Slice information for serving cells and neighboring cells

Abstract

This demonstrates network slicing support for serving cells and neighboring cells. [Solution] Apparatus, method, and system for demonstrating network slice support for serving cells and neighboring cells are disclosed. One apparatus (1000) includes a memory (1010) coupled to a processor (1005), the processor (1005) configured to determine the configuration of neighboring cells (1105), determine slice information for serving cells and neighboring cells (1110), and broadcast slice information in the serving cell (1115) using an indexing scheme to signal at least a set of carrier frequencies, the slice information including identifiers for each slice group and a set of carrier frequencies corresponding to each slice group.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Cross - Reference to Related Applications This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 248,362, filed on September 24, 2021, by Prateek Basu Mallick, Joachim Lohr, Hyung - Nam Choi, and Ravi Kuchibhotla, entitled "INDICATING NETWORK SLICE SUPPORT FOR SERVING AND NEIGHBOR CELLS", which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

[0002] The subject matter disclosed herein generally relates to wireless communication, and more particularly, to indicating network slice support for serving and neighbor cells.

Background Art

[0003] In a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) system, network slicing is a network architecture that enables multiplexing of virtualized independent logical networks on the same physical network infrastructure. Each network slice is an isolated end - to - end (E2E) network tailored to meet the diverse requirements demanded by specific applications.

Prior Art Documents

Non - Patent Documents

[0004]

Non - Patent Document 1

Non - Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] Disclosed are procedures relating to demonstrating network slice support for serving cells and neighboring cells. These procedures may be implemented by apparatus, systems, methods, or computer program products.

[0006] One method in a network device includes the steps of determining the configuration of adjacent cells and determining slice information for a serving cell and adjacent cells, wherein the slice information includes identifiers for each slice group and a set of carrier frequencies corresponding to each slice group. The first method includes broadcasting the slice information in the serving cell using an indexing scheme to signal at least the set of carrier frequencies.

[0007] One method in a user device ("UE") includes the steps of receiving first slice information from a mobile communication network and determining complete slice information from the received first slice information. A second method includes the step of performing cell reselection using the complete slice information.

[0008] A more detailed description of the embodiments briefly described above is made by reference to specific embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Understanding that these drawings illustrate only a few embodiments and should therefore not be considered limitations of scope, the embodiments are described and explained more specifically and in detail using the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a schematic block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a wireless communication system to demonstrate network slice support for serving cells and neighboring cells. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing one embodiment of the protocol stack for New Radio ("NR"). [Figure 3]This figure shows one embodiment of the distribution of cells within a wireless access network ("RAN"). [Figure 4] This figure shows one embodiment of a procedure for demonstrating network slice support for serving cells and neighboring cells. [Figure 5] This figure shows one embodiment of single-network slice selection assistance information ("S-NSSAI"). [Figure 6A] This figure shows one embodiment of the SliceInfo information element ("IE"). [Figure 6B] This figure shows an alternative embodiment of SliceInfo IE. [Figure 7] This figure shows another embodiment of SliceInfo IE. [Figure 8] This is a diagram showing one embodiment of SI-RequestConfig IE. [Figure 9] This is a block diagram showing one embodiment of a user equipment that may be used to demonstrate network slicing support for serving cells and neighboring cells. [Figure 10] This is a block diagram showing one embodiment of a network device that may be used to demonstrate network slicing support for serving cells and neighboring cells. [Figure 11] This flowchart illustrates one embodiment of a first method for demonstrating network slice support for serving cells and neighboring cells. [Figure 12] This flowchart illustrates one embodiment of a second method for demonstrating network slice support for serving cells and neighboring cells. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] As will be understood by those skilled in the art, embodiments of the models may be embodied as systems, apparatus, methods, or program products. Accordingly, embodiments may take the form of all hardware embodiments, all software embodiments (including firmware, resident software, microcode, etc.), or embodiments that combine software and hardware embodiments.

[0011] For example, the disclosed embodiments may be implemented as hardware circuits including custom very large-scale integrated circuits ("VLSI") or off-the-shelf semiconductors, transistors, or other discrete components such as gate arrays, logic chips, etc. The disclosed embodiments may also be implemented in programmable hardware devices such as field-programmable gate arrays, programmable array logic, or programmable logic devices. As another example, the disclosed embodiments may include one or more physical or logical blocks of executable code, which may be organized as objects, procedures, or functions, for example.

[0012] Furthermore, embodiments may take the form of a program product embodied in one or more computer-readable storage devices that store machine-readable code, computer-readable code, and / or program code, hereafter referred to as code. The storage device may be tangible, non-transient, and / or non-transmitting. The storage device may not embody signals. In certain embodiments, the storage device employs only signals for accessing the code.

[0013] Any combination of one or more computer-readable media may be utilized. The computer-readable media may be a computer-readable storage media. The computer-readable storage media may be a storage device that stores code. The storage device may be, for example, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, holographic, micro-mechanical, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination thereof, but is not necessarily limited thereto.

[0014] More specific examples (non-exhaustive list) of storage devices include, hereinafter, namely, an electrical connection having one or more wirings, 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), a portable compact disk read-only memory ("CD-ROM"), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination thereof. In the context of this specification, a computer-readable storage media may be any tangible media that can include or store a program for use by or in relation to an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0015] The code for performing the operations of the embodiments may be in any number of lines and may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages such as Python, Ruby, Java, Smalltalk, C++; conventional procedural programming languages such as the "C" programming language; and / or machine languages such as assembly language. The code may be executed entirely on the user's computer, partially on the user's computer as a stand-alone software package, partially on the user's computer and partially on a remote computer, or entirely on a remote computer or server. In the last scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer via any type of network including a local area network ("LAN"), a wireless LAN ("WLAN"), or a wide area network ("WAN"), or the connection to an external computer may be made (e.g., via the Internet using an Internet service provider ("ISP")).

[0016] Furthermore, the features, structures, or characteristics described in the embodiments may be combined in any suitable manner. In the following description, numerous specific details such as examples of programming, software modules, user selections, network transactions, database queries, database structures, hardware modules, hardware circuits, hardware chips, etc. are provided to enable a complete understanding of the embodiments. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments may be practiced without one or more of the specific details or with other methods, components, materials, etc. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of the embodiments.

[0017] Throughout this specification, any reference to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” or similar wording means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in relation to an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, throughout this specification, any occurrence of the phrases “in one embodiment,” “in an embodiment,” and similar wording may, but not necessarily, refer to the same embodiment and may mean “one or more, but not all, embodiments” unless otherwise specified. The terms “including,” “comprising,” “having,” and their variations mean “including, but not limited to,” unless otherwise specified. An enumerated list of items does not imply that any or all of the items are mutually exclusive unless otherwise specified. Also, the terms “a,” “an,” and “the” mean “one or more” unless otherwise specified.

[0018] As used herein, a list using the conjunction "and / or" includes any single item in the list or any combination of items in the list. For example, the list A, B, and / or C includes A only, B only, C only, a combination of A and B, a combination of B and C, a combination of A and C, or a combination of A, B, and C. As used herein, a list using the term "one or more of" includes any single item in the list or any combination of items in the list. For example, one or more of A, B, and C includes A only, B only, C only, a combination of A and B, a combination of B and C, a combination of A and C, or a combination of A, B, and C. As used herein, a list using the term "one of" includes just one of any single items in the list. For example, “one of A, B, and C” includes A only, B only, or C only, and excludes combinations of A, B, and C. As used herein, “a member selected from the group consisting of A, B, and C” includes only one of A, B, or C, and excludes combinations of A, B, and C. As used herein, “a member selected from the group consisting of A, B, and C and combinations thereof” includes A only, B only, C only, a combination of A and B, a combination of B and C, a combination of A and C, or a combination of A, B, and C.

[0019] Aspects of the embodiments are described below with reference to schematic flowcharts and / or schematic block diagrams of methods, apparatus, systems, and program products according to the embodiments. It will be understood that each block in the schematic flowcharts and / or schematic block diagrams, as well as combinations of blocks in the schematic flowcharts and / or schematic block diagrams, can be implemented by code. This code may be provided to a processor of a multipurpose computer, a dedicated computer, or other programmable data processing device to generate a machine such that instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device produce means for performing the functions / actions defined in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams.

[0020] The code may be stored in a storage device that can instruct a computer, other programmable data processing device, or other device to function in a particular way so that the instructions stored in the storage device produce a product containing instructions that perform functions / actions defined in flowcharts and / or block diagrams.

[0021] The code may be loaded into a computer, other programmable device, or other device to perform a series of operational steps on the computer, other programmable device, or other device, so as to provide a process for the code to be executed by the computer to perform the functions / actions defined in the flowchart and / or block diagram.

[0022] The call-flow diagrams, flowcharts, and / or block diagrams in the figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of devices, systems, methods, and program products in various embodiments. In this regard, each block in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of code containing one or more executable instructions of code for implementing a defined logical function.

[0023] It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions shown in the blocks may be performed in a different order than that shown in the diagram. For example, two blocks shown consecutively may actually be executed substantially simultaneously, or blocks may be executed in reverse order depending on the function they relate to. Other steps and methods may be devised that are equivalent in function, logic, or effect to one or more blocks or parts of the diagram shown.

[0024] Various types of arrows and lines may be used in call flow diagrams, flowcharts, and / or block diagrams, but they are understood not to limit the scope of the corresponding embodiment. In fact, some arrows or other connectors may be used only to indicate the logical flow of the shown embodiment. For example, an arrow may indicate a waiting or monitoring period of an unspecified duration between enumerated steps of the shown embodiment. It should also be noted that each block in a block diagram and / or flowchart, and combinations of blocks in a block diagram and / or flowchart, may be implemented by a system based on dedicated hardware that performs a defined function or action, or by a combination of dedicated hardware and code.

[0025] The descriptions of elements in each figure may refer to elements in the procedure diagrams. Similar numbers refer to similar elements in all figures, including alternative embodiments of similar elements.

[0026] In general, this disclosure describes systems, methods, and apparatus for demonstrating network slice support for serving cells and neighboring cells. In certain embodiments, the methods may be performed using computer code embedded in a computer-readable medium. In certain embodiments, the apparatus or system may include a computer-readable medium containing computer-readable code that, when executed by a processor, causes the apparatus or system to perform at least a portion of the solutions described below.

[0027] Network slice information (also referred to herein as “slice information”) relating to a single slice or group of slices will be provided to the UE using both broadcast and dedicated signaling with respect to serving frequency and adjacent frequencies. The baseline for the UE’s slice-based cell (re)selection behavior at the access layer (“AS”) (i.e., cell selection and / or cell reselection) may consist of the following steps:

[0028] Step 0: The UE's Non-Accessible Layer ("NAS") layer provides slice information, including slice priority, to the UE's AS layer.

[0029] Step 1: The AS layer sorts the slices in order of priority, starting with the slice with the highest priority.

[0030] Step 2: Select slices in order of priority, starting with the highest priority slice.

[0031] Step 3: For the selected slice, assign priority to the frequencies received from the network.

[0032] Step 4: Start with the highest priority frequency and perform the measurement (same as in legacy mode).

[0033] Step 5: If the highest-ranked cell is suitable (for example, as defined in 3GPP Technical Specification ("TS") 38.304) and supports the selected slice from Step 2, the UE camps on to the cell and exits this sequence of operations.

[0034] Step 6: If there are any remaining frequencies, return to Step 4.

[0035] Step 7: If the end of the slice list has not been reached, return to Step 2.

[0036] Step 8: Perform legacy cell reselection.

[0037] However, existing 3GPP specifications do not explain how a UE should determine whether the highest-ranked cell supports the selected network slice. In a simple technique, the cell broadcasts its own network slice support. In this technique, the UE measures the frequency and attempts to obtain the system information of the highest-ranked cell and (similar to step 2) determines whether the selected slice is supported (or not) by the highest-ranked cell. Furthermore, it is difficult to assume that a cell's slice / slice group support can be broadcast within SIB1 (to avoid making the size of System Information Block #1 ("SIB1") too large), and the UE may need to obtain other System Information Blocks ("SIBs") of neighboring cells to determine the same thing. If the highest-ranked cell does not actually support the selected slice, the UE must repeat the procedure (down the order) until the highest-ranked cell on some other frequency supports one of the selected slices. This is not an optimal solution because it involves the UE performing hit-and-trial on many frequencies / cells, draining the UE's battery before it finds a cell that supports the selected slice.

[0038] In light of the above, a solution to demonstrate network slice support for serving cells and neighboring cells is needed to address the following issues.

[0039] A) Supports cell reselection based on slices, defines mechanisms and signaling that assist in cell reselection, and broadcasts supported slice information for the current cell and neighboring cells, as well as cell reselection priority for each slice, within system information messages.

[0040] B) Support cell reselection based on slices, define mechanisms and signaling that include assisting cell reselection, and include slice information (with information similar to that in system information ("SI") messages) in the RRCRelease message.

[0041] According to the first solution, an indexing method is used such that repetition of different information elements, such as frequency, slice, and / or Cell identity (PCI, CellIdentity), does not need to consume as many bits as the original information. In a further implementation of the first solution, the first index (i.e., "000") is reserved for serving frequencies. Therefore, the first row of the mapping table does not need to be signaled.

[0042] In another implementation of the first solution, the first index (i.e., "00000") is reserved to indicate the same slice support as the serving cell. Therefore, if frequency F2 also supports the same slice group (as the serving cell), frequency F2 indicates the slice group as "00000".

[0043] According to the second solution, slice information for neighboring cells for each slice group Slice_i that is supported by any adjacent cell / frequency is indicated using any combination of the following three pieces of information (for example, within System Information Block #4 ("SIB4") or within the RRCRelease message): a) firstly, the indication ("same-as-indication") used for each slice (slice group), b) a frequency list without exceptions, and / or c) a frequency list with exceptions.

[0044] The third solution extends the second solution by using frequency-based optimization.

[0045] According to the fourth solution, an on-demand system information request is used to request slice information for one or more slice groups. The network then signals slice information for the requested slice groups, including an optional list of Cell identities that do not support the corresponding slice groups. In one example, this is done simply by extending the SI-RequestConfig within SIB1. The fourth solution is also applicable to dedicated SI requests.

[0046] Figure 1 shows a wireless communication system 100 to illustrate network slice support for serving cells and neighboring cells according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In one embodiment, the wireless communication system 100 includes at least one remote unit 105, a radio access network ("RAN") 120, and a mobile core network 140. The RAN 120 and the mobile core network 140 form a mobile communication network. The RAN 120 may consist of a base unit 121 with which the remote unit 105 communicates using a wireless communication link 123. Although a specific number of remote units 105, base units 121, wireless communication links 123, RAN 120, and mobile core network 140 are shown in Figure 1, a person skilled in the art will recognize that any number of remote units 105, base units 121, wireless communication links 123, RAN 120, and mobile core network 140 may be included in the wireless communication system 100.

[0047] In one implementation, RAN 120 conforms to a 5G cellular system as defined in the 3GPP specification. For example, RAN 120 may be a next-generation radio access network ("NG-RAN") implementing NR radio access technology ("RAT") and / or Long-Term Evolution ("LTE") RAT. In another example, RAN 120 may include a non-3GPP RAT (e.g., Wi-Fi® or a WLAN compliant with the IEEE 802.11 family). In yet another implementation, RAN 120 conforms to an LTE system as defined in the 3GPP specification. However, more broadly, the wireless communication system 100 may implement any other open or proprietary communication network, among other things, such as Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access ("WiMAX") or standards of the IEEE 802.16 family. This disclosure is not intended to be limited to any specific wireless communication system architecture or protocol implementation.

[0048] In one embodiment, the remote unit 105 may include computing devices such as desktop computers, laptop computers, personal digital assistants ("PDAs"), tablet computers, smartphones, smart televisions (e.g., Internet-connected televisions), smart home appliances (e.g., Internet-connected home appliances), set-top boxes, game consoles, security systems (including security cameras), in-vehicle computers, and network devices (e.g., routers, switches, modems). In some embodiments, the remote unit 105 includes wearable devices such as smartwatches, fitness bands, and optical head-mounted displays. Furthermore, the remote unit 105 may be referred to as a UE, subscriber unit, mobile phone, mobile station, user, terminal, mobile terminal, fixed terminal, subscriber station, user terminal, wireless transmit / receive unit ("WTRU"), device, or other terms used in the art. In various embodiments, the remote unit 105 includes a subscriber identity and / or identification module ("SIM") and a mobile device ("ME") that provides mobile termination functions (e.g., radio transmission, handover, voice coding and decoding, error detection and correction, signaling, and access to the SIM). In certain embodiments, the remote unit 105 may include a terminal device ("TE") and / or be incorporated into a consumer electronics or device (e.g., the computing device described above).

[0049] The remote unit 105 may communicate directly with one or more base units 121 in the RAN 120 by uplink ("UL") and downlink ("DL") communication signals. Furthermore, the UL and DL communication signals may be carried over a wireless communication link 123. In addition, the UL communication signals may include one or more uplink channels, such as a physical uplink control channel ("PUCCH") and / or a physical uplink sharing channel ("PUSCH"), while the DL communication signals may include one or more DL channels, such as a physical downlink control channel ("PDCCH") and / or a physical downlink sharing channel ("PDSCH"). Here, the RAN 120 is an intermediate network that provides the remote unit 105 with access to the mobile core network 140.

[0050] In various embodiments, the remote units 105 may communicate directly with each other using sidelink communication (not shown in Figure 1) (for example, device-to-device communication). Here, sidelink transmission may take place over sidelink resources. The remote units 105 may be provided with different sidelink communication resources according to different allocation modes. As used herein, “resource pool” refers to a set of resources allocated for sidelink operation. The resource pool consists of a set of resource blocks (i.e., physical resource blocks ("PRBs")) on one or more time units (e.g., orthogonal frequency division multiplexing ("OFDM") symbols, subframes, slots, subslots, etc.). In some embodiments, the set of resource blocks includes a contiguous PRB in the frequency domain. As used herein, a PRB consists of 12 contiguous subcarriers in the frequency domain.

[0051] In some embodiments, the remote unit 105 communicates with the application server 151 via a network connection to the mobile core network 140. For example, an application 107 within the remote unit 105 (e.g., a web browser, media client, telephone, and / or Voice over Internet Protocol ("VoIP") application) may trigger the remote unit 105 to establish a Protocol Data Unit ("PDU") session (or Packet Data Network ("PDN") connection) with the mobile core network 140 via the RAN 120. The PDU session represents a logical connection between the remote unit 105 and the User Plane Function ("UPF") 141. The mobile core network 140 then uses the PDU session (or other data connection) to relay traffic between the remote unit 105 and the application server 151 in the Packet Data Network 150.

[0052] To establish a PDU session (or PDN connection), the remote unit 105 must register with the mobile core network 140 (also referred to as "attaching to the mobile core network" in the context of fourth-generation ("4G") systems). Note that the remote unit 105 may establish one or more PDU sessions (or other data connections) with the mobile core network 140. Thus, the remote unit 105 may have at least one PDU session for communicating with the packet data network 150. The remote unit 105 may establish additional PDU sessions for communicating with other data networks and / or other communication peers.

[0053] In the context of a 5G system ("5GS"), the term "PDU session" refers to a data connection that provides an end-to-end user plane ("UP") connection between a remote unit 105 and a specific data network ("DN") via UPF 141. A PDU session supports one or more quality of service ("QoS") flows. In certain embodiments, a one-to-one mapping may exist between QoS flows and QoS profiles such that all packets belonging to a particular QoS flow have the same 5G QoS identifier ("5QI").

[0054] In the context of 4G / LTE systems such as Evolved Packet Systems ("EPS"), a PDN connection (also called an EPS session) provides an E2E UP connection between a remote unit and the PDN. The PDN connection procedure establishes a tunnel between the EPS bearer, i.e., the remote unit 105, and the PDN gateway ("PGW", not shown in Figure 1) in the mobile core network 140. In certain embodiments, a one-to-one mapping exists between the EPS bearer and the QoS profile such that all packets belonging to a particular EPS bearer have the same QoS class identifier ("QCI").

[0055] The base units 121 may be geographically distributed. In certain embodiments, the base units 121 may also be referred to as access terminals, access points, bases, base stations, node B ("NB"), evolved node B (abbreviated as eNodeB or "eNB," also known as Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network ("E-UTRAN") node B), 5G / NR node B ("gNB"), home node B, relay node, RAN node, or any other term used in the art. The base units 121 are generally part of a RAN, such as RAN 120, which may include one or more controllers coupled to one or more corresponding base units 121 for communication. These and other elements of the radio access network are not shown but are generally well known to those skilled in the art. The base units 121 connect to the mobile core network 140 via RAN 120.

[0056] The base unit 121 may serve a number of remote units 105 within a serving area, for example, a cell or a sector of a cell, via a wireless communication link 123. The base unit 121 may communicate directly with one or more of the remote units 105 by communication signals. Generally, the base unit 121 transmits DL communication signals to serve the remote units 105 in the time, frequency, and / or spatial domains. Furthermore, the DL communication signals may be carried over the wireless communication link 123. The wireless communication link 123 may be any suitable carrier of the radio spectrum, whether licensed or unlicensed. The wireless communication link 123 facilitates communication between one or more of the remote units 105 and / or one or more of the base units 121.

[0057] To facilitate the demonstration of network slice support for serving cells and neighboring cells, the base unit 121 transmits slice information 125 to the remote unit 105, which then uses the slice information to perform cell selection (or cell re-selection). In various embodiments, the base unit 121 encodes the slice information 125 using an indexing scheme, as described in more detail below. As a result, the remote unit 105 uses the indexing scheme to derive the complete slice information from the encoded information transmitted by the base unit 121.

[0058] Note that during NR operation on an unlicensed spectrum (referred to as "NR-U"), the base unit 121 and the remote unit 105 communicate over an unlicensed (i.e., shared) radio spectrum. Similarly, during LTE operation on an unlicensed spectrum (referred to as "LTE-U"), the base unit 121 and the remote unit 105 also communicate over an unlicensed (i.e., shared) radio spectrum.

[0059] In one embodiment, the mobile core network 140 is a 5G core network ("5GC") or evolved packet core ("EPC") which may be coupled to a packet data network 150, such as the Internet and a private data network, among other data networks. The remote unit 105 may be subscribed to or otherwise accounted for by the mobile core network 140. In various embodiments, each mobile core network 140 belongs to a single mobile network operator ("MNO") and / or a public land mobile network ("PLMN"). This disclosure is not intended to be limited to any particular wireless communication system architecture or protocol implementation.

[0060] The mobile core network 140 includes several network functions ("NF"). As shown, the mobile core network 140 includes at least one UPF 141. The mobile core network 140 also includes several control plane ("CP") functions, including but not limited to an Access and Mobility Management Function ("AMF") 143, a Session Management Function ("SMF") 145, a Policy Control Function ("PCF") 147, a Unified Data Management Function ("UDM"), and a User Data Repository ("UDR"), which serve the RAN 120. In some embodiments, the UDM is located in the same place as the UDR and is shown as a combined entity "UDM / UDR" 149. While certain numbers and types of network functions are shown in Figure 1, those skilled in the art will acknowledge that any number and types of network functions may be included in the mobile core network 140.

[0061] UPF 141 is responsible for routing and forwarding packets for interconnecting data networks ("DNs") in a 5G architecture, packet inspection, QoS processing, and external PDU sessions. AMF 143 is responsible for terminating NAS signaling, NAS encryption and integrity protection, registration management, connectivity management, mobility management, access authentication and authorization, and security context management. SMF 145 is responsible for session management (i.e., session establishment, modification, and release), allocation and management of Internet Protocol ("IP") addresses for remote units (i.e., UEs), DL data notification, and traffic steering configuration for UPF 141 for proper traffic routing.

[0062] PCF 147 is responsible for a unified policy framework, providing policy rules to CP functions, and access / subscribe information for policy decisions in the UDR. The UDM is responsible for generating Authentication and Key Agreement (AKA) credentials, user identification, access authorization, and subscriber management. The UDR is a repository of subscriber information and may be used to serve many network functions. For example, the UDR may store subscriber data, policy-related data, and subscriber-related data that is permitted to be exposed to third-party applications.

[0063] In various embodiments, the mobile core network 140 may also include a Network Repository Function ("NRF") (which provides registration and discovery of Network Function ("NF") services, enabling NFs to identify appropriate services from one another and communicate with each other via Application Programming Interfaces ("APIs")), a Network Exposure Function ("NEF") (which is responsible for ensuring that network data and resources are readily accessible to customers and network partners), an Authentication Server Function ("AUSF"), or other NFs defined for 5GC. Where present, the AUSF may act as an Authentication Server and / or Authentication Proxy, thereby enabling the AMF 143 to authenticate the remote unit 105. In certain embodiments, the mobile core network 140 may also include an Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting ("AAA") server.

[0064] In various embodiments, the mobile core network 140 supports different types of mobile data connections and different types of network slices, with each mobile data connection utilizing a specific network slice. Here, “network slice” refers to a portion of the mobile core network 140 optimized for a particular type of traffic or communication service. For example, one or more network slices may be optimized for enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) services. Another example is that one or more network slices may be optimized for ultra-high reliability low latency (URLLC) services. In other examples, network slices may be optimized for machine-type communication (MTC) services, massive MTC (mMTC) services, or Internet of Things (IoT) services. In yet another example, network slices may be deployed for specific application services, vertical services, or specific use cases.

[0065] Network slice instances are identified by S-NSSAI, while the set of network slices authorized for use by the remote unit 105 is identified by Network Slice Selection Support Information ("NSSAI"). Here, "NSSAI" refers to a vector value containing one or more S-NSSAI values. In certain embodiments, various network slices may contain separate instances of network functions such as SMF 145 and UPF 141. In some embodiments, different network slices may share some common network functions such as AMF 143. For simplicity of illustration, different network slices are not shown in Figure 1, but their support is assumed.

[0066] Operations, Administration and Maintenance ("OAM") 160 is involved in the operation, administration, supervision, and maintenance of System 100. "Operations" includes automated monitoring of the environment, fault detection and determination, and alerting administrators. "Administration" includes collecting performance statistics, accounting for data for billing purposes, capacity planning using usage data, and maintaining system reliability. Administration may also include maintaining a service database used to determine periodic billing. "Maintenance" includes upgrades, fixes, enabling new features, backup and restore, and monitoring media health. In certain embodiments, OAM 160 may also be involved in provisioning, i.e., setting up user accounts, devices, and services.

[0067] Figure 1 shows the components of the 5G RAN and 5G core network, but the embodiments described to illustrate network slice support for serving cells and neighboring cells apply to other types of communication networks and RATs, including variants of IEEE 802.11, the Global System for Mobile Communications ("GSM," i.e., 2G digital cellular networks), General Purpose Packet Radio Service ("GPRS"), Universal Mobile Communications System ("UMTS"), variants of LTE, CDMA2000, Bluetooth, ZigBee, Sigfox, and others.

[0068] Furthermore, in an LTE variant where the mobile core network 140 is the EPC, the network functions shown may be replaced by appropriate EPC entities such as a Mobility Management Entity ("MME"), Serving Gateway ("SGW"), PGW, and Home Subscriber Server ("HSS"). For example, the AMF 143 may be mapped to the MME, the SMF 145 to the control plane portion of the PGW and / or the MME, the UPF 141 to the user plane portions of the SGW and PGW, and the UDM / UDR 149 to the HSS.

[0069] In the following description, the term “RAN node” is used for base station / base unit, but it may be replaced by any other radio access node, such as gNB, ng-eNB, eNB, base station ("BS"), base station unit, access point ("AP"), NR BS, 5G NB, transmission and reception point ("TRP"), etc. Furthermore, the term “UE” is used for mobile station / remote unit, but it may be replaced by any other remote device, such as remote unit, MS, ME, etc. In addition, the operation is described primarily in the context of 5G NR. However, the solutions / methods described below are also applicable to other mobile communication systems that demonstrate network slice support for serving cells and neighboring cells.

[0070] Figure 2 shows an NR protocol stack 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 shows a UE 205, a RAN node 210, and an AMF 215 in the 5G core network ("5GC"), which represent a set of remote units 105 that interact with the base unit 121 and the mobile core network 140. As shown, the NR protocol stack 200 includes a user plane protocol stack 201 and a control plane protocol stack 203. The user plane protocol stack 201 includes a physical ("PHY") layer 220, a medium access control ("MAC") sublayer 225, a radio link control ("RLC") sublayer 230, a packet data convergence protocol ("PDCP") sublayer 235, and a service data adaptation protocol ("SDAP") sublayer 240. The control plane protocol stack 203 includes the PHY layer 220, MAC sublayer 225, RLC sublayer 230, and PDCP sublayer 235. The control plane protocol stack 203 also includes the Radio Resource Control ("RRC") layer 245 and the NAS layer 250.

[0071] The AS layer 255 of the user plane protocol stack 201 (also called the “AS protocol stack”) consists of at least the SDAP, PDCP, RLC, and MAC sublayers, as well as the physical layer. The AS layer 260 of the control plane protocol stack 203 consists of at least the RRC, PDCP, RLC, MAC sublayer, and the physical layer. Layer 2 (“L2”) is divided into the SDAP, PDCP, RLC, and MAC sublayers. Layer 3 (“L3”) includes the RRC layer 245 and NAS layer 250 of the control plane, and, for example, the IP layer and / or PDU layer (not shown) of the user plane. L1 and L2 are referred to as “lower layers,” while L3 and above (e.g., transport layer, application layer) are referred to as “higher layers” or “upper layers.”

[0072] The PHY layer 220 provides a transport channel to the MAC sublayer 225. The PHY layer 220 may perform a beam fault detection procedure using an energy detection threshold, as described herein. In certain embodiments, the PHY layer 220 may transmit beam fault indications to the MAC entity of the MAC sublayer 225. The MAC sublayer 225 provides a logical channel to the RLC sublayer 230. The RLC sublayer 230 provides an RLC channel to the PDCP sublayer 235. The PDCP sublayer 235 provides radio bearers to the SDAP sublayer 240 and / or the RRC layer 245. The SDAP sublayer 240 provides QoS flows to the core network (e.g., 5GC). The RRC layer 245 provides functions for adding, modifying, and releasing carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity. Additionally, RRC Layer 245 manages the establishment, configuration, maintenance, and release of signaling radio bearers ("SRBs") and data radio bearers ("DRBs").

[0073] The NAS layer 250 is located between the UE 205 and the AMF 215 within the 5GC. NAS messages are passed transparently through the RAN. The NAS layer 250 manages the establishment of communication sessions and is used to maintain continuous communication with the UE 205 as it moves between different cells in the RAN. In contrast, the AS layers 255 and 260 are located between the UE 205 and the RAN (i.e., the RAN node 210) and carry information through the wireless portion of the network. Although not shown in Figure 2, the IP layer is located above the NAS layer 250, the transport layer is located above the IP layer, and the application layer is located above the transport layer.

[0074] MAC sublayer 225 is the lowest sublayer in the L2 architecture of the NR protocol stack. MAC sublayer 225 is connected to the PHY layer 220 below via the transport channel, and to the RLC sublayer 230 above via the logical channel. Thus, MAC sublayer 225 performs multiplexing and multiplexing / demultiplexing between the logical channel and the transport channel; that is, the transmitting MAC sublayer 225 constructs a MAC PDU (also known as a transport block ("TB")) from MAC service data units ("SDU") received via the logical channel, and the receiving MAC sublayer 225 recovers a MAC SDU from a MAC PDU received via the transport channel.

[0075] The MAC sublayer 225 provides data transfer services for the RLC sublayer 230 via a logical channel that is either a control logic channel carrying control data (e.g., RRC signaling) or a traffic logic channel carrying user plane data. Meanwhile, data from the MAC sublayer 225 is exchanged with the PHY layer 220 via transport channels classified as UL or DL. The data is multiplexed onto the transport channels depending on how it is transmitted wirelessly in the air.

[0076] PHY layer 220 is responsible for the actual transmission of data and control information over the radio interface; that is, PHY layer 220 carries all information from the MAC transport channel over the transmitting radio interface. Some of the key functions performed by PHY layer 220 include coding and modulation, link adaptation (e.g., Adaptive Modulation and Coding ("AMC")), power control, cell discovery and random access (for initial synchronization and handover), and other measurements (within and between 3GPP systems (i.e., NR and / or LTE systems)) for RRC layer 245. PHY layer 220 performs transmissions based on transmission parameters such as modulation scheme, coding rate (i.e., Modulation Coding Scheme ("MCS")), and number of physical resource blocks.

[0077] Figure 3 shows a mobile cell configuration 300 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In the embodiment shown, serving cell A 305 is adjacent to neighboring cells B1 310, B2 315, B3 320, B4 325, B5 330, and B6 335. Each of serving cell A 305 and neighboring cells 310-335 operates on a carrier frequency, but as is considered herein, each cell may support multiple network slices, each network slice corresponding to a different carrier frequency. Furthermore, the same network slice may not correspond to the same carrier frequency in one cell and another.

[0078] As shown in Figure 3, serving cell A 305 for UE 205 has six (up to 32) neighboring cells that may be on three (up to eight) different frequencies. Therefore, repeating the frequency information element 18 times with 22 bits each would be a waste of radio resources. Note that the 3GPP specification states that a serving cell may have up to 32 neighboring cells that may be on up to eight different frequencies. The disclosed solution optimizes the signaling method that allows a cell (e.g., a serving cell) to signal supported slices in neighboring cells (e.g., using broadcast or dedicated signaling).

[0079] One explanation of the concept of network slicing is as follows: 5G network slicing is a network architecture that enables the multiplexing of virtualized, independent logical networks on the same physical network infrastructure. Each network slice is an isolated end-to-end network tailored to meet the diverse requirements demanded by a particular application.

[0080] Therefore, this technology plays a central role in supporting 5G mobile networks, which are designed to efficiently encompass an abundance of services with vastly different service level requirements ("SLR"). Realizing this service-oriented view of the network utilizes the concepts of software-defined networking ("SDN" and "NFV"), which enable the implementation of flexible and scalable network slices on top of a common network infrastructure.

[0081] Furthermore, strong demand for wireless communications is anticipated in vertical markets as connectivity and mobility drive transformation and innovation across industries such as manufacturing, transportation, energy and public services, healthcare, and many others. These diverse vertical services bring about a wide range of performance requirements, including throughput, capacity, latency, mobility, reliability, and location accuracy. NR technology promises a common RAN platform to address current and future use cases and service challenges. Moreover, the network slicing achievements of Rel-15 further advance network architectures toward greater flexibility and scalability for a multitude of services with entirely different requirements.

[0082] While the Rel-15 specification may provide the foundation for a common connectivity platform for various services, Rel-17 should see further efforts made to extend RAN support for network slicing, making it a tool that network operators can apply to address the challenge of developing new revenue streams in addition to revenue streams derived from customer subscriptions. More specifically, the new outcomes should provide network operators with technical tools in RAN to involve application providers in customizing the design, deployment, and operation of RAN to better support the application provider's business.

[0083] As described above, the determination of the UE of a slice supported by a neighboring cell that may be the highest-ranked cell at a given frequency is unclear. Therefore, the following solution supports slice-based cell reselection and specifies a mechanism and signaling that includes a) supporting cell reselection by broadcasting supported slice information for the current cell and neighboring cells, as well as cell reselection priority for each slice, within a system information message, and b) supporting cell reselection by including slice information (with similar information to that in the SI message) in the RRCRelease message.

[0084] With regard to slice-specific cell selection (or re-selection), it is possible for (appropriate) cells on the same frequency belonging to different tracking areas ("TA") to support different network slices. Therefore, with regard to cell re-selection, the UE cannot blindly assume that slice support on a frequency is uniform, i.e., that all cells on a frequency support the same set of slices. Thus, it may not be sufficient for a serving cell to broadcast slice support only with respect to adjacent frequencies, and the UE must determine whether the highest-ranked cell supports the selected slice (i.e., the slice from step 2 of the cell (re)selection procedure described above).

[0085] Therefore, in order to improve slice-based cell reselection, the following signaling means are described herein for signaling slice information of the current cell and neighboring cells, as well as the cell reselection priority (of the frequency supporting the slice) for each slice, within the system information and RRCRelease messages.

[0086] This disclosure uses the terms “slice information” and “slice support” as defined below.

[0087] The term "slice information" is defined as a mapping of frequency priorities for each slice (slice → frequency → absolute priority of each frequency), and therefore may consist of these three elements: slice, frequency, and absolute frequency priority. In other embodiments, slice information consists of a subset of these three elements: slice, frequency, and absolute frequency priority. Slice information (for a slice or slice group) may be provided to UEs in the RAN using broadcast and / or dedicated signaling. Slice information may be provided with respect to serving frequencies and adjacent frequencies.

[0088] The term "slice support" is used herein to mean only the slices / slice groups supported within a particular cell (serving cell or neighboring cell). Therefore, slice support is not defined in terms of frequency, but rather in terms of the cell.

[0089] Even if only the terms “slice” or “slice group” appear here and there, the majority or all of this disclosure applies equally to slices and slice groups hereafter. In that sense, the disclosed methods are applicable to both, for example, slice A and slice group A, but generally, slice group A may include two or more slices, or may not include slice A.

[0090] In the following embodiments, only RRC-based signaling (e.g., broadcast or RRCRelease) is mentioned, but NAS-based signaling (e.g., signaling used in NAS registration procedures) can also utilize the disclosed optimizations.

[0091] According to the first embodiment of the solution, an indexing scheme (i.e., indexing method) is used such that repetition of different information elements, such as frequency, slice, and / or Cell Identity (PCI, CellIdentity), does not need to consume as many bits as the original information. Here, "PCI" refers to Physical Cell Identity (e.g., PhysCellId as defined in 3GPP TS 38.331), and CellIdentity refers to a 36-bit global cell identity as defined in 3GPP TS 38.331.

[0092] Figure 4 shows procedure 400 for using the indexing scheme according to the embodiment of the first solution. Procedure 400 involves a network entity, such as the indicated RAN node 210, and at least one UE represented by UE 205. The procedure call flow is as follows:

[0093] In step 1, RAN node 210 (i.e., associated with the serving cell) determines the configuration of the adjacent cell (see block 405). It is assumed that RAN node 210 is already aware of the configuration of the serving cell (i.e., which network slices are supported and at what carrier frequencies those network slices are supported).

[0094] In the example in Figure 3, it is assumed that RAN node 210 associated with serving cell A 305 operates at least on carrier frequency F1 and supports at least slice A. Assuming a frequency reuse factor of 4, neighboring cells B1 310 and B4 325 may operate at carrier frequency F2, neighboring cells B2 315 and B5 330 may operate at carrier frequency F3, and neighboring cells B3 320 and B6 335 may operate at carrier frequency F4.

[0095] Returning to Figure 4, in some embodiments, the RAN node 210 determines the configuration of the neighboring cell and the corresponding slice information based on at least one of the following: the OAM configuration, a self-optimizing network report from one or more UEs, the Xn interface between the serving cell (e.g., serving cell A 305) and the neighboring cell, or a combination thereof.

[0096] In step 2, the RAN node 210 determines slice information for both the serving cell and its neighboring cells based on the respective configurations of those cells (see block 410). Here, the slice information includes at least an identifier for a set of supported slices (or supported slice groups) and a set of carrier frequencies corresponding to each supported slice (or supported slice group). In some embodiments, the slice information further includes an absolute priority value for each frequency in the set of carrier frequencies.

[0097] In step 3, the RAN node 210 transmits (e.g., broadcasts) the determined slice information to the serving cell using an indexing scheme, while each UE 205 is configured to receive (encoded) slice information from the RAN node 210 (see messaging 415).

[0098] In step 4, UE 205 uses an indexing scheme to derive the complete (i.e., decoded) slice information (see block 420). Various indexing schemes are described in the following solutions.

[0099] In step 5, the UE performs cell reselection (i.e., RRC Idle cell reselection and / or RRC Inactive cell reselection) using the complete slice information (see block 425).

[0100] The use of an indexing scheme allows the RAN node 210 to compress slice information, i.e., encode slice information using fewer bits than the original representation. In some embodiments, the indexing scheme is used to signal at least a set of carrier frequencies. In other embodiments, the indexing scheme may be used to indicate slice (or slice group) identifiers and / or frequency priority values.

[0101] According to the first example, the NR frequency is defined using an INTEGER type ARFCN-ValueNR (i.e., from 3GPP TS 38.331) with values ​​within the range (0..maxNARFCN). maxNARFCN is 3,279,165, and therefore the signaling of the "frequency" requires 22 bits, where "ARFCN" refers to the "Absolute Radio Frequency Carrier Number". A serving cell can have up to 8 neighboring cells on an inter-frequency. Therefore, instead of signaling 22 × 8 bits, the network may use an indexing method such as in Table 1.

[0102] [Table 1]

[0103] In one implementation, the above table is included in SIB4. However, the above Table 1 does not necessarily have to be a new list in SIB4, or in a new SIB if a new SIB is used to signal slice information. Rather, the above Table 1 may be realized as the current list of inter-frequency neighbors (InterFreqCarrierFreqList) from SIB4, regardless of whether SIB4, a new SIB, or an RRCRelease message is used to signal slice information. If the current list of inter-frequency neighbors includes Table 1, the UE takes note of the order in which the frequencies appear in the list of SIB4 (InterFreqCarrierFreqList) and implicitly begins indexing the first frequency appearing in the list from 0 (or 1 if the enhancements used, further mentioned using code point "000"), and continues indexing the next frequency appearing, and so on.

[0104] In the first embodiment of the first solution, the frequencies are enumerated in exactly the same way as in Table 1 (for example, in broadcast or dedicated signaling). Furthermore, all references to a particular frequency (e.g., F3) are made using the corresponding index value (i.e., index = 2 in this case). If the frequency F3 in the above example appears twice, this provides a 19-bit (22 bits - 3 bits for signaling 8 index values) saving.

[0105] In a second embodiment of the first solution, Table 1 is not explicitly used; rather, indexing is performed implicitly. Table 2 shows exemplary slice information for cells when indexing is performed implicitly.

[0106] [Table 2]

[0107] The first occurrence of each frequency is signaled using the entire 22 bits in Table 2. However, all repetitions of already occurring frequencies are done using an index with a value corresponding to the order in which that frequency appears in Table 2. Thus, in this table, the first occurrences of carrier frequencies F1, F2, and F3 are signaled using the entire 22 bits, but the second occurrence of F1 (corresponding to the first entry of F1 in slice B) will use an index—and since F1 is the first to appear in the table, the value of the 3-bit index will be "000".

[0108] To illustrate further, another example is given in Table 3, where the second occurrence of F2 (corresponding to the first entry of F2 in slice B) will use an index—and since F2 appears second in the table (after F1), the 3-bit index value will be "001".

[0109] [Table 3]

[0110] In one further enhancement, the first index (i.e., "000") is reserved for the serving frequency. If so, the first row of Table 1 does not need to be signaled. Table 4 is an example of the modified table.

[0111] [Table 4]

[0112] Therefore, whenever the index corresponding to any slice of slice information appears as "000", this refers to the serving frequency (of the cell where the UE is camped, system information is being read, or the UE is RRC Connected). The code point "000" is merely an example and could be one of the other code points.

[0113] Figure 5 shows the contents of an S-NSSAI according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. A slice is identified by an S-NSSAI, which is defined as including a slice / service type ("SST") and optionally a slice differentiater ("SD"). The SST is an 8-bit field that indicates, for example, the expected behavior of the network slice in terms of features and / or services. The purpose of the SD is to distinguish between multiple instances of network slices having the same SST. For example, different "tenants" may be distinguished using the SD. The SD is a 24-bit field. Thus, slice signaling can consume up to 32 bits.

[0114] In the second example, the network may support the concept of slice groups, where a slice group consists of one or more slices, and each slice belongs to only one slice group, with each slice group uniquely identified by a slice group identifier. This avoids exposing slice identities (S-NSSAI) within system information (a concern for security and the size of the SI). Such slice grouping and the signaling of slice group identities, known as ISE, are indicated within the NAS signaling to the UE. This applies equally to "slices" and "slice groups," even though only "slices" appear in many places. The following example uses slice groups (rather than individual slices), assuming that the number of slice groups is very small compared to the number of slices. To begin with, the following assumes a total of 32 slice groups.

[0115] [Table 5]

[0116] In the first embodiment of the slice information illustrated in Table 5, slice groups are enumerated in exactly the same way as in Table 5 (for example, in broadcast or dedicated signaling). Furthermore, all references to a particular slice group (for example, "C") are made using the corresponding index value (i.e., index = 2 in this case).

[0117] In a second embodiment of the slice information illustrated in Table 5, Table 5 is not explicitly used; rather, indexing is performed implicitly.

[0118] [Table 6]

[0119] If the cell slice information looks like Table 6 above, the reappearance of slice group A will be signaled using the index value rather than S-NSSAI.

[0120] In one further enhancement, the first index (i.e., "00000") is reserved to indicate the same slice support as the serving cell. Therefore, if F2 also supports the same slice group (as the serving cell), F2 will indicate the slice group as "00000". The code point "00000" is merely an example and could be one of several other code points.

[0121] [Table 7]

[0122] If the serving cell supports slice groups M and N (not shown in Table 7), and the corresponding frequency priorities of the serving frequencies for these two slice groups, i.e., Pr and Ps, remain the same, then even Pr and Ps may not be signaled; otherwise, they must be signaled.

[0123] According to the third example (Example 3), signaling for Cell identity may be optimized in the same way as with respect to NR frequencies in Example 1, that is, both implementations based on explicit indexing and implementations based on implicit indexing are applicable to optimized signaling for Cell identity.

[0124] According to the second embodiment of the solution, the first slice support of the serving cell is shown, i.e., the serving cell enumerates the slice support along with the corresponding frequency priority (for example, within System Information Block #2 ("SIB2")). Slice A - Priority p • Slice B - Priority q

[0125] Further slice information for neighboring cells for each adjacent frequency (Fi) is shown (for example, in SIB4 or RRCRelease message) as follows:

[0126] First, an indication ("same-as-indication") is used for each adjacent frequency or serving frequency—which indicates whether the slice support, or even slice information, is the same as that of the serving cell or one of the other adjacent frequencies. This can use a 3-bit indication, as in Table 4, where index "000" indicates slice support for the serving cell.

[0127] If same-as-indication is not possible, then with respect to frequency, one or both of the following indications may be used: a) a list of slices without exceptions (this list enumerates slices with corresponding priorities, e.g., slices A_Pi, B_Pq), and / or b) a list of slices with exceptions (this list enumerates slices with corresponding priorities, e.g., slice C_Pr, and enumerates Cell identities on frequency Fi that do not support slice C).

[0128] In the first implementation, the same-as-indication frequency is used only as the baseline, and all three types of information (i.e., "same-as-indication", "slice list without exceptions", and "slice list with exceptions") can be used so that the other two slice lists can add or replace some information on top of the baseline.

[0129] Optimizations from the first solution may be used when signaling the values ​​of NR frequency, slice / slice group, and cell identity. In one example of the first implementation, the parameter ARFCN-Index uses explicit indexing, as shown in Figure 6A.

[0130] Figure 6A shows an example of an Abstract Syntax Notation #1 ("ASN.1") structure for a SliceInfo information element ("IE") as described above. The example in Figure 6A corresponds to the first implementation of the first solution above. The parameter ARFCN-Index corresponds to the index of the order of frequency occurrences in the Frequency-List. "maxSliceGroup" can be defined as 32 or any other integer value. Note that the shown SliceInfo IE may be contained in System Information Block #4 ("SIB4").

[0131] The same can be achieved using a second implementation of the first solution, where the parameter ARFCN-Index uses implicit indexing, as shown in Figure 6B.

[0132] Figure 6B shows an exemplary ASN.1 structure of a SliceInfo information element ("IE") extended according to the description above. The example in Figure 6B corresponds to a second implementation of the first solution above. Note that the SliceInfo IE shown may be included in the SIB4.

[0133] In the examples in Figures 6A and 6B, the element "Frequency-List" is a list of frequencies that support at least one slice (or slice group). The list "Frequency-List" may also be called the inter-frequency neighbor cell list, or the (prioritized) frequency list for slicing. Therefore, the element "Frequency-List" may be implemented using a different name. Furthermore, in the examples in Figures 6A and 6B, the element "SliceInfoNeighCells" contains frequency list information, which may be used to indicate carrier frequency information, for example, as described above in the first solution. In the examples in Figures 6A and 6B, the parameter "sliceGroupId" contains the identity of the slice group.

[0134] According to the third embodiment of the solution, a first slice support for the serving cell is shown, i.e., the serving cell enumerates the slice support (for example, within SIB2) along with the corresponding frequency priority. Slice A - Priority p • Slice B - Priority q

[0135] Further slice information for neighboring cells for each of the supported slices (slice groups) Slice_i on any of the adjacent cells / frequencies is shown (for example, in SIB4 or RRCRelease messages) as follows:

[0136] First, an indication ("same-as-indication") is used for each slice (slice group)—which indicates whether the supported frequencies and, optionally, the priority of the corresponding frequencies are the same as those of one of the other slices (slice groups). This can use a 5-bit indication, as shown in Table 5, if there are 32 defined slice groups.

[0137] If same-as indication cannot be used, one or both of the following indications may be used for the slice group.

[0138] Frequency list without exceptions: This list enumerates all frequencies that support the selected Slice_i, e.g., F1_Pi, F2_Pq, etc., with the corresponding priority of the frequencies (similar to step 2 of the cell reselection behavior based on slices).

[0139] Frequency list with exceptions: This list enumerates all frequencies that support the selected Slice_i (similar to step 2 of the cell reselection behavior based on slices), e.g., F3_Pr, with the corresponding priority of the frequencies, and enumerates the Cell identities on frequency F3 that do not support the selected slice A.

[0140] [Table 8]

[0141] In one implementation, all three types of information (i.e., "same-as-indication," "list of frequencies without exceptions," and "list of frequencies with exceptions") can be used, with the same-as-indication frequency being used only as the baseline, and the other two slice lists being able to add or replace some information on top of the baseline.

[0142] Optimizations from the first solution may be used when signaling the values ​​of NR frequency, slice / slice group, and cell identity.

[0143] Figure 7 shows an exemplary ASN.1 structure of IE SliceInfo according to an embodiment of the third solution. In various embodiments, SliceInfo IE is contained in SIB4. In the shown ASN.1 structure, if same-as-indication is present, the defined slice has exactly the same information content as the slice indicated as same. Furthermore, in some cases, NR-Frequency-index and cellId-index may be used for all repetitions of NR Frequency or cellId in the slice information.

[0144] In the example in Figure 7, the elements "Freq-List-WO-Exception" and "Freq-List-with-Exception" are lists of frequencies that support at least one slice (or slice group). Note that the elements "Freq-List-WO-Exception" and "Freq-List-with-Exception" may be implemented using different names. Furthermore, in the example in Figure 7, the element "SliceInfoNeighCells" contains frequency list information, which may be used to indicate carrier frequency information, for example, as described above in the first solution. In the example in Figure 7, the parameter "SliceGroupId" contains the identity of the slice group. The parameters "cellReselectionPriority" and "cellReselectionSubPriority" refer to the frequency priorities mentioned above.

[0145] The UE may collect information on all slices to know which slices are supported on a given PCI that appears in at least one of the exception lists, and may construct information about the PCIs (or CellIdentities) that appear in the list. When such a PCI turns out to be the highest-ranked cell, the UE can use this knowledge to determine that another higher-priority slice is supported on this cell, and if there are no remaining frequencies for the currently selected slice, it can re-select this slice.

[0146] For example, with respect to a UE that performs cell reselection based on slices, if a cell meets the criteria for cell reselection based on frequency and slice group reselection priority, but does not support a slice group, the UE may re-derive the frequency reselection priority by considering the slice group supported by this cell. Here, the reselection priority may be used until the highest-ranked cell changes on frequency, or a new slice or slice group priority is received from the NAS.

[0147] According to a fourth embodiment of the solution, an on-demand system information request is used to request slice information for one or more slice groups. The network then signals slice information for the requested slice groups, including an optional list of Cell identities that do not support the corresponding slice groups. In one example, this is done simply by extending the SI-RequestConfig in SIB1, as shown in Figure 8.

[0148] Figure 8 shows an exemplary ASN.1 structure of the system information ("SI") request configuration IE extended according to the above description.

[0149] In another implementation, an RRC Connected UE can request slice information about one, more, or all of the nearby supported slices by making a request using a DedicatedSIBRequest message.

[0150] Figure 9 shows a user device 900 that may be used to illustrate network slice support for serving cells and neighboring cells according to embodiments of the present disclosure. In various embodiments, the user device 900 is used to implement one or more of the solutions described above. The user device 900 may be an embodiment of a user endpoint such as the remote unit 105 and / or UE 205 described above. Furthermore, the user device 900 may include a processor 905, memory 910, input device 915, output device 920, and transceiver 925.

[0151] In some embodiments, the input device 915 and the output device 920 are combined into a single device such as a touchscreen. In certain embodiments, the user equipment 900 may not include any input device 915 and / or output device 920. In various embodiments, the user equipment 900 may include one or more of the processor 905, memory 910, and transceiver 925, and may not include the input device 915 and / or output device 920.

[0152] As shown, the transceiver 925 includes at least one transmitter 930 and at least one receiver 935. In some embodiments, the transceiver 925 communicates with one or more cells (or wireless coverage areas) supported by one or more base units 121. In various embodiments, the transceiver 925 is capable of operating in the unlicensed spectrum. Furthermore, the transceiver 925 may include multiple UE panels supporting one or more beams. In addition, the transceiver 925 may support at least one network interface 940 and / or application interface 945. The application interface 945 may support one or more APIs. The network interface 940 may support 3GPP reference points such as Uu, N1, PC5, etc. Other network interfaces 940 may be supported, as will be understood by those skilled in the art.

[0153] In one embodiment, the processor 905 may include any known controller capable of executing computer-readable instructions and / or logical operations. For example, the processor 905 may be a microcontroller, microprocessor, central processing unit ("CPU"), graphics processing unit ("GPU"), auxiliary processing unit, field-programmable gate array ("FPGA"), or similar programmable controller. In some embodiments, the processor 905 executes instructions stored in memory 910 to perform the methods and routines described herein. The processor 905 is coupled to the memory 910, input device 915, output device 920, and transceiver 925 for communication.

[0154] In various embodiments, the processor 905 controls the user equipment 900 to perform the behavior of the UE described above. In certain embodiments, the processor 905 may include an application processor (also known as the “main processor”) that manages the functions of the application domain and the operating system (“OS”), and a baseband processor (also known as the “baseband radio processor”) that manages the radio functions.

[0155] In various embodiments, the processor 905 receives preliminary (i.e., first) slice information from a mobile communication network via the transceiver 925. In various embodiments, the preliminary slice information includes identifiers for each slice group and a set of carrier frequencies corresponding to each slice group, and the preliminary slice information is encoded using an indexing scheme. In certain embodiments, the preliminary slice information further includes absolute priority values ​​for each frequency in the set of carrier frequencies. In some embodiments, the indexing scheme is used to encode at least the set of carrier frequencies. In further embodiments, the indexing scheme may be used to encode slice group identifiers and / or absolute priority values ​​for each frequency in the set of carrier frequencies.

[0156] In some embodiments, to receive preliminary slice information indicated using an indexing scheme, the processor 905 may control the transceiver 925 to receive a system information block or dedicated RRC signaling containing the preliminary slice information. In some embodiments, to receive preliminary slice information indicated using an indexing scheme, the processor 905 uses a predetermined table to determine at least one of the following: A) same / common frequency, B) slice identifier (i.e., S-NSSAI), C) slice group identifier, D) cell identity, or E) a combination thereof.

[0157] In a particular embodiment, to receive preliminary slice information indicated using an indexing scheme, the processor 905 points to a first information element when a second piece of information of the same kind has the same value for all subfields and subparameters. Furthermore, the processor 905 replaces the value of the second piece of information with the actual value of the first information element.

[0158] In some embodiments, in order to determine the complete slice information from the received preliminary slice information, the processor 905 indexes the first occurrence of the first new value with respect to a particular information element type, starting from the integer value "0" or "1". Furthermore, the processor 905 stores (for example, in memory 910) the mapping of the indices to the actual values ​​of the complete slice information elements.

[0159] The processor 905 determines the complete (i.e., second) slice information from the received preliminary slice information. In some embodiments, the processor 905 may control the transceiver 925 to receive a list of carrier frequencies, the indexing scheme including an index value "0" indicating the carrier frequency of the serving cell, an index value "1" indicating the first carrier frequency in the list of carrier frequencies, and an index value "2" indicating the second carrier frequency in the list of carrier frequencies. In certain embodiments, to receive the list of carrier frequencies, the processor 905 may control the transceiver 925 to receive a system information block or dedicated radio resource control signaling.

[0160] In some embodiments, to receive preliminary slice information indicated using an indexing scheme, the processor 905 signals the carrier frequency by referencing an index in a predetermined table (for example, a pre-configured or specification-defined table), and the number of bits required to encode the index is less than the number of bits required to encode the carrier frequency. In certain embodiments, the number of index values ​​in the indexing scheme is greater than the number of entries in the predetermined table, and a particular index value indicates the carrier frequency of a serving cell, while the carrier frequency of a serving cell is not an entry in the predetermined table.

[0161] In some embodiments, in order to determine complete slice information from received preliminary slice information, the processor is configured to cause the device to replace a pointer value for a particular information element with the actual value of the information pointed to. In some embodiments, in order to determine complete slice information from received preliminary slice information, the processor is configured to cause the device to A) increment an index for the first occurrence of the next new value for a particular information element type, and B) store the mapping of the index to the actual value of the information element.

[0162] Processor 905 uses the complete slice information to perform cell reselection (i.e., RRC Idle cell reselection and / or RRC Inactive cell reselection).

[0163] In one embodiment, memory 910 is a computer-readable storage medium. In some embodiments, memory 910 includes a volatile computer storage medium. For example, memory 910 may include RAM including dynamic RAM ("DRAM"), synchronous dynamic RAM ("SDRAM"), and / or static RAM ("SRAM"). In some embodiments, memory 910 includes a non-volatile computer storage medium. For example, memory 910 may include a hard disk drive, flash memory, or any other suitable non-volatile computer storage device. In some embodiments, memory 910 includes both a volatile computer storage medium and a non-volatile computer storage medium.

[0164] In some embodiments, memory 910 stores data related to indicating network slice support for serving cells and neighboring cells. For example, memory 910 may store the parameters, configurations, etc. In certain embodiments, memory 910 also stores program code and related data, such as an operating system or other controller algorithms that run on the user equipment device 900.

[0165] In one embodiment, the input device 915 may include any known computer input device, such as a touch panel, buttons, a keyboard, a stylus, or a microphone. In some embodiments, the input device 915 may be integrated with the output device 920, for example, as a touchscreen or similar touch display. In some embodiments, the input device 915 includes a touchscreen so that text may be entered using a virtual keyboard displayed on the touchscreen and / or by handwriting on the touchscreen. In some embodiments, the input device 915 includes two or more different devices, such as a keyboard and a touch panel.

[0166] In one embodiment, the output device 920 is designed to output visual, auditory, and / or tactile signals. In some embodiments, the output device 920 includes an electronically controllable display or display device that can output visual data to a user. For example, the output device 920 may include, but is not limited to, a liquid crystal display ("LCD"), a light-emitting diode ("LED") display, an organic LED ("OLED") display, a projector, or a similar display device that can output images, text, etc., to a user. In another non-limiting example, the output device 920 may include a wearable display that is separate from the rest of the user equipment device 900 but coupled to communicate with them, such as a smartwatch, smart glasses, or a head-up display. Furthermore, the output device 920 may be a component of a smartphone, personal digital assistant, television, table computer, notebook (laptop) computer, personal computer, or vehicle dashboard.

[0167] In certain embodiments, the output device 920 includes one or more speakers for generating sound. For example, the output device 920 may generate an audible alert or notification (e.g., a beep or chime). In some embodiments, the output device 920 includes one or more haptic devices for generating vibration, motion, or other tactile feedback. In some embodiments, all or part of the output device 920 may be integrated with the input device 915. For example, the input device 915 and the output device 920 may form a touchscreen or similar touch display. In other embodiments, the output device 920 may be located near the input device 915.

[0168] The transceiver 925 communicates with one or more network functions of a mobile communication network via one or more access networks. The transceiver 925 operates under the control of the processor 905 to transmit and receive messages, data, and other signals. For example, the processor 905 may selectively activate the transceiver 925 (or a portion thereof) at specific times to send and receive messages.

[0169] The transceiver 925 includes at least one transmitter 930 and at least one receiver 935. One or more transmitters 930 may be used to provide a UL communication signal, such as a UL transmission as described herein, to the base unit 121. Similarly, one or more receivers 935 may be used to receive a DL communication signal from the base unit 121, as described herein. Although only one transmitter 930 and one receiver 935 are illustrated, the user equipment 900 may have any suitable number of transmitters 930 and receivers 935. Furthermore, the transmitters 930 and receivers 935 may be any suitable type of transmitter and receiver. In one embodiment, the transceiver 925 includes a first transmitter / receiver pair used to communicate with a mobile communication network over a licensed radio spectrum and a second transmitter / receiver pair used to communicate with a mobile communication network over an unlicensed radio spectrum.

[0170] In certain embodiments, a first transmitter / receiver pair used to communicate with a mobile communications network over a licensed radio spectrum, and a second transmitter / receiver pair used to communicate with a mobile communications network over an unlicensed radio spectrum, may be combined into a single transceiver unit, for example, a single chip that performs functions for use in both the licensed and unlicensed radio spectrums. In some embodiments, the first and second transmitter / receiver pairs may share one or more hardware components. For example, a particular transceiver 925, transmitter 930, and receiver 935 may be implemented as physically separate components that access shared hardware and / or software resources, such as a network interface 940.

[0171] In various embodiments, one or more transmitters 930 and / or one or more receivers 935 may be implemented and / or integrated into a single hardware component, such as a multi-transceiver chip, a system-on-a-chip, an application-specific integrated circuit ("ASIC"), or other types of hardware components. In certain embodiments, one or more transmitters 930 and / or one or more receivers 935 may be implemented and / or integrated into a multi-chip module. In some embodiments, other components, such as a network interface 940 or other hardware components / circuits, may be integrated into a single chip together with any number of transmitters 930 and / or receivers 935. In such embodiments, the transmitters 930 and receivers 935 may be logically configured as transceivers 925 using one or more common control signals, or as modular transmitters 930 and receivers 935 implemented within the same hardware chip or multi-chip module.

[0172] Figure 10 shows a network device 1000 that may be used to illustrate network slice support for serving cells and neighboring cells according to embodiments of the present disclosure. In one embodiment, the network device 1000 may be one implementation of a network endpoint such as the base unit 121 and / or RAN node 210 described above. Furthermore, the network device 1000 may include a processor 1005, memory 1010, input device 1015, output device 1020, and transceiver 1025.

[0173] In some embodiments, the input device 1015 and the output device 1020 are combined into a single device such as a touchscreen. In certain embodiments, the network device 1000 may not include any input device 1015 and / or output device 1020. In various embodiments, the network device 1000 may include one or more of the processor 1005, memory 1010, and transceiver 1025, and may not include the input device 1015 and / or output device 1020.

[0174] As shown, the transceiver 1025 includes at least one transmitter 1030 and at least one receiver 1035, where the transceiver 1025 communicates with one or more remote units 105. In addition, the transceiver 1025 may support at least one network interface 1040 and / or application interface 1045. The application interface 1045 may support one or more APIs. The network interface 1040 may support 3GPP reference points such as Uu, N1, N2, and N3. Other network interfaces 1040 may be supported, as will be understood by those skilled in the art.

[0175] In one embodiment, the processor 1005 may include any known controller capable of executing computer-readable instructions and / or logical operations. For example, the processor 1005 may be a microcontroller, microprocessor, CPU, GPU, auxiliary processing unit, FPGA, or similar programmable controller. In some embodiments, the processor 1005 executes instructions stored in memory 1010 to perform the methods and routines described herein. The processor 1005 is coupled to the memory 1010, input device 1015, output device 1020, and transceiver 1025 for communication.

[0176] In various embodiments, the network device 1000 is a RAN node (e.g., gNB) that communicates with one or more UEs, as described herein. In such embodiments, the processor 1005 controls the network device 1000 to perform the RAN behavior described above. When operating as a RAN node, the processor 1005 may include an application processor (also known as the “main processor”) that manages application domain and operating system (“OS”) functions, and a baseband processor (also known as the “baseband radio processor”) that manages radio functions.

[0177] In various embodiments, the processor 1005 determines the configuration of the neighboring cell. In some embodiments, the processor is configured to cause the device to determine the configuration and slice information of the neighboring cell based on at least one of the following: A) OAM configuration, B) self-optimizing network reports from one or more UEs, C) Xn interfaces between the serving cell and the neighboring cell, or D) a combination thereof.

[0178] The processor 1005 determines slice information for the serving cell and adjacent cells. Here, the slice information includes an identifier for each slice group and a set of carrier frequencies corresponding to each slice group. In some embodiments, the slice information also includes an absolute priority value for each frequency in the set of carrier frequencies.

[0179] Through the transceiver 1025, the processor 1005 broadcasts slice information in the serving cell (i.e., to one or more UEs) using an indexing scheme to signal at least a set of carrier frequencies. In some embodiments, to broadcast slice information using an indexing scheme, the processor 1005 uses a predetermined table to indicate at least one of the following: A) the same / common frequency, B) slice identifier (e.g., S-NSSAI), C) slice group identifier, D) cell identity, or E) a combination thereof. In some embodiments, to broadcast slice information using an indexing scheme, the processor 1005 points to a first information element when a second piece of information of the same kind has the same value with respect to all subfields and subparameters.

[0180] In some embodiments, the processor 1005 displays a list of carrier frequencies. In such embodiments, to display a list of carrier frequencies, the processor 1005 may control the transceiver 1025 to broadcast the list of carrier frequencies within a system information block or to transmit the list of carrier frequencies using dedicated radio resource control signaling. In certain embodiments, the indexing scheme includes an index value "0" indicating the carrier frequency of a serving cell, an index value "1" indicating a first carrier frequency in the list of carrier frequencies, and an index value "2" indicating a second carrier frequency in the list of carrier frequencies.

[0181] In some embodiments, to broadcast slice information using an indexing scheme, the processor 1005 signals the carrier frequency by referencing an index in a predetermined table (for example, a pre-configured or specification-defined table), and the number of bits required to encode the index is less than the number of bits required to encode the carrier frequency. In certain embodiments, the number of index values ​​in the indexing scheme is greater than the number of entries in the predetermined table, and a particular index value indicates the carrier frequency of a serving cell, while the carrier frequency of a serving cell is not an entry in the predetermined table.

[0182] In one embodiment, memory 1010 is a computer-readable storage medium. In some embodiments, memory 1010 includes a volatile computer storage medium. For example, memory 1010 may include RAM, including DRAM, SDRAM, and / or SRAM. In some embodiments, memory 1010 includes a non-volatile computer storage medium. For example, memory 1010 may include a hard disk drive, flash memory, or any other suitable non-volatile computer storage device. In some embodiments, memory 1010 includes both a volatile computer storage medium and a non-volatile computer storage medium.

[0183] In some embodiments, memory 1010 stores data related to indicating network slice support for serving cells and neighboring cells. For example, memory 1010 may store the parameters, configurations, etc. In certain embodiments, memory 1010 also stores program code and related data, such as an operating system or other controller algorithms running on the network device 1000.

[0184] In one embodiment, the input device 1015 may include any known computer input device, such as a touch panel, buttons, a keyboard, a stylus, or a microphone. In some embodiments, the input device 1015 may be integrated with the output device 1020, for example, as a touchscreen or similar touch display. In some embodiments, the input device 1015 includes a touchscreen so that text may be entered using a virtual keyboard displayed on the touchscreen and / or by handwriting on the touchscreen. In some embodiments, the input device 1015 includes two or more different devices, such as a keyboard and a touch panel.

[0185] In one embodiment, the output device 1020 is designed to output visual, auditory, and / or tactile signals. In some embodiments, the output device 1020 includes an electronically controllable display or display device that can output visual data to a user. For example, the output device 1020 may include, but is not limited to, an LCD display, LED display, OLED display, projector, or similar display device that can output images, text, etc., to a user. In another non-limiting example, the output device 1020 may include a wearable display, such as a smartwatch, smart glasses, or head-up display, that is separate from but coupled to the rest of the network device 1000 so as to be able to communicate with them. Furthermore, the output device 1020 may be a component of a smartphone, personal digital assistant, television, table computer, notebook (laptop) computer, personal computer, or vehicle dashboard.

[0186] In certain embodiments, the output device 1020 includes one or more speakers for generating sound. For example, the output device 1020 may generate an audible alert or notification (e.g., a beep or chime). In some embodiments, the output device 1020 includes one or more haptic devices for generating vibration, motion, or other tactile feedback. In some embodiments, all or part of the output device 1020 may be integrated with the input device 1015. For example, the input device 1015 and the output device 1020 may form a touchscreen or similar touch display. In other embodiments, the output device 1020 may be located near the input device 1015.

[0187] The transceiver 1025 includes at least one transmitter 1030 and at least one receiver 1035. One or more transmitters 1030 may be used to communicate with the UE as described herein. Similarly, one or more receivers 1035 may be used to communicate with the PLMN and / or RAN network functions as described herein. Although only one transmitter 1030 and one receiver 1035 are illustrated, the network device 1000 may have any suitable number of transmitters 1030 and receivers 1035. Furthermore, the transmitters 1030 and receivers 1035 may be any suitable type of transmitter and receiver.

[0188] Figure 11 shows one embodiment of Method 1100 for demonstrating network slice support for serving cells and neighboring cells according to embodiments of the present disclosure. In various embodiments, Method 1100 is performed by network devices such as the base unit 121, RAN node 210, and / or network device 1000 described above. In some embodiments, Method 1100 is performed by a processor such as a microcontroller, microprocessor, CPU, GPU, auxiliary processing unit, FPGA, etc.

[0189] Method 1100 includes step 1105 of determining the configuration of adjacent cells. Method 1100 includes step 1110 of determining slice information for a serving cell and adjacent cells, wherein the slice information includes identifiers for each slice group and a set of carrier frequencies corresponding to each slice group. Method 1100 includes step 1115 of broadcasting the slice information in the serving cell (i.e., to one or more UEs) using an indexing scheme to signal at least the set of carrier frequencies. Method 1100 terminates.

[0190] Figure 12 shows one embodiment of Method 1200 for demonstrating network slice support for serving cells and neighboring cells according to embodiments of the present disclosure. In various embodiments, Method 1200 is performed by a communication device such as the remote unit 105, UE 205, and / or user equipment device 900 described above. In some embodiments, Method 1200 is performed by a processor such as a microcontroller, microprocessor, CPU, GPU, auxiliary processing unit, FPGA, or the like.

[0191] Method 1200 includes step 1205 of receiving first slice information from a mobile communication network. Method 1200 includes step 1210 of determining complete slice information from the received first slice information. Method 1200 includes step 1215 of performing cell reselection (e.g., RRC Idle cell reselection and / or RRC Inactive cell reselection) using the complete slice information. Method 1200 terminates.

[0192] Disclosed herein is a first apparatus for demonstrating network slice support for serving cells and neighboring cells according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The first apparatus may be implemented by network devices such as the base unit 121, RAN node 210, and / or network device 1000 described above. The first apparatus includes a memory-coupled processor, the processor configured to cause the apparatus to: A) determine the configuration of neighboring cells; B) determine slice information for serving cells and neighboring cells, wherein the slice information includes identifiers for each slice group and a set of carrier frequencies corresponding to each slice group; and C) broadcast the slice information in the serving cell (i.e., to one or more UEs) using an indexing scheme to signal at least the set of carrier frequencies.

[0193] In some embodiments, slice information includes an absolute priority value for each frequency within a set of carrier frequencies. In some embodiments, the processor is configured to cause the device to determine the configuration and slice information of neighboring cells based on at least one of the following: A) OAM configuration, B) self-optimizing network reports from one or more UEs, C) Xn interfaces between the serving cell and neighboring cells, or D) a combination thereof.

[0194] In some embodiments, the processor is further configured to cause the device to provide a list of carrier frequencies, and the indexing scheme includes an index value "0" indicating the carrier frequency of a serving cell, an index value "1" indicating a first carrier frequency in the list of carrier frequencies, and an index value "2" indicating a second carrier frequency in the list of carrier frequencies. In such embodiments, to provide a list of carrier frequencies, the processor may be configured to cause the device to broadcast the list of carrier frequencies within a system information block or to transmit the list of carrier frequencies using dedicated radio resource control signaling.

[0195] In some embodiments, to broadcast slice information using an indexing scheme, the processor is configured to cause the device to signal carrier frequencies by referencing an index in a predetermined table (e.g., pre-configured or defined by specification), where the number of bits required to encode the index is less than the number of bits required to encode the carrier frequencies. In certain embodiments, the number of index values ​​in the indexing scheme is greater than the number of entries in the predetermined table, where a particular index value indicates the carrier frequency of a serving cell, and the carrier frequency of a serving cell is not an entry in the predetermined table.

[0196] In some embodiments, to broadcast slice information using an indexing scheme, the processor is configured to cause the device to indicate, using a given table, at least one of the following: A) the same / common frequency, B) slice identifier (e.g., S-NSSAI), C) slice group identifier, D) cell identity, or E) a combination thereof. In some embodiments, to broadcast slice information using an indexing scheme, the processor is configured to cause the device to point to a first information element when a second piece of information of the same kind has the same value with respect to all subfields and subparameters.

[0197] Disclosed herein is a first method for demonstrating network slice support for serving cells and neighboring cells according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The first method may be performed by network devices such as the base unit 121, RAN node 210, and / or network device 1000 described above. The first method includes the steps of determining the configuration of neighboring cells and determining slice information for serving cells and neighboring cells, wherein the slice information includes identifiers for each slice group and a set of carrier frequencies corresponding to each slice group. The first method includes broadcasting the slice information in the serving cell (i.e., to one or more UEs) using an indexing scheme to signal at least the set of carrier frequencies.

[0198] In some embodiments, slice information includes an absolute priority value for each frequency within a set of carrier frequencies. In some embodiments, the step of determining the configuration and slice information of adjacent cells is based on at least one of the following: A) OAM configuration, B) self-optimizing network reports from one or more UEs, C) Xn interfaces between the serving cell and adjacent cells, or D) a combination thereof.

[0199] In some embodiments, the first method is a step of providing a list of carrier frequencies, further comprising the step of an indexing scheme including an index value "0" representing the carrier frequency of a serving cell, an index value "1" representing the first carrier frequency in the list of carrier frequencies, and an index value "2" representing the second carrier frequency in the list of carrier frequencies. In certain embodiments, the list of carrier frequencies is broadcast within a system information block or transmitted using dedicated radio resource control signaling.

[0200] In some embodiments, to broadcast slice information using an indexing scheme, the processor is configured to cause the device to signal carrier frequencies by referencing an index in a predetermined table (e.g., pre-configured or defined by specification), where the number of bits required to encode the index is less than the number of bits required to encode the carrier frequencies. In certain embodiments, the number of index values ​​in the indexing scheme is greater than the number of entries in the predetermined table, where a particular index value indicates the carrier frequency of a serving cell, and the carrier frequency of a serving cell is not an entry in the predetermined table.

[0201] In some embodiments, to broadcast slice information using an indexing scheme, the processor is configured to cause the device to indicate, using a given table, A) the same / common frequency, B) a slice identifier (e.g., S-NSSAI), C) a slice group identifier, D) a cell identity, or E) a combination thereof. In some embodiments, to broadcast slice information using an indexing scheme, the processor is configured to cause the device to point to a first information element when a second piece of information of the same kind has the same value with respect to all subfields and subparameters.

[0202] Disclosed herein is a second device for demonstrating network slice support for serving cells and neighboring cells according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The second device may be implemented by communication devices such as the remote unit 105, UE 205, and / or user equipment device 900 described above. The second device includes memory and a processor coupled to the memory, the processor configured to cause the device to: A) receive first (i.e., preliminary) slice information from a mobile communication network; B) determine complete (i.e., second) slice information from the received first slice information; and C) perform cell reselection (i.e., RRC Idle cell reselection and / or RRC Inactive cell reselection) using the complete slice information.

[0203] In some embodiments, to receive first slice information, the processor is configured to cause the device to receive a system information block or dedicated RRC signaling containing the first slice information. In such embodiments, the first slice information includes an identifier for each slice group and a set of carrier frequencies corresponding to each slice group, and the system information block or dedicated RRC signaling uses an indexing scheme to indicate at least the set of carrier frequencies. In certain embodiments, the first slice information further includes an absolute priority value for each frequency in the set of carrier frequencies.

[0204] In some embodiments, the processor is further configured to cause the device to receive a list of carrier frequencies, and the indexing scheme includes an index value "0" indicating the carrier frequency of a serving cell, an index value "1" indicating a first carrier frequency in the list of carrier frequencies, and an index value "2" indicating a second carrier frequency in the list of carrier frequencies. In certain embodiments, in order to receive the list of carrier frequencies, the processor is configured to cause the device to receive a system information block or dedicated radio resource control signaling.

[0205] In some embodiments, to receive first slice information indicated using an indexing scheme, the processor is configured to cause the device to signal the carrier frequency by referencing an index in a predetermined table (for example, a pre-configured or specification-defined), where the number of bits required to encode the index is less than the number of bits required to encode the carrier frequency. In certain embodiments, the number of index values ​​in the indexing scheme is greater than the number of entries in the predetermined table, where a particular index value indicates the carrier frequency of a serving cell, and the carrier frequency of a serving cell is not an entry in the predetermined table.

[0206] In some embodiments, to receive first slice information indicated using an indexing scheme, the processor is configured to cause the device to determine, using a given table, at least one of the following: A) the same / common frequency, B) slice identifier (i.e., S-NSSAI), C) slice group identifier, D) cell identity, or E) a combination thereof. In certain embodiments, to receive first slice information indicated using an indexing scheme, the processor is configured to cause the device to: A) point to the first information element when the second information of the same kind has the same value with respect to all subfields and subparameters, and B) replace the value of the second information with the actual value of the first information element.

[0207] In some embodiments, in order to determine the complete slice information from the received first slice information, the processor is configured to cause the device to: A) index the first occurrence of the first new value with respect to a particular information element type, starting from an integer value "0" or "1"; and B) store the mapping of the index to the actual value of the complete slice information element.

[0208] In some embodiments, in order to determine complete slice information from received first slice information, the processor is configured to cause the device to A) increment an index for the first occurrence of the next new value with respect to a particular information element type, and B) store a mapping of the index to the actual value of the information element. In some embodiments, in order to determine complete slice information from received first slice information, the processor is configured to cause the device to replace a pointer value for a particular information element with the actual value of the pointed-to information.

[0209] Disclosed herein is a second method for demonstrating network slice support for serving cells and neighboring cells according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The second method may be performed by a communication device such as the remote unit 105, UE 205, and / or user equipment device 900 described above. The second method includes the steps of receiving first (i.e., preliminary) slice information from a mobile communication network and determining complete (i.e., second) slice information from the received first slice information. The second method includes the step of performing cell reselection (e.g., RRC Idle cell reselection and / or RRC Inactive cell reselection) using the complete slice information.

[0210] In some embodiments, the step of receiving first slice information includes receiving a system information block or dedicated RRC signaling containing the first slice information. In some embodiments, the first slice information includes an identifier for each slice group and a set of carrier frequencies corresponding to each slice group, and the system information block or dedicated RRC signaling uses an indexing scheme to indicate at least the set of carrier frequencies. In certain embodiments, the first slice information further includes an absolute priority value for each frequency in the set of carrier frequencies.

[0211] In some embodiments, the second method further includes the step of receiving a list of carrier frequencies, wherein the indexing scheme includes an index value "0" indicating the carrier frequency of a serving cell, an index value "1" indicating a first carrier frequency in the list of carrier frequencies, and an index value "2" indicating a second carrier frequency in the list of carrier frequencies. In certain embodiments, the list of carrier frequencies is received within a system information block or using dedicated radio resource control signaling. The list of carrier frequencies is broadcast within a system information block or transmitted using dedicated radio resource control signaling.

[0212] In some embodiments, receiving first slice information indicated using an indexing scheme involves signaling the carrier frequency by referencing an index in a predetermined table (for example, a pre-configured or specification-defined table), where the number of bits required to encode the index is less than the number of bits required to encode the carrier frequency. In certain embodiments, the number of index values ​​in the indexing scheme is greater than the number of entries in the predetermined table, where a particular index value indicates the carrier frequency of a serving cell, and the carrier frequency of a serving cell is not an entry in the predetermined table.

[0213] In some embodiments, receiving first slice information indicated using an indexing scheme includes determining, using a given table, at least one of the following: A) the same / common frequency, B) slice identifier (i.e., S-NSSAI), C) slice group identifier, D) cell identity, or E) a combination thereof. In certain embodiments, receiving first slice information indicated using an indexing scheme includes A) pointing to a first information element when a second piece of information of the same kind has the same value for all subfields and subparameters, and B) replacing the value of the second piece of information with the actual value of the first piece of information.

[0214] In some embodiments, the step of determining complete slice information from received first slice information includes: A) indexing the first occurrence of the first new value with respect to a particular information element type, starting from an integer value "0" or "1"; and B) storing the mapping of the index to the actual value of the complete slice information element.

[0215] In some embodiments, the step of determining complete slice information from received first slice information includes A) incrementing an index for the first occurrence of the next new value with respect to a particular information element type, and B) storing a mapping of the index to the actual value of the information element. In some embodiments, the step of determining complete slice information from received first slice information includes replacing a pointer value for a particular information element with the actual value of the information pointed to.

[0216] Disclosed herein is a system for demonstrating network slice support for serving cells and neighboring cells according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The system comprises a RAN node and at least one UE. The RAN node is configured to determine the configuration of neighboring cells and to determine first slice information for serving cells and neighboring cells, wherein the first slice information includes identifiers for each slice group and a set of carrier frequencies corresponding to each slice group. The RAN node is further configured to broadcast the first slice information within the serving cell using an indexing scheme to signal at least the set of carrier frequencies, while each UE is configured to receive first (i.e., preliminary) slice information from the RAN node. Each UE is further configured to determine complete slice information from the broadcasted first slice information and to perform cell reselection (i.e., RRC Idle cell reselection and / or RRC Inactive cell reselection) using the complete slice information.

[0217] In some embodiments, the RAN node is configured to determine the configuration and slice information of neighboring cells based on at least one of the following: A) OAM configuration, B) self-optimizing network reports from one or more UEs, C) Xn interfaces between the serving cell and neighboring cells, or D) a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the first slice information further includes absolute priority values ​​for each frequency in the set of carrier frequencies.

[0218] In some embodiments, a RAN node is configured to provide a list of carrier frequencies to a UE, and the indexing scheme includes an index value "0" indicating the carrier frequency of a serving cell, an index value "1" indicating a first carrier frequency in the list of carrier frequencies, and an index value "2" indicating a second carrier frequency in the list of carrier frequencies. In certain embodiments, a RAN node is configured to broadcast the list of carrier frequencies within a system information block or to transmit the list of carrier frequencies using dedicated radio resource control signaling.

[0219] In some embodiments, to broadcast slice information using an indexing scheme, a RAN node is configured to signal carrier frequencies by referencing an index in a predetermined table (e.g., pre-configured or defined by specification), and the number of bits required to encode the index is less than the number of bits required to encode the carrier frequency. In certain embodiments, the number of index values ​​in the indexing scheme is greater than the number of entries in the predetermined table, and a particular index value indicates the carrier frequency of a serving cell, while the carrier frequency of a serving cell is not an entry in the predetermined table.

[0220] In some embodiments, to broadcast slice information using an indexing scheme, the RAN node is configured to indicate, using a given table, at least one of the following: A) the same / common frequency, B) slice identifier (i.e., S-NSSAI), C) slice group identifier, D) cell identity, or E) a combination thereof. In some embodiments, to broadcast slice information using an indexing scheme, the RAN node is configured to point to a first information element when a second piece of information of the same kind has the same value for all subfields and subparameters.

[0221] In some embodiments, to receive broadcasted first slice information, the UE is configured to receive a system information block containing the first slice information. In some embodiments, to determine the complete slice information from the received information, the UE is configured to replace pointer values ​​for specific information elements with the actual values ​​of the information pointed to.

[0222] In some embodiments, in order to determine the complete slice information from the received first slice information, the UE is configured to: A) index the first occurrence of the first new value with respect to a particular information element type by starting with an integer value "0" or "1"; and B) store the mapping of the index to the actual value of the complete slice information element.

[0223] In some embodiments, in order to determine the complete slice information from the received first slice information, the UE is configured to: A) increment an index for the first occurrence of the next new value with respect to a particular information element type; and B) store a mapping of the index to the actual value of the information element.

[0224] The embodiments may be carried out in other specific forms. The embodiments described should be considered illustrative in all respects only and not restrictive. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is indicated not by the above description but by the appended claims. All modifications that fall within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims should be incorporated within the scope of the claims. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0225] 100 Wireless Communication Systems 105 Remote Unit 107 applications 120 Wireless Access Network ("RAN") 121 Base Unit 123 Wireless communication link 125 slice information 140 Mobile Core Network 141 User Plane Function (UPF) 143 Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 145 Session Management Function (SMF) 147 Policy Control Function (PCF) 149 UDM / UDR 150 packet data network 151 Application Server 160 Operations, Administration, and Maintenance (“OAM”) 200 NR protocol stack 201 User Plane Protocol Stack 203 Control Plane Protocol Stack 205 UE 210 RANNode 215 AMF 220 Physical (PHY) Layers 225 MAC sublayer 230 Wireless Link Control (RLC) Sublayer 235 PDCP sublayer 240 Service Data Adaptive Protocol (SDAP) sublayer 245 Radio Resource Control (RRC) Layer 250 Non-Accessible Layer (NAS) 255 Access Layer (AS) 260 AS Layers 300 mobile cell deployments 305 Serving Cell A 310 Neighboring cell B1 315 Neighboring cell B2 320 Neighboring cell B3 325 Neighboring cell B4 330 Neighboring cell B5 335 Neighboring cell B6 400 steps 900 User Equipment 905 Processor 910 memory 915 Input Devices 920 Output Devices 925 Transceiver 930 Transmitter 935 Receiver 940 Network Interfaces 945 Application Interface 1000 network devices 1005 Processor 1010 memory 1015 Input Devices 1020 Output Device 1025 Transceiver 1030 Transmitter 1035 Receiver 1040 Network Interface 1045 Application Interface 1100 methods 1200 methods

Claims

1. Processor and The device includes a memory coupled to the processor, and the processor provides the device, Determining the configuration of adjacent cells, Determining slice information for a serving cell and its neighboring cells, wherein the slice information includes an identifier for each slice group and a set of carrier frequencies corresponding to each slice group, and A device configured to cause the serving cell to broadcast the slice information, using an indexing scheme to signal at least the set of carrier frequencies.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the slice information includes an absolute priority value for each frequency in the set of carrier frequencies.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the apparatus to display a list of carrier frequencies, and the indexing scheme includes an index value "0" indicating the carrier frequency of the serving cell, an index value "1" indicating a first carrier frequency in the list of carrier frequencies, and an index value "2" indicating a second carrier frequency in the list of carrier frequencies.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the processor is configured to cause the apparatus to broadcast the list of carrier frequencies within a system information block or to transmit the list of carrier frequencies using dedicated radio resource control signaling, in order to indicate the list of carrier frequencies.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, in order to broadcast the slice information using the indexing scheme, the processor is configured to cause the apparatus to signal carrier frequencies by referencing an index in a predetermined table [for example, a pre-configured or specified], and the number of bits required to encode the index is less than the number of bits required to encode the carrier frequencies.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the number of index values ​​in the indexing method is greater than the number of entries in the predetermined table, a specific index value indicates the carrier frequency of the serving cell, and the carrier frequency of the serving cell is not an entry in the predetermined table.

7. In order to broadcast the slice information using the indexing method, the processor provides the device with a predetermined table, Same / common frequency, Slice identifier, Slice group identifier, Cell identity, The apparatus according to claim 1, configured to show a combination thereof.

8. Processor and The device includes a memory coupled to the processor, and the processor provides the device, Receiving the first slice information from the mobile communication network, Determining complete slice information from the first slice information received, A user device ("UE") configured to perform cell reselection using the complete slice information described above.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein, in order to receive the first slice information, the processor is configured to cause the apparatus to receive a system information block or dedicated RRC signaling which includes an identifier for each slice group and a set of carrier frequencies corresponding to each slice group, and the system information block or dedicated RRC signaling uses an indexing scheme to indicate at least the set of carrier frequencies.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the apparatus to receive a list of carrier frequencies, and the indexing scheme includes an index value "0" indicating a carrier frequency of a serving cell, an index value "1" indicating a first carrier frequency in the list of carrier frequencies, and an index value "2" indicating a second carrier frequency in the list of carrier frequencies.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the list of carrier frequencies is broadcast within a system information block or transmitted using dedicated radio resource control signaling.

12. In order to determine the complete slice information from the received first slice information, the processor provides the device with: Starting with the integer values ​​"0" or "1", indexing the first occurrence of the first new value for a particular information element type, The apparatus according to claim 8, configured to store a mapping of indices to the actual values ​​of complete slice information elements.

13. In order to determine the complete slice information from the received first slice information, the processor provides the device with: Incrementing the index for the first occurrence of the next new value of a specific information element type, The apparatus according to claim 8, configured to store the mapping of indices to the actual values ​​of the aforementioned information elements.

14. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the processor is configured to cause the apparatus to replace a pointer value relating to a particular information element with the actual value of the indicated information, in order to determine the complete slice information from the received information.

15. A Wireless Access Network ("RAN") node, Determining the configuration of adjacent cells, Determining first slice information for a serving cell and the adjacent cells, wherein the first slice information includes an identifier for each slice group and a set of carrier frequencies corresponding to each slice group, and A RAN node is configured to broadcast the first slice information in the serving cell using an indexing scheme to signal at least the set of carrier frequencies, User equipment ("UE") Receiving the first slice information from the RAN node, Determining complete slice information from the broadcasted first slice information, and A system including a UE configured to perform cell reselection using the complete slice information.

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