A collaborative channel management method, device and base station

Abstract

The embodiment of the present invention provides a collaborative channel management method, device and base station, which configures the configuration information of the cell and the collaborative channel activation number threshold on the distribution unit side network management; the distribution unit control plane establishes the cell according to the configuration information, and allocates and saves the identification information of the established cell; the centralized unit determines whether the cells with adjacent and collaborative relationships are in the same distribution unit; the collaborative channel between the cells with adjacent and collaborative relationships is established according to the determination result; the distribution unit receives and accepts the collaborative relationship request established by the centralized unit for the user equipment, and uses the collaborative channel corresponding to the collaborative relationship to transmit the collaborative information, which ensures that different cells can transmit the collaborative information in a timely and reliable manner in some implementation processes, improves the collaborative efficiency of the base station low layer, and the implementation method is simple and easy to operate.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present invention relate to but are not limited to the field of mobile communications, and specifically, relate to but are not limited to a coordinated channel management method, device and base station. Background Art

[0002] In the 5G (The 5th Generationmobile Communication Technology) new generation mobile communication air interface technology, the base station (gNB) is divided into two parts: a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU). The CU is mainly responsible for non-real-time wireless high-level protocol stack functions, and the DU generally includes distributed user plane processing functions, mainly processing physical layer functions and layer 2 protocol stack functions with high real-time requirements.

[0003] Similar to 4G, in normal coverage scenarios, only one 5G cell is needed to provide services for UE (User Equipment), but in some special scenarios, two or even more 5G cells are needed to work together to provide services for UE. For example, when UE has high-traffic services, two or more 5G cells with the same coverage of the UE are needed to work together to provide services for it to increase the traffic that can be transmitted by the base station, that is, CA (Carrier Aggregation) defined by the protocol; when the UE is in the overlapping coverage area of ​​two or more co-frequency cells, these co-frequency cells are required to work together to reduce co-frequency interference; in high-speed rail scenarios, the UE moves very fast, and the UE will frequently switch between adjacent cells along the high-speed rail, affecting the continuity of user services and reducing user experience, so multiple co-frequency cells covering the high-speed rail need to work together to form a super cell to reduce the frequent switching of UE.

[0004] The collaborative work between these cells in the above scenario needs to be completed by the physical layer and layer 2 protocol stack on the DU, and all of them are based on the coverage relationship of the cells. Only cells that meet a certain coverage relationship can work together to serve the UE, and the coverage relationship between cells is reflected by the adjacency relationship between cells. In related technologies, according to the division of labor between CU and DU in the protocol, and the definition of the standard signaling interface between CU and DU, the adjacency relationship between cells is configured and managed by CU, and the adjacency relationship will not be passed to DU through the standard signaling interface. DU does not know the adjacency relationship between cells in this base station and the adjacency relationship between cells across DUs. Therefore, under the current protocol background, when the physical layer and layer 2 protocol stack between different cells in a DU with an adjacency relationship or between cells across DUs need to work collaboratively, because DU does not know the adjacency relationship between cells in the base station and the adjacency relationship between cells across DUs, DU cannot know in advance which different cells the UE may need the physical layer and layer 2 protocol stack to establish collaborative relationships and collaborative channels, and thus cannot meet the needs of collaborative work between the physical layer and layer 2 protocol stacks of different cells in a timely manner. Summary of the invention

[0005] A collaborative channel management method and device provided in an embodiment of the present invention mainly solve the technical problem that the DU cannot know in advance between which different cells the UE may need the physical layer and layer 2 protocol stack to establish collaborative relationships and collaborative channels, and thus cannot promptly meet the needs of collaborative work between the physical layer and layer 2 protocol stacks of different cells.

[0006] In order to solve the above technical problems, an embodiment of the present invention provides a collaborative channel management method, including:

[0007] The network management configures the cell configuration information and the threshold of the number of coordinated channel activations on the distribution unit side;

[0008] The distribution unit control plane establishes a cell according to the configuration information, and allocates and stores the cell identification information;

[0009] The centralized unit determines whether cells with adjacent and coordinated relationships are in the same distributed unit;

[0010] Establishing a cooperative channel between cells having an adjacent relationship and a cooperative relationship according to the determination result;

[0011] The distributed unit receives and accepts the cooperation relationship request established by the centralized unit for the user equipment, and uses the cooperation channel corresponding to the cooperation relationship to transmit the cooperation information;

[0012] The centralized unit and the distributed unit are obtained by dividing all functional modules of the base station.

[0013] The embodiment of the present invention further provides a collaborative channel management device, including:

[0014] A configuration module, used to configure the configuration information of the cell and the threshold of the number of coordinated channel activations and to establish the cell according to the configuration information;

[0015] A processing module, used to allocate and store the cell identification information, and also used to determine whether the cells with adjacent relationships and coordinated relationships are in the same distribution unit, and to establish a coordinated channel between the cells with adjacent relationships and coordinated relationships according to the determination result;

[0016] A receiving module, used for receiving a cooperation relationship request established by a central unit for a user equipment;

[0017] The communication module is used to transmit collaborative information using the collaborative channel corresponding to the collaborative relationship.

[0018] An embodiment of the present invention further provides a base station, comprising a centralized unit and a distributed unit;

[0019] The distribution unit is used to configure the configuration information of the cell and the threshold of the number of coordinated channel activations; establish the cell according to the configuration information, and allocate and save the cell identification information

[0020] The central unit is used to determine whether the cells with adjacent and coordinated relationships are in the same distribution unit and to establish a coordinated channel between the cells with adjacent and coordinated relationships according to the determination result;

[0021] The distribution unit is further configured to receive and accept a cooperation relationship request established by the central unit for the user equipment, and use a cooperation channel corresponding to the cooperation relationship to transmit cooperation information.

[0022] The beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0023] According to the collaborative channel management method, device and base station provided by the embodiments of the present invention, the configuration information of the cell and the collaborative channel activation number threshold are configured by the network management on the distribution unit side; the distribution unit control plane establishes the cell according to the configuration information, and allocates and saves the identification information of the established cell; the centralized unit determines whether the cells with adjacent and collaborative relationships are in the same distribution unit; the collaborative channel between the cells with adjacent and collaborative relationships is established according to the determination result; the distribution unit receives and accepts the collaborative relationship request established by the centralized unit for the user equipment, and uses the collaborative channel corresponding to the collaborative relationship to transmit the collaborative information; it ensures that different cells can transmit collaborative information in a timely and reliable manner, improves the collaborative efficiency of the base station low layer, and the implementation method is simple and easy to operate.

[0024] Other features and corresponding beneficial effects of the present invention are described in the latter part of the specification, and it should be understood that at least part of the beneficial effects become obvious from the description in the specification of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Figure 1 This is a basic flow chart of a collaborative channel management method according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a collaborative channel establishment method according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of another collaborative channel establishment method according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 4 A flowchart of a method for processing a request for a cooperative relationship between cells in a distribution unit received according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a collaborative channel deactivation process according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 6 This is a flowchart of a collaborative channel management method according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 7 This is a flowchart of a collaborative channel management method according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 8 This is a flowchart of a collaborative channel management method according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Fig. 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a collaborative channel management device according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the following is a further detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention through specific implementation methods combined with the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not used to limit the present invention.

[0035] Embodiment 1:

[0036] In order to solve the technical problem that the distributed unit cannot know in advance between which different cells the user equipment may need the physical layer and layer 2 protocol stack to establish collaborative relationships and collaborative channels, and thus cannot promptly meet the needs of collaborative work between the physical layer and layer 2 protocol stacks of different cells, an embodiment of the present invention proposes a collaborative channel management method to promptly and reliably meet the needs of collaborative work between the physical layer and layer 2 protocol stacks of different cells; it should be noted that the method of the embodiment of the present invention is not only applicable to 5G systems, but also to other systems with similar problems.

[0037] See also Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a collaborative channel management method according to an embodiment of the present invention is as follows:

[0038] S101, the network management configures the cell configuration information and the coordinated channel activation number threshold at the distribution unit side;

[0039] In the embodiment of the present invention, the centralized unit and the distributed unit are obtained by dividing all functional modules of the base station, that is, all functions of the base station are flexibly divided into two processing units, the centralized unit and the distributed unit. One centralized unit can be connected to one distributed unit or to multiple distributed units. The centralized unit and the distributed unit can be connected using a standard signaling interface. The configuration information of the cell to be governed by the distributed unit and the threshold of the number of coordinated channel activations are configured in the distributed unit. Different distributed units cover different areas.

[0040] S102, the distribution unit control plane establishes a cell according to the configuration information, and allocates and stores identification information of the established cell;

[0041] In the embodiment of the present invention, the identification information of the cell includes but is not limited to the address information of the board where the cell is located and other information that can distinguish the cell.

[0042] S103, the centralized unit determines whether the cells having an adjacent relationship and a coordinated relationship are in the same distribution unit;

[0043] In the embodiment of the present invention, the adjacency relationship between cells is configured and managed in the centralized unit, and the adjacency relationship will not be transmitted to the distributed unit through the standard signaling interface. The distributed unit does not know the adjacency relationship between the cells in the distributed unit and the adjacency relationship between the cells across the distributed units. Therefore, in order to coordinate different cells to serve as user equipment together, it is necessary to establish a collaborative channel between the cells that work together, and the premise for the cells that need to work together is to satisfy certain adjacency relationships.

[0044] It should be understood that cells with an adjacent relationship may be in the same distribution unit or in different distribution units. In different scenarios, the subsequent method of establishing a collaborative channel is different. The method of establishing a collaborative channel is selected by determining whether the cells with an adjacent relationship and a collaborative relationship are in the same distribution unit.

[0045] S104. Establishing a coordinated channel between cells having an adjacent relationship and a coordinated relationship according to the determination result;

[0046] In the embodiment of the present invention, when cells with adjacent relationships and cooperative relationships are in the same distribution unit, the method for establishing a cooperative channel is as follows: Figure 2 , as follows:

[0047] S201, the distribution unit control plane configures the identification information of all established cells to the physical layer and layer 2 protocol stack corresponding to each cell;

[0048] In an embodiment of the present invention, a collaborative relationship and a collaborative channel between cells are established through the physical layer and layer 2 protocol stack. After the cell is established, the distribution unit control plane configures the identification information of all established cells to the physical layer and layer 2 protocol stack corresponding to each cell, that is, the physical layer and layer 2 protocol stack corresponding to the cell are configured with the identification information of all cells including the current cell.

[0049] It should be understood that there are adjacent and cooperative relationships between all cells under the jurisdiction of the same distribution unit; the identification information of the cell includes but is not limited to the address information of the board where the cell is located and other information that can distinguish the cell.

[0050] S202, the physical layer and layer 2 protocol stack corresponding to each cell save and maintain the identification information of the cell local end and the opposite end, and reply a success response to the distribution unit control plane;

[0051] In the embodiment of the present invention, each cell has a corresponding physical layer and layer 2 protocol stack, which stores and maintains the identification information of the cell itself and the other end, and replies a success response to the distribution unit control plane, and the collaborative channels between all cells in the distribution unit are successfully established.

[0052] It should be noted that after the cooperative channels between all cells in the distribution unit are successfully established, the distribution unit control plane marks these cooperative channels, but does not activate them. When cooperative information needs to be transmitted between the physical layer and the layer 2 protocol stack, the required memory resources are dynamically allocated, and the information is transmitted in a timely manner through the established cooperative channels.

[0053] In the embodiment of the present invention, when cells with adjacent relationships and cooperative relationships are in different distribution units, the method for establishing a cooperative channel is as follows: Figure 3, as follows:

[0054] S301, the centralized unit selects adjacent distributed units that have an adjacent relationship and a coordinated relationship with cells in the distributed units, and obtains external identification information of the adjacent distributed units;

[0055] In the embodiment of the present invention, the adjacency relationship between cells is configured and managed by a centralized unit, which selects adjacent distribution units where adjacent cells having adjacency and coordination relationships with cells in distribution units are located, and obtains external identification information of the distribution units.

[0056] It should be understood that the external identification information includes but is not limited to information for identifying adjacent distribution units, such as external IP address information.

[0057] S302, the distribution unit receives the external identification information of the adjacent distribution unit transmitted by the central unit, and saves and maintains the external identification information of each adjacent distribution unit;

[0058] In the embodiment of the present invention, after the distribution unit receives the external identification information of the adjacent distribution unit transmitted by the central unit, the cooperative channel between cells in different distribution units with adjacent and cooperative relationships is successfully established, and the cooperative channel is activated at the same time.

[0059] In some application scenarios of the embodiments of the present invention, the collaborative channels between the distributed unit and other distributed units may be co-configured on the distributed unit side according to the planned collaborative relationships.

[0060] S105, the distributed unit receives and accepts the cooperation relationship request established by the centralized unit for the user equipment, and uses the cooperation channel corresponding to the cooperation relationship to transmit the cooperation information;

[0061] In an embodiment of the present invention, the collaborative channel corresponding to the collaborative relationship is used to transmit the collaborative information. Specifically, after the collaborative channel between cells is activated, the physical layers and layer 2 protocol stacks of different cells that need to transmit the collaborative information are sorted according to the priority of the collaborative information, and the collaborative information is transmitted using the collaborative channel corresponding to the collaborative relationship in order of priority. This method can ensure that when the collaborative channel is congested, the transmission of high-priority collaborative information is prioritized, and the transmission of low-priority collaborative information can be delayed or discarded, thereby ensuring the normal operation of the collaborative channel.

[0062] It should be noted that when the distributed unit receives a request from the centralized unit to establish a cooperative relationship between cells within the distributed unit for the user equipment, it needs to make the following judgment and processing. For the specific process, see Figure 4 :

[0063] S401, determine whether the collaborative channel corresponding to the collaborative relationship has been activated, if so, execute S403, if not, execute S402;

[0064] S402, determining whether the number of currently activated cooperative channels is less than the cooperative channel activation number threshold, if so, executing S403, if not, executing S404;

[0065] S403, the distribution unit accepts the collaborative relationship request;

[0066] S404: The distribution unit rejects the collaborative relationship request.

[0067] In an embodiment of the present invention, if the collaborative channel corresponding to the collaborative relationship has been activated, the distributed unit accepts the collaborative relationship request and replies with a success response to the centralized unit, and uses the collaborative channel corresponding to the collaborative relationship to transmit collaborative information; if the collaborative channel corresponding to the collaborative relationship has not been activated and the number of currently activated collaborative channels is less than the collaborative channel activation number threshold, the collaborative relationship request is accepted, and a success response is replied to the centralized unit, and the collaborative channel corresponding to the requested collaborative relationship is activated at the same time, and the collaborative channel corresponding to the collaborative relationship is used to transmit collaborative information; if the collaborative channel corresponding to the collaborative relationship has not been activated and the number of currently activated collaborative channels is greater than or equal to the collaborative channel activation number threshold, the distributed unit rejects the collaborative relationship request, replies with a failure response to the centralized unit, and does not establish this collaborative relationship for the user equipment.

[0068] It should be understood that since collaborative channels will be established between all cells within a distribution unit, when there are a large number of cells in the distribution unit and they all need to work collaboratively, the collaborative channel may experience performance bottlenecks such as congestion. To ensure the normal operation of the collaborative channel, a collaborative channel activation number threshold is set on the distribution unit side. The collaborative channel activation number threshold is used when the number of cell pairs that actually need to transmit collaborative information exceeds the collaborative channel activation number threshold. The distribution unit then rejects the establishment of a new collaborative relationship requested by the centralized unit for the user equipment.

[0069] In the embodiment of the present invention, the inter-cell cooperative channel in the distribution unit can be deactivated. For the deactivation method, see Figure 5 As shown, the specific process is as follows:

[0070] S501, a distributed unit receives a request from a centralized unit to delete an inter-cell coordination relationship of a user equipment;

[0071] S502, the distribution unit determines whether the coordination relationship to be deleted is a coordination relationship between cells in the distribution unit, if so, execute S503, if not, the process ends;

[0072] S503, the distribution unit determines whether the cooperative channel corresponding to the cooperative relationship to be deleted is still used by other user equipment, if so, the process ends, if not, execute S504;

[0073] S504: Deactivate the collaborative channel corresponding to the collaborative relationship to be deleted.

[0074] In the embodiment of the present invention, the established collaborative channel can be deleted. There are two situations for deleting the collaborative channel: one is deleting the collaborative channel within the distribution unit, and the other is deleting the collaborative channel between any two distribution units. The specific method for deleting the collaborative channel is as follows:

[0075] Case 1:

[0076] If any cell in the distributed unit is deleted or unavailable, the distributed unit control plane notifies the physical layer and layer 2 protocol stack of all cells in the distributed unit to delete the coordinated channel with the cell;

[0077] Case 2:

[0078] If the configuration of the adjacency relationship between all cells of any two distributed units on the centralized unit is deleted, the centralized unit will notify the two distributed units to delete the cooperative channel between them.

[0079] The collaborative channel management method provided by the embodiment of the present invention configures the configuration information of the cell and the collaborative channel activation number threshold on the distribution unit side network management; the distribution unit control plane establishes the cell according to the configuration information, and allocates and saves the identification information of the established cell; the centralized unit determines whether the cells with adjacent and collaborative relationships are in the same distribution unit; the collaborative channel between the cells with adjacent and collaborative relationships is established according to the determination result; the distribution unit receives and accepts the collaborative relationship request established by the centralized unit for the user equipment, and uses the collaborative channel corresponding to the collaborative relationship to transmit the collaborative information; it ensures that different cells can transmit collaborative information in a timely and reliable manner, improves the collaborative efficiency of the base station low layer, and the implementation method is simple and easy to operate.

[0080] Embodiment 2:

[0081] Based on the above embodiment, the embodiment of the present invention further describes in detail the method for managing cooperative channels between cells with adjacent relationships and cooperative relationships within the distribution unit. Figure 6 As shown, the specific process is as follows:

[0082] S601, the network management configures the cell configuration information and the coordinated channel activation number threshold at the distribution unit side;

[0083] S602, the distribution unit control plane establishes a cell according to the configuration information, and allocates and stores identification information of the established cell;

[0084] S603: After the cell is established, the distributed unit control plane configures the identification information of all cells in the distributed unit to the physical layer and layer 2 protocol stack of each cell;

[0085] S604, the distributed unit receives a request for a coordinated relationship between cells within the distributed unit established by the centralized unit for the user equipment;

[0086] S605: Determine whether the collaborative channel corresponding to the collaborative relationship has been activated. If so, execute S607; if not, execute S606;

[0087] S606: Determine whether the number of currently activated cooperative channels is less than the cooperative channel activation number threshold. If so, execute S607; if not, execute S613;

[0088] S607, the distribution unit accepts the collaborative relationship request, and uses the collaborative channel corresponding to the collaborative relationship to transmit the collaborative information;

[0089] S608. The physical layers and layer 2 protocol stacks of different cells that need to transmit the coordinated information are sorted according to the priority of the coordinated information, and the coordinated information is transmitted in the order of priority;

[0090] S609, when the distribution unit receives a request from the central unit to delete the inter-cell coordination relationship of the user equipment, execute S610, and when a cell in the distribution unit is deleted or unavailable, execute S612;

[0091] S610, the distribution unit determines whether the cooperative channel corresponding to the cooperative relationship to be deleted is still used by other user equipment, if so, the cooperative channel is not processed, if not, execute S611;

[0092] S611, deactivating the collaborative channel corresponding to the collaborative relationship to be deleted;

[0093] S612: The distributed unit control plane notifies the physical layer and layer 2 protocol stack of all cells in the distributed unit to delete the coordinated channel with the cell.

[0094] S613: The distribution unit rejects the cooperation relationship request and does not establish a cooperation relationship for the user equipment.

[0095] In an embodiment of the present invention, since collaborative channels will be established between all cells in a distribution unit, when there are a large number of cells in the distribution unit and all of them need to work collaboratively, performance bottlenecks such as congestion may occur in the collaborative channel. To ensure the normal operation of the collaborative channel, a collaborative channel activation number threshold is set on the distribution unit side. The collaborative channel activation number threshold is used to reject the establishment of a new collaborative relationship requested by the centralized unit for the user equipment when the number of cell pairs that actually need to transmit collaborative information exceeds the collaborative channel activation number threshold.

[0096] In the embodiment of the present invention, the identification information of the cell includes but is not limited to the address information of the board where the cell is located and other information that can distinguish the cell; when the distributed unit accepts the collaborative relationship request, it will reply a successful response to the centralized unit.

[0097] In step S603, the distribution unit control plane configures the identification information of all cells in the distribution unit to the physical layer and layer 2 protocol stack of each cell. The physical layer and layer 2 protocol stack of each cell save and maintain the local and opposite end identification information of the cell and other cells in the distribution unit, and replies a success response to the control plane. The coordinated channels between all cells in the distribution unit are successfully established, and the distribution unit control plane marks these coordinated channels as inactivated.

[0098] The coordination between cells is completed by the physical layer and layer 2 protocol stack on the distribution unit. The physical layers and layer 2 protocol stacks of different cells that need to transmit coordinated information are sorted according to the priority of the coordinated information, and the coordinated information is transmitted using the coordinated channels corresponding to the coordinated relationship in order of priority. This method can ensure that when the coordinated channel is congested, the transmission of high-priority coordinated information is given priority, and the transmission of low-priority coordinated information can be delayed or discarded to ensure the normal operation of the coordinated channel.

[0099] The collaborative channel management method provided by the embodiment of the present invention configures the configuration information of the cell and the collaborative channel activation number threshold on the distribution unit side network management; the distribution unit control plane establishes the cell according to the configuration information, and allocates and saves the identification information of the established cell; after the cell is established, the distribution unit control plane configures the identification information of all cells in the distribution unit to the physical layer and layer 2 protocol stack of each cell, the physical layer and layer 2 protocol stack of each cell save and maintain the local and opposite end identification information of the cell and other cells in the distribution unit, and replies a success response to the control plane, and the collaborative channels between all cells in the distribution unit are successfully established; when the physical layer and layer 2 protocol stack need to transmit collaborative information, the required memory resources are dynamically allocated, and the information is transmitted in time through the established collaborative channel; it is ensured that the physical layer and layer 2 protocol stacks of different cells can transmit collaborative information in a timely and reliable manner, thereby improving the collaborative efficiency of the base station low layer.

[0100] Embodiment three:

[0101] The embodiment of the present invention proposes a method for managing coordinated channels between physical layers and layer 2 protocol stacks between different cells across distributed units in the same centralized unit. Figure 7 As shown, the specific process is as follows:

[0102] S701, the network management configures the cell configuration information and the coordinated channel activation number threshold at the distribution unit side;

[0103] S702, the distribution unit control plane establishes a cell according to the configuration information, and allocates and stores identification information of the established cell;

[0104] S703, the centralized unit receives a collaborative channel establishment request sent by the distributed unit;

[0105] S704, judging whether there are adjacent cells in the distribution unit that cross the distribution unit and support the collaborative relationship according to the adjacent relationship configured on the centralized unit network management, if so, executing S705, if not, the process ends;

[0106] S705, the centralized unit screens out all adjacent distributed units that have an adjacent relationship and a collaborative relationship with the distributed unit, and obtains external identification information of these adjacent distributed units;

[0107] S706: The centralized unit carries the external identification information of the adjacent distributed units to the distributed units through a collaborative channel establishment request response message, or the centralized unit carries the external identification information of the adjacent distributed units to the distributed units through a dedicated collaborative channel message after the collaborative channel is established.

[0108] S707, the distribution unit receives the address information of the adjacent distribution unit transmitted by the central unit, and saves and maintains the external identification information of each adjacent distribution unit;

[0109] S708: After all the distributed units under the centralized unit receive the external identification information of the adjacent distributed units with which they have an adjacent relationship, the collaborative channel between the distributed units in the centralized unit is successfully established and activated;

[0110] S709, after the coordinated channel between distributed cells in the centralized unit is activated, the physical layer and layer 2 protocol stack of the cells across the centralized unit that need to transmit coordinated information are sorted according to the priority of the coordinated information, and the coordinated information is transmitted in order of priority.

[0111] In an embodiment of the present invention, a centralized unit can be connected to multiple distributed units. The centralized unit screens out all adjacent distributed units with which each distributed unit has an adjacency relationship and a collaborative relationship within the centralized unit one by one, obtains the external identification information of all adjacent distributed units corresponding to the distributed unit, and sends the external identification information to the distributed unit for storage. After all distributed units under the centralized unit receive the external identification information of the adjacent distributed units with which they have an adjacency relationship, the collaborative channel between the distributed units is successfully established.

[0112] In the embodiment of the present invention, the adjacency relationship between cells is configured and managed by a centralized unit. In step S705, the centralized unit selects all adjacent distributed units that have an adjacent relationship and a collaborative relationship with the distributed units according to the coupling information between the distributed units configured on the network management, and obtains the external identification information of these adjacent distributed units.

[0113] It should be understood that the external identification information may be external IP address information; in step S703, the collaborative channel establishment request received by the centralized unit from the distributed unit may be transmitted via the standardized public interface F1, that is, the collaborative channel establishment request may also be referred to as an F1 message.

[0114] In an embodiment of the present invention, the coordination between cells is completed by the physical layer and layer 2 protocol stack on the distribution unit. The physical layers and layer 2 protocol stacks of different cells that need to transmit coordinated information are sorted according to the priority of the coordinated information, and the coordinated information is transmitted using the coordinated channels corresponding to the coordinated relationship in order of priority. This method can ensure that when the coordinated channel is congested, the transmission of high-priority coordinated information is prioritized, and the transmission of low-priority coordinated information can be delayed or discarded to ensure the normal operation of the coordinated channel.

[0115] It should be understood that after the cooperative channel between the distribution units is established, the cooperative channels across different cells of the distribution units are naturally established.

[0116] The collaborative channel management method provided by the embodiment of the present invention receives a collaborative channel establishment request sent by a distributed unit through a centralized unit; the centralized unit screens out all adjacent distributed units that have an adjacent relationship and a collaborative relationship with the distributed unit, and obtains the external identification information of these adjacent distributed units; the distributed unit receives the address information of the adjacent distributed units transmitted by the centralized unit, and saves and maintains the external identification information of each adjacent distributed unit; after all distributed units under the centralized unit receive the external identification information of the adjacent distributed units with an adjacent relationship, the collaborative channel between the distributed units in the centralized unit is successfully established and activated; after the collaborative channel between cells across distributed units in the centralized unit is activated, the physical layer and layer 2 protocol stack of the cells across the centralized unit that need to transmit the collaborative information are sorted according to the priority of the collaborative information, and the collaborative information is transmitted in the order of priority; it is ensured that the physical layer and layer 2 protocol stack of different cells across the distributed units in the centralized unit can transmit the collaborative information in a timely and reliable manner, thereby improving the collaborative efficiency of the lower layer of the base station.

[0117] Embodiment 4:

[0118] The different cells across distributed units that need to work together can be different cells across distributed units in the same centralized unit, or different cells across centralized units. The embodiment of the present invention proposes a method for managing collaborative channels between physical layers and layer 2 protocol stacks between different cells across centralized units. Figure 8 As shown, the specific process is as follows:

[0119] S801, the network management at the distribution unit side configures the configuration information of the cell and the threshold of the number of coordinated channel activations;

[0120] S802, the distribution unit control plane establishes a cell according to the configuration information, and allocates and stores identification information of the established cell;

[0121] S803, the centralized unit determines whether there is an adjacent cell that crosses the centralized unit and supports the collaborative relationship according to the adjacent relationship configured on the network management. If so, execute S804; if not, the process ends;

[0122] S804, the centralized unit selects the adjacent centralized units where there are adjacent cells that cross centralized units and support a coordinated relationship among the cells under the base station;

[0123] S805, the centralized unit sends a cooperative channel information request message to the selected adjacent centralized units through the Xn interface;

[0124] S806. The centralized unit receives the coordinated channel information request message from the adjacent centralized unit, obtains the external identification information of the distributed unit where the cell requested in the request message is located according to the coupling information between the distributed units configured on the network management, feeds back to the adjacent centralized unit through a coordinated channel information response message, and saves the external identification information of the opposite distributed unit carried in the request message;

[0125] S807, the centralized unit sends the external identification information of the adjacent distributed units that have cross-centralized unit cooperation relationships with the distributed units under the base station to the distributed units through an F1 establishment response or a special F1 message;

[0126] S808, the distribution unit receives the external identification information of the adjacent distribution unit transmitted by the central unit, and saves and maintains the external identification information of each adjacent distribution unit;

[0127] S809: When a pair of distributed units in a collaborative relationship receive the collaborative channel information transmitted by the centralized unit, the collaborative channel between the distributed units across the centralized unit is successfully established and activated;

[0128] S810. After the coordinated channel between cells across the centralized unit is activated, the physical layer and layer 2 protocol stack of the cells across the centralized unit that need to transmit coordinated information are sorted according to the priority of the coordinated information and transmitted in order of priority.

[0129] In step S805, the request message includes the external identification information of the distribution unit where the neighboring cells that cross the centralized unit and support the collaborative relationship with the cell under the base station are located, and the external identification information of the distribution unit where the cell under the base station is located. It should be noted that in the embodiment of the present invention, the external identification information can be external IP address information.

[0130] In an embodiment of the present invention, the coordination between cells is completed by the physical layer and layer 2 protocol stack on the distribution unit. The physical layers and layer 2 protocol stacks of different cells that need to transmit coordinated information are sorted according to the priority of the coordinated information, and the coordinated information is transmitted using the coordinated channels corresponding to the coordinated relationship in order of priority. This method can ensure that when the coordinated channel is congested, the transmission of high-priority coordinated information is prioritized, and the transmission of low-priority coordinated information can be delayed or discarded to ensure the normal operation of the coordinated channel.

[0131] It should be understood that after the cooperative channel between the distribution units is established, the cooperative channels across different cells of the distribution units are naturally established.

[0132] The collaborative channel management method provided in the embodiment of the present invention establishes a collaborative channel between a pair of distributed units in a collaborative relationship across the centralized unit. After the collaborative channel is successfully established and activated, the physical layer and layer 2 protocol stack of the cells across the centralized units that need to transmit collaborative information are sorted according to the priority of the collaborative information and the collaborative information is transmitted to the centralized unit in the order of priority; ensuring that the physical layer and layer 2 protocol stack of different cells across the distributed units in the centralized unit can transmit collaborative information in a timely and reliably manner, thereby improving the collaborative efficiency of the lower layer of the base station.

[0133] Embodiment five:

[0134] The embodiment of the present invention further provides a collaborative channel management device, which is used to implement at least one step of the collaborative channel management method of the above embodiment. Fig. 9 , the device includes a configuration module 901, a processing module 902, a receiving module 903 and a communication module 904.

[0135] The configuration module 901 is used to configure the configuration information of the cell and the threshold of the number of coordinated channel activations and to establish the cell according to the configuration information;

[0136] The processing module 902 is used to allocate and save the identification information of all established cells, determine whether the cells with adjacent relationships and coordinated relationships are in the same distribution unit, and establish a coordinated channel between the cells with adjacent relationships and coordinated relationships according to the determination result;

[0137] The receiving module 903 is used to receive a cooperation relationship request established by the central unit for the user equipment;

[0138] The transmission module 904 is used to transmit the cooperation information using the cooperation channel corresponding to the cooperation relationship.

[0139] It should be understood that the collaborative channel management device provided in the embodiment of the present invention can implement at least one step of the collaborative channel management method in the above embodiment, which will not be described in detail here.

[0140] An embodiment of the present invention also provides a base station, which includes a centralized unit and a distributed unit, that is, all functions of the base station are flexibly divided into two processing units, the centralized unit and the distributed unit. One centralized unit can be connected to multiple distributed units. The centralized unit and the distributed units are connected using a standard signaling interface, and the coverage areas and coverage ranges of different distributed units may be different.

[0141] The above contents are further detailed descriptions of the embodiments of the present invention in combination with specific implementation methods, and it cannot be determined that the specific implementation of the present invention is limited to these descriptions. For ordinary technicians in the technical field to which the present invention belongs, several simple deductions or substitutions can be made without departing from the concept of the present invention, which should be regarded as falling within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A collaborative channel management method, comprising: The network management configures the cell configuration information and the threshold of the number of coordinated channel activations on the distribution unit side; The distribution unit control plane establishes a cell according to the configuration information, and allocates and stores the cell identification information; The centralized unit determines whether cells with adjacent and coordinated relationships are in the same distributed unit; Establishing a cooperative channel between cells having an adjacent relationship and a cooperative relationship according to the determination result; The distributed unit receives and accepts the cooperation relationship request established by the centralized unit for the user equipment, and uses the cooperation channel corresponding to the cooperation relationship to transmit the cooperation information; Among them, the centralized unit and the distributed unit are obtained by dividing all functional modules of the base station; When the determination result is that the cells having an adjacent relationship and a cooperative relationship are in the same distribution unit, the cooperative channel is determined based on the identification information of the local end and the opposite end of the cell obtained based on the physical layer and layer 2 protocol stack corresponding to the cell; When the determination result is that the cells having the adjacent relationship and the coordinated relationship are in different distribution units, the coordinated channel is determined based on the external identification information of each adjacent distribution unit transmitted by the centralized unit and received by the distribution unit.

2. The collaborative channel management method according to claim 1, characterized in that: When cells that have an adjacent relationship and a coordinated relationship are in the same distribution unit, the establishing of a coordinated channel between the cells that have an adjacent relationship and a coordinated relationship includes: The control plane of the distribution unit configures the identification information of all cells to the physical layer and layer 2 protocol stack corresponding to each cell, and there are adjacency and coordination relationships between all cells in the distribution unit; The physical layer and layer 2 protocol stack save and maintain the identification information of the local end and the opposite end of the cell, and reply a success response to the distributed unit control plane.

3. The collaborative channel management method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The distributed unit receiving and accepting the collaborative relationship request established by the centralized unit for the user equipment includes: The distribution unit receives a cooperation relationship request established by the central unit for the user equipment; Determining whether the collaborative channel corresponding to the collaborative relationship has been activated; When the collaborative channel is activated, the distribution unit accepts the collaborative relationship request; When the cooperative channel is not activated, determining whether the number of currently activated cooperative channels is less than a cooperative channel activation number threshold; When the number of currently activated cooperative channels is less than the cooperative channel activation number threshold, the distribution unit accepts the cooperative relationship request.

4. The collaborative channel management method according to claim 1, characterized in that: When cells having an adjacent relationship and a coordinated relationship are in different distribution units, the establishing of a coordinated channel between the cells having an adjacent relationship and a coordinated relationship includes: The centralized unit selects adjacent distribution units that have an adjacent relationship and a cooperative relationship with the cells in the distribution unit, and obtains external identification information of the adjacent distribution units; The distribution unit receives the external identification information of the adjacent distribution units transmitted by the central unit, and stores and maintains the external identification information of each adjacent distribution unit.

5. The collaborative channel management method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The using the collaborative channel corresponding to the collaborative relationship to transmit collaborative information includes: The collaborative information is prioritized and transmitted in order of priority.

6. The collaborative channel management method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The step of using the collaborative channel corresponding to the collaborative relationship to transmit the collaborative information includes: The distribution unit receives a request from the central unit to delete the inter-cell coordination relationship of the user equipment; When the cooperative relationship is a cooperative relationship between cells within the distribution unit, the distribution unit determines whether the cooperative channel corresponding to the cooperative relationship is used by other user equipment; When the cooperative channel is not used by other terminal devices, the cooperative channel is deactivated.

7. The collaborative channel management method according to any one of claims 2 to 3, characterized in that: After the collaborative information is transmitted using the collaborative channel corresponding to the collaborative relationship, the following further comprises: It is detected that a cell in the distribution unit is deleted or unavailable; The distributed unit control plane notifies the physical layer and layer 2 protocol stacks of all cells in the distributed unit to delete the cooperative channel with the cell.

8. The collaborative channel management method according to claim 4, characterized in that: After the collaborative information is transmitted using the collaborative channel corresponding to the collaborative relationship, the following further comprises: The adjacency configuration between all cells where two distributed units are detected on the centralized unit is deleted; The centralized unit notifies the two distributed units to delete the cooperative channel between the two distributed units.

9. A collaborative channel management device, comprising: A configuration module, used to configure the configuration information of the cell and the threshold of the number of coordinated channel activations and to establish the cell according to the configuration information; A processing module, used to allocate and store the cell identification information, and also used to determine whether the cells with adjacent relationships and coordinated relationships are in the same distribution unit, and to establish a coordinated channel between the cells with adjacent relationships and coordinated relationships according to the determination result; A receiving module, used for receiving a cooperation relationship request established by a central unit for a user equipment; A transmission module, used to transmit the collaborative information using the collaborative channel corresponding to the collaborative relationship; The processing module is specifically used to, when the determination result is that the cells with adjacent and collaborative relationships are in the same distribution unit, determine the collaborative channel based on the identification information of the cell local end and the opposite end obtained based on the physical layer and layer 2 protocol stack corresponding to the cell; when the determination result is that the cells with adjacent and collaborative relationships are in different distribution units, determine the collaborative channel based on the external identification information of each adjacent distribution unit transmitted by the centralized unit and received by the distribution unit.

10. A base station comprising a centralized unit and a distributed unit; The distribution unit is used to configure the configuration information of the cell and the threshold of the number of coordinated channel activations; establish the cell according to the configuration information, and allocate and save the cell identification information The central unit is used to determine whether the cells with adjacent and coordinated relationships are in the same distribution unit and to establish a coordinated channel between the cells with adjacent and coordinated relationships according to the determination result; The distribution unit is further configured to receive and accept a cooperation relationship request established by the central unit for the user equipment, and use a cooperation channel corresponding to the cooperation relationship to transmit cooperation information; The centralized unit is specifically used for, when the determination result is that the cells with adjacent and collaborative relationships are in the same distribution unit, the collaborative channel is determined based on the identification information of the cell local end and the opposite end obtained based on the physical layer and layer 2 protocol stack corresponding to the cell; when the determination result is that the cells with adjacent and collaborative relationships are in different distribution units, the collaborative channel is determined based on the external identification information of each adjacent distribution unit transmitted by the centralized unit and received by the distribution unit.

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