Optimized user equipment capability signaling, including recovery from database failures.

Abstract

To provide methods and apparatus (including computer program products) for new UE capability signaling.SOLUTION: An apparatus is provided that is caused to at least: receive, from a user equipment capability management function, a message including a first restart counter value indicating a restart of the user equipment capability management function; inhibit, in response to receiving the first restart counter value, one or more old user equipment capability identifiers associated with a second restart counter value, the second restart counter value being associated to a pre-restart state of the user equipment capability management function; and send the first restart counter value indicating the restart of the user equipment capability management function. Related systems, methods, and articles of manufacture are also described.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1A

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The subject matter described in this specification relates to wireless.

Background Art

[0002] In a cellular system, a user equipment (UE) can provide the network with capability information such as the capabilities of the UE, including capabilities related to a radio access network (RAN). The size of the UE's capability information may become important over time. However, in 3GPP, work items related to the optimization of UE radio capability signaling in Rel-16 are being promoted (see, for example, 800025, FS_RACS, “Study on optimizations on UE radio capability signaling” and 800097, FS_RACS_RAN, “Study on optimizations on UE radio capability signaling - NR / E-UTRA Aspects”).

Summary of the Invention

[0003] A method and apparatus (including computer program products) for user equipment capability signaling are provided.

[0004] In some exemplary embodiments, an apparatus may be provided comprising at least one processor and at least one memory containing computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code, together with the at least one processor, are configured to cause the apparatus to at least: receive a message from a user equipment capability management function including a first restart counter value indicating a restart of the user equipment capability management function; in response to receiving the first restart counter value, prohibit one or more old user equipment capability identifiers associated with a second restart counter value related to the pre-restart state of the user equipment capability management function; and transmit the first restart counter value indicating a restart of the user equipment capability management function.

[0005] In some modifications, one or more of the features disclosed herein, including the following features, may be optionally included in any feasible combination: A first restart counter value may be stored. The device may determine whether the second restart counter value matches the first restart counter value by comparing it to the first restart counter value when it receives a registration request including a user equipment capability identifier associated with a second restart counter value and / or when it examines one or more user equipment capability identifiers stored for a registered user equipment. A message may be sent to the radio access network that triggers the reading of user equipment capability information for the user equipment. The message may be sent if the device does not have a user equipment capability identifier associated with the second restart counter value in its cache. A new user equipment capability identifier associated with user equipment capability information including at least one radio capability may be assigned to the user equipment, and the new user equipment capability identifier may be associated with the first restart counter value. The assigned new user device capability identifier may be transmitted to the user device in registration accept messages, configuration update messages, globally unique temporary identifier reallocation command messages, and / or non-access hierarchical signaling messages. The transmission of the new user device capability identifier and / or the first restart counter value to the wireless access network may allow the wireless access network to prohibit the use of one or more old user device capability identifiers associated with the second restart counter value. The first restart counter value and / or the user device capability identifier associated with the first restart counter may be stored.The N2 interface or S1 interface message may transmit a new user equipment capability identifier and / or a first restart counter value to the radio access network. Context information, including the old user equipment capability identifier associated with a second restart counter value, may be transmitted to one or more user equipment. A first restart counter value indicating a restart of the user equipment capability management function may be transmitted to the radio access network. This device may be included in a core network node, an access mobility management function, and / or a mobility management entity, or may comprise a core network node, an access mobility management function, and / or a mobility management entity.

[0006] In some exemplary embodiments, an apparatus may be provided comprising at least one processor and at least one memory containing computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to cause the apparatus to at least: receive a first user equipment capability identifier associated with a first restart counter value indicating a restart of a user equipment capability management function; associate the first user equipment capability identifier with at least one user equipment capability; and store the first user equipment capability identifier associated with the first restart counter value and / or at least one user equipment capability.

[0007] In some modifications, one or more of the features disclosed herein, including the following features, may be optionally included in any feasible combination: A registration request including a first user equipment capability identifier associated with a first restart counter value may be transmitted to the core network over a wireless access network. The first restart counter value may indicate a more recent restart of the user equipment capability management function when compared with a second restart counter value associated with a second user equipment capability identifier of the device. In response to the received first user equipment capability identifier, the use of the second user equipment capability identifier may be prohibited. Prohibiting the second user equipment capability identifier may include erasing the second user equipment capability identifier. After receiving the first user equipment capability identifier associated with the first restart counter value, one or more user equipment capability identifiers associated with the second restart counter value may be cached, and the cache may include the corresponding user equipment capability information. A first user equipment capability identifier associated with a first restart counter value may be received by registration approval messages, configuration update messages, global unique temporary identifier redistribution command messages, and / or non-access hierarchical signaling messages. The first user equipment capability identifier may be transmitted to a wireless access network. This device may be included in or comprise the user equipment.

[0008] The embodiments and features described above may be realized in systems, apparatus, methods, and / or articles, depending on the desired configuration. Details of one or more variations of the subject matter described herein are shown in the accompanying drawings and the following description. The features and advantages of the subject matter described herein will become apparent from the following description, drawings, and claims. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1A]This figure shows an example of a part of a 5G system according to several exemplary embodiments. [Figure 1B] This figure shows an example of a part of an evolved packet system according to several exemplary embodiments. [Figure 2] This diagram illustrates an example of a process flow for handling UCMF failures and recovery, according to several exemplary embodiments. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of a process flow that handles restart counter values ​​from the perspective of a network node, according to several exemplary embodiments. [Figure 4] This figure shows another example of a process flow that handles restart counter values ​​from the perspective of user equipment, according to several exemplary embodiments. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of a network node according to several exemplary embodiments. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example of the apparatus according to several exemplary embodiments. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] In drawings, the same symbol is used to represent identical or similar items.

[0011] As described above, user equipment (UEs) can provide UE capability information to the network, but this can lead to inefficiencies, including wasted storage resources and wasted spectrum, as the size of the UE capability information increases. 3GPP has proposed a solution that provides a centralized node, such as a UE Capability Management Function (UCMF), that allocates UE radio capability IDs (also referred to as UE capability IDs). A UE radio capability ID represents the capabilities of a UE, including its radio capability with respect to the RAN. This UE radio capability ID may be provided to the UE by the network and / or UCMF that stores the UE's UE radio capability IDs. Furthermore, the mapping of UE radio capability IDs to related UE capability information may be cached in core network nodes, radio access nodes, and / or similar devices in the network. The UE radio capability ID may later be transmitted to the network by the UE in one or more messages. Subsequently, for example in a 5G system, the UE radio capability ID may be transmitted to the network by the UE in one or more registration messages. On the other hand, in an EPS (Evolved Packet System), the UE may transmit a UE radio capability ID to the network in one or more attach messages (and / or tracking area update messages). In either case, the network recognizes the UE's capability information (including supported radio access technologies, radio frequency parameters, supported bandwidths, etc.) (based on the UE radio capability ID) without triggering a UE capability information query process to obtain the entire set of the UE's radio capabilities (thus saving signaling over the radio).

[0012] However, the use of centralized nodes such as UCMF can lead to hardware failures, software failures, data loss or corruption, and / or problems requiring a restart or other type of recovery. For example, if UCMF fails and there is some, but not all, corresponding data loss of UE capability information, such as the mapping from each UE radio capability ID to the corresponding UE capability information (including the UE's radio capability), this failure could cause problems in the Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN). This is because the PLMN may not be able to recover from the failure, as UEs may have outdated UE radio capability IDs, while the RAN and core network may be caching the outdated UE radio capability IDs as well as the mapped UE capability information.

[0013] To resolve the above problem during UCMF failure recovery, the Access Mobility Management Function (AMF) of the 5G system or the Mobility Management Entity (MME) of the EPS may be indicated to the UCMF recovery (e.g., through signaling, transmission, notification, etc.). Alternatively, this solution may indicate to the UE that the use of UE radio capability IDs stored in the UE (which are considered unsuitable for network use after the failure due to being outdated) is prohibited (e.g., deleted, erased, disposed of, ignored, wiped, flag or indicator indicating not to use, flag or indicator indicating that the ID is outdated, etc.). Using outdated UE radio capability IDs may also present problems because the PLMN cannot determine whether the UE radio capability IDs stored in the UE were assigned before or after the UCMF failure. In short, after a UCMF failure and restart, the PLMN cannot determine whether the UE radio capability IDs provided by the UE are pre-failure (and therefore outdated IDs and / or IDs that are neither active nor valid) or post-recovery (and therefore outdated IDs and / or active or valid IDs). Therefore, this method has the drawback that it requires notifying UEs (that received the UE radio capability ID before the failure) that they are prohibited from using the "old" UE radio capability ID, and that the network cannot determine whether a UE is using the "old" UE radio capability ID. For this reason, it is necessary to determine when the UE capability ID was assigned (for example, before or after UCMF recovery).

[0014] In some exemplary embodiments, the UE radio capability ID may be associated with an indicator that the UCMF has been restarted. This indicator may be in the form of a counter for the UCMF in the PLMN (hereinafter, the "restart counter value"). For example, a field in the UE radio capability ID may contain the restart counter value. This restart counter value may indicate whether the current UE radio capability ID is old (e.g., associated with the pre-failure state of the UCMF and not with the latest restart counter value) or new (e.g., associated with the post-recovery state of the UCMF and / or the latest restart counter value). The restart counter value may be transmitted separately from the UE radio capability ID rather than being included as a field of the UE radio capability ID. In some exemplary embodiments, the restart counter value may be transmitted and stored together with the UE radio capability ID.

[0015] According to some exemplary embodiments, UCMF may, upon recovery from a failure, display the value of the restart counter to the core network nodes. This value may be a different restart counter value (e.g., "new restart counter value") indicating that the UCMF's restart counter value has changed after recovery from a failure, etc. In some exemplary embodiments, UCMF may display this new restart counter value to one or more core network nodes proactively (e.g., without an explicit request from one or more core network nodes) or when requested or contacted by one or more core network nodes. For example, UCMF may include the restart counter value in response to a core network node message, such as a request message and / or similar. In some exemplary embodiments, one or more core network nodes may display the new restart counter value to one or more RAN nodes that the core network node has contacted. The core network node (which has received the new restart counter) may proactively (by message) or in a response message to a request from a RAN node to provide the new restart counter to the RAN.

[0016] In some exemplary embodiments, the use of some, but not all, of the stored UE radio capability IDs and their corresponding legacy mappings (associated with the legacy IDs in the UCMF before and / or after the failure) may be prohibited in the UE, radio access network, core network nodes, and other nodes. In the network, the RAN and core network may maintain cached “legacy” UE radio capability IDs for handling any existing registered UEs (which may be using the legacy UE radio capability IDs until the UE radio capability IDs have expired in the cache according to the caching policy).

[0017] When a network, such as a core network node and / or similar, receives a UE radio capability ID from a UE, the network may compare the UE-provided restart counter value (either included in or provided with the UE radio capability ID) with the latest UCMF-provided restart counter value. The UE radio capability ID, including the restart counter value, may be received in a 5G system registration message or a 4G / LTE / EPS attach (or tracking area update) message. If the UE-provided restart counter value does not match the latest UCMF-provided restart counter value, the UE radio capability ID received from the UE is not used by the network (e.g., due to prohibition), and possibly any available mapping of this (UE-provided) UE radio capability ID to UE capability information is read from the cache. This mismatch signals to the network nodes that the UE is using an outdated UE radio capability ID.

[0018] If a mismatch in restart counter values ​​is detected and / or the core network does not store the old restart counter value for the UE radio capability ID provided by the UE in the cache of mappings of UE radio capability IDs to UE capability information, the network may retrieve the UE capability information for that UE. For this purpose, the network may then request, receive, and / or read UE capability information from the UE (e.g., by a UE capability information query). However, if the core network has cached the old UE radio capability IDs provided by the UE, it may use the new radio capability ID mapped to the cached values ​​of this UE capability information (corresponding to the old UE radio capability IDs received from the UE). In either the query or caching case, if the core network has a current set of UE capability information for the UE, it may request the UCMF to assign a new UE radio capability ID to that set of UE capability information, where "new" means that the UE radio capability ID is more recent in time than the old UE capability assigned by the UCMF after the UCMF restart and / or before the failure and / or recovery.

[0019] The network may map and cache the new UE radio capability ID in the UCMF, associated with the new restart counter value (e.g., inclusion, mapping, etc.), to the UE's UE capability information. The network may then show the new UE radio capability ID (associated with the new restart counter value) to the UE in registration approval messages in the 5G system, or, if necessary, in attach approval or tracking area update approval messages in the EPS. Alternatively, the new UE radio capability ID (associated with the new restart counter value) may be communicated to the UE in UE configuration update messages in the 5G system, global unique temporary identifier (GUTI) redistribution command messages in the EPS, and / or other types of non-accessible hierarchical signaling messages received by the UE originating from the core network in the 5G system and / or EPS. The UE may store the UCMF assigned restart counter value as a set of UE radio capability IDs in the PLMN, together with the UE radio capability ID (if the restart counter value is not part of the UE radio capability ID itself). If a UE has other UE radio capability IDs for another set of UE capabilities that it has signaled in the past, and these other UE radio capability IDs are associated with old UCMF restart counter values, the UE may continue to store UE radio capability IDs associated with old UCMF restart counter values ​​related to other potential UE radio settings that the UE may signal in the future, based on a local caching policy that takes these old values ​​into account. Since the operator's goal may include minimizing the number of times UE capability information is read from the UE via the air interface, the above UE radio capability IDs related to other radio settings may be signaled in the future, in the expectation that the network will also be able to store and interpret these IDs if they are held by the UE.However, in the UE and network, older UE radio capability IDs (e.g., those associated with older UCMF restart counters) may be removed from the cache / storage preferentially to those associated with the current UCMF restart counter. The UCMF database of UE radio capability IDs (each associated with the relevant UE capability information) may be re-entered for the UE over time as this process is repeated each time a UE presents a UE radio capability ID with an outdated UCMF restart counter, or as an update by the AMF / MME of a UE that has outdated UE radio capability IDs in the AMF / MME's UE context before the UE contacts the AMF / MME via non-accessible hierarchical signaling messages such as registration / mobility management. This may also enable UCMF failure and recovery.

[0020] Prior to further explanation regarding the UCMF restart counter value in some exemplary embodiments, an example of a part of the 5G wireless network 100 is described with respect to Figure 1A. Figure 1A shows an example of the network 100 in some exemplary embodiments. The network 100 may include other types of wireless technologies in addition to 5G technology.

[0021] Network 100 may comprise one or more user devices (UEs), such as UE 150A, configured to wirelessly couple to at least one radio access network, such as a 5G radio access network (RAN) 152 served by radio access points, including 5G base stations, LTE base stations (eNBs), radio local area network access points, home base stations, and / or other types of radio access points. When moving to a particular network, the UE may be configured to access the radio access network of that network.

[0022] Network 100 may comprise a core network, which may include an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 154, a Session Management Function (SMF) 156, a User Plane Function (UPF) 158, a Network Exposure Function (NEF) 166, an Application Function (AF) 182, etc. In the example of Figure 1A, devices 152-164 may be associated with a Visited Public Land Mobile Network (VPLMN) 166. The UPF interacts with a Data Network (DN) 196. The AMF 178 may be configured to interact with a User Data Management Function (UDM) in a Home Public Land Mobile Network (HPLMN) 170.

[0023] In the example of Figure 1A, the network includes a UCMF 199 that includes a counter 198 configured to provide a restart counter value according to some exemplary embodiments. The UCMF may be a core network node and may also be configured to interact with the AMF 154, the NEF 166, the AF 172, and / or other nodes.

[0024] Figure 1A also shows service interfaces such as N1, N2, N6, etc. The architecture, nodes (including the AMF, SMF, and other devices shown in Figure 1A), and service interfaces may be defined according to standards such as 3GPP TS 23.501, but other standards and proprietary interfaces may also be used.

[0025] [[ID=II]] Some of the nodes in network 100 may be implemented as dedicated physical devices, while other elements may be virtualized. For example, core network nodes such as AMF and SMF may be hosted on dedicated machines, or they may be hosted on virtual machines (e.g., running on a computer or other type of physical data processor) and dynamically instantiated along with other virtualized core network node functions. Furthermore, although Figure 1A shows a fixed number of nodes (e.g., a single RAN, AMF, etc.), each node may be implemented in different numbers. Also, although Figure 1A shows a single destination network and a single home network, the destination and / or home networks may be included in different numbers.

[0026] Figure 1B shows an example implementation of the EPS network 199 according to several exemplary embodiments. Figure 1B shows the UCMF 199 in conjunction with the Service Capability Exposure Function (SCEF) 188, the Application Function (AS) 172, and the Mobility Management Entity (MME) 176. The network 199 also comprises a UE 150A, an Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) 174, a Serving Gateway (S-GW) 180, a Packet Gateway (PGW) 178, and a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) 182.

[0027] Figure 2 shows an example of process 200 used with a UCMF restart counter value according to several exemplary embodiments.

[0028] In some exemplary embodiments, in 210, the UCMF 199 may generate a new restart counter value indicating that the UCMF has recovered after a failure by resetting the UCMF restart counter 198. The failure and recovery may be a whole or partial failure related to hardware, software, data loss, or any other reason requiring a restart of the UCMF (e.g., interruption of UCMF operation or corruption of UE radio capability ID or mapping information). In the example in Figure 2, the preceding old old counter value "x" is incremented by 1 ("+1") to indicate the new restart counter value. Thus, a network node or UE may be able to determine whether the UE radio capability ID containing the preceding restart counter value "x" represents an "old" UE radio capability ID that should not be used. In some exemplary embodiments, the restart counter value may be incremented upon recovery after a failure by being persistently stored in UCMF persistent storage.

[0029] According to some exemplary embodiments, in 220, UCMF199 may notify another node, such as AMF154, of the new restart counter value. In response to the counter reset in 210, UCMF may notify AMF of the new restart counter value by sending a message. Naturally under this disclosure, any AMF (which can actively receive restart counters from UCMF as shown in Figure 2) may contact UCMF at least once to obtain a first value of UCMF restart counters from UCMF and to acknowledge the notification from UCMF (or UCMF may be configured to automatically acknowledge whenever AMF first contacts UCMF). Alternatively or additionally, the new value of the restart counter may be provided in a response message to a request from UCMF (for example, a request to assign a new UE radio capability ID to UE or a request to determine an UE radio capability ID previously provided by UE in a registration request message to AMF).

[0030] According to some exemplary embodiments, in 230, a network node such as AMF 154 may prohibit the use of one or more old UE radio capability IDs and store the new restart counter value received in 220. The AMF may receive the new restart counter value and determine that the UCMF has reset counter 198 (for example, by failure and recovery) (for example, based on a comparison with what was stored before the UCMF failure and recovery). For this reason, the AMF may prohibit the use of some but not all of the old UE radio capability IDs (and / or any associated mapping UE capability information) associated with the old UCMF restart counter value (for example, by deleting, erasing, disposing of, ignoring, sweeping away, a flag or indicator indicating not to use, a flag or indicator indicating that the ID is old, etc.). For example, the AMF may erase or cache these old UE radio capability IDs together with the mapping UE capability information indicating that these old UE radio capability IDs are old. Caching allows UE capability information to be reassigned to a new UE radio capability ID, thus reducing the need to request a complete set of UE capability information from the UE via a UE capability query message. In the example in Figure 2, the new restart counter value is x+1, while the stored restart counter is x, so the two do not match. Therefore, the AMF may either include the stored old restart counter being x, delete any associated UE radio capability ID as old, or cache it. As mentioned above, the AMF may also store the new restart counter value received at 220.

[0031] According to some exemplary embodiments, in 240, a network node such as AMF154 may transmit a new restart counter value to RAN152. For example, AMF may update RAN with the new restart counter value of UCMF (in this example, "x+1") by transmitting the new restart counter value of UCMF to RAN as part of an AMF configuration update message.

[0032] According to some exemplary embodiments, in 250, RAN152 may prohibit the use of one or more old UE radio capability IDs and store the new restart counter value received in 240. RAN152 may also cache these old UE radio capability IDs along with mapping UE capability information indicating that these old UE radio capability IDs are old, as in the case of AMF in 230. Thus, RAN may, as necessary, read old UE radio capability IDs from the cache for UEs that are registered, connected, and continue to use the old values ​​in the RAN context. Returning to the previous example where the new restart counter value is x+1 and the stored restart counter is x, RAN may erase one or more UE radio capability IDs that contain or are associated with restart counter values ​​less than or equal to x+1, or may continue to cache these IDs as old values ​​if necessary for UEs that are still registered, connected, and continue to use the old values ​​in the RAN context. As described above, RAN may store the new restart counter value x+1 received in 220.

[0033] According to some exemplary embodiments, in 260, UE150A may send a message to the network containing a UE radio capability ID, further including a restart counter value. For example, UE150A may send a registration request to AMF154. The registration request may include a UE radio capability ID, which includes a restart counter value, x in the example in Figure 2. In response, AMF may determine (for example, based on a comparison with what was stored in UCMF before the failure and recovery) that the UE has the old UE radio capability ID as the new restart counter (in this example, x+1). If this is the case and / or if the old UE radio capability ID is no longer cached in AMF, AMF may send a message to the RAN to read the UE's capability information.

[0034] According to some exemplary embodiments, in 270, the AMF 154 can trigger the RAN 152 to query UE capability information by sending a message to the RAN 152, such as an initial context setup request message. For example, the initial context setup request may include an indicator such as UE radio capability ID not found and / or no capability. When received by the RAN, this indicator can trigger the RAN to trigger a UE capability query process against information obtained about UE capability.

[0035] According to some exemplary embodiments, a UE capability query is performed in 280. For example, RAN 152 may send a UE capability query message to UE 150A. This message represents a network request to the UE, providing the UE's capability information, in particular, the UE's network, including RAN capability information. In response to the UE capability query message, the UE may respond to RAN with UE capability information.

[0036] According to some exemplary embodiments, in 290, the RAN152 may provide the AMF154 with UE capability information, including the UE's radio capability, via the N2 interface.

[0037] In some exemplary embodiments, in 299, a new UE radio capability ID may be assigned to the UE. The assigned new UE radio capability ID may be mapped in 290 to UE capability information signaled to the UE or to UE capability retrieved from a cache (for example, UE capability information that is still valid but mapped to an older UE radio capability ID). Here, since the AMF has the current UE capability information, it may request the UCMF to provide the UE radio capability ID for the UE capability information, such as the UE's radio capability. If the UCMF returns this value to the AMF, the AMF provides this new UE radio capability ID value to the UE (associated with a new UCMF restart counter (in this example, "x+1")) in a registration approval message. Alternatively, the UE radio capability ID (including or accompanying the new UCMF restart counter value) may be communicated to the UE in a UE configuration update message in a 5G system or in other types of non-accessible hierarchical signaling messages received by the UE originating from the core network in 5GS. Furthermore, the AMF may provide the RAN with the new value of the UE radio capability ID (including or associated with the new UCMF restart counter value, in this example, "x+1") in the UE context updater or initial context setup request message, as specified in 3GPP TS 23.501 and 3GPP TS 38.413. When the UE receives the UE radio capability ID (which may be associated with the new UCMF restart counter), it may retain other UE radio capability IDs that it would store in the PLMN for other radio configurations with the old restart counter value (which may be subject to caching policies that take these older IDs into account), so that the network can continue to present these IDs to the network when the radio configuration is changed and the network has also cached the old values ​​(the goal here is to minimize the need to trigger UE radio capability query 280).

[0038] Figure 3 shows an example of a process 300 that handles the restart counter value of the UCMF, according to several exemplary embodiments.

[0039] According to some exemplary embodiments, in 302, a network node such as AMF154 may receive a message from UCMF199 containing a restart counter value. When a network node such as AMF receives a UCMF message containing a restart counter value, it may determine that UCMF has recovered from a failure or any other type of event that would require the erasure of the old UE radio capability ID or marking it as an old ID in the cache.

[0040] According to some exemplary embodiments, in response to receiving a restart counter value, a network node such as AMF154 may, in 304, prohibit the use of one or more old UE radio capability IDs (e.g., erase, mark as old ID, and / or cache retain). Furthermore, according to some exemplary embodiments, in 306, the network node may, in 230, store the new restart counter value received as described above.

[0041] According to some exemplary embodiments, in 308, a network node such as AMF154 may transmit the new restart counter value of the UCMF to another node such as RAN152. For example, the AMF may transmit the new restart counter value of the UCMF to the RAN (or another node including the UE) as part of an AMF configuration update.

[0042] According to some exemplary embodiments, in 310, a network node such as AMF154 may be configured to receive a registration request that includes a restart counter value. For example, AMF may receive a UE radio capability ID that includes a restart counter value of value x. AMF may then determine that the UE has an old UE radio capability ID as the new restart counter (in this example, x+1) (for example, based on a mismatch or comparison with what was stored in UCMF before the failure and recovery). As described above, if the UE capability is determined to be old based on the restart counter value, AMF may be triggered in 312 to send a message to RAN152 to read the UE capability information. However, if AMF has cached the UE radio capability information mapped to the old UE radio capability ID, along with the ID value (associated with the received old restart counter value), it does not need to trigger the reading of the radio capability from the UE, and instead may use the cached UE capability information (e.g., radio capability).

[0043] In 314, if a network node such as AMF154 has triggered a readout of UE capabilities in 312, it may receive UE capability information, including the UE's radio capability, via the N2 interface. In 316, a network node such as AMF154 may assign a new UE radio capability ID to the UE as described above in 299. This assignment may include requesting UCMF to provide a UE radio capability ID corresponding to a current set of UE capabilities (e.g., the UE's radio capability) and to transmit it to the UE, for example, in a registration acknowledgment message. Alternatively, a UE radio capability ID including or associated with a new UCMF restart counter value may be communicated in a UE configuration update message in a 5G system or in other types of non-accessible hierarchical signaling messages received by the UE originating from the core network in a 5G system. When a UE receives a UE radio capability ID with a new restart counter, it may prohibit the use of the corresponding UE radio capability ID with the old UCMF restart counter. However, if the UE changes its radio configuration and the network requires signaling when caching old restart counter values ​​(thus avoiding the need to trigger UE capability reads from the AMF), the UE may still retain any other arbitrary UE radio capability IDs for other UE radio configurations that have these old restart counters, based on the understanding that the UE caching policy may take these old IDs into consideration.

[0044] Figure 4 shows another example of a process 400 that handles the restart counter value of the UCMF, according to some exemplary embodiments.

[0045] According to some exemplary embodiments, in 405, UE150A may send a registration request including a restart counter value to AMF154.

[0046] According to some exemplary embodiments, if a restart counter value transmitted by the UE is old and the AMF has not cached a UE radio capability ID value that includes or is associated with this old UCMF restart counter transmitted by the UE, the UE may, at 410, receive a request from the network to provide UE capability information. For example, UE150A may receive a UE capability query message from RAN152, which triggers the UE to respond at 412 by providing the network (e.g., RAN, AMF, etc.) with current UE capability information, including radio capability.

[0047] Then, if the restart counter value is old, in 415 the UE may receive a different UE radio capability ID mapped to the UE capability information provided in 412 in a registration approval message from the AMF (or a UE configuration update message in a 5G system or other non-accessible hierarchical signaling message received by the UE originating from the core network in a 5G system). For example, this different UE radio capability ID may include the new restart counter generated after recovery, as described above in 210, or include a new UE radio capability ID associated with it. In 420 the UE may store the new UE radio capability ID mapped to the UE capability information (including the new restart counter) and delete the corresponding old UE radio capability ID value. As described above, the UE may retain other UE radio capability IDs for other UE radio configurations with old restart counter values.

[0048] In some exemplary embodiments, if the AMF detects an old UE radio capability ID value in the UE context (stored by the AMF for registered UEs), it may proactively update the UE with a new UE radio capability ID without waiting for the next UE registration by using a UE configuration update message in the 5G system (5GS) or a GUTI redistribution command message in the EPS, and / or any other kind of non-accessible hierarchical signaling message received by the UE originating from the core network in the 5GS and / or EPS.

[0049] Figure 5 is a block diagram of a network node 500 according to some exemplary embodiments. The network node 500 may be configured to provide one or more network-side functions, such as a base station (e.g., RAN152), AMF154, UCMF199, and / or other network nodes.

[0050] According to some exemplary embodiments, the network node 500 may comprise a network interface 502, a processor 520, and memory 504. The network interface 502 may comprise wired and / or wireless transceivers that enable access to other nodes, such as base stations, devices 152-180, the Internet, and / or other nodes. The memory 504 may comprise volatile and / or non-volatile memory containing program code that, when executed by at least one processor 520, provides processes disclosed herein (see, for example, processes 200, 300, and / or similar) with respect to the network node, in particular. For example, the network node may be configured to at least receive a message from a user equipment capability management function containing a first restart counter value indicating a restart of the user equipment capability management function. The network node may also, in response to receiving the first restart counter value, prohibit one or more old user equipment capability identifiers associated with a second restart counter value related to the pre-restart state of the user equipment capability management function. The network node may also transmit a first restart counter value indicating a restart of the user equipment capability management function. The network node may also be configured to provide one or more of the following: When the network node receives a registration request that includes a user equipment capability identifier associated with a second restart counter value and / or examines one or more user equipment capability identifiers stored for a registered user equipment, it may determine whether the second restart counter value matches the first restart counter value by comparing it with the first restart counter value. A message may be sent to the wireless access network that triggers the retrieval of user equipment capability information for the user equipment. The message may be sent if the network node does not have a user equipment capability identifier associated with the second restart counter value in its cache.A new user device capability identifier may be assigned to a user device, associated with user device capability information including at least one wireless capability, and the new user device capability identifier may be associated with a first restart counter value. The assigned new user device capability identifier may be transmitted to the user device in registration approval messages, configuration update messages, global unique temporary identifier redistribution command messages, and / or non-access hierarchical signaling messages. The transmission of the new user device capability identifier and / or the first restart counter value to the wireless access network may allow the wireless access network to prohibit the use of one or more old user device capability identifiers associated with a second restart counter value. The first restart counter value and / or the user device capability identifier associated with the first restart counter may be stored. The new user device capability identifier and / or the first restart counter value may be transmitted to the wireless access network by an N2 interface or S1 interface message. Context information including old user device capability identifiers associated with a second restart counter value may be transmitted to one or more user devices. A first restart counter value indicating the restart of the user equipment capability management function may be transmitted to the wireless access network.

[0051] Figure 6 is a block diagram of the apparatus 10 according to some exemplary embodiments.

[0052] Device 10 may represent user equipment such as user equipment 150A to 150C. Device 10 or a part thereof may be implemented not only at base stations / WLAN access points but also at other network nodes (for example, devices 152 to 184).

[0053] The device 10 may include at least one antenna 12 in communication with the transmitter 14 and the receiver 16. Alternatively, the transmitting and receiving antennas may be separate. The device 10 may also include a processor 20 configured to provide and receive signals to the transmitter and receiver, respectively, and to control the functions of the device. The processor 20 may be configured to control the functions of the transmitter and receiver by implementing control signaling via wires to the transmitter and receiver. Similarly, the processor 20 may be configured to control other elements of the device 10 by implementing control signaling via wires connecting the processor 20 to other elements such as a display or memory. The processor 20 may be embodied in a variety of ways, such as a circuit, at least one processing core, one or more microprocessors with accompanying digital signal processors, one or more processors without accompanying digital signal processors, one or more coprocessors, one or more multicore processors, one or more controllers, processing circuits, one or more computers, various other processing elements including integrated circuits (e.g., application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and / or similar), or any combination thereof. Therefore, although the processor 20 is shown as a single processor in Figure 6, in some exemplary embodiments it may comprise multiple processors or processing cores.

[0054] The device 10 may be operable by one or more air interface standards, communication protocols, modulation types, access types, and / or similar. Signals transmitted and received by the processor 20 may include signaling information conforming to applicable cellular system air interface standards and / or any number of different wired or wireless networking technologies, including, but not limited to, Wi-Fi wireless local access network (WLAN) technologies such as IEEE 802.11, 802.16, 802.3, ADSL, DOCSIS, and / or similar. These signals may also include voice data, user-generated data, user-requested data, and / or similar.

[0055] For example, device 10 and / or its cellular modem may be capable of operating in accordance with various first-generation (1G) communication protocols, second-generation (2G or 2.5G) communication protocols, third-generation (3G) communication protocols, fourth-generation (4G) communication protocols, fifth-generation (5G) communication protocols, Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) communication protocols (e.g., Session Establishment Protocol (SIP)), and / or similar. For example, device 10 may be capable of operating in accordance with 2G radio communication protocols such as IS-136, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Pan-European Digital Mobile Telephone System (GSM), IS-95, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), and / or similar. Also, for example, device 10 may be capable of operating in accordance with 2.5G radio communication protocols such as General-Purpose Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Advanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), and / or similar. Furthermore, for example, the device 10 may be capable of operating in accordance with 3G wireless communication protocols such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Code Division Multiple Access 2000 (CDMA2000), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA®), Time Division Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA), and / or similar protocols. The device 10 may also be capable of operating in accordance with 3.9G wireless communication protocols such as Long-Term Evolution (LTE), Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), and / or similar protocols. In addition, for example, the device 10 may be capable of operating in accordance with 4G wireless communication protocols such as LTE Advanced, 5G, and / or similar protocols, as well as similar wireless communication protocols that may be developed in the future.

[0056] It is understood that the processor 20 may include circuits that implement the audio / video and logic functions of the device 10. For example, the processor 20 may include a digital signal processor device, a microprocessor device, an analog-to-digital converter, a digital-to-analog converter, and / or similar devices. The control and signal processing functions of the device 10 may be distributed among these devices according to their respective capabilities. The processor 20 may further include an internal voice encoder (VC) 20a, an internal data modem (DM) 20b, and / or similar devices. Furthermore, the processor 20 may include the ability to run one or more software programs that can be stored in memory. Generally, the processor 20 and the stored software instructions may be configured to cause the device 10 to perform operations. For example, the processor 20 may be capable of running a connection program such as a web browser. According to the connection program, the device 10 may be able to send and receive web content, such as location-based content, in accordance with protocols such as the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and / or similar devices.

[0057] The device 10 may also include a user interface that can be operably coupled to the processor 20, such as an earphone or speaker 24, a ringer 22, a microphone 26, a display 28, a user input interface, and / or similar devices. As mentioned above, the display 28 may be a touch display, and the user may perform selections, value inputs, and / or similar actions by touch and / or gestures. The processor 20 may also include a user interface circuit configured to control the functions of at least some of one or more elements of the user interface, such as the speaker 24, ringer 22, microphone 26, display 28, and / or similar devices. The processor 20 and / or the user interface circuit constituting the processor 20 may be configured to control one or more functions of one or more elements of the user interface by computer program instructions (e.g., software and / or firmware) stored in memory accessible to the processor 20 (e.g., volatile memory 40, non-volatile memory 42, and / or similar devices). The device 10 may include a battery to power various circuits associated with the mobile terminal (for example, a circuit that provides mechanical vibration as a detectable output). The user input interface may include a device that enables the device 20 to receive data, such as a keypad 30 (which may be a virtual keyboard displayed on the display 28 or an externally connected keyboard) and / or other input devices.

[0058] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 6, the device 10 may include one or more mechanisms for sharing and / or acquiring data. For example, the device 10 may include a short-range radio frequency (RF) transceiver and / or caller 64, and RF technology may enable data sharing with and / or data acquisition from electronic devices. The device 10 may also include other short-range transceivers, such as an infrared (IR) transceiver 66, a Bluetooth® (BT) transceiver 68 operating using Bluetooth® wireless technology, a wireless Universal Serial Bus (USB) transceiver 70, a Bluetooth® low-energy transceiver, a ZigBee transceiver, an ANT transceiver, a cellular-to-device (D2D) transceiver, a wireless local area link transceiver, and / or any other short-range wireless technology. The device 10, in particular the short-range transceivers, may be capable of transmitting and / or receiving data to and from electronic devices within a short range of the device, for example, within 10 meters. Furthermore, the device 10, including a Wi-Fi or wireless local area networking modem, may be capable of transmitting and / or receiving data to and from electronic devices in accordance with various wireless networking technologies such as 6LoWpan, Wi-Fi, low-power Wi-Fi, WLAN technologies such as IEEE 802.11, IEEE 802.15, IEEE 802.16, and / or similar technologies.

[0059] The device 10 may include memory capable of storing information elements related to a mobile subscriber, such as a subscriber identification module (SIM) 38, a removable user identification module (R-UIM), an eUICC, a UICC, and / or similar. In addition to the SIM, the device 10 may include other removable memory and / or fixed memory. The device 10 may also include volatile memory 40 and / or non-volatile memory 42. For example, volatile memory 40 may include random access memory (RAM) including dynamic and / or static RAM, on-chip or off-chip cache memory, and / or similar. Embedded and / or removable non-volatile memory 42 may include read-only memory, flash memory, magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disks, floppy disk drives, magnetic tapes), optical disk drives and / or media, non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM), and / or similar. Similar to volatile memory 40, non-volatile memory 42 may include a cache area for temporarily storing data. At least a portion of volatile memory and / or non-volatile memory may be incorporated into the processor 20. The memory may store one or more software programs, instructions, information, data, and / or similar items available to a device performing the operations disclosed herein, such as receiving a first user equipment capability identifier associated with a first restart counter value indicating a restart of the user equipment capability management function, associating the first user equipment capability identifier with at least one user equipment capability, and storing the first user equipment capability identifier associated with the first restart counter value and / or at least one user equipment capability. Alternatively or in addition, the device may be configured to produce the operations disclosed herein with respect to network nodes including base stations / WLAN access points and UEs.

[0060] The memory may include an identifier that uniquely identifies the device 10, such as an International Mobile Equipment Identification (IMEI) code. In an exemplary embodiment, the processor 20 may be configured to provide the operations disclosed herein with respect to the UE, such as receiving a first user equipment capability identifier associated with a first restart counter value indicating a restart of the user equipment capability management function, associating the first user equipment capability identifier with at least one user equipment capability, and storing the first user equipment capability identifier associated with the first restart counter value and / or at least one user equipment capability, using computer code stored in memory 40 and / or 42.

[0061] Some of the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented in software, hardware, application logic, or a combination of software, hardware, and application logic. The software, application logic, and / or hardware may reside, for example, in memory 40, in a control device 20, or in an electronic component. In some exemplary embodiments, the application logic, software, or instruction set is held in one of a variety of conventional computer-readable media. In the context of this specification, “computer-readable media” may be any non-transient medium capable of containing, storing, communicating, propagating, or transmitting instructions that are used by, or in connection with, an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device such as a computer or data processing circuit. As shown in the example in Figure 6, a computer-readable medium may be any non-transient computer-readable storage medium capable of containing or storing instructions that are used by, or in connection with, an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device such as a computer.

[0062] Without limiting the scope, interpretation, or application of the claims described herein, one or more technical effects among the exemplary embodiments disclosed herein may be improved signaling.

[0063] The subject matter described herein may be embodied in systems, apparatus, methods, and / or articles, depending on the desired configuration. For example, the base stations and user equipment (or one or more components thereof) and / or processes described herein can be implemented using one or more of the following: processor executable program code, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), embedded processors, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and / or combinations thereof. These various embodiments may include implementations in one or more computer programs that can run and / or interpret on a programmable system including at least one dedicated or general-purpose programmable processor that can be coupled to receive and transmit data and instructions to a storage system, at least one input device, and at least one output device. These computer programs (also known as programs, software, software applications, applications, components, program code, or code) include machine instructions for the programmable processor and may be implemented in a high-level procedural programming language, an object-oriented programming language, and / or assembly / machine language. In this specification, the term “computer-readable medium” includes any computer program product, machine-readable medium, computer-readable storage medium, apparatus, and / or device (e.g., magnetic disks, optical disks, memory, programmable logic devices (PLDs)) used to provide machine instructions and / or data to a programmable processor, including machine-readable medium that receives machine instructions. Similarly, this specification also describes systems that may comprise a processor and memory coupled to said processor. The memory may contain one or more programs that cause the processor to perform one or more of the operations described herein.

[0064] While several modifications have been described in detail above, other improvements or additions are possible. In particular, other features and / or modifications beyond those shown herein can be provided. Furthermore, the embodiments described above may cover various combinations and subcombinations of the features of the disclosure and / or combinations and subcombinations of several other features of the disclosure. Other embodiments may also be included in the following claims.

[0065] If necessary, the various functions described herein may be performed in different orders and / or simultaneously with one another. Furthermore, if necessary, one or more of the functions described above may be optionally selected or combined. Some of the various aspects of the embodiments are shown in the independent claims, but other aspects of some of these embodiments include other combinations of the features of the embodiments and / or dependent claims with the features of the independent claims, as well as the combinations explicitly shown in the claims. Also, although exemplary embodiments are described herein, it should be noted that these descriptions should not be taken as restrictive. Rather, multiple modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the scope of some of the embodiments defined in the appended claims. Other embodiments may also be included in the following claims. The term "based on" includes "based on at least". The expression "such as" means "such as for example" unless otherwise specified.

Claims

1. Receiving a message including an indicator from the User Device Capability Management Function (UCMF), The aforementioned indicator is a field in the User Equipment (UE) Capability Identifier (ID), The indicator has a new indicator value which is different from the old indicator value which indicates the new UE capability ID and indicates the old UE capability ID. To receive the above, After receiving the new indicator value, the use of the old UE capability ID associated with the old indicator value is prohibited, and Sending a message containing the new UE capability ID to the radio access network (RAN), Methods that include...

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: when a registration request is received that includes the old UE capability ID associated with the old indicator value, and / or when checking one or more UE capability IDs stored for a registered user device (UE), comparing the old indicator value with the new indicator value to determine whether the old indicator value matches the new indicator value.

3. The further includes assigning the new UE capability ID associated with UE capability information, which includes at least one wireless capability, to the UE. The method according to claim 1, wherein the new UE capability ID is associated with the new indicator value.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the assigned new UE capability ID is transmitted to the UE in a registration acceptance message, or a configuration update message, or a global unique temporary identifier reassignment command message, or another non-accessible hierarchical signaling message.

5. Sending the new UE capability ID and / or the new indicator value to the RAN, thereby enabling the RAN to prohibit the use of the old UE capability ID, which is then required to store at least the new UE capability ID associated with the old indicator value, and / or The method according to claim 1, further comprising storing at least the new UE capability ID associated with the new indicator value.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising transmitting context information to one or more UEs, including the old UE capability ID associated with the old indicator value.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein transmitting the message containing the new UE capability ID to the RAN triggers the acquisition of UE capability information for the UE.

8. Receiving a message containing a User Equipment (UE) capability identifier (ID), The aforementioned UE capability ID has a field that is an indicator, The indicator has a new indicator value that indicates a new UE capability ID and is different from the old indicator value that indicates the old UE capability ID, and is a new indicator value that is different from the old indicator value that indicates the old UE capability ID. Receiving the above, Storing the new UE capability ID associated with UE capability information that includes at least one wireless capability, Methods that include...

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising transmitting a registration request, including the new UE capability ID associated with the new indicator value, to the core network via a radio access network (RAN).

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the new indicator value indicates a more recent restart of the User Device Capability Management Function (UCMF) when compared with the old indicator value associated with the old UE capability ID.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising prohibiting the use of the old UE capability ID associated with the old indicator value after receiving the UE capability ID.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the prohibition of the former UE capability ID includes deleting the former UE capability ID.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising caching the old UE capability ID associated with the old indicator value after receiving the UE capability ID, wherein the cache includes the corresponding UE capability information.

14. The method according to claim 8, wherein the UE capability ID is received via a registration acceptance message, or a configuration update message, or a global unique temporary identifier reassignment command message, or another non-accessible hierarchical signaling message.

15. At least one processor, and A device including at least one memory storing instructions, wherein when the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the device contains at least, Receiving a message including an indicator from the User Device Capability Management Function (UCMF), The aforementioned indicator is a field in the User Equipment (UE) Capability Identifier (ID), The indicator has a new indicator value which is different from the old indicator value which indicates the new UE capability ID and indicates the old UE capability ID. To receive the above, After receiving the new indicator value, the use of the old UE capability ID associated with the old indicator value is prohibited, and Sending a message containing the new UE capability ID to the radio access network (RAN), A device that performs an action.

16. When the instruction stored in the at least one memory is executed by the at least one processor, the device further receives at least one The system is configured to assign the new UE capability ID associated with UE capability information, which includes at least one wireless capability, to the UE. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the new UE capability ID is associated with the new indicator value.

17. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein transmitting the message containing the new UE capability ID to the RAN triggers the acquisition of UE capability information for the UE.

18. At least one processor, and A device including at least one memory storing instructions, wherein when the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the device contains at least, Receiving a message containing a User Equipment (UE) capability identifier (ID), The aforementioned UE capability ID has a field that is an indicator, The indicator has a new indicator value that indicates a new UE capability ID and is different from the old indicator value that indicates the old UE capability ID, and is a new indicator value that is different from the old indicator value that indicates the old UE capability ID. Receiving the above, Storing the new UE capability ID associated with UE capability information that includes at least one wireless capability, A device that performs an action.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein, when the instruction stored in the at least one memory is executed by the at least one processor, the apparatus further causes the apparatus to transmit a registration request, including the new UE capability ID associated with the new indicator value, to the core network via a radio access network (RAN).

20. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the new indicator value indicates a more recent restart of the User Device Capability Management Function (UCMF) when compared with the old indicator value associated with the old UE capability ID.

21. When the instruction stored in the at least one memory is executed by the at least one processor, the device will have at least, The apparatus according to claim 20, further comprising the action of prohibiting the use of the old UE capability ID associated with the old indicator value after receiving the UE capability ID.

22. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the prohibition of the former UE capability ID includes deleting the former UE capability ID.

23. When the instruction stored in the at least one memory is executed by the at least one processor, the device will have at least, The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein, after receiving the UE capability ID, it further caches the old UE capability ID associated with the old indicator value, the cache containing the corresponding UE capability information.

24. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the UE capability ID is received via one of the following: a registration acceptance message, a configuration update message, a global unique temporary identifier reassignment command message, or another non-accessible hierarchical signaling message.

25. A non-temporary computer-readable storage medium storing instructions, wherein the instructions are provided to a processor, at least: Receiving a message including an indicator from the User Device Capability Management Function (UCMF), The aforementioned indicator is a field in the User Equipment (UE) Capability Identifier (ID), The indicator has a new indicator value which is different from the old indicator value which indicates the new UE capability ID and indicates the old UE capability ID. To receive the above, After receiving the new indicator value, the use of the old UE capability ID associated with the old indicator value is prohibited, and Sending a message containing the new UE capability ID to the radio access network (RAN), A non-temporary computer-readable storage medium that enables this function.

26. A non-temporary computer-readable storage medium storing instructions, wherein the instructions are provided to a processor, at least: Receiving a message containing a User Equipment (UE) capability identifier (ID), The aforementioned UE capability ID has a field that is an indicator, The indicator has a new indicator value that indicates a new UE capability ID and is different from the old indicator value that indicates the old UE capability ID, and is a new indicator value that is different from the old indicator value that indicates the old UE capability ID. Receiving the above, Storing the new UE capability ID associated with UE capability information that includes at least one wireless capability, A non-temporary computer-readable storage medium that enables this function.

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