Method and device for controlling user equipment

Abstract

Techniques for configuring an RRC connection including two RRC entities are provided. For example, a method of controlling a user equipment in a communication network is disclosed. The method comprises receiving a message from a network node, and configuring, at a user equipment, an RRC connection to the network node, comprising selecting and / or determining an RRC entity on a central unit control plane of the network node or an RRC entity on a local control plane of the network node, the communication module is used for communication with the network node or communication from the network node.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The subject disclosure relates generally to wireless communication systems and, more particularly, to wireless communication systems controlling user equipment in a network. Background Art

[0002] Wireless telecommunication systems are constantly evolving. There is a growing demand for higher data rates and high quality of service. Reliability requirements are increasing, and so are the methods and means to ensure reliable connections and data flows while maintaining minimal transmission delays.

[0003] A decomposed gNB (Next Generation Node B) architecture is proposed, which decomposes the gNB into multiple logical entities. This decomposed architecture is feasible for gNB in ​​5G NR system, where one or more first units can be represented by at least one distributed unit (DU) and the second unit can be represented by a centralized unit (CU). The CU can be further split into a CU control plane (CP) part (also called CU-C or CU-CP) and a CU user plane (UP) part (also called CU-U or CU-UP). This split enables the implementation of the CU-CP and CU-UP parts at different locations.

[0004] The DU can host multiple cells (up to 512 in the current specification). The gNB-CU-CP hosts one or more gNB-DUs and one or more gNB-CU-UPs. There can be only one gNB-CU-CP in a gNB. The PDCP-C (control plane part) and RRC layers are located in the gNB-CU-CP, while the gNB-DU hosts the RLC, MAC, and PHY layers. Scheduling operations occur on the gNB-DU.

[0005] According to 3GPP RAN3, 5G gNB should include only one gNB-CU-CP, "n" gNB-DUs controlled by the gNB-CU-CP, and "m" gNB-CU-UPs controlled by the gNB-CU-CP. One gNB-DU can be served by multiple gNB-CU-UPs.

[0006] In the case of 5G, the disaggregated architecture introduces node-internal interfaces. This also introduces additional transmission latency whenever signaling is sent back and forth between the three different logical entities of the gNB. Since the user plane is hosted in the CU-UP and DU, it is natural that signaling involves back and forth signaling between these entities. This may mean that signaling performance in 5G is worse than in 4G.

[0007] On another dimension, one of the main focuses of the architecture evolution after 5G / 6G is RAN-CN unification (also known as convergence). RAN-CN unification attempts to bring CN functions closer, for example: PDU session characteristics can determine the selection of unified RAN-CN functions or dedicated RAN, CN functions. This unification can also lead to a higher aggregation for certain RAN functions (higher than that in 5G), which will have a more detrimental impact on RAN control plane latency in latency-sensitive situations. The 5G system architecture lacks flexibility for the RAN C-plane, which can fully address this architectural evolution in the RAN C-plane. Summary of the invention

[0008] According to a first aspect of the subject disclosure, a method for controlling a user equipment in a communication network is provided. The method according to the first aspect may be performed by the user equipment. The method comprises: receiving a message from a network node; configuring an RRC connection to the network node at the user equipment, including selecting and / or determining an RRC entity on a central unit control plane of the network node or an RRC entity on a local control plane of the network node for communication with or from the network node.

[0009] In some embodiments of the first aspect, the method may include selecting, by the user equipment, a key corresponding to the selected RRC entity from a stored key set based on the indication; and encrypting / decrypting or integrity protecting / verifying communications to and from the network node using the key.

[0010] In some embodiments of the first aspect, the message may be a downlink RRC message comprising an indication of the RRC entity to be selected.

[0011] In some embodiments of the first aspect, a similar or identical indication may be included in a UL RRC message sent by the user equipment.

[0012] In some embodiments of the first aspect, the method may further include communicating with the local control plane to perform intra-gNB functions (e.g., reporting layer 1 and / or layer 3 measurements to the network), receiving configuration related to cell access or performing mobility procedures (e.g., CHO or L1 based mobility processing), forwarding NAS messages to the central control plane, and / or performing control plane functions at a user equipment level or a DRB / PDU session level.

[0013] In some embodiments of the first aspect, the method may further include communicating with the central unit control plane for overall connection control, NG RAN inter-node procedures, and / or inter-RAT procedures.

[0014] In some embodiments of the first aspect, the user equipment may receive RRC messages from the central unit control plane and the local control plane of the network node as part of the same RRC connection.

[0015] In some embodiments of the first aspect, the method may also include receiving an indication from a network node about providing multiple local control planes for slicing support; and sending an association of the user equipment with one or more of the multiple local control planes to the network node based on the slicing service.

[0016] According to a second aspect of the subject disclosure, a method for controlling a network device in a communication network is provided. The method according to the second aspect may be performed by one or more network nodes. The method comprises: sending a message to a user equipment; configuring an RRC connection to the user equipment, including an RRC entity at a central unit control plane of a network node and an RRC entity at a local control plane for sending and receiving signaling messages with the network.

[0017] In some embodiments of the second aspect, the message may be a downlink message comprising an indication of the RRC entity to be selected for communicating with the network.

[0018] In some embodiments of the second aspect, the indication of the RRC entity to be selected may be based on an invoked service and a type and / or capabilities of the user equipment.

[0019] In some embodiments of the method according to the second aspect, the local control plane may be configured for each single user equipment or for each group of user equipment (eg, a virtual network (VN) group).

[0020] In some embodiments of the method according to the second aspect, the local control plane provides RRC functions, such as providing cell access-related configuration for the user equipment or performing mobility procedures (such as CHO or L1-based mobility processing), forwarding NAS messages received from the user equipment to the central unit control plane, and / or performing control plane functions at the user equipment level or the DRB / PDU session level.

[0021] In some embodiments of the method according to the second aspect, the central unit control plane provides overall connection control, and / or NG RAN inter-node procedures, and / or inter-RAT procedures.

[0022] In some embodiments of the method according to the second aspect, the RRC message may be sent from the central unit control plane and / or the local control plane of the network node to the user equipment as part of the RRC connection.

[0023] In some embodiments of the method according to the second aspect, the RRC message may be sent from the central unit control plane and the local control plane of the network node to the user equipment and associated and / or encrypted using different security keys.

[0024] In some embodiments of the method according to the second aspect, the security key associated with the local control plane may be generated by the central unit control plane and configured to the user equipment and the local control plane.

[0025] In some embodiments of the method according to the second aspect, the local control plane entity may be enabled to be instantiated and associated with at least one gNB-DU of the NG-RAN node.

[0026] In some embodiments of the first aspect, the method may further include terminating, by only the central unit control plane, an interface with the core network.

[0027] In some embodiments of the first aspect, the method may further include determining the RRC state of the user equipment only by the central control unit plane.

[0028] In some embodiments of the first aspect, the method may further include storing the context of the user equipment in the central unit control plane and / or the local control plane.

[0029] In some embodiments of the first aspect, the method may further include storing, by the local control plane, the context of the user equipment in a RAN database or reading the context of the user equipment from a RAN database.

[0030] In some embodiments of the first aspect, the method may further include storing the context of the user equipment in a RAN database.

[0031] In some embodiments of the first aspect, the method may also include providing one or more multiple local control planes for slicing support; and receiving an association between the user equipment and one or more of the multiple local control planes from the user equipment based on the slicing service.

[0032] In some embodiments of the first aspect, the method may further include exchanging slice support information and / or slice-related parameters through an interface between the central unit control plane and / or the local control plane.

[0033] According to a third aspect of the subject disclosure, a user equipment is provided. The user equipment may include at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code. The computer program code causes the user equipment, when executed using the at least one processor, to at least: receive a message from a network node; configure an RRC connection to the network node, including selecting and / or determining an RRC entity on a central unit control plane of the network node or an RRC entity on a local control plane of the network node for communication with or from the network node.

[0034] In some embodiments of the third aspect, the computer program code may enable the user equipment to perform the method of controlling the user equipment in the communication network as described above when executed using the at least one processor.

[0035] According to a fourth aspect, a network device in a network is provided. The network device comprises at least one processor; and at least one memory comprising computer program code. The computer program code causes the network device, when executed using the at least one processor: to receive a message from a user equipment; to configure an RRC connection to the user equipment, including an RRC entity at a central unit control plane of a network node and an RRC entity at a local control plane, for sending and receiving signaling messages with the network.

[0036] In some embodiments of the fourth aspect, the computer program code may cause the network device to perform the method of controlling a network device in a communication network as described above when executed using the at least one processor.

[0037] According to a fifth aspect of the subject disclosure, a user equipment is provided. The user equipment comprises a module for receiving a message from a network node; and a module for configuring an RRC connection to the network node, including selecting and / or determining an RRC entity on a central unit control plane of the network node or an RRC entity on a local control plane of the network node for communication with or from the network node.

[0038] In some embodiments of the fifth aspect, the computer program code may cause the user equipment to perform the method of controlling a user equipment in a communication network as described above when executed using the at least one processor.

[0039] According to a sixth aspect of the subject disclosure, a network device is provided. The network device includes a module for sending a message to a user equipment; and a module for configuring an RRC connection to the user equipment, including an RRC entity on a central unit control plane of a network node and an RRC entity on a local control plane, for sending and receiving signaling messages with the network.

[0040] In some embodiments of the sixth aspect, the computer program code may cause the network device to perform the method of controlling a network device in a communication network as described above when executed using the at least one processor.

[0041] According to a seventh aspect of the subject disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable medium containing computer-executable instructions, when the program is executed on a computer, the computer-executable instructions execute the steps according to any one of the embodiments of the above method when running on one or more processors.

[0042] The above aspects and features can be implemented in systems, apparatuses, methods, articles and / or non-transitory computer-readable media according to the desired configuration. The subject disclosure can be implemented in and / or used with a variety of different types of devices, including but not limited to cellular phones, tablet computers, wearable computing devices, portable media players, and various other computing devices.

[0043] This summary is intended to briefly summarize some aspects and features of the subject disclosure. Therefore, it should be understood that the above-mentioned features are merely examples and should not be interpreted as narrowing the scope of the subject disclosure in any way. Other features, aspects and advantages of the subject disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description, drawings and claims.

[0044] List of abbreviations

[0045] In the subject disclosure, the following abbreviations are used and should be understood according to the definitions given:

[0046] 3GPP Third Generation Partnership Project

[0047] 5G Fifth Generation (mobile communication network)

[0048] 5GC 5G Core

[0049] 5GS 5G System

[0050] AF Application Function

[0051] AMF Access and Mobility Function

[0052] AN Access Network

[0053] APN Access Point Name

[0054] BS Base Station

[0055] CDMA Code Division Multiple Access

[0056] CN Core Network

[0057] CP Control Plane

[0058] DNN data network name

[0059] eNB Evolved NodeB

[0060] EPC Evolved Packet Core

[0061] EPS Evolved Packet System

[0062] ETSI European Telecommunications Standards Institute

[0063] E-UTRAN Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access

[0064] IE Information Unit

[0065] IMS IP Multimedia Subsystem

[0066] IP Internet Protocol

[0067] LTE Long Term Evolution

[0068] MME Mobility Management Entity

[0069] NAS Non-Access Stratum

[0070] NR New Radio

[0071] NSSAI Network Slice Selection Assistance Information

[0072] PDN Packet Data Network

[0073] PDP Packet Data Protocol

[0074] PGW PDN Gateway

[0075] PGW-C PGW control function

[0076] PLMN Public Land Mobile Network

[0077] RAN Radio Access Network

[0078] RCS Rich Communication Service

[0079] RRC Radio Resource Control (protocol)

[0080] SGW Service Gateway

[0081] SIM Subscriber Identity Module

[0082] SMF session management functions

[0083] S-NSSAI Single NSSAI

[0084] TS Technical Specifications

[0085] UE User Equipment

[0086] URLLC Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communications

[0087] VoNR NR Voice BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0088] The subject disclosure may be better understood by considering the following detailed description of various embodiments in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:

[0089] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an example communication system including a base station and a plurality of communication devices is shown;

[0090] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of an example mobile communication device is shown;

[0091] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of an example control device is shown;

[0092] Figure 4 An example decomposed gNB architecture including a local control plane is shown;

[0093] Figure 5 shows an example message sequence chart for RRC connection establishment;

[0094] Figure 6 Example message sequence charts for intra-gNB and inter-gNB handover are shown;

[0095] Figure 7 An example flow chart of a method for controlling user equipment in a network is shown;

[0096] Figure 8 An example flow chart illustrating a method for controlling a network device in a network; and

[0097] Fig. 9 Example PDCP protocol data units for signaling radio bearers are shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0098] Before explaining the examples in detail, refer to Figures 1 to 3 Certain general principles of wireless communication systems and mobile communication devices are briefly explained to aid understanding of the technology on which the described examples are based.

[0099] In the wireless communication system 100, for example Figure 1 As shown, mobile communication devices, user equipment, user equipment (UE) 102, 104, 105 are provided with wireless access via at least one base station (e.g., next generation NB (gNB)), similar wireless transmission and / or reception nodes or network nodes. The base station can be controlled or assisted by at least one appropriate controller device to enable operation of the base station and management of mobile communication devices communicating with the base station. The controller device can be located in a radio access network (RAN) (e.g., wireless communication system 100) or in a core network (CN) (not shown) and can be implemented as a central device, or its functions can be distributed across multiple devices. The controller device can be part of the base station and / or provided by a separate entity such as a radio network controller (RNC). In Figure 1 In the embodiment, control means 108 and 109 are shown as controlling respective macro-level base stations 106 and 107. The control means of the base stations may be interconnected with other control entities. The control means typically have memory capacity and at least one data processor. The control means and functions may be distributed among a plurality of control units. In some systems, the control means may additionally or alternatively be arranged in a radio network controller.

[0100] exist Figure 1 In FIG. 1 , base stations 106 and 107 are shown connected to a wider communications network 113 via a gateway 112. A further gateway function may be provided to connect to another network.

[0101] As used herein, the term "base station" has the full scope of its usual meaning and includes at least a wireless communication station installed in a fixed location and used to communicate as part of a wireless telephone system or a radio system. The communication area (or coverage area) of a base station may be referred to as a "cell". A base station and UEs may be configured to communicate over a transmission medium using any of a variety of radio access technologies (RATs) (also referred to as wireless communication technologies) or telecommunication standards described below. Figure 1 As shown, while one of the base stations may act as a "serving cell" for the UE, each UE may also be capable of receiving signals from (and possibly within communication range of) one or more other cells (possibly provided by the base station and / or any other base station), which may be referred to as "neighboring cells."

[0102] Smaller base stations 116, 118, and 120 may also be connected to the network 113, for example, through separate gateway functions and / or via a controller of a macro-level station. Base stations 116, 118, and 120 may be pico-level or femto-level base stations, etc. In this example, stations 116 and 118 are connected via gateway 111, while station 120 is connected via controller device 108. In some embodiments, smaller stations may not be provided. Smaller base stations 116, 118, and 120 may be part of a second network, such as a wireless local area network (WLAN), and may be a WLAN access point (AP). Communication devices 102, 104, and 105 may access the communication system based on various access technologies, such as code division multiple access (CDMA) or wideband CDMA (WCDMA). Other non-limiting examples include time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA) and various schemes thereof, such as interleaved frequency division multiple access (IFDMA), single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) and orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), space division multiple access (SDMA), etc.

[0103] An example of a wireless communication system is an architecture standardized by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). The latest 3GPP-based development is generally referred to as the Long Term Evolution (LTE) of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) radio access technology. The various development stages of the 3GPP specification are called releases. The newer development of LTE is generally referred to as Advanced LTE (LTE-A). LTE (or LTE-A) adopts a radio mobile architecture called Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) and a core network called Evolved Packet Core (EPC). The base stations of such systems are called Evolved or Enhanced Node Bs (eNBs) and provide E-UTRAN features, such as user plane packet data convergence / radio link control / media access control / physical layer protocols (PDCP / RLC / MAC / PHY) and control plane radio resource control (RRC) protocol terminations to communication devices. Other examples of radio access systems include those provided by base stations of systems based on technologies such as WLAN and / or Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax). The base station can provide coverage of an entire cell or similar radio service area. The core network elements include a Mobility Management Entity (MME), a Serving Gateway (S-GW), and a Packet Gateway (P-GW).

[0104] An example of a suitable communication system is the 5G or NR concept. The network architecture in NR may be similar to that of LTE-A. The base stations of the NR system may be called next generation Node B (gNB). Changes in the network architecture may depend on the need for various radio technologies and more refined quality of service (QoS) support, as well as some on-demand requirements for QoS levels to support quality of experience (QoE) from the user's perspective. In addition, network-aware services and applications, as well as service- and application-aware networks, may bring changes to the architecture. These are related to the information-centric network (ICN) and user-centric content delivery network (UC-CDN) approaches. NR may use multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antennas, more base stations or nodes than LTE (the so-called small cell concept), including macro stations operating in cooperation with smaller stations, and may also adopt various radio technologies to achieve better coverage and enhanced data rates.

[0105] Future networks may utilize network function virtualization (NFV), which is a network architecture concept that proposes to virtualize network node functions into "building blocks" or entities that can be operatively connected or linked together to provide services. A virtualized network function (VNF) may include one or more virtual machines that use standard or general-purpose type servers rather than customized hardware to run computer program code. Cloud computing or data storage may also be used. In radio communications, this may mean that node operations are performed at least in part in a server, host, or node that is coupled to remote radio head operations. Node operations may also be distributed among multiple servers, nodes, or hosts. It should also be understood that the functional split and distribution between core network operations and base station operations may be different from LTE or even non-existent.

[0106] Example 5G Core Network (CN) includes functional entities. CN is connected to UE through Radio Access Network (RAN). The role of User Plane Function (UPF) is called PDU Session Anchor (PSA) and can be responsible for forwarding frames back and forth between Data Network (DN) and the tunnel established by 5G towards UE exchanging traffic with DN.

[0107] The UPF is controlled by a Session Management Function (SMF), which receives policies from a Policy Control Function (PCF). The CN may also include an Access and Mobility Function (AMF).

[0108] Now refer to Figure 2 Describing a possible (mobile) communication device 200 in more detail, Figure 2A schematic partial cross-sectional view is shown. Such a mobile communication device 200 is generally referred to as a user equipment (UE), user device or terminal device. Any device capable of sending and receiving radio signals can provide a suitable mobile communication device 200. Non-limiting examples include a mobile station (MS) or a mobile device, such as a mobile phone or a so-called smart phone, a computer equipped with a wireless interface card or other wireless interface facilities (such as a USB dongle), a personal data assistant (PDA) or a tablet computer equipped with a wireless communication function, or any combination of these or similar devices. The communication device 200 can provide communication of data, such as for carrying communications such as voice, e-mail (e-mail), text messages, multimedia. Therefore, a variety of services can be provided to the user through the user's communication device. Non-limiting examples of these services include two-way or multi-way calls, data communications or multimedia services or simply access to a data communication network system, such as the Internet. Broadcast or multicast data can also be provided to the user. Non-limiting examples of content include downloads, television and radio programs, videos, advertisements, various warnings and other information.

[0109] In industrial applications, the communications device may be a modem integrated into an industrial actuator (e.g., a robotic arm) and / or a modem acting as an Ethernet hub, which would serve as a connection point for one or more connected Ethernet devices (the connection may be wired or wireless).

[0110] The communication device 200 is typically equipped with at least one data processing entity 201, at least one memory 202 and possibly other components 203 for software and hardware assistance in performing the tasks it is designed to perform, including controlling access to and communications with access systems and other communication devices. The data processing, storage and other related control devices may be provided on appropriate circuit boards and / or in a chipset 204. The user may control the operation of the communication device 200 through an appropriate user interface (e.g., a keyboard 205, voice commands, a touch screen or touchpad, a combination thereof, etc.). A display 208, a speaker and a microphone may also be provided. In addition, the communication device 200 may include appropriate connectors (wired or wireless) for connecting to other devices and / or for connecting external accessories (e.g., a hands-free device) thereto.

[0111] The communication device 200 may receive signals via the air or radio interface 207 by appropriate means for receiving, and may transmit signals by appropriate means for transmitting radio signals. Figure 2 In the communication device 200, the transceiver device is schematically designated by block 206. The transceiver device 206 may be provided, for example, by a radio part and an associated antenna arrangement. The antenna arrangement may be arranged internally or externally to the communication device 200.

[0112] If desired, the communication device 200 may also or alternatively be configured to communicate using one or more global navigation satellite systems (GNSS, such as GPS or GLONASS), one or more mobile television broadcast standards (e.g., ATSC-M / H or DVB-H), and / or any other wireless communication protocol. Other combinations of wireless communication standards (including more than two wireless communication standards) are also possible.

[0113] generally, Figure 2 The communication device 200 shown in includes a set of components configured to perform core functions. For example, the set of components can be implemented as a system on a chip (SoC), which can include parts for various purposes. Alternatively, the set of components can be implemented as individual components or groups of components for various purposes. The set of components can be (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) coupled to various other circuits of the communication device 200.

[0114] The communication device 200 may include at least one antenna for communicating with a transmitter and a receiver (e.g., a transceiver device 206). Alternatively, the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna may be separate. The communication device 200 may also include a processor (e.g., at least one data processing entity 201) configured to provide signals to and receive signals from the transmitter and the receiver, respectively, and to control the functions of the communication device 200. The processor may be configured to control the functions of the transmitter and the receiver by sending control signaling to the transmitter and the receiver via electrical conductors. Similarly, the processor may be configured to control other units of the communication device 200 by connecting the processor to other units (e.g., a display (e.g., display 208) or a memory (e.g., at least one memory 202)) via electrical conductors. The processor may be embodied, for example, in a variety of ways, including circuits, at least one processing core, one or more microprocessors with an attached digital signal processor, one or more processors without an attached digital signal processor, one or more coprocessors, one or more multi-core processors, one or more controllers, processing circuits, one or more computers, various other processing units, including integrated circuits, such as application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), etc., or some combination thereof. Thus, in some examples, a processor may include multiple processors or processing cores.

[0115] The communication device 200 may be capable of operating using one or more air interface standards, communication protocols, modulation types, access types, etc. The signals sent and received by the processor may include signaling information in accordance with the air interface standard of the applicable cellular system, and / or any number of different wired or wireless network technologies, including but not limited to Wi-Fi, WLAN technologies, such as Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, 802.16, 802.3, ADSL, DOCSIS, etc. In addition, these signals may include voice data, user-generated data, user-requested data, etc.

[0116] For example, the communication device 200 and / or the cellular modem therein may be capable of operating according to various third generation (3G) communication protocols, fourth generation (4G) communication protocols, fifth generation (5G) communication protocols, Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) communication protocols (e.g., Session Initiation Protocol (SIP)), or 5G and above protocols. For example, the communication device 200 may be capable of operating according to 4G wireless communication protocols (e.g., LTE-A, 5G, etc.) and similar wireless communication protocols that may be developed subsequently.

[0117] It is understood that the processor may include circuits for implementing the audio / video and logic functions of the communication device 200. For example, the processor may include a digital signal processor device, a microprocessor device, an analog-to-digital converter, a digital-to-analog converter, etc. The control and signal processing functions of the communication device 200 may be allocated between these devices according to their respective capabilities. The processor may also include an internal voice encoder (VC), an internal data modem (DM), etc. In addition, the processor may include the function of operating one or more software programs, which may be stored in the memory. Generally, the processor and the stored software instructions may be configured to cause the communication device 200 to perform actions. For example, the processor may have the ability to operate a connection program, such as a Web browser. The connection program may allow the communication device 200 to send and receive Web content (e.g., location-based content) according to a protocol (e.g., Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), etc.).

[0118] The communication device 200 may also include a user interface, which includes, for example, a headset or a speaker, a ringer, a microphone, a display, a user input interface, etc., which may be operatively coupled to the processor. As described above, the display may include a touch display, where the user can touch and / or make gestures to make selections, input values, etc. The processor may also include a user interface circuit configured to control at least some functions of one or more units of the user interface, such as a speaker, a ringer, a microphone, a display, etc. The processor and / or the user interface circuit including the processor may be configured to control one or more functions of one or more units of the user interface through computer program instructions (e.g., software and / or firmware stored on a memory accessible to the processor (e.g., volatile memory, non-volatile memory, etc.)). The communication device 200 may include a battery for powering various circuits associated with the mobile terminal, for example, a circuit that provides mechanical vibration as a detectable output. The user input interface may include a device that allows the communication device 200 to receive data, such as a keyboard (e.g., keyboard 206) and / or other input devices. The keyboard may also be a virtual keyboard presented on the display or an externally coupled keyboard.

[0119] The communication device 200 may also include one or more mechanisms for sharing and / or obtaining data. For example, the communication device 200 may include a short-range radio frequency (RF) transceiver and / or an interrogator, so that data can be shared with and / or obtained from electronic devices based on RF technology. The communication device 200 may include other short-range transceivers, such as infrared (IR) transceivers, Bluetooth (BT) transceivers operating using Bluetooth wireless technology, wireless universal serial bus (USB) transceivers, Bluetooth low energy transceivers, ZigBee transceivers, ANT transceivers, cell device to device transceivers, wireless local area network link transceivers and / or any other short-range radio technology. The communication device 200 and more specifically, the short-range transceiver may be able to send data to and / or receive data from electronic devices near the device (e.g., within 10 meters). The communication device 200 including a Wi-Fi or WLAN modem can also send data and / or receive data from electronic devices according to various wireless network technologies (including 6LoWPAN, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi low power, WLAN technology (such as IEEE 802.11 technology, IEEE 802.15 technology, IEEE 802.16 technology, etc.) and / or similar technologies.

[0120] The communication device 200 may include a memory, such as one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), one or more universal subscriber identity modules (USIMs), one or more removable user identity modules (R-UIMs), one or more embedded universal integrated circuit cards (eUICCs), one or more universal integrated circuit cards (UICCs), etc., which may store information units related to mobile subscribers. In addition, the communication device 200 may include other removable and / or fixed memories. The communication device 200 may include volatile memory and / or non-volatile memory. For example, the volatile memory may include random access memory (RAM), including dynamic and / or static RAM, on-chip or off-chip cache memory, etc. The non-volatile memory may be embedded and / or removable, and may include, for example, read-only memory, flash memory, magnetic storage devices (such as hard disks, floppy disk drives, tapes, optical disk drives and / or media), non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM), etc. Like volatile memory, non-volatile memory may include a cache area for temporarily storing data. At least a portion of the volatile and / or non-volatile memory may be embedded in the processor. The memory may store one or more software programs, instructions, information, data, etc., which may be used by the apparatus to perform the operations disclosed herein.

[0121] The memory may include an identifier, such as an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) code, that can uniquely identify the communication device 200. In an example embodiment, the processor may be configured using computer code stored in the memory to cause the processor to perform the operations disclosed herein.

[0122] Some embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented in software, hardware, application logic, or a combination of software, hardware, and application logic. For example, the software, application logic, and / or hardware may reside in a memory, a processor, or an electronic component. In certain example embodiments, the application logic, software, or an instruction set is maintained on any of a variety of conventional computer-readable media. In the context of this document, a "computer-readable medium" may be any non-transitory medium that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport instructions for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device (e.g., a computer or data processor circuit), such as a computer or data processor circuit. Figure 2 In the examples shown in , computer-readable media may include non-transitory computer-readable storage media, which may be any media that can contain or store instructions for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device (eg, a computer).

[0123] In some embodiments, the communication device 200 (i.e., a UE or user equipment in a network) includes a processor (e.g., at least one data processing entity 201) and a memory (e.g., at least one memory 202). The memory includes a computer program code that causes the communication device 200 to perform operations according to the following reference Figure 7 Describes the method that performs the processing.

[0124] Figure 3 An example embodiment of a control device for a communication system is shown, for example, a station coupled to an access system and / or a station for controlling an access system, such as a RAN node, such as a base station, eNB or gNB, a relay node or a core network node (such as an MME or S-GW or P-GW), or a core network function (such as an AMF / SMF), or a server or a host. The method can be implanted in a single control device or implanted across multiple control devices. The control device can be integrated with a node or module of a core network or RAN or located outside it. In some embodiments, the base station includes a separate control device unit or module. In other embodiments, the control device can be another network unit, such as an RNC or a spectrum controller. In some embodiments, each base station can have such a control device and a control device provided in the RNC. The control device 300 can be arranged to provide control of communications in a service area of ​​the system. The control device 300 includes at least one memory 301, at least one data processing unit 302, 303 and an input / output interface 304. Through the interface, the control device 300 can be coupled to the receiver and transmitter of the base station. The receiver and / or the transmitter may be implemented as a radio front end or a remote radio head.

[0125] Typically, the control device 300 has an antenna that sends and receives radio signals. A radio frequency (RF) transceiver module coupled to the antenna receives the RF signal from the antenna, converts it into a baseband signal and sends it to a processor (e.g., at least one data processing unit 302, 303). The RF transceiver also converts the baseband signal received from the processor into an RF signal and sends it to the antenna. The processor processes the received baseband signal and calls different functional modules to execute features in the control device 300. A memory (e.g., at least one memory 301) stores program instructions and data to control the operation of the control device 300. In Figure 3In the example of , the control device 300 also includes a protocol stack and a set of control function modules and circuits. The PDU session processing circuit processes the PDU session establishment and modification process. The policy control module configures policy rules for the UE. The configuration and control circuits provide different parameters to configure and control relevant functions of the UE, including mobility management and session management. Suitable processors include, for example, dedicated processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors associated with a DSP core, controllers, microcontrollers, ASICs, FPGA circuits, and other types of integrated circuits (ICs) and / or state machines.

[0126] In some embodiments, the control device 300 (i.e., a base station, a wireless transmission and / or reception point equipment, or a network node in a network) includes a processor (e.g., at least one data processing unit 302, 303) and a memory (e.g., at least one memory 301). The memory includes computer program code, so that the control device 300 performs the following operations according to the reference Figure 8 Describes the method that performs the processing.

[0127] As described above, network slicing is a concept in which the network resources of an end-to-end connection between a user equipment (i.e., UE) and another endpoint in a network (e.g., a public land mobile network (PLMN)) are sliced. Similar network slicing can also be adopted in private networks. Network slicing can be understood as a logical end-to-end network that can be dynamically created and / or modified. The network between terminal devices can all be sliced ​​from one terminal device to another, so the slices form a logical pipe within the network. The user device can access the slices through the radio interface. As described in 3GPP TS 38.300 (e.g., Version 16.8.0Release 16, 2022-01), network slicing will become a key feature in 5G to support different services using the same underlying mobile network infrastructure.

[0128] Network slicing thus enables communications service providers to offer dedicated virtual networks on a public network infrastructure. Different virtual or logical networks can be designed to provide different network characteristics, such as different quality of service (QoS) capabilities, in order to host services with different requirements and service level agreements (SLAs). For example, virtual networks can be customized to meet the specific needs of various applications, services, devices, customers and / or operators. Network slicing thus enables different services to be provided to terminal devices. In an example, network slices may differ in their service requirements (such as URLLC and eMBB) or in the tenants that provide these services.

[0129] Figure 4An illustration of an example decomposed gNB architecture including a local control plane is provided. In this decomposed architecture, the gNB is decomposed into multiple logical entities. This decomposed architecture is feasible for a gNB, for example, in a 5G NR system, where one or more first units may be represented by at least one distributed unit (DU) and a second unit may be represented by a centralized unit (CU). The CU may be further divided into a CU control plane (CP) part (also referred to as CU-C or CU-CP) and a CU user plane (UP) part (also referred to as CU-U or CU-UP). This split enables the implementation of the CU-CP and CU-UP parts at different locations. A DU may host multiple cells (up to 512 in the current specification). The CU-CP hosts one or more gNB-DUs and one or more CU-UPs. There can be only one CU-CP in a gNB. The PDCP-C (control plane part) and RRC layers are located in the CU-CP, while the gNB-DU hosts the RLC / , MAC, and PHY layers. Scheduling operations occur on the gNB-DU. The CU-UP carries the PDCP-U (user plane part) and SDAP protocols.

[0130] The decomposed gNB architecture introduces an F1 interface between the gNB-DU and the CU-UP and CU-CP. An E1 interface is provided between the CU-CP and the CU-UP. In this example, there is a central CU-CP with two CU-CP1 and CU-CP2. A gNB-DU is provided at the gNB. The gNB has an interface NG-C from the central CU-CP to network control functions such as the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) and the Session Management Function (SMF). In addition, the gNB has an interface NG-U from the CU-UP to network user functions such as the User Plane Function (UPF).

[0131] The decomposed gNB architecture also includes a local control plane (L-CP) network entity that hosts an additional RRC entity for the UE, which is in addition to the existing RRC entity on the CU-CP. The L-CP can handle "local" mobility functions for the UE, such as forwarding NAS messages to the CU-CP and mobility operations based on CHO / L1 within the gNB, and is assigned its own UE identity, which may include RRC processing for selected UEs. This may include performing L-CP functions at the UE level or at the DRB / PDU session level. This may allow some RRC-related CU-CP tasks (such as L1 mobility) to be transferred to the L-CP while maintaining overall connection control at the CU-CP, and can therefore be completely transparent to the CN. In addition, this may require the RRC message and / or PDCP layer to indicate the RRC entity to the UE so that the RRC messages can be encrypted (decrypted) using the correct security keys.

[0132] The Local Control Plane (L-CP) entity complies with the RAN3 cardinality agreed in 3GPP, i.e. the gNB-CU-CP remains a singleton in the gNB.

[0133] The UE may maintain a single RRC connection terminating at the CU-CP but may be assigned two RRC entities, one at the CU-CP and one at the L-CP.The single RRC connection may be represented by addressing and an identifier associated with the connection.

[0134] The NG-C / U interface may terminate only at the CU-CP and CU-UP, respectively, i.e., the L-CP is transparent to the CN and only the CU is aware of its existence.

[0135] The selection of C-plane RRC processing per UE (CU-CP or L-CP) may be performed by the CU-CP. This may be based on UE capabilities, such as UE type (e.g., robot, sensor, etc.), based on an AI-ML based algorithm using UE history to determine the mobility range of the UE, limited mobility femto UEs, factory UEs, etc.

[0136] L-CP may be introduced with at least the following functions: RRC processing for the selected UE, which may include performing L-CP selection function at the UE level or DRB / PDU session level; forwarding NAS messages to CU-CP; and / or local mobility processing, such as CHO / L1-based mobility.

[0137] The L-CP can communicate with the CU-CP over the network interface G1-C. G1-C can be an interface over an SCTP connection, just like other RAN3 interfaces. Therefore, the same security mechanisms apply here as well. The RRC messages from the UE can be routed from the gNB-DU to the CU-CP over the interface F1-C. Therefore, all NG-C specific procedures can be handled by the CU-CP, also for the UE performing RRC processing at the L-CP. The RRC state of the UE can be decided by the CU-CP, i.e. the RRC anchor point never changes within the gNB and the L3 HO request is handled by the CU-CP.

[0138] The CU-CP may perform the initial selection of a C-Plane entity for a given UE and, if selected, inform the L-CP. Subsequently, all NAS messages from the UE are routed through the CU-CP to the Core Network (CN), i.e., the AMF or its equivalent.

[0139] The CU-CP may control and handle all inter-gNB procedures, e.g., configure and receive measurements related to inter-gNB HO, inter-RAT HO, dual connectivity, etc. The CU-CP may synchronize with the L-CP after / during inter-gNB procedures (e.g., UE context release). The L-CP may coordinate / notify with the CU-CP before or after events (e.g., CHO, lower layer mobility, inter-DU HO, carrier aggregation, etc.). The CU-CP may fetch the latest UE RRC configuration from the L-CP when initiating an inter-gNB procedure, or alternatively, the L-CP may synchronize with the CU-CP after completing each RRC procedure.

[0140] The UE context may reside in the CU-CP and the L-CP. Each context may have different content and parameters to distinguish the two contexts, but may identify the same UE. Alternatively, the UE context may be stored in a RAN database (DB) and both the CU-CP and the L-CP may have access (be authorized to access). The RRC state of the UE may be determined by the CU-CP, so the CU-CP performs UE context reads / writes to the RAN DB during RRC state transitions. This may involve the CU-CP retrieving the UE context information from the L-CP before storing it in the RAN DB. However, a stateless C-plane in CONNECTED mode may also be implemented. In this case, the L-CP may also be enabled to read-write the UE context from / to the RAN-DB.

[0141] Regarding security handling, both CU-CP and L-CP can be supplemented with their own PDCP-C for encryption and integrity protection. The main access layer security key material (KgNB, Krrcint, Krrcenc, etc.) can be stored in the CU-CP. The CU-CP can derive another key set to protect the RRC messages between the UE and the L-CP and send it to the L-CP entity. The UE can also derive the same key material for the L-CP based on the message from the CU-CP.

[0142] The L-CP may be selected considering slice support. A multi-slice UE may be associated with multiple L-CPs considering slice SLA. Slice support information and slice related parameters (e.g., slice load) may be exchanged through the interface (i.e., G1-C) between the L-CP and the CU-CP.

[0143] The UE may receive RRC messages from the same gNB from two different entities, i.e. CU-CP and L-CP. The source / destination (i.e. UE to CU-CP, UE to L-CP, CU-CP to UE, L-CP to UE, etc.) may be indicated in the RRC message. Based on this information available in the RRC message header, the UE may select an appropriate key from the stored key set and use it accordingly to encrypt / decrypt or integrity protect / authenticate the message. This configuration may be shared by the CU-CP in the first RRC reconfiguration message. The PDCP-C header may indicate the RRC entity to the UE so that the RRC message can be encrypted (decrypted) using the correct security key. The UE may also use the same indication in UL RRC messages. This enables the gNB-DU to remember and identify the owner of the UL RRC message and deliver the received UL RRC message to the correct C-plane entity in the network, i.e. CU-CP or L-CP.

[0144] The local control plane L-CP can be merged into the gNB-DU, that is, the L-CP function is not separated from the gNB-DU.

[0145] The local control plane LL-CP may be implemented according to (micro)services-based architecture (SBA) principles, where the L-CP may be defined as or include a set of services that are exposed and discoverable by other authorized functions in the network via a service-based interface (SBI) and associated application programming interfaces (APIs).

[0146] Figure 5 An example message sequence chart for RRC connection establishment is shown.

[0147] In an example scenario, it is assumed that a user equipment (eg, UE) is connected to a network having a Figure 4 The cell of the gNB is shown. As mentioned above, the gNB includes gNB-DU, CU-CP, L-CP and CU-UP. The gNB is connected to the AMF.

[0148] For RRC connection establishment, the UE sends an RRC Setup Request to the CU-CP of the gNB, which replies with an RRC Setup message. In response, the UE indicates to the CU-CP that the RRC Setup is complete, including the Initial UE Message. The gNB sends the Initial UE Message to the selected AMF. This message carries the Registration Request message received from the UE in the RRC Setup Complete message.

[0149] In response, the AMF instructs the CU-CP on the initial context establishment. At the CU-CP, either the CU-CP or the L-CP is selected for the UE session. In addition, security key material is derived for the L-CP. Over the F1 interface, the CU-CP sends a UE context establishment request to the gNB-DU. The request includes the UE ID, the control radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI), and the security key material of the L-CP.

[0150] The gNB-DU stores the selected L-CP for the UE and runs a context establishment with the L-CP. Afterwards, the gNB-DU sends a UE context establishment response to the CU-CP indicating that the establishment is complete. During this time, the CU-CP has run a bearer context establishment with the CU-UP.

[0151] Then, the CU-CP sends an RRC reconfiguration message to the UE. The message includes the data radio bearer configuration and security materials, such as one or more keys for the L-CP and for the CU-CP. After receiving the message, the UE derives the key material for messages to and from the L-CP.

[0152] In addition, the L-CP sends an RRC reconfiguration message to the UE, indicating that the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) originates from the L-CP. During this period, the CU-CP has sent an Initial Context Setup message to the AMF, indicating that the setup is complete.

[0153] exist Figure 6 In FIG. 1 , example message sequence diagrams for intra-gNB handover and inter-gNB handover are shown.

[0154] In an example scenario, it is assumed that a user equipment (eg, UE) is connected to a network having a Figure 4 The cell of the gNB shown. In this example, the UE is connected to a cell in gNB-DU1. As mentioned before, gNB1 includes a first gNB-DU1, a second gNB-DU2, each with their own L-CP and a common CU-CP. The gNB is connected to the AMF. There is also a second gNB2. The second gNB2 can have the same structure as gNB1.

[0155] First, discuss Figure 6Intra-gNB handover shown at the top. The CU-CP allows measurements to be made on the UE, which are reported to the L-CP of gNB-DU1. The UE makes Layer 3 (L3) measurements and sends a Measurement Report message to the L-CP of gNB-DU1. The message may include serving cell and neighbor cell signal strengths. In this example, the L-CP of gNB-DU1 identifies the best cell in gNB-DU2 and accordingly sends a Handover Request to the L-CP of gNB-DU2. The L-CP of gNB-DU2 sends a Handover Response. Identification of whether the measured cell is an intra-gNB cell or an inter-gNB cell is made possible by broadcasting an identifier in the SIB or a unique value in the CSI-RS.

[0156] The L-CP of gNB-DU1 sends an RRC Reconfiguration message to the UE. This message includes the data radio bearer configuration and an indication that the message comes from the L-CP. In addition, the L-CP of gNB-DU1 sends a Notify HO Trigger to the CU-CP, which includes the UE ID and the target DU / cell. Then, a Random Access Channel (RACH) is established between the UE and the L-CP of gNB-DU2. Thereafter, the L-CP of gNB-DU2 notifies the CU-CP of the HO success. As a last step, the CU-CP synchronizes the UE state and context with the serving DU (i.e. gNB-DU2 in this case).

[0157] For intra-gNB HO, handover preparation can be performed over the DU-DU interface. The source and target DUs can notify the CU-CP to maintain synchronization between the network states. Interworking between mobility procedures controlled by the CU-CP and the L-CP can be provided to ensure collision avoidance. All intra-gNB procedures and mobility events can be handled using the L-CP: intra-gNB CHO, lower layer mobility, carrier aggregation (including establishment / Scell ​​addition / release, etc.), multi-TRP operation and / or DRX, coordinated with the CU-CP.

[0158] Secondly, discuss Figure 6 Inter-gNB handover shown at the bottom. The CU-CP allows measurements to be made on the UE, which are reported to the CU-CP of gNB1.

[0159] The UE performs Layer 3 (L3) measurements and sends a Measurement Report message to the CU-CP of gNB1. The message may include the serving cell and neighbor cell signal strength. In this example, the CU-CP of gNB1 identifies the best cell in gNB2 and accordingly sends a Handover Request to gNB2. gNB2 sends a Handover Response.

[0160] The CU-CP of gNB1 sends an RRC Reconfiguration message to the UE. The message includes the data radio bearer configuration and an indication that the message originated from the CU-CP. As a final step, a Random Access Channel (RACH) is established between the UE and gNB2.

[0161] exist Figure 6 In both cases, the data path establishment with the target gNB-DU can be performed by the source gNB-DU notifying the gNB-CU-CP via F1-C (after handover preparation) and by the gNB-CU-CP notifying the gNB-CU-UP about the new DL TEID details.

[0162] Figure 7 An example flow chart of a method for controlling user equipment in a network is shown. Figure 7 The method shown in shows configuring an RRC connection to a network node by selecting an RRC entity on a central unit control plane of the network node or an RRC entity on a local control plane of the network node. For ease of reading, the central unit control plane may also be referred to as a central control plane.

[0163] The method may be performed by a user equipment (also referred to as a user equipment (UE)) or an apparatus for a user equipment. For example, the UE may be performed by the user equipment as described above. Figure 1 Any one of the mobile communication devices 102, 104, 105 of the wireless communication system 100 is represented by, or represented by, the mobile communication devices 102, 104, 105 of the wireless communication system 100 as described above. Figure 2 The communication device 200 represents.

[0164] In an example, a network may include one or more network nodes (e.g., Figure 4 One or more base stations as shown) and at least one user equipment (such as Figure 2 UE shown).

[0165] At block 710, a user equipment receives a message from a network node.

[0166] The message may be an RRC message including an indication of the RRC entity to be selected, wherein the indication of the RRC entity to be selected may be based on the type and / or capabilities of the user equipment.When sending an UL message, the UE or user equipment may include the indication in the UL RRC message.

[0167] At block 720, the user equipment configures an RRC connection to the network node, including selecting and / or determining an RRC entity on a central control plane of the network node or an RRC entity on a local control plane of the network node for communications with or from the network node.

[0168] The user equipment may receive RRC messages from a central control plane and a local control plane of a network node.

[0169] In some examples, method 700 may also include communicating with a local control plane at box 730 to perform intra-gNB functions (e.g., reporting Layer 1 and / or Layer 3 measurements to the network), receiving configuration related to cell access or performing mobility procedures (e.g., CHO or L1 based mobility processing), forwarding NAS messages to the central control plane, and / or performing control plane functions at the user equipment level or DRB / PDU session level.

[0170] In some other examples, method 700 may also include communicating with a central control plane at block 740 for overall connection control, NG RAN inter-node procedures, and / or inter-RAT procedures.

[0171] In some further examples, method 700 may also include selecting, by the user equipment, a key from a stored key set based on the indication; and using, by the user equipment, the key to encrypt / decrypt or integrity protect / verify communications to and from the network node.

[0172] In some further examples, method 700 may also include receiving an indication from a network node regarding providing multiple local control planes for slice support; and sending to the network node an association between a user device served by the slice and one or more of the multiple local control planes.

[0173] Figure 8 An example flow chart of a method for controlling a network device in a network is shown. The method is performed by the network. More specifically, the method may be performed by one or more network nodes or network functions of the network, or a device used in a network node, or performed by a network function. For example, the method may be performed by a base station, such as by the method described above with reference to Figure 3 The control device 300 represents a base station, as shown above Figure 4 The gNB and / or core network functions (e.g. AMF) are executed.

[0174] As described above, in an example, a network may include one or more network nodes (e.g., Figure 4 One or more base stations as shown) and at least one user equipment (such as Figure 2 UE shown).

[0175] At block 810, the network device sends a message to the user device.

[0176] The message may be an RRC message including an indication of an RRC entity to be selected, wherein the indication of the RRC entity to be selected may be based on the type and / or capabilities of the user equipment.The RRC message may be sent to the user equipment from a central control plane and / or a local control plane of a network node.

[0177] At block 820, the network device configures an RRC connection to the user equipment, including an RRC entity on a central control plane of the network node and an RRC entity on a local control plane for sending and receiving signaling messages with the network.

[0178] A local control plane may be provided for a single user equipment. Thus, in the case of multiple user equipments, multiple local control planes may be provided. The local control plane may provide RRC functions, such as mobility handling based on CHO or L1, forwarding NAS messages to the central control plane, and / or performing control functions at the user equipment level or DRB / PDU session level. The central control plane may provide overall connection control and / or inter-node procedures.

[0179] In some examples, method 800 may also include terminating the network node control interface only by the central control plane and / or determining the RRC state of the user equipment only by the central control plane.

[0180] In some examples, method 800 may also include storing the context of the user equipment in a RAN database and / or storing the context of the user equipment in a central control plane and / or a local control plane. The latter may include storing the context of the user equipment in the RAN database or reading the context of the user equipment from the RAN database by the local control plane.

[0181] In some examples, the method 800 may also include providing multiple local control planes for slice support; and receiving an association of the user equipment with one or more of the multiple local control planes from the user equipment according to the slice service. Even further, the method 800 may also include exchanging slice support information and / or slice related parameters through an interface between the central control plane and / or the local control plane.

[0182] Fig. 9 An example PDCP protocol data unit for a signaling radio bearer (SRB) is shown, and the format of a PDCP data PDU with a 12-bit PDCP SN is shown. This format is applicable to SRBs.

[0183] For encryption and decryption purposes, the PDCP PDU containing the SRB message from the L-CP may also indicate this in the PDCP header, e.g. Fig. 9 This source indication may be added to the existing PDCP specification TS 38.323.

[0184] The 1-bit RRC field indicates whether the included RRC message originates from the L-CP. This may be used for encryption purposes. A bit value of 0 may indicate that the included RRC message originates from the CU-CP. A bit value of 1 may indicate that the included RRC message originates from the L-CP.

[0185] It should be understood that these devices may include or be coupled to other units or modules for transmitting and / or receiving, such as radio components or radio heads. Although these devices are described as one entity, different modules and memories may be implemented in one or more physical or logical entities.

[0186] It should be noted that although embodiments have been described in relation to LTE and 5G NR, similar principles may be applied to other networks and communication systems where forced fast connection reestablishment is required. Therefore, although certain embodiments are described above by way of example with reference to certain example architectures of wireless networks, technologies and standards, the embodiments may be applied to any other suitable form of communication system in addition to the communication system shown and described herein.

[0187] It is also noted herein that while exemplary embodiments are described above, there are numerous variations and modifications which may be made to the disclosed solution without departing from the scope of the subject disclosure.

[0188] In general, various exemplary embodiments may be implemented in hardware or dedicated chips, circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. For example, some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software that may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. Although various aspects of the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be illustrated and described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other graphical representation, it is well understood that the boxes, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuits or logic, general hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof as non-limiting examples.

[0189] The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by computer software executable by a data processor of a mobile device, for example in a processor entity, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. Computer software or programs, also referred to as program products, include software routines, applets and / or macros, which may be stored in a data storage medium readable by any device, and they include program instructions for performing specific tasks. A computer program product may include one or more computer executable components that are configured to perform an embodiment when the program is run. One or more computer executable components may be at least one software code or a portion thereof.

[0190] In this regard, it should also be noted that any blocks of the logic flows shown in the Figures may represent program steps, or interconnected logic circuits, blocks and functions, or a combination of program steps and logic circuits, blocks and functions. The software may be stored on physical media such as memory chips or memory blocks implemented within a processor, magnetic media such as hard disk or floppy disks, and optical media such as DVDs and their data variants CDs. Physical media are non-transitory media.

[0191] The memory may be of any type suitable for the local technical environment and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory, and removable memory. The data processor may be of any type suitable for the local technical environment and may include one or more of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an FPGA, a gate-level circuit, and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture, as non-limiting examples.

[0192] The exemplary embodiments of the subject disclosure may be practiced in various components, such as integrated circuit modules. The design of integrated circuits is generally a highly automated process. Complex and powerful software tools are available to convert a logic level design into a semiconductor circuit design ready to be etched and formed on a semiconductor substrate.

[0193] The foregoing description has provided by way of non-limiting examples a complete and informative description of exemplary embodiments of the subject disclosure. However, various modifications and adaptations will become apparent to those skilled in the relevant art when the foregoing description is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the appended claims. However, all such and similar modifications to the teachings of the subject disclosure will still fall within the scope of the subject disclosure as defined in the appended claims. In fact, there is another embodiment that includes a combination of one or more embodiments with any other embodiment previously discussed.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a user equipment in a communication network, comprising: Receive messages from network nodes; Configuring an RRC connection to the network node at the user equipment comprises selecting and / or determining an RRC entity on a central unit control plane of the network node or an RRC entity on a local control plane of the network node for communication with or from the network node.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: selecting, by the user equipment, a key corresponding to the selected RRC entity from a stored key set based on the indication; as well as The key is used by the user equipment to encrypt / decrypt or integrity protect / authenticate communications to and from the network node.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The message may be a downlink RRC message comprising an indication of the RRC entity to be selected.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein: The UL RRC message sent by the user equipment may include a similar or identical indication.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising: Communicate with the local control plane to perform intra-gNB functions (e.g., report Layer 1 and / or Layer 3 measurements to the network), receive configuration related to cell access or perform mobility procedures (e.g., CHO or L1-based mobility handling), forward NAS messages to the central control plane, and / or perform control plane functions at the user equipment level or DRB / PDU session level.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising: Communicates with the central unit control plane for overall connection control, NG RAN inter-node procedures, and / or inter-RAT procedures.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The user equipment may receive RRC messages from the central unit control plane and the local control plane of the network node as part of the same RRC connection.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising: receiving an indication from a network node to provide multiple local control planes for slice support; as well as An association of the user equipment with one or more of the multiple local control planes is sent to the network node based on the slice service.

9. A method for controlling a network device in a communication network, comprising: Sending a message to a user device; An RRC connection to the user equipment is configured, including an RRC entity at a central unit control plane of a network node and an RRC entity at a local control plane for sending and receiving signaling messages with the network.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein: The message is a downlink RRC message comprising an indication of the RRC entity to be selected for communication with the network.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein: The indication of the RRC entity to be selected is based on an invoked service and a type and / or capabilities of the user equipment.

12. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein: The local control plane is configured for each single user equipment or each group of user equipment (eg, a virtual network (VN) group).

13. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 12, wherein: The local control plane provides RRC functions, such as providing configuration related to cell access for the user equipment or performing mobility procedures (such as CHO or L1-based mobility processing), forwarding NAS messages received from the user equipment to the central unit control plane, and / or performing control plane functions at the user equipment level or the DRB / PDU session level.

14. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 13, wherein: The central unit control plane provides overall connection control, and / or NG RAN inter-node procedures and / or inter-RAT procedures.

15. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 14, wherein: The RRC message may be sent from the central unit control plane and / or the local control plane of the network node to the user equipment as part of the RRC connection.

16. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 15, wherein: The RRC messages sent from the central unit control plane and the local control plane of the network node to the user equipment are associated and / or encrypted using different security keys.

17. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 16, wherein: The security key associated with the local control plane is generated by the central unit control plane and configured to the user equipment and the local control plane.

18. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 15, wherein: The local control plane entity may be enabled to be instantiated and / or associated with at least one gNB-DU of the NG-RAN node.

19. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 15, further comprising: The interface with the core network is terminated only by the central unit control plane.

20. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 19, further comprising: The RRC state of the user equipment is determined only by the central control unit plane.

21. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 20, further comprising: The context of the user equipment is stored in the central unit control plane and / or the local control plane.

22. The method according to claim 21, further comprising: The local control plane stores the context of the user equipment in a RAN database or reads the context of the user equipment from a RAN database.

23. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 22, further comprising: The context of the user equipment is stored in a RAN database.

24. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 23, further comprising: Providing one or more multiple local control planes for slicing support; as well as An association of the user equipment with one or more of the multiple local control planes is received from the user equipment based on the slice service.

25. The method according to claim 24, further comprising: Slice support information and / or slice related parameters are exchanged via an interface between the central unit control plane and / or the local control plane.

26. A user equipment, comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory including computer program code, wherein the computer program code causes the user equipment, when executed using the at least one processor, to at least: Receive messages from network nodes; Configuring an RRC connection to the network node comprises selecting and / or determining an RRC entity on a central unit control plane of the network node or an RRC entity on a local control plane of the network node for communication with or from the network node.

27. The user equipment according to claim 26, wherein: The computer program code causes the user equipment to perform a method according to any one of claims 2 to 8 when executed using the at least one processor.

28. A network device comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory including computer program code, wherein the computer program code causes the network device, when executed using the at least one processor: receiving a message from a user device; An RRC connection to the user equipment is configured, including an RRC entity at a central unit control plane of a network node and an RRC entity at a local control plane for sending and receiving signaling messages with the network.

29. The network device according to claim 28, wherein: The computer program code causes the network device to perform the method according to any one of claims 10 to 25 when executed using the at least one processor.

30. A user equipment, comprising: A module for receiving messages from network nodes; as well as A module for configuring an RRC connection to the network node comprises selecting and / or determining an RRC entity on a central unit control plane of the network node or an RRC entity on a local control plane of the network node for communication with or from the network node.

31. The user equipment according to claim 30, wherein: The computer program code causes the user equipment to perform a method according to any one of claims 2 to 8 when executed using the at least one processor.

32. A network device comprising: A module for sending messages to user equipment; as well as A module for configuring an RRC connection to the user equipment includes an RRC entity on a central unit control plane of a network node and an RRC entity on a local control plane, for sending and receiving signaling messages with the network.

33. The network device according to claim 32, wherein: The computer program code causes the network device to perform the method according to any one of claims 10 to 25 when executed using the at least one processor.

34. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing computer executable instructions which, when executed on one or more processors, perform the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

35. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing computer executable instructions which, when executed on one or more processors, perform the steps of the method according to claims 9 to 25.

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