A data transmission method and apparatus

Abstract

The application discloses a data transmission method and device, wherein the method comprises the following steps: receiving configuration information sent by a first access network device, the configuration information being used for configuring a terminal device to report indication information to a target access network device; and sending the indication information to the target access network device according to the configuration information, wherein the indication information comprises performing context acquisition, or not performing context acquisition, or performing relocation, or not performing relocation, or quickly completing data transmission. Through the method, the efficiency of data transmission can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a data transmission method and apparatus. Background Technology

[0002] Small Data Transmission (SDT) is a technology that allows data smaller than a certain data size threshold to be transmitted when the terminal device is inactive. The terminal device does not need to enter the connected state to transmit data, thus saving network resources.

[0003] Currently, when a terminal device transmits small packets to an access network device, the access network device needs to obtain the terminal device's context information. Only a specific access network device possesses this context information. When the terminal device leaves that specific access network device and reselects a new one, the new access network device needs to obtain the terminal device's context information from the original specific access network device before it can transmit small packets. If the terminal device reselects a different access network device every time it needs to transmit small packets, then each transmission requires the current access network device to obtain the terminal device's context information from the aforementioned specific access network device, leading to reduced efficiency and speed in small packet transmission. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application discloses a data transmission method and apparatus, which can improve the efficiency of data transmission.

[0005] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a data transmission method applied to a terminal device, the method comprising:

[0006] Receive configuration information sent by the first access network device. The configuration information is used to configure the terminal device to report indication information to the target access network device.

[0007] Based on the configuration information, the system sends instruction information to the target access network device. The instruction information includes options such as performing context acquisition, not performing context acquisition, performing relocation, not performing relocation, or quickly completing data transmission.

[0008] In one embodiment, before sending indication information to the target access network device according to the configuration information, if it is determined that a cell reselection has occurred, then it is determined to report indication information to the target access network device; or, if the cell reselection is from the first access network device to the target access network device, then it is determined to report indication information to the target access network device, wherein the target access network device is different from the first access network device.

[0009] In one embodiment, the configuration information includes one or more of the following: a list of radio bearer identifiers, a list of logical channel identifiers, a data volume threshold, a terminal device mobility speed threshold, and a list of physical cell identifiers.

[0010] In one embodiment, before sending indication information to the target access network device according to the configuration information, if the reporting conditions configured in the configuration information are met, it is determined to report indication information to the target access network device.

[0011] In one embodiment, the reporting conditions include: the radio bearer identifier of the data to be transmitted by the terminal device meets the conditions of the radio bearer identifier configured in the configuration information; and / or, the logical channel identifier of the data to be transmitted by the terminal device meets the conditions of the logical channel identifier configured in the configuration information; and / or, the data volume of the data to be transmitted by the terminal device is less than the data volume threshold configured in the configuration information; and / or, the moving speed of the terminal device is greater than the moving speed threshold configured in the configuration information.

[0012] In one embodiment, if the cell of the target access network device is reselected, and the physical cell identifier of the target access network device's cell is not in the preset physical cell identifier list configured in the configuration information, then it is determined to report instruction information to the target access network device.

[0013] In one embodiment, the first access network device is either a Last Serving access network device or an Anchor access network device.

[0014] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a data transmission method applied to a first access network device, comprising:

[0015] The terminal device is sent configuration information. The configuration information is used to configure the terminal device to report indication information to the target access network device. The indication information includes whether to perform context acquisition, or not to perform context acquisition, or to perform migration relocation, or not to perform migration relocation, or to quickly complete data transmission.

[0016] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide a data transmission method applied to a target access network device, comprising:

[0017] The device receives instruction information sent by the terminal device. The instruction information includes options such as performing context acquisition, not performing context acquisition, performing relocation, not performing relocation, or quickly completing data transmission.

[0018] Fourthly, embodiments of this application provide a data transmission apparatus, which, when applied to a terminal device, includes:

[0019] The communication unit is used to receive configuration information sent by the first access network device. The configuration information is used to configure the terminal device to report indication information to the target access network device.

[0020] The aforementioned communication unit is also used to send indication information to the target access network device according to the configuration information. The indication information includes performing context acquisition, or not performing context acquisition, or performing relocation, or not performing relocation, or quickly completing data transmission.

[0021] When applied to the first access network device, it includes:

[0022] The communication unit is used to send configuration information to the terminal device through the cell of the first access network device. The configuration information is used to configure the terminal device to report indication information to the target access network device. The indication information includes performing context acquisition, or not performing context acquisition, or performing relocation, or not performing relocation, or quickly completing data transmission.

[0023] When applied to target access network devices, it includes:

[0024] The communication unit is used to receive indication information sent by the terminal device. The indication information includes whether to perform context acquisition, or not to perform context acquisition, or to perform relocation, or not to perform relocation, or to quickly complete data transmission.

[0025] Fifthly, embodiments of this application provide a data transmission apparatus, including a processor, a memory, and a user interface, wherein the processor, the memory, and the user interface are interconnected, wherein the memory is used to store a computer program, the computer program includes program instructions, and the processor is configured to invoke the program instructions to execute the data transmission method as described in the first, second, and third aspects.

[0026] In a sixth aspect, embodiments of this application provide a computer-readable storage medium storing one or more instructions adapted for loading and execution by a processor of the data transmission method as described in the first, second, and third aspects.

[0027] In this embodiment, the terminal device can receive configuration information sent by a first access network device. This configuration information is used to configure the terminal device to report indication information to the target access network device. Based on the configuration information, the terminal device sends indication information to the target access network device. This indication information includes options such as performing context acquisition, not performing context acquisition, performing relocation, not performing relocation, or quickly completing data transmission. This method can improve data transmission efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0028] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0029] Figure 1a A schematic diagram of a four-step contention-based random access procedure provided for embodiments of this application;

[0030] Figure 1b A schematic diagram of a two-step contention-based random access procedure provided for an embodiment of this application;

[0031] Figure 2 A network architecture diagram for data transmission provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0032] Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating a data transmission method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0033] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a relocation process provided for an embodiment of this application;

[0034] Figure 5 A schematic diagram illustrating another data transmission method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0035] Figure 6 A schematic diagram illustrating yet another data transmission method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0036] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of a data transmission device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0037] Figure 8 This is a simplified schematic diagram of the physical structure of a data transmission device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0038] Exemplary embodiments will now be described in detail, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description relates to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numbers in different drawings denote the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with this application. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of this application as detailed in the appended claims.

[0039] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes that element. Furthermore, components, features, and elements with the same names in different embodiments of this application may have the same meaning or different meanings, the specific meaning of which must be determined by its interpretation in that specific embodiment or further in conjunction with the context of that specific embodiment.

[0040] It should be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc., may be used herein to describe various information, such information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish information of the same type from one another. For example, without departing from the scope of this document, first information may also be referred to as second information, and similarly, second information may also be referred to as first information. Depending on the context, the word "if," as used herein, can be interpreted as "when," "when," or "in response to determination." Furthermore, as used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to also include the plural forms unless the context indicates otherwise. It should be further understood that the terms "comprising," "including," indicate the presence of the stated feature, step, operation, element, component, item, kind, and / or group, but do not exclude the presence, occurrence, or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, items, kinds, and / or groups. The terms "or" and "and / or" as used herein are to be interpreted as inclusive, or mean any one or any combination thereof. Therefore, "A, B, or C" or "A, B, and / or C" means "any one of the following: A; B; C; A and B; A and C; B and C; A, B, and C". Exceptions to this definition will only occur if the combination of elements, functions, steps, or operations is inherently mutually exclusive in some way.

[0041] It should be understood that although the steps in the flowcharts of this application's embodiments are shown sequentially according to the arrows, these steps are not necessarily executed in the order indicated by the arrows. Unless explicitly stated herein, there is no strict order restriction on the execution of these steps, and they can be executed in other orders. Moreover, at least some of the steps in the figures may include multiple sub-steps or multiple stages. These sub-steps or stages are not necessarily completed at the same time, but can be executed at different times, and their execution order is not necessarily sequential, but can be performed alternately or in turn with other steps or at least a portion of the sub-steps or stages of other steps.

[0042] To better understand the embodiments of this application, the following describes the technical terms and professional knowledge involved in the embodiments of this application:

[0043] Radio Bearer (RB): This refers to a series of protocol entities and configurations allocated by access network equipment to terminal equipment, including PDCP protocol entities, RLC protocol entities, MAC protocol entities, and a series of resources allocated by the PHY. A radio bearer can be an SRB (Signaling Radio Bearer) or a DRB (Data Radio Bearer). Different radio bearers can be used to carry data with different QoS (Quality of Service) requirements.

[0044] A logical channel (LCH) is a channel that transmits different types of information over a physical channel. The MAC layer provides data transmission services on logical channels, and the set of logical channel types is defined for the different types of data transmission services provided by the MAC layer.

[0045] Radio Resource Control (RRC) states: Terminal devices have three states in an RRC connection: Idle (RRC_IDLE), Inactive (RRC_INACTIVE), and Connected (RRC_CONNECTED). The Idle state indicates that the terminal device is not connected to the access network device and only needs to periodically initiate location updates, cell selection / reselection procedures, and receive paging. The Connected state indicates that the terminal device is connected to the access network device, and the access network device will configure the terminal device's RB and physical layer configurations, enabling uplink and downlink data scheduling. The Inactive state indicates that the terminal device moves within a certain RAN-based Notification Area (RNA) without notifying the access network device. The terminal device retains certain configurations (such as Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP), Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), RB configurations, etc.). If the access network device needs to schedule the terminal device or the terminal device needs to send data, it needs to transition to the Connected state to restore the retained configurations for data transmission. If a terminal device needs to initiate data transmission while in a non-Connected state, it also needs to migrate to the Connected state during the access process.

[0046] Small Data Transmission (SDT): Also known as small data transmission, small data transmission can be implemented through a contention-based random access procedure, or through pre-configured uplink resources (PUR) or configured grants (CG) configured by the access network equipment for the terminal equipment.

[0047] The following section will further explain the principles of small packet transmission. Figure 1a This is a contention-based random access procedure. The procedure may include four steps:

[0048] Step 1: The terminal device can select an SSB or CSI-RS from the Synchronization Signal and PBCH block (SSB) or Channel State Information-Reference Signal (CSI-RS) that meet the conditions, and then select a preamble sequence to send the random access preamble, namely Msg1, on the allowed time-frequency resource (PRACH Occasion, RO).

[0049] Step 2: The terminal device receives the Random Access Response (Msg2) sent by the access network device. The terminal device receives RAR data through the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) scrambled with RA-RNTI. The RAR contains a Timing Advance Command (TA) carrying Timing Advance information; it also includes an Uplink Grant (ULgrant) carrying scheduling information for the terminal device to send Msg3; and a Temporary Cell RNTI (TC-RNTI) for terminal devices without a Cell RNTI (C-RNTI) to receive Msg4. Multiple terminal devices may choose the same RO and Preamble to initiate the random access procedure, leading to conflicts. Therefore, steps 3 and 4 are required to resolve these conflicts.

[0050] Step 3: The terminal device uses the authorization received in Msg2 to send Msg3. If the terminal device has a C-RNTI, it sends C-RNTI MAC CE. If there is still space, it can send other information such as Buffer Status Report (BSR). If the terminal device does not have a C-RNTI, that is, the terminal device is in Idle or Inactive state, it will send the RRC Common Control Channel (CCCH), including messages such as RRCSetupRequest or RRCResumeRequest. Some of the information carried in the CCCH is used as the terminal device identity for conflict resolution.

[0051] Step 4: If a terminal device has a C-RNTI, it receives a PDCCH scrambled with the C-RNTI from the access network device. At this point, the scheduled data is specific to the terminal device and can be received. If this information is received, the conflict resolution is considered successful, and the random access procedure is considered successful. If the terminal device does not receive scheduling from the access network device within a certain time, the conflict resolution is considered unsuccessful. For terminal devices without a C-RNTI, the TC-RNTI received in Msg3 can be used to receive the PDCCH. If the received data carries a Contention Resolution Identity (MAC CE), and this is received, the conflict resolution is considered successful.

[0052] In addition to the four-step random access procedure mentioned above, small packet transmission can also be implemented using the following two-step random access procedure. For example... Figure 1b As shown, MsgA contains the original Msg1 and Msg3 information, that is, the Preamble sent on PRACH and the payload sent on PUSCH; MSGB contains Msg2 and Msg4 information. If the access network device only receives the Preamble information sent by the terminal device, it replies with the MAC RAR of the above four-step random access procedure, and the terminal device falls back to the above four-step random access procedure. Since terminal devices in the Inactive and Idle states need to perform a state transition (i.e., transition to the Connected state) if they need to send data, MsgA only contains RRC messages. Therefore, the terminal device can only send data after completing this random access procedure.

[0053] Small packet transmission can be based on Msg3 in the four-step random access procedure or MsgA in the two-step random access procedure. In Msg3 or MsgA, the terminal device can carry data in addition to sending RRC messages. When the terminal device sends Msg3 or MsgA with data, the data may come from different RBs and LCHs. Furthermore, the terminal device must be in the Inactive state at this time; the terminal device can receive an RRC Release message from the access network device to enter the Inactive state. Of course, small packet transmission can also be implemented based on PUR or CG when the terminal device's TA is valid, without needing to send a preamble. Therefore, small packet transmission can be based on the above three methods.

[0054] Access network devices can configure terminal devices to use small packet transmission when the amount of data to be sent by the terminal device is less than a certain threshold. This access network device is called a Last Serving access network device or an Anchor access network device, and it stores the context information of the terminal device, including configuration information such as the terminal device's radio bearer.

[0055] To better understand the embodiments of this application, the network architecture applicable to the embodiments of this application will be described below.

[0056] Please see Figure 2 , Figure 2 This application provides a network architecture diagram for data transmission. The network architecture diagram includes a first access network device, a target access network device, and a terminal device. The first access network device can be a LastServing access network device or an Anchor access network device. The first access network devices are distributed in a first cell, and the target access network devices are distributed in a second cell. The terminal device is located within the range of the second cell where the target access network devices are deployed, and the terminal device can communicate with the target access network devices. The first cell and the second cell may or may not have a boundary. The target access network device can be any one of multiple access network devices. Alternatively, the target access network device can be the first access network device; that is, the network architecture diagram may include only one first access network device, without other access network devices.

[0057] The terminal device involved in the embodiments of this application is an entity on the user side used to receive or transmit signals. The terminal device can be a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to the user, such as a handheld device with wireless connectivity, an in-vehicle device, etc. The terminal device can also be other processing devices connected to a wireless modem. The terminal device can communicate with a Radio Access Network (RAN). The terminal device can also be referred to as a wireless terminal, subscriber unit, subscriber station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, access point, remote terminal, access terminal, user terminal, user agent, user device, or user equipment (UE), etc. The terminal device can be a mobile terminal, such as a mobile phone (or "cellular" phone) and a computer with a mobile terminal, for example, a portable, pocket-sized, handheld, computer-embedded, or in-vehicle mobile device that exchanges voice and / or data with the radio access network. For example, the terminal device can also be a Personal Communication Service (PCS) telephone, a cordless phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a Wireless Local Loop (WLL) station, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), and other devices. Common terminal devices include mobile phones, tablets, laptops, PDAs, Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs), vehicles, roadside devices, aircraft, T-nodes, and wearable devices such as smartwatches, smart bracelets, and pedometers, but the embodiments of this application are not limited to these. The following provides a detailed description of the communication method and related devices provided in this application.

[0058] The access network equipment in this application embodiment may include a base station (BS), also known as a base station device, which is a device deployed in a radio access network (RAN) to provide wireless communication functions. For example, in a 2G network, the equipment providing base station functions includes a base transceiver station (BTS); in a 3G network, the equipment providing base station functions includes a node B; in a 4G network, the equipment providing base station functions includes an evolved node B (eNB); in wireless local area networks (WLANs), the equipment providing base station functions is an access point (AP); in 5G New Radio (NR), the equipment providing base station functions is a gNB, and the further evolved node B (ng-eNB). The gNB and the terminal communicate using NR technology, while the ng-eNB and the terminal communicate using E-UTRA (Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access) technology. Both the gNB and the ng-eNB can connect to the 5G core network. The base station in this application embodiment also includes equipment that provides base station functions in future new communication systems.

[0059] It should be noted that the technical solution of this invention is applicable to 5th Generation (5G) mobile communication systems, as well as 4G and 3G communication systems, and to various future communication systems, such as 6G, 7G, and in-vehicle short-range communication systems. The technical solution of this invention is also applicable to different network architectures, including but not limited to relay network architectures, dual-link architectures, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) architectures, and in-vehicle short-range communication architectures.

[0060] In order to improve the efficiency of data transmission, this application provides a data transmission method and apparatus. The data transmission method and apparatus provided in this application will be further described in detail below.

[0061] Please see Figure 3 , Figure 3 This application provides a schematic flowchart of a data transmission method according to an embodiment. This embodiment can be executed by a terminal device in an inactive state and may include the following steps:

[0062] 310. Receive configuration information sent by the first access network device. The configuration information is used to configure the terminal device to report instruction information to the target access network device.

[0063] The first access network device can be a last servicing access network device or an anchor access network device. For ease of explanation, this application embodiment uses the term last servicing access network device.

[0064] Last Serving access network devices can configure terminal devices through configuration information, specifying the conditions for the terminal device to report indication information to the target access network device. This indication information can specify whether the target access network device needs to obtain the terminal device's context information from the Last Serving access network device, whether it needs to relocate from the Last Serving access network device, or whether it needs to quickly complete data transmission, fast SDT, or context relocation. This is because when the target access network device is different from the Last Serving access network device, it indicates that the terminal device has reselected from a cell controlled by the Last Serving access network device to a cell controlled by the target access network device. Since the Last Serving access network device configured small packet transmission for the terminal device, after the terminal device reselects to the target access network device's cell, the target access network device does not have the terminal device's context information, preventing the terminal device from immediately performing small packet transmission through the target access network device. Therefore, in order for the terminal device to also perform small packet transmission on the target access network device, the target access network device needs to obtain the terminal device's context information from the Last Serving access network device. In addition to obtaining the context of the terminal device, the target access network device also needs to perform a path switching process to switch the protocol data unit session (PDU session) of the terminal device. After that, the data of the terminal device can be transmitted through the target access network device to the core network, which enables small packet transmission.

[0065] It should be noted that the context information acquisition (Retrieve Context or ContextFetch), relocation, fast data transmission completion, fast SDT, and context relocation in the embodiments of this application all refer to the target access network device obtaining the context information of the terminal device from the Last Serving access network device and performing a path switching process. They are only different in name, but their content is the same. After the context information is acquired, the target access network device will still perform the path switching process as usual; therefore, the "context information acquisition" mentioned in the embodiments of this application is the same as other descriptions. For ease of explanation, the embodiments of this application uniformly use "Relocation" to describe the context information acquisition and path switching processes.

[0066] Among them, such as Figure 4 As shown, obtaining the context of the terminal device from the Last Serving access network device may include... Figure 4 Steps 2 and 3 are as follows: After the target access network device receives the indication information sent by the terminal device via uplink small packet transmission, if the indication information indicates that the target access network device needs to acquire the context, it can send a Retrieve UE Context Request to the LastServing access network device. If the LastServing access network device agrees, it can receive the Retrieve UE Context response, thus acquiring the context of the terminal device. Figure 4 Steps 4 and 5 in the diagram represent the path switching process. The target access network device can send a path switch request to the core network. If the core network approves the request, it can switch the PDU session of the terminal device to the target access network device and send a path switch request response to the target access network device.

[0067] 320. Send indication information to the target access network device according to the configuration information. The indication information includes whether to perform context acquisition, or not to perform context acquisition, or to perform relocation, or not to perform relocation, or to quickly complete data transmission.

[0068] First, the terminal device will determine whether to report the instruction information based on the configuration information sent by the Last Serving access network device.

[0069] In one possible implementation, the configuration information includes a first configuration table, which can be a list of Radio Bearer (RB) identifiers or a list of Logical Channel (LCH) identifiers. If the data that the terminal needs to transmit is an RB or an LCH, or if the data that triggers the terminal to transmit a small packet comes from an RB or an LCH, and the RB is in the RB identifier list configured in the configuration information, or the LCH identifier is in the LCH identifier list, then it is determined whether to report or not to report the indication information. Here, the service information RB is a concept from the PDCP layer; when it enters the MAC layer, the RB becomes the concept of an LCH. Therefore, RB and LCH are essentially the same concept, but are described here as service information. This first configuration table can also be described as a service information configuration table, without limitation. The terminal device can send data information while reporting the indication information. When sending the indication information and data information, the terminal device can send them according to the bearer information corresponding to the triggered data. Since the service information is triggered before the terminal device sends the indication information and data information, the terminal device can know the number of service information items. Here, a single service information item indicates that only one service information item, including both instruction and data information, is pending transmission. When this service information item is listed in the first configuration table, the terminal device can determine whether to report the instruction information or not. The specific reporting option can be determined based on the configuration of the Last Serving access network device. It can be configured to report the instruction information when the service information item is listed in the first configuration table, or it can be configured not to report the instruction information when the service information item is listed in the first configuration table.

[0070] In one possible implementation, if the number of service information triggering data transmission by the terminal device is greater than one, and one or more of these service information are located in the first configuration table, then a reporting or non-reporting indication is determined; or, if the latency requirement of any of the service information meets the pre-configured conditions, then a reporting or non-reporting indication is determined, or after transmitting the data corresponding to the service information, the target access network device is instructed (by adding an indication for the LCH in the Buffer Status Report (BSR)) to initiate a relocation process. The specific target service information can also be determined based on the configuration information of the Last Serving access network device.

[0071] In one possible implementation, if the number of business information items is greater than one, and the target number of business information items are located in the first configuration table, then it is determined whether to report or not to report the instruction information.

[0072] In one possible implementation, if the terminal device reselects from a cell controlled by the first access network device (first cell) to a cell controlled by the target access network device (second cell), i.e., a cell reselection has occurred, and the Physical Cell Identity (PCI) of the second cell is either not present or is present in a preset Physical Cell Identity List (PCIList), then an instruction to report is determined. The second cell can be a cell of the target access network device. The preset PCIList can be configured by the Last Serving access network device.

[0073] In one possible implementation, if the target access network device is different from the Last Serving access network device, it indicates that the terminal device has reselected from the Last Serving access network device to the target access network device, and the terminal device will report the indication information. The terminal device can obtain the Inactive Radio Network Temporary Identity (I-RNTI) assigned by the Last Serving access network device, some bits of which contain the identification information of the base station. The terminal device uses this identification information and compares it with the identification information of the target access network device. If they are different, it is determined that the terminal device has reselected the access network device. The target access network device can broadcast its base station identification information so that the terminal device can receive it.

[0074] Once the terminal device determines that it needs to report instruction information, it will further determine the content of the instruction information based on the configuration information and generate the target instruction information based on the determined content.

[0075] In one possible implementation, due to the high latency requirements of LCH service data, if the terminal device determines that relocation is necessary, it can instruct the target access network device to complete the LCH data transmission first, and then initiate relocation; alternatively, the terminal device can also instruct the target access network device to initiate relocation first, and then complete the LCH data transmission. That is, the instruction information can also include priority information. When the priority information indicates that data transmission is prioritized, the target access network device will prioritize processing the data sent by the terminal device.

[0076] In one possible implementation, if the amount of data to be sent by the terminal device is less than a data volume threshold, it can be determined that an indication message will be reported to the target access network device, and the content of the indication message will be determined as "Do not perform relocation". Here, the amount of data to be sent refers to the total amount of data to be sent by the terminal device. This data volume threshold can be included in or configured in the configuration information sent by the last serving access network device.

[0077] In one possible implementation, if the data volume of the target service information is less than a second data volume threshold, an indication message is sent to the target access network device, and the indication message includes the instruction not to perform relocation. The configuration information sent by the last serving access network device includes the second data volume threshold and a service information configuration list. If the data triggering data transmission by the terminal device is a specific RB or LCH, and the data volume of that RB or LCH in the service information configuration list is less than the second data volume threshold, then it can be determined that relocation will not be performed.

[0078] In one possible implementation, if the terminal device's moving speed exceeds a speed threshold, it is determined that an indication message will be reported to the target access network device, and the content of the indication message includes not performing relocation. The speed threshold may be included in or configured in the configuration information sent by the last serving access network device. Alternatively, the terminal device's moving speed can be determined by the change rate of its Reference Signal Receiving Power (RPSP). If the change rate of the terminal device's RPSP exceeds a certain threshold, it is determined that the terminal device's moving speed exceeds the speed threshold. Alternatively, if the number of cell reselections performed by the terminal device within a specified time exceeds a threshold, it can also be determined that the terminal device's moving speed exceeds the speed threshold.

[0079] After determining that it needs to report indication information to the target access network device, the terminal device can send the indication information along with the data information to be sent. This indication information and data information can be sent via RRC messages or MAC packets. If sent via MAC packets, a 1-bit indication can be added to the subheader of the MAC packet. Different values ​​of this bit represent whether relocation should be performed. For example, when the bit is 1, it indicates that the target access network device should not perform relocation; or when the bit is 1, it indicates that the target access network device should perform relocation. If sent via RRC messages, the RRC message can be represented by the Spare bit in the RRCResuemeRequest or RRCResuemeRequest1 messages. If this bit is included, it indicates that the target access network device needs to perform relocation.

[0080] Through the embodiments of this application, after receiving configuration information sent by the Last Serving access network device, the terminal device can determine whether it needs to report indication information to the target access network device based on the configuration information, and if it is determined that indication information needs to be reported, then determine the content of the indication information according to the configuration information. Finally, the terminal device sends the indication information to the target access network device, and simultaneously sends the data information to be sent by the terminal device. In this way, the terminal device does not need to wait for the target access network device to complete the relocation before transmitting data, which can improve the efficiency of data transmission. This data transmission can be small packet transmission.

[0081] Please see Figure 5 , Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of another data transmission method provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 5 The method shown can be applied to a first access network device, namely a Last Serving access network device or an Anchor access network device, and may include the following steps:

[0082] 510. Send configuration information to the terminal device. The configuration information is used to configure the terminal device to report indication information to the target access network device. The indication information includes whether to perform context acquisition, or not to perform context acquisition, or to perform relocation, or not to perform relocation, or to quickly complete data transmission.

[0083] Last Serving access network devices can send configuration information to terminal devices. This configuration information may include one or more of the following: a list of radio bearer identifiers, a list of logical channel identifiers, a data volume threshold, a terminal device mobility speed threshold, and a list of physical cell identifiers. The terminal device can use this configuration information to determine whether to report indication information to the target access network device, and also to determine the content of that indication information.

[0084] Through the embodiments of this application, the Last Serving access network device can send configuration information to the terminal device, which can improve the efficiency of small packet transmission by the terminal device on the target access network device.

[0085] Please see Figure 6 , Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of another data transmission method provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 6 The method shown can be applied to target access network devices and includes the following steps:

[0086] 610. Receiving terminal equipment transmits instruction information and data information via small packet transmission 1.

[0087] The target access network device can perform corresponding steps based on the content of this instruction information, such as not performing relocation.

[0088] 620. Send data information sent by the terminal device to the core network through the first access network device 1.

[0089] The target access network device can first send the data information 1 sent by the terminal device to the Last Serving access network device, which will then forward it to the core network.

[0090] In one possible implementation, the target access network device can send data information 1 (MAC PDU) to the Last Serving access network device via a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Tunneling Protocol (GTP-C) signaling tunnel. The Last Serving access network device identifies the terminal device based on the RRC message and determines the tunnel to be sent to the core network based on the LCH header of the data packet. Alternatively, the terminal device identifier (I-RNTI) and / or service identifier (LCH ID / RB ID) can be added to the relevant signaling to identify the terminal device and the corresponding tunnel for sending data to the core network.

[0091] In one possible implementation, the target access network device can also send the received RRC message and data information 1 to the Last Serving access network device through the common user plane tunnel between access network devices, carrying the terminal device's identifier (I-RNTI) and / or service identifier (LCH ID / RB ID) in the packet header. Alternatively, the Last Serving access network device can determine the terminal device based on the RRC message and determine the tunnel to be sent to the core network based on the LCH header of the data packet.

[0092] 630. Receive data information 2 and send the data information 2 to the core network through the first access network device.

[0093] 640. End SDT transmission.

[0094] The target access network device can send an instruction message to the terminal device to terminate the SDT, thereby ending the terminal device's SDT.

[0095] Through the embodiments of this application, the target access network device can transmit data information sent by the terminal device via small packet transmission to the core network, so that the core network can perform subsequent processing on the data information of the terminal device. This ensures that the data information of the terminal device reaches the core network in a timely manner. This method can improve the efficiency of data transmission.

[0096] Please see Figure 7 , Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of a data transmission device provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 7 The data transmission device shown can be used to perform the above. Figure 3 , Figure 5 and Figure 6 The described method embodiments include some or all of the functions. The device may be a terminal device or an access network device, a device within a terminal device or access network device, or a device compatible with a terminal device or access network device.

[0097] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed methods, apparatuses, and systems can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for example, the division of units is merely a logical functional division, and other division methods may exist in actual implementation; for example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces, and the indirect coupling or communication connection between devices or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0098] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0099] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of the present invention can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can be physically comprised separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit described above can be implemented in hardware or in the form of hardware plus software functional units.

[0100] The integrated units implemented as software functional units described above can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. These software functional units, stored in a storage medium, include several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute some steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of the present invention. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0101] While the present invention has been disclosed above, it is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily conceive of variations or substitutions without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, and various modifications and alterations can be made, including combinations of the different functions and implementation steps described above, as well as software and hardware implementation methods, all of which are within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0102] The logical structure of the device may include a communication unit 710 and a processing unit 720. When the device is applied to a terminal device, it may include:

[0103] The communication unit 710 is used to receive configuration information sent by the first access network device. The configuration information is used to configure the terminal device to report indication information to the target access network device.

[0104] The aforementioned communication unit 710 is also used to send indication information to the target access network device according to the configuration information. The indication information includes performing context acquisition, or not performing context acquisition, or performing relocation, or not performing relocation, or quickly completing data transmission.

[0105] In one possible implementation, the processing unit 720 is configured to, before sending indication information to the target access network device according to the configuration information, determine to report indication information to the target access network device if it is determined that cell reselection has occurred; or, if cell reselection occurs from the first access network device to the target access network device, determine to report indication information to the target access network device, wherein the target access network device is different from the first access network device.

[0106] In one possible implementation, the configuration information includes one or more of the following: a list of radio bearer identifiers, a list of logical channel identifiers, a data volume threshold, a terminal device mobility speed threshold, and a list of physical cell identifiers.

[0107] In one possible implementation, the processing unit 720 is further configured to, before sending the indication information to the target access network device according to the configuration information, determine to report the indication information to the target access network device if the reporting conditions configured in the configuration information are met.

[0108] In one possible implementation, the reporting conditions include: the radio bearer identifier of the data to be transmitted by the terminal device meets the conditions of the radio bearer identifier configured in the configuration information; and / or, the logical channel identifier of the data to be transmitted by the terminal device meets the conditions of the logical channel identifier configured in the configuration information; and / or, the data volume of the data to be transmitted by the terminal device is less than the data volume threshold configured in the configuration information; and / or, the moving speed of the terminal device is greater than the moving speed threshold configured in the configuration information.

[0109] In one possible implementation, the processing unit 720 is further configured to, if the cell of the target access network device is reselected and the physical cell identifier of the cell of the target access network device is not in the preset physical cell identifier list configured in the configuration information, then determine to report indication information to the target access network device.

[0110] In one possible implementation, the first access network device is either the last serving access network device or the anchor access network device.

[0111] When the device is applied to a first access network device, it may include:

[0112] The communication unit 710 is used to send configuration information to the terminal device. The configuration information is used to configure the terminal device to report indication information to the target access network device. The indication information includes performing context acquisition, or not performing context acquisition, or performing relocation, or not performing relocation, or quickly completing data transmission.

[0113] When this device is applied to a target access network device, it may include:

[0114] The communication unit 710 is used to receive indication information sent by the terminal device. The indication information includes whether to perform context acquisition, or not to perform context acquisition, or to perform relocation, or not to perform relocation, or to quickly complete data transmission.

[0115] Please see Figure 8 , Figure 8 This is a simplified schematic diagram of the physical structure of a data transmission device provided in an embodiment of this application. The device includes a processor 810, a memory 820, and a communication interface 830, which are connected through one or more communication buses.

[0116] Processor 810 is configured to support data transfer device execution. Figure 3 , Figure 5 and Figure 6The corresponding functions of the method are described. It should be understood that in this embodiment, the processor 810 can be a central processing unit (CPU), but it can also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0117] The memory 820 is used to store program code, etc. In this embodiment, the memory 820 can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or both. The non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of random access memory (RAM) are available, such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous DRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous DRAM (ESDRAM), synchronous linked DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0118] The communication interface 830 is used to send and receive data, information, or messages, and can also be described as a transceiver, transceiver circuit, etc.

[0119] In this embodiment of the application, when the data transmission device is used with a terminal device, the processor 810 can call the program code stored in the memory 820 to perform the following operations:

[0120] The control communication interface 830 receives configuration information sent by the first access network device. The configuration information is used to configure the terminal device to report indication information to the target access network device.

[0121] The control communication interface 830 sends indication information to the target access network device according to the configuration information. The indication information includes whether to perform context acquisition, or not to perform context acquisition, or to perform relocation, or not to perform relocation, or to quickly complete data transmission.

[0122] In one possible implementation, before the processor 810 calls the program code stored in the memory 820 to send indication information to the target access network device according to the configuration information, if it is determined that a cell reselection has occurred, it determines to report indication information to the target access network device; or, if the cell reselection is from the first access network device to the target access network device, it determines to report indication information to the target access network device, wherein the target access network device is different from the first access network device.

[0123] In one possible implementation, the configuration information includes one or more of the following: a list of radio bearer identifiers, a list of logical channel identifiers, a data volume threshold, a terminal device mobility speed threshold, and a list of physical cell identifiers.

[0124] In one possible implementation, before the processor 810 calls the program code stored in the memory 820 to send the indication information to the target access network device according to the configuration information, if the reporting conditions configured in the configuration information are met, then it determines to report the indication information to the target access network device.

[0125] In one possible implementation, the reporting conditions include: the radio bearer identifier of the data to be transmitted by the terminal device meets the conditions of the radio bearer identifier configured in the configuration information; and / or, the logical channel identifier of the data to be transmitted by the terminal device meets the conditions of the logical channel identifier configured in the configuration information; and / or, the data volume of the data to be transmitted by the terminal device is less than the data volume threshold configured in the configuration information; and / or, the moving speed of the terminal device is greater than the moving speed threshold configured in the configuration information.

[0126] In one possible implementation, if the processor 810 calls the program code stored in the memory 820 to reselect the cell of the target access network device, and the physical cell identifier of the target access network device's cell is not in the preset physical cell identifier list configured in the configuration information, then it determines to report the indication information to the target access network device.

[0127] In one possible implementation, the first access network device is either the last serving access network device or the anchor access network device.

[0128] When the device is applied to a first access network device, it may include:

[0129] The control communication interface 830 sends configuration information to the terminal device. The configuration information is used to configure the terminal device to report indication information to the target access network device. The indication information includes whether to perform context acquisition, or not to perform context acquisition, or to perform relocation, or not to perform relocation, or to quickly complete data transmission.

[0130] When this device is applied to a target access network device, it may include:

[0131] The control communication interface 830 receives indication information sent by the terminal device. The indication information includes whether to perform context acquisition, or not to perform context acquisition, or to perform relocation, or not to perform relocation, or to quickly complete data transmission.

[0132] It should be noted that the descriptions of each embodiment in the above embodiments have different focuses. For parts that are not described in detail in a certain embodiment, please refer to the relevant descriptions in other embodiments.

[0133] The steps in the method of this invention can be adjusted, combined, or deleted according to actual needs.

[0134] The units in the processing device of this invention can be merged, divided, or reduced according to actual needs.

[0135] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved, in whole or in part, through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, it can be implemented, in whole or in part, as a computer program product. A computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the flow or function according to the embodiments of this application is generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, storage disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., solid-state disk (SSD)).

[0136] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit them. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some or all of the technical features therein. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application.

Claims

1. A data transmission method, characterized in that, Applied to terminal devices, including: The terminal device receives configuration information sent by a first access network device, the configuration information being used to configure the terminal device to report indication information to the target access network device; If the reporting conditions configured in the configuration information are met, then it is determined to report indication information to the target access network device; the reporting conditions include: the radio bearer identifier of the data to be transmitted by the terminal device meets the conditions of the radio bearer identifier configured in the configuration information; and / or, the logical channel identifier of the data to be transmitted by the terminal device meets the conditions of the logical channel identifier configured in the configuration information; The instruction information is sent to the target access network device according to the configuration information. The instruction information includes options such as performing context acquisition, not performing context acquisition, performing relocation, not performing relocation, or quickly completing data transmission. Simultaneously with sending the instruction information, data information is also sent to the target access network device.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Before sending indication information to the target access network device according to the configuration information, the method further includes: If a cell reselection is determined to occur, then the indication information will be reported to the target access network device; or, If the target access network device is selected from the first access network device, then the indication information is to be reported to the target access network device, which is different from the first access network device.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The configuration information includes one or more of the following: a list of radio bearer identifiers, a list of logical channel identifiers, a data volume threshold, a terminal device moving speed threshold, and a list of physical cell identifiers.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that, The reporting conditions also include: The amount of data to be sent by the terminal device is less than the data volume threshold configured in the configuration information; and / or, The moving speed of the terminal device is greater than the moving speed threshold configured in the configuration information.

5. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, If a cell reselection is determined to occur, then reporting the indication information to the target access network device includes: If the target access network device cell is reselected, and the physical cell identifier of the target access network device cell is not in the preset physical cell identifier list configured in the configuration information, then the indication information will be reported to the target access network device.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first access network device is either a LastServing access network device or an Anchor access network device.

7. A data transmission method, characterized in that, Applied to a first access network device, the method includes: Configuration information is sent to the terminal device. This configuration information configures the terminal device to report indication information to the target access network device. Specifically, the configuration information configures the reporting conditions that the terminal device must meet to report the indication information to the target access network device. These reporting conditions include: the radio bearer identifier of the data to be transmitted by the terminal device meets the conditions of the radio bearer identifier configured in the configuration information; and / or, the logical channel identifier of the data to be transmitted by the terminal device meets the conditions of the logical channel identifier configured in the configuration information. The indication information includes options such as performing context acquisition, not performing context acquisition, performing relocation, not performing relocation, or quickly completing data transmission. The indication information and data information are simultaneously reported by the terminal device to the target access network device.

8. A data transmission method, characterized in that, Applied to a target access network device, the method includes: The system receives indication information sent by a terminal device, the indication information including options to perform context acquisition, not to perform context acquisition, to perform relocation, not to perform relocation, or to quickly complete data transmission; wherein, while receiving the indication information, the system also receives data information sent by the terminal device; the indication information reported by the terminal device to the target access network device is configured by configuration information from a first access network device; the configuration information is used to configure the reporting conditions that the terminal device needs to meet to report the indication information to the target access network device; the reporting conditions include: the radio bearer identifier of the data to be transmitted by the terminal device meets the conditions of the radio bearer identifier configured by the configuration information, and / or, the logical channel identifier of the data to be transmitted by the terminal device meets the conditions of the logical channel identifier configured by the configuration information.

9. A data transmission device, characterized in that, The system includes a processor, a memory, and a user interface, which are interconnected. The memory stores a computer program, which includes program instructions. The processor is configured to invoke the program instructions to execute the data transmission method as described in any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores one or more instructions, which are adapted to be loaded by a processor and executed as described in any one of claims 1 to 8.

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