WO2024031480A1

WO2024031480A1 - Network access method and apparatus, and storage medium

Info

Publication number: WO2024031480A1
Application number: PCT/CN2022/111576
Authority: WO
Inventors: 毛玉欣
Original assignee: 北京小米移动软件有限公司
Priority date: 2022-08-10
Filing date: 2022-08-10
Publication date: 2024-02-15

Abstract

Provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure are a network access method and apparatus, and a storage medium. On the basis of access assistance information of a user equipment (UE) using non-terrestrial network (NTN) access, the UE determines an access behavior of the UE in a no-signal-coverage period, wherein the no-signal-coverage period comprises a period during which there is no signal coverage for the NTN access to the region where the UE is located. An access behavior of a UE in a no-signal-coverage period is determined on the basis of access assistance information of the UE, thereby realizing the optimization of a user's access behavior when a satellite provides discontinuous coverage.

Description

Network access method, device and storage medium

Technical field

The present disclosure relates to the field of wireless communication technology but is not limited to the field of wireless communication technology, and in particular, to a network access method, device and storage medium.

Background technique

In the fifth generation (5G, 5th Generation) mobile communication system, non-terrestrial networks (NTN, Non-Terrestrial Networks) were introduced. In the NTN system, signal coverage is provided by satellites. Affected by the number of satellites providing signal coverage and the movement of satellites, there may be situations where satellites are unable to provide continuous signal coverage for the area where the UE is located. When coverage is interrupted, the UE will continue to search for signals, which will consume the terminal's power. In addition, ongoing services will also be interrupted. Therefore, when satellites provide discontinuous coverage, how to optimize user access is an urgent problem to be solved.

Contents of the invention

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a network access method, device and storage medium.

A first aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure provides a network access method, which is executed by user equipment (User Equipment, UE). The method includes:

Based on the access assistance information of the UE accessed using NTN, the access behavior of the UE in the no-signal coverage period is determined, wherein the no-signal coverage period includes: the NTN access has no signal in the area where the UE is located period covered.

In one embodiment, the access behavior of the UE during the no signal coverage period includes at least one of the following:

The UE enters the power saving mode, wherein the UE does not connect to the network in the power saving mode;

The UE selects other available accesses, where the other available accesses are different from the NTN access.

In one embodiment, the access assistance information of the UE includes at least one of the following:

Access behavior selection auxiliary information obtained from the network side;

Capability information of the UE;

The mobility information of the UE;

Application information of the UE.

In one embodiment, the access behavior selection assistance information includes at least one of the following:

Access behavior indication information, wherein the indication information indicates using the power saving mode during the period without signal coverage or selecting other available access during the period without signal coverage;

Mobility restriction information, wherein the restriction information includes: prohibited access areas and/or prohibited access Radio Access Technology (Radio Access Technology, RAT) and/or Public Land Mobile Network (Public Land Mobile Network, PLMN) .

In one embodiment, the method further includes:

Receive the access behavior selection assistance information sent by the core network device.

In one embodiment, the access behavior selection assistance information is obtained by the UE from at least one of the following:

Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF);

Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF);

Unified Data Management (UDM).

In one embodiment, the capability information of the UE includes at least one of the following:

Type information of the UE;

The power information of the UE;

The location information of the UE;

The expected access behavior information of the no-signal coverage period, wherein the expected access behavior information is used to indicate that the UE desires to enter the power saving mode and/or select other available accesses different from the NTN access. .

In one embodiment, the mobility information of the UE includes at least one of the following:

Movement mode information;

Movement trajectory information;

Predicted location information during the period of no signal coverage.

In one embodiment, the application information of the UE includes at least one of the following:

Business status information;

Business type information;

Delay requirement information associated with the application of the UE.

In one embodiment, based on the access assistance information of a user equipment (UE) accessed using a non-terrestrial network (NTN), determining the access behavior of the UE during a period of no signal coverage includes:

Determine that the UE enters the power saving mode during a period of no signal coverage;

The UE and the core network device corresponding to the NTN access complete the negotiation of power saving parameters and obtain the power saving parameters;

When entering the non-signal coverage period of the NTN access, the power saving mode is entered according to the power saving parameter.

Determine that the UE selects other available accesses that are different from the NTN access when there is no signal coverage in the current NTN access;

Select a first access from the other available accesses to initiate a registration process, or switch from the NTN access to the first access.

In one embodiment, the method further includes:

If the UE receives a registration failure message or a handover failure message, the UE and the core network device corresponding to the NTN access complete the negotiation of power saving parameters and obtain the power saving parameters; wherein, the registration failure message is received by the UE through the first access;

In some embodiments, the method further includes:

If the UE receives the registration success message, in response to entering the no signal coverage of the NTN access, the UE initiates a de-registration process through the NTN access.

A second aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure provides a network access method, which is executed by a core network device. The method includes:

Send access behavior selection auxiliary information to the user equipment (UE); wherein the access behavior selection auxiliary information is used to assist the UE in determining the access behavior during a period of no signal coverage when using a non-terrestrial network (NTN) for access, wherein , the no signal coverage period includes: the NTN access has no signal coverage for the area where the UE is located.

In one embodiment, the access behavior selection assistance information includes: at least one of the following:

Mobility restriction information, wherein the restriction information includes areas where access is prohibited and/or RATs and/or PLMNs where access is prohibited.

In one embodiment, the access behavior indication information is determined by the network based on at least one of the following information:

User contract information;

Policies for roaming to other available access RATs and/or PLMNs;

Delay requirements for applications associated with UE.

In one embodiment, the core network equipment includes at least one of the following:

Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF);

Network data analysis function (NWDAF);

Unified Data Management (UDM).

A third aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure provides a UE, including:

A processing module configured to determine the access behavior of the UE in a no-signal coverage period based on the access assistance information of the UE using NTN access, wherein the no-signal coverage period includes: the NTN access pair The period during which there is no signal coverage in the area where the UE is located.

The fourth aspect of the embodiment of the present disclosure provides a core network device, including:

The sending module is configured to send access behavior selection auxiliary information to the UE; wherein the access behavior selection auxiliary information is used to assist the UE in determining the access behavior during the period of no signal coverage when using NTN access.

A fifth aspect of the embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication device, wherein the communication device includes: a processor; a memory for storing instructions executable by the processor; wherein the processor is configured to: When the executable instructions are run, the network access method described in any one of the first aspect or the second aspect is implemented.

A sixth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure provides a communication system, which includes: user equipment (UE) and core network equipment;

The UE is configured to perform the network access method according to any one of the first aspects;

The core network device is used to perform the network access method according to any one of the second aspects.

A seventh aspect of the embodiment of the present disclosure provides a computer storage medium, wherein the computer storage medium stores a computer executable program, and when the executable program is executed by a processor, any one of the first aspect or the second aspect is implemented. The network access method described above.

In the technical solution provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, the user equipment (UE) determines the access behavior of the UE during the period of no signal coverage based on the access assistance information of the UE accessed using the non-terrestrial network (NTN), wherein, the The no signal coverage period includes: the period when the NTN access has no signal coverage for the area where the UE is located. In this way, based on the access assistance information of the UE, the access behavior of the UE during the period of no signal coverage is determined, thereby optimizing the user's access behavior when the satellite provides discontinuous coverage.

It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are only exemplary and explanatory, and do not limit the embodiments of the present disclosure.

Description of drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the embodiments of the invention.

Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a wireless communication system according to an exemplary embodiment;

Figure 2 is a flow chart of a network access method according to an exemplary embodiment.

Figure 3 is a flow chart of a network access method according to an exemplary embodiment.

Figure 4 is a flow chart of a network access method according to an exemplary embodiment.

Figure 5 is a flow chart of a network access method according to an exemplary embodiment.

Figure 6 is a flow chart of a network access method according to an exemplary embodiment.

Figure 7 is a flow chart of a network access method according to an exemplary embodiment.

Figure 8 is a flow chart of a network access method according to an exemplary embodiment.

Figure 9 is a block diagram of a network access device according to an exemplary embodiment.

Figure 10 is a block diagram of a network access device according to an exemplary embodiment.

Figure 11 is a block diagram of a UE according to an exemplary embodiment.

Figure 12 is a block diagram of a network device according to an exemplary embodiment.

Detailed ways

Exemplary embodiments will be described in detail herein, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description refers to the drawings, the same numbers in different drawings refer to the same or similar elements unless otherwise indicated. The implementations described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all implementations consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatus and methods consistent with some aspects of embodiments of the present disclosure.

The terminology used in the embodiments of the present disclosure is for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and is not intended to limit the embodiments of the present disclosure. As used in this disclosure, the singular forms "a," "the" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. It will also be understood that the term "and/or" as used herein refers to and includes any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

It should be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used to describe various information in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish information of the same type from each other. For example, without departing from the scope of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the first information may also be called second information, and similarly, the second information may also be called first information. Depending on the context, the word "if" as used herein may be interpreted as "when" or "when" or "in response to determining."

The network architecture and business scenarios described in the embodiments of the present disclosure are for the purpose of explaining the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure more clearly, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure. Persons of ordinary skill in the art will know that as the network With the evolution of architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure are also applicable to similar technical problems.

Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a wireless communication system according to an exemplary embodiment. In order to facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a wireless communication system applicable to the embodiments of the present disclosure is first described in detail, taking the wireless communication system shown in FIG. 1 as an example. It should be noted that the solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure can also be applied to other wireless communication systems, and the corresponding names can also be replaced with the names of corresponding functions in other wireless communication systems.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the wireless communication system is a communication system based on cellular mobile communication technology. The wireless communication system may include: several user equipments 11 , several network devices 12 and a network management device 13 .

Wherein, the user equipment 11 may be a device that provides voice and/or data connectivity to the user. The user equipment 11 can communicate with one or more core networks via a Radio Access Network (RAN). The user equipment 11 can be an Internet of Things user equipment, such as a sensor device, a mobile phone (or a "cellular" phone) ) and computers with IoT user equipment, which may be, for example, fixed, portable, pocket-sized, handheld, computer-built-in, or vehicle-mounted devices. For example, station (STA), subscriber unit (subscriber unit), subscriber station (subscriber station), mobile station (mobile station), mobile station (mobile), remote station (remote station), access point, remote user equipment (remote terminal), access user equipment (access terminal), user device (user terminal), user agent (user agent), user equipment (user device), or user equipment (user equipment). Alternatively, the user device 11 may also be a wearable device, a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device or a VR/AR hybrid head-mounted device. Alternatively, the user equipment 11 may also be equipment of an unmanned aerial vehicle. Alternatively, the user equipment 11 may also be a vehicle-mounted device, for example, it may be a trip computer with a wireless communication function, or a wireless user equipment connected to an external trip computer. Alternatively, the user equipment 11 may also be a roadside device, for example, it may be a street light, a signal light or other roadside device with a wireless communication function.

The network device 12 may be an NTN device having all or part of the functions of an access network device, or may be an access network device on the ground.

Equipment such as satellites or aerial vehicles deployed in the air in NTN can be called NTN equipment. For example, NTN equipment can be any of satellites, high altitude platform systems (HAPS), and air to ground (ATG) equipment. NTN includes two transmission types: transparent transmission and non-transparent transmission (non-transparent transmission is also called "regenerative transmission"). In transparent transmission NTN, the signal only undergoes frequency conversion, signal amplification and other processes on the NTN equipment, that is, the NTN equipment is the relay equipment between the terminal equipment and the access network equipment. In non-transparent NTN, NTN equipment has some or all functions of access network equipment.

Access network equipment is an entity on the network side that is used to transmit or receive signals, such as a new generation base station (generation Node B, gNodeB). Access network devices may be devices used to communicate with mobile devices. The network equipment may be used to convert received air frames to and from IP packets and act as a router between the wireless terminal and the remainder of the access network, which may include an Internet Protocol (IP) network. Network devices also coordinate attribute management of the air interface. Among them, the wireless communication system can be the 4th generation mobile communication technology (the 4th generation mobile communication, 4G) system, also known as the Long Term Evolution (LTE) system; or the wireless communication system can also be a 5G system, Also called new radio (NR) system or 5G NR system. Alternatively, the wireless communication system may also be a next-generation system of the 5G system. Among them, the access network in the 5G system can be called NG-RAN (New Generation-Radio Access Network).

The network device 12 may be an evolved access device (eNB) used in the 4G system. Alternatively, the network device 12 may also be an access device (gNB) using a centralized distributed architecture in the 5G system. When the network device 12 adopts a centralized distributed architecture, it usually includes a centralized unit (central unit, CU) and at least two distributed units (distributed unit, DU). The centralized unit is equipped with a protocol stack including the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, the Radio Link Control protocol (Radio Link Control, RLC) layer, and the Media Access Control (Media Access Control, MAC) layer; distributed The unit is provided with a physical (Physical, PHY) layer protocol stack, and the embodiment of the present disclosure does not limit the specific implementation of the network device 12.

A wireless connection can be established between the network device 12 and the user device 11 through a wireless air interface. In different implementations, the wireless air interface is a wireless air interface based on the fourth generation mobile communication network technology (4G) standard; or the wireless air interface is a wireless air interface based on the fifth generation mobile communication network technology (5G) standard, such as The wireless air interface is a new air interface; alternatively, the wireless air interface may also be a wireless air interface based on the next generation mobile communication network technology standard of 5G.

In one embodiment, an E2E (End to End, end-to-end) or D2D (device to device, terminal to terminal) connection can also be established between user devices 11. For example, V2V (vehicle to vehicle, vehicle to vehicle) communication, V2I (vehicle to infrastructure, vehicle to roadside equipment) communication and V2P (vehicle to pedestrian, vehicle to person) communication in vehicle networking communication (vehicle to everything, V2X) Wait for the scene.

In one embodiment, the network device 12 may be located in a communication system that is integrated with a satellite communication system, and can provide connection services for satellites, and can connect satellites to the core network. For example, the network device 12 may be an access network device with a satellite gateway function in the communication system, such as a gateway device, a ground station device, a non-terrestrial networks gateway/satellite gateway (NTN-Gateway) )wait.

In one embodiment, the above-mentioned wireless communication system may also include a network management device 13. Several network devices 12 are connected to the network management device 13 respectively.

In one embodiment, the network management device 13 may be a core network device in a wireless communication system. For example, the core network device 13 may be a mobility management entity (EPC) in an evolved packet core network (Evolved Packet Core, EPC). Mobility Management Entity (MME). Alternatively, the core network device can also be a serving gateway (Serving GateWay, SGW), a public data network gateway (Public Data Network GateWay, PGW), a policy and charging rules function unit (Policy and Charging Rules Function, PCRF) or a home contract User Server (Home Subscriber Server, HSS), etc. The embodiment of the present disclosure does not limit the implementation form of the core network device 13 .

In one embodiment, the network management device 13 may be an access and mobility management function (AMF, Access and Mobility Management Function), a unified data management (Unified Data Management, UDM), or a session management function (SMF, Session Management Function) , User Plane Function (UPF, User Plane Function), etc. The embodiment of the present disclosure does not limit the implementation form of the network management device 13 .

Among them, AMF, UDM, etc. in the embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by one physical device, or may be jointly implemented by multiple physical devices. It can be understood that the AMF, UDM, etc. in the embodiments of the present disclosure may be a logical function module in the physical device, or may be a logical function module composed of multiple physical devices, which are not limited in the embodiments of the present disclosure. .

In order to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art, the embodiments of the present disclosure enumerate multiple implementations to clearly describe the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure. Of course, those skilled in the art can understand that the multiple embodiments provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be executed alone or in combination with the methods of other embodiments in the embodiments of the present disclosure. They can also be executed alone or in combination. It is then executed together with some methods in other related technologies; the embodiments of the present disclosure do not limit this.

Non-terrestrial network (NTN) is a communication network that uses satellites or aerial vehicles to provide communication services to terminal devices based on terrestrial communication networks. Among them, equipment such as satellites or aerial vehicles deployed in the air in NTN can be called NTN equipment. For example, NTN equipment can be any of satellites, high altitude platform systems (HAPS), and air to ground (ATG) equipment. NTN includes two transmission types: transparent transmission and non-transparent transmission (non-transparent transmission is also called "regenerative transmission"). In transparent transmission NTN, the signal only undergoes frequency conversion, signal amplification and other processes on the NTN equipment, that is, the NTN equipment is the relay equipment between the terminal equipment and the access network equipment. In non-transparent NTN, NTN equipment has some or all functions of access network equipment.

If NTN access is used to provide users with network services, such as satellite access, the satellite access may be affected by the satellite beam coverage and the insufficient number of satellites in the star chain. The signal coverage provided to the ground may be discontinuous, that is, the user may When a certain area is connected to the network through satellite, there may be no satellite signal coverage during a specific period of time. For example, after the UE obtains 20 minutes of satellite access signal coverage, it takes 10 hours to obtain 20 minutes of signal coverage again.

In the case where the satellite access is lost, in order to save the energy consumption of the terminal, the terminal can be placed in a dormant state to save energy consumption, or in the case of the satellite access being lost, if there are other available devices in the area The access network allows the UE to switch to other access networks to continue using network services. However, no matter which method is adopted, it cannot be suitable for the communication needs of any UE. For example, the use of power-saving technology when coverage is lost is only suitable for delay-tolerant IoT terminals, and is not suitable for smart terminals that have business needs at any time; and the use of other available access technologies when coverage is lost is also limited by There are other access technologies available in the area.

When satellites provide discontinuous coverage, how to optimize user access is an urgent problem to be solved.

Figure 2 is a flow chart of a network access method according to an exemplary embodiment. The network access method is executed by user equipment (UE). As shown in Figure 2, the network access method may include:

Step 201: Based on the access assistance information of the UE using NTN access, determine the access behavior of the UE in the no-signal coverage period, wherein the no-signal coverage period includes: the NTN access has a negative impact on the location of the UE. The period of time when there is no signal coverage in the area.

Here, UE can be a terminal such as a mobile phone or Internet of Things (IoT) device.

The UE has the ability to support NTN access, and the UE can use NTN to access the network. The UE can also use other access behaviors. For example, the UE has the ability to support both TN access and NTN access. The UE can access the network through terrestrial networks (Terrestrial Networks, TN).

In some examples, the NTN access may be satellite access.

The UE may determine the access behavior of the UE during a period of no signal coverage, that is, a period when the current satellite access does not have satellite signal coverage.

In some examples, the UE's access assistance information may include but is not limited to: access capability information used to determine the UE's access behavior during the no-signal coverage period, the UE's load information, the UE's status information, etc.

In some examples, when the UE predicts that the signal coverage of the area where the UE is located by the NTN access is about to be lost, based on the access assistance information of the UE using the NTN access, the access of the UE during the period of no signal coverage is determined. into behavior.

The access behavior may include: indicating the access technology used by the UE when the current NTN access has no coverage and/or the network to access when the current NTN access has no coverage.

In some examples, the UE may predict, based on the signal coverage information of the NTN access, the start time of no signal coverage in the area where the UE using the NTN access is located. Before the start time of the no-signal coverage, based on the access assistance information of the UE accessed using the NTN, the access behavior of the UE in the no-signal coverage period is determined.

The signal coverage duration and the no-signal coverage duration can be determined based on the signal coverage information.

Within the signal coverage duration, NTN access provides continuous signal coverage to the area where the UE is located.

The duration of no signal coverage is used to indicate the duration from the end time of one signal coverage to the start time of the next signal coverage.

Taking satellite access as an example, the UE can determine the signal coverage information of the satellite access based on the ephemeris information and the UE's location information. Among them, ephemeris information is used to record satellite movement. The position data of each satellite at any time can be determined based on the ephemeris information.

The ephemeris information can be obtained from access network equipment (for example, gNB), network management equipment (for example, gNB network management or satellite management network management), or can also be obtained from network equipment.

In the network access method provided by this embodiment, the user equipment (UE) determines the access behavior of the UE during the period of no signal coverage based on the access assistance information of the UE accessed using the non-terrestrial network (NTN), where: The no signal coverage period includes: a period in which the NTN access has no signal coverage for the area where the UE is located. In this way, based on the access assistance information of the UE, the access behavior of the UE during the period of no signal coverage is determined, thereby optimizing the user's access behavior when the satellite provides discontinuous coverage.

Wherein, the other available access networks are different from the NTN access currently used by the UE. For example, the network corresponding to the other available access includes but is not limited to terrestrial network (Terrestrial Network, TN) access.

In some examples, when the UE has no signal coverage, the UE can enter the power saving mode. In the power saving mode, the UE enters a sleep state and does not establish a connection with the network, thereby saving power.

For example, the power saving mode may include: CPU power saving and screen power saving.

In other examples, when the UE has no signal coverage period, the UE may also select other available access networks, such as the first access network.

In one possible implementation, the other available access may be a terrestrial cellular access network, such as NR. The PLMN corresponding to other available accesses may be different from the PLMN corresponding to the satellite access.

In a possible implementation, the NTN access is a satellite access, and other available accesses may be other satellite access networks that are different from the satellite access, such as satellite access of other operators.

When the current NTN access has no signal coverage, the UE selects other available accesses, which allows the UE to access other available networks during the current satellite access no signal coverage period and continue to use network services to meet the UE's communication needs.

In some examples, the UE selects other available accesses during the period of no signal coverage, which may include the UE selecting and accessing other available accesses.

Access behavior selection auxiliary information obtained from the network side;

Capability information of the UE;

The mobility information of the UE;

Application information of the UE.

In some examples, the access behavior selection assistance information may include access behavior indication information and/or mobility restriction information.

Wherein, the access behavior indication information indicates to use the power saving mode during the period of no signal coverage or to select other available access during the period of no signal coverage.

In some examples, the access behavior indication information is determined by the network based on at least one of user subscription information, roaming to other available access RATs and/or PLMN policies, and latency requirements associated with the UE application.

In some examples, the mobility restriction information includes TAs prohibited from access and/or RATs and/or PLMNs prohibited from access. The access behavior selection assistance information may be obtained by the UE from the core network equipment of the home operator, such as the 5G core network equipment.

The capability information of the UE can be implicitly or explicitly indicated by the access behavior allowed by the UE, and/or the access behavior expected by the UE during periods of no signal coverage, etc.

For example, the capability information of the UE may indicate the access technology supported by the UE.

The mobility information of the UE may include the current mobility information of the UE, or the mobility information predicted by the core network equipment and/or the UE based on the current mobility status of the UE. The movement information of the UE can be used to indicate the movement status of the UE, such as movement speed, location, etc.

The UE can determine the movement speed and/or location of the UE during the period of no signal coverage based on the movement information of the UE, and then determine the access behavior of the UE. For example, the UE can predict the location of the UE during a period of no signal coverage based on the mobility information of the UE, and then other available accesses of the UE at the predicted location can be determined.

The application information of the UE can be used to implicitly or explicitly indicate the communication requirements of the UE's services, applications, etc. Communication requirements may include: delay requirements, etc.

For example, the application information of the UE may indicate the services run by the UE. This service can be used to implicitly indicate the delay allowed by the UE. The UE can determine to enter the power saving mode or select other available accesses for connection based on the delay allowed by the UE.

It can be understood that the UE can determine the access behavior of the UE during the period of no signal coverage based on one of the above information or a combination of multiple pieces of information.

In one embodiment, the access behavior selection assistance information provided by the network includes at least one of the following:

The access behavior indication information is determined by the network based on at least one of the following information:

User contract information;

Policies for roaming to other available access RATs and/or PLMNs;

Delay requirements for applications associated with UE.

The types of RAT may include: long term evolution (LTE), new radio (NR) and other network access types.

A PLMN is a communications network controlled by a specific network operator and can be defined by a unique combination of a mobile country code and a mobile network code assigned to the network operator.

In some examples, the UE may determine the access behavior of the UE during the period of no signal coverage based on one or more items of access behavior selection assistance information.

If the access behavior selection assistance information provided by the network indicates that other available accesses are selected during no signal coverage, the UE selects other available accesses according to the indication, but the RAT and PLMN that are prohibited from accessing are indicated by the mobility restriction information, It is determined that there is no available access and PLMN, and the UE determines to still use the current NTN access during the no signal coverage period, and enters the power saving mode.

In some examples, the UE may determine whether to use the UE based on one or more items of the access behavior selection assistance information and the UE's capability information, the UE's mobility information, and/or the UE's application information capability information. Access behavior of UE during signal coverage period.

If the access behavior selection assistance information provided by the network indicates that other available accesses should be selected during the period of no signal coverage, and the power level indication contained in the UE's capability information is less than 30%, the UE determines to still use the current NTN during the period of no signal coverage. Access and enter the power saving mode; if the power level indication is higher than 30%, the UE determines to select and access other available accesses, such as the first access network, during the no signal coverage period.

In one embodiment, the method further includes:

In some examples, the core network equipment may be the core network equipment of a home operator, or may be the core network equipment of a roaming operator.

In some examples, the access behavior selection assistance information sent by the core network device to the UE during the UE's registration process is received.

In other examples, the access behavior selection assistance information is carried in downlink signaling associated with the UE Parameter Update (UE Parameter Update, UPU) process.

For example, UDM can send access behavior selection assistance information to the UE during the UE Configuration Update (UE Configuration Update, UCU) process.

In some examples, the access behavior selection assistance information is carried in downlink signaling associated with the UE Configuration Update (UE Configuration Update, UCU) process.

For example, the UDM can send the access behavior selection auxiliary information to the AMF. After receiving the access behavior selection auxiliary information, the AMF can send the access behavior selection auxiliary information during the UE Configuration Update (UE Configuration Update, UCU) process. to UE.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a network access method, which is executed by a UE. The method includes:

Receive the access behavior selection auxiliary information sent by the core network device; wherein the access behavior selection auxiliary information is used to assist the UE in determining the access behavior during the period of no signal coverage when using non-terrestrial network NTN access, where, The no signal coverage period includes: a period in which the NTN access has no signal coverage for the area where the UE is located.

Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF);

Network data analysis function (NWDAF);

Unified Data Management (UDM).

The UE can obtain the access behavior selection auxiliary information from the AMF, NWDAF and/or UDM, and then can determine the UE's access behavior during the period of no signal coverage based on the access behavior selection auxiliary information.

Exemplarily, the UE uses satellite access to access the 5G core network and complete access registration. When the UDM decides that it needs to perform the UE Parameters Update (UPU) process (for example, it is predicted that the signal coverage of the area where the UE is located by the satellite access is about to be lost, or the UDM receives a request initiated by other network elements (such as AMF) UPU trigger), UDM can include the access behavior selection auxiliary information in the UE parameter update information provided to the UE. In this way, the network signaling interaction between the UE and the core can be reduced, and the signaling overhead can be reduced.

Type information of the UE;

The power information of the UE;

The location information of the UE;

In some examples, the type information of the UE is used to indicate the type of the UE. Different types of UEs have different access requirements. The UE may determine the access behavior during the period of no signal coverage based on the UE type information. For example, IoT type UE is used for high-latency services. If the duration allowed by the UE is greater than the length of the no-signal coverage period, then it can be determined that the UE maintains the NTN access during the no-signal coverage period and enters the power saving mode. When the UE enters the signal coverage of the NTN access again, Restore network connection. For eMBB (Enhanced Mobile Broadband, enhanced mobile broadband) type UEs, the UE needs to maintain a connection with the network. Therefore, for eMBB type UEs, it can be determined that the UE chooses other available access to access the network during periods of no signal coverage.

In some examples, the power information of the UE is used to indicate the power of the UE. Different power levels can correspond to different access behaviors.

In a possible implementation, if the power information of the UE indicates that the power of the UE is less than a predetermined threshold, it can be determined that the UE maintains the NTN access during the period of no signal coverage, enters the power saving mode, and waits for the UE to enter the NTN access again. The network connection is restored when there is signal coverage.

In some examples, the location information of the UE may indicate the location of the UE, and the UE may determine whether there is other available access at the location of the UE based on the location of the UE.

In a possible implementation, the UE may determine whether to select other available accesses based on multiple pieces of information in the capability information. For example, it can be determined based on the power information of the UE and the type information of the UE whether the UE performs selection of other available accesses. When the power of the eMBB type UE is greater than a predetermined threshold, the UE can select other available accesses and establish a connection.

In some examples, the UE can configure the UE's expected access behavior during the no-signal coverage period by itself, and determine the UE's access behavior during the no-signal coverage period based on the expected access behavior information.

It can be understood that the UE may determine the access behavior of the UE during the period of no signal coverage based on one or more items in the capability information.

Movement mode information;

Movement trajectory information;

Predicted location information during the period of no signal coverage.

In some examples, the movement mode information may be used to indicate at least the movement type, movement speed and/or movement direction of the UE.

In some examples, the movement trajectory information may be used to at least indicate the movement trajectory of the UE during the period of no signal coverage.

The UE may determine whether the UE performs selection of other available access networks during the no-signal coverage period based on the UE's movement mode information, motion trajectory information, and/or location information during the no-signal coverage period.

Business status information;

Business type information;

Delay requirement information associated with the application of the UE.

In some examples, the business status information may be used to at least indicate the execution status of the business, etc. Different service execution states have different requirements for delay. Therefore, the service state can be used to determine the access behavior of the UE during periods of no signal coverage.

In some examples, the service type information may be used to at least indicate the type of service and the like. Different types of services (applications) have different access requirements. For example, some services allow longer delays, while other services allow shorter delays.

In some examples, the delay requirement information of the UE's application can be directly used to indicate the allowed delay of the UE's application.

The UE can determine the UE's access behavior during periods of no signal coverage based on service requirements for delay. For example, if the delay allowed by the service is greater than the duration of the no-signal coverage period, the UE can enter the power saving mode during the no-signal coverage period. If the delay allowed by the service is less than the duration of the no-signal coverage period, the UE can choose to access other available accesses during the no-signal coverage period to maintain continuous operation of the service.

The UE may determine the access behavior of the UE during the period of no signal coverage based on the service status information, service type information and/or delay requirement information associated with the application of the UE.

In some embodiments, the UE may determine, based on one or more of the access behavior selection assistance information, the capability information of the UE, the mobility information of the UE, and the application information item of the UE, whether Access behavior of UE during signal coverage period.

For example, the power information of the UE indicates that the UE is at a low power level (less than 30%), the service status information indicates that the UE is conducting services, and it is determined based on the predicted location information during the period of no signal coverage that the UE can perform other available connections. If the UE chooses to access the network (such as NR), the UE can determine to select other available network access during the period of no signal coverage and continue to carry out the service.

In another example, if the type information of the UE indicates that the terminal type of the UE is an IoT device, and the service type information indicates that the UE carries out high-latency services, the UE can determine that during the period of no signal coverage, the UE will still use the original access but maintain power saving. mode (such as sleep state).

In another example, the UE determines the UE mobility mode based on the mobility information, predicts the UE's position during the current access no-signal coverage period, instructs the UE to sleep within a predetermined period, and then selects other available accesses. For example, when the UE uses the current satellite access, there will be a 10-hour period of no signal coverage. At this time, the UE determines according to the UE mobility mode that there will be other available access signal coverage in 2 hours, and the UE sleeps within 2 hours. Select and access other available access after hours.

In a possible implementation, if other available network access is performed, the timing for the UE to perform other available network access may also be determined based on whether the UE is configured with a timer for network access. For example, if the UE is not configured with the timer, when entering no signal coverage, it starts to select and access other available accesses. If the UE is configured with the timer, when entering no signal coverage, the timer is started. After the timer times out, the UE starts to select and access other available accesses. The timer has not expired and the power saving mode remains.

In one embodiment, as shown in Figure 3, determining the access behavior of the UE during the period of no signal coverage based on the access assistance information of the UE using NTN access may include:

Step 301: Determine that the UE enters the power saving mode during a period of no signal coverage.

When the UE predicts that the signal coverage of the area where the UE is located by the NTN access is about to be lost, and based on the access assistance information of the UE using the NTN access, it is determined that the UE has no signal coverage in the current NTN access, the UE can Enter power saving mode.

Step 302: The UE and the core network device corresponding to the NTN access complete the negotiation of power saving parameters, and obtain the power saving parameters.

In some examples, the power saving parameters may include at least one of the following:

Periodic registration update timer; activation timer in Mobile Initiated Connection Only (MICO) mode; eDRX (Extended DRX, extended discontinuous reception mode) parameters.

The core network device corresponding to the NTN access may be an AMF. For example,

Step 303: When entering the non-signal coverage period of the NTN access, enter the power saving mode according to the power saving parameter.

When the UE enters the non-signal coverage period of the NTN access, it enters the power saving mode according to the power saving parameter. In the power saving mode, the UE enters a sleep state and does not establish a connection with the network, thereby saving power.

In one embodiment, as shown in Figure 4, determining the access behavior of the UE during a period of no signal coverage based on the access assistance information of the UE accessed by NTN may include:

Step 401: Determine that the UE selects other available accesses that are different from the NTN access when the current NTN access has no signal coverage.

When the UE predicts that the signal coverage of the area where the UE is located by the NTN access is about to be lost, and determines that the UE has no signal coverage in the current NTN access based on the access assistance information of the UE using the NTN access, select the difference. Other available access to the NTN access.

In some examples, the other available access may be a terrestrial cellular access network, such as NR. The PLMN corresponding to other available accesses may be different from the PLMN corresponding to the satellite access.

In other examples, the NTN access is a satellite access, and other available accesses may be other satellite access networks that are different from the satellite access, such as satellite access of other operators.

When the current NTN access has no signal coverage, the UE selects other available accesses, which can enable the UE to continue to use network services during the period of no signal coverage and meet the UE's communication needs.

Step 402: Select the first access from the other available accesses, initiate a registration process, or switch from the NTN access to the first access.

The UE may initiate a registration process to a PLMN network that supports the first access through the first access, or may initiate a network handover request to the first access through the NTN access. Wherein, the network switching request is used to request the core network device corresponding to the first access to allow the UE to access the network through the first access.

Wherein, the NTN access is a satellite access, and the first access selected from other available accesses may be other satellite access that is different from the satellite access, then the UE may switch from the satellite access to The other satellites access the network.

In this embodiment, when the current NTN access has no signal coverage, the UE selects other available accesses, which can enable the UE to continue using network services based on other available accesses and meet the communication needs of the UE.

In one embodiment, as shown in Figure 5, the method may further include:

Step 501: If the UE receives a registration failure message or a handover failure message, the UE and the core network device corresponding to the NTN access complete the negotiation of power saving parameters and obtain the power saving parameters; wherein, The registration failure message is received by the UE through the first access.

Step 502: When entering the non-signal coverage period of the NTN access, enter the power saving mode according to the power saving parameter.

In some embodiments, the method further includes:

The handover success message is received by the UE through the NTN access.

If the UE receives the registration success message or the handover success message, when entering the no signal coverage period of the NTN access, the UE uses the first access to access the network and continues to carry out the service.

Figure 6 is a flow chart of a network access method according to an exemplary embodiment. The network access method is executed by the core network equipment. As shown in Figure 6, the network access method may include:

Step 601: Send access behavior selection auxiliary information to the UE; wherein the access behavior selection auxiliary information is used to determine the access behavior of the UE using NTN access during the no-signal coverage period, wherein the no-signal The coverage period includes: a period in which the NTN access has no signal coverage for the area where the UE is located.

The UE has the ability to support NTN access, and the UE can use NTN to access the network. The UE can also access the network through other access behaviors. For example, the UE has the ability to support both TN access and NTN access. The UE can access the network through the terrestrial network (Terrestrial Networks, TN).

In some examples, the NTN access may be satellite access.

In some examples, the core network device may send access behavior selection assistance information to the UE during the UE's registration process.

Mobility restriction information, wherein the restriction information includes access-prohibited areas and/or access-prohibited radio access technologies RAT and/or public land mobile network PLMN.

The types of RAT may include: long term evolution (LTE), New Radio (NR) and other access network types.

Access and Mobility Management Function AMF;

Network data analysis function NWDAF;

Unified Data Management UDM.

AMF, NWDAF and/or UDM may send the access behavior selection assistance information to the UE, thereby allowing the UE using NTN access to determine the access behavior during the period of no signal coverage.

In order to further explain any embodiments of the present disclosure, several specific examples are provided below.

The UE obtains access behavior selection assistance information sent by the network side, where the access behavior selection assistance information includes: access behavior indication information and/or mobility restriction information. The access behavior indication information indicates the use of power saving mode during periods without signal coverage or the selection of other available accesses during periods without signal coverage. It is a policy for the network to roam to other available access RATs and/or PLMNs based on user subscription information, and is associated with At least one of the delay requirements for the UE's application is determined; the mobility restriction information includes TAs that are prohibited from accessing and/or RATs and/or PLMNs that are prohibited from accessing.

The UE determines access behavior during the non-coverage period based on at least one of the following information:

Access behavioral selection auxiliary information;

Capability information of the UE. The capability information includes: the power level of the UE, the location information of the UE, and the preference information of the UE (for example, prioritizing power saving during periods without coverage, or prioritizing alternative access);

UE behavior (whether business is ongoing);

Application delay.

The access methods during the non-coverage period include:

The UE uses the current satellite access and switches to power saving mode;

The UE accesses other available RATs and/or PLMNs.

If the UE chooses other available alternative access, such as using another satellite access network to access the 5GC network, during access registration, the network side (such as AMF) verifies whether the UE is allowed to access the UE based on the subscription information and UE location information. Described 5GC. If verification fails, a registration rejection message is returned. After receiving the message, the UE switches to the power saving mode again.

Embodiment 1

This embodiment describes that the UE determines, based on relevant information, whether to choose to maintain the power saving mode or use other available accesses during the period when the current satellite access is not covered.

Among them, the current satellite access used by the UE corresponds to gNB1, and the selected serving PLMN is the network where AMF1 is located; when the satellite access corresponding to gNB1 is without coverage, the UE selects an alternative satellite access, corresponding to gNB2, and the selected serving PLMN is the network where AMF2 is located. network of.

As shown in Figure 7, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a network access method. The method may include the steps:

Step 701a: The UE uses satellite access-1 to access the 5G core network and completes access registration. UDM sends the access behavior selection auxiliary information to the UE through the UPU (UE Parameters Update, UE parameter update) process.

Or, step 701b: UDM provides the access behavior selection auxiliary information to AMF1, and AMF1 sends the access behavior selection auxiliary information to the UE through the UCU (UE Configuration Update, UE configuration update) process.

The access behavior selection assistance information includes access behavior indication information and/or mobility restriction information. The access behavior indication information indicates the use of power saving mode during periods without signal coverage or the selection of other available accesses during periods without signal coverage. It is a policy for the network to roam to other available access RATs and/or PLMNs based on user subscription information, and is associated with At least one of the delay requirements for the UE's application is determined; the mobility restriction information includes TAs that are prohibited from accessing and/or RATs and/or PLMNs that are prohibited from accessing.

Step 702: Based on the coverage information of satellite access-1 in the area where the UE is located, the UE determines that it is about to enter the access signal non-coverage state, and based on at least one of the following information, determines access during the current satellite access non-coverage period. Way:

The access behavior selection auxiliary information;

UE preference behavior (such as giving priority to power saving during periods without coverage, or giving priority to alternative access);

UE power level;

UE behavior (whether business is ongoing);

application delay;

The access methods during the period of no coverage include:

The UE still uses the satellite for access, but transitions to a power saving mode during periods when the satellite is not covered, or

When the satellite access has no coverage, the UE selects other available RAT/PLMN to access.

For example:

The UE preference behavior is to give priority to other available accesses during the non-coverage period. The UE is currently carrying out services and hopes to maintain service continuity. Satellite access 2 is currently available and is not prohibited from accessing RAT/PLMN as indicated by the access behavior selection auxiliary information. Within, the UE decides to access satellite access-2 after the current satellite access-1 signal is lost.

Step 703: The UE performs RAT/PLMN selection and selects satellite access-2/serving PLMN2 (corresponding to AMF2) for access.

Step 704: The UE accesses through satellite access-2/serving PLMN2, performs the access registration process, and the UE initiates an access registration request.

Step 705: AMF2 obtains information related to the user from UDM, including the access behavior selection auxiliary information.

Step 706: Based on the information, AMF2 performs access verification.

Step 707: If the UE is allowed to access through the satellite access-2, AMF2 returns a registration success response to the UE. Thereafter, during the non-coverage period of Satellite Access-1, the UE can continue to use Satellite Access-2 to access the network and carry out services.

Step 708: If the UE is prohibited from accessing through the satellite access-2, AMF2 returns a registration rejection/failure response to the UE.

Step 709: After receiving the registration rejection response, the UE re-negotiates the power saving parameters with AMF1, and switches to the power saving mode during the period of satellite access-1 without coverage.

The above-mentioned AMF performs the access verification process, and the UDM can also perform the verification process by selecting auxiliary information based on the access behavior during the registration phase.

Embodiment 2

This embodiment describes that the UE determines, based on relevant information, to choose to maintain the power saving mode during the period when the current satellite access is not covered.

As shown in Figure 8, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a network access method. The method may include the steps:

Step 801a: The UE uses satellite access-1 to access the 5G core network and completes access registration. UDM sends the access behavior selection assistance information to the UE through the UPU process.

Alternatively, step 801b: UDM provides the access behavior selection auxiliary information to AMF1, and AMF1 sends the access behavior selection auxiliary information to the UE through the UCU process.

The access behavior selection assistance information includes mobility restriction information, such as RATs and/or PLMNs that are prohibited from selection in the area where the UE is located.

Step 802: Based on the coverage information of satellite access-1 in the area where the UE is located, the UE determines that it is about to enter the access signal non-coverage state, and based on at least one of the following information, determines access during the current satellite access non-coverage period. Way:

The access behavior selection auxiliary information;

UE power level;

UE behavior (whether business is ongoing);

Application delay.

The access methods during the period of no coverage include:

For example:

The UE preference behavior is to give priority to other available accesses during the period of no coverage. The UE is currently carrying out services and hopes to maintain business continuity. Currently, only satellite access 2 is available, but access to the RAT indicated by the access behavior selection auxiliary information is prohibited. / In PLMN, the UE decides to switch to the power saving mode after the current satellite access-1 signal is lost.

Step 803: The UE and AMF1 complete the power saving parameter negotiation during the satellite access-1 non-coverage period. During the period of entering the no coverage period, the UE transitions to a power saving state.

Figure 9 is a structural diagram of a network access device according to an exemplary embodiment. The network access device is applied to user equipment (UE). As shown in Figure 9, the network access device 100 includes:

The processing module 110 is configured to determine the access behavior of the user equipment UE during the no-signal coverage period based on the access assistance information of the user equipment UE accessed using the non-terrestrial network NTN, wherein the no-signal coverage period includes: The NTN access has no signal coverage for the area where the UE is located.

Access behavior selection auxiliary information obtained from the network side;

Capability information of the UE;

The mobility information of the UE;

Application information of the UE.

Areas where UE is prohibited from accessing the network;

Radio access technologies (RATs) and/or public land mobile networks (PLMNs) that prohibit UE access;

The area where UE is allowed to access the network;

RAT and/or PLMN allowing UE access;

The access priority of the RAT and/or PLMN that allows access.

Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF);

Network data analysis function (NWDAF);

Unified Data Management (UDM).

Type information of the UE;

The power information of the UE;

The location information of the UE;

Movement mode information;

Movement trajectory information;

Predicted location information during the period of no signal coverage.

Business status information;

Business type information;

Delay requirement information associated with the application of the UE.

In one embodiment, the processing module 110 is configured as:

When entering the non-signal coverage period of the NTN access, the power saving mode is entered according to the power saving parameters.

In one embodiment, the processing module 110 is configured as:

If the UE receives a registration failure message or a handover failure message, the UE and the core network device corresponding to the NTN access complete the negotiation of power saving parameters and obtain the power saving parameters; wherein, the registration failure message is received by the UE through the first access; when entering the no-signal coverage period of the NTN access, the UE enters the power saving mode according to the power saving parameter.

In one embodiment, the processing module 110 is configured as:

Figure 10 is a structural diagram of a network access device according to an exemplary embodiment. The network access device is applied to core network equipment. As shown in Figure 10, the network access device 200 includes:

The sending module 210 is configured to send access behavior selection auxiliary information to the user equipment UE; wherein the access behavior selection auxiliary information is used to determine the access behavior of the UE using the non-terrestrial network NTN to access during the period of no signal coverage. entry behavior, wherein the no signal coverage period includes: a period in which the NTN access has no signal coverage for the area where the UE is located.

User contract information;

Policies for roaming to other available access RATs and/or PLMNs;

Delay requirements for applications associated with UE.

Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF);

Network data analysis function (NWDAF);

Unified Data Management (UDM).

An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication device, wherein the communication device includes:

processor;

memory for storing instructions executable by the processor;

Wherein, the processor is configured to implement the network access method described in any one of claims 1 to 14 when running the executable instructions.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication system, which includes: user equipment (UE) and core network equipment;

The UE is configured to determine the access behavior of the UE in a no-signal coverage period based on access assistance information of a user equipment UE accessed using a non-terrestrial network (NTN), where the no-signal coverage period includes: The period during which the NTN access has no signal coverage for the area where the UE is located;

The core network equipment is used to send access behavior selection auxiliary information to the user equipment (UE); wherein the access behavior selection auxiliary information is used to assist the UE in determining the period of no signal coverage when using the non-terrestrial network NTN for access. access behavior.

Access behavior selection auxiliary information obtained from the network side;

Capability information of the UE;

The mobility information of the UE;

Application information of the UE.

User contract information;

Policies for roaming to other available access RATs and/or PLMNs;

Delay requirements for applications associated with UE.

Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF);

Network data analysis function (NWDAF);

Unified Data Management (UDM).

Type information of the UE;

The power information of the UE;

The location information of the UE;

Movement mode information;

Movement trajectory information;

Predicted location information during the period of no signal coverage.

Business status information;

Business type information;

Delay requirement information associated with the application of the UE.

In one embodiment, the UE is used for:

If the UE receives the registration success message in response to entering the no signal coverage of the NTN access, the UE initiates a de-registration process through the NTN access.

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

processor;

memory for storing instructions executable by the processor;

Wherein, the processor is configured to implement the network access method provided by any of the foregoing technical solutions when running the executable instructions.

The processor may include various types of storage media, which are non-transitory computer storage media that can continue to store information stored thereon after the communication device is powered off.

In one embodiment, communication equipment may include but is not limited to at least one of: UE and core network equipment. Here, the core network equipment may include AMF, UDM and/or NWDAF.

The processor can be connected to the memory through a bus, etc., and is used to read the executable program stored on the memory, for example, at least one of the network access methods shown in Figures 2 to 8.

Figure 11 is a block diagram of a UE 800 according to an exemplary embodiment. For example, UE 800 may be a mobile phone, computer, digital broadcast user equipment, messaging device, game console, tablet device, medical device, fitness device, personal digital assistant, etc.

Referring to Figure 11, UE 800 may include one or more of the following components: a processing component 802, a memory 804, a power supply component 806, a multimedia component 808, an audio component 810, an input/output (I/O) interface 812, a sensor component 814, and Communication component 816.

Processing component 802 generally controls the overall operations of UE 800, such as operations associated with display, phone calls, data communications, camera operations, and recording operations. The processing component 802 may include one or more processors 820 to execute instructions to generate all or part of the steps of the methods described above. Additionally, processing component 802 may include one or more modules that facilitate interaction between processing component 802 and other components. For example, processing component 802 may include a multimedia module to facilitate interaction between multimedia component 808 and processing component 802.

Memory 804 is configured to store various types of data to support operations at UE 800. Examples of this data include instructions for any application or method operating on the UE800, contact data, phonebook data, messages, pictures, videos, etc. Memory 804 may be implemented by any type of volatile or non-volatile storage device, or a combination thereof, such as static random access memory (SRAM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), Programmable read-only memory (EPROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), read-only memory (ROM), magnetic memory, flash memory, magnetic or optical disk.

Power supply component 806 provides power to various components of UE 800. Power component 806 may include a power management system, one or more power supplies, and other components associated with generating, managing, and distributing power to UE 800.

Multimedia component 808 includes a screen that provides an output interface between the UE 800 and the user. In some embodiments, the screen may include a liquid crystal display (LCD) and a touch panel (TP). If the screen includes a touch panel, the screen may be implemented as a touch screen to receive input signals from the user. The touch panel includes one or more touch sensors to sense touches, swipes, and gestures on the touch panel. The touch sensor may not only sense the boundary of a touch or slide action, but also detect the duration and pressure associated with the touch or slide action. In some embodiments, multimedia component 808 includes a front-facing camera and/or a rear-facing camera. When UE800 is in operating mode, such as shooting mode or video mode, the front camera and/or rear camera can receive external multimedia data. Each front-facing camera and rear-facing camera can be a fixed optical lens system or have a focal length and optical zoom capabilities.

Audio component 810 is configured to output and/or input audio signals. For example, audio component 810 includes a microphone (MIC) configured to receive external audio signals when UE 800 is in operating modes, such as call mode, recording mode, and voice recognition mode. The received audio signal may be further stored in memory 804 or sent via communication component 816 . In some embodiments, audio component 810 also includes a speaker for outputting audio signals.

The I/O interface 812 provides an interface between the processing component 802 and a peripheral interface module, which may be a keyboard, a click wheel, a button, etc. These buttons may include, but are not limited to: Home button, Volume buttons, Start button, and Lock button.

Sensor component 814 includes one or more sensors that provide various aspects of status assessment for UE 800 . For example, the sensor component 814 can detect the open/closed state of the device 800, the relative positioning of components, such as the display and keypad of the UE800, the sensor component 814 can also detect the position change of the UE800 or a component of the UE800, the user and the Presence or absence of UE800 contact, UE800 orientation or acceleration/deceleration and temperature changes of UE800. Sensor assembly 814 may include a proximity sensor configured to detect the presence of nearby objects without any physical contact. Sensor assembly 814 may also include a light sensor, such as a CMOS or CCD image sensor, for use in imaging applications. In some embodiments, the sensor component 814 may also include an acceleration sensor, a gyroscope sensor, a magnetic sensor, a pressure sensor, or a temperature sensor.

Communication component 816 is configured to facilitate wired or wireless communication between UE 800 and other devices. UE800 can access wireless networks based on communication standards, such as WiFi, 2G, 3G, 4G or 5G, or a combination thereof. In one exemplary embodiment, the communication component 816 receives broadcast signals or broadcast related information from an external broadcast management system via a broadcast channel. In one exemplary embodiment, the communications component 816 also includes a near field communications (NFC) module to facilitate short-range communications. For example, the NFC module can be implemented based on radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, infrared data association (IrDA) technology, ultra-wideband (UWB) technology, Bluetooth (BT) technology and other technologies.

In an exemplary embodiment, UE 800 may be configured by one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gates Array (FPGA), controller, microcontroller, microprocessor or other electronic components are implemented for executing the above method.

In an exemplary embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instructions, such as a memory 804 including instructions, executable by the processor 820 of the UE 800 to generate the above method is also provided. For example, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may be ROM, random access memory (RAM), CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, optical data storage device, etc.

As shown in Figure 12, an embodiment of the present disclosure shows the structure of a network device. For example, the network device 900 may be provided as a network side device. The communication equipment may be the aforementioned core network equipment.

Referring to Figure 12, network device 900 includes a processing component 922, which further includes one or more processors, and memory resources represented by memory 932 for storing instructions, such as application programs, executable by processing component 922. The application program stored in memory 932 may include one or more modules, each corresponding to a set of instructions. In addition, the processing component 922 is configured to execute instructions to perform any of the foregoing methods applied to the core network device.

Network device 900 may also include a power supply component 926 configured to perform power management of network device 900, a wired or wireless network interface 950 configured to connect network device 900 to a network, and an input-output (I/O) interface 958 . Network device 900 may operate based on an operating system stored in memory 932, such as Windows Server™, Mac OS X™, Unix™, Linux™, FreeBSD™ or the like.

Other embodiments of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. The present disclosure is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention that follow the general principles of the invention and include common common sense or customary technical means in the technical field that are not disclosed in the present disclosure. . It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the precise construction described above and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope thereof. The scope of the invention is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

A network access method, which is executed by user equipment UE, and the method includes:

Based on the access assistance information of the user equipment UE accessed using the non-terrestrial network NTN, the access behavior of the UE in the no-signal coverage period is determined, wherein the no-signal coverage period includes: the NTN access to the The period during which there is no signal coverage in the area where the UE is located.
The method according to claim 1, wherein the access behavior of the UE during the no signal coverage period includes at least one of the following:

The UE enters the power saving mode, wherein the UE does not connect to the network in the power saving mode;

The UE selects other available accesses, where the other available accesses are different from the NTN access.
The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the method further includes:

The access assistance information of the UE includes at least one of the following:

Access behavior selection auxiliary information provided by the network;

Capability information of the UE;

The mobility information of the UE;

Application information of the UE.
The method according to claim 3, wherein the access behavior selection assistance information provided by the network includes at least one of the following:

Access behavior indication information, wherein the indication information indicates using the power saving mode during the period without signal coverage or selecting other available access during the period without signal coverage;

Mobility restriction information, wherein the restriction information includes: access-prohibited areas and/or access-prohibited radio access technologies RAT and/or public land mobile network PLMN.
The method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the method further includes:

Receive the access behavior selection assistance information sent by the core network device.
The method according to claim 5, wherein the access behavior selection assistance information is obtained by the UE from at least one of the following:

Access and Mobility Management Function AMF;

Network data analysis function NWDAF;

Unified Data Management UDM.
The method according to claim 3, wherein the capability information of the UE includes at least one of the following:

Type information of the UE;

The power information of the UE;

The location information of the UE;

The expected access behavior information of the no-signal coverage period, wherein the expected access behavior information is used to indicate that the UE desires to enter the power saving mode and/or select other available accesses different from the NTN access. .
The method according to claim 3, wherein the mobility information of the UE includes at least one of the following:

Movement mode information;

Movement trajectory information;

Predicted location information during the period of no signal coverage.
The method according to claim 3, wherein the application information of the UE includes at least one of the following:

Business status information;

Business type information;

Delay requirement information associated with the application of the UE.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the access behavior of the UE during a period of no signal coverage is determined based on the access assistance information of the user equipment UE accessed using the non-terrestrial network NTN, include:

Determine that the UE enters the power saving mode during a period of no signal coverage;

The UE and the core network device corresponding to the NTN access complete the negotiation of power saving parameters and obtain the power saving parameters;

When entering the non-signal coverage period of the NTN access, the power saving mode is entered according to the power saving parameters.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the access behavior of the UE during a period of no signal coverage is determined based on the access assistance information of the user equipment UE accessed using the non-terrestrial network NTN, include:

Determine that the UE selects other available accesses that are different from the NTN access when there is no signal coverage in the current NTN access;

Select a first access from the other available accesses to initiate a registration process, or switch from the NTN access to the first access.
The method of claim 11, wherein the method further includes:

If the UE receives a registration failure message or a handover failure message, the UE and the core network device corresponding to the NTN access complete the negotiation of power saving parameters and obtain the power saving parameters; wherein, the registration failure message is received by the UE through the first access;

When entering the non-signal coverage period of the NTN access, the power saving mode is entered according to the power saving parameters.
The method of claim 11, wherein the method further includes:

If the UE receives the registration success message, in response to entering the no signal coverage of the NTN access, the UE initiates a de-registration process through the NTN access.
A network access method, which is executed by core network equipment, and the method includes:

Send access behavior selection auxiliary information to the user equipment UE; wherein the access behavior selection auxiliary information is used to assist the UE in determining the access behavior during a period of no signal coverage when accessing using a non-terrestrial network NTN, wherein the no The signal coverage period includes: the period during which the NTN access has no signal coverage for the area where the UE is located.
The method according to claim 14, wherein the access behavior selection assistance information includes: at least one of the following:

Access behavior indication information, wherein the indication information indicates using the power saving mode during the period without signal coverage or selecting other available access during the period without signal coverage;

Mobility restriction information, wherein the restriction information includes access-prohibited areas and/or access-prohibited radio access technologies RAT and/or public land mobile network PLMN.
The method according to claim 15, wherein the access behavior indication information is determined by the network based on at least one of the following information:

User contract information;

Policies for roaming to other available access RATs and/or PLMNs;

Delay requirements for applications associated with UE.
The method according to any one of claims 15 to 16, wherein the core network equipment includes at least one of the following:

Access and Mobility Management Function AMF;

Network data analysis function NWDAF;

Unified Data Management UDM.
A user equipment UE, including:

The processing module is configured to determine the access behavior of the user equipment UE during the no-signal coverage period based on the access assistance information of the user equipment UE accessed using the non-terrestrial network NTN, wherein the no-signal coverage period includes: The period during which NTN access has no signal coverage for the area where the UE is located.
A kind of core network equipment, the device includes:

A sending module configured to send access behavior selection auxiliary information to the user equipment UE; wherein the access behavior selection auxiliary information is used to assist the UE in determining the access behavior during the no-signal coverage period when using non-terrestrial network NTN access. , wherein the no signal coverage period includes: a period in which the NTN access has no signal coverage for the area where the UE is located.
A communications device including:

processor;

memory for storing instructions executable by the processor;

Wherein, the processor is configured to implement the network access method according to any one of claims 1 to 17 when running the executable instructions.
A communication system including user equipment UE and core network equipment, wherein,

The UE is configured to perform the network access method according to any one of claims 1 to 12;

The core network device is configured to perform the network access method according to any one of claims 13 to 17.
A computer storage medium, wherein the computer storage medium stores a computer executable program. When the executable program is executed by a processor, the network access method according to any one of claims 1 to 17 is implemented.