WO2021164374A1 - Mobile gateway station, communication satellite, low-orbit satellite communication system and using method - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed in the present disclosure are a mobile gateway station, a communication satellite, a low-orbit satellite communication system and a using method. The system comprises the mobile gateway station used for transmitting and receiving data with the communication satellite and processing and routing the transmitted and received data; and the communication satellite used for transmitting and receiving data with a user terminal by means of a user link. The using method comprises: determining whether a feed link can be established with a ground gateway station, and determining whether a connection can be established with the mobile gateway station; and during the data receiving and transmitting with the user terminal, when it is determined that the feed link cannot be established with the ground gateway station and the connection can be established with the mobile gateway station, performing data receiving and transmitting with the mobile gateway station, and when it is determined that the feed link cannot be established with the ground gateway station and the connection cannot be established with the mobile gateway station, performing data receiving and transmitting with other communication satellites in a relay mode.

Description

Mobile customs station, communication satellite, low-orbit satellite communication system and use method

Cross-references to related applications

This application claims the priority of Chinese Patent Application No. 202010106715.0 filed in China on February 21, 2020, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

Technical field

The present disclosure relates to the field of wireless communication technology, in particular to a mobile gateway station, a communication satellite, a low-orbit satellite communication system and a method of use.

Background technique

For the low-orbit satellite constellation system in bent-pipe mode, the normal communication mode is for the user terminal to communicate with the satellite (the communication link is called the user link). The satellite amplifies and converts the user signal and then communicates with the customs station. (The communication link is called the feeder link), that is, the complete communication link is composed of the user link and the feeder link. Usually, the customs station is built on the earth, so it is also called the ground customs station. Its main components include access network, core network, network management and operation unit, etc. Its main function is to receive or send user signals forwarded by satellites. Carry out the corresponding business processing.

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the terrestrial customs station's jurisdiction over satellites. In order to ensure seamless global coverage, the bent-pipe mode of the low-orbit satellite constellation system usually requires hundreds of satellites and dozens of customs stations. The station can control more than ten satellites. Assuming that a low-orbit constellation consists of 864 satellites (including 18 orbital planes and 48 satellites for each orbital plane), and a total of 72 gateway stations are built on the ground, on average, each gateway station needs to manage 12 satellites (assuming corresponding 3 orbital planes, 4 satellites on each orbital plane), as shown in Figure 1. With the movement of the satellite, the ground gateway station to which it belongs will change accordingly. When the visual range of a certain gateway station is exceeded, it will switch to another gateway station. For example, for the first satellite S _1,1 on the first orbital plane in Figure 1, it is connected to the ground gateway station GW1 at time A, and as it moves, it will exceed the visibility of the ground gateway station GW1 at time B. Range, and thus transferred to the ground gateway GW2.

The disadvantage of the related technology is that it will not be able to communicate normally due to the ground customs station.

Summary of the invention

The present disclosure provides a mobile customs station, a communication satellite, a low-orbit satellite communication system and a use method thereof, which are used to solve the problem that normal communication cannot be performed due to the ground customs station.

The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a mobile gateway station located in a satellite, including: an access network unit and/or a core network unit, wherein:

Access network unit, used to send and receive data with communication satellites;

The core network unit is used to process and route data sent and received by the access network unit.

In implementation, the access network unit is further used to send and receive data with the user terminal.

In the implementation, the access network unit transmits and receives data according to the version above 5G.

In implementation, the access network unit includes DU and/or CU.

In implementation, the core network unit includes UP and/or CP.

An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a mobile gateway station located on a satellite, including:

The processor is used to read the program in the memory and execute the following process:

Send and receive data with communication satellites; and/or,

Process and route the data sent and received;

Transceiver, used to receive and send data under the control of the processor.

An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication satellite, including:

The terminal transceiver module is used to send and receive data with the user terminal through the user link;

The determining module is used to determine whether the feeder link can be established with the ground customs station, and whether the connection can be established with the above-mentioned mobile customs station;

The transceiver module is used to send and receive data with the user terminal when it is determined that the feeder link cannot be established with the ground customs station, and when the connection can be established with the mobile gateway station, it can send and receive data with the mobile customs station; it is determined that the ground signal cannot be communicated with the mobile gateway. When a gateway station establishes a feeder link and cannot establish a connection with a mobile gateway station, it transmits and receives data with other communication satellites in a relay mode.

In implementation, the determining module is further used to determine whether a feeder link can be established with the ground gateway station according to one or a combination of the following methods, and to determine whether a connection can be established with the above-mentioned mobile gateway station:

Network pre-configuration, network control, and communication satellite judgment.

In implementation, it further includes:

The target judgment module is used to determine the target mobile gateway station and/or target communication satellite for data transmission and reception for the transceiver module according to a preset strategy.

An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication satellite, including:

The processor is used to read the program in the memory and execute the following process:

Send and receive data with the user terminal through the user link;

Determine whether the feeder link can be established with the ground customs station, and whether the connection can be established with the above-mentioned mobile customs station;

When sending and receiving data with the user terminal, it is determined that the feeder link cannot be established with the ground customs station, and when the connection can be established with the mobile customs station, data is sent and received with the mobile customs station; it is determined that the feeder cannot be established with the ground customs station Link, when the connection with the mobile gateway cannot be established, it will send and receive data with other communication satellites in a relay mode;

Transceiver, used to receive and send data under the control of the processor.

An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a low-orbit satellite communication system, including: the above-mentioned mobile gateway station, the above-mentioned communication satellite, wherein:

The mobile customs station is used to send and receive data with communication satellites, and process and route the sent and received data;

Communication satellites for:

Send and receive data with the user terminal through the user link;

Determine whether the feeder link can be established with the ground customs station, and whether the connection can be established with the mobile customs station;

When sending and receiving data with the user terminal, it is determined that the feeder link cannot be established with the ground customs station, and when the connection can be established with the mobile customs station, data is sent and received with the mobile customs station; it is determined that the feeder cannot be established with the ground customs station Link, when the connection with the mobile gateway cannot be established, data is sent and received with other communication satellites in a relay mode.

In implementation, it further includes:

The ground customs station is used to process and route the data sent and received by the communication satellite through the feeder link.

In implementation, the mobile gateway is further used to transmit and receive data with the user terminal through the user link; and/or,

The communication satellite is further used to relay and forward data transmitted by other communication satellites.

An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method for using the aforementioned low-orbit satellite communication system, including:

The communication satellite receives the data sent by the user terminal through the user link;

The communication satellite sends the received data to the mobile gateway to send and receive data;

The mobile gateway station processes and routes the data sent by the communication satellite;

and / or,

The mobile gateway station performs processing and routing, and sends the data sent to the terminal to the communication satellite;

The communication satellite receives the data sent to the terminal;

The communication satellite sends data to the user terminal through the user link.

In implementation, it further includes:

After the communication satellite determines the destination of receiving data from the mobile gateway station, ground gateway station, or communication satellite according to a preset strategy, it sends the data sent by the user terminal. The preset strategy is network pre-configured and network controlled. , Or judged by the communication satellite itself.

In implementation, it further includes:

After the communication satellite receives the data sent by other communication satellites, it determines the target of receiving data from the mobile gateway station, ground gateway station or communication satellite according to the preset strategy, and then sends the data sent by other communication satellites. The preset strategy is pre-configured by the network, controlled by the network, or judged by the communication satellite itself.

An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a computer-readable storage medium, and the computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program for executing the above method.

The beneficial effects of the present disclosure are as follows:

In the technical solution provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure, since there is a mobile gateway station that can process and route the data sent and received by the communication satellite, correspondingly, for the communication satellite, when sending and receiving data with the user terminal, it is determined that it cannot communicate with the ground. The station establishes a feeder link, and when it can establish a connection with a mobile customs station, it can send and receive data with the mobile customs station; when it is determined that the feeder link cannot be established with the ground customs station, and the mobile customs station cannot be connected, the The way of relay is to send and receive data with other communication satellites. It can be seen that even if there is a problem with the ground customs station in the communication system, the problem of normal communication will not occur.

Description of the drawings

The drawings described here are used to provide a further understanding of the present disclosure and constitute a part of the present disclosure. The exemplary embodiments and descriptions of the present disclosure are used to explain the present disclosure, and do not constitute an improper limitation of the present disclosure. In the attached picture:

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the terrestrial customs station's jurisdiction over satellites in the background technology;

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram 1 of the structure of a mobile gateway station in an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram 2 of the structure of a mobile gateway station in an embodiment of the disclosure;

4 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the DU accessing the mobile gateway in the embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the structure of CU&DU accessing a mobile gateway station in an embodiment of the disclosure;

6 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the DU&UP integrated mobile gateway station in an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the DU&CP integrated mobile gateway station in an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the DU&CP&UP integrated mobile gateway station in an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the CU&DU&UP integrated mobile gateway station in an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a CU&DU&CP integrated mobile gateway station in an embodiment of the disclosure;

11 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the CU&DU&CP&UP integrated mobile gateway station in an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a UP virtual mobile gateway in an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a CP virtual mobile gateway station in an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a CP&UP virtual mobile gateway station in an embodiment of the disclosure;

15 is a schematic diagram 1 of the structure of a communication satellite in an embodiment of the disclosure;

16 is a schematic diagram 2 of the structure of a communication satellite in an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a low-orbit satellite communication system in an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram of a low-orbit satellite constellation in an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram of an implementation process of a method of using a low-orbit satellite communication system in an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 20 is a communication schematic diagram of a satellite communication system with only an inter-satellite link between a mobile gateway station and a communication satellite according to application mode one in an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 21 is a schematic diagram of a feeder link relayed by a communication satellite according to the second application method in an embodiment of the disclosure; FIG.

FIG. 22 is a communication schematic diagram of a satellite communication system having both a ground gateway station and a mobile gateway station in the third application of the embodiment of the disclosure.

Detailed ways

The inventor noticed during the invention process:

When the number of ground gateways is insufficient, the location of ground gateways is inappropriate, or the ground gateways are destroyed and unavailable, some satellites will have no feeder link connection, and normal communication will not be possible. For example, taking the satellite S _1,1 in FIG. 1 as an example, suppose it is connected to the ground gateway GW1 to serve the coverage area 1 at time t1, and connects to the ground gateway GW2 to serve the coverage area 2 at time t2. Because the ground gateway GW1 is intact, the user terminal UE1 in coverage area 1 can obtain normal communication; and because the ground gateway GW2 is damaged, the user terminal UE2 in coverage area 2 can be connected to the satellite S _1,1 . The user link cannot communicate because there is no feeder link, which makes the ground coverage discontinuous; similarly, when the user terminal UE1 that is communicating moves from coverage area 1 to coverage area 2, its communication will be interrupted .

Based on this, the technical solution provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure aims at the low-orbit constellation satellite communication system in bent-pipe mode, through the gateway established on some satellites (abbreviated to "Mobile gateway station") to obtain the connection of the feeder link, so as to maintain the normal communication.

The specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the description process, the implementation of the mobile gateway station, the communication satellite, the ground gateway station, and the terminal will be explained separately, and then an example of their cooperation will be given to better understand the description given in the embodiments of the present disclosure. The implementation of the plan will also explain the implementation of the low-orbit satellite communication system. This way of explanation does not mean that they must be implemented in cooperation or must be implemented separately. In fact, when they are implemented separately, they will also solve their own problems. Side problems, and when they are used in combination, better technical results will be obtained.

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram 1 of the structure of a mobile gateway station. The mobile gateway station is located in a satellite. As shown in the figure, it can include: an access network unit 201 and/or a core network unit 202, where:

The access network unit 201 is used to send and receive data with a communication satellite;

The core network unit 202 is used to process and route data sent and received by the access network unit.

In implementation, the access network unit may be further used to send and receive data with the user terminal.

In the implementation, the access network unit transmits and receives data according to the version above 5G.

Specifically, the access network unit performs data transmission and reception with the terminal according to the 5G new air interface (NR) technology defined by the 3GPP organization Release 15 and above, and also includes the 5G new air interface (NR) as the basis for adapting to satellite communication scenarios. Improve.

In implementation, the access network unit includes DU and/or CU.

In implementation, the core network unit includes UP and/or CP.

For the convenience of description, each part of the above-mentioned device is divided into various modules or units by function and described separately. Of course, when implementing the present disclosure, the functions of each module or unit can be implemented in the same one or more software or hardware.

Figure 3 is a schematic diagram 2 of the structure of a mobile gateway station. The mobile gateway station is located on a satellite. As shown in the figure, it can include:

The processor 300 is configured to read a program in the memory 320 and execute the following process:

Send and receive data with communication satellites; and/or,

Process and route the data sent and received;

The transceiver 310 is configured to receive and send data under the control of the processor 300.

In implementation, it can further send and receive data with the user terminal.

Wherein, in FIG. 3, the bus architecture may include any number of interconnected buses and bridges. Specifically, one or more processors represented by the processor 300 and various circuits of the memory represented by the memory 320 are linked together. The bus architecture can also link various other circuits such as peripheral devices, voltage regulators, power management circuits, etc., which are all known in the art, and therefore, will not be further described herein. The bus interface provides the interface. The transceiver 310 may be a plurality of elements, that is, include a transmitter and a receiver, and provide a unit for communicating with various other devices on a transmission medium. The processor 300 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing, and the memory 320 can store data used by the processor 300 when performing operations.

The specific implementation of the mobile gateway is described below.

Compared with communication satellites, a mobile customs station has a function similar to a ground customs station, which can be connected to one or more communication satellites and is responsible for link connection and management.

Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the DU access mobile customs station, Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the CU&DU access mobile customs station, Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the DU&UP integrated mobile customs station, and Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the DU&CP integrated mobile customs station. Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of DU&CP&UP integrated mobile customs station, Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the structure of CU&DU&UP integrated mobile customs station, Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the structure of CU&DU&CP integrated mobile customs station, Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of the structure of CU&DU&CP&UP integrated mobile customs station, Figure 12 Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the virtual mobile gateway station of the UP. Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the virtual mobile gateway station of CP. Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the virtual mobile gateway station of CP&UP. The meaning is that the function frame can be in the satellite or not, and there is no hard requirement. As shown in the figure, based on different specific functions, mobile gateways can be divided into the following three basic types:

(1) The mobile gateway station with only access network function can be referred to as the mobile gateway station for short;

(2) The mobile gateway station with the functions of the access network and the core network may be referred to as the integrated mobile gateway station;

(3) A mobile gateway station with only core network functions can be referred to as a virtual mobile gateway station.

Among them, depending on the composition of the access network and the core network, such as whether the access network includes only distributed units (DU) or DUs and centralized units (CU), the core network includes only the user plane (User Plane). , UP) still includes only the control plane (Control Plane, CP) or both CP and UP. The above three basic gateway station types can be further disassembled into DU access mobile gateway stations and CU&DU access mobile gateway stations. Station, DU&UP integrated mobile customs station, DU&CP integrated mobile customs station, DU&CP&UP integrated mobile customs station, CU&DU&UP integrated mobile customs station, CU&DU&CP integrated mobile customs station, CU&DU&CP&UP integrated mobile customs station, UP virtual mobile customs station , CP virtual mobile customs station, CP&UP virtual mobile customs station, the specific structure of each mobile customs station can be seen in Figure 4 to Figure 14.

Figure 15 is a schematic diagram 1 of the structure of a communication satellite. As shown in the figure, it can include:

The terminal transceiver module 1501 is used to send and receive data with the user terminal through the user link;

The determining module 1502 is used to determine whether a feeder link can be established with a ground customs station, and whether a connection can be established with a mobile customs station;

The transceiver module 1503 is used to determine that the feeder link cannot be established with the ground gateway station when sending and receiving data with the user terminal, and when it can establish a connection with the mobile gateway station, it will send and receive data with the mobile gateway station; it is determined that it cannot communicate with the ground station. When a gateway station establishes a feeder link and cannot establish a connection with a mobile gateway station, it transmits and receives data with other communication satellites in a relay mode.

In implementation, the determining module is further used to determine whether the feeder link can be established with the ground customs station according to one of the following methods or a combination thereof, and to determine whether a connection can be established with the mobile customs station:

Network pre-configuration, network control, and communication satellite judgment.

In implementation, it can further include:

The target judgment module 1504 is configured to determine a target mobile gateway station and/or target communication satellite for data transmission and reception for the transceiver module according to a preset strategy.

For the convenience of description, each part of the above-mentioned device is divided into various modules or units by function and described separately. Of course, when implementing the present disclosure, the functions of each module or unit can be implemented in the same one or more software or hardware.

Figure 16 is a schematic diagram 2 of the structure of a communication satellite. As shown in the figure, it can include:

The processor 1600 is configured to read a program in the memory 1620 and execute the following process:

Send and receive data with the user terminal through the user link;

Determine whether the feeder link can be established with the ground customs station, and whether the connection can be established with the mobile customs station;

When sending and receiving data with the user terminal, it is determined that the feeder link cannot be established with the ground customs station, and when the connection can be established with the mobile customs station, data is sent and received with the mobile customs station; it is determined that the feeder cannot be established with the ground customs station Link, when the connection with the mobile gateway cannot be established, it will send and receive data with other communication satellites in a relay mode;

The transceiver 1610 is used to receive and send data under the control of the processor 1600.

In implementation, the target mobile gateway station and/or target communication satellite for data transmission can also be determined for the sending module according to a preset strategy.

Wherein, in FIG. 16, the bus architecture may include any number of interconnected buses and bridges. Specifically, one or more processors represented by the processor 1600 and various circuits of the memory represented by the memory 1620 are linked together. The bus architecture can also link various other circuits such as peripheral devices, voltage regulators, power management circuits, etc., which are all known in the art, and therefore, will not be further described herein. The bus interface provides the interface. The transceiver 1610 may be a plurality of elements, including a transmitter and a receiver, and provide a unit for communicating with various other devices on the transmission medium. The processor 1600 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing, and the memory 1620 can store data used by the processor 1600 when performing operations.

Figure 17 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a low-orbit satellite communication system, as shown in the figure, including: a mobile gateway station and a communication satellite.

The mobile customs station is used to send and receive data with communication satellites, and process and route the sent and received data;

Communication satellites for:

Send and receive data with the user terminal through the user link;

Determine whether the feeder link can be established with the ground customs station, and whether the connection can be established with the mobile customs station;

When sending and receiving data with the user terminal, it is determined that the feeder link cannot be established with the ground customs station, and when the connection can be established with the mobile customs station, data is sent and received with the mobile customs station; it is determined that the feeder cannot be established with the ground customs station Link, when the connection with the mobile gateway cannot be established, data is sent and received with other communication satellites in a relay mode.

In implementation, it can further include:

The ground customs station is used to process and route the data sent and received by the communication satellite through the feeder link.

In implementation, the communication satellite is further used to relay and forward data transmitted by other communication satellites.

In implementation, the mobile gateway is further used to send and receive data with the user terminal through the user link.

Specifically, for the low-orbit satellite constellation in bent-pipe mode, the communication system based on the mobile gateway station can ensure that the ground gateway station can establish the feeder link connection through the mobile gateway station when the ground gateway station is unavailable, so as to maintain normal communication. The process will be explained from an overall perspective below.

In the case of a mobile gateway station, the satellites in the low-orbit satellite constellation can be divided into at least two types: one is a communication satellite, which mainly plays a role of transparent forwarding, as shown in Figure 17 as a communication satellite 2 The relay of communication satellite 1, when the communication satellite 2 and communication satellite 1 cannot establish a connection with the ground gateway station 1, the data is forwarded to the mobile gateway station; the second is the mobile gateway station, which is responsible for user access and signal The processing and other processes play the role of a customs station. An inter-satellite link is configured between the communication satellite and the mobile gateway station, and when the communication satellite is connected to the mobile gateway station, it will select the mobile gateway station closest to it to connect, such as the communication satellite 2 shown in Figure 17. An inter-satellite link is configured between the communication satellite 3 and the mobile gateway station. The UE performs data transmission and reception with the communication satellite 3. When the communication satellite 3 cannot establish a connection with the ground gateway station 1 and the ground gateway station 2, the data is forwarded to Mobile customs station.

Assuming that there are K satellites in the entire constellation (corresponding to N orbital planes, each orbital plane has M satellites), the mobile gateway stations can be distributed in the constellation according to a certain rule. Figure 18 is a schematic diagram of a low-orbit satellite constellation. The figure shows a schematic diagram of the uniform distribution of mobile gateway stations. As shown in the figure, it is assumed that the communication satellites and mobile gateway stations are evenly staggered, and there is movement every n orbital planes. A gateway station, there are mobile gateway stations for every m communication satellites on each orbital surface.

The following describes the use of the satellite communication system.

Figure 19 is a schematic diagram of the implementation process of the use method of the low-orbit satellite communication system. As shown in the figure, it can include:

When transmitting uplink data, that is, when data is sent by the user terminal, it can be as follows:

Step 1901, the communication satellite receives the data sent by the user terminal through the user link;

Step 1902, the communication satellite sends the received data to the mobile gateway;

Step 1903: The mobile gateway station processes and routes the data sent by the communication satellite.

When transmitting downlink data, that is, when the user terminal receives data, it can be as follows:

Step 1904, the mobile gateway station performs processing and routing, and sends the data sent to the terminal to the communication satellite;

Step 1905: The communication satellite receives the data sent to the terminal;

Step 1906: The communication satellite sends the data sent to the user terminal to the user terminal through the user link.

In implementation, it further includes:

After the communication satellite determines the destination of receiving data from the mobile gateway station, ground gateway station, or communication satellite according to a preset strategy, it sends the data sent by the user terminal. The preset strategy is network pre-configured and network controlled. , Or judged by the communication satellite itself.

In implementation, it further includes:

After the communication satellite receives the data sent by other communication satellites, it determines the target of receiving data from the mobile gateway station, ground gateway station or communication satellite according to the preset strategy, and then sends the data sent by other communication satellites. The preset strategy is pre-configured by the network, controlled by the network, or judged by the communication satellite itself.

Specifically, based on the mobile gateway station, in the actual application of the low-orbit satellite communication system, depending on whether there is a ground gateway station and whether there is a universal inter-satellite link (that is, all satellites can be connected), at least it can There are the following different application methods, which are explained below.

Application method one:

When there is no ground gateway station at all and the inter-satellite link exists only between the communication satellite and the mobile gateway station, the communication of the low-orbit satellite communication system will be completely dependent on the mobile gateway station, and its communication methods can be divided into Some basic types are as follows:

(1) When the user's area is covered by a communication satellite, the user link is still connected by the user terminal and the communication satellite, while the feeder link is connected by the communication satellite and the mobile gateway, and the communication satellite selects the closest mobile Gateway connection;

(2) When the user's area is covered by the mobile gateway, the user directly communicates with the mobile gateway without the need for a feeder link.

Figure 20 is a communication diagram of a satellite communication system with only an inter-satellite link between a mobile gateway station and a communication satellite in application mode 1. As shown in the figure, the coverage area 1 to which the user terminal UE1 belongs is covered by the communication satellite S _1,1 The communication process includes user link 1 composed of UE1 and communication satellite S _1,1 and feeder link 1 composed of _{communication satellite S 1,1} and mobile gateway S _1,m;

The coverage area 2 to which the user terminal UE2 belongs is covered by the mobile gateway S _1,m , and its communication process only includes _{the user link 2 composed of UE2 and the mobile gateway S 1,m} , and no feeder link is needed.

Application method two:

When there is no ground gateway at all, but inter-satellite links can exist between any satellites, the communication methods of low-orbit satellite communication systems can be divided into the following basic types:

(1) When the user's area is covered by communication satellites, if there is a mobile gateway station within the coverage distance of the inter-satellite link of the communication satellite, the user link is still connected by the user terminal and the communication satellite, and the feeder link is connected by the communication satellite. The satellite is connected to the nearest mobile gateway within the coverage distance of its inter-satellite link;

(2) When the user's area is covered by communication satellites, if there is no mobile gateway station within the inter-satellite link coverage of the communication satellite, the communication satellite can first connect to other communication satellites, and then other communication satellites and mobile gateway stations Connection to form a connection similar to a relay;

(3) When the user's area is covered by the mobile gateway station, the user directly communicates with the mobile gateway station without the need for a feeder link.

Figure 21 is a schematic diagram of a feeder link relayed by a communication satellite in application mode 2. As shown in the figure, the coverage area 1 to which the user terminal UE1 belongs is covered by the communication satellite S _1,1 , because the communication satellite S _1,1 and The inter-satellite link between the mobile gateway S _{1, m} is unavailable, the communication satellite S _{1 , 1 is} connected to the communication satellite S 1, 2 first, and then the communication satellite S _{1, 2} and the mobile gateway S _{1, m} connection, forming a feeder link relayed via the communication satellite S _{1, 2.}

Application method three:

In the case of a ground customs station, the communication of the low-orbit satellite communication system will depend on both the ground customs station and the mobile customs station. The communication methods can be divided into the following basic types:

(1) When the user's area is covered by a communication satellite, the user link is still connected by the user terminal and the communication satellite, and the feeder link is connected by the communication satellite and the ground gateway;

(2) When the user's area is covered by a communication satellite, the user link is still connected by the user terminal and the communication satellite, while the feeder link is connected by the communication satellite and the mobile gateway, and the communication satellite selects the closest mobile Gateway connection;

(3) When the user's area is covered by a mobile customs station, the user directly communicates with the mobile customs station without a feeder link;

(4) When a mobile customs station does not contain a core network or only contains part of the core network functions, the mobile customs station also needs to be connected to a ground customs station with a core network;

(5) When the inter-satellite link can exist between any satellites, on the one hand, the communication satellite can act as a relay to connect the communication satellite and the mobile gateway station, and on the other hand, the mobile gateway station without the corresponding core network function can return It can be connected to other mobile gateways with core network functions.

Fig. 22 is a communication diagram of a satellite communication system with a ground gateway station and a mobile gateway station for application mode 3. As shown in the figure, the coverage area 1 to which the user terminal UE1 belongs is covered by the communication satellite S _1,1 , and the communication process It consists of user link 1 composed of UE1 and communication satellite S _1,1 and feeder link 1 composed of _{communication satellite S 1,1 and ground gateway GW1;}

The user terminal UE2 belongs to the area covered by the communication satellite 2 S coverage _1,2, S ₁ corresponds to a communication satellite ground station gateway GW2, because the gateway ground station GW2 was destroyed by the need to replace the switch gateway mobile station, Therefore, its communication process includes user link 2 composed of _{UE2 and communication satellite S 1} , 2 and feeder link 2 composed of _{communication satellite S 1, 2} and mobile gateway S _{1, m;}

The coverage area 3 to which the user terminal UE3 belongs is covered by the mobile gateway S _1,m , and its communication process only includes _{the user link 3 composed of the UE3 and the mobile gateway S 1,m} , and no feeder link is needed. When the mobile gateway S _1,m has no corresponding core network function, it will connect to the nearest available gateway GW3.

The embodiment of the present disclosure also provides a computer-readable storage medium, and the computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program for executing the above-mentioned method of using the low-orbit satellite communication system.

For specific implementation, please refer to the specific implementation of the above-mentioned using method of the low-orbit satellite communication system.

In summary, in the technical solution provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure, satellite communication is performed based on a mobile gateway placed on a satellite. specific:

The satellite constellation includes communication satellites and mobile gateways; communication satellites mainly have transparent forwarding functions; mobile gateways are responsible for user access and signal processing and other processes, and serve as gateways.

The gateway station is composed of access network, core network, network management and operation unit, etc. According to its function, it can be divided into 3 basic types: access mobile gateway station, integrated mobile gateway station or virtual mobile gateway station.

An inter-satellite link is configured between the communication satellite and the mobile gateway station, and when the communication satellite connects to the mobile gateway station, it will select the mobile gateway station closest to it to connect.

In the absence of ground gateways, the system completely relies on mobile gateways for communication.

The user is within the coverage of the communication satellite, and the communication process includes the user link between the user and the communication satellite and the feed link between the communication satellite and the mobile gateway.

The user is within the coverage of the mobile gateway, and the communication process only includes the user link between the user and the mobile gateway.

If there is an inter-satellite link between the communication satellite and the communication satellite, the communication satellite can be used as a relay to connect the communication satellite and the mobile gateway.

In the case of a ground customs station, the system relies on both the ground customs station and the mobile customs station for communication.

The user is within the coverage of the communication satellite, and the communication satellite has a ground gateway that can be connected. The communication process includes the user link between the user and the communication satellite and the feeder link between the communication satellite and the ground gateway.

The user is within the coverage of the communication satellite, and the communication satellite has no connectable ground gateway station and is replaced by a mobile gateway station. The communication process includes the user link between the user and the communication satellite and the feed of the communication satellite and the mobile gateway station. link.

The user is within the coverage of the mobile gateway, and the communication process only includes the user link between the user and the mobile gateway.

If there is no corresponding core network function on the mobile customs station, the mobile customs station needs to be connected to the ground customs station with the core network.

If inter-satellite links exist universally between any satellites, communication satellites can be used as relays to connect communication satellites and mobile gateways, and mobile gateways without corresponding core network functions can also be connected to those with core network functions. Mobile customs station.

It can be seen that the low-orbit constellation in the related technology completely relies on the ground customs station to work, but when the ground customs station is damaged, it will cause discontinuity of global coverage and communication interruption, and the mobile customs station proposed in the embodiment of the present disclosure is based on The satellite communication can solve the normal communication problem when the satellite is not in the visible range of the ground customs station.

Those skilled in the art should understand that the embodiments of the present disclosure can be provided as a method, a system, or a computer program product. Therefore, the present disclosure may adopt the form of a complete hardware embodiment, a complete software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware. Moreover, the present disclosure may take the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to disk storage, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program codes.

The present disclosure is described with reference to flowcharts and/or block diagrams of methods, devices (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be understood that each process and/or block in the flowchart and/or block diagram, and the combination of processes and/or blocks in the flowchart and/or block diagram can be realized by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to the processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing equipment to produce a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing equipment can be used to generate It is a device that realizes the functions specified in one process or multiple processes in the flowchart and/or one block or multiple blocks in the block diagram.

These computer program instructions can also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can guide a computer or other programmable data processing equipment to work in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including the instruction device. The device implements the functions specified in one process or multiple processes in the flowchart and/or one block or multiple blocks in the block diagram.

These computer program instructions can also be loaded on a computer or other programmable data processing equipment, so that a series of operation steps are executed on the computer or other programmable equipment to produce computer-implemented processing, so as to execute on the computer or other programmable equipment. The instructions provide steps for implementing the functions specified in one process or multiple processes in the flowchart and/or one block or multiple blocks in the block diagram.

It should be noted that it should be understood that the above division of each module is only a division of logical functions, and may be fully or partially integrated into a physical entity in actual implementation, or may be physically separated. And these modules can all be implemented in the form of software called by processing elements; they can also be implemented in the form of hardware; some modules can be implemented in the form of calling software by processing elements, and some of the modules can be implemented in the form of hardware. For example, the determining module may be a separately established processing element, or it may be integrated in a certain chip of the above-mentioned device for implementation. In addition, it may also be stored in the memory of the above-mentioned device in the form of program code, which is determined by a certain processing element of the above-mentioned device. Call and execute the functions of the above-identified module. The implementation of other modules is similar. In addition, all or part of these modules can be integrated together or implemented independently. The processing element described here may be an integrated circuit with signal processing capabilities. In the implementation process, each step of the above method or each of the above modules can be completed by an integrated logic circuit of hardware in the processor element or instructions in the form of software.

For example, each module, unit, sub-unit or sub-module may be one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the above method, for example: one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), or one or Multiple microprocessors (digital signal processors, DSP), or, one or more field programmable gate arrays (Field Programmable Gate Array, FPGA), etc. For another example, when one of the above modules is implemented in the form of processing element scheduling program code, the processing element may be a general-purpose processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU) or other processors that can call program codes. For another example, these modules can be integrated together and implemented in the form of a system-on-a-chip (SOC).

The terms "first", "second", etc. in the specification and claims of this application are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not necessarily used to describe a specific sequence or sequence. It should be understood that the data used in this way can be interchanged under appropriate circumstances so that the embodiments of the present application described herein, for example, are implemented in a sequence other than those illustrated or described herein. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any variations of them are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product, or device that includes a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those clearly listed. Those steps or units may include other steps or units that are not clearly listed or are inherent to these processes, methods, products, or equipment. In addition, the use of "and/or" in the description and claims means at least one of the connected objects, such as A and/or B and/or C, which means that it includes A alone, B alone, C alone, and both A and B. Exist, B and C exist, A and C exist, and A, B, and C all exist in 7 situations. Similarly, the use of "at least one of A and B" in this specification and claims should be understood as "A alone, B alone, or both A and B exist".

Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications to the present disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. In this way, if these modifications and variations of the present disclosure fall within the scope of the claims of the present disclosure and their equivalent technologies, the present disclosure is also intended to include these modifications and variations.

Claims (17)

1. A mobile gateway station located in a satellite, including: an access network unit and/or a core network unit, in which:

   Access network unit, used to send and receive data with communication satellites;

   The core network unit is used to process and route data sent and received by the access network unit.
2. The gateway station according to claim 1, wherein the access network unit is further configured to send and receive data with the user terminal.
3. The gateway station according to claim 1, wherein the access network unit transmits and receives data according to the version above 5G.
4. The gateway station according to claim 1, wherein the access network unit includes a distributed unit DU and/or a centralized unit CU.
5. The gateway station according to claim 1, wherein the core network unit includes a user plane UP and/or a control plane CP.
6. A mobile gateway station located on the satellite, including:

   The processor is used to read the program in the memory and execute the following process:

   Send and receive data with communication satellites; and/or,

   Process and route the data sent and received;

   Transceiver, used to receive and send data under the control of the processor.
7. A communication satellite including:

   The terminal transceiver module is used to send and receive data with the user terminal through the user link;

   The determining module is used to determine whether a feeder link can be established with the ground customs station, and to determine whether a connection can be established with the mobile customs station according to claim 1 or 6;

   The transceiver module is used to send and receive data with the user terminal when it is determined that the feeder link cannot be established with the ground customs station, and when the connection can be established with the mobile gateway station, it can send and receive data with the mobile customs station; it is determined that the ground signal cannot be communicated with the mobile gateway. When a gateway station establishes a feeder link and cannot establish a connection with a mobile gateway station, it transmits and receives data with other communication satellites in a relay mode.
8. The satellite according to claim 7, wherein the determining module is further configured to determine whether a feeder link can be established with a ground customs station according to one of the following methods or a combination thereof, and determine whether the feeder link can be established with the ground gateway according to claim 1 or 6. To establish a connection with the mobile gateway:

   Network pre-configuration, network control, and communication satellite judgment.
9. The satellite of claim 7, further comprising:

   The target judgment module is used to determine the target mobile gateway station and/or target communication satellite for data transmission and reception for the transceiver module according to a preset strategy.
10. A communication satellite including:

    The processor is used to read the program in the memory and execute the following process:

    Send and receive data with the user terminal through the user link;

    Determine whether a feeder link can be established with a ground customs station, and determine whether a connection can be established with a mobile customs station according to claim 1 or 6;

    When sending and receiving data with the user terminal, it is determined that the feeder link cannot be established with the ground customs station, and when the connection can be established with the mobile customs station, data is sent and received with the mobile customs station; it is determined that the feeder cannot be established with the ground customs station Link, when the connection with the mobile gateway cannot be established, it will send and receive data with other communication satellites in a relay mode;

    Transceiver, used to receive and send data under the control of the processor.
11. A low-orbit satellite communication system, comprising: the mobile gateway station according to claim 1 or 6, and the communication satellite according to claim 7 or 10, wherein:

    The mobile customs station is used to send and receive data with communication satellites, and process and route the sent and received data;

    Communication satellites for:

    Send and receive data with the user terminal through the user link;

    Determine whether the feeder link can be established with the ground customs station, and whether the connection can be established with the mobile customs station;

    When sending and receiving data with the user terminal, it is determined that the feeder link cannot be established with the ground customs station, and when the connection can be established with the mobile customs station, data is sent and received with the mobile customs station; it is determined that the feeder cannot be established with the ground customs station Link, when the connection with the mobile gateway cannot be established, data is sent and received with other communication satellites in a relay mode.
12. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

    The ground customs station is used to process and route the data sent and received by the communication satellite through the feeder link.
13. The system according to claim 11, wherein the mobile gateway is further configured to transmit and receive data with the user terminal through the user link; and/or,

    The communication satellite is further used to relay and forward data transmitted by other communication satellites.
14. A method of using the low-orbit satellite communication system according to claim 11, comprising:

    The communication satellite receives the data sent by the user terminal through the user link;

    The communication satellite sends the received data to the mobile gateway;

    The mobile gateway station processes and routes the data sent by the communication satellite;

    and / or,

    The mobile gateway station performs processing and routing, and sends the data sent to the terminal to the communication satellite;

    The communication satellite receives the data sent to the terminal;

    The communication satellite sends data to the user terminal through the user link.
15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

    After the communication satellite determines the destination of receiving data from the mobile gateway station, ground gateway station, or communication satellite according to a preset strategy, it sends the data sent by the user terminal. The preset strategy is network pre-configured and network controlled. , Or judged by the communication satellite itself.
16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

    After the communication satellite receives the data sent by other communication satellites, it determines the target of receiving data from the mobile gateway station, ground gateway station or communication satellite according to the preset strategy, and then sends the data sent by other communication satellites. The preset strategy is pre-configured by the network, controlled by the network, or judged by the communication satellite itself.
17. A computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program for executing the method described in any one of claims 14 to 16.

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