User equipment and base station, and methods executed thereby

Abstract

According to the present invention, provided is a method executed by a user equipment (UE). The method comprises: receiving an RRC release message from a base station; and if the RRC release message includes a first field but does not include a second field for carrying an MBS multicast configuration message, considering that any one of the following is established: all joined MBS multicast sessions are configured to be receivable in an RRC inactive state; all configured MBS multicast sessions are receivable in the RRC inactive state; all the joined MBS multicast sessions are configured to be receivable in the RRC inactive state in the current serving cell; all the configured MBS multicast sessions are configured to be receivable in the RRC inactive state in the current serving cell; all the joined MBS multicast sessions are configured to be receivable in the RRC inactive state in the current serving cell before a multicast MCCH is acquired; and all the configured MBS multicast sessions are configured to be receivable in the RRC inactive state before the multicast MCCH is acquired.

Description

User equipment, base station and method thereof Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of wireless communication technology, and more particularly, to a user equipment, a base station and a method thereof. Background Art

[0002] A study project (SI) on improving the 5G multicast broadcast service architecture (see SP-190625) has been approved. One of the objectives of this SI (referred to as Objective A) is to support universal MBS services in the 5GS. Use cases that could benefit from this feature include (but are not limited to) public safety, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) applications, transparent IPv4 / IPv6 multicast transmission, IPTV, wireless software delivery, group communications, and IoT applications. Accordingly, at the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) RAN#86 plenary meeting, a work item on NR multicast and broadcast service (NR MBS) was proposed and approved (see non-patent document RP-193248: New WID: NR Multicast and Broadcast Service). This work item aims to provide support for Objective A in the RAN. The objectives of this work item have been largely achieved, and the relevant solutions are described in 3GPP Release 17 technical documents such as TS 38.300-h60, TS 38.331-h60, and TS 38.321-h60. At the 3GPP RAN#94 plenary meeting, a work item titled Enhanced NR Multicast and Broadcast Services was approved (see non-patent literature: RP-213568: New WID: Enhancements of NR Multicast and Broadcast Services). This work item aims to further enhance MBS Multicast and Broadcast Services in Release 17, with one of its goals being to support user equipment receiving MBS multicast services / sessions even when RRC is not active.

[0003] The present invention discusses issues related to RAN supporting user equipment to receive MBS multicast services / sessions in an RRC inactive state. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In order to solve at least part of the above problems, the present invention provides a user equipment, a base station and a method thereof, which can effectively process an established multicast MRB in an RRC inactive state.

[0005] To achieve the above object, according to the present invention, a method performed by a user equipment (UE) is proposed, comprising: receiving an RRC release message from a base station; and if the RRC release message includes a first field but does not include a second field for carrying an MBS multicast configuration message, it is considered that any of the following is true: all joined MBS multicast sessions are configured to be receivable in an RRC inactive state; all configured MBS multicast sessions are receivable in an RRC inactive state; all joined MBS multicast sessions are configured to be receivable in an RRC inactive state in a current serving cell; all configured MBS multicast sessions are configured to be receivable in an RRC inactive state in a current serving cell; all joined MBS multicast sessions are configured to be receivable in an RRC inactive state in a current serving cell; It is set to be receivable in the RRC inactive state in the current serving cell before obtaining the multicast MCCH; and all configured MBS multicast sessions are configured to be receivable in the RRC inactive state in the current serving cell before obtaining the multicast MCCH, wherein the first domain indicates the MBS multicast sessions or services that the UE can receive in the current serving cell when it is in the RRC inactive state, or is used to indicate the MBS multicast sessions or services that the UE can receive when it is in the RRC inactive state, or is used to indicate the MBS multicast sessions or services that the UE can receive when the current serving cell is in the RRC inactive state before obtaining the multicast MCCH, or is used to indicate the MBS multicast sessions or services that the UE can receive when the current serving cell is in the RRC inactive state before obtaining the multicast MCCH.

[0006] Preferably, the configured MBS multicast session is an MBS multicast session configured when the UE is in an RRC connected state.

[0007] In addition, according to the present invention, a method performed by a user equipment UE is proposed, comprising: receiving an RRC release message from a base station; and if the RRC release message includes a first field but does not include a second field for carrying an MBS multicast configuration message, it is considered that any of the following is true: all configured MBS multicast sessions are not configured to be receivable in an RRC inactive state; all configured MBS multicast sessions are not configured to be receivable in an RRC inactive state in a current serving cell; all configured MBS multicast sessions are not configured to be receivable in an RRC inactive state in a current serving cell before obtaining a multicast MCCH; all joined MBS multicast sessions are not configured to be receivable in an RRC inactive state in the current serving cell; The former serving cell can be received in the RRC inactive state; and all joined MBS multicast sessions are not configured to be receivable in the RRC inactive state in the current serving cell before obtaining the multicast MCCH, wherein the first domain indicates the MBS multicast sessions or services that the UE can receive in the current serving cell when it is in the RRC inactive state, or is used to indicate the MBS multicast sessions or services that the UE can receive when it is in the RRC inactive state, or is used to indicate the MBS multicast sessions or services that the UE can receive when the current serving cell is in the RRC inactive state before obtaining the multicast MCCH, or is used to indicate the MBS multicast sessions or services that the UE can receive when the current serving cell is in the RRC inactive state before obtaining the multicast MCCH.

[0008] In addition, according to the present invention, a method performed by a user equipment UE is proposed, comprising: receiving an RRC release message from a base station; and if the RRC release message includes a first field but does not include a second field for carrying an MBS multicast configuration message, it is considered that any of the following is true: all configured MBS multicast sessions are instructed to stop detecting G-RNTI; all joined MBS multicast sessions are instructed to stop detecting G-RNTI; all MBS multicast sessions associated with established MRBs are instructed to stop detecting G-RNTI; and all None of the configured MBS multicast sessions are instructed to stop detecting G-RNTI, wherein the first field indicates the MBS multicast sessions or services that the UE can receive in the current serving cell when it is in an RRC-inactive state, or is used to indicate the MBS multicast sessions or services that the UE can receive when it is in an RRC-inactive state, or is used to indicate the MBS multicast sessions or services that the UE can receive when the current serving cell is in an RRC-inactive state before obtaining the multicast MCCH, or is used to indicate the MBS multicast sessions or services that the UE can receive when it is in an RRC-inactive state before obtaining the multicast MCCH.

[0009] In addition, according to the present invention, a method performed by a user equipment UE is proposed, comprising: receiving an RRC release message from a base station; and if the RRC release message contains a first field and does not contain at least one PTM configuration of an MBS multicast session that is configured for RRC inactive reception and is not instructed to stop detecting G-RNTI, obtaining an MBS multicast configuration message on a multicast MCCH, wherein the first field indicates an MBS multicast session or service that the UE can receive in a current serving cell when the UE is in an RRC inactive state, or is used to indicate an MBS multicast session or service that the UE can receive when the UE is in an RRC inactive state, or is used to indicate an MBS multicast session or service that the UE can receive when the current serving cell is in an RRC inactive state before obtaining the multicast MCCH, or is used to indicate an MBS multicast session or service that the UE can receive when the current serving cell is in an RRC inactive state before obtaining the multicast MCCH.

[0010] In addition, according to the present invention, a method performed by a user equipment (UE) is proposed, comprising: receiving an RRC release message from a base station; and if the RRC release message contains a first field and provides a multicast PTM configuration of at least one MBS multicast session, and the UE selects a cell to receive the RRC release message, performing at least one of the following operations: applying the multicast PTM configuration contained in the RRC release message; and if at least one MBS multicast session is not instructed not to stop detecting G-RNTI, detecting a multicast MCCH-RNTI, wherein the first field indicates an MBS multicast session or service that the UE can receive in a current serving cell when the UE is in an RRC-inactive state, or is used to indicate an MBS multicast session or service that the UE can receive in an RRC-inactive state, or is used to indicate an MBS multicast session or service that the UE can receive when the current serving cell is in an RRC-inactive state before acquiring a multicast MCCH, or is used to indicate an MBS multicast session or service that the UE can receive when the current serving cell is in an RRC-inactive state before acquiring a multicast MCCH.

[0011] In addition, according to the present invention, a user equipment is proposed, comprising: a processor; and a memory storing instructions, wherein the instructions execute the above method when executed by the processor.

[0012] In addition, according to the present invention, a method performed by a base station is proposed, wherein the base station communicates with a user equipment UE, and the method includes: sending an RRC release message to the UE, wherein the RRC release message includes a first field but does not include a second field for carrying an MBS multicast configuration message, wherein the first field indicates an MBS multicast session or service that the UE can receive in the current serving cell when the UE is in an RRC inactive state, or is used to indicate the MBS multicast session or service that the UE can receive when the UE is in an RRC inactive state, or is used to indicate the MBS multicast session or service that the UE can receive when the current serving cell is in an RRC inactive state before obtaining the multicast MCCH, or is used to indicate the MBS multicast session or service that the UE can receive when the current serving cell is in an RRC inactive state before obtaining the multicast MCCH.

[0013] In addition, according to the present invention, a base station is proposed, comprising: a processor; and a memory storing instructions, wherein the instructions execute the above method when executed by the processor.

[0014] Effects of the Invention

[0015] According to the present invention, an established multicast MRB can be effectively processed in an RRC inactive state. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] The above and other features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0017] FIG1 is a flowchart illustrating a method executed by a user equipment according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0018] FIG2 is a flowchart illustrating a method executed by a user equipment according to embodiment 2 of the present invention.

[0019] FIG3 is a flowchart illustrating a method executed by a user equipment according to embodiment 3 of the present invention.

[0020] FIG4 is a flowchart illustrating a method executed by a user equipment according to embodiment 4 of the present invention.

[0021] FIG5 is a flowchart illustrating a method executed by a user equipment according to embodiment 5 of the present invention.

[0022] FIG6 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a user equipment involved in the present invention.

[0023] FIG7 is a block diagram schematically showing a base station involved in the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The following describes some of the terms involved in the present invention. For their specific meanings, please refer to the latest relevant 3GPP documents, such as TS38.300-h60, TS38.321-h60, TS38.323-h50, and TS38.331-h60. Furthermore, the embodiments of the present invention are described using broadcast / multicast services as an example. However, the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to broadcast / multicast services and can also be applied to other application scenarios.

[0025] UE: User Equipment.

[0026] RRC: Radio Resource Control.

[0027] RRC_CONNECTED: RRC connected state.

[0028] RRC_INACTIVE: RRC inactive state.

[0029] RRC_IDLE: RRC idle state.

[0030] RAN: Radio Access Network.

[0031] NR: New RAT, new radio access technology.

[0032] MBS: Multicast / Broadcast Services. Multicast can also be called multicast.

[0033] AS: Access Stratum, access layer or access layer.

[0034] NAS: Non Access Stratum, non-access layer or non-access layer.

[0035] RB: Radio Bearer. DRB is a data radio bearer.

[0036] MBS Radio Bearer (MRB): A radio bearer configured for MBS delivery. MRBs are classified into multicast MRBs and broadcast MRBs. A multicast MRB is a radio bearer configured for MBS multicast transmission, while a broadcast MRB is a radio bearer configured for MBS broadcast transmission.

[0037] TMGI: Temporary Mobile Group Identity, used to identify an MBS session.

[0038] RNTI: Radio Network Temporary Identifier, wireless network temporary identifier.

[0039] PTM (Point to Multipoint) is a method for delivering MBS services. In PTM, the gNB delivers a single copy of MBS data packets to a group of UEs. UEs use a G-RNTI or G-CS-RNTI to receive PTM transmissions. For example, the gNB uses the G-RNTI-based group-common physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) to schedule the same G-RNTI-based group-common physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

[0040] PTP (Point to Point) is a delivery method for MBS services. In PTP, the gNB individually delivers separate copies of MBS data packets to each UE independently. For example, the base station schedules the UE-specific PDCCH scrambled with the UE-specific RNTI and the UE-specific PDSCH scrambled with the same UE-specific RNTI.

[0041] PCell: Primary Cell, MCG cell, operates on the primary frequency, in which the UE performs the initial connection establishment process or initiates the connection re-establishment process.

[0042] SCell: Secondary Cell. For UEs configured with carrier aggregation, an SCell is a cell that provides additional radio resources on top of a special cell. For dual connectivity, the term special cell refers to the PCell of an MCG or the PSCell of an SCG. In carrier aggregation, the term special cell refers to the PCell. For dual connectivity, the PSCell is the SCG cell in which the UE performs random access during the synchronous reconfiguration procedure.

[0043] G-RNTI: Group RNTI, group RNTI, used to scramble the scheduling and transmission of PTM for one or more MBS multicast services.

[0044] G-CS-RNTI: Group configuration scheduling RNTI, used to scramble the semi-static scheduling SPS group common physical downlink shared channel PDSCH of one or more MBS multicast services and activate / deactivate the SPS group common PDSCH.

[0045] MTCH: MBS Traffic Channel, MBS traffic channel, is a PTM downlink channel used to transmit MBS data of a multicast session or broadcast session from the network to the UE. Unless otherwise specified, the MTCH involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure refers to the multicast MTCH used to transmit MBS multicast sessions.

[0046] MCCH: MBS Control Channel, MBS control channel, is a PTM downlink channel used for transmitting MBS broadcast or MBS multicast control information associated to one or several MTCH(s) from the network to the UE. MCCH includes broadcast MCCH and multicast MCCH.

[0047] The RRC recovery request message RRCResumeRequest or RRCResumeRequest1 is used to request the resumption of a suspended RRC connection or to perform a RAN-based notification area RNA update. When the UE initiates an RRC connection resumption request, if the SIB1 contains the useFullResumeID field, the RRCResumeRequest1 message is used and the resumeIdentity field in the RRCResumeRequest1 message is set to the fullI-RNTI stored by the UE; otherwise, RRCResumeRequest is used and the resumeIdentity field in the RRCResumeRequest message is set to the stored shortI-RNTI. The RRC release message RRCRelease is used to command the release of an RRC connection or the suspension of an RRC connection. The RRC reconfiguration message RRCReconfiguration is used to command the modification of the RRC connection. The RRC recovery message RRCResume is used to resume a suspended RRC connection. In the present disclosure, the useFullResumeID field indicates the recovery identifier and recovery request message used. When the field is included in SIB1, fullI-RNTI and RRCResumeRequest1 message are used. When the field is not included in SIB1, shortI-RNTI and RRCResumeRequest message are used. ShortI-RNTI uses fewer bits than I-RNTI-Value to identify the suspended UE context of a UE in an RRC inactive state. The RRC recovery process (i.e., the RRC connection recovery process) is used to restore the suspended RRC connection, including restoring SRB(s), DRB(s) and multicast MRB(s), or performing RNA updates, or implementing MBS multicast reception requests, or initiating small data transmission SDT in the RRC_INACTIVE state, etc. During the RRC recovery process, the UE sends an RRC recovery request message to the base station, and may receive an RRC recovery message RRCResume or an RRC setup message RRCSetup or an RRC release message RRCRelease or an RRC rejection message RRCReject from the base station.

[0048] In the present invention, network, base station and RAN can be used interchangeably. The network can be a long-term evolution LTE network, a NR network, an enhanced long-term evolution eLTE network, or other networks defined in subsequent evolution versions of 3GPP.

[0049] Currently, NR MBS services include MBS broadcast (also known as MBS broadcast session, broadcast MBS, MBS broadcast service, or MBS broadcast service) and MBS multicast (also known as MBS multicast session, multicast MBS, MBS multicast service, or MBS multicast service). MBS broadcast provides a downlink-only MBS transmission mode for services with low quality of service (QoS), allowing UEs in RRC connected, RRC idle, and RRC inactive states to receive the MBS service. UEs obtain MBS broadcast configuration information broadcast by the network through the MBS control channel (MCCH).

[0050] Release 17 does not support UEs receiving MBS multicast sessions in the RRC inactive state. Therefore, before receiving MBS multicast services (i.e., MBS multicast sessions), the UE needs to establish an RRC connection with the base station. The base station (i.e., the network) then configures the resources or PTM configuration for the UE to receive MBS multicast services through dedicated RRC signaling (also known as RRC messages, such as RRC reconfiguration messages). The MBS radio bearer (MRB) for receiving these MBS multicast services is also configured for the UE by the base station through dedicated RRC signaling. Only UEs in the RRC connected state and configured with MRBs can receive the corresponding MBS multicast services. Therefore, when an MBS multicast session is activated by the core network or the base station has MBS multicast session data to send, the network that supports MBS multicast notifies UEs in the RRC idle state or RRC inactive state through a group notification mechanism. Upon receiving the group notification, UEs that have joined the MBS multicast session or are interested in the MBS multicast session establish or resume an RRC connection with the network to receive the corresponding MBS multicast session. The group notification is addressed using the P-RNTI on the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), and the UE monitors the paging channel. The paging message used for group notification contains the MBS session identifier (TMGI), which is used to page all UEs that have joined the relevant MBS multicast session and are in RRC Idle or RRC Inactive state. In other words, the base station does not page UEs individually (for the purpose of UEs receiving the MBS multicast session).

[0051] Release 18 supports UEs receiving MBS multicast sessions in an RRC inactive state. For MBS multicast sessions configured for reception in an RRC inactive state, the base station can provide or configure PTM configuration information (also referred to as MBS multicast session configuration information or MBS multicast session PTM configuration or MBS multicast configuration) for the UE to receive the MBS multicast session through dedicated RRC signaling (e.g., RRCRelease message) or through the multicast MBS control channel MCCH (i.e., multicast MCCH). The information required to obtain the multicast MCCH (or multicast MCCH configuration) can be configured for the UE through dedicated RRC signaling or system information blocks (denoted as SIBx), i.e., SIBx contains the information required to obtain the multicast MCCH / MTCH (i.e., MCCH and / or MTCH) configuration of the MBS multicast received in the RRC inactive state. The PTM configuration information may include configuration information of the MRB corresponding to the MBS multicast session and / or the identifier TMGI of the MBS multicast session and its corresponding G-RNTI / G-CS-RNTI and / or fields of DRX configuration information. For example, the PTM configuration of a certain MBS multicast session is information related to the reception of the MBS multicast session contained in the MBS multicast configuration MBSMulticastConfiguration message. The MBSMulticastConfiguration message contains the control information applicable for MBS multicast services transmitted via multicast MRBs for RRC_INACTIVE UEs. The MBSMulticastConfiguration message may be transmitted in a multicast MCCH or an RRC release message. The multicast MCCH is a PTM downlink channel used for transmitting control information of MBS multicast session associated to one or several MTCH(s) from the network to the UE in RRC_INACTIVE state.For an MBS multicast session received in the RRC_INACTIVE state, the MBS multicast session being in an active state or being activated in the embodiments of the present disclosure means that the MBS multicast session is in progress or is about to start, the UE starts receiving (or is receiving) the MBS multicast session, or the UE starts detecting the G-RNTI corresponding to the MBS multicast session, or the UE starts detecting (monitoring) the multicast-MCCH-RNTI of the multicast MCCH. The network may indicate to the UE through RRC signaling (e.g., an RRC release message) or through a paging message that the MBS multicast is activated or data transmission is resumed (e.g., including the TMGI of the MBS multicast session in a paging message indicates that the MBS multicast session is activated or data transmission is resumed), and the UE starts receiving the MBS multicast session after receiving the indication (i.e., the UE starts detecting the G-RNTI corresponding to the MBS multicast session). The MBS multicast being activated in the embodiments of the present disclosure is also applicable to the case of resuming data transmission of the MBS multicast session, which will not be described in detail below. In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the MBS multicast session being in an inactive state or being deactivated means that the MBS multicast session has ended or data transmission has been suspended, or the UE has stopped receiving the MBS multicast session (i.e., the UE has stopped detecting the G-RNTI corresponding to the MBS multicast session). The network may notify the UE through a multicast MCCH message (for example, if the PTM configuration of the MBS multicast session or a specific part of the PTM configuration does not appear in the multicast MCCH message, it indicates that the MBS multicast session is deactivated, or an indicator identifier may be associated with each MBS multicast session to explicitly indicate that the MBS multicast session is deactivated or that detection of the G-RNTI corresponding to the MBS multicast session has stopped) or through a physical downlink control channel PDCCH (or downlink control information DCI) that schedules a multicast MCCH (or a multicast MCCH message). For example, one bit is used in the DCI of the PDCCH to indicate that the MBS multicast is deactivated or data transmission is suspended. After receiving the indication, the UE stops receiving the MBS multicast session. The UE stopping receiving the MBS multicast session may be that the UE does not detect the G-RNTI or G-CS-RNTI corresponding to the MBS multicast session. Therefore, in the present disclosure, the indication of deactivating the MBS multicast session or stopping data transmission is an indication instructing the UE to stop detecting the G-RNTI or G-CS-RNTI associated with the MBS multicast session. In addition, the indication of activating the MBS multicast session or resuming data transmission is an indication to start detecting the G-RNTI corresponding to the MBS multicast session. The deactivation of the MBS multicast session includes the situation where the MBS multicast session temporarily has no data transmission, and the activation of the MBS multicast session includes the situation where the MBS multicast session resumes data transmission.

[0052] Each MBS multicast session is identified by a TMGI and associated with a G-RNTI or G-CS-RNTI. The UE receives the MBS multicast session by detecting the G-RNTI or G-CS-RNTI associated with the MBS multicast session.

[0053] For a UE configured with an MBS multicast session that can be received in the RRC_INACTIVE state, when the MBS multicast session is activated or data transmission is resumed, if the MBS multicast session is configured and / or allowed to be received in the RRC_INACTIVE state and / or the UE has a (valid) PTM configuration for the MBS multicast session, the MBS multicast session can be directly received without establishing an RRC connection with the base station. The network can configure the PTM configuration information (for example, contained in an MBSMulticastConfiguration message) for the MBS multicast session received in the RRC_INACTIVE state for the UE via the multicast MCCH and / or dedicated RRC signaling (for example, an RRC release message, an RRC reconfiguration message). The MBS multicast configuration message MBSMulticastConfiguration can be transmitted on the multicast MCCH (referred to as a multicast MCCH message) or included in an RRC release message. If the RRC release message is used to configure the PTM configuration information of the MBS multicast session received in the RRC_INACTIVE state for the UE, the network may include the MBSMulticastConfiguration message in the RRC release message sent to the UE.

[0054] In the disclosed embodiments, a multicast MCCH-RNTI (i.e., Multicast MCCH-RNTI) is used for dynamically scheduled multicast MCCH signaling and / or multicast MCCH change notification, or for scrambling a DCI or a CRC of a DCI format, or for scrambling a PDCCH for MBS multicast transmission, or for scrambling a DCI or a CRC of a DCI format for MBS multicast transmission, or for scheduling a PDSCH for transmission of an MBS multicast session. The DCI or DCI format may be DCI format 4_0 or DCI format 4_1.

[0055] When a UE in RRC_INACTIVE receives a paging message from a base station, if the paging message includes the TMGI of one or more MBS sessions to which the UE has joined (the TMGI is included in the pagingGroupList field in the paging message), and further, if the UE is not configured to receive MBS multicast in RRC_INACTIVE (that is, the most recently received RRC release message does not include the multicastConfigInactive field), or there is at least one MBS multicast session to which the UE has joined, indicated by the TMGI included in the paging message, which is not indicated by the paging message as receivable in RRC_INACTIVE (that is, the paging message does not include the inactiveReceptionAllowed field corresponding to at least one MBS session indicated by the TMGI included in the paging message to which the UE has joined), and if it is also satisfied that the paging message does not include the PagingRecordList field or the ue-Identity included in any pagingRecord in the PagingRecordList field contained in the paging message does not match the UE identity allocated by an upper layer and the full-RNTI stored by the UE, then the RRC connection recovery procedure is initiated. Among them, the PagingRecordList domain is a pagingRecord list, and the pagingRecord domain contains the ue-Identity domain. The ue-Identity domain is used to indicate the ng-5G-S-TMSI or fullI-RNTI of the UE being paged. The fullI_RNTI domain carries the suspended UE context allocated by the base station to the UE through the RRC release message for identifying the UE in RRC_INACTIVE. The ng-5G-S-TMSI contains a 5G temporary mobile subscription identity 5G-S-TMSI, which is a temporary UE identity provided by the 5GC and is used to uniquely identify a UE in the tracking area.

[0056] The UE receives an RRC release message from a base station. The multicastConfigInactive field included in the RRC release message indicates the multicast sessions or services that the UE can receive in the current serving cell (i.e., the cell receiving the RRC release message) when the UE is in RRC_INACTIVE. Optionally, the multicastConfigInactive field also includes the corresponding configuration of these multicast sessions, which is valid in the current serving cell. When the multicastConfigInactive field is included in the received RRC release message, it indicates that the UE has been configured to receive MBS multicast in RRC_INACTIVE.

[0057] In the present disclosure, embodiments in which the function of the multicastConfigInactive field is replaced by one of the following are also within the scope of the present disclosure:

[0058] The multicastConfigInactive field is used to indicate the multicast sessions or services that the UE can receive when it is in RRC_INACTIVE, or the multicastConfigInactive field is used to indicate the multicast sessions or services that the UE can receive when the current serving cell is in RRC_INACTIVE before obtaining the multicast MCCH, or the multicastConfigInactive field is used to indicate the multicast sessions or services that the UE can receive when it is in RRC_INACTIVE before obtaining the multicast MCCH.

[0059] The multicastConfigInactive field may contain two fields: the inactivePTM-Config field and the inactiveMCCH-Config field. The inactivePTM-Config field carries the MBSMulticastConfiguration message. The inactiveMCCH-Config field carries the system information SIBx, which contains the information required to obtain the multicast MCCH / MTCH configuration for MBS multicast reception when in RRC_INACTIVE mode.

[0060] When a UE receives an RRC release message from a base station, if the RRC release message contains at least the multicastConfigInactive field and the inactivePTM-Config field, in other words, at least one MBS multicast session is configured for RRC_INACTIVE reception, or at least one MBS multicast session is configured for RRC_INACTIVE reception in the current serving cell, or at least one MBS multicast session is configured for RRC_INACTIVE reception in the current serving cell before receiving the multicast MCCH, the UE suspends all multicast MRBs associated with MBS multicast sessions that are not configured for RRC_INACTIVE reception. However, if the RRC release message contains the multicastConfigInactive field but does not contain the inactivePTM-Config field, how the UE handles the already established multicast MRBs is a problem that needs to be solved.

[0061] The following embodiments are provided to solve this problem. In addition, the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present invention. This disclosure is illustrated using the RRC release message as an example. The relevant information may also be carried in other RRC signaling to achieve a similar effect as the RRC release message.

[0062] Example 1

[0063] FIG1 is a flowchart illustrating a method executed by a user equipment according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0064] As shown in FIG1 , in step 101 , the user equipment receives an RRC release message from the base station.

[0065] In step 103, if the RRC release message contains the multicastConfigInactive field but does not contain the inactivePTM-Config field for carrying the MBS multicast configuration message, then (the UE believes that) all joined multicast sessions are configured to be received in RRC_INACTIVE. The multicastConfigInactive field indicates the multicast sessions or services that the UE can receive in the current serving cell when it is in RRC_INACTIVE, or is used to indicate the multicast sessions or services that the UE can receive when it is in RRC_INACTIVE, or is used to indicate the multicast sessions or services that the UE can receive when the current serving cell is in RRC_INACTIVE before obtaining the multicast MCCH, or is used to indicate the multicast sessions or services that the UE can receive when the current serving cell is in RRC_INACTIVE before obtaining the multicast MCCH. Optionally, the multicastConfigInactive field also includes the PTM configuration of the indicated multicast session, and the PTM configuration is valid in the current serving cell.

[0066] Optionally, the UE further performs at least one of the following operations:

[0067] Operation 1-1: It is considered that the indication to stop detecting the G-RNTI for all configured MBS multicast sessions is not received.

[0068] Operation 1-2: Obtain the MBSMulticastConfiguration message from the multicast MCCH of the concerned cell in the next repetition period.

[0069] Operation 1-3: The UE does not suspend any MRB of the configured MBS multicast session.

[0070] Operation 1-4: It is considered that the indication to stop detecting the G-RNTI of all configured or joined MBS multicast sessions has been received.

[0071] [Variation of Example 1]

[0072] The embodiment is obtained by replacing (the UE believes that) all joined multicast sessions are configured to be received in RRC_INACTIVE in Example 1 with one of the following: the UE believes that all configured MBS multicast sessions can be received in RRC_INACTIVE, the UE believes that all joined multicast sessions are configured to be received in RRC_INACTIVE in the current serving cell, the UE believes that all configured multicast sessions are configured to be received in RRC_INACTIVE in the current serving cell, the UE believes that all joined multicast sessions are configured to be received in RRC_INACTIVE in the current serving cell before obtaining the multicast MCCH, and the UE believes that all configured multicast sessions are configured to be received in RRC_INACTIVE in the current serving cell before obtaining the multicast MCCH.

[0073] It should be noted that the configured MBS multicast session in the embodiment of the present disclosure refers to the MBS multicast session configured when the UE is in the RRC connected state. In the present disclosure, the multicast session or service is the MBS multicast session or service.

[0074] In addition, it can be stipulated that if the user equipment receives an RRC release message from the base station, and the RRC release message includes a multicastConfigInactive field and an inactivePTM-Config field for carrying the MBS multicast configuration message, then (the UE considers) that an indication to stop detecting the G-RNTI has been received for all multicast sessions that have been joined but are not included in the inactivePTM-Config field (that is, the TMGI of the multicast session is not included in the inactivePTM-Config field). The multicastConfigInactive field indicates the multicast sessions or services that the UE can receive in the current serving cell when it is in RRC_INACTIVE, or is used to indicate the multicast sessions or services that the UE can receive when it is in RRC_INACTIVE, or is used to indicate the multicast sessions or services that the UE can receive when the current serving cell is in RRC_INACTIVE before obtaining the multicast MCCH, or is used to indicate the multicast sessions or services that the UE can receive when the current serving cell is in RRC_INACTIVE before obtaining the multicast MCCH. Optionally, the multicastConfigInactive field also includes the PTM configuration of the indicated multicast session, and the PTM configuration is valid in the current serving cell.

[0075] Example 2

[0076] FIG2 is a flowchart illustrating a method executed by a user equipment according to embodiment 2 of the present invention.

[0077] As shown in FIG2 , in step 201 , the user equipment receives an RRC release message from the base station.

[0078] In step 203, if the RRC release message contains the multicastConfigInactive field but does not contain the inactivePTM-Config field for carrying the MBS multicast configuration message, then (the UE believes that) all configured multicast sessions are not configured to be received in RRC_INACTIVE. The multicastConfigInactive field indicates the multicast sessions or services that the UE can receive in the current serving cell when it is in RRC_INACTIVE, or is used to indicate the multicast sessions or services that the UE can receive when it is in RRC_INACTIVE, or is used to indicate the multicast sessions or services that the UE can receive when the current serving cell is in RRC_INACTIVE before obtaining the multicast MCCH, or is used to indicate the multicast sessions or services that the UE can receive when the current serving cell is in RRC_INACTIVE before obtaining the multicast MCCH. Optionally, the multicastConfigInactive field also includes the PTM configuration of the indicated multicast session, and the PTM configuration is valid in the current serving cell.

[0079] Optionally, the UE further performs at least one of the following operations:

[0080] Operation 2-1: It is considered that the indication to stop detecting the G-RNTI for all configured MBS multicast sessions has been received.

[0081] Operation 2-2: It is considered that the indication to stop detecting the G-RNTI of all joined MBS multicast sessions has been received.

[0082] Operation 2-3: The UE suspends all MRBs of the configured MBS multicast session.

[0083] In the present disclosure, the multicast session is not configured to be received in RRC_INACTIVE, which means that the multicast session is configured to be unable to be received in RRC_INACTIVE, or the multicast session is configured to be received only in RRC_CONNECTED.

[0084] [Variation of Example 2]

[0085] An embodiment is obtained by replacing the situation in Example 2 where the UE believes that all configured multicast sessions are not configured to be received in RRC_INACTIVE with one of the following: the UE believes that all configured MBS multicast sessions are not configured to be received in RRC_INACTIVE in the current serving cell, the UE believes that all configured MBS multicast sessions are not configured to be received in RRC_INACTIVE in the current serving cell before obtaining the multicast MCCH, the UE believes that all joined multicast sessions are not configured to be received in RRC_INACTIVE in the current serving cell, and the UE believes that all joined multicast sessions are not configured to be received in RRC_INACTIVE in the current serving cell before obtaining the multicast MCCH.

[0086] The following describes in detail the operations that the UE can perform for the configured multicast MRB upon receiving the RRC release message.

[0087] Method 1: The UE receives an RRC release message from the base station. If the RRC release message contains the inactivePTM-Config field, the UE suspends all multicast MRBs for MBS multicast sessions that are not configured for RRC_INACTIVE reception. Optionally, the UE indicates PDCP suspension to the lower layers of all multicast MRBs associated with all multicast sessions that are not configured for RRC_INACTIVE reception. Optionally, otherwise (the RRC release message does not contain the inactivePTM-Config field), the UE does not suspend any multicast MRB. Method 1 is applicable to Example 1.

[0088] Method 2: The UE receives an RRC release message from the base station. If the RRC release message contains the inactivePTM-Config field, the UE suspends all multicast MRBs for MBS multicast sessions that are not configured for RRC_INACTIVE reception, and optionally indicates PDCP suspension to the lower layers of all multicast MRBs associated with all multicast sessions that are not configured for RRC_INACTIVE reception; otherwise (the RRC release message does not contain the inactivePTM-Config field), the UE suspends all multicast MRBs, and optionally indicates PDCP suspension to the lower layers of all multicast MRBs. Method 2 is applicable to Example 1.

[0089] Example 3

[0090] FIG3 is a flowchart illustrating a method executed by a user equipment according to embodiment 3 of the present invention.

[0091] As shown in FIG3 , in step 301 , the user equipment receives an RRC release message from the base station.

[0092] In step 303, if the RRC release message includes the multicastConfigInactive field but does not include the inactivePTM-Config field used to carry the MBS multicast configuration message, the UE considers that all configured multicast sessions are instructed to stop detecting G-RNTI, or the UE considers that all joined multicast sessions are instructed to stop detecting G-RNTI, or the UE considers that all established multicast sessions associated with MRBs are instructed to stop detecting G-RNTI, or the UE considers that all configured multicast sessions are not instructed to stop detecting G-RNTI. The multicastConfigInactive field indicates the multicast sessions or services that the UE can receive in the current serving cell when the UE is in RRC_INACTIVE, or is used to indicate the multicast sessions or services that the UE can receive in the RRC_INACTIVE, or is used to indicate the multicast sessions or services that the UE can receive in the current serving cell before obtaining the multicast MCCH, or is used to indicate the multicast sessions or services that the UE can receive in the RRC_INACTIVE before obtaining the multicast MCCH. Optionally, the multicastConfigInactive field further includes the PTM configuration of the indicated multicast session, and the PTM configuration is valid in the current serving cell.

[0093] In addition, when the UE receives an RRC release message from the base station, if the UE is configured to receive MBS multicast in RRC_INACTIVE, but the RRC release message does not include at least one PTM configuration for a multicast session that is not instructed to stop detecting G-RNTI, the UE obtains the MBSMulticastConfiguration message on the multicast MCCH. However, when the RRC release message includes the multicastConfigInactive field but does not include the inactivePTM-Config field, how the UE determines whether to obtain the MBSMulticastConfiguration message from the multicast MCCH is a problem that needs to be solved.

[0094] The following embodiments are provided to solve this problem.

[0095] Example 4

[0096] FIG4 is a flowchart illustrating a method executed by a user equipment according to embodiment 4 of the present invention.

[0097] As shown in FIG4 , in step 401 , the UE receives an RRC release message from the base station.

[0098] In step 403, if the RRC release message configures the UE to receive the MBS multicast session in RRC_INACTIVE (i.e., the RRC release message contains the multicastConfigInactive field), and the RRC release message does not contain at least one PTM configuration of the MBS multicast session that is configured for RRC_INACTIVE reception and is not indicated to stop detecting G-RNTI, then the MBSMulticastConfiguration message is obtained on the multicast MCCH.

[0099] [Variation of Example 4]

[0100] An embodiment obtained by replacing the RRC release message described in the condition in embodiment 4 with the PTM configuration of at least one MBS multicast session configured for RRC_INACTIVE reception and not indicated to stop detecting G-RNTI with one of the following:

[0101] Condition 4-1: The RRC release message does not include the PTM configuration of at least one MBS multicast session that has been joined and is not instructed to stop detecting the G-RNTI.

[0102] Condition 4-2: The RRC release message includes the inactivePTM-Config field but does not include at least one PTM configuration of an MBS multicast session that is configured for RRC_INACTIVE reception and is not instructed to stop detecting the G-RNTI.

[0103] Condition 4-3: The RRC release message does not include at least one PTM configuration of an MBS multicast session that is configured by the RRCRelease message as RRC_INACTIVE reception and is not instructed to stop detecting the G-RNTI.

[0104] Condition 4-4: The RRC release message does not include at least one TMGI included in the RRCRelease message (ie, included in the inactivePTM-Config field) and the PTM configuration of the MBS multicast session not indicated to stop detecting the G-RNTI.

[0105] Condition 4-5: At least one multicast MRB exists (or has been established) in the UE, the RRC release message does not include the PTM configuration of the multicast session associated with the MRB, and the multicast session associated with the MRB is not instructed to stop detecting the G-RNTI.

[0106] It should be noted that, in the present disclosure, obtaining the MBSMulticastConfiguration message on the multicast MCCH may refer to obtaining the MBSMulticastConfiguration message from the multicast MCCH of the concerned cell in the next repetition period. The cell or the concerned cell may refer to the serving cell or the cell in which the UE receives the RRC release message or the PCell when the UE receives the RRC release message. In the present disclosure, the UE being configured to receive MBS multicast in RRC_INACTIVE means that the UE includes the MBSMulticastConfiguration message in the RRC release message received (i.e., previously or most recently received). Correspondingly, the UE not being configured to receive MBS multicast in RRC_INACTIVE means that the UE does not include the MBSMulticastConfiguration message in the RRC release message received (i.e., previously or most recently received) or although the MBSMulticastConfiguration message is included, the MBSMulticastConfiguration message does not include any TMGI.

[0107] It should be noted that the MulticastConfigInactive field of the suspendConfig field included in the RRC release message contains an MBSMulticastConfiguration message. The suspendConfig field indicates the configuration of the RRC_INACTIVE state; the MulticastConfigInactive field is used to indicate one or more MBS multicast services that can be received in RRC_INACTIVE (or one or more MBS multicast services that can be received in RRC_INACTIVE for the current serving cell), and optionally, also includes the configuration of the MBS multicast service (or the configuration of the MBS multicast service for the current serving cell or the configuration of the MBS multicast service that is valid for the current serving cell). The current serving cell refers to the cell in which the UE receives the RRC release message. The serving cell or the cell in which the UE last or previously received the RRC release message may refer to the primary cell PCell in which the UE last or previously received the RRC release message. If the RRC release message received by the UE contains the MBSMulticastConfiguration message or the MulticastConfigInactive field, the UE is considered to be configured to receive MBS multicast in RRC_INACTIVE; or if the RRC release message received by the UE (or the MBSMulticastConfiguration message included in the RRC release message) contains TMGI, the UE is considered to be configured to receive MBS multicast in RRC_INACTIVE.

[0108] Currently, when a UE receives an RRC release message, if the RRC release message includes the multicastConfigInactive field, the RRC release message provides a PTM configuration for a multicast session that is not instructed to stop detecting G-RNTIs, and the UE selects a cell to receive the RRC release message, the UE applies the multicast PTM configuration contained in the RRC release message and detects the multicast MCCH-RNTI. However, if the multicast PTM configuration contained in the RRC release message is not applied due to conditions not being met upon receiving the RRC release message, and the UE receives a paging message that includes the TMGI of the MBS multicast session to which the UE has joined and its corresponding inactiveReceptionAllowed field, and the PTM configuration for the MBS multicast session indicated by the TMGI is included in the previously received RRC release message, and if the current serving cell does not provide a multicast MCCH, the UE will not be able to receive the MBS multicast session in RRC_INACTIVE mode. The inactiveReceptionAllowed field is used to indicate whether a UE with a valid PTM configuration of the TMGI indicated in the pagingGroupList (ie, pagingGroupList-r17) included in the paging message stays in RRC_INACTIVE to receive the MBS multicast session indicated by the TMGI.

[0109] The following embodiments are provided to solve this problem.

[0110] Example 5

[0111] FIG5 is a flowchart illustrating a method executed by a user equipment according to embodiment 5 of the present invention.

[0112] As shown in FIG5 , in step 501 , the UE receives an RRC release message from the base station.

[0113] In step 503, if the RRC release message configures the UE to receive the MBS multicast session in RRC_INACTIVE (i.e., the RRC release message contains the multicastConfigInactive field), and the RRC release message provides a multicast PTM configuration for at least one MBS multicast session, and the UE selects a cell to receive the RRCRelease, the UE performs at least one of the following operations:

[0114] Operation 5-1: Apply the multicast PTM configuration included in the RRC release message.

[0115] Operation 5-2: If at least one MBS multicast session is not instructed not to stop detecting the G-RNTI, detect the multicast MCCH-RNTI.

[0116] In embodiment five, when the UE receives an RRC release message, it applies the PTM configuration of the MBS multicast session received in the RRC release message. The UE may also apply the PTM configuration of the MBS multicast session received in the RRC release message when it receives a paging message. Specifically, a UE in RRC_INACTIVE receives a paging message from a base station. If the UE joins one or more MBS sessions indicated by the TMGI contained in the paging message, and it does not satisfy the following conditions: the UE is not configured to receive multicast in RRC_INACTIVE or the paging message does not contain at least one TMGI (i.e., the TMGI of the MBS multicast session that the UE has joined contained in the paging message) indicating inactiveReceptionAllowed for the MBS session, then the following operations are performed:

[0117] If the UE is notified to stop detecting the G-RNTIs of all joined multicast sessions that are configured not to receive RRC-INACTIVE or if the UE is not detecting the multicast MCCH-RNTI, the UE starts detecting the multicast MCCH-RNTI and / or obtains the MBS multicast configuration message from the multicast MCCH; otherwise, if the UE is notified to stop detecting the G-RNTI of at least one multicast session, the PTM configuration of the multicast session is included in the most recently or previously received RRC release message, and / or the cell selected by the UE is the serving cell and / or the UE does not select or reselect to other cells other than the serving cell after receiving the RRC release message, and further, if the UE does not apply the PTM configuration when receiving the RRC release message, the PTM configuration is applied.

[0118] The serving cell is the cell in which the UE receives the RRC release message. The TMGI contained in the paging message refers to the TMGI contained in the pagingGroupList-r17 field contained in the paging message. When the TMGI is contained in the pagingGroupList-r17 field, it indicates that the MBS multicast session indicated by the TMGI is activated or starts data transmission. For an MBS multicast session configured for RRC_INACTIVE reception, when the UE receives the TMGI of the MBS multicast session contained in the paging message, the UE further determines whether the paging message contains the inactiveReceptionAllowed field corresponding to the TMGI. If the paging message contains the inactiveReceptionAllowed field corresponding to the TMGI or the inactiveReceptionAllowed field corresponding to the TMGI contained in the paging message is set to "true", it indicates that the UE can receive the MBS multicast session in the RRC_INACTIVE state when receiving the paging message. The inactiveReceptionAllowed field is included in the pagingGroupList-v18xy field in the paging message, where x and y can be any natural numbers, for example, xy is "00". pagingGroupList-v18xy has the same number and order of elements as pagingGroupList-r17. The first element in pagingGroupList-v18xy corresponds to the first TMGI in pagingGroupList-r17, the second element in pagingGroupList-v18xy corresponds to the second TMGI in pagingGroupList-r17, and so on. The inactiveReceptionAllowed field is used to indicate whether a UE with a valid PTM configuration for the TMGI indicated in the pagingGroupList (i.e., pagingGroupList-r17) stays in RRC_INACTIVE to receive the MBS multicast session indicated by the TMGI.

[0119] For a UE configured to receive MBS multicast in RRC_INACTIVE mode, when the UE performs the RRC recovery procedure, if the UE receives an RRC resume message from the base station after sending an RRC resume request message to the base station, the UE will resume the suspended multicast MRBs. However, when performing the RRC recovery procedure, how to handle the non-suspended MRBs configured for the MBS multicast session received in RRC_INACTIVE mode is an issue that needs to be resolved.

[0120] The following Example 6 describes this in detail.

[0121] Example 6

[0122] Upon receiving the RRC resume RRCResume message from the base station, the UE performs at least one of the following operations:

[0123] Operation 6-1: Release the non-suspended multicast MRB. For the UE in RRC_INACTIVE, the non-suspended multicast MRB is the MRB of the MBS multicast session that is configured to be received in RRC_INACTIVE. In addition, when releasing the non-suspended multicast MRB, the UE may release the PDCP entity, the RLC entity, and the related MAC and physical layer configurations, and / or further release the SDAP entity and / or indicate to the upper layer (e.g., the NAS layer) to release the user plane resources of the MBS multicast session mbs-SessionId if the SDAP entity associated with the MBS multicast session (i.e., the identifier mbs-SessionId of the MBS multicast session) corresponding to the released MRB has no associated MRB (i.e., there is no other MRB except the released MRB) if the SDAP entity associated with the MBS multicast session (i.e., the identifier mbs-SessionId of the MBS multicast session) corresponding to the released MRB has no associated MRB.

[0124] Operation 6-2: Resuming a suspended multicast MRB. After receiving the RRC release message, the UE suspends the MRBs of the MBS multicast session that are not configured for RRC_INACTIVE reception. Therefore, the resumed multicast MRB is the multicast MRB that was previously suspended after receiving the RRC release message.

[0125] It may be stipulated that the UE performs operation 6-1 first and then performs operation 6-2.

[0126] It should be noted that the RRC release message in each embodiment may be the same RRC release message.

[0127] In this disclosure, field, domain, and information element are used interchangeably.

[0128] It should be noted that the embodiments executed by the UE or base station in the present disclosure may be executed by an RRC entity in the UE or base station or executed at the RRC layer. In addition, the UE may receive an RRC release message before receiving a paging message.

[0129] [Modification]

[0130] 6 is used to illustrate a user equipment as a modified example that can execute the method executed by the user equipment described in detail above in the present invention.

[0131] FIG6 is a block diagram showing a user equipment UE according to the present invention.

[0132] As shown in Figure 6, the user equipment UE60 includes a processor 601 and a memory 602. The processor 601 may include, for example, a microprocessor, a microcontroller, an embedded processor, etc. The memory 602 may include, for example, a volatile memory (such as a random access memory (RAM), a hard disk drive (HDD), a non-volatile memory (such as a flash memory), or other memory. The memory 602 stores program instructions. When executed by the processor 601, the instructions may execute the above-described method performed by the user equipment as described in detail in the present invention.

[0133] 7 is used to illustrate a base station as a modified example that can execute the method executed by the base station described above in the present invention.

[0134] FIG7 is a block diagram showing a base station according to the present invention.

[0135] As shown in Figure 7, the base station 70 includes a processor 701 and a memory 702. The processor 701 may include, for example, a microprocessor, a microcontroller, or an embedded processor. The memory 702 may include, for example, a volatile memory (such as a random access memory (RAM), a hard disk drive (HDD), a non-volatile memory (such as a flash memory), or other memory. The memory 702 stores program instructions. When executed by the processor 701, these instructions may execute the above-described method performed by the base station as described in detail in the present invention.

[0136] Specifically, a base station according to the present invention communicates with a user equipment (UE). The base station sends an RRC release message to the UE, the RRC release message including a first field but not including a second field for carrying an MBS multicast configuration message, wherein the first field indicates a multicast session or service that the UE can receive in the current serving cell when the UE is in an RRC inactive state, or is used to indicate a multicast session or service that the UE can receive when the UE is in an RRC inactive state, or is used to indicate a multicast session or service that the UE can receive when the current serving cell is in an RRC inactive state before acquiring a multicast MCCH, or is used to indicate a multicast session or service that the UE can receive when the current serving cell is in an RRC inactive state before acquiring a multicast MCCH. For details, please refer to the above description.

[0137] The method and related apparatus of the present disclosure have been described above in conjunction with preferred embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the methods described above are merely exemplary and that the various embodiments described above can be combined with one another unless conflicts arise. The method of the present disclosure is not limited to the steps and sequence described above.

[0138] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, when multiple operations are involved, the embodiments of the present disclosure exemplarily list the execution order of each operation, and the embodiments obtained by changing the execution order of each operation are also within the scope of protection of the present disclosure. In addition, when multiple judgment conditions are involved, the embodiments obtained by changing the execution order of each judgment condition are also within the scope of protection of the present disclosure. In addition, in the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified, the meaning of the fields defined in one embodiment can also be applied to the corresponding fields involved in other embodiments. In addition, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, "if...", "when...", "when...", "at...", "satisfy..." or "satisfy..." conditions" can be replaced with "under the circumstances...". In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the embodiments obtained by replacing "and" in some or all conditions with "or" are also within the scope of protection of the present disclosure; the embodiments obtained by replacing "or" in some or all conditions with "and" are also within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0139] In addition, the user equipment shown above may include more modules, for example, modules that can be developed or will be developed in the future and can be used for a base station, MME, or UE, etc. The various identifiers shown above are merely exemplary and not restrictive, and the present disclosure is not limited to the specific information elements used as examples of these identifiers. Those skilled in the art may make many changes and modifications based on the teachings of the illustrated embodiments.

[0140] It should be understood that the above embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented through software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. For example, the various components within the base station and user equipment in the above embodiments can be implemented through a variety of devices, including but not limited to: analog circuit devices, digital circuit devices, digital signal processing (DSP) circuits, programmable processors, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (CPLDs), and the like.

[0141] In addition, the computer executable instructions or programs running on the device according to the present invention can be programs that enable the computer to implement the functions of the embodiments of the present invention by controlling the central processing unit (CPU). The program or the information processed by the program can be temporarily stored in a volatile memory (such as a random access memory RAM), a hard disk drive (HDD), a non-volatile memory (such as a flash memory), or other memory systems.

[0142] The computer executable instructions or program for realizing each embodiment of the present invention function can be recorded on a computer-readable storage medium. The corresponding function can be realized by making a computer system read the program recorded on the recording medium and executing these programs. The so-called "computer system" herein can be a computer system embedded in the device, and can include an operating system or hardware (such as a peripheral device). "Computer-readable storage medium" can be a semiconductor recording medium, an optical recording medium, a magnetic recording medium, a short-term dynamic storage program recording medium or any other recording medium that is computer-readable.

[0143] The various features or functional modules of the devices used in the above embodiments can be implemented or executed by circuits (e.g., single-chip or multi-chip integrated circuits). The circuits designed to perform the functions described in this specification may include general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), proprietary integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination of the above devices. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, or any existing processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The above circuits may be digital circuits or analog circuits. In the event that new integrated circuit technologies have emerged to replace existing integrated circuits due to advances in semiconductor technology, one or more embodiments of the present invention may also be implemented using these new integrated circuit technologies.

[0144] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Although various examples of the embodiments have been described, the present invention is not limited thereto. Fixed or non-mobile electronic devices installed indoors or outdoors can be used as terminal devices or communication devices, such as AV equipment, kitchen equipment, cleaning equipment, air conditioners, office equipment, vending machines, and other household appliances.

[0145] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the specific structure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the present invention also includes any design changes that do not deviate from the main purpose of the present invention. In addition, various modifications can be made to the present invention within the scope of the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means invented by different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. In addition, components with the same effect described in the above embodiments can be replaced with each other.

Claims

1. A user equipment UE, comprising a processor, wherein the processor is configured to: Receiving an RRC release message, wherein the RRC release message is used to command the release or suspension of an RRC connection; If the RRC release message includes the first indicator identifier but does not include the second indicator identifier, then in the next repetition period, the MBS multicast configuration message is obtained from the multicast MCCH of the concerned cell, and it is considered that all joined MBS multicast sessions can be received in the RRC inactive state. in, The first indicator is used to indicate that the UE is configured to receive MBS multicast in an RRC inactive state, and the second indicator is used to carry an MBS multicast configuration message, wherein the MBS multicast configuration message includes control information applicable to an MBS multicast service transmitted via a multicast MRB of an RRC inactive UE.

2. A method performed by a user equipment UE, comprising: Receiving an RRC release message, wherein the RRC release message is used to command the release or suspension of an RRC connection; If the RRC release message includes the first indicator identifier but does not include the second indicator identifier, then in the next repetition period, the MBS multicast configuration message is obtained from the multicast MCCH of the concerned cell, and it is considered that all joined MBS multicast sessions can be received in the RRC inactive state. The first indicator is used to indicate that the UE is configured to receive MBS multicast in an RRC inactive state, and the second indicator is used to carry an MBS multicast configuration message, wherein the MBS multicast configuration message includes control information applicable to an MBS multicast service transmitted via a multicast MRB of an RRC inactive UE.

3. A base station for communicating with a user equipment UE, comprising a processor, wherein the processor is configured to: Sending an RRC release message, where the RRC release message is used to command the release or suspension of an RRC connection; If the RRC release message includes the first indicator identifier but does not include the second indicator identifier, the UE is enabled to obtain the MBS multicast configuration message from the multicast MCCH of the concerned cell in the next repetition period, and it is considered that all joined MBS multicast sessions can be received in the RRC inactive state, in, The first indicator is used to indicate that the UE is configured to receive MBS multicast in an RRC inactive state, and the second indicator is used to carry an MBS multicast configuration message, wherein the MBS multicast configuration message includes control information applicable to an MBS multicast service transmitted via a multicast MRB of an RRC inactive UE.

4. A method performed by a base station communicating with a user equipment UE, comprising: Sending an RRC release message, where the RRC release message is used to command the release or suspension of an RRC connection; If the RRC release message includes the first indicator identifier but does not include the second indicator identifier, the UE is enabled to obtain the MBS multicast configuration message from the multicast MCCH of the concerned cell in the next repetition period, and it is considered that all joined MBS multicast sessions can be received in the RRC inactive state, The first indicator is used to indicate that the UE is configured to receive MBS multicast in an RRC inactive state, and the second indicator is used to carry an MBS multicast configuration message, wherein the MBS multicast configuration message includes control information applicable to an MBS multicast service transmitted via a multicast MRB of an RRC inactive UE.

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