Communication indication methods, devices and network-side equipment

Abstract

This application discloses a communication indication method, apparatus, and network-side device, belonging to the field of wireless communication technology. The method includes: a first core network function sending first auxiliary information to an access network device serving the user terminal based on the multicast service status corresponding to the user terminal; wherein the first auxiliary information is used by the access network device to maintain the Radio Resource Control (RRC) status of the user terminal.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of wireless communication technology, specifically relating to a communication indication method, apparatus, and network-side equipment. Background Technology

[0002] In related technologies, when a user has no unicast service data, the base station will release the Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection according to the instructions of the core network, causing the user equipment (UE, i.e., the terminal) to enter the RRC-idle state or the RRC-inactive state. In this case, if high-reliability multicast service data needs to be transmitted, the terminal will be unable to perform the handover operation, thus failing to maintain the continuity of multicast service data and reducing the reliability of multicast services. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This application provides a communication indication method, apparatus, and network-side device that can solve the problem of not being able to guarantee the continuity and reliability of multicast service data when there is no unicast service data.

[0004] In a first aspect, a communication indication method is provided, which is executed by a first core network function. The method includes: sending first auxiliary information to an access network device serving the user terminal according to the multicast service status corresponding to the user terminal; wherein the first auxiliary information is used by the access network device to maintain the Radio Resource Control (RRC) status of the user terminal.

[0005] In a second aspect, a communication indication method is provided, executed by an access network device, the method comprising: determining the Radio Resource Control (RRC) state of the user terminal in the event that there is no data reception or / and transmission for a connection to a user terminal, based on at least one of the following: the user terminal is participating in a multicast service; the user terminal is participating in a multicast service; the user terminal is participating in a multicast service with data reception and / or transmission; the user terminal is participating in a multicast service with no data reception and / or transmission; and first auxiliary information transmitted by a first core network function, the first auxiliary information being used by the access network device to maintain the RRC state of the user terminal.

[0006] Thirdly, a communication indication device is provided, the device comprising: a first transmitting module, configured to transmit first auxiliary information to an access network device serving the user terminal according to the multicast service status corresponding to the user terminal; wherein the first auxiliary information is used by the access network device to maintain the radio resource control (RRC) status of the user terminal.

[0007] Fourthly, a communication indication device is provided, the device comprising: a determining module, configured to determine the Radio Resource Control (RRC) status of a user terminal based on at least one of the following when there is no data reception or / and transmission for a connection to the user terminal: the user terminal is participating in a multicast service; the user terminal is participating in a multicast service; the user terminal is participating in a multicast service with data reception and / or transmission; the user terminal is participating in a multicast service with no data reception and / or transmission; and first auxiliary information transmitted by a first core network function, the first auxiliary information being used by an access network device to maintain the RRC status of the user terminal.

[0008] Fifthly, a network-side device is provided, the network-side device including a processor, a memory, and a program or instructions stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein when the program or instructions are executed by the processor, they implement the steps of the method as described in the first aspect, or implement the steps of the method as described in the second aspect.

[0009] In a sixth aspect, a readable storage medium is provided, on which a program or instructions are stored, which, when executed by a processor, implement the steps of the method described in the first aspect, or implement the steps of the method described in the second aspect.

[0010] In a seventh aspect, a chip is provided, the chip including a processor and a communication interface, the communication interface being coupled to the processor, the processor being configured to run network-side device programs or instructions to implement the method as described in the first aspect, or to implement the method as described in the second aspect.

[0011] Eighthly, a computer program product is provided, the computer program product including a processor, a memory, and a program or instructions stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the program or instructions, when executed by the processor, implement the steps of the method as described in the first aspect, or implement the method as described in the second aspect.

[0012] In this embodiment, the first core network function sends first auxiliary information to the access network device serving the user terminal based on the multicast service status corresponding to the user terminal. The first auxiliary information is used by the access network device to maintain the Radio Resource Control (RRC) status of the user terminal. This solves the problem that the continuity of multicast service data may not be guaranteed when there is no unicast service data, ensuring the reliability of multicast services and improving the quality of wireless communication. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application.

[0014] Figure 2This is a flowchart of a communication instruction method provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application.

[0015] Figure 3 This is a flowchart of a communication instruction method provided in another exemplary embodiment of this application.

[0016] Figure 4 This is an interactive flowchart of a communication instruction method provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application.

[0017] Figure 5 This is a flowchart of a communication instruction method provided in yet another exemplary embodiment of this application.

[0018] Figure 6 This is a flowchart of a communication instruction method provided in yet another exemplary embodiment of this application.

[0019] Figure 7a , 7b This is a block diagram of a communication indication device provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application.

[0020] Figure 8a , 8b This is a block diagram of a communication indication device provided in another exemplary embodiment of this application.

[0021] Figure 9 This is a block diagram of a network-side device provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0022] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, not all embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0023] The terms "first," "second," etc., used in the specification and claims of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and not to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such use of data can be interchanged where appropriate so that embodiments of this application can be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described herein, and the objects distinguished by "first" and "second" are generally of the same class, not limited in number; for example, a first object can be one or more. Furthermore, in the specification and claims, "and / or" indicates at least one of the connected objects, and the character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0024] It is worth noting that the technologies described in this application are not limited to Long Term Evolution (LTE) / LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) systems, but can also be used in other wireless communication systems, such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), Single-carrier Frequency-Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA), and other systems. The terms "system" and "network" in this application are often used interchangeably, and the described technologies can be used with the systems and radio technologies mentioned above, as well as with other systems and radio technologies. However, the following description describes New Radio (NR) systems for illustrative purposes, and the term NR is used in most of the following description, although these technologies can also be applied to applications other than NR systems, such as 6th generation (6G) radio systems. th Generation 6G communication system.

[0025] Figure 1This diagram illustrates a block diagram of a wireless communication system applicable to embodiments of this application. The wireless communication system includes a terminal 11 and a network-side device 12. The terminal 11 can also be referred to as a terminal device or user terminal. The terminal 11 can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, laptop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), handheld computer, netbook, ultra-mobile personal computer (UMPC), mobile internet device (MID), wearable device, vehicle-mounted device (VUE), pedestrian terminal (PUE), etc. Wearable devices include wristbands, headphones, glasses, etc. It should be noted that the specific type of terminal 11 is not limited in this embodiment. Network-side device 12 can be a base station or a core network. The base station can be referred to as a node B, evolved node B, access point, base transceiver station (BTS), radio base station, radio transceiver, basic service set (BSS), extended service set (ESS), B node, evolved B node (eNB), home B node, home evolved B node, WLAN access point, WiFi node, transmitting and receiving point (TRP), or any other suitable term in the field, as long as the same technical effect is achieved. The base station is not limited to specific technical terms. It should be noted that in this application embodiment, only the base station in the NR system is used as an example, but the specific type of base station is not limited.

[0026] The technical solutions provided in this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, through specific embodiments and application scenarios.

[0027] like Figure 2The diagram illustrates a communication indication method 200 provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. The method 200 can be executed by a first core network function, which may include, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), MB-SMF, User Plane Function (UPF), and MB-UPF. The SMF and UPF are used to process unicast services, and the MB-SMF and MB-UPF are used to process multicast services. In this embodiment, the SMF and MB-SMF can be co-located or separate; similarly, the UPF and MB-UPF can also be co-located or separate, without limitation.

[0028] See again Figure 2 The method 200 includes at least the following steps.

[0029] S210, based on the multicast service information corresponding to the user terminal, send first auxiliary information to the access network device serving the user terminal.

[0030] The method for obtaining the multicast service status can be set according to actual needs. For example, the multicast service status can be obtained by the first core network device by monitoring the multicast service status of the user terminal, or it can be sent to the first core network device by other network-side devices, etc. This embodiment does not impose any restrictions here.

[0031] The first auxiliary information is used by the access network device to maintain the RRC status of the user terminal. For example, the first auxiliary information can be used to instruct the access network device to maintain the RRC status of the user terminal; or, for another example, the first auxiliary information can also be used to assist the access network device in determining the RRC status of the user terminal.

[0032] The access network device may be a base station (gNB) or similar device used to serve the user terminal. In this embodiment, the access network device may maintain the RRC status of the user terminal according to the first auxiliary information sent by the first core network device. For example, it may maintain or not maintain the RRC-CONNECTED status, so that the user terminal can perform the handover operation normally even without unicast service, ensuring the continuity and reliability of multicast service and improving the quality of wireless communication.

[0033] It should be noted that the aforementioned multicast service can be provided using a shared channel not specifically for the user terminal. Here, a shared channel not specifically for the user terminal refers to a data transmission channel established between the core network and the base station that can be used for data transmission shared by multiple user terminals.

[0034] In this embodiment, the first core network function sends first auxiliary information to the access network device serving the user terminal based on the multicast service status corresponding to the user terminal. The first auxiliary information is used by the access network device to maintain the Radio Resource Control (RRC) status of the user terminal. This solves the problem that the continuity of multicast service data may not be guaranteed when there is no unicast service data, ensuring the reliability of multicast services and improving the quality of wireless communication.

[0035] like Figure 3 The diagram shown is a schematic of a communication indication method 300 provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. The method is executed by a first core network function, which may be, but is not limited to, at least one of AMF, SMF, MB-SMF, UPF, MB-UPF, etc. The SMF and UPF are used to process unicast services, and the MB-SMF and MB-UPF are used to process multicast services. In this embodiment, the SMF and MB-SMF may be co-located or separate. Correspondingly, the UPF and MB-UPF may also be co-located or separate, and no restrictions are imposed here.

[0036] See again Figure 3 The method 300 includes at least the following steps.

[0037] S310, based on the multicast service information corresponding to the user terminal, send first auxiliary information to the access network device serving the user terminal.

[0038] In addition to referring to the detailed description in S210 above, the implementation process of S310 in this embodiment may include at least one of the following (1)-(6) as a possible implementation method.

[0039] (1) The multicast services that the user terminal participates in, such as the number, type, and name of the multicast services that the user terminal refers to.

[0040] (2) The user terminal participates in the multicast service. If the user terminal participates in the multicast service, a first auxiliary message is sent to the access network device.

[0041] (3) The service requirements of the multicast service in which the user terminal participates. The service requirements information may include one of the following (a)-(e).

[0042] (a) Business continuity.

[0043] (b) Business continuity and message loss prevention.

[0044] (c) Business continuity, message loss is possible.

[0045] (d) Messages must not be lost.

[0046] (e) Messages may be lost.

[0047] (4) Quality of Service (QoS) requirements for the multicast services participated in by the user terminal.

[0048] In this case, as a possible implementation, the multicast service information can be obtained autonomously by the first core network function or sent to the first core network function by the second core network function. For example, before S310, the first core network function can receive service requirement information and / or QoS requirement information sent by the second core network function, and the service requirement information and / or QoS requirement information corresponds to the multicast service.

[0049] The second core network function can be a core network function serving the user terminal, such as MBSF, Unified Data Repository (UDR), or Policy Control Function (PCF), or it can be a core network function serving other terminals, such as at least one of AMF, SMF, MB-SMF, UPF, MB-UPF, etc. This embodiment does not impose any restrictions.

[0050] In another possible implementation, the first auxiliary information may include any one of the following (1)-(10).

[0051] (1) RRC-CONNECTED state.

[0052] (2) RRC-IDLE state.

[0053] (3) RRC-INACTIVE state.

[0054] (4) Maintain the RRC-CONNECTED state, such as setting the RRC-CONNECTED state as: required, mandatory, always, etc.

[0055] (5) Cannot enter the RRC-IDLE state, such as setting the RRC-IDLE state as: No, never, not allowed, etc.

[0056] (6) Cannot enter the RRC-INACTIVE state, such as setting the RRC-INACTIVE state as: no, never, not allowed, etc.

[0057] (7) Do not maintain the RRC-CONNECTED state. For example, the RRC-CONNECTED state can be set as follows: option to maintain the RRC-CONNECTED state, best effort to maintain the RRC-CONNECTED state, allowed to maintain the RRC-CONNECTED state, etc.

[0058] (8) Enter RRC-IDLE state, such as setting RRC-IDLE state: option to enter RRC-IDLE state, best effort to enter RRC-IDLE state, allowed to enter RRC-IDLE state, etc.

[0059] (9) Enter RRC-INACTIVE state, such as setting RRC-INACTIVE state: select (option) to enter RRC-INACTIVE state, try to enter RRC-INACTIVE state, allow to enter RRC-INACTIVE state, etc.

[0060] (10) Select the RRC-CONNECTED state, such as setting the RRC-CONNECTED state as: Select the RRC-CONNECTED state, Best effort RRC-CONNECTED state, Allowed RRC-CONNECTED state, etc.

[0061] In one implementation, the selection of the RRC-CONNECTED state indicates that the first core network function indicates that the access network device determines the RRC-CONNECTED state of the user terminal. For example, the access network device can determine whether to maintain or not maintain the RRC-CONNECTED state based on its own and the actual communication needs and communication status between itself and the user terminal.

[0062] In this embodiment, if the access network device determines that it maintains an RRC-CONNECTED state with the user terminal, then the access network device can stop sending connection release messages to the user terminal, thereby ensuring the RRC-CONNECTED state between the access network device and the user terminal.

[0063] Furthermore, if the access network device determines that it maintains an RRC-CONNECTED state with the user terminal, the access network device can also send an indication message to the first core network function. The indication message is used to instruct the user terminal to remain in the RRC-CONNECTED state or leave the RRC-CONNECTED state. This ensures the synchronization of information between the access network device and the first core network function and improves the quality of wireless communication.

[0064] S320, based on the unicast service information corresponding to the user terminal, send the second auxiliary information to the access network device.

[0065] The unicast service is provided using a connection for the user terminal, which consists of a connection from the core network to the base station and a connection from the base station to the terminal, and is exclusively used by the user terminal for data transmission. In one implementation, the unicast service includes at least one of the following (1) and (2).

[0066] (1) The business requirements of the unicast service.

[0067] (2) QoS requirements of the unicast service.

[0068] Similar to the multicast service scenario mentioned above, the unicast service scenario can be obtained by the first core network function itself, or it can be sent to the first core network function by other core network functions.

[0069] In this embodiment, the first core network function can send first auxiliary information to the access device according to the multicast service situation, and at the same time, send second auxiliary information to the access network device according to the unicast service situation. In this way, the reliability of both multicast and unicast services can be ensured, thereby improving the quality of wireless communication.

[0070] Based on the description of the aforementioned communication indication method, such as Figure 4As shown, assuming the first core network functions include AMF, SMF, MB-SMF, UPF, MB-UPF, MBSF, UDR, and PCF, with SMF and MB-SMF co-located and UPF and MB-UPF co-located, and the access network equipment includes gNB, then the implementation process of the communication indication method can be as follows.

[0071] (1) The user terminal AMF requests to establish a PDU session (including PDU session identifier (Session ID)) and an MBS session (including MBS session ID), wherein the PDU session is used to transmit unicast service data and the MBS session is used to transmit multicast service data.

[0072] (2) AMF forwards PDU Session ID and MBS Session ID to SMF / MB-SMF.

[0073] If the SMF and MB-SMF are separate, the AMF will send the PDU Session ID to the SMF and the MBSSession ID to the MB-SMF, or the MBS Session ID will also be sent to the SMF and then forwarded to the MB-SMF by the SMF.

[0074] (3) MB-SMF receives MBS Session ID and sends MBS Session ID to MBSF, UDR or PCF.

[0075] (4) MBSF, UDR, or PCF sends multicast service requirement information to MB-SMF, etc.

[0076] (5) MB-SMF forwards multicast service requirement information to AMF, etc.

[0077] (6) Based on the multicast service requirements and other multicast service information, the AMF sends the first auxiliary information to the gNB.

[0078] (7) When the gNB receives the first auxiliary information, even if it senses that there is no unicast service data to be forwarded, it keeps the UE in the RRC-CONNECTED state.

[0079] (8) When the gNB determines that the UE is kept in the RRC-CONNECTED state, it sends an indication message to the AMF and stops sending connection release messages to the user terminal.

[0080] The indication information is used to instruct the user terminal to remain in the RRC-CONNECTED state or leave the RRC-CONNECTED state.

[0081] It should be noted that the communication instruction process given in this embodiment may include, but is not limited to, all or part of (1)-(8) above. In addition, for a detailed description of (1)-(8), please refer to the detailed description in the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0082] like Figure 5 The diagram shown illustrates a communication indication method 500 provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. The method is executed by an access network device, specifically by hardware and / or software installed in the access network device. The access network device may be, but is not limited to, a base station, such as a gNB. The method 500 includes at least the following steps.

[0083] S510, in the event that there is no data reception or / and transmission for the connection of the user terminal, the RRC status of the user terminal is determined according to predetermined information.

[0084] The predetermined information includes at least one of the following (1)-(5).

[0085] (1) The user terminal participated in the multicast service.

[0086] (2) The multicast service in which the user terminal participates.

[0087] (3) The multicast services participated in by the user terminal include data reception and / or transmission.

[0088] (4) The multicast service participated in by the user terminal has no data reception and / or transmission.

[0089] (5) First auxiliary information sent by the first core network function, wherein the first auxiliary information is used by the access network device to maintain the RRC status of the user terminal.

[0090] The implementation process of S510 can be referred to the relevant description in the aforementioned method embodiment. However, unlike the aforementioned method embodiment, in this embodiment, in addition to maintaining the RRC status of the user terminal according to the first auxiliary information sent by the first core network function, the access network device can also determine it according to at least one of (1)-(4) above. The information in (1)-(4) above can be obtained autonomously by the access network device or sent by other network side devices. This embodiment does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0091] In this embodiment, when there is no data reception or / and transmission for the user terminal connection, the access network device can determine the RRC status of the user terminal based on the received first auxiliary information or autonomously. This solves the problem that the continuity of multicast service data may not be guaranteed when there is no unicast service data, ensuring the reliability of multicast services and improving the quality of wireless communication.

[0092] like Figure 6 The diagram shown illustrates a communication indication method 600 provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. The method is executed by an access network device, specifically by hardware and / or software installed in the access network device. The access network device may be, but is not limited to, a base station, such as a gNB. The method 600 includes at least the following steps.

[0093] S610, in the event that there is no data reception or / and transmission for the connection of the user terminal, the RRC status of the user terminal is determined according to predetermined information.

[0094] The predetermined information includes at least one of the following (1)-(5).

[0095] (1) The user terminal participated in the multicast service.

[0096] (2) The multicast service in which the user terminal participates.

[0097] (3) The multicast services participated in by the user terminal include data reception and / or transmission;

[0098] (4) The multicast service participated in by the user terminal has no data reception and / or transmission;

[0099] (5) First auxiliary information sent by the first core network function, wherein the first auxiliary information is used by the access network device to maintain the RRC status of the user terminal.

[0100] In addition to referring to the relevant descriptions in the foregoing method embodiments, the implementation process in S610 can also be implemented in this embodiment in a possible way, whereby the multicast service can be provided using a shared channel method that is not specific to the user terminal.

[0101] In one possible implementation, the first auxiliary information includes any one of the following (1)-(10).

[0102] (1) RRC-CONNECTED state.

[0103] (2) RRC-IDLE state.

[0104] (3) RRC-INACTIVE state.

[0105] (4) Maintain the RRC-CONNECTED state.

[0106] (5) Cannot enter RRC-IDLE state.

[0107] (6) Cannot enter RRC-INACTIVE state.

[0108] (7) Do not maintain RRC-CONNECTED state.

[0109] (8) Enter RRC-IDLE state.

[0110] (9) Enter RRC-INACTIVE state.

[0111] (10) Select the RRC-CONNECTED state.

[0112] In another possible implementation, the first auxiliary information is used by the access network device to maintain the Radio Resource Control (RRC) status of the user terminal, including any one of the following (1)-(2).

[0113] (1) The first auxiliary information is used to instruct the access network device to maintain the RRC status of the user terminal.

[0114] (2) The first auxiliary information is used to assist the access network device in determining the RRC status of the user terminal.

[0115] In the aforementioned (2), the access network device determines the RRC status of the user terminal, which may include any one of the following (1)-(4).

[0116] (1) Determine that the user terminal is in the RRC-CONNECTED state.

[0117] (2) Determine that the user terminal does not maintain the RRC-CONNECTED state.

[0118] (3) Determine that the user terminal has entered the RRC-IDLE state.

[0119] (4) Determine that the user terminal has entered the RRC-INACTIVE state.

[0120] It should be noted that if it is determined that the user terminal is in the RRC-CONNECTED state, the sending of connection release messages to the user terminal will be stopped.

[0121] S620, if it is determined that the user terminal is in the RRC-CONNECTED state, an indication message is sent to the first core network function, the indication message being used to instruct the user terminal to remain in the RRC-CONNECTED state or leave the RRC-CONNECTED state.

[0122] It should be noted that the aforementioned implementation processes can be referred to the relevant descriptions in the aforementioned method embodiments, and will not be repeated here to avoid duplication.

[0123] It should be noted that the communication indication method provided in this application embodiment can be executed by a communication indication device, or by a control module in the communication indication device for executing the communication indication method. This application embodiment uses the execution of the communication indication method by a communication indication device as an example to illustrate the communication indication device provided in this application embodiment.

[0124] like Figure 7a As shown, an exemplary embodiment of this application also provides a communication indication device 700, which includes: a first sending module 710, configured to send first auxiliary information to an access network device serving the user terminal according to the multicast service situation corresponding to the user terminal; wherein, the first auxiliary information is used by the access network device to maintain the radio resource control (RRC) status of the user terminal.

[0125] As one possible implementation in this embodiment, the multicast service situation includes at least one of the following: the multicast service in which the user terminal participates; the user terminal participating in the multicast service; the service requirements of the multicast service in which the user terminal participates; and the QoS requirements of the multicast service in which the user terminal participates.

[0126] As one possible implementation in this embodiment, the multicast service is provided using a shared channel method not specific to the user terminal.

[0127] As one possible implementation in this embodiment, the first auxiliary information is used by the access network device to maintain the Radio Resource Control (RRC) status of the user terminal, including any one of the following: the first auxiliary information is used to instruct the access network device to maintain the RRC status of the user terminal; the first auxiliary information is used to assist the access network device in determining the RRC status of the user terminal.

[0128] As one possible implementation in this embodiment, see [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 7b The device 700 may further include: a receiving module 720, configured to receive service requirement information and / or QoS requirement information sent by the second core network function, wherein the service requirement information and / or QoS requirement information corresponds to the multicast service.

[0129] As one possible implementation in this embodiment, the business requirement information includes one of the following: business continuity; business continuity and message not to be lost; business continuity and message to be lost; message not to be lost; message to be lost.

[0130] As one possible implementation in this embodiment, the first auxiliary information includes any one of the following: RRC-CONNECTED state; RRC-IDLE state; RRC-INACTIVE state; maintaining RRC-CONNECTED state; unable to enter RRC-IDLE state; unable to enter RRC-INACTIVE state; not maintaining RRC-CONNECTED state; entering RRC-IDLE state; entering RRC-INACTIVE state; selecting RRC-CONNECTED state.

[0131] As one possible implementation in this embodiment, the selection of the RRC-CONNECTED state includes: a first core network function requiring the access network device to determine whether the user terminal maintains or does not maintain the RRC-CONNECTED state.

[0132] As a possible implementation in this embodiment, the first sending module 710 is further configured to send second auxiliary information to the access network device according to the unicast service situation corresponding to the user terminal; wherein the unicast service is provided using a connection for the user terminal.

[0133] As one possible implementation in this embodiment, the unicast service situation includes at least one of the following: the service requirements of the unicast service; the QoS requirements of the unicast service.

[0134] In this embodiment, the first core network function sends first auxiliary information to the access network device serving the user terminal based on the multicast service status corresponding to the user terminal. The first auxiliary information is used by the access network device to maintain the Radio Resource Control (RRC) status of the user terminal. This solves the problem that the continuity of multicast service data may not be guaranteed when there is no unicast service data, ensuring the reliability and continuity of multicast services and improving the quality of wireless communication.

[0135] like Figure 8a The diagram shown is a block diagram of a communication indication device 800 provided in another exemplary embodiment of this application. The device 800 includes: a determination module 810, configured to determine the Radio Resource Control (RRC) state of the user terminal based on at least one of the following when there is no data reception or / or transmission for the connection of the user terminal: the user terminal is participating in a multicast service; the user terminal is participating in a multicast service; the user terminal is participating in a multicast service with data reception and / or transmission; the user terminal is participating in a multicast service without data reception and / or transmission; and first auxiliary information transmitted by a first core network function, the first auxiliary information being used by the access network device to maintain the RRC state of the user terminal.

[0136] As one possible implementation in this embodiment, the multicast service is provided using a shared channel method not specific to the user terminal.

[0137] As one possible implementation in this embodiment, the first auxiliary information is used by the access network device to maintain the Radio Resource Control (RRC) status of the user terminal, including any one of the following: the first auxiliary information is used to instruct the access network device to maintain the RRC status of the user terminal; the first auxiliary information is used to assist the access network device in determining the RRC status of the user terminal.

[0138] As a possible implementation in this embodiment, determining the RRC state of the user terminal includes any one of the following: determining that the user terminal is in the RRC-CONNECTED state; determining that the user terminal is not in the RRC-CONNECTED state; determining that the user terminal enters the RRC-IDLE state; determining that the user terminal enters the RRC-INACTIVE state.

[0139] As one possible implementation in this embodiment, see [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 8b The device 800 may further include: a second transmitting module 820, configured to send indication information to a first core network function when it is determined that the user terminal is in the RRC-CONNECTED state, the indication information being used to instruct the user terminal to remain in the RRC-CONNECTED state or leave the RRC-CONNECTED state.

[0140] As one possible implementation in this embodiment, see [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 8b The device 800 may further include a third sending module 830, configured to stop sending connection release messages to the user terminal when it is determined that the user terminal is in an RRC-CONNECTED state.

[0141] As one possible implementation in this embodiment, the first auxiliary information includes any one of the following: RRC-CONNECTED state; RRC-IDLE state, RRC-INACTIVE state; maintaining RRC-CONNECTED state; unable to enter RRC-IDLE state; unable to enter RRC-INACTIVE state; not maintaining RRC-CONNECTED state; entering RRC-IDLE state; entering RRC-INACTIVE state; selecting RRC-CONNECTED state.

[0142] The communication indication device 700 or 800 in the embodiments of this application can be a device, or it can be a component, integrated circuit, or chip in the network-side equipment. The embodiments of this application do not make specific limitations.

[0143] The communication indication device provided in this application embodiment can achieve... Figures 2 to 6 The various processes implemented in the method embodiments achieve the same technical effect, and will not be described again here to avoid repetition.

[0144] An exemplary embodiment of this application also provides a network-side device. For example... Figure 9 As shown, the network device 900 includes an antenna 901, a radio frequency (RF) device 902, and a baseband device 903. The antenna 901 is connected to the RF device 902. In the uplink direction, the RF device 902 receives information through the antenna 901 and transmits the received information to the baseband device 903 for processing. In the downlink direction, the baseband device 903 processes the information to be transmitted and sends it to the RF device 902. The RF device 902 processes the received information and transmits it through the antenna 901.

[0145] The aforementioned frequency band processing device can be located in the baseband device 903. The method executed by the network-side device in the above embodiments can be implemented in the baseband device 903, which includes a processor 904 and a memory 905.

[0146] The baseband device 903 may, for example, include at least one baseband board on which multiple chips are disposed, such as... Figure 9 As shown, one of the chips, for example, is a processor 904, which is connected to a memory 905 to call the program in the memory 905 and execute the network device operations shown in the above method embodiment.

[0147] The baseband device 903 may also include a network interface 906 for exchanging information with the radio frequency device 902, such as a common public radio interface (CPRI).

[0148] Specifically, the network-side device 900 in this application embodiment may further include: instructions or programs stored in memory 905 and executable on processor 904, wherein processor 904 calls the instructions or programs in memory 905 to execute. Figure 7a , Figure 7b , Figure 8a or Figure 8b The methods executed by each module shown achieve the same technical effect, and to avoid repetition, they will not be described in detail here.

[0149] This application also provides a readable storage medium storing a program or instructions. When the program or instructions are executed by a processor, they implement the various processes of the above-described communication instruction method embodiments and achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, they will not be described again here.

[0150] The processor mentioned above is the processor in the terminal described in the above embodiments. The readable storage medium includes computer-readable storage media, such as computer read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disk, or optical disk.

[0151] This application embodiment also provides a chip, which includes a processor and a communication interface. The communication interface is coupled to the processor. The processor is used to run network-side device programs or instructions to implement the various processes of the above-described communication instruction method embodiments and can achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, it will not be described again here.

[0152] It should be understood that the chip mentioned in the embodiments of this application may also be referred to as a system-on-a-chip, system chip, chip system, or system-on-a-chip, etc.

[0153] This application also provides a computer program product, which includes a processor, a memory, and a program or instructions stored in the memory and executable on the processor. When the program or instructions are executed by the processor, they implement the various processes of the above-described communication instruction method embodiments and achieve the same technical effects. To avoid repetition, they will not be described again here.

[0154] 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, it should be noted that the scope of the methods and apparatuses in the embodiments of this application is not limited to performing functions in the order shown or discussed, but may also include performing functions substantially simultaneously or in the reverse order, depending on the functions involved. For example, the described methods may be performed in a different order than described, and various steps may be added, omitted, or combined. Additionally, features described with reference to certain examples may be combined in other examples.

[0155] Through the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the methods of the above embodiments can be implemented by means of software plus necessary general-purpose hardware platforms. Of course, they can also be implemented by hardware, but in many cases the former is a better implementation method. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium (such as ROM / RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk) and includes several instructions to cause a terminal (which may be a mobile phone, computer, server, air conditioner, or network device, etc.) to execute the methods described in the various embodiments of this application.

[0156] The embodiments of this application have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this application is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. The specific embodiments described above are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art can make many other forms under the guidance of this application without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims, and all of these forms are within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A communication indication method, characterized in that, Performed by the first core network function, the method includes: Based on the multicast service status corresponding to the user terminal, first auxiliary information is sent to the access network device serving the user terminal; wherein, the first auxiliary information is used by the access network device to maintain the Radio Resource Control (RRC) status of the user terminal; The multicast service includes at least one of the following: The user terminal participates in the multicast service; The user terminal participated in multicast services; The service requirements of the multicast service participated in by the user terminal; The Quality of Service (QoS) requirements for multicast services participated in by the user terminal.

2. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The multicast service is provided using a shared channel method that is not specific to the user terminal.

3. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The first auxiliary information is used by the access network equipment to maintain the Radio Resource Control (RRC) status of the user terminal, and includes any one of the following: The first auxiliary information is used to instruct the access network device to maintain the RRC status of the user terminal; The first auxiliary information is used to assist the access network device in determining the RRC status of the user terminal.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, Before sending the first auxiliary information to the access network device serving the user terminal according to the multicast service information corresponding to the user terminal, the method further includes: Receive service requirement information and / or QoS requirement information sent by the second core network function, wherein the service requirement information and / or QoS requirement information corresponds to the multicast service.

5. The method as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The business requirement information includes one of the following: Business continuity; Business continuity and message integrity are paramount. Business continuity; message loss is possible. Messages must not be lost; Messages may be lost.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The first auxiliary information includes any one of the following: RRC - Connected status; RRC - Idle state; RRC - Inactive state; Maintain RRC-CONNECTED status; Unable to enter RRC-IDLE state; Unable to enter RRC-INACTIVE state; Do not maintain RRC-CONNECTED state; Enter RRC-IDLE state; Entering RRC-INACTIVE state; Select the RRC-CONNECTED status.

7. The method as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The selection of the RRC-CONNECTED state includes: The first core network function requires the access network device to determine whether the user terminal maintains or does not maintain the RRC-CONNECTED state.

8. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, After sending the first auxiliary information to the access network device serving the user terminal, the method further includes: Based on the unicast service information corresponding to the user terminal, send the second auxiliary information to the access network device; The unicast service is provided using a connection for the user terminal.

9. The method as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The unicast service includes at least one of the following: The business requirements of the unicast service; The QoS requirements of the unicast service.

10. A communication indication method, characterized in that, Performed by an access network device, the method includes: In the event that there is no data reception or / and transmission for the connection of the user terminal, the Radio Resource Control (RRC) status of the user terminal is determined according to the first auxiliary information sent by the first core network function. The first auxiliary information is used by the access network device to maintain the RRC status of the user terminal; The first auxiliary information is sent by the first core network function based on the multicast service information corresponding to the user terminal, wherein the multicast service information includes at least one of the following: The user terminal participates in the multicast service; The user terminal participated in multicast services; The service requirements of the multicast service participated in by the user terminal; The Quality of Service (QoS) requirements for multicast services participated in by the user terminal.

11. The method as described in claim 10, characterized in that, The multicast service is provided using a shared channel method that is not specific to the user terminal.

12. The method as described in claim 10, characterized in that, The first auxiliary information is used by the access network device to maintain the Radio Resource Control (RRC) status of the user terminal, and includes any one of the following: The first auxiliary information is used to instruct the access network device to maintain the RRC status of the user terminal; The first auxiliary information is used to assist the access network device in determining the RRC status of the user terminal.

13. The method as described in claim 12, characterized in that, Determining the RRC status of the user terminal includes any one of the following: It is determined that the user terminal maintains the RRC-connected CONNECTED state; It is determined that the user terminal does not maintain the RRC-CONNECTED state; It is determined that the user terminal has entered the RRC-idle state; It is determined that the user terminal has entered the RRC-inactive state.

14. The method as described in claim 13, characterized in that, The method further includes: If it is determined that the user terminal is in the RRC-CONNECTED state, an indication message is sent to the first core network function, the indication message being used to instruct the user terminal to remain in the RRC-CONNECTED state or leave the RRC-CONNECTED state.

15. The method as described in claim 13, characterized in that, The method further includes: If it is determined that the user terminal is in the RRC-CONNECTED state, stop sending connection release messages to the user terminal.

16. The method according to any one of claims 11-15, characterized in that, The first auxiliary information includes any one of the following: RRC-CONNECTED status; RRC-IDLE status; RRC-INACTIVE status; Maintain RRC-CONNECTED status; Unable to enter RRC-IDLE state; Unable to enter RRC-INACTIVE state; Do not maintain RRC-CONNECTED state; Enter RRC-IDLE state; Entering RRC-INACTIVE state; Select the RRC-CONNECTED status.

17. A communication indication device, characterized in that, The device includes: The first sending module is configured to send first auxiliary information to the access network device serving the user terminal according to the multicast service situation corresponding to the user terminal; wherein, the first auxiliary information is used by the access network device to maintain the Radio Resource Control (RRC) status of the user terminal; The multicast service includes at least one of the following: The user terminal participates in the multicast service; The user terminal participated in multicast services; The service requirements of the multicast service participated in by the user terminal; The Quality of Service (QoS) requirements for multicast services participated in by the user terminal.

18. The apparatus as claimed in claim 17, characterized in that, The multicast service is provided using a shared channel method that is not specific to the user terminal.

19. The apparatus as claimed in claim 17, characterized in that, The first auxiliary information is used by the access network equipment to maintain the Radio Resource Control (RRC) status of the user terminal, and includes any one of the following: The first auxiliary information is used to instruct the access network device to maintain the RRC status of the user terminal; The first auxiliary information is used to assist the access network device in determining the RRC status of the user terminal.

20. The apparatus according to any one of claims 17-19, characterized in that, The device further includes: The receiving module is used to receive service requirement information and / or QoS requirement information sent by the second core network function, wherein the service requirement information and / or QoS requirement information corresponds to the multicast service.

21. The apparatus as claimed in claim 20, characterized in that, The business requirement information includes one of the following: Business continuity; Business continuity and message integrity are paramount. Business continuity, message loss Messages must not be lost; Messages may be lost.

22. The apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 17-19, characterized in that, The first auxiliary information includes any one of the following: RRC - Connected status; RRC - Idle state; RRC - Inactive state; Maintain RRC-CONNECTED status; Unable to enter RRC-IDLE state; Unable to enter RRC-INACTIVE state; Do not maintain RRC-CONNECTED state; Enter RRC-IDLE state; Entering RRC-INACTIVE state; Select the RRC-CONNECTED status.

23. The apparatus as claimed in claim 22, characterized in that, The selection of the RRC-CONNECTED state includes: The first core network function requires the access network equipment to determine whether the user terminal maintains or does not maintain the RRC-CONNECTED state.

24. The apparatus as claimed in claim 17, characterized in that, The first sending module is further configured to send second auxiliary information to the access network device according to the unicast service situation corresponding to the user terminal; The unicast service is provided using a connection for the user terminal.

25. The apparatus as claimed in claim 24, characterized in that, The unicast service includes at least one of the following: The business requirements of the unicast service; The QoS requirements of the unicast service.

26. A communication indication device, characterized in that, The device includes: The determination module is used to determine the Radio Resource Control (RRC) status of the user terminal based on first auxiliary information sent by the first core network function when there is no data reception or / and transmission for the connection to the user terminal. The first auxiliary information is used by the access network equipment to maintain the RRC status of the user terminal; The first auxiliary information is sent by the first core network function based on the multicast service information corresponding to the user terminal, wherein the multicast service information includes at least one of the following: The user terminal participates in the multicast service; The user terminal participated in multicast services; The service requirements of the multicast service participated in by the user terminal; The Quality of Service (QoS) requirements for multicast services participated in by the user terminal.

27. The apparatus as claimed in claim 26, characterized in that, The multicast service is provided using a shared channel method that is not specific to the user terminal.

28. The apparatus as claimed in claim 26, characterized in that, The first auxiliary information is used by the access network device to maintain the Radio Resource Control (RRC) status of the user terminal, and includes any one of the following: The first auxiliary information is used to instruct the access network device to maintain the RRC status of the user terminal; The first auxiliary information is used to assist the access network device in determining the RRC status of the user terminal.

29. The apparatus as claimed in claim 28, characterized in that, Determining the RRC status of the user terminal includes any one of the following: It is determined that the user terminal maintains the RRC-connected CONNECTED state; It is determined that the user terminal does not maintain the RRC-CONNECTED state; It is determined that the user terminal has entered the RRC-idle state; It is determined that the user terminal has entered the RRC-inactive state.

30. The apparatus as claimed in claim 29, characterized in that, The device further includes: The second sending module is used to send indication information to the first core network function when it is determined that the user terminal is in the RRC-CONNECTED state. The indication information is used to instruct the user terminal to remain in the RRC-CONNECTED state or leave the RRC-CONNECTED state.

31. The apparatus as claimed in claim 29, characterized in that, The device further includes: The third sending module is used to stop sending connection release messages to the user terminal if it is determined that the user terminal is in the RRC-CONNECTED state.

32. The apparatus according to any one of claims 26-31, characterized in that, The first auxiliary information includes any one of the following: RRC-CONNECTED status; RRC-IDLE status; RRC-INACTIVE status; Maintain RRC-CONNECTED status; Unable to enter RRC-IDLE state; Unable to enter RRC-INACTIVE state; Do not maintain RRC-CONNECTED state; Enter RRC-IDLE state; Entering RRC-INACTIVE state; Select the RRC-CONNECTED status.

33. A network-side device, characterized in that, It includes a processor, a memory, and a program or instructions stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the program or instructions, when executed by the processor, implement the steps of the communication indication method as described in any one of claims 1 to 9, or implement the steps of the communication indication method as described in any one of claims 10 to 16.

34. A readable storage medium, characterized in that, The readable storage medium stores a program or instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the communication indication method as described in any one of claims 1-9, or implement the steps of the communication indication method as described in any one of claims 10-16.

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