Method and device for determining target cell ID for calculating MAC-I

Abstract

Methods, systems, and devices for determining a target cell identity (ID) for computing an integrity message authentication code (MAC-I) are described. The method comprises the following steps: user equipment (UE) determines a target cell identity (ID) for calculating an authentication code corresponding to a cell through the following steps: the UE receives system information broadcasted from a network node; the UE determines a network type of the cell based on the system information; the UE determines a target cell ID based on the network type and the system information; another method comprises: a network node determining a target cell identity (ID) for calculating an authentication code corresponding to a cell through the following steps: the network node broadcasting system information to a user equipment (UE); the network node determines a target cell ID based on the network type of the cell.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communications and, in particular, to methods and apparatus for determining a target cell identifier (ID) for calculating a message authentication code for integrity (MACI). Background Art

[0002] Wireless communication technology is driving the world towards an increasingly interconnected networked society. High-speed, low-latency wireless communications rely on efficient network resource management and allocation between user devices and radio access network nodes (including but not limited to base stations). The next-generation network is expected to provide high-speed, low-latency and ultra-reliable communication capabilities to meet the needs of different industries and users.

[0003] During the User Equipment (UE) recovery or reestablishment process, the UE or base station may need to determine the target cell ID for calculating the MAC-I. There are some problems in determining the target cell ID for calculating the MAC-I, especially in the case of a public network and a non-public network sharing the network.

[0004] The present disclosure describes various embodiments for determining a target cell ID for calculating a MAC-I, solving at least one of the problems / difficulties discussed above. Various embodiments of the present disclosure can achieve low latency, low overhead, and short interruption time, thereby improving the efficiency and / or performance of wireless communications. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present invention relates to methods, systems and devices for wireless communication, and more particularly, to methods, systems and devices for determining a target cell ID for calculating a MAC-I. Various embodiments of the present invention can be helpful in reducing failures in MAC-I checking, improving resource utilization efficiency, and improving the performance of wireless communication.

[0006] In one embodiment, the present disclosure describes a wireless communication method. The method includes: a user equipment UE determines a target cell identification ID for calculating an authentication code corresponding to a cell through the following steps: the UE receives system information broadcasted from a first network node; the UE determines a network type of the cell based on the system information; the UE determines the target cell ID based on the network type and the system information.

[0007] In one embodiment, the present disclosure describes a wireless communication method. The method includes: a first network node determines a target cell ID for calculating an authentication code corresponding to a cell by the following steps: the first network node broadcasts system information to a user equipment UE; the first network node determines the target cell ID based on a network type of the cell.

[0008] In some other embodiments, a wireless communication device may include a memory storing instructions and a processing circuit communicating with the memory. When the processing circuit executes the instructions, the processing circuit is configured to perform the above method.

[0009] In some other embodiments, a wireless communication device may include a memory storing instructions and a processing circuit in communication with the memory. When the processing circuit executes the instructions, the processing circuit is configured to perform the above method.

[0010] In some other embodiments, a computer-readable medium includes instructions, which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the above method.

[0011] The above-described embodiments and other aspects and their implementation are described in more detail in the drawings, the description and the claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1A An example of a wireless communication system is shown, the system including a radio network node and one or more user equipments.

[0013] Figure 1B The flowchart of the UE transitioning from the Radio Resource Control (RRC) inactive state to the RRC connected state is shown.

[0014] Figure 1C A flow chart of the UE reestablishment process is shown.

[0015] Figure 2 An example of a network node is shown.

[0016] Figure 3 An example of a user equipment is shown.

[0017] Figure 4 A schematic diagram illustrating a non-limiting embodiment of wireless communication is shown.

[0018] Figure 5A A flow chart of a wireless communication method is shown.

[0019] Figure 5B A flow chart of another wireless communication method is shown.

[0020] Figure 6 A schematic diagram illustrating another non-limiting embodiment of wireless communication. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] The present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the present disclosure and show specific embodiments by way of illustration. However, it is noted that the present disclosure can be embodied in a variety of different forms, and therefore, the subject matter covered or claimed is intended to be construed as not limited to any embodiment to be described below.

[0022] Throughout the specification and claims, terms may have nuanced meanings that are suggested or implied by the context rather than the explicitly stated meanings. Similarly, the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in some embodiments" used herein do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, and the phrases "in another embodiment" or "in other embodiments" used herein do not necessarily refer to different embodiments. The phrases "in one embodiment" or "in some embodiments" used herein do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, and the phrases "in another embodiment" or "in other embodiments" used herein do not necessarily refer to different embodiments. For example, it is intended that the claimed subject matter includes all or part of the exemplary embodiments or combinations of embodiments.

[0023] In general, terms may be understood, at least in part, based on the context in which they are used. For example, terms used herein, such as "and," "or," or "and / or," may have multiple meanings that depend, at least in part, on the context in which the terms are used. Typically, "or," if used in connection with a list, such as A, B, or C, means A, B, and C (here in an inclusive sense) as well as A, B, or C (here in an exclusive sense). Additionally, the terms "one or more" or "at least one," as used herein, may be used to describe any feature, structure, or characteristic in a singular sense, or a combination of features, structures, or characteristics in a plural sense, depending, at least in part, on the context. Similarly, the terms "a," "an," or "the" may also be understood to be used in either the singular or the plural, depending, at least in part, on the context. Additionally, the terms "based on" or "determined by" may also be understood to not necessarily express an exclusive set of factors, but rather may allow for the presence of other factors that are not necessarily explicitly described, again depending, at least in part, on the context.

[0024] The present disclosure introduces methods and apparatus for determining a target cell ID to calculate a MAC-I.

[0025] Wireless communication technology is driving the world towards an increasingly interconnected networked society. High-speed, low-latency wireless communications rely on efficient network resource management and allocation between user devices and radio access network nodes (including but not limited to base stations). The next-generation network is expected to provide high-speed, low-latency and ultra-reliable communication capabilities to meet the needs of different industries and users.

[0026] Next Generation (NG) or 5th Generation (5G) wireless communications offer a range of capabilities from high-speed downloads to support for real-time low-latency communications. NG mobile communications systems are moving the world toward an increasingly interconnected, networked society.

[0027] During the UE recovery or reconstruction process, the UE or base station may need to determine the target cell ID to calculate the MAC-I. There are some problems in determining the target cell ID for calculating the MAC-I, especially in network sharing scenarios with public networks and non-public networks (NPN). For example, in a network sharing scenario with a public network, when the UE calculates the short MAC-I for the RRC recovery or RRC reconstruction process, the cell ID of the first public land mobile network (PLMN) may be used as the target cell ID (TargetCellID); for the case of sharing the network only with a non-public network, the cell ID of the first PLMN may be randomly set, resulting in a mismatch in the short MAC-I, which ultimately leads to the failure of the RRC recovery or RRC reconstruction process.

[0028] The present disclosure describes various embodiments for determining a target cell ID for calculating a MAC-I, solving at least one of the problems / difficulties discussed above. Various embodiments in the present disclosure can achieve low latency, low overhead, and short interruption time, thereby improving the efficiency and / or performance of wireless communications.

[0029] Figure 1AA wireless communication system 100 including a core network (CN) 110, a radio access network (RAN) 130 and one or more UEs (a first UE 152, a second UE 154, and a third UE 156) is shown. The RAN 130 may include a wireless network base station, or a next generation radio access network (NG-RAN) base station or node, wherein the NG-RAN base station or node may include a node nodeB (NB, such as gNB) in a mobile communication environment. In one embodiment, the CN 110 may include a 5G core network (5G Core Network, 5GC), and the interface 125 may include an NG interface.

[0030] See also Figure 1A , the first UE 152 may wirelessly receive one or more downlink communications 142 from the RAN 130 and wirelessly send one or more uplink communications 141 to the RAN 130. Similarly, the second UE 154 may wirelessly receive downlink communications 144 from the RAN 130 and wirelessly send uplink communications 143 to the RAN 130; the third UE 156 may wirelessly receive downlink communications 146 from the RAN 130 and wirelessly send uplink communications 145 to the RAN 130. For example, but not limited to, the downlink communications may include a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) or a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH); the uplink communications may include a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) or a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH).

[0031] In some NR communication implementations, see Figure 1B , UE 191 is in an inactive state, in which the UE and the network (including gNB 192, the last serving gNB 194, and the Access and Mobility Function [AMF] 196) will retain some access stratum (Access Stratum, AS) contexts. When the UE needs to restore the connection, the UE will send a restoration request message to the network.

[0032] Some embodiments may include some or all of the following steps. Referring to step 161, when the UE is in an RRC inactive state and a Connection Management (CM) connected state, the UE may send an RRC recovery request message to the gNB. Referring to step 162, the gNB may send a retrieve UE context request message to the last serving gNB. Referring to step 163, the last serving gNB may send a retrieve UE context response message to the gNB. Referring to step 164, the gNB may send an RRC recovery message to the UE. In response to receiving the RRC recovery message, the UE may enter an RRC connected state and a CM connected state. Referring to step 165, the UE may send an RRC recovery complete message to the gNB. Referring to step 166, the gNB may send an Xn-U address indication to the last serving gNB. Referring to step 167, the gNB may send a path switch request message to the AMF. Referring to step 168, the AMF may send a path switch request response message to the gNB. Referring to step 169, the gNB may send a UE context release message to the last serving gNB.

[0033] In some implementations, the UE includes a short MAC-I in the resume request message in step 161.

[0034] For the reconstruction process, see Figure 1C , similar MAC-I can be calculated and can be included in Msg3 (e.g., RRC Reestablishment Request message). On the network side, the gNB (or "target gNB") 192 will retrieve the UE context from the last serving gNB (or "source gNB") 194. Before sending the UE context to the target gNB, the source gNB will first check the MAC-I.

[0035] Some embodiments may include some or all of the following steps. Referring to step 171, the UE (in RRC connected state and CM connected state) may send an RRC reestablishment request message to the gNB. Referring to step 172, the gNB may send a retrieve UE context request message to the last serving gNB. Referring to step 173, the last serving gNB may send a retrieve UE context response message to the gNB. Referring to step 174, the gNB may send an RRC reestablishment message to the UE. Referring to step 175, the gNB may send an RRC reconfiguration message to the UE. Referring to step 174a, the UE may send an RRC reestablishment complete message to the gNB. Referring to step 175a, the UE may send an RRC reconfiguration complete message to the gNB. Referring to step 176, the gNB may send an Xn-U address indication to the last serving gNB. Referring to step 177, the last serving gNB may send an SN status transfer message to the gNB. Referring to step 178, the gNB may send a path switch request message to the AMF. Referring to step 179, the AMF may send a path switch request response message to the gNB. Referring to step 180, the gNB may send a UE context release message to the last serving gNB.

[0036] In some embodiments, the short MAC-I calculation may include three inputs. For non-limiting example, the inputs for calculating the resume short MAC-I (or see VarResumeMAC-Input [variable resume MAC-input]) may include the source physical cell identifier (Physical Cell Identifier, PCI), the target cell identifier ID, and / or the source cell radio network temporary identifier (Cell Radio Network Temporary Identifier, C-RNTI).

[0037] In some embodiments, on the network side, in order to retrieve the UE context, the target gNB may indicate the target cell ID information. For example, for RRC recovery, the new cell ID may correspond to targetCellIdentity in VarResumeMAC-Input or cellIdentity in VarShortINACTIVE-MAC-Input; for RRC reestablishment, the new cell ID may correspond to targetCellIdentity in VarShortMAC-Input or cellIdentity in VarShortMAC-Input; and / or, for RRC recovery for UP CIoT optimization, the new cell ID may correspond to cellIdentity in VarShortResumeMAC-Input or VarShortResumeMAC-Input-NB.

[0038] In some embodiments, the source gNB / ng-eNB may obtain the target PCI and target Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number-Downlink (ARFCN-DL) / Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access ARFCN-DL (EARFCN-DL) from the cell configuration database via the target Cell-ID received from the target gNB / ng-eNB. Considering the network sharing situation, the cellIdentity of the first PLMN-Identity contained in the PLMN-IdentityInfoList broadcasted in the System Information Block (SIB) 1 may be used as the target cell. In some embodiments, with respect to the targetCellIdentity (for the recovery case), the input variable for calculating the resumeMAC-I may be set to the cellIdentity of the first PLMN-Identity contained in the PLMN-IdentityInfoList broadcasted in the SIB1 of the target cell (i.e., the cell to which the UE is attempting to resume).

[0039] For non-limiting examples, in a public network sharing scenario, see Figure 4 , there may be two cells: Cell 1 (410): gNB1 broadcasts PLMN 1 and cell ID 1 in SIB1; Cell 2 (420): gNB2 broadcasts PLMN 2, cell ID 1, PLMN 1, cell ID 2 in SIB1. When the UE moves from cell 1 to cell 2, gNB2 may set PLMN 2 and cell ID 1 as the target cell ID. For gNB1, it may obtain the target PCI and target ARFCN-DL / EARFCN-DL from the cell configuration database with the help of the combination of (PLMN 2, cell ID 1). In other words, when gNB1 cannot obtain the correct PCI and ARFCN, the context retrieval process may fail. Various embodiments of the present disclosure may solve the above-mentioned failure problem.

[0040] In some implementation schemes, in addition to the public network, a non-public network can also be specified: there are two types of private networks: Stand-Along Non-Public Network (SNPN) and Public Network Integrated Non-Public Network (PNI-NPN). For cells with only SNPN, the network can broadcast a virtual PLMN to the traditional public network ID list. Similarly, for cells with only PNI-NPN, the network can broadcast prohibited PLMNs to the traditional public network ID list. In other words, the cell access information of the traditional public part may be invalid for PNI-NPN-only cells. Therefore, when the UE needs to restore / reestablish the connection with an NPN-only cell, some problems may arise if the first cell ID of the PLMN network is still used as the target cell ID. Various embodiments of the present disclosure can solve the above problems.

[0041] Figure 2 An exemplary wireless access network or wireless communication base station 200 is shown. The base station 200 may include radio transmit / receive (Tx / Rx) circuitry 208 for transmitting / receiving communications with one or more UEs and / or one or more other base stations. The base station may also include network interface circuitry 209 for communicating the base station with other base stations and / or a core network (e.g., optical or wired interconnects, Ethernet, and / or other data transmission media / protocols). The base station 200 may optionally include an input / output (I / O) interface 206 for communicating with an operator or the like.

[0042] The base station may also include system circuitry 204. System circuitry 204 may include processor 221 and / or memory 222. Memory 222 may include operating system 224, instructions 226, and parameters 228. Instructions 226 may be configured for one or more processors in processor 221 to perform functions of the base station. Parameters 228 may include parameters to support execution of instructions 226. For example, the parameters may include network protocol settings, bandwidth parameters, radio frequency mapping allocations, and / or other parameters.

[0043] Figure 3 An exemplary UE 300 is shown. UE 300 may be a mobile device, such as a smartphone or a mobile communication module installed in a vehicle. UE 300 may include a communication interface 302, a system circuit 304, an I / O interface 306, a display circuit 308, and a memory 309. The display circuit may include a user interface 310. System circuit 304 may include any combination of hardware, software, firmware, or other logic / circuits. For example, system circuit 304 may be implemented with one or more systems on a chip (Systems On a Chip, SoC), application specific integrated circuits (Application Specific Integrated Circuit, ASIC), discrete analog and digital circuits, and other circuit implementations. System circuit 304 may be part of an implementation of any desired function in UE 300. In this regard, the system circuit 304 may include logic to, for example, facilitate decoding and playing of music and video, such as MP3, MP4, MPEG, AVI, FLAC, AC3, or WAV; run applications; accept user input; save and retrieve application data; establish, maintain, and terminate cellular phone calls or data connections, such as Internet connections; establish, maintain, and terminate wireless network connections, Bluetooth connections, or other connections; and display relevant information on the user interface 310. The user interface 310 and the I / O interface 306 may include a graphical user interface, a touch-sensitive display screen, touch feedback or other tactile output, voice or facial recognition input, buttons, switches, speakers, and other user interface elements. Other examples of the I / O interface 306 may include microphones, video and still image cameras, temperature sensors, vibration sensors, rotation and orientation sensors, headphone and microphone input / output jacks, Universal Serial Bus (USB) connectors, memory card slots, radiation sensors (such as infrared sensors), and other types of inputs.

[0044] See also Figure 3, the communication interface 302 may include a radio frequency (RF) transmit (Transmit, Tx) and receive (Receive, Rx) circuit 316, which processes the transmission and reception of signals through one or more antennas 314. The communication interface 302 may include one or more transceivers. The transceiver may be a wireless transceiver, including a modulation / demodulation circuit, a digital to analog converter (Digital to Analog Converter, DAC), a shaping table, an analog to digital converter (Analog to Digital Converter, ADC), a filter, a waveform shaper, a filter, a preamplifier, a power amplifier and / or other logic for sending and receiving signals through one or more antennas or (for some devices) through a physical (e.g., wired) medium. The signals sent and received may use various formats, protocols, modulations (such as Quadrature Phase ShiftKeying (QPSK), 16-quadrature amplitude modulation (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation, QAM), 64-QAM, 256-QAM), frequency channels, bit rates, and encodings. As a specific example, the communication interface 302 may include a transceiver that supports transmission and reception under 2G, 3G, Bluetooth (BT), WiFi, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), 4G / Long Term Evolution (LTE), and 5G standards. However, the techniques described below are also applicable to other wireless communication technologies, whether they are technologies proposed by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) Association, 3GPP2, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), or other partnerships or standards bodies.

[0045] See also Figure 3, the system circuit 304 may include one or more processors 321 and a memory 322. The memory 322 may store an operating system 324, instructions 326, parameters 328, etc. The processor 321 is configured to execute the instructions 326 to implement the functions required by the UE 300. The parameters 328 may provide and specify configuration and operating options for the instructions 326. The memory 322 may also store any BT, WiFi, 3G, 4G, 5G or other data sent or received by the UE 300 through the communication interface 302. In various embodiments, the system power supply of the UE 300 may be provided by a power storage device, such as a battery or a transformer.

[0046] The present disclosure describes several embodiments of methods and devices for determining a target cell ID for calculating a MAC-I, which methods and devices may be partially or completely described above. Figure 2 and Figure 3 The invention is implemented on a wireless network base station and / or a user equipment described in the invention.

[0047] In various embodiments, Figure 5A A flow chart of a method 500 for wireless communication is shown, the method comprising determining, by a UE, a target cell ID for calculating an authentication code corresponding to a cell. The method 500 may include some or all of the following steps: step 510, the UE receives system information broadcasted from a first network node; step 520, the UE determines a network type of the cell based on the system information; and / or, step 530, the UE determines a target cell ID based on the network type and the system information.

[0048] In various embodiments, Figure 5B A flow chart of a method 550 for wireless communication is shown, the method comprising determining, by a first network node, a target cell ID for calculating an authentication code corresponding to a cell. The method 550 may include some or all of the following steps: Step 560: the first network node broadcasts system information to a user equipment UE; and / or, Step 570: the first network node determines the target cell ID based on a network type of the cell. In some embodiments, step 570 may include the first network node determining the target cell ID based on the network type and system information of the cell.

[0049] In some implementations, in addition to a portion or combination of the implementations / examples described, the authentication code also includes a MAC-I.

[0050] In some embodiments, in addition to a portion or combination of the described implementations / examples, the authentication code is also used in one of a connection recovery process or a connection reestablishment process.

[0051] In some implementations, in addition to a portion or combination of the implementations / examples, the cell includes one of the following: a cell of only the first network type, a cell of only the second network type, a cell shared by the first network type and the second network type.

[0052] In some implementations, except for a portion or combination of the implementations / examples described, the first network type is a PLMN.

[0053] In some embodiments, except for some or a combination of the described embodiments / examples, the second network type is NPN.

[0054] In some embodiments, in addition to a portion or combination of the embodiments / examples, the only cells of the second network type are NPN-only cells, including at least one of the following: SNPN-only cells, PNI-NPN-only cells, and NPN cells shared by SNPN and PNI-NPN.

[0055] In some implementations, in addition to a portion or combination of the implementations / examples, in response to a cell having only the first network type, or a cell shared by the first network type and the second network type, the network type of the cell is determined to be the first network type.

[0056] In some implementations, in addition to a portion or combination of the implementations / examples described, in response to the cell having only the second network type, determining the network type of the cell is the second network type.

[0057] In some embodiments, in addition to a portion or combination of the embodiments / examples, in response to the network type of the cell being a first network type, a first cell ID in a first network type list is determined as a target cell ID, wherein the system information includes a list of network IDs of the first network type. The first network type list may refer to a list of cells having the first network type. In the present disclosure, the "first" cell ID in the first network type list may refer to the cell ID of the "top" (or "earliest" in the system information) cell in the first network type list, and may not refer only to the cell ID of an "arbitrary" cell in the first network type list.

[0058] In some embodiments, in addition to a portion or combination of the embodiments / examples, in response to the network type of the cell being a second network type, a first cell ID in a second network type list is determined as a target cell ID, wherein the system information includes a list of network IDs of the second network type. The second network type list may refer to a list of cells having a second network type. In the present disclosure, the "first" cell ID in the second network type list may refer to the cell ID of the "top" (or "earliest" cell in the system information) in the second network type list, and may not refer only to the cell ID of an "arbitrary" cell in the second network type list.

[0059] In some implementations, in addition to a part or combination of the implementations / examples described, the first network node further sends a message to the second network node, the message including the target cell ID.

[0060] In some implementations, in addition to a portion or combination of the implementations / examples, the second network node also includes a base station that last served the UE.

[0061] The present disclosure describes various embodiments for determining a target cell ID to calculate a MAC-I, solving at least one problem / difficulty in existing wireless communications. One of the problems can be described as follows: For cells with only SNPN, the network may broadcast a false PLMN to the traditional public network ID list. Similarly, for cells with only PNI-NPN, the network may broadcast a prohibited PLMN to the traditional public network ID list. In other words, the cell access information of the traditional public part may be invalid for cells with only PNI-NPN. Therefore, when the UE needs to restore / reestablish the connection with the NPN-only cell, there may be some problems using the first cell ID of the PLMN network as the target cell ID.

[0062] Various embodiments of the present disclosure may include: on the UE side, for an NPN-only cell, the UE may set the cell identifier of the first NPN broadcast in the system information to the target cell ID for calculating the short MAC-I, where the short MAC-I may be a short MAC-I for RRC connection recovery or RRC connection reconstruction; the NPN-only cell may be an SNPN-only cell, a PNI-NPN-only cell, or a cell shared by SNPN and PNI-NPN; and / or, the first NPN may be an SNPN or a PNI-NPN.

[0063] Various embodiments of the present disclosure may include: on the network side, for NPN-only cells, the network may set the cell identifier of the first NPN broadcasted in the system information as the target cell identifier on the message sent between network nodes, wherein the NPN-only cell may be an SNPN-only cell, a PNI-NPN-only cell, or a cell shared by SNPN and PNI-NPN; and / or, the first NPN may be an SNPN or a PNI-NPN.

[0064] In the present disclosure, the first NPN of the system information broadcast may refer to the "top" NPN in the system information (or the "earliest" NPN of the system information broadcast), rather than just referring to "any" NPN of the system information broadcast.

[0065] A non-limiting example includes a network that deploys both NPN-only cells and non-NPN-only cells. Figure 6 , there is a PLMN network 610, a SNPN network 620 and a PNI-NPN network 630. The above one or more networks share some cells. For example, cell 1 and cell 2 are SNPN-only cells; cell 3 and cell 4 are PNI-NPN-only cells; cell 5 is shared by SNPN and PNI-NPN; cell 6 is shared by public network and non-public network. Therefore, cell 1, cell 2, cell 3, cell 4 and cell 5 are NPN-only cells, and cell 6 is not an NPN-only cell.

[0066] In some implementation schemes, the network deployment of cells 1 to 6 is as shown in Table 1; and / or, the system information broadcast of each cell is as shown in Table 2.

[0067] Table 1: Network deployment

[0068]

[0069] Table 2: System information broadcast for each cell

[0070]

[0071] Another non-limiting example shows mobility between an NPN-only cell and a non-NPN-only cell. Figure 6 As shown, according to the network / cell configuration and system information broadcast of each cell, the SNPN UE can move between cell 1, cell 2, cell 5 and cell 6; the PNI-NPN UE can move between cell 3, cell 4, cell 5 and cell 6.

[0072] How to determine the target cell ID can be explained by taking the following example.

[0073] For case 1: the target cell is a non-NPN-only cell, such as cell 6, then the target cell ID can be determined as {PLMN2, cell ID 4}. For example, considering that cell 6 is a non-NPN-only cell, the first cell ID in the public network is determined as the target cell ID; and {PLMN2, cell ID 4} is the "first" cell ID in the public network (actually the only one in the PLMN list of cell 6, see Table 2). Therefore, {PLMN2, cell ID 4} is determined as the target cell ID.

[0074] For case 2: the target cell is an NPN-only cell, for example, any cell among cell 1, cell 2 and cell 5.

[0075] For case 2a: the target cell is a cell with only SNPN, such as cell 1 or cell 2, then, if the target cell is cell 1, the target cell ID can be determined as SNPN1 cell ID 1; if the target cell is cell 2, the target cell ID can be determined as SNPN1 cell ID 2. Taking cell 1 as an example, considering that cell 1 is a cell with only SNPN, the first cell ID in the SNPN list is determined as the target cell ID; and {SNPN1 cell ID 1} is the "first" cell ID in the SNPN list (actually the only one in the SNPN list of cell 1, see Table 2). Therefore, {SNPN1 cell ID 1} is determined as the target cell ID.

[0076] For case 2b: the target cell is an NPN-only cell, but the first NPN ID is a PNI-NPN, such as cell 5; then, the target cell ID can be determined as PLMN1 cell ID 7. Taking cell 5 as an example, considering that cell 5 is an NPN-only cell, the first cell ID in the first NPN is determined as the target cell ID; PNI-NPN is the "first" NPN ID in the NPN list (see Table 2); {PLMN1 Cell ID 7} is the "first" cell ID in the PNI-NPN list (actually the only one in the PNI-NPN list of cell 5, see Table 2). Therefore, {PLMN1 Cell ID 7} is determined as the target cell ID.

[0077] For case 3, for PNI-NPN, the target cell is a non-NPN-only cell, such as cell 6, then the target cell ID may be determined as PLMN2 cell ID 4.

[0078] For case 4, for PNI-NPN, the target cell is an NPN-only cell, such as any one of cell 3, cell 4 and / or cell 5. The target cell ID may be determined as PLMN1 cell ID 7, and the target cell is cell 5; the target cell ID may be determined as PLMN1 cell ID 1, and the target cell is cell 3; and / or, the target cell ID may be determined as PLMN1 cell ID 2, and the target cell is cell 4.

[0079] On the UE side, the UE may determine the target cell ID setting in each case to calculate the short MAC-I for the recovery or re-establishment procedure.

[0080] On the network side, the gNB can determine the target cell ID setting for each case to calculate the short MAC-I for the recovery or re-establishment procedure.

[0081] Another non-limiting example illustrates network-side target ID setup. A target network (e.g., target gNB) node may send a retrieve UE context request message to a source network node (e.g., source gNB or last serving gNB). The retrieve UE context request message may include a new cell identifier.

[0082] In some implementations, the network sets the "new cell identity" in the Retrieve UE Context Request message of Table 3:

[0083] Table 3: Target cell ID settings

[0084]

[0085] Another non-limiting example includes Asn.1 encoding and field descriptions for short MAC-I input at the UE side. Regarding VarResumeMAC-Input, the UE variable VarResumeMAC-Input specifies the input for generating resumeMAC-I during the RRC connection resumption procedure, and the Abstract Syntax Notation One (Asn.1) encoding of the VarResumeMAC-Input variable is as follows.

[0086]

[0087] In some embodiments, the fields of the VarResumeMAC-Input variable are described below.

[0088] TargetCellIdentity: Input variable used to calculate resumeMAC-I. For non-NPN-only cells, it is set to the cellIdentity of the first PLMN-Identity contained in the PLMN-IdentityInfoList broadcast in SIB1 of the target cell (i.e. the cell the UE is trying to resume). For NPN-only cells, it is set to the cellIdentity of the first NPN identity in the NPN-IdentityInfoList (NPN-identity information list) broadcast in SIB1 of the target cell (i.e. the cell the UE is trying to resume).

[0089] Regarding VarShortMAC-Input, the UE variable VarShortMAC-Input specifies the input used to generate shortMAC-I (short MAC-I) during the RRC connection reestablishment process. The Asn.1 encoding of the VarShortMAC-Input variable is as follows.

[0090]

[0091] In some embodiments, the fields of the VarShortMAC-Input variable are described as follows.

[0092] TargetCellIdentity: Input variable used to calculate shortMAC-I. For non-NPN-only cells, it is set to the cellIdentity of the first PLMN-Identity in the PLMN-IdentityInfoList broadcasted in SIB1 by the target cell (i.e. the cell to which the UE is trying to reestablish a connection). For NPN-only cells, it is set to the cellIdentity of the first NPN-identity in the NPN-IdentityInfoList broadcasted in SIB1 by the target cell (i.e. the cell to which the UE is trying to reestablish a connection).

[0093] Another non-limiting example includes enhanced SNPN and PNI-NPN sharing scenarios. For the case where two different NPN network types share a cell, the UE can set the target cell ID to the first cell ID of the network type where the UE resides. Figure 6 Taking cell 5 in FIG. 1 as an example, when the SNPN UE moves to cell 5, the UE can set the SNPN1 cell ID 8 as the target cell ID according to Table 2.

[0094] In some embodiments, on the network side, the cell ID of the first NPN ID of the first NPN network type (e.g., PNI-NPN) (e.g., PLMN1 cell ID 7) can be used as the target cell ID. When the MAC-I check fails, the network can further use the cell ID of the first NPN ID of the second NPN network type (e.g., SNPN) (e.g., SNPN1 cell ID 8) as the target cell ID.

[0095] In various implementations / examples described in the present disclosure, for the SNPN network ID, only the PLMN part may be used, for example, SNPN ID=PLMN+network ID (Network ID, NID).

[0096] The following paragraphs describe the ASN.1 encoding and field description of the short MAC I input on the UE side and make enhancements.

[0097] Regarding VarResumeMAC-Input, the UE variable VarResumeMAC-Input specifies the input used to generate resumeMAC-I during the RRC connection resumption procedure. The Asn.1 encoding of the VarResumeMAC-Input variable is as follows.

[0098]

[0099] In some embodiments, the fields of the VarResumeMAC-Input variable are described below.

[0100] TargetCellIdentity: Input variable used to calculate resumeMAC-I. For non-NPN-only cells, it is set to the cellIdentity of the first PLMN-Identity contained in the PLMN-IdentityInfoList broadcast in the SIB1 of the target cell (i.e. the cell that the UE is trying to resume). For NPN-only cells, it is set to the cellIdentity of the first NPN identity (if it is SNPN, it is the SNPN identity; if it is PNI-NPN, it is the PNI-NPN identity) contained in the NPN-IdentityInfoList (NPN-identity information list) broadcast in the SIB1 of the target cell (i.e. the cell that the UE is trying to resume).

[0101] Regarding VarShortMAC-Input, the UE variable VarShortMAC-Input specifies the input used to generate shortMAC-I during the RRC connection reestablishment procedure. The Asn.1 encoding of the VarShortMAC-Input variable is as follows.

[0102]

[0103] In some embodiments, the fields of the VarShortMAC-Input variable are described as follows.

[0104] TargetCellIdentity: Input variable used to calculate shortMAC-I. For non-NPN-only cells, it is set to the cellIdentity of the first PLMN-Identity in the PLMN-IdentityInfoList broadcasted in SIB1 by the target cell (i.e. the cell to which the UE attempts to reestablish the connection). For NPN-only cells, it is set to the cellIdentity of the first NPN identity (if it is SNPN, it is the SNPN identity; if it is PNI-NPN, it is the PNI-NPN identity) in the NPN-IdentityInfoList broadcasted in SIB1 by the target cell (i.e. the cell to which the UE attempts to reestablish the connection).

[0105] The present disclosure describes methods, apparatus, and computer-readable media for wireless communications. The present disclosure solves the problem of determining a target cell ID for calculating a MAC-I. The methods, apparatus, and computer-readable media described in the present disclosure can improve the performance of wireless communications by determining a target cell ID for calculating a MAC-I, thereby improving efficiency and overall performance. The methods, apparatus, and computer-readable media described in the present disclosure can improve the overall efficiency of a wireless communication system.

[0106] References to features, advantages, or similar language in this specification do not imply that all features and advantages that may be achieved by the present solution are included in any single embodiment. Rather, language referring to features and advantages should be understood to mean that a particular feature, advantage, or characteristic associated with a particular embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present solution. Therefore, discussions of features and advantages and similar language in the specification may not necessarily refer to the same embodiment.

[0107] Furthermore, the features, advantages, and characteristics described in the present solution may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. A person of ordinary skill in the relevant art will recognize from the description herein that the present solution may be implemented without one or more of the specific features or advantages of a particular embodiment. In other cases, additional features and advantages may be identified in certain embodiments, which may not be present in all embodiments.

Claims

1. A wireless communication method, comprising: The user equipment UE determines the target cell ID used to calculate the authentication code corresponding to the cell through the following steps: The UE receives system information broadcasted from a first network node; The UE determines, based on the system information, a network type of the cell; The UE determines the target cell ID based on the network type and the system information.

2. A wireless communication method, comprising: The first network node determines the target cell identifier ID used to calculate the authentication code corresponding to the cell by the following steps: The first network node broadcasts system information to a user equipment UE; The first network node determines the target cell ID based on a network type of the cell.

3. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein: The authentication code includes an integrity message authentication code MAC-I.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein: The authentication code is used in one of the following: a connection recovery process and a connection reestablishment process.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein: The cell includes one of the following: cells of only the first network type, cells of only the second network type, and cells shared by the first network type and the second network type.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein: The first network type is a Public Land Mobile Network PLMN.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein: The second network type is a non-public network NPN.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein: The cell having only the second network type is a cell having only the non-public network NPN type, including at least one of the following: There are cells with only independent non-public networks SNPN, cells with only public network integrated non-public networks PNI-NPN, and NPN cells shared by SNPN and PNI-NPN.

9. The method according to claim 5, In response to the cell having only the first network type or the cell shared by the first network type and the second network type, the network type of the cell is determined to be the first network type.

10. The method according to claim 5, In response to the cell having only the second network type, the network type of the cell is determined to be the second network type.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: In response to the network type of the cell being the first network type, determining a first cell ID in a first network type list as the target cell ID, wherein the system information includes a network ID list of the first network type.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: In response to the network type of the cell being the second network type, determining a first cell ID in a second network type list as the target cell ID, wherein the system information includes a network ID list of the second network type.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein: The first network node sends a message including the target cell ID to a second network node.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein: The second network node includes a base station that last serves the UE.

15. A wireless communication device, comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the processor is configured to read a code from the memory and implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

16. A computer program product, comprising a computer readable program code stored thereon, wherein when the computer readable program code is executed by a processor, the processor is caused to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

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