Mobility communication method, network node and storage medium

Abstract

The invention provides a mobility communication method, a network node and a storage medium. The method comprises sending a first message to a second network node, receiving a second message sent by the second network node, the second message comprising configuration information of at least one candidate cell.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of wireless communication technologies, and for example, relates to a mobility communication method, a network node, and a storage medium. Background Art

[0002] Layer 1 / Layer 2 Triggered Mobility (LTM) is a process of user equipment (UE) mobility. During the LTM process, a base station (such as a gNB) receives layer 1 (L1) measurement reports from a UE, and based on these reports, gives a cell handover command through Medium Access Control-Control Element (MAC CE) signaling, thereby changing the serving cell of the UE. Currently, only the LTM process within a single network node can be implemented, but there is no effective solution for the LTM process across network nodes. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This application provides a mobility communication method, a network node, and a storage medium.

[0004] An embodiment of this application provides a mobility communication method applied to a first network node, including:

[0005] Sending a first message to a second network node, where the first message is used to request configuration information about candidate cells from the second network node;

[0006] Receiving a second message sent by the second network node, where the second message includes configuration information about at least one candidate cell.

[0007] An embodiment of this application further provides a mobility communication method applied to a second network node, including:

[0008] Receiving a first message sent by a first network node, where the first message is used to request configuration information about candidate cells from the second network node;

[0009] Sending a second message to the first network node, where the second message includes configuration information about at least one candidate cell

[0010] An embodiment of this application further provides a network node, including: a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored on the memory and executable on the processor, where when the processor executes the program, the above-mentioned mobility communication method is implemented.

[0011] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium, on which a computer program is stored, and when the program is executed by a processor, the above-mentioned mobility communication method is implemented. Description of the Drawings

[0012] Figure 1 It is a flowchart of a mobility communication method provided for an embodiment;

[0013] Figure 2 It is a flowchart of a mobility communication method provided for an embodiment;

[0014] Figure 3 It is a schematic structural diagram of a mobility communication device provided for an embodiment;

[0015] Figure 4 It is a schematic structural diagram of a mobility communication device provided for an embodiment;

[0016] Figure 5 It is a schematic hardware structure diagram of a network node provided for an embodiment. Detailed Embodiments

[0017] The present application will be described below with reference to the drawings and embodiments. It can be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present application, rather than limiting the present application. It should be noted that, without conflict, the embodiments in the present application and the features in the embodiments can be arbitrarily combined with each other. Additionally, it should be noted that for ease of description, only parts related to the present application rather than all structures are shown in the drawings.

[0018] An embodiment of the present application provides a method for implementing LTM across network nodes, especially a method for how to implement subsequent LTM (Subsequent LTM) during the process of LTM across network nodes.

[0019] In the embodiments of the present application, the first network node, the second network node, and the third network node are all network nodes, and can also be referred to as network network elements or service nodes, etc. For example, in a New Radio (NR) system, it can be an NR-RAN node, that is, a gNB or an ng-eNB. The first network node can be understood as the source network node, the second network node can be understood as the target network node after LTM handover, and the third network node can be understood as a candidate network node or a non-target network node for LTM handover. After the LTM process across network nodes is completed, the second network node will become the source network node in the subsequent LTM process, and the first network node may be a candidate network node or a target network node in the subsequent LTM process.

[0020] The LTM process in the embodiments of the present application is mainly described as follows:

[0021] Step 1. The first network node decides to configure LTM and starts LTM preparation.

[0022] Step 2. The first network node sends a first message, such as a HANDOVER REQUEST message, to the third network node. The first message may contain at least one of the following information:

[0023] An indication indicating a request for LTM configuration;

[0024] One or more requested / suggested candidate cell IDs;

[0025] The LTM Configuration ID of the candidate cell;

[0026] The LTM configuration ID mapping list for mapping between the candidate cell and the LTM configuration ID;

[0027] A request indication for the L1 Reference Signal (RS) measurement configuration, which can be used to request the Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) configuration and / or the Channel State Information-Reference Signal (CSI-RS) configuration of the candidate cell;

[0028] A request indication for the Early Timing Advance (TA) Acquisition Resource configuration;

[0029] A request indication for the Transmission Configuration Indication (TCI)-state configuration of the candidate cell;

[0030] A request indication for the reference configuration;

[0031] The reference configuration;

[0032] The maximum number of candidate cells that the third network node can configure for LTM;

[0033] The Estimated Arrival Probability of the predicted UE.

[0034] Step 3. The second network node may perform admission control.

[0035] Step 4. The third network node prepares the configuration related to LTM and sends a second message, such as a HANDOVER REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE message, to the first network node. The second message includes the configuration of one or more LTM candidate cells and may include channel state information (CSI) resource configuration (e.g., for L1 measurement) and / or security-related configuration (e.g., for master key update). If the second message contains a request indication for the reference configuration, the third network node will include the generated reference configuration in the eleventh message, such as a HANDOVER REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE message. Each LTM candidate cell configuration may at least include one of the following information:

[0036] The identifier of the candidate Distributed Unit (DU);

[0037] The identifier of the candidate cell;

[0038] The Physical Cell Identifier (PCI) of the candidate cell;

[0039] The configuration of the SSB, such as the configuration for L1 measurement or TCI-state;

[0040] The CSI-RS configuration, such as the configuration for L1 measurement or TCI-state configuration;

[0041] The candidate cell configuration, such as the Radio Resource Control Reconfiguration (RRCReconfiguration) message contained in a container;

[0042] An indication for indicating whether the candidate cell configuration is a complete configuration;

[0043] The configuration of early synchronization, such as the configuration of the early Random Access Channel (RACH);

[0044] The TCI-state configuration, such as the downlink or joint TCI-state list, or the uplink TCI-state list;

[0045] The first network node may request the second network node for the number of candidate cells prepared for the UE.

[0046] Step 5. The first network node may initiate a modification process to each third network node to update the candidate cell configuration (e.g., the L1 measurement report configuration) and / or notify the candidate information in other third network nodes.

[0047] For example, in Step 5a, the first network node sends a third message, a modification message (e.g., a handover modification request or other Xn message), to the third network node. The third message may include CSI resource configuration, TCI-state information, UL early synchronization configuration, and / or LTM configuration IDs of candidate cells in the third network node. The first network node may also provide a reference configuration and / or a security-related configuration to the third network node.

[0048] For example, in Step 5b, the third network node responds to the first network node with a twelfth message, e.g., a modification request acknowledgment message (e.g., a handover modification request acknowledgment or other Xn message). The twelfth message may include an updated candidate configuration for the first network node.

[0049] Step 6. The first network node may send a thirteenth message, e.g., an RRC reconfiguration message (which may contain one or more LTM candidate configurations), to the UE, including LTM-related configurations.

[0050] Step 7. The UE may save the LTM candidate configuration and send a fourteenth message, e.g., an RRC reconfiguration complete message, to the first network node;

[0051] Step 7a. If early data forwarding is applied, the first network node may send a fifteenth message, e.g., an early status transfer message, to the third network node.

[0052] Step 8a. The UE may perform downlink synchronization with the candidate cell before receiving a cell handover command.

[0053] Step 8b. According to the network indication, the UE may perform uplink (UL) synchronization with the candidate cell (e.g., based on the UE's TA measurement, early RACH triggered by a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) order).

[0054] For example, in step 8b-1, UL synchronization may be triggered by a PDCCH order from the source cell, and the UE sends a preamble to the indicated candidate cell. The third network node calculates the TA value of the candidate cell based on the received preamble.

[0055] For example, in step 8b-2, the third network node may send the TA value, associated Contention Free Random Access (CFRA) resource information, candidate cell ID, and / or source DU ID to the first network node via the sixteenth message, such as the TA INFORMATION TRANSFER message or other Xn messages.

[0056] Step 9. The UE may perform L1 measurements on the configured candidate cells and may send an L1 measurement report to the first network node (e.g., the source DU) according to the L1 measurement-related configuration in the received RRC reconfiguration message. The UE starts to perform L1 measurements as long as the L1 measurement-related configuration is applicable.

[0057] Step 10. The first network node may decide to perform a cell handover to the target cell based on the L1 measurement results.

[0058] Step 11. The first network node may send a MAC CE (e.g., a cell handover MAC CE) that triggers the cell handover. The MAC CE includes the candidate configuration index of the target cell. The UE hands over to the target cell and applies the configuration corresponding to the indicated candidate configuration index.

[0059] Step 12. The first network node may send a fourth message, such as a notification message (e.g., a CELL SWITCH NOTIFICATION message), to the second network node to indicate that the second network node has initiated / triggered LTM for the UE. The message includes the target cell ID and / or the selected TCI-state ID of the target cell.

[0060] Step 12a. If early data forwarding is applied, the first network node may send a seventeenth message, such as an EARLY STATUS TRANSFER message, to the second network node.

[0061] Step 13. If the UE does not have a valid TA for the target cell, the UE may perform a random access procedure for the target cell. If the UE has a valid TA for the target cell, the UE skips the random access procedure for the target cell, i.e., performs a RACH-less LTM.

[0062] Step 14. The UE may complete the LTM cell handover process by sending an eighteenth message, such as an RRCReconfigurationComplete message, to the target cell. If the UE has performed the RA process, when the random access process is successfully completed, the UE considers the LTM cell handover to be successfully completed. For LTM without RACH, when the UE determines that the network has successfully received its first UL data, the UE considers the LTM cell handover to be successfully completed.

[0063] Step 15a / b. The second network node may send a fifth message, such as a HANDOVER SUCCESS message, to the first network node to notify that the UE has successfully accessed the target cell. The message may include the target cell ID. In response, the first network node may send a nineteenth message, such as an SNSTATUS TRANSFER message, to the second network node and may start data forwarding.

[0064] Step 16. The second network node may send an eighth message, such as a PATHSWITCH REQUEST message, to the AMF to trigger the core network to switch the downlink data path to the second network node and establish an instance of an interface (such as an NG-C interface) pointing to the second network node. This message may include an indication of whether the first network node is configured as a third network node, or an indication of whether to maintain the DL data path (or the Transport Network Layer (TNL) resources of the UP) to the first network node and / or switch the DL data path (or the TNL resources of the UP) to the first network node to a ready state.

[0065] Step 17. The core network may switch the downlink data path to the second network node. If the first network node is not configured as a third network node, the core network (such as a User Plane Function (UPF)) may send one or more "end marker" packets to the first network node according to the Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session / tunnel, and then may release any U-plane / TNL resources facing the first network node. If the first network node is configured as a third network node, the core network (such as a UPF) may send one or more "end marker" packets to the first network node according to each PDU session / tunnel, and may maintain the U-plane / TNL resources pointing to the first network node and switch to a ready state.

[0066] Step 18. The Authentication Management Function (AMF) may confirm the 23rd message, such as the PATH SWITCH REQUEST message, through the 20th message, such as the PATH SWITCH REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE message.

[0067] The above description provides an example of implementing the LTM process across network nodes to illustrate the method provided by the embodiments of the present application. However, the method provided by the embodiments of the present application is not limited to the above process, and in other LTM processes across network nodes, the embodiments of the present application may also be applicable.

[0068] Figure 1 A flowchart of a mobility communication method provided for an embodiment. This method can be applied to a first network node, and the first network node can be the source network node for mobility handover. As Figure 1 shown, the method provided by this embodiment includes Step 110 and Step 120.

[0069] In Step 110, a first message is sent to a second network node, and the first message is used to request configuration information about candidate cells from the second network node.

[0070] In Step 120, a second message sent by the second network node is received, and the second message includes configuration information of at least one candidate cell.

[0071] In this embodiment, the first network node and the second network node exchange configuration information of candidate cells during the mobility handover process, making it possible for mobility handover across network nodes (from the first network node to the second network node).

[0072] In one embodiment, the first message includes: the probability (Estimated Arrival Probability) that the predicted user equipment reaches the second network node or the candidate cell.

[0073] In one embodiment, the second message includes: the number of candidate cells that the first network node can request the second network node to prepare for the user equipment, which can also be understood as the number (or the maximum number) of candidate cells that the second network node can prepare for the UE in the first network node.

[0074] In one embodiment, after receiving the second message sent by the second network node, the method further includes:

[0075] Step 130: Send a third message to a third network node, where the third message is used to request an update of the configuration information of a candidate cell, and the third message further includes setting information.

[0076] In one embodiment, the method further includes:

[0077] Step 140: Send a fourth message to a second network node, where the fourth message is used to indicate that a handover has been initiated to a user equipment and / or information about a target cell of the handover; the fourth message further includes setting information; the second network node is a network node corresponding to the target cell of the handover.

[0078] In one embodiment, the method further includes:

[0079] Step 150: When receiving a fifth message sent by the second network node, send the setting information to the second network node; wherein, the fifth message is used to indicate that the user equipment has successfully accessed the target cell; the second network node is a network node corresponding to the target cell of the handover.

[0080] In one embodiment, a first network node sends setting information to a second network node, and the setting information includes at least one of the following:

[0081] An identifier of the third network node;

[0082] A first identifier assigned by the third network node to the user equipment, where the first identifier is used for a signaling connection between the third network node and the first network node;

[0083] A second identifier assigned by the first network node to the user equipment, where the second identifier is used for a signaling connection between the first network node and the third network node;

[0084] Context information of the user equipment;

[0085] Data forwarding configuration information configured by the third network node;

[0086] Data forwarding TNL information assigned by the third network node to the user equipment;

[0087] Wherein, the third network node is a mobility candidate network node of the user equipment.

[0088] As an example, a source network node (first network node) before handover can synchronize the context information of the UE to a new source network node (second network node) after handover, so that the new source network node can perform subsequent LTM processes.

[0089] In a third message sent by the first network node to (all) third network nodes, such as a HANDOVER MODIFICATION REQUEST,

[0090] Or, in a fourth message sent by the first network node to the second network node, such as a CELL SWITCH NOTIFICATION message,

[0091] Or, in a newly defined message between network nodes,

[0092] Or, after the first network node receives a fifth message sent by the second network node, such as a HANDOVER SUCCESS message, the first network node sends configuration information to the second network node.

[0093] The configuration information includes at least one of the following information:

[0094] The identifier of the third network node;

[0095] The first identifier assigned by the third network node to the UE;

[0096] The second identifier assigned by the first network node to the UE;

[0097] The context information of the UE;

[0098] The data forwarding configuration information configured by the third network node;

[0099] The data forwarding TNL information assigned by the third network node to the UE.

[0100] Wherein, the identifier assigned by the third network node to the UE refers to the UE identifier assigned by the third network node for the signalling connection between the third network node and the first network node.

[0101] The identifier assigned by the first network node to the UE refers to the UE identifier assigned by the first network node for the signalling connection between the first network node and the third network node.

[0102] The signalling connection between the third network node and the first network node refers to the signalling connection associated with the UE (UE Associated Signalling Connection) between the third network node and the first network node, and the signalling connection may be a logical connection.

[0103] The type of the identifier assigned to the UE may be the NG-RAN node UE XnAP ID in the NR system.

[0104] The type of the identifier of the network node may be the Global NG-RAN Node ID in the NR system.

[0105] The context information of the UE, including the early synchronization information allocated by the third network node for the UE and saved by the first network node, and / or the LTM candidate configuration prepared by the third network node for the UE, etc.

[0106] On this basis, before or after the completion of the LTM handover, or after determining the target network node of the LTM process, the first network node may send the identification ID of other candidate nodes (the third network node) saved locally, the identification information allocated by the third network node for the UE, and / or the identification information allocated by the first network node for the UE, etc. to the second network node, or send the above-mentioned set information to all the third network nodes before determining the target network node. Thus, after the completion of an LTM process, the second network node may initiate a signaling connection process with these third network nodes based on this information. Otherwise, if the second network node does not know the identification of the third network node and the UE identification allocated by the third network node for the UE, the third network node cannot establish a signaling connection associated with the UE, and thus cannot perform the subsequent LTM process.

[0107] Moreover, the identification allocated by the third network node for the UE, or the identification allocated by the first network node for the UE, can be used by the third network node to identify the UE, that is, to determine the UE associated with the signaling process initiated by the second network node, and / or the configuration of the UE at the third network node.

[0108] In addition, sending the context information of the UE saved by the first network node to the second network node, which is the information required for the second network node to become the new source network node, can save the overhead and time required for the second network node to collect this information and improve the efficiency of the second network node in performing the subsequent LTM process.

[0109] In an embodiment, the method further includes:

[0110] Step 160: Initiate a release process when receiving the sixth message sent by the second network node, where the release process includes releasing at least one of the following:

[0111] The signaling connection between the first network node and the third network node;

[0112] The LTM candidate configuration prepared by the third network node for the user equipment;

[0113] The resources prepared by the third network node for the user equipment;

[0114] Wherein, the second network node is the network node corresponding to the target cell of the handover;

[0115] The third network node is a mobility candidate network node of the user equipment.

[0116] In one embodiment, the sixth message is one of the following: a fifth message sent by the second network node, where the fifth message indicates that the user equipment has successfully accessed the target cell;

[0117] A newly defined message between network nodes;

[0118] An existing message between network nodes other than the fifth message;

[0119] A user equipment context release message.

[0120] In one embodiment, the sixth message is used to indicate at least one of the following:

[0121] Release the signaling connection with the third network node;

[0122] Information of the third network node that needs to be released;

[0123] Information of the third network node with which the second network node fails to establish a connection.

[0124] In one embodiment, during the release process initiated by the first network node, the method further includes:

[0125] Step 170: Send a seventh message to the third network node, where the seventh message is used to indicate at least one of the following:

[0126] Release the signaling connection established between the first network node and the third network node for the user equipment;

[0127] Release the LTM candidate configuration prepared for the user equipment;

[0128] Release the resources prepared for the user equipment;

[0129] Release the context of the user equipment;

[0130] Release the configuration for data forwarding.

[0131] As an example, after an LTM process is completed, release the signaling connection between the first network node (source network node) and the third network node (other candidate network nodes), or release the LTM candidate configuration and / or corresponding resources prepared by the third network node for the UE.

[0132] The first network node may initiate a release process under any of the following circumstances:

[0133] After the first network node receives the sixth message sent by the second network node, the sixth message is a message sent from the second network node to the first network node. The sixth message may be one of the following:

[0134] The fifth message sent by the second network node, such as a HANDOVER SUCCESS message;

[0135] A newly defined message between network nodes;

[0136] Other messages between network nodes.

[0137] The sixth message is used to indicate to the first network node at least one of the following:

[0138] The first network node may release the signaling connection between the first network node and the third network node. An indication may be carried in the sixth message or the sixth message itself represents the indication;

[0139] Information about the third network nodes that need to be released, including the identifiers of these network nodes, such as gNB ID, used to indicate which third network nodes' LTM candidate configurations prepared for the UE need to be released;

[0140] Information about the third network nodes that indicate the second network node cannot establish a connection, including the identifiers of these network nodes, such as gNB ID;

[0141] Whether to release the configuration for data forwarding configured by the third network node for the user equipment;

[0142] During the release process initiated by the first network node, the first network node sends a seventh message to the third network node. The seventh message is used to indicate to the third network node at least one of the following:

[0143] Release the signaling connection established between the first network node and the third network for the UE;

[0144] Release the LTM candidate configuration, the configuration for data forwarding, the corresponding resources, and / or the context of the UE prepared by the third network node for the UE.

[0145] After receiving the seventh message, if the seventh message indicates the release of the LTM candidate configuration prepared for the UE, the configuration for data forwarding, the corresponding resources, and / or the context of the UE, the third network node that receives the seventh message releases the LTM candidate configuration prepared for the UE, the configuration for data forwarding, the corresponding resources, and / or the context of the UE; otherwise, the third network node does not release the LTM candidate configuration prepared for the UE, the configuration for data forwarding, the corresponding resources, and / or the context of the UE. If the seventh message indicates the release of the signaling connection between the first network node and the third network node, the third network node releases the signaling connection established for the UE with the first network node.

[0146] On this basis, the second network node can indicate to the first network node which third network nodes cannot establish a connection with the second network node, that is, these third network nodes cannot be candidate network nodes for the candidate LTM process. In this case, the first network node can indicate to the third network node to release all LTM candidate configurations prepared for the UE to save resources; otherwise, because the second network node cannot establish a connection with the third network node, the LTM candidate configurations prepared by the third network node for the UE cannot be selected as the target configuration by the second network node, nor can they be released by the second network node, resulting in a waste of resources.

[0147] In addition, the first network initiates a release process after receiving the fifth message or the sixth message sent by the third network node, which can avoid the first network node releasing the signaling connection established with the third network node prematurely and improve the reliability of LTM.

[0148] Figure 2 A flowchart of a mobility communication method provided for an embodiment. This method can be applied to a second network node, and the second network node can be the target network node among the candidate network nodes for mobility handover. As Figure 2 shown, the method provided in this embodiment includes step 210 and step 220.

[0149] In step 210, receive a first message sent by the first network node, where the first message is used to request configuration information about candidate cells from the second network node.

[0150] In step 220, send a second message to the first network node, where the second message includes configuration information of at least one candidate cell.

[0151] In one embodiment, the second network node is the network node corresponding to the target cell for handover; the method further includes:

[0152] Step 230: Receive a fourth message sent by the first network node, where the fourth message is used to indicate that a handover has been initiated to the user equipment and / or information about the target cell of the handover; the fourth message further includes setting information.

[0153] In one embodiment, the second network node is the network node corresponding to the target cell of the handover; the method further includes:

[0154] Step 240: Send a fifth message to the first network node, where the fifth message is used to indicate that the user equipment has successfully accessed the target cell; receive the setting information sent by the first network node.

[0155] In one embodiment, the setting information sent by the first network node to the second network node includes at least one of the following:

[0156] The identifier of the third network node;

[0157] The first identifier assigned by the third network node to the user equipment, where the first identifier is used for the signaling connection between the third network node and the first network node;

[0158] The second identifier assigned by the first network node to the user equipment, where the second identifier is used for the signaling connection between the first network node and the third network node;

[0159] The context information of the user equipment;

[0160] The data forwarding configuration information configured by the third network node;

[0161] The data forwarding TNL information assigned by the third network node to the user equipment;

[0162] Wherein, the third network node is the mobility candidate network node of the user equipment.

[0163] In one embodiment, the second network node is the network node corresponding to the target cell of the handover; the method further includes:

[0164] Step 250: Send a sixth message to the first network node, where the sixth message is used to indicate that the first network node initiates a release process, and the release process includes releasing at least one of the following:

[0165] The signaling connection between the first network node and the third network node;

[0166] The LTM candidate configuration prepared by the third network node for the user equipment;

[0167] The resources prepared by the third network node for the user equipment.

[0168] In one embodiment, the second network node is the network node corresponding to the target cell for handover; the method further includes:

[0169] Step 260: Send an eighth message to the core network element, where the eighth message is used to trigger the core network to switch the downlink data path to the second network node and establish an interface instance pointing to the second network node.

[0170] In one embodiment, the eighth message is used to indicate at least one of the following:

[0171] The handover process of the downlink data path is an LTM process;

[0172] The second network node has configured LTM for the user equipment;

[0173] Subsequent LTM is supported after the current path handover process;

[0174] The current path handover process is part of an LTM process.

[0175] As an example, in the eighth message (such as the PATHSWITCH REQUEST message) sent by the second network node to the core network element (such as the AMF), it is indicated that the process triggering the path switch is an LTM process, or it is indicated that the second network node has configured LTM for the UE, or it is indicated that subsequent LTM may be performed after this Path Switch process, or it is indicated that this Path Switch process is part of an LTM process. On this basis, the core network can optimize the subsequent LTM process according to the indication of the eighth message.

[0176] In the existing Path Switch process, the AMF may carry updated configuration information in the PATH SWITCH REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE message, including releasing certain PDU sessions, or carrying core network side TNL information of a new NG-U tunnel, or carrying new expected UE behavior information, or carrying updated QoS parameters of a Quality of Service (QoS) flow. That is to say, in the Path Switch process, the core network may modify the configurations of some UEs. Among them, some configurations may affect the RRC configuration of the UE, and some configurations do not affect the RRC configuration of the UE, but only affect the UE configuration at the network node. If the configuration of the UE is updated during the Path Switch process, the second network node may send the updated configuration to other third network nodes, so that in the subsequent LTM process, the new target network node can operate on the UE according to the updated configuration, but this will increase the signaling overhead and processing complexity. However, the method in the embodiment of the present application can enable the core network to optimize the Path Switch process for the LTM process during the Path Switch process in the LTM process, for example, without changing the core network side TNL information of the NG-U tunnel, or without updating the QoS flow parameters of the UE, etc., which can simplify the processing on the access network side and improve the mobility handover efficiency.

[0177] In one embodiment, the second network node is the network node corresponding to the target cell of the handover; the method further includes:

[0178] Step 270, sending a ninth message to a third network node, where the ninth message is used to indicate at least one of the following:

[0179] The identifier of the first network node;

[0180] The fifth identifier assigned by the first network node to the user equipment, where the fifth identifier is used for the signaling connection between the first network node and the third network node;

[0181] The sixth identifier assigned by the third network node to the user equipment, where the sixth identifier is used for the signaling connection between the third network node and the first network node;

[0182] All or part of the path switch request acknowledgement message received by the second network node;

[0183] Releasing the signaling connection between the first network node and the third network node;

[0184] The LTM candidate configuration that needs to be released;

[0185] Information of candidate cells to be released;

[0186] Release the context information of the user equipment;

[0187] Information for data forwarding by the source network node.

[0188] In the case where the third network node receives the ninth message, release the LTM candidate configuration prepared for the user equipment, or release the corresponding LMT candidate configuration according to the indication of the ninth message.

[0189] In one embodiment, the ninth message is one of the following: handover modification request message; handover request message; newly defined message between network nodes.

[0190] In one embodiment, the identifier of the first network node, the fifth identifier, or the sixth identifier is used to indicate at least one of the following: user equipment; resources allocated for the user equipment; LTM candidate configuration prepared for the user equipment.

[0191] In one embodiment, the LTM candidate configuration to be released or the information of the candidate cells to be released is used to indicate at least one of the following:

[0192] Indicate that the third network node releases the LTM candidate configuration prepared for the user equipment;

[0193] Indicate that the third network node releases the LTM candidate configuration corresponding to the candidate cell;

[0194] Indicate that the third network node releases the resources allocated for the LTM candidate configuration;

[0195] Indicate that the third network node releases the context information of the user equipment.

[0196] In one embodiment, the ninth message is further used to indicate the release of the signaling connection associated with the user equipment between the first network node and the third network node.

[0197] In one embodiment, releasing the context information of the user equipment includes at least one of the following:

[0198] Release the context of the user equipment; release the LTM candidate configuration prepared by the third network node for the user equipment; release the resources allocated for the user equipment.

[0199] In one embodiment,

[0200] In one embodiment, the method further includes:

[0201] Step 280: Receive the tenth message sent by the third network node, where the tenth message is a response message to the ninth message or a handover modification response message;

[0202] The tenth message includes at least one of the following:

[0203] A new identifier assigned by the third network node to the user equipment;

[0204] Information on data forwarding by the target network node;

[0205] LTM candidate configuration information;

[0206] Information on the released LTM candidate configuration;

[0207] Early synchronization configuration information.

[0208] In one embodiment, the LTM candidate configuration information includes at least one of the following: a new LTM candidate configuration prepared by the third network node for the user equipment; an updated or modified LTM candidate configuration.

[0209] As an example, the new source network node (the second network node) can perform functions such as completing a signaling connection, updating a configuration, and / or exchanging data forwarding information between subsequent LTM and candidate network nodes.

[0210] The second network node sends the ninth message to the third network node. The second network node may send the ninth message after receiving the PATHSWITCH REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE. The ninth message may be: a handover modification request message (e.g., the above-mentioned HANDOVER MODIFICATION REQUEST or other messages); a HANDOVER REQUEST message; a newly defined message between nodes.

[0211] The ninth message may include at least one of the following information:

[0212] The identifier of the first network node;

[0213] The third identifier assigned by the first network node to the UE;

[0214] The fourth identifier assigned by the third network node to the UE;

[0215] Part or all of the PATH SWITCH REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE message received by the first network node, including:

[0216] 1) The TNL information allocated by the core network, which is the GPRS Tunneling Protocol user plane (GTP-U) tunnel TNL information on the UPF side for delivering uplink data, such as the uplink NG-U channel information (UL NG-U UP TNL Information) allocated for a PDU session, the additional uplink NG-U channel information (Additional NG-U UP TNL Information, Redundant UL NG-U UP TNL Information), and / or the additional redundant uplink NG-U channel information (Additional Redundant NG-U UP TNL Information), etc. The third network node may use this TNL address for delivering uplink data during the LTM handover process.

[0217] 2) The QoS parameter information of the QoS flow, which may be carried in the PATH SWITCH REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE message sent by the AMF to the second network node. For example, the alternative QoS parameters set list for each QoS flow, the core network packet delay budget downlink, the CN Packet Delay Budget Uplink, and / or the burst arrival time downlink.

[0218] 3) An indication for releasing the signaling connection between the first network node and the third network node;

[0219] 4) The LTM candidate configuration information to be released, or the information of the candidate cell to be released

[0220] 5) An indication for releasing the UE context;

[0221] 6) The information for data forwarding by the source network node.

[0222] Among them, the identifier allocated by the third network node for the UE refers to the UE identifier allocated by the third network node for the signaling connection between the third network node and the first network node.

[0223] The identifier allocated by the first network node for the UE refers to the UE identifier allocated by the first network node for the signaling connection between the first network node and the third network node.

[0224] The second network node may obtain the identifier assigned to the UE by the third network node, and / or the identifier assigned to the UE by the first network node, based on the configuration information sent by the first network node to the second network node.

[0225] The signalling connection between the third network node and the first network node may refer to the UE Associated Signalling Connection between the third network node and the first network node associated with the UE, and the signalling connection may be a logical connection.

[0226] The identifier of the first network node, the identifier assigned to the UE by the first network node, and / or the identifier assigned to the UE by the third network node may be used to identify the UE recognized by the third network node, and / or the resources allocated to the UE, and / or the LTM candidate configuration prepared for the UE.

[0227] The third network node may modify the configuration of the UE according to the ninth message. The configuration of the UE may include the LTM candidate configuration prepared for the UE, or may also be a configuration that does not require modification of the UE RRC configuration.

[0228] The information of the LTM candidate configuration to be released, or the information of the candidate cell to be released, may be used to instruct the third network node to release the LTM candidate configuration prepared for the UE, or the LTM candidate configuration corresponding to the candidate cell, and possibly, the resources allocated by the third network node for this LTM candidate configuration, and possibly, the context of the corresponding UE. The information of the LTM candidate configuration to be released may be the LMT configuration ID; the information of the candidate cell to be released may be the identifier of the cell.

[0229] After receiving the second message, the third network node releases the LTM candidate configuration to be released, or the LTM candidate configuration corresponding to the candidate cell, and / or the corresponding resources.

[0230] The ninth message and the subsequent tenth message may be used to complete the establishment of the UE Associated Signalling Connection between the second network node and the third network node.

[0231] After receiving the ninth message, the third network node may allocate an identifier for the UE on this signalling connection, such as the XnAP ID.

[0232] The ninth message may also be used to indicate that the second network node is the new source network node, and the third network node updates the information of the source network node saved locally accordingly.

[0233] The ninth message can also be used to indicate the release of the signaling connection associated with the UE between the first network node and the third network node. It can be an explicit indication carried in the ninth message, or the ninth message itself represents the indication. Based on this indication, the third network node releases the signaling connection associated with the UE between the third network node and the first network node, which may include releasing the identifier allocated for the UE on this signaling connection, may also include releasing the resources allocated for this signaling connection by the third network node, and may also include releasing the configuration for data forwarding allocated for this signaling connection by the third network node, but does not include releasing the LTM candidate configuration or the UE context related to the UE.

[0234] The indication to release the UE context is used to indicate that the third network node releases the context of the UE, and can further indicate the release of the LTM candidate configuration prepared for the UE by the third network node, and / or the corresponding resources allocated for the UE. Based on this indication, the third network node releases the context of the UE, the LTM candidate configuration, and / or the resources allocated for the UE.

[0235] The information on data forwarding of the source network node includes at least one of the following information:

[0236] The downlink data forwarding recommendation for each QoS flow recommended by the second network node;

[0237] The mapping of QoS flows to Data Radio Bearers (DRBs) on the second network node;

[0238] The source downlink forwarding IP address.

[0239] The data forwarding information of the source network node can be used by the third network node to configure the data forwarding information.

[0240] After receiving the ninth message, the third network node, as a response, sends the tenth message to the second network node.

[0241] The tenth message may be a response message in response to the ninth message, or a Handover Modification Response message.

[0242] The tenth message includes at least one of the following information:

[0243] The new identifier allocated for the UE by the third network node;

[0244] The information on data forwarding of the target network node;

[0245] The LTM candidate configuration information;

[0246] Information of the released LTM candidate configuration;

[0247] Early synchronization configuration information.

[0248] Among them, the information of the target network node data forwarding includes at least one of the following information:

[0249] The identifier of the QoS flow for the target network node to receive data forwarding;

[0250] PDU session level downlink data forwarding UPTNL information;

[0251] PDU session level uplink data forwarding UPTNL information;

[0252] DL forwarding UP TNL information at the DRB level;

[0253] UL forwarding UP TNL information at the DRB level.

[0254] The information of the target network node data forwarding is the data forwarding information configured by the third network node and can be used for data forwarding between the second network element node and the third network element node during the LTM process.

[0255] The LTM candidate configuration information includes the LTM candidate configuration newly prepared by the third network node for the UE or the updated / modified LTM candidate configuration. The third network node can update / modify the configuration of the UE according to the ninth message and / or modify / update the resources allocated to the UE.

[0256] In the case of the LTM candidate configuration involved in modifying / updating the configuration of the UE, the third network node may include the newly prepared and / or updated LTM candidate configuration in the above-mentioned tenth message and send it to the second network node. After receiving the tenth message, the second network node may initiate an RRC reconfiguration process for the UE to send the updated LTM candidate configuration to the UE.

[0257] The information of the released LTM candidate configuration refers to the information of the LTM candidate configuration released by the third network node, such as the ID of the released LTM candidate configuration.

[0258] Upon receiving the ninth message, the third network node may release the previously prepared LTM candidate configuration for the UE according to its own resource situation, or may also release the corresponding LMT candidate configuration according to the information on the LTM candidate configuration to be released indicated by the second network node in the ninth message.

[0259] The early synchronization configuration information may include downlink early synchronization configuration information, and / or uplink early synchronization configuration information. The downlink early synchronization information includes information for performing early downlink synchronization in the LTM candidate cell, including information on downlink synchronization signals, such as information on TCI-state or SSB. The uplink early synchronization information is information for performing early uplink synchronization in the LTM candidate cell, including preamble configuration information and / or configuration of random access resources (RACH resource), which is used for the UE to initiate early uplink synchronization, or for the UE to perform a random access procedure in the target cell during a cell handover process.

[0260] On the above basis, after receiving the PATH SWITCH REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE, the second network node can obtain the configuration information sent by the core network, including the uplink data delivery address on the core network side, the QoS parameters of the updated QoS flow, and that the core network may have released some PDU sessions, etc. In the traditional handover process, this configuration information is only sent from the first network node to the second network node during the handover preparation process before the next handover. In the method of the embodiment of the present application, in order to efficiently and reliably complete the subsequent LTM process, this updated configuration is sent to all third network nodes in advance, which is beneficial for the third network node to update the local configuration according to the updated information of the core network, including updating the LTM candidate configuration of the UE, so that when the subsequent LTM process is initiated, the LTM candidate configuration of the UE and the configuration information of the core network can be kept consistent.

[0261] Secondly, after the second network node (the new "source network node") and the third network node complete the establishment of the signaling connection, the second network node carries the identifier assigned by the first network node for the UE, and / or the identifier previously assigned by the third network node for the UE in the ninth message, so as to facilitate the third network node to identify the UE, as well as the LTM candidate configuration and the allocated resources prepared for the UE.

[0262] Thirdly, upon receiving the ninth message, the third network node can know that the first network node has performed a handover. Therefore, the third network node can release the signaling connection established with the first network node, thus saving the resources of the third network node.

[0263] In addition, the second network node may, through the ninth message, instruct the third network node to release the LTM candidate configuration, or release all LTM candidate configurations, as well as the UE context, etc. After an LTM process is completed, the second network node may decide whether to release certain LTM candidate configurations and whether to release the UE context on a certain third network node, increasing the flexibility of the LTM process.

[0264] Finally, the above-mentioned various purposes can be achieved through the above-mentioned ninth message and tenth message, saving the signaling overhead between network nodes.

[0265] In one embodiment, the negotiation / interaction process between the Master Node (MN) and the Secondary Node (SN) regarding LTM is as follows:

[0266] In a Multi-Radio Dual Connectivity (MR-DC) scenario, the MN may configure the Master Cell group (MCG) LTM, and the SN may configure the Secondary Cell Group (SCG) LTM. In some cases (e.g., for intra-CU LTM of in-station handover), the network (NW) may configure both MCG LTM and SCG LTM. Correspondingly, the NW may configure L1 measurements for MCG LTM (e.g., L1 measurements on the MN side) and L1 measurements for SCG LTM (e.g., L1 measurements on the SN side) simultaneously. The L1 measurements for MCG LTM are generated by the MN configuration, while the L1 measurements for SCG LTM are generated by the SN configuration. To avoid the L1 measurements for MCG LTM and L1 measurements for SCG LTM configured by the NW exceeding the maximum limit of the UE's capabilities, interaction / negotiation regarding L1 measurements is required between the MN and the SN. There are the following two methods:

[0267] Method 1: The MN sends the information of the L1 measurements allowed to be configured by the SN to the SN. The SN configures the L1 measurements on the SN side according to the information provided by the MN. For example, the number of L1 measurements configured on the SN side cannot exceed the maximum number allowed by the MN's indication.

[0268] Method 2: The MN and the SN negotiate the information of the L1 measurements allowed to be configured by the SN. For example:

[0269] The MN sends the information of the L1 measurements allowed to be configured by the SN to the SN;

[0270] The SN may also send the information of the L1 measurements requested / suggested to be configured by the SN to the MN. For example, when the L1 measurements that the SN wants to configure exceed the maximum number allowed by the MN's indication;

[0271] The MN can receive or reject the information of the L1 measurement configured by the SN's request / suggestion. The MN sends the feedback information to the SN. The SN configures the L1 measurement according to the feedback information of the MN.

[0272] In the information of the L1 measurement allowed to be configured by the above SN and / or the information of the L1 measurement requested / suggested to be configured by the SN, the content of the information of the L1 measurement includes at least one of the following:

[0273] 1. The maximum number of frequency layers for the co-frequency L1 - Reference Signal Receiving Power (RSRP) measurement and the inter-frequency L1 - RSRP measurement without measurement gaps;

[0274] 2. The maximum number of frequency layers for the inter-frequency L1 - RSRP measurement with measurement gaps;

[0275] 3. The maximum number of neighboring cells that can be measured on each frequency layer for the co-frequency L1 - RSRP measurement and the inter-frequency L1 - RSRP measurement without measurement gaps;

[0276] 4. The maximum number of neighboring cells that can be measured on each frequency layer for the inter-frequency L1 - RSRP measurement with measurement gaps;

[0277] 5. The maximum number of the total number of cells that can be measured (for example, the total number of serving cells and neighboring cells on all frequency layers for the L1 co-frequency measurement and the inter-frequency measurement without measurement gaps);

[0278] 6. The maximum number of SSB resources used for the L1 - RSRP measurement within one time slot (for example, the number of SSB resources that the UE can use to perform co-frequency measurement or inter-frequency measurement without measurement gaps on candidate cells within one time slot);

[0279] 7. The maximum number of SSB resources on each frequency layer for the co-frequency L1 - RSRP measurement and the inter-frequency L1 - RSRP measurement without measurement gaps;

[0280] 8. The maximum number of SSB resources on each frequency layer for the inter-frequency L1 - RSRP measurement with measurement gaps;

[0281] 9. The maximum number of the total number of SSB resources (for example, the total number of SSB resources of serving cells and neighboring cells on all frequency layers for the L1 co-frequency measurement and the inter-frequency measurement without measurement gaps);

[0282] 10. The maximum number of CSI-RS resources for L1-RSRP measurement within one time slot (e.g., the number of CSI-RS resources that a UE can use for co-frequency measurement of candidate cells or for inter-frequency measurement without measurement gap within one time slot).

[0283] 11. The maximum number of CSI-RS resources on each frequency layer for co-frequency L1-RSRP measurement and for inter-frequency CSI-RS measurement without measurement gap.

[0284] 12. The maximum number of CSI-RS resources on each frequency layer for inter-frequency L1-RSRP measurement that requires measurement gap.

[0285] 13. The maximum number of the total CSI-RS resources (e.g., the total number of CSI-RS resources of serving cells and neighboring cells on all frequency layers for L1 co-frequency measurement and for inter-frequency measurement without measurement gap).

[0286] In some embodiments, the maximum number that can be configured for items 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 11, and 12 above can be one of {0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8}. The maximum number that can be configured for item 5 above can be one of {0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24}. The maximum number that can be configured for items 6 and 10 above can be one of {0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 16, 32, 48, 64}. The maximum number that can be configured for items 9 and 13 above can be one of {0, 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 32, 64}.

[0287] In some embodiments, the maximum number of the information of the above-indicated L1 measurement cannot exceed the maximum number of the information of the corresponding L3 measurement. For example, the maximum number of frequency layers for inter-frequency L1-RSRP measurement that requires measurement gap and is allowed to be configured by the SN or requested / suggested to be configured by the SN cannot exceed the maximum number of frequency layers for inter-frequency L3 measurement that is allowed to be configured by the SN or requested / suggested to be configured by the SN (e.g., the maximum number indicated by the cell maxMeasFreqsSCG).

[0288] In some embodiments, if one or more of the above items are not included in the information of the L1 measurement allowed to be configured by the MN and sent to the SN (i.e., a certain item is default), then the SN cannot configure this item of information or the maximum value of this item of information that the SN can configure is the specified maximum value (i.e., the maximum value reported by the relevant UE capability or the maximum value specified by the protocol).

[0289] The information on the L1 measurements allowed to be configured by the above-mentioned SN and / or the information on the L1 measurements requested / suggested by the SN to be configured can be transmitted in the following ways:

[0290] Way 1: Directly include the said information in the Xn / X2 message (for example, the SN addition / modification request or the SN addition / modification request confirmation message), for example, include the said information as an information element in the Xn / X2 message.

[0291] Way 2: Include the said information in the RRC message, for example, the CG-ConfigInfo or CG-Config message. This RRC message is included as an information element in the Xn / X2 message (for example, the SN addition / modification request or the SN addition / modification request confirmation message).

[0292] Inter-MN LTM

[0293] In the MR-DC scenario, the NW can configure two types of MCG LTMs for inter-MN LTM, namely inter-MN LTM without SCG change and inter-MN LTM with SCG release. If the NW configures the above two types of LTM candidate cells at the same time, in the case of consecutive LTMs, when the NW selects the candidate cell of inter-MN LTM with SCG release to trigger the LTM, the execution of inter-MN LTM with SCG release will cause the UE to release the DC connection (i.e., delete the SCG). Then, in the subsequent LTMs, the NW cannot / should not select the candidate cell of inter-MN LTM without SCG change (because at this time the UE no longer has the SCG configuration).

[0294] During the configuration preparation process of inter-MN LTM, it is the candidate MN that decides which type of MCG LTM to configure (e.g., inter-MN LTM without SCG change, or inter-MN LTM with SCG release). Currently, the source MN does not know the type of MCG LTM configured by the candidate MN. However, during the trigger execution process of inter-MN LTM, it is the source MN that decides which candidate cell to select for LTM execution. Therefore, in the case where candidate cells of the above two types of MCG LTM coexist, the source MN's selection of candidate cells may cause the LTM execution to fail (e.g., the source MN selects a candidate cell for inter-MN LTM without SCG change, but at this time the UE does not have an SCG configuration). To avoid the above failure cases, the following several solutions can be considered:

[0295] Solution 1: During the configuration preparation stage of inter-MN LTM, the source MN decides the type of candidate cell (e.g., inter-MN LTM without SCG change, or inter-MN LTM with SCG release) and notifies the candidate MN. For example, a indicator is included in the handover request message to indicate the type of the requested candidate cell. The candidate MN prepares the configuration of the candidate cell according to the indication information from the source MN (e.g., whether to retain or delete the SCG configuration).

[0296] Solution 2: During the configuration preparation stage of inter-MN LTM, the candidate MN notifies the source MN of the type of the configured candidate cell (e.g., inter-MN LTM without SCG change, or inter-MN LTM with SCG release). For example, a indicator is included in the handover request response message to indicate the type of the prepared candidate cell.

[0297] Solution 3: After receiving the LTM cell handover command, the UE applies the configuration of the target candidate cell indicated in the LTM cell handover command. If the UE is not in the dual-connection state at this time (i.e., does not have an SCG configuration), the UE will automatically release / delete the SCG configuration in the target candidate cell configuration (if the target candidate cell configuration includes an SCG configuration). In addition, the UE can inform the NW (i.e., the target MN) in the handover completion message (such as the RRC reconfiguration completion message) sent to the NW whether the UE has deleted the SCG configuration. For example, a indicator is included in the RRC reconfiguration completion message to indicate whether to delete or retain the SCG. According to this indication information (such as the SCG has been deleted), the target MN can trigger the SN release process.

[0298] For Solution 1 and Solution 2, the source MN can obtain the type of each prepared candidate cell. When triggering the execution of LTM, the source MN can select an appropriate candidate cell type as needed to trigger LTM. In addition, during the configuration preparation phase of inter-MN, the source MN can notify each candidate MN of the type of each prepared candidate cell, for example, through a handover request or an update message.

[0299] The embodiment of the present application further provides a mobile communication device. Figure 3 FIG. is a schematic structural diagram of a mobile communication device provided in an embodiment. As Figure 3 shown, the mobile communication device includes:

[0300] A sending module 310, configured to send a first message to a second network node, where the first message is used to request configuration information about candidate cells from the second network node;

[0301] A receiving module 320, configured to receive a second message sent by the second network node, where the second message includes configuration information of at least one candidate cell.

[0302] In one embodiment, the first message includes: the predicted probability that the user equipment reaches the second network node or the candidate cell.

[0303] In one embodiment, the second message includes: the number of candidate cells that the first network node can request the second network node to prepare for the user equipment.

[0304] In one embodiment, after receiving the second message sent by the second network node, the sending module 310 is further configured to:

[0305] Send a third message to a third network node, where the third message is used to request an update of the configuration information of the candidate cell,

[0306] The third message further includes setting information.

[0307] In one embodiment, the sending module 310 is further configured to: send a fourth message to the second network node, where the fourth message is used to indicate that a handover has been initiated to the user equipment and / or information about the target cell of the handover;

[0308] The fourth message further includes setting information;

[0309] The second network node is the network node corresponding to the target cell of the handover.

[0310] In one embodiment, the sending module 310 is further configured to:

[0311] In the case of receiving a fifth message sent by a second network node, send configuration information to the second network node;

[0312] Wherein, the fifth message is used to indicate that the user equipment has successfully accessed the target cell;

[0313] The second network node is the network node corresponding to the target cell for handover.

[0314] In one embodiment, the configuration information includes at least one of the following:

[0315] The identifier of a third network node;

[0316] A first identifier assigned by the third network node to the user equipment, where the first identifier is used for the signaling connection between the third network node and the first network node;

[0317] A second identifier assigned by the first network node to the user equipment, where the second identifier is used for the signaling connection between the first network node and the third network node;

[0318] The context information of the user equipment;

[0319] The data forwarding configuration information configured by the third network node;

[0320] The data forwarding TNL information assigned by the third network node to the user equipment;

[0321] Wherein, the third network node is a mobility candidate network node of the user equipment.

[0322] In one embodiment, the apparatus further includes: an initiation module, configured to initiate a release process in the case of receiving a sixth message sent by the second network node, where the release process includes releasing at least one of the following:

[0323] The signaling connection between the first network node and the third network node;

[0324] The LTM candidate configuration prepared by the third network node for the user equipment;

[0325] The resources prepared by the third network node for the user equipment;

[0326] Wherein, the second network node is the network node corresponding to the target cell for handover;

[0327] The third network node is a mobility candidate network node of the user equipment.

[0328] In one embodiment, the sixth message is one of the following:

[0329] The fifth message sent by the second network node, where the fifth message indicates that the user equipment has successfully accessed the target cell; newly defined messages between network nodes; existing messages between network nodes other than the fifth message; user equipment context release message.

[0330] In one embodiment, the sixth message is used to indicate at least one of the following:

[0331] Release the signaling connection with the third network node;

[0332] Information of the third network node that needs to be released;

[0333] Information of the third network node with which the second network node fails to establish a connection.

[0334] In one embodiment, the sending module 310 is further configured to:

[0335] Send a seventh message to the third network node, where the seventh message is used to indicate at least one of the following:

[0336] Release the signaling connection between the first network node and the third network node established for the user equipment;

[0337] Release the LTM candidate configuration prepared for the user equipment;

[0338] Release the resources prepared for the user equipment;

[0339] Release the context of the user equipment;

[0340] Release the configuration for data forwarding.

[0341] The mobility communication device proposed in this embodiment and the mobility communication method proposed in the above embodiment belong to the same inventive concept. Technical details not described in detail in this embodiment can be referred to in any of the above embodiments, and this embodiment has the same beneficial effects as those of the executed mobility communication method.

[0342] This application embodiment also provides a mobility communication device. Figure 4 A structural schematic diagram of a mobility communication device provided for an embodiment. As Figure 4 shown, the mobility communication device includes:

[0343] A receiving module 410, configured to receive a first message sent by a first network node, where the first message is used to request configuration information about a candidate cell from the second network node;

[0344] A sending module 420, configured to send a second message to the first network node, where the second message includes configuration information of at least one candidate cell. In one embodiment, the second network node is a network node corresponding to a target cell for handover; the method further includes:

[0345] In one embodiment, the second network node is a network node corresponding to a target cell for handover; the receiving module 410 is further configured to:

[0346] Receive a fourth message sent by the first network node, where the fourth message is used to indicate that a handover has been initiated to a user equipment and / or information about a target cell for handover;

[0347] The fourth message further includes setting information.

[0348] In one embodiment, the second network node is a network node corresponding to a target cell for handover; the sending module 420 is further configured to: send a fifth message to the first network node, where the fifth message is used to indicate that the user equipment has successfully accessed the target cell;

[0349] The receiving module 410 is further configured to receive the setting information sent by the first network node.

[0350] In one embodiment, the setting information includes at least one of the following:

[0351] An identifier of a third network node;

[0352] A first identifier assigned by the third network node to the user equipment, where the first identifier is used for a signaling connection between the third network node and the first network node;

[0353] A second identifier assigned by the first network node to the user equipment, where the second identifier is used for a signaling connection between the first network node and the third network node;

[0354] Context information of the user equipment;

[0355] Data forwarding configuration information configured by the third network node;

[0356] Data forwarding TNL information assigned by the third network node to the user equipment;

[0357] Wherein, the third network node is a mobility candidate network node of the user equipment.

[0358] In one embodiment, the second network node is a network node corresponding to a target cell for handover; the sending module 420 is further configured to: send a sixth message to the first network node, where the sixth message is used to indicate that the first network node initiates a release process, and the release process includes releasing at least one of the following:

[0359] The signaling connection between the first network node and the third network node;

[0360] The LTM candidate configuration prepared by the third network node for the user equipment;

[0361] The resources prepared by the third network node for the user equipment.

[0362] In one embodiment, the second network node is the network node corresponding to the target cell of the handover; the sending module 420 is further configured to: send an eighth message to the core network element, where the eighth message is used to trigger the core network to switch the downlink data path to the second network node and establish an interface instance pointing to the second network node.

[0363] In one embodiment, the eighth message is used to indicate at least one of the following:

[0364] The handover process of the downlink data path is an LTM process;

[0365] The second network node configures LTM for the user equipment;

[0366] Subsequent LTM is supported after the current path handover process;

[0367] The current path handover process is part of an LTM process.

[0368] In one embodiment, the second network node is the network node corresponding to the target cell of the handover; the sending module 420 is further configured to: send a ninth message to the third network node, where the ninth message is used to indicate at least one of the following:

[0369] The identifier of the first network node;

[0370] The fifth identifier assigned by the first network node to the user equipment, where the fifth identifier is used for the signaling connection between the first network node and the third network node;

[0371] The sixth identifier assigned by the third network node to the user equipment, where the sixth identifier is used for the signaling connection between the third network node and the first network node;

[0372] All or part of the path handover request confirmation message received by the second network node;

[0373] Release the signaling connection between the first network node and the third network node;

[0374] The LTM candidate configuration that needs to be released;

[0375] The information of the candidate cell that needs to be released;

[0376] Release the context information of the user equipment;

[0377] Information on data forwarding by the source network node.

[0378] In one embodiment, the ninth message is one of the following: a handover modification request message; a handover request message; a newly defined message between network nodes.

[0379] In one embodiment, the identifier of the first network node, the fifth identifier, or the sixth identifier is used to indicate at least one of the following:

[0380] The user equipment; the resources allocated for the user equipment; the LTM candidate configuration prepared for the user equipment.

[0381] In one embodiment, the information on the LTM candidate configuration to be released or the candidate cell to be released is used to indicate at least one of the following:

[0382] Indicate that the third network node releases the LTM candidate configuration prepared for the user equipment;

[0383] Indicate that the third network node releases the LTM candidate configuration corresponding to the candidate cell;

[0384] Indicate that the third network node releases the resources allocated for the LTM candidate configuration;

[0385] Indicate that the third network node releases the context information of the user equipment.

[0386] In one embodiment, the ninth message is further used to indicate the release of the signaling connection associated with the user equipment between the first network node and the third network node.

[0387] In one embodiment, the release of the context information of the user equipment includes at least one of the following:

[0388] Release the context of the user equipment; release the LTM candidate configuration prepared for the user equipment by the third network node; release the resources allocated for the user equipment.

[0389] In one embodiment, upon receiving the ninth message, the third network node releases the LTM candidate configuration prepared for the user equipment, or releases the corresponding LMT candidate configuration according to the indication of the ninth message.

[0390] In one embodiment, the receiving module 410 is further configured to:

[0391] Receive the tenth message sent by the third network node, where the tenth message is a response message to the ninth message or a handover modification response message;

[0392] The tenth message includes at least one of the following:

[0393] A new identifier assigned by the third network node to the user equipment;

[0394] Information on data forwarding by the target network node;

[0395] LTM candidate configuration information;

[0396] Information on the released LTM candidate configuration;

[0397] Early synchronization configuration information.

[0398] In one embodiment, the LTM candidate configuration information includes at least one of the following:

[0399] A new LTM candidate configuration prepared by the third network node for the user equipment; an updated or modified LTM candidate configuration.

[0400] The mobility communication device proposed in this embodiment and the mobility communication method proposed in the above embodiment belong to the same inventive concept. Technical details not described in detail in this embodiment can be referred to in any of the above embodiments, and this embodiment has the same beneficial effects as the execution of the mobility communication method.

[0401] An embodiment of the present application also provides a network node, Figure 5 which is a schematic hardware structure diagram of a network node provided for an embodiment, as Figure 5 shown. The network node provided by the present application includes a processor 510 and a memory 520; the processor 510 in the network node can be one or more, Figure 5 and one processor 510 is taken as an example herein; the memory 520 is configured to store one or more programs; the one or more programs are executed by the one or more processors 510, so that the one or more processors 510 implement the mobility communication method as described in the embodiments of the present application.

[0402] The network node further includes: a communication device 530, an input device 540, and an output device 550.

[0403] The processor 510, the memory 520, the communication device 530, the input device 540, and the output device 550 in the network node can be connected by a bus or other means, Figure 5 and the connection by a bus is taken as an example herein.

[0404] The input device 540 can be used to receive input digital or character information, and generate key signal inputs related to the user settings and function control of the network node. The output device 550 can include display devices such as a display screen.

[0405] The communication device 530 may include a receiver and a transmitter. The communication device 530 is configured to perform information transceiver communication under the control of the processor 510.

[0406] The memory 520, as a computer-readable storage medium, may be configured to store software programs, computer-executable programs, and modules, such as program instructions / modules corresponding to the mobility communication method described in the embodiments of the present application (for example, the sending module 310 and the receiving module 320 in the mobility communication device). The memory 520 may include a program storage area and a data storage area. Among them, the program storage area may store an operating system and application programs required for at least one function; the data storage area may store data created according to the use of network nodes, etc. In addition, the memory 520 may include high-speed random access memory, and may also include non-volatile memory, such as at least one magnetic disk storage device, a flash memory device, or other non-volatile solid-state storage devices. In some instances, the memory 520 may further include a memory remotely disposed relative to the processor 510, and these remote memories may be connected to the network node through a network. Examples of the above networks include, but are not limited to, the Internet, an enterprise intranet, a local area network, a mobile communication network, and combinations thereof.

[0407] The embodiments of the present application further provide a storage medium storing a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the mobility communication method described in any one of the embodiments of the present application is implemented. The method includes: sending a first message to a second network node, where the first message is used to request configuration information about candidate cells from the second network node; receiving a second message sent by the second network node, where the second message includes configuration information of at least one candidate cell. Or, the method includes: receiving a first message sent by a first network node, where the first message is used to request configuration information about candidate cells from the second network node; sending a second message to the first network node, where the second message includes configuration information of at least one candidate cell.

[0408] The embodiments of the present application further provide a computer program product, including a computer program / instructions, and when the computer program / instructions are executed by a processor, the mobility communication method described in any one of the embodiments of the present application is implemented. The method includes: sending a first message to a second network node, where the first message is used to request configuration information about candidate cells from the second network node;

[0409] Receive a second message sent by the second network node, where the second message includes configuration information of at least one candidate cell. Alternatively, the method includes: receiving a first message sent by a first network node, where the first message is used to request configuration information about a candidate cell from the second network node; and sending a second message to the first network node, where the second message includes configuration information of at least one candidate cell.

[0410] The computer storage medium of the embodiments of the present application may adopt any combination of one or more computer-readable media. The computer-readable medium may be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to: an electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any combination of the above. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer-readable storage medium include: an electrical connection with one or more wires, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), a flash memory, an optical fiber, a portable CD-ROM, an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the above. The computer-readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that contains or stores a program that can be used by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0411] The computer-readable signal medium may include a data signal propagated in a baseband or as part of a carrier wave, where the data signal carries computer-readable program code. Such a propagated data signal may take various forms, including but not limited to: an electromagnetic signal, an optical signal, or any suitable combination of the above. The computer-readable signal medium may also be any computer-readable medium other than the computer-readable storage medium, and the computer-readable medium may send, propagate, or transmit a program for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0412] The program code contained on the computer-readable medium may be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited to: wireless, wire, optical cable, radio frequency (RF), etc., or any suitable combination of the above.

[0413] Computer program code for performing the operations of this application can be written in one or more programming languages or combinations thereof. The programming languages include object-oriented programming languages such as Java, Smalltalk, C++, and also include conventional procedural programming languages such as the "C" language or similar programming languages. The program code can be executed entirely on the user's computer, partially on the user's computer, executed as a stand-alone software package, partially on the user's computer and partially on a remote computer, or entirely on a remote computer or server. In the case of a remote computer, the remote computer can be connected to the user's computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or can be connected to an external computer (e.g., by connecting through the Internet using an Internet service provider).

[0414] An embodiment of this application also provides a computer program product, including a computer program / instructions, which when executed by a processor implement the video encoding method as described in any of the above embodiments.

[0415] As described above, the above are only exemplary embodiments of this application and are not used to limit the protection scope of this application.

[0416] Those skilled in the art should understand that the term user terminal covers any suitable type of wireless user equipment, such as a mobile phone, a portable data processing device, a portable network browser, or a vehicle-mounted mobile station.

[0417] Generally, various embodiments of this application can be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. For example, some aspects can be implemented in hardware, while other aspects can be implemented in firmware or software that can be executed by a controller, a microprocessor, or other computing devices, although this application is not limited thereto.

[0418] Embodiments of this application can be implemented by a data processor of a mobile device executing computer program instructions, for example, in a processor entity, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. The computer program instructions can be assembly instructions, instruction set architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine-related instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, status setting data, or source code or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages.

[0419] Any block diagram of a logical process in the accompanying drawings of the present application may represent a program step, or may represent interconnected logical circuits, modules, and functions, or may represent a combination of program steps and logical circuits, modules, and functions. A computer program may be stored in a memory. The memory may be of any type suitable for the local technical environment and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as but not limited to Read-Only Memory (ROM), Random Access Memory (RAM), optical memory devices and systems (such as Digital Video Disc (DVD) or Compact Disk (CD), etc.). The computer-readable medium may include a non-transitory storage medium. The data processor may be of any type suitable for the local technical environment, such as but not limited to a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a microprocessor, a Digital Signal Processing (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FGPA), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture.

[0420] By way of illustrative and non-limiting examples, a detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the present application has been provided above. However, various modifications and adaptations of the above embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the claims, without departing from the scope of the present application. Accordingly, the proper scope of the present application will be determined in accordance with the claims.

Claims

1. A mobility communication method, applied to a first network node, characterized in that: include: sending a first message to a second network node, where the first message is used to request configuration information about a candidate cell from the second network node; A second message sent by the second network node is received, where the second message includes configuration information of at least one candidate cell.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first message includes: a predicted probability of the user equipment reaching the second network node or the candidate cell.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second message includes: the first network node may request the second network node for the number of candidate cells prepared for the user equipment.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that After receiving the second message sent by the second network node, the method further includes: sending a third message to a third network node, where the third message is used to request updating configuration information of the candidate cell, The third message also includes setting information.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Also includes: Sending a fourth message to the second network node, where the fourth message is used to indicate that a handover has been initiated to the user equipment and / or information of a target cell for the handover; The fourth message also includes setting information; The second network node is a network node corresponding to the target cell of the handover.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Also includes: When receiving the fifth message sent by the second network node, sending setting information to the second network node; The fifth message is used to indicate that the user equipment has successfully accessed the target cell; The second network node is a network node corresponding to the target cell of the handover.

7. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that: The setting information includes at least one of the following: an identifier of a third network node; a first identifier allocated by a third network node to a user equipment, where the first identifier is used for a signaling connection between the third network node and the first network node; A second identifier allocated by the first network node to the user equipment, where the second identifier is used for a signaling connection between the first network node and the third network node; Contextual information of the user's device; data forwarding configuration information configured by the third network node; The data forwarding transmission network layer TNL information allocated by the third network node to the user equipment; The third network node is a mobility candidate network node of the user equipment.

8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Also includes: In the case of receiving the sixth message sent by the second network node, initiating a release process, the release process comprising releasing at least one of the following: a signaling connection between the first network node and the third network node; The LTM candidate configuration prepared by the third network node for the user equipment; resources prepared by the third network node for the user equipment; The second network node is a network node corresponding to the target cell of the handover; The third network node is a mobility candidate network node of the user equipment.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The sixth message is one of the following: A fifth message sent by the second network node, the fifth message indicating that the user equipment has successfully accessed the target cell; a message between newly defined network nodes; an existing message between network nodes except the fifth message; and a user equipment context release message.

10. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The sixth message is used to indicate at least one of the following: releasing a signaling connection with the third network node; Information of the third network node that needs to be released; The second network node is unable to establish information about the third network node with which the second network node is unable to establish a connection.

11. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The release process initiated by the first network node also includes: Sending a seventh message to the third network node, where the seventh message is used to indicate at least one of the following: releasing a signaling connection between the first network node and the third network node established for the user equipment; releasing the LTM candidate configuration prepared for the user equipment; releasing resources prepared for the user equipment; releasing the context of the user equipment; Release the configuration for data forwarding.

12. A mobility communication method, applied to a second network node, characterized in that: include: receiving a first message sent by a first network node, where the first message is used to request configuration information about a candidate cell from the second network node; A second message is sent to the first network node, where the second message includes configuration information of at least one candidate cell.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The second network node is a network node corresponding to a target cell of the handover; the method further includes: receiving a fourth message sent by the first network node, where the fourth message is used to indicate that a handover has been initiated to the user equipment and / or information of a target cell for the handover; The fourth message also includes setting information.

14. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The second network node is a network node corresponding to a target cell of the handover; the method further includes: Sending a fifth message to the first network node, where the fifth message is used to indicate that the user equipment has successfully accessed the target cell; Receive setting information sent by the first network node.

15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that The setting information includes at least one of the following: an identifier of a third network node; a first identifier allocated by a third network node to a user equipment, where the first identifier is used for a signaling connection between the third network node and the first network node; A second identifier allocated by the first network node to the user equipment, where the second identifier is used for a signaling connection between the first network node and the third network node; Contextual information of the user's device; data forwarding configuration information configured by the third network node; Data forwarding TNL information allocated by the third network node to the user equipment; The third network node is a mobility candidate network node of the user equipment.

16. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The second network node is a network node corresponding to a target cell for handover; the method further includes: Sending a sixth message to the first network node, where the sixth message is used to instruct the first network node to initiate a release process, where the release process includes releasing at least one of the following: a signaling connection between the first network node and the third network node; The LTM candidate configuration prepared by the third network node for the user equipment; The third network node prepares resources for the user equipment.

17. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The second network node is a network node corresponding to a target cell for handover; the method further includes: An eighth message is sent to the core network network element, where the eighth message is used to trigger the core network to switch the downlink data path to the second network node and establish an interface instance pointing to the second network node.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that The eighth message is used to indicate at least one of the following: The switching process of the downlink data path is the LTM process; The second network node configures the LTM for the user equipment; Support subsequent LTM after the current path switching process; The current path switching process is part of the LTM process.

19. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The second network node is a network node corresponding to a target cell for handover; the method further includes: Sending a ninth message to the third network node, where the ninth message is used to indicate at least one of the following: an identifier of the first network node; A third identifier allocated by the first network node to the user equipment, where the third identifier is used for a signaling connection between the first network node and the third network node; a fourth identifier allocated by the third network node to the user equipment, where the fourth identifier is used for a signaling connection between the third network node and the first network node; all or part of the path switch request confirmation message received by the second network node; releasing a signaling connection between the first network node and the third network node; LTM candidate configurations that need to be released; Information about candidate cells that need to be released; Release context information of the user device; Information about data forwarding by source network nodes.

20. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that The ninth message is one of the following: Switch modification request message; Switch request message; Message between newly defined network nodes.

21. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that The identifier of the first network node, the third identifier, or the fourth identifier is used to indicate at least one of the following: User equipment; resources allocated to the user equipment; LTM candidate configuration prepared for the user equipment.

22. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that The information of the LTM candidate configuration to be released or the candidate cell to be released is used to indicate at least one of the following: instructing the third network node to release the LTM candidate configuration prepared for the user equipment; instructing the third network node to release the LTM candidate configuration corresponding to the candidate cell; instructing the third network node to release resources allocated for the LTM candidate configuration; Instruct the third network node to release the context information of the user equipment.

23. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that The ninth message is further used to instruct to release a signaling connection associated with the user equipment between the first network node and the third network node.

24. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that The releasing the context information of the user equipment includes at least one of the following: The context of the user equipment is released; the LTM candidate configuration prepared by the third network node for the user equipment is released; and the resources allocated to the user equipment are released.

25. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that When receiving the ninth message, the third network node releases the LTM candidate configuration prepared for the user equipment, or releases the corresponding LMT candidate configuration according to an instruction of the ninth message.

26. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that Also includes: receiving a tenth message sent by the third network node, where the tenth message is a response message or a handover modification response message to the ninth message; The tenth message includes at least one of the following: A new identifier allocated by the third network node to the user equipment; Information about data forwarding of target network nodes; LTM candidate configuration information; Information about the released LTM candidate configuration; Synchronize configuration information early.

27. The method according to claim 26, characterized in that The LTM candidate configuration information includes at least one of the following: The new LTM candidate configuration prepared by the third network node for the user equipment; the updated or modified LTM candidate configuration.

28. A first network node, characterized in that: include: memory, and one or more processors; The memory is configured to store one or more programs; When the one or more programs are executed by the one or more processors, the one or more processors implement the mobility communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

29. A second network node, characterized in that: include: memory, and one or more processors; The memory is configured to store one or more programs; When the one or more programs are executed by the one or more processors, the one or more processors implement the mobility communication method according to any one of claims 12 to 27.

30. A mobile communication system, characterized in that: include: A first network node as claimed in claim 28, and a second network node as claimed in claim 29.

31. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that: When the program is executed by a processor, the mobility communication method as described in any one of claims 1 to 27 is implemented.

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