Access control enhancement for priority user

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to access control enhancements for prioritized users. In an embodiment, a distributed unit (DU) of a network device sends an admission control indication to a centralized unit (CU) of the network device, the admission control indication indicating a state of a first admission control for a connection between a terminal device and the network device at the DU. The DU receives, from the CU, a message associated with a second admission control for the connection at the DU. The DU then performs a second admission control for the connection based on receiving the message. Further, the DU sends configuration information obtained from a second admission control to the CU, the configuration information being associated with the connection. In this manner, the RRC connection may be optimized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Various exemplary embodiments relate to the field of telecommunications, and in particular to methods, devices, apparatuses, and computer-readable storage media for enhanced admission control for priority users. Background Art

[0002] In communication technologies, there is continuous evolution to provide efficient and reliable solutions for utilizing wireless communication networks. Currently, efforts have been made to develop fifth-generation (5G) or 5G advanced wireless systems. The new wireless systems can support various types of service applications for terminal devices.

[0003] In current wireless systems, a user equipment (UE) in the radio resource control (RRC) idle state (also referred to as the RRC_idle state) can initiate an establishment process to the network device to request to enter the RRC connected state (also referred to as the RRC_connected state) to enable normal data transmission, or request small data transmission. A UE in the RRC_connected state can initiate a reestablishment process to the network device to continue the RRC connection when a failure condition occurs (e.g., radio link failure, reconfiguration failure, integrity check failure, etc.). A UE in the RRC inactive state (also referred to as the RRC_inactive state) can initiate a resume process to the network device to request to enter the RRC_connected state to enable normal data transmission, or request small data transmission. However, enhancements to RRC connections are still under further research. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Generally, the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution related to enhanced admission control for priority users.

[0005] In a first aspect, a distributed unit (DU) of a network device is provided. The DU includes at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the DU to at least: send an admission control indication to a centralized unit (CU) of the network device, the admission control indication indicating a state of a first admission control for a connection between a terminal device and the network device at the DU; receive a message associated with a second admission control for the connection at the DU from the CU; perform the second admission control for the connection based on the received message; and send configuration information obtained from the second admission control to the CU, the configuration information being associated with the connection.

[0006] In a second aspect, a Centralized Unit (CU) of a network device is provided. The CU includes at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network device to at least: receive an admission control indication from a Distributed Unit (DU) of the network device, the admission control indication indicating a state of a first admission control for a connection between a terminal device and the network device; send a message associated with a second admission control for the connection at the DU to the DU; and receive configuration information associated with the connection from the DU, the configuration information being obtained from the second admission control at the DU.

[0007] In a third aspect, a method implemented at a Distributed Unit (DU) of a network device is provided. The method includes: sending an admission control indication to a Centralized Unit (CU) of the network device, the admission control indication indicating a state of a first admission control for a connection between a terminal device and the network device at the DU; receiving, from the CU, a message associated with a second admission control for the connection at the DU; performing, based on the received message, the second admission control for the connection; and sending, to the CU, configuration information obtained from the second admission control, the configuration information being associated with the connection.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, a method implemented at a Centralized Unit (CU) of a network device is provided. The method includes: receiving an admission control indication from a Distributed Unit (DU) of the network device, the admission control indication indicating a state of a first admission control for a connection between a terminal device and the network device; sending a message associated with a second admission control for the connection at the DU to the DU; and receiving configuration information associated with the connection from the DU, the configuration information being obtained from the second admission control at the DU.

[0009] In a fifth aspect, a device is provided. The device includes: means for sending an admission control indication to a Centralized Unit (CU) of a network device at a Distributed Unit (DU) of the network device, the admission control indication indicating a state of a first admission control for a connection between a terminal device and the network device at the DU; means for receiving, from the CU, a message associated with a second admission control for the connection at the DU; means for performing the second admission control for the connection based on the received message; and means for sending, to the CU, configuration information obtained from the second admission control, the configuration information being associated with the connection.

[0010] In a sixth aspect, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes: components for receiving, at a central unit (CU) of a network device, an admission control indication from a distributed unit (DU) of the network device, the admission control indication indicating a state of a first admission control for a connection between a terminal device and the network device; components for sending, to the DU, a message associated with a second admission control for the connection at the DU; and components for receiving, from the DU, configuration information associated with the connection, the configuration information being obtained from the second admission control at the DU.

[0011] In a seventh aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided. The non-transitory computer-readable medium includes program instructions for causing an apparatus to execute a method according to at least any one of the above-mentioned third to fourth aspects.

[0012] In an eighth aspect, a computer program is provided, including instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to execute at least a method according to at least any one of the above-mentioned third to fourth aspects.

[0013] In a ninth aspect, a distributed unit (DU) of a network device is provided. The DU includes: a sending circuit configured to send an admission control indication to a central unit (CU) of the network device, the admission control indication indicating a state of a first admission control for a connection between a terminal device and the network device at the DU; a receiving circuit configured to receive, from the CU, a message associated with a second admission control for the connection at the DU; an execution circuit configured to execute the second admission control for the connection based on the received message; and a circuit configured to send, to the CU, configuration information obtained from the second admission control, the configuration information being associated with the connection.

[0014] In a tenth aspect, a central unit (CU) of a network device is provided. The CU includes: a receiving circuit configured to receive an admission control indication from a distributed unit (DU) of the network device, the admission control indication indicating a state of a first admission control for a connection between a terminal device and the network device; a sending circuit configured to send, to the DU, a message associated with a second admission control for the connection at the DU; and a receiving circuit configured to receive, from the DU, configuration information associated with the connection, the configuration information being obtained from the second admission control at the DU.

[0015] It should be understood that the summary section is not intended to identify key or essential features of embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Through the following description, other features of the present disclosure will become readily understandable. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0017] Figure 1 Shows an example environment in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented.

[0018] Figure 2 Shows the signaling flow between the DU and CU of a network device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0019] Figure 3 Shows a first example communication process between a terminal device and a network device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0020] Figure 4 Shows a second example communication process between a terminal device and a network device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0021] Figure 5 Shows a third example communication process between a terminal device and a network device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0022] Figure 6 Shows a fourth example communication process between a terminal device and a network device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0023] Figure 7 Shows a flowchart of a method implemented at the DU of a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0024] Figure 8 Shows a flowchart of a method implemented at the CU of a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0025] Figure 9 Shows a simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing some example embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0026] Figure 10 Shows a block diagram of an example of a computer-readable medium according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0027] In the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements Detailed Description

[0028] Now, the principles of the present disclosure will be described with reference to some example embodiments. It should be understood that the description of these embodiments is for illustrative purposes only and helps those skilled in the art to understand and implement the present disclosure, without implying any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. The disclosure described herein can be implemented in various ways other than the ways described below.

[0029] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0030] References in this disclosure to "one embodiment", "an embodiment", "example embodiment", etc., mean that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not necessarily every embodiment includes that particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, these phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that such feature, structure, or characteristic can be combined with other embodiments (whether or not explicitly described) within the knowledge of one of ordinary skill in the art.

[0031] It should be understood that although terms such as "first" and "second" may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the example embodiment, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0032] The terms used herein are for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and are not intended to limit the example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. It will also be understood that the terms "comprises", "comprising", "has", "having", "includes", and / or "including" when used herein specify the presence of the stated features, elements, and / or components, etc., but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof. As used herein, "at least one of the following: <list of two or more elements>" and "at least one of <list of two or more elements>" and similar phrases, where the list of two or more elements is joined by "and" or "or", mean at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all of the elements.

[0033] As used in this application, the term "circuitry" may refer to one or more or all of the following:

[0034] (a) only hardware circuit implementations (such as implementations only in analog and / or digital circuitry) and

[0035] (b) a combination of hardware circuits and software, such as (where applicable):

[0036] (i) a combination of (multiple) analog and / or digital hardware circuits and software / firmware, and

[0037] (ii) Any part of one or more hardware processors with software (including one or more digital signal processors, software, and one or more memories, which work together to enable a device such as a mobile phone or a server to perform various functions), and

[0038] (c) One or more hardware circuits and / or one or more processors (such as one or more microprocessors or a part of one or more microprocessors) that require software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but the software may not be present when not required for operation.

[0039] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of the term in this application (including in any claim). As a further example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also encompasses an implementation of only a hardware circuit or a processor (or processors) or a part of a hardware circuit or a processor and its (or their) attendant software and / or firmware. The term circuitry also encompasses (e.g., and if applicable to a particular claim element) a baseband integrated circuit or a processor integrated circuit for a mobile device, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network devices.

[0040] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that follows any suitable communication standard, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), NarrowBand Internet of Things (NB-IoT), etc. In addition, the communication between a terminal device and a network device in a communication network can be performed according to any suitable generation of communication protocol, including but not limited to the third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, future fifth generation (5G) communication protocols, and / or any other protocol known currently or to be developed in the future. Embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to various communication systems. Given the rapid development of communication, there will of course be future types of communication technologies and systems that utilize the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure should not be limited to the above systems.

[0041] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communication network through which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services from the network. The network device can refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP), such as Node B (NodeB or NB), evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), New Radio (NR) NB (also known as gNB), Remote Radio Unit (RRU), Radio Head (RH), Remote Radio Head (RRH), relay, low-power node (e.g., femto node, pico node), etc., depending on the terms and technologies applied.

[0042] The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. By way of example and not limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), subscriber station (SS), portable subscriber station, mobile station (MS), or access terminal (AT). Terminal devices may include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, cellular phones, smart phones, IP voice (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, tablet computers, wearable terminal devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, desktop computers, image capture terminal devices such as digital cameras, game terminal devices, music storage and playback applications, in-vehicle wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop embedded devices (LEEs), laptop mounted devices (LMEs), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless client devices (CPEs), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, watches or other wearable devices, head-mounted displays (HMDs), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and / or automated processing chain environment), consumer electronic devices, devices operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. In the following description, the terms "terminal device", "communication device", "terminal", "user equipment", and "UE" may be used interchangeably.

[0043] As described above, when a failure condition (e.g., radio link failure, reconfiguration failure, integrity check failure, etc.) occurs, a UE in the RRC connected state may initiate a reconstruction process to continue the RRC connection. If the network is able to find and verify a valid UE context, the reconstruction process is successful. Otherwise, if the UE context cannot be retrieved, the network may determine to return to the establishment process and respond with an RRC establishment message instead of an RRC reconstruction message.

[0044] However, there is a problem when a failure condition occurs during a high-priority connection such as an emergency call or a priority call, and the UE initiates an RRC reconstruction process by sending an RRC reconstruction request message that does not contain a priority status indication of the previous connection in which the failure condition occurred. In other words, in the RRC reconstruction request message, there is no information element (IE) capable of indicating the priority of the call. The distributed unit (DU) of the gNB admits the UE and provides the corresponding lower-layer configuration without the ability to identify the priority of the request. In a congested situation, a non-priority RRC reconstruction request may not be admitted by the DU of the gNB due to lack of normal resources, while in fact priority resources may still be available. Unfortunately, at this stage of the process, the information of the priority status is unknown. A similar problem occurs if the DU does not decode and check the RRC message content containing the establishment cause or recovery cause that can be used to identify the priority status of the connection during the RRC establishment or recovery process.

[0045] In view of the above, enhancements to the priority indication in the RRC connection should be considered. Therefore, there is a need for an improved RRC connection that takes into account the priority status information.

[0046] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a solution for enhancing the admission control for priority users is provided. Using this solution, a distributed unit (DU) of a network device sends an admission control indication to a centralized unit (CU) of the network device, and the admission control indication indicates the status of a first admission control for a connection between a terminal device and the network device at the DU. A message associated with a second admission control for the connection at the DU is received from the CU. The message may indicate the priority status information of the connection. Subsequently, the DU performs a second admission control for the connection based on the received message. Further, the DU sends configuration information obtained from the second admission control to the CU. The configuration information is associated with the connection.

[0047] This solution optimizes the admission control by indicating the priority status information of the connection, and this solution is also applicable to the case where the priority status information cannot be retrieved and then falls back to the RRC establishment process. In this way, the network device can prioritize high-priority connections (e.g., emergency calls or high-priority calls) based on, for example, the priority status information obtained from the old UE context. Therefore, the establishment process, recovery process, or reconstruction process of an emergency call or high-priority call can be admitted in a timely manner.

[0048] The principles and embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, reference is made to Figure 1 , Figure 1 FIG. 14 shows an example environment 100 in which example embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented.

[0049] The environment 100, which can be part of a communication network, includes a terminal device 110 and a network device 120 that communicate with each other or communicate with other devices via each other.

[0050] The network device 120 may include a DU 130 and a CU 140. For example, the DU 130 may be under the control of the CU 140. Some functions of the network device 120 may be deployed on the CU 140, while other functions may be deployed on the DU 130. For example, the CU 140 may be responsible for some high-layer protocol stack functions, and the DU 130 may be responsible for low-layer protocol stack functions.

[0051] In the environment 100, the terminal device 110 and the network device 120 can communicate data and control information with each other. The link from the network device 120 to the terminal device 110 is referred to as the downlink (DL), and the link from the terminal device 110 to the network device 120 is referred to as the uplink (UL).

[0052] It should be understood that Figure 1 the illustrated environment 100 is for illustrative purposes only and does not imply any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. For example, although Figure 1 the terminal device 110 is described as a mobile phone, the terminal device 110 can be any type of user equipment.

[0053] It should be understood that Figure 1 the number of devices shown therein, their connection relationships, structures, and types are for illustrative purposes only and do not imply any limitation. The environment 100 can include any suitable number of devices suitable for implementing the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0054] The communication in the environment 100 can follow any suitable communication standards or protocols, which have existed or will be developed in the future, such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), 5th Generation (5G) New Radio (NR), Wi-Fi, and Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) standards, and use any suitable communication technologies, including, for example, Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), Time Division Multiplexing (TDM), Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM), Code Division Multiplexing (CDM), Bluetooth, ZigBee, and Machine-Type Communication (MTC), Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), Massive Machine-Type Communication (mMTC), Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communication (URLLC), Carrier Aggregation (CA), Dual Connectivity (DC), and New Radio Unlicensed (NR-U) technologies.

[0055] Figure 2 A signaling flow 200 between a DU and a CU of a network device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For purposes of discussion, reference will be made to Figure 1 describe the signaling flow 200.

[0056] As Figure 2 shown, the DU 130 of the network device 120 sends (205) an admission control indication to the CU 140 of the network device 120, and the admission control indication indicates the status of a first admission control for the connection between the terminal device 110 and the network device 120 at the DU 130. For example, the admission control can be referred to as Radio Admission Control (RAC). Accordingly, the CU 140 receives (210) the admission control indication from the DU 130. By using the admission control indication, the DU 130 can signal to the CU 140 whether the first admission control has been executed or the result of the first admission control.

[0057] For example, the connection can be a connection to be established between the terminal device 110 and the network device 120. As another example, the connection can be a connection to be re-established between the terminal device 110 and the network device 120. As another example, the connection can be a connection to be resumed between the terminal device 110 and the network device 120.

[0058] In some example embodiments, the DU 140 may not perform admission control. In this case, the admission control indication can indicate the ignoring of the first admission control at the DU 130. For example, the admission control indication can be sent in an initial uplink RRC message transmission message. For example, the initial uplink RRC message transmission message can include a new IE, such as "no RAC" for example, to be used for the admission control indication. Further, in this case, configuration information such as lower layer resource allocation may not be generated, and thus such configuration information may not be carried in the initial uplink RRC message transmission message.

[0059] In some other example embodiments, the DU 140 may attempt to perform the first admission control, but it may fail. In this case, the admission control indication can indicate the failure of the first admission control at the DU 130. For example, the admission control indication can be sent in the initial uplink RRC message transmission message. For example, the initial uplink RRC message transmission message can include a new IE, such as "failed RAC" for example, to be used for the admission control indication. Similarly, in this case, configuration information such as lower layer resource allocation may not be generated, and thus such configuration information may not be carried in the initial uplink RRC message transmission message.

[0060] Then, after receiving the admission control indication from the DU 130, the CU 140 sends (215) a message associated with a second admission control for the connection at the DU 130 to the DU 130. On the receiving side, the DU 130 receives (220) the message from the CU 140. Subsequently, the DU 130 performs (225) the second admission control for the connection based on the received message.

[0061] In some example embodiments, the message can indicate priority status information of the connection. In this case, the second admission control can be performed based on the priority status information. In other words, the DU 130 can accept or reject a connection attempt from the terminal device 110 based on the priority status information. This allows ensuring that high-priority connections are handled accordingly relative to lower-priority connections at the DU 130.

[0062] For example, the priority status information may include at least one of the following items: normal, emergency, highPriorityAccess, Multimedia Priority Service (MPS)-priority access, or Mission Critical Service (MCS)-priority access. As an example, the priority status information may indicate the priority level of a connection. In this case, for further flexibility, different priority registrations (PrioLevel1, PrioLevel2, etc.) in form may be supported. As another example, in an exemplary embodiment where a connection is to be re-established or resumed, the priority status information may indicate the priority level of the connection previously established for the terminal device 110.

[0063] Alternatively or additionally, if a connection is to be re-established or resumed and the previous connection priority status information is unknown, the CU 140 may always signal high priority status information to the DU 130. In this way, the DU 130 may use the available resources, including those dedicated to priority users, to accept connection attempts from the terminal device 110, such as an RRC re-establishment request or an RRC resume request.

[0064] In some exemplary embodiments, the message may include a downlink RRC message transmission message. For example, the downlink RRC message transmission message may include a "priority status" IE to carry the priority status information. Alternatively or additionally, the message may include a message requesting the DU 130 to perform a second access control.

[0065] In an exemplary embodiment, where a connection is to be re-established or resumed between the terminal device 110 and the network device 120, the CU 140 may retrieve the context of the terminal device 110 based at least on the received access control indication. For example, the context may be locally available. As another example, the CU 140 may request the last served network device to provide the context. The context of the terminal device 110 may include previous connection priority status information, such as the establishment / resume reason. During the connection establishment or connection resume of the previous connection, the previous connection priority status information may be sent from the terminal device 110 to the network device 120. Subsequently, the CU 140 may send a message based on the result of the context retrieval. For example, if the context is successfully retrieved, the CU 140 may determine the priority status information based on the retrieved context of the terminal device 110 or the resume reason received from the terminal device 110 together with the access control information and include the priority status information in the message. Alternatively, if the CU 140 fails to retrieve the context, the CU 140 may determine to fallback to the RRC establishment procedure.

[0066] In an example embodiment, when a connection is to be established between the terminal device 110 and the network device 120, the CU 140 may perform admission control for the connection based at least on the received admission control indication. Subsequently, the CU 140 may send a message based on the result of the admission control. For example, the CU 140 may determine priority information for the connection with the terminal device 110 based on the result of the admission control and the establishment cause received from the terminal device 110 together with the admission control information, or the CU 140 may determine to reject the establishment of the connection in case of admission control failure.

[0067] The DU 130 may obtain configuration information associated with the connection from a second admission control. For example, the configuration information may include resource allocation. As Figure 2 shown, the DU 130 sends (230) the configuration information obtained from the second admission control configuration information to the CU 140. Accordingly, the CU 140 receives (235) the configuration information from the DU 130.

[0068] In some example embodiments, the configuration information may be sent to the CU 140 in an uplink RRC message transfer message. For example, the uplink RRC message transfer message may include a "DU to CU RRC container" IE to carry the configuration information.

[0069] In an example embodiment where the message includes a message requesting the DU 130 to perform a second admission control, the configuration information may be sent to the CU 140 as a response to the request for the DU to perform the second admission control. In an example embodiment where the CU 140 determines to fallback to the RRC establishment procedure, configuration information such as lower layer resource configuration may be sent to the CU 140 in a message as a response, and the configuration information may then be used by the CU 140 to prepare an RRC establishment message, which is subsequently sent to the DU 130 using, for example, a downlink RRC message transfer message.

[0070] In an example embodiment where the connection is to be re - established or resumed and the message is a downlink RRC message transfer message, the downlink RRC message transfer message may include an RRC message to be sent to the terminal device 110 and may not include an identifier (ID) associated with the terminal device 110 allocated for the connection previously established by the DU 130 for the terminal device 110. In this case, the RRC message may specify the configuration associated with the connection. And, in this case, if the DU successfully performs the second admission control, the DU 130 may update the configuration in the RRC message based on the configuration information obtained from the second admission control before sending the RRC message to the terminal device 110.

[0071] In some example embodiments, the CU 140 may determine a configuration associated with the connection to the terminal device 110 based on the configuration information received from the DU 130. Then, the CU 140 may send a downlink RRC message transmission message to the DU 130, which message includes the RRC message to be sent to the terminal device 110. In this case, the RRC message may specify the determined configuration. For example, the RRC message may be an RRC establishment message. As another example, the RRC message may be an RRC resume message. Alternatively or additionally, the RRC message may be an RRC reconfiguration message.

[0072] Figure 3 FIG. 300 shows a first example communication process between a terminal device and a network device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, reference will be made to Figure 1 describe process 300. It should be understood that although process 300 has been described in the Figure 1 network environment 100, the process flow may be similarly applied to other communication scenarios. In this case, the terminal device 110 is implemented by the UE 301, the DU 130 of the network device 120 is implemented by the gNB-DU 303, and the CU 140 of the network device 120 is implemented by the gNB-CU 305.

[0073] As Figure 3 shown, at 306, the UE 301 sends a preamble to the gNB-DU 303. At 308, the gNB-DU 303 allocates a new cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) and a signaling radio bearer 1 (SRB1) configuration, and then at 310, responds to the UE 301 with a random access response (RAR)

[0074] At 312, the UE 301 sends an RRC reestablishment request message containing the old C-RNTI and the old physical cell identifier (PCI) to the gNB-DU 303. In this case, the gNB-DU 303 does not perform RAC, for example, RAC refers to the first admission control. At 314, the gNB-DU 303 includes the RRC reestablishment request message in an initial UL RRC message transmission message and sends the initial UL RRC message transmission message to the gNB-CU 305. The initial UL RRC message transmission message includes the new C-RNTI. Since no RAC is performed, no lower layer resource allocation is performed. Therefore, the initial UL RRC message transmission message does not include the corresponding lower layer configuration for the UE 301. The initial UL RRC message transmission message also includes a new "no RAC" IE to indicate that no RAC is performed, for example, the new "no RAC" IE relates to an admission control indication and indicates the omission of the first admission control.

[0075] At 316, the gNB-CU 305 retrieves the old UE context. Then, the gNB-CU 305 derives the priority status information based on the retrieved old UE context. At 318, the gNB-CU 305 includes the RRC reestablishment message in the DL RRC message transfer message and sends the DL RRC message transfer message to the gNB-DU 303. For example, the DL RRC message transfer message refers to the message associated with the second admission control for connection at the gNB-DU 303. If the UE requests to reestablish the RRC connection in the last serving gNB-DU, the DL RRC message transfer message includes the old gNB-DU UE F1AP ID. Then, the DL RRC message transfer message also includes the new "priority status" IE to indicate the priority status information of the connection.

[0076] At 320, the gNB-DU 303 performs the RAC based on the priority status information obtained from the DL RRC message transfer message. For example, the RAC refers to the second admission control, and the gNB-DU 303 performs the second admission control based on the priority status information. In the case where the admission control at the gNB-DU 303 fails, the RRC reestablishment may not be sent to the UE 301, and the gNB-DU 303 may also initiate a context removal request for releasing resources at the gNB-CU 305. Otherwise, if the admission control is successful at the gNB-DU 303, at 322, the gNB-DU 303 retrieves the UE context based on the old gNB-DU UE F1AP ID and replaces the old C-RNTI / PCI with the new C-RNTI / PCI. At 324, the gNB-DU 303 sends the RRC reestablishment message to the UE 301.

[0077] At 326, the UE 301 sends an RRC reestablishment complete message to the gNB-DU 303. At 328, the gNB-DU 303 encapsulates the RRC reestablishment complete message in the UL RRC message transfer message and sends it to the gNB-CU 305. In this case, the UL RRC message transfer message includes the new "DU to CU RRC container" IE to carry the configuration information (such as the lower layer resource configuration) obtained from the RAC performed at 320 and the RRC reestablishment complete message. The configuration information can be used by the gNB-CU 305 when preparing the RRC reconfiguration message.

[0078] Operations 330 - 332 and operations 334 - 336 are optional. At 330, gNB-CU 305 triggers a UE context modification procedure by sending a UE context modification request message, which may include data radio bearers (DRBs) to be modified and / or released. At 332, gNB-DU 303 responds with a UE context modification response message. Alternatively, at 334, gNB-DU 303 triggers a UE context modification procedure by sending a UE context modification requirement message, which may include the DRBs to be modified and / or released. At 336, gNB-CU 305 responds with a UE context modification confirmation message.

[0079] It should be understood that it is assumed that UE 301 accesses the original gNB-DU, where the UE context is available for this UE 301, and operations 330 - 332 or operations 334 - 336 can be executed or both can be skipped. It should also be understood that if UE 301 accesses from a gNB-DU different from the original gNB-DU, gNB-CU 305 should trigger a UE context establishment procedure to the new gNB-DU 303.

[0080] At 338, gNB-CU 305 includes an RRC reconfiguration message into a DL RRC message transfer message and sends the DL RRC message transfer message to gNB-DU 303. For example, the RRC reconfiguration may include a connection configuration based on the configuration information received from gNB-DU 303 in a UL RRC message transfer message, i.e., the "DU to CU RRC container". At 340, gNB-DU 303 forwards the RRC reconfiguration message to UE 301.

[0081] At 342, UE 301 sends an RRC reconfiguration complete message to gNB-DU 303, and at 344, gNB-DU 303 forwards it to gNB-CU 305 in a UL RRC message transfer message.

[0082] The above reference Figure 2 All the operations and features described above equally apply to procedure 300 and have similar effects. For simplicity, the details will be omitted.

[0083] Figure 4 A second example communication procedure 400 between a terminal device and a network device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For the purpose of discussion, procedure 400 will be described with reference to Figure 1 It should be understood that although it has been in Figure 1The process 400 is described in the network environment 100, but this process flow can be similarly applied to other communication scenarios. In this case, the terminal device 400 is implemented by the UE 401, the DU 130 of the network device 120 is implemented by the gNB-DU 403, and the CU 140 of the network device 120 is implemented by the gNB-CU 405.

[0084] As Figure 4 shown, at 406, the UE 401 sends a preamble to the gNB-DU 403. At 408, the gNB-DU 403 allocates a new C-RNTI and SRB1 configuration, and then at 410, responds to the UE 401 with a RAR.

[0085] At 412, the UE 401 sends an RRC reestablishment request message to the gNB-DU 403. The RRC reestablishment request message includes the old C-RNTI and the old physical cell identifier (PCI). In this case, the gNB-DU 403 does not perform RAC. For example, RAC refers to the first admission control. At 414, the gNB-DU 403 includes the RRC reestablishment request message in the initial UL RRC message transfer message and sends the initial UL RRC message transfer message to the gNB-CU 405. The initial UL RRC message transfer message includes the new C-RNTI. Since no RAC is performed, no lower layer resource allocation is performed. Therefore, the initial UL RRC message transfer message does not include the corresponding lower layer configuration for the UE 401. The initial UL RRC message transfer message also includes a new "no RAC" IE to indicate that no RAC is performed. For example, the new "no RAC" IE refers to the admission control indication and indicates the omission of the first admission control.

[0086] At 416, the gNB-CU 405 determines to fallback to the RRC establishment process, for example, due to the reason that the old UE context fails to be successfully retrieved. Then, at 418, the gNB-CU 405 sends a DL RRC message transfer message to the gNB-DU403. For example, the DL RRC message transfer message refers to a message associated with the second admission control for the connection at the gNB-DU 403. The DLRRC message transfer message includes the RRC establishment message and does not include the old gNB-DU UE F1AP ID. Then the gNB-DU 403 detects the fallback based on the absence of the "old gNB-DU UE F1APID" IE.

[0087] At 420, the gNB-DU 403 performs RAC. For example, RAC refers to the second admission control, and the gNB-DU 403 allocates a new configuration from the RAC. For example, the newly allocated configuration refers to configuration information. After successful admission control, the gNB-DU 403 updates the low-layer resource configuration provided by the gNB-CU 405 in the RRC establishment message with the newly allocated configuration. At 422, the gNB-DU 403 sends an RRC establishment message with the updated low-layer resource configuration to the UE 401. At 424, the UE 401 sends an RRC establishment complete message to the gNB-DU 403. At 426, the gNB-DU 403 includes the RRC establishment complete message together with the newly allocated configuration in the UL RRC message transmission message, for example, includes it in a new "DU to CU RRC container" IE for further use, and sends the UL RRC message transmission message to the gNB-DU 403. Then, process 400 continues accordingly.

[0088] All of the operations and features described above Figure 2 similarly apply to process 400 and have similar effects. For the purpose of simplification, details will be omitted.

[0089] Figure 5 shows a third example communication process 500 between a terminal device and a network device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, reference will be made to Figure 1 describe process 500. It should be understood that although process 500 has been described in the Figure 1 network environment 100, this process flow can be similarly applied to other communication scenarios. In this case, the terminal device 500 is implemented by the UE 501, the DU 130 of the network device 120 is implemented by the gNB-DU 503, and the CU 140 of the network device 120 is implemented by the gNB-CU 505.

[0090] As Figure 5 shown, at 506, the UE 501 sends a preamble to the gNB-DU 503. At 508, the gNB-DU 503 allocates a new C-RNTI and SRB1 configuration, and then at 510, responds to the UE 501 with an RAR.

[0091] At 512, the UE 501 sends an RRC Reestablishment Request message to the gNB-DU 503. The RRC Reestablishment Request message contains the old C-RNTI and the old Physical Cell Identifier (PCI). In this case, the gNB-DU 503 does not perform RAC. For example, RAC refers to the first admission control. At 514, the gNB-DU 503 includes the RRC Reestablishment Request message in an Initial UL RRC Message Transfer message and sends the Initial UL RRC Message Transfer message to the gNB-CU 505. The Initial UL RRC Message Transfer message includes a new C-RNTI. Since no RAC is performed, no lower layer resource allocation is performed. Therefore, the Initial UL RRC Message Transfer message does not include the corresponding lower layer configuration for the UE 501. The Initial UL RRC Message Transfer message also includes a new "No RAC" IE to indicate that no RAC is performed. For example, the new "No RAC" IE refers to an admission control indication and indicates the omission of the first admission control.

[0092] At 516, the gNB-CU 505 determines to fallback to the RRC establishment procedure, for example, due to the reason that the old UE context fails to be successfully retrieved. Then, at 518, the gNB-CU 505 sends an RAC request to request the gNB-DU 503 to perform RAC. For example, RAC refers to the second admission control for the connection at the DU. At 520, the gNB-DU 503 performs RAC. The gNB-DU 503 may allocate a new configuration from the RAC, and the newly allocated configuration refers to configuration information. As an example, the newly allocated configuration includes a lower layer resource configuration for the connection. After the admission control is successful, at 522, the gNB-DU 503 sends an RAC response as a response to the RAC request. The RAC response includes a "DU to CU RRC Container" IE to carry the allocated lower layer resource configuration. Then, the gNB-CU 505 prepares an RRC establishment message based on the lower layer resource configuration. For example, the RRC establishment may include a configuration for the connection based on the lower layer resource configuration received from the gNB-DU 503, that is, the "DU to CU RRC Container" in the RAC response.

[0093] The gNB-CU 505 includes the RRC establishment message in a DL RRC Message Transfer message, and at 524, the gNB-CU 505 sends the DL RRC Message Transfer message to the gNB-DU 503. At 526, the gNB-DU 503 sends the RRC establishment message to the UE 501.

[0094] At 528, the UE 501 sends an RRC establishment complete message to the gNB-DU 503. At 530, the gNB-DU 503 includes the RRC establishment complete message in a UL RRC message transmission message and sends the UL RRC message transmission message to the gNB-DU 503. Then, process 500 continues accordingly.

[0095] All of the operations and features described above Figure 2 similarly apply to process 500 and have similar effects. For simplicity purposes, details will be omitted.

[0096] Figure 6 A fourth example communication process 600 between a terminal device and a network device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For the purpose of discussion, process 600 will be described with reference to Figure 1 the description. It should be understood that although process 600 has been described in the Figure 1 network environment 100, the process flow can be similarly applied to other communication scenarios. In this case, the terminal device 110 is implemented by the UE 601, the DU 130 of the network device 120 is implemented by the gNB-DU 603, and the CU 140 of the network device 120 is implemented by the gNB-CU 605.

[0097] As Figure 6 shown, at 606, the UE 601 sends a preamble to the gNB-DU 603. At 608, the gNB-DU 603 allocates a new C-RNTI and SRB1 configuration and then, at 610, responds to the UE 601 with a random access response (RAR).

[0098] At 612, the UE 601 sends an RRC reestablishment request message to the gNB-DU 603. The RRC reestablishment request message includes the old C-RNTI and the old physical cell identifier (PCI). At 614, the gNB-DU 603 performs a preliminary RAC. For example, the preliminary RAC refers to the first admission control. For example, the preliminary RAC may fail because there are not enough resources. Then, at 616, the gNB-DU 603 includes the RRC reestablishment request message in the initial UL RRC message transfer message and sends the initial UL RRC message transfer message to the gNB-CU 605. The initial UL RRC message transfer message includes a new C-RNTI. Since the RAC fails, no lower layer resource allocation is performed. Therefore, the initial UL RRC message transfer message does not include the corresponding lower layer configuration for the UE 601. The initial UL RRC message transfer message also includes a new "failed RAC" IE to indicate the failure of the preliminary RAC. For example, the new "failed RAC" IE refers to the admission control indication and indicates the failure of the first admission control.

[0099] At 618, the gNB-CU 605 retrieves the old UE context. Then, the gNB-CU 605 derives the priority status information based on the retrieved old UE context. At 620, the gNB-CU 605 sends an RAC request to the gNB-DU 603 to request the gNB-DU 603 to retry the RAC and provides the priority status information in the RAC request, for example, in the "priority status" IE. For example, the RAC refers to the second admission control for the connection at the DU. At 622, the gNB-DU 603 performs the RAC based on the priority status information. For example, the gNB-DU 603 may allocate a new configuration from the RAC, and the newly allocated configuration refers to the configuration information. As an example, the newly allocated configuration includes the lower layer resource configuration for the connection. After the admission is successful, at 624, the gNB-DU 603 sends an RAC response as a response to the RAC request. The RAC response includes a "DU to CU RRC container" IE to carry the allocated lower layer resource configuration.

[0100] At 626, the gNB-CU 605 includes the RRC reconfiguration message in the DL RRC message transfer message and sends the DL RRC message transfer message to the gNB-DU 603. For example, the RRC reconfiguration may include the configuration for the connection based on the configuration information received from the gNB-DU 603, that is, the "DU to CU RRC container" in the RAC response. At 628, the gNB-DU603 forwards the RRC reconfiguration message to the UE 601.

[0101] At 630, the UE 601 sends an RRC reconfiguration complete message to the gNB-DU 603, and at 632, the gNB-DU 603 forwards it to the gNB-CU 605 in an UL RRC message transfer message.

[0102] This example communication process 600 does not require the gNB-DU 603 to decode the received RRC message to provide appropriate resource allocation priorities.

[0103] The above reference Figure 2 All the operations and features described above equally apply to process 600 and have similar effects. For simplicity purposes, details will be omitted.

[0104] Figure 7 A flowchart 700 of a method implemented at the DU of a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For discussion purposes, reference will be made to Figure 1 Describe method 700 from the perspective of the DU 130 of the network device 120.

[0105] At block 710, the DU 130 sends an admission control indication to the CU 140 of the network device 120, and the admission control indication indicates the status of a first admission control for a connection between the terminal device 110 and the network device 120 at the DU 130. At block 720, the DU 130 receives a message associated with a second admission control for the connection at the DU 130 from the CU 140. At block 730, the DU 130 performs a second admission control for the connection based on receiving the message. At block 740, the DU 130 sends configuration information obtained from the second admission control to the CU 140, and the configuration information is associated with the connection.

[0106] In some example embodiments, the connection can be a connection to be established, a connection to be re-established, a connection to be resumed between the terminal device 110 and the network device 120, or any combination of the listed items.

[0107] In some example embodiments, the admission control indication can indicate the ignoring of the first admission control at the DU 130, the failure of the first admission control at the DU 130, or any combination of the listed items.

[0108] In some example embodiments, the message can include: a downlink RRC message transfer message, a message requesting the DU 130 to perform a second admission control, or any combination of the listed items.

[0109] In some example embodiments, the message may indicate priority status information of a connection, and a second admission control may be performed based on the priority status information.

[0110] In some example embodiments, the priority status information may include: normal, urgent, high-priority access, multimedia priority service (MPS)-priority access, mission-critical service (MCS)-priority access, or any combination of the listed items.

[0111] In some example embodiments, the priority status information may indicate the priority of a connection.

[0112] In some example embodiments, the connection will be re-established or restored, and the priority status information may indicate the priority level of the connection previously established for the terminal device 110.

[0113] In some example embodiments, the connection will be re-established or restored, and the message is a downlink RRC message transmission message. The downlink RRC message transmission message includes an RRC message to be sent to the terminal device 110 and does not include an identifier associated with the terminal device 110, which is assigned by the DU 130 for the connection previously established for the terminal device 110. The RRC message indicates a configuration associated with the connection, and the DU 130 may also update the configuration in the RRC message based on the configuration information obtained from the second admission control after successfully performing the second admission control.

[0114] In some example embodiments, the configuration information may be sent to the CU 140 in an uplink RRC message transmission message or a message as a response to a request, or any combination of the listed items. The request is for the DU 130 to perform a second admission control.

[0115] In some example embodiments, an admission control indication may be sent in an initial uplink RRC message transmission message.

[0116] Figure 8 A flowchart 800 of a method implemented at a CU of a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For the purpose of discussion, reference will be made to Figure 1 The method 500 will be described from the perspective of the CU 140 of the network device 120.

[0117] At block 810, CU 140 receives an admission control indication from DU 130 of network device 120, the admission control indication indicating the status of a first admission control for a connection between terminal device 110 and network device 120. At block 820, CU 140 sends a message to DU 130 associated with a second admission control for the connection at DU 130. At block 830, CU 140 receives configuration information associated with the connection, the configuration information obtained at DU 130 from the second admission control.

[0118] In some example embodiments, the connection can be a connection to be established between terminal device 110 and network device 120, a connection to be re - established between terminal device 110 and network device 120, or a connection to be resumed between terminal device 110 and network device 120, or any combination of the listed items.

[0119] In some example embodiments, the admission control indication can indicate the ignoring of the first admission control at DU 130, or the failure of the first admission control at DU 130, or any combination of the listed items.

[0120] In some example embodiments, the message can include a downlink RRC message transmission message, or a message requesting DU 130 to perform the second admission control, or any combination of the listed items.

[0121] In some example embodiments, a connection is to be established between terminal device 110 and network device 120, and CU 140 can also send a message to DU 130 by: performing admission control for the connection at least based on receiving the admission control indication; and sending a message based on the result of the admission control.

[0122] In some example embodiments, a connection is to be re - established or resumed between terminal device 110 and network device 120, and CU 140 can also send a message to DU 130 by: retrieving the context of terminal device 110 at least based on receiving the admission control indication; and sending a message based on the result of the context retrieval.

[0123] In some example embodiments, the message may indicate priority status information of a connection. In some example embodiments, the priority status information may include normal, emergency, high-priority access, multimedia priority service (MPS)-priority access, or mission-critical service (MCS)-priority access, or any combination of the listed items. In some example embodiments, the priority status information may indicate a priority level of the connection. In some example embodiments, the connection will be re-established or restored, and the priority status information may indicate the priority level of the connection previously established for the terminal device 110, wherein the priority status information is determined based on the context retrieved for the terminal device 110.

[0124] In some example embodiments, the configuration information may be received in: an uplink RRC message transfer message, or a message as a response to a request for the DU 130 to perform a second admission control, or any combination of the listed items.

[0125] In some example embodiments, the CU 140 may also send a downlink RRC message transfer message to the DU 130, the downlink RRC message transfer message including an RRC message to be sent to the terminal device 110, and the RRC message may indicate a configuration associated with the connection, and the configuration may be determined based on the configuration information received from the DU 130.

[0126] In some example embodiments, the RRC message may be an RRC establishment message, an RRC restoration message, or an RRC reconfiguration message, or any combination of the listed items.

[0127] In some example embodiments, the admission control indication may be received in an initial uplink RRC message transfer message.

[0128] In some example embodiments, an apparatus (e.g., the DU 130 of the network device 120) capable of performing method 700 may include components for performing the respective steps of method 700. The components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in a circuit or a software module.

[0129] In some example embodiments, the apparatus includes: a component for sending an admission control indication to a centralized unit CU of the network device, the admission control indication indicating a status of a first admission control at the DU for a connection between the terminal device and the network device; a component for receiving a message associated with a second admission control for the connection at the DU from the CU; a component for performing the second admission control for the connection based on the received message; and a component for sending configuration information obtained from the second admission control, the configuration information being associated with the connection, to the CU.

[0130] In some example embodiments, the connection is at least one of the following: a connection to be established between a terminal device and a network device; a connection to be re-established between a terminal device and a network device; or a connection to be restored between a terminal device and a network device.

[0131] In some example embodiments, the admission control indication indicates at least one of the following: the ignoring of a first admission control at the DU; or the failure of a first admission control at the DU.

[0132] In some example embodiments, the message includes at least one of the following: a downlink RRC message transmission message; or a message requesting the DU to perform a second admission control.

[0133] In some example embodiments, the message indicates priority status information of a connection, and a second admission control is performed based on the priority status information.

[0134] In some example embodiments, the priority status information includes at least one of the following: normal, emergency, high-priority access, multimedia priority service (mps)-priority access, or mission-critical service (mcs)-priority access.

[0135] In some example embodiments, the priority status information indicates a priority level of a connection.

[0136] In some example embodiments, a connection is to be re-established or restored, and the priority status information indicates the priority level of a connection previously established for a terminal device.

[0137] In some example embodiments, the connection is to be re-established or restored, and the message is a downlink RRC message transmission message that includes an RRC message to be sent to a terminal device and does not include an identifier associated with the terminal device, the identifier being assigned by the DU for a connection previously established for the terminal device, the RRC message indicates a configuration associated with the connection, and the apparatus further includes components for updating the configuration in the RRC message based on configuration information obtained from a successful execution of a second admission control.

[0138] In some example embodiments, the configuration information is to be sent to the CU in at least one of the following: an uplink RRC message transmission message; or a message as a response to a request for the DU to perform a second admission control.

[0139] In some example embodiments, the admission control indication is sent in an initial uplink RRC message transmission message.

[0140] In some example embodiments, the device further includes components for performing other steps in some embodiments of method 700. In some embodiments, the components include: at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the device to execute.

[0141] In some example embodiments, a device (e.g., the CU 140 of the network device 120) capable of performing method 800 may include components for performing the respective steps of method 800. The components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in a circuit or a software module.

[0142] In some example embodiments, the device includes components for receiving an admission control indication from a distributed unit DU of a network device, the admission control indication indicating the status of a first admission control for a connection between a terminal device and the network device; components for sending a message associated with a second admission control for the connection at the DU to the DU; and components for receiving configuration information associated with the connection from the DU, the configuration information being obtained from the second admission control at the DU.

[0143] In some example embodiments, the connection is at least one of the following: a connection to be established between a terminal device and a network device; a connection to be re-established between a terminal device and a network device; or a connection to be restored between a terminal device and a network device.

[0144] In some example embodiments, the admission control indication indicates at least one of the following: the ignoring of the first admission control at the DU; or the failure of the first admission control at the DU.

[0145] In some example embodiments, the message includes at least one of the following: a downlink RRC message transmission message; or a message requesting the DU to perform a second admission control.

[0146] In some example embodiments, the connection is to be established between a terminal device and a network device, and the components for sending a message to the DU include: components for performing admission control for the connection based at least on receiving the admission control indication; and components for sending a message based on the result of the admission control.

[0147] In some example embodiments, the connection is to be established between a terminal device and a network device, and the components for sending a message to the DU include: components for retrieving the context of the terminal device based at least on receiving the admission control indication; and components for sending a message based on the result of the retrieval of the context.

[0148] In some example embodiments, the message indicates priority status information of a connection. In some example embodiments, the priority status information includes at least one of the following: normal, urgent, high-priority access, multimedia priority service (MPS)-priority access, or mission-critical service (MCS)-priority access. In some example embodiments, the priority status information indicates the priority of a connection. In some example embodiments, the connection is to be re-established or resumed, and the priority status information indicates the priority level of a connection previously established for a terminal device, and the priority status information is determined based on the context retrieved for the terminal device.

[0149] In some example embodiments, the configuration information is received in at least one of the following: an uplink RRC message transmission message; or a message as a response to a request that requests the DU to perform a second admission control.

[0150] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further includes: a component for sending a downlink RRC message transmission message to the DU, the downlink RRC message transmission message includes an RRC message to be sent to a terminal device, the RRC message indicates a configuration associated with a connection, and the configuration is determined based on the configuration information received from the DU. In some example embodiments, the RRC message is at least one of the following: an RRC establishment message; an RRC resume message; or an RRC reconfiguration message.

[0151] In some example embodiments, the admission control indication is received in an initial uplink RRC message transmission message.

[0152] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further includes a component for performing other steps in some embodiments of method 800. In some embodiments, the component includes: at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform.

[0153] Figure 9 A simplified block diagram of a device 900 suitable for implementing some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The device 900 may be provided to implement a communication device, such as a terminal device 110, or a DU 130 or a CU 140 of a network device 120 as shown in Figure 1 As shown, the device 900 includes: one or more processors 910, one or more memories 920 coupled to the processor 910, and one or more communication modules 940 coupled to the processor 910.

[0154] The communication module 940 is used for two-way communication. The communication module 940 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication. The communication interface can represent any interface required to communicate with other network elements.

[0155] The processor 910 can be of any type suitable for the local technical network and, by way of non-limiting example, can include one or more of the following: general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, microprocessor, digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. The device 900 can have multiple processors, such as an application-specific integrated circuit chip that is subordinate in time to a clock synchronized with the main processor.

[0156] The memory 920 can include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 924, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disk, optical disc (CD), digital video disc (DVD), and other magnetic storage and / or optical storage. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 922 and other volatile memories that do not persist during a power outage duration.

[0157] The computer program 930 includes computer-executable instructions executed by the associated processor 910. The program 930 can be stored in the ROM 924. The processor 910 can perform any suitable actions and processes by loading the program 930 into the RAM 922.

[0158] Embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented by means of the program 930 such that the device 900 can perform any processing procedures of the present disclosure as described with reference to Figures 2 to 6 the present disclosure. Embodiments of the present disclosure can also be implemented by hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0159] In some example embodiments, the program 930 can be tangibly embodied in a computer-readable medium, which can be included in the device 900 (such as in the memory 920) or in other storage devices accessible by the device 900. The device 900 can load the program 930 from the computer-readable medium into the RAM 922 for execution. The computer-readable medium can include any type of tangible non-volatile memory, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc.

[0160] Figure 10 A block diagram of an example of a computer-readable medium 1000 according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The computer-readable medium 1000 has the program 930 stored thereon. Note that although the computer-readable medium 1000 is Figure 10The medium is depicted in the form of a CD or DVD, but the computer-readable medium 1000 can be any other form suitable for carrying or storing the program 930.

[0161] In general, the various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or special-purpose circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software that may be executed by a controller, a microprocessor, or other computing device. Although the various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are shown and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other graphical representation, it should be understood that, by way of non-limiting example, the blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, special-purpose circuits or logic, general-purpose hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0162] The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as those included in program modules and executed in a device on a target real or virtual processor, to perform the methods described above in connection with any one of Figures 7 - 8 the foregoing. In general, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The functions of the program modules may be combined or split among the program modules as needed in the various embodiments. The machine-executable instructions for the program modules may be executed within local or distributed devices. In a distributed device, the program modules may be located in both local and remote storage media.

[0163] The program code for performing the methods of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes may be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device, such that when the program codes are executed by the processor or controller, the specific functions / operations in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams are implemented. The program code may be executed entirely on the machine, partially on the machine, as a stand-alone software package, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0164] In the context of the present disclosure, the computer program code or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier such that the device, apparatus, or processor can execute the various processes and operations described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer-readable media, etc.

[0165] A computer-readable medium can be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium. A computer-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of a computer-readable storage medium would include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. The term “non-transitory” as used herein is a limitation on the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal), rather than a limitation on the persistence of data storage (e.g., RAM versus ROM).

[0166] Moreover, although operations are described in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that these operations, or all of the illustrated operations, be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order to achieve the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, although several specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these details should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure, but rather should be construed as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Certain features described in the context of separate embodiments may also be implemented in combination within a single embodiment. Conversely, various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented separately or in any suitable sub-combination in multiple embodiments.

[0167] Although the present disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the above specific features and acts are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A distributed unit (DU) of a network device, comprising: At least one processor; And At least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the DU to at least: Send an admission control indication to a centralized unit (CU) of the network device, the admission control indication indicating a status of a first admission control for a connection between a terminal device and the network device at the DU; Receive, from the CU, a message associated with a second admission control for the connection at the DU; Based on receiving the message, perform the second admission control for the connection; And Send configuration information obtained from the second admission control to the CU, the configuration information being associated with the connection.

2. The DU according to claim 1, wherein the connection is at least one of the following: A connection to be established between the terminal device and the network device; A connection to be re-established between the terminal device and the network device; or A connection to be restored between the terminal device and the network device.

3. The DU according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the admission control indication indicates at least one of the following: Ignoring of the first admission control at the DU; or Failure of the first admission control at the DU.

4. The DU according to any one of claims 1 - 3, wherein the message includes at least one of the following: A downlink RRC message transmission message; or A message requesting the DU to perform the second admission control.

5. The DU according to any one of claims 1 - 4, wherein: The message indicates priority status information of the connection, and The second admission control is performed based on the priority status information.

6. The DU according to claim 5, wherein the priority status information includes at least one of the following: normal, emergency, high - priority access, multimedia priority service (mps) - priority access, or mission - critical service (mcs) - priority access.

7. The DU according to claim 5, wherein the priority status information indicates a priority level of the connection.

8. The DU according to claim 5, wherein the connection is to be re - established or restored, and wherein the priority status information indicates a priority level of a previously established connection for the terminal device.

9. The DU according to claim 4, wherein the connection is to be re - established or restored, and wherein the message is a downlink RRC message transmission message, the downlink RRC message transmission message includes an RRC message to be sent to the terminal device and does not include an identifier associated with the terminal device, the identifier being assigned by the DU for a previously established connection for the terminal device, the RRC message indicates a configuration associated with the connection, and the DU is further caused to: After successfully performing the second admission control, update the configuration in the RRC message based on the configuration information obtained from the second admission control.

10. The DU according to any one of claims 1-9, wherein the configuration information is sent to the CU in at least one of the following: An uplink RRC message transmission message; or A message as a response to a request for the DU to perform the second admission control.

11. The DU according to any one of claims 1-10, wherein the admission control indication is sent in an initial uplink RRC message transmission message.

12. A central unit CU of a network device, comprising: At least one processor; And At least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the CU to at least: Receive an admission control indication from a distributed unit DU of the network device, the admission control indication indicating the status of a first admission control for a connection between a terminal device and the network device; Send a message associated with a second admission control for the connection at the DU to the DU; And Receive configuration information associated with the connection from the DU, the configuration information obtained from the second admission control at the DU.

13. The CU according to claim 12, wherein the connection is at least one of the following: A connection to be established between the terminal device and the network device; A connection to be re-established between the terminal device and the network device; or A connection to be resumed between the terminal device and the network device.

14. The CU according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the admission control indication indicates at least one of the following: Ignoring of the first admission control at the DU; or Failure of the first admission control at the DU.

15. The CU according to any one of claims 12-14, wherein the message includes at least one of the following: A downlink RRC message transmission message; or A message requesting the DU to perform the second admission control.

16. The CU according to any one of claims 12-15, wherein the connection is to be established between the terminal device and the network device, and wherein the CU is caused to send the message to the DU by: Performing admission control for the connection based at least on receiving the admission control indication; and Sending the message based on the result of the admission control.

17. The CU according to any one of claims 12-15, wherein the connection is to be re-established or resumed between the terminal device and the network device, and wherein the CU is caused to send the message to the DU by: Retrieving the context of the terminal device based at least on receiving the admission control indication; and Sending the message based on the result of the retrieval of the context.

18. The CU according to any one of claims 12-17, wherein the message indicates priority status information of the connection.

19. The CU according to claim 18, wherein the priority status information includes at least one of the following items: normal, emergency, high-priority access, multimedia priority service (MPS)-priority access, or mission-critical service (MCS)-priority access.

20. The CU according to claim 18, wherein the priority status information indicates the priority level of the connection.

21. The CU according to claim 18, wherein the connection is to be re-established or resumed, and wherein the priority status information indicates the priority level of a previously established connection for the terminal device, and the priority status information is determined based on the context retrieved for the terminal device.

22. The CU according to any one of claims 12-21, wherein the configuration information is received in at least one of the following: An uplink RRC message transmission message; or A message as a response to a request for the DU to perform the second admission control.

23. The CU according to any one of claims 12-22, wherein the CU is further caused to: Send a downlink RRC message transmission message to the DU, the downlink RRC message transmission message including an RRC message to be sent to the terminal device, the RRC message indicating a configuration associated with the connection, and wherein the configuration is determined based on the configuration information received from the DU.

24. The CU according to claim 23, wherein the RRC message is at least one of the following: An RRC establishment message; An RRC resume message; or An RRC reconfiguration message.

25. The CU according to any one of claims 12-24, wherein the admission control indication is received in an initial uplink RRC message transmission message.

26. A method, comprising: At a distributed unit DU of a network device, sending an admission control indication to a central unit CU of the network device, the admission control indication indicating a status of a first admission control for a connection between the DU and a terminal device; Receiving, from the CU, a message associated with a second admission control for the connection at the DU; Performing, based on receiving the message, the second admission control for the connection; And Sending, to the CU, configuration information obtained from the second admission control, the configuration information being associated with the connection.

27. A method, comprising: At a central unit CU of a network device, receiving an admission control indication from a distributed unit DU of the network device, the admission control indication indicating a status of a first admission control for a connection between the DU and a terminal device; Sending, to the DU, a message associated with a second admission control for the connection at the DU; And Receiving, from the DU, configuration information associated with the connection, the configuration information being obtained from the second admission control at the DU.

28. An apparatus, comprising: A component for sending an admission control indication to a centralized unit (CU) of the network device at a distributed unit (DU) of the network device, the admission control indication indicating a state of a first admission control for a connection between a terminal device and the network device at the DU; A component for receiving, from the CU, a message associated with a second admission control for the connection at the DU; A component for performing the second admission control for the connection based on receiving the message; And A component for sending, to the CU, configuration information obtained from the second admission control, the configuration information being associated with the connection.

29. An apparatus, comprising: A component for receiving, at a centralized unit (CU) of the network device, an admission control indication from a distributed unit (DU) of the network device, the admission control indication indicating a state of a first admission control for a connection between a terminal device and the network device; A component for sending, to the DU, a message associated with a second admission control for the connection at the DU; And A component for receiving, from the DU, configuration information associated with the connection, the configuration information being obtained from the second admission control at the DU.

30. A non-transitory computer-readable medium, comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to at least execute the method according to claim 26 or 27.

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