Network-based collaborative working method and apparatus, and network device, product and storage medium

Abstract

Disclosed in the present application are a network-based collaborative working method and apparatus, and a network device, a product and a storage medium. The method is applied to a logical functional network element having the capability of coordinating at least two serving cells. The method comprises: establishing at least two corresponding transmission channels in a network where a terminal is located; and performing network coordination on the at least two transmission channels.

Description

Network collaborative work method, device, network equipment, product and storage medium

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application is based on the Chinese patent application with application number 202410245405.5 and application date of March 4, 2024, and claims the priority of the Chinese patent application. The entire content of the Chinese patent application is hereby introduced into this application as a reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present application relates to the field of wireless technology, and in particular to a method, apparatus, network equipment, product, and storage medium for network collaborative work. Background Art

[0004] In related technologies, multiple network standards coexist. Furthermore, even under the same Radio Access Technology (RAT), different base station versions or network slicing configurations may lead to differences in the services or features supported between base stations. If a user equipment (UE) cannot receive a service in its current serving cell, the network will move the UE to a cell that can support the required service through methods such as handover or redirection. This not only incurs additional signaling overhead, but also, for connected UEs, may cause interruption or performance loss of service 2 being received due to handover / redirection required to receive service 1. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To solve related technical problems, the embodiments of the present application provide a method, apparatus, network equipment, product and storage medium for network collaborative work.

[0006] The technical solution of the embodiment of the present application is implemented as follows:

[0007] The present invention provides a method for network collaboration, which is applied to a network element having a logical function of coordinating at least two resident cells. The method includes:

[0008] Establish at least two transmission channels corresponding to the network where the terminal is located;

[0009] Network coordination is performed on the at least two transmission channels.

[0010] In the above solution, the performing network coordination on the at least two transmission channels includes:

[0011] Determining status information corresponding to each of the transmission channels;

[0012] Network coordination is performed on the at least two transmission channels based on the status information.

[0013] In the above solution, the location of the logical function network element is at least one of the following:

[0014] a first position between an application function (AF) in the network and a core network (CN) in the network; the first position being adapted to a situation where at least two base stations where the terminal resides belong to different CNs;

[0015] a second position between a data network (DN) in the network and a CN in the network; the second position being adapted to a situation where at least two base stations where the terminal resides belong to different CNs;

[0016] A second position between a Radio Access Network (RAN) and the CN in the network; the second position is adapted to a situation where at least two base stations where the terminal resides belong to the same CN.

[0017] In the above scheme, the transmission channel includes a control plane (CP) channel and / or a transmission plane (UP) channel; the CP channel and / or the UP channel are determined based on the target service of the target cell where the terminal resides at the target frequency or the radio access RAT corresponding to the terminal.

[0018] In the above solution, the step of establishing at least two transmission channels corresponding to the network where the terminal is located includes:

[0019] Establishing at least two transmission channels corresponding to the terminal in the network where the terminal is located based on the uplink service of the terminal; or,

[0020] Establishing at least two transmission channels corresponding to the terminal in the network where the terminal is located based on the downlink service of the terminal; or,

[0021] At least two corresponding transmission channels in the network where the terminal is located are established based on the data transmission of the control plane in the network.

[0022] In the above solution, determining the status information corresponding to each transmission channel includes:

[0023] Obtaining or configuring the status of the terminal;

[0024] The status information corresponding to each of the transmission channels is determined based on the status of the terminal.

[0025] In the above solution, the status information includes at least one of the following:

[0026] First state information; the first state information indicates that the terminal is in a radio resource control (RRC) connection state;

[0027] Second state information; the second state information indicates that the terminal is in a radio resource control idle state (Radio Resource Control Idle, RRC IDLE) or a radio resource control inactive state (Radio Resource Control Inactive, RRC INACTIVE);

[0028] Third state information; the third state information represents a first target state in which the terminal is connected to the network or a second target state in which the terminal is idle;

[0029] Fourth state information; the fourth state information represents a third target state generated based on the RRC state and / or connectivity management (Communication Management Protocol, CM) state of the terminal.

[0030] In the above solution, the at least two transmission channels perform network coordination, including:

[0031] activating or deactivating the at least two transmission channels to obtain a terminal context (UE CONTEXT) after network coordination of the at least two transmission channels;

[0032] Store UE CONTEXT;

[0033] The UE CONTEXT is used to perform channel matching processing to perform network coordination on the at least two transmission channels.

[0034] In the above solution, the channel matching process is performed using the UE CONTEXT to perform network coordination on the at least two transmission channels, including:

[0035] Acquiring pre-matching information of the terminal;

[0036] Matching the UE CONTEXT with the pre-matching information to obtain a matching result;

[0037] Network coordination is performed on the at least two transmission channels based on the matching result.

[0038] In the above solution, performing network coordination on the at least two transmission channels based on the matching result includes:

[0039] If the matching result indicates that the UE CONTEXT matches the pre-matching information, determining a target cell corresponding to the UE CONTEXT;

[0040] A registration process is performed on the target cell to perform network coordination on the at least two transmission channels.

[0041] In the above solution, when the UE CONTEXT is not used for channel matching, the method further includes:

[0042] Obtain a cell of a target frequency selected by the terminal;

[0043] A registration process is performed on the cell of the target frequency point to perform network coordination on the at least two transmission channels.

[0044] The embodiment of the present application further provides a network collaboration device, which is provided on a network element having a logical function of coordinating at least two resident cells, and includes:

[0045] An establishing unit configured to establish at least two transmission channels corresponding to the network where the terminal is located;

[0046] The coordination unit is configured to perform network coordination on the at least two transmission channels.

[0047] The present application also provides a network device, including:

[0048] a memory configured to store executable instructions;

[0049] The processor is configured to implement any step of the above method when executing the executable instructions stored in the memory.

[0050] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product, which implements any step of the above-mentioned method when executed by a processor.

[0051] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing executable instructions configured to implement any step of the above-described method when executed by a processor.

[0052] The embodiments of the present application provide a method, apparatus, network equipment, product and storage medium for network collaboration, which is applied to a network element with a logical function of coordinating at least two resident cells; the method includes: establishing at least two transmission channels corresponding to the network where the terminal is located; and performing network coordination on the at least two transmission channels. The solution of the embodiments of the present application performs network coordination through at least two transmission channels corresponding to the network where the terminal is located, that is, registering in two or more cells through the terminal (for example, only one SIM card) to achieve higher-layer dual connection, solve the problem of differences in services / features supported by different cells / standards, and reduce the corresponding base station interaction and Uu port signaling overhead to achieve fast service reception; breaking the limitation of dual connection to only service connection state, idle / inactive state UE can perform dual resident, so that when the service is initiated, fast service cell switching or selection can be achieved, that is, different services may be supported by different resident cells, but there is no need for switching or redirection for the UE. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0053] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a method flow for network collaborative work provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0054] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture for network collaboration according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0055] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a network collaborative working device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0056] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a hardware entity structure of a network device in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0057] In order to better understand this application, the relevant technology is described here.

[0058] 1) Network Evolution

[0059] With the continuous evolution of communication technology, multiple network standards will coexist in existing networks, such as the coexistence of sixth-generation mobile networks (6G) and fifth-generation mobile networks (5G) and below. Differences in the services and features supported by multiple RATs may exist, especially in the early stages of new RAT deployment, when supported services and features are limited. Furthermore, even within the same RAT, differences in supported services and features may exist between base stations due to differences in base station versions or slicing configurations. Under relevant mechanisms, if a UE cannot receive a service in its current serving cell, the network will move the UE to a cell that can support the required service through methods such as handover or redirection. This not only incurs additional signaling overhead, but for connected UEs, handover / redirection required to receive service 1 may also cause interruption or performance loss of service 2 being received.

[0060] 2) Dual connection technology:

[0061] Dual connectivity technology is a technology in which two base stations are connected through a non-ideal backhaul to jointly serve a connected UE. For the two base stations that jointly serve the UE, a distinction is made between a master node (MN) and a secondary node (SN). The MN provides a unique control panel connection with the core network, while the SN does not provide a control panel connection with the core network, but provides additional resources to serve the UE. In related dual connectivity technologies, there is an RRC entity on both the MN and SN sides. However, the RRC of the SN is not a full-featured entity and is only responsible for SRB3 generation. It does not require functions such as SN measurement that are negotiated with the MN. There is only one RRC entity on the UE side. New Radio (NR) supports cross-RAT dual connectivity or NR-NR dual connectivity, but no matter which type of dual connectivity is used, there is only one connection to one core network (CP level).

[0062] 3)Multi SIM:

[0063] Multi SIM is UEXXXXX.

[0064] As can be seen from the background technology introduction, due to the evolution of technology, different base stations support different technologies (such as GSMA, LTE, NR or other technologies, such as 6G technology, etc.). Even base stations belonging to the same RAT may not support exactly the same functions, and the same feature may have functional differences in different versions. If the UE cannot receive a certain service in the current serving cell, the network will move the UE to a cell that can support the required service through methods such as switching and redirection. This will not only bring additional signaling overhead, but for connected UEs, it will also cause interruption or performance loss of the service 2 being received due to switching / redirection due to the need to receive service 1. In particular, this situation is more common in the early stages of deployment of a certain generation of communication technology or a certain feature.

[0065] Although this problem can be solved to a certain extent by configuring dual connectivity, this requires more coordination and signaling interaction between base stations. For the UE, it can only be anchored on the Master Cell Group (MCG), that is, from the CP perspective, only the MCG will be connected to the CN. For the UE, the SCG is an incomplete functional base station, which will bring some additional restrictions to the UE. In addition, the dual connectivity technology is only for connected UEs, so it can achieve rapid startup of services that are not supported by the current serving cell (which can be expressed as serving cell in English) (requires UE measurement, reporting, interaction between base stations, UE, access, etc.). In addition, from a commercial perspective, users may not be able to intuitively perceive the new technology (such as EN-DC using a non-standalone network (NSA), the UE may still think it is using 4G technology), which is not conducive to the commercial promotion of the new generation of technologies.

[0066] Based on this, embodiments of the present application provide a method for network collaboration, applicable to network devices. The functions implemented by this method can be implemented by a processor in the network device calling program code. Of course, the program code can be stored in a computer storage medium. Therefore, the network device includes at least a processor and a storage medium. As an example, the network device can be a mobile phone, a computer, a terminal, an information transceiver device, a tablet device, a personal digital assistant, etc.

[0067] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a method flow for network collaboration provided by an embodiment of the present application; the method is applied to a network element having a logical function of coordinating at least two resident cells; as shown in FIG1 , the method includes:

[0068] Step 101: Establish at least two transmission channels corresponding to the network where the terminal is located;

[0069] Step 102: Perform network coordination on the at least two transmission channels.

[0070] It should be noted that the application of the logical functional network element with the function of coordinating at least two resident cells can be understood as the introduction of a new network element, or the function of coordinating two resident cells / two transmission channels; in actual applications, to support dual connectivity on the RAN side, it is first necessary to introduce a new network element in the network, or the function of coordinating two resident cells / two transmission channels. The location of the logical functional network element can be determined according to actual conditions and is not limited here. As an example, the location of the logical functional network element is located in at least one of the following: a first position between the AF in the network and the CN in the network; the first position is adapted to the situation where the at least two base stations where the terminal resides belong to different CNs; a second position between the DN in the network and the CN in the network; the second position is adapted to the situation where the at least two base stations where the terminal resides belong to different CNs; a second position between the RAN in the network and the CN; the second position is adapted to the situation where the at least two base stations where the terminal resides belong to the same CN.

[0071] In step 101, the specific process for establishing at least two transmission channels corresponding to the terminal's network can be determined based on actual circumstances and is not limited herein. As an example, establishing at least two transmission channels corresponding to the terminal's network can include: establishing at least two transmission channels corresponding to the terminal's network based on the terminal's uplink traffic; or establishing at least two transmission channels corresponding to the terminal's network based on the terminal's downlink traffic; or establishing at least two transmission channels corresponding to the terminal's network based on data transmission on the control plane of the network.

[0072] In step 102, the specific coordination process for performing network coordination on the at least two transmission channels can be determined based on actual circumstances and is not limited herein. As an example, performing network coordination on the at least two transmission channels may include determining status information corresponding to each of the transmission channels; and performing network coordination on the at least two transmission channels based on the status information.

[0073] In an embodiment of the present application, network coordination is performed through at least two corresponding transmission channels in the network where the terminal is located, that is, the terminal (for example, only one SIM card) is registered in two or more cells to achieve higher-layer dual connectivity, solve the problem of differences in services / features supported by different cells / standards, and reduce the corresponding base station interaction and Uu port signaling overhead to achieve fast service reception; breaking the limitation of dual connectivity to only serve the connection state, idle / inactive state UEs can perform dual resident, so that when a service is initiated, fast service cell switching or selection can be achieved, that is, different services may be supported by different resident cells, but there is no need for switching or redirection for the UE.

[0074] In one embodiment, performing network coordination on the at least two transmission channels includes:

[0075] Determining status information corresponding to each of the transmission channels;

[0076] Network coordination is performed on the at least two transmission channels based on the status information.

[0077] The transmission channel can be determined based on actual conditions and is not limited here. As an example, the transmission channel includes a CP channel and / or an UP channel; the CP channel and / or the UP channel are determined based on the target service of the target cell where the terminal resides at the target frequency or the RAT corresponding to the terminal.

[0078] The state information can be determined based on actual conditions and is not limited here. As an example, the state information includes at least one of the following: first state information; the first state information indicates that the terminal is in an RRC connected state; second state information; the second state information indicates that the terminal is in an RRC IDLE or RRC INACTIVE state; third state information; the third state information indicates that the terminal is in a first target state connected to the network or a second target state of idleness; fourth state information; the fourth state information indicates a third target state generated based on the RRC state and / or CM state of the terminal.

[0079] The specific process for determining the status information corresponding to each transmission channel can be determined based on actual circumstances and is not limited herein. As an example, determining the status information corresponding to each transmission channel may include obtaining or configuring the status of the terminal; and determining the status information corresponding to each transmission channel based on the status of the terminal.

[0080] Performing network coordination on the at least two transmission channels based on the status information may be understood as the logical function network element being able to coordinate at least two standards / two transmission channels.

[0081] In one embodiment, the location of the logical function network element is at least one of the following:

[0082] a first position between the AF in the network and the CN in the network; the first position being adapted to a situation where at least two base stations where the terminal resides belong to different CNs;

[0083] a second position between the DN in the network and the CN in the network; the second position being adapted to a situation where at least two base stations where the terminal resides belong to different CNs;

[0084] A second position between the RAN and the CN in the network; the second position is adapted to the situation where at least two base stations where the terminal resides belong to the same CN.

[0085] The first and second locations can be determined based on actual circumstances and are not limited here. As an example, the first location can be between the AF and the core network, on a related CN network element. The second location can be between the RAN and the CN, and can be a CN network element or a RAN-side network element. The first location can be denoted as location 1, and the second location can be denoted as location 2.

[0086] In actual applications, the network element may be logically located at: Position 1, between AF / DN and the core network, above the relevant CN network element; Position 2, between RAN and CN, which may be a CN network element or a RAN-side network element. The specific location is related to the network design. Among them, the optional position 1 is more suitable for the situation where the two base stations where the UE resides belong to different CNs. By selecting the CN-RAN transmission channel (including PDU session / MBS session, DRB, MRB), the service startup time is shortened; the optional position 2 is more suitable for the situation where the two base stations where the UE resides belong to the same CN. It only needs to select the RAN side and reuse related processes as much as possible. This network element is a logical functional network element. In actual deployment, it may be co-located with related network elements as a new function of a certain network element. For example, position 1 may be implemented by adding functions to the UPF or SMF, and position 2 is similar.

[0087] In one embodiment, the transmission channel includes a CP channel and / or an UP channel; the CP channel and / or the UP channel are determined based on a target service of a target cell where the terminal resides at a target frequency or a RAT corresponding to the terminal.

[0088] In this embodiment, the target service may be determined according to actual conditions and is not limited here. As an example, the target service may be a service of a UE, which may include an uplink service of the UE, a downlink service of the UE, and the like.

[0089] For ease of understanding, an example is given here to illustrate the establishment and / or selection of a transmission channel. The channel may include a CP channel and / or an UP channel. The channel may be established per UE, or per service, or per cell pair, per frequency pair, or per RAT pair; channel establishment / selection may be based on UE services (either uplink or downlink), or control plane data transmission, such as network paging UE.

[0090] In one embodiment, establishing at least two transmission channels corresponding to the network where the terminal is located includes:

[0091] Establishing at least two transmission channels corresponding to the terminal in the network where the terminal is located based on the uplink service of the terminal; or,

[0092] Establishing at least two transmission channels corresponding to the terminal in the network where the terminal is located based on the downlink service of the terminal; or,

[0093] At least two corresponding transmission channels in the network where the terminal is located are established based on the data transmission of the control plane in the network.

[0094] In this embodiment, the specific establishment process can be determined according to actual conditions and is not limited here. As an example, based on the UE's registration request (which can be expressed as Registration Request in English), the network will implement registration of the corresponding two cells and establishment of a channel.

[0095] In practice, based on the UE's Registration Request, the network will implement registration and channel establishment for the two cells. This may include: When the coordination layer is located between the RAN and the CN, upon receiving the UE's Registration Request, the coordination layer will select an AMF for each cell. When the coordination layer is located between the CN and the AF / DN, the Registration Request will first be sent to the corresponding AMF according to the relevant process. The AMF will then forward it to the coordination layer, which will select the AMF corresponding to the other cell. The selection of the other AMF and the established channel information will be transmitted through the channel of the corresponding node initiated by the UE Registration Request. It is possible that when two cells are connected to the same CN (i.e., one AMF), the AMF side needs to identify and distinguish the channels during channel establishment, rather than performing a similar reconstruction. The coordination layer may generate a UE external identity for interaction between the AF / DN and the CN.

[0096] In one embodiment, determining the status information corresponding to each of the transmission channels includes:

[0097] Obtaining or configuring the status of the terminal;

[0098] The status information corresponding to each of the transmission channels is determined based on the status of the terminal.

[0099] Among them, the state of the terminal can be determined according to actual conditions and is not limited here. As an example, the state of the terminal can be an RRC state, or a CM state, or a new state generated based on the RRC state and / or CM state, that is, the network element can generate a unified state for the UE, or select one of the different states of different channels of the UE as the external state of the UE. For example, when among the multiple channels of the UE, the UE in channel 1 is in the RRC connected state, and channel 2 is in the RRC idle state, the UE external state is RRC_CONNECTED or a new state that represents that the UE is connected to the network.

[0100] The specific determination process of the state information corresponding to each transmission channel based on the state of the terminal can be determined according to actual conditions and is not limited here. The state information may include at least one of the following: first state information; the first state information indicates that the terminal is in an RRC connected state; second state information; the second state information indicates that the terminal is in an RRC IDLE or RRC INACTIVE state; third state information; the third state information indicates that the terminal is in a first target state connected to the network or an idle second target state; fourth state information; the fourth state information indicates a third target state generated based on the RRC state and / or CM state of the terminal.

[0101] In one embodiment, the status information includes at least one of the following:

[0102] First state information; the first state information indicates that the terminal is in an RRC connected state;

[0103] Second state information; the second state information indicates that the terminal is RRC IDLE or RRC INACTIVE;

[0104] Third state information; the third state information represents a first target state in which the terminal is connected to the network or a second target state in which the terminal is idle;

[0105] Fourth state information; the fourth state information represents a third target state generated based on the RRC state and / or CM state of the terminal.

[0106] The first target state, the second target state, and the third target state can all be determined based on actual conditions and are not limited here. As an example, the first target state can be CM Connected; the second target state can be CM_Idle; and the third target state can be a newly generated state.

[0107] The first state information, the second state information, the third state information, and the fourth state information can all be determined based on actual conditions and are not limited herein. As an example, the first state information may be RRC connection state information; the second state information may be RRC IDLE or RRC INACTIVE state information; the third state information may be connected or idle state information, such as CM Connected or CM_Idle; and the fourth state information may be new state information generated based on the RRC state and / or CM state.

[0108] In actual applications, UE state coordination and / or maintenance involves the coordination and / or maintenance of the UE state, which may be the RRC state, the CM state, or a new state generated based on the RRC state and / or the CM state. This means that the network element can generate a unified state for the UE, or select one of the different states of the UE's different channels as the UE's external state. For example, if, among the UE's multiple channels, channel 1 is in the RRC connected state, and channel 2 is in the RRC idle state, the UE's external state is RRC_CONNECTED or a new state indicating that the UE is connected to the network.

[0109] In one embodiment, the at least two transmission channels perform network coordination, including:

[0110] activating or deactivating the at least two transmission channels to obtain a UE CONTEXT after network coordination of the at least two transmission channels;

[0111] Store UE CONTEXT;

[0112] The UE CONTEXT is used to perform channel matching processing to perform network coordination on the at least two transmission channels.

[0113] In this embodiment, activating or deactivating the at least two transmission channels to obtain UE CONTEXT after network coordination of the at least two transmission channels can be understood as an activation or deactivation operation on the transmission channels.

[0114] Storing UE CONTEXT can be understood as a stored procedure.

[0115] Using the UE CONTEXT to perform channel matching processing to perform network coordination on the at least two transmission channels can be understood as a channel matching process.

[0116] In practice, the activation / deactivation of transmission channels may be performed at a per-UE granularity (e.g., a channel may be released for one UE but retained for another), or per-cell / frequency / RAT, and the operation may be performed on two established channels individually or simultaneously. Channel selection may be end-to-end (from the network element to the UE) or for the first network element to which the network element is connected; UE context storage; and channel matching, such as pre-matching, which is not service- or UE-triggered pre-matching.

[0117] In one embodiment, performing channel matching processing using the UE CONTEXT to perform network coordination on the at least two transmission channels includes:

[0118] Acquiring pre-matching information of the terminal;

[0119] Matching the UE CONTEXT with the pre-matching information to obtain a matching result;

[0120] Network coordination is performed on the at least two transmission channels based on the matching result.

[0121] In this embodiment, the pre-matching information can be determined according to actual conditions and is not limited here. As an example, the pre-matching information can be provided based on a network.

[0122] Matching the UE CONTEXT with the pre-matching information to obtain a matching result can be understood as matching the UE CONTEXT with the pre-matching information to obtain a matching result indicating that the UE CONTEXT and the pre-matching information match consistently or inconsistently.

[0123] Performing network coordination on the at least two transmission channels based on the matching result may be understood as performing network coordination on the at least two transmission channels based on a matching result of whether the UE CONTEXT matches the pre-matching information consistently or inconsistently.

[0124] In actual applications, the network side pre-matches the nodes of the cell / frequency / RAT / Operator that can work together. In this scenario, the network side pre-matches the nodes of the cell / frequency / RAT / operator that can work together. The UE can obtain this pre-matching information. The acquisition method may be network broadcast, or written into the UE's SIM card, USD, etc.

[0125] When the network's pre-matching granularity is cell or larger, that is, frequency, RAT, or operator, the network will also provide specific cell (and / or frequency) selection / reselection criteria. These criteria may be reused cell selection / reselection criteria or dedicated cell (and / or frequency) selection / reselection criteria. For example, the criteria may be that when a cell on a certain frequency meets the S criterion, another frequency with the best current channel quality (which may not meet the S criterion) is selected; or the UE, based on the pre-matching information provided by the network, only selects cells on a certain frequency (which may be network-specified or UE-implemented) that meet the conditions, and then indicates this information to the network in a subsequent process, allowing the network to select another matching cell.

[0126] In one embodiment, performing network coordination on the at least two transmission channels based on the matching result includes:

[0127] If the matching result indicates that the UE CONTEXT matches the pre-matching information, determining a target cell corresponding to the UE CONTEXT;

[0128] A registration process is performed on the target cell to perform network coordination on the at least two transmission channels.

[0129] In this embodiment, it can be understood that when the UE performs cell selection based on matching information and / or cell selection / reselection criteria provided by the network, the UE will select one or two cells that meet the requirements, and then the UE will register. If the UE selects cells on two frequencies during cell selection, the UE can select one of the cells (based on network prompts, such as the matching information indicating which frequency to register on, or UE implementation) to initiate the registration process. The Registration request carries relevant information about the two access cells, such as the cell identifier, relevant RAT information, last visited TAI, and request NSSAI. However, only one copy is included for UE-related information, such as UE capabilities. If the UE selects only one cell on one frequency during cell selection, it will initiate registration on that cell, and the Registration request carries relevant information about the two access cells, such as the cell identifier, relevant RAT information, last visited TAI, and request NSSAI. However, only one copy is included for UE-related information, such as UE capabilities. Based on the UE's Registration Request, the network will implement registration for the corresponding two cells and establish a channel.

[0130] In practice, when the coordination layer is located between the RAN and the CN, upon receiving a UE's Registration Request, it selects an AMF for each cell. When the coordination layer is located between the CN and the AF / DN, the Registration Request is first sent to the corresponding AMF according to the relevant procedures. The AMF then forwards it to the coordination layer, which selects the AMF for the other cell. Information about the selected AMF and the established channel is transmitted via the channel to the corresponding node initiated by the UE Registration Request. For two cells connected to the same CN (i.e., one AMF), the AMF may need to identify and distinguish the channels during channel establishment, rather than performing a similar re-establishment. The coordination layer may generate a UE external identity for communication between the AF / DN and the CN. After the UE completes dual registration, it may suspend one of the channels based on network instructions or UE implementation, such as entering the INACTIVE / IDLE state for a particular channel. However, when at least one UE channel is in the CONNECTED state, the UE remains in the CONNECTED state above the coordination layer or to the AF / DN. When both channels of the UE are in the CONNECTED state, if the UE has a service, the service is initiated on the corresponding channel that supports the service; when only one channel of the UE is in the CONNECTED state, if the UE has a service, the service is initiated on the CONNECTE channel. The coordination layer identifies the channel of the service through the service identifier. If the service belongs to a non-CONNECTED channel, the channel is activated. The activation method information may be sent through the channel where the UE is already in the CONNECTED state.

[0131] In one embodiment, when the UE CONTEXT is not used for channel matching, the method further includes:

[0132] Obtain a cell of a target frequency selected by the terminal;

[0133] A registration process is performed on the cell of the target frequency point to perform network coordination on the at least two transmission channels.

[0134] In this embodiment, when the UE CONTEXT is not used to perform channel matching, it can be understood that the network side does not perform pre-matching of nodes of the cell / frequency / RAT that can work in collaboration.

[0135] The target frequency cell can be determined according to actual conditions and is not limited here. As an example, the target frequency cell can be understood as a cell of a certain frequency.

[0136] As an example, the network side does not pre-match nodes of cooperative cell / frequency / RAT. The UE selects a cell of a certain frequency based on the relevant cell selection / reselection mechanism, and then the UE initiates a Registration Request. The coordination layer learns that the UE supports dual registration based on UE-related information (which may be AMF identification and indication or AMF transparent transmission of UE capabilities, and identification by the coordination layer). During the registration process, the coordination layer provides the UE with cooperative cell / frequency / RAT / Operator information for the UE to access the cell or select the cell on the corresponding frequency. In addition, the corresponding frequency cell and core network side channel establishment (such as resource reservation) can be performed simultaneously. When the Registration accept is sent to the UE, the corresponding cell and channel information can be notified to the UE. Once the UE receives the message, it indicates the successful establishment of the two channels. When the UE has at least two channels, network coordination is performed on the at least two transmission channels.

[0137] For ease of understanding, the example network collaboration method here is specifically to combine the dual connection idea. It can be considered to introduce peer / masterless dual connection, and register through UE (with only one SIM card) in two or more cells and / or two or more core networks (possibly, these two core networks belong to one or more operators) to achieve higher-layer dual connection, solve the problem of differences in services / features supported by different cells / standards, and reduce the corresponding base station interaction and Uu port signaling overhead to achieve fast service reception; break the limitation of dual connection to only service connection state, idle / inactive state UE can perform dual resident, so that when the service is initiated, fast service cell switching or selection can be achieved, that is, different services may be supported by different resident cells, but there is no need for switching or redirection for the UE.

[0138] Network architecture and new network elements:

[0139] To support the above functions and dual connectivity on the RAN side, it is first necessary to introduce new network elements or functions into the network to coordinate the two resident cells / two transmission channels. This can be understood in conjunction with Figure 2, which is a schematic diagram of the network architecture for network collaboration in an embodiment of the present application.

[0140] This network element may be logically located at: 1) between AF / DN and core network, above the relevant CN network element; 2) between RAN and CN, which may be a CN network element or a RAN side network element. The specific location is related to the network design. Among them, the optional position 1 is more suitable for the situation where the two base stations where the UE resides belong to different CNs. By selecting the CN-RAN transmission channel (including PDU session / MBS session, DRB, MRB), the service startup time is shortened; the optional position 2 is more suitable for the situation where the two base stations where the UE resides belong to the same CN. It only needs to select the RAN side and reuse related processes as much as possible. This network element is a logical functional network element. In actual deployment, it may be co-located with related network elements as a new function of a certain network element. For example, position 1 may be implemented by adding functions to UPF or SMF, and position 2 is similar.

[0141] The main functions of the network element include but are not limited to one or more of the following:

[0142] 1) Establish and / or select a transmission channel, which may include a CP channel and / or an UP channel. The channel may be established per UE, per service, per cell pair, per frequency pair, or per RAT pair; channel establishment / selection may be based on the UE's service (either uplink or downlink), or control plane data transmission, such as network paging UE, etc.; UE status coordination and / or maintenance, where the UE status may be an RRC status, or a CM status, or a new status generated based on the RRC status and / or CM status, that is, the network element can generate a unified status for the UE, or select one of the different states of different channels of the UE as the UE's external status. For example, when among the UE's multiple channels, channel 1 UE is in the RRC connected state, channel 2 is in the RRC idle state, and the UE's external state is RRC_CONNECTED or a new state indicating that the UE is connected to the network;

[0143] 2) Activation / deactivation of transmission channels. The granularity of the operation may be per UE (for example, a channel may be released for a certain UE but retained for other UEs), or per cell / frequency / RAT. The operation may be performed on two established channels separately or simultaneously. Channel selection may be end-to-end (from the network element to the UE) or on the first network element to which the network element is connected.

[0144] 3) UE context storage;

[0145] 4) Channel matching, such as pre-matching, that is, pre-matching not triggered by services or UEs.

[0146] The network element can coordinate at least two standards / two transmission channels.

[0147] The specific process is as follows:

[0148] Scenario 1: The network side pre-matches nodes of cells, frequencies, RATs, and operators that can work together.

[0149] 1. In this scenario, the network side pre-matches the nodes of the cell / frequency / RAT / operator that can work together. The UE can obtain the pre-matching information. The acquisition method may be network broadcast or writing to the UE SIM card, USD, etc.

[0150] When the network's pre-matching granularity is cell or larger, that is, frequency, RAT, or operator, the network will also provide specific cell (and / or frequency) selection / reselection criteria. These criteria may be reused cell selection / reselection criteria or dedicated cell (and / or frequency) selection / reselection criteria. For example, the criteria may be that when a cell on a certain frequency meets the S criterion, another frequency with the best current channel quality (which may not meet the S criterion) is selected; or the UE, based on the pre-matching information provided by the network, only selects cells on a certain frequency (which may be network-specified or UE-implemented) that meet the conditions, and then indicates this information to the network in a subsequent process, allowing the network to select another matching cell.

[0151] 2. When the UE performs cell selection based on the matching information and / or cell selection / reselection criteria provided by the network, the UE will select one or two cells that meet the requirements, and then the UE will register. Here:

[0152] a) If the UE selects two cells on two frequencies during cell selection, it can select one of the cells (based on network prompts, such as the frequency to register on in matching information, or UE implementation) to initiate the registration process. The Registration request contains information about both access cells, such as the cell identifiers, relevant RAT information, last visited TAI, and requested NSSAI. However, only one copy of UE-related information, such as UE capabilities, is included.

[0153] b) If the UE selects only one cell on one frequency during cell selection, it initiates registration with that cell and includes information about both access cells in the Registration request, such as the cell identifier, relevant RAT information, last visited TAI, and requested NSSAI. However, only one copy of UE-related information, such as UE capabilities, is included.

[0154] 3. Based on the UE's Registration Request, the network will register the two cells and establish a channel. Specifically:

[0155] a) When the coordination layer is located between the RAN and CN, when the coordination layer receives the UE's Registration request, it will select the AMF for different cells;

[0156] b) When the coordination layer is located between the CN and the AF / DN, the Registration Request will first be sent to the corresponding AMF according to the relevant process, and then the AMF will forward it to the coordination layer. The coordination layer will select the AMF corresponding to another cell. The selection of the other AMF and the established channel information will be transmitted through the channel of the corresponding node initiated by the UE Registration Request.

[0157] Possibly, in the case where two cells are connected to the same CN (one AMF), the AMF side needs to identify and distinguish the channels when the channel is established, rather than performing a similar reconstruction.

[0158] Possibly, the coordination layer will generate an external identity of the UE for interaction between the AF / DN and the CN.

[0159] 4. After the UE completes dual registration, it may suspend one of the channels based on network instructions or UE implementation, such as entering the INACTIVE / IDLE state for a channel. However, when at least one of the UE channels is in the CONNECTED state, the UE is in the CONNECTED state above the coordination layer or to the AF / DN.

[0160] 5. When both channels of the UE are in the CONNECTED state, if the UE has a service, the service is initiated on the corresponding channel that supports the service; when only one channel of the UE is in the CONNECTED state, if the UE has a service, the service is initiated on the CONNECTE channel. The coordination layer identifies the channel of the service through the service identifier. If the service belongs to a non-CONNECTED channel, the channel is activated. The activation method information may be sent through the channel where the UE is already in the CONNECTED state.

[0161] Scenario 2: The network side does not pre-match nodes of interoperable cells / frequency / RATs.

[0162] 1. The UE selects a cell at a certain frequency based on the relevant cell selection / reselection mechanism, and then initiates a Registration Request. The coordination layer learns that the UE supports dual registration based on UE-related information (which may be identified and indicated by the AMF or transparently transmitted by the AMF to the UE capability, and then identified by the coordination layer). During the registration process, the coordination layer provides the UE with collaborative cell / frequency / RAT / Operator information for the UE to access the cell or select the cell on the corresponding frequency. In addition, the corresponding frequency cell and core network side channel establishment (such as resource reservation) can also be performed simultaneously. When sending the Registration accept message to the UE, the corresponding cell and channel information can be notified to the UE. Once the UE receives this message, it indicates the successful establishment of the two channels.

[0163] 2. When the UE has at least two channels, the specific service initiation process is the same as 4 and 5 in scenario 1.

[0164] This application realizes higher-layer dual connectivity by registering UE (with only one SIM card) in two or more cells and / or two or more core networks (possibly, these two core networks belong to one or more operators), solves the problem of differences in services / features supported by different cells / standards, reduces the corresponding base station interaction and Uu port signaling overhead, and realizes fast service reception; breaks the limitation of dual connectivity to only serve the connection state, and idle / inactive state UEs can perform dual resident, so that when the service is initiated, fast service cell switching or selection can be achieved, that is, different services may be supported by different resident cells, but there is no need for switching or redirection for the UE.

[0165] In order to implement the method of the embodiment of the present application, the embodiment of the present application further provides a network collaborative work device 300, which is provided on a network element having a logical function of coordinating at least two resident cells. FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a network collaborative work device according to the embodiment of the present application; as shown in FIG3, it includes:

[0166] An establishing unit 301 is configured to establish at least two transmission channels corresponding to the network where the terminal is located;

[0167] The coordination unit 302 is configured to perform network coordination on the at least two transmission channels.

[0168] Here, in one embodiment, the coordination unit 302 is further configured to determine status information corresponding to each of the transmission channels; and perform network coordination on the at least two transmission channels based on the status information.

[0169] Here, in one embodiment, the location of the logical function network element is at least one of the following:

[0170] a first position between the AF in the network and the CN in the network; the first position being adapted to a situation where at least two base stations where the terminal resides belong to different CNs;

[0171] a second position between the DN in the network and the CN in the network; the second position being adapted to a situation where at least two base stations where the terminal resides belong to different CNs;

[0172] A second position between the RAN and the CN in the network; the second position is adapted to the situation where at least two base stations where the terminal resides belong to the same CN.

[0173] Here, in one embodiment, the transmission channel includes a CP channel and / or an UP channel; the CP channel and / or the UP channel is determined based on a target service of a target cell where the terminal resides at a target frequency or a RAT corresponding to the terminal.

[0174] Here, in one embodiment, the establishing unit 301 is further configured to establish at least two corresponding transmission channels in the network where the terminal is located based on the uplink service of the terminal; or, to establish at least two corresponding transmission channels in the network where the terminal is located based on the downlink service of the terminal; or, to establish at least two corresponding transmission channels in the network where the terminal is located based on the data transmission of the control plane in the network.

[0175] Here, in one embodiment, the coordination unit 302 is further configured to obtain or configure the status of the terminal; and determine the status information corresponding to each of the transmission channels based on the status of the terminal.

[0176] Here, in one embodiment, the status information includes at least one of the following:

[0177] First state information; the first state information indicates that the terminal is in an RRC connected state;

[0178] Second state information; the second state information indicates that the terminal is RRC IDLE or RRC INACTIVE;

[0179] Third state information; the third state information represents a first target state in which the terminal is connected to the network or a second target state in which the terminal is idle;

[0180] Fourth state information; the fourth state information represents a third target state generated based on the RRC state and / or CM state of the terminal.

[0181] Here, in one embodiment, the coordination unit 302 is further configured to activate or deactivate the at least two transmission channels to obtain a UE CONTEXT after network coordination of the at least two transmission channels; store the UE CONTEXT; and use the UE CONTEXT to perform channel matching processing to perform network coordination on the at least two transmission channels.

[0182] Here, in one embodiment, the coordination unit 302 is further configured to obtain pre-matching information of the terminal; match the UE CONTEXT with the pre-matching information to obtain a matching result; and perform network coordination on the at least two transmission channels based on the matching result.

[0183] Here, in one embodiment, the coordination unit 302 is further configured to, when the matching result indicates that the UE CONTEXT matches the pre-matching information, determine a target cell corresponding to the UE CONTEXT; and perform registration processing on the target cell to perform network coordination on the at least two transmission channels.

[0184] Here, in one embodiment, when the UE CONTEXT is not used for channel matching, the coordination unit 302 is further configured to obtain the cell of the target frequency selected by the terminal; and perform registration processing on the cell of the target frequency to perform network coordination on the at least two transmission channels.

[0185] It should be noted that the network collaborative work apparatus provided in the above embodiments is only illustrated by the division of the above-mentioned program modules when performing network collaborative work. In actual applications, the above-mentioned processing can be assigned to different program modules as needed, that is, the internal structure of the apparatus can be divided into different program modules to complete all or part of the processing described above. In addition, the network collaborative work apparatus provided in the above embodiments and the network collaborative work method embodiment are based on the same concept. The specific implementation process is detailed in the method embodiment and will not be repeated here.

[0186] Based on the hardware implementation of the above-mentioned program module, an embodiment of the present application also provides a network device, including a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program that can be run on the processor, and when the processor executes the program, the steps in the network collaborative work method provided in the above-mentioned embodiment are implemented.

[0187] Correspondingly, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps in the network collaborative work method provided in the above embodiment.

[0188] Correspondingly, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps in the network collaborative work method provided in the above embodiment are implemented.

[0189] It should be noted that the description of the above storage medium and device embodiments is similar to the description of the above method embodiments and has similar beneficial effects as the method embodiments. For technical details not disclosed in the storage medium and device embodiments of this application, please refer to the description of the method embodiments of this application for understanding.

[0190] It should be noted that Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the hardware entity structure of a network device in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 4, the hardware entity of the network device 400 includes: a processor 401 and a memory 403. The network device 400 may also include a communication interface 402.

[0191] It is understood that the memory 403 can be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or can include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory can be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a magnetic random access memory (FRAM), a flash memory, a magnetic surface memory, an optical disc, or a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM); the magnetic surface memory can be a magnetic disk memory or a magnetic tape memory. The volatile memory can be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), synchronous static random access memory (SSRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDRSDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus random access memory (DRRAM).The memory 403 described in the embodiments of the present application is intended to include but is not limited to these and any other suitable types of memories.

[0192] The methods disclosed in the above embodiments of the present application can be applied to processor 401 or implemented by processor 401. Processor 401 may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above method can be completed by an integrated logic circuit of hardware in processor 401 or by instructions in the form of software. The above processor 401 may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. Processor 401 can implement or execute the various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware decoding processor, or can be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module can be located in a storage medium, which is located in memory 403. Processor 401 reads the information in memory 403 and completes the steps of the above method in combination with its hardware.

[0193] In an exemplary embodiment, the device may be implemented by one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), DSPs, programmable logic devices (PLDs), complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), general-purpose processors, controllers, microcontrollers (MCUs), microprocessors, or other electronic components to perform the aforementioned method.

[0194] It should be understood that "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" mentioned throughout the specification means that the specific features, structures or characteristics related to the embodiment are included in at least one embodiment of the present application. Therefore, "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" appearing throughout the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, these specific features, structures or characteristics can be combined in one or more embodiments in any suitable manner. It should be understood that in the various embodiments of the present application, the size of the serial numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application. The above-mentioned serial numbers of the embodiments of the present application are for description only and do not represent the advantages and disadvantages of the embodiments.

[0195] It should be noted that, in this application, the terms "comprises," "includes," or any other variations thereof are intended to encompass non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus comprising a series of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not explicitly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. In the absence of further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising a ..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus comprising the element.

[0196] The methods disclosed in the several method embodiments provided in this application can be arbitrarily combined without conflict to obtain new method embodiments.

[0197] The features disclosed in the several product embodiments provided in this application can be arbitrarily combined without conflict to obtain new product embodiments.

[0198] The features disclosed in the several method or device embodiments provided in this application can be arbitrarily combined without conflict to obtain new method embodiments or device embodiments.

[0199] The above is merely an embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A network collaboration method, applied to a network element having a logical function of coordinating at least two resident cells; the method comprising: Establish at least two transmission channels corresponding to the network where the terminal is located; Network coordination is performed on the at least two transmission channels.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The performing network coordination on the at least two transmission channels includes: Determining status information corresponding to each of the transmission channels; Network coordination is performed on the at least two transmission channels based on the status information.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein The location of the logical function network element is at least one of the following: a first position between an application function AF in the network and a core network CN in the network; the first position being adapted to a situation where at least two base stations where the terminal resides belong to different CNs; a second position between the data network DN in the network and the CN in the network; the second position being adapted to a situation where at least two base stations where the terminal resides belong to different CNs; A second position between a radio access network RAN ​​in the network and the CN; the second position is adapted to the situation where at least two base stations where the terminal resides belong to the same CN.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The transmission channel includes a control plane CP channel and / or a transmission plane UP channel; the CP channel and / or the UP channel are determined based on a target service of a target cell where the terminal resides at a target frequency or a radio access RAT corresponding to the terminal.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein The establishing of at least two transmission channels corresponding to the network where the terminal is located includes: Establishing at least two transmission channels corresponding to the terminal in the network where the terminal is located based on the uplink service of the terminal; or, Establishing at least two transmission channels corresponding to the terminal in the network where the terminal is located based on the downlink service of the terminal; or, At least two corresponding transmission channels in the network where the terminal is located are established based on the data transmission of the control plane in the network.

6. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The determining of the status information corresponding to each of the transmission channels includes: Obtaining or configuring the status of the terminal; The status information corresponding to each of the transmission channels is determined based on the status of the terminal.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein: The status information includes at least one of the following: First state information; the first state information indicates that the terminal is in a radio resource control RRC connection state; Second state information; the second state information indicates that the terminal is in a radio resource control idle state RRC IDLE or a radio resource control inactive state RRC INACTIVE; Third state information; the third state information represents a first target state in which the terminal is connected to the network or a second target state in which the terminal is idle; Fourth state information; the fourth state information represents a third target state generated based on the RRC state and / or connectivity management CM state of the terminal.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein The at least two transmission channels perform network coordination, including: activating or deactivating the at least two transmission channels to obtain a terminal context UE CONTEXT after network coordination of the at least two transmission channels; Store UE CONTEXT; The UE CONTEXT is used to perform channel matching processing to perform network coordination on the at least two transmission channels.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein The performing channel matching processing by using the UE CONTEXT to perform network coordination on the at least two transmission channels includes: Acquiring pre-matching information of the terminal; Matching the UE CONTEXT with the pre-matching information to obtain a matching result; Network coordination is performed on the at least two transmission channels based on the matching result.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein: The performing network coordination on the at least two transmission channels based on the matching result includes: If the matching result indicates that the UE CONTEXT matches the pre-matching information, determining a target cell corresponding to the UE CONTEXT; A registration process is performed on the target cell to perform network coordination on the at least two transmission channels.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein In the case where the UE CONTEXT is not used for channel matching, the method further includes: Obtain a cell of a target frequency selected by the terminal; A registration process is performed on the cell of the target frequency point to perform network coordination on the at least two transmission channels.

12. A network collaboration device, provided on a network element having a logical function of coordinating at least two resident cells, comprising: An establishing unit configured to establish at least two transmission channels corresponding to the network where the terminal is located; The coordination unit is configured to perform network coordination on the at least two transmission channels.

13. A network device comprising: a memory configured to store executable instructions; The processor is configured to execute the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11 when executing the executable instructions stored in the memory.

14. A computer program product comprising a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

15. A storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, wherein when the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11 are implemented.

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