Traffic reporting method, device and target eNB

Abstract

The embodiments of the present invention provide a traffic reporting method, device and target eNB. The method comprises: receiving a handover request message sent by a source eNB when determining that an inter-station handover of a user equipment UE occurs, wherein the handover request message includes 5G traffic information; and sending a path switching request to a mobility management entity MME, wherein the path switching request includes 5G traffic information. In the handover process of the embodiment of the present invention, the target eNB sends the received 5G traffic information sent by the source eNB to the MME of the core network, thereby realizing the synchronization of 5G traffic reporting and the handover process, thereby improving the accuracy of 5G traffic statistics in the handover scenario.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a traffic reporting method, device and target eNB. [Background technology]

[0002] 5G New Radio (NR) is a global 5G standard based on a new air interface design of Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) technology. It is also a very important foundation for the next generation of cellular mobile technology. 5G technology will achieve ultra-low latency and high reliability. With the construction of 5G networks, especially after the release of 5G packages, 5G users are on the rise. However, the 5G network has not yet achieved continuous coverage, and the networking is still mainly based on non-standalone (NSA) networking. Because in NSA networking, 4G and 5G use the same type of radio access technology (RAT). In this way, the core network's serving gateway (SGW) / packet data network gateway (PGW) cannot accurately distinguish between the usage of 4G traffic and the usage of 5G traffic, resulting in inaccurate 5G traffic statistics and the problem of excess call bills. Therefore, how to accurately distinguish 5G traffic from NSA networks has become an urgent problem to be solved.

[0003] When a bearer change or a secondary cell group (SCG) is released in a handover scenario, the source evolved Node B (eNB) can report 5G traffic information to the core network through a secondary RAT Data Usage Report. Bearer changes include NR inter-station handovers, and SCG releases include SCG releases triggered by inter-station handovers of the master eNB (MeNB).

[0004] However, the related technology has the following technical problems: in the inter-site switching scenario, if the core network first receives the path switching (Path Switch) information and then receives the 5G traffic reporting message, at this time the user equipment has switched to the new base station, and the mobility management entity (Mobility Management Entity, referred to as MME) cannot correspond the 5G traffic reporting message to the user context, and the bearer modification request (Modify Bearer Request) has also been interacted, and the 5G traffic can no longer be reported to the system architecture evolution gateway (System Architecture Evolution GateWay, referred to as SAE-GW) through the message. Therefore, SAE-GW cannot count the 5G traffic, resulting in inaccurate 5G traffic statistics. [Summary of the invention]

[0005] In view of this, an embodiment of the present invention provides a traffic reporting method, device and target eNB, which are used to improve the accuracy of 5G traffic statistics in a switching scenario.

[0006] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a traffic reporting method, which is applied to a target evolved base station eNB, and the method includes:

[0007] Receiving a handover request message sent by a source eNB when determining that an inter-station handover of a user equipment UE occurs, wherein the handover request message includes 5G traffic information;

[0008] A path switching request is sent to the mobility management entity MME, where the path switching request includes 5G traffic information.

[0009] In a possible implementation, the switching request message includes a secondary radio access technology data usage report, and the secondary radio access technology data usage report includes the 5G traffic information.

[0010] In a possible implementation, the path switching request includes a secondary radio access technology data usage report, and the secondary radio access technology data usage report includes 5G traffic information.

[0011] In one possible implementation, the 5G traffic information includes a start timestamp, an end timestamp, uplink traffic, and downlink traffic.

[0012] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a traffic reporting method, characterized by comprising:

[0013] When the source eNB determines that an inter-site handover occurs to the UE, the source eNB sends a handover request message to the target eNB, where the handover request message includes 5G traffic information;

[0014] The target eNB sends a path switching request to the MME, where the path switching request includes 5G traffic information.

[0015] In a possible implementation manner, before the target eNB sends the path switching request to the MME, the process includes:

[0016] The source eNB sends a radio control resource RRC connection reconfiguration message to the UE;

[0017] The UE accesses the cell of the target eNB through a random access procedure;

[0018] The UE sends an RRC connection reconfiguration complete message to the target eNB.

[0019] In a possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0020] When the source eNB determines that the UE does not undergo inter-site handover, the source eNB receives a secondary radio access technology data usage report sent by the source next-generation base station gNB, where the secondary radio access technology data usage report includes 5G traffic information;

[0021] The source eNB forwards the secondary radio access technology data usage report to the MME.

[0022] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a flow reporting device, including:

[0023] A receiving module, configured to receive a handover request message sent by a source eNB when determining that an inter-station handover of a user equipment UE occurs, wherein the handover request message includes 5G traffic information;

[0024] A sending module is used to send a path switching request to the MME, where the path switching request includes 5G traffic information.

[0025] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a target eNB, including:

[0026] One or more processors; a memory; and one or more computer programs, wherein the one or more computer programs are stored in the memory, and the one or more computer programs include instructions, which, when executed by the device, enable the device to perform the traffic reporting method in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0027] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium includes a stored program, wherein when the program is running, the device where the computer-readable storage medium is located is controlled to execute the traffic reporting method in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0028] In an embodiment of the present invention, the target eNB receives a switching request message sent by the source eNB when determining that an inter-site switching occurs in a user equipment UE, the switching request message including 5G traffic information, and the target eNB sends a path switching request to the MME, the path switching request including the 5G traffic information. In an embodiment of the present invention, in the switching process, the target eNB sends the received 5G traffic information sent by the source eNB to the MME of the core network, thereby realizing the synchronization of 5G traffic reporting and the switching process, thereby improving the accuracy of 5G traffic statistics in the switching scenario.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0029] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings required for use in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0030] Figure 1 A flow chart of a traffic reporting method provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 2 A flow chart of another flow reporting method provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 3 A flow chart of another flow reporting method provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of a flow reporting device provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a target eNB provided by an embodiment of the present invention. [Specific implementation method]

[0035] In order to better understand the technical solution of the present invention, the embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0036] It should be clear that the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0037] The terms used in the embodiments of the present invention are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present invention. The singular forms "a", "said" and "the" used in the embodiments of the present invention and the appended claims are also intended to include plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates other meanings.

[0038] It should be understood that the term "and / or" used in this article is only a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " in this article generally indicates that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship.

[0039] Figure 1 A flow chart of a flow reporting method provided by an embodiment of the present invention, such as Figure 1 As shown, the method includes:

[0040] Step 102: The target eNB receives a handover request message sent by the source eNB when determining that an inter-site handover of a user equipment (UE) occurs, where the handover request message includes 5G traffic information.

[0041] Step 104: After the UE performs inter-site switching, the target eNB sends a path switching request to the MME, where the path switching request includes 5G traffic information.

[0042] In an embodiment of the present invention, the target eNB receives a switching request message sent by the source eNB when determining that an inter-site switching occurs in a user equipment UE, the switching request message including 5G traffic information, and the target eNB sends a path switching request to the MME, the path switching request including the 5G traffic information. In an embodiment of the present invention, in the switching process, the target eNB sends the received 5G traffic information sent by the source eNB to the MME of the core network, thereby realizing the synchronization of 5G traffic reporting and the switching process, thereby improving the accuracy of 5G traffic statistics in the switching scenario.

[0043] Figure 2 A flow chart of another flow reporting method provided by an embodiment of the present invention, such as Figure 2 As shown, the method includes:

[0044] Step 202: The UE sends a measurement report to the source eNB.

[0045] As an optional solution, the UE may periodically perform cell measurement to obtain a measurement report, and send the measurement report to the source eNB. As another optional solution, the UE receives a measurement control instruction sent by the source eNB, performs cell measurement in response to the measurement control instruction to obtain a measurement report, and sends the measurement report to the source eNB.

[0046] Step 204: If the source eNB determines according to the measurement report that an inter-station handover occurs in the UE, it sends a handover request (Handover Request) message to the target eNB, where the handover request message includes 5G traffic information.

[0047] In an embodiment of the present invention, the source eNB queries whether the measurement report includes target cell information. If the measurement report includes target cell information, it is determined that the UE undergoes inter-site handover; if the measurement report does not include target cell information, it is determined that the UE does not undergo inter-site handover.

[0048] In an embodiment of the present invention, the switching request message sent by the source eNB to the target eNB is used to instruct the target eNB to prepare for switching, wherein the switching request message may include a secondary radio access technology data usage report (Secondary RAT Data Usage Report), and the secondary radio access technology data usage report includes 5G traffic information, so that the switching request message includes 5G traffic information.

[0049] When the source eNB determines that an inter-site handover occurs to the UE based on the measurement report, a secondary radio access technology data usage report is added to the handover request message during the handover preparation phase, and the 5G traffic information is synchronously sent to the target eNB through the secondary radio access technology data usage report.

[0050] In an embodiment of the present invention, the 5G traffic information may include a start timestamp, an end timestamp, uplink traffic, and downlink traffic. Table 1 shows the fields added to the secondary radio access technology data usage report.

[0051] Table 1

[0052]

[0053] As shown in Table 1 above, the field "dataVolumeUplink" is used to represent uplink traffic, the classification of this field is "M" class, the tag value of this field is "1", the type of this field is an integer (INTEGER), and the description of this field is the uplink traffic used by the secondary radio access technology (Secondary RAT) on the wireless side.

[0054] As shown in Table 1 above, the field "dataVolumeDownlink" is used to represent downlink traffic, the classification of this field is "M" class, the tag value of this field is "2", the type of this field is integer (INTEGER), and the description of this field is the downlink traffic used by the secondary radio access technology (Secondary RAT) on the wireless side.

[0055] As shown in Table 1 above, the field "rNAStartTime" is used to indicate the start timestamp, the field is classified as "M", the tag value of the field is "3", and the type of the field is a string (OCTET STRING), wherein "SIZE(9)" is used to indicate that the number of bytes occupied by the string (OCTET STRING) is 9, and the description of the field is the start time used by the secondary radio access technology (Secondary RAT) on the wireless side.

[0056] As shown in Table 1 above, the field "rNAEndTime" is used to indicate the end timestamp, the field is classified as "M", the tag value of the field is "4", and the type of the field is a string (OCTET STRING), wherein "SIZE(9)" is used to indicate that the number of bytes occupied by the string (OCTET STRING) is 9, and the description of the field is the end time used by the secondary radio access technology (Secondary RAT) on the wireless side.

[0057] In the embodiment of the present invention, Figure 3 A flow chart of another flow reporting method provided by an embodiment of the present invention, such as Figure 3 As shown, if the source eNB determines that the UE does not undergo inter-site handover according to the handover parameters, the following steps are continued:

[0058] Step 302: The source next generation Node B (gNB) sends a secondary radio access technology data usage report to the source eNB, where the secondary radio access technology data usage report includes 5G traffic information.

[0059] In the embodiment of the present invention, the NSA network can reasonably configure the 4G anchor station and NR station traffic reporting control parameters (NrDataVolumeRptCfg) at the same time to periodically report the traffic of the 4G anchor station and the traffic of the NR station. That is, from the start of the timing, the source gNB periodically sends the 5G traffic information to the source eNB through the secondary radio access technology data usage report.

[0060] Step 304: The source eNB forwards the secondary radio access technology data usage report to the MME.

[0061] The source eNB forwards the received secondary radio access technology data usage report to the MME, so that the MME can receive the 5G traffic information carried in the secondary radio access technology data usage report.

[0062] Step 206: The target eNB sends a secondary node addition request message to the target gNB.

[0063] In the embodiment of the present invention, the secondary node addition request is "SgNB Addition Request".

[0064] Step 208: The target gNB returns a secondary node addition request confirmation message to the target eNB.

[0065] In this embodiment of the present invention, the secondary node addition request is confirmed as "SgNB Addition RequestAcknowledge", and the node addition process is completed by executing steps 206 and 208, and the target cell resource access is successful.

[0066] Step 210: The target eNB returns a Handover Request Acknowledge message to the source eNB.

[0067] In the embodiment of the present invention, after the target cell resource admission is successful, the target eNB returns a handover request confirmation message to the source eNB to indicate that the handover preparation work is completed.

[0068] Step 212: The source eNB sends a secondary node release request message to the source gNB.

[0069] In an embodiment of the present invention, the secondary node release request is "SgNB Release Request".

[0070] Step 214: The source gNB sends a secondary node release request confirmation message to the source eNB.

[0071] In an embodiment of the present invention, the secondary node release request confirmation is "SgNB Release Request Ack".

[0072] Step 216: The source eNB sends a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection reconfiguration message to the UE.

[0073] In the embodiment of the present invention, the source eNB sends a radio control resource connection reconfiguration message to the UE to instruct the UE to perform a handover action.

[0074] Step 218: The UE accesses the cell of the target eNB through a random access procedure.

[0075] Step 220: The UE sends an RRC Connection Reconfiguration Complete message to the target eNB.

[0076] In the embodiment of the present invention, the UE sends an RRC connection reconfiguration complete message to the target eNB to indicate that the UE has accessed the cell of the target eNB.

[0077] Step 222: The UE accesses the target gNB cell through the SgNB secondary carrier addition process.

[0078] Step 224: The source eNB initiates a StatusTransfer process of a serial number (SN) to the target eNB.

[0079] Step 226: The target eNB sends a path switch request (Path Switch Request) to the MME, where the path switch request includes 5G traffic information.

[0080] In an embodiment of the present invention, in the bearer change phase, the path switching request sent by the target eNB to the MME is used to request the MME to update the node address of the service data channel. The path switching request may include a secondary radio access technology data usage report, and the secondary radio access technology data usage report includes 5G traffic information, so that the path switching request includes 5G traffic information.

[0081] The target eNB reports the 5G traffic information received from the source eNB to the MME of the core network through the newly added secondary radio access technology data usage report.

[0082] Step 228: Bearer Modification is performed between the MME and the Serving GateWay (S-GW).

[0083] In an embodiment of the present invention, the target eNB receives a switching request message sent by the source eNB when determining that an inter-site switching occurs in a user equipment UE, the switching request message includes 5G traffic information, the target eNB returns a switching request confirmation message to the source eNB, and the target eNB sends a path switching request to the MME after the UE performs an inter-site switching, the path switching request includes 5G traffic information. In an embodiment of the present invention, in the switching process, the target eNB sends the received 5G traffic information sent by the source eNB to the MME of the core network, thereby realizing the synchronization of 5G traffic reporting and the switching process, thereby improving the accuracy of 5G traffic statistics in the switching scenario.

[0084] The embodiment of the present invention only requires configuring the reporting message of 5G traffic information in the switching process, without adding hardware and other network elements, and with minimal network modification.

[0085] In an embodiment of the present invention, 5G traffic information is transmitted to the target eNB in ​​the switching preparation stage, and the 5G traffic information is reported to the MME of the core network through the target eNB in ​​the bearer change stage, so that 5G traffic data statistics and billing are more accurate.

[0086] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a flow reporting device provided by an embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. Figure 4 As shown, the device includes: a receiving module 11 and a sending module 12.

[0087] The receiving module 11 is used to receive a handover request message sent by the source eNB when determining that the user equipment UE has an inter-station handover, and the handover request message includes 5G traffic information. The sending module 12 is used to send a path switching request to the MME, and the path switching request includes 5G traffic information.

[0088] Furthermore, the sending module 12 is used to send a secondary node adding request message to the target gNB; the receiving module 11 is used to receive a secondary node adding request confirmation message returned by the target gNB.

[0089] Furthermore, the sending module 12 is further configured to return a handover request confirmation message to the source eNB.

[0090] In an embodiment of the present invention, a receiving module is used to receive a switching request message sent by a source eNB when determining that an inter-site switching occurs in a user equipment UE, the switching request message including 5G traffic information. A sending module is used to return a switching request confirmation message to the source eNB, and after the UE performs an inter-site switching, a path switching request is sent to a mobility management entity MME, wherein the path switching request includes 5G traffic information. In an embodiment of the present invention, 5G traffic information is reported to the MME of the core network in the inter-site switching process and the path switching process, thereby realizing synchronization of 5G traffic reporting and the switching process, and thereby improving the accuracy of 5G traffic statistics in the switching scenario.

[0091] An embodiment of the present invention provides a computer-readable storage medium, which includes a stored program, wherein when the program is run, the device where the computer-readable storage medium is located is controlled to execute an embodiment of the above-mentioned traffic reporting method.

[0092] An embodiment of the present invention provides a target eNB, comprising: one or more processors; a memory; and one or more computer programs, wherein the one or more computer programs are stored in the memory, and the one or more computer programs include instructions, and when the instructions are executed by the device, the device executes an embodiment of the above-mentioned traffic reporting method.

[0093] Figure 5A schematic diagram of a target eNB provided by an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 As shown, the target eNB 20 of this embodiment includes: a processor 21, a memory 22, and a computer program 23 stored in the memory 21 and executable on the processor 21. When the computer program 23 is executed by the processor 21, the method for reporting traffic applied in the embodiment is implemented. To avoid repetition, they are not described one by one here.

[0094] The target eNB 20 includes, but is not limited to, a processor 21 and a memory 22. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that Figure 5 This is only an example of the target eNB 20 and does not constitute a limitation on the target eNB 20. It may include more or fewer components than shown in the figure, or combine certain components, or different components. For example, the network device may also include input and output devices, network access equipment, buses, etc.

[0095] The processor 21 may be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc.

[0096] The memory 22 may be an internal storage unit of the target eNB 20, such as a hard disk or memory of the target eNB 20. The memory 22 may also be an external storage device of the target eNB 20, such as a plug-in hard disk, a smart media card (SMC), a secure digital (SD) card, a flash card, etc. equipped on the target eNB 20. Further, the memory 22 may also include both an internal storage unit of the target eNB 20 and an external storage device. The memory 22 is used to store computer programs and other programs and data required by network devices. The memory 22 may also be used to temporarily store data that has been output or is to be output.

[0097] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0098] In the several embodiments provided by the present invention, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation. For example, multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be an indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0099] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

[0100] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present invention may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit. The above-mentioned integrated unit may be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of hardware plus software functional units.

[0101] The above-mentioned integrated unit implemented in the form of a software functional unit can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. The above-mentioned software functional unit is stored in a computer-readable storage medium, including a number of instructions for a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) or a processor (Processor) to perform some steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present invention. The aforementioned computer-readable storage medium includes: U disk, mobile hard disk, read-only memory (Read-Only Memory, ROM), random access memory (Random Access Memory, RAM), disk or optical disk and other media that can store program codes.

[0102] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A flow reporting method, characterized in that: Applied to a target evolved base station eNB, the method includes: receiving a handover request message sent by a source eNB when determining that an inter-station handover of a user equipment UE occurs, wherein the handover request message includes 5G traffic information, and the 5G traffic information is included in a secondary radio access technology data usage report sent by a source gNB to the source eNB, and the source eNB and the source gNB are a 4G anchor station and an NR station in an NSA network; A path switching request is sent to the mobility management entity MME, where the path switching request includes 5G traffic information.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The switching request message includes a secondary wireless access technology data usage report, and the secondary wireless access technology data usage report includes the 5G traffic information.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The path switching request includes a secondary radio access technology data usage report, and the secondary radio access technology data usage report includes 5G traffic information.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The 5G traffic information includes a start timestamp, an end timestamp, uplink traffic, and downlink traffic.

5. A flow reporting method, characterized in that: include: When the source eNB determines that an inter-site handover occurs to the UE, the source eNB sends a handover request message to the target eNB, where the handover request message includes 5G traffic information, where the 5G traffic information is included in a secondary radio access technology data usage report sent by the source gNB to the source eNB, where the source eNB and the source gNB are a 4G anchor station and an NR station in the NSA network; The target eNB sends a path switching request to the MME, where the path switching request includes 5G traffic information.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that Before the target eNB sends the path switching request to the MME, the method includes: The source eNB sends a radio control resource RRC connection reconfiguration message to the UE; The UE accesses the cell of the target eNB through a random access procedure; The UE sends an RRC connection reconfiguration complete message to the target eNB.

7. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that Also includes: When the source eNB determines that the UE does not undergo inter-site handover, the source eNB receives a secondary radio access technology data usage report sent by the source next-generation base station gNB, where the secondary radio access technology data usage report includes 5G traffic information; The source eNB forwards the secondary radio access technology data usage report to the MME.

8. A flow reporting device, characterized in that: include: A receiving module, configured to receive a handover request message sent by a source eNB when determining that an inter-station handover of a user equipment UE occurs, wherein the handover request message includes 5G traffic information, and the 5G traffic information is included in a secondary radio access technology data usage report sent by a source gNB to the source eNB, and the source eNB and the source gNB are a 4G anchor station and an NR station in an NSA network; A sending module is used to send a path switching request to the MME, where the path switching request includes 5G traffic information.

9. A target eNB, characterized in that: include: one or more processors; Memory; And one or more computer programs, wherein the one or more computer programs are stored in the memory, and the one or more computer programs include instructions, and when the instructions are executed by the device, the device executes the traffic reporting method described in any one of claims 1 to 4.

10. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium includes a stored program, wherein when the program is executed, the device where the computer-readable storage medium is located is controlled to execute the traffic reporting method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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