground access equipment and core network equipment, and perform information transmission between the user equipment and the core network equipment.

In an implementation manner provided by the present invention, the method is executed by a network device, as shown in FIG2 , and the method includes:

Receive first information; obtain the location of the user equipment that sends the first information.

The first information is used by the network device to obtain the location of the user equipment that sends the first information.

Specifically, after receiving the first information sent by the user equipment, the network device can obtain the corresponding user equipment location through corresponding processing steps. Further, subsequent operations such as sending paging, establishing connection, data transmission, etc. can also be performed.

It should be noted here that after receiving the first information, the network device can immediately obtain the location of the user device that sent the first information; or it can cache the first information and use the first information to obtain the location of the user device when it needs to obtain the location of the user device later. Information to obtain the user's device location.

In another implementation manner provided by the present invention, the method is executed by a network device, and the method includes:

Receiving first information; obtaining a location of a user device that sends the first information;

Sending paging information, and/or establishing a connection with a user equipment, and/or performing data transmission with the user equipment;

The first information is used by the network device to obtain the location of the user device that sent the first information;

The connection state between the network device and the user equipment may be a non-connected state.

Accordingly, when executing the non-terrestrial network NTN method, the network device may perform the following operation steps:

The network device only receives the first information; only sends the paging information; only establishes a connection with the user equipment; and only performs data transmission with the user equipment.

The network device receives the first information and sends a paging message; the network device receives the first information and establishes a connection with the user device; the network device receives the first information and performs data transmission with the user device; the network device sends a paging message and establishes a connection with the user device; the network device sends a paging message and performs data transmission with the user device; the network device establishes a connection with the user device and performs data transmission with the user device.

The network device receives the first information, sends a paging message, and establishes a connection with the user equipment; the user equipment receives the first information, sends a paging message, and performs data transmission with the user equipment; the network device receives the first information, establishes a connection with the user equipment, and performs data transmission with the user equipment; the network device sends a paging message, establishes a connection with the user equipment, and performs data transmission with the user equipment.

The network device receives the first information, sends paging information, establishes a connection with the user equipment, and performs data transmission with the user equipment.

It should be noted that the positioning method provided by the present invention can also be applied to the switching process. Accordingly, the user equipment sends the first information, so that the network equipment receiving the first information obtains the location of the user equipment. The current network equipment determines the target network equipment according to the location of the user equipment to realize the switching of the user equipment, etc.

In another implementation manner provided by the present invention, the method is executed by a network device, and the method includes:

Receiving first information; obtaining a location of a user device that sends the first information; and/or

Perform switching between user equipment and network equipment;

The first information is used by the network device to obtain the location of the user equipment that sends the first information.

Accordingly, when executing the non-terrestrial network method, the network device may perform the following operation steps:

The network device receives the first information; obtains the location of the user device that sends the first information; and performs a switch between the user device and the network device.

In summary, the present invention provides a non-terrestrial network positioning method, as shown in FIG3, the method comprises a network device Execution, the method comprises:

Receiving first information; obtaining a location of a user device that sends the first information; and/or

Sending paging information, and/or establishing a connection with a user equipment, and/or performing data transmission with the user equipment; and/or

Perform switching between user equipment and network equipment;

The first information is used by the network device to obtain the location of the user equipment that sends the first information.

In the implementation manner provided by the present invention, the length of the first information is 0 bits, that is, the data body of the first information does not contain any data.

In the implementation manner provided by the present invention, the first information is associated with the sending time of the first information, that is, the scrambling code for scrambling the first information is associated with the sending time of the first information, and/or the subheader part of the first information is associated with the sending time, and/or the data body of the first information is associated with the sending time, etc. The association manner of the sending time can be expressed as: including the sending time, including other information associated with the sending time of the first information, an identifier identifying the sending time of the first information, a timestamp, etc.

In the implementation manner provided by the present invention, the length of the first information is 0 bits and is associated with the sending time of the first information, that is, the data body of the first information does not contain any data, and the scrambling code and/or subheader part of the first information is associated with the sending time of the first information.

In the implementation manner provided by the present invention, as shown in FIG4 , the process of obtaining the location of the user equipment includes:

Acquire sending time and/or receiving time and/or transmission quality of the first information;

Acquire device information of the network device and/or beam information carrying the first information in the network device;

Obtain the operation information of network devices;

The location of the user equipment is acquired and updated based on the equipment information and/or beam information, operation information, and transmission time and/or reception time and/or transmission quality.

Specifically, by obtaining the sending time of the first information and obtaining relevant information of the network device used to receive the first information, such as device information, beam information, and operation information, the location of the user device can be obtained and updated based on the sending time of the first information and the relevant information of the network device receiving the first information.

The method of obtaining the sending time of the first information includes: the first information is associated with the sending time, and the network device analyzes the first information to obtain the sending time; the first information is not associated with the sending time, and the network device calculates the sending time according to the receiving time of the first information and the transmission time of the first information. In some special cases where the position deviation is not considered, the user equipment position can also be directly obtained according to the receiving time, and the present invention does not limit this.

Among them, to obtain relevant information of the network device, you can only obtain the device information and operation information of the network device, you can only obtain the beam information and operation information of the network device, and you can also obtain the device information and beam information of the network device. and operation information, etc. For example, when acquiring device information, beam information and operation information, the device information shows that the network device receiving the first information is a low-earth orbit satellite numbered 1, and the beam information shows that the beam carrying the first information is the first beam of the satellite numbered 1. The operation information here is the ephemeris information (which includes the geographical location range corresponding to each beam at each time point). The subsequent processing process can determine the coverage range D1 corresponding to the first beam of the satellite numbered 1 at the sending time T1, that is, the location of the user device is D1. For another example, only the beam information and operation information of the network device can be acquired. When the network device that directly receives the first information acquires the location of the user device, it can determine the location of the user device based on the sending time of the first information, known device information, beam information and operation information of itself. For another example, when acquiring device information and operation information, the device information shows that the network device receiving the first information is a low-earth orbit satellite numbered 1, and the operation information is the ephemeris information of the satellite numbered 1, indicating that all beams of the satellite numbered 1 have a coverage range of D1 to D10 corresponding to the sending time. It can be determined that the location of the user device is within the range of D1 to D10, and subsequent paging can be performed within the range of D1 to D10.

The difference in the relevant information obtained will affect the accuracy of the user equipment location, and further affect the resource occupation when performing subsequent operations such as paging on the user equipment, which is not limited in the present invention.

Among them, in the process of determining the location of the user device, if the first information is transmitted at the same sending time and carried by different beams of different satellites, the intersection of the coverage ranges can be determined according to the coverage ranges corresponding to the beams of different satellites at the sending time, so as to further determine the location of the user device. If the first information is transmitted at the same sending time and carried by different beams of the same satellite, the intersection of the coverage ranges can be determined according to the coverage ranges corresponding to the different beams of the satellite at the sending time, so as to further determine the location of the user device. If the first information is sent at different times, the location of the user device at different times can be analyzed, and the running trajectory of the user device can be further analyzed and determined to determine the future location of the user device.

Among them, the transmission quality of the first information can also be obtained. When determining the coverage range corresponding to the satellite beam at the sending time, by analyzing the quality of the transmission, it can be determined whether the user equipment is at the center or edge of the coverage range, so as to further improve the location accuracy of the user equipment.

In the implementation manner provided by the present invention, as shown in FIG5 , the process of sending a paging message includes:

Determine the current network device covering the location based on the most recently acquired location of the user device;

Obtain all beam information of the current network device or the current beam information corresponding to the location;

The paging information is sent using the beam corresponding to the beam information.

Specifically, when the network device sends a paging message, it can determine the network device currently covering the location of the user device based on the latest acquired location of the user device, directly acquire all beam information of the current network device, and send the paging message with all beams corresponding to all beam information. Alternatively, when the network device sends a paging message, it can determine the network device currently covering the location of the user device based on the latest acquired location of the user device, and further acquire all beam information of the current network device. The step is to obtain the current beam information of the network device corresponding to the location, and send the paging information with the current beam corresponding to the current beam information.

In the implementation manner provided by the present invention, the process of determining the current network device covering the location includes:

The second network device that covers the location is determined based on the most recently acquired location of the user equipment, the current time when the first network device needs to be paged, and the operating information of the associated network devices.

Specifically, the second network device covering the location of the user equipment is determined based on the most recently acquired location of the user equipment, the current time when the first network device needs to be paged, and the operation information of the associated network devices.

Among them, the current time when the first network device needs to be paged is the time when the network device thinks it is necessary to establish a connection with the user device. For example, the Internet sends a data packet to the core network device, and the core network device needs to send the data packet to the user device. This is the time when the core network device thinks it is necessary to establish a connection with the user device. For example, the user device is blocked by a building and disconnected from the core network device. The core network device and the user device are no longer in time synchronization and cannot transmit data. The core network device needs to reconnect with the user device. This is the time when the core network device thinks it is necessary to establish a connection with the user device.

Among them, the first network device, the second network device, and the associated network device can be network devices of the same type or network devices of different types. For example, the first network device can be a core network device, and the second network device and the associated network device can be non-terrestrial access network devices (for example, satellites). The core network device determines the satellite covering the location at this time based on the latest user device location, the time when paging is required, and the operating information of the satellite associated with the user device location at this time (i.e., the satellite that may cover the location). For another example, the first network device, the second network device, and the associated network device are all non-terrestrial access network devices (for example, satellites). The satellite determines the satellite covering the location at this time based on the latest user device location, the time when paging is required, and the operating information of the satellite associated with the user device location at this time (i.e., the satellite that may cover the location). In some cases, the first network device, the second network device and the associated network device may also be the same device. For example, the first network device, the second network device and the associated network device are all satellite 01. Satellite 01 receives the first information, updates the user device location, and needs to be paged. The only satellite 01 is associated with the user device location, and then it is determined that the network device covering the user device location is satellite 01.

In the implementation manner provided by the present invention, the process of obtaining the current beam information corresponding to the location includes: the first network device determines the current beam information corresponding to the second network device covering the location based on the most recently acquired location of the user device, the current time when the first network device needs to be paged, and the operating information of the associated network device.

Specifically, the first network device directly determines the second network device and the corresponding beam information of the coverage location according to the latest acquired location of the user device, the current time when the first network device needs to be paged, and the operation information of the associated network device; the first network device sends the first paging information and the beam information to the second network device; the second network device The second paging information is sent using the beam corresponding to the beam information.

In the implementation manner provided by the present invention, the process of obtaining the current beam information corresponding to the location includes: the second network device determines the current beam information corresponding to the second network device covering the location based on the most recently acquired location of the user device, the current time when the second network device needs to be paged, and the operating information of the associated network device.

Specifically, based on the most recently acquired location of the user device, the current time when the first network device needs to be paged, and the operating information of the associated network devices, the second network device that covers the location is determined; the first network device sends the first paging information to the second network device; the second network device determines the beam information of the coverage location based on the most recently acquired location of the user device, the current time when the second network device needs to be paged, and the operating information of the associated network devices; the second network device sends the second paging information using the beam corresponding to the beam information.

The present invention provides an embodiment:

The network device S0 determines the current network device S1 and the corresponding beam Beam _S11 covering the location according to the most recently acquired location D1 of the user equipment, the current time T1 at which paging is required, and the operation information of all network devices.

For example, network device S0 is the core network. The core network directly determines that the satellite numbered 01 and the beam numbered 02 in the satellite cover the location based on the user equipment location (Shanghai), the current time required for paging (8:00 AM), and the ephemeris information of other associated satellites 01 to 10. Further, the core network sends the paging information to the satellite numbered 01, and sends the beam information of numbered 02 to the satellite numbered 01. The satellite numbered 01 sends the paging information with the beam numbered 02.

The present invention provides another embodiment:

The network device S0 directly determines the current network device S1 in the coverage location and sends the paging information based on the latest acquired user device location D1, the current time T1 when the network device needs to be paged, and the operation information of all network devices;

The current network device S1 that receives the paging information determines the corresponding beam Beam _S21 according to the current time T2 at which paging is required, the most recently acquired user equipment location D1, and the operation information of the associated network device.

For example, network device S0 is the core network. The core network directly determines that the current network device S1 covering the location is satellite No. 01 based on the user equipment location (Shanghai), the current time required for paging is (8:00 AM), and the ephemeris information of other associated satellites 01 to 10, and sends paging information to satellite No. 01. Satellite No. 01 directly determines the beam No. 02 covering the location based on the user equipment location (Shanghai), the current time required for paging is (8:01 AM), and the operation information of the associated network devices, that is, its own ephemeris information. Further, satellite No. 01 sends paging information with beam No. 02.

The present invention provides another embodiment:

The network device S0 receives the latest acquired location D1 of the user device and the current time when the network device needs to be paged. Time T1, the operation information of all network devices, determine the current network device S1 in the coverage location and send paging information;

The current network device S1 that receives the paging information determines the current network device S2 and the corresponding beam Beam S11 at the coverage location according to the most recently acquired user equipment location _D1 , the current time T2 when the network device needs to be paged, and the operating information of all network devices.

For example, network device S0 is the core network. The core network directly determines that the central satellite covering the location is 05 and sends the paging information based on the user equipment location (Shanghai), the current time required for paging is (8:00 AM), and the ephemeris information of other associated satellites 01 to 10. The central satellite numbered 05 directly determines that the satellite numbered 01 and the beam numbered 02 in the satellite cover the location based on the user equipment location (Shanghai), the current time required for paging is (8:01 AM), and the ephemeris information of other associated satellites 01 to 03. Further, the central satellite numbered 05 sends the paging information to the satellite numbered 01, and sends the beam information of numbered 02 to the satellite numbered 01. The satellite numbered 01 sends the paging information with the beam numbered 02.

The present invention provides another embodiment:

The network device S0 determines the current network device S1 in the coverage location and sends the paging information according to the latest acquired user device location D1, the current time T1 when the network device needs to be paged, and the operation information of all network devices;

The current network device S1 that receives the paging information determines the current network device S3 in the coverage position according to the latest acquired user device location D1, the current time T2 when the network device needs to be paging, and the operation information of all network devices, and sends the paging information;

The current network device S3 that receives the paging information determines the corresponding beam Beam _S31 according to the current time T3 at which paging is required, the most recently acquired user equipment location D1, and the operating information of the associated device.

For example, network device S0 is a core network. The core network directly determines that the central satellite covering the location is 05 and sends paging information based on the location of the user equipment (Shanghai), the current time required for paging is (8:00 AM), and the ephemeris information of other associated satellites 01 to 10; the central satellite numbered 05 directly determines that the satellite numbered 01 covers the location and sends paging information based on the location of the user equipment (Shanghai), the current time required for paging is (8:01 AM), and the ephemeris information of other associated satellites 01 to 03; the satellite numbered 01 receives the paging information and directly determines that the beam covering the location is the beam numbered 02 based on the location of the user equipment (Shanghai), the current time required for paging is (8:02 AM), and the associated satellite ephemeris information (that is, its own ephemeris information). Further, the satellite numbered 01 sends the paging information with the beam numbered 02.

In the implementation manner provided by the present invention, the network device includes any one of the following: non-terrestrial access network equipment, terrestrial access network equipment, core network equipment;

The non-terrestrial access network equipment includes satellites, and the operation information of the network equipment includes the ephemeris information of the satellites.

Specifically, network equipment may include ground access network equipment and core network equipment, which can only be realized through the ground network. Communication; it may include non-terrestrial access network equipment and core network equipment, and communication is achieved only through non-terrestrial networks; it may also include non-terrestrial access network equipment, terrestrial access network equipment and core network equipment, and communication is achieved through the integration of terrestrial networks and non-terrestrial networks.

Among them, non-access network devices include satellites, satellites include geosynchronous satellites and non-geosynchronous satellites. Accordingly, the operation information of the network equipment includes the satellite's ephemeris information. Non-access network devices can also include space stations, spacecraft and other space/space platforms, and aircraft, drones and other aerial platforms.

The ephemeris information includes at least one of the following, but is not limited to:

The geographical location range corresponding to each beam of a network device (e.g., a satellite) at each point in time;

The speed at which each beam of a network device (e.g., a satellite) is operating at each point in time.

In the implementation manner provided by the present invention, the connection state between the user equipment and the network equipment includes a non-connection state.

In the implementation manner provided by the present invention, only non-terrestrial access equipment is included between the user equipment and the core network equipment, and the connection state of the user equipment to the core network equipment through the non-terrestrial access equipment is in a non-connected state (for example, an idle state or an inactive state), that is, the user equipment and the core network equipment are in a non-connected state (for example, an idle state or an inactive state).

In the implementation manner provided by the invention, a non-ground access device and a ground access device are included between the user equipment and the core network equipment, and the connection state of the user equipment from the non-ground access device to the core network equipment is a non-connected state (for example, an idle state or an inactive state), and at this time, the connection state of the user equipment from the ground access device to the core network equipment is not limited. That is to say, the user equipment is in a non-connected state (for example, an idle state or an inactive state) from the non-ground access device to the core network equipment, and is in a non-connected state (for example, an idle state or an inactive state) from the ground access device to the core network equipment; or the user equipment is in a non-connected state (for example, an idle state or an inactive state) from the non-ground access device to the core network equipment, and the user equipment is in a connected state from the ground access device to the core network equipment.

In the implementation manner provided by the present invention, only a ground access device is included between the user equipment and the core network equipment, and the connection state of the user equipment to the core network equipment through the ground access device is in a non-connected state (for example, an idle state or an inactive state), that is, the user equipment and the core network equipment are in a non-connected state (for example, an idle state or an inactive state).

In the implementation manner provided by the present invention, a ground access device and a non-ground access device are included between the user equipment and the core network equipment, and the connection state of the user equipment from the ground access device to the core network equipment is a non-connected state (for example, an idle state or an inactive state), and at this time, the connection state of the user equipment from the non-ground access device to the core network equipment is not limited. That is, the user equipment is in a non-connected state (for example, an idle state or an inactive state) from the ground access device to the core network equipment, and is in a non-connected state (for example, an idle state or an inactive state) from the non-ground access device to the core network equipment; or the user equipment is in a non-connected state (for example, an idle state or an inactive state) from the ground access device to the core network equipment, and the user equipment is in a connected state from the non-ground access device to the core network equipment.

Furthermore, the user equipment can send the first information so that the network device receiving the first information can obtain the user equipment It can also establish the location of the user equipment, non-terrestrial access equipment and core network equipment, and transmit information between the user equipment and the core network equipment.

A network device for non-terrestrial network positioning is provided, comprising:

a receiving module, configured to receive first information; a location module, configured to obtain a location of a user device that sends the first information; and/or

a sending module for sending paging information; and/or a connection module for establishing a connection with a user equipment; and/or a transmission module for transmitting data with the user equipment; and/or

A switching module, used for switching between user equipment and network equipment;

The first information is used by the network device to obtain the location of the user equipment that sends the first information, and the connection state between the network device and the user equipment is an idle state, an inactive state, or a connected state.

Preferably, the length of the first information is 0 bits and/or is associated with the sending time of the first information.

Preferably, a processing module for obtaining the location of the user equipment is further included, comprising:

A first acquiring unit, used to acquire a sending time and/or a receiving time and/or a transmission quality of the first information;

A second acquisition unit, used to acquire device information of the network device and/or beam information carrying the first information under the network device, and operation information of the network device;

A processing unit is used to obtain and update the location of the user equipment based on the equipment information and/or beam information, operation information, and the sending time and/or receiving time and/or transmission quality.

Preferably, the sending module includes:

A determination unit, configured to determine a current network device covering a location according to a most recently acquired location of a user device;

An acquisition unit, which acquires all beam information of the current network device or the current beam information corresponding to the position;

A sending unit, used for sending paging information using a beam corresponding to the beam information;

A determination unit, which determines the second network device covering the location according to the most recently acquired location of the user equipment, the current time when the first network device needs to be paged, and the operation information of the associated network device;

An acquisition unit determines the current beam information corresponding to the second network device at the coverage location based on the most recently acquired location of the user device, the current time when the first network device needs to be paged, and the operating information of the associated network devices; or determines the current beam information corresponding to the second network device at the coverage location based on the most recently acquired location of the user device, the current time when the second network device needs to be paged, and the operating information of the associated network devices.

The acquisition unit in the first network device determines the current beam information corresponding to the second network device covering the location according to the latest acquired location of the user device, the current time when the first network device needs to be paged, and the operation information of the associated network device. And/or

The acquisition unit in the second network device needs to The current time of paging, the operating information of the associated network device, and the current beam information corresponding to the second network device that determines the coverage location.

The connection state between the user equipment and the network equipment includes a non-connected state;

Network equipment includes any of the following: non-terrestrial access network equipment, terrestrial access network equipment, core network equipment;

The non-terrestrial access network equipment includes satellites, and the operation information of the network equipment includes the ephemeris information of the satellites;

The user equipment and the core network equipment include non-terrestrial access equipment and/or terrestrial access equipment;

The connection state of the user equipment to the core network equipment via the non-terrestrial access equipment is a non-connected state, and/or the connection state of the user equipment to the core network equipment via the terrestrial access equipment is a non-connected state.

The present invention also provides a system, comprising the user equipment and network equipment as described above.

The present invention also provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing program instructions. When the program instructions are executed by a computer, the computer executes the above-mentioned (user equipment) non-terrestrial network positioning method.

The present invention also provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing program instructions. When the program instructions are executed by a computer, the computer executes the above-mentioned (network device) non-terrestrial network positioning method.

In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or other arbitrary combinations. When implemented using software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When loading and executing computer program instructions on a computer, the process or function according to the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network or other programmable devices. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium, for example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from a website site, computer, server or data center by wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital user equipment line) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) mode to another website site, computer, server or data center. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server, a data center, etc. that contains one or more available media integrations. Available media can be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, tapes), optical media (e.g., digital video discs (DVD)), or semiconductor media (e.g., solid state disks (SSD)), etc.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this application.

The above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the embodiments and protection scope of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should be aware that all solutions obtained by equivalent substitutions and obvious changes made using the description and illustrations of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims (23)

A non-terrestrial network positioning method, characterized in that the method is performed by a user equipment, and the method comprises: Sending a first message; and/or receiving paging information, and/or establishing a connection with a network device, and/or performing data transmission with the network device; and/or Performing a handover between the user equipment and the network equipment; The first information is used by a network device that receives the first information to obtain the location of the user equipment. The non-ground network positioning method according to claim 1 is characterized in that the length of the first information is 0 bits and/or is associated with the sending time of the first information. The non-terrestrial network positioning method according to claim 1 is characterized in that the connection state between the user equipment and the network equipment includes a non-connected state. The non-terrestrial network positioning method according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that the network device includes any one of the following: non-terrestrial access network equipment, terrestrial access network equipment, core network equipment; The non-terrestrial access network equipment includes a satellite; The non-terrestrial access device and/or the terrestrial access device are included between the user equipment and the core network device; The connection state of the user equipment to the core network device through the non-terrestrial access device is a non-connected state, and/or the connection state of the user equipment to the core network device through the terrestrial access device is a non-connected state. A non-terrestrial network positioning method, characterized in that the method is performed by a network device, and the method comprises: Receiving first information; obtaining a location of a user device that sends the first information; and/or Sending paging information, and/or establishing a connection with a user equipment, and/or performing data transmission with the user equipment; and/or Performing a handover between the user equipment and the network equipment; The first information is used by the network device to obtain the location of the user equipment that sends the first information. The non-ground network positioning method according to claim 5 is characterized in that the length of the first information is 0 bits and/or is associated with the sending time of the first information. The non-terrestrial network positioning method according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the process of obtaining the position of the user equipment comprises: Acquire the sending time and/or receiving time and/or transmission quality of the first information; Acquire device information of the network device and/or beam information of the network device that carries the first information; Obtaining operation information of the network device; The location of the user equipment is acquired and updated according to the sending time and/or the receiving time and/or the transmission quality, the device information and/or the beam information, and the operation information. The non-terrestrial network positioning method according to claim 5, characterized in that the process of sending the paging message comprises: Determining a current network device covering the location according to the most recently acquired location of the user equipment; Acquire all beam information of the current network device or current beam information corresponding to the position; The paging information is sent using a beam corresponding to the beam information. The non-terrestrial network positioning method according to claim 5 or 8, characterized in that the process of determining the network device currently covering comprises: According to the most recently acquired location of the user equipment, the current time when the first network device needs to be paged, and the operation information of the associated network devices, a second network device covering the location is determined. The non-terrestrial network positioning method according to claim 5 or 8, characterized in that the process of obtaining the current beam information corresponding to the position comprises: The first network device determines the current beam information corresponding to the second network device covering the position according to the most recently acquired position of the user equipment, the current time when the first network device needs to be paged, and the operation information of the associated network devices; or The second network device determines the current beam information corresponding to the second network device covering the location based on the most recently acquired location of the user equipment, the current time when the second network device needs to be paged, and the operating information of the associated network devices. The non-terrestrial network positioning method according to claim 5 is characterized in that the connection state between the network device and the user equipment includes a non-connected state. The non-terrestrial network positioning method according to claim 5 or 11 is characterized in that the network device includes any one of the following: non-terrestrial access network equipment, terrestrial access network equipment, and core network equipment; The non-terrestrial access network device includes a satellite, and the operation information of the network device is the ephemeris information of the satellite; The non-terrestrial access device and/or the terrestrial access device are included between the user equipment and the core network device; The connection state of the user equipment to the core network device through the non-terrestrial access device is a non-connected state; and/or The connection state of the user equipment to the core network device through the ground access device is a non-connected state. A user equipment for non-terrestrial network positioning, characterized by comprising: A sending module, used for sending the first information; and/or A receiving module for receiving paging information; and/or a connecting module for establishing a connection with a network device; and/or a transmitting module for transmitting data with the network device; A switching module, used for switching between the user equipment and the network equipment; The first information is used by a network device that receives the first information to obtain the location of the user equipment. The non-terrestrial network positioned user equipment according to claim 13, characterized in that the length of the first information is 0 bits and/or is associated with the sending time of the first information. The user equipment for non-terrestrial network positioning according to claim 13, characterized in that the connection state between the user equipment and the network equipment includes a non-connected state; The network equipment includes any one of the following: non-terrestrial access network equipment, terrestrial access network equipment, core network equipment; The non-terrestrial access network equipment includes a satellite; The non-terrestrial access device and/or the terrestrial access device are included between the user equipment and the core network device; The connection state of the user equipment to the core network device through the non-terrestrial access device is a non-connected state, and/or the connection state of the user equipment to the core network device through the terrestrial access device is a non-connected state. A network device for non-terrestrial network positioning, characterized by comprising: a receiving module, configured to receive first information; a location module, configured to obtain a location of a user device that sends the first information; and/or a sending module for sending paging information; and/or a connection module for establishing a connection with a user equipment; and/or a transmission module for performing data transmission with the user equipment; and/or A switching module, used for switching between the user equipment and the network equipment; The first information is used by the network device to obtain the location of the user equipment that sends the first information. The network device for non-ground network positioning according to claim 16 is characterized in that the length of the first information is 0 bits and/or is associated with the sending time of the first information. The network device for non-terrestrial network positioning according to claim 16 or 17, characterized in that it also includes a processing module for obtaining the position of the user equipment, comprising: A first acquiring unit, configured to acquire a sending time and/or a receiving time and/or a transmission quality of the first information; The second acquisition unit is used to acquire the device information of the network device and/or the network device carrying the first A beam information of information, operation information of the network device; A processing unit is used to obtain and update the location of the user equipment based on the device information and/or the beam information, the operation information, and the sending time and/or the receiving time and/or the transmission quality. The network device for non-terrestrial network positioning according to claim 16, wherein the sending module comprises: A determination unit, configured to determine a current network device covering the location according to the most recently acquired location of the user equipment; An acquisition unit, acquiring all beam information of the current network device or the current beam information corresponding to the position; A sending unit, configured to send the paging information using a beam corresponding to the beam information; The determining unit determines the second network device covering the location according to the most recently acquired location of the user equipment, the current time when the first network device needs to be paged, and the operation information of the associated network device; The acquisition unit determines the current beam information corresponding to the second network device covering the location based on the most recently acquired location of the user device, the current time when the first network device needs to be paged, and the operating information of the associated network devices; or determines the current beam information corresponding to the second network device covering the location based on the most recently acquired location of the user device, the current time when the second network device needs to be paged, and the operating information of the associated network devices. The network device for non-terrestrial network positioning according to any one of claims 16 to 19, characterized in that the connection state between the user equipment and the network device includes a non-connected state; The network equipment includes any one of the following: non-terrestrial access network equipment, terrestrial access network equipment, core network equipment; The non-terrestrial access network device includes a satellite, and the operation information of the network device includes ephemeris information of the satellite; The non-terrestrial access device and/or the terrestrial access device are included between the user equipment and the core network device; The connection state of the user equipment to the core network device through the non-terrestrial access device is a non-connected state, and/or the connection state of the user equipment to the core network device through the terrestrial access device is a non-connected state. A user equipment comprises: a processor, a memory and a program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the program implements the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 4 when executed by the processor. A network device, comprising: A processor, a memory, and a program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein when the program is executed by the processor, the steps of the method according to any one of claims 5 to 12 are implemented. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, wherein the computer program, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 37.