Improving data connectivity of user equipment in mobile network

Abstract

The invention relates to a user equipment, UE, having a connection with a primary node (MN) and a secondary node (SN). The SN notifies the UE of an upcoming turn-off period during which the SN will not communicate with the UE. If the UE needs to communicate with the SN during the period, the UE will attempt to establish a new connection with the new SN. To this end, the UE will send, to its MN, information about its communication on period in which it needs to communicate with the SN and information about an off period. The MN will determine one or more possible new SNs based on the information about the communication ON period of the UE and the information about the ON periods of the other SNs. The MN will send information about possible new SNs to the UE, and the UE selects one of these possible new SNs to establish a new connection.

Description

[0001] background

[0002] The present invention relates to a method for improving data connection of UE (User Equipment) in a mobile network.

[0003] In a mobile network, a UE (e.g. a mobile phone) can be connected to a first base station, which in turn can be connected to servers in the cloud. This enables the UE to exchange data with these servers. The UE can also be connected to a second base station, which in turn can be connected to these or other servers in order to expand the possibilities for the UE to exchange data with these servers, for example in terms of bandwidth or quality of service (QoS) of the connection.

[0004] One of the base stations may be referred to as a primary node (MN) of the UE, and the other base station may be referred to as a secondary node (SN) of the UE. The MN may be arranged to manage connections between the UE and the MN, and may also manage connections between the UE and the SN.

[0005] However, if the SN cannot forward the data from the UE to the server in the cloud, the data connection of the UE may be degraded in terms of bandwidth or quality of service (QoS).The object of the present invention is to improve the data connection of a UE (User Equipment) in a mobile network. Summary of the invention

[0006] The object of the present invention is achieved by providing a method according to claims 1, 4, 6 and 9, a UE according to claim 13 and a network node according to claim 14.

[0007] According to a first aspect, there is provided a method for improving a data connection of a UE (User Equipment) in a mobile network, preferably performed by the UE, the method comprising the following steps:

[0008] - Establishing a first connection between the UE and a MN (Master Node) of the mobile network;

[0009] - receiving connection information for establishing a second connection between the UE and a SN (Secondary Node) from the MN using the first connection;

[0010] - establishing a second connection between the UE and the SN based on the connection information,

[0011] ○ wherein, during a communication on time period, the UE will communicate with the SN, and during a communication off time period, the UE will not communicate with the SN;

[0012] ○ wherein, during the on time period, the SN is able to communicate with the UE, and during the off time period, the SN is unable to communicate with the UE;

[0013] - receiving a switching-off message from the SN using the second connection, the switching-off message indicating an upcoming switching-off period of the SN;

[0014] - determining a mismatch between the upcoming OFF period of the SN and the communication ON period of the UE;

[0015] - In response to the determined mismatch, the method further comprises the steps of:

[0016] a) sending a delay request to the SN, wherein the request includes a delay time for extending the on period of the SN;

[0017] and / or,

[0018] b) - sending the information about the communication on period and the information about the upcoming off period to the MN using the first connection and / or sending the information about the communication on period and the information about the upcoming off period to the SN using the second connection, wherein the SN is arranged to forward the information to the MN using a third connection between the SN and the MN;

[0019] - receiving new connection information from the MN for establishing a new second connection between the UE and a new SN; wherein the new connection information includes information about at least one new SN;

[0020] - selecting a new SN from the at least one new SN;

[0021] - Establishing a new second connection with the selected new SN.

[0022] The user equipment may be a vehicle, a mobile phone, or any other device arranged to be connected to a communication network, preferably a wireless network, arranged to be connected to a communication network. Examples of such communication networks are cellular mobile networks, networks defined by 3GPP, WLAN, Bluetooth networks, and DSRC networks.

[0023] Since the MN manages the connection between the UE and the SN, it is the MN that sends information to the UE to establish this connection.

[0024] In general, nodes in a network may be arranged to be temporarily at least partially switched off to save energy. In this case, during a so-called off period, the node will be (partially) switched off and unable to communicate with its UE. During an on period, the node is switched on and able to communicate with its UE. A node is either in an off period or in an on period.

[0025] In one or more embodiments, the sequence of on-periods and off-periods may be periodic at least for a certain period of time. In other embodiments, the sequence may be non-periodic. In one or more embodiments, the sequence of on-periods and off-periods is determined by the network, for example, to meet certain energy saving goals.

[0026] The UE may be arranged to be in a communication on period or a communication off period. During the communication on period, the UE will communicate with the SN, and during the communication off period, the UE will not communicate with the SN. In one or more embodiments, the sequence of the communication on period and the communication off period may be periodic at least in a certain time period. In other embodiments, this sequence may be non-periodic.

[0027] In one or more embodiments, the sequence of communication-on periods and communication-off periods is determined by the UE, for example based on buffer load in the UE or based on an estimated future data load that needs to be communicated with a remote server using the SN.

[0028] If the SN is scheduled to enter an off period, it can communicate this by sending an off message to the UE. When the UE is in a communication on period, the UE can compare its communication on period with the scheduled off period and determine that there is no match, which means that the UE is scheduled to communicate with the SN after the SN enters the off period.

[0029] In response to the determined mismatch, the UE may be arranged to react in one or more of the following ways:

[0030] 1) The UE may send a deferral request to the SN to delay the start of the SN's off period so that the UE will be able to complete its communication on period before the start of the off period. In this way, the UE can continue to transmit its scheduled data.

[0031] 2) The UE may attempt to connect to another SN that has not entered the shutdown period before the end of the UE's communication on period. In this way, the UE can establish a new connection with the new SN and use the new SN to transmit at least a portion of its scheduled data.

[0032] Since the connection between the UE and the SN is managed by the MN, the UE may be arranged to use its (direct) first connection with the MN to indicate to the MN a mismatch or that it needs to connect to another SN.

[0033] However, due to QoS fluctuations or high data load of the first connection, this first connection may not be so reliable. Therefore, the UE may be arranged to additionally or alternatively use its second connection (with the SN) to indicate the mismatch or its need to the MN. The SN is arranged to forward or relay this information to the MN, for example using a wired connection between the SN and the MN.

[0034] The need to connect to another SN may be communicated to the MN by sending information about the communication-on period and information about the upcoming communication-off period.

[0035] In one or more embodiments, information about the upcoming switch-off period is transmitted as part of a measurement report generated by the UE.In one or more embodiments, receiving a switch-off message in a UE may trigger the UE to generate a measurement report.

[0036] Based on this information and information from one or more other SNs (indicating their respective current on-periods and / or upcoming off-periods), the MN may determine one or more new SNs based on one or more predetermined criteria.

[0037] In one or more embodiments, the information about the one or more other SNs is received by the MN as part of the measurement report generated by the UE.

[0038] In one or more embodiments, the predetermined criterion may be that, for each new SN, its corresponding on period ends after the communication on period ends. Additionally or alternatively, the predetermined criterion may be that, for each new SN, its corresponding on period ends after a predetermined threshold time. In one or more embodiments, the predetermined threshold time is determined based on information about the QoS of one or more services running in the UE and / or the status of a data buffer in the UE and / or an estimated future data load that needs to be communicated with a remote server.

[0039] The MN may transmit new connection information for establishing a new second connection between the UE and the new SN to the UE, wherein the new connection information includes information about the determined one or more new SNs.

[0040] After receiving the new connection information, the UE may select a new SN from the at least one new SN and establish a new second connection with the selected new SN. In one or more embodiments, the new SN is selected from the at least one new SN based on the quality of the signal received in the UE from the corresponding new SN.

[0041] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for improving data connectivity of a UE (User Equipment) in a mobile network, preferably performed by a master node, the method comprising the following steps:

[0042] - Establishing a first connection between the UE and a MN (Master Node) of the mobile network;

[0043] - using the first connection to transmit to the UE connection information for establishing a second connection between the UE and a SN (secondary node);

[0044] ○ wherein, during a communication on time period, the UE will communicate with the SN, and during a communication off time period, the UE will not communicate with the SN;

[0045] ○ wherein, during the on time period, the SN is able to communicate with the UE, and during the off time period, the SN is unable to communicate with the UE;

[0046] - receiving information about a communication on period of the UE and information about an upcoming off period of the SN from the UE using the first connection or from the SN using a third connection, wherein the SN is arranged to forward the information received from the UE to the MN using the third connection between the SN and the MN;

[0047] - receiving information from one or more other SNs, the information indicating respective current on-periods and / or upcoming off-periods of the one or more other SNs;

[0048] - determining one or more new SNs based on one or more predetermined criteria; and

[0049] - Transmitting new connection information for establishing a new second connection between the UE and the new SN to the UE; wherein the new connection information includes information about the determined one or more new SNs.

[0050] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for improving data connection of a group of multiple UEs (User Equipment) in a mobile network, preferably performed by a MN, the method comprising the following steps:

[0051] - establishing a plurality of first connections between the plurality of UEs and a master node (MN) of the mobile network;

[0052] - using the plurality of first connections to transmit, to each of the plurality of UEs, corresponding connection information for establishing a second connection between the corresponding UE and a corresponding SN (Secondary Node);

[0053] ○ wherein, during a communication on time period, a UE among the plurality of UEs will communicate with the SN, and during a communication off time period, the UE will not communicate with the SN;

[0054] o wherein, during an on time period, an SN of the plurality of SNs is able to communicate with its UE, and during an off time period, the SN is unable to communicate with the plurality of UEs;

[0055] - receiving information about an upcoming switch-off period for one or more SNs of the plurality of SNs;

[0056] - Grouping one or more UEs into one or more groups based on one or more grouping criteria;

[0057] - determining a new SN for each group of UEs based on one or more predetermined criteria; and

[0058] - Transmitting new connection information to each UE in each group of UEs, the new connection information being used to establish a new second connection between the corresponding UE and a new SN determined for the corresponding group.

[0059] By grouping the UEs, the processing power required by the MN to search for new SNs for the multiple UEs can be less than the processing power required by the MN to search for a new SN for each UE individually.

[0060] In one or more embodiments, the one or more UEs each establish a second connection with the one or more SNs, wherein information about the upcoming shutdown period of the one or more SNs has been received. In this embodiment, only for UEs that have a second connection with the SN that has sent the shutdown message, the new SN will be determined, that is, this is only for those UEs that may be affected by the upcoming shutdown period.

[0061] In one or more embodiments, the one or more UEs may also include UEs having a second connection with other SNs (i.e., SNs for which information about the upcoming shutdown period has not been received). In this embodiment, new SNs may be determined not only for those UEs that may be affected by the upcoming shutdown period, but also for more UEs. This will further optimize the assignment of UEs to SNs, but also requires greater processing capabilities in the MN.

[0062] In one or more embodiments, information about upcoming power-off periods of one or more of the plurality of SNs is periodically transmitted to the MN by the corresponding SN.

[0063] According to one or more embodiments, the grouping criteria may be based on (or include) at least one of the group consisting of:

[0064] - the end of the communication on period of the corresponding UE;

[0065] - QoS and / or priority of one or more services running in the respective UE;

[0066] - the status of the upload data buffer in the corresponding UE,

[0067] - The status of the download buffer of the UE.

[0068] According to one or more embodiments, the predetermined criterion comprises at least one of the group consisting of:

[0069] - for each new SN of a group of UEs, the corresponding on period of the new SN ends after all communication on periods of all UEs in the group end;

[0070] - For each new SN of a group of UEs, the corresponding on period of the new SN is within a predetermined threshold time T th Then ends, wherein the predetermined threshold time T th The determination is preferably based on information about the QoS of one or more services running in the group of UEs and / or the status of data buffers of the group of UEs.

[0071] According to another aspect, there is provided a method for improving data connectivity of a UE (User Equipment) in a mobile network, preferably performed in a SN, the method comprising the following steps:

[0072] - establishing a second connection between the UE and the SN,

[0073] ○ wherein, during a communication on time period, the UE will communicate with the SN, and during a communication off time period, the UE will not communicate with the SN;

[0074] ○ wherein, during the on time period, the SN is able to communicate with the UE, and during the off time period, the SN is unable to communicate with the UE;

[0075] - sending a switch-off message to the UE using the second connection, the switch-off message indicating an upcoming switch-off period of the SN;

[0076] Wherein, the method further comprises the following steps:

[0077] a) receiving a deferral request from the UE, wherein the request includes a deferral time;

[0078] - extending the current on-time period by the said extension time,

[0079] and / or

[0080] b) - receiving, using the second connection, from the UE information about a communication on period and information about an upcoming off period; and

[0081] - forwarding the information to the MN using a third connection between the SN and the MN.

[0082] In one or more embodiments, the information regarding the upcoming switch-off period is received and forwarded as part of a measurement report generated by the UE.

[0083] In one or more embodiments, the first connection is a cellular mobile network connection and / or the second connection is a cellular mobile network connection, and / or the third connection is one of the group consisting of: a wireless connection and a wired network connection, preferably an X2 connection.

[0084] In one or more embodiments, the communication on period of the UE is a so-called DRX on period, and the communication off period of the UE is a so-called DRX off period; and / or the information about the communication on period is sent as part of DRX configuration information, wherein, preferably, the DRX on period and the DRX off period are determined by the MN preferably based on DRX configuration parameter information. In this embodiment, DRX stands for discontinuous reception.

[0085] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a user equipment (UE) arranged for operation in a mobile network, the user equipment comprising:

[0086] - at least one communication unit for establishing a connection between the UE and a master node (MN) and between the UE and a secondary node (SN);

[0087] - a processing unit for executing the steps of a computer program;

[0088] - A computer readable medium having stored thereon a computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by said processing unit, cause the UE to perform the steps of any method performed by the UE described in this document.

[0089] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a network node arranged for operation in a mobile network, the network node comprising:

[0090] - at least one communication unit for establishing a connection between the node and at least one UE and between the node and at least one other node;

[0091] - a processing unit for executing the steps of a computer program;

[0092] - A computer readable medium having stored thereon a computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by said processing unit, cause the node to perform the steps of any method performed by a Master Node (MN) and / or a Secondary Node (SN) described in this document.

[0093] According to another aspect of the present invention, a computer readable medium is provided, on which a computer program including instructions is stored. When a computer executes the program, the instructions cause the computer to execute the steps of any method described in the present embodiment.

[0094] The operation, advantages and embodiments of the UE, SN and MN, as well as the operation, advantages and embodiments of the computer program and computer readable medium correspond mutatis mutandis to the operation, advantages and embodiments of the method described in this document. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0095] For a more complete understanding of the present invention, reference will be made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0096] Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing a use case involving a UE connecting to a MN, a SN, and a new SN according to one or more embodiments of the present invention;

[0097] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a UE according to one or more embodiments of the present invention is shown;

[0098] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a network node (MN or SN) according to one or more embodiments of the present invention is shown;

[0099] Figure 4 A schematic diagram showing a method to be performed in a UE according to one or more embodiments of the present invention;

[0100] Figure 5 A schematic diagram showing a method to be performed in a MN according to one or more embodiments of the present invention;

[0101] Figure 6 A schematic diagram showing a method to be performed in a SN according to one or more embodiments of the present invention;

[0102] Figure 7 A schematic diagram showing an example of a communication on / off period of a UE and an on / off period of a SN;

[0103] Figure 8 illustrates selection of a new SN according to one or more embodiments of the present invention, showing on / off periods of multiple SNs; and

[0104] Fig. 9Another schematic diagram shows a method to be performed in a MN according to one or more embodiments of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0105] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a use case involving a UE 100 connected to a MN 110, a SN 120, and a new SN 160 according to one or more embodiments of the present invention. Figure 1 1 , MN 110 is connected to UE 100 using a first connection 140. UE 100 is connected to SN 120 using a second connection 150, and is connected to new SN 160 using a new second connection 170. MN 110, SN 120, and new SN 160 are connected using a third connection 180.

[0106] The UE 100 may be arranged to communicate with the cloud server 130 using the first connection 140 and / or the second connection 150, 170. In the figure, the UE 100 is represented by a mobile phone symbol, but the UE 100 may also be a vehicle, wherein the vehicle may be a car, truck, motorcycle or bus.

[0107] In one or more embodiments, the first connection 140 is a cellular mobile network connection and / or the second connection 150 is a cellular mobile network connection, and / or the third connection 180 is a wired network connection (preferably an X2 connection).

[0108] Figure 2 1 shows a schematic diagram of a UE according to one or more embodiments of the present invention. The UE 100 includes at least one communication unit 210 for establishing a connection between the UE 100 and the MN 110 and between the UE 100 and the SN 120, 160. The UE also includes a processing unit 220 for executing the steps of a computer program stored on a computer readable medium 230. The computer program includes instructions that, when executed by the processing unit, cause the UE 100 to perform the steps described in the reference Figure 4 The steps of method 400 are described.

[0109] Figure 3A schematic diagram of a network node according to one or more embodiments of the present invention is shown, which network node may be a MN 110, a SN 120 or a new SN 160. The network node 110, 120, 160 comprises at least one communication unit 310 for establishing a connection between the node 110, 120, 160 and at least one UE 100 and between the node 110, 120, 160 and at least one other node 160, 120, 110. The network node further comprises a processing unit 320 for executing the steps of a computer program stored on a computer readable medium 330. The computer program comprises instructions which, when executed by the processing unit, cause the network node to perform the steps as described in reference to Figure 5 The steps of the method described (the network node is a MN) or as referred to in Figure 6 Steps of the method described (the network node is a SN).

[0110] refer to Figure 1 and Figure 4 , the following steps of the method 400 to be performed by the UE 100 will be described:

[0111] In step 410, a first connection 140 is established between a UE 100 and a MN 110 of a mobile network. In step 420, connection information for establishing a second connection 150 between the UE 100 and the SN 120 is received from the MN 110 using the first connection 140. In step 430, the second connection 150 is established between the UE 100 and the SN 120 based on the connection information.

[0112] like Figure 7 As shown, the UE 100 may be arranged to communicate with the SN 120 during a communication on period 720. During a communication off period 710, the UE 100 will not communicate with the SN 120. The SN 120 may be arranged to communicate with the UE 100 during an on period 730, and may not communicate with the UE 100 during an off period 740.

[0113] A mismatch may occur when the UE 100 intends to communicate during its communication on period 720 with the SN 120 during the off period 740. Figure 7 Indicated by 750.

[0114] In one or more embodiments, the communication on period 720 of the UE 100 is a DRX on period, and the communication off period 710 is a DRX off period. Information about these periods is sent as part of the DRX configuration information. In one or more embodiments, the DRX on period 720 and the DRX off period 710 are determined by the MN 110 preferably based on the DRX configuration parameter information.

[0115] In step 440, the UE 100 receives a power-off message from the SN 120 using the second connection 150, the power-off message indicating an upcoming power-off period 740 of the SN 120. In step 450, a mismatch between the upcoming power-off period 740 and the communication-on period 720 of the UE 100 is determined.

[0116] In response to the determined mismatch, UE 100 may react in one or more of the following ways.

[0117] The UE 100 may send a deferral request to the SN 120 in step 460 , the deferral request including a deferral time 760 for extending the on period 730 , so that the extended on period ends after the communication-on period 720 ends.

[0118] The UE 100 may use the first connection 140 in step 470 to send information about the communication on period 720 and information about the upcoming off period 740 to the MN 110. Additionally or alternatively, the UE 100 may use the second connection 150 to send this information to the MN 110, wherein the SN 120 is arranged to forward or relay this information to the MN 110 using the third connection 180.

[0119] In one or more embodiments, step 470 may include the following steps.

[0120] In step 472, UE 100 may generate a measurement report (MR) in response to receiving the shutdown message, wherein the MR includes information about the quality of signals from network nodes (eg, from MN 110, SN 120, and optionally other nodes such as SN 160).

[0121] The UE 100 may add the received information about the upcoming switching-off period 740 to the information about the quality of the signal from the network node in the MR, or even a more complete received switching-off message.

[0122] In step 475, UE 100 may send an enriched MR (ie, adding information about the upcoming power-off period or adding a power-off message) to MN 110 using first connection 140 or second connection 150.

[0123] Based on the received information, the MN 110 will determine at least one new SN 160, 162, 165 for the UE 100.

[0124] In step 480, UE 100 receives new connection information for establishing a new second connection 170 between UE 100 and new SNs 160, 162, 165 from MN 110. The new connection information includes information about at least one new SN. In step 490, a new SN 160 is selected from the at least one new SN 160, 162, 165, and in step 495, a new second connection 170 is established with the selected new SN 160.

[0125] When the MN 110 has determined multiple new SNs, the UE 100 may be arranged to select a new SN from the multiple new SNs, for example by comparing the quality of signals from the multiple SNs. The UE 100 may then select the new SN 160 with the best signal quality.

[0126] Also refer to Figure 5 The above contents are described from the perspective of a MN. The figure shows a schematic diagram of a method 500 to be executed in a MN according to one or more embodiments of the present invention.

[0127] In step 510, the MN 110 establishes a first connection 140 between the UE 100 and the MN 110. In step 520, the MN 110 transmits connection information for establishing a second connection 150 between the UE 100 and the SN 120 to the UE 100 using the first connection 140.

[0128] In step 530, MN 110 receives information about the communication on period 720 of UE 100 and information about the upcoming off period 740 of SN 120. This information may be received directly from UE 100 using first connection 140, or from SN 120 using third connection 180. In one or more embodiments, this information may be included in the MR, which may also include information about the quality of the signal received by UE 100 from the network node.

[0129] In step 540, MN 110 receives information from one or more other SNs indicating respective current on periods and / or upcoming off periods of the one or more other SNs. In step 550, MN 110 determines one or more new SNs based on one or more predetermined criteria.

[0130] Figure 8 This determination is shown in . Figure 8Shown are communication OFF period 710 and communication ON period 720 of UE 100, and ON period 730 and OFF period 740 of multiple SNs 160, 162, 165, which MN 110 may evaluate as candidate SNs for UE 100 using one or more predetermined criteria.

[0131] One of these criteria may be that, for each new SN, its corresponding on period ends after the communication on period ends. Figure 8 In the example of , this is the case for SN 160 and SN 162, but not for SN 165.

[0132] Another of these criteria may be that for each new SN, its corresponding on-period is within a predetermined threshold time T th 810 ends. This predetermined threshold time T th The determination may be based on information about the QoS of one or more services running in the UE and / or about the status of a data buffer in the UE. Figure 8 In the example shown, only SN162 meets this criterion.

[0133] Yet another of these criteria may be that, for each new SN, its corresponding expected data load is below a predetermined threshold load ( Figure 8 not shown).

[0134] In step 550, MN 110 may determine that SN 160 and 162 are suitable as new SNs for UE 100. In step 560, MN 110 transmits new connection information for establishing a new second connection 170 between UE 100 and the new SNs to UE 100, wherein the new connection information includes information about the determined one or more new SNs 160, 162.

[0135] Also refer to Figure 6 The above contents are described from the perspective of SN 120. The figure shows a schematic diagram of a method 600 to be performed in the SN according to one or more embodiments of the present invention.

[0136] In step 610, the SN 120 establishes a second connection 150 between the UE 100 and the SN 120. In step 620, the SN 120 sends a power-off message to the UE 100 using the second connection 150, the power-off message indicating an upcoming power-off period 740 of the SN 120.

[0137] The method 600 may further include step 630, in which the SN 120 receives a deferral request from the UE 100, the deferral request including a deferral time 760. In response to the deferral request, the SN 120 extends the current on period 730 by the deferral time 760 in step 640.

[0138] Alternatively or additionally, method 600 may further include step 650, in which SN 120 receives information about the communication on period 720 and information about the upcoming off period 740 from UE 100 using the second connection 150, and in step 660 forwards the information to MN 110 using a third connection 180 between SN 120 and MN 110.

[0139] In one or more embodiments, the information regarding the upcoming off period 740 is received and forwarded as part of a measurement report generated by the UE 100 .

[0140] When a network node acts as a SN for multiple UEs and sends shutdown messages to the multiple UEs, the involved MNs may require a significant amount of processing power in order to determine one or more new SNs for each UE individually.

[0141] Therefore, according to one or more embodiments of the present invention, the MN may determine one or more new SNs for each group of UEs, rather than determining one or more new SNs for each UE individually.

[0142] This is Fig. 9 , which shows another schematic diagram of a method 900 for improving data connection of a group of multiple UEs to be performed in the MN 110 according to one or more embodiments of the present invention.

[0143] In step 910, the MN 110 establishes a plurality of first connections 140 between a plurality of UEs 100 and the MN 110. In step 920, the MN transmits to each UE corresponding connection information for establishing a plurality of second connections between a corresponding UE 100 in the plurality of UEs and a corresponding SN in the plurality of SNs. In step 930, the MN 110 receives information about an upcoming shutdown period 740 of one or more SNs in the plurality of SNs.

[0144] In step 940, MN 110 groups the plurality of UEs into one or more groups based on one or more grouping criteria. In one or more embodiments, the UEs to be grouped are UEs having a second connection 150 with a SN from which MN 110 has received information about an upcoming power-off period. Alternatively or additionally, the UEs to be grouped may be all UEs having a first connection 140 with MN 110.

[0145] One of these grouping criteria may be based on the end of the communication on period of the respective UE. This will result in several groups of UEs, each of which has a respective end of a communication on period that falls within a group-specific range.

[0146] Likewise, when the grouping criteria is based on, for example, the QoS of one or more services running in the UE, the UE groups are constructed to have similar required QoS. In addition, the status of the upload data buffer in the UE or the status of the download buffer of the UE can be used as a basis for grouping the UE.

[0147] In step 940, MN 110 may determine a new SN for each group of UEs based on one or more predetermined criteria. These predetermined criteria for determining one or more SNs for a group of UEs may be similar to the predetermined criteria for determining one or more SNs for a single UE.

[0148] Therefore, the predetermined criteria for determining one or more SNs for a group of UEs may be that, for each new SN of a group of UEs, the corresponding on period of the new SN ends after all communication on periods of all UEs in the group end. Alternatively, for each new SN of a group of UEs, the corresponding on period of the new SN ends after all communication on periods of all UEs in the group end. th Then ends, wherein the predetermined threshold time T th The determination is preferably based on information about the QoS of one or more services running in the group of UEs and / or about the status of data buffers of the group of UEs.

[0149] In step 950, MN 110 transmits new connection information to each UE in each group of UEs, where the new connection information is used to establish a new second connection between the corresponding UE and the new SN determined for the corresponding group.

[0150] The technician will appreciate that the various illustrative logic blocks, modules, circuits and algorithmic steps described about the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software or the combination of the two. In order to clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits and steps have been generally described above with regard to their functions. Whether this function is implemented as hardware or software depends on specific applications and design constraints imposed on the entire system. Those skilled in the art can implement described functions in different ways for each specific application, but this implementation decision should not be interpreted as causing deviation from the scope of the invention.

[0151] The previous description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be given the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

[0152] The benefits and advantages that the present invention can provide have been described above with respect to specific embodiments. These benefits and advantages, and any elements or limitations that can make them occur or become more significant should not be interpreted as key, necessary or essential features of any or all claims. As used herein, the terms "comprises", "comprising", or any other variations thereof are intended to be interpreted as non-exclusively including the elements or limitations behind these terms. Accordingly, systems, methods or other embodiments including a set of elements are not limited to these elements, and may include other elements that are not explicitly listed or inherent to the claimed embodiments.

[0153] Although the present invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, it should be understood that these embodiments are illustrative and the scope of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. Many changes, modifications, additions and improvements to the above-described embodiments are possible. It is contemplated that these changes, modifications, additions and improvements fall within the scope of the present invention as detailed in the following claims.

[0154] One or more embodiments of the present invention may also be described as follows: The present invention relates to a user equipment UE having a connection with a master node (MN) and a secondary node (SN). The SN notifies the UE of an upcoming shutdown period, during which the SN will not be able to communicate with the UE. If the UE needs to communicate with the SN during this period, the UE will attempt to establish a new connection with a new SN. To this end, the UE will send information about its communication on period (during which it needs to communicate with the SN) and information about the shutdown period to its MN. The MN will determine one or more possible new SNs based on the information about the UE's communication on period and the information about the connection periods of other SNs. The MN will send information about possible new SNs to the UE, and the UE selects one of these possible new SNs to establish a new connection.

Claims

1. A method for improving data connection of a UE (User Equipment) in a mobile network, the method comprising the following steps: - Establishing a first connection between the UE and a MN (Master Node) of the mobile network; - receiving connection information for establishing a second connection between the UE and a SN (Secondary Node) from the MN using the first connection; - establishing a second connection between the UE and the SN based on the connection information, ○ wherein, during a communication on time period, the UE will communicate with the SN, and during a communication off time period, the UE will not communicate with the SN; ○ wherein, during the on time period, the SN is able to communicate with the UE, and during the off time period, the SN is unable to communicate with the UE; - receiving a switching-off message from the SN using the second connection, the switching-off message indicating an upcoming switching-off period of the SN; - determining a mismatch between the upcoming OFF period of the SN and the communication ON period of the UE; - In response to the determined mismatch, the method further comprises the steps of: a) sending a delay request to the SN, wherein the request includes a delay time for extending the on time period of the SN; and / or b) - sending the information about the communication on period and the information about the upcoming off period to the MN using the first connection and / or sending the information about the communication on period and the information about the upcoming off period to the SN using the second connection, wherein the SN is arranged to forward the information to the MN using a third connection between the SN and the MN; - receiving new connection information from the MN for establishing a new second connection between the UE and a new SN; wherein the new connection information includes information about at least one new SN; - selecting a new SN from the at least one new SN; - Establish a new second connection with the selected new SN.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: Step b) further comprises the following steps: - generating a measurement report (MR) comprising information about the quality of signals from the MN, the SN and optionally other nodes; - sending the MR to the MN and / or the SN; wherein the information about the upcoming switch-off period is sent as part of the MR; or Therein, the switch-off message including the information about the upcoming switch-off period is sent as part of the MR.

3. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The selecting of a new SN from the at least one new SN is performed based on the quality of a signal from the corresponding new SN.

4. A method for improving data connection of a UE (User Equipment) in a mobile network, the method comprising the following steps: - Establishing a first connection between the UE and a MN (Master Node) of the mobile network; - using the first connection to transmit to the UE connection information for establishing a second connection between the UE and a SN (secondary node); ○ wherein, during a communication on time period, the UE will communicate with the SN, and during a communication off time period, the UE will not communicate with the SN; ○ wherein, during the on time period, the SN is able to communicate with the UE, and during the off time period, the SN is unable to communicate with the UE; - receiving information about a communication on period of the UE and information about an upcoming off period of the SN from the UE using the first connection or from the SN using a third connection, wherein the SN is arranged to forward the information received from the UE to the MN using the third connection between the SN and the MN; - receiving information from one or more other SNs, the information from the one or more other SNs indicating respective current on-periods and / or upcoming off-periods of the one or more other SNs; - determining one or more new SNs based on one or more predetermined criteria; and - Transmitting new connection information for establishing a new second connection between the UE and the new SN to the UE; wherein the new connection information includes information about the determined one or more new SNs.

5. The method according to the preceding claim, wherein: The predetermined criteria include at least one of the group consisting of: - for each new SN, its corresponding on period ends after the communication on period ends; - For each new SN, its corresponding on-period is within the predetermined threshold time T th Then ends, wherein the predetermined threshold time T th Preferably determining based on information about the QoS of one or more services running in the UE and / or about the status of data buffers in the UE; and - For each new SN, its corresponding expected data load is below a predetermined threshold load.

6. A method for improving data connectivity of a group of multiple UEs (User Equipment) in a mobile network, the method comprising the following steps: - establishing a plurality of first connections between the plurality of UEs and a MN (master node) of the mobile network; - using the plurality of first connections to transmit, to each of the plurality of UEs, corresponding connection information for establishing a second connection between the corresponding UE and a corresponding SN (Secondary Node); ○ wherein, during a communication on time period, a UE among the plurality of UEs will communicate with the SN, and during a communication off time period, the UE will not communicate with the SN; o wherein, during an on time period, an SN of the plurality of SNs is able to communicate with its UE, and during an off time period, the SN is unable to communicate with the plurality of UEs; - receiving information about an upcoming switch-off period for one or more SNs of the plurality of SNs; - grouping the one or more UEs into one or more groups based on one or more grouping criteria; - determining a new SN for each group of UEs based on one or more predetermined criteria; and - Transmitting new connection information to each UE in each group of UEs, the new connection information being used to establish a new second connection between the corresponding UE and a new SN determined for the corresponding group.

7. The method according to the preceding claim, wherein: The grouping criteria may be based on at least one of the group consisting of: - the end of the communication on period of the corresponding UE; - QoS of one or more services running in the respective UE; -The status of the upload data buffer in the corresponding UE; - The status of the download buffer of the UE.

8. The method according to any of claims 6 to 7, wherein: The predetermined criteria include at least one of the group consisting of: - for each new SN of a group of UEs, the corresponding on period of the new SN ends after all communication on periods of all UEs in the group end; - For each new SN of a group of UEs, the corresponding on period of the new SN is within a predetermined threshold time T th Then ends, wherein the predetermined threshold time T th The determination is preferably based on information about the QoS of one or more services running in the group of UEs and / or about the status of data buffers of the group of UEs.

9. A method for improving data connection of a UE (User Equipment) in a mobile network, the method comprising the following steps: - establishing a second connection between the UE and the SN, ○ wherein, during a communication on time period, the UE will communicate with the SN, and during a communication off time period, the UE will not communicate with the SN; ○ wherein, during the on time period, the SN is able to communicate with the UE, and during the off time period, the SN is unable to communicate with the UE; - sending a switch-off message to the UE using the second connection, the switch-off message indicating an upcoming switch-off period of the SN; Wherein, the method further comprises the following steps: a) receiving a deferral request from the UE, wherein the request includes a deferral time; - extending the current on-time period by the said extension time, and / or b) - receiving, using the second connection, from the UE information about a communication on period and information about an upcoming off period; and - forwarding the information to the MN using a third connection between the SN and the MN.

10. The method according to the preceding claim, wherein: The information about the upcoming switch-off period is received and forwarded as part of a measurement report generated by the UE.

11. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, in, The first connection is a cellular mobile network connection, and / or the second connection is a cellular mobile network connection, and / or the third connection is one of the group consisting of: a wireless connection and a wired connection, preferably an X2 connection.

12. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, in, The communication on period of the UE is a so-called DRX on period, and the communication off period of the UE is a so-called DRX off period; as well as wherein the information about the communication on period is sent as part of DRX configuration information; Preferably, the DRX on period and the DRX off period are determined by the MN based on DRX configuration parameter information.

13. A user equipment (UE) arranged for operation in a mobile network, the user equipment comprising: - at least one communication unit for establishing a connection between the UE and a master node (MN) and between the UE and a secondary node (SN); - a processing unit for executing the steps of a computer program; - A computer readable medium having stored thereon a computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by the processing unit, cause the UE to perform the steps of the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3.

14. A network node arranged for operation in a mobile network, the network node comprising: - at least one communication unit for establishing a connection between the node and at least one UE and between the node and at least one other node; - a processing unit for executing the steps of a computer program; - A computer readable medium having stored thereon a computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by said processing unit, cause the node to perform the steps of the method as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 9.

15. A computer readable medium having stored thereon a computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the steps of the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11.

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