Paging method and communication device

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a paging method and a communication device for improving efficiency of paging a terminal device, the method including: obtaining first information, the first information indicating a movement trajectory of the terminal device, the movement trajectory of the terminal device including N1 past positions of the terminal device before a first time point, and / or N2 predicted positions of the terminal device after the first time point, N1 and N2 being positive integers, the first time point being a time point at which the terminal device changes from a connected state to a non-connected state or an inactive state; determining a predicted position of the terminal device at a second time point based on the first information, the second time point being later than the first time point; and sending a paging message to an access network device to which a target cell belongs, the paging message including information indicating the target cell, and the predicted position of the terminal device at the second time point being within the target cell.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] TECHNICAL FIELD Embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communication technologies, and in particular to a paging method and communication device. [Background technology]

[0002] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202210583492.6, entitled "PAGING METHOD AND COMMUNICATION APPARATUS," filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on May 25, 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0003] In a wireless communication network, when a terminal device does not transmit data, the terminal device enters an IDLE state or an INACTIVE state. In these two states, the terminal device and the access network device are disconnected. If the access network device needs to send a signal to the terminal device again, it must first find the terminal device by paging, and then transmit the signal after establishing a connection with the terminal device.

[0004] Currently, paging is usually performed in the following manner: when a terminal device is in idle state, the core network performs paging in all cells in the tracking area (TA) where the terminal device is registered in the core network, or when the terminal device is inactive state, the access network device needs to perform paging in all cells in the configured radio access node notification area (RNA). This manner results in a large paging range and low paging efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present disclosure provides a paging method and communication apparatus for improving the efficiency of paging terminal devices.

[0006] According to a first aspect, the present disclosure provides a paging method. The paging method may be applied to a core network element or a first access network device. The first access network device is an access network device that serves a terminal device before the terminal device enters an unconnected state. The unconnected state includes an inactive state or an idle state.

[0007] In particular, the paging method includes: acquiring first information, the first information indicating a movement trajectory of a terminal device, the movement trajectory of the terminal device including N1 past positions of the terminal device before a first time point and / or N2 predicted positions of the terminal device after the first time point, where N1 and N2 are positive integers, and the first time point is a time point at which the terminal device changes from a connected state to a disconnected state or an inactive state; determining a predicted position of the terminal device at a second time point based on the first information, the second time point being later than the first time point; and sending a paging message at the second time point to an access network device to which a target cell belongs, the paging message including information indicating the target cell, and the predicted position of the terminal device at the second time point being within the target cell.

[0008] In the above design, the past and predicted trajectory information of the terminal device is introduced so that the paging range of the terminal device is accurate to the target cell, which can reduce the signaling overhead and delay associated with paging and improve paging efficiency and accuracy.

[0009] In a possible design, when the paging method is applied to a core network element, obtaining the first information includes obtaining a context release message for the terminal device from an access network device that serves the terminal device before the first time point, the context release message including the first information.

[0010] In another possible design, when the paging method is applied to a core network element or a first access network device, obtaining the first information includes receiving the first information from the terminal device before the first time point.

[0011] The above provides an implementation of obtaining the first information in two different cases.

[0012] In a possible design, determining the predicted position of the terminal device at the second time point based on the first information includes: when the movement trajectory of the terminal device includes N1 past positions, determining the predicted position of the terminal device at the second time point based on N1 past positions of the terminal device before the first time point; or when the movement trajectory of the terminal device includes N2 predicted positions, determining the predicted position of the terminal device at the second time point from the N2 predicted positions. Such a design adapts to the content of the first information and provides various solutions for determining the predicted position of the terminal device at the second time point, making the method more flexibly implemented.

[0013] In one possible design, a predicted location of the terminal device at the second time point is within a coverage range of a target beam in the target cell, and the paging message includes information indicating the target beam. In another possible design, the paging method further includes sending, at the second time point, second information to an access network device to which the target cell belongs, the second information indicating a predicted location of the terminal device at N2 locations after the first time point, the second information being used to determine a target beam in the target cell, and the predicted location of the terminal device at the second time point is within the coverage range of the target beam. Such a design makes the paging range of the terminal device more accurate with respect to the target beam in the target cell, thereby reducing signaling overhead and delays associated with paging and improving paging efficiency and accuracy.

[0014] In a possible design, the paging method further includes receiving a first paging response message from an access network device to which the target cell belongs, where the first paging response message indicates that the terminal device has been successfully paged, and the first paging response message includes third information, where the third information indicates one or more of the following: a beam for the terminal device to access the target cell; location information for the terminal device when the paging is successful; and location information for the terminal device before the paging is successful. Actual location information for the terminal device can be exchanged using the third information.

[0015] In a possible design, the paging method further includes predicting a location of the terminal device after successful paging based on the third information. According to such a design, the future location is predicted using actual location information about the terminal device, so that location prediction accuracy can be improved.

[0016] According to a second aspect, the present disclosure provides a paging method, which can be applied to a second access network device, where the second access network device is an access network device to which a paging range (target cell) corresponding to a terminal device belongs.

[0017] In particular, the paging method includes: obtaining a paging message, the paging message including information indicating a target cell, the target cell being determined based on a movement trajectory of a terminal device, the movement trajectory of the terminal device including N1 past positions of the terminal device before a first time point and / or N2 predicted positions of the terminal device after the first time point, N1 and N2 being positive integers, the first time point being a time point at which the terminal device changes from a connected state to a non-connected state or an inactive state, the predicted position of the terminal device at a second time point being within the target cell, and the second time point being later than the first time point; and paging the terminal device in the target cell based on the paging message.

[0018] In a possible design, the paging message includes information indicating a target beam, and a predicted location of the terminal device at the second time point is within the coverage range of the target beam.

[0019] In a possible design, the paging method further includes acquiring second information, the second information indicating a predicted location of the terminal device at N2 locations after the first time point, and determining a target beam within the target cell based on the second information, the predicted location of the terminal device at the second time point being within the coverage range of the target beam.

[0020] In a possible design, paging the terminal device in the target cell includes paging the terminal device within a coverage range of a target beam in the target cell.

[0021] In a possible design, the paging method further includes sending a paging response message, where the paging response message indicates that the terminal device has been successfully paged, and the paging response message includes third information, where the third information indicates one or more of the following: a beam for the terminal device to access the target cell; location information for the terminal device when the paging is successful; and location information for the terminal device before the paging is successful.

[0022] According to a third aspect, the present disclosure provides a communications apparatus. The communications apparatus may be a core network element, a device, module, chip, etc. of the core network element, or a device capable of being used together with the core network element. Alternatively, the communications apparatus may be a first access network device, a device, module, chip, etc. of the first access network device, or a device capable of being used together with the first access network device. In design, the communications apparatus may include modules in a one-to-one correspondence with the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the first aspect. The modules may be implemented by hardware circuits, software, or a combination of hardware circuits and software. In design, the communications apparatus may include a processing module and a communications module.

[0023] The communication module is configured to acquire first information, the first information indicating a movement trajectory of the terminal device, the movement trajectory including N1 past positions of the terminal device before the first time point and / or N2 predicted positions of the terminal device after the first time point, where N1 and N2 are positive integers, and the first time point is a time point at which the terminal device changes from a connected state to a disconnected state or an inactive state. The processing module is configured to determine a predicted position of the terminal device at a second time point based on the first information, the second time point being later than the first time point. The processing module is also configured to send, at the second time point, a paging message via the communication module to an access network device to which a target cell belongs, the paging message including information indicating the target cell, and the predicted position of the terminal device at the second time point being within the target cell.

[0024] In a possible design, the communication module is particularly configured to obtain a context release message for the terminal device from an access network device that provides a service to the terminal device before a first time point, the context release message including first information.

[0025] In another possible design, the communication module is specifically configured to receive the first information from the terminal device before the first time point.

[0026] In a possible design, the processing module is particularly configured to determine a predicted position of the terminal device at a second time point based on N1 past positions of the terminal device before the first time point when the movement trajectory of the terminal device includes N1 past positions, or to determine a predicted position of the terminal device at a second time point from the N2 predicted positions when the movement trajectory of the terminal device includes N2 predicted positions.

[0027] In one possible design, a predicted location of the terminal device at the second time point is within a coverage range of a target beam in the target cell, and the paging message includes information indicating the target beam. In another possible design, the processing module is further configured to send, via the communication module at the second time point, second information to an access network device to which the target cell belongs, the second information indicating a predicted location of the terminal device at N2 locations after the first time point, the second information being used to determine a target beam in the target cell, and the predicted location of the terminal device at the second time point is within a coverage range of the target beam.

[0028] In a possible design, the communication module is further configured to receive a first paging response message from an access network device to which the target cell belongs, the first paging response message indicating that the terminal device has been successfully paged, and the first paging response message includes third information, the third information indicating one or more of the following: a beam for the terminal device to access the target cell; location information for the terminal device when the paging is successful; and location information for the terminal device before the paging is successful.

[0029] In a possible design, the processing module is further configured to predict a location of the terminal device after successful paging based on the third information.

[0030] According to a fourth aspect, the present disclosure provides a communications apparatus. The communications apparatus may be a second access network device, a device, module, chip, etc. of the second access network device, or an apparatus capable of being used together with the second access network device. In design, the communications apparatus may include modules in a one-to-one correspondence with the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the second aspect. The modules may be implemented by hardware circuits, software, or a combination of hardware circuits and software. In design, the communications apparatus may include a processing module and a communications module.

[0031] The communication module is configured to obtain a paging message, the paging message including information indicating a target cell, the target cell being determined based on a movement trajectory of the terminal device, the movement trajectory including N1 past positions of the terminal device before a first time point and / or N2 predicted positions of the terminal device after the first time point, N1 and N2 being positive integers, the first time point being a time point at which the terminal device changes from a connected state to a disconnected state or an inactive state, the predicted position of the terminal device at a second time point being within the target cell, and the second time point being after the first time point. The processing module is configured to page the terminal device in the target cell based on the paging message.

[0032] In a possible design, the paging message includes information indicating a target beam, and a predicted location of the terminal device at the second time point is within the coverage range of the target beam.

[0033] In a possible design, the communication module is further configured to obtain second information, the second information indicating a predicted location of the terminal device at N2 locations after the first time point. The processing module is further configured to determine a target beam within the target cell based on the second information, the predicted location of the terminal device at the second time point being within a coverage range of the target beam.

[0034] In a possible design, the processing module is further configured to page the terminal device within a coverage range of the target beam in the target cell.

[0035] In a possible design, the processing module is further configured to send a paging response message via the communication module, the paging response message indicating that the terminal device has been successfully paged, and the paging response message includes third information, the third information indicating one or more of the following: a beam for the terminal device to access the target cell; location information for the terminal device when the paging is successful; and location information for the terminal device before the paging is successful.

[0036] According to a fifth aspect, the present disclosure provides a communication device. The communication device includes a processor configured to implement the method described in the first aspect. The processor is coupled to a memory. The memory is configured to store instructions and data. When the processor executes the instructions stored in the memory, the method described in the first aspect can be implemented. Optionally, the communication device may further include a memory. The communication device may further include a communication interface. The communication interface is used by the device to communicate with another device. For example, the communication interface may be a transceiver, a circuit, a bus, a module, a pin, or another type of communication interface.

[0037] In one possible device, the communications apparatus includes a memory configured to store program instructions and a processor configured to acquire first information via a communications interface, the first information indicating a movement trajectory of a terminal device, the movement trajectory including N1 past positions of the terminal device before the first time point and / or N2 predicted positions of the terminal device after the first time point, where N1 and N2 are positive integers, and the first time point is a time point at which the terminal device changes from a connected state to a disconnected state or an inactive state. The processor is further configured to determine a predicted position of the terminal device at a second time point based on the first information, the second time point being later than the first time point. The processing module is also configured to send a paging message via the communications module at the second time point to an access network device to which the target cell belongs, the paging message including information indicating the target cell, and the predicted position of the terminal device at the second time point being within the target cell.

[0038] According to a sixth aspect, the present disclosure provides a communication device. The communication device includes a processor configured to implement the method described in the second aspect. The processor is coupled to a memory. The memory is configured to store instructions and data. When the processor executes the instructions stored in the memory, the method described in the second aspect can be implemented. Optionally, the communication device may further include a memory. The communication device may further include a communication interface. The communication interface is used by the device to communicate with another device. For example, the communication interface may be a transceiver, a circuit, a bus, a module, a pin, or another type of communication interface.

[0039] In one possible device, the communications apparatus includes a memory configured to store program instructions and a processor configured to receive a paging message via a communications interface, the paging message including information indicating a target cell, the target cell being determined based on a movement trajectory of a terminal device, the movement trajectory including N1 past locations of the terminal device before a first time point and / or N2 predicted locations of the terminal device after the first time point, where N1 and N2 are positive integers, the first time point being a time point at which the terminal device changes from a connected state to a disconnected state or an inactive state, and the predicted location of the terminal device at a second time point being within the target cell, the second time point being after the first time point. The processor is further configured to page the terminal device in the target cell based on the paging message.

[0040] According to a seventh aspect, the present disclosure provides a communication system including a communication device as described in the third aspect or the fifth aspect and a communication device as described in the fourth aspect or the sixth aspect.

[0041] According to an eighth aspect, the present disclosure further provides a computer program which, when run on a computer, enables the computer to perform the method provided in either the first or second aspect.

[0042] According to a ninth aspect, the present disclosure further provides a computer program product comprising instructions which, when run on a computer, enable the computer to perform the method provided in either the first or second aspect.

[0043] According to a tenth aspect, the present disclosure further provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program or instructions which, when run on a computer, enables the computer to perform the method provided in either the first or second aspect.

[0044] According to an eleventh aspect, the present disclosure further provides a chip configured to read a computer program stored in a memory to perform the method provided in either the first or second aspect.

[0045] According to a twelfth aspect, the present disclosure further provides a chip system. The chip system includes a processor configured to support a computer device in implementing the method provided in either the first or second aspect. In a possible design, the chip system further includes a memory configured to store programs and data required by the computer device. The chip system may include a chip or may include a chip and another discrete component.

[0046] For technical effects that can be achieved by any one of the second to twelfth aspects, please refer to the description of the effects that can be achieved by the design solution of the first aspect, and the details will not be described again in this specification. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0047] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram of an architecture of a communication system according to the present disclosure. [Figure 2A] FIG. 2 is a structural diagram of an access network device according to the present disclosure. [Figure 2B] FIG. 10 is a structural diagram of another access network device according to the present disclosure. [Figure 3] This is a diagram of the relationship between TA and RNA. [Figure 4]FIG. 1 is a diagram of monitoring locations for paging messages. [Figure 5A] Neuron structure diagram. [Figure 5B] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the layer relationships of a neural network. [Figure 5C] FIG. 1 is a diagram of an AI application framework according to the present disclosure. [Figure 6] 1 is a schematic flow chart of a paging method according to the present disclosure. [Figure 7] 1 is a schematic flow chart of a paging method according to the present disclosure. [Figure 8] 1 is a schematic flow chart of a paging method according to the present disclosure. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a structural diagram of a communication device according to the present disclosure. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is a structural diagram of a communication device according to the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0048] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present disclosure clearer, the present disclosure will be further described in detail hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0049] In the following description of the present disclosure, "at least one (item)" refers to one or more (items). "Plural (items)" refers to two (items) or more than two (items). The term "and / or" describes an association relationship for describing related objects and indicates that three relationships may exist. For example, "A and / or B" refers to three cases: only A is present, both A and B are present, and only B is present. The character " / " generally indicates an "or" relationship between related objects. Additionally, in the present disclosure, terms such as "first" and "second" may be used to describe objects, but it should be understood that these objects are not limited by these terms. These terms are used merely to distinguish objects from one another.

[0050] The terms "comprise," "have," and any other variants thereof referred to in the following description of the present disclosure are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product, or device comprising a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but may optionally further include other unlisted steps or units, or may optionally further include other specific steps or units of the process, method, product, or device. It should be noted that in this disclosure, terms such as "exemplary" or "for example" are intended to provide an example, illustration, or explanation. Any method or design manner described in this disclosure as "exemplary" or "for example" should not be construed as preferred or advantageous over other methods or design manners. Rather, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to specifically present a relative concept.

[0051] The techniques provided in this disclosure may be applied to various communication systems. For example, the communication system may be a third-generation (3G) communication system (e.g., a universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS)), a fourth-generation (4G) communication system (e.g., a long-term evolution (LTE) system), a fifth-generation (5G) communication system, a worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX), or a wireless local area network (WLAN) system, a converged system of multiple systems, or a future communication system, such as a 6G communication system. A 5G communication system may also be referred to as a new radio (NR) system.

[0052] A network element of a communication system may send a signal to another network element or receive a signal from another network element. A signal may include information, signaling, data, etc. A network element may alternatively be replaced with an entity, a network entity, a device, a communication device, a communication module, a node, a communication node, etc. In this disclosure, a network element is used as an example for explanation. For example, a communication system may include at least one terminal device and at least one access network device. The access network device may send a downlink signal to the terminal device, and / or the terminal device may send an uplink signal to the access network device. In addition, if a communication system includes multiple terminal devices, it may be understood that the multiple terminal devices may send signals to each other. In other words, both the signal-sending network element and the signal-receiving network element may be terminal devices.

[0053] 1 shows a communication system. For example, the communication system includes an access network device 110 and two terminal devices, namely, a terminal device 120 and a terminal device 130. At least one of the terminal device 120 and the terminal device 130 may send uplink data to the access network device 110, and the access network device 110 may receive the uplink data. The access network device may send downlink data to at least one of the terminal device 120 and the terminal device 130.

[0054] The terminal device and the access network device of FIG. 1 are described in detail below.

[0055] (1) Access Network Device

[0056] An access network device may be a base station (BS). An access network device may also be called a network device, an access node (AN), or a radio access node (RAN). An access network device may be connected to a core network (e.g., an LTE core network or a 5G core network). An access network device may provide wireless access services to terminal devices and may communicate with the terminal devices over the air interface using one or more cells. The access network device may include, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: a next generation NodeB (gNB) in 5G, an access network device of an open radio access network (O-RAN) or a module included in an access network device, an evolved NodeB (eNB), a radio network controller (RNC), a NodeB (NodeB, NB), a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a home base station (e.g., a home evolved NodeB or home NodeB, HNB), a baseband unit (BBU), a transmission and reception point (TRP), a transmission point (TP), a mobile switching center, and / or the like. Alternatively, the access network device may be a radio unit (RU), a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a central unit control plane (CU-CP) node, or a central unit user plane (CU-UP) node.Alternatively, the access network device may be a relay station, an access point, an in-vehicle device, a wearable device, an access network device of a future evolved public land mobile network (PLMN), or the like.

[0057] As shown in FIG. 2A, there are two gNBs on the access network side, or the side referred to as RAN. These gNB 1 and gNB 2 are connected to the core network, and each of gNB 1 and gNB 2 may include a CU and a DU. The CU and DU may be understood as being obtained by dividing the access network devices from the perspective of logical functions. The CU and DU may be physically separated or co-located. Multiple DUs may be centrally controlled by one CU, or one DU may be connected to multiple CUs. For example, the interface between the CU and DU may be referred to as an F1 interface. For example, FIG. 2A illustrates a case where two DUs of gNB 1 (or gNB 2) are centrally controlled by one CU.

[0058] In the present disclosure, a communication apparatus configured to implement the functions of an access network device may be an access network device, a network device having some functions of an access network device, or an apparatus capable of supporting an access network device in implementing the functions, such as a chip system, a hardware circuit, a software module, or a combination of a hardware circuit and a software module. The apparatus may be installed in or used together with an access network device. In the method disclosed in the present disclosure, an example in which the communication apparatus configured to implement the functions of an access network device is an access network device is used for explanation.

[0059] (2) Terminal Device

[0060] A terminal device may also be referred to as a terminal, user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), etc. A terminal device may be a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to a user. A terminal device may communicate with one or more core networks via an access network device. A terminal device includes a handheld device with wireless connectivity, another processing device connected to a wireless modem, an in-vehicle device, etc. A terminal device may be a portable, pocket-sized, handheld, computer-integrated, or in-vehicle mobile device.Some examples of terminal devices are personal communication service (PCS) telephones, cordless telephones, session initiation protocol (SIP) telephones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless network cameras, mobile phones, tablet computers, notebook computers, palmtop computers, mobile internet devices (MIDs), wearable devices such as smart watches, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, terminals in Internet of Vehicles systems, wireless terminals in self driving, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities such as smart fuelers, high speed rail railway terminal devices as well as wireless terminals in the smart home, such as smart speakers, smart coffee machines and smart printers.

[0061] In the present disclosure, a communication apparatus configured to implement the functions of a terminal device may be a terminal device, a terminal device having some functions of a terminal, or an apparatus, such as a chip system, that can support a terminal device in performing its functions. The apparatus may be installed in or used together with a terminal device. In the present disclosure, a chip system may include a chip or may include a chip and other discrete components. With regard to the technical solutions provided in the present disclosure, an example in which a communication apparatus configured to implement the functions of a terminal device is a terminal device or a UE is used for explanation.

[0062] (3) Protocol layer structure between access network devices and terminal devices

[0063] Communications between the access network device and the terminal device conform to a specific protocol layer structure. The protocol layer structure may include a control plane protocol layer structure and a user plane protocol layer structure. For example, the control plane protocol layer structure may include protocol layer functions such as a radio resource control (RRC) layer, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, a media access control (MAC) layer, and a physical layer (PHY). For example, the user plane protocol layer structure may include protocol layer functions such as a PDCP layer, an RLC layer, a MAC layer, and a physical layer. In a possible implementation, a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer may be further included above the PDCP layer.

[0064] Optionally, the protocol layer structure between the access network device and the terminal may further include an artificial intelligence (AI) layer configured to transmit data related to AI functions.

[0065] Data transmission between an access network device and a terminal device is used as an example. Data transmission must pass through user plane protocol layers (e.g., the SDAP layer, the PDCP layer, the RLC layer, the MAC layer, and the physical layer). The SDAP layer, the PDCP layer, the RLC layer, the MAC layer, and the physical layer are sometimes collectively referred to as the access layer. Because the data transmission direction includes sending or receiving, each layer is further divided into a sending part and a receiving part. Downlink data transmission is used as an example. After obtaining data from an upper layer, the PDCP layer transmits the data to the RLC layer and the MAC layer. The MAC layer generates a transport block, and then wireless transmission is performed by the physical layer. Data is encapsulated at each layer. For example, data received by a layer from a higher layer is considered as the layer's service data unit (SDU), encapsulated by the layer into a protocol data unit (PDU), and then forwarded to the next layer.

[0066] For example, a terminal device may further have an application layer and a non-access layer. The application layer may be used to provide services to applications installed on the terminal device. For example, downlink data received by the terminal device may be sequentially transmitted from the physical layer to the application layer, and then provided to the application by the application layer. In another example, the application layer may obtain data generated by an application and sequentially transmit the data to the physical layer to send the data to another communication device. The non-access layer may be configured to forward user data. For example, the non-access layer may forward uplink data received from the application layer to the SDAP layer, or forward downlink data received from the SDAP layer to the application layer.

[0067] (4) Access network device structure

[0068] As shown in FIG. 2B, the access network device includes a central unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU).

[0069] The CU and DU may be defined based on the protocol layers of the wireless network. For example, the functions of the PDCP layer and protocol layers above the PDCP layer are configured in the CU, and the functions of the protocol layers below the PDCP layer (e.g., the RLC layer, the MAC layer, and the PHY layer) are configured in the DU. For example, the functions of the protocol layers above the PDCP layer are configured in the CU, and the functions of the PDCP layer and protocol layers below the PDCP layer are configured in the DU. Alternatively, the CU and DU may be defined in another manner. For example, the CU or DU may have more protocol layer functions by division. As another example, the CU or DU may have some processing functions of protocol layers by division. In a design, some functions of the RLC layer and functions of protocol layers above the RLC layer are configured in the CU, and the remaining functions of the RLC layer and functions of protocol layers below the RLC layer are configured in the DU. In another design, the division of the functions of the CU or DU may alternatively be implemented based on service type or other system requirements. For example, the division may be implemented based on delay. Functions whose processing time needs to meet delay requirements are configured in the DU, and functions whose processing time does not need to meet delay requirements are configured in the CU. In another design, the CU may alternatively have one or more functions of the core network. For example, the CU may be located on the network side to facilitate centralized management. The DU may have multiple radio frequency functions, or the radio frequency functions may be configured remotely. For example, FIG. 2B shows that the functions of the PDCP layer, the RRC layer, and the SDAP layer are configured in the CU, and the functions of the RLC layer, the MAC layer, and the PHY layer are configured in the DU.

[0070] Furthermore, the functions of the CU may be implemented by the same entity or different entities. For example, FIG. 2B shows that the functions of the CU may be further divided. Specifically, the control plane (CP) and user plane (UP) are separated and implemented by different entities, namely, the control plane CU entity (i.e., the CU-CP entity) and the user plane CU entity (i.e., the CU-UP entity). The CU-CP entity and the CU-UP entity may be combined with the DU to jointly complete the functions of the access network device. Based on this, when the PDCP layer is configured in the CU, the PDCP layer may be classified into PDCP-C and PDCP-U. In a possible approach, the CU-CP is responsible for the control plane functions. As shown in FIG. 2B, the CU-CP mainly includes RRC and PDCP-C. The PDCP-C is mainly responsible for data encryption and decryption, integrity protection, data transmission, and the like in the control plane. The CU-UP is responsible for the user plane functions. As shown in FIG. 2B, the CU-UP mainly includes SDAP and PDCP-U. The SDAP is mainly responsible for processing data in the core network and mapping data flows to bearers. The PDCP-U is responsible for data plane encryption and decryption, integrity protection, header compression, sequence number preservation, data transmission, and the like. The CU-CP and CU-UP are connected via an E1 interface. Instead of an access network device, the CU-CP is connected to the core network via an Ng interface and is connected to the DU via a control plane interface such as F1-C. The CU-UP is connected to the DU via a user plane interface such as F1-U.

[0071] In the above architecture, signaling generated by the CU may be sent to the terminal device via the DU, or signaling generated by the terminal device may be sent to the CU via the DU. For example, signaling in the RRC layer or the PDCP layer is finally processed as signaling in the physical layer and sent to the terminal device, or converted from signaling received from the physical layer. In this architecture, signaling in the RRC layer or the PDCP layer may be considered to be sent via the DU.

[0072] Optionally, any one of the DU, CU, CU-CP, and CU-UP may be a software module, a hardware structure, or a combination of a software module and a hardware structure. This is not limited. Different entities may exist in different forms. This is not limited. The modules and methods implemented by the modules also fall within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0073] It should be understood that the number and types of devices in the communication system shown in Figure 1 are used merely as an example, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In actual applications, the communication system may further include more terminal devices and more access network devices, and may further include other network elements, for example, core network devices and / or network elements configured to implement artificial intelligence functions.

[0074] In the above-mentioned communication system, when the terminal device does not transmit data, the terminal device enters an IDLE state or an INACTIVE state. In these two states, the terminal device and the access network device are disconnected. When the network side needs to send a signal to the terminal device, the access network device must first find the terminal device by a paging message and then establish a connection with the terminal device to transmit the signal. When the terminal device is in the IDLE state or the INACTIVE state, the terminal device must wake up at a specific position in a specific cycle to monitor the network side for paging for the terminal device. At other times, the terminal device sleeps to save power.

[0075] In the prior art, when a terminal device is idle, the core network must perform paging on all cells in the TA to which the terminal device is registered in the core network, or when the terminal device is inactive, the access network device must perform paging on all cells in the configured RNA. It can be understood that the access network device is the access network device to which the last serving cell accessed by the terminal device in the connected state belongs. The access network device may also be called the last serving base station (gNB) or anchor base station.

[0076] In particular, TA is a concept established for location management of terminal devices in a communication system (e.g., LTE or NR). When a terminal device registers and accesses a network, the core network configures a UE registration area for the terminal device. The UE registration area includes a tracking area identity (TAI) list, which is used to mark the TA registered by the terminal device in the core network. Of course, the TA is not fixed. When the terminal device moves to a cell that does not belong to the TA identified by the TAI list, the terminal device actively accesses the network and performs a NAS registration update. The core network records the current location of the terminal device and updates the UE registration area corresponding to the terminal device, i.e., indicates to the terminal device again the TAI list including the TA of the cell in which the terminal device is currently located.

[0077] An RNA is a paging range, which is configured for an inactive terminal device and is smaller than the TA range to reduce paging message transmission overhead. See FIG. 3. It can be understood that a TA may include multiple RNAs, and one RNA may include multiple cells. The RNA corresponding to a terminal device may be configured and managed by an access network device, and the access network device may page the terminal device based on the RNA corresponding to the terminal device. Similarly, the RNA is not fixed, and the terminal device may initiate an RNA update procedure when moving to a cell that does not belong to the RNA, or the terminal device may initiate an RNA update procedure periodically.

[0078] The following describes in detail the prior art paging procedure.

[0079] When a terminal device is in an idle state, the core network sends a paging message to all access network devices in the TA identified by the TAI list corresponding to the terminal device. The paging message carries the terminal device's identifier, for example, an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) or an S-temporary mobile subscriber identity (S-TMSI). The access network device generates a Radio Resource Control (RRC) and transparently transmits the paging message to the terminal device in a cell managed by the access network device. If a terminal device that obtains a paging message by monitoring determines that the paging message carries the terminal device's identifier, the terminal device initiates an RRC connection setup request to connect to the corresponding access network device. If a terminal device that obtains a paging message by monitoring determines that the paging message does not carry the terminal device's identifier, the terminal device ignores the paging message.

[0080] When a terminal device is in an inactive state, the access network device may perform RAN paging for the inactive UE based on the RNA. Specifically, the access network device may send a paging message in all cells within the RNA where the terminal device is currently located, and this paging message carries the I-radio network temporary identifier (I-RNTI) of the terminal device. If the terminal device's current RNA region includes cells managed by base stations other than the anchor base station, the anchor base station sends the paging message to the base station via the Xn interface. After obtaining the paging message through monitoring, the terminal device checks whether the paging message includes the I-RNTI of the terminal device. If it determines that the paging message includes the I-RNTI of the terminal device, the terminal device initiates an RRC resumption request to connect to the corresponding access network device. If the terminal device that obtains the paging message through monitoring determines that the paging message does not include the identifier of the terminal device, the terminal device ignores the paging message.

[0081] A terminal device in an idle or inactive state may monitor paging messages using a discontinuous reception (DRX) technique to reduce power consumption. An idle terminal device monitors paging information initiated by the core network on a paging control channel (PCCH), and an inactive terminal device monitors paging information initiated by the access network device on a PCCH. Paging occasions of the access network device and the core network may overlap, and the access network device and the core network may use the same paging mechanism. The terminal device monitors paging messages at a fixed time domain position of the terminal device in each DRX cycle. In particular, the fixed time domain position of the terminal device is associated with the identifier of the terminal device. For example, a terminal device in an idle state may calculate the fixed time domain position based on the S-TMSI of the terminal device and a formula agreed upon in the protocol. In another example, a terminal device in an inactive state may calculate the fixed time domain position based on the I-RNTI of the terminal device and a formula agreed upon in the protocol.

[0082] The fixed time-domain position where the terminal device monitors for paging messages in a DRX cycle can be specifically expressed using a paging frame (PF) and a paging occasion (PO). See FIG. 4. A PO is a PDCCH blind detection opportunity set used to monitor for paging messages. One PO includes S slots, where the value of S is the number of beams corresponding to the SSB of the access network device. In other words, one PO includes S SSB beams. The terminal device monitors for paging messages based on an SSB beam sweeping mechanism. Specifically, the terminal device monitors for paging messages in the beam direction in the slot of the PO. A PF is a radio frame that includes a paging message and includes the start position of the PO. One PF includes one or more POs. However, when a PO includes a large number of SSB beams, one PF may include less than one PO, and another part of the PO may be in a subsequent PF. For example, FIG. 4 shows that one PF includes N POs. One DRX cycle (denoted as T) includes N PFs, and there is an offset PF between any two of the N PFs. offset There is.

[0083] From the above description, it can be seen that the paging range in the prior art relates to multiple cells, and the terminal device needs to sweep all beams in the cells, which requires a long time and has low efficiency.

[0084] Based on this, the present disclosure provides a paging method and a communication apparatus for determining a target cell for paging by predicting the location of a terminal device, thereby narrowing the paging range and improving paging efficiency.

[0085] In the present disclosure, the location of a terminal device may be predicted based on artificial intelligence (AI). AI may be implemented using various possible technologies, for example, machine learning techniques. In the present disclosure, the aforementioned communication system may further include a network element for implementing an artificial intelligence function. For example, an AI function (e.g., an AI module or an AI entity) may be configured in an existing network element of the communication system to implement AI-related operations. The AI-related operations may also be referred to as AI functions. For example, the existing network element may be an access network device (e.g., a gNB), a terminal device, a device in a core network (also referred to as a network element), a network management system, etc. In a network management system, network management tasks may be classified into three types based on the operator's actual requirements for network operation: operations, administration, and maintenance. A network management system may also be referred to as an operations, administration, and maintenance (OAM) network element (OAM for short). Operation mainly refers to daily network and service analysis, prediction, planning, and configuration. Maintenance mainly refers to daily operational activities, such as network and service testing and fault management. A network management system can detect network operating conditions, optimize network connectivity and performance, improve network operation stability, and reduce network maintenance costs. Alternatively, independent network elements may be introduced into a communication system to perform AI-related operations. The independent network elements may be referred to as AI network elements, AI nodes, etc. The names are not limited in this disclosure. AI network elements may be directly connected to access network devices in a communication system or indirectly connected to access network devices via third-party network elements.The third-party network element may be a network element of a core network, such as an authentication management function (AMF) network element, a user plane function (UPF) network element, an OAM, a cloud server, or another network element. This is not limited. The network element that performs AI-related operations is a network element with built-in AI functions or an AI network element. This is not limited in this disclosure. The present disclosure will be described below using an example in which AI functions are incorporated into existing network elements.

[0086] For ease of understanding, some terms of AI in the present disclosure will be explained below with reference to A1 to A4, and it can be understood that this explanation does not limit the present disclosure.

[0087] A1: AI model

[0088] An AI model is a specific implementation of an AI function. An AI model represents the mapping relationship between the model's inputs and outputs. The AI ​​model may be a neural network, a linear regression model, a decision tree model, a support vector machine (SVM), a Bayesian network, a Q-learning model, or another machine learning model. In this disclosure, an AI function may include at least one of the following: data collection (collection of training data and / or inference data), data preprocessing, model training (also called model learning), model information release (construction of model information), model validation, model inference, or inference result release. Inference may also be called prediction. In this disclosure, an AI model may be referred to as a model for short.

[0089] In traditional communication systems, extensive expertise is required to design communication modules. However, in deep learning communication systems based on machine learning techniques (e.g., neural networks), implicit pattern structures can be automatically discovered from large datasets, and mapping relationships between data can be established, resulting in better performance than traditional modeling methods.

[0090] A2: Neural networks

[0091] A neural network is a specific implementation of AI or machine learning techniques. According to the universal approximation theorem, a neural network can theoretically approximate any continuous function, such that a neural network can learn any mapping.

[0092] The concept of neural networks comes from the neuron structure of the brain. For example, each neuron performs a weighted sum operation on the neuron's input values ​​and outputs the result using an activation function. Figure 5A shows the neuron structure. The neuron's inputs are x = [x0, x1, ..., x n ], and the weights corresponding to the inputs are w=[w,w1,…,w n ] and w i x i is used as the weight of x i The offset is used to weight the input values ​​based on the weight, say b. There can be multiple forms of activation functions. Suppose the activation function of a neuron is y = f(z) = max(0,z), then the output of the neuron is

[0093]

number

[0094] In another example, if the activation function of a neuron is y=f(z)=z, then the output of the neuron is

[0095]

number

[0096] b, w i , and x i can be a variety of values, such as decimal numbers, integers (e.g., 0, positive integers, or negative integers), and complex numbers. The activation functions of different neurons in a neural network can be the same or different.

[0097] A neural network typically includes multiple layers, each containing one or more neurons. The depth and / or width of a neural network are increased to improve the neural network's representational capabilities and provide more powerful information extraction and abstraction modeling capabilities for complex systems. The depth of a neural network may be the number of layers included in the neural network, and the number of neurons included in each layer may be referred to as the layer width. In one implementation, a neural network includes an input layer and an output layer. The input layer of a neural network performs neuronal processing on received input information and forwards the processing results to the output layer, which obtains the neural network's output results. In another implementation, a neural network includes an input layer, a hidden layer, and an output layer. See FIG. 5B. The input layer of a neural network performs neuronal processing on received input information and forwards the processing results to an intermediate hidden layer. The hidden layer performs calculations on the received processing results to obtain calculation results. The hidden layer forwards the calculation results to the output layer or an adjacent hidden layer. Finally, the output layer obtains the neural network's output results. A neural network may include one hidden layer, or may include multiple hidden layers connected in series, but this is not limited to this.

[0098] The neural network of the present disclosure is, for example, a deep neural network (DNN). Based on the network construction method, the DNN may include a feedforward neural network (FNN), a convolutional neural network (CNN), and a recurrent neural network (RNN).

[0099] A3: Training and inference data

[0100] The training data may include inputs for an AI model, or may include inputs and target outputs (labels) for an AI model, and is used to train the AI ​​model. For example, the training data may include multiple training samples, and each training sample is an input for a neural network. The training data may be understood as a set of training samples, or may be referred to as a training dataset. The training dataset is one of the important parts of machine learning. Essentially, model training is learning some features from the training data so that the output of the AI ​​model is as close as possible to the target output, for example, so that the difference between the output of the AI ​​model and the target output is minimized. The target output is sometimes referred to as a label. The synthesis and selection of the training dataset can determine to some extent the performance of the trained AI model.

[0101] Additionally, in the training process of an AI model (e.g., a neural network), a loss function may be defined. The loss function describes the gap or difference between the output value of the AI ​​model and a target output value. The specific form of the loss function is not limited in this disclosure. The training process of an AI model is a process in which parameters of the AI ​​model are adjusted so that the value of the loss function is smaller than a threshold or so that the value of the loss function meets a target requirement. For example, the AI ​​model is a neural network, and adjusting the parameters of the neural network includes adjusting at least one of the following parameters: the number and width of layers of the neural network, the weights of neurons, or parameters of activation functions of neurons.

[0102] The inference data can be used as input to the trained AI model for AI model inference. During model inference, the inference data is input to the AI ​​model to obtain a corresponding output, i.e., an inference result.

[0103] A4: AI model design

[0104] AI model design mainly includes a data collection stage (e.g., collection of training data and / or inference data), a model training stage, and a model inference stage. An inference result application stage may also be included. FIG. 5C illustrates an AI application framework. In the aforementioned data collection stage, a data source is used to provide training data and inference data. In the model training stage, training data provided by the data source is analyzed or trained to obtain an AI model. The AI ​​model represents a mapping relationship between the model's input and output. Obtaining an AI model by learning using a model training node is equivalent to obtaining a mapping relationship between the model's input and output by learning using training data. In the model inference stage, the AI ​​model trained in the model training stage is used to perform inference based on inference data provided by the data source to obtain an inference result. This stage may be understood as follows: inference data is input to the AI ​​model, and output is obtained through the AI ​​model. This output is the inference result. The inference result may indicate configuration parameters used (operated) by the execution object and / or an operation performed by the execution object. The inference result is released in the inference result application stage. For example, the inference results may be orchestrated by an execution (actor) entity. For example, the execution entity may send the inference results to one or more execution targets (e.g., a core network device, an access network device, or a terminal device) for execution. In another example, the execution entity may further feed back model performance to a data source to facilitate subsequent model update training.

[0105] In the following, Solution 1 and Solution 2 are used to further describe the paging method provided in this disclosure in more detail.

[0106] Solution 1

[0107] 6 is a schematic flowchart of a paging method, which includes the following steps:

[0108] S601: A first access network device sends first information to a core network element, where the first information indicates a movement trajectory of a terminal device.

[0109] In particular, the first access network device is an access network device that provides service to the terminal device before the first time point. For example, the first access network device is an access network device that last provided service to the terminal device before the first time point, i.e., an anchor base station. In other words, the first access network device is an access network device to which the last serving cell of the terminal device belongs before the first time point. The first time point may be understood as the time point at which the terminal device changes from a connected state to a disconnected state or an inactive state, or the time point at which the terminal device is disconnected from the first access network device. The movement trajectory of the terminal device includes N1 past positions of the terminal device before the first time point and / or N2 predicted positions of the terminal device after the first time point, where N1 and N2 are positive integers.

[0110] Optionally, the location of a terminal device described in this disclosure may be represented using geographical location information (eg, geographical location information such as longitude, latitude, and altitude of the terminal device).

[0111] Optionally, the first access network device may include the first information in a context release message of the terminal device, and may also send the context release message of the terminal device to a core network element. The core network element may be an AMF network element or another network element.

[0112] Of course, it can be understood that the first access network device needs to determine the first information before sending the first information. The following describes two optional implementations in which the first access network device determines the first information.

[0113] In an optional implementation, before disconnecting from the terminal device, the first access network device may obtain a past movement trajectory of the terminal device (e.g., the above-mentioned N1 past positions of the terminal device before the first time point). It may be understood that when reporting the N1 past positions corresponding to the past movement trajectory, the terminal device may indicate the time corresponding to each past position.

[0114] The first access network device may determine the first information based on the acquired past movement trajectory of the terminal device. For example, the first access network device may use the first information to indicate the past movement trajectory of the terminal device. In another example, the first access network device may predict the future movement trajectory of the terminal device based on the past movement trajectory of the terminal device, for example, to determine a predicted location of the terminal device at N2 points after the first time point. In this way, the first access network device may use the first information to indicate the past movement trajectory and the future movement trajectory of the terminal device. In another example, when the first access network device obtains the future movement trajectory of the terminal device by prediction, the first information may indicate only the future movement trajectory of the terminal device. Optionally, the first access network device may determine a predicted location of the terminal device at N2 points after the first time point based on the past locations of the terminal device at N1 points before the first time point and the AI ​​model used to predict the location of the terminal device. For ease of explanation, in the following content of the present disclosure, the AI ​​model used to predict the location of the terminal will be referred to as a prediction model for short.

[0115] In another optional implementation, the terminal device has a prediction capability. For example, the terminal device may use a prediction model to derive (predict) a future movement trajectory of the terminal device based on the past movement trajectory of the terminal device. The first access network device may obtain a movement trajectory of the terminal device before disconnecting from the terminal device. This movement trajectory includes the past movement trajectory of the terminal device and a future movement trajectory predicted by the terminal device. It may be understood that when reporting N1 past positions corresponding to the past movement trajectories and N2 predicted positions corresponding to the future movement trajectories, the terminal device may indicate the time corresponding to each position.

[0116] The first access network device may determine the first information based on the acquired movement trajectory of the terminal device. For example, the first access network device may determine the movement trajectory of the terminal device acquired when indicated by the first information. In another example, the first access network device may indicate a future movement trajectory predicted by the terminal device using only the first information. In another example, the first access network device may further predict a future movement trajectory of the terminal device based on the past movement trajectory of the terminal device. In this way, the past movement trajectory of the terminal device and the future movement trajectory of the terminal device predicted by the first access network device are indicated by the first information. Of course, the first access network device may indicate the past movement trajectory of the terminal device using only the first information. This is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0117] S602: The core network element determines, based on the first information, a predicted location of the terminal device at a second time point.

[0118] In an optional implementation, when the first information indicates that the movement trajectory of the terminal device may include a past movement trajectory (e.g., N1 past positions of the terminal device before the first time point), the core network element may determine a predicted position of the terminal device at the second time point based on the N1 past positions of the terminal device before the first time point. Optionally, the core network element may use a prediction model to derive (predict) a predicted position of the terminal device at the second time point based on the N1 past positions of the terminal device.

[0119] In another optional implementation, when the first information indicates that the movement trajectory of the terminal device includes a future movement trajectory (e.g., N2 predicted positions of the terminal device after the first point in time), the core network element may determine a predicted position of the terminal device at a second point in time from the N2 predicted positions.

[0120] It can be understood that the second time point mentioned above is later than the first time point.

[0121] S603: The core network element sends a paging message to the second access network device at a second time point.

[0122] The predicted location of the terminal device at the second time point is within the target cell, and the second access network device is the access network device to which the target cell belongs. Optionally, the target cell may also be described as a paging cell, which is a cell range to which the terminal device is paged.

[0123] If the last serving cell of the terminal device before the first time point and the target cell belong to the same access network device, the first access network device and the second access network device may be understood to be the same access network device, or if the last serving cell of the terminal device before the first time point and the target cell belong to different access network devices, the first access network device and the second access network device may be understood to be different access network devices.

[0124] In particular, the paging message includes information indicating the target cell. Furthermore, optionally, if the core network element can determine the SSB beam distribution status of the target cell, the core network element may further determine, based on the first information, that the terminal device is located within the coverage range of a target beam in the target cell at the second time point, and the core network element may further add information indicating the target beam to the paging message. Alternatively, if the core network element cannot determine the SSB beam distribution status of the target cell, the core network element may further send second information to the second access network device when sending the paging message. The second information indicates a future predicted location of the terminal device, for example, a predicted location of the terminal device at N2 locations after the first time point. In this way, the second access network device can determine, based on the second information, the coverage range of a beam in the target cell to which the predicted location of the terminal device belongs at the second time point, and determine the beam as the target beam.

[0125] S604: The second access network device pages the terminal device in the target cell based on the paging message.

[0126] In an optional implementation, if the paging message includes information indicating the target beam, the second access network device may initiate paging specifically to terminal devices within the coverage range of the target beam in the target cell, for example, may forward the paging message sent by the core network element to all terminal devices within the coverage range of the target beam. Alternatively, the core network element may generate signaling that can be exchanged with the terminal devices based on the paging message sent by the core network element and distribute the signaling to all terminal devices within the coverage range of the target beam.

[0127] In another optional implementation, if the paging message does not include information indicating the target beam, the second access network device needs to initiate paging to terminal devices within the coverage range of all beams in the target cell, for example, to forward the paging message sent by the core network element to all terminal devices in the target cell. Alternatively, the core network element may generate signaling that can be exchanged with the terminal devices based on the paging message sent by the core network element, and distribute the signaling to all terminal devices in the target cell.

[0128] Alternatively, if the paging message does not include information indicating the target beam but the second access network device obtains the second information described in S603, the second access network device may determine the target beam based on the predicted locations of the N2 locations indicated by the second information. The second access network device may initiate paging specifically to terminal devices within the coverage range of the target beam in the target cell, for example, may forward the paging message sent by the core network element to all terminal devices within the coverage range of the target beam. Alternatively, the core network element may generate signaling that can be exchanged with the terminal device based on the paging message sent by the core network element and distribute the signaling to all terminal devices within the coverage range of the target beam.

[0129] S605: The second access network device sends a first paging response message to the core network element.

[0130] The first paging response message indicates a paging result of paging the terminal device in the target cell. In one possible case, the first paging response message indicates that the terminal device has been successfully paged. In another possible case, the first paging response message indicates that the terminal device has not been paged.

[0131] Optionally, when the first paging response message indicates that the terminal device has been successfully paged, the second access network device may notify the core network element of the beam actually accessed by the terminal device in the target cell, the actual location of the terminal device when the paging is successful, the actual location of the terminal device before the paging is successful, and the like. For example, the second access network device may include actual location information about the terminal device in the first paging response message, and the actual location information in the first paging response message may also be described as third information. The third information indicates one or more of the following: the beam for the terminal device to access the target cell, the location information about the terminal device when the paging is successful, and the location information about the terminal device before the paging is successful.

[0132] Optionally, the third information or the content indicated by the third information may be used to update the prediction model described in S601 or S602. This design can improve prediction accuracy. In a possible implementation, the updated prediction model may be used to predict the location of the terminal device after successful paging. In this implementation, it can be understood that the third information is used to predict the location of the terminal device after successful paging.

[0133] Furthermore, optionally, when the first paging response message indicates that the terminal device has been successfully paged, S608 and S609 may be subsequently performed after S605. When the first paging response message indicates that the terminal device has not been paged, S606 to S609 need to be performed after S605. As an optional step, S606 to S609 may be performed after S605. 6 09 is shown in Figure 6 using dashed lines.

[0134] S606: The core network element pages the terminal device in a cell other than the target cell in the TA where the terminal device is currently located.

[0135] In particular, this step refers to the paging procedure triggered by the core network when the terminal device is in an inactive state in the prior art, and the details are not described in this disclosure.

[0136] It is assumed that the terminal device is successfully paged in a cell in the TA where the terminal device is currently located, and the access network device to which the cell belongs is referred to as a third access network device. The third access network device can feed back paging success-related information to a core network element. In particular, it can be seen that this is described in S607.

[0137] S607: The third access network device sends a second paging response message to the core network element, where the second paging response message indicates that the terminal device has been successfully paged within a cell managed by the third access network device.

[0138] Optionally, the third access network device may inform the core network element of the cell actually accessed by the terminal device, the beam actually accessed by the terminal device in the cell, the actual location before the paging is successful, and the like. For example, the third access network device may include actual location information for the terminal device in the second paging response message, and the actual location information for the terminal device in the second paging response message may also be described as fourth information. The fourth information may indicate one or more of the following: the cell accessed by the terminal device, the beam for the terminal device to access the cell, the location information for the terminal device when the paging is successful, and the location information for the terminal device before the paging is successful.

[0139] Optionally, the fourth information or the content indicated by the fourth information may be used to update the prediction model described in S601 or S602. This design can improve prediction accuracy. In a possible implementation, the updated prediction model may be used to predict the location of the terminal device after successful paging. In this implementation, it can be understood that the fourth information is used to predict the location of the terminal device after successful paging.

[0140] S608: The core network element feeds back to the first access network device that the terminal device has been successfully paged and the actual location information of the terminal device. If S605 is implemented, the actual location information fed back by the core network element is the actual location information in the first paging response message described in S605, or is referred to as the third information; if S607 is implemented, the actual location information fed back by the core network element is the actual location information in the second paging response message described in S607, or is referred to as the fourth information.

[0141] S609: The first access network device updates the prediction model based on the actual location information about the terminal device.

[0142] For example, when the first access network device uses the prediction model to derive a predicted location of the terminal device at N2 locations after the first time point, if the first paging response message indicates that the terminal device has been successfully paged, the first access network device may perform reinforcement learning on the prediction model used by the first access network device based on content indicated by the third information to update the prediction model. Alternatively, if the first paging response message indicates that the terminal device has not been paged and the second paging response message indicates that the terminal device has been successfully paged, the first access network device may perform reinforcement learning on the prediction model used by the first access network device based on content indicated by the fourth information to update the prediction model.

[0143] In a possible implementation, the first access network device predicts the location of the terminal device after the paging is successful based on the actual location information (the third information or the fourth information) about the terminal device. Specifically, the first access network device first updates a prediction model based on the actual location information about the terminal device, and then uses the updated prediction model to predict the location of the terminal device after the paging is successful.

[0144] Similarly, it can be understood that in S602, if the core network element uses a prediction model to derive (predict) a predicted location of the terminal device at the second time point based on the terminal device's past locations at N1 locations, the core network element may update the prediction model based on actual location information (the third information or the fourth information) about the terminal device. Further, optionally, the core network element may use the updated prediction model to predict the location of the terminal device after the paging is successful.

[0145] In Solution 1 provided in the present disclosure, past trajectory information and predicted trajectory information of a terminal device are introduced to help the core network select a target cell (also called a paging cell) to more accurately page the terminal device. This can reduce signaling overhead and delays associated with paging and improve paging efficiency and accuracy. In addition, the prediction model is updated based on actual location information about the terminal device that has been successfully paged, so that the prediction accuracy of the terminal device's trajectory can be improved. In a possible design, the above Solution 1 can be used in a scenario in which an idle terminal device is paged.

[0146] Solution 2

[0147] 7 is a schematic flowchart of a paging method, which includes the following steps:

[0148] S701: A terminal device sends first information to a first access network device, where the first information indicates a movement trajectory of the terminal device.

[0149] In particular, the first access network device is the access network device that last provides service to the terminal device before the first time point. In other words, the first access network device is the access network device to which the last serving cell of the terminal device belongs before the first time point. The first time point may be understood as the time point when the terminal device changes from a connected state to a disconnected state or an inactive state, or the time point when the terminal device is disconnected from the first access network device. The movement trajectory of the terminal device includes N1 past positions of the terminal device before the first time point and / or N2 predicted positions of the terminal device after the first time point, where N1 and N2 are positive integers.

[0150] Optionally, the location of a terminal device described in this disclosure may be represented using geographical location information (eg, geographical location information such as longitude, latitude, and altitude of the terminal device).

[0151] Of course, it can be understood that the terminal device needs to determine the first information before sending the first information. The following describes two optional implementations in which the terminal device determines the first information.

[0152] In an optional implementation, before disconnecting from the first access network device, the terminal device may report its past movement trajectory to the first access network device, in which case the first information sent by the terminal device indicates N1 past positions of the terminal device before a first time point.

[0153] In another optional implementation, the terminal device has prediction capability. For example, the terminal device may use a prediction model to derive (predict) a future movement trajectory of the terminal device based on a past movement trajectory of the terminal device. Before disconnecting from the first access network device, the terminal device may report the past movement trajectory and future movement trajectory of the terminal device to the first access network device. In this case, the first information sent by the terminal device indicates N1 past locations of the terminal device before the first time point and N2 predicted locations of the terminal device after the first time point. Alternatively, before disconnecting from the first access network device, the terminal device may report the future movement trajectory of the terminal device to the first access network device. For example, the first information sent by the terminal device indicates N2 predicted locations of the terminal device after the first time point.

[0154] It may be understood that when reporting N1 past locations corresponding to a past movement trajectory and / or N2 predicted locations corresponding to a future movement trajectory, the terminal device may indicate the time corresponding to each location.

[0155] S702: The first access network device determines, based on the first information, a predicted location of the terminal device at a second time point.

[0156] In an optional implementation, when the first information indicates that the movement trajectory of the terminal device may include a past movement trajectory (e.g., N1 past positions of the terminal device before the first time point), the first access network device may determine a predicted position of the terminal device at the second time point based on the N1 past positions of the terminal device before the first time point. Optionally, the first access network device may use a prediction model to derive (predict) a predicted position of the terminal device at the second time point based on the N1 past positions of the terminal device.

[0157] In another optional implementation, when the first information indicates that the movement trajectory of the terminal device includes a future movement trajectory (e.g., N2 predicted positions of the terminal device after the first time point), the first access network device may determine a predicted position of the terminal device at a second time point from the N2 predicted positions.

[0158] It can be understood that the second time point mentioned above is later than the first time point.

[0159] In addition, the predicted location of the terminal device at the second time point is within the target cell. In a possible case, the target cell is not a cell managed by the first access network device. In another possible case, the target cell is a cell managed by the first access network device. In Solution 2, an example in which the target cell is not a cell managed by the first access network device will be used in the description of the subsequent steps. For ease of distinction, the access network device to which the target cell belongs will be referred to as the second access network device in the following description.

[0160] S703: The first access network device sends a paging message to the second access network device at a second time point.

[0161] In particular, the paging message includes information indicating the target cell. Furthermore, optionally, if the first access network device can determine the SSB beam distribution status of the target cell, the first access network device may further determine, based on the first information, that the terminal device is located within the coverage range of a target beam in the target cell at the second time point, and the first access network device may further add information indicating the target beam to the paging message. Alternatively, if the first access network device cannot determine the SSB beam distribution status of the target cell, the first access network device may further send second information to the second access network device when sending the paging message. The second information indicates a future predicted location of the terminal device, for example, a predicted location of the terminal device N2 places after the first time point. In this way, the second access network device can determine, based on the second information, the coverage range of a beam in the target cell to which the predicted location of the terminal device belongs at the second time point, and determine the beam as the target beam.

[0162] S704: The second access network device pages the terminal device in the target cell based on the paging message.

[0163] In particular, see S604 for implementation, the details of which will not be described again in this disclosure.

[0164] S705: The second access network device sends a first paging response message to the first access network device.

[0165] The first paging response message indicates a paging result of paging the terminal device in the target cell. In one possible case, the first paging response message indicates that the terminal device has been successfully paged. In another possible case, the first paging response message indicates that the terminal device has not been paged.

[0166] Optionally, when the first paging response message indicates that the terminal device has been successfully paged, the second access network device may inform the first access network device of the beam actually accessed by the terminal device in the target cell, the actual location of the terminal device when the paging is successful, the actual location of the terminal device before the paging is successful, and the like. For example, the second access network device may include actual location information about the terminal device in the first paging response message, and the actual location information about the terminal device in the first paging response message may also be described as third information. The third information indicates one or more of the following: the beam for the terminal device to access the target cell, the location information about the terminal device when the paging is successful, and the location information about the terminal device before the paging is successful.

[0167] Optionally, the third information or the content indicated by the third information may be used to update the prediction model described in S701 or S702. This design improves prediction accuracy. In a possible implementation, the updated prediction model may be used to predict the location of the terminal device after successful paging. In this implementation, it can be understood that the third information is used to predict the location of the terminal device after successful paging.

[0168] Furthermore, optionally, when the first paging response message indicates that the terminal device has been successfully paged, S708 may be performed subsequently after S705. When the first paging response message indicates that the terminal device has not been paged, S706 to S708 need to be performed after S705. As optional steps, S706 to S708 are shown using dashed lines in Figure 7.

[0169] S706: The first access network device pages the terminal device in a cell other than the target cell in the TA where the terminal device is currently located.

[0170] In particular, this step refers to the paging procedure triggered by the access network device (anchor base station) when the terminal device is in an inactive state in the prior art. The paging range of the first access network device may be, in particular, the cells included in the RNA configured in the TA. Details are not described in this disclosure.

[0171] It is assumed that the terminal device is successfully paged in a cell in the TA where the terminal device is currently located, and the access network device to which the cell belongs is referred to as a third access network device. The third access network device can feed back paging success-related information to a core network element. In particular, it can be seen that this is described in S607.

[0172] S707: The third access network device sends a second paging response message to the first access network device, where the second paging response message indicates that the terminal device has been successfully paged in a cell managed by the third access network device. Optionally, the third access network device may inform the first access network device of the cell actually accessed by the terminal device, the beam actually accessed by the terminal device in the cell, the actual location before the paging is successful, and the like. For example, the third access network device may include actual location information about the terminal device in the second paging response message, where the actual location information about the terminal device in the second paging response message may also be described as fourth information. The fourth information may indicate one or more of the following: the cell accessed by the terminal device, the beam for the terminal device to access the cell, the location information about the terminal device when the paging is successful, and the location information about the terminal device before the paging is successful.

[0173] Optionally, the content indicated by the fourth information may be used to update the prediction model described in S701 or S702. This design improves prediction accuracy. In a possible implementation, the updated prediction model may be used to predict the location of the terminal device after successful paging. In this implementation, it can be understood that the fourth information is used to predict the location of the terminal device after successful paging.

[0174] S708: The first access network device updates the prediction model based on the actual location information about the terminal device.

[0175] For example, when the first access network device uses the prediction model to derive a predicted location of N2 locations of the terminal device after the first time point, if the first paging response message indicates that the terminal device has been successfully paged, the first access network device may perform reinforcement learning on the prediction model used by the first access network device based on content indicated by the third information to update the prediction model. Alternatively, if the first paging response message indicates that the terminal device has not been paged and the second paging response message indicates that the terminal device has been successfully paged, the first access network device may perform reinforcement learning on the prediction model used by the first access network device based on content indicated by the fourth information to update the prediction model.

[0176] In a possible implementation, the first access network device predicts the location of the terminal device after the paging is successful based on the actual location information (the third information or the fourth information) about the terminal device. Specifically, the first access network device first updates a prediction model based on the actual location information about the terminal device, and then uses the updated prediction model to predict the location of the terminal device after the paging is successful.

[0177] In Solution 2 provided in the present disclosure, past trajectory information and predicted trajectory information of a terminal device are introduced to assist an access network device in selecting a target cell (also called a paging cell) to more accurately page the terminal device. This can reduce signaling overhead and delays associated with paging and improve paging efficiency and accuracy. In addition, the prediction model is updated based on actual location information about the terminal device that has been successfully paged, so that the prediction accuracy of the terminal device's trajectory can be improved. In a possible design, the above Solution 2 can be used in a scenario in which an inactive terminal device is paged.

[0178] Solution 3

[0179] 8 is a schematic flowchart of a paging method, which includes the following steps:

[0180] S801: A terminal device sends first information to a first access network device, where the first information indicates a movement trajectory of the terminal device.

[0181] In particular, see S701 for implementation, the details of which will not be described again in this disclosure.

[0182] S802: The first access network device determines, based on the first information, a predicted location of the terminal device at a second time point.

[0183] In particular, see S702 for implementation, the details of which will not be described again in this disclosure.

[0184] In addition, the predicted location of the terminal device at the second time point is within the target cell. In a possible case, the target cell is not a cell managed by the first access network device. In another possible case, the target cell is a cell managed by the first access network device. In Solution 2, an example in which the target cell is a cell managed by the first access network device is used to explain subsequent steps.

[0185] S803: The first access network device pages the terminal device in the target cell based on the first information.

[0186] Optionally, if the first access network device is capable of determining the SSB beam distribution status of the target cell, the first access network device may further determine, based on the first information, that the terminal device is located within the coverage range of the target beam in the target cell at a second time point, and the first access network device may specifically page the terminal device within the coverage range of the target beam in the target cell.

[0187] S804: The first access network device determines a paging result of paging the terminal device in the target cell.

[0188] In an optional implementation, if the terminal device is successfully paged in the target cell, the terminal device accesses the target cell, and the first access network device may communicate with the terminal device to obtain information such as the beam actually accessed by the terminal device in the target cell, the actual location of the terminal device when the paging is successful, and the actual location of the terminal device before the paging is successful. In this case, when determining that the terminal device is successfully paged in the target cell, the first access network device may perform the following steps S805 and S806.

[0189] In another optional implementation, when determining that the terminal device has not been paged in the target cell, the first access network device may perform the following steps S807 to S809.

[0190] As optional steps, S805 to S809 are shown in FIG. 7 using dashed lines.

[0191] S805: The first access network device may acquire third information from the terminal device, where the third information is actual location information about the terminal device, and the third information may particularly indicate one or more of the following: a beam for the terminal device to access the target cell; location information about the terminal device when paging is successful; and location information about the terminal device before paging is successful.

[0192] Optionally, the third information or the content indicated by the third information may be used to update the prediction model described in S801 or S802. This design can improve prediction accuracy. In a possible implementation, the updated prediction model may be used to predict the location of the terminal device after successful paging. It can be understood that in this implementation, the third information is used to predict the location of the terminal device after successful paging. As shown in FIG. 8, after performing S805, the first access device may further perform the following step S806.

[0193] S806: The first access network device updates the prediction model based on the third information.

[0194] In particular, the first access network device may perform reinforcement learning on a prediction model used by the first access network device based on the content indicated by the third information to update the prediction model.

[0195] In a possible implementation, the first access network device predicts the location of the terminal device after the paging is successful based on the third information. Specifically, the first access network device first updates a prediction model based on the third information, and then uses the updated prediction model to predict the location of the terminal device after the paging is successful.

[0196] S807: The first access network device pages the terminal device in a cell other than the target cell in the TA where the terminal device is currently located.

[0197] In particular, this step refers to the paging procedure triggered by the access network device (anchor base station) when the terminal device is in an inactive state in the prior art. The paging range of the first access network device may be, in particular, the cells included in the RNA configured in the TA. Details are not described in this disclosure.

[0198] It is assumed that the terminal device is successfully paged in a cell in the TA where the terminal device is currently located, and the access network device to which the cell belongs is referred to as a third access network device. The third access network device can feed back paging success-related information to a core network element. In particular, it can be seen that this is described in S607.

[0199] S808: The third access network device sends a second paging response message to the first access network device, where the second paging response message indicates that the terminal device has been successfully paged in a cell managed by the third access network device. Optionally, the third access network device may notify the first access network device of the cell actually accessed by the terminal device, the beam actually accessed by the terminal device in the cell, the actual location before the paging is successful, and the like. For example, the third access network device may include fourth information in the second paging response message, where the fourth information is actual location information about the terminal device. The fourth information may particularly indicate one or more of the following: the cell accessed by the terminal device, the beam for the terminal device to access the cell, the location information about the terminal device when the paging is successful, and the location information about the terminal device before the paging is successful.

[0200] Optionally, the fourth information or the content indicated by the fourth information may be used to update the prediction model described in S601 or S602. This design can improve prediction accuracy. In a possible implementation, the updated prediction model may be used to predict the location of the terminal device after successful paging. It can be understood that in this implementation, the fourth information is used to predict the location of the terminal device after successful paging. As shown in FIG. 8, after S808 is performed, the following step S809 may be further performed.

[0201] S809: The first access network device updates the prediction model based on the fourth information.

[0202] For example, when the first access network device uses the prediction model to derive a predicted location of N2 locations of the terminal device after the first time point, if the first paging response message indicates that the terminal device has been successfully paged, the first access network device may perform reinforcement learning on the prediction model used by the first access network device based on content indicated by the third information to update the prediction model. Alternatively, if the first paging response message indicates that the terminal device has not been paged and the second paging response message indicates that the terminal device has been successfully paged, the first access network device may perform reinforcement learning on the prediction model used by the first access network device based on content indicated by the fourth information to update the prediction model.

[0203] In a possible implementation, the first access network device predicts the location of the terminal device after the paging is successful based on the fourth information. Specifically, the first access network device first updates a prediction model based on the fourth information, and then uses the updated prediction model to predict the location of the terminal device after the paging is successful.

[0204] In Solution 3 provided in the present disclosure, past trajectory information and predicted trajectory information of a terminal device are introduced to help an access network device select a target cell (also called a paging cell) to more accurately page the terminal device. This can reduce signaling overhead and delays associated with paging and improve paging efficiency and accuracy. In addition, the prediction model is updated based on actual location information about the terminal device that has been successfully paged, so that the prediction accuracy of the terminal device's trajectory can be improved. In a possible design, the above Solution 3 can be used in a scenario in which an inactive terminal device is paged.

[0205] Based on the same concept, please refer to FIG. 9 . The present disclosure provides a communication device 900. The communication device 900 includes a processing module 901 and a communication module 902. The communication device 900 may be a core network element, or may be a communication device used in or adapted to a core network element and capable of implementing a paging method implemented on the core network element side. Alternatively, the communication device 900 may be a first access network device, or may be a communication device used in or adapted to a first access network device and capable of implementing a paging method implemented on the first access network device side. Alternatively, the communication device 900 may be a second access network device, or may be a communication device used in or adapted to a second access network device and capable of implementing a paging method implemented on the second access network device side.

[0206] The communication module may also be referred to as a transceiver module, a transceiver, a transceiver machine, a transceiver device, etc. The processing module may also be referred to as a processor, a processing board, a processing unit, a processing device, etc. Optionally, the communication module is configured to perform a sending operation and a receiving operation on the core network element side or the first access network device side in the aforementioned method. A component configured to implement a receiving function in the communication module may be considered as a receiving unit, and a component configured to implement a sending function in the communication module may be considered as a sending unit. In other words, the communication module includes a receiving unit and a transmitting unit.

[0207] When the communication device 900 is used in a core network element, the processing module 901 may be configured to implement processing functions of the core network element in the examples of Figures 6 to 8, and the communication module 902 may be configured to implement receiving functions and sending functions of the core network element in the examples of Figures 6 to 8. Alternatively, the communication device may be understood with reference to the third aspect of the Summary of the Invention and possible designs of the third aspect.

[0208] When the communication apparatus 900 is used in a first access network device, the processing module 901 may be configured to implement processing functions of the first access network device in the examples of Figures 6 to 8, and the communication module 902 may be configured to implement receiving functions and sending functions of the first access network device in the examples of Figures 6 to 8. Alternatively, the communication apparatus may be understood with reference to the third aspect of the Summary of the Invention and possible designs of the third aspect.

[0209] When the communication apparatus 900 is used in a second access network device, the processing module 901 may be configured to implement processing functions of the second access network device in the examples of Figures 6 to 8, and the communication module 902 may be configured to implement receiving functions and sending functions of the second access network device in the examples of Figures 6 to 8. Alternatively, the communication apparatus may be understood with reference to the fourth aspect of the Summary of the Invention and possible designs of the fourth aspect.

[0210] Additionally, it should be noted that the communication module and / or the processing module may be implemented using virtual modules. For example, the processing module may be implemented using a software functional unit or a virtual device, and the communication module may be implemented using a software function or a virtual device. Alternatively, the processing module or the communication module may be implemented using an entity device. For example, if the device is implemented using a chip / chip circuit, the communication module may be an input / output circuit and / or a communication interface, performing input operations (corresponding to the aforementioned receiving operations) and output operations (corresponding to the aforementioned sending operations). The processing module is an integrated processor, a microprocessor, or an integrated circuit.

[0211] The division into modules in this disclosure is merely an example and is merely a division into logical functions. In actual implementation, other division methods may be used. Additionally, the functional modules in the examples of this disclosure may be integrated into a single processor, or each module may exist physically independently, or two or more modules may be integrated into a single module. The integrated modules may be implemented in the form of hardware or software functional modules.

[0212] Based on the same technical concept, the present disclosure further provides a communication device 1000. For example, the communication device 1000 may be a chip or a chip system. Optionally, in the present disclosure, a chip system may include a chip, or may include a chip and another discrete component.

[0213] The communication device 1000 may be configured to implement the functionality of any network element of the communication system described in the previous examples. The communication device 1000 may include at least one processor 1010. The processor 1010 is coupled to a memory. Optionally, the memory may be located within the device, the memory may be integrated with the processor, or the memory may be located outside the device. For example, the communication device 1000 may further include at least one memory 1020. The memory 1020 stores computer programs, computer programs or instructions, and / or data necessary to implement any one of the previous examples. The processor 1010 may execute a computer program stored in the memory 1020 to complete the method in any one of the previous examples.

[0214] The communication device 1000 may further include a communication interface 1030, and the communication device 1000 may exchange information with another device via the communication interface 1030. For example, the communication interface 1030 may be a transceiver, a circuit, a bus, a module, a pin, or another type of communication interface. When the communication device 1000 is a chip-type device or circuit, the communication interface 1030 of the device 1000 may alternatively be an input / output circuit and may input information (also referred to as receiving information) and output information (also referred to as sending information). The processor may be an integrated processor, a microprocessor, an integrated circuit, or a logic circuit, and the processor may determine output information based on the input information.

[0215] A coupling in this disclosure refers to an indirect coupling or communication connection between devices, units, or modules, which may be electrical, mechanical, or otherwise, and is used for exchanging information between the devices, units, or modules. The processor 1010 may operate in cooperation with the memory 1020 and the communication interface 1030. The particular medium connecting the processor 1010, the memory 1020, and the communication interface 1030 is not limited by this disclosure.

[0216] Optionally, refer to Figure 10. The processor 1010, the memory 1020, and the communication interface 1030 are connected to each other via a bus 1040. The bus 1040 may be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus, an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, etc. The bus may be classified into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of representation, only one thick line is used to represent a bus in Figure 10, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0217] In this disclosure, a processor may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, or a discrete hardware component capable of implementing or performing the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in this disclosure. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, any conventional processor, etc. The steps of the methods disclosed with reference to this disclosure may be implemented directly by a hardware processor, or may be implemented by a combination of processor hardware and software modules.

[0218] In the present disclosure, memory may be non-volatile memory, such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or solid-state drive (SSD), or volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM). Memory is any medium capable of holding or storing expected program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer, without being limited thereto. Memory in the present disclosure may alternatively be a circuit or any other device capable of implementing a storage function and configured to store program instructions and / or data.

[0219] In a possible implementation, the communication device 1000 may be used in a first access network device. In particular, the communication device 1000 may be the first access network device or may be a device capable of supporting the first access network device in implementing the functions of the first access network device in any one of the aforementioned examples. The memory 1020 stores computer programs (or instructions) and / or data for implementing the functions of the first access network device in any one of the aforementioned examples. The processor 1010 may execute the computer programs stored in the memory 1020 to complete the method performed by the first access network device in any one of the aforementioned examples. When the communication device 1000 is used in a first access network device, the communication interface of the communication device 1000 may be configured to interact with a terminal device and send information to or receive information from the terminal device.

[0220] In another possible implementation, the communications device 1000 may be used in a core network element. In particular, the communications device 1000 may be a core network element or a device capable of supporting a core network element in implementing the functionality of the core network element in any one of the aforementioned examples. The memory 1020 stores computer programs (or instructions) and / or data for implementing the functionality of the core network element in any one of the aforementioned examples. The processor 1010 may execute the computer programs stored in the memory 1020 to complete a method performed by the core network element in any one of the aforementioned examples. When the communications device 1000 is used in a core network element, the communications interface of the communications device 1000 may be configured to interact with a first access network device or a second access network device and send information to or receive information from the first access network device or the second access network device.

[0221] The communication device 1000 provided in this example may be used in a first access network device to complete the aforementioned method performed by the first access network device, or may be used in a second access network device to complete the aforementioned method performed by the second access network device, or may be used in a core network element to complete the aforementioned method performed by the core network element. Therefore, for technical effects that can be achieved by the communication device 1000, please refer to the aforementioned method examples. Details will not be described again in this specification.

[0222] All or part of the technical solutions provided in this disclosure may be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When software is used to implement the technical solutions, all or part of the technical solutions may be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded into a computer and executed, the procedures or functions according to the present disclosure are generated in whole or in part. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a terminal device, an access network device, or another programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from a computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions may be transmitted from a website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optics, or digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, radio, or microwave) techniques. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer, or may be a data storage device, such as a server or data center, that integrates one or more available media. The available media may be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, or magnetic tapes), optical media (e.g., digital video discs (DVDs)), semiconductor media, etc.

[0223] In this disclosure, cross-references may be made between examples without logical contradiction. For example, cross-references may be made between methods and / or terms of method embodiments, cross-references may be made between functions and / or terms of apparatus embodiments, and cross-references may be made between functions and / or terms of apparatus examples and method examples.

[0224] It is obvious that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to the present disclosure without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure is intended to cover these modifications and variations of the present disclosure, provided that they fall within the scope of protection defined by the claims of the present disclosure and their equivalent technologies.

Claims

1. 1. A paging method, comprising: acquiring first information, the first information indicating a movement trajectory of a terminal device, the movement trajectory of the terminal device including N1 past positions of the terminal device before a first time point and N2 predicted positions of the terminal device after the first time point, N1 and N2 being positive integers, the first time point being a time point at which the terminal device changes from a connected state to a disconnected state or an inactive state; determining a predicted location of the terminal device at a second time point based on the first information, the second time point being later than the first time point; sending a paging message to an access network device to which a target cell belongs at the second time point, the paging message including information indicating the target cell, and the predicted location of the terminal device at the second time point being within the target cell; Including, The step of acquiring the first information includes: The method includes receiving the first information from the terminal device before the first time point.

2. The step of obtaining first information includes:

2. The method of claim 1, comprising: obtaining a context release message for the terminal device from an access network device that serves the terminal device before the first time point; the context release message including the first information.

3. The step of determining a predicted location of the terminal device at a second time point based on the first information includes: When the movement trajectory of the terminal device includes the N1 past positions, determining the predicted position of the terminal device at the second time point based on the N1 past positions of the terminal device before the first time point; or determining the predicted location of the terminal device at the second time point from the N2 predicted locations when the movement trajectory of the terminal device includes the N2 predicted locations; 10. The method of claim 1, comprising:

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the predicted location of the terminal device at the second time point is within a coverage range of a target beam in the target cell, and the paging message includes information indicating the target beam.

5. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: at the second time point, sending second information to the access network device to which the target cell belongs, the second information indicating the N2 predicted locations of the terminal device after the first time point, the second information being used to determine a target beam within the target cell, and the predicted location of the terminal device at the second time point being within a coverage range of the target beam.

6. The method further includes receiving a first paging response message from the access network device to which the target cell belongs, the first paging response message indicating that the terminal device has been successfully paged, and the first paging response message includes third information, the third information being: a beam for the terminal device to access the target cell; location information about the terminal device when the paging was successful; or location information for the terminal device before the paging was successful; The method of claim 1 , wherein the method exhibits one or more of:

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising predicting a location of the terminal device after the paging is successful based on the third information.

8. 1. A paging method, comprising: obtaining a paging message, the paging message including information indicating a target cell, the target cell being determined based on a movement trajectory of a terminal device, the movement trajectory including N1 past positions of the terminal device before a first time point and N2 predicted positions of the terminal device after the first time point, N1 and N2 being positive integers, the first time point being a time point at which the terminal device changes from a connected state to a non-connected state or an inactive state, the predicted position of the terminal device at a second time point being within the target cell, and the second time point being later than the first time point; paging the terminal device in the target cell based on the paging message; obtaining second information, the second information indicating predicted locations of the terminal device at the N2 locations after the first time point; determining a target beam in the target cell based on the second information, wherein the predicted location of the terminal device at the second time point is within a coverage range of the target beam; A paging method, including:

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the paging message includes information indicating a target beam, and the predicted location of the terminal device at the second time point is within a coverage range of the target beam.

10. The step of paging the terminal device in the target cell comprises:

10. The method of claim 9, comprising paging the terminal device within the coverage range of the target beam in the target cell.

11. The method further includes sending a paging response message, wherein the paging response message indicates that the terminal device has been successfully paged, and the paging response message includes third information, wherein the third information is: a beam for the terminal device to access the target cell; location information about the terminal device when the paging is successful; and location information for the terminal device before the paging was successful; 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the method exhibits one or more of:

12. A communication device comprising a communication module and a processing module, the communication module is configured to acquire first information, the first information indicating a movement trajectory of a terminal device, the movement trajectory of the terminal device including N1 past positions of the terminal device before a first time point and N2 predicted positions of the terminal device after the first time point, N1 and N2 being positive integers, the first time point being a time point at which the terminal device changes from a connected state to a non-connected state or an inactive state; The processing module includes: determining a predicted location of the terminal device at a second time point based on the first information, the second time point being later than the first time point; configured to send, via the communication module at the second time point, a paging message to an access network device to which a target cell belongs, the paging message including information indicating the target cell, and the predicted location of the terminal device at the second time point being within the target cell; The communication module includes: A communication apparatus, specifically configured to receive said first information from said terminal device before said first time point.

13. The communication module includes: The apparatus of claim 12 , specifically configured to obtain a context release message for the terminal device from an access network device that provides a service to the terminal device before the first time point, the context release message including the first information.

14. The processing module includes: When the movement trajectory of the terminal device includes the N1 past positions, the predicted position of the terminal device at the second time point is determined based on the N1 past positions of the terminal device before the first time point; or The apparatus according to claim 12, specifically configured to determine the predicted position of the terminal device at the second time point from the N2 predicted positions when the movement trajectory of the terminal device includes the N2 predicted positions.

15. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the predicted location of the terminal device at the second time point is within a coverage range of a target beam in the target cell, and the paging message includes information indicating the target beam.

16. The processing module includes:

13. The apparatus of claim 12, further configured to send second information to the access network device to which the target cell belongs via the communication module at the second time point, the second information indicating predicted positions of the terminal device at the N2 locations after the first time point, the second information being used to determine a target beam within the target cell, and the predicted position of the terminal device at the second time point being within a coverage range of the target beam.

17. The communication module includes: The terminal device is further configured to receive a first paging response message from the access network device to which the target cell belongs, the first paging response message indicating that the terminal device has been successfully paged, the first paging response message including third information, the third information being: a beam for the terminal device to access the target cell; location information about the terminal device when the paging is successful; and location information for the terminal device before the paging was successful; 13. The apparatus of claim 12, exhibiting one or more of:

18. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the processing module is further configured to predict a location of the terminal device after the paging is successful based on the third information.

19. A paging device comprising a communication module and a processing module, the communication module is configured to obtain a paging message, the paging message including information indicating a target cell, the target cell being determined based on a movement trajectory of a terminal device, the movement trajectory including N1 past positions of the terminal device before a first time point and N2 predicted positions of the terminal device after the first time point, N1 and N2 being positive integers, the first time point being a time point at which the terminal device changes from a connected state to a non-connected state or an inactive state, the predicted position of the terminal device at a second time point being within the target cell, and the second time point being later than the first time point; the processing module is configured to page the terminal device in the target cell based on the paging message; The communication module is further configured to obtain second information, the second information indicating predicted locations of the terminal device at the N2 locations after the first time point; The processing module is further configured to determine a target beam within the target cell based on the second information, and the predicted location of the terminal device at the second time point is within a coverage range of the target beam.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the paging message includes information indicating a target beam, and the predicted location of the terminal device at the second time point is within a coverage range of the target beam.

21. The processing module includes:

21. The apparatus of claim 20, further configured to page the terminal device within the coverage range of the target beam in the target cell.

22. The processing module includes: The terminal device is further configured to send a paging response message via the communication module, the paging response message indicating that the terminal device has been successfully paged, the paging response message including third information, the third information being: a beam for the terminal device to access the target cell; location information about the terminal device when the paging is successful; and location information for the terminal device before the paging was successful; 20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the apparatus exhibits one or more of:

23. A communication device, A communication device comprising a processor, the processor coupled to a memory, the processor configured to invoke computer program instructions stored in the memory to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 7.

24. A communication device, 12. A communication device comprising a processor, the processor coupled to a memory, the processor configured to invoke computer program instructions stored in the memory to perform the method of any one of claims 8 to 11.

25. A communication system comprising a communication device according to any one of claims 12 to 18 and a paging device according to any one of claims 19 to 22.

26. 12. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions that, when run on a computer, enable the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 7 or any one of claims 8 to 11.

27. 12. A computer program comprising instructions, which when run on a computer enable the computer to carry out the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 or the method according to any one of claims 8 to 11.

28. A chip, the chip being configured to read a computer program stored in a memory to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 or the method according to any one of claims 8 to 11.

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