Tracking area updating method and apparatus, communication device, and storage medium

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application disclose a tracking area updating (TAU) method and device, a communication device and a storage medium. The TAU method comprises the following steps: when a terminal comprises at least two subscriber identity modules, using one of the at least two subscriber identity modules to perform TAU of each of the at least two subscriber identity modules.

Description

[0001] The present application claims priority to Chinese application No. 201980001074.8, filed on June 11, 2019. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the field of wireless communication, but is not limited to the field of wireless communication, and in particular to a tracking area update method and device, a communication device, and a storage medium. BACKGROUND

[0003] With the development of wireless communication technology, multi-card terminal devices with two or more subscriber identification modules (SIMs) have gradually increased in popularity due to their convenience.

[0004] Currently, the processing method for multi-card mobile phones is mainly based on the implementation of each terminal manufacturer, and there is no unified standard to regulate, resulting in a variety of different terminal behaviors and processing methods; multi-card terminals consume more power, thereby shortening the terminal standby time. SUMMARY

[0005] Embodiments of the present application disclose a tracking area update method and device, a communication device, and a storage medium.

[0006] According to a first aspect of the embodiments of the present application, a tracking area update (TAU) method is provided, including:

[0007] When a terminal includes at least two subscriber identification modules, the TAU of each of the at least two subscriber identification modules is performed using one of the at least two subscriber identification modules.

[0008] According to a second aspect of the embodiments of the present application, a tracking area update method is provided, including:

[0009] Configuring tracking area (TA) configuration information for a terminal;

[0010] Sending the TA configuration information;

[0011] Receiving a tracking area update (TAU) request sent based on the TA configuration information, wherein the TAU request includes a TAU request sent by a terminal including at least two subscriber identification modules using one of the subscriber identification modules.

[0012] According to a third aspect of the embodiments of the present application, a tracking area update device is provided, including:

[0013] The updating module is configured to use one of the at least two subscriber identity modules to perform TAU of each of the at least two subscriber identity modules when the terminal comprises the at least two subscriber identity modules.

[0014] According to a fourth aspect of the embodiments of the present application, a tracking area updating apparatus is provided, comprising:

[0015] The configuration module is configured to configure the terminal with tracking area TAU configuration information.

[0016] The sending module is configured to send the TAU configuration information.

[0017] The third receiving module is configured to receive a tracking area TAU request sent based on the TAU configuration information, wherein the TAU request comprises a TAU request sent by a terminal comprising at least two subscriber identity modules using one subscriber identity module.

[0018] According to a fifth aspect of the embodiments of the present application, a mobile terminal is provided, comprising:

[0019] An antenna.

[0020] A memory configured to store an executable program.

[0021] A processor connected with the antenna and the memory respectively, configured to control the transceiving of the antenna, and perform the steps of the tracking area updating method according to any one of the preceding aspects when the executable program is executed.

[0022] According to a sixth aspect of the embodiments of the present application, a storage medium is provided, the storage medium stores an executable program, and the executable program can implement the steps of the tracking area updating method according to any one of the preceding aspects when executed by a processor.

[0023] The technical solution provided by the embodiments of the present application can reduce the power consumption caused by repeated TAU, reduce the overall power consumption of the terminal, and prolong the standby time of the terminal, if the terminal comprises two or more subscriber identity modules, one of which is used to perform TAU when cell selection is performed, instead of each subscriber identity module performing TAU. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0024] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present application and serve to explain the principles of the present application, together with the description.

[0025] Figure 1 A structure diagram of a wireless communication system provided by the embodiments of the present application;

[0026] Figure 2A flowchart of a tracking area updating method provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. 1.

[0027] Figure 3 A flowchart of a tracking area updating method provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. 1.

[0028] Figure 4 A flowchart of a tracking area updating method provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. 1.

[0029] Figure 5 A flowchart of a tracking area updating method provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. 1.

[0030] Figure 6 A flowchart of a tracking area updating method provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. 1.

[0031] Figure 7 A structure diagram of a tracking area updating apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. 1.

[0032] Figure 8 A structure diagram of a terminal provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. 1.

[0033] Figure 9 A structure diagram of a base station provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] The exemplary embodiments will be described in detail herein below with reference to the drawings. When the following description refers to arrangements in the drawings, identical numbers on different drawings represent the same or similar elements unless otherwise indicated. The implementations described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all implementations consistent with the present application. Instead, they are merely examples consistent with some aspects of the present application as detailed in the appended claims.

[0035] Reference is made to Figure 1 , which shows a structure diagram of a wireless communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 1 , the wireless communication system is a communication system based on cellular mobile communication technology, and the wireless communication system can include a plurality of terminals 110 and a plurality of base stations 120.

[0036] The terminal 110 can be a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to a user. The terminal 110 can communicate with one or more core networks via a Radio Access Network (RAN), and the terminal 110 can be an Internet of Things terminal, such as a sensor device, a mobile phone (or called "cellular" phone), and a computer with an Internet of Things terminal, for example, which can be fixed, portable, pocket, hand-held, computer-embedded, or vehicle-mounted. For example, a Station (STA), a subscriber unit, a subscriber station, a mobile station, a mobile, a remote station, an access point, a remote terminal, an access terminal, a user terminal, a user agent, a user device, or a user equipment. Alternatively, the terminal 110 can also be a device of an unmanned aerial vehicle. Alternatively, the terminal 110 can also be a vehicle-mounted device, for example, it can be a vehicle-mounted computer with wireless communication function or a wireless communication device externally connected to the vehicle-mounted computer. Alternatively, the terminal 110 can also be a roadside device, for example, it can be a street lamp, a signal lamp, or other roadside devices with wireless communication function, etc.

[0037] The base station 120 can be a network side device in a wireless communication system. The wireless communication system can be a 4th generation mobile communication (4G) system, also known as a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, or the wireless communication system can also be a 5G system, also known as a new radio (NR) system or a 5G NR system. Alternatively, the wireless communication system can also be a next generation of 5G system. In the 5G system, the access network can be referred to as an NG-RAN (New Generation-Radio Access Network).

[0038] The base station 120 can be an evolved NodeB (eNB) used in a 4G system. Alternatively, the base station 120 can also be a base station (gNB) using a centralized and distributed architecture in a 5G system. When the base station 120 uses a centralized and distributed architecture, it usually includes a central unit (CU) and at least two distributed units (DUs). The central unit is provided with a protocol stack of a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, and a media access control (MAC) layer; the distributed unit is provided with a protocol stack of a physical (PHY) layer. The specific implementation of the base station 120 is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0039] The base station 120 and the terminal 110 can establish a wireless connection through a wireless air interface. In different embodiments, the wireless air interface is a wireless air interface based on a fourth generation mobile communication network technology (4G) standard; or the wireless air interface is a wireless air interface based on a fifth generation mobile communication network technology (5G) standard, such as a new radio (NR) air interface; or the wireless air interface can also be a wireless air interface based on a more next generation mobile communication network technology standard of 5G.

[0040] In some embodiments, the terminals 110 can also establish an E2E (End to End) connection. For example, V2V (vehicle to vehicle) communication, V2I (vehicle to infrastructure) communication, and V2P (vehicle to pedestrian) communication in vehicle to everything (V2X) communication, and the like.

[0041] In some embodiments, the wireless communication system can also include a network management device 130.

[0042] A number of base stations 120 are connected to a network management device 130. The network management device 130 can be a core network device in a wireless communication system, for example, the network management device 130 can be a Mobility Management Entity (MME) in an Evolved Packet Core (EPC). Alternatively, the network management device can also be other core network devices, such as a Serving GateWay (SGW), a Public Data Network GateWay (PGW), a Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF), or a Home Subscriber Server (HSS), etc. The implementation form of the network management device 130 is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 1, the embodiments of the present application provide a tracking area updating method, which comprises the following steps. Figure 2

[0044] Step S201: When a terminal contains at least two user identification modules, using one of the at least two user identification modules to perform TAU of each of the at least two user identification modules.

[0045] In the embodiments, the tracking area updating method is applied to a terminal. The terminal includes but is not limited to a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a wearable device, or an Internet of Things device.

[0046] In the embodiments, if a terminal contains at least two user identification modules, it means that the mobile terminal includes two or more user identification modules. In summary, the terminal can include N user identification modules, N can be a positive integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0047] The terminal is a multi-user identification module terminal, and the behavior mode of the multi-user identification module terminal can be double-card double standby single call, double-card double standby double call, triple-card triple standby, etc.

[0048] The user identification module can be a Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) card in the form of a separate individual or an embedded Subscriber Identification Module (e-SIM) integrated in the terminal.

[0049] ​In the embodiment, the two or more than two user identification modules contained in the terminal are all moved with the terminal, so the current locations of the user identification modules are the same, and thus the TAU is also updated to the same geographical area or network area.

[0050] In the embodiment, in order to save power consumption, when the terminal contains two or more than two user identification modules, the TAU is performed by using one user identification module, so that compared with performing the TAU by using multiple or each user identification module, the power consumption generated by repeatedly performing the TAU between the terminal and the network side can be reduced, and the standby time of the terminal is prolonged.

[0051] In the embodiment, the TAU can include a periodic TAU and an aperiodic TAU. For the periodic TAU, the terminal performs the TAU once every period, periodically updates the TAI stored by the terminal, and reports the TA in which the terminal is currently located to the core network. When the TAU is performed, a TAU timer is set, and if the TAU timer is expired, it is indicated that a period has been reached since the last periodic TAU, and the TAU is performed.

[0052] The aperiodic TAU can be performed when a trigger event is met. For example, if the terminal receives a tracking area identity (TAI) list carried in a system message sent by a base station at a current location, and the TAI list is different from the TAI stored by the terminal, it is considered that the terminal has entered a new TA, and the TAU needs to be updated.

[0053] Through the TAU update, the core network stores the TA in which the terminal is located, and if the core network needs to page the terminal, a paging message is sent to the terminal in the corresponding TA to successfully page the terminal. In some embodiments, the step S201 can include:

[0054] The TAU request is sent by using one of the at least two user identification modules, and the TAU request contains identification information of other user identification modules except the one user identification module.

[0055] In some embodiments, the core network can know that the terminal includes two or more than two user identification modules, or the core network can not know that the terminal includes two or more than two user identification modules. In order to facilitate knowing that the TAU request sent by the terminal by using one user identification module is the TAU of all the user identification modules contained in the terminal, the terminal carries the identification information of other user identification modules in the TAU request.

[0056] For example, the terminal includes SIM1, USIM2 and eSIM3; if the TAU request is sent by SIM1, in order to inform the core network that this TAU request is for TAU of SIM1, USIM2 and eSIM3 contained in the terminal, the TAU request carries the identification information of USIM2 and eSIM3.

[0057] The identification information of SIM1 can have been informed to the network side in the message interaction process such as random access request between SIM and base station, so it is not necessary to carry it again in the TAU request, so as to reduce the bit overhead of the TAU request.

[0058] The TAU request is transmitted to the core network element of the core network through the base station. The core network element includes but is not limited to a mobile management entity (MME) or an access and mobility management function (AMF).

[0059] In some embodiments, the step S201 can include:

[0060] When the terminal contains at least two user identification modules, and the networks connected by the at least two user identification modules belong to the same operator, the TAU of each of the at least two user identification modules is performed by using one of the at least two user identification modules.

[0061] In some embodiments, the at least two user identification modules contained in the terminal can belong to the same operator, or can belong to different operators.

[0062] In this embodiment, if the at least two user identification modules belong to the same operator, only one user identification module is used to perform TAU.

[0063] In other embodiments, if multiple operators share the same communication network or complete network fusion, even if the at least two user identification modules belong to different operators, TAU can be performed by one user identification module instead of each user identification module performing its own TAU.

[0064] In some embodiments, the step S201 can further include:

[0065] When the terminal comprises at least two subscriber identity modules, the networks connected by the at least two subscriber identity modules belong to the same operator, and each of the at least two subscriber identity modules is in an idle state, a TAU of each of the at least two subscriber identity modules is performed by using one of the at least two subscriber identity modules.

[0066] In the embodiment, each of the subscriber identity modules can be in an idle state before the TAU is performed. The TAU request can be carried in a terminal establishment completion message after a random access process and a radio resource control between the terminal and the base station.

[0067] After the core network receives the TAU request, updates the TA in which the terminal is located, and stores the TA, the core network sends a TAU accept message to the terminal to indicate that the TAU update is completed. The TAU accept message can carry the TAI of the current TA.

[0068] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 3 The method further comprises:

[0069] Step S202: sending a notification indicating that the TAU has been performed to other subscriber identity modules in the at least two subscriber identity modules.

[0070] Since the TAU is completed by using one subscriber identity module, the subscriber identity module needs to inform other subscriber identity modules that the TAU has been completed. The notification is sent to the other subscriber identity modules, and the notification indicates that the TAU has been completed. If the base station issues a new TAI, the notification also carries the new TAI, so that the other user terminals and the core network update the TAI stored by the subscriber identity module that performs the TAU synchronously.

[0071] In some embodiments, the notification can also carry TAU configuration information reconfigured by the core network. The TAU configuration information includes but is not limited to TAI and / or a TAU timer.

[0072] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 4 The method further comprises:

[0073] Step S200a: receiving TAU configuration information of each of the at least two subscriber identity modules;

[0074] Step S200b: selecting one of the at least two subscriber identity modules for the TAU;

[0075] The step S201 comprises:

[0076] TAU of each of the at least two user identity modules is performed according to the TAU configuration information of the selected user identity module.

[0077] Before the TAU is performed, the terminal can receive the TAU configuration information from the network side, which includes but is not limited to TAI and / or TAU timer.

[0078] After the TAU configuration information is received, since the terminal contains multiple user identity modules, in this embodiment, one user identity module for TAU is selected.

[0079] In some embodiments, for example, step S200b can include at least one of the following:

[0080] The cell information in the user identity module with higher frequency is selected to perform the TAU;

[0081] The user identity module that has performed service data communication most recently is selected to perform the TAU.

[0082] In some embodiments, the method further includes:

[0083] The TAU configuration information of one of the at least two user identity modules is received;

[0084] The step S201 can include:

[0085] The TAU is performed according to the received TAU configuration information by using the user identity module corresponding to the received TAU configuration information.

[0086] In some embodiments, the core network knows that the terminal contains multiple user identity modules, and the same TAU configuration information is configured for these user identity modules, at this time, only one TAU configuration information can be sent to one user identity module, compared with the TAU configuration information sent to each user identity module, the information interaction between the core network and the terminal can be reduced, the signaling overhead can be reduced, and the power consumption of the terminal can be saved.

[0087] As shown in Figure 5 The present embodiment provides a tracking area update method, which includes:

[0088] Step S301: configuring tracking area TAU configuration information for a terminal;

[0089] Step S302: sending the TAU configuration information;

[0090] Step S303: receiving a tracking area (TA) update (TAU) request sent based on the TAU configuration information, wherein the TAU request comprises a TAU request sent by a terminal using one of the at least two subscriber identity modules.

[0091] The TAU method provided in the embodiment can be applied to a core network element of a core network.

[0092] For example, a core network element such as an MME or an AMF configures TAU for a terminal, and generates TAU configuration information.

[0093] The TAU configuration information can be used for TAU of one of the at least two subscriber identity modules, for example, a TAU request is sent based on the TAU configuration information.

[0094] In some embodiments, the TAU request comprises identification information of the other subscriber identity modules in the at least two subscriber identity modules.

[0095] If the TAU request sent by one of the subscriber identity modules carries identification information of the other subscriber identity modules, the core network element such as the MME can consider that the TAU request is a TAU request for TAU of multiple subscriber identity modules, and simultaneously perform TAU on the subscriber identity modules whose identification information is carried in the TAU request and the subscriber identity module that sends the TAU request. In some cases, the TAs updated after TAU of the subscriber identity modules are the same, or the new TAU configuration information generated based on the TAU request is the same.

[0096] In some embodiments, the method further comprises:

[0097] According to the identification information of the subscriber identity modules carried in the TAU request, at least two subscriber identity modules belonging to the same terminal are determined.

[0098] If the TAU request carries identification information of the other subscriber identity modules, the core network element can also determine from the TAU request whether the terminal contains multiple subscriber identity modules and which subscriber identity modules the terminal contains.

[0099] In some embodiments, before the terminal is attached, the core network can also determine from historical interaction records of the terminal with the core network before the terminal is attached this time whether the terminal contains multiple subscriber identity modules and which subscriber identity modules the terminal contains.

[0100] In some embodiments, the step S301 can comprise:

[0101] If it is determined that the at least two user identity modules belong to the same terminal, the same TAU configuration information is configured for each of the at least two user identity modules, otherwise, the configured TAU configuration information is assigned to each of the at least two user identity modules.

[0102] In the TAU configuration information, if the core network knows that a terminal contains multiple user identity modules, the same TAU configuration information is configured for these user identity modules, thereby simplifying the TAU configuration. If the core network does not know that these user identity modules belong to the same terminal, the core network will separately configure TAU configuration information for each user identity module. The TAU configuration information configured for different user identity modules can be the same or different.

[0103] In some embodiments, the method further comprises:

[0104] When the same TAU configuration information is configured for the at least two user identity modules, the TAU configuration information is sent to each of the at least two user identity modules respectively, or the TAU configuration information is sent to one of the at least two user identity modules.

[0105] In this embodiment, if the at least two user identity modules of the terminal are configured with the same TAU configuration information, the core network can send the TAU configuration information to each user identity module respectively, can randomly select one user identity module, or can select one user identity module according to a certain strategy to send the TAU configuration information to the user identity module.

[0106] For example, the SIM with the highest frequency of use in the same terminal is selected to send the TAU configuration information, thereby reducing the signaling bits generated by sending the TAU configuration information and reducing the power consumption of the terminal.

[0107] In some embodiments, the TAU configuration information comprises at least one of the following: a tracking area list TAI; a tracking area timer.

[0108] As shown in Figure 6 The present embodiment provides a tracking area updating apparatus, comprising:

[0109] The updating module 61 is configured to, when the terminal contains at least two user identity modules, perform TAU of each of the at least two user identity modules by using one of the at least two user identity modules.

[0110] In some embodiments, the updating module 61 can be a program module which, after being executed by a processor, can perform TAU by using one user identity module.

[0111] In some embodiments, the updating module 61 can be a hardware and software combined module; the hardware and software combined module includes but is not limited to various programmable arrays; the programmable array includes a field programmable array or a complex programmable array.

[0112] In still some embodiments, the updating module 61 can include a pure hardware module such as an application specific integrated circuit.

[0113] In some embodiments, the updating module 61 is configured to send a TAU request by using one of the at least two subscriber identity modules, wherein the TAU request contains identification information of other subscriber identity modules in the at least two subscriber identity modules except the one subscriber identity module.

[0114] In some embodiments, the updating module 61 is configured to perform TAU of each of the at least two subscriber identity modules by using one of the at least two subscriber identity modules when the terminal contains the at least two subscriber identity modules and networks connected by the at least two subscriber identity modules belong to the same operator.

[0115] In some embodiments, the updating module 61 is configured to perform TAU of each of the at least two subscriber identity modules by using one of the at least two subscriber identity modules when the terminal contains the at least two subscriber identity modules, networks connected by the at least two subscriber identity modules belong to the same operator, and each of the at least two subscriber identity modules is in an idle state.

[0116] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes:

[0117] a notifying module configured to send a notification indicating that TAU has been performed to other subscriber identity modules in the at least two subscriber identity modules.

[0118] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes:

[0119] a first receiving module configured to receive TAU configuration information of each of the at least two subscriber identity modules;

[0120] a selecting module configured to select one of the at least two subscriber identity modules for the TAU;

[0121] The updating module 61 is configured to perform TAU of each of the at least two user identification modules according to TAU configuration information of the selected user identification module by using the selected user identification module.

[0122] In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises:

[0123] The first receiving module is configured to receive TAU configuration information of one of the at least two user identification modules;

[0124] The updating module 61 is configured to perform TAU according to the received TAU configuration information by using the one user identification module corresponding to the received TAU configuration information.

[0125] As shown in Figure 7 The present embodiment provides a tracking area updating apparatus, comprising:

[0126] The configuration module 71 is configured to configure tracking area TAU configuration information for a terminal;

[0127] The sending module 72 is configured to send the TAU configuration information;

[0128] The third receiving module 73 is configured to receive a tracking area TAU request sent based on the TAU configuration information, wherein the TAU request comprises a TAU request sent by a terminal containing at least two user identification modules by using one user identification module.

[0129] In some embodiments, the configuration module 71, the sending module 72 and the third receiving module 73 can be program modules, which can perform TAU by using one user identification module after being executed by a processor.

[0130] In some embodiments, the configuration module 71, the sending module 72 and the third receiving module 73 can be soft and hard combined modules; the soft and hard combined modules include but are not limited to various programmable arrays; the programmable arrays include field programmable arrays or complex programmable arrays.

[0131] In still some embodiments, the configuration module 71, the sending module 72 and the third receiving module 73 can include special integrated circuits and other pure hardware modules.

[0132] In some embodiments, the TAU request comprises identification information of other user identification modules except the one user identification module among the at least two user identification modules.

[0133] In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises:

[0134] determining module, configured to determine that the at least two user identification modules belong to the same terminal according to identification information of the user identification modules carried in the TAU request.

[0135] In some embodiments, the configuration module 71 is configured to configure the same TAU configuration information for each of the at least two user identification modules if it is determined that the at least two user identification modules belong to the same terminal, or otherwise assign the configured TAU configuration information to each of the at least two user identification modules.

[0136] In some embodiments, the sending module 72 is further configured to send the TAU configuration information to each of the at least two user identification modules respectively, or send the TAU configuration information to one of the at least two user identification modules when the same TAU configuration information is configured for the at least two user identification modules.

[0137] In some embodiments, the TAU configuration information comprises at least one of the following:

[0138] a tracking area list (TAI);

[0139] a tracking area timer.

[0140] The following provides several specific examples in combination with any of the above embodiments:

[0141] Example 1:

[0142] Through the method of the present application, for the case that the multiple SIM cards of the multi-card terminal belong to the same operator network and are in an idle state, only one SIM card needs to perform TAU at the same time, thereby saving the power of the terminal.

[0143] The present application provides a tracking area update method.

[0144] For the scenario that the multiple SIM cards of the multi-card terminal belong to the same operator and the two SIM cards of the dual-card terminal are both in an idle state, if the core network knows that the multiple SIM cards belong to the same terminal, the multiple SIM cards are configured with the same TAI list and the same TAU timer.

[0145] When the multi-card terminal needs to perform periodic TAU and aperiodic TAU, only one SIM card performs periodic TAU and aperiodic TAU.

[0146] When the core network receives a TAU request sent by one of the SIM cards of the multi-card terminal, it also knows the locations of the other SIM cards of the multi-card terminal.

[0147] If the core network does not know that the multiple SIM cards belong to the same terminal, the identity information of the other SIM cards will also be notified to the core network when a certain SIM card of the multi-card terminal needs to perform periodic TAU and aperiodic TAU.

[0148] For example, through a TAU request, the core network receives the signaling of the SIM card initiating TAU, and knows the locations of the other SIM cards of the multi-card terminal.

[0149] The SIM card needs to inform the other SIM cards through the multi-card terminal that it has performed TAU when the SIM card performs TAU, and then the other SIM cards will not perform TAU.

[0150] Through the method of the application, for the case that the multiple SIM cards of the multi-card terminal belong to the same operator network, only one SIM card needs to perform cell reselection at the same time, thereby saving the power of the terminal.

[0151] Example 2:

[0152] The application is aimed at the scenario that the multiple SIM cards of the multi-card terminal belong to the same operator, and both SIM cards of the dual-card terminal are in an idle state.

[0153] If the core network knows that the multiple SIM cards belong to the same terminal, the multiple SIM cards are configured with the same TAI list and the same TAU timer.

[0154] When the multi-card terminal needs to perform periodic TAU and aperiodic TAU, one SIM card is used to perform periodic TAU and aperiodic TAU.

[0155] When the core network receives the TAU request sent by one SIM card of the multi-card terminal, the locations of the other SIM cards of the multi-card terminal are also known.

[0156] If the core network does not know that the multiple SIM cards belong to the same terminal, the identity information of the other SIM cards will also be notified to the core network when a certain SIM card of the multi-card terminal needs to perform periodic TAU and aperiodic TAU, for example through a TAU request.

[0157] The core network receives the TAU request of the SIM card initiating TAU, and knows the locations of the other SIM cards of the multi-card terminal.

[0158] The SIM card needs to inform the other SIM cards through the multi-card terminal that it has performed TAU when the SIM card performs TAU, and then the other SIM cards will not perform TAU.

[0159] The embodiment also provides a communication device, comprising:

[0160] an antenna;

[0161] a memory;

[0162] a processor, connected with the antenna and the memory respectively, configured to control the antenna to transceive wireless signals by executing an executable program stored in the memory, and capable of performing steps of the tracking area updating method provided by any of the preceding embodiments.

[0163] The communication device provided by the embodiment can be the terminal or the base station. The terminal can be various user terminals or vehicle terminals. The base station can be various types of base stations, such as a 4G base station or a 5G base station.

[0164] The antenna can be various types of antennas, such as a 3G antenna, a 4G antenna, or a 5G antenna. The antenna can also include a WiFi antenna or a wireless charging antenna.

[0165] The memory can include various types of storage media, which is a non-transitory computer storage medium capable of continuing to store information stored thereon after the communication device is powered off.

[0166] The processor can be connected with the antenna and the memory through a bus or the like, configured to read the executable program stored in the memory, and execute the executable program by, for example Figures 2 to 5 the tracking area updating method.

[0167] The embodiment of the application further provides a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, which stores an executable program, wherein the executable program is executed by a processor to implement steps of the tracking area updating method provided by any of the preceding embodiments, for example, at least one of the methods shown in Figures 2 to 5

[0168] Referring to the terminal 800 shown in Figure 8 The embodiment provides a terminal 800, which can be a mobile phone, a computer, a digital broadcast terminal, a messaging equipment, a game console, a tablet device, a medical device, a fitness device, a personal digital assistant, and the like.

[0169] Referring to the terminal 800 shown in Figure 8 The terminal 800 can include one or more of the following components: a processing component 802, a memory 804, a power supply component 806, a multimedia component 808, an audio component 810, an input / output (I / O) interface 812, a sensor component 814, and a communication component 816.

[0170] ​The processing component 802 generally controls the overall operations of the terminal 800, such as operations associated with display, telephony calls, data communications, camera operations, and recording operations. The processing component 802 can include one or more processors 820 to execute instructions to complete the steps of the methods described above, in whole or in part. Moreover, the processing component 802 can include one or more modules to facilitate the interaction between the processing component 802 and other components. For example, the processing component 802 can include a multimedia module to facilitate the interaction between the multimedia component 808 and the processing component 802.

[0171] The memory 804 is configured to store various types of data to support the operations of the terminal 800. Examples of these data include instructions to operate any applications or methods on the terminal 800, contact data, phonebook data, messages, pictures, videos, and so on. The memory 804 can be realized by any type of volatile or nonvolatile storage devices or a combination thereof, such as static random access memory (SRAM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), read-only memory (ROM), magnetic memory, flash memory, magnetic disk, or optical disk.

[0172] The power component 806 provides power to the various components of the terminal 800. The power component 806 can include a power management system, one or more power supplies, and other components associated with generating, managing, and distributing power for the terminal 800.

[0173] The multimedia component 808 includes a screen providing an output interface between the terminal 800 and a user. In some embodiments, the screen can include a liquid crystal display (LCD) and a touch panel (TP). If the screen includes the touch panel, the screen can be implemented as a touch screen to receive an input signal from a user. The touch panel includes one or more touch sensors to sense a touch, a slide, and a gesture on the touch panel. The touch sensor can not only sense a boundary of a touching or sliding action, but also detect duration and pressure related to the touching or sliding action. In some embodiments, the multimedia component 808 includes a front camera and / or a back camera. The front camera and / or the back camera can receive external multimedia data when the terminal 800 is in an operation mode, such as a shooting mode or a video mode. Each of the front and back cameras can be a fixed optical lens system or have a focal length and optical zoom capability.

[0174] The audio component 810 is configured to output and / or input audio signals. For example, the audio component 810 includes a microphone (MIC) that is configured to receive an external audio signal when the terminal 800 is in an operational mode, such as a call mode, a recording mode, and a voice recognition mode. The received audio signal can be further stored in the memory 804 or transmitted via the communication component 816. In some embodiments, the audio component 810 also includes a speaker for outputting audio signals.

[0175] The I / O interface 812 provides an interface between the processing component 802 and peripheral interface modules, which can include a keypad, a click wheel, buttons, and so on. The buttons can include, but are not limited to, a home button, a volume button, a start button, and a lock button.

[0176] The sensor component 814 includes one or more sensors for providing status assessments of various aspects of the terminal 800. For example, the sensor component 814 can detect an open / closed position of the terminal 800, relative positioning of components, such as a display and a keypad of the terminal 800, a change of position of the terminal 800 or a component of the terminal 800, presence or absence of user contact with the terminal 800, orientation or acceleration / deceleration / g-force and temperature of the terminal 800. The sensor component 814 can include an orientation sensor, an altimeter, a proximity sensor, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a magnetometer, a pressure sensor or a temperature sensor.

[0177] The communication component 816 is configured to facilitate wired or wireless communication between the terminal 800 and another device. The terminal 800 can access a wireless network based on a communication standard, such as Wi-Fi, 2G, or 3G, or a combination thereof. In an example embodiment, the communication component 816 receives broadcast signals or broadcast-related information from an external broadcasting management system via a broadcast channel. In an example embodiment, the communication component 816 also includes a Near Field Communication (NFC) module to facilitate short-range communication. For example, the NFC module can be implemented based on Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology, infrared data association (IrDA) technology, ultra-wideband (UWB) technology, Bluetooth (BT) technology, and other technology.

[0178] In an exemplary embodiment, the terminal 800 can be implemented by one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), controllers, micro-controllers, microprocessors or other electronic elements, for executing the above-described methods.

[0179] In an exemplary embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instructions, such as the memory 804 including instructions, is also provided, which can be executed by the processor 820 of the terminal 800 to complete the above-described methods. For example, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium can be a ROM, a random access memory (RAM), a CD-ROM, a magnetic tape, a floppy disc, and an optical data storage device, etc. The terminal can be used to implement the aforementioned tracking area updating method, for example, the tracking area updating method as shown in Figures 2 to 5 .

[0180] Figure 9 is a block diagram of a base station 900 according to an exemplary embodiment. For example, the base station 900 can be provided as a network-side device. Referring to Figure 9 , the base station 900 includes a processing component 922, which further includes one or more processors, and memory resources represented by a memory 932, for storing instructions executable by the processing component 922, such as an application program. The application program stored in the memory 932 can include one or more than one module each corresponding to a set of instructions. In addition, the processing component 922 is configured to execute the instructions to perform the tracking area updating method provided by any of the above-described embodiments, for example, the method as shown in Figures 2 to 6 .

[0181] The base station 900 can also include a power supply component 926 configured to perform power management of the base station 900, a wired or wireless network interface 950 configured to connect the base station 900 to a network, and an input / output (I / O) interface 958. The base station 900 can operate based on an operating system stored in the memory 932, such as Windows ServerTM, Mac OSXTM, UnixTM, LinuxTM, FreeBSDTM or the like.

[0182] The wireless network interface 950 includes, but is not limited to, the antenna of the aforementioned communication devices. Other embodiments of the application will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the application disclosed herein. It is intended that the application cover any and all variations of the application that come within the scope of the claims and that the claims be interpreted not to be limited to only those embodiments that have been described in the specification and hereinafter. The description and examples are intended to be illustrative of the application and are not in limitation of the true scope and spirit of the application as set forth in the claims.

[0183] It is to be understood that the application is not limited to the precise construction hereinafter described and as shown in the attached drawings, and that various modifications and changes can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the application. The scope of the application is to be defined only by the claims appended hereto.

Claims

1. A tracking area update (TAU) method, wherein: include: When the terminal includes at least two user identification modules, using one of the at least two user identification modules to perform TAU of each of the at least two user identification modules; Receive a new tracking area identifier (TAI) sent by the base station; Sending a notification to a user identification module of the at least two user identification modules other than the user identification module performing the TAU to inform the user of the completion of the TAU; the notification carries a new TAI; the user identification module performing the TAU is at least one of the following: A most frequently used user identification module among the at least two user identification modules; The user identification module of the most recent business data communication; A user identity module corresponding to the received TAU configuration information.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The performing TAU of each of the at least two user identification modules by using one of the at least two user identification modules includes: A TAU request is sent by using one of the at least two user identification modules, wherein the TAU request includes identification information of other user identification modules among the at least two user identification modules except the one user identification module.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein The performing TAU of each of the at least two user identification modules by using one of the at least two user identification modules includes: When the terminal includes at least two user identification modules and the networks connected to the at least two user identification modules belong to the same operator, TAU of each of the at least two user identification modules is performed using one of the at least two user identification modules.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein: When the terminal includes at least two user identification modules, using one of the at least two user identification modules to perform tracking area updating further includes: When the terminal includes at least two user identification modules, the networks connected to the at least two user identification modules belong to the same operator, and each user identification module in the at least two user equipment modules is in an idle state, one of the at least two user identification modules is used to perform TAU of each of the at least two user identification modules.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The method further comprises: receiving TAU configuration information of each of the at least two user identification modules; Selecting a user identification module for the TAU from the at least two user identification modules; The performing TAU of each of the at least two user identification modules by using one of the at least two user identification modules includes: The selected user identification module is used to perform TAU of each of the at least two user identification modules according to the TAU configuration information of the selected user identification module.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The method further comprises: receiving TAU configuration information of one of the at least two user identification modules; The performing TAU of each of the at least two user identification modules by using one of the at least two user identification modules includes: A user identification module corresponding to the received TAU configuration information is used to perform TAU according to the received TAU configuration information.

7. A tracking area update method, wherein: include: Configure tracking area TAU configuration information for the terminal; Send TAU configuration information; receiving a tracking area TAU request sent based on the TAU configuration information, wherein the TAU request includes: a TAU request sent by a terminal including at least two user identification modules using one user identification module; Sending a new TAI to the terminal; the terminal is configured to send a notification to a user identification module of the at least two user identification modules other than the user identification module performing the TAU, to inform the user of the completion of the TAU; the notification carries the new TAI; the user identification module performing the TAU is at least one of the following: A most frequently used user identification module among the at least two user identification modules; The user identification module of the most recent business data communication; A user identity module corresponding to the received TAU configuration information.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein: The TAU request includes: identification information of other user identification modules among the at least two user identification modules except the one user identification module.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein The method further comprises: At least two user identification modules belonging to the same terminal are determined according to the identification information of the user identification modules carried in the TAU request.

10. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein: The configuring tracking area TAU configuration information for the terminal further includes: If it is determined that the at least two user identification modules belong to the same terminal, the same TAU configuration information is configured for each of the at least two user identification modules; otherwise, the configured TAU configuration information is allocated to each of the at least two user identification modules.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein: The method further comprises: When the same TAU configuration information is configured for the at least two user identification modules, the TAU configuration information is sent to each of the at least two user identification modules respectively, or the TAU configuration information is sent to one of the at least two user identification modules.

12. The method according to claim 7, wherein: The TAU configuration information includes at least one of the following: Tracking Area List TAI; Tracking area timer.

13. A tracking area update device, wherein: include: An update module is configured to, when a terminal includes at least two user identification modules, use one of the at least two user identification modules to perform TAU of each of the at least two user identification modules; receive a new TAI sent by a base station; send a notification to the user identification modules of the at least two user identification modules other than the one that performs the TAU to inform them of the completion of the TAU; the notification carries the new TAI; the one that performs the TAU is at least one of the following: a user identification module that is most frequently used among the at least two user identification modules; the user identification module that performed service data communication most recently; a user identification module corresponding to the received TAU configuration information.

14. A tracking area update device, wherein: include: A configuration module configured to configure tracking area TAU configuration information for the terminal; a sending module configured to send TAU configuration information; a third receiving module configured to receive a tracking area TAU request sent based on the TAU configuration information, wherein the TAU request includes: a TAU request sent by a terminal including at least two user identification modules using one user identification module; The sending module is further configured to send a new TAI to the terminal; the terminal is used to send a notification to the user identification modules of the at least two user identification modules other than the user identification module that performs the TAU, to inform the completion of the TAU; the notification carries the new TAI; the user identification module that performs the TAU is at least one of the following: a user identification module that is most frequently used among the at least two user identification modules; a user identification module that performs service data communication for the most recent time; a user identification module corresponding to the received TAU configuration information.

15. A mobile terminal, comprising: antenna; a memory configured to store an executable program; A processor is connected to the antenna and the memory respectively, configured to control the transmission and reception of the antenna, and to perform the steps of the tracking area update method according to any one of claims 1 to 6 or 7 to 12 when running the executable program.

16. A storage medium storing an executable program, wherein when the executable program is executed by a processor, the steps of the tracking area update method according to any one of claims 1 to 6 or 7 to 12 are performed when the executable program is run.

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