CN113498144A

CN113498144A - Wireless access mode indication method and device

Info

Publication number: CN113498144A
Application number: CN202010270459.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 周叶; 刘爱娟
Original assignee: Datang Mobile Communications Equipment Co Ltd
Current assignee: Datang Mobile Communications Equipment Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-04-08
Filing date: 2020-04-08
Publication date: 2021-10-12
Also published as: WO2021203955A1

Abstract

The application discloses a wireless access mode indication method and a wireless access mode indication device. In this application, a first network element in a radio access network determines a radio access mode related to the first network element, and sends a first message to a second network element in the radio access network, where the first message carries indication information of the radio access mode related to the first network element. Wherein the radio access mode related to the first network element comprises: a radio access mode of at least one cell under the first network element, or a radio access mode of the first network element. Indication information of a radio access mode related to the first network element, for indicating at least one of: at least one cell under the first network element may or may not be designated as a primary cell; the first network element can configure or not configure the master cell group; the first network element can or cannot act as a master node in a dual connection or as a radio access network node to which the terminal is uniquely connected.

Description

Wireless access mode indication method and device

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of wireless communications technologies, and in particular, to a method and an apparatus for indicating a wireless access mode.

Background

In the field of wireless communication, in order to support various service requirements, technologies such as Carrier Aggregation (CA), Dual Connectivity (DC), etc. are introduced to support that one terminal is connected to multiple radio access cells simultaneously, so as to perform transmission by using different cells according to the service requirements in a targeted manner. When a terminal connects to a network, the network assigns a (and only one) Cell to the network as a Primary Cell (PCell) of the wireless connection, regardless of whether the terminal uses CA or DC technology.

The 5G Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) allows two major types of Radio Access technologies, E-UTRA (Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access) and NR (New Radio, New air interface), to be used. The types of wireless access cells are further diversified, and the importance of CA and DC is further highlighted. For this reason, it is considered in the industry that some cells may only support the non-standalone mode, i.e. cannot be designated as PCell, in the radio access network. Meanwhile, further, all cells in a radio access network node may only support the non-independent mode, which means that the radio access network node can only serve the terminal as a secondary node. The radio access network element may erroneously trigger a handover procedure with these cells as target cells (i.e., the handed-over PCell), resulting in a handover failure.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the application provides a method and a device for indicating a wireless access mode, which are used for indicating the wireless access mode between network elements of a wireless access network, and further avoiding switching failure caused by that a target cell only supports a non-independent mode.

In a first aspect, a method for indicating a radio access mode is provided, including:

a first network element in a radio access network determines a radio access mode related to the first network element; wherein the radio access mode related to the first network element comprises: a radio access mode of at least one cell under the first network element, or a radio access mode of the first network element;

a first network element in a radio access network sends a first message to a second network element in the radio access network, wherein the first message carries indication information of a radio access mode related to the first network element;

wherein the indication information of the radio access mode related to the first network element is used for indicating at least one of the following:

at least one cell under the first network element may be designated as a primary cell;

at least one cell under the first network element is not assignable as a primary cell;

the first network element can configure a master cell group;

the first network element is not capable of configuring a master cell group;

the first network element can be used as a main node in double connection or can be used as a radio access network node which is only connected with a terminal;

the first network element is not capable of acting as a master node in a dual connectivity and not as a radio access network node to which the terminal is uniquely connected.

Optionally, the first network element and the second network element are a first radio access network node and a second radio access network node, respectively; a first network element in the radio access network sends a first message to a second network element in the radio access network, where the first message carries indication information of a radio access mode related to the first network element, and the first message includes:

the first radio access network node sends a communication interface establishment request message or a node configuration update message to the second radio access network node, where the communication interface establishment request message or the node configuration update message carries a cell list of all or part of cells governed by the first radio access network node, and at least one cell in the cell list has corresponding indication information, where the indication information is used to indicate at least one of the following:

the corresponding cell may be designated as a primary cell;

the corresponding cell can be used as a special cell in the cell group;

the corresponding cell may not be designated as a primary cell;

the corresponding cell cannot be a special cell within the cell group.

the first radio access network node sends a communication interface establishment request message or a node configuration update message to the second radio access network node, where the communication interface establishment request message or the node configuration update message carries indication information of a radio access mode of the first radio access network node, and the indication information is used to indicate at least one of the following:

the first radio access network node can only be used as an auxiliary node in dual connection, or an auxiliary cell group SCG can be configured in the first radio access network node but a master cell group MCG cannot be configured in the first radio access network node, or all cells governed by the first radio access network node cannot be designated as master cells;

the first radio access network node can be used as a master node in dual connection or as the only radio access network node connected with the terminal, or a master cell group MCG can be configured in the first radio access network node, or at least one cell in all cells governed by the first radio access network node can be designated as a master cell.

Optionally, the first network element is a distributed unit in a distributed radio access network node, and the second network element is a centralized unit in the distributed radio access network node; a first network element in the radio access network sends a first message to a second network element in the radio access network, where the first message carries indication information of a radio access mode related to the first network element, and the first message includes:

the distribution unit sends a communication interface establishment request message or a configuration update confirmation message of the distribution unit to the concentration unit, wherein the communication interface establishment request message or the configuration update confirmation message carries a cell list of all or part of cells administered by the distribution unit, at least one cell in the cell list has corresponding indication information, and the indication information is used for indicating at least one of the following contents:

the corresponding cell may be designated as a primary cell;

the corresponding cell can be used as a special cell in the cell group;

the corresponding cell may not be designated as a primary cell;

the corresponding cell cannot be a special cell within the cell group.

Optionally, the method further comprises: and the centralized unit sends a third message to a radio access network node, wherein the third message carries the cell list and the indication information.

the distribution unit sends a communication interface establishment request message or a node configuration update message or a configuration update confirmation message to the central unit, wherein the indication information of the wireless access mode of the distribution unit is carried, and the indication information is used for indicating at least one of the following contents:

only an auxiliary cell group SCG can be configured in the distribution unit, or all cells governed by the distribution unit cannot be designated as a primary cell;

the distribution unit can configure a master cell group MCG, or at least one cell in all cells governed by the distribution unit can be designated as a master cell.

the first radio access network node receives a switching request message sent by the second radio access network node;

the first radio access network node sends a handover preparation failure message to the second radio access network node, wherein indication information for indicating that a handover target cell cannot be designated as a primary cell or cannot be used as a special cell in a cell group is carried.

the distribution unit receives a terminal context establishment request message or a terminal context modification request message sent by the concentration unit, wherein the terminal context establishment request message or the terminal context modification request message carries an identifier of a target cell;

the distribution unit sends a failure message to the concentration unit, wherein indication information for indicating that the target cell cannot be designated as a primary cell or as a special cell in a cell group is carried.

In a second aspect, a network device is provided, where the network device is a first network element in a radio access network, and the network device includes: a processor, memory, transceiver;

the transceiver receives and transmits data under the control of the processor;

the memory storing computer instructions;

the processor is configured to read the computer instructions to perform the method according to any one of the above first aspects.

In a third aspect, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions for causing the computer to perform the method of any of the first aspects above.

In the above embodiment of the present application, a first network element in a radio access network sends a radio access mode of at least one cell under the first network element or a radio access mode of the first network element to a second network element in the radio access network, so that indication information can be exchanged between the network elements of the radio access network to indicate whether a cell under charge can be designated as a PCell, thereby avoiding that a cell that cannot be designated as the PCell is taken as a target cell for handover during cell handover, and further reducing a probability of handover failure in the radio access network.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments of the present application will be briefly described below, and it is obvious that the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application, and it is obvious for those skilled in the art to obtain other drawings based on these drawings without creative efforts.

Fig. 1 illustrates a RAN diagram illustrating CU/DU separation;

fig. 2 schematically illustrates an access mode indication flow provided by an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 3 illustrates a flow diagram of example one of the present application;

fig. 4 schematically shows a flow diagram of example two in the present application;

fig. 5 illustrates a flow diagram of example three of the present application;

FIG. 6 illustrates a flow diagram of example four of the present application;

FIG. 7 illustrates a flow diagram of example five of the present application;

FIG. 8 illustrates a flow diagram of example six of the present application;

fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram illustrating a network element device in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 10 illustrates a schematic structural diagram of another network element device in the present application.

Detailed Description

In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present application clearer, the present application will be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, and not all embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present application.

Some terms in the embodiments of the present application are explained below to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

(1) In the embodiments of the present application, the terms "network" and "system" are often used interchangeably, but those skilled in the art can understand the meaning.

(2) In the embodiments of the present application, the term "plurality" means two or more, and other terms are similar thereto.

(3) "and/or" describes the association relationship of the associated objects, meaning 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. The character "/" generally indicates that the former and latter associated objects are in an "or" relationship.

(4) The network device is a device for providing a wireless communication function for a terminal, and includes but is not limited to: a gbb in 5G, a Radio Network Controller (RNC), a Node B (NB), a Base Station Controller (BSC), a Base Transceiver Station (BTS), a home base station (e.g., home evolved node B or home node B, HNB), a BaseBand Unit (BBU), a transmission point (TRP), a Transmission Point (TP), a mobile switching center (msc), and the like. The base station in the present application may also be a device that provides a terminal with a wireless communication function in other communication systems that may appear in the future.

(5) A terminal is a device that can provide voice and/or data connectivity to a user. For example, the terminal device includes a handheld device, an in-vehicle device, and the like having a wireless connection function. Currently, the terminal device may be: a mobile phone (mobile phone), a tablet computer, a notebook computer, a palm top computer, a Mobile Internet Device (MID), a wearable device, a Virtual Reality (VR) device, an Augmented Reality (AR) device, a wireless terminal in industrial control (industrial control), a wireless terminal in self-driving (self-driving), a wireless terminal in smart grid (smart grid), a wireless terminal in transportation safety (transportation safety), a wireless terminal in smart city (smart city), or a wireless terminal in smart home (smart home), etc.

According to the current 5G technology, the radio access network elements need to exchange information related to the cells controlled by each other, and the information related to the exchanged cells does not include indication information whether the cell can be designated as a PCell. This means that if there is no manual control of the operator, other radio access network elements may erroneously trigger the handover procedure of the target cell (i.e. the PCell after handover), resulting in handover failure.

In view of this, an embodiment of the present invention provides an indication method of a radio access mode, so that an indication information may be exchanged between network elements of a radio access network to indicate whether cells controlled by the network elements of the radio access network may be designated as pcells, thereby reducing a probability of handover failure in the radio access network.

The embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The embodiments of the present application may be applicable to a radio access network using carrier aggregation or dual connectivity technology, and may also be applicable to a Radio Access Network (RAN) based on Central Unit (CU)/Distributed Unit (DU) separation.

Before describing the embodiments of the present application, the RAN for carrier aggregation, dual connectivity, and CU/DU separation will be explained first.

(1) Carrier aggregation and dual connectivity.

Carrier Aggregation (CA) and Dual Connectivity (Dual Connectivity) are both technologies that allow one terminal to access through a plurality of radio access cells. Both techniques allow a network and a terminal to interact data not only using one cell (PCell) but also through other cells (PSCell or SCell). If a terminal is connected to a network through only one cell, the cell is referred to as a PCell.

Specifically, Protocol Data units (MAC PDUs) may be interacted between the network and the terminal through one or more pairs of Media Access Control instances (MAC instances). If the network and the terminal use only one pair of MAC instances for MAC PDU interaction, the connection between the network and the terminal is called "single connection". If the network and the terminal use two pairs of MAC instances for MAC PDU interaction, the connection between the network and the terminal is called "dual connectivity", i.e., DC.

For each pair of MAC instances, the MAC PDUs it interacts with may be transmitted over multiple cells. All cells used by a pair of MAC instances are collectively referred to as a Cell Group (Cell Group). Each network has only one MCG (Master Cell Group) and may also have one SCG (Secondary Cell Group) connected to the terminal. A scenario in which only MCG exists is a single connection, and a scenario in which both MCG and SCG exist is a double connection.

If the MCG and the SCG are controlled by different Radio Access Network nodes (RAN nodes), the RAN Node controlling the MCG is called MN (Master Node), and the RAN Node controlling the SCG is called SN (Secondary Node).

Furthermore, the cells in the 5G system are divided into two categories, E-UTRA (Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access) and NR (New Radio). All cells within each cell group are E-UTRA cells, or NR cells. The cells in the MCG are all E-UTRA cells, and the dual connectivity mode in which the cells in the SCG are all NR cells is called NGEN-DC (NG-RAN E-UTRA-NR DC), and the dual connectivity mode in which the cells in the MCG and the SCG are all NR cells is called NR-DC (NR-NR DC).

Within each cell group, all and only one of the cells is called an SpCell (special cell), and the other cells (if present) are called scells. Herein, the SpCell in the MCG is also referred to as PCell (primary cell), and the SpCell in the SCG is also referred to as PSCell.

In actual operation, which cell a connection uses as PCell depends on two approaches: when the terminal enters the connected state from the unconnected state, the cell where the terminal resides (camp) automatically serves as the PCell. On the other hand, after the ue enters the connected state, the network side may also initiate a handover to change the PCell. Specifically, the initiator of the handover may specify a target cell (target cell) (which may be multiple candidates in a partial scenario) for handover, and when the handover is completed, the target cell for handover may automatically serve as a new PCell. The radio access network node to which the target cell of handover belongs is called the target node of handover.

On the air interface, the network can inform the terminal that the cell cannot reside through the system message broadcast of a certain cell, so that the terminal cannot make the cell become a PCell through the process of entering a connected state from a non-connected state. However, on the interface between network devices, the information whether a certain cell can be used as a PCell is not exchanged between the network elements of the radio access network.

This problem is particularly acute for NR cells. The Frequency points of the NR cell are divided into two categories, FR1(Frequency Range 1) and FR 2. In practical deployment, the frequency point of the FR1 cell is usually located at 2-5 GHz, while the frequency point of the FR2 cell is usually located at tens of GHz, which are very different. The FR1 cell generally has a large and stable coverage, but has a narrow bandwidth, and is more suitable for providing basic coverage and serving as a PCell; however, the FR2 cell generally has a small coverage and is relatively unstable, but has a relatively large bandwidth, and is relatively suitable for hot spot bandwidth enhancement, and when used as a PCell, a large number of Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection failures are easily caused by signal instability, and in order to overcome these problems, a large number of optimization enhancements in terms of software and hardware are required, and the complexity is relatively high, so that the cost is also relatively high. In view of this, it is considered in the industry that many FR2 cells can be directly designed to provide only a bandwidth enhancement function, and cannot serve as pcells. These cells have a practical need to be treated differently from FR2 cells that can be PCell.

(2) CU/DU split architecture.

In order to cope with the actual deployment scenario of complexity and variability and save the deployment cost, the industry proposes a gbb-CU/DU separation architecture. Fig. 1 illustrates an example CU/DU separation architecture.

As shown in fig. 1, under this architecture, the NR node connected to 5GC (5G Core Network ), i.e. the gNB, is further separated into two parts, gNB-CU and gNB-DU. Wherein, the gNB-CU is connected with other RAN nodes through an Xn interface and is connected with the 5GC through an NG interface; the gNB-DU is connected to a terminal (UE) over the air interface and is responsible for cell maintenance, such as sending system message broadcasts. The gNB-CU is connected with the gNB-DU through an F1 interface.

The gNB-DU may inform the gNB-CU about the information about the cell it controls, including cell ID, etc., through the F1 interface.

The target cell for handover is specified by the gNB-CU. Specifically, the source RAN node will select one target cell. The source RAN node may also specify a number of candidate target cells if the handover-related signaling is transmitted based on an Xn interface. If the source RAN node is a CU/DU split gNB, then this target cell and possible candidate target cells are decided by the source gNB-CU. If the target RAN node of the handover is a CU/DU split gNB and the source node specifies multiple candidate target cells, the target gNB-CU determines the target cell according to the measurement report and requests the gNB-DU to generate the cell group configuration of the terminal through the F1 interface, where the target cell is the PCell. The gNB-DU may reject this request and inform the gNB-CU that the target cell it selected is not suitable as a PCell, at which point the gNB-CU may select other cells as target cells if feasible. The particular reason the gNB-DU makes this decision is not provided by the gNB-DU.

In the handover procedure, if the target cell belongs to one gNB-DU, the gNB-DU is referred to as a target gNB-DU.

Fig. 2 schematically illustrates a flow chart of an access mode indication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The flow describes a procedure for a first network element in a radio access network to indicate an access mode to a second network element. In some application scenarios, a first network element and a second network element in a radio access network are two different RAN nodes, which are called a first RAN node and a second RAN node; in other embodiments, the first network element and the second network element in the radio access network are a DU and a CU in a distributed RAN node (gNB) with CU/DU separation, that is, the first network element is a DU in the gNB, and the second network element is a CU in the gNB.

As shown, the process may include:

s201: the first network element determines a radio access mode associated with the first network element.

The radio access mode associated with the first network element may include: a radio access mode of at least one cell under the first network element, or a radio access mode of the first network element. The "wireless access mode" may also be referred to as "wireless access capability", and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this nomenclature.

The radio access mode of a cell may be used to indicate whether the cell may be designated as a PCell. Specifically, the radio access mode of one cell may include an independent mode in which the cell can be designated as a PCell and a non-independent mode in which the cell cannot be designated as a PCell.

The radio access mode of a network element may be used to indicate whether all cells governed by the network element may be designated as PCell. Specifically, the radio access mode of a network element may include an independent mode and a non-independent mode, the independent mode refers to that all cells governed by the network element may be designated as PCell, and the non-independent mode refers to that all cells governed by the network element may not be designated as PCell. If all cells governed by a network element cannot be designated as PCell, the radio access mode of the network element also means: the network element is not configurable to the master cell group and is not capable of acting as a master node in a dual connection and not as a radio access network node to which the terminal is uniquely connected.

In some application scenarios, since the FR1 cell generally has a larger coverage and is more stable, but has a narrower bandwidth, and is better suited to provide basic coverage and serve as a PCell, while the FR2 cell generally has a smaller coverage and is less stable, but has a larger bandwidth, and is better suited to serve as a hotspot bandwidth enhancement, the radio access mode of the FR1 cell may be made to be an independent mode, that is, the FR1 cell may be designated as a PCell, and the radio access mode of the FR2 cell is made to be a dependent mode, that is, the FR2 cell may not be designated as a PCell.

Of course, it may also be determined which cell or cells may not be designated as PCell according to network configuration or other situations, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

The radio access mode of a cell (e.g., whether the cell may be designated as a PCell), or the radio access mode of a network element (e.g., whether all cells governed by the network element may be designated as pcells), may be obtained according to preset configuration information, or may be determined according to a preset rule, for example, if a cell is an FR2 cell, the cell may not be designated as a PCell, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

S202: the first network element sends a first message to a second network element in the radio access network, wherein the first message carries indication information of a radio access mode related to the first network element.

In some embodiments, if the first network element determines a radio access mode of at least one cell under the first network element in S201 and sends corresponding indication information in S202, the second network element may learn whether the at least one cell can be designated as a PCell according to the indication information, and then, for a cell that cannot be designated as a PCell, the corresponding cell is not selected as a target cell for handover when initiating handover. If, in S201, the first network element determines the radio access mode of the first network element, and sends corresponding indication information in S202, the second network element may obtain, according to the indication information, whether all cells under the first network element may be designated as PCell, and further, for a cell that cannot be designated as PCell, a corresponding cell may not be selected as a target cell for handover when handover is initiated, or alternatively, for a network element for which all cells under the jurisdiction may not be designated as PCell, the network element may not be selected as a target network element for handover when handover is initiated.

Optionally, based on the flow shown in fig. 2, the method may further include the following steps:

s203: after receiving the first message sent by the first network element, the second network element can send a second message to the first network element, wherein the second message carries indication information of a wireless access mode related to the second network element, so that the first network element can acquire the wireless access mode of a cell governed by the second network element, and further, for a cell which cannot be designated as a PCell, the corresponding cell cannot be selected as a target cell for handover when handover is initiated. And if all cells governed by the second network element can not be designated as PCell, the second network element does not select the first network element as a switching target network element when switching is initiated.

Optionally, based on the above procedure, in some embodiments, the information indicating the radio access mode related to the first network element may be used to indicate at least one of the following:

(1) at least one cell under the first network element may be designated as a primary cell. For example, the first network element may send to the second network element an identification of one or more cells (or other information identifying a cell) and corresponding indication information indicating that the corresponding cell may be designated as a primary cell, i.e., has the capability to be a primary cell.

(2) At least one cell under the first network element may not be designated as a primary cell. For example, the first network element may send to the second network element an identification of one or more cells (or other information identifying a cell) and corresponding indication information indicating that the corresponding cell may not be designated as a primary cell, i.e., does not have the capability to be a primary cell.

(3) The first network element may configure the master cell group. For example, the first network element may send an indication message to the second network element, where the indication message is used to indicate that the first network element is a configurable Master Cell Group (MCG), that is, the first network element has the capability of configuring the master cell group.

(4) The first network element is not configurable with the master cell group. For example, the first network element may send an indication message to the second network element, where the indication message is used to indicate that the first network element is not capable of configuring a Master Cell Group (MCG), that is, the first network element does not have the capability of configuring the master cell group.

(5) The first network element can act as a master node in a dual connectivity or can act as a radio access network node to which the terminal is uniquely connected. For example, the first network element may send an indication message to the second network element, where the indication message is used to indicate that the first network element can be a master node in the dual connectivity or can be a radio access network node to which the terminal is uniquely connected, that is, the first network element has the capability of being a master node in the dual connectivity or a radio access network node to which the terminal is uniquely connected.

(6) The first network element cannot act as a master node in a dual connection and cannot act as a radio access network node to which the terminal is uniquely connected. For example, the first network element may send to the second network element an indication that the first network element is not capable of acting as a master node in the dual connectivity and is not capable of acting as a radio access network node to which the terminal is uniquely connected, i.e. the first network element does not have the capability of acting as a master node in the dual connectivity and as a radio access network node to which the terminal is uniquely connected.

Optionally, based on the above procedure, in some embodiments, the indication information of the radio access mode related to the second network element may be used to indicate at least one of the following:

at least one cell under the second network element may be designated as a primary cell;

at least one cell under the second network element is not assignable as a primary cell;

the second network element can configure the master cell group;

the second network element can not configure the master cell group;

the second network element can be used as a main node in double connection or can be used as a radio access network node which is only connected with the terminal;

the second network element cannot act as a master node in the dual connectivity and cannot act as a radio access network node to which the terminal is uniquely connected.

According to the process shown in fig. 2, a first network element in the radio access network sends a radio access mode of at least one cell under the first network element or a radio access mode of the first network element to a second network element in the radio access network, so that indication information can be exchanged between the network elements of the radio access network to indicate whether a cell under jurisdiction can be designated as a PCell, thereby avoiding that a cell which cannot be designated as the PCell is taken as a target cell for handover during cell handover, and further reducing the probability of handover failure in the radio access network.

Optionally, in some embodiments of the present application, the indication information may be interacted in a terminal-independent interface communication connection establishment procedure, or in a terminal-independent information configuration procedure, or in a terminal-dependent handover procedure.

The above-described embodiments of the present application are described below in several specific examples.

Example 1

Referring to fig. 3, in this example, a RAN node 1 as a first network element indicates to a RAN node 2 as a second network element, at an Xn interface, that one or more cells cannot act as pcells, via a terminal-independent message.

As shown, the process may include:

301: RAN node 1 sends an Xn setup request message or an NG-RAN node configuration update message to RAN node 2, where the Xn setup request message or the NG-RAN node configuration update message contains a list of cells governed by RAN node 1 (the list may contain all or part of the cells governed by RAN node 1), and the list of cells contains, for at least one of the cells, indication information of whether the cell can be designated as a PCell.

Specifically, the indication information of one cell may be at least used for indicating at least one of the following:

(1) for indicating that the corresponding cell may be designated as a PCell, i.e., indicating that the corresponding cell is capable of serving as a PCell;

(2) for indicating that the respective cell is capable of being an SpCell within a cell group; for example, the indication information may indicate that the corresponding cell may serve as a PCell in an MCG, or indicate that the corresponding cell may serve as a PSCell in an SGC;

(3) for indicating that the corresponding cell is not assignable as a PCell, i.e., indicating that the corresponding cell is not assignable as a PCell;

(4) for indicating that the corresponding cell cannot be an SpCell within the cell group; for example, the indication information may indicate that the corresponding cell is not available as a PCell in the MCG or indicate that the corresponding cell is not available as a PSCell in the SCG.

After receiving the message, the RAN node 2 may learn, according to the indication information, which cell or cells in the RAN node 1 cannot be used as pcells, and further may not select a corresponding cell as a target cell for handover when initiating handover.

302: the RAN node 2 sends a corresponding response message to the RAN node 1.

In this step, if the message sent in 301 is an Xn establishment request message, the message sent in 302 is an Xn establishment response message; if the message sent in 301 is a NG-RAN node configuration update message, the message sent in 302 is a NG-RAN node configuration update confirm message.

Optionally, the response message may include a cell list governed by RAN node 2 (the list may include all or part of cells governed by RAN node 1), and the cell list includes, for at least one cell therein, indication information of whether the cell can be designated as a PCell. After receiving the response message, RAN node 1 may learn, according to the indication information, which cell or cells in RAN node 2 cannot be used as PCell, and then may not select a corresponding cell as a target cell for handover when initiating handover.

Example two

Referring to fig. 4, in this example, RAN node 1 acts as a first network element and indicates to RAN node 2, which acts as a second network element, whether RAN node 1 can act only as a secondary node, via a terminal-independent message on an Xn interface.

As shown, the process may include:

401: the RAN node 1 sends an Xn setup request message or a NG-RAN node configuration update message to the RAN node 2, which contains information indicating whether the RAN node 1 can only act as a secondary node in Dual Connectivity (DC). Equivalently, the indication information may also be indication information of whether only a Secondary Cell Group (SCG) can be configured among the RAN nodes 1.

Specifically, the indication information may indicate at least one of the following:

(1) the RAN node 1 can only serve the terminals as a secondary node in the DC. Equivalently, the indication information may also be used to indicate that only SCG can be configured and MCG cannot be configured within the RAN node 1. Equivalently, the indication information may also be used to indicate that all cells governed by RAN node 1 cannot serve as PCell;

(2) the RAN node 1 may act as a master node within the DC or as the only radio access network node to which the terminal is connected. Equivalently, the indication information may also be used to indicate that the MCG may be configured within the RAN node 1. Equivalently, the indication information may also be used to indicate that at least one cell among all cells governed by the RAN node 1 can be used as the PCell.

After receiving the message, the RAN node 2 may learn whether the MCG can be configured in the RAN node 1 according to the indication information. If the indication information indicates that the RAN node 1 cannot configure MCG and only SCG, the RAN node 2 will not select the RAN node 1 as a target node for handover when initiating handover.

402: the RAN node 2 sends a corresponding response message to the RAN node 1.

In this step, if the message sent in 401 is an Xn establishment request message, the message sent in 402 is an Xn establishment response message; if the message sent in 401 is a NG-RAN node configuration update message, the message sent in 402 is a NG-RAN node configuration update confirm message.

Optionally, the response message may include indication information of whether the RAN node 2 can only act as a secondary node in Dual Connectivity (DC). Equivalently, the indication information may also be indication information of whether only a Secondary Cell Group (SCG) can be configured among the RAN nodes 2. After receiving the response message, the RAN node 1 may learn whether the MCG is configurable in the RAN node 2 according to the indication information. If the indication information indicates that the RAN node 2 cannot configure MCG and only SCG, the RAN node 1 will not select the RAN node 2 as a target node of handover when initiating handover.

Example three

Referring to fig. 5, in this example, a DU (gNB-DU) in a gNB as a first network element indicates to a CU (gNB-CU) in the gNB as a second network element that one or more cells cannot serve as pcells through a terminal-independent message at an F1 interface.

As shown, the process may include:

501: the gNB-DU sends an F1 establishment request message or a gNB-DU configuration update message or a gNB-CU configuration update confirmation message to the gNB-CU, wherein the information comprises a cell list (the list can comprise all cells or part of cells governed by the RAN node 1) governed by the gNB-DU, and the cell list comprises indication information whether the cell can be designated as a PCell or not for at least one cell.

Specifically, this indication information can be used to indicate at least any one of the following four points:

(1) for indicating that the corresponding cell may be designated as a PCell;

(2) for indicating that the corresponding cell can be an SpCell within the cell group, for example, the indication information may indicate that the corresponding cell can be a PCell in an MCG or indicate that the corresponding cell can be a PSCell in an SCG;

(3) for indicating that the corresponding cell may not be designated as a PCell;

(4) for indicating that the corresponding cell cannot be used as an SpCell within the cell group, for example, the indication information may indicate that the corresponding cell cannot be used as a PCell in an MCG or indicate that the corresponding cell cannot be used as a PSCell in an SCG.

After receiving the message, the gNB-CU may obtain, according to the indication information, which cell or cells in the gNB-DU cannot serve as the PCell, and may further not select the corresponding cell as a target cell for handover when initiating handover.

Further, the process may further include the steps of:

502: the gNB-CU sends an Xn interface message to the other RAN nodes on behalf of the gNB, including the list of cells it received from the gNB-DU and the above indication information.

After receiving the message, the other RAN nodes may learn which cell or cells in the cell list cannot be used as pcells according to the indication information, and then may not select the corresponding cell as a target cell for handover when initiating handover.

Example four

Referring to fig. 6, in the present example, a DU (gNB-DU) in a gNB as a first network element indicates whether MCG can be configured among the gNB-DU to a CU (gNB-CU) in the gNB as a second network element through a terminal-independent message at an F1 interface.

As shown, the process may include:

601: and the gNB-DU sends an F1 establishment request message or a gNB-DU configuration updating message or a gNB-CU configuration updating confirmation message to the gNB-CU, wherein the information comprises the indication information of whether only the SCG can be configured and the MCG cannot be configured in the gNB-DU.

Specifically, the indication information can indicate at least one of:

(1) among the gNB-DUs, only SCG and MCG cannot be configured. Equivalently, the indication information may also be used to indicate that all cells governed by the gbb-DU cannot serve as pcells;

(2) among the gNB-DUs, MCG can be configured. Equivalently, the indication information may also be used to indicate that at least one cell, among all cells governed by the gNB-DU, can be used as the PCell.

After receiving the message, the gNB-CU can know whether MCG can be configured in the gNB-DU according to the indication information. If the indication information indicates that the MCG cannot be configured and only the SCG can be configured in the gNB-DU, the gNB-CU will not select the gNB-DU as the target gNB-DU for handover when initiating handover.

Example five

Referring to fig. 7, in this example, RAN node 2 acts as a first network element and indicates to RAN node 1 acting as a second network element, via terminal-related messages, that a cell can act as a PCell on an Xn interface.

As shown, the process may include:

701: for a certain terminal, the RAN node 1 sends a handover request message to the RAN node 2, in which the target cell for handover is specified.

702: the RAN node 2 sends a handover preparation failure message to the RAN node 1, which contains a cause value that can indicate that the reason for the handover failure is that the designated target cell cannot serve as the PCell.

Specifically, the cause value may be directly used to indicate that the designated target cell cannot be the PCell, or may be used to indicate that the designated target cell cannot be the SpCell.

After receiving the message, RAN node 1 may learn that the cell cannot be used as a PCell according to the cause value, and then may not select the cell as a target cell for handover in subsequent handover.

It should be noted that, although this example indicates that the specified target cell cannot be used as the SpCell by using the cause value of the handover failure, other indication information or customized indication information is not excluded from being used to indicate the above in other embodiments of the present application.

Example six

Referring to fig. 8, in this example, a DU (gNB-DU) in a gNB as a first network element indicates to a CU (gNB-CU) in the gNB as a second network element that one cell cannot serve as a PCell through a terminal-related message at an F1 interface.

As shown, the process may include:

801: for a certain terminal, the gNB-CU sends a terminal context setup request message or a terminal context modification request message to the gNB-DU, where a target cell (for example, carrying an identifier of the target cell) is specified, and the target cell should be used as an SpCell after the process is finished.

802: the gNB-DU sends a corresponding failure message to the gNB-CU.

In this step, if the message sent in 801 is a terminal context setup request message, the failure message sent in 802 is a terminal context setup failure message; if the message sent in 801 is a terminal context modification request message, the failure message sent in 802 is a terminal context modification failure message.

The failure message contains a cause value, which can indicate that the reason for the failure of the handover is that the designated cell cannot be used as the PCell. Specifically, the cause value may be directly used to indicate that the designated cell cannot be a PCell, or may be used to indicate that the designated cell cannot be an SpCell.

After receiving the failure message, RAN node 1 may learn, according to the cause value, that the cell cannot be used as a PCell, and then may not select the cell as a target cell for handover in subsequent handover.

Based on the same technical concept, the embodiment of the present application further provides a network element device, which can implement the function of the network element device side in the foregoing embodiment.

Fig. 9 illustrates a structure of a network device in an embodiment of the present application, where the network device is a first network element in a radio access network, and the first network element may be a RAN node or a distribution unit (gNB-DU) in a distributed RAN node, and as shown in the figure, the network device may include: a processing module 901, a sending module 902 and a receiving module 903.

A processing module 901, configured to determine a radio access mode related to the first network element; wherein the radio access mode related to the first network element comprises: a radio access mode of at least one cell under the first network element, or a radio access mode of the first network element;

a sending module 902, configured to send a first message to a second network element in a radio access network, where the first message carries indication information of a radio access mode related to the first network element.

the first network element can configure a master cell group;

the first network element is not capable of configuring a master cell group;

Optionally, the first network element and the second network element are a first RAN node and a second RAN node, respectively. Correspondingly, the sending module 902 may be specifically configured to: sending a communication interface establishment request message or a node configuration update message to the second RAN node, where the communication interface establishment request message or the node configuration update message carries a cell list of all or part of cells governed by the first RAN node, and at least one cell in the cell list has corresponding indication information, where the indication information is used to indicate at least one of the following:

the corresponding cell may be designated as a primary cell;

the corresponding cell can be used as a special cell in the cell group;

the corresponding cell may not be designated as a primary cell;

the corresponding cell cannot be a special cell within the cell group.

Optionally, the first network element and the second network element are a first RAN node and a second RAN node, respectively. Correspondingly, the sending module 902 is specifically configured to: sending a communication interface establishment request message or a node configuration update message to the second RAN node, where the communication interface establishment request message or the node configuration update message carries indication information of a radio access mode of the first RAN node, and the indication information is used to indicate at least one of the following:

the first RAN node can only serve as an auxiliary node in dual connectivity, or the first radio access network node can configure SCG but cannot configure MCG, or all cells governed by the first RAN node cannot be designated as primary cells;

the first RAN node may be a master node in dual connectivity or a unique radio access network node to which the terminal is connected, or an MCG may be configured in the first RAN node, or at least one of all cells governed by the first RAN node may be designated as a master cell.

Optionally, the first network element is a distribution unit in a distributed RAN node, and the second network element is a concentration unit in the distributed RAN node. Correspondingly, the sending module 902 is specifically configured to: sending a communication interface establishment request message or a configuration update confirmation message of the distribution unit to the central unit, wherein the communication interface establishment request message or the configuration update confirmation message carries a cell list of all or part of cells administered by the distribution unit, and at least one cell in the cell list has corresponding indication information, and the indication information is used for indicating at least one of the following contents:

the corresponding cell may be designated as a primary cell;

the corresponding cell can be used as a special cell in the cell group;

the corresponding cell may not be designated as a primary cell;

the corresponding cell cannot be a special cell within the cell group.

Optionally, the first network element is a distribution unit in a distributed RAN node, and the second network element is a concentration unit in the distributed RAN node. Correspondingly, the sending module 902 is specifically configured to: sending a communication interface establishment request message or a node configuration update message or a configuration update confirmation message to the central unit, wherein the indication information of the radio access mode of the distribution unit is carried, and the indication information is used for indicating at least one of the following contents:

only SCG can be configured in the distribution unit, or all cells governed by the distribution unit cannot be designated as primary cells;

the distribution unit can be configured with MCG, or at least one cell in all cells governed by the distribution unit can be designated as a main cell.

Optionally, the first network element and the second network element are a first RAN node and a second RAN node, respectively. Correspondingly, the receiving module 903 is specifically configured to: receiving a handover request message sent by the second RAN node; the sending module 902 is specifically configured to: sending a handover preparation failure message to the second RAN node, wherein indication information for indicating that a handover target cell cannot be designated as a primary cell or cannot be used as a special cell in a cell group is carried.

Optionally, the first network element is a distribution unit in a distributed RAN node, and the second network element is a concentration unit in the distributed RAN node. Correspondingly, the receiving module 903 is specifically configured to: receiving a terminal context establishment request message or a terminal context modification request message sent by the centralized unit, wherein the terminal context establishment request message or the terminal context modification request message carries an identifier of a target cell; the sending module 902 is specifically configured to: sending a failure message to the concentration unit, wherein indication information for indicating that the target cell cannot be designated as a primary cell or as a special cell in a cell group is carried.

It should be noted that, the network device provided in the embodiment of the present application can implement all the method steps implemented by the method embodiment and achieve the same technical effect, and detailed descriptions of the same parts and beneficial effects as those of the method embodiment in this embodiment are not repeated herein.

Based on the same technical concept, the embodiment of the present application further provides a network device, which can implement the function of the first network element side in the foregoing embodiment.

Fig. 10 schematically shows a structure of a network device in the embodiment of the present application. As shown, the network device may include: a processor 1001, a memory 1002, a transceiver 1003, and a bus interface 1004.

The processor 1001 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing, and the memory 1002 may store data used by the processor 1001 in performing operations. The transceiver 1003 is used for receiving and transmitting data under the control of the processor 1001.

The bus architecture may include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, with one or more processors, represented by the processor 1001, and various circuits, represented by the memory 1002, being linked together. The bus architecture may also link together various other circuits such as peripherals, voltage regulators, power management circuits, and the like, which are well known in the art, and therefore, will not be described any further herein. The bus interface provides an interface. The processor 1001 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing, and the memory 1002 may store data used by the processor 1001 in performing operations.

The processes disclosed in the embodiments of the present application may be applied to the processor 1001, or implemented by the processor 1001. In implementation, the steps of the signal processing flow may be implemented by integrated logic circuits of hardware or instructions in the form of software in the processor 1001. The processor 1001 may be a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, may implement or perform the methods, steps, and logic blocks disclosed in the embodiments of the present application. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor or the like. The steps of a method disclosed in connection with the embodiments of the present application may be directly implemented by a hardware processor, or may be implemented by a combination of hardware and software modules in a processor. The software module may be located in ram, flash memory, rom, prom, or eprom, registers, etc. storage media as is well known in the art. The storage medium is located in the memory 1002, and the processor 1001 reads the information in the memory 1002 and completes the steps of the signal processing flow in combination with the hardware thereof. Specifically, the processor 1001 is configured to read the computer instructions in the memory 1002 and execute the functions implemented on the terminal side in the flow shown in fig. 3.

In particular, the processor 1001 may read the computer instructions in the memory 1002 to perform the following operations:

determining a radio access mode related to the first network element; wherein the radio access mode related to the first network element comprises: a radio access mode of at least one cell under the first network element, or a radio access mode of the first network element;

sending a first message to a second network element in a radio access network, wherein the first message carries indication information of a radio access mode related to the first network element; wherein the indication information of the radio access mode related to the first network element is used for indicating at least one of the following:

the first network element can configure a master cell group;

the first network element is not capable of configuring a master cell group;

It should be noted that, the network device provided in the embodiment of the present invention can implement all the method steps implemented by the method embodiment and achieve the same technical effect, and detailed descriptions of the same parts and beneficial effects as those of the method embodiment in this embodiment are not repeated herein.

Embodiments of the present application further provide a computer-readable storage medium, where computer-executable instructions are stored, and the computer-executable instructions are used to enable a computer to execute the method performed by the network device in the foregoing embodiments.

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, embodiments of the present application may be provided as a method, system, or computer program product. Accordingly, the present application may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, the present application may take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, and the like) having computer-usable program code embodied therein.

The present application is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to the application. It will be understood that each flow and/or block of the flow diagrams and/or block diagrams, and combinations of flows and/or blocks in the flow diagrams and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instruction means which implement the function specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made in the present application without departing from the spirit and scope of the application. Thus, if such modifications and variations of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents, the present application is intended to include such modifications and variations as well.

Claims

1. A method of wireless access mode indication, comprising:

the first network element can configure a master cell group;

the first network element is not capable of configuring a master cell group;

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first network element and the second network element are a first radio access network node and a second radio access network node, respectively;

a first network element in the radio access network sends a first message to a second network element in the radio access network, where the first message carries indication information of a radio access mode related to the first network element, and the first message includes:

the corresponding cell may be designated as a primary cell;

the corresponding cell can be used as a special cell in the cell group;

the corresponding cell may not be designated as a primary cell;

the corresponding cell cannot be a special cell within the cell group.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first network element and the second network element are a first radio access network node and a second radio access network node, respectively;

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first network element is a distributed element in a distributed radio access network node and the second network element is a centralized element in the distributed radio access network node;

the corresponding cell may be designated as a primary cell;

the corresponding cell can be used as a special cell in the cell group;

the corresponding cell may not be designated as a primary cell;

the corresponding cell cannot be a special cell within the cell group.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

and the centralized unit sends a third message to a radio access network node, wherein the third message carries the cell list and the indication information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first network element is a distributed element in a distributed radio access network node and the second network element is a centralized element in the distributed radio access network node;

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first network element and the second network element are a first radio access network node and a second radio access network node, respectively;

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first network element is a distributed element in a distributed radio access network node and the second network element is a centralized element in the distributed radio access network node;

9. A network device, the network device being a first network element in a radio access network, comprising: a processor, memory, transceiver;

the transceiver receives and transmits data under the control of the processor;

the memory storing computer instructions;

the processor is used for reading the computer instructions and executing the following operations:

sending a first message to a second network element in a radio access network, wherein the first message carries indication information of a radio access mode related to the first network element;

the first network element can configure a master cell group;

the first network element is not capable of configuring a master cell group;

10. The network device of claim 9, wherein the first network element and the second network element are a first radio access network node and a second radio access network node, respectively;

the sending a first message to a second network element in a radio access network, where the first message carries indication information of a radio access mode related to the first network element, includes:

sending a communication interface establishment request message or a node configuration update message to the second radio access network node, where the communication interface establishment request message or the node configuration update message carries a cell list of all or part of cells governed by the first radio access network node, and at least one cell in the cell list has corresponding indication information, where the indication information is used to indicate at least one of the following:

the corresponding cell may be designated as a primary cell;

the corresponding cell can be used as a special cell in the cell group;

the corresponding cell may not be designated as a primary cell;

the corresponding cell cannot be a special cell within the cell group.

11. The network device of claim 9, wherein the first network element and the second network element are a first radio access network node and a second radio access network node, respectively;

sending a communication interface establishment request message or a node configuration update message to the second radio access network node, where the indication information carries indication information of a radio access mode of the first radio access network node, and the indication information is used to indicate at least one of the following:

12. The network device of claim 9, wherein the first network element is a distributed element in a distributed radio access network node and the second network element is a centralized element in the distributed radio access network node;

sending a communication interface establishment request message or a configuration update confirmation message of the distribution unit to the central unit, wherein the communication interface establishment request message or the configuration update confirmation message carries a cell list of all or part of cells administered by the distribution unit, and at least one cell in the cell list has corresponding indication information, and the indication information is used for indicating at least one of the following contents:

the corresponding cell may be designated as a primary cell;

the corresponding cell can be used as a special cell in the cell group;

the corresponding cell may not be designated as a primary cell;

the corresponding cell cannot be a special cell within the cell group.

13. The network device of claim 9, wherein the first network element is a distributed element in a distributed radio access network node and the second network element is a centralized element in the distributed radio access network node;

sending a communication interface establishment request message or a node configuration update message or a configuration update confirmation message to the central unit, wherein the indication information of the radio access mode of the distribution unit is carried, and the indication information is used for indicating at least one of the following contents:

14. The network device of claim 9, wherein the first network element and the second network element are a first radio access network node and a second radio access network node, respectively;

receiving a switching request message sent by the second wireless access network node;

sending a handover preparation failure message to the second radio access network node, wherein indication information for indicating that a handover target cell cannot be designated as a primary cell or cannot be a special cell in a cell group is carried.

15. The network device of claim 9, wherein the first network element is a distributed element in a distributed radio access network node and the second network element is a centralized element in the distributed radio access network node;

receiving a terminal context establishment request message or a terminal context modification request message sent by the centralized unit, wherein the terminal context establishment request message or the terminal context modification request message carries an identifier of a target cell;

sending a failure message to the concentration unit, wherein indication information for indicating that the target cell cannot be designated as a primary cell or as a special cell in a cell group is carried.

16. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions for causing a computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1-8.