Network slice management

Abstract

In accordance with an example aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an apparatus (such as a user equipment) configured to at least: camp in an idle or inactive state in a cell controlled by a base station included in a network; processing a network slice group definition validity indication received from the base station while remaining in the idle or inactive state; triggering a non-access stratum registration update process with the network, wherein the non-access stratum registration update process comprises: the apparatus obtaining an updated network slice group mapping from the network; and using the updated network slice group mapping in subsequent cell reselection.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to wireless communications, such as wireless cellular communications. Background Art

[0002] In a wireless cellular communication system, for mobility between adjacent cells, an idle / inactive user equipment UE can rely on a cell reselection process. The purpose of this process is to maintain the idle / inactive UE to reside in a suitable cell. The network can influence cell reselection by adjusting, for example, the broadcast information of each cell in different system information blocks SIB. Typically, SIB contains parameters that the UE can use when evaluating the radio quality of the cell in which the UE is currently residing, and when the UE moves across the boundary of the coverage area of ​​different cells to reselect to a neighboring cell of the current cell.

[0003] Network slicing is a network architecture solution that enables multiplexing of virtualized and independent logical networks on the same physical network infrastructure. Each network slice is an isolated end-to-end logical cellular communication network that is customized to meet different requirements requested by specific applications. Network slicing enables the use of the same underlying physical cellular network infrastructure to support different services. Network slices can differ in their service requirements, such as ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC), or enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), or tenant operators that provide these services. Summary of the invention

[0004] According to some aspects, the subject matter of independent claims is provided. Some embodiments are defined in the dependent claims. The scope of protection sought by various embodiments of the present invention is set forth by the independent claims. The embodiments, examples and features (if any) described in this specification that do not fall within the scope of the independent claims will be interpreted as examples useful for understanding the various embodiments of the present invention.

[0005] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a device is provided, comprising: at least one processing core and at least one memory storing instructions, which instructions, when executed by the at least one processing core, enable the device to at least: reside in an idle or inactive state in a cell controlled by a base station included in a network; while remaining in the idle or inactive state, process a network slice group definition validity indication received from the base station; trigger a non-access stratum registration update process with the network, wherein the non-access stratum registration update process includes: the device obtaining an updated network slice group mapping from the network; and in subsequent cell reselection, using the updated network slice group mapping.

[0006] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a device is provided, comprising: at least one processing core and at least one memory storing instructions, which instructions, when executed by the at least one processing core, enable the device to at least: control at least one cell of a cellular communication network; process a network slice group validity index indicating that the mapping of network slices to slice groups has changed; and provide a network slice group definition validity indication to at least one user equipment residing in the cell and in an idle or inactive state by broadcasting in the system information of the cell or by transmission via a physical downlink control channel of the cell.

[0007] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided, comprising: staying in an idle or inactive state in a cell controlled by a base station included in a network; while remaining in the idle or inactive state, processing a network slice group definition validity indication received from the base station; triggering a non-access stratum registration update process with the network, wherein the non-access stratum registration update process comprises: the device obtaining an updated network slice group mapping from the network; and in subsequent cell reselection, using the updated network slice group mapping.

[0008] According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided, comprising: controlling at least one cell of a cellular communication network; processing a network slice group validity index indicating that a mapping of a network slice to a slice group has changed; and providing a network slice group definition validity indication to at least one user equipment residing in the cell and in an idle or inactive state by broadcasting in system information of the cell or by transmission via a physical downlink control channel of the cell.

[0009] According to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, a device is provided, comprising: a component for staying in an idle or inactive state in a cell controlled by a base station included in a network; a component for processing a network slice group definition validity indication received from the base station while remaining in the idle or inactive state; a component for triggering a non-access stratum registration update process with the network, wherein the non-access stratum registration update process includes: the device obtaining an updated network slice group mapping from the network; and a component for using the updated network slice group mapping in subsequent cell reselection.

[0010] According to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, a device is provided, comprising: a component for controlling at least one cell of a cellular communication network; a component for processing a network slice group validity index indicating that the mapping of a network slice to a slice group has changed; and a component for providing a network slice group definition validity indication to at least one user equipment residing in the cell and in an idle or inactive state by broadcasting in the system information of the cell or by transmission via a physical downlink control channel of the cell.

[0011] According to the seventh aspect of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided, on which a computer-readable instruction set is stored, which, when executed by at least one processor, enables the device to at least: reside in an idle or inactive state in a cell controlled by a base station included in the network; while remaining in the idle or inactive state, process a network slice group definition validity indication received from the base station; trigger a non-access stratum registration update process with the network, wherein the non-access stratum registration update process includes: the device obtaining an updated network slice group mapping from the network; and in subsequent cell reselection, using the updated network slice group mapping.

[0012] According to an eighth aspect of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided, on which a computer-readable instruction set is stored, which, when executed by at least one processor, enables the device to at least: control at least one cell of a cellular communication network; process a network slice group validity index indicating that the mapping of network slices to slice groups has changed; and provide a network slice group definition validity indication to at least one user equipment residing in the cell and in an idle or inactive state by broadcasting in the system information of the cell or by transmission via a physical downlink control channel of the cell. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 Example systems are shown in accordance with at least some embodiments of the present invention;

[0014] Figure 2 An example network slice group update is shown;

[0015] Figure 3 An example apparatus capable of supporting at least some embodiments of the present invention is shown;

[0016] Figures 4 to 6 shows signaling according to at least some embodiments of the present invention, and

[0017] Figure 7 is a flow chart of a method according to at least some embodiments of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] Disclosed herein is a mechanism for addressing the problem of insufficient awareness by user equipment and radio access nodes (such as base stations) of changes made to network slice configurations (such as slice to slice group mappings). When the user equipment is in an idle state, the user equipment may be notified of such changes using broadcasted system information or a radio resource connection (RRC) short message, as will be disclosed below. The radio access node may be notified of such changes by a peer radio access node or from a core network node (such as an access and mobility function (AMF), or a mobility management entity (MME)). The disclosed methods provide a technical effect in that they avoid large paging cascades from occurring when reconfiguring slice group mappings.

[0019] Figure 1 An example system according to at least some embodiments of the present invention is shown. User equipment 110A, 110B, 110C and 110D each reside in a cell controlled by a base station 120A or 120B. A base station can control one or more than one cell. User equipment may include, for example, a smart phone, a mobile phone, a connected car connection module, a smart meter, an Internet of Things node, or a connected sensor node, such as a closed-circuit television camera. Base stations 120A, 120B may be referred to as eNBs or gNBs, for example, depending on the radio access technology used. Typically, a base station is a radio access node, which is included in a radio access network (RAN), connected to a user equipment via a radio interface, and is typically but not always directly or indirectly connected to a core network 130 via a wired interface. Although this article is mainly discussed as a base station, more generally, a radio access node can perform the functions of the processes disclosed herein. In addition to base stations, examples of radio access nodes also include distributed base stations, such as distributed units (DUs) and central units (CUs). Base stations 120A, 120B are each coupled to a node in a core network node 130.

[0020] The core network node 130A can be connected to a gateway 130B, which can be included in the core network 130 of the communication system like the core network node 130A. Typically, the core network node can be assigned tasks that affect the functionality of the entire system, such as managing the switching of calls and providing subscriber registers. An example of a core network node is an access and mobility function (AMF). The AMF in the fifth generation (5G) core network is configured to receive information related to connections and sessions from the UE and handle connection and mobility management tasks. Messages related to session management are forwarded from the AMF to a session management function (SMF) in the core network. A cellular communication system may include tens, hundreds, or even thousands of base stations. Cellular communication systems may be configured to interoperate to enable subscribers to roam from the coverage area of ​​one cellular system to the coverage area of ​​another cellular system.

[0021] When moving in the coverage area of ​​a neighboring cell, an idle state UE can rely on a cell reselection process to maintain itself in a cell that it can reach, if necessary. The network can influence the reselection process by adjusting the broadcast information of each cell in different system information blocks (SIBs). These SIBs contain configuration parameters that the UE can use to evaluate the radio quality of the currently camped cell and the radio quality of neighboring cells as potential reselection targets. The cell reselection process can be slice-agnostic, that is, when evaluating neighboring cells as potential reselection targets, the network slice support of the neighboring cells is not taken into account. On the other hand, since reselection to a cell that does not support the network slice of interest to the UE may cause an update process for the network, it may be useful to provide a cell reselection priority so that idle or inactive state UEs are preferentially guided to cells that support their allowed network slices. This is most useful from the perspective of interference with inter-frequency reselection. This is because not selecting the best cell and searching for another suitable cell in another frequency band will not cause interference. Slice group mapping can be used to define groups formed by network slices, for example based on specific slice characteristics. For example, all network slices that can be accessed by a certain type of terminal device can be used as a slice group, or network slices can be grouped based on another criterion. In detail, the mapping of network slices to slice groups can make signaling simpler, such as when idle or inactive UEs are notified about slice support in a cell by using slice groups instead of individual slices. In addition, slice groups can be used to avoid security issues that can be caused by unencrypted broadcasting of critical slices.

[0022] The communication from the base station 120 to (multiple) user equipment 110A, 110B, 110C, 110D is referred to as the downlink direction, while the communication from (multiple) user equipment 110A, 110B, 110C, 110D to the base station 120 is referred to as the uplink direction. The communication in the uplink can be performed using a dedicated channel or a shared channel, wherein the shared channel can be shared between more than one user equipment. When using a shared channel, the resources constituting the physical channel need to be shared between the user equipments so that no two user equipments use the same resources at the same time.

[0023] The idle state refers to a state in which a user equipment UE is associated with a cell (referred to as camping on the cell) without an established radio resource control RRC connection. The base station controlling the cell does not have a context for the UE, and the location of the UE is unknown to the network at the accuracy of the cell, but is known to the network at the accuracy of the registration area RA, which includes one or more tracking areas, each of which includes one or more cells. When the UE context exists in the base station, the UE context stores the information required to maintain radio access network services to the active UE. The information includes UE status information, security information, UE capability information, and an identification of an active logical connection associated with the UE, such as an S1 connection. The reason for using the idle state is to reduce UE power consumption by utilizing, for example, discontinuous reception DRX. The number of processes that the UE is required to perform in the idle state is less than the number of processes that are required to be performed in the RRC connection state. For example, a UE in an idle state may be required to wake up only periodically for a short period of time to perform a limited number of processes, such as monitoring incoming calls and measuring mobility, but the UE will then be allowed to re-enter sleep mode to save power. The RRC inactive state differs from the idle state in that the base station has a context for the UE and keep-alive signaling is maintained between the base station and the core network node. Therefore, the transition from the inactive state to the connected state can occur faster than in the idle state.

[0024] In the network slicing model, from the UE's point of view, the UE's registration area RA supports the same slices. When the UE registers to the network, it can indicate the slices it may need to access. The core network analyzes the UE profile as well as the subscription data to verify the list of slices that the UE can actually access. Therefore, the core network sends the UE an allowed slice list, that is, a list of allowed slice identifiers. An example of a slice identifier is a single network slice selection assistance information NSSAI. The allowed slice list may be different from the slices requested from the UE during the registration process, or only a subset of the slices requested by the UE. If the allowed slices contain at least one slice, the core network also configures the RA for the UE. The RA contains a list of TAs that support all allowed slices of the UE. The core network learns the UE's current TA from the UE's registration request, and knows the slice support of neighboring TAs. Based on this information, the core network can configure a TA list for the UE, where the slice support is homogeneous for the requesting UE. This list is the RA. Once the UE leaves the TA in the RA, it needs to perform a registration area update, that is, a mobility registration update process, and the core network re-evaluates the slices requested by the UE to configure a new registration area for the UE. The registration area update may be a non-access stratum (NAS), such as a registration area update.

[0025] In case of a mobile terminated service request, such as a call, the network pages the base stations of all TAs belonging to the RA. Therefore, there is a trade-off between the size of the RA and the paging overhead on the one hand, and the RA update frequency on the other hand. In other words, a large RA means fewer RA updates but more paging signaling, while a small RA means more RA updates but less paging signaling. Furthermore, with a smaller RA, the UE can potentially arrive faster, and therefore for certain services with delay constraints, a small RA may be preferred.

[0026] As previously mentioned, a UE in an idle state is in a low power mode and wakes up periodically to monitor paging messages from the network. The network can reach a UE in an idle state via a paging message. The network can notify a UE in an idle state of changes in a system information block (SIB), an earthquake and tsunami warning system (ETWS), and a commercial mobile alert system (CMAS) indication via an RRC short message. Both paging messages and RRC short messages are addressed with a paging radio network temporary identifier (P-RNTI) on a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), but when the former is sent via a paging control channel (PCCH), the short message is sent via the PDCCH. SIBs are sent from a base station via broadcast without addressing them to any specific UE or UE set. Although this article mainly discusses the idle state, the principles of the present disclosure can also be applied to user equipment in an inactive state.

[0027] The network slice list can be uniquely identified via a slice list identifier, such as an NSSAI. An example of an NSSAI is a single network slice selection assistance information S-NSSAI. The current 3GPP specification allows a UE to be simultaneously connected and served by up to eight network slices associated with eight S-NSSAIs. On the other hand, each cell can support tens or even hundreds of S-NSSAIs, and a single tracking area can support up to 1024 different network slices. The S-NSSAI may include both a slice service type SST and a slice differentiator SD field, the SD field having a total length of 32 bits, or only a portion of the SST field, in which case the length of the S-NSSAI is only 8 bits. The SST field may have standardized and non-standardized values. Values ​​0 to 127 may belong to the standardized SST range. For example, an SST value of 1 may indicate that the slice is suitable for processing 5G eMBB, and an SST value of 2 may indicate, for example, support for processing URLLC.

[0028] When providing advice to an idle state UE on slice support of a cell or frequency to be considered in a reselection decision, problems may arise in the case where the slice support of a cell is reconfigured. It is possible that the UE will not receive an indication of such a reconfiguration. In particular, reconfiguring slice support in a cell may affect the mapping of slices to slice groups, so the UE may misunderstand the slice information represented in terms of slice groups and perform a reselection to a cell whose slices are not supported, resulting in unnecessary registration area updates to the network. In particular, if the newly configured slices require the introduction of new slice groups, or if the new slices will be part of an already existing slice group, the previously distributed slice group mapping may be invalid.

[0029] Figure 2 An example of a network slice group update is shown. First, in the upper part of the figure, network slices S1, S2 and S3 are included in slice group SG1, and network slices S4 and S5 are included in slice group SG2. After one or more reconfiguration operations, network slices S3 and S4 are interrupted and a new slice S6 is configured in the network, which is shown in the lower part of the figure. Here, network slices S1 and S2 are included in slice group SG1, and network slices S5 and S6 are included in slice group SG2. In other words, the definitions of both slice groups SG1 and SG2 have changed relative to the situation in the upper part of the figure. The definition of which slices are included in which groups is a mapping of slices to groups, referred to as a slice group mapping.

[0030] To avoid the situation where the UE has an old slice group mapping, the base station may broadcast at least one slice group validity index indicating slice group information on the SIB. For example, the format of the at least one slice group validity index may be one or more octets, where one bit indicates the slice group that has changed. The mapping between slices and slice groups and their associated broadcast slice group validity index may be sent from the AMF to the base station and / or the UE.

[0031] Whenever the slice group mapping has changed, the associated slice group mapping validity index may be set by the AMF and signaled by the AMF to at least one base station so that the RAN broadcasts it in the system information. An idle state UE may be notified that the system information has changed by transmitting an RRC short message. For example, the UE may responsively decode block SIB1 to understand which SIB block has changed. In addition, if the SIB including the slice group validity index has changed, such as SIB16, the UE may retrieve the SIB to detect which slice group mapping validity index has changed, and if the UE is affected by the change, the UE may trigger a NAS registration update procedure to learn the new slice group mapping. In some embodiments, the UE may react to the RRC short message by directly receiving the correct, changed SIB block, especially when the RRC short message has a slice update indicator. The SIB block with the slice group information may include an indication of the time when the last change was made, enabling the UE to decide whether they already have an updated slice group mapping.

[0032] As an alternative to providing the slice group mapping validity index via a broadcasted system information SIB, the network may provide at least one indication, such as a single bit, in an RRC short message that the slice group mapping has changed. Upon receiving the RRC short message with such an indication, the UEs may responsively each trigger a NAS registration update procedure with the network to learn the new slice group mapping. Since UE registration updates may create bursts of signaling, the UEs may be preconfigured to use a randomized time delay value to extend the NAS registration update trigger over the duration of the timer. This option may be preferred when a large number of UEs are affected by changes in the slice group mapping.

[0033] In principle, a third way to notify the UE of the updated slice group mapping is for the AMF to send a configuration update to the UE by paging each UE individually, which contains the new (multiple) slice to slice group mapping. The paged UE will establish a connection to receive the (multiple) slice group mapping. The third approach can be considered where the number of UEs to be updated is small.

[0034] The slice group mapping validity index, or an indication of a change in at least one slice group mapping in an RRC short message, serves as an indication of the validity of the network slice group definition.

[0035] To address the problem that the base station does not have current information about the slice group mapping, the core network node (such as AMF) can notify the base stations affected by the change in the slice group mapping of the change so that the base stations can update their slice frequency priorities and notify the UE using the above-mentioned SIB-based method or the above-mentioned RRC short message-based method. The UE can use the slice frequency priority to select the frequency to be measured when searching for a cell to reselect. If the slice is not deployed on a given frequency, the slice frequency priority can be updated, thereby suggesting that the UE look for other frequencies. The core network node (such as AMF) can learn the updated slice group mapping by being notified of the updated slice group mapping by one of the base stations affected by the change, or the core network node itself can detect that the slices need to be regrouped into slice groups, and can therefore update the slice group mapping.

[0036] As another alternative solution to the problem that the base station is not in the slice group mapping, for example in the case of new slice addition or existing slice removal, the base stations can inform each other that the change in the slice group mapping is configured to locally affect one or several base stations and their cells. The base station can then notify the UE, for example, using the above-mentioned SIB-based method or the above-mentioned RRC short message-based method. Furthermore, the operation and maintenance system OMS can notify the base station of the change in the slice group mapping.

[0037] Typically, the base station may be configured to process an instruction that defines a method to be used by the apparatus when notifying at least one user equipment of a network slice group validity index. For example, the instruction may instruct the base station to use a SIB-based method or an RRC short message-based method. In the absence of an instruction, the base station may be configured to deploy a default method in the method disclosed herein to notify the UE.

[0038] The above embodiment can be applied to slice group mapping valid for each tracking area. One triggering factor for slice group mapping change can be a change in tracking area range. Another change in slice group mapping can be related to a change in security requirements on the UE side. Figure 4 A to Figure 4 D describes at least some embodiments in further detail.

[0039] Figure 3 An example apparatus capable of supporting at least some embodiments of the present invention is shown. Shown is a device 300, which may include, for example Figure 1UE or in the applicable part, a base station. Included in the device 300 is a processor 310, which may include, for example, a single-core or multi-core processor, wherein the single-core processor includes one processing core and the multi-core processor includes more than one processing core. The processor 310 may generally include a control device. The processor 310 may include more than one processor. When the processor 310 includes more than one processor, the device 300 may be a distributed device in which the processing of tasks occurs in more than one physical unit. The processor 310 may be a control device. For example, the processing core may include a Cortex-A8 processing core manufactured by ARM Holdings, or a Zen processing core designed by Advanced Microelectronics. The processor 310 may include at least one Qualcomm Snapdragon and / or Intel core processor. The processor 310 may include at least one application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The processor 310 may include at least one field programmable gate array (FPGA). The processor 310 may be a component for executing the method steps in the device 300, such as resident, processing, triggering, obtaining, executing, controlling, processing, providing, sending and receiving. Processor 310 may be configured, at least in part, by computer instructions to perform actions.

[0040] The processor may include circuitry, or be configured as one or more circuitry configured to perform the stages of the method according to the embodiments described herein. As used in this application, the term "circuitry" may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) a hardware circuit implementation only, such as an implementation with analog and / or digital circuitry only, and (b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as, as applicable: (i) a combination of analog and / or (multiple) digital hardware circuitry with software / firmware, and (ii) any portion of (multiple) hardware processors with software (including (multiple) digital signal processors), software and (multiple) memory, which work together to enable a device (such as a mobile phone or server) to perform various functions, and (c) (multiple) hardware circuitry and / or (multiple) processors, such as (multiple) microprocessors or portions of (multiple) microprocessors, which require software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but when software is not required to operate, the software may not be present.

[0041] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of this term in this application, including in any claims. As another example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of only a hardware circuit, or a processor (or multiple processors), or a portion of a hardware circuit, or a processor, and (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term circuitry also covers, for example, a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network device, if applicable to a particular claim element.

[0042] Device 300 may include memory 320. Memory 320 may include random access memory and / or permanent memory. Memory 320 may include at least one RAM chip. Memory 320 may include, for example, solid-state memory, magnetic memory, optical memory, and / or holographic memory. Memory 320 may be at least partially accessible by processor 310. Memory 320 may be at least partially included in processor 310. Memory 320 may be a component for storing information. Memory 320 may include computer instructions that processor 310 is configured to execute. When computer instructions configured to cause processor 310 to perform certain actions are stored in memory 320, and device 300 as a whole is configured to run under the direction of processor 310 using computer instructions from memory 320, processor 310 and / or at least one of its processing cores may be considered to be configured to perform the certain actions. Memory 320 may be at least partially included in processor 310. Memory 320 may be at least partially external to device 300, but accessible by device 300. Memory 320 may be non-transient. As used herein, the term "non-transitory" is a restriction on the medium itself (ie, tangible, not a signal), not on the persistence of data storage (eg, RAM vs. ROM).

[0043] The device 300 may include a transmitter 330. The device 300 may include a receiver 340. The transmitter 330 and the receiver 340 may be configured to transmit and receive information, respectively, according to at least one cellular or non-cellular standard. The transmitter 330 may include more than one transmitter. The receiver 340 may include more than one receiver. The transmitter 330 and / or the receiver 340 may be configured to operate according to standards such as Global System for Mobile Communications GSM, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access WCDMA, 5G, Long Term Evolution LTE, IS-95, Wireless Local Area Network, WLAN, Ethernet and / or Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, WiMAX, etc.

[0044] Device 300 may include a near field communication (NFC) transceiver 350. NFC transceiver 350 may support at least one NFC technology, such as NFC, Bluetooth, Wibree, or similar technology.

[0045] The device 300 may include a user interface UI 360. The UI 360 may include at least one of a display, a keyboard, a touch screen, a vibrator arranged to signal the user by vibrating the device 300, a speaker, and a microphone. The user may be able to operate the device 300 via the UI 360, such as accepting an incoming phone call, making a phone call or a video call, browsing the Internet, managing digital files stored in the memory 320 or on the cloud accessible via the transmitter 330 and the receiver 340, or via the NFC transceiver 350, and / or playing games.

[0046] The device 300 may include or be arranged to accept a user identity module 370. The user identity module 370 may include, for example, a subscriber identity module SIM card that may be installed in the device 300. The user identity module 370 may include information identifying a subscription of a user of the device 300. The user identity module 370 may include cryptographic information that may be used to verify the identity of the user of the device 300 and / or facilitate encryption of transmitted information, as well as billing the user of the device 300 for communications achieved via the device 300.

[0047] The processor 310 may be equipped with a transmitter that is arranged to output information from the processor 310 to other devices included in the device 300 via wires inside the device 300. Such a transmitter may include a serial bus transmitter that is arranged to output information to the memory 320 for storage therein, for example, via at least one wire. As an alternative to the serial bus, the transmitter may include a parallel bus transmitter. Similarly, the processor 310 may include a receiver that is arranged to receive information in the processor 310 from other devices included in the device 300 via wires inside the device 300. Such a receiver may include a serial bus receiver that is arranged to receive information from the receiver 340, for example, via at least one wire for processing in the processor 310. As an alternative to the serial bus, the receiver may include a parallel bus receiver.

[0048] The device 300 may include Figure 3Another device not shown in the figure. For example, in the case where the device 300 includes a smart phone, it may include at least one digital camera. Some devices 300 may include a back camera and a front camera, wherein the back camera can be used for digital photography and the front camera can be used for video calls. The device 300 may include a fingerprint sensor, which is arranged to at least partially authenticate the user of the device 300. In some embodiments, the device 300 lacks at least one of the above devices. For example, some devices 300 may lack an NFC transceiver 350 and / or a user identity module 370.

[0049] The processor 310, the memory 320, the transmitter 330, the receiver 340, the NFC transceiver 350, the UI 360 and / or the user identity module 370 may be interconnected in a variety of different ways via wires inside the device 300. For example, each of the aforementioned devices may be individually connected to a main bus inside the device 300 to allow the devices to exchange information. However, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, this is only an example and depending on the embodiment, various ways of interconnecting at least two of the aforementioned devices may be selected without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0050] Figure 4 0010 shows signaling according to at least some embodiments of the present invention. Figure 1 UE 110A and base station 120A are arranged on the left side of FIG. , and core network node 130A, such as AMF, is arranged on the right side. Time advances from top to bottom.

[0051] In the initial stage 410, UE 110A camps in an idle state in a cell controlled by base station 120A. Process 4A or 4B is then followed before stage 470.

[0052] In process 4A, in stage 420, base station 120A provides an RRC short message to UE 110A, notifying the UE that the SIB has changed. The UE reacts to this by receiving the changed SIB in stage 430, which carries a network slice group validity index that identifies which slice groups have the changed mapping, i.e., the composition of the network slice. In stage 440, the UE determines whether the change in the mapping affects the mapping. If not, the UE will ignore the change and the process ends, however, if the change(s) affect the UE, the UE may select a random or pseudo-random delay in stage 440, and after the delay has expired, the process proceeds to stage 470. For example, in the case where the slices and slice groups used by the UE are not affected by the change(s), the change does not affect the UE.

[0053] In process 4B, the base station 120A provides an RRC short message including an indication of the changed slice group mapping in stage 450. The UE determines whether the change in the mapping affects the mapping. If not, the UE will ignore the change and the process ends, however if the change(s) affect the UE, and in response, the UE selects a random or pseudo-random delay in stage 460, and after the delay has expired, the process proceeds to stage 470.

[0054] The UE may remain in an idle state during processes 4A, 4B. In phase 470, a NAS registration update is triggered from the UE to obtain a new mapping of network slices to slice groups, enabling correct cell reselection decisions to be made.

[0055] Figure 5 Signaling according to at least some embodiments of the present invention is shown. On the vertical axis, on the left are base stations 120A and 120B, and on the right is a core network node 130A, such as an AMF. Time progresses from top to bottom.

[0056] Trigger 5A or 5B may precede stage 550. In trigger 5A, the slice group mapping is updated for base station 120B, which notifies core network node 130A of this in stage 520. The message of stage 520 may be acknowledged in stage 530. On the other hand, trigger 5B includes updating the slice group mapping directly in core network node 130A.

[0057] In stage 550, the core network node 130A determines that a slice group validity update needs to be sent based on trigger 5A or trigger 5B. In addition, the core network node 130A can select a way to deliver this information to the UE, that is, the above-mentioned SIB method or RRC short message method will be used. If a small number of UEs below a threshold is involved, the core network node can use the above-mentioned third way of notifying the UE based on the UE configuration update. If the number of UEs is below the threshold, the core network node can notify the RAN node that they do not need to take steps to notify the UE. The notification can be implicit, for example, there is no indication that the SIB method or RRC short message should be used.

[0058] In stages 560 and 570, each base station affected by the change in the slice group mapping is informed of a slice group validity index identifying which slice groups have changed in composition. The messages of stages 560 and 570 may also include an indication whether a SIB or RRC short message method should be used to inform the UE of the updated slice group mapping.

[0059] Finally, in stage 580, the (multiple) base stations notified in stages 560 and 570 put the new slice group mapping into use and notify the idle state UEs camping in their cells of the change using the SIB method or the RRC short message method, as described above. The SIB method involves providing the slice group validity index to the UE, while the RRC short message method only notifies the UE that at least one change is made in the (multiple) slice group mapping. The (multiple) base stations 120A and 120B use the same information to update the frequency priority.

[0060] Figure 6 0 ... Figure 5 The vertical axis in . Time progresses from top to bottom. Figure 6 During the process, the peer base station notifies the base station of the changed slice group mapping. One of the two alternative triggers 6A and 6B precedes stage 650.

[0061] In trigger option 6A, at least one slice group mapping is updated locally in base station 120B in stage 610. Base station 120B informs base station 120A of the change (stage 620), for example in a RAN configuration update, which may be performed via an inter-base station interface (such as an Xn interface), or via a core network (such as via an NG-AP interface). The message of stage 620 may be acknowledged as stage 630.

[0062] Alternatively, in trigger option 6B, at least one slice group map is updated locally in base station 120A (stage 640). In other words, in this trigger option, base station 120A does not need to be informed of the update in the slice group map by another base station.

[0063] In stage 650, the base station 120A parses based on trigger 6A or 6B to notify the idle state UEs of the change in the slice group mapping. In stage 660, the base station 120A notifies the core network node 130A (such as the AMF) of the slice group validity index and, optionally, an indication of whether the idle UEs should be notified of the change using the SIB method or the RRC short message method. If the number of UEs is below the threshold, the AMF may perform the update using the UE configuration update procedure, such as Figure 5 In stage 670, the core network node 130A notifies the base station 120B of the content of the message of stage 660. Alternatively, the base station 120A may not use the core network node 130A, but may directly notify its peer base station node 120B of the slice group validity index and optional indication of whether the idle UE should be notified of the change using the SSB method or the RRC short message method. If the direct option is used, it may be performed via, for example, an inter-base station interface.

[0064] Finally, in stage 680, the base station 120B uses the new network slice group mapping, for example by updating the frequency priority, and notifies the idle state UEs camped in its cell using the SIB method or the RRC short message method. If there is an optional indication of which of these methods is used in stage 670, the base station 120B can be configured to use the indicated method.

[0065] Figure 7 is a flow chart of a method according to at least some embodiments of the present invention. For example, the stages of the method shown may be performed in a user device, or in a control device configured to control its functions when installed therein.

[0066] Stage 710 includes: residing in an idle or inactive state in a cell controlled by a base station included in the network. Stage 720 includes: while remaining in the idle or inactive state, processing a network slice group definition validity indication received from the base station. Finally, stage 730 includes: triggering a non-access stratum registration update procedure with the network, wherein the non-access stratum registration update procedure includes: obtaining an updated network slice group mapping from the network. In addition, the method may include: using the updated network slice group mapping in a subsequent cell reselection.

[0067] It should be understood that the embodiments of the present invention disclosed are not limited to the specific structures, process steps or materials disclosed herein, but are extended to equivalents thereof that will be recognized by those of ordinary skill in the relevant art. It should also be understood that the terms used herein are only used for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to be limiting.

[0068] References throughout the specification to one embodiment or embodiments mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. Thus, the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" appearing in various places throughout the specification do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment. Where references are made to values ​​using terms such as approximately or substantially, the exact value is also disclosed.

[0069] As used herein, for convenience, multiple projects, structural elements, constituent elements and / or materials can be presented in a common list. However, these lists should be interpreted as each member in the list being identified as a separate and unique member. Therefore, in the absence of contrary instructions, any single member in such a list should not be interpreted as the actual equivalent of any other member in the same list based only on its presentation in a common group. In addition, various embodiments and examples of the present invention can be cited together with the alternatives of its various components in this article. It should be understood that such embodiments, examples and alternatives should not be interpreted as equivalents in fact to each other, but should be considered as separate and autonomous representations of the present invention.

[0070] In addition, the described features, structures or characteristics can be combined in one or more embodiments in any suitable manner. In the foregoing description, many specific details are provided, such as examples of length, width, shape, etc., to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present invention. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that the present invention can be practiced without one or more specific details, or with other methods, components, materials, etc. In other cases, known structures, materials or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid confusing various aspects of the present invention.

[0071] Although the above examples illustrate the principles of the present invention in one or more specific applications, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many modifications may be made to the form, use and details of implementation without exercising creative ability and without departing from the principles and concepts of the present invention. Therefore, it is not intended to limit the present invention except as set forth in the claims below.

[0072] The verbs "to comprise" and "to include" are used in this document as open limitations, which neither exclude nor require the presence of unrecited features. The features recited in the dependent claims are mutually freely combinable unless explicitly stated otherwise. Furthermore, it should be understood that the use of "a" or "an", i.e. the singular, throughout this document does not exclude a plurality.

[0073] Industrial Applicability

[0074] At least some embodiments of the present invention find industrial application in operating cellular communication networks.

[0075] Abbreviations

[0076] 3GPP Third Generation Partnership Project

[0077] NAS Non-Access Stratum

[0078] NSSAI Single Network Slice Assistance Information

[0079] RRC Radio Resource Control

[0080] Reference Mark List

[0081] 110A, 110B, 110C, 1110D User Equipment UE 120A, 110D Radio access nodes, such as base stations 130A Core network nodes 130B Gateway 300-370 Figure 3 The structure of the device 410-470 Figure 4 Stages of the process 510-580 Figure 5 Stages of the process 610-680 Figure 6 Stages of the process 710-730 Figure 5 Stages of the method

[0082] Technical Terms

[0083] Clause 1. An apparatus comprising: at least one processing core and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processing core, cause the apparatus to at least:

[0084] camping in an idle or inactive state in a cell controlled by a base station included in the network;

[0085] While remaining in an idle or inactive state, processing a network slice group definition validity indication received from a base station;

[0086] Triggering a non-access stratum registration update process with the network, wherein the non-access stratum registration update process includes: the device obtains an updated network slice group mapping from the network; and

[0087] In subsequent cell reselection, the updated network slice group mapping is used.

[0088] Clause 2. A device according to clause 1, wherein the device is configured to: when in an idle or inactive state, obtain a network slice group definition validity indication from a system information block and trigger a non-access stratum registration update process with the network in response to determining based on the network slice group definition validity indication that the mapping of network slices to slice groups has changed in a manner that affects the device.

[0089] Clause 3. An apparatus according to clause 2, wherein the network slice group definition validity indication comprises: a network slice group validity index indicating that the network slice group definition has changed.

[0090] Clause 4. An apparatus according to clause 2, wherein the network slice group definition validity indication comprises: a network slice group validity index indicating a version of at least one slice group definition.

[0091] Clause 5. An apparatus according to clause 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to: obtain a network slice group definition validity indication from a radio resource control message transmitted via a downlink control channel and addressed to the apparatus using a radio network temporary identifier, the network slice group definition validity indication indicating that at least one network slice group definition has changed, wherein the apparatus is configured to: perform a triggering of a non-access stratum registration update process as a response to processing the obtained network slice group definition validity indication.

[0092] Clause 6. The apparatus of clause 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to: after receiving the message, after a randomly or pseudo-randomly selected delay, perform triggering of a non-access stratum registration update procedure.

[0093] Clause 7. An apparatus comprising: at least one processing core and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processing core, cause the apparatus to at least:

[0094] controlling at least one cell of a cellular communication network;

[0095] Processing a network slice group validity index indicating that a mapping of network slices to slice groups has changed; and

[0096] A network slice group definition validity indication is provided to at least one user equipment residing in the cell and in an idle or inactive state by broadcasting in the system information of the cell or by transmission via a physical downlink control channel of the cell.

[0097] Clause 8. An apparatus according to clause 7, wherein the apparatus is configured to: receive a network slice group validity index from a core network node of a cellular communication network, and / or send a slice group validity index to a core network node of the cellular communication network.

[0098] Clause 9. An apparatus according to clause 7, wherein the apparatus is configured to: receive a network slice group validity index from at least one of a radio access network node and an operation and maintenance system of a cellular communication network, or compile the network slice group validity index by itself.

[0099] Clause 10. An apparatus according to any one of clauses 7 to 9, further configured to process instructions defining a method by which the apparatus notifies at least one user equipment of a network slice group validity index.

[0100] Clause 11. An apparatus according to clause 10, wherein the method comprises: sending a network slice group validity index as a network slice group definition validity indication by broadcasting in a system information block; or sending a network slice group definition validity indication via a downlink message to prompt at least one user device to trigger a non-access layer registration update process to obtain an updated network slice group mapping and related validity index.

[0101] Clause 12. A method comprising:

[0102] camping in an idle or inactive state in a cell controlled by a base station included in the network;

[0103] While remaining in an idle or inactive state, processing a network slice group definition validity indication received from a base station;

[0104] Triggering a non-access stratum registration update process with the network, wherein the non-access stratum registration update process includes: the device obtains an updated network slice group mapping from the network; and

[0105] In subsequent cell reselection, the updated network slice group mapping is used.

[0106] Clause 13. The method according to clause 12 further includes: when in an idle or inactive state, obtaining a network slice group definition validity indication from a changed system information block, and triggering a non-access stratum registration update process with the network in response to determining based on the network slice group definition validity indication that the mapping of network slices to slice groups has changed in a manner that affects the device.

[0107] Clause 14. A method according to clause 13, wherein the network slice group definition validity indication comprises: a network slice group validity index indicating that the network slice group definition has changed.

[0108] Clause 15. A method according to clause 13, wherein the network slice group definition validity indication comprises: a network slice group validity index indicating a version of at least one slice group definition.

[0109] Clause 16. A method according to clause 12, wherein a network slice group definition validity indication is included in a radio resource control message transmitted from a device via a downlink control channel and addressed using a radio network temporary identifier, the network slice group definition validity indication indicating that at least one network slice group definition has changed, wherein a triggering of a non-access stratum registration update process is performed as a response to processing the obtained network slice group definition validity indication.

[0110] Clause 17. A method according to any of clauses 12 to 16, wherein the triggering of the non-access stratum registration update procedure is performed after a randomly or pseudo-randomly selected delay after receiving the message.

[0111] Clause 18. A method comprising:

[0112] controlling at least one cell of a cellular communication network;

[0113] Processing a network slice group validity index indicating that a mapping of network slices to slice groups has changed; and

[0114] A network slice group definition validity indication is provided to at least one user equipment residing in the cell and in an idle or inactive state by broadcasting in the system information of the cell or by transmission via a physical downlink control channel of the cell.

[0115] Clause 19. The method according to Clause 18 also includes: receiving a network slice group validity index from a core network node of a cellular communication network, and / or sending a slice group validity index to a core network node of the cellular communication network.

[0116] Clause 20. The method according to Clause 18 also includes: receiving a network slice group validity index from at least one of a radio access network node and an operation and maintenance system of the cellular communication network, or compiling a network slice group validity index.

[0117] Clause 21. The method according to any one of clauses 19 to 20 further includes processing instructions defining a method to be used to notify at least one user device of a network slice group validity index.

[0118] Clause 22. A method according to clause 21, wherein the method comprises: sending a network slice group validity index as a network slice group definition validity indication by broadcasting in a system information block; or sending a network slice group definition validity indication via a downlink message to prompt at least one user device to trigger a non-access layer registration update process to obtain an updated network slice group mapping.

[0119] Clause 23. An apparatus comprising:

[0120] means for camping in an idle or inactive state in a cell controlled by a base station included in the network;

[0121] means for processing a network slice group definition validity indication received from a base station while remaining in an idle or inactive state; and

[0122] A component for triggering a non-access stratum registration update process with a network, wherein the non-access stratum registration update process includes: the device obtains an updated network slice group mapping from the network; and

[0123] Component for using updated network slice group mapping in subsequent cell reselection.

[0124] Clause 24. An apparatus comprising:

[0125] Means for controlling at least one cell of a cellular communication network;

[0126] means for processing a network slice group validity index indicating that a mapping of network slices to slice groups has changed, and

[0127] A component for providing a network slice group definition validity indication to at least one user equipment residing in the cell and in an idle or inactive state by broadcasting in the system information of the cell or by transmission via a physical downlink control channel of the cell.

[0128] Clause 25. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon a set of computer-readable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, causes an apparatus to at least:

[0129] camping in an idle or inactive state in a cell controlled by a base station included in the network;

[0130] While remaining in an idle or inactive state, processing a network slice group definition validity indication received from a base station;

[0131] Triggering a non-access stratum registration update process with the network, wherein the non-access stratum registration update process includes: the device obtains an updated network slice group mapping from the network; and

[0132] In subsequent cell reselection, the updated network slice group mapping is used.

[0133] Clause 26. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon a set of computer-readable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, causes an apparatus to at least:

[0134] controlling at least one cell of a cellular communication network;

[0135] Processing a network slice group validity index indicating that a mapping of network slices to slice groups has changed; and

[0136] A network slice group definition validity indication is provided to at least one user equipment residing in the cell and in an idle or inactive state by broadcasting in the system information of the cell or by transmission via a physical downlink control channel of the cell.

Claims

1. A device comprising: at least one processing core and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processing core, cause the apparatus to at least: camping in an idle or inactive state in a cell controlled by a base station included in the network; While remaining in the idle or inactive state, processing a network slice group definition validity indication received from a base station; triggering a non-access stratum registration update process with the network, wherein the non-access stratum registration update process comprises: the apparatus obtaining an updated network slice group mapping from the network; as well as In subsequent cell reselection, the updated network slice group mapping is used.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to: when in the idle or inactive state, obtain the network slice group definition validity indication from a system information block and trigger the non-access layer registration update process with the network as a response to determining that the mapping of network slices to slice groups has changed in a manner that affects the apparatus based on the network slice group definition validity indication.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the network slice group definition validity indication comprises: A network slice group validity index indicating that the network slice group definition has changed.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the network slice group definition validity indication comprises: A network slice group validity index that specifies the version of at least one slice group definition.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to: obtain the network slice group definition validity indication from a radio resource control message transmitted via a downlink control channel and addressed to the apparatus using a radio network temporary identifier, the network slice group definition validity indication indicating that at least one network slice group definition has changed, wherein the apparatus is configured to: execute the triggering of the non-access layer registration update process as a response to processing the obtained network slice group definition validity indication.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to perform the triggering of the non-access stratum registration update procedure after a randomly or pseudo-randomly selected delay after receiving the message.

7. A device comprising: at least one processing core and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processing core, cause the apparatus to at least: controlling at least one cell of a cellular communication network; Processing a network slice group validity index indicating that the mapping of network slices to slice groups has changed; as well as A network slice group definition validity indication is provided to at least one user equipment residing in the cell and in an idle or inactive state by broadcasting in the system information of the cell or by transmission via a physical downlink control channel of the cell.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein the device is configured to: receive the network slice group validity index from the core network node of the cellular communication network, and / or send the slice group validity index to the core network node of the cellular communication network.

9. The device according to claim 7, wherein the device is configured to: receive the network slice group validity index from at least one of a radio access network node and an operation and maintenance system of the cellular communication network, or compile the network slice group validity index by itself.

10. The apparatus according to any one of claims 7 to 9 is further configured to: process instructions, wherein the instructions define a method for the apparatus to notify the at least one user equipment of the network slice group validity index.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the method comprises: Sending the network slice group validity index as the network slice group definition validity indication through the broadcast in the system information block; Alternatively, the network slice group definition validity indication is sent via a downlink message to prompt at least one user equipment to trigger a non-access layer registration update process to obtain the updated network slice group mapping and the related validity index.

12. A method comprising: camping in an idle or inactive state in a cell controlled by a base station included in the network; While remaining in the idle or inactive state, processing a network slice group definition validity indication received from a base station; triggering a non-access stratum registration update process with the network, wherein the non-access stratum registration update process comprises: the apparatus obtaining an updated network slice group mapping from the network; as well as In subsequent cell reselection, the updated network slice group mapping is used.

13. A method comprising: controlling at least one cell of a cellular communication network; Processing a network slice group validity index indicating that the mapping of network slices to slice groups has changed; as well as A network slice group definition validity indication is provided to at least one user equipment residing in the cell and in an idle or inactive state by broadcasting in the system information of the cell or by transmission via a physical downlink control channel of the cell.

14. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon a set of computer readable instructions which, when executed by at least one processor, cause an apparatus to at least: camping in an idle or inactive state in a cell controlled by a base station included in the network; While remaining in the idle or inactive state, processing a network slice group definition validity indication received from a base station; triggering a non-access stratum registration update procedure with the network, wherein the non-access stratum registration update procedure includes the device obtaining an updated network slice group mapping from the network; as well as In subsequent cell reselection, the updated network slice group mapping is used.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon a set of computer readable instructions which, when executed by at least one processor, cause an apparatus to at least: controlling at least one cell of a cellular communication network; Processing a network slice group validity index indicating that a mapping of network slices to slice groups has changed; and A network slice group definition validity indication is provided to at least one user equipment residing in the cell and in an idle or inactive state by broadcasting in the system information of the cell or by transmission via a physical downlink control channel of the cell.

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