CN115884322A

CN115884322A - Method for starting energy-saving mode, communication device and readable storage medium

Info

Publication number: CN115884322A
Application number: CN202110893384.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 韩立锋
Original assignee: Spreadtrum Communications Shanghai Co Ltd
Current assignee: Spreadtrum Communications Shanghai Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-08-04
Filing date: 2021-08-04
Publication date: 2023-03-31
Also published as: WO2023011405A1

Abstract

A method, a communication device, and a readable storage medium for initiating a power saving mode, the method comprising: the terminal equipment releases RRC connection; the terminal equipment starts a timer; if the timing end time of the timer is located after the first time, the terminal equipment closes the timer when the timer runs to the first time, and starts an energy-saving mode at the first time; the first time is the ending time of a first time interval, the first time interval is a time interval in which a satellite for providing service for the terminal device is located within the coverage area of a first cell, and the first cell is the serving cell of the terminal device. The invention enables the terminal equipment to enter the PSM mode in advance, and is beneficial to reducing energy consumption and saving resources.

Description

Method for starting energy-saving mode, communication device and readable storage medium

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of satellite communications technologies, and in particular, to a method for starting an energy saving mode, a communication device, and a readable storage medium.

Background

In satellite communications, there are discontinuous coverage scenarios. For example, fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a discontinuous coverage scenario. As shown in fig. 1, a satellite 1 provides a service for a terminal device in a time slot 1, and a satellite 2 provides a service for a terminal device in a time slot 2. And a time interval 3 is arranged between the time interval 1 and the time interval 2, namely, no satellite provides service for the terminal equipment in the time interval 3. Therefore, in the period 3, the terminal device cannot communicate with the satellite.

However, in the prior art, the terminal device continues to use the PSM starting method in the terrestrial communication system in the satellite communication, that is, the terminal device starts a timer after the processing procedure for a certain service is finished, and starts a Power Saving Mode (PSM) when the timer is timed to be finished. Due to the fact that a discontinuous coverage scene exists in satellite communication, the terminal device adopts the PSM starting mode, and a scene that no satellite provides service for the terminal device may exist in the running period of the timer, so that resource waste is easily caused, and power consumption of the terminal device is increased.

Disclosure of Invention

Embodiments of the present invention provide a method for starting an energy saving mode, a communication apparatus, and a readable storage medium, so that a terminal device can enter a PSM mode in advance, which is helpful for reducing energy consumption and saving resources.

The embodiment of the invention provides a method for starting an energy-saving mode, which specifically comprises the following steps: the terminal equipment releases RRC connection; the terminal equipment starts a timer; if the timing end time of the timer is located after the first time, the terminal equipment closes the timer when the timer runs to the first time, and starts an energy-saving mode at the first time; the first time is the ending time of a first time interval, the first time interval is a time interval in which a satellite for providing service for the terminal device is located within the coverage of a first cell, and the first cell is the serving cell of the terminal device.

Optionally, a time interval between the first time and a second time is greater than a first threshold, and the second time is a time when the RRC connection is released.

Optionally, if an interval between the first time and the second time is less than or equal to a first threshold, the terminal device starts the energy saving mode at the second time.

Optionally, the method further includes: the terminal equipment keeps the timer closed.

Optionally, the method further includes: the terminal equipment receives first indication information from network equipment, wherein the first indication information is used for indicating the first threshold value.

Optionally, the first threshold is determined according to an average time consumed for executing the first service; or, the first threshold is determined according to the minimum time consumption for executing the first service; wherein the first service is initiated by the satellite to the terminal device, or initiated by the terminal device to the satellite.

Optionally, the method further includes: the terminal equipment receives a broadcast message, wherein the broadcast message contains information used for indicating the first moment; or, the terminal device receives ephemeris information, where the ephemeris information includes information indicating the first time.

An embodiment of the present invention provides a communication apparatus, including: a release module for releasing the RRC connection; the timer starting module is used for starting the timer; the energy-saving starting module is used for closing the timer when the timer runs to a first moment if the timing ending moment of the timer is behind the first moment, and starting an energy-saving mode at the first moment; the first time is the end time of a first time interval, the first time interval is a time interval in which a satellite for providing service for the communication device is located within the coverage of a first cell, and the first cell is the serving cell of the communication device.

An embodiment of the present invention provides a readable storage medium, on which a computer program is stored, where the computer program is executed by a processor, and implements the method described above.

An embodiment of the present invention provides a communication apparatus, including a memory and a processor, where the memory stores a computer program, and the processor runs the computer program, so that the communication apparatus executes the method for starting the energy saving mode.

Compared with the prior art, the technical scheme of the embodiment of the invention has the following beneficial effects:

in the embodiment of the invention, when the terminal equipment releases RRC connection, the starting time of the energy-saving mode is determined according to the timing ending time and the first time of the timer, compared with the PSM starting rule in the prior art, the PSM starting rule in the terrestrial communication system is used, the terminal equipment can not enter the PSM mode during the running period of the timer, and by adopting the scheme of the embodiment of the invention, the starting time of the energy-saving mode can be determined according to the timing ending time and the first time of the timer under the condition that a satellite does not cover a service cell where the terminal equipment is located, so that the terminal equipment can enter the energy-saving mode during the running period of the timer, the energy consumption is effectively reduced, and the resources are saved.

Further, if the interval between the first time and the second time is smaller than or equal to a first threshold, the terminal device starts the energy-saving mode at the second time. Thereby helping to reduce the possibility of the energy saving mode being activated in a case where the interval between the first timing and the second timing is short, and further helping to avoid the energy saving mode being activated at an inappropriate time.

Further, the terminal equipment releases the RRC connection and keeps the timer closed. By adopting the scheme of the embodiment of the invention, under the condition that the energy-saving mode is started without depending on the timer after calculation, the timer is kept closed, so that the timer is not started any more, and the energy saving is further realized.

Further, the first threshold is determined according to an average time taken to perform the first service; alternatively, the first threshold is determined according to a minimum time taken to perform the first service. The time interval can be more accurately judged aiming at the condition that the processing flow aiming at the service is difficult to end because the time interval between the first time and the second time is too short, so that the energy-saving mode is entered at the more accurate time in the process of reducing the energy consumption.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a discontinuous coverage scenario in the prior art;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a communication architecture according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of a first method for initiating a power saving mode in an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a second method for initiating a power-saving mode in an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 5 is a schematic view of an operating scenario of a second method for starting an energy saving mode according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a flow chart of a third method for initiating a power-saving mode in an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an operation scenario of a third method for starting an energy saving mode according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a flow chart of a fourth method for initiating a power-save mode in an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an operation scenario of a fourth method for starting an energy saving mode according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a flow chart of a fifth method for initiating an energy saving mode in an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 12 is a schematic structural diagram of another communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

In the embodiments of the present application, "at least one" means one or more, "a plurality" means two or more. "and/or" describes the association relationship of the associated object, indicating that there may be three relationships, for example, a and/or B, which may indicate: a exists singly, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists singly, wherein A and B can be singular or plural. The character "/" generally indicates that the former and latter associated objects are in an "or" relationship. "at least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of the singular or plural items. For example, at least one (one) of a, b, or c, may represent: a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, or a, b and c, wherein each of a, b, c may itself be an element or a set comprising one or more elements.

In the present application embodiments, "exemplary," "in some embodiments," "in another embodiment," and the like are used to mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. Any embodiment or design described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, the term using examples is intended to present concepts in a concrete fashion.

In the embodiments of the present application, "of", "corresponding" and "corresponding" may be sometimes used in combination, and it should be noted that the intended meaning is consistent when the difference is not emphasized. In the embodiments of the present application, communication and transmission may be mixed sometimes, and it should be noted that the expressed meanings are consistent in a non-emphasized manner. For example, a transmission may include a transmission and/or a reception, may be a noun, and may be a verb.

It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," and the like in the embodiments of the present application are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or order. The technical proposal adopted by the embodiment of the application can be used with more than or equal to the prior art, is suitable for more than or equal to the prior art, and can also be used with less than the prior art, the technical scheme adopted when the ratio is less than the ratio is applicable, and the ratio is not less than the ratio when the ratio is equal to or more than the ratio; when the ratio is equal to or less than the combined ratio, the ratio is not greater than the combined ratio.

Generally, in a satellite communication system, a terminal device may release a connection after finishing a processing procedure for a service, and then start an energy saving mode, thereby saving energy. Specifically, after the terminal device releases the connection, a timer (e.g., T3324) is started. And after the timer finishes timing, namely the timer is overtime, the terminal equipment starts an energy-saving mode.

However, there are discontinuous coverage scenarios in satellite communication systems. That is, when the satellite does not cover the serving cell where the terminal device is located, the terminal device cannot receive the service request, and at this time, power consumption continues, so that the problems of excessive energy consumption and serious resource waste exist.

In the embodiment of the invention, when the terminal equipment releases RRC connection, the timing ending time of the timer is compared with the first time; according to the comparison result, the starting time of the energy-saving mode is determined, the actual signal coverage condition of the terminal equipment can be judged according to the satellite coverage condition, compared with the PSM starting mode in the terrestrial communication system in the prior art, the terminal equipment cannot enter the PSM when the terminal equipment is fixed in the running period of the timer, and by adopting the scheme of the embodiment of the invention, the terminal equipment can enter the PSM in advance according to the step of firstly comparing the coverage ending time of the satellite with the current time and then determining the starting time according to the comparison result when the terminal equipment cannot receive the service request in the running period of the timer, so that the energy consumption is reduced and the resources are saved.

The embodiment of the application can be applied to a satellite communication system. By way of example, fig. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a network architecture of a satellite communication system. As shown in fig. 2, the satellite communication system includes a satellite, a network device and a terminal device. The satellite is used for providing service for the terminal equipment, and communication can be carried out between the satellite and the terminal equipment under the condition that the satellite is located in the coverage area of a service cell of the terminal equipment.

The network device is coupled with the satellite and the terminal device respectively and used for realizing communication between the satellite and the terminal device.

It is noted that the oval area shown by the dashed line in fig. 2 indicates the coverage of the serving cell of the terminal device.

The terminal device according to the embodiment of the present application is a device having a wireless communication function, and may be referred to as a terminal (terminal), a User Equipment (UE), a Mobile Station (MS), a Mobile Terminal (MT), an access terminal device, a vehicle-mounted terminal device, an industrial control terminal device, a UE unit, a UE station, a mobile station, a remote terminal device, a mobile device, a UE terminal device, a wireless communication device, a UE agent, a UE apparatus, or the like. The terminal device may be fixed or mobile. It should be noted that the terminal device may support at least one wireless communication technology, such as LTE, new Radio (NR), and the like. For example, the terminal device may be a mobile phone (mobile phone), a tablet (pad), a desktop, a notebook, a kiosk, a vehicle-mounted terminal, a Virtual Reality (VR) terminal device, an Augmented Reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal in industrial control (industrial control), a wireless terminal in self driving, a wireless terminal in remote surgery (remote management), a wireless terminal in smart grid (smart grid), a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in city (city), a wireless terminal in smart home (smart home), a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (wireless local, local) phone, a wireless personal station (wldi), a wireless terminal with a function of being connected to a wireless network, a mobile phone with a function, a wireless communication network, a wireless communication terminal with a function in future, a mobile communication terminal with a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), or other mobile network, a mobile communication device with a function, a wireless network, a wireless communication terminal with a function in future, or a mobile network. In some embodiments of the present application, the terminal device may also be an apparatus having a transceiving function, such as a system-on-chip. The chip system may include a chip and may also include other discrete devices.

In this embodiment, the network device is a device that provides a wireless communication function for the terminal device, and may also be referred to as a Radio Access Network (RAN) device or an access network element. Therein, the network device may support at least one wireless communication technology, such as LTE, NR, etc. By way of example, network devices include, but are not limited to: a next generation base station (generation node B, gNB), an evolved node B (eNB), a Radio Network Controller (RNC), a Node B (NB), a Base Station Controller (BSC), a Base Transceiver Station (BTS), a home base station (e.g., home node B or home node B, HNB), a base band unit (base unit, TRP), a base transceiver point (bbitting and listening point), a Transmission Point (TP), a mobile switching center, etc., in a fifth generation mobile communication system (5 th-generation, 5G). The network device may also be a wireless controller, a Centralized Unit (CU), and/or a Distributed Unit (DU) in a Cloud Radio Access Network (CRAN) scenario, or the access network device may be a relay station, an access point, a vehicle-mounted device, a terminal device, a wearable device, and an access network device in future mobile communication or an access network device in a PLMN for future evolution, and the like. In some embodiments, the network device may also be an apparatus, such as a system-on-chip, having functionality to provide wireless communication for the terminal device. For example, a system of chips may include chips and may include other discrete devices.

In some embodiments, the network device may also communicate with an Internet Protocol (IP) network, such as the Internet (Internet), a private IP network, or other data network.

The satellite in the embodiment of the present application may be a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite, and may also be a high Earth Orbit (GEO) satellite.

Fig. 2 is merely an example of a network architecture of a satellite communication system, and does not limit the network architecture of the satellite communication system according to the embodiment of the present application. For example, the number of satellites, the number of network devices, and the number of terminal devices in the satellite communication system are not limited in this embodiment. For another example, in the embodiment of the present application, there is no limitation on the specific shape of the coverage area of the serving cell.

The method for starting the power saving mode according to the embodiment of the present application will be described in detail with reference to the communication system shown in fig. 2.

As shown in fig. 3, which is a flowchart of a method for starting an energy saving mode according to an embodiment of the present invention, the method specifically includes the following steps:

step S21: the terminal device releases Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection.

For example, after the terminal device finishes the processing procedure for the service, the satellite may send an RRC release message to the terminal device to trigger the terminal device to release the RRC connection, and the satellite also releases the RRC connection. Further, in some embodiments, the terminal device may release the RRC connection after receiving the RRC release message of the satellite.

Step S22: and the terminal equipment starts the energy-saving mode according to the first time and the second time.

The first time is the ending time of a first time interval, the first time interval is the time interval in which a satellite for providing service for the terminal device is located within the coverage area of a first cell, the first cell is the service cell of the terminal device, and the second time is the time for releasing the RRC connection.

It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present application, the first time may also be understood as a time when the satellite moves out of the serving cell of the terminal device.

In the embodiment of the invention, the terminal equipment starts the energy-saving mode according to the first time and the second time, and can make the terminal equipment enter the PSM during the running period of the timer aiming at the condition that the terminal equipment possibly cannot receive the service request during the running period of the timer, thereby being beneficial to reducing energy consumption and saving resources.

Further, in some embodiments, the terminal device may obtain the first time by:

the first method is as follows: the satellite may indicate the first time to the terminal device by broadcasting a message. In this case, the broadcast message is used to indicate the first time instant. Namely, after receiving the broadcast message, the terminal device determines the first time according to the broadcast message. The method and the device are not only convenient for the terminal equipment to obtain the first moment, but also beneficial to improving the accuracy and the reliability of the terminal equipment for obtaining the first moment.

In some examples, the satellite may periodically transmit a broadcast message to terminal devices within the covered serving cell indicating the first time of day.

The above is merely an example of triggering the satellite to indicate the first time to the terminal device through the broadcast message, and does not constitute a limitation to the embodiment of the present application, and in the embodiment of the present application, the satellite may be triggered to indicate the first time to the terminal device through the broadcast message in other ways.

It should be noted that the satellite indicating the first time to the terminal device through the broadcast message may be a satellite located in a coverage area of a serving cell of the terminal device.

The second method comprises the following steps: the satellite may indicate the first time to the terminal device through ephemeris information (ephemeris information). In this case, the ephemeris message is used to indicate the first time instant. Namely, after the terminal device receives the ephemeris message, the first time is determined according to the ephemeris message. The method and the device for acquiring the first time by the terminal equipment are beneficial to simplifying the mode of acquiring the first time by the terminal equipment and improving the accuracy and reliability of acquiring the first time by the terminal equipment.

In some examples, the terminal device may obtain ephemeris information from the network device.

The above is merely an example that the satellite triggers to indicate the first time to the terminal device through the ephemeris information, and does not limit the embodiment of the present application.

It should be noted that the satellite indicating the first time by the ephemeris information may be a plurality of satellites, including not only the satellite covering the serving cell, but also one or more other satellites.

With reference to the specific example, a detailed description is given below of a specific implementation manner of the start mode of the terminal device according to the first time and the second time.

Example one:

as shown in fig. 4, a schematic flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application specifically includes the following steps:

step S31, the terminal device releases the RRC connection.

For step S31, reference may be made to the related description in step S21, and details are not repeated here.

In step S32, the terminal device starts a timer.

The timing duration of the timer is the duration between the terminal equipment releasing the RRC connection and starting the energy-saving mode. For example, the timing duration of the timer may be 0ms, 1000ms, 2000ms, 4000ms, 8000ms, 16000ms, or the like, which may be predefined by a protocol, or may be indicated by a network device or a satellite, which is not limited herein. In some embodiments, the timer in the embodiments of the present application may be T3324. Time duration between

And step S33, if the timing ending time of the timer is behind the first time, the terminal equipment closes the timer when the timer runs to the first time, and starts an energy-saving mode at the first time.

For the first time, reference may be made to the related description in the foregoing, and details are not repeated here.

For example, as shown in fig. 5, T1 is a time interval in which the satellite 1 is located within the coverage of the serving cell of the terminal device, and T2 is a time interval in which the satellite 2 is located within the coverage of the serving cell of the terminal device. Time T11 is the start of time interval T1 and time T12 is the end of time interval T1. Time T21 is the start of time interval T2 and time T22 is the end of time interval T2. T0 is the timing duration of the timer, T1 is the timing ending time of the timer, and T2 is the timing starting time of the timer.

The time t1 is located after the time t 12. That is, if the terminal device releases the RRC connection at time t2, the timer is started. And when the timer runs to the time t12, the timer is closed, and the energy-saving mode is started.

As shown in fig. 5, no satellite is located within the coverage area of the serving cell of the terminal device in the time interval between time t12 and time t21, that is, the terminal device cannot communicate with the satellite in the time interval between time t12 and time t 21.

Further, in some embodiments, a time interval between a first time and a second time is greater than a first threshold, the second time being a time at which the RRC connection is released. That is, when the time interval between the first time and the second time is greater than the first threshold, if the timing end time of the timer is located after the first time, the terminal device closes the timer when the timer runs to the first time, and starts the energy saving mode at the first time.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the energy saving mode is started at the first time only when the time interval between the first time and the second time is greater than the first threshold, and the energy saving mode is started at the first time only when the terminal device releases the RRC connection very early and the time interval between the first time and the second time is large.

Further, the method may further include: the terminal equipment receives first indication information from network equipment, wherein the first indication information is used for indicating the first threshold value.

Specifically, the sending mode of the first indication information may be selected from: broadcast, multicast, and unicast.

In the embodiment of the present invention, a specific transmission manner of the first indication information may not be limited.

Specifically, the network device may send the first indication information through dedicated signaling or send the first indication information through system message broadcasting.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the specific signaling sent by the network device may not be limited.

It is noted that the execution subject of determining the first threshold is a network device.

Further, the first threshold is determined according to an average time taken to perform the first service; or, the first threshold is determined according to the minimum time consumption for executing the first service; wherein the first service is initiated by the satellite to the terminal device or initiated by the terminal device to the satellite.

Wherein, the smaller the average time consumption for executing the first service is, the smaller the first threshold is; the larger the average elapsed time to perform the first service, the larger the first threshold.

As a non-limiting example, if the first service is a service that takes a shorter time, such as reporting measurement data, the first threshold may be considered to be smaller.

In the embodiment of the present invention, for a situation that the terminal device may also receive the service request during the running period of the timer, by using the smaller first threshold, in most cases, the time interval between the first time and the second time is greater than the first threshold, which is beneficial to the terminal device waiting for the first time to restart the energy saving mode.

It can be understood that, if the first service is a service consuming a lot of time, such as a call, a video, and the like, the first threshold may be considered to be larger, so that in most cases, the time interval between the first time and the second time is not greater than the first threshold, and thus the terminal device starts the energy saving mode by using other schemes in the embodiment of the present invention.

The time interval between the first time and the second time may be obtained by calculation, for example, by calculating a difference between the time of releasing the RRC connection and the time of leaving the serving cell by the coverage of the satellite 1.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the first threshold is determined according to an average time consumed for executing the first service; or, the first threshold is determined according to the minimum consumed time for executing the first service, and the time interval can be determined more accurately for a situation that the processing flow for the service is difficult to end due to the too short time interval, so that in the process of saving energy consumption from the connection releasing time of the terminal device to the ending time of the timer, the accuracy is effectively improved, and the phenomenon that the completed service request is missed due to the fact that the terminal device enters the energy saving mode in advance due to wrong determination is avoided.

Example two:

as shown in fig. 6, a schematic flow chart of another communication method according to the embodiment of the present application specifically includes the following steps:

step S51, the terminal device releases the RRC connection.

For step S51, reference may be made to the related description in step S21, and details are not repeated here.

Step S52, if the first time is the time of releasing the RRC connection, the terminal device starts the energy saving mode at the first time.

For the first time, reference may be made to the description in fig. 3, which is not described herein again.

Further, in some embodiments, if the first time is a time when the RRC connection is released, the terminal device starts the power saving mode at the first time, and keeps the timer off. By the technical scheme, the energy-saving mode can be started without depending on the timer, and the timer can not be started any more under the condition that the first moment is the moment of releasing the RRC connection, so that further energy saving is facilitated.

It should be noted that the terminal device keeps the timer off, which can be understood as: the terminal device does not start the timer.

For example, as shown in fig. 7, T1 is a time interval in which the satellite 1 is located within the coverage of the serving cell of the terminal device, and T2 is a time interval in which the satellite 2 is located within the coverage of the serving cell of the terminal device. Time T11 is the start of time interval T1 and time T12 is the end of time interval T1. Time T21 is the start of time interval T2 and time T22 is the end of time interval T2. T0 is the timing duration of the timer, T1 is the timing ending time of the timer, and T2 is the timing starting time of the timer.

Here, the time t2 is the same as the time t 12. That is, if the terminal device releases the RRC connection at time t2, the power saving mode is started. Further, the terminal device does not start the timer at time t2, i.e., keeps the timer off.

Example three:

as shown in fig. 8, which is a flowchart of another method for starting an energy saving mode according to an embodiment of the present invention, the method specifically includes the following steps:

step S71, the terminal device releases the RRC connection.

For step S71, reference may be made to the related description of step S21, and details thereof are not repeated here.

Step S72, if the interval between the first time and the second time is less than or equal to the first threshold, the terminal device starts the energy saving mode at the second time.

For the first time and the second time, reference may be made to the related description in the foregoing, and details are not repeated here.

In the embodiment of the application, since the terminal device starts the energy saving mode at the second time when the interval between the first time and the second time is less than or equal to the first threshold, the possibility of starting the energy saving mode when the interval between the first time and the second time is short is reduced, and the energy saving mode is prevented from being started when the interval is not appropriate.

Further, in some embodiments, if the interval between the first time and the second time is less than or equal to the first threshold, the terminal device starts the power saving mode at the second time, and does not start the timer. I.e. keep the timer off. Thereby contributing to further energy saving.

For example, as shown in fig. 9, T1 is a time interval in which the satellite 1 is located within the coverage of the serving cell of the terminal device, and T2 is a time interval in which the satellite 2 is located within the coverage of the serving cell of the terminal device. Time T11 is the start of time interval T1 and time T12 is the end of time interval T1. Time T21 is the start of time interval T2 and time T22 is the end of time interval T2. T0 is the timing duration of the timer, T1 is the timing ending time of the timer, and T2 is the timing starting time of the timer. Δ t1 is the time interval between time t2 and time t 12.

If the terminal device releases the RRC connection at time t2, the terminal device starts the energy saving mode at time t 2. Further, the terminal device keeps the timer off at time t2, i.e. does not start the timer. Therefore, under the condition that the energy-saving mode is started without depending on the timer after calculation, the timer is kept closed, so that the timer can not be started any more, and the energy saving is further realized.

In some embodiments, the first threshold may be indicated to the terminal device by the network device or the satellite, may be predefined by a protocol, or may be determined by the terminal device according to some policy or rule, which is not limited to this.

By way of example, the network device sends first indication information to the terminal device, where the first indication information is used to indicate the first threshold. The terminal device acquires the first threshold value by receiving the first indication information. For example, the network device may send the terminal device by carrying the first indication information in an RRC message or a broadcast message. In the embodiment of the present application, no limitation is imposed on signaling or messages used by the network device to carry the first indication information.

In other embodiments of the present application, the first threshold may be determined according to an average time consumption for executing the first service, or may be determined according to a minimum time consumption for executing the first service. The first service is a service initiated by a satellite to a terminal device, and may also be a service initiated by the terminal device to the satellite.

In a specific implementation, the average consumed time or the minimum consumed time may be determined by counting the consumed times of a plurality of first services in a period of time, for example, an average value of the consumed times of all the first services in a month is recorded as the average consumed time, and a minimum value of the consumed times of each first service in a month is recorded as the minimum consumed time.

Furthermore, the minimum time consumption and/or the average time consumption may be determined by the terminal device and then reported to the network device, and the average time consumption and/or the minimum time consumption may be determined by the network device and then the determination result is notified to the terminal device and the satellite.

In some embodiments of the present application, the first threshold may be determined according to the average and/or minimum consumed time of the first service based on the following:

for example, the average time consumption and/or the minimum time consumption of the first service is directly used as the first threshold, or multiplied by a certain proportion to be used as the first threshold, or the first threshold is determined based on the average time consumption and/or the minimum time consumption of the first service and a certain time offset, for example, the first threshold is the sum of the average time consumption and/or the minimum time consumption of the first service and the time offset.

Further, the terminal device may determine the first threshold according to the average consumed time and/or the minimum consumed time of the first service, and then report the first threshold to the network device, or the network device may determine the first threshold according to the average consumed time and/or the minimum consumed time of the first service, and then send the first indication information to the terminal device to indicate the first threshold.

Specifically, the network device or the terminal device may determine the average elapsed time from the historical data. Taking the first service as an example of a service with a long time consumption, such as a call, and the like, generally, the call duration is 1 minute to 1 hour, 0.5 hour may be used as the average time consumption, and then the first threshold is determined based on 0.5 hour, for example, the upper limit of the selectable range of the timer, such as 40ms. Taking the first service as an example of a service with a small time consumption, such as a short message, and the like, and the normal transceiving time is 1ms to 100ms, 50ms may be used as the average time consumption, and then the first threshold is determined based on 50ms, for example, the lower limit of the selectable range of the timer.

Compared with the prior art, in the embodiment of the invention, the minimum consumed time of the first service is determined, or the average consumed time of the first service is determined; and determining the starting time of the timer, and enabling the terminal equipment to accurately start the energy-saving mode at the timing ending time of the timer. In the prior art, the timer is started only after the terminal equipment releases connection; according to the technical scheme of the embodiment of the invention, the terminal equipment can enter a connection releasing state at a proper time when the determined minimum time consumption of the first service or the average time consumption of the first service is determined, and the timer is started for timing, so that the terminal equipment starts the energy-saving mode at an accurate time.

In this embodiment, the network device or the terminal device may also determine the first threshold based on other manners, which is not limited herein.

In other embodiments of the present application, if an interval between the first time and the second time is greater than a first threshold, the terminal device starts a timer; if the timing end time of the timer is located after the first time, the terminal equipment closes the timer when the timer runs to the first time, and starts the energy-saving mode at the first time.

Example four:

as shown in fig. 10, which is a flowchart of another method for starting an energy saving mode according to an embodiment of the present invention, specifically includes the following steps:

step S91, the terminal device releases the RRC connection.

For step S91, reference may be made to the related description of step S21, which is not described herein again.

Step S92, if the interval between the first time and the second time is greater than the second threshold, the terminal device starts a timer.

And step S93, if the timing ending time of the timer is behind a first time, the terminal equipment closes the timer when the timer runs to the first time, and starts an energy-saving mode at the first time.

In the embodiment of the application, in the case that the interval between the first time and the second time is greater than the second threshold and the timing end time of the timer is after the first time, the terminal device starts the energy saving mode when the timer runs to the first time, so that the terminal device is helpful to start the energy saving mode when the interval between the first time and the second time is long.

For the second threshold, reference may be made to the related description of the first threshold in example three, and details are not repeated here. The first threshold and the second threshold may be the same or different. In the case where the first threshold and the second threshold are different, the network device or the satellite may indicate to the terminal device through the same signaling, or different signaling.

For example, as shown in fig. 9, Δ t1 is greater than the second threshold, and if the terminal device releases the RRC connection at time t2, the terminal device starts the timer at time t2, and turns off the timer when the timer runs to time t12, and starts the energy saving mode at time t12, thereby helping to reduce the possibility of starting the energy saving mode in a case where the interval between the first time and the second time is short, and helping to avoid starting the energy saving mode at an inappropriate time.

For the time t2, the time t12, and the Δ t1, reference may be made to the related description in example three, and details are not repeated here.

The above embodiments may be used alone or in combination with one another to achieve different technical effects.

Referring to fig. 11, fig. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The communication device may include:

a releasing module 101, configured to release the RRC connection;

a timer starting module 102, configured to start a timer;

the energy saving starting module 103 is configured to, if the timing end time of the timer is located after a first time, close the timer when the timer runs to the first time, and start an energy saving mode at the first time;

the first time is the end time of a first time interval, the first time interval is a time interval in which a satellite for providing service for the communication device is located within the coverage of a first cell, and the first cell is the serving cell of the communication device.

For the principle, specific implementation and beneficial effects of the communication apparatus, reference is made to the foregoing description related to the method for starting the energy saving mode, and details are not repeated here.

Referring to fig. 12, fig. 12 is a schematic structural diagram of another communication device 120 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The further communication device 120 comprises a memory 121 and a processor 122, wherein the memory 121 stores a computer program thereon, and the processor 122 runs the computer program, so that the communication device 120 performs the above method.

As shown, the communication device 120 includes at least one processor 122 and at least one memory 121, the at least one processor 122 and the at least one memory 121 for storing computer programs and/or data. The memory 121 is coupled to the processor 122. The processor 122 is used for operating the computer programs and/or data stored in the memory 121 to implement the aforementioned communication method. The coupling in the embodiments of the present application is a spaced coupling or communication connection between devices, units or modules, and may be in an electrical, mechanical or other form, and is used for information interaction between the devices, units or modules. As another implementation, the memory 121 may also be located outside the communication device 120. The processor 122 may operate in conjunction with the memory 121. Processor 122 may execute computer programs stored in memory 121. At least one of the at least one memory 121 may be included in the processor 122.

In some embodiments, communications apparatus 120 may also include a communications interface 123, communications interface 123 for communicating with other devices over a transmission medium, such that modules used in communications apparatus 120 may communicate with other devices. Illustratively, the communication interface 123 may be a transceiver, circuit, bus, module, or other type of communication interface 123.

The connection medium between the communication interface 123, the processor 122, and the memory 121 is not limited in the embodiment of the present application. For example, in the embodiment of the present application, the memory 121 and the communication interface 123 are both connected to the processor 122. Of course, in the embodiment of the present application, the memory 121, the communication interface 123, and the processor 122 may also be connected through a bus, and the bus may be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, and the like.

In the embodiments of the present application, the processor 122 may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, or a discrete hardware component, and may implement or execute the methods, steps, and logic blocks disclosed in the embodiments of the present application. The general purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor or the like. The steps of a method disclosed in connection with the embodiments of the present application may be embodied directly in a hardware processor, or in a combination of hardware and software modules within the processor 122.

In this embodiment, the memory 121 may be a non-volatile memory, such as a hard disk drive (H DD) or a solid-state drive (SSD), and may also be a volatile memory (RAM), for example. The memory 121 is any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto. The memory 121 in the embodiments of the present application may also be a circuit or any other device capable of realizing a storage function, and is used for storing computer programs and/or data.

The method provided by the embodiment of the present application may be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, may 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. The procedures or functions according to the embodiments of the present invention are wholly or partially generated when the computer program is loaded and executed on a computer. The computer may be a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a computer network, a network appliance, a user device, or other programmable apparatus. The computer program may 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 may be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center by wire (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital Subscriber Line (DSL)), or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.). The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device, such as a server, a data center, etc., that incorporates one or more of the available media. The usable medium may be a magnetic medium (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., a Digital Video Disk (DVD)), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., an SSD), among others. Embodiments of the present invention further provide a readable storage medium, on which a computer program is stored, where the computer program is executed by a processor, and the method is implemented. The readable storage medium may be a computer readable storage medium, and may include, for example, a non-volatile (non-volatile) or non-transitory (non-transitory) memory, and may further include an optical disc, a mechanical hard disk, a solid state hard disk, and the like.

Embodiments of the present invention further provide a readable storage medium, on which a computer program is stored, where the computer program is executed by a processor, and the computer program executes the steps of the above method. The readable storage medium may be a computer-readable storage medium, and may include, for example, non-volatile (non-volatile) or non-transitory (non-transitory) memory, and may also include optical disks, mechanical hard disks, solid state hard disks, and the like.

The embodiment of the present invention further provides a terminal device, which includes a memory and a processor, where the memory stores a computer program capable of running on the processor, and the processor executes the steps of the method when running the computer program. The terminal device includes, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a computer, a tablet computer, and other terminal devices.

Specifically, the terminal device in this embodiment may refer to various forms of User Equipment (UE), an access terminal, a subscriber unit, a subscriber station, a Mobile Station (MS), a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a user terminal, a terminal device (terminal device), a wireless communication device, a user agent, or a user equipment. The terminal device may also be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a Wireless Local Loop (WLL) station, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a handheld device with a Wireless communication function, a computing device or other processing device connected to a Wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a terminal device in a future 5G Network or a terminal device in a future evolved Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), and the like, which is not limited in this embodiment.

The network device in the embodiment of the present invention refers to a communication network providing communication services for a terminal device, and includes a base station of a radio access network, a base station controller of the radio access network, and a device on a core network side.

Although the present invention is disclosed above, the present invention is not limited thereto. Various changes and modifications may be effected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method of initiating a power saving mode, the method comprising:

the terminal equipment releases RRC connection;

the terminal equipment starts a timer;

if the timing end time of the timer is located after the first time, the terminal equipment closes the timer when the timer runs to the first time, and starts an energy-saving mode at the first time;

the first time is the ending time of a first time interval, the first time interval is a time interval in which a satellite for providing service for the terminal device is located within the coverage area of a first cell, and the first cell is the serving cell of the terminal device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a time interval between the first time and a second time is greater than a first threshold, and wherein the second time is a time when the RRC connection is released.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

and if the interval between the first moment and the second moment is less than or equal to a first threshold value, the terminal equipment starts an energy-saving mode at the second moment.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

and the terminal equipment keeps the timer closed.

5. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, further comprising:

the terminal equipment receives first indication information from network equipment, wherein the first indication information is used for indicating the first threshold value.

6. The method according to any of claims 2 to 5, wherein the first threshold is determined from an average elapsed time for performing the first service; or, the first threshold is determined according to the minimum time consumption for executing the first service;

wherein the first service is initiated by the satellite to the terminal device or initiated by the terminal device to the satellite.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising:

the terminal equipment receives a broadcast message, wherein the broadcast message contains information used for indicating the first moment; alternatively, the first and second electrodes may be,

and the terminal equipment receives ephemeris information, wherein the ephemeris information comprises information used for indicating the first moment.

8. A communications apparatus, comprising:

a release module for releasing the RRC connection;

the timer starting module is used for starting the timer;

the energy-saving starting module is used for closing the timer when the timer runs to a first moment if the timing ending moment of the timer is behind the first moment, and starting an energy-saving mode at the first moment;

9. A readable storage medium, on which a computer program is stored, which, when being executed by a processor, carries out the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

10. A communication apparatus, comprising a memory having a computer program stored thereon and a processor that runs the computer program to cause the communication apparatus to perform the method of any of claims 1 to 7.