Access control method, device and system

Abstract

The present invention provides an access control method, device and system, wherein the method comprises: a network side network element determines to implement access control for a user equipment with enhanced coverage; the network side network element sends access control information related to the coverage enhancement level, and the access control information is used to indicate the random access condition of the network side network element to the user equipment. The present invention solves the problem in the related art that inefficient use of user plane resources easily leads to excessive system load.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application with application number "201610664606.4", application date "August 12, 2016", and title "Access Control Method, Device and System". Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates to the field of communications, and in particular to an access control method, device and system. Background Art

[0003] In order to support machine-type communication terminals (such as sensors, smart homes, smart grid monitoring, etc.), the LTE system of related technologies introduced narrowband air interface technologies eMTC (enhanced machine-type communication) and NBIoT (NarrowBand Internet of Things). The eMTC system bandwidth adopts 1.4MHz and the NBIoT system bandwidth adopts 180kHz. These two systems are specifically used to carry machine-type communications with small traffic, infrequent, and highly delay-tolerant business data, avoiding the impact of small data from massive machine-type terminals on the spectrum efficiency of broadband LTE systems, while increasing the user capacity carried per unit bandwidth.

[0004] LTE base stations can simultaneously deploy multiple narrowband eMTC or NBIOT frequencies in a co-site mode, and divide spectrum resources for eMTC or NBIOT systems in an inband mode.

[0005] The applicant found that with the increase of machine-type services, real-time voice and video services also began to appear in MTC terminals, so eMTC and NBIOT systems can also support real-time services, which are characterized by frequent arrival of data packets, delay sensitivity, and large data traffic. Due to inherent resource limitations and the introduction of coverage enhancement technology, the load capacity of narrowband eMTC or NBIOT for large traffic data cannot be compared with that of the LTE system. Therefore, if the number of terminals supporting real-time services increases, it is easy to cause overload of the narrowband system.

[0006] With respect to the above-mentioned problems existing in the related technologies, no effective solutions have been found so far. Summary of the invention

[0007] The embodiments of the present invention provide an access control method, device and system to at least solve the problem in the related art that inefficient use of user plane resources easily leads to excessive system load.

[0008] According to one embodiment of the present invention, an access control method is provided, comprising: a network side network element determines to implement access control for user equipment with enhanced coverage; the network side network element sends access control information related to the coverage enhancement level, and the access control information is used to indicate the random access condition of the network side network element to the user equipment.

[0009] Optionally, the network side network element sending access control information related to the coverage enhancement level includes: the network side network element sending the access control information through system message broadcast.

[0010] Optionally, the access control information includes at least one of the following: an upper limit of the coverage enhancement level or coverage enhancement repetition factor or coverage enhancement mode that user equipment is allowed to access, a lower limit of the coverage enhancement level or coverage enhancement repetition factor or coverage enhancement mode that user equipment is not allowed to access, a range of the coverage enhancement level or coverage enhancement repetition factor or coverage enhancement mode that user equipment is allowed to access, and a range of the coverage enhancement level or coverage enhancement repetition factor or coverage enhancement mode that user equipment is not allowed to access.

[0011] Optionally, the access control information includes one or more categories, wherein the access control message of each category sets a dedicated coverage enhancement level.

[0012] Optionally, the classification method of the one or more categories of access control information includes at least one of the following: classification by service type and classification by capability of user equipment.

[0013] Optionally, the dimensions for dividing the service types include: real-time nature of the service and speed required by the service.

[0014] Optionally, the real-time division granularity of the service includes one of the following: dividing the service into real-time and non-real-time, dividing the service into different levels of delay requirements; or,

[0015] The granularity of dividing the rate required by the service includes: dividing the service into high-rate service and low-rate service according to the rate, or dividing the service according to different levels of rate size.

[0016] Optionally, the service types are divided according to actual service types, including: voice service, video streaming service, wearable device service, and health monitoring service.

[0017] Optionally, the dimensions for dividing the capabilities of the user equipment include: whether to support a rate higher than a preset rate, whether to support a bandwidth greater than a preset bandwidth, whether to support multi-narrowband transmission, and whether to support coverage enhancement.

[0018] The access control information also includes: a preset proportion of target user equipments that meet the access control conditions are allowed to perform random access, or a preset proportion of target user equipments that do not meet the access control conditions are not allowed to perform random access.

[0019] Optionally, the preset ratio is set using a ratio factor less than 1; or, a 1-bit indication for indicating whether access is allowed or not allowed is set for user equipments of different access levels AC.

[0020] According to one embodiment of the present invention, another access control method is provided, including: a user device obtains access control information related to a coverage enhancement level; and the user device determines whether a random access condition is met to initiate to the network side based on the access control information related to the coverage enhancement level.

[0021] Optionally, the user equipment acquiring the access control information related to the coverage enhancement level includes: the user equipment acquiring the access control information related to the coverage enhancement level by reading a broadcast system message.

[0022] Optionally, the access control information is used to describe at least one of the following information: an upper limit of the coverage enhancement level or coverage enhancement repetition factor or coverage enhancement mode that user equipment is allowed to access, a lower limit of the coverage enhancement level or coverage enhancement repetition factor or coverage enhancement mode that user equipment is not allowed to access, a range of the coverage enhancement level or coverage enhancement repetition factor or coverage enhancement mode that user equipment is allowed to access, and a range of the coverage enhancement level or coverage enhancement repetition factor or coverage enhancement mode that user equipment is not allowed to access.

[0023] Optionally, the access control information includes one or more categories, wherein the access control message of each category sets a dedicated coverage enhancement level.

[0024] Optionally, the classification method of the one or more categories of access control information includes at least one of the following: classification by service type and classification by capability of user equipment.

[0025] Optionally, the dimensions for dividing the service types include: real-time nature of the service and speed required by the service.

[0026] Optionally, the real-time division granularity of the service includes one of the following: dividing the service into real-time and non-real-time, dividing the service into different levels of delay requirements; or,

[0027] The granularity of dividing the rate required by the service includes: dividing the service into high-rate service and low-rate service according to the rate, or dividing the service according to different levels of rate size.

[0028] Optionally, the service types are divided according to actual service types, including: voice service, video streaming service, wearable device service, and health monitoring service.

[0029] Optionally, the dimensions for dividing the capabilities of the user equipment include: whether to support a rate higher than a preset rate, whether to support a bandwidth greater than a preset bandwidth, whether to support multi-narrowband transmission, and whether to support coverage enhancement.

[0030] Optionally, the user equipment determines whether it meets the conditions for random access initiated to the network side based on the access control information related to the coverage enhancement level, including: the user equipment queries the access control information, and if its current coverage enhancement level meets the range of coverage enhancement levels allowed for access, it is determined that it meets the conditions for random access initiated to the network side; or, in the case where the control information includes one or more categories, the user equipment queries the category to which it belongs to determine whether its current coverage enhancement level meets the range of coverage enhancement levels allowed for access, and if so, it is determined that it meets the conditions for random access initiated to the network side.

[0031] Optionally, in the presence of other access control mechanisms unrelated to the coverage enhancement level, the user equipment determines whether it meets the conditions for initiating random access to the network side based on the access control information related to the coverage enhancement level before or after the other access control mechanisms.

[0032] The access control information also includes: a preset proportion of target user equipments that meet the access control conditions are allowed to perform random access, or a preset proportion of target user equipments that do not meet the access control conditions are not allowed to perform random access.

[0033] Optionally, the preset ratio is set using a ratio factor less than 1; or, a 1-bit indication for indicating whether access is allowed or not allowed is set for user equipments of different access levels AC.

[0034] According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an access control device, which is applied to a network side network element, and includes: a determination module, used to determine the implementation of access control for user equipment with coverage enhancement; a sending module, used to send access control information related to the coverage enhancement level, and the access control information is used to indicate the random access condition of the network side network element to the user equipment.

[0035] Optionally, the access control information includes at least one of the following: an upper limit of the coverage enhancement level or coverage enhancement repetition factor or coverage enhancement mode that user equipment is allowed to access, a lower limit of the coverage enhancement level or coverage enhancement repetition factor or coverage enhancement mode that user equipment is not allowed to access, a range of the coverage enhancement level or coverage enhancement repetition factor or coverage enhancement mode that user equipment is allowed to access, and a range of the coverage enhancement level or coverage enhancement repetition factor or coverage enhancement mode that user equipment is not allowed to access.

[0036] According to another embodiment of the present invention, an access control device is provided, which is applied to a user equipment on the terminal side, including: an acquisition module, used to obtain access control information related to the coverage enhancement level; and a judgment module, used to judge whether the conditions for initiating random access to the network side are met based on the access control information related to the coverage enhancement level.

[0037] Optionally, the access control information is used to describe at least one of the following information: an upper limit of the coverage enhancement level or coverage enhancement repetition factor or coverage enhancement mode that user equipment is allowed to access, a lower limit of the coverage enhancement level or coverage enhancement repetition factor or coverage enhancement mode that user equipment is not allowed to access, a range of the coverage enhancement level or coverage enhancement repetition factor or coverage enhancement mode that user equipment is allowed to access, and a range of the coverage enhancement level or coverage enhancement repetition factor or coverage enhancement mode that user equipment is not allowed to access.

[0038] According to another embodiment of the present invention, an access control system is provided, comprising: a network side device and a user terminal on a terminal side, wherein the network side device comprises: a determination module, configured to determine to implement access control for a user device with coverage enhancement; a sending module, configured to send access control information related to a coverage enhancement level, wherein the access control information is used to indicate to the user device a random access condition of the network side network element;

[0039] The user terminal comprises: an acquisition module, used for acquiring access control information related to the coverage enhancement level; and a judgment module, used for judging whether a random access condition initiated to the network side is met according to the access control information related to the coverage enhancement level.

[0040] Optionally, the access control information includes at least one of the following: an upper limit of the coverage enhancement level or coverage enhancement repetition factor or coverage enhancement mode that user equipment is allowed to access, a lower limit of the coverage enhancement level or coverage enhancement repetition factor or coverage enhancement mode that user equipment is not allowed to access, a range of the coverage enhancement level or coverage enhancement repetition factor or coverage enhancement mode that user equipment is allowed to access, and a range of the coverage enhancement level or coverage enhancement repetition factor or coverage enhancement mode that user equipment is not allowed to access.

[0041] According to another embodiment of the present invention, a storage medium is provided. The storage medium is configured to store program codes for executing the following steps:

[0042] Determine access control for user equipment with coverage enhancement;

[0043] Access control information related to the coverage enhancement level is sent, where the access control information is used to indicate a random access condition of the network side network element to the user equipment.

[0044] Through the present invention, the network side network element determines to implement access control for the user equipment with enhanced coverage; the network side network element sends access control information related to the coverage enhancement level, and the access control information is used to indicate the random access condition of the network side network element to the user equipment. Since the access control information related to the coverage enhancement level is sent, the terminal on the receiving side can judge whether the terminal capability and the transmission service meet the access conditions based on the access control information, which solves the problem in the related technology that the inefficient use of user plane resources easily leads to excessive system load, and ensures the utilization rate of resources while controlling the system load. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0045] The drawings described herein are used to provide a further understanding of the present invention and constitute a part of this application. The exemplary embodiments of the present invention and their descriptions are used to explain the present invention and do not constitute an improper limitation of the present invention. In the drawings:

[0046] Figure 1 is a flow chart of an access control method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0047] Figure 2 is a flow chart of another access control method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0048] Figure 3 is a structural block diagram of an access control system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0049] Figure 4 It is a flow chart of the scheme of the specific embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0050] Figure 5 It is a flow chart of the scheme of the specific embodiment 2 of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0051] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and in combination with embodiments. It should be noted that the embodiments and features in the embodiments of the present application can be combined with each other without conflict.

[0052] It should be noted that the terms "first", "second", etc. in the specification and claims of the present invention and the above-mentioned drawings are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence.

[0053] Example 1

[0054] In this embodiment, an access control method is provided. Figure 1 is a flow chart of an access control method according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 As shown, the process includes the following steps:

[0055] Step S102: The network side network element determines to implement access control for the user equipment with enhanced coverage;

[0056] Step S104: the network side network element sends access control information related to the coverage enhancement level, where the access control information is used to indicate the random access condition of the network side network element to the user equipment.

[0057] Through the above steps, the network side network element determines to implement access control for the user equipment with enhanced coverage; the network side network element sends access control information related to the coverage enhancement level, and the access control information is used to indicate the random access conditions of the network side network element to the user equipment. Since the access control information related to the coverage enhancement level is sent, the terminal on the receiving side can judge whether the terminal capability and transmission service meet the access conditions based on the access control information, which solves the problem in the related technology that the inefficient use of user plane resources easily leads to excessive system load, and ensures the utilization rate of resources while controlling the system load.

[0058] Optionally, the network side network element that executes the above steps may be an access network or core network element, such as a base station, etc., and may be implemented by a processor and a radio frequency circuit of the base station, but is not limited thereto.

[0059] Optionally, the network side network element sending access control information related to the coverage enhancement level includes: the network side network element sending the access control information through system message broadcast.

[0060] Optionally, the access control information includes but is not limited to: an upper limit of the coverage enhancement level or coverage enhancement repetition factor or coverage enhancement mode that user equipment is allowed to access, a lower limit of the coverage enhancement level or coverage enhancement repetition factor or coverage enhancement mode that user equipment is not allowed to access, a range of coverage enhancement levels or coverage enhancement repetition factors or coverage enhancement modes that user equipment is allowed to access, and a range of coverage enhancement levels or coverage enhancement repetition factors or coverage enhancement modes that user equipment is not allowed to access.

[0061] Optionally, the access control information includes one or more categories, wherein the access control message of each category sets a dedicated coverage enhancement level.

[0062] Optionally, the classification method of one or more categories of access control information includes at least one of the following: classification by service type and classification by capability of user equipment.

[0063] Optionally, the dimensions for dividing the service types include: the real-time nature of the service and the speed required by the service.

[0064] Optionally, the granularity of the real-time division of the service includes one of the following: dividing the service into real-time and non-real-time, dividing the service according to different levels of latency requirements; or, the granularity of the division of the rate requirements of the service includes: dividing the service into high-rate service and low-rate service according to the rate, or dividing the service according to different levels of rate size.

[0065] Optionally, the service type is divided according to the actual service type, including: voice service, video streaming service, wearable device service, and health monitoring service.

[0066] Optionally, the dimensions for dividing the capabilities of the user equipment include: whether it supports a rate higher than a preset rate, whether it supports a bandwidth greater than a preset bandwidth, whether it supports multi-narrowband transmission, and whether it supports coverage enhancement.

[0067] The access control information also includes: a preset proportion of target user equipments that meet the access control conditions are allowed to perform random access, or a preset proportion of target user equipments that do not meet the access control conditions are not allowed to perform random access.

[0068] Optionally, the preset ratio is set using a ratio factor less than 1; or, a 1-bit indication for indicating whether access is allowed or not allowed is set for user equipments of different access levels AC.

[0069] In this embodiment, another access control method is provided. Figure 2 is a flow chart of another access control method according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 As shown, the process includes the following steps:

[0070] Step S202: The user equipment obtains access control information related to the coverage enhancement level;

[0071] Step S204: The user equipment determines whether it meets the random access condition initiated to the network side according to the access control information related to the coverage enhancement level.

[0072] Optionally, the execution subject of the above steps may be a terminal, such as a mobile phone, etc., and may be implemented by a processor and a radio frequency circuit of the terminal, but is not limited thereto.

[0073] Optionally, the user equipment acquiring the access control information related to the coverage enhancement level includes: the user equipment acquiring the access control information related to the coverage enhancement level by reading a broadcast system message.

[0074] Optionally, the access control information is used to describe the following information (including but not limited to): an upper limit of the coverage enhancement level or coverage enhancement repetition factor or coverage enhancement mode that the user device is allowed to access, a lower limit of the coverage enhancement level or coverage enhancement repetition factor or coverage enhancement mode that the user device is not allowed to access, a range of the coverage enhancement level or coverage enhancement repetition factor or coverage enhancement mode that the user device is allowed to access, and a range of the coverage enhancement level or coverage enhancement repetition factor or coverage enhancement mode that the user device is not allowed to access.

[0075] Optionally, the access control information includes one or more categories, wherein the access control message of each category sets a dedicated coverage enhancement level.

[0076] Optionally, the classification method of one or more categories of access control information includes at least one of the following: classification by service type and classification by capability of user equipment.

[0077] Optionally, the dimensions for dividing the service types include: the real-time nature of the service and the speed required by the service.

[0078] Optionally, the granularity of the real-time division of the service includes one of the following: dividing the service into real-time and non-real-time, dividing the service according to different levels of latency requirements; or, the granularity of the division of the rate requirements of the service includes: dividing the service into high-rate service and low-rate service according to the rate, or dividing the service according to different levels of rate size.

[0079] Optionally, the service type is divided according to the actual service type, including: voice service, video streaming service, wearable device service, and health monitoring service.

[0080] Optionally, the dimensions for dividing the capabilities of the user equipment include: whether it supports a rate higher than a preset rate, whether it supports a bandwidth greater than a preset bandwidth, whether it supports multi-narrowband transmission, and whether it supports coverage enhancement.

[0081] Optionally, the user equipment determines whether it meets the conditions for random access initiated to the network side based on the access control information related to the coverage enhancement level, including: the user equipment queries the access control information, and if its current coverage enhancement level meets the range of coverage enhancement levels allowed for access, it is determined that it meets the conditions for random access initiated to the network side; or, when the control information includes one or more categories, the user equipment queries the category to which it belongs to determine whether its current coverage enhancement level meets the range of coverage enhancement levels allowed for access, and if so, it is determined that it meets the conditions for random access initiated to the network side.

[0082] Optionally, in the presence of other access control mechanisms not related to the coverage enhancement level, the user equipment determines whether the random access condition initiated to the network side is met according to the access control information related to the coverage enhancement level before or after the other access control mechanisms. That is, if other access control mechanisms need to be run, the access control mechanism based on the coverage enhancement level of this embodiment runs before or after the other access control mechanisms.

[0083] The access control information also includes: a preset proportion of target user equipments that meet the access control conditions are allowed to perform random access, or a preset proportion of target user equipments that do not meet the access control conditions are not allowed to perform random access.

[0084] Optionally, the preset ratio is set using a ratio factor less than 1; or, a 1-bit indication for indicating whether access is allowed or not allowed is set for user equipments of different access levels AC.

[0085] Through the description of the above implementation methods, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the method according to the above embodiment can be implemented by means of software plus a necessary general hardware platform, and of course can also be implemented by hardware, but in many cases the former is a better implementation method. Based on such an understanding, the technical solution of the present invention is essentially or the part that contributes to the prior art can be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a storage medium (such as ROM / RAM, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk), and includes a number of instructions for a terminal device (which can be a mobile phone, a computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute the methods of various embodiments of the present invention.

[0086] Example 2

[0087] In this embodiment, an access control device and system are also provided to implement the above embodiments and preferred implementation modes, which have been described and will not be repeated. As used below, the term "module" can be a combination of software and / or hardware that implements a predetermined function. Although the devices described in the following embodiments are preferably implemented in software, implementation in hardware, or a combination of software and hardware, is also possible and conceivable.

[0088] This embodiment provides an access control device, which is applied to a network side network element. The device includes: a determination module, which is used to determine whether to implement access control for user equipment with coverage enhancement; a sending module, which is used to send access control information related to the coverage enhancement level, and the access control information is used to indicate the random access conditions of the network side network element to the user equipment.

[0089] Optionally, the access control information is used to describe the following information (including but not limited to): an upper limit of the coverage enhancement level or coverage enhancement repetition factor or coverage enhancement mode that the user device is allowed to access, a lower limit of the coverage enhancement level or coverage enhancement repetition factor or coverage enhancement mode that the user device is not allowed to access, a range of the coverage enhancement level or coverage enhancement repetition factor or coverage enhancement mode that the user device is allowed to access, and a range of the coverage enhancement level or coverage enhancement repetition factor or coverage enhancement mode that the user device is not allowed to access.

[0090] This embodiment provides another access control device, which is applied to a user equipment on the terminal side. The device includes: an acquisition module, which is used to obtain access control information related to the coverage enhancement level; and a judgment module, which is used to judge whether the random access conditions initiated to the network side are met based on the access control information related to the coverage enhancement level.

[0091] Optionally, the access control information is used to describe the following information (including but not limited to): an upper limit of the coverage enhancement level or coverage enhancement repetition factor or coverage enhancement mode that the user device is allowed to access, a lower limit of the coverage enhancement level or coverage enhancement repetition factor or coverage enhancement mode that the user device is not allowed to access, a range of the coverage enhancement level or coverage enhancement repetition factor or coverage enhancement mode that the user device is allowed to access, and a range of the coverage enhancement level or coverage enhancement repetition factor or coverage enhancement mode that the user device is not allowed to access.

[0092] Figure 3 is a structural block diagram of an access control system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 As shown, the system includes: a network side device 30, a user terminal 40 on the terminal side, the network side device 30 includes: a determination module 302, used to determine to implement access control for the user equipment with coverage enhancement; a sending module 304, used to send access control information related to the coverage enhancement level, the access control information is used to indicate the random access condition of the network element on the network side to the user equipment;

[0093] The user terminal 40 includes: an acquisition module 402, used to acquire access control information related to the coverage enhancement level; and a judgment module 404, used to judge whether the random access condition initiated to the network side is met according to the access control information related to the coverage enhancement level.

[0094] The access control information also includes: a preset proportion of target user equipments that meet the access control conditions are allowed to perform random access, or a preset proportion of target user equipments that do not meet the access control conditions are not allowed to perform random access.

[0095] Optionally, the preset ratio is set using a ratio factor less than 1; or, a 1-bit indication for indicating whether access is allowed or not allowed is set for user equipments of different access levels AC.

[0096] Optionally, the access control information is used to describe the following information (including but not limited to): an upper limit of the coverage enhancement level or coverage enhancement repetition factor or coverage enhancement mode that the user device is allowed to access, a lower limit of the coverage enhancement level or coverage enhancement repetition factor or coverage enhancement mode that the user device is not allowed to access, a range of the coverage enhancement level or coverage enhancement repetition factor or coverage enhancement mode that the user device is allowed to access, and a range of the coverage enhancement level or coverage enhancement repetition factor or coverage enhancement mode that the user device is not allowed to access.

[0097] It should be noted that the above modules can be implemented by software or hardware. For the latter, it can be implemented in the following ways, but not limited to: the above modules are all located in the same processor; or the above modules are located in different processors in any combination.

[0098] Example 3

[0099] This embodiment is an optional embodiment according to the present invention, and is used to explain the present application in detail in combination with different scenarios. This embodiment includes multiple specific embodiments: Specific embodiment 1:

[0101] Taking the LTE eMTC system as an example, this embodiment describes the coarse-grained access control of the eMTC access network for eMTC user equipment classified by service rate in a coverage enhancement scenario;

[0102] Figure 4 This is a flow chart of the scheme of the specific embodiment 1 of the present invention, and the detailed description is as follows:

[0103] The preconditions of the embodiment are as follows:

[0104] The eMTC access network and the LTE access network are deployed in the same base station. The LTE access network system bandwidth is 10MHz. The eMTC access network is deployed in the LTE access network system bandwidth in an inband (within the frequency band) manner. Assuming that the eMTC access network is currently heavily loaded and has few idle air interface resources, although it can still accommodate a small number of high-speed users, it cannot afford the high-speed users to use a larger coverage enhancement level mode. Therefore, the eMTC access network decides to restrict access to users with high speed and high coverage enhancement levels.

[0105] Step 401. The eNB (base station) broadcasts the following access control information in the eMTC system message (e.g., in SIB2 or SIB14):

[0106] Upper limit of coverage enhancement mode that high-rate UEs are allowed to access Coverage Enhancement Mode A

[0107] Among them, coverage enhancement mode A refers to a mode with a low coverage enhancement level, and correspondingly, coverage enhancement mode B corresponds to a high coverage enhancement level.

[0108] For example, in the existing eMTC system, the coverage enhancement mode A of PDSCH (physical downlink shared channel) and PUSCH (physical uplink shared channel) corresponds to the coverage enhancement levels such as coverage repetition factor [1, 2, 4, 8] (the maximum coverage repetition factor can be configured by the base station), and the coverage enhancement mode B corresponds to the coverage repetition factor [4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512] (the maximum coverage repetition factor can be configured by the base station);

[0109] The coverage enhancement mode A of PRACH (physical random access channel) corresponds to coverage enhancement levels 0 and 1; the coverage enhancement mode B corresponds to coverage enhancement levels 2 and 3. The coverage repetition factors corresponding to coverage enhancement levels 0 to 3 are selected and configured by the base station in [1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128].

[0110] M-PDCCH and PUCCH also have different coverage enhancement level configurations in coverage enhancement mode A and coverage enhancement mode B respectively.

[0111] Step 402: before initiating random access, the eMTC UE reads access control related system messages in advance to obtain access control information based on the coverage enhancement level;

[0112] Step 403. The eMTC UE determines the coverage enhancement level at which it initiates judgment based on its own measurement result of the cell reference signal. If it is determined based on the measurement result that the UE does not need to enable coverage enhancement, or only needs to enable coverage mode A to initiate random access, then it can be determined based on the access control information of the obtained coverage enhancement level that the UE can initiate random access in the current cell; if it is determined based on the measurement result that the UE needs to enable coverage mode B to initiate random access, then it can be determined based on the access control information of the obtained coverage enhancement level that the UE cannot initiate random access in the current cell. Specific embodiment 2:

[0114] Taking the LTE eMTC system as an example, this embodiment describes the fine-grained access control of the eMTC access network for eMTC user equipment classified by service rate in a coverage enhancement scenario;

[0115] Referring to the scenario of specific embodiment 1,

[0116] The preconditions of the embodiment are as follows:

[0117] The eMTC access network and the LTE access network are deployed in the same base station. The LTE access network system bandwidth is 10MHz. The eMTC access network is deployed in the LTE access network system bandwidth in an inband (within the frequency band) manner. Assuming that the eMTC access network is currently highly loaded and has few idle air interface resources, although it can still accommodate a small number of high-speed users, it cannot afford the high-speed users to use a larger coverage enhancement level mode. Therefore, the eMTC access network decides to restrict access to certain high-speed service types and users with high coverage enhancement levels. This restriction method can be of different granularity.

[0118] Figure 5 This is a flow chart of the solution of the specific embodiment 2 of the present invention, and the process is as follows:

[0119] Step 501. The eNB (base station) detects that the load of the eMTC cell is high and the load of the LTE system is also high. It is unable to schedule more idle resources for eMTC. The eNB decides to restrict the high-speed service users of eMTC to use the large coverage enhancement level to reduce the pressure on air interface resources. The eNB broadcasts access control information for terminals using coverage enhancement in the eMTC system message (for example, in SIB2 or SIB14). The content of the control information includes two parts: restricted user objects, and restricted coverage enhancement levels corresponding to the restricted objects;

[0120] Restricted user objects include:

[0121] Any type of UE (not limited to UE type or service type)

[0122] Classification by service type, for example: according to the real-time nature of the service, it can be divided into: real-time service (low-latency service or ultra-low-latency service), ordinary service, and delay-insensitive service (or delay-tolerant service); for example, according to the rate required by the service, it can be divided into: high-rate service, ordinary-rate service, and low-rate service; the above classification can also be divided into finer levels, for example, it can be divided into more levels according to the delay requirement or the value of the rate;

[0123] Targeted division according to specific types of services, including: voice services, video streaming services, gaming services, smart wearables, health monitoring, etc.;

[0124] - Based on UE capabilities, including: whether it supports a rate higher than the preset rate, whether it supports a bandwidth greater than the preset bandwidth, whether it supports multiple narrowband transmission, and whether it supports coverage enhancement

[0125] The restricted coverage enhancement level corresponding to the restricted object:

[0126] Coverage enhancement levels can be divided into different granularities, for example:

[0127] Classification: without coverage enhancement, with coverage enhancement; or

[0128] Divided into: no coverage enhancement, coverage enhancement mode A, coverage enhancement mode B; or

[0129] Divided into: no coverage enhancement, coverage enhancement level 0, coverage enhancement level 1, coverage enhancement level 2, coverage enhancement level 3; (In the eMTC system, the coverage enhancement level 0 / 1 used by the random access channel belongs to coverage enhancement mode A; coverage enhancement level 2 / 3 belongs to coverage enhancement mode B), or

[0130] Divided into: no coverage enhancement, coverage enhancement repetition factor {1, 2, 4, 8, 15, 32, 64, 128...}

[0131] The restriction form of the control information includes: an upper limit of the coverage enhancement level or coverage enhancement mode that the user equipment is allowed to access, or a lower limit of the coverage enhancement level or coverage enhancement mode that the user equipment is not allowed to access, or a range of the coverage enhancement level or coverage enhancement mode that the user equipment is allowed / not allowed to access;

[0132] For example: Control information is defined as:

[0133] Upper limit of coverage enhancement level allowed for UE access No coverage enhancement

[0134] The meaning of this control information is: if any type of UE needs to use coverage enhancement technology to access the network, it is not allowed to access;

[0135] For example, the control information is defined as:

[0136] Voice service (lower limit of coverage enhancement level where access is not allowed) Coverage Enhancement Mode B Video streaming service (lower limit of coverage enhancement level where access is not allowed) Coverage Enhancement Mode A

[0137] The meaning of this control information is: UE initiating voice service is allowed to access using coverage enhancement mode A or without coverage enhancement; UE initiating video streaming service is allowed to access using without coverage enhancement;

[0138] For example, the control information is defined as:

[0139]

[0140] The meaning of this control information is: UE initiating high-rate services is allowed to access using the method without coverage enhancement; UE initiating normal-rate services is allowed to access using the method of [no coverage enhancement, coverage enhancement level 0, coverage enhancement level 1]; UE initiating low-rate services is allowed to access using the method of [no coverage enhancement, coverage enhancement level 0, coverage enhancement level 1, coverage enhancement level 2, coverage enhancement level 3].

[0141] Optionally, in order to achieve more flexible access control, the restriction on the controlled target user equipment may be in the form of a ratio, that is, a preset ratio of target user equipment that meets the access control conditions is allowed to perform random access, or a preset ratio of target user equipment that meets the access control conditions is not allowed to perform random access;

[0142] The proportion setting includes: setting a proportion factor less than 1; or setting a 1-bit indication of allowing / not allowing access for different access classes (AccessClass, AC for short);

[0143] For example:

[0144] The control information is defined as:

[0145]

[0146] If the conditions in the first two columns are met (high rate, using repetition factor [1]), the terminal determines whether it can initiate random access. If it is less than 0.1, access is allowed, otherwise it is not allowed.

[0147] The meaning of this control information is: UEs initiating high-rate services can only access using the repetition factor [1], and only 10% can initiate random access; UEs initiating normal-rate services can only use the repetition factor [2-8], and only 30% can initiate random access; UEs initiating low-rate services can only use the repetition factor [16-32], and only 50% can initiate random access.

[0148] Another example:

[0149] The control information is defined as:

[0150]

[0151] The meaning of this control information is: UEs initiating high-rate services can only access using the repetition factor [1], and only UEs belonging to AC0 can initiate random access; UEs initiating normal-rate services can only use the repetition factor [2-8], and only UEs belonging to AC0-2 can initiate random access; UEs initiating low-rate services can only use the repetition factor [16-32], and only UEs belonging to AC0-4 can initiate random access. The last column of the control information is a 10-bit field, which is used to identify which AC of the UEs of access level AC0-9 can access.

[0152] Step 502: Before initiating random access, the eMTC UE reads the access control related system message in advance, and obtains the corresponding access control information based on the coverage enhancement level according to the UE type or service type to which it belongs;

[0153] Step 503: The eMTC UE determines its own coverage enhancement level according to its own measurement result of the cell reference signal, and determines whether it can initiate random access according to the access control information based on the coverage enhancement level obtained;

[0154] Step 504 (optional). If the eMTC UE also obtains EAB (extended access control) control information from the system message, and EAB is one of the existing control mechanisms, the UE also needs to execute the access control process of EAB, that is, the solution of the present invention described in steps 201 to 203 and the existing access control technology are in parallel. When the base station broadcasts the access control information of the solution of the present invention and the existing access control technology at the same time, the UE needs to execute both at the same time, and can first execute the solution of the present invention described in steps 201 to 203, or can first execute the existing access control technology. Specific embodiment 3:

[0156] Taking the LTE eMTC system as an example, this embodiment describes the fine-grained access control of the eMTC access network for eMTC user equipment classified by service real-time nature in a coverage enhancement scenario;

[0157] The system bandwidth used by the NBIOT system is 180kHz, which is smaller than the 1.4Mhz of the eMTC system. Therefore, if the terminal uses coverage enhancement technology, it will occupy a higher ratio of the NBIOT system air interface resources.

[0158] Assume that the NBIOT access network and the LTE access network are deployed at the same base station, the LTE access network system bandwidth is 10MHz, and the NBIOT access network is deployed in the LTE access network system bandwidth in an inband (in-band) manner. Assume that the NBIOT access network is currently heavily loaded and has few idle air interface resources. Although it can still accommodate a small number of high-speed users, it cannot afford the high-speed users to use a larger coverage enhancement level mode. Therefore, the NBIOT access network decides to restrict access to certain high-speed service types and users with high coverage enhancement levels. This restriction method can be of different granularity.

[0159] The method adopted is consistent with the method of the eMTC system, and the solutions of Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2 can be used in the NBIOT system. The access control information based on the coverage enhancement level can be sent to the NBIOT terminal in the system message of the NBIOT system (for example, in SIB2 or SIB14).

[0160] The specific process can refer to Specific Example 1 and Specific Example 2.

[0161] In all the above embodiments, the types of access network elements include, in addition to eNB, small cells, home base stations, and other types of access network elements compatible with the EPC architecture.

[0162] Example 4

[0163] An embodiment of the present invention further provides a storage medium. Optionally, in this embodiment, the storage medium may be configured to store program codes for executing the following steps:

[0164] S1, determining to implement access control for user equipment with coverage enhancement;

[0165] S2: Send access control information related to the coverage enhancement level, where the access control information is used to indicate a random access condition of the network side network element to the user equipment.

[0166] Optionally, in this embodiment, the above-mentioned storage medium may include but is not limited to: a USB flash drive, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a mobile hard disk, a magnetic disk or an optical disk, and other media that can store program codes.

[0167] Optionally, in this embodiment, the processor determines to implement access control for the coverage enhanced user equipment according to the program code stored in the storage medium;

[0168] Optionally, in this embodiment, the processor executes sending access control information related to the coverage enhancement level according to the program code stored in the storage medium, and the access control information is used to indicate the random access condition of the network side network element to the user equipment.

[0169] Optionally, the specific examples in this embodiment may refer to the examples described in the above embodiments and optional implementation modes, and this embodiment will not be described in detail here.

[0170] Obviously, those skilled in the art should understand that the above modules or steps of the present invention can be implemented by a general computing device, they can be concentrated on a single computing device, or distributed on a network composed of multiple computing devices, and optionally, they can be implemented by a program code executable by a computing device, so that they can be stored in a storage device and executed by the computing device, and in some cases, the steps shown or described can be executed in a different order than here, or they can be made into individual integrated circuit modules, or multiple modules or steps therein can be made into a single integrated circuit module for implementation. Thus, the present invention is not limited to any specific combination of hardware and software.

[0171] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. For those skilled in the art, the present invention may have various modifications and variations. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An access control method, characterized in that: include: The network side network element determines to implement access control for user equipment with enhanced coverage; The network side network element sends access control information related to multiple coverage enhancement levels, The access control information is used to indicate to the user equipment the conditions for initiating random access to the network side network element. The random access is based on a coverage enhancement level among the multiple coverage enhancement levels that allow the user equipment to access randomly, The access control information indicates that the user equipment initiating the high-speed service is allowed to access the network side network element in a non-coverage enhanced manner. The access control information indicates that the user equipment initiating the normal rate service is allowed to access the network side network element in a manner of no coverage enhancement, coverage enhancement level 0 or coverage enhancement level 1, and, Among them, the access control information indicates that the user equipment initiating the low-rate service is allowed to access the network side network element using no coverage enhancement, coverage enhancement level 0, coverage enhancement level 1, coverage enhancement level 2 or coverage enhancement level 3.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The access control information is related to a range of coverage enhancement levels allowing random access by user equipment.

3. An access control method, characterized in that: include: The user equipment obtains access control information related to multiple coverage enhancement levels; The user equipment obtains a measurement result of a cell reference signal; The user equipment determines whether a random access condition initiated to the network side is met according to the access control information, The judging comprises judging whether to allow the user equipment to use the multiple coverage enhancement levels based on the measurement result of the cell reference signal, and the user equipment performs random access using the coverage enhancement level in the multiple coverage enhancement levels. The access control information indicates that the user equipment initiating the high-speed service is allowed to access the network side network element in a non-coverage enhanced manner. The access control information indicates that the user equipment initiating the normal rate service is allowed to access the network side network element in a manner of no coverage enhancement, coverage enhancement level 0 or coverage enhancement level 1, and, Among them, the access control information indicates that the user equipment initiating the low-rate service is allowed to access the network side network element using no coverage enhancement, coverage enhancement level 0, coverage enhancement level 1, coverage enhancement level 2 or coverage enhancement level 3.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The access control information is related to a range of coverage enhancement levels allowing random access by user equipment.

5. An access control device, applied to a network side network element, comprising a processor and a memory, characterized in that: The memory stores a computer program, and the processor is configured to run the computer program to perform the following method: Determine access control for user equipment with coverage enhancement; sending access control information associated with a plurality of coverage enhancement levels, The access control information is used to indicate to the user equipment the conditions for initiating random access to the network side network element. The random access is based on a coverage enhancement level among the multiple coverage enhancement levels that allow the user equipment to access randomly, The access control information indicates that the user equipment initiating the high-speed service is allowed to access the network side network element in a non-coverage enhanced manner. The access control information indicates that the user equipment initiating the normal rate service is allowed to access the network side network element in a manner of no coverage enhancement, coverage enhancement level 0 or coverage enhancement level 1, and, Among them, the access control information indicates that the user equipment initiating the low-rate service is allowed to access the network side network element using no coverage enhancement, coverage enhancement level 0, coverage enhancement level 1, coverage enhancement level 2 or coverage enhancement level 3.

6. The device according to claim 5, characterized in that The access control information is related to a range of coverage enhancement levels allowing random access by user equipment.

7. An access control device, applied to a user equipment, comprising a processor and a memory, characterized in that: The memory stores a computer program, and the processor is configured to run the computer program to perform the following method: obtaining access control information associated with a plurality of coverage enhancement levels; The user equipment obtains a measurement result of a cell reference signal; Determine whether the random access condition initiated to the network side is met according to the access control information, The judging comprises judging whether to allow the user equipment to use the multiple coverage enhancement levels based on the measurement result of the cell reference signal, and the user equipment performs random access using the coverage enhancement level in the multiple coverage enhancement levels. The access control information indicates that the user equipment initiating the high-speed service is allowed to access the network side network element in a non-coverage enhanced manner. The access control information indicates that the user equipment initiating the normal rate service is allowed to access the network side network element in a manner of no coverage enhancement, coverage enhancement level 0 or coverage enhancement level 1, and, Among them, the access control information indicates that the user equipment initiating the low-rate service is allowed to access the network side network element using no coverage enhancement, coverage enhancement level 0, coverage enhancement level 1, coverage enhancement level 2 or coverage enhancement level 3.

8. The device according to claim 7, characterized in that The access control information is related to a range of coverage enhancement levels allowing random access by user equipment.

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