Base station and control method
By prioritizing storage of EN-DC band combinations based on total bandwidth, the base station efficiently manages storage capacity, ensuring necessary information is stored effectively and reducing waste.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- NTT DOCOMO INC
- Filing Date
- 2024-11-12
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-22
AI Technical Summary
The storage capacity of base stations for storing EN-DC band combinations is limited, leading to inefficient storage of band information and potential waste of storage space due to lack of consideration for bandwidth differences.
A base station prioritizes storage of band combinations based on descending order of total bandwidth values, excluding unusable bands and sorting remaining combinations by bandwidth and layer count, ensuring efficient use of storage capacity.
This approach allows for more effective storage of necessary band information, preventing unnecessary storage and enabling higher throughput by prioritizing bandwidth, achieving effective storage of band combination information.
Smart Images

Figure 2026085145000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to a base station in a wireless communication system and a method for controlling the base station.
Background Art
[0002] In NR (also referred to as "5G"), which is a successor system to LTE (Long Term Evolution), an eNB (eNodeB) performs EN-DC control using a combination of LTE and NR bands (EN-DC band combination, hereinafter also referred to as BC) reported from a UE (User Equipment) that is capable of EN-DC (for example, Patent Document 1). Here, the EN-DC control refers to control for communicatively connecting a UE to a network using both E-UTRA (4G) and NR (5G).
Prior Art Documents
Patent Documents
[0003]
Patent Document 1
Summary of the Invention
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
[0004] A base station corresponding to an eNB stores, for each UE, a combination of bands corresponding to LTE and NR for which EN-DC is possible, reported from a terminal corresponding to the UE. However, the storage capacity for storing information in the eNB is limited, and it is not possible to store all BCs corresponding to UEs under the eNB.
[0005] The present invention has been made in view of such a background, and an object thereof is to provide a mechanism that can preferentially store highly necessary information when storing information regarding a combination of bands for each terminal in a base station.
Means for Solving the Problems
[0006] To solve the above problems, the present invention provides a base station comprising: a storage unit that, based on reports from a terminal, stores information regarding combinations of bands corresponding to LTE (Long Term Evolution) and NR (New Radio), prioritizing them in descending order of the total bandwidth value of the bands included in each combination; and a connection control unit that uses the stored information to control a communication connection with the terminal using both LTE and NR.
[0007] Furthermore, the present invention provides a control method characterized by comprising: a storage step of storing information regarding combinations of bands corresponding to LTE and NR based on a report from a terminal, prioritizing the storage of information in descending order of the total bandwidth value of the bands included in each combination; and a connection control step of controlling a communication connection with the terminal using both LTE and NR with respect to the stored information. [Effects of the Invention]
[0008] According to the present invention, when a base station stores information regarding band combinations for each terminal, it becomes possible to prioritize the storage of information that is most necessary. [Brief explanation of the drawing]
[0009] [Figure 1] This figure shows an example of the network architecture configuration in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of the configuration of the wireless communication system in the same embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of communication settings in the same embodiment. [Figure 4] This diagram illustrates the band combination information stored in a conventional example. [Figure 5] This diagram illustrates the band combination information stored in a conventional example. [Figure 6]This figure shows the hardware configuration of the control device 100 included in the base station 10 according to the same embodiment. [Figure 7] This diagram shows the functional configuration of the control device 100. [Figure 8] This figure illustrates the band combination information stored in this embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]
[0010] [Embodiment] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments described below are examples, and the embodiments to which the present invention is applied are not limited to these embodiments. Existing technologies may be used as appropriate in the operation of the wireless communication system according to the embodiments of the present invention.
[0011] Furthermore, in the embodiments of the present invention described below, terms such as SS (Synchronization signal), PSS (Primary SS), SSS (Secondary SS), PBCH (Physical broadcast channel), PRACH (Physical random aCCess channel), PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel), PDSCH (Physical Downlink Shared Channel), PUCCH (Physical Uplink Control Channel), and PUSCH (Physical Uplink Shared Channel), which are used in existing LTE systems, will be used. This is for convenience of description, and similar signals, functions, etc., may be called by other names. Also, the above terms in NR correspond to NR-SS, NR-PSS, NR-SSS, NR-PBCH, NR-PRACH, NR-PDCCH, NR-PDSCH, NR-PUCCH, NR-PUSCH, etc. However, even if a signal is used in NR, it is not necessarily explicitly stated as "NR-".
[0012] Furthermore, in embodiments of the present invention, the duplex method may be a TDD (Time Division Duplex) method, an FDD (Frequency Division Duplex) method, or any other method (for example, Flexible Duplex). Also, in embodiments of the present invention, "configuring" wireless parameters may mean that predetermined values are pre-configured, or that wireless parameters notified from the base station 10 or terminal 20 are configured.
[0013] Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a network architecture in an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 1, the wireless network architecture in an embodiment of the present invention includes a 4G-CU, a 4G-RU (Remote Unit, remote radio station), an EPC (Evolved Packet Core), etc. on the LTE-Advanced side. The wireless network architecture in an embodiment of the present invention includes a 5G-CU, a 5G-DU, etc. on the 5G side.
[0014] A 4G-CU includes layers RRC (Radio Resource Control), PDCP (Packet Data Convergence Protocol), RLC (Radio Link Control), MAC (Medium Access Control), and L1 (Layer 1, PHY layer or physical layer), and is connected to a 4G-RU via CPRI (Common Public Radio Interface). A network node including a 4G-CU and a 4G-RU is called an eNB (electronic Network Module).
[0015] On the 5G side, as shown in Figure 1, the 5G-CU includes an RRC layer, is connected to the 5G-DU via an FH (Flonthaul) interface, and is connected to the 5GC (5G Core Network) via an NG interface. The 5G-CU is also connected to the 4G-CU via an X2 interface. The PDCP layer in the 4G-CU becomes the coupling or decoupling point when performing 4G-5G DC (Dual Connectivity), or EN-DC (E-UTRA-NR Dual Connectivity). The network node including the 5G-CU and 5G-DU is called a gNB. Alternatively, the 5G-CU may be called a gNB-CU, and the 5G-DU may be called a gNB-DU.
[0016] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 1, Carrier Aggregation (CA) is performed between 4G-RUs, and Data Center (DC) is performed between the 4G-RU and 5G-DU. Although not shown in the diagram, User Equipment (UE) is wirelessly connected via the RF of either the 4G-RU or 5G-DU to send and receive packets.
[0017] Note that FIG. 1 shows a radio network architecture for performing LTE-NR DC, that is, EN-DC (E-UTRA-NR Dual Connectivity) control. However, when separating the 4G-CU into CU-DU or when operating in NR stand-alone mode, a similar radio network architecture may be used. When separating the 4G-CU into CU-DU, the functions related to the RRC layer and the PDCP layer may be transferred to the 4G-CU, and the layers below the RLC layer may be included in the 4G-DU. Note that the data rate of CPRI may be reduced by CU-DU separation. Also, a plurality of 5G-DUs may be connected to the 5G-CU. Also, NR-DC (NR-NR Dual Connectivity) may be performed by connecting the UE to a plurality of 5G-CUs, or NR-DC may be performed by connecting the UE to a plurality of 5G-DUs and a single 5G-CU. Note that the 5G-CU may be directly connected to the EPC without going through the 4G-CU, or the 4G-CU may be directly connected to the 5GC without going through the 5G-CU.
[0018] Also, FIG. 1 shows the radio network architecture during EN-DC control, but it is not limited to this. For example, the radio network architecture may be NR-DC, or it may be NE-DC (NR-EUTRA Dual Connectivity), or other radio network architectures may be adopted. Note that the radio network architecture may not be operated in DC and may be operated in stand-alone mode.
[0019] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the wireless communication system in the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the wireless communication system in the present embodiment includes a base station 10 and a terminal 20. Although one base station 10 and one terminal 20 are shown in FIG. 2, this is an example, and there may be a plurality of each.
[0020] Base station 10 is a communication device that provides one or more cells and communicates wirelessly with terminal 20. The physical resources of the radio signal are defined in the time domain and the frequency domain, the time domain may be defined by the number of OFDM symbols, and the frequency domain may be defined by the number of subcarriers or resource blocks. Base station 10 transmits synchronization signals and system information to terminal 20. Synchronization signals are, for example, NR-PSS and NR-SSS. System information is transmitted, for example, in NR-PBCH and is also called broadcast information.
[0021] As shown in Figure 2, base station 10 transmits control signals or data to terminal 20 via DL (Downlink) and receives control signals or data from terminal 20 via UL (Uplink). Both base station 10 and terminal 20 are capable of transmitting and receiving signals using beamforming. Furthermore, both base station 10 and terminal 20 are capable of applying MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) communication to DL or UL. In addition, both base station 10 and terminal 20 may communicate via SCell (Secondary Cell) and PCell (Primary Cell) using CA (Carrier Aggregation).
[0022] Terminal 20 is a communication device equipped with wireless communication capabilities, such as a smartphone, mobile phone, tablet, wearable device, or M2M (Machine-to-Machine) communication module. As shown in Figure 2, Terminal 20 receives control signals or data from the base station 10 via DL and transmits control signals or data to the base station 10 via UL, thereby utilizing various communication services provided by the wireless communication system.
[0023] In 5G-NSA (Non-Standalone) operation, the EN-DC band combination, BC (band combination), is determined by the fact that the base station 10 (eNB) presents candidate EN-DC band combinations to the base station 10 (gNB) as the information element allowedBC-ListMRDC, based on the EN-DC band combination capabilities (UE-MRDC-Capability, UE-EUTRA-Capability, UE-NR-Capability) received from the terminal 20. The gNB then notifies the eNB of the EN-DC band combination selected by the information element selectedBandCombination. The EN-DC band combination indicates the band combination in the communication to which EN-DC is applied. At this time, the base station 10 (eNB) needs to store information regarding the EN-DC band combination capabilities received from each terminal 20 located in the cell it provides, i.e., information regarding the band combinations corresponding to LTE and NR.
[0024] Figure 3 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a communication configuration. In step S1 shown in Figure 3, the base station 10A, which is an eNB, sends an RRC message, "UECapabilityEnquiry," which is an inquiry about UE capability, to the terminal 20.
[0025] In the subsequent step S2, terminal 20 sends an RRC message called "UECapabilityInformation," which is a report of UE capabilities, to base station 10A regarding the UE capabilities specified by the received "UECapabilityEnquiry." "UECapabilityInformation" includes the UE capabilities supported by terminal 20. Base station 10A stores the received "UECapabilityInformation" for each terminal 20 (UE) that sent it, identifies the UE capabilities supported by terminal 20 based on the stored "UECapabilityInformation," and applies it to wireless communication with that terminal 20.
[0026] For example, "UECapabilityInformation" includes EN-DC band combination capabilities (UE-MRDC-Capability, UE-EUTRA-Capability, UE-NR-Capability). "UE-MRDC-Capability" contains the EN-DC band combination and is referenced by base station 10A, which is an eNB, and base station 10B, which is a gNB. "UE-EUTRA-Capability" contains the bandwidth, number of layers, and modulation scheme for the LTE portion and is referenced by base station 10A, which is an eNB. "UE-NR-Capability" contains the bandwidth, number of layers, and modulation scheme for the NR portion and is referenced by base station 10B, which is a gNB.
[0027] As described above, the EN-DC band combination capability consists of the capability of the LTE portion and the capability of the NR portion. The detailed capability of the LTE portion (bandwidth and number of layers) is defined in the information element "featureSetsEUTRA" included in "UE-EUTRA-Capability" referenced by base station 10A, which is an eNB. The detailed capability of the NR portion (bandwidth and number of layers) is defined in the information element "featureSets" included in "UE-NR-Capability" referenced by base station 10B, which is a gNB. According to the standard specification, it is not required that the eNB interpret and set "UE-NR-Capability", nor is it required that the gNB interpret and set "UE-EUTRA-Capability".
[0028] In the subsequent step S3, base station 10A sends a "SgNB AdditionRequest," i.e., a request to add a secondary gNB, to base station 10B, which is the gNB, via the X2 interface. The "SgNB AdditionRequest" includes the RRC information elements "CG-Configinfo" and "allowedBC-ListMRDC." "allowedBC-ListMRDC" contains a list of indices that refer to EN-DC band combinations included in "UE-MRDC-Capability," selected from the band combinations of secondary cell groups that the secondary gNB is allowed to select. "CG-Configinfo" also includes the information element "eutra-CapabilityInfo." "eutra-CapabilityInfo" is set to "UE-MRDC-Capability" and "UE-NR-Capability" obtained from terminal 20.
[0029] In the subsequent step S4, base station 10B sends a "SgNB AdditionRequest Acknowledge," i.e., a secondary gNB addition request acknowledgment, to base station 10A via the X2 interface. The "SgNB AdditionRequest Acknowledge" includes the RRC information elements "CG-Config" and "selectedBandCombination."
[0030] "selectedBandCombination" shows the index of the EN-DC band combination selected by the secondary gNB.
[0031] Next, base stations 10A and 10B use the EN-DC band combination selected by base station 10B to perform communication with terminal 20 to which EN-DC is applied.
[0032] As described above, the base station 10A, which is an eNB, stores information regarding EN-DC band combinations (hereinafter referred to as band combination information) reported by the terminal 20, which is an UE, for each terminal 20. Conventionally, as illustrated in Figure 4, the base station 10A (1) stores the combinations of the LTE portion (PCell candidate) and the NR portion (PSCell candidate) in the order they were reported, based on the band combination information reported by each terminal 20, in order to enable EN-DC in the service area.
[0033] (2) Next, the base station 10A selects and saves combinations that were not saved in (1) above, in descending order of the total number of CCs (Component Carriers) of the LTE portion and NR portion, up to the upper limit of the base station 10A's storage capacity. In (2), if the total number of CCs of the band combinations are the same, the base station 10A saves them in descending order of the total number of Layers of the band combinations, and if the total number of Layers is also the same, it saves them in the order in which the band combination information from the terminal 20 is reported.
[0034] In Figure 4, "processing" refers to an overview of the processing described in (1) and (2) above. In the example in Figure 4, first, following (1), the EN-DC band combination b1(UL)+b3+n78(UL) is saved as the 1st "BC save order" for "BC#1", which is the 1st "UE report order" from terminal 20. Here, (UL) indicates that the band supports UL transmission. Next, for the band combination b1(UL)+n78(UL)+n79, which corresponds to "BC#2", the 2nd "UE report order" from terminal 20, this combination does not contain the already saved PCell candidate and PSCell candidate combination b1(UL)+n78(UL), so instead, the band combination b1(UL)+b3+n79(UL), which does not contain b1(UL)+n78(UL) and corresponds to "BC#3", the 3rd "UE report order", is saved as the 2nd "BC save order". Thereafter, in accordance with (1) and (2) above, EN-DC band combinations will be sequentially saved until the storage capacity limit of base station 10A is reached.
[0035] The conventional technology described above has the following problems. First, since the bandwidth of the bands is not taken into consideration, even if there is about a 10-fold difference in bandwidth between the two bands, for example, if band b1 is 10 MHz and has 1 CC and band n78 is 100 MHz and has 1 CC, the number of CCs will be evaluated as the same 1. Therefore, when saving band combination information that includes band n78, which is expected to have high throughput, the priority will be low. Figure 5, which illustrates a conventional example, shows that even if the total bandwidth of the bands included in the band combination information is relatively large, the saving order may be relatively low.
[0036] Next, since all bands were previously included in the storage target, there is a problem in that base station 10A wastes storage capacity by storing even band combinations that it does not use itself. For example, in the example in Figure 5, there is no point in storing a band combination that includes band b3(UL) in base station 10A, which does not operate band b3(UL), but it is shown that such band combinations are also included in the storage target.
[0037] Figure 6 illustrates the hardware configuration of the control device 100 in the base station 10A according to this embodiment. Physically, the control device 100 is configured as a computer including a processor 1001, memory 1002, storage 1003, and a bus connecting them. In the following description, the term "device" can be read as a circuit, device, unit, etc. The hardware configuration of the control device 100 may include one or more of the devices shown in the figure, or it may be configured without some of the devices.
[0038] Each function in the control device 100 is realized by loading predetermined software (programs) onto hardware such as the processor 1001 and memory 1002, which allows the processor 1001 to perform calculations, control communication by the communication device 1004, and control at least one of the reading and writing of data in the memory 1002 and storage 1003.
[0039] The processor 1001 controls the entire computer, for example, by running an operating system. The processor 1001 may consist of a central processing unit (CPU) that includes interfaces with peripheral devices, control units, arithmetic units, registers, and so on.
[0040] The processor 1001 reads programs (program code), software modules, data, etc., from at least one of the storage 1003 and the communication device 1004 into the memory 1002 and executes various processes accordingly. The program used is one that causes the computer to execute at least a part of the operations described later. The functional blocks of the control device 100 may be stored in the memory 1002 and implemented by control programs that run on the processor 1001. Various processes may be executed by one processor 1001, but may also be executed simultaneously or sequentially by two or more processors 1001. The processor 1001 may be implemented by one or more chips. The program may also be transmitted from the communication network 2 to the control device 100 via a telecommunications line.
[0041] Memory 1002 is a computer-readable recording medium and may consist of at least one of the following: ROM (Read Only Memory), EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM), RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. Memory 1002 may also be called a register, cache, main memory, etc. Memory 1002 can store executable programs (program code), software modules, etc., for carrying out the method according to this embodiment. Band combination information is stored in this memory 1002 based on reports from terminal 20.
[0042] The storage 1003 is a computer-readable recording medium and may consist of at least one of the following: an optical disc such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc ROM), a hard disk drive, a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk (e.g., a compact disc, a digital multipurpose disc, a Blu-ray® disc), a smart card, flash memory (e.g., a card, a stick, a key drive), a floppy® disk, a magnetic strip, etc. The storage 1003 may also be called an auxiliary storage device.
[0043] The communication device 1004 is hardware (transmitting / receiving device) for communicating between computers via the communication network 2, and is also called a network device, network controller, network card, communication module, etc.
[0044] Each device, such as the processor 1001 and memory 1002, is connected by a bus for communicating information. The bus may be configured using a single bus, or different buses may be used for each device.
[0045] Furthermore, the control device 100 may be configured to include hardware such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a PLD (Programmable Logic Device), or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), and some or all of each functional block may be realized by this hardware. For example, the processor 1001 may be implemented using at least one of these hardware components.
[0046] Figure 7 is a block diagram illustrating the functional configuration of the control device 100. In the control device 100, the processor 1001, memory 1002, storage 1003, and communication device 1004 work together to realize the respective functions of the acquisition unit 101, storage unit 102, and connection control unit 103.
[0047] The acquisition unit 101 acquires band combination information from the terminal 20.
[0048] The storage unit 102 stores the acquired band combination information in the following order of priority: (a) First, the storage unit 102 excludes band combination information that includes bands that cannot be used by its own base station 10A. As a result of this exclusion, the remaining band combination information is to be stored.
[0049] (b) Next, the storage unit 102 sorts the remaining band combination information in descending order of the total bandwidth of the bands included in each band combination information. If the total bandwidth of the bands included in the band combination information is the same, the storage unit 102 sorts them in descending order of the total number of layers of the bands included in the band combination information. If the total number of layers of the bands included in the band combination information is the same, the storage unit 102 sorts the band combination information in the order in which it was reported from the terminal.
[0050] (c) The storage unit 102 stores combinations of the LTE portion (PCell candidate) and the NR portion (PSCell candidate) in order to enable EN-DC in the service area, prioritizing those with a relatively earlier ranking in (b) above.
[0051] (d) The storage unit 102 stores the combinations that were not stored in (c) above, prioritizing those with a relatively earlier rank in (b) above, until it reaches the upper limit of the storage capacity of the base station 10A.
[0052] For example, in Figure 8, first, according to the process in (a) above, band combination information including bands that cannot be used by the local base station 10A (referred to as b3) is excluded from storage. As a result, band combination information corresponding to the 5th, 6th, and 7th "UE reporting order" "BC#5", "BC#6", and "BC#7" is excluded. Note that in Figure 8, "processing" refers to an overview of the processing according to (a), (b), (c), and (d) above.
[0053] Next, the storage unit 102 sorts and ranks the remaining band combination information in descending order of the total bandwidth of the bands included in each band combination information, according to the process described in (b) above. In this case, the band combination information corresponding to "BC#2" and "BC#4" which are 2nd and 4th in the "UE report order" has the same total bandwidth of 210 MHz and the same total number of layers of the bands, 8. Therefore, the band combination information corresponding to "BC#2" which is 2nd in the "UE report order" is ranked 1st, and the band combination information corresponding to "BC#4" which is 4th in the "UE report order" is ranked 2nd. Note that since one band may correspond to multiple CCs, the bandwidth of that band multiplied by the number of CCs becomes the evaluation value of the bandwidth of that band.
[0054] Furthermore, the band combination information corresponding to "BC#1" and "BC#3" which are ranked 1st and 3rd in the "UE reporting order" has the same total bandwidth of 120MHz. Therefore, the band combination information corresponding to "BC#3" which is ranked 3rd in the "UE reporting order" has a larger total number of band layers, and the band combination information corresponding to "BC#1" which is ranked 4th in the "UE reporting order"
[0055] The storage unit 102 saves the EN-DC band combination b1(UL)+n78(UL)+n79 as the 1st ranked "BC storage order" for "BC#2", which was sorted in the process of (b). Similarly, the storage unit 102 saves the band combination information corresponding to "BC#4", which was sorted in the second position, as the 2nd ranked "BC storage order". The storage unit 102 does not save the band combination b1(UL)+b3+n79(UL) corresponding to "BC#3", which was sorted in the third position, because this band combination already includes the PCell candidate and PSCell candidate combination b1(UL)+n79(UL) that has been saved. Similarly, the storage unit 102 does not save the band combination information corresponding to "BC#1", which was sorted in the fourth position. Since there are no more items to save in the process of (c), the process moves on to (d).
[0056] The storage unit 102 sequentially stores the remaining EN-DC band combinations that were not saved in process (c), prioritizing those with a relatively earlier sorting order in process (b), until it reaches the upper limit of the storage capacity of the base station 10A.
[0057] Returning to the explanation of Figure 7, the connection control unit 103 performs EN-DC control using the band combination information stored by the storage unit 102.
[0058] According to the embodiment described above, since band combination information is stored and EN-DC control is performed based on a priority order based on the total bandwidth of the bands, rather than on an order based on the number of CCs as in the conventional method, a higher throughput can be expected than in the conventional method.
[0059] Furthermore, by limiting the storage of band combination information that includes bands usable at base station 10A, it is possible to prevent the unnecessary storage of band combination information that includes unnecessary bands.
[0060] [Differentiation] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. The embodiments described above may be modified as follows. Furthermore, two or more of the following modifications may be combined and implemented.
[0061] [Example 1] For example, there may be cases where it is desirable to prioritize either LTE-based communication or NR-based communication on a base station basis. In such cases, the storage unit 102 may store band combination information by assigning different weights to LTE and NR.
[0062] Specifically, the storage unit 102 assigns a larger weight value to the band corresponding to the LTE portion and the band corresponding to the NR portion of the band combination information that the station wants to prioritize, and determines the priority for saving the band combination information by considering these weight values. In other words, the larger the weight value, the higher the priority for saving the band combination information.
[0063] [Differentiation 2] For example, there are cases where it is desirable to perform connection control by prioritizing the use of a particular band on a base station basis. In such cases, the storage unit 102 may store data by assigning different weights to each band. Specifically, the storage unit 102 assigns a larger weight value to the band that the station wants to prioritize among the bands that the station can operate on, and determines the priority for storing the band combination information by considering these weight values. In other words, the larger the weight value, the higher the priority for storing the band combination information.
[0064] [Other variations] The block diagram used in the description of the above embodiment shows functional units. These functional blocks (components) are realized by any combination of at least one of hardware and software. Furthermore, the method of realizing each functional block is not particularly limited. That is, each functional block may be realized using one device that is physically or logically coupled, or it may be realized using two or more physically or logically separated devices that are directly or indirectly connected (for example, using wired or wireless connections). A functional block may also be realized by combining the above one device or the above multiple devices with software.
[0065] Functions include, but are not limited to, judgment, decision, determination, calculation, calculation, processing, derivation, investigation, search, confirmation, reception, transmission, output, access, resolution, selection, selection, establishment, comparison, assumption, expectation, assumption, broadcasting, notifying, communicating, forwarding, configuring, reconfiguring, allocating (mapping), and assigning. For example, a functional block (configuration part) that enables transmission is called a transmitting unit or transmitter. As mentioned above, the method of implementation is not particularly limited.
[0066] For example, the management server device 40 in one embodiment of the present disclosure may function as a computer that performs the processing of the present disclosure.
[0067] Each aspect / embodiment described in this disclosure may be applied to at least one of the following systems: LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE-A (LTE-Advanced), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4G (4th generation mobile communication system), 5G (5th generation mobile communication system), FRA (Future Radio Access), NR (New Radio), W-CDMA (registered trademark), GSM (registered trademark), CDMA2000, UMB (Ultra Mobile Broadband), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.20, UWB (Ultra-WideBand), Bluetooth (registered trademark), and other appropriate systems, as well as next-generation systems extended based thereon. Furthermore, multiple systems may be applied in combination (for example, a combination of at least one of LTE and LTE-A with 5G).
[0068] Furthermore, the processing procedures, sequences, flowcharts, etc., of each aspect / embodiment described in this disclosure may be rearranged in order, as long as there is no contradiction. For example, the methods described in this disclosure present elements of various steps using exemplary order and are not limited to the specific order presented. The present invention may also be a control method characterized by comprising: a storage step of storing information on combinations of bands corresponding to LTE and NR based on a report from a terminal, prioritizing the storage of information in descending order of the total bandwidth value of the bands included in each of the said combinations; and a connection control step of controlling a communication connection with the terminal using both LTE and NR with respect to the stored information.
[0069] Input and output information may be stored in a specific location (e.g., memory) or managed using a management table. Input and output information may be overwritten, updated, or appended to. Output information may be deleted. Input information may be transmitted to other devices.
[0070] The determination may be made by a value represented by 1 bit (0 or 1), by a boolean value (true or false), or by a numerical comparison (for example, a comparison with a predetermined value).
[0071] Although the present disclosure has been described in detail above, it will be clear to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described herein. The present disclosure can be implemented in modified and altered forms without departing from the intent and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the claims. Therefore, the descriptions in the present disclosure are illustrative and not intended to be restrictive in any way.
[0072] Software should be broadly interpreted to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, execution threads, procedures, functions, etc., whether they are called software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages, or by any other name. Furthermore, software, instructions, information, etc., may be transmitted and received via a transmission medium. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using at least one of wired technologies (such as coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, or digital subscriber line (DSL)) and wireless technologies (such as infrared or microwave), at least one of these wired and wireless technologies is included in the definition of a transmission medium.
[0073] The information, signals, etc. described in this disclosure may be represented using any of the various different techniques. For example, the data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, chips, etc. that may be referred to throughout the above description may be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or photons, or any combination thereof. In addition, terms used in this disclosure and terms necessary for understanding this disclosure may be replaced with terms having the same or similar meaning.
[0074] Furthermore, the information, parameters, etc., described in this disclosure may be expressed using absolute values, relative values from a predetermined value, or corresponding other information.
[0075] In this disclosure, the phrase "based on" does not mean "based solely on" unless otherwise specified. In other words, the phrase "based on" means both "based solely on" and "based at least on."
[0076] Any reference to elements using designations such as “First,” “Second,” etc., as used in this disclosure does not generally limit the quantity or order of those elements. These designations may be used in this disclosure as a convenient way to distinguish between two or more elements. Accordingly, references to the First and Second elements do not imply that only two elements may be employed, or that the First element must precede the Second element in any way.
[0077] In the above-described configuration of each device, the term "part" may be replaced with "means," "circuit," "device," etc.
[0078] Where the terms “include,” “including,” and variations thereof are used in this disclosure, these terms are intended to be inclusive, as is the term “comprising.” Furthermore, the term “or” as used in this disclosure is not intended to mean exclusive OR.
[0079] In this disclosure, if articles are added through translation, such as a, an, and the in English, this disclosure may include the fact that the noun following these articles is plural.
[0080] In this disclosure, the term "A and B are different" may mean "A and B are different from each other." The term may also mean "A and B are each different from C." Terms such as "separate" and "combine" may be interpreted similarly to "different." [Explanation of Symbols]
[0081] 10, 10A, 10B: base station, 20: terminal, 100: control unit, 101: acquisition unit, 102: storage unit, 103: connection control unit, 1001: processor, 1002: memory, 1003: storage, 1004: communication device.
Claims
1. A storage unit that, based on reports from the terminal, stores information regarding combinations of bands corresponding to LTE (Long Term Evolution) and NR (New Radio), prioritizing them in descending order of the total bandwidth value of the bands included in each combination, A connection control unit that uses the stored information to control the communication connection with the terminal using both the LTE and NR. A base station characterized by being equipped with the following features.
2. The storage unit performs the storage by excluding information regarding the combinations that include bands that cannot be used at its own base station. The base station according to claim 1, characterized in that it is as described above.
3. If the total bandwidth of the bands included in the combination is the same, the storage unit prioritizes saving the combinations in descending order of the total number of layers of the bands included in the combination. The base station according to claim 1, characterized in that it is as described above.
4. If the total number of layers is equal, the order in which the data was reported from the terminal will be prioritized for saving. The base station according to claim 3, characterized in that it is as described above.
5. The storage unit performs the storage by assigning different weights to the LTE and NR. The base station according to claim 1, characterized in that it is as described above.
6. The storage unit performs the storage by assigning different weights to each band. The base station according to claim 1, characterized in that it is as described above.
7. A storage step in which, based on reports from the terminal, information regarding combinations of bands corresponding to LTE and NR is stored in order of increasing total bandwidth value of the bands included in each combination, A connection control step that controls the communication connection with the terminal using both the LTE and NR with respect to the stored information. A control method characterized by comprising: