CN112153751B

CN112153751B - Network slice determining method, base station and user equipment

Info

Publication number: CN112153751B
Application number: CN202010937239.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 李静; 董秋丽; 冯毅; 李福昌
Original assignee: China United Network Communications Group Co Ltd
Current assignee: China United Network Communications Group Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-09-08
Filing date: 2020-09-08
Publication date: 2022-07-15
Anticipated expiration: 2040-09-08
Also published as: CN112153751A

Abstract

The invention discloses a method for determining a network slice, a base station and user equipment, relates to the technical field of communication, and is used for determining the network slice in a random access process. The method comprises the following steps: a base station receives a random access lead code sent by User Equipment (UE); the base station determines target access time; the target access time is the time when the UE accesses the physical random access channel when sending the random access lead code; the base station determines a target network slice corresponding to the target access time by using the first mapping relation; the first mapping relation comprises a corresponding relation between the identifier of the network slice and the time of accessing the physical random access channel; the target network slice is a network slice subscribed by a user corresponding to the UE. The embodiment of the invention is applied to the random access process.

Description

Network slice determining method, base station and user equipment

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of communications technologies, and in particular, to a method for determining a network slice, a base station, and a user equipment.

Background

Network slicing is a concept introduced under the standard of the fifth generation mobile communication system (5th generation, 5G), and can be understood as a collection of a set of logical network functions supporting communication service requirements of a specific usage scenario or business model, which is an end-to-end solution. The end-to-end solution can be applied to a 5G core network and a bearing network. In the prior art, a User Equipment (UE) establishes a connection with a base station through a random access procedure, and after establishing the connection with the base station, sends an identification of a subscribed network slice to the base station in a fifth message (MSG 5). Further, the base station may determine a slice type of the subscribed network slice according to the identifier of the network slice and provide a corresponding service for the UE.

However, in the random access process of establishing connection between the UE and the base station, especially in the scenes of rescue support and rescue and disaster relief, the base station cannot timely acquire the identifier of the network slice subscribed by the user, and thus the base station cannot provide corresponding access service for the user who has subscribed the network slice, thereby affecting the user experience.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the invention provides a method for determining a network slice, a base station and user equipment, which are used for determining the network slice in the random access process.

In order to achieve the above purpose, the embodiment of the invention adopts the following technical scheme:

in a first aspect, a method for determining a network slice is provided, and is applied to a base station, and the method includes: receiving a random access lead code sent by User Equipment (UE); determining target access time; the target access time is the time when the UE accesses the physical random access channel when sending the random access lead code; determining a target network slice corresponding to the target access time by using the first mapping relation; the first mapping relation comprises a corresponding relation between the identifier of the network slice and the time of accessing the physical random access channel; the target network slice is a network slice subscribed by a user corresponding to the UE.

In a second aspect, a method for determining a network slice is provided, and is applied to a user equipment UE, and includes: receiving a broadcast message sent by a base station; the broadcast message comprises a first mapping relation, and the first mapping relation comprises a corresponding relation between an identifier of a network slice and a time when the network slice is accessed to a physical random access channel; acquiring an identifier of a target network slice; the target network slice is a network slice which is ordered by a user and corresponds to the UE; determining a target access time corresponding to the identifier of the target network slice by using the first mapping relation; the target access time is the time when the UE accesses the physical random access channel when sending the random access lead code; and at the target access time, sending a random access preamble to the base station, so that the base station determines a target network slice by using the first mapping relation after receiving the random access preamble.

In a third aspect, a base station is provided, which includes: a receiving unit and a determining unit; the receiving unit is used for receiving a random access lead code sent by User Equipment (UE); a determining unit, configured to determine a target access time; the target access time is the time when the UE sends the random access lead code and accesses the physical random access channel; the determining unit is further configured to determine, after the target access time is determined, a target network slice corresponding to the target access time by using the first mapping relationship; the first mapping relation comprises a corresponding relation between the identifier of the network slice and the time of accessing the physical random access channel; the target network slice is a network slice subscribed by a user corresponding to the UE.

In a fourth aspect, a UE is provided, which includes a receiving unit, an obtaining unit, a determining unit, and a sending unit; a receiving unit, configured to receive a broadcast message sent by a base station; the broadcast message comprises a first mapping relation, and the first mapping relation comprises a corresponding relation between an identifier of a network slice and a time when the network slice is accessed to a physical random access channel; the acquisition unit is used for acquiring the identification of the target network slice; the target network slice is a network slice which is ordered by a user and corresponds to the UE; the determining unit is used for determining a target access time corresponding to the identifier of the target network slice by utilizing the first mapping relation; the target access time is the time when the UE accesses the physical random access channel when sending the random access lead code; and the sending unit is used for sending the random access preamble to the base station at the target access time, so that the base station determines the target network slice by using the first mapping relation after receiving the random access preamble.

In a fifth aspect, there is provided a computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions, which when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method of determining a network slice as in the first or second aspect.

In a sixth aspect, there is provided a base station comprising: a processor and a memory; wherein the memory is used to store one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising computer executable instructions which, when executed by the base station, the processor executes the computer executable instructions stored by the memory to cause the base station to perform the method for determining a network slice as in the first aspect.

In a seventh aspect, a UE is provided, including: a processor and a memory; wherein the memory is used for storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising computer executable instructions which, when run by the user equipment UE, the processor executes the computer executable instructions stored by the memory to cause the user equipment UE to perform the method of determining a network slice as in the second aspect.

In an eighth aspect, there is provided a computer program product comprising instructions which, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of determining a network slice of the first or second aspect.

The method for determining the network slice is applied to the random access process, and by adopting the technical scheme, after the UE sends the first message (MSG1) of the random access lead code to the base station, the base station can determine the target network slice subscribed by the user corresponding to the UE in the process that the UE requests to access the base station according to the target access time when the UE sends the random access lead code and the corresponding relation between the identifier of the network slice and the time of accessing the physical random access channel, so that the base station can provide the corresponding access service for the user subscribed to the network slice in the random access process.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication network according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a method for determining a network slice according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 3 is a first flowchart illustrating a method for determining a network slice according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a first mapping relationship according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a second method for determining a network slice according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a second mapping relationship according to an embodiment of the invention;

fig. 7 is a third flowchart illustrating a method for determining a network slice according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 8 is a fourth flowchart illustrating a method for determining a network slice according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a fifth method for determining a network slice according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 10 is a first schematic structural diagram of a base station according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 11 is a first schematic structural diagram of a user equipment according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 12 is a schematic structural diagram of a base station according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 13 is a third schematic structural diagram of a base station according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 14 is a schematic structural diagram of a user equipment according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 15 is a schematic structural diagram three of a user equipment according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention.

In the description of the present invention, "/" means "or" unless otherwise specified, for example, a/B may mean a or B. "and/or" herein is merely an association describing an associated object, and means that there may be three relationships, e.g., a and/or B, which may mean: a exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. Further, "at least one" or "a plurality" means two or more. The terms "first," "second," and the like do not denote any order or importance, but rather the terms "first," "second," and the like do not denote any order or importance.

The invention provides a method for determining a network slice, wherein a base station can determine the network slice subscribed by a user corresponding to UE by determining the time of accessing a Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) and the mapping relation between the network slice and the time of accessing the physical random access channel (for convenience of description, the time can be simply called as access time RO (random access)) of the UE when the UE sends a random access Preamble in the random access process. Furthermore, the base station may provide the UE with a service corresponding to the network slice in a subsequent random access procedure of the UE.

The method for determining the network slice provided by the embodiment of the invention can be suitable for a communication network. Fig. 1 shows a schematic structural diagram of the communication network. As shown in fig. 1, a communication network 10 includes a base station 11 and a user equipment UE 12.

The base station 11 may be used for data interaction with the UE12, for example, the base station 11 may be used for sending a second message (MSG2) to the UE12 after receiving the first message (MSG1) sent by the UE 12.

The base station 11 may further be configured to determine a time when the UE12 accesses the physical random access preamble when transmitting the first message, and determine an identifier of a network slice corresponding to the time.

UE12 may access base station 11 using a random access procedure.

The UE12 may also be configured to determine a target access time corresponding to the target network slice according to the mapping relationship sent by the base station 11.

It should be noted that the communication network 10 provided in the embodiment of the present invention may be a 5G network, and specifically may also be a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network.

The principle of the method for determining a network slice according to the embodiment of the present invention is described below with reference to the communication network 10 shown in fig. 1.

As shown in fig. 2, the base station 11 establishes a mapping relationship (corresponding to the first mapping relationship in the embodiment of the present invention), associates the identifier of the network slice with the time allocated by the base station 11 to the UE12 and available for accessing the physical random access channel, and broadcasts the mapping relationship to the UE 12. After receiving the mapping relationship, the UE12 determines an identifier of a target network slice ordered or opened by a user corresponding to the UE12, and queries a target access time according to the identifier of the target network slice. Further, the UE12 transmits a random access preamble to the base station 11 through a physical random access channel at the target access time. Correspondingly, after receiving the random access preamble sent by the UE12, the base station 11 queries, according to the target access time when the UE12 sends the random access preamble and the mapping relationship, the identifier of the target network slice subscribed by the user corresponding to the UE12, and may further provide a corresponding service for the UE12 to access the base station 11 in a subsequent random access process.

The following describes a method for determining a network slice according to an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in fig. 3, the method for determining a network slice according to the embodiment of the present invention includes steps S201 to S203:

s201, UE12 sends a random access preamble to base station 11.

Accordingly, the base station 11 receives the random access preamble transmitted by the UE 12.

As a possible implementation, the UE12 selects a physical random access channel and sends a first message (MSG1) to the base station 11 over the physical random access channel.

It should be noted that the first message includes a random access preamble, and the first message is used to request the random access base station 11.

S202, the base station 11 determines the target access time.

The target access time is the time when the UE sends the random access lead code and accesses the physical random access channel.

As a possible implementation manner, the base station 11 decodes the received random access preamble to obtain a time-frequency position of the random access preamble, so as to determine a target access time when the UE12 accesses the physical random access channel when sending the random access preamble.

S203, the base station 11 determines a target network slice corresponding to the target access time by using the first mapping relationship.

The first mapping relation comprises a corresponding relation between the identifier of the network slice and the time of accessing the physical random access channel. The target network slice is a network slice subscribed by a user corresponding to the UE.

It should be noted that the first mapping relationship may be generated in advance by the base station 11 and stored in the base station 11, the first mapping relationship may correspond to one or more access time for one network slice, and the first mapping relationship may also correspond to one access time for a plurality of network slices at the same time. An identification of a network slice (S-NSSAI) may comprise an 8-bit slice/service type and a 24-bit slice specifier. The base station 11 may determine the type of network slice and provide corresponding services to the UE12 by recognizing or sensing NSSAI.

As a possible implementation manner, when the first mapping relationship is a corresponding relationship between one network slice and one or more access times, the base station 11 queries, according to the target access time, an identifier of the target network slice corresponding to the target access time from the first mapping relationship, and may further determine the target network slice.

For example, fig. 4 shows a possible first mapping relationship. As shown in fig. 4, in case one S-NSSAI corresponds to multiple access instants. For example, S-NSSAI-a corresponds to RO1 and RO2, and S-NSSAI-b corresponds to RO3 and RO 4. In case two, one S-NSSAI corresponds to one access time. For example, S-NSSAI-a corresponds to RO1, S-NSSAI-b corresponds to RO2, and S-NSSAI-c corresponds to RO 3. In case three, there is one access time for multiple S-NSSAIs simultaneously. For example, S-NSSAI-a, S-NSSAI-b, S-NSSAI-c, and S-NSSAI-d all correspond to RO 1.

In this embodiment of the present invention, when the first mapping relationship is a time at which the identifiers of the multiple network slices correspond to one physical random access channel, and when the base station 11 queries multiple results according to a target access time, in order to determine a target network slice from the multiple results, as shown in fig. 5 in combination with fig. 3, S203 provided in this embodiment of the present invention may specifically include S2031 to S2033:

s2031, the base station 11 determines, according to the target access time, a plurality of first network slices corresponding to the target access time from the first mapping relationship.

As a possible implementation manner, the base station 11 queries, according to the target access time, the identifiers of the plurality of first network slices from the first mapping relationship.

S2032, the base station 11 acquires a target random access preamble sequence (preamble index) of the random access preamble.

Wherein the target random access preamble sequence is used to reflect resource requirements of the UE.

As a possibility, the base station 11 decodes the random access preamble to obtain the target random access preamble sequence.

It should be noted that a random access preamble is composed of a Cyclic Prefix (CP) and a random access preamble sequence.

In one example, there are 64 random access preamble sequences in the base station 11, and the UE12 selects one target random access preamble sequence from the 64 random access preamble sequences, and transmits the random access preamble sequence to the base station 11 using a physical random access channel with the target random access preamble sequence as a part of the random access preamble sequence.

S2033, the base station 11 determines, from the multiple first network slices, a first network slice corresponding to the target random access preamble sequence by using the second mapping relationship, and determines the determined first network slice as the target network slice.

Wherein the second mapping relationship comprises a correspondence relationship between an identifier of the network slice and the random access preamble sequence.

As a possible implementation manner, the base station 11 queries, according to the target random access preamble sequence, an identifier of a first network slice corresponding to the target random access preamble sequence from the second mapping relationship, and determines the identifier of the first network slice as the identifier of the target network slice.

It should be noted that the second mapping relationship may be generated in advance by the base station 11 and stored in the base station 11. The second mapping relationship may specifically be that the identifier of one network slice corresponds to multiple random access preamble sequences. The number of the plurality of random access preamble sequences corresponding to the identifier of each network slice may be the same or different.

Exemplarily, fig. 6 shows a schematic diagram of the second mapping relationship. As shown in fig. 6, the identities of the network slices that the UE12 can support are 8, and in the second mapping relationship, the S-NSSAI-a of the network slice corresponds to random access preamble sequences 0-7 of the 64 random access preamble sequences.

It will be appreciated that in the case shown in the above example, the number of random access preamble sequences corresponding to the identity of each network slice is the same.

In this embodiment of the present invention, in order to enable the UE12 to select an appropriate target access time according to the identifier of the target network slice, as shown in fig. 7, the method for determining a network slice provided in this embodiment of the present invention, before S201, further includes S1-S4:

s1, the base station 11 determines the first mapping relationship.

As a possible implementation manner, the base station 11 may establish a corresponding correspondence between the identifier of the network slice and the available access time allocated to the UE12 to obtain the first mapping relationship.

It should be noted that the base station 11 establishes the corresponding relationship, which may be established according to a preset rule, or may also be established in a random allocation manner, and the specific manner adopted in the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this, but all the corresponding relationships should satisfy one of the three cases of the first mapping relationship.

As another possible implementation manner, the first mapping relationship may also be set in advance in the base station 11 by an operation and maintenance person of the communication network, stored in the storage unit of the base station 11, and directly acquired from the storage unit by the base station 11.

S2, the base station 11 sends a broadcast message to the UE 12.

Wherein, the broadcast message includes a first mapping relation.

Accordingly, the UE12 receives the broadcast message transmitted by the base station 11.

As a possible implementation manner, the base station 11 may send the broadcast message to the UE12 in a broadcast manner.

Illustratively, the broadcast message may be system message 2(SIB 2).

S3, UE12 obtains the identifier of the target network slice.

The target network slice is a network slice subscribed by a user corresponding to the UE 12.

As a possible implementation manner, the UE12 stores therein an identification of a network slice to which a user corresponding to the UE12 has subscribed.

It should be noted that, for a specific embodiment in which the UE12 obtains the identifier of the network slice subscribed by the user corresponding to the UE12, reference may be made to the prior art, and details are not described here.

As an example, if the network slice to which the user has subscribed is multiple, the UE12 may select, according to a preset rule, an identifier of a network slice with a highest priority from the identifiers of the multiple network slices to which the user has subscribed, as the identifier of the target network slice.

In practical applications of the embodiments of the present invention, the steps of S3 and S1-S2 are not in sequence, and in practical applications of the embodiments of the present invention, S1-S2 may be executed first, and then S3 may be executed. It is also possible to first perform S3 and then perform S1-S2. Alternatively, both may be performed simultaneously. The embodiment of the present invention is not particularly limited thereto.

S4, the UE12 determines a target access time corresponding to the identifier of the target network slice by using the first mapping relationship.

And the target access time is the time when the UE accesses the physical random access channel when sending the random access lead code.

As a possible implementation, the UE12 queries the target access time from the first mapping relationship according to the identifier of the target network slice.

Subsequently, after the UE12 determines the target access time, specifically, at the target access time, the UE12 sends a random access preamble to the base station, so that the base station determines the target network slice by using the first mapping relationship after receiving the random access preamble.

It should be noted that, for a specific implementation of this step, reference may be made to the foregoing embodiment S201 and subsequent steps of the present invention, and details are not described here again.

In this embodiment of the present invention, in order to enable the UE12 to determine the target random access preamble sequence when the first mapping relationship is a time when the identifiers of the multiple network slices correspond to one physical random access channel, the broadcast message provided in the embodiment of the present invention further includes a second mapping relationship.

With reference to fig. 3, as shown in fig. 8, the method for determining a network slice according to the embodiment of the present invention further includes S5-S8:

s5, the base station 11 determines the second mapping relationship.

As a possible implementation manner, the base station 11 may establish a corresponding relationship between the identifier of the network slice and all the random access preambles to obtain the second mapping relationship.

It should be noted that the base station 11 establishes the corresponding relationship, which may be established according to a preset rule or may be established in a random allocation manner, and the specific manner adopted in the embodiment of the present invention is not limited thereto.

As another possible implementation manner, the second mapping relationship may also be set in advance in the base station 11 by an operation and maintenance person of the communication network, and then stored in the storage unit of the base station 11, and directly obtained from the storage unit by the base station 11.

S6, the base station 11 sends a broadcast message to the UE 12.

Wherein, the broadcast message includes the second mapping relationship.

It should be noted that, for a specific implementation of this step, reference may be made to the above-mentioned S2 in the embodiment of the present invention, and details are not described here again.

S7, the UE12 determines the target random access preamble sequence corresponding to the identifier of the target network slice by using the second mapping relationship.

As a possible implementation, the UE queries the target random access preamble sequence from the second mapping relationship according to the identifier of the target network slice.

S8, the UE12 determines a random access preamble according to the target random access preamble sequence.

As one possible implementation, the UE12 generates the random access preamble using the target random access preamble sequence.

Subsequently, the UE12 may send the random access preamble to the base station at the target access time, so that the base station determines the target network slice by using the first mapping relationship and the second mapping relationship after receiving the random access preamble.

It should be noted that, for the specific implementation of this step, reference may be made to the embodiment S201 and the subsequent steps of the present invention, which are not described herein again.

In one design, after determining, by a base station 11, an identifier of a network slice subscribed by a user and corresponding to a UE12, in order to provide a corresponding service for the UE12 in a random access process of the UE, as shown in fig. 9 in combination with fig. 3, a method for determining a network slice provided in an embodiment of the present invention, after S203, further includes S204:

s204, the base station 11 determines the target bandwidth resource block according to the identification of the target network slice.

Wherein the target bandwidth resource block is used for carrying one or more of the second message MSG2, the third message MSG3 and the fourth message MSG4 in the process of randomly accessing the base station by the UE. The target bandwidth resource block is an initial bandwidth part (initial bwp) or a control resource set (CORESET # 0).

As a possible implementation manner, the base station 11 configures corresponding bandwidth resources for the second message, the third message, and the fourth message according to the identifier of the target network slice and the corresponding mapping relationship.

In one design, when the initial fractional bandwidth is configured in the communication network 10 and the corresponding mapping relationship is the third mapping relationship, the base station 11 queries the target initial fractional bandwidth from the third mapping relationship according to the identifier of the target network slice.

It should be noted that the third mapping relationship includes a correspondence between the identifier of the target network slice and the initial partial bandwidth. The target initial portion of bandwidth is used to carry the second message, the third message, and the fourth message in the 5G network.

In one case, if the base station 11 determines that the user corresponding to the UE12 subscribes to multiple network slices at the same time, the base station 11 queries the target initial partial bandwidth list from the third mapping relationship according to the identifiers of the multiple network slices.

It should be noted that an initial partial bandwidth in the target initial partial bandwidth list corresponds to an identifier of one network slice in the plurality of network slices.

In one design, when the initial partial bandwidth is not configured in the communication network 10 and the corresponding mapping relationship is the fourth mapping relationship, the base station 11 determines, according to the identifier of the network slice and the fourth mapping relationship, a control resource set for carrying the second message, the third message, and the fourth message.

And the fourth mapping relation comprises the corresponding relation between the identifier of the network slice and the control resource set sequence.

For example, the fourth mapping relationship may be illustrated as shown in the following table one and table two.

Table one shows the correspondence between the configuration parameters of CORESET #0 in the time domain position and the identification of the network slice.

Watch 1

Wherein, Index1 is a sequence of the core set #0 in a time domain position, Number of search space sets per slot is used to indicate the Number of search spaces of the core set #0 in one slot (slot), O and M are used to calculate the time when the core set #0 can be transmitted, and a First symbol Index (First symbol Index) is used to indicate a symbol Index occupied by the core set # 0.

Table two shows the correspondence between the configuration parameters of CORESET #0 at the frequency domain location and the identity of the network slice.

Watch 2

The Index2 is a sequence of the CORESET #0 in the frequency domain position, Number of RBs is used to indicate the size of the CORESET #0 occupied bandwidth, Number of Symbols is used to indicate the symbol length occupied by the CORESET #0, Offset is used to indicate the Offset position of the CORESET #0 in the whole bandwidth, and S-NSSAI is used to identify the network slice.

Taking Index2 in table two as an example, CORESET #0 indicating that S-NSSAI is b occupies 24 PRB and 2 symbol lengths from the 2 nd system resource block (PRB) in the entire bandwidth.

The above description mainly introduces the solutions provided by the embodiments of the present invention from the perspective of methods. To implement the above functions, it includes hardware structures and/or software modules for performing the respective functions. Those of skill in the art will readily appreciate that the various illustrative components and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as hardware or combinations of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is performed in hardware or computer software drives hardware depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the solution. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present invention.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the base station may be divided into functional modules according to the above method example, for example, each functional module may be divided corresponding to each function, or two or more functions may be integrated into one processing module. The integrated module can be realized in a hardware mode, and can also be realized in a software functional module mode. Optionally, the division of the modules in the embodiment of the present invention is schematic, and is only a logic function division, and there may be another division manner in actual implementation.

Fig. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of a base station according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 10, the base station 11 is configured to determine a network slice in a random access procedure, for example, to perform the network slice determination method shown in fig. 3. The base station 11 comprises a receiving unit 111 and a determining unit 112.

The receiving unit 111 receives a random access preamble transmitted by the user equipment UE. For example, as shown in fig. 3, the receiving unit 111 may be configured to perform S201.

A determining unit 112 is configured to determine the target access time. And the target access time is the time when the UE accesses the physical random access channel when sending the random access lead code. For example, the determination unit 112 may be configured to execute S202 as shown in fig. 3.

The determining unit 112 is further configured to determine, after determining the target access time, a target network slice corresponding to the target access time by using the first mapping relationship. The first mapping relation comprises a corresponding relation between the identifier of the network slice and the time of accessing the physical random access channel. And the target network slice is a network slice which is subscribed by a user and corresponds to the UE. For example, as shown in fig. 3, the determining unit 112 may be configured to execute S203.

Optionally, as shown in fig. 10, in the base station provided in the embodiment of the present invention, when the first mapping relationship is a time when the identifiers of the multiple network slices correspond to one physical random access channel, the determining unit 112 is specifically configured to determine, according to the target access time, multiple first network slices corresponding to the target access time from the first mapping relationship. For example, as shown in fig. 5, the determination unit 112 may be configured to execute S2031.

The determining unit 112 is further specifically configured to acquire a target random access preamble sequence of the random access preamble. Wherein the target random access preamble sequence is used to reflect resource requirements of the UE. For example, as shown in fig. 5, the determination unit 112 may be configured to execute S2032.

The determining unit 112 specifically determines, by using the second mapping relationship, a first network slice corresponding to the target random access preamble sequence from the multiple first network slices, and determines the determined first network slice as the target network slice. Wherein the second mapping relationship comprises a correspondence relationship between an identifier of the network slice and the random access preamble sequence. For example, as shown in fig. 5, the determination unit 112 may be configured to execute S2033.

Optionally, as shown in fig. 10, the determining unit 112 provided in the embodiment of the present invention is further configured to determine the target bandwidth resource block according to the identifier of the target network slice. And the target bandwidth resource block is used for carrying one or more of the second message MSG2, the third message MSG3 and the fourth message MSG4 in the process of randomly accessing the base station by the UE. For example, as shown in fig. 9, the determining unit 112 may be configured to execute S204.

Fig. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of a user equipment UE according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 11, the UE12 is configured to transmit a random access preamble to the base station 11 in a random access procedure, for example, to perform the network slice determination method shown in fig. 7. The user equipment UE12 includes a receiving unit 121, an obtaining unit 122, a determining unit 123, and a transmitting unit 124.

A receiving unit 121, configured to receive a broadcast message sent by a base station. The broadcast message includes a first mapping relationship, and the first mapping relationship includes a correspondence between an identifier of the network slice and a time when the physical random access channel is accessed. For example, as shown in fig. 7, the receiving unit 121 may be configured to execute S2.

An obtaining unit 122, configured to obtain an identifier of the target network slice. And the target network slice is a network slice subscribed by a user corresponding to the UE. For example, as shown in fig. 7, the obtaining unit 122 may be configured to execute S3.

A determining unit 123, configured to determine, by using the first mapping relationship, a target access time corresponding to the identifier of the target network slice. And the target access time is the time when the UE accesses the physical random access channel when sending the random access lead code. For example, as shown in fig. 7, the determining unit 123 may be configured to execute S4.

A sending unit 124, configured to send the random access preamble to the base station at the target access time, so that the base station determines the target network slice by using the first mapping relationship after receiving the random access preamble. For example, as shown in fig. 7, the sending unit 124 may be configured to execute S201.

Optionally, as shown in fig. 11, in the user equipment UE according to the embodiment of the present invention, when the first mapping relationship is a time when the identifiers of the multiple network slices correspond to one physical random access channel, the broadcast message further includes a second mapping relationship. Wherein the second mapping relationship comprises a correspondence relationship between an identifier of the network slice and the random access preamble sequence.

The determining unit 123 is further configured to determine, by using the second mapping relationship, a target random access preamble sequence corresponding to the identifier of the target network slice. Wherein the target random access preamble sequence is used to reflect resource requirements of the UE. For example, as shown in fig. 8, the determining unit 123 may be configured to execute S7.

The determining unit 123 is further configured to determine the random access preamble according to the target random access preamble sequence. For example, as shown in fig. 8, the determination unit 123 may be used for S8.

In the case that the functions of the integrated modules are implemented in the form of hardware, another possible structural schematic diagram of the base station related in the foregoing embodiment is provided in the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 12, a base station 30 is used for determining a network slice to which a user has subscribed during a random access procedure, for example, for performing the determination method of the network slice shown in fig. 3. The base station 30 includes a processor 301, a memory 302 and a bus 303. The processor 301 and the memory 302 may be connected by a bus 303.

The processor 301 is a control center of the communication apparatus, and may be a single processor or a collective term for a plurality of processing elements. For example, the processor 301 may be a general-purpose Central Processing Unit (CPU), or may be another general-purpose processor. Wherein the general purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor or the like.

For one embodiment, processor 301 may include one or more CPUs, such as CPU 0 and CPU 1 shown in FIG. 10.

The memory 302 may be, but is not limited to, a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device that may store static information and instructions, a Random Access Memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device that may store information and instructions, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a magnetic disk storage medium or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer.

As a possible implementation, the memory 302 may be present separately from the processor 301, and the memory 302 may be connected to the processor 301 via a bus 303 for storing instructions or program code. The processor 301, when calling and executing the instructions or program codes stored in the memory 302, can implement the method for determining a network slice provided by the embodiment of the present invention.

In another possible implementation, the memory 302 may also be integrated with the processor 301.

The bus 303 may be an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, an Extended ISA (EISA) bus, or the like. The bus may be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, only one thick line is shown in FIG. 10, but that does not indicate only one bus or one type of bus.

Note that the structure shown in fig. 12 does not constitute a limitation on the base station 30. In addition to the components shown in fig. 12, the base station 30 may include more or fewer components than shown, or some components may be combined, or a different arrangement of components.

As an example, in connection with fig. 10, the receiving unit 111 and the determining unit 112 in the base station implement the same functions as the processor 301 in fig. 12.

Optionally, as shown in fig. 12, the base station 30 provided in the embodiment of the present invention may further include a communication interface 304.

A communication interface 304 for connecting with other devices through a communication network. The communication network may be an ethernet network, a wireless access network, a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), or the like. The communication interface 304 may include a receiving unit for receiving data, and a transmitting unit for transmitting data.

In one design, in the base station provided in the embodiment of the present invention, the communication interface may be further integrated in the processor.

Fig. 13 shows another hardware configuration of the base station in the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 13, the base station 40 may include a processor 401 and a communication interface 402. The processor 401 is coupled to a communication interface 402.

The functions of the processor 401 may refer to the description of the processor 301 above. The processor 401 also has a memory function, and the function of the memory 302 can be referred to.

The communication interface 402 is used to provide data to the processor 401. The communication interface 402 may be an internal interface of the communication device or an external interface (corresponding to the communication interface 304) of the communication device.

It is noted that the structure shown in fig. 13 does not constitute a limitation of the base station 40, and that the base station 40 may include more or less components than those shown in fig. 13, or some components may be combined, or a different arrangement of components may be provided, in addition to those shown in fig. 13.

In the case of implementing the functions of the integrated modules in the form of hardware, the embodiment of the present invention provides another possible structural schematic diagram of the user equipment UE related to the foregoing embodiment. As shown in fig. 14, a user equipment UE50 for determining resource utilization for a sampling period, e.g., for performing the determination method of network slice shown in fig. 7. The UE50 includes a processor 501, memory 502, and a bus 503. The processor 501 and the memory 502 may be connected by a bus 503.

The processor 501 is a control center of the communication device, and may be a single processor or a collective term for multiple processing elements. For example, the processor 501 may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), other general-purpose processors, or the like. Wherein the general purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor or the like.

For one embodiment, processor 501 may include one or more CPUs, such as CPU 0 and CPU 1 shown in FIG. 14.

The memory 502 may be, but is not limited to, a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device that may store static information and instructions, a Random Access Memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device that may store information and instructions, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a magnetic disk storage medium or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer.

As a possible implementation, the memory 502 may be present separately from the processor 501, and the memory 502 may be connected to the processor 501 via a bus 503 for storing instructions or program code. The processor 501 can implement the method for determining resource utilization provided by the embodiment of the present invention when calling and executing the instructions or program codes stored in the memory 502.

In another possible implementation, the memory 502 may also be integrated with the processor 501.

The bus 503 may be an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, an Extended ISA (EISA) bus, or the like. The bus may be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, only one thick line is shown in FIG. 14, but that does not indicate only one bus or one type of bus.

It is to be noted that the structure shown in fig. 14 does not constitute a limitation to the user equipment UE 50. In addition to the components shown in fig. 14, the user equipment UE50 may include more or fewer components than shown, or some components may be combined, or a different arrangement of components.

As an example, with reference to fig. 11, the functions implemented by the receiving unit 121, the obtaining unit 122, the determining unit 123, and the sending unit 124 in the user equipment UE are the same as those of the processor 501 in fig. 14.

Optionally, as shown in fig. 14, the user equipment UE50 provided in the embodiment of the present invention may further include a communication interface 504.

A communication interface 504 for connecting with other devices through a communication network. The communication network may be an ethernet network, a wireless access network, a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), or the like. The communication interface 504 may include a receiving unit for receiving data, and a transmitting unit for transmitting data.

In one design, in the UE provided in the embodiment of the present invention, the communication interface may be further integrated in the processor.

Fig. 15 shows another hardware structure of the user equipment UE in the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 15, the user equipment UE60 may include a processor 601 and a communication interface 602. Processor 601 is coupled to a communication interface 602.

The functions of the processor 601 may refer to the description of the processor 501 above. The processor 601 also has a memory function, and the function of the memory 502 can be referred to.

The communication interface 602 is used to provide data to the processor 601. The communication interface 602 may be an internal interface of the communication device, or may be an external interface of the communication device (corresponding to the communication interface 504).

It is noted that the structure shown in fig. 15 does not constitute a limitation on the user equipment UE60, and that the user equipment UE60 may include more or less components than shown, or combine certain components, or a different arrangement of components, in addition to the components shown in fig. 15.

Through the above description of the embodiments, it is clear for a person skilled in the art that, for convenience and simplicity of description, only the division of the above functional units is illustrated. In practical applications, the above function allocation can be performed by different functional units according to needs, that is, the internal structure of the device is divided into different functional units to perform all or part of the above described functions. For the specific working processes of the system, the apparatus and the unit described above, reference may be made to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and details are not described here again.

The embodiment of the present invention further provides a computer-readable storage medium, where instructions are stored in the computer-readable storage medium, and when the computer executes the instructions, the computer executes each step in the method flow shown in the foregoing method embodiment.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a computer program product comprising instructions which, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of determining a network slice in the above-described method embodiments.

The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any combination of the foregoing. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readable storage medium would include the following: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, and a hard disk. Random Access Memory (RAM), Read-Only Memory (ROM), Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EPROM), registers, a hard disk, optical fiber, a portable Compact disk Read-Only Memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any other form of computer-readable storage medium known in the art, in any suitable combination of the above, or any other form of computer-readable storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium may also be integral to the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC). In embodiments of the invention, a computer readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

Since the base station, the user equipment UE, the computer-readable storage medium, and the computer program product in the embodiments of the present invention may be applied to the method described above, the technical effect obtained by the embodiments of the method may also refer to the embodiments of the method described above, and the embodiments of the present invention are not described herein again.

The above description is only an embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and any changes or substitutions within the technical scope of the present invention are included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for determining a network slice is applied to a base station, and is characterized by comprising the following steps:

receiving a random access lead code sent by User Equipment (UE);

determining target access time; the target access time is the time when the UE accesses a physical random access channel when sending the random access lead code;

determining a target network slice corresponding to the target access time by using a first mapping relation; the first mapping relation comprises a corresponding relation between the identifier of the network slice and the time of accessing the physical random access channel; and the target network slice is a network slice subscribed by a user corresponding to the UE.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein in a case that the first mapping relationship is a time when an identifier of multiple network slices corresponds to an access physical random access channel, the determining, by using the first mapping relationship, a target network slice corresponding to the target access time includes:

determining a plurality of first network slices corresponding to the target access time from the first mapping relation according to the target access time;

acquiring a target random access lead code sequence of the random access lead code; wherein the target random access preamble sequence is used to reflect resource requirements of the UE;

determining a first network slice corresponding to the target random access preamble sequence from the plurality of first network slices by using a second mapping relation, and determining the determined first network slice as the target network slice; wherein the second mapping relationship comprises a correspondence relationship between an identity of a network slice and a random access preamble sequence.

3. The method of determining according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the method further comprises:

determining a target bandwidth resource block according to the identification of the target network slice; wherein the target bandwidth resource block is used for carrying one or more of a second message MSG2, a third message MSG3 and a fourth message MSG4 in the process of the UE randomly accessing the base station.

4. A method for determining a network slice is applied to User Equipment (UE), and is characterized by comprising the following steps:

receiving a broadcast message sent by a base station; the broadcast message comprises a first mapping relation, wherein the first mapping relation comprises a corresponding relation between an identifier of a network slice and a moment of accessing a physical random access channel;

acquiring an identifier of a target network slice; the target network slice is a network slice which is ordered by a user and corresponds to the UE;

determining target access time corresponding to the identifier of the target network slice by using the first mapping relation; the target access time is the time when the UE accesses a physical random access channel when sending a random access lead code;

and at the target access time, sending the random access preamble to the base station, so that the base station determines the target network slice by using the first mapping relation after receiving the random access preamble.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein when the first mapping relationship is a time when the identifiers of the plurality of network slices correspond to one physical random access channel, the broadcast message further includes a second mapping relationship; wherein the second mapping relationship comprises a correspondence between an identifier of a network slice and a random access preamble sequence;

prior to transmitting the random access preamble to the base station, the method further comprises:

determining a target random access preamble sequence corresponding to the identifier of the target network slice by using the second mapping relation; wherein the target random access preamble sequence is used to reflect resource requirements of the UE;

determining the random access preamble code according to the target random access preamble code sequence.

6. A base station comprising a receiving unit and a determining unit;

the receiving unit receives a random access lead code sent by User Equipment (UE);

the determining unit is used for determining the target access time; the target access time is the time when the UE accesses a physical random access channel when sending the random access lead code;

the determining unit is further configured to determine, after determining a target access time, a target network slice corresponding to the target access time by using a first mapping relationship; the first mapping relation comprises a corresponding relation between the identifier of the network slice and the time of accessing the physical random access channel; and the target network slice is a network slice subscribed by a user corresponding to the UE.

7. The base station according to claim 6, wherein, in a case that the first mapping relationship is a time at which an identifier of a plurality of network slices corresponds to one physical random access channel, the determining unit is specifically configured to determine, according to the target access time, a plurality of first network slices corresponding to the target access time from the first mapping relationship;

the determining unit is specifically further configured to acquire a target random access preamble sequence of the random access preamble; wherein the target random access preamble sequence is used to reflect resource requirements of the UE;

the determining unit is further configured to determine, by using a second mapping relationship, a first network slice corresponding to the target random access preamble sequence from the plurality of first network slices, and determine the determined first network slice as the target network slice; wherein the second mapping relationship comprises a correspondence relationship between an identity of a network slice and a random access preamble sequence.

8. The base station according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the determining unit is further configured to determine a target bandwidth resource block according to the identifier of the target network slice; wherein the target bandwidth resource block is used for carrying one or more of a second message MSG2, a third message MSG3 and a fourth message MSG4 in the process of randomly accessing the base station by the UE.

9. The UE is characterized by comprising a receiving unit, an acquiring unit, a determining unit and a sending unit;

the receiving unit is used for receiving the broadcast message sent by the base station; the broadcast message comprises a first mapping relation, wherein the first mapping relation comprises a corresponding relation between an identifier of a network slice and a time when a physical random access channel is accessed;

the acquisition unit is used for acquiring the identifier of the target network slice; the target network slice is a network slice which is ordered by a user and corresponds to the UE;

the determining unit is configured to determine, by using the first mapping relationship, a target access time corresponding to the identifier of the target network slice; the target access time is the time when the UE accesses a physical random access channel when sending a random access lead code;

the sending unit is configured to send the random access preamble to the base station at the target access time, so that the base station determines the target network slice by using the first mapping relationship after receiving the random access preamble.

10. The UE of claim 9, wherein when the first mapping relationship is a time when the identifiers of the multiple network slices correspond to one physical random access channel, the broadcast message further includes a second mapping relationship; wherein the second mapping relationship comprises a correspondence between an identifier of a network slice and a random access preamble sequence;

the determining unit is further configured to determine, by using the second mapping relationship, a target random access preamble sequence corresponding to the identifier of the target network slice; wherein the target random access preamble sequence is used to reflect resource requirements of the UE;

the determining unit is further configured to determine the random access preamble according to the target random access preamble sequence.

11. A computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions, which when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of determining a network slice of any of claims 1-3.

12. A computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions, which when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of determining a network slice of claim 4 or 5.

13. A base station, comprising: a processor and a memory; wherein the memory is configured to store one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed by the base station, cause the base station to perform the method of network slice determination of any of claims 1-3.

14. A user equipment, UE, comprising a processor and a memory; wherein the memory is to store one or more programs, the one or more programs including computer-executable instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the UE to perform the network slice determination method of claim 4 or 5.