CN117014054A

CN117014054A - Method for determining feed satellite and network equipment

Info

Publication number: CN117014054A
Application number: CN202210453836.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 党浩瑞; 赵永利; 李�浩
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2022-04-27
Filing date: 2022-04-27
Publication date: 2023-11-07

Abstract

The application provides a method for determining a feed satellite and network equipment, which are applied to the field of satellite communication and comprise the following steps: determining the number of neighbor links, visible time length and connection relation among the feed satellites in the feed satellite set, determining a first alternative set according to the number of neighbor links and the connection relation, wherein the first alternative set comprises m first feed satellites with the number reaching a preset requirement, determining n first feed satellites according to the number of m neighbor links and the m visible time length, and the n first feed satellites are used for establishing feed links with a target ground station. In the application, the number of neighbor links is used as a heavy constraint, the visible time length is used as a double constraint, the first alternative set is firstly determined through the double constraint, and then the feed links are established between n first feed satellites and the ground station, so that the congestion degree of the feed satellite area is reduced, the service capacity of the satellite network is improved, and more services are effectively converged on the ground station for forwarding through the feed links.

Description

Method for determining feed satellite and network equipment

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of satellite communications technologies, and in particular, to a method for determining a feeder satellite and a network device.

Background

With the development of satellite communication technology, the acquisition and transmission of information by using satellites is an important means of modern information networks, especially the transmission of information by relaying satellites or by using satellite networking, which is more beneficial to the acquisition and transmission of information in real time. And the large-scale satellite networking is one of solutions for the high-flow communication requirement at present. The large-scale satellite networking can perform mass service convergence and dispersion, can flow to the feed satellites through inter-satellite links, and then is transmitted to the ground station through the feed links, and service traffic can be accumulated in the area of the feed satellites due to the aggregation of the feed satellites of the ground station and the bandwidth constraint of the inter-satellite links. Meanwhile, the satellite network also has high dynamic characteristics different from the ground network, and the high frequency of the feed link is not quite as great as the pressure on the routing control function, the service scheduling function and the signaling configuration function. Therefore, it is important to solve the problem of traffic aggregation in the feed satellite area and frequent construction and disassembly of the feed links in the large-scale satellite networking.

Currently, the existing related technologies are mainly divided into three types: 1) The maximum service time algorithm is based on the following ideas: at the initial time of the ground station networking, a feeder satellite with the longest visible time window is selected, and when the feeder satellite reaches the end time of the visible time window and is invisible to the ground station, the feeder satellite with the longest visible time window is selected from the feeder satellites which do not establish a feeder link at the current time. 2) The minimum switching times algorithm based on the graph has the following ideas: and establishing a network directed graph according to the visible relation between the feed satellite and the ground station, and converting the maximum service time algorithm into the shortest path or the minimum hop count problem in the directed graph, thereby obtaining the link graph with the minimum switching times. On the basis, the feed link planning is converted into the minimum cost/maximum flow problem in the directed graph, and the optimality of the calculation result is ensured theoretically. 3) Minimum route update frequency algorithm since switching feeder links can result in route update and resource consumption and delay variation, and the route needs to be recalculated once when switching one or more feeder links, a minimum route update frequency algorithm is proposed to reduce the frequency of route update. The idea of the algorithm is: the switching of multiple feeder links is combined within the same time period, thereby reducing the frequency of route updates.

However, although the above algorithm 1 and algorithm 2 reduce the number of times of switching the feeder link, the condition of traffic aggregation in the feeder satellite region is not considered; although the above algorithm 3 reduces the frequency of route update, the corresponding cost is that the satellites switch in advance in the visible range to increase the number of times of switching to see the satellites, and in some application scenarios, reducing the frequency of route update is more important than reducing the number of link switches.

Disclosure of Invention

In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for determining a feeder satellite, which may be used in the technical field of satellite communications, where the method includes: first, the network device determines the number of neighbor links for each of the satellites in the set of satellites, the visible duration of each of the satellites, and the connection relationship between the satellites. The feed satellite set refers to a set of feed satellites of a current target ground station in a visible range, the neighbor links are inter-satellite links connected with other feed satellites outside the feed satellite set in a plurality of inter-satellite links of the feed satellites in the feed satellite set, and the number of the neighbor links can be deduced based on the connection relation among the feed satellites. And then, the network equipment determines a first alternative set according to the obtained number of neighbor links and the connection relation, wherein the first alternative set comprises m (m is more than or equal to 1) first feed satellites with the number of the neighbor links reaching preset requirements (such as maximum value, preset value and the like), and every two first feed satellites are not connected. And finally, the network equipment determines n first feed satellites according to the m neighbor link numbers and m visible time lengths, wherein the m neighbor link numbers are the neighbor link numbers corresponding to the m first feed satellites in the first alternative set, the m visible time lengths are the visible time lengths corresponding to the m first feed satellites in the first alternative set, n (n is more than or equal to 1) first feed satellites are used for establishing feed links with the target ground station, and n is the connection number supporting establishment of feed links, namely the number of unconnected antennas of the target ground station.

In the above embodiment of the present application, the number of neighbor links of the satellites is taken as a double constraint, the visible duration of the satellites is taken as a double constraint, a first candidate set is determined from the set of satellites through the double constraint, and then the n first satellites and the ground station are determined to establish the feeder links based on the first candidate set. The application selects proper feed satellites from the feed satellite set to establish the feed link in a double constraint mode, thereby reducing the congestion degree of the feed satellite area, improving the service capacity of the satellite network and effectively enabling more services to be converged on the ground station for forwarding through the feed link.

In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, since the values of m and n may be different, the manner of determining n first satellites according to the number of m neighbor links and m visible durations is also different. In the case of m > n, the network device selects n first satellites from the first candidate set according to the number of m neighbor links and m visible time lengths.

In the above embodiment of the present application, since the number of the first satellites in the first alternative set is enough to establish connection with the unconnected antenna of the target ground station, the network device only needs to determine n first satellites based on the number of m neighbor links and m visible durations, which is practicable.

In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, in case m < n, the network device may first determine the satellites having a connection relation with the first satellites as the second satellites in the second alternative set. And deleting the first feed satellite included in the first alternative set and the second feed satellite included in the second alternative set from the feed satellite set, so as to obtain an updated feed satellite set, judging whether the updated feed satellite set is non-empty, and taking the updated feed satellite set as a new feed satellite set under the condition that the updated feed satellite set is non-empty, and repeatedly executing the steps of determining the number of neighbor links of the feed satellites in the feed satellite set, the visible time length of the feed satellites and the connection relation among different feed satellites and the following steps until the new m is more than or equal to n. And determining n first satellites from a new first candidate set, where the new m is the number of first satellites included in the new first candidate set, and the new first candidate set includes the first satellites in the first candidate set obtained in each round.

In the above embodiment of the present application, if m is less than n, it is indicated that the number of the first satellites in the first candidate set is not enough to establish connection with all the unconnected antennas of the target ground station, and at this time, the operation is repeated until the number m of the first satellites in the first candidate set is greater than or equal to n, so that the determined first satellites are dispersed in the satellite network as much as possible, so as to achieve the purpose of flow equalization, where the situation is applicable to the situation that the satellites in the first candidate set have more satellites.

In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, since the new m may be equal to n or may be greater than n, in a case where the new m > n, the manner in which the network device determines n first satellites from the new first candidate set may be: n first satellites are selected from the new first candidate set based on the new m number of neighbor links and the new m number of visible time durations.

In the above embodiment of the present application, since the number of the first satellites in the new first candidate set is enough to establish connection with the unconnected antenna of the target ground station, the network device only needs to determine n first satellites based on the new number of m neighbor links and the new m visible durations, which has realizability.

In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, in a case of a new m=n, the manner in which the network device determines n first satellites from the new first candidate set may then be: all of the first satellites in the new first candidate set are determined to be the n first satellites.

In the above embodiment of the present application, since the number of the first satellites in the new first candidate set is just the same as the number of unconnected antennas of the target ground station, comparison based on the number of neighbor links and the visible time length is not needed, and all the first satellites in the new first candidate set are directly used for establishing the feeder links with the target ground station, so that steps of mutual comparison are reduced, and the running time of the network device is saved.

In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, in the case of m < n, the network device may also first determine the satellites having a connection relation with the first satellites as the second satellites in the second alternative set. And deleting the first feed satellite included in the first alternative set and the second feed satellite included in the second alternative set from the feed satellite set, so as to obtain an updated feed satellite set, judging whether the updated feed satellite set is non-empty, and taking the updated feed satellite set as a new feed satellite set under the condition that the updated feed satellite set is non-empty, and repeating the steps of determining the number of neighbor links of the feed satellites in the feed satellite set, the visible time length of the feed satellites and the connection relation among different feed satellites and the following steps until the last updated feed satellite set is empty. And under the condition that the new m is less than n, selecting n-m second feed satellites from the new second feed satellites to be added into the new first alternative set according to the number of neighbor links and the visible time length corresponding to the second feed satellites in the new second alternative set (m in the n-m is new m), so as to obtain an updated first alternative set, wherein the number of the feed satellites in the updated first alternative set is n. And finally determining all the satellites in the updated first alternative set as n first satellites.

In the above embodiment of the present application, if m < n, the repeating is performed until the last updated satellite set is empty. If the new m is still smaller than n, n-m joining the first candidate set is selected from the new second candidate set. The application uses the number of neighbor links as a heavy constraint, uses the visible time length as a double constraint, and selects n-m second feed satellites from the new second alternative set through the double constraint, thereby having flexibility.

In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, according to the number of neighbor links and the visible duration corresponding to each of the second satellites included in the new second candidate set, the manner in which the network device selects n-m second satellites to join the new first candidate set may be: arranging the second satellites included in the new second candidate set according to the sequence from large to small according to the values of the number of the neighbor links, arranging the second satellites with the same values of the number of the neighbor links according to the sequence from large to small according to the values of the visible time length, and adding the first n-m second satellites from the arranged second satellites into the new first candidate set.

In the above embodiment of the present application, a specific manner of selecting n-m second satellites is illustrated, and the following principle is followed: the number of the neighbor links is preferably selected to be large, and if the number of the neighbor links is the same, the visible time length is preferably selected to be longer. The number of neighbor links is used as a heavy constraint, and the scattered position layout of the feed satellites is fully considered to achieve the purpose of flow balance; the visible duration is used as a double constraint, and the function is to select the feed satellite with longer satellite-to-ground link duration when the number of neighbor links is the same so as to reduce the switching times of the feed link.

In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, in the case of m=n, the network device determines all the first satellites in the first candidate set as n first satellites.

In the above embodiment of the present application, since the number of the first satellites in the first alternative set is just the same as the number of unconnected antennas of the target ground station, comparison based on the number of neighbor links and the visible time length is not needed, and all the first satellites in the first alternative set are directly used for establishing the feeder links with the target ground station, so that steps of mutual comparison are reduced, and the running time of the network device is saved.

In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, in a case where m > n, the specific manner in which the network device selects n first satellites from the first candidate set according to the m number of neighbor links and the m visible durations may be: the m first feed satellites in the first alternative set are arranged in a sequence from large to small according to the values of the number of the neighbor links, the first feed satellites with the same values of the number of the neighbor links are arranged in a sequence from large to small according to the values of the visible time length, and the first n feed satellites are taken as the n first feed satellites from the arranged first feed satellites.

In the above embodiment of the present application, a specific manner of selecting n from m first satellites is illustrated, and the following principle is followed: the number of the neighbor links is preferably selected to be large, and if the number of the neighbor links is the same, the visible time length is preferably selected to be longer. The number of neighbor links is used as one heavy constraint, the visible time length is used as double constraint, and the effects of flow equalization and reducing the switching times of the feed links are achieved through the double constraint.

In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the manner in which the network device determines the first alternative set according to the number of neighbor links and the connection relationship may be: at least one feed satellite with the maximum neighbor link number value is selected from the feed satellite set, and under the condition that at least two feed satellites with the maximum neighbor link number value exist and a connection relationship exists between a first target feed satellite and a second target feed satellite, the first target feed satellite is determined to be a first feed satellite in a first alternative set, wherein the visible duration of the first target feed satellite is longer than that of the second target feed satellite, and the first target feed satellite and the second target feed satellite are two feed satellites with the maximum neighbor link number value.

In the above embodiment of the present application, the number of neighbor links is used as a heavy constraint, and the visible duration is used as a double constraint to determine the first feeder satellite, so that the first feeder satellites in the first alternative set are dispersed in the satellite network as much as possible and the visible duration is as long as possible, thereby achieving the purposes of flow equalization and reducing the switching times of the feeder links.

In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the manner in which the network device determines the first alternative set according to the number of neighbor links and the connection relationship may further be: at first, at least one feed satellite with the maximum neighbor link number value is selected from the feed satellite set, and under the condition that at least two feed satellites with the maximum neighbor link number value are selected and no connection relation exists between every two feed satellites, the feed satellite with the maximum neighbor link number value is determined to be the first feed satellite in the first alternative set.

In the above embodiment of the present application, the number of neighbor links is used as a heavy constraint to determine the first satellites, so that the first satellites in the first candidate set are dispersed in the satellite network as far as possible and are not connected to each other, thereby achieving the purpose of flow equalization.

In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the number of connections supporting establishment of the feeder link may be the number of antennas of the target ground station at the initial network establishment time of the target ground station, or the number of antennas of the target ground station that disconnect the feeder link at the time when the feeder link of the target ground station is switched.

In the embodiment of the application, the networking scene and the operation scene of the satellite network are comprehensively considered, and the purpose of high-efficiency and unified feed satellite selection in multiple scenes is realized according to the number of the connectable feed satellites of the target ground station in different scenes.

The second aspect of the present application provides a network device, where the network device includes a first determining module, a second determining module, and a third determining module, where the first determining module is configured to determine a number of neighboring links of a feeder satellite in a feeder satellite set, a visible duration of the feeder satellite, and a connection relationship between the feeder satellites, where the feeder satellite set is a set of feeder satellites visible to a target ground station, and the neighboring links are inter-satellite links connected to other feeder satellites other than the feeder satellite set among a plurality of inter-satellite links of the feeder satellites in the feeder satellite set; the second determining module is used for determining a first alternative set according to the number of neighbor links and the connection relation, wherein the first alternative set comprises m first feed satellites with the number of neighbor links reaching a preset requirement, and the first feed satellites are not connected every two, and m is more than or equal to 1; the third determining module is used for determining n first feed satellites according to the number of m neighbor links and m visible time lengths, wherein the n first feed satellites are used for establishing feed links with a target ground station, the number of m neighbor links is the number of neighbor links corresponding to the m first feed satellites, the m visible time lengths are the visible time lengths corresponding to the m first feed satellites, n is the number of connections supporting establishment of feed links, and n is more than or equal to 1.

In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the third determining module is specifically configured to: in case m > n, n first satellites are selected from the first candidate set according to the number of m neighbor links and m visible time lengths.

In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the third determining module is specifically configured to: under the condition that m is less than n, determining a second alternative set according to the first alternative set, wherein a second feed satellite included in the second alternative set has a connection relation with the first feed satellite; deleting the first feed satellite included in the first alternative set and the second feed satellite included in the second alternative set from the feed satellite set to obtain an updated feed satellite set; and under the condition that the updated feeder satellite set is non-empty, taking the updated feeder satellite set as a new feeder satellite set, and repeatedly executing the steps of determining the number of neighbor links of the feeder satellites in the feeder satellite set, the visible time length of the feeder satellites and the connection relation among different feeder satellites until the new m is more than or equal to n, and determining n first feeder satellites from a new first alternative set, wherein the new m is the number of the first feeder satellites included in the new first alternative set, and the new first alternative set comprises the first feeder satellites in the first alternative set obtained in each round.

In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the third determining module is specifically further configured to: in case of a new m > n, n first satellites are selected from the new first candidate set according to the new number of m neighbor links and the new m visible time lengths.

In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the third determining module is specifically further configured to: in the case of a new m=n, all first satellites in the new first candidate set are determined to be n first satellites.

In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the third determining module is specifically configured to: under the condition that m is less than n, determining a second alternative set according to the first alternative set, wherein a second feed satellite included in the second alternative set has a connection relation with the first feed satellite; deleting the first feed satellite included in the first alternative set and the second feed satellite included in the second alternative set from the feed satellite set to obtain an updated feed satellite set; under the condition that the updated feeder satellite set is non-empty, taking the updated feeder satellite set as a new feeder satellite set, and repeatedly executing the steps of determining the number of neighbor links of the feeder satellites in the feeder satellite set, the visible duration of the feeder satellites and the connection relation among different feeder satellites and the following steps until the feeder satellite set updated last time is empty; under the condition that the new m is less than n, according to the number of neighbor links and the visible time length corresponding to each second feed satellite included in the new second alternative set, selecting n-m second feed satellites from the new second alternative set to be added into the new first alternative set to obtain an updated first alternative set, wherein the new m is the number of first feed satellites included in the new first alternative set, the new first alternative set comprises the first feed satellites in the first alternative set obtained in each turn, and the new second alternative set is a set of other feed satellites except the first feed satellites in the visible feed satellites; all satellites in the updated first candidate set are determined to be n first satellites.

In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the third determining module is specifically further configured to: arranging the second feed satellites included in the new second alternative set according to the sequence from large to small according to the values of the number of the neighbor links, and arranging the second feed satellites with the same values of the number of the neighbor links according to the sequence from large to small according to the values of the visible time length; and taking the first n-m second satellites from the arranged second satellites, and adding the first n-m second satellites to the new first candidate set.

In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the third determining module is specifically configured to: in the case of m=n, all the first satellites in the first candidate set are determined to be n first satellites.

In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the third determining module is specifically further configured to: arranging m first feed satellites according to the sequence from big to small according to the values of the number of the neighbor links, and arranging the first feed satellites with the same values of the number of the neighbor links according to the sequence from big to small according to the values of the visible time length; the first n first satellites are taken as n first satellites from the arranged first satellites.

In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the second determining module is specifically configured to: selecting a feed satellite with the maximum neighbor link number value from the feed satellite set; and under the condition that at least two feed satellites with the maximum neighbor link number value exist and a connection relation exists between the first target feed satellite and the second target feed satellite, determining the first target feed satellite as the first feed satellite in the first alternative set, wherein the visible time length of the first target feed satellite is longer than that of the second target feed satellite, and the first target feed satellite and the second target feed satellite are two feed satellites with the maximum neighbor link number value.

In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the second determining module is specifically configured to: selecting a feed satellite with the maximum neighbor link number value from the feed satellite set; and under the condition that at least two feed satellites with the maximum neighbor link number value are arranged and no connection relation exists between every two feed satellites, determining the feed satellite with the maximum neighbor link number value as the first feed satellite in the first alternative set.

In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, supporting the number of connections for establishing the feeder link includes: the method comprises the steps that at the initial networking moment of a target ground station, the number of antennas of the target ground station; or, at the moment when the feeder link of the target ground station is switched, the target ground station disconnects the number of antennas of the feeder link.

A third aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides a network device, which may include a memory, a processor, and a bus system, where the memory is configured to store a program, and the processor is configured to call the program stored in the memory to perform the method of the first aspect or any one of the possible implementation manners of the first aspect of the embodiments of the present application.

A fourth aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides a computer readable storage medium having instructions stored therein which, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of the first aspect or any one of the possible implementations of the first aspect.

A fifth aspect of an embodiment of the application provides a computer program which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method of the first aspect or any one of the possible implementations of the first aspect.

A sixth aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides a chip comprising at least one processor and at least one interface circuit coupled to the processor, the at least one interface circuit for performing a transceiving function and sending instructions to the at least one processor, the at least one processor for running a computer program or instructions having a function of implementing a method as described above in the first aspect or any of the possible implementations of the first aspect, or having a function of implementing a method as described above in the second aspect or any of the possible implementations of the second aspect, the function being implemented in hardware, or in software, or in a combination of hardware and software, the hardware or software comprising one or more modules corresponding to the function. In addition, the interface circuit is configured to communicate with other modules outside the chip, for example, the interface circuit may send the first alternative set obtained by the on-chip processor to the corresponding target ground station, and the corresponding target ground station plans the connection mode of the feeder link.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a network scenario provided in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 2 is a schematic flow chart of a method for determining a feeder satellite according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an example of a satellite feed marker according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a process repeatedly performed until a new m.gtoreq.n according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a process repeatedly performed until the last updated set of satellites is empty according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 6 is another flow chart of a method for determining a feeder satellite according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a specific implementation of ordering satellites according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of an example of a satellite feed ordering according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of an example of a sorted set of satellites according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 10 is a schematic diagram of an example of selecting n feeder links to be established from a sorted set of feeder satellites according to an embodiment of the present application;

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

Fig. 12 is another schematic structural diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

The embodiment of the application provides a method for determining a feed satellite and network equipment, which are used for taking the number of neighbor links of the feed satellite as a heavy constraint, taking the visible duration of the feed satellite as a double constraint, determining a first alternative set from a feed satellite set through the double constraint, and then determining n first feed satellites and a ground station to establish feed links based on the first alternative set. The application selects proper feed satellites from the feed satellite set to establish the feed link in a double constraint mode, thereby reducing the congestion degree of the feed satellite area, improving the service capacity of the satellite network and effectively enabling more services to be converged on the ground station for forwarding through the feed link.

It is to be understood that the terms "first," "second," "target," and the like, as used herein, are used solely for the purpose of distinguishing between descriptions and not necessarily for indicating or implying a relative importance or order. In addition, for simplicity and clarity, reference numbers and/or letters are repeated throughout the several figures of the application. Repetition does not indicate a tightly defined relationship between the various embodiments and/or configurations. Furthermore, the terms "comprises," "comprising," and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, system, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to those elements, but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.

For a better understanding of aspects of embodiments of the present application, related terms and concepts that may be related to embodiments of the present application are described below. It should be understood that the related conceptual explanation may be limited by the specific embodiment of the present application, but it is not intended to limit the present application to this specific embodiment, and differences between different embodiments may exist, which is not limited herein.

(1) Feed satellite

A feeder satellite refers to a satellite that has the ability to establish a feeder link with a ground station, and the established satellite-to-ground link is referred to as a feeder link.

(2) Feed satellite set

Refers to the collection of all satellites in view of the ground station. Due to the dynamics of the satellite network, the ground station will constantly select a portion of the satellites in the set to establish a satellite-ground link.

(3) Neighbor links

In the application, the neighbor links refer to the inter-satellite links connected with other feed satellites outside the feed satellite set in a plurality of inter-satellite links of the feed satellite set, namely the inter-satellite links not connected with other feed satellites in the feed satellite set in a plurality of (e.g. 4) inter-satellite links of the feed satellite set, and the number of the inter-satellite links is the number of the neighbor links.

(4) Visible duration

Refers to the duration of time that the feeder satellite establishes satellite-to-ground communication with the ground station.

The method for determining the feed satellite provided by the application can be applied to a network scene schematic diagram shown in fig. 1. As shown in fig. 1, the satellites in the shaded portion of the upper half of fig. 1 represent a set of satellites visible to the ground station, wherein the loading level of the inter-satellite links is represented by different darkness levels. The number of antennas is reduced as much as possible due to the construction cost of the ground station, and the ground station cannot establish satellite-ground links with all satellites. Therefore, if the satellites are deployed too intensively in a certain area of the satellite network, traffic in the area is certainly converged, and thus the risk of network traffic congestion is liable to occur.

Therefore, the application selects proper feed satellites from the feed satellite set to establish the feed link through double constraint of the number of neighbor links and the visible time length, thereby reducing the congestion degree of the feed satellite area, improving the service capacity of the satellite network and effectively enabling more services to be converged on the ground station for forwarding through the feed link.

Referring to fig. 2 specifically, fig. 2 is a schematic flow chart of a method for determining a feeder satellite according to an embodiment of the present application, where the method may include the following steps:

201. And determining the number of neighbor links of the feed satellites in the feed satellite set, the visible duration of the feed satellites and the connection relation among the feed satellites, wherein the feed satellite set is a set of the feed satellites visible to the target ground station, and the neighbor links are inter-satellite links connected with other feed satellites outside the feed satellite set in the feed satellite set.

First, the network device determines the number of neighbor links for each feeder satellite in the set of feeder satellites, the visible duration of each feeder satellite, and the connection relationship between each feeder satellite and other feeder satellites in the set of feeder satellites. The feed satellite set refers to a set of feed satellites of a current ground station (which can be called a target ground station) in a visible range, the neighbor links are inter-satellite links connected with other feed satellites outside the feed satellite set among a plurality of inter-satellite links of the feed satellites in the feed satellite set, and the number of the neighbor links can be deduced based on the connection relation among the feed satellites.

It should be noted that, in some embodiments of the present application, the satellite names may be identified by, but not limited to, the format "{ 'satellite names': and marking the number of neighbor links, the visible time length and the inter-satellite connection relation corresponding to each feeder satellite in the feeder satellite set in a mode of [ the number of neighbor links, the visible time length and the inter-satellite connection relation ]. According to the format marking method, parameters such as the number of neighbor links, the visible duration, the inter-satellite connection relation and the like are marked on the corresponding feed satellite in a dictionary form, so that simple and effective parameter information and calling modes are provided for subsequent work.

For ease of understanding the above-described labeling scheme, reference will be made to fig. 3 for illustration, and it is assumed that the set of satellites visible to the ground station a in the current satellite network includes 8 satellites S1-S8, which can be denoted as the set of satellites S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6, S7, S8. The connection relation of the abstract satellites S1 to S8 is shown in fig. 3, and based on the satellites S1 to S8, the visible duration of each satellite can be calculated (the detailed calculation process is not repeated here); according to the connection relation of the feed satellites S1-S8, the number of neighbor links of each feed satellite can be calculated. Then, the format "{ 'satellite name': the number of neighbor links, the visible time length, [ satellites connected among satellites ] ] } "marks each of the satellites in the set of satellites, and the marking result can be shown in fig. 3.

In the above embodiment of the present application, the network device may be coupled to the target ground station, may be coupled to a feeder satellite in the satellite network, or may be independently deployed on the ground or the satellite network, and the deployment mode and physical form of the network device are not limited.

202. And determining a first alternative set according to the number of the neighbor links and the connection relation, wherein the first alternative set comprises m first feed satellites with the number of the neighbor links reaching a preset requirement, and the first feed satellites are not connected every two.

Then, the network device determines an alternative feed satellite set comprising m feed satellites according to the obtained number of neighbor links and the obtained connection relation, wherein the alternative feed satellite set can be called a first alternative set, m (m is more than or equal to 1) feed satellites in the first alternative set can be called first feed satellites, and the first feed satellites are required to meet the following conditions: the number of neighbor links reaches the preset requirement (such as maximum value, preset value, etc.), and there is no connection between every two links.

It should be noted that, in some embodiments of the present application, the manner in which the network device determines the first alternative set according to the number of neighbor links and the connection relationship may be: at least one feeder satellite with the maximum neighbor link number value is selected from the set of feeder satellites, and then a first candidate set is determined based on the number of the selected at least one feeder satellite, the connection relation between the selected at least one feeder satellite and the selected visible time length. The following description is made for different situations:

(1) The number of satellites having the largest number of neighbor links selected from the set of satellites is 1.

In this case, the satellite having the largest number of neighboring links is directly determined as the first satellite in the first candidate set.

(2) The number of the adjacent links selected from the feed satellite set is the largest.

In this case, it is necessary to further count the inter-satellite connection relationship of a plurality of satellites having the largest number of neighbor links.

If a connection relationship exists between the satellites, determining the satellites with long visible time as the first satellites in the first alternative set, wherein the satellites with long visible time are temporarily not considered. According to the application, through the process, the first feed satellites in the first alternative set are enabled to have no connection relationship with each other, so that the effect of flow balance can be achieved by ensuring that the first feed satellites have no connection relationship with each other (service data cannot be concentrated). In addition, the first feed satellite with longer visible duration is selected from the connection relations, so that the effect of reducing the switching times of the feed links can be achieved.

And if the connection relation between every two satellites does not exist, determining the satellites with the largest neighbor link number value as the first satellites in the first candidate set. In the application, the process can also lead the first feed satellites in the first alternative set to have no connection relationship between every two, thereby achieving the effect of flow balance.

In the embodiment of the application, the definition of the neighbor links is as follows: among a plurality of inter-satellite links of satellites in a set of satellites, inter-satellite links connected to other satellites outside the set of satellites are provided. Therefore, the feed satellite with the maximum neighbor link number value is selected from the feed satellite set, and the scattered position layout of the feed satellite is fully considered to achieve the purpose of flow balance.

To facilitate understanding of the above process of determining the first alternative set, the following description will be given by taking fig. 3 as an example, and the number of neighbor links of satellites S1-S8 is compared as follows: s1=s8 > s4=s5=s7 > s2=s3 > S6, and from the comparison result, it is known that satellites with the largest number of neighbor links are S1 and S8 (the number of neighbor links of S1 and S8 is 3), and from the connection relationship between the sets of satellites in fig. 3, it is known that there is no connection relationship between S1 and S8, so that S1 and S8 are determined as the first satellites in the first candidate set (i.e., m=2), i.e., the first candidate set is [ S1 and S8].

203. And determining n first feed satellites according to the number of m neighbor links and m visible time lengths, wherein the n first feed satellites are used for establishing feed links with a target ground station, and n is the number of connections supporting the establishment of the feed links.

After the first alternative set is determined, the network device further determines n first feed satellites according to m neighbor link numbers and m visible time lengths, wherein the m neighbor link numbers are the neighbor link numbers corresponding to m first feed satellites in the first alternative set, and the m visible time lengths are the visible time lengths corresponding to m first feed satellites in the first alternative set. Wherein n (n is greater than or equal to 1) first feed satellites are used for establishing feed links with the target ground station, and n is the number of connections supporting the establishment of feed links (i.e., the number of unconnected antennas of the target ground station). For example, n may be the number of antennas of the target ground station at the initial networking time of the target ground station; n may also be the number of antennas at which the target ground station disconnects the feeder link at the time when the handover occurs to the feeder link of the target ground station, which is not limited in the present application.

In the application, n is the connection quantity for supporting the establishment of the feed links, the network establishment scene and the operation scene of the satellite network are comprehensively considered, n first feed satellites are determined according to the number of m neighbor links and m visible time lengths according to the number of the connectable feed satellites of the target ground station in different scenes, and the purpose of selecting the feed satellites is efficiently realized.

It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present application, since the values of m and n may be different, the manner of determining n first satellites according to the number of m neighbor links and m visible durations is also different, and the following description is respectively given below:

(1) m > n

In this case, the network device selects n first satellites from the first candidate set according to the m number of neighbor links and the m visible time lengths. In the application, as the number of the first feed satellites in the first alternative set is enough to establish connection with the unconnected antenna of the target ground station, the network equipment only needs to determine n first feed satellites based on the number of m neighbor links and m visible time lengths.

In the embodiment of the application, the principle followed by selecting n first feed satellites is as follows: the number of the neighbor links is preferably selected to be large, and if the number of the neighbor links is the same, the visible time length is preferably selected to be longer. The number of neighbor links is used as a heavy constraint, the visible duration is used as a double constraint, the m first feed satellites in the first alternative set are ordered through the double constraint, and n first feed satellites are selected for building the feed links based on the ordering result. In the application, the number of neighbor links is used as a heavy constraint, and the scattered position layout of the feed satellites is fully considered to achieve the purpose of flow balance; the visible duration acts as a double constraint to select satellites with longer satellite-to-ground link durations when the number of neighbor links is the same to reduce the number of handovers of the satellite-to-ground link.

As an example, m first satellites in the first candidate set may be arranged in order from large to small according to the values of the number of neighbor links, and the first satellites having the same values of the number of neighbor links may be arranged in order from large to small according to the values of the visible time length, and then the first n first satellites are taken as the n first satellites from the arranged first satellites.

(2) m=n

In this case, the number of first satellites in the first candidate set is the same as the number of connections supporting establishment of feeder links (i.e., the number of unconnected antennas of the target ground station), and the network device may determine that all the first satellites in the first candidate set are the n first satellites.

(3) m < n

In this case, it is explained that the number of first satellites in the current first alternative is insufficient to establish connections with all of the target ground station unconnected antennas. Thus, the network device may first determine the second alternative set from the first alternative set, where the determination may be: a feed satellite having a connection relationship with the first feed satellite is determined as a second feed satellite in the second candidate set. And deleting the first feed satellite included in the first alternative set and the second feed satellite included in the second alternative set from the feed satellite set, so as to obtain an updated feed satellite set, judging whether the updated feed satellite set is non-empty, and repeatedly executing the steps 201-202 until a repeated execution termination condition is reached under the condition that the updated feed satellite set is non-empty. In an embodiment of the present application, the termination conditions for repeated execution include, but are not limited to:

A. Repeating the steps 201-202 until the new m is greater than or equal to n.

This applies to the case where there are more satellites in the set. In this case, the network device repeatedly performs steps 201-202 described above until a new m.gtoreq.n, and determines n first satellites from the new first candidate set. Where the new m may be denoted as m 'and m' is the number of first satellites included in the new first candidate set including the first satellites in the first candidate set obtained for each round.

For example, assume that the first candidate set P1 obtained by performing steps 201-202 for the first time (i.e., the first round) includes 2 first satellites, the first candidate set P2 obtained by performing steps 201-202 for the second time (i.e., the second round) includes 1 first satellite, and the first candidate set P3 obtained by performing steps 201-202 for the third time (i.e., the third round) includes 3 first satellites. Assuming again that n=5, when the network device completes the third round, m' =2+1+3=6 > n, the network device stops repeating steps 201-202. At this time, the new first alternative set p=p1 ρ2 ρ3.

For easy understanding of the above repeated execution until a new m+.n, referring specifically to fig. 4, it is assumed that the ground station a supports the connection number n=3 of the set-up feeder links, and as can be seen from the initial connection relationship diagram (first round) of the satellites in the set of satellites shown in fig. 4, the set of satellites is [ S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6, S7, S8], and the labeling result of each of the satellites is shown in fig. 3. From this, the first alternative set is [ S1, S8], and the feed satellite connected to S1 is S2, which can be denoted as S1-S2; the satellites connected to S8 are designated S6, and may be designated S8-S6. Thus, the second alternative set is [ S2, S6]. The satellites S1, S8 in the first candidate set and the satellites S2, S6 in the second candidate set are deleted from the set of satellites [ S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6, S7, S8], and the updated set of satellites is [ S3, S4, S5, S7]. Since the updated set of satellites is non-null, the connection relationship diagram (second round) of each satellite in the updated set of satellites can determine that the labeling result of each satellite is shown in fig. 4, and then steps 201-202 are continuously performed, where the first satellite obtained in the second round is S5 (because the number of neighbor links S5 > s7=s3 > S4, and S5 is not connected to other satellites in the updated set of satellites), and therefore the new first candidate set is [ S8, S1, S5], m' =3. Since n=3 (i.e. new m=n), the termination condition is reached that the network device stops repeatedly performing steps 201-202, the network device stops repeatedly performing steps 201-202 and determines n first satellites based on the new first candidate set S8, S1, S5.

It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present application, the network device may repeatedly perform steps 201 to 202, where the new m=n (i.e. m' =n) is the new m=n when the iteration termination condition is reached, as shown in fig. 4 above; the result of the network device repeatedly executing steps 201-202 may also be that when the iteration termination condition is reached, a new m > n (i.e. m 'n), m' =2+1+3=6 > n after the network device has executed three rounds as shown in the above example. Since the values of m' and n may be different, the manner of determining n first satellites from the new first candidate set is also different, and the following description will be made respectively:

a. m' n

In this case, the manner in which the network device determines the n first satellites from the new first candidate set may be: n first satellites are selected from the new first candidate set based on the new m number of neighbor links and the new m number of visible time durations. In the present application, the selection manner is similar to the manner of selecting n first satellites from the first candidate set according to the number of m neighbor links and m visible durations in the case where m > n, and specifically, the description may be referred to above, which is not repeated herein.

b. m' =n

In this case, the number of first satellites in the new first candidate set is the same as the number of connections supporting establishment of the feeder link, and the network device may determine that all the first satellites in the new first candidate set are the n first satellites.

B. The above steps 201-202 are repeated until the last updated set of satellites is empty.

This applies to the case where there are few satellites in the feeder satellite set. In this case, the network device repeatedly executes the steps 201-202 until the last updated satellite feeder set is empty, and the number m 'of the first satellites in the obtained new first candidate set is less than n, where n-m' second satellites can be selected from the new second candidate set according to the number of neighbor links and the visible duration corresponding to each of the second satellites included in the new second candidate set, and added to the new first candidate set, so as to obtain an updated first candidate set, where the number of satellites included in the updated first candidate set is n. All satellites in the updated first candidate set (including the first satellites inherent in the new first candidate set and the n-m' second satellites added to the new first candidate set) are finally determined as the n first satellites.

Similarly, m' is the number of first satellites included in a new first candidate set that includes the first satellites in the first candidate set obtained for each round. The new second alternative set is then the set of other satellites in the initial set of satellites than the first. For example, assuming the initial set of satellites is [ S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6, S7, S8], the new first set of candidates is [ S1, S2, S3, S4, S5], the new second set of candidates is [ S6, S7, S8].

For the convenience of understanding the above repeated execution until the last updated feeder satellite set is empty, referring specifically to fig. 5, it is assumed that the ground station a supports the connection number n=6 for establishing the feeder link, and in fig. 5, the execution of the first and second rounds is similar to that of fig. 4, and will not be repeated here. When the second round is performed, m ' =3 is still smaller than n, so the network device continues to perform the third round, the first satellites obtained in the third round are S7 and S3 (because the number of neighbor links s7=s3 > S4 and S3 and S7 are not connected), so the new first candidate set is [ S8, S1, S5, S7, S3], m ' =5, but is still smaller than n, and the new second candidate set is [ S2, S6, S4], the updated set of satellites is empty, and the termination condition that the network device stops repeatedly performing steps 201-202 is reached, so the network device stops repeatedly performing steps 201-202, and selects 1 (i.e., n-m ') second satellites from the new first candidate set according to the number of neighbor links and the visible time length of the second satellites respectively included in the new second candidate set, so as to obtain the updated first candidate set, and the updated first candidate set includes 6.

It should be noted that, in some embodiments of the present application, according to the number of neighbor links and the visible duration corresponding to each of the second satellites included in the new second candidate set, the selection manner of selecting n-m' second satellites from the new second candidate set may be similar to the manner of selecting n first satellites from the first candidate set according to the number of m neighbor links and the m visible duration in the case where m > n, which is not repeated herein, specifically may be referred to the description above.

As an example, the second satellites included in the new second candidate set may be arranged in order from large to small according to the values of the number of neighbor links, and the second satellites having the same values of the number of neighbor links may be arranged in order from large to small according to the values of the visible time length, and then the first n-m' second satellites may be extracted from the arranged second satellites and added to the new first candidate set.

For ease of understanding, still referring to fig. 5 as an example, from the third round, it is known that the new second alternative set is [ S2, S6, S4], the number of neighbor links of S2, S6, S4 is first compared to obtain S4> S2> S6, and the comparison of the visible time length is not performed again considering that the number of neighbor links of a heavy constraint has already been obtained, since m' obtained from the third round is=5 and n=6, S4 is selected from the second alternative set [ S2, S6, S4] to be added to the new first alternative set, and at this time the updated first alternative set is [ S8, S1, S5, S7, S3, S4].

It should be noted that in the embodiment corresponding to fig. 2, a first alternative set including m first satellites is first constructed, and then the specific implementation manner of n first satellites for establishing a feeder link with the target ground station is determined by comparing the sizes of m and n.

In other embodiments of the present application, the number of neighbor links, the visible duration, and the connection relation of each feeder satellite in the set of feeder satellites may be sorted to obtain a sorted set of feeder satellites, and then n feeder satellites are selected from the sorted set of feeder satellites according to the number n of connections for supporting establishment of the feeder links by the target ground station, so as to establish the feeder links with the target ground station. Referring to fig. 6 specifically, fig. 6 is another flow chart of a method for determining a feeder satellite according to an embodiment of the present application, where the method may include the following steps:

601. and determining the number of neighbor links of the feed satellites in the feed satellite set, the visible duration of the feed satellites and the connection relation among the feed satellites, wherein the feed satellite set is a set of the feed satellites visible to the target ground station, and the neighbor links are inter-satellite links connected with other feed satellites outside the feed satellite set in the feed satellite set.

This step is similar to the step 201, and the detailed description of the step 201 is omitted here.

602. And sequencing the feed satellites in the feed satellite set according to the number of neighbor links, the visible duration and the connection relation to obtain a sequenced feed satellite set.

And then, the network equipment reorders the feed satellites in the feed satellite set according to the number of neighbor links, the visible duration and the connection relation to obtain the ordered feed satellite set. It should be noted that, in the present application, a specific implementation of the sorting may be as shown in fig. 7, and the implementation may include the following steps:

1.1. the network device obtains a set of satellites with a marking result according to the marking method described in step 201.

1.2. The network device selects the feed satellite with the largest neighbor link number value from the feed satellite set based on the marking result.

1.3. The network device counts the connection relations of the selected satellites.

1.4. The network device determines the feed satellites in the first alternative set: if the connection relation exists between the feed satellites with the largest number of the selected neighbor links, the feed satellites with long visible time are placed in a first alternative set (in order to avoid connection among the selected feed satellites), and the feed satellites with long visible time are placed in a second alternative set; if the connection relation does not exist among the feed satellites with the largest number of the selected neighbor links, the feed satellites without the connection relation are placed in the first alternative set.

1.5. The network device determines the order of the first alternative concentrating feed satellites: the satellites in the first alternative set are firstly ordered from large to small according to the number of neighbor links, and then the satellites with the same number of neighbor links are ordered from long to short according to the visible time length.

1.6. The network device determines a second candidate set that is temporarily disregarded: a feed satellite connected to the first alternative concentrating feed satellite is placed in the second feed satellite.

1.7. The network device deletes the feed satellite in the first alternative set and the feed satellite in the second alternative set from the initial feed satellite set, updates the feed satellite set, and judges whether the new feed satellite set is an empty set. And if the satellite is not empty, performing a first step 1.1 operation according to the new feed satellite set circulation. If the set is empty, the eighth step 1.8 is executed.

1.8. The network device ranks all satellites in the second candidate set based on the number of neighbor links and the visible time duration.

1.9. The network equipment adds the feed satellites in the second alternative set to the tail of the first alternative set according to the arranged sequence in 1.8, so that the construction of the first alternative set is completed, and the constructed first alternative set is the ordered feed satellite set.

603. And selecting n first feed satellites from the sorted feed satellite sets, wherein the n first feed satellites are used for establishing feed links with a target ground station, and n is the number of connections supporting the establishment of the feed links.

After the network device obtains the ordered feed satellite set, n feed satellites are selected from the ordered feed satellite set to serve as first feed satellites for establishing feed links with the target ground station, wherein n is the number of connections supporting establishment of the feed links. Specifically, the network device may select, at an initial network establishment time when the satellite-to-ground link is not established between the target ground station and the satellite network, a corresponding number of satellites from the sorted satellites according to the number of antennas of the target ground station for establishing the feeder link, or may select, at a switching time of the feeder link, a corresponding number of satellites from the sorted satellites according to the number of remaining unconnected antennas of the target ground station for establishing the feeder link. The application is not limited in this particular regard.

In the embodiment corresponding to fig. 6, the number of neighbor links is used as a double constraint, the visible duration of the feed satellite is used as a double constraint, and the feed satellite sets are ordered through the double constraint, so that the ordered feed satellite sets are constructed. And finally, selecting n feed satellites from the ordered feed satellite sets according to the connection number n of the feed links supported by the target ground station for building the feed links with the target ground station. In the application, the scene that the ground station does not establish the feed link in the initial stage of the network construction of the satellite network and the scene of the feed link switching in the operation process of the satellite network are comprehensively considered aiming at the selection of the feed satellites, and the corresponding number of feed satellites are selected from the ordered feed satellites in sequence to establish the feed links according to the number of the antennas of the ground station remaining connected satellites in different scenes, so that the efficient and unified selection method of multiple scenes is realized.

For easy understanding of the foregoing embodiment corresponding to fig. 6, the following examples are illustrated, and referring specifically to fig. 8, the process of fig. 8 is substantially similar to that of fig. 5, and the detailed implementation process may refer to the foregoing description of fig. 5, which is omitted herein. Only where the two are different will be described here: in fig. 8, for the first round of the set of satellites, the network device selects the satellites from the set of satellites that have the largest number of neighbor links, i.e., S1 and S8, and there is no connection relationship between the two satellites, so no connection judgment is performed. Since the visible duration of S8 is greater than S1, the two satellites are placed in the first candidate set in the order of S8, S1. Meanwhile, according to the connection relation of the two feed satellites, the satellites which are temporarily not considered are [ S2, S6], [ S2, S6] are the second alternative set. The satellites in the first alternative set and the satellites in the second selected set are deleted from the initial set of satellites, and the set of satellites is updated to [ S3, S4, S7, S5]. And if the updated feeder satellite set is judged to be non-empty, continuing the operation and updating the feeder satellite set to be [ S3, S4 and S7], and continuing to circulate until the feeder satellite set is empty, wherein the second obtained alternative set is [ S2, S6 and S4].

When the updated feeder satellite set is an empty set, the second alternative set is [ S2, S6, S4], the neighbor link numbers of the three feeder satellites are compared first to obtain S4> S2> S6, and the comparison of the visible time length is not needed in consideration of the fact that the number of the neighbor links with a heavy constraint has already obtained a result. The three satellites are thus added sequentially to the first candidate set in the order of [ S4, S2, S6], resulting in a final first candidate set [ S8, S1, S5, S7, S3, S4, S2, S6], i.e. the ordered feeder satellite set [ S8, S1, S5, S7, S3, S4, S2, S6], as shown in fig. 9. At the initial network establishment time when the ground station A and the satellite network do not establish a satellite-to-ground link, the ground station A can see that the feed satellites are S1-S8, and according to [ S8, S1, S5, S7, S3, S4, S2, S6] after final sequencing, and the ground station A currently only has 4 antennas, namely 4 feed satellites are selected, the first four S8, S1, S5 and S7 are selected from the sequenced feed satellites as the feed satellites finally used for establishing the feed link with the 4 antennas, and the method can be particularly shown in figure 10.

In summary, fig. 5 is different from fig. 8 in that: in fig. 5, no matter which turn is executed, only the first satellites with the largest number of neighbor links are compared with each other, if there is no connection relationship, the first satellites are stored in the first candidate set, and if there is a connection relationship, only the first satellites with long visible lengths are stored in the first candidate set. In fig. 8, for the satellites with the largest number of selected neighboring links, it is necessary to compare whether there is a connection relationship between the satellites, and also to compare the visible time length, and the specific comparison process is described in the corresponding embodiment of fig. 7, which is not repeated here. In summary, the following principles are followed: the row with the large neighbor link number value is in front, and the row with longer visible duration is in front if the neighbor links are the same in number.

In order to better implement the above-described scheme of the embodiment of the present application on the basis of the above-described embodiment, a network device for implementing the above-described scheme is further provided below. Referring specifically to fig. 11, fig. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of the present application, where the network device 1100 may specifically include: the first determining module 1101, the second determining module 1102 and the third determining module 1103, wherein the first determining module 1101 is configured to determine the number of neighbor links of the satellites in the set of satellites, the visible duration of the satellites and the connection relationship between the satellites; the second determining module 1102 is configured to determine a first alternative set according to the number of neighbor links and a connection relationship, where the first alternative set includes m first satellites whose number of neighbor links meets a preset requirement, and the first satellites are not connected every two; a third determining module 1103 is configured to determine n first satellites according to the number of m neighbor links and m visible durations, where the n first satellites are used to establish feeder links with the target ground station.

In other embodiments of the present application, the modules of the network device 1100 are further configured to perform some or all of the functions performed by the network device in the method of determining satellites described above. The content of information interaction and execution process between each module in the network device 1100, which are based on the same concept as the method embodiments corresponding to fig. 2 and 6 in the present application, may be referred to in the foregoing description of the method embodiments of the present application, and will not be repeated here. For example, the third determining module 1103 is specifically configured to: in case m > n, n first satellites are selected from the first candidate set according to the number of m neighbor links and m visible time lengths.

Referring to fig. 12, fig. 12 is another schematic structural diagram of a network device provided by the embodiment of the present application, where each module of the network device 1100 described in the corresponding embodiment of fig. 11 may be disposed on the network device 1200, so as to implement the functions of the network device 1100 in the corresponding embodiment of fig. 11, specifically, the network device 1200 is implemented by one or more servers, where the network device 1200 may have relatively large differences due to different configurations or performances, and may include one or more central processing units (central processing units, CPU) 1222 and a memory 1232, and one or more storage media 1230 (such as one or more storage devices) storing application programs 1242 or data 1244. Wherein memory 1232 and storage medium 1230 can be transitory or persistent. The program stored on the storage medium 1230 may include one or more modules (not shown), each of which may include a series of instruction operations in the network device 1200. Still further, the central processor 1222 may be configured to communicate with the storage medium 1230, executing a series of instruction operations in the storage medium 1230 on the network device 1200.

The network device 1200 may also include one or more power supplies 1226, one or more wired or wireless network interfaces 1250, one or more input-output interfaces 1258, and/or one or more operating systems 1241, such as Windows Server, mac OS XTM, unixTM, linuxTM, freeBSDTM, and the like.

In an embodiment of the present application, the central processor 1222 is configured to execute the method for determining the satellites performed by the network device in the corresponding embodiment of fig. 2 or fig. 6. For example, a central processor 1222 for: the method comprises the steps of determining the number of neighbor links of the feed satellites in the feed satellite set, the visible time length of the feed satellites and the connection relation between the feed satellites, and determining a first alternative set according to the number of the neighbor links and the connection relation, wherein the first alternative set comprises m first feed satellites with the number of the neighbor links reaching preset requirements, and the first feed satellites are not connected with each other. And finally, determining n first feed satellites according to the number of m neighbor links and m visible time lengths, wherein the n first feed satellites are used for establishing feed links with a target ground station, and n is the number of connection supporting establishment of the feed links.

It should be noted that, the specific manner in which the cpu 1222 executes the above steps is based on the same concept as that of the method embodiment of fig. 2 or fig. 6, and the technical effects thereof are the same as those of the above embodiment of the present application, and the specific details can be found in the description of the above embodiment of the method of the present application, which is not repeated here.

The application also provides a digital processing chip. The digital processing chip has integrated therein circuitry and one or more interfaces for implementing the functions of the central processor 1222 described above. When the digital processing chip has a memory integrated therein, the digital processing chip may perform the method steps of any one or more of the previous embodiments.

The foregoing is merely illustrative embodiments of the present application, but the scope of the present application is not limited thereto, and any person skilled in the art can easily think about variations or substitutions within the technical scope of the present application, and the application should be covered.

Claims

1. A method of determining a feeder satellite, comprising:

determining the number of neighbor links of the feed satellites in the feed satellite set, the visible duration of the feed satellites and the connection relation among the feed satellites, wherein the feed satellite set is a set of the feed satellites visible to a target ground station, and the neighbor links are inter-satellite links connected with other feed satellites outside the feed satellite set in a plurality of inter-satellite links of the feed satellites in the feed satellite set;

determining a first alternative set according to the number of neighbor links and the connection relation, wherein the first alternative set comprises m first feed satellites with the number of neighbor links reaching a preset requirement, and the first feed satellites are not connected every two, and m is more than or equal to 1;

Determining n first feed satellites according to the number of m neighbor links and m visible time lengths, wherein the n first feed satellites are used for establishing feed links with the target ground station, the number of m neighbor links is the number of neighbor links corresponding to the m first feed satellites, the m visible time lengths are the visible time lengths corresponding to the m first feed satellites, n is the number of connections supporting establishment of feed links, and n is more than or equal to 1.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining n first satellites based on the m number of neighbor links and the m visible time durations comprises:

and in the case that m is greater than n, selecting n first feed satellites from the first alternative set according to the number of m neighbor links and m visible time lengths.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining n first satellites based on the m number of neighbor links and the m visible time durations comprises:

determining a second alternative set according to the first alternative set under the condition that m is less than n, wherein a second feed satellite included in the second alternative set has a connection relation with the first feed satellite;

deleting a first feed satellite included in the first alternative set and a second feed satellite included in the second alternative set from the feed satellite set to obtain an updated feed satellite set;

And under the condition that the updated feeder satellite set is non-empty, taking the updated feeder satellite set as a new feeder satellite set, and repeatedly executing the steps of determining the number of neighbor links of the feeder satellites in the feeder satellite set, the visible duration of the feeder satellites and the connection relation among different feeder satellites until a new m is more than or equal to n, and determining n first feeder satellites from a new first alternative set, wherein the new m is the number of the first feeder satellites included in the new first alternative set, and the new first alternative set comprises the first feeder satellites in the first alternative set obtained in each round.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein said determining n first satellites from the new first candidate set comprises:

and in the case that the new m is larger than n, selecting n first feed satellites from the new first alternative set according to the new m neighbor link numbers and the new m visible time lengths.

5. A method according to claim 3, wherein said determining n first satellites from the new first candidate set comprises:

and in the case of the new m=n, determining all first satellites in the new first candidate set as the n first satellites.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining n first satellites based on the m number of neighbor links and the m visible time durations comprises:

taking the updated feeder satellite set as a new feeder satellite set under the condition that the updated feeder satellite set is non-empty, and repeatedly executing the steps of determining the number of neighbor links of the feeder satellites in the feeder satellite set, the visible duration of the feeder satellites and the connection relation among different feeder satellites and the following steps until the feeder satellite set updated last time is empty;

under the condition that new m is less than n, according to the number of neighbor links and the visible time length corresponding to each second feed satellite included in a new second alternative set, selecting n-m second feed satellites from the new second alternative set to be added into a new first alternative set to obtain an updated first alternative set, wherein the new m is the number of first feed satellites included in the new first alternative set, the new first alternative set comprises first feed satellites in the first alternative set obtained in each round, and the new second alternative set is a set of other feed satellites except the first feed satellites in the visible feed satellites;

And determining all satellites in the updated first alternative set as the n first satellites.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein selecting n-m second satellites from among the second new candidate sets based on the number of neighbor links and the visible time period corresponding to each of the second satellites included in the second new candidate sets includes:

arranging the second feed satellites included in the new second alternative set according to the sequence from big to small according to the values of the number of the neighbor links, and arranging the second feed satellites with the same values of the number of the neighbor links according to the sequence from big to small according to the values of the visible time length;

and taking the first n-m second satellites from the arranged second satellites, and adding the first n-m second satellites to the new first candidate set.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining n first satellites based on the m number of neighbor links and the m visible time durations comprises:

and in the case of m=n, determining all the first satellites in the first candidate set as the n first satellites.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein the selecting n first satellites from the first candidate set based on the m neighbor link numbers and the m visible time durations comprises:

Arranging the m first feed satellites according to the sequence from large to small according to the values of the number of the neighbor links, and arranging the first feed satellites with the same values of the number of the neighbor links according to the sequence from large to small according to the values of the visible time length;

the first n first satellites are taken as the n first satellites from the arranged first satellites.

10. The method according to any of claims 1-9, wherein said determining a first alternative set from said number of neighbor links and said connection relation comprises:

selecting a feed satellite with the maximum neighbor link number value from the feed satellite set;

and under the condition that at least two feed satellites with the maximum neighbor link number value exist and a connection relation exists between a first target feed satellite and a second target feed satellite, determining the first target feed satellite as the first feed satellite in the first alternative set, wherein the visible duration of the first target feed satellite is longer than that of the second target feed satellite, and the first target feed satellite and the second target feed satellite are two feed satellites with the maximum neighbor link number value.

11. The method according to any of claims 1-9, wherein said determining a first alternative set from said number of neighbor links and said connection relation comprises:

and under the condition that at least two feed satellites with the maximum neighbor link number value are arranged and no connection relation exists between every two feed satellites, determining the feed satellite with the maximum neighbor link number value as the first feed satellite in the first alternative set.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1-11, wherein supporting the number of connections to establish the feeder link comprises:

the number of antennas of the target ground station at the initial network construction time of the target ground station;

or alternatively, the first and second heat exchangers may be,

and at the moment that the feed link of the target ground station is switched, the target ground station disconnects the number of antennas of the feed link.

13. A network device, comprising:

the first determining module is used for determining the number of neighbor links of the feed satellites in the feed satellite set, the visible duration of the feed satellites and the connection relation among the feed satellites, wherein the feed satellite set is a set of the feed satellites visible to the target ground station, and the neighbor links are inter-satellite links connected with other feed satellites outside the feed satellite set in a plurality of inter-satellite links of the feed satellites in the feed satellite set;

The second determining module is used for determining a first alternative set according to the number of the neighbor links and the connection relation, wherein the first alternative set comprises m first feed satellites with the number of the neighbor links reaching a preset requirement, and the first feed satellites are not connected every two, and m is more than or equal to 1;

the third determining module is configured to determine n first satellites according to the number of m neighbor links and m visible durations, where the n first satellites are used to establish feeder links with the target ground station, the number of m neighbor links is the number of neighbor links corresponding to the m first satellites, the m visible durations are visible durations corresponding to the m first satellites, and n is the number of connections supporting establishment of feeder links, where n is greater than or equal to 1.

14. The network device of claim 13, wherein the third determining module is specifically configured to:

15. The network device of claim 13, wherein the third determining module is specifically configured to:

16. The network device of claim 15, wherein the third determining module is further specifically configured to:

17. The network device of claim 15, wherein the third determining module is further specifically configured to:

18. The network device of claim 13, wherein the third determining module is specifically configured to:

19. The network device of claim 18, wherein the third determining module is further specifically configured to:

20. The network device of claim 13, wherein the third determining module is specifically configured to:

21. The network device of claim 14, wherein the third determining module is further specifically configured to:

22. The network device according to any of the claims 13-21, wherein the second determining module is specifically configured to:

23. The network device according to any of the claims 13-21, wherein the second determining module is specifically configured to:

24. The network device of any of claims 13-23, wherein the supporting the number of connections to establish the feeder link comprises:

or alternatively, the first and second heat exchangers may be,

25. A network device comprising a processor and a memory, the processor being coupled to the memory, characterized in that,

the memory is used for storing programs;

the processor for executing a program in the memory, causing the training device to perform the method of any of claims 1-12.

26. A computer readable storage medium comprising a program which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method of any of claims 1-12.

27. A computer program product containing instructions which, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of any of claims 1-12.

28. A chip comprising a processor and a data interface, the processor reading instructions stored on a memory via the data interface, performing the method of any of claims 1-12.