Minimization of drive testing (MDT) method for non-terrestrial network (NTN), storage medium, and electronic device

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a minimization of drive testing (MDT) method for a non-terrestrial network (NTN), a storage medium, and an electronic device, said method comprising: a second node receives MDT configuration information from a first node, the MDT configuration information comprising area range information; and, on the basis of the MDT configuration information, the second node initiates a trace session and acquires an MDT report, and sends the MDT report to a trace collection entity (TCE). Hence, the problem in the related technology of currently lacking an effective solution to minimization of drive testing (MDT) for an NTN network is solved.

Description

Minimization of drive test, mdt, method for non-terrestrial network, storage medium and electronic device

[0001] Cross Reference to Related Applications

[0002] The present disclosure is based on Chinese Patent Application No. CN202410410371.0 entitled “Minimization of drive test, MDT, method for non-terrestrial network, storage medium and electronic device” filed on April 7, 2024, and claims priority to the same, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to the field of communications, and in particular, to a minimization of drive test, MDT, method for non-terrestrial network, storage medium and electronic device. BACKGROUND

[0004] Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) was introduced into 3GPP in Rel-17, and Self-Organizing Network / Minimization of Drive Testing (SON / MDT) has been introduced into 3GPP since the Long Term Evolution (LTE) stage, which is used to perform network system deployment and performance optimization.

[0005] In related technologies, for NTN, since the coverage of NTN cell is much larger than that of Terrestrial Network (TN) cell, and works in a different frequency band from TN cell, the existing MDT area range granularity is not enough. In actual deployment, the distance between two NTN supporting base stations can be quite far, and there is no direct Xn / X2 interface between them. In this case, communication between the two NTN base stations needs to be completed through the core network via the NG / S1 interface. The NTN handover based on NG / S1 is already supported in the current 3GPP protocol. However, in the current specification, only the transmission of trace activation information between two base stations through Xn / X2 is supported.

[0006] In summary, there is no effective solution for the minimization of drive test, MDT, for non-terrestrial network, NTN, in related technologies. SUMMARY

[0007] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a minimization of drive test, MDT, method for non-terrestrial network, NTN, storage medium and electronic device to at least solve the problem that there is no effective solution for the MDT of NTN network in related technologies.

[0008] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for minimizing drive test (MDT) of a non-terrestrial network (NTN) is provided, comprising: receiving, by a second node, MDT configuration information from a first node, wherein the MDT configuration information comprises area scope information; initiating, by the second node, a trace session and obtaining an MDT report according to the MDT configuration information, and sending the MDT report to a trace collection entity (TCE).

[0009] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a computer readable storage medium is also provided, and the computer readable storage medium stores a computer program, wherein the computer program is configured to perform the steps in any of the method embodiments described above when executed.

[0010] According to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device is also provided, comprising a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and the processor is configured to execute the computer program to perform the steps in any of the method embodiments described above.

[0011] According to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, a computer program product is also provided, comprising computer programs / instructions, wherein the computer programs / instructions are executed by a processor to implement the steps in any of the method embodiments of any of claims 1-10. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0012] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an NTN architecture in the related art;

[0013] FIG. 2 is a hardware structure block diagram of a computer terminal of an MDT method of an NTN according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0014] FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an MDT of an NTN according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0015] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an MDT of an NTN according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0016] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an MDT of an NTN according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0017] FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an MDT method of an NTN according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0018] FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an MDT method of an NTN according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0019] FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an MDT method of an NTN according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0020] FIG. 9 is a flowchart of an MDT method of an NTN according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and in conjunction with embodiments.

[0022] It should be noted that the terms "first", "second", and the like in the specification and claims of the present disclosure and the above-described drawings are used to distinguish similar objects, and do not necessarily have to be used to describe a specific order or sequence.

[0023] In the related art, in NTN, satellites or airborne vehicles can act as relay nodes or base stations in a wireless communication system. NTN can provide much larger area coverage than traditional ground networks. In addition, NTN can also ensure services in areas that existing ground networks are difficult to cover or have high coverage costs, such as airplanes, ships, and remote rural areas. Therefore, NTN can become an effective solution to supplement existing ground networks and provide services for users in specific areas. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an NTN architecture in the related art, as shown in FIG. 1, the NTN architecture can support the access of UEs to the Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) and the New Radio (NR) network by NTN payload (satellite) and NTN gateway, depicting the service link between the NTN payload and the UE, and the feeder link between the NTN gateway and the NTN payload. In the related art, the NTN payload supports the following connections: the NTN gateway can serve multiple NTN payloads; the NTN payload can be served by multiple NTN gateways.

[0024] In the related art, a minimization of drive test (MDT) can collect measurement results of a UE and report to a radio access network (RAN) side through signaling, and then transmit the collected measurement information to a trace collection entity (TCE) to analyze coverage problems, optimize network deployment, and save maintenance costs. The MDT can be divided into a management-based MDT and a signaling-based MDT. For an activation process of the management-based MDT, an operations, administration and maintenance (OAM) sends a trace activation message including MDT configuration to a RAN node. Then, the RAN node selects a suitable UE in a region specified in the message and sends the MDT configuration information to the selected UE. For an activation process of the signaling-based MDT, the OAM sends a trace session activation (TSA) message including MDT configuration to a home subscriber server (HSS) to activate MDT measurement of a specified UE. Then, the HSS sends MDT configuration information of the UE to a core network (CN) node, and the CN node sends the MDT configuration information of the UE to a RAN node. After that, the RAN node finally sends the MDT configuration information to the UE. An international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) or an international mobile equipment identity (IMEI) based signaling is used to specify the UE, or region information is added to limit the selection of the UE. The MDT configuration information includes a region range, an MDT mode, and a UE measurement type, etc.

[0025] In the related art, there are the following problems: (1) For NTN, since the coverage of NTN cell is much larger than that of TN cell, and works in a different frequency band from TN cell, the existing MDT area range granularity is not enough. For example, based on cell, based on tracking area (TA), based on tracking area identity (TAI), and the like. (2) In actual deployment, the distance between two NTN-enabled base stations can be quite far, and there is no direct Xn / X2 interface between them. In this case, communication between the two NTN base stations needs to be completed through the NG / S1 interface of the core network. The NTN handover based on NG / S1 is already supported in the current 3GPP protocol. However, in the current specification, only the transmission of tracking activation information (carrying MDT configuration) between two base stations through Xn / X2 is supported.

[0026] The method embodiments provided in the embodiments of the disclosure can be executed in a mobile terminal, a computer terminal, or a similar computing device. Taking the case of running on a computer terminal, FIG. 2 is a hardware structure block diagram of a computer terminal of the MDT method of NTN according to an embodiment of the disclosure. As shown in FIG. 2, the computer terminal can include one or more (only one is shown in FIG. 2) processors 202 (the processor 202 can include, but is not limited to, a processing device such as a microprocessor MCU or a programmable logic device FPGA) and a memory 204 for storing data, wherein the computer terminal can further include a transmission device 206 for communication function and an input and output device 208. Those skilled in the art can understand that the structure shown in FIG. 2 is only schematic, which does not limit the structure of the computer terminal. For example, the computer terminal can include more or fewer components than those shown in FIG. 2, or have a different configuration from that shown in FIG. 2.

[0027] The memory 204 can be used to store computer programs, for example, software programs of application software and modules, such as the computer program corresponding to the MDT method of NTN in the embodiments of the disclosure. The processor 202 executes various function applications and data processing by running the computer program stored in the memory 204, that is, implements the above method. The memory 204 can include a high-speed random access memory, and can further include a non-volatile memory, such as one or more magnetic storage devices, flash memories, or other non-volatile solid-state memories. In some examples, the memory 204 can further include a memory remotely arranged with respect to the processor 202, which can be connected to the computer terminal through a network. Examples of the above network include, but are not limited to, the Internet, an intranet, a local area network, a mobile communication network, and a combination thereof.

[0028] The transmission device 206 is configured to receive or send data via a network. The network can include a wireless network provided by a communication provider of a computer terminal. In an example, the transmission device 206 includes a network interface controller (NIC) configured to connect to other network devices through a base station so as to communicate with the Internet. In an example, the transmission device 206 can be a radio frequency (RF) module configured to communicate with the Internet in a wireless manner.

[0029] The embodiment of the present disclosure provides an MDT method of NTN, and FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the MDT of NTN according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 3, the flowchart includes the following steps:

[0030] In step S302, the second node receives the MDT configuration information from the first node, wherein the MDT configuration information includes area range information.

[0031] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first node can be an OAM node or a core network node, and the second node can be a RAN node.

[0032] In an example embodiment, the first node includes at least one of the following: a network management system OAM node; a core network node.

[0033] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the OAM or core network node sends the MDT configuration information including the area range information to the RAN node supporting the NTN in a tracking activation manner, so as to activate the MDT of the RAN node.

[0034] In an example embodiment, in the case that the first node is a core network node, the second node receives the MDT configuration information from the first node, including: the second node receives S1 signaling or NG signaling from the first node, wherein the S1 signaling or the NG signaling carries the MDT configuration information; and the second node acquires the MDT configuration information according to the S1 signaling or the NG signaling.

[0035] In an example embodiment, the area range information includes at least one of the following: frequency information; tracking area identity (TAI) information of the NTN network; and positioning definition area information.

[0036] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the area range information based on the frequency information comprises at least one of the following: a frequency band and a frequency point. The area range information defining the area based on the positioning comprises at least one of the following: area shape information and parameter information of the area shape. The format of the information is defined in 3GPP protocol TS23.032. 3GPP defines different shapes / areas, such as ellipsoid, polygon, circular arc, angle, range and direction, etc. For example, if the area shape is a circle, the parameter information comprises at least one of the following: coordinates (such as longitude and latitude) of the center, diameter length, height; if the area shape is an ellipse, the parameter information comprises at least one of the following: coordinates (such as longitude and latitude) of the focus, length of the major axis and the minor axis, height; if the area shape is a regular polygon, the parameter information comprises at least one of the following: coordinates (such as longitude and latitude) of the center, side length and height; and if the area shape is a random polygon, the parameter information comprises at least one of the following: coordinates (such as longitude and latitude) of the vertex, side length, direction, height.

[0037] In an example embodiment, the frequency information comprises at least one of the following: a working frequency band of the NTN cell; frequency point information of the NTN cell.

[0038] In an example embodiment, the tracking area identity (TAI) information of the NTN network comprises at least one of the following: a public land mobile network (PLMN) identity; a TAC list corresponding to the PLMN identity; and a TAC calculated by the NTN network according to the UE location information.

[0039] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the area range information based on the NTN TAI comprises at least one of the following: a PLMN identity; a TAC list corresponding thereto; and a TAC calculated by the NTN according to the UE location information.

[0040] In an example embodiment, the area information defining the area based on the positioning comprises at least one of the following: area shape information; and parameter information of the area shape.

[0041] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the area range information of the area defined based on the positioning comprises at least one of different shapes or area information and corresponding shape or area parameter information. In actual implementation, the format of the information is defined in 3GPP protocol TS23.032, and 3GPP defines different shapes / areas, such as ellipsoid, polygon, circular arc, angle, range, and direction, etc. For example, if the area shape is a circle, the parameter information comprises at least one of the following: coordinates (such as longitude and latitude) of the center, diameter length, and height; if the area shape is an ellipse, the parameter information comprises at least one of the following: coordinates (such as longitude and latitude) of the focus, length of the major axis and the minor axis, and height; if the area shape is a regular polygon, the parameter information comprises at least one of the following: coordinates (such as longitude and latitude) of the center, side length, and height; and if the area shape is a random polygon, the parameter information comprises at least one of the following: coordinates (such as longitude and latitude) of the vertex, side length, direction, and height.

[0042] In step S304, the second node initiates a trace session and acquires the MDT report according to the MDT configuration information, and sends the MDT report to the trace collection entity TCE.

[0043] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, after receiving the MDT configuration information, the RAN node triggers the measurement of the corresponding UE; the UE reports the MDT report generated by the measurement to the RAN node, and then the RAN node sends the MDT report to the trace collection entity TCE, and the TCE can analyze the network coverage problem in the RAN node accordingly.

[0044] FIG. 4 is a flowchart II of the MDT of the NTN according to the embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 4, after the second node receives the MDT configuration information from the first node, the second node further sends X2 signaling or Xn signaling to the third node, wherein the X2 signaling or Xn signaling carries the MDT configuration information. As shown in FIG. 4, the flowchart comprises the following steps:

[0045] In step S402, the second node receives the MDT configuration information from the first node, wherein the MDT configuration information comprises area range information.

[0046] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the RAN node can further transmit the received MDT configuration information including the area scope information to other RAN nodes supporting the NTN in a tracking activation manner, to activate the MDT under the RAN node. For example, after receiving the MDT configuration information from the OAM or the core network node, the RAN node 1 transmits the received MDT configuration information including the area scope information to the RAN node 2 supporting the NTN in a tracking activation manner, to activate the MDT of the RAN node 2. Wherein, the manner of transmitting the MDT configuration information from the RAN node 1 to the RAN node 2 can be the manner of sending X2 signaling or Xn signaling from the RAN node 1 to the RAN node 2.

[0047] In step S404, the second node sends X2 signaling or Xn signaling to the third node, wherein the X2 signaling or Xn signaling carries the MDT configuration information.

[0048] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the third node can also be a RAN node, and the second node and the third node are different RAN nodes, for example, the second node is the RAN node 1 and the third node is the RAN node 2.

[0049] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the second node sends X2 signaling or Xn signaling to the third node, so that the third node initiates a tracking session according to the MDT configuration information and obtains the MDT report, and sends the MDT report to the TCE.

[0050] FIG. 5 is a flowchart III of the MDT of the NTN according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 5, after the second node receives the MDT configuration information from the first node, the second node further transmits the MDT configuration information to the third node through the fourth node. As shown in FIG. 4, the flowchart includes the following steps:

[0051] In step S502, the second node receives the MDT configuration information from the first node, wherein the MDT configuration information includes the area scope information.

[0052] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, for the case that the RAN node 1 and the RAN node 2 cannot directly interact in data or signaling, the core network node is used for interaction. Wherein, the reason why the RAN node 1 and the RAN node 2 cannot directly interact in data can be that the distance is too far, or other reasons, which are not limited here. The RAN node 1 (the second node) receives the MDT configuration information from the OAM node (the first node), and then transmits the MDT configuration information to the core network node (the fourth node), and the core network node (the fourth node) transmits the MDT configuration information to the RAN node 2 (the third node).

[0053] In step S504, the second node sends the MDT configuration information to the third node through the fourth node.

[0054] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the fourth node is a core network node, and the first node can include the fourth node and the OAM node according to the above embodiments.

[0055] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the second node sends the MDT configuration information to the third node through the fourth node, so that the third node initiates a trace session and acquires an MDT report according to the MDT configuration information, and sends the MDT report to the TCE.

[0056] In one example embodiment, the second node sends the MDT configuration information to the third node through the fourth node, including that the second node sends S1 signaling or NG signaling to the fourth node to enable the fourth node to send the MDT configuration information to the third node, wherein the S1 signaling or the NG signaling carries the MDT configuration information.

[0057] From the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the method according to the above embodiments can be implemented by means of software and a general hardware platform as required, and of course, it can also be implemented by hardware, but in many cases, the former is a better implementation. Based on such understanding, the technical solutions of the present disclosure can be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a storage medium (such as a ROM / RAM, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk), and includes a plurality of instructions for causing a terminal device (which can be a mobile phone, a computer, a server, or a network device) to execute the methods described in the various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0058] In the embodiments, an NTN MDT device is also provided, which is configured to implement the above embodiments and preferred embodiments, and will not be described again. As used below, the term "module" can be a combination of software and / or hardware that implements a predetermined function. Although the devices described in the following embodiments are preferably implemented in software, hardware or a combination of software and hardware is also possible and is contemplated.

[0059] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the NTN MDT device can be arranged in the second node, including a receiving module configured to receive MDT configuration information from the first node, wherein the MDT configuration information includes area range information; and an initiating module configured to initiate a trace session and acquire an MDT report according to the MDT configuration information, and send the MDT report to a trace collection entity TCE.

[0060] It should be noted that the above various modules can be implemented by software or hardware, and for the latter, the implementation can be achieved by the following ways, but is not limited to: the above modules are located in the same processor; or the above various modules are located in different processors in any combination. In the actual implementation process, the module naming and function division in the device can be determined according to the actual situation, and can be different modules or units, or can be set on different network equipment, as long as the steps of the NTN MDT method of the embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented.

[0061] Embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a computer readable storage medium, which stores a computer program, wherein the computer program is configured to execute the steps in any of the above method embodiments when running.

[0062] In an example embodiment, the above computer readable storage medium can include, but is not limited to: a U disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a mobile hard disk, a magnetic disk or an optical disk, and various media that can store computer programs.

[0063] Embodiments of the present disclosure also provide an electronic device, which includes a memory storing a computer program and a processor configured to execute the computer program to perform the steps in any of the above method embodiments.

[0064] In an example embodiment, the above electronic device can further include a transmission device connected to the processor and an input / output device connected to the processor.

[0065] Embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a computer program product, which includes computer programs / instructions that are executed by a processor to implement the steps in any of the above method embodiments.

[0066] The specific examples in the present embodiment can refer to the examples described in the above embodiments and example implementations, which will not be described here again.

[0067] Obviously, those skilled in the art should understand that the modules or steps of the present disclosure described above can be implemented using a general-purpose computing device, they can be concentrated on a single computing device, or distributed across a network composed of multiple computing devices, they can be implemented using program code executable by the computing device, and thus, they can be stored in a storage device and executed by the computing device, and in some cases, the steps shown or described can be performed in a different order than herein, or they can be fabricated into separate integrated circuit modules, or multiple modules or steps can be fabricated into a single integrated circuit module for implementation. Thus, the present disclosure is not limited to any particular combination of hardware and software.

[0068] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions of the present disclosure, the technical solutions of the present disclosure are described below in conjunction with different scenario embodiments.

[0069] Example 1

[0070] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the process flow of the MDT method for NTN in accordance with the first embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 6, the basic process of MDT configuration transmission in a communication network is illustrated, wherein the MDT configuration includes an area range based on frequency information. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the area range information can include any one of frequency information, the tracking area identifier (TAI) information of the NTN network, and positioning definition area information. As shown in Figure 6, the MDT method for NTN in accordance with the first embodiment includes the following steps:

[0071] In step S602 , the OAM or core network node sends the MDT configuration information including the “area range information based on frequency information” to the RAN node 1 supporting NTN by means of tracking activation, so as to activate the MDT under the RAN node 1 .

[0072] In one embodiment, if the core network node triggers the process, the core network will send the "area range information based on frequency information" to the RAN node via S1 / NG signaling.

[0073] In step S604, after receiving the MDT configuration information, RAN node 1 triggers measurement of the corresponding UE. The UE reports the MDT report generated by the measurement to RAN node 1. RAN node 1 then sends the MDT report to the Trace Collection Entity (TCE). The TCE can analyze the network coverage problem in RAN node 1 based on the report.

[0074] In step S606 , optionally, the RAN node 1 may further send the received MDT configuration information including the “area range information based on frequency information” to the RAN node 2 supporting NTN by means of tracking activation, so as to activate the MDT under the RAN node 2 .

[0075] In an embodiment, the RAN node 1 sends the "area range information based on frequency information" to the RAN node 2 through X2 / Xn signaling.

[0076] In step S608, after receiving the MDT configuration information, the RAN node 2 triggers the measurement of the corresponding UE, the UE sends the MDT report generated by the measurement to the RAN node 2, and finally the RAN node 2 sends the MDT report to the TCE, which can analyze the network coverage problem in the RAN node 2 according to the MDT report.

[0077] In an embodiment, the area range information based on the frequency information includes at least one of the following: the operating frequency band and the frequency point information of the cell.

[0078] In an embodiment, when the core network node is an MME, the RAN nodes 1 and 2 are both eNBs; the signaling in step S602 is S1AP signaling, and the signaling in step S606 is X2AP signaling.

[0079] In an embodiment, when the core network node is an AMF, the RAN nodes 1 and 2 are both gNBs or ng-eNBs; the signaling in step S602 is NGAP signaling, and the signaling in step S606 is XnAP signaling.

[0080] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the content of the MDT configuration parameters of the LTE NTN or the NR NTN is determined according to the information content included in the area range information, which is not described herein.

[0081] Embodiment Two

[0082] FIG. 7 is a flow principle diagram of the MDT method of the NTN according to Embodiment Two of the present disclosure, which shows the basic flow of the MDT configuration transmission in the communication network, wherein the MDT configuration includes the area range based on the NTN TAI information. In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the area range information includes one of the following: the frequency information, the NTN TAI information, and the positioning definition area information. As shown in FIG. 7, the MDT method of the NTN according to Embodiment Two includes the following steps:

[0083] In step S702, the OAM or the core network node sends the MDT configuration information including the "area range information based on the NTN TAI" to the RAN node 1 supporting the NTN through the tracking activation, for activating the MDT under the RAN node 1.

[0084] In an embodiment, when the core network node triggers the MDT configuration information, the core network sends the "area range information based on the NTN TAI information" to the RAN node through S1 / NG signaling.

[0085] Step S704, after receiving the MDT configuration information, the RAN node 1 triggers the measurement of the corresponding UE; the UE reports the MDT report generated by the measurement to the RAN node 1, and then the RAN node 1 sends the MDT report to the TCE, which can analyze the network coverage problem in the RAN node 1 according to the MDT report.

[0086] Step S706, the RAN node 1 can further send the received MDT configuration information containing the NTN TAI-based area range information to the RAN node 2 supporting NTN through the tracking activation mode, to activate the MDT under the RAN node 2.

[0087] In an embodiment, the RAN node 1 sends the NTN TAI-based area range information to the RAN node 2 through X2 / Xn signaling.

[0088] Step S708, after receiving the MDT configuration information, the RAN node 2 triggers the measurement of the corresponding UE; the UE sends the MDT report generated by the measurement to the RAN node 2, and finally the RAN node 2 sends the MDT report to the TCE, which can analyze the network coverage problem in the RAN node 2 according to the MDT report.

[0089] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the NTN TAI-based area range information includes at least one of the following: PLMN identifier; TAC list (one or more TACs) under the PLMN; TAC calculated according to the UE position information under the NTN.

[0090] In the case where the core network node is an MME, the RAN nodes 1 and 2 are both eNBs; the signaling in step S702 is S1AP signaling, and the signaling in step S706 is X2AP signaling.

[0091] In the case where the core network node is an AMF, the RAN nodes 1 and 2 are both gNBs or ng-eNBs; the signaling in step S702 is NGAP signaling, and the signaling in step S706 is XnAP signaling.

[0092] Embodiment Three

[0093] FIG. 8 is a flow principle diagram of the MDT method of the NTN according to Embodiment Three of the present disclosure, which shows the basic flow of MDT configuration transmission in a communication network, wherein the MDT configuration contains the area range based on the positioning defined area. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the area range information includes one of the frequency information, NTN TAI information, and positioning defined area information. As shown in FIG. 8, the MDT method of the NTN according to Embodiment Three includes the following steps:

[0094] In step S802, the OAM or the core network node sends the MDT configuration information containing the area range information defined based on the positioning to the RAN node 1 supporting the NTN in a manner of tracking activation, for activating the MDT under the RAN node 1.

[0095] In an embodiment, in the case that the core network node triggers the MDT configuration information, the core network sends the area range information defined based on the positioning to the RAN node in a manner of S1 / NG signaling.

[0096] In step S804, after receiving the MDT configuration information, the RAN node 1 triggers the measurement of the corresponding UE; the UE sends the MDT report generated by the measurement to the RAN node 1, and then the RAN node 1 sends the MDT report to the TCE, which can analyze the network coverage problem in the RAN node 1 according to the MDT report.

[0097] In step S806, the RAN node 1 can further send the received MDT configuration information containing the area range information defined based on the positioning to the RAN node 2 supporting the NTN in a manner of tracking activation, for activating the MDT under the RAN node 2.

[0098] In an embodiment, the RAN node 1 sends the area range information defined based on the positioning to the RAN node 2 in a manner of X2 / Xn signaling.

[0099] In step S808, after receiving the MDT configuration information, the RAN node 2 triggers the measurement of the corresponding UE; the UE sends the MDT report generated by the measurement to the RAN node 2, and then the RAN node 2 sends the MDT report to the TCE, which can analyze the network coverage problem in the RAN node 2 according to the MDT report.

[0100] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the area range information defined based on the positioning includes at least one of the following: area shape information; parameter information of the area shape. The format of the information is defined in 3GPP protocol TS23.032, and 3GPP defines different shapes / areas, such as ellipsoid, polygon, and corresponding circular arc, circular point, diameter, angle, range and direction information. For example, if the area shape is a circle, the parameter information includes at least one of the following: coordinates (such as longitude and latitude) of the center, diameter length, and height; if the area shape is an ellipse, the parameter information includes at least one of the following: coordinates (such as longitude and latitude) of the focus, length of the major axis and the minor axis, and height; if the area shape is a regular polygon, the parameter information includes at least one of the following: coordinates (such as longitude and latitude) of the center, side length, and height; and if the area shape is a random polygon, the parameter information includes at least one of the following: coordinates (such as longitude and latitude) of the vertex, side length, direction, and height.

[0101] In an embodiment, in case the core network node is an MME, then the RAN nodes 1 and 2 are both eNBs; the signaling in step S802 is S1AP signaling, and the signaling in step S806 is X2AP signaling.

[0102] In an embodiment, in case the core network node is an AMF, then the RAN nodes 1 and 2 are both gNBs or ng-eNBs; the signaling in step S802 is NGAP signaling, and the signaling in step S806 is XnAP signaling.

[0103] Embodiment Four

[0104] FIG. 9 is a flow schematic diagram of the MDT method of the NTN according to Embodiment Four of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 9, the MDT method of the NTN according to Embodiment Four includes the following steps:

[0105] In step S902, the RAN node 1 obtains the MDT configuration information containing the area scope information through the OAM, and sends the received MDT configuration information to the core network node through S1 / NG signaling.

[0106] In step S904, after receiving the MDT configuration information, the core network node further sends the corresponding MDT configuration information to the RAN node 2 through S1 / NG signaling.

[0107] In step S906, after receiving the MDT configuration information, the RAN node 2 triggers the measurement of the corresponding UE. The UE reports the MDT report generated by the measurement to the RAN node 2, and then the RAN node 2 sends the MDT report to the TCE, which can analyze the network coverage problem in the RAN node 2 according to the MDT report.

[0108] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the area scope information contains one of the area scope information in Embodiments One, Two and Three.

[0109] In an embodiment, in case the core network node is an MME, then the RAN nodes 1 and 2 are both eNBs; the signaling in steps S902 and S904 is S1AP signaling.

[0110] In an embodiment, in case the core network node is an AMF, then the RAN nodes 1 and 2 are both gNBs or ng-eNBs; the signaling in steps S902 and S904 is NGAP signaling.

[0111] To sum up, the embodiment of the present disclosure provides an MDT method of NTN, which introduces a new area scope granularity in the MDT configuration to support the NTN base station (and between base stations) triggering MDT. Wherein, the area scope information based on frequency information includes at least one of the following: frequency band and frequency point. The area scope information based on NTN TAI includes at least one of the following: PLMN identifier; corresponding TAC list; TAC calculated according to UE location information under NTN. The area scope information based on positioning definition area includes at least one of the following: area shape information; parameter information of area shape. Wherein, the format of the information is defined in 3GPP protocol TS23.032. 3GPP defines different shapes / areas, such as ellipsoid, polygon, circular arc, angle, range and direction, etc. By adding a new mechanism, the MDT configuration interaction between two NTN base stations is triggered through NG / S1, solving the problem that only the transmission of tracking activation information between two base stations through Xn / X2 is supported in the current specification. The MDT method of NTN provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure can enable NTN to support the MDT mechanism by introducing a new area scope granularity and a new MDT triggering mechanism.

[0112] The above merely describes the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure and is not intended to limit the present disclosure. The present disclosure can have various modifications and changes for those skilled in the art. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. within the principles of the present disclosure shall be included in the protection scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A method for minimizing drive tests (MDT) in a non-terrestrial network (NTN), comprising: The second node receives MDT configuration information from the first node, wherein the MDT configuration information includes area scope information; The second node initiates a trace session and obtains an MDT report according to the MDT configuration information, and sends the MDT report to a trace collection entity TCE.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein After the second node receives the MDT configuration information from the first node, the method further includes: The second node sends X2 signaling or Xn signaling to the third node, so that the third node initiates a trace session according to the MDT configuration information and obtains the MDT report, and sends the MDT report to the TCE; The X2 signaling or the Xn signaling carries the MDT configuration information.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein The first node includes at least one of the following: Network management system OAM node; Core network node.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein In a case where the first node is a core network node, the second node receiving the MDT configuration information from the first node includes: The second node receives S1 signaling or NG signaling from the first node, wherein the S1 signaling or the NG signaling carries the MDT configuration information; The second node obtains the MDT configuration information according to the S1 signaling or the NG signaling.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein The area range information includes at least one of the following: Frequency information; Tracking area identifier (TAI) information of the NTN network; Positioning definition area information.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein: The frequency information includes at least one of the following: Working frequency band of NTN cell; Frequency information of NTN cells.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein: The tracking area identifier (TAI) information of the NTN network includes at least one of the following: Public Land Mobile Network PLMN identity; A tracking area code (TAC) list corresponding to the PLMN identifier; TAC calculated by the NTN network based on UE location information.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein The positioning definition area information includes at least one of the following: Area shape information; Parameter information of the area shape.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein After the second node receives the MDT configuration information from the first node, the method further includes: The second node sends the MDT configuration information to the third node through the fourth node, so that the third node initiates a trace session and obtains the MDT report according to the MDT configuration information, and sends the MDT report to the TCE.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein: The second node sending the MDT configuration information to the third node through the fourth node includes: The second node sends S1 signaling or NG signaling to the fourth node, so that the fourth node sends the MDT configuration information to the third node, wherein the S1 signaling or the NG signaling carries the MDT configuration information.

11. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored therein, wherein: When the computer program is executed by a processor, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 is implemented.

12. An electronic device comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the processor implements the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 when executing the computer program.

13. A computer program product comprising a computer program / instruction, wherein when the computer program / instruction is executed by a processor, the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 are implemented.

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