Method for improving RedCap mobility success rate, user equipment and base station thereof

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of 5G communication, and provides a method for improving the RedCap mobility success rate, a base station informs a core network of the RedCap supporting condition, the core network informs a peripheral neighbor cell of the RedCap supporting condition for subsequent RedCap UE switching, and the specific method comprises the steps that when the base station establishes connection with the core network, the RedCap capacity is reported to the core network, and when the base station establishes connection with the core network, the RedCap capacity is reported to the core network; a core network records the RedCap capability of a base station, and when a source base station sends a switching request carrying a terminal type of RedCap, forwarding is carried out according to the RedCap capability of a target base station so as to reduce switching time delay. Besides, when the RedCap capability of the target base station is adjusted, the core network is notified through state updating, so that the information updating timeliness is improved, and the switching strategy of the RedCap terminal is rapidly adjusted. According to the invention, the switching success rate of the RedCap UE is obviously improved, the manual operation is reduced, the cost is reduced, and the product competitiveness is improved, so that the mobility management in the 5G network is optimized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application belongs to the field of 5G communication transmission technology, and in particular, relates to a method for improving the success rate of RedCap mobility, a user device and a base station thereof. Background Art

[0002] RedCap technology was introduced in 3GPP R17. RedCap is the abbreviation of Reduced Capability, which means "reduced capability". It reduces costs under specific scenario requirements by cutting UE capabilities. It has the characteristics of low complexity, low cost, low power consumption, and compact size. Correspondingly, base stations need to support RedCap features, and base stations that support RedCap can provide access and switching services. However, the current network has not rolled out RedCap services on a large scale, so not all 5G base stations can provide continuous services for RedCap terminals.

[0003] Therefore, for the handover of RedCap UE, the base station needs to select a target station that supports RedCap for the UE to switch. Therefore, obtaining the RedCap capability of the neighboring cell in advance can quickly and effectively implement the RedCap switch, improve the handover success rate, and enhance user perception. However, the existing protocol does not support the RedCap of the NG port. The source base station cannot obtain the RedCap capability of the neighboring cell through the NG interface, and the handover success rate and handover delay cannot be guaranteed.

[0004] For 5G RAN that supports RedCap, the base station supports RedCap UE's network access service and RedCap UE's cut-in service. In this scenario, the selection of the target cell for handover needs to know whether the target base station supports RedCap. However, since XN is not established with the target base station, the source station does not know whether the target station supports RedCap. In the unknown case, if the handover request is performed according to the target base station's support for RedCap, the handover preparation will fail if the target station does not support RedCap, and there is a risk of dropped calls, affecting the service experience. The existing practice is to obtain the target station's support or non-support of RedCap through a handover, or to obtain it through engineering parameters. Summary of the invention

[0005] The embodiment of the present application provides a method for improving the success rate of RedCap mobility, aiming to solve the technical problems of relying on existing engineering parameter information, having a long engineering parameter acquisition cycle, being unable to guarantee accuracy, being unable to quickly add neighboring cells, and the RedCap support of the target station being likely to change and being unable to be obtained in a timely manner.

[0006] The technical solution adopted by the present invention is: The present application provides a method for improving the success rate of RedCap mobility. When a base station establishes a connection with a core network, the RedCap capability of the base station is reported to the core network, and the core network AMF records the RedCap capability of the base station; When the source base station sends a handover request to the core network and carries the terminal type of RedCap, it is forwarded according to the RedCap capability of the target base station to reduce the handover delay; When the RedCap capability of the target base station is adjusted, the core network is notified through status updates to improve the timeliness of information updates. When there is a new handover request, the handover strategy of the RedCap terminal is quickly adjusted; The target base station sends the RedCap information to the core network through the NG interface; The core network notifies the surrounding neighboring cells of the RedCap support status for subsequent switching of RedCap UEs, enabling fast switching of RedCap UEs, reducing manual operations and quickly adding complete neighboring cells.

[0007] In the above method, the base station communicates with the core network, and the specific method is characterized by the following steps: Step 1: When the base station starts, it will establish an NG link with the core network AMF; Step 2: Establish a request through the NG interface to carry the RedCap support status of each cell under the base station; Step 3: After receiving the NG interface link establishment request from the base station, the core network AMF decodes the RedCap support status of each cell of the base station. Step 4: When the core network AMF receives the handover request, it checks whether the handover UE is a RedCap UE and whether the target cell supports RedCap; Step 5: If the handover UE is a RedCap UE and the target cell supports RedCap, the core network AMF forwards the handover request to the target base station for subsequent handover processing. If not, execute steps 6 to 7; Step 6: If the handover UE is a non-RedCap UE, the core network AMF directly forwards the handover request to the target base station to execute the subsequent process. If not, execute steps 7 to 8; Step 7: If the handover UE is a RedCap UE and the target cell does not support RedCap, the core network AMF directly replies to the source cell that the handover preparation has failed; Step 8: The process ends.

[0008] In the above method: Step 9: When the RedCap support status of the base station cell is adjusted, in order to enable the core network to quickly update the RedCap record of the cell and avoid handover failure, the base station sends a configuration update message to the AMF, carrying the RedCap support status of each cell of the base station; Step 10: After receiving the configuration update of the base station, AMF updates the RedCap support status of each cell of the base station; Step 11: Reply to the base station that the configuration update is complete; Step 12: Repeat steps 5 to 8.

[0009] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the embodiments of the present application are: the base station informs the core network of the RedCap supported, reducing the call drops caused by the switching failure due to the selection of the target station that does not support RedCap, realizing automatic updating of the RedCap support status of the neighboring area, improving the subsequent UE switching success rate, reducing manual operations, reducing costs, and enhancing product competitiveness. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0011] Figure 1 It is a flow chart of the method provided by this application.

[0012] Figure 2 This is a flowchart provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0013] Figure 3 This is a flowchart provided by another embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] In the following description, specific details such as specific system structures, technologies, etc. are provided for the purpose of illustration rather than limitation, so as to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the present application. However, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that the present application may also be implemented in other embodiments without these specific details. In other cases, detailed descriptions of well-known systems, devices, circuits, and methods are omitted to prevent unnecessary details from obstructing the description of the present application.

[0015] like Figure 1As shown, the present application provides a method for improving the success rate of RedCap mobility. When the base station establishes a connection with the core network, the RedCap capability of the base station is reported to the core network. The core network AMF records the RedCap capability of the base station. When the source base station sends a handover request to the core network and carries a terminal type of RedCap, it is forwarded according to the RedCap capability of the target base station to reduce the handover delay. When the RedCap capability of the target base station is adjusted, the core network is notified through status updates to improve timely information updates. When there is a new switching request, the switching strategy of the RedCap terminal is quickly adjusted.

[0016] The target base station sends the RedCap support information to the core network through the NG interface. The core network notifies the surrounding neighboring cells of the RedCap support status for subsequent switching of RedCap UEs, thereby achieving rapid switching of RedCap UEs, reducing manual operations and quickly adding complete neighboring cells.

[0017] The base station communicates with the core network, and the specific method is as follows: Step 1: When the base station starts, it will establish an NG link with the core network AMF; Step 2: Establish a request through the NG interface to carry the RedCap support status of each cell under the base station; Step 3: After receiving the NG interface link establishment request from the base station, the core network AMF decodes the RedCap support status of each cell of the base station; Step 4: When the core network AMF receives the handover request, it checks whether the handover UE is a RedCap UE and whether the target cell supports RedCap; Step 5: If the handover UE is a RedCap UE and the target cell supports RedCap, the core network AMF forwards the handover request to the target base station for subsequent handover processing. If not, execute steps 6 to 7. Step 6: If the switching UE is a non-RedCap UE, the core network AMF directly forwards the switching request to the target base station to execute the subsequent process. If not, execute steps 7 to 8. Step 7: If the handover UE is a RedCap UE and the target cell does not support RedCap, the core network AMF directly replies to the source cell that the handover preparation has failed; Step 8: The process ends.

[0018] Step 9: When the RedCap support status of the base station cell is adjusted, in order to enable the core network to quickly update the RedCap record of the cell to avoid handover failure; the base station sends a configuration update message to the AMF, carrying the RedCap support status of each cell of the base station; Step 10: After receiving the configuration update of the base station, AMF updates the RedCap support status of each cell of the base station; Step 11: Reply to the base station that the configuration update is complete; Step 12: Repeat steps 5 to 8.

[0019] like Figure 2 As shown, this embodiment provides a method for improving the success rate of RedCap mobility, including transmitting the RedCap situation of each cell of the base station to the core network when the base station establishes a link with the core network, specifically including the following steps: Step 1: When the base station is started, the base station will establish an NG link with the core network AMF and send an NG setup request to the AMF. The message contains the RedCap support status of each cell under the base station; Step 2: After receiving the NG setup request from the base station, the AMF records the RedCap support status of each cell of the base station; Step 3: The base station configures a coverage-based measurement event for the terminal; Step 4: The UE performs relevant measurements and triggers a measurement report if conditions are met; Step 5: Generate a handover request HO required message according to step 4 and send it to AMF. The HO required message contains the target gNB, cell information and terminal type (whether it is RedCap UE). Step 6: When the AMF receives the handover request, it checks whether the handover UE is a RedCap UE and whether the target cell supports RedCap, and forwards or rejects the handover. Step 6-1: If the handover UE is a RedCap UE, but the target cell does not support RedCap, the AMF directly replies that the handover preparation has failed to the source cell, otherwise, execute step 6-2); Step 6-2: If the handover UE is a RedCap UE and the target cell also supports RedCap or the handover UE is a non-RedCap UE, the AMF forwards the handover request to the target base station and executes step 7 Step 7: The target base station tgNB receives the switching request and executes the subsequent switching process.

[0020] like Figure 3 As shown, another embodiment provides a method for improving the success rate of RedCap mobility, including notifying the core network of the update result when the RedCap capability support status of a cell of the base station changes; specifically comprising the following steps: Step 1: When the RedCap support status of some cells of the base station changes (from supported to unsupported, or from unsupported to supported), the base station sends an NG Config Update to the AMF. The update message contains the RedCap support status of each cell of the base station. Step 2: AMF updates the RedCap support status of each cell under the base station; Step 3 to step 7 are similar to those in the first embodiment and will not be described in detail.

[0021] It should be noted that the information interaction, execution process, etc. between the above-mentioned devices / units are based on the same concept as the method embodiment of the present application. Their specific functions and technical effects can be found in the method embodiment part and will not be repeated here.

[0022] The technicians in the relevant field can clearly understand that for the convenience and simplicity of description, only the division of the above-mentioned functional units and modules is used as an example for illustration. In practical applications, the above-mentioned function allocation can be completed by different functional units and modules as needed, that is, the internal structure of the device can be divided into different functional units or modules to complete all or part of the functions described above. The functional units and modules in the embodiment can be integrated in a processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit. The above-mentioned integrated unit can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional units. In addition, the specific names of the functional units and modules are only for the convenience of distinguishing each other, and are not used to limit the scope of protection of this application. The specific working process of the units and modules in the above-mentioned system can refer to the corresponding process in the aforementioned method embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0023] An embodiment of the present application also provides a network device, which includes: at least one processor, a memory, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the at least one processor, wherein the processor implements the steps in any of the above-mentioned method embodiments when executing the computer program.

[0024] An embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product. When the computer program product runs on a mobile terminal, the mobile terminal can implement the steps in the above-mentioned method embodiments when executing the computer program product.

[0025] If the integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the present application implements all or part of the processes in the above-mentioned embodiment method, which can be completed by instructing the relevant hardware through a computer program. The computer program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and the computer program can implement the steps of the above-mentioned various method embodiments when executed by the processor. Among them, the computer program includes computer program code, and the computer program code can be in source code form, object code form, executable file or some intermediate form. The computer-readable medium may at least include: any entity or device that can carry the computer program code to the camera / terminal device, recording medium, computer memory, read-only memory (ROM, Read-Only Memory), random access memory (RAM, Random Access Memory), electric carrier signal, telecommunication signal and software distribution medium. For example, a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a magnetic disk or an optical disk. In some jurisdictions, according to legislation and patent practice, computer-readable media cannot be electric carrier signals and telecommunication signals.

[0026] In the above embodiments, the description of each embodiment has its own emphasis. For parts that are not described or recorded in detail in a certain embodiment, reference can be made to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0027] Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this application.

[0028] In the embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices / network equipment and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device / network equipment embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the modules or units is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0029] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

[0030] The embodiments described above are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, rather than to limit them. Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, a person skilled in the art should understand that the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments may still be modified, or some of the technical features may be replaced by equivalents. Such modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and should all be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A method for improving the success rate of RedCap mobility, when a base station establishes a connection with a core network, the RedCap capability of the base station is reported to the core network, and the core network AMF records the RedCap capability of the base station, characterized in that: When the source base station sends a handover request to the core network, if the terminal type is RedCap, it is forwarded according to the RedCap capability of the target base station to reduce the handover delay; When the RedCap capability of the target base station is adjusted, the core network is notified through status updates to improve the efficiency of timely information updates. When there is a new handover request, the handover strategy of the RedCap terminal is quickly adjusted; The target base station sends RedCap support information to the core network through the NG interface. The core network notifies the surrounding neighboring cells of the RedCap support status for subsequent switching of RedCap UEs, thereby achieving rapid switching of RedCap UEs, reducing manual operations and quickly adding complete neighboring cells.

2. A method for improving the success rate of RedCap mobility, wherein a base station communicates with a core network, characterized in that: The specific steps are as follows: Step 1: When the base station starts, it will establish an NG link with the core network AMF; Step 2: Establish a request through the NG interface, carrying the RedCap support status of each cell under the base station to the core network AMF; Step 3: After receiving the NG interface link establishment request from the base station, the core network AMF decodes the RedCap support status of each cell of the base station; Step 4: When the core network AMF receives the handover request, it checks whether the handover UE is a RedCap UE and whether the target cell supports RedCap; Step 5: If the handover UE is a RedCap UE and the target cell supports RedCap, the core network AMF forwards the handover request to the target base station for subsequent handover processing. If not, execute steps 6 to 7. Step 6: If the switching UE is a non-RedCap UE, the core network AMF directly forwards the switching request to the target base station to execute the subsequent process. If not, execute steps 7 to 8. Step 7: If the handover UE is a RedCap UE and the target cell does not support RedCap, the core network AMF directly replies to the source cell that the handover preparation has failed; Step 8: The process ends.

3. A method for improving the success rate of RedCap mobility as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: Step 9: When the RedCap support status of the base station cell is adjusted, in order to enable the core network to quickly update the RedCap record of the cell to avoid handover failure; the base station sends a configuration update message to the AMF, carrying the RedCap support status of each cell of the base station; Step 10: After receiving the configuration update of the base station, AMF updates the RedCap support status of each cell of the base station; Step 11: Reply to the base station that the configuration update is complete; Step 12: Repeat steps 5 to 8.

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