A candidate cell determination method, apparatus, device, medium, and chip

Abstract

The application discloses a candidate cell determination method, device, equipment, medium and chip, wherein the method comprises the following steps: acquiring a candidate cell list, wherein the candidate cell list contains cell identification information of one or more candidate cells; and reporting the candidate cell list to a first network element, wherein the candidate cell list is used for determining a target candidate cell, the target candidate cell is a cell to be subjected to conditional switching by a second network element, and the first network element and the second network element are network elements in a mobile communication network. Through the method, the number of selected cells during conditional switching can be reduced, and the signaling overhead of an Xn interface can be reduced.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of communication, and in particular to a candidate cell determination method, device, equipment, medium and chip. BACKGROUND

[0002] In a 5G New Radio (NR) system, a terminal device (User Equipment, UE) can perform cell switching between an indoor small base station and an outdoor Macro Base Station. That is, the terminal device can switch from an indoor small base station to an outdoor Macro Base Station, or switch from an outdoor Macro Base Station to an indoor small base station.

[0003] Currently, base station switching can be implemented by a Conditional Handover (CHO) method. In the current CHO, a source base station determines candidate cells of CHO according to measurement results reported by a UE, and the source base station sends a CHO request to all candidate cells to request all candidate cells to configure wireless side configurations of the candidate cells and execution conditions of CHO. The measurement results of the UE are performed according to a measurement event configured by a base station. The measurement event generally refers to an A3 event, which refers to an offset of a neighbor cell exceeding a cell (i.e., a cell of the source base station) to which the terminal device is connected, wherein the neighbor cell and the cell to which the terminal device is connected can belong to different base stations.

[0004] How to determine candidate cells for a terminal device when performing conditional switching has become a hot research issue. SUMMARY

[0005] The present application discloses a candidate cell determination method, device, equipment, medium and chip, which can reduce the number of selected cells during conditional switching and reduce the signaling overhead of the Xn interface.

[0006] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a candidate cell determination method, which comprises:

[0007] obtaining a candidate cell list containing information of one or more candidate cells;

[0008] reporting the candidate cell list to a first network element, the candidate cell list being used to determine a target candidate cell, the target candidate cell being a cell of a second network element to be subjected to conditional switching, and the first network element and the second network element being network elements in a mobile communication network.

[0009] In an embodiment, the candidate cell list includes one or more of the following information:

[0010] cell identification information corresponding to each candidate cell in the candidate cell list;

[0011] an operation mode of each candidate cell in the candidate cell list;

[0012] a public land mobile network identifier (PLMN ID) to which each candidate cell in the candidate cell list respectively belongs;

[0013] a tracking area code (TAC) of each candidate cell in the candidate cell list.

[0014] In an embodiment, the candidate cell list is determined according to one or more of the following manners:

[0015] determined according to historical handover records, the historical handover records comprising historical cell handover information, the historical cell handover information being cell information of a cell accessed by the second network element after the second network element has performed cell handover; or

[0016] determined according to core network assisted radio access network (RAN) parameter tuning, the core network assisted RAN parameter tuning being issued by a core network to the second network element; or

[0017] determined according to automatic neighbor relation, the automatic neighbor relation being used by the first network element to determine a neighbor relation.

[0018] In an embodiment, a measurement event is triggered, and the candidate cell list is reported to the first network element.

[0019] In an embodiment, the measurement event comprises one or more of the following events:

[0020] an A2 event, the A2 event being used to indicate that a signal quality of a serving cell is lower than a first threshold value;

[0021] an A3 event, the A3 event being used to indicate that a signal quality offset of a neighbor cell is higher than a signal quality of the serving cell;

[0022] an A4 event, the A4 event being used to indicate that a signal quality of the neighbor cell is higher than a second threshold value;

[0023] an A5 event, the A5 event being used to indicate that a signal quality of the neighbor cell is lower than a third threshold value and higher than a fourth threshold value.

[0024] In an embodiment, the candidate cell list is reported to the first network element through a measurement report or user assistance information (UEAssistanceInformation).

[0025] In an embodiment, a detected entering into a marked area is triggered, and the candidate cell list is reported to the first network element, the marked area being used to mark that the second network element actively sends the candidate cell list to the first network element when the second network element enters into the marked area in a connected mode.

[0026] In an embodiment, the marking area is identified by one or more of the following:

[0027] a global cell identity code (CGI) identification;

[0028] a physical layer cell identity (PCI);

[0029] latitude and longitude coordinate information.

[0030] In a second aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a candidate cell determination method, which comprises:

[0031] obtaining a candidate cell list, the candidate cell list containing information of one or more candidate cells;

[0032] determining a target candidate cell according to the candidate cell list, the target candidate cell being a cell to be conditionally switched by a first network element, the first network element and the second network element being network elements in a mobile communication network.

[0033] In a third aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a candidate cell determination apparatus, which comprises:

[0034] an obtaining unit configured to obtain a candidate cell list, the candidate cell list containing cell identity information of one or more candidate cells;

[0035] a transceiving unit configured to report the candidate cell list to a first network element, the candidate cell list being used to determine a target candidate cell, the target candidate cell being a cell to be conditionally switched by a second network element, the first network element and the second network element being network elements in a mobile communication network.

[0036] In a fourth aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a candidate cell determination apparatus, which comprises:

[0037] an obtaining unit configured to obtain a candidate cell list, the candidate cell list containing information of one or more candidate cells;

[0038] a processing unit configured to determine a target candidate cell according to the candidate cell list, the target candidate cell being a cell to be conditionally switched by a first network element, the first network element and the second network element being network elements in a mobile communication network.

[0039] In a fifth aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a communication device, which comprises a processor and a memory, the memory being configured to store a computer program, the computer program comprising program instructions, and the processor being configured to invoke the program instructions to execute the candidate cell determination method described in the first aspect and the second aspect.

[0040] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer readable storage medium, which stores one or more instructions, and the one or more instructions are adapted to be loaded and executed by a processor to perform the candidate cell determination method described in the first aspect and the second aspect.

[0041] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a chip, which is used to perform the candidate cell determination method described in the first aspect and the second aspect.

[0042] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a chip module, which includes a storage device, a chip, and a communication interface, and the chip is used to perform the candidate cell determination method described in the first aspect and the second aspect.

[0043] In an embodiment of the present application, the second network element can acquire a candidate cell list, the candidate cell list containing information of one or more candidate cells; and report the candidate cell list to the first network element, the candidate cell list being used to determine a target candidate cell, the target candidate cell being a cell to be conditionally switched by the second network element, and the first network element and the second network element being network elements in a mobile communication network. Through the method, the number of cells selected during conditional switching can be reduced, and the signaling overhead of the Xn interface can be reduced. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0044] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the drawings needed in the embodiment description will be briefly introduced. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are some embodiments of the present application, and other drawings can also be obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor.

[0045] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an indoor and outdoor communication network architecture is provided for an embodiment of the present application;

[0046] Figure 2 A flowchart of a candidate cell determination method is provided for an embodiment of the present application;

[0047] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a CGI detection and reporting method is provided for an embodiment of the present application;

[0048] Figure 4 A flowchart of another candidate cell determination method is provided for an embodiment of the present application;

[0049] Figure 5 A unit schematic diagram of a candidate cell determination apparatus is provided for an embodiment of the present application;

[0050] Figure 6A simplified schematic diagram of an entity structure of a communication device provided for an embodiment of the present application;

[0051] Figure 7 A simplified schematic diagram of a chip module provided for an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0052] The exemplary embodiments will be described in detail herein with reference to the attached drawings. The description of the exemplary embodiments is intended to apply to various alternative embodiments as well. The following description is not limited to the exemplary embodiments, but rather, is applicable to any apparatus and method within the scope of the present application. Accordingly, the exemplary embodiments are merely described below to explain the working of the present application.

[0053] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprises", "comprising", or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but can also include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitation, an element preceded by "comprises... a" does not, without more constraints, foreclose the existence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises the recited element. Also, the use of the term "including" as well as other forms such as "include", "includes", "comprise", "comprises", "comprising", or any other variation thereof, is intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but can also include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. The same applies to the use of "including" as well as other forms as used herein.

[0054] It should be understood that, although the terms first, second, third, etc. can be employed in this disclosure to describe various information, these information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to differentiate one piece of information from another. For example, a first information can also be termed a second information, similarly, a second information can also be termed a first information, without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Depending on the context, the word "if' as used herein can be interpreted to mean "when" or "in response to determining". Also, as used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises", "comprising", "includes" and / or "including", as used herein, specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, components, items, and / or groups but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, items, and / or groups thereof. The terms "or" and "and / or" as used herein are to be interpreted as inclusive or meaning either or any combination thereof. Therefore, "A, B or C" or "A, B and / or C" means "any of the following: A; B; C; A and B; A and C; B and C; A, B and C". An exception to this definition will occur only when a combination of elements, functions, steps or acts are in some way inherently mutually exclusive.

[0055] It should be understood that, although the steps in the flowcharts of the embodiments of the present application are displayed in sequence according to the direction of the arrows, these steps are not necessarily executed in sequence according to the direction of the arrows. Unless otherwise specified herein, the execution of these steps is not strictly limited in sequence, and they can be executed in other sequences. Moreover, at least part of the steps in the figure can include multiple sub-steps or multiple stages, which are not necessarily executed at the same time, but can be executed at different times, and the execution sequence is not necessarily sequential, but can be alternately or alternately executed with at least part of other steps or sub-steps or stages of other steps.

[0056] It should be noted that in this document, step codes such as 110, 120, etc. are used for the purpose of more clearly and briefly expressing the corresponding content, and do not constitute a substantial limitation on the order. Those skilled in the art may, for example, perform 120 first and then perform 110, etc. in the specific implementation, but these should be within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0057] In the subsequent description, the suffix such as "module", "component" or "unit" used to represent an element is only for the convenience of the description of the present application, and has no specific meaning in itself. Therefore, "module", "component" or "unit" can be used interchangeably.

[0058] In order to better understand the embodiments of the present application, the professional terms related to the embodiments of the present application are introduced as follows:

[0059] Conditional handover (CHO) is to let the terminal device select the target base station according to the measurement result and initiate the handover execution process. The terminal device can initiate a random access process to the target cell. In this way, the situation that the terminal device performs cell handover failure due to the change of the wireless link state within the time of the signaling interaction between the terminal device and the source base station and the signaling interaction between the source base station and the target base station can be avoided. In this way, CHO improves the robustness in the user handover process.

[0060] The access and mobility management function (AMF) is the main functional unit of the 5G core network (5GC), which can complete the access and mobility management of the terminal device, and is equivalent to part of the function of the mobility management entity (MME).

[0061] The session management function (SMF) is an important functional unit of the 5GC, which is responsible for processing the user's business, and can be regarded as a combination of the MME bearer management part and the control plane function of the serving gateway (SGW) and PDN gateway (PGW).

[0062] The public land mobile network (PLMN) is a network established and operated for the purpose of providing public land mobile communication services to the public. The network is usually interconnected with the public switched telephone network (PSTN) to form a communication network of the entire region or country.

[0063] In order to better understand the embodiments of the present application, the network architecture applicable to the embodiments of the present application is described as follows.

[0064] Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an indoor and outdoor communication network architecture provided by the embodiments of the present application. As shown in Figure 1 , the communication network architecture is composed of two network architectures of outdoor and indoor, the network architecture of outdoor includes a first network element, other network elements, a second network element; the network architecture of indoor includes an indoor small base station and a second network element. And the first network element, other network elements and indoor small base station can communicate through a specific interface, for example, Xn interface, and they can all communicate with the core network (CN).

[0065] The first network element can be a network element in a mobile communication network, and can be a serving cell of the second network element. The first network element can be a cell of a macro base station or a cell of an indoor small base station. The indoor small base station can be an access point (AP) or the like. The macro base station or the indoor small base station can provide a wireless communication connection for the second network element through the serving cell. The second network element can be a terminal device, and can move between the cell of the indoor small base station and the cell of the macro base station. For example, the second network element can move from the cell of the indoor small base station to the cell of the macro base station.

[0066] In the embodiments of the present application, there are two moving scenarios. One scenario is that the second network element moves from the cell of the macro base station to the cell of the indoor small base station. The other scenario is that the second network element moves from the cell of the indoor small base station to the cell of the macro base station. Figure 1 The illustrated communication network architecture is an example of the first scenario, i.e., the scenario in which the second network element moves from the cell of the macro base station to the cell of the indoor small base station. The method embodiment corresponding to the first scenario is the same as the method embodiment corresponding to the second scenario, and the embodiments of the present application will not be described in detail.

[0067] It should be noted that the technical solutions of the present application can be applied to a 5th Generation (5G) communication system, and can also be applied to 4G and 3G communication systems, and can also be applied to future new communication systems, such as 6G, 7G, and in-vehicle short-range communication systems. The technical solutions of the present application are also applicable to different network architectures, including but not limited to a relay network architecture, a dual-link architecture, a Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) architecture, an in-vehicle short-range communication architecture, and the like.

[0068] The core network in the embodiments of the present application can be an evolved packet core (EPC), a 5G core network, and can also be a new core network in a future communication system. The 5G core network is composed of a group of devices and implements access and mobility management functions (AMF) for mobility management and other functions, user plane functions (UPF) for providing packet routing and forwarding and QoS (Quality of Service) management, session management functions (SMF) for providing session management, IP address allocation and management, and the like. The EPC can be composed of an MME for providing mobility management, gateway selection and the like, an S-GW for providing packet forwarding and the like, and a PDN gateway (P-GW) for providing terminal address allocation, rate control and the like.

[0069] The network device involved in the embodiments of the present application is an entity for transmitting or receiving signals on the network side, which can be used to convert the received air frame and Internet Protocol (IP) packets to each other, as a router between the terminal device and the rest of the access network, which can include an IP network and the like. The access network device can also coordinate the management of the properties of the air interface. For example, the access network device can be an eNB in LTE, can also be a new radio controller (NR controller), can be a gNB in a 5G system, can be a centralized unit, can be a new radio base station, can be a radio frequency remote module, can be a micro base station, can be a relay, can be a distributed unit, can be a transmission reception point (TRP) or a transmission point (TP), can be a G node in a short-range communication system in a vehicle, or any other wireless access device, but the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

[0070] The base station (BS) in the embodiments of the present application can also be referred to as a base station device, which is a device deployed in a radio access network (RAN) to provide wireless communication functions. For example, the devices providing base station functions in a 2G network include base transceiver stations (BTS), the devices providing base station functions in a 3G network include NodeB, the devices providing base station functions in a 4G network include evolved NodeB (eNB), in a wireless local area network (WLAN), the devices providing base station functions are access points (AP), the devices providing base station functions in 5G New Radio (NR) are gNB, and the devices providing base station functions in the continued evolution of NodeB (ng-eNB), wherein the gNB and the terminal communicate with each other using NR technology, the ng-eNB and the terminal communicate with each other using E-UTRA (Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access) technology, and the gNB and the ng-eNB can be connected to a 5G core network. The base station in the embodiments of the present application also includes devices providing base station functions in future new communication systems and the like.

[0071] The base station controller in the embodiments of the present application is a device for managing a base station, such as a base station controller (BSC) in a 2G network, a radio network controller (RNC) in a 3G network, and a device for controlling and managing a base station in a future new communication system.

[0072] The network side network in the embodiments of the present application refers to a communication network providing communication services for terminals, including base stations of a radio access network, and can also include base station controllers of a radio access network, and can also include devices on the core network side.

[0073] The embodiments of the present application define the unidirectional communication link from the access network to the terminal as a downlink, the data transmitted on the downlink as downlink data, and the transmission direction of the downlink data as a downlink direction. The unidirectional communication link from the terminal to the access network is an uplink, the data transmitted on the uplink is uplink data, and the transmission direction of the uplink data is an uplink direction.

[0074] The terminal in the embodiments of the present application can refer to various forms of user equipment (UE), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station (MS), remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal device, wireless communication device, user agent or user equipment. The terminal device can also be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a Wireless Local Loop (WLL) station, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication function, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a terminal device in a future 5G network or a terminal device in a future evolved Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), etc. The embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

[0075] In order to reduce the number of candidate cells and reduce the signaling overhead of the Xn interface, the embodiments of the present application provide a candidate cell determination method and device. The candidate cell determination method and device provided by the embodiments of the present application are described in detail below.

[0076] Referring to Figure 2 , Figure 2 A flowchart of a candidate cell determination method provided by the embodiments of the present application is shown. The candidate cell determination method includes operations 210-220. Figure 2 The method execution subject shown can be a second network element or a chip in the second network element. When the second network element executes the flow as shown in Figure 2 The flow can include the following steps when the second network element executes the flow as shown in

[0077] 210, obtain a candidate cell list containing cell identification information of one or more candidate cells.

[0078] Specifically, the candidate cell list can be determined by the second network element in one or more of the following ways:

[0079] Optionally, the candidate cell list can be determined according to a historical handover record, the historical handover record including historical cell handover information, the historical cell handover information being cell information of a cell accessed by the second network element after the second network element has performed cell handover. Each cell in the historical handover record can be determined by the second network element through a cell handover process, or can be determined through a CHO method. The number of cells in the historical handover record can be one or more, and the second network element can obtain cell representation information of each cell to obtain the candidate cell list.

[0080] Optionally, the candidate cell list can be determined according to core network assisted radio access network (RAN) parameter tuning (Core Network assisted RAN parameters tuning), the core network assisted RAN parameter tuning being core network assistance to the second network element. The core network assisted RAN parameter tuning is assistance to the RAN side to minimize state transitions of the second network element and optimize network behavior of the second network element. The core network assisted RAN parameter tuning can be obtained from an access and mobility management function (AMF) or a session management function (SMF).

[0081] The AMF can derive the core network assisted RAN parameter tuning based on collected behavior statistics of the second network element, expected behavior of the second network element, and / or other available information of the second network element, such as a subscribed data network name (DNN), a subscription permanent identifier (SUPI) range, and other information. If the AMF maintains expected behavior parameters of the second network element, network configuration parameters, or core network assisted RAN parameter tuning derived by the SMF, the AMF can use this information to select the core network assisted RAN parameter tuning. If the AMF can derive a mobility pattern of the second network element, the AMF can consider the mobility pattern parameter when determining the core network assisted RAN parameter tuning.

[0082] The SMF can derive core network assisted RAN parameter tuning using the parameters assisted by the SMF, such as expected second network element behavior parameters or second network element network configuration parameters. The SMF can send the derived core network assisted RAN parameter tuning to the AMF, which stores the core network assisted RAN parameter tuning as a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session level context.

[0083] Optionally, the core network assisted RAN parameter tuning can determine one or more of the following information:

[0084] Expected Handover (HO) behavior; for example, expected second network element inter-RAN handover interval.

[0085] Expected second network element mobility, for predicting whether the second network element is mobile or stationary.

[0086] Expected second network element moving trajectory, which can be derived from statistical information, expected second network element behavior parameters, or subscription information.

[0087] Optionally, the candidate cell list can be derived by the AMF or the SMF based on the core network assisted RAN parameter tuning, and sent by the AMF or the SMF to the second network element at PDU session establishment or modification.

[0088] Optionally, the candidate cell list can be determined according to an Automatic Neighbor Relation (ANR) function, which is used by the first network element to determine neighbor relations. That is, the first network element can obtain the candidate cell list from surrounding network devices through the ANR function. Further, the first network element can send the candidate cell list to the second network element.

[0089] The automatic neighbor relation function manages a neighbor relation list. In the ANR function, there is a neighbor detection function and a neighbor deletion function. The neighbor detection function is used to discover a neighbor and add the neighbor to the neighbor relation list. The neighbor deletion function is used to delete an outdated neighbor relation. The neighbor deletion function is a kind of base station internal behavior, and the neighbor detection function needs to be completed by interaction between a base station and a terminal device. In actual application, the ANR function is used to add and manage a neighbor relation by detecting and reporting a global cell identifier (CGI) of a target cell.

[0090] As shown in FIG. 1, Figure 3 FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a CGI detection and reporting mode, Figure 3 For example, the second network element is switched from an indoor small base station to an outdoor macro station, and the target cell can be a service cell of the outdoor macro station. The number of the outdoor macro stations can be one or more, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. Figure 3 In this case, the second network element sends a measurement report related to the target cell to the indoor small base station. The measurement report contains a physical cell identifier (PCI) of the target cell, but does not include the CGI. After the indoor small base station receives the measurement report containing the PCI of the target cell sent by the second network element, the indoor small base station can send indication information to the second network element. The indication information can indicate the second network element to read the CGI information of the cell corresponding to the PCI, that is, to read the CGI information of the target cell. The second network element can obtain the CGI information corresponding to the target cell through a broadcast control channel (BCCH). When the second network element obtains the CGI of the target cell, the second network element can report the detected CGI of the target cell to the indoor small base station. The indoor small base station determines a newly discovered neighbor according to the CGI information of the target cell, that is, when the target cell is not in the neighbor list, the target cell is added to the neighbor relation list, thereby completing the ANR function.

[0091] Optionally, the service modes supported by the candidate cells in the candidate cell list include, but are not limited to, the following two working modes: mode one and mode two. The cell in the working mode one allows the second network element subscribed to the cell to access. The cell in the working mode two can allow the second network element of a subscribed user and a non-subscribed user, and can provide a higher access level and a faster service rate for the subscribed user.

[0092] Optionally, the cell identification information can be a physical cell identifier (PCI), a cell global identifier (CGI), or the like.

[0093] After the second network element obtains the candidate cell list, the second network element can save the candidate cell list in a first memory, which can be a memory in the second network element.

[0094] 220, reporting the candidate cell list to a first network element, the candidate cell list being used to determine a target candidate cell, the target candidate cell being a cell to which conditional handover is to be performed by the second network element, the first network element and the second network element being network elements in a mobile communication network.

[0095] In a possible implementation, reporting the candidate cell list to the first network element can be achieved by triggering a measurement event. The second network element can trigger the measurement event and report the candidate cell list to the first network element. The measurement event can include one or more of the following time periods:

[0096] an A2 event, the A2 event being used to indicate that a signal quality of a serving cell is lower than a first threshold value;

[0097] an A3 event, the A3 event being used to indicate that a signal quality of a neighbor cell is offset from the signal quality of the serving cell;

[0098] an A4 event, the A4 event being used to indicate that the signal quality of the neighbor cell is higher than a second threshold value;

[0099] an A5 event, the A5 event being used to indicate that the signal quality of the neighbor cell is lower than a third threshold value and higher than a fourth threshold value.

[0100] The serving cell refers to a cell that is currently providing communication services for the second network element, and the neighbor cell refers to a cell adjacent to the serving cell. The first threshold value, the second threshold value, the third threshold value, and the fourth threshold value can be configured by a network device, and embodiments of the present application are not limited in this regard.

[0101] In a possible implementation, reporting the candidate cell list to the first network element can be achieved by triggering detection of entry into a marked area. The second network element can trigger detection of entry into a marked area and report the candidate cell list to a network element, the marked area being used to mark that the second network element actively sends the candidate cell list to the first network element when the second network element enters the marked area in a connected mode.

[0102] Optionally, the marked area can be identified by one or more of the following:

[0103] a global cell identifier (CGI);

[0104] Physical layer cell identifier (PCI);

[0105] Latitude and longitude coordinates.

[0106] The candidate cell list stored locally in the second network element is associated with the marked area and can be in a one-to-one correspondence.

[0107] Optionally, the second network element may report the candidate cell list to the first network element through a measurement report or UE Assistance Information.

[0108] Optionally, reporting via measurement reports can be achieved by adding information elements (IEs) to the measurement reports, such as adding a candidate cell list information element. Optionally, the candidate cell list may include one or more of the following information:

[0109] The cell identifier information corresponding to each candidate cell in the candidate cell list;

[0110] The operating modes of each candidate cell in the candidate cell list;

[0111] The Public Land Mobile Network ID (PLMN ID) to which each candidate cell in the candidate cell list belongs;

[0112] The tracking area code (TAC) for each candidate cell in the candidate cell list, where TA stands for Tracking Area, is the area used for paging and location updates.

[0113] Through the embodiments of this application, the second network element can obtain a candidate cell list, which may include cell identifier information, operating mode, PLMN ID, and TAC information corresponding to each candidate cell. This application's solution addresses indoor-to-outdoor or outdoor-to-indoor cell handover scenarios. In such scenarios, the number of cells the second network element performs handover for is typically small and relatively fixed. For example, the second network element may handover from an indoor small base station to a specific outdoor macro base station, or from an outdoor macro base station to a specific indoor small base station. It is not necessary to include all cells covering the vicinity of the indoor area in the candidate cell list; instead, the network side determines the candidate cell based on specific parameters. This method reduces the number of candidate cells during conditional handover, thereby reducing the signaling overhead of the Xn interface.

[0114] Please see Figure 4 , Figure 4A flowchart of another candidate cell determination method is provided for the embodiments of the present application. The candidate cell determination method includes operations 410-420. Figure 4 The method execution subject shown can be a first network element or a chip corresponding to the first network element. When the first network element executes the method shown in the flowchart, the following steps can be included. Figure 4 The flowchart shown can include the following steps:

[0115] 410. Obtain a candidate cell list containing information of one or more candidate cells.

[0116] The candidate cell list can be reported by a second network element. The candidate cell list can include one or more of the following information:

[0117] Cell identification information corresponding to each candidate cell in the candidate cell list;

[0118] Working mode of each candidate cell in the candidate cell list;

[0119] Public land mobile network identification (PLMN ID) to which each candidate cell in the candidate cell list belongs;

[0120] Tracking area code (TAC) of each candidate cell in the candidate cell list.

[0121] Optionally, the second network element reporting the candidate cell list to the first network element can be achieved by triggering a measurement event.

[0122] Optionally, the second network element reporting the candidate cell list to the first network element can be achieved by triggering a detected entry into a marked area.

[0123] Optionally, the second network element reporting the candidate cell list to the first network element can be achieved by a measurement report or user assistance information (UE Assistance Information).

[0124] Optionally, the first network element can save the candidate cell list to a second memory, which can be a memory within the first network element. It should be noted that each candidate cell in the candidate cell list and the second network element can also save the candidate cell list.

[0125] 420. Determine a target candidate cell from the candidate cell list, the target candidate cell being a cell to be conditionally switched by the first network element, and the first network element and the second network element being network elements in a mobile communication network.

[0126] The first network element can determine the target candidate cell from the candidate cell list, and the specific determination method is not limited by the embodiments of the present application.

[0127] Optionally, if the first network element is connected to the second network element through a cell with working mode 1, then the candidate cell to be switched in the second network element is configured as a cell in the candidate cell list.

[0128] Optionally, if the first network element is connected to multiple second network elements through a cell operating in mode two, then the candidate cells to be switched among all the second network elements connected to the first network element are configured as cells in the candidate cell list.

[0129] Through the embodiments of this application, the first network element can obtain a candidate cell list, which may include cell identifier information, operating mode, PLMN ID, and TAC information corresponding to each candidate cell. The first network element can then determine the target candidate cell based on the candidate cell list. The number of candidate cells in the candidate cell list is relatively small and fixed, reducing the number of candidate cells in the list during conditional handover and decreasing the signaling overhead of the Xn interface.

[0130] Please see Figure 5 , Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a candidate cell determination device provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 5 The candidate cell determination device shown can be used to perform the above. Figure 2 and Figure 4 The described method embodiments include some or all of the functions. The device can be a second network element, a device within a second network element, or a device that can be used in conjunction with a second network element. The device can also be a device corresponding to a first network element, a device within a device corresponding to a first network element, or a device that can be used in conjunction with a device corresponding to a first network element. The first network element can be a serving cell in a network device, and the second network element can be a terminal device.

[0131] The logical structure of the device may include: an acquisition unit 510, a transceiver unit 520, and a processing unit 530, wherein, when the device is applied to a second network element:

[0132] The acquisition unit 510 is used to acquire a candidate cell list, which contains cell identifier information of one or more candidate cells;

[0133] The transceiver unit 520 is used to report a list of candidate cells to the first network element. The list of candidate cells is used to determine the target candidate cell. The target candidate cell is the cell that the second network element is to perform conditional handover. The first network element and the second network element are network elements in the mobile communication network.

[0134] In one possible implementation, the candidate cell list includes one or more of the following information:

[0135] Cell ID information corresponding to each candidate cell in the candidate cell list;

[0136] Working mode of each candidate cell in the candidate cell list;

[0137] Public land mobile network identifier (PLMN ID) to which each candidate cell in the candidate cell list belongs respectively;

[0138] Tracking area code (TAC) of each candidate cell in the candidate cell list.

[0139] In a possible implementation, the candidate cell list is determined according to one or more of the following manners:

[0140] According to historical handover records, the historical handover records include historical cell handover information, and the historical cell handover information is cell information of a cell accessed by the second network element after the second network element has performed cell handover; or

[0141] According to core network assisted radio access network (RAN) parameter optimization, the core network assisted radio access network (RAN) parameter optimization is delivered by the core network to the second network element; or

[0142] According to automatic neighbor relation, the automatic neighbor relation is used by the first network element to determine a neighbor relation.

[0143] In a possible implementation, a measurement event is triggered, and the transceiver 520 is further configured to report the candidate cell list to the first network element;

[0144] In a possible implementation, the measurement event includes one or more of the following events:

[0145] An A2 event, the A2 event is used to indicate that a signal quality of a serving cell is lower than a first threshold value;

[0146] An A3 event, the A3 event is used to indicate that a signal quality offset of a neighbor cell is higher than a signal quality of a serving cell;

[0147] An A4 event, the A4 event is used to indicate that a signal quality of a neighbor cell is higher than a second threshold value;

[0148] An A5 event, the A5 event is used to indicate that a signal quality of a neighbor cell is lower than a third threshold value and higher than a fourth threshold value.

[0149] In a possible implementation, the transceiver 520 is further configured to report the candidate cell list to the first network element through a measurement report or user assistance information (UEAssistanceInformation).

[0150] In a possible implementation, the transceiver 520 is further configured to report the candidate cell list to the first network element, and the marking area is used to mark that the second network element actively sends the candidate cell list to the first network element when the second network element enters the marking area in the connected mode.

[0151] In a possible implementation, the marking area is identified by one or more of the following:

[0152] a global cell identity (CGI);

[0153] a physical layer cell identity (PCI);

[0154] latitude and longitude coordinate information.

[0155] When the apparatus is applied to a device corresponding to the first network element:

[0156] The obtaining unit 510 is configured to obtain a candidate cell list, the candidate cell list containing information of one or more candidate cells.

[0157] The processing unit 530 is configured to determine a target candidate cell according to the candidate cell list, the target candidate cell being a cell to be conditionally switched by the first network element, and the first network element and the second network element being network elements in a mobile communication network.

[0158] See Figure 6 , Figure 6 An entity structure of a communication device provided by the embodiment of the application is shown in a simplified schematic diagram, and the communication device includes a processor 610, a memory 620 and a communication interface 630, which are connected through one or more communication buses. The communication device can be a chip, a chip module or the like.

[0159] The processor 610 is configured to support the communication device to perform the functions corresponding to the methods in the above Figure 2 and Figure 3 It should be understood that, in the embodiment of the application, the processor 610 can be a central processing unit (CPU), and the processor 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 gates or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or the processor can also be any conventional processor.

[0160] The memory 620 is configured to store program codes and the like. The memory 620 in the embodiments of the present application can be a volatile memory or a nonvolatile memory, or can include both volatile and nonvolatile memory. The nonvolatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), electrically EPROM (EEPROM) or flash memory. The volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM) used as external cache. By way of example, and not limitation, many forms of random access memory (RAM) can be used, such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), Synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0161] The communication interface 630 is configured to transceive data, information or message, and can also be described as a transceiver, transceiving circuit, etc.

[0162] In the embodiments of the present application, when the communication device is the second network element, the processor 610 invokes the program codes stored in the memory 620 to perform the following operations:

[0163] The processor 610 invokes the program codes stored in the memory 620 to obtain a candidate cell list, the candidate cell list containing cell identification information of one or more candidate cells;

[0164] The control communication interface 630 reports the candidate cell list to the first network element, the candidate cell list being used to determine a target candidate cell, the target candidate cell being a cell to be conditionally switched by the second network element, and the first network element and the second network element being network elements in a mobile communication network.

[0165] In a possible implementation, the candidate cell list comprises one or more of the following information:

[0166] cell identification information corresponding to each candidate cell in the candidate cell list;

[0167] an operation mode of each candidate cell in the candidate cell list;

[0168] a public land mobile network (PLMN) identification (ID) to which each candidate cell in the candidate cell list respectively belongs;

[0169] a tracking area code (TAC) of each candidate cell in the candidate cell list.

[0170] In a possible implementation, the candidate cell list is determined according to one or more of the following manners:

[0171] determined according to historical handover records, the historical handover records comprising historical cell handover information, and the historical cell handover information being cell information of a cell accessed by the second network element after the second network element has performed cell handover; or

[0172] determined according to core network assisted radio access network (RAN) parameter tuning, the core network assisted RAN parameter tuning being delivered to the second network element by a core network; or

[0173] determined according to automatic neighbor relation, the automatic neighbor relation being used by the first network element to determine a neighbor relation.

[0174] In a possible implementation, a measurement event is triggered, and the control communication interface 630 reports the candidate cell list to the first network element;

[0175] In a possible implementation, the measurement event comprises one or more of the following events:

[0176] an A2 event, the A2 event being used to indicate that a signal quality of a serving cell is lower than a first threshold value;

[0177] an A3 event, the A3 event being used to indicate that a signal quality offset of a neighbor cell is higher than a signal quality of a serving cell;

[0178] an A4 event, the A4 event being used to indicate that a signal quality of a neighbor cell is higher than a second threshold value;

[0179] an A5 event, the A5 event being used to indicate that a signal quality of a neighbor cell is lower than a third threshold value and higher than a fourth threshold value.

[0180] In a possible implementation, the control communication interface 630 reports the candidate cell list to the first network element through a measurement report or user assistance information (UEAssistanceInformation).

[0181] In a possible implementation, the detected entering into the marked area triggers the communication interface 630 to report the candidate cell list to the first network element, and the marked area is used to mark that the second network element actively sends the candidate cell list to the first network element when the second network element enters the marked area in the connected mode.

[0182] In a possible implementation, the marked area is identified by one or more of the following manners:

[0183] a global cell identity code (CGI);

[0184] a physical layer cell identity (PCI);

[0185] latitude and longitude coordinate information.

[0186] When the communication device is a device corresponding to the first network element:

[0187] The processor 610 invokes the program code stored in the memory 620 to obtain the candidate cell list, and the candidate cell list contains information of one or more candidate cells;

[0188] The processor 610 invokes the program code stored in the memory 620 to determine a target candidate cell according to the candidate cell list, and the target candidate cell is a cell to be conditionally switched by the first network element, and the first network element and the second network element are network elements in a mobile communication network.

[0189] The application also provides a chip, which can also be included in a chip module.

[0190] When the chip is applied to the second network element:

[0191] The chip is configured to obtain a candidate cell list, and the candidate cell list contains cell identity information of one or more candidate cells;

[0192] The chip is further configured to trigger reporting of the candidate cell list to the first network element, and the candidate cell list is used to determine a target candidate cell, and the target candidate cell is a cell to be conditionally switched by the second network element, and the first network element and the second network element are network elements in a mobile communication network.

[0193] In a possible implementation, the candidate cell list includes one or more of the following information:

[0194] cell identity information corresponding to each candidate cell in the candidate cell list;

[0195] an operation mode of each candidate cell in the candidate cell list;

[0196] a public land mobile network (PLMN) identity (ID) to which each candidate cell in the candidate cell list belongs.

[0197] a tracking area code (TAC) of each candidate cell in the candidate cell list.

[0198] In a possible implementation, the candidate cell list is determined according to one or more of the following manners:

[0199] determined according to historical handover records, the historical handover records comprising historical cell handover information, the historical cell handover information being cell information of a cell accessed by the second network element after the second network element has performed cell handover; or

[0200] determined according to core network assisted radio access network (RAN) parameter tuning, the core network assisted RAN parameter tuning being issued by a core network to the second network element; or

[0201] determined according to automatic neighbor relation, the automatic neighbor relation being used by the first network element to determine a neighbor relation.

[0202] In a possible implementation, a measurement event is triggered, and the chip is further configured to trigger reporting of the candidate cell list to the first network element.

[0203] In a possible implementation, the measurement event comprises one or more of the following events:

[0204] an A2 event, the A2 event being used to indicate that a signal quality of a serving cell is lower than a first threshold value;

[0205] an A3 event, the A3 event being used to indicate that a signal quality offset of a neighbor cell is higher than a signal quality of a serving cell;

[0206] an A4 event, the A4 event being used to indicate that a signal quality of a neighbor cell is higher than a second threshold value;

[0207] an A5 event, the A5 event being used to indicate that a signal quality of a neighbor cell is lower than a third threshold value and higher than a fourth threshold value.

[0208] In a possible implementation, the chip is further configured to trigger reporting of the candidate cell list to the first network element through a measurement report or user assistance information (UEAssistanceInformation).

[0209] In a possible implementation, a detected entering into a marked area is triggered, and the chip is further configured to trigger reporting of the candidate cell list to the first network element, the marked area being used to mark that the second network element actively sends the candidate cell list to the first network element when the second network element enters into the marked area in a connected mode.

[0210] In a possible implementation, the marked area is identified through one or more of the following manners:

[0211] Global Cell Identity, CGI;

[0212] Physical Cell Identity, PCI;

[0213] Latitude and longitude coordinate information.

[0214] When the apparatus is applied to a device corresponding to the first network element:

[0215] The chip is further configured to obtain a candidate cell list, the candidate cell list containing information of one or more candidate cells;

[0216] The chip is further configured to determine a target candidate cell according to the candidate cell list, the target candidate cell being a cell to be conditionally switched by the first network element, the first network element and the second network element being network elements in a mobile communication network.

[0217] See Figure 7 , Figure 7 A simplified schematic diagram of a chip module provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. 7, which includes a storage device 710, a chip 720, and a communication interface 730. When the chip module is applied to a second network element, the chip 720 is configured to:

[0218] The chip 720 is configured to obtain a candidate cell list, the candidate cell list containing cell identity information of one or more candidate cells;

[0219] The chip 720 is further configured to trigger the communication interface 730 to report the candidate cell list to a first network element, the candidate cell list being used to determine a target candidate cell, the target candidate cell being a cell to be conditionally switched by the second network element, the first network element and the second network element being network elements in a mobile communication network.

[0220] In a possible implementation, the candidate cell list includes one or more of the following information:

[0221] Cell identity information corresponding to each candidate cell in the candidate cell list;

[0222] Working mode of each candidate cell in the candidate cell list;

[0223] Public Land Mobile Network Identity, PLMN ID, to which each candidate cell in the candidate cell list respectively belongs;

[0224] Tracking Area Code, TAC, of each candidate cell in the candidate cell list.

[0225] In a possible implementation, the candidate cell list is determined according to one or more of the following manners:

[0226] According to historical handover records, the historical handover records include historical cell handover information, and the historical cell handover information is cell information of a cell accessed by the second network element after the second network element has performed cell handover; or

[0227] According to core network assisted radio access network (RAN) parameter optimization, the core network assisted radio access network (RAN) parameter optimization is transmitted by the core network to the second network element; or

[0228] According to automatic neighbor relation, the automatic neighbor relation is used by the first network element to determine a neighbor relation.

[0229] In a possible implementation, the measurement event is triggered, and the chip 720 is further configured to trigger the communication interface 730 to report the candidate cell list to the first network element;

[0230] In a possible implementation, the measurement event includes one or more of the following events:

[0231] An A2 event, the A2 event is used to indicate that the signal quality of a serving cell is lower than a first threshold value;

[0232] An A3 event, the A3 event is used to indicate that the signal quality offset of a neighbor cell is higher than the signal quality of a serving cell;

[0233] An A4 event, the A4 event is used to indicate that the signal quality of a neighbor cell is higher than a second threshold value;

[0234] An A5 event, the A5 event is used to indicate that the signal quality of a neighbor cell is lower than a third threshold value and higher than a fourth threshold value.

[0235] In a possible implementation, the chip 720 is further configured to trigger the communication interface 730 to report the candidate cell list to the first network element through a measurement report or user assistance information (UEAssistanceInformation).

[0236] In a possible implementation, the detected entering of a marked area is triggered, and the chip 720 is further configured to trigger the communication interface 730 to report the candidate cell list to the first network element, and the marked area is used to mark that the second network element actively sends the candidate cell list to the first network element when the second network element enters the marked area in a connected mode.

[0237] In a possible implementation, the marked area is identified by one or more of the following:

[0238] A global cell identity (CGI) identification;

[0239] A physical layer cell identity (PCI);

[0240] Latitude and longitude coordinate information.

[0241] When the device is applied to the equipment corresponding to the first network element:

[0242] The chip 720 is further configured to obtain a candidate cell list, the candidate cell list containing information of one or more candidate cells.

[0243] The chip 720 is further configured to determine a target candidate cell according to the candidate cell list, the target candidate cell being a cell to be conditionally switched by the first network element, and the first network element and the second network element being network elements in a mobile communication network.

[0244] It should be noted that in the above embodiments, the description of each embodiment has its own emphasis, and the parts not described in detail in an embodiment can be referred to the related description of other embodiments.

[0245] The steps in the method of the embodiments of the present application can be adjusted in sequence, combined and reduced according to actual needs.

[0246] The units in the processing device of the embodiments of the present application can be combined, divided and reduced according to actual needs.

[0247] In the above embodiments, all or part of them can be realized by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When realized by software, all or part of them can be realized in the form of a computer program product. The 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 processes or functions according to the embodiments of the present application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network or other programmable devices. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer readable storage medium or transferred from one computer readable storage medium to another, for example, the computer instructions can be transferred from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center through wired (such as coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line) or wireless (such as infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) mode. The computer readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server, data center, etc. containing one or more available media sets. The available media can be magnetic media (such as floppy disk, storage disk, magnetic tape), optical media (such as DVD) or semiconductor media (such as solid state disk (SSD)) and the like.

[0248] Finally, it should be noted that: the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, but not to limit them; although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that: it can still modify the technical solutions recorded in the foregoing embodiments, or make equivalent replacement for part or all of the technical features; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. A candidate cell determination method, characterized by, The method is applied to an indoor-to-outdoor or outdoor-to-indoor cell switching scenario, and comprises: obtaining a candidate cell list containing information of one or more candidate cells; reporting the candidate cell list to a first network element, the candidate cell list being used for determining a target candidate cell, the target candidate cell being a cell of a second network element to be conditionally switched, the first network element and the second network element being network elements in a mobile communication network; the candidate cell list being determined according to core network assisted radio access network (RAN) parameter tuning, the core network assisted RAN parameter tuning being core network assistance to the second network element.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The candidate cell list comprises one or more of the following information: cell identification information corresponding to each candidate cell in the candidate cell list; an operating mode of each candidate cell in the candidate cell list; a public land mobile network (PLMN) ID to which each candidate cell in the candidate cell list respectively belongs; a tracking area code (TAC) of each candidate cell in the candidate cell list.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, The reporting of the candidate cell list to the first network element comprises: triggering a measurement event to report the candidate cell list to the first network element; the measurement event comprises one or more of the following events: an A2 event indicating that a signal quality of a serving cell is lower than a first threshold value; an A3 event indicating that a signal quality offset of a neighbor cell is higher than a signal quality of the serving cell; an A4 event indicating that a signal quality of a neighbor cell is higher than a second threshold value; an A5 event indicating that a signal quality of a neighbor cell is lower than a third threshold value and higher than a fourth threshold value.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that, The reporting of the candidate cell list to the first network element comprises: reporting the candidate cell list to the first network element through a measurement report or user assistance information (UEAssistanceInformation).

5. The method of claim 1, wherein, The reporting of the candidate cell list to the first network element comprises: triggering a detected entry into a marked area to report the candidate cell list to the first network element, the marked area being used for marking that the second network element actively sends a candidate cell list to the first network element when the second network element enters the marked area in a connected mode.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein: the marked area is identified by one or more of the following: a global cell identification code (CGI); a physical layer cell identification (PCI); latitude and longitude coordinate information.

7. A candidate cell determination method, characterized by, The method is applied to an indoor-to-outdoor or outdoor-to-indoor cell switching scenario, and comprises: obtaining a candidate cell list containing information of one or more candidate cells; determining a target candidate cell according to the candidate cell list, the target candidate cell being a cell of a second network element to be conditionally switched, the second network element being a network element in a mobile communication network; the candidate cell list being determined according to core network assisted radio access network (RAN) parameter tuning, the core network assisted RAN parameter tuning being core network assistance to the second network element.

8. A candidate cell determination device, characterized in that, The device is applied to an indoor-to-outdoor or outdoor-to-indoor cell switching scenario, and comprises: an acquisition unit, configured to acquire a candidate cell list containing information of one or more candidate cells; a transceiving unit, configured to report the candidate cell list to a first network element, wherein the candidate cell list is used to determine a target candidate cell, the target candidate cell is a cell to be subjected to conditional switching by a second network element, and the first network element and the second network element are network elements in a mobile communication network; the candidate cell list is determined according to core network assisted radio access network (RAN) parameter tuning, and the core network assisted RAN parameter tuning is transmitted by a core network to the second network element.

9. A communication device, characterized by The device comprises a processor and a memory, the memory is configured to store a computer program, the computer program comprises program instructions, and the processor is configured to invoke the program instructions to execute the candidate cell determination method according to any one of claims 1 to 6 or the candidate cell determination method according to claim 7.

10. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer readable storage medium stores one or more instructions, and the one or more instructions are adapted to be loaded and executed by the processor to execute the candidate cell determination method according to any one of claims 1 to 6 or the candidate cell determination method according to claim 7.

11. A chip module, characterized by The chip module comprises a storage device, a chip, and a communication interface, the chip is configured to execute the candidate cell determination method according to any one of claims 1 to 6 or the candidate cell determination method according to claim 7.

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