WO2015044771A2

WO2015044771A2 - Method, apparatus, and system for performing data transmission and processing via dual connectivity

Info

Publication number: WO2015044771A2
Application number: PCT/IB2014/002110
Authority: WO
Inventors: Yun DENG; Chandrika Worrall; Pingping Wen
Original assignee: Alcatel Lucent
Priority date: 2013-09-27
Filing date: 2014-09-23
Publication date: 2015-04-02
Also published as: WO2015044771A3; TW201534163A; CN104519583B; CN104519583A

Abstract

An objective of the present invention lies in providing a method, apparatus, and system for performing data transmission and processing via dual connectivity. A method according to the present invention comprises: obtaining capability related information of the UE; obtaining allocation related information; determining available allocation information corresponding to said macro base station itself and capability allocation information corresponding to said small base station based on the capability related information of said UE and said allocation related information; configuring connection between said macro base station and said UE based on said available allocation information, so as to perform data transmission between said macro base station and said UE and transmit said capability allocation information to said small base station. An advantage of the present invention lies in that by setting processing capability thresholds of a UE which is available respectively for the macro base station and the small base station based on capability related information of the UE, the data transmission on dual connectivity of the UE to the macro base station and the small base station will not exceed the processing capability of the UE.

Description

METHOD, APPARATUS, AND SYSTEM FOR PERFORMING DATA TRANSMISSION AND PROCESSING VIA DUAL CONNECTIVITY

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of communication technology, and more specifically, to a method, apparatus and system for preforming data transmission and processing via a dual connectivity.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the prior art, upon configuring and scheduling a user equipment (UE), the evolved UMTS terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN) has to abide by the UE radio access parameters.

The UE radio access parameters include UE type and parameter information independent of the UE type, including the PDCP (Packet Data Convergence Protocol) parameter supported by the UE, the RLC (Radio Link Control) parameter supported by the UE, the physical layer parameters supported by the UE, and the RF (Radio Frequency) parameter supported by the UE, etc. When the UE accesses the network for the first time, the network should obtain the radio access capability of the UE. For example, the network should know the UE type in order to allocation corresponding radio resources to the UE, wherein the type information of the UE may be obtained based on the current standard definition. Preferably, the currently defined UEs include 8 types as shown in Table 1.

Table 1

UE type Maximum Maximum number of Total Maximum

number of bits of a DL-SCH number of number of

DL-SCH transport block soft supported transport block received within a TTI channel layers for bits received bits spatial

within a TTI multiplexing in

DL

Type 1 10296 10296 250368 1

Type 2 51024 51024 1237248 2

Type 3 102048 75376 1237248 2

Type 4 150752 75376 1827072 2

Type 5 299552 149776 3667200 4

Type 6 301504 149776 (4 layers) 3654144 2 or 4

75376 (2 layers)

Type 7 301504 149776 (4 layers) 3654144 2 or 4

75376 (2 layers)

Type 8 2998560 299856 35982720 8

Herein, Table 1 is only an example. Those skilled in the art should understand, the type information of UE is not limited to the type information as listed in the above table, which, for example, may also include maximum number of transport block bits transmitted by the UE on the uplink shared channel within one TTI, etc.

At present, dual connectivity is introduced in the study project on small cell enhancement, to improve spectral efficiency and mobility.

With reference to Fig. 1, in which a system diagram of a current dual connectivity of a UE to a macro base station (governing Macro Cell, also called MeNB) and a small base station (governing Small Cell, also called SeNB).

Herein, there is no ideal backhaul between the macro base station and the small base station. Due to serious delay (generally, a unilateral delay is 2 to 60 milliseconds), such that a centralized scheduling cannot be applied to this system. However, the distributed scheduling currently applicable in a dual-connectivity system needs to be performed by an independent MAC.

In this case, even the connectivity of each side abides by the UE's processing capability, the macro base station and the small base station cannot guarantee that the overall resource allocation of the dual connectivity can abide by the UE's processing capability Therefore, it is a problem that needs to be solved how to handle when the total resource allocations of the connectivity of two sides has exceeded the processing capability of the UE.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An objective of the present invention is to provide a method, apparatus and system for data transmission and processing via dual connectivity.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for transmitting data in a macro base station via dual connectivity to a user equipment (UE), wherein said UE may be simultaneously connected to said macro base station and a small base station, wherein said method comprises steps as follows: a. obtaining capability related information of the UE; wherein the method further comprises steps as follows:

b. obtaining allocation related information, wherein said allocation related information is used for determining the processing capability of said UE allocated to said macro base station and said small base station; c. determining available allocation information corresponding to said macro base station itself and capability allocation information corresponding to said small base station based on the capability related information of said UE and said allocation related information, wherein said available allocation information is used for indicating processing capability of said UE which is available for said macro base station, and said capability allocation information is used for indicating the processing capability of said UE which is available for said small base station; d. configuring connection between said macro base station and said UE based on said available allocation information, so as to perform data transmission between said macro base station and said UE and transmit said capability allocation information to said small base station.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for transmitting data in a small base station via dual connectivity to a user equipment (UE), wherein said UE has established a connection with a macro base station, wherein said method comprises steps as follows:

A. receiving capability allocation information from said macro base station, wherein said capability allocation information is used for indicating processing capability of said UE that is available for said small base station;

B. configuring a connection to said UE based on said capability allocation information so as to perform data transmission between said small base station and said UE.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for transmitting data in a macro base station via dual connectivity to a user equipment (UE), wherein said method comprises steps below: a': obtaining capability related information of said UE;

wherein said method further comprises steps as follows: b': transmitting a request to the small base station for configuring a connection to the UE; c': receiving allocation request information fed back based on said request from the small base station;

d': determining available allocation information corresponding to the macro base station itself based on said allocation request information and said capability related information, wherein said available allocation information is used for indicating processing capability of said UE which is available for said macro base station;

e': configuring a connection between said macro base station and said UE based on said available allocation information so as to perform data transmission between said macro base station and said UE.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for transmitting data in a small base station via dual connectivity to a user equipment (UE), wherein said UE may be simultaneously connected to a macro base station and said small base station, wherein said method comprises steps below:

A': obtaining base station state information of said small base station itself, wherein said base station state information is used for indicating information processing state of said small base station;

B': determining allocation request information corresponding to said UE based on said base station state information;

C : transmitting said allocation request information to said macro base station, so as to configure a connection to the UE based on said allocation request information and perform data transmission between said small base station and said UE.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is further provided a method in a user equipment (UE) for processing corresponding data in dual connectivity of the UE, wherein said UE may be simultaneously connected to a macro base station and a small base station, wherein said method comprises steps as follows: - deciding whether to-be-processed data corresponding to said dual connectivity has exceeded processing capability of said UE based on capability related information of said UE;

- performing a selection processing operation if the to-be-processed data corresponding to said dual connectivity exceeds the processing capability of the UE, so as to prioritize processing of the data information from said macro base station.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is further provided a macro base station, wherein the macro base station may transmit data via dual connectivity to a user equipment (UE), said UE may be simultaneously connected to said macro base station and a small base station, wherein said macro base station comprises: a first obtaining device configured to obtain capability related information of said UE; a second obtaining device configured to obtain allocation related information, wherein said allocation related information is used for determining the processing capability of said UE allocated to said macro base station and said small base station; a first determining device configured to determine available allocation information corresponding to said macro base station itself and capability allocation information corresponding to said small base station based on the capability related information of said UE and said allocation related information, wherein said available allocation information is used for indicating processing capability of the UE which is available for the macro base station, and the capability allocation information is used for indicating the processing capability of the UE which is available for said small base station; a first configuring device configured to configure connection between said macro base station and said UE based on said available allocation information, so as to perform data transmission between said macro base station and said UE and transmit said capability allocation information to said small base station.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is further provided a small base station, wherein the small base station may transmit data via dual connectivity to a user equipment (UE), said UE has established connection to a macro base station, wherein said small base station comprises: a first receiving device configured to receive capability allocation information from said macro base station, wherein said capability allocation information is used for indicating processing capability of said UE that is available for said small base station; a second configuring device configured to configure a connection to said UE based on said capability allocation information so as to perform data transmission between said small base station and said UE.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is further provided a macro base station, wherein the macro base station transmits data via dual connectivity to a user equipment (UE), wherein said macro base station comprises: a third obtaining device configured to obtain capability related information of said UE; a first transmitting device configured to transmit a request to the small base station for configuring a connection to the UE;

a second receiving device configured to receive allocation request information fed back based on said request from said small base station;

a second determining device configured to determine available allocation information corresponding to said macro base station itself based on said allocation request information and said capability related information, wherein said available allocation information is used for indicating processing capability of said UE which is available for said macro base station;

a third configuring device configured to configure a connection between said macro base station and said UE based on said available allocation information so as to perform data transmission between said macro base station and said UE.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is further provided a small base station, which transmits data via dual connectivity to a user equipment (UE), wherein said UE may be simultaneously connected to a macro base station and said small base station, wherein said small base station comprises: a fourth obtaining device configured to obtain base station state information of said small base station itself, wherein said base station state information is used for indicating information processing state of said small base station; a third determining device configured to determine allocation request information corresponding to said UE based on the base station state information; a third transmitting device configured to transmit said allocation request information to said macro base station, so as to configure a connection to said UE based on said allocation request information, and perform data transmission between said small base station and said UE.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is further provided a user equipment (UE), wherein said UE may be simultaneously connected to a macro base station and a small base station, wherein said UE comprises: a deciding device configured to decide whether to-be-processed data corresponding to the dual connectivity exceeds processing capability of said UE based on capability related information of said UE;

a performing device configured to perform a selection processing operation if the to-be-processed data corresponding to said dual connectivity exceeds the processing capability of said UE, so as to prioritize processing of the data information from said macro base station. According to one aspect of the present invention, there is further provided a communication system, wherein the communication system comprises said macro base station and said small base station, wherein said communication system further comprises the UE.

Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages: according to the solution of the present invention, by setting thresholds of processing capability of a UE which is respectively available for the macro base station and the small base station based on capability related information of the UE, thus the data transmission on dual connectivity of the UE to the macro base station and the small base station will not exceed the processing capability of the UE, such that in the precondition of sufficiently utilizing the UE processing capability, abnormalities such as error caused by data transmission exceeding the UE processing capability can be reduced as much as possible; besides, according to the solution of the present invention, when the to-be-processed data of the UE exceed its own processing capability, processing of the to-be-processed information of the macro base station is prioritized, so as to alleviate the impact of error caused by insufficient processing capability to the largest extent.

Brief Description of the Accompanying Drawings

Other features, objectives and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent through reading the detailed description made to the non-limiting embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 schematically shows a system diagram of dual connectivity of a UE to a macro base station and a small base station;

Fig. 2 schematically shows a flow diagram of a method for transmitting data via dual connectivity to a user equipment according to one embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 3 schematically shows a flow diagram of a method for transmitting data via dual connectivity to a user equipment according to another embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 4 schematically shows a flow diagram of a method for processing data corresponding to the dual connectivity in a UE according to a further embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 5 schematically shows a structural schematic diagram of a macro base station and a small base station according to one embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 6 schematically shows a structural diagram of a macro base station and a small base station according to another embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 7 schematically shows a structural diagram of a UE according to one aspect of the present invention.

In the drawings, same or similar reference numerals represent same or similar components.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

With reference to Fig. 1, a communication system according to the present invention comprises a macro base station, at least one small base station corresponding to the macro base station, and at least one user equipment, wherein the user equipment could be simultaneously connected to a macro base station and a small base station. In other words, there is dual connectivity of the user equipment to the macro base station and small base station.

Herein, the small base station according to the present invention includes, but not limited to, a base station implemented using technologies such as Femtocell, Picocell, Microcell, etc. With reference to Fig. 2, in which a flow diagram of a method for transmitting data via dual connectivity to a UE according to one embodiment is schematically presented. The method as shown in Fig. 2 comprises step S 11, step S 12, step S13, and step S 14 executed by a macro base station, and step S21 and step S22 performed by a small base station.

In step S 11, the macro base station obtains capability related information of the UE, wherein the capability related information is used for indicating capability of the UE in processing resources.

Preferably, the capability related information includes, but not limited to, UE type information, and other parameter information independent of the UE type information. More preferably, the capability related information includes the following information:

1) buffer space information of UE at layer 2 (Layer 2);

2) UE type information. Preferably, the currently defined UE type information is as described in previous Table 1.

More preferably, the capability related information further comprises channel information that could be supported by the UE, e.g., whether the UE can simultaneously support transmitting information to MeNB and SeNB on PUCCH, and the like.

Next, in step S 12, the macro base station obtains allocation related information.

Herein, the allocation related information is used for determining processing capability of the UE allocated to the macro base station and the small base station.

Preferably, the allocation related information includes at least any one of the following: 1) backhaul information between the small base station and the macro base station, e.g., transmission state information, transmission delay information, and the like;

2) first transmission information for indicating a transmission condition of the small base station; preferably, the first transmission information includes, but not limited to, at least any one of the following: i) amount of data radio bearers (DRB, Data Radio Bearer) offloaded to the small base station;

ii) quality of service information (QoS) offloaded to the DRB of the small base station; iii) channel state information of the small base station, i.e., channel state information of the user equipment UE in the small base station;

v) load information of the small base station.

3) second transmission information for indicating a transmission condition of the macro base station; preferably, the second transmission information includes, but not limited to, at least any one of the following:

i) total DRB amount, i.e., total DRB amount established by the UE;

ii) quality of service information of DRB not offloaded to a corresponding small base station;

iii) channel state information of the macro base station, i.e., channel state information of the UE in the macro base station;

v) load information of the macro base station.

Preferably, one or more information items included in the first transmission information corresponds to one or more information items included in the second transmission information.

Herein, the macro base station may obtain partial first transmission information of the small base station through interaction with the small base station; the macro base station may obtain partial first transmission information of the small base station through interaction with the user equipment, and the macro base station may obtain partial first transmission information of the small base station through a core network. Those skilled in the art should determine a manner of obtaining the first transmission information of the small base station according to the actual condition and needs, which will not be detailed here.

Next, in step S 13, the macro base station determines available allocation information corresponding to the macro base station itself and capability allocation information corresponding to the small base station based on capability related information of the UE and the allocation related information.

Herein, the available allocation information is used for indicating processing capability of the UE that is available for the macro base station, and the capability allocation information is used for indicating processing capability of the UE that is available for the small base station.

Preferably, the available allocation information includes capability threshold information of the UE's processing capability available to the macro base station; more preferably, the capability allocation information includes capability threshold information of the UE's processing capability that is available for the small base station and capability related information of the UE.

Specifically, the macro base station compares the first transmission information and the second transmission information included in the allocation related information, and/or determines its own available allocation information based on the backhaul information from the small base station to the macro base station as included in the allocation related information; and determines the capability allocation information of the corresponding small base station based on the available allocation information of the macro base station itself in conjunction with the capability related information of the UE. For example, that the macro base station determines, based on the backhaul information from the small base station to the macro base station itself, the amount of DRB offloaded to the small base station, and the total amount of DRB established by the UE, that the available allocation information of the macro base station itself includes, available transport block bit bit_nol received by the UE over DL-SCH within one TTI, and, the macro base station determines the capability allocation information of the small base station according to the maximum amount bit_max of the DL-SCH transport block bits that is corresponding to the UE received in one TTI, i.e., the available transport block bit number bit_no2 of the small base station as received by the UE over DL-SCH, wherein bit_no2 = nit_max - bit_nol.

Herein, those skilled in the art should determine an allocating manner of the available allocation information as of the UE's processing capability available to the macro base station determined based on the allocation related information, according to the actual conditions and needs, which will not be detailed here.

Next, in step S 14, the macro base station configures a connection between the macro base station itself and the UE based on the available allocation information, so as to perform data transmission between the macro base station and the UE, and transmit the capability allocation information to the small base station.

Specifically, the macro base station configures connection between the macro base station itself and the UE based on the available allocation information, so as to satisfy the available allocation information when the macro base station performs data transmission between the macro base station itself and the UE.

Preferably, the capability allocation information may be included in the dual-connectivity establishment request.

For example, when steps S 12 to S 14 are implemented during the process of configuring dual connectivity for the UE, the capability allocation information in the step S 14 may be included in the request for indicating the small base station to establish connection to the UE.

Preferably, the capability allocation information may be independently transmitted to the small base station. For example, the information is transmitted from the macro base station to the small base station through defining a new signaling including the capability allocation information.

Next, in step S21, the small base station receives capability allocation information from the macro base station.

Corresponding to the previous step S 14, the small base station may obtain the capability allocation information through a dual-connectivity establishment request, such as request information for indicating establishing connection to UE.

Or, the capability allocation information may be obtained in a dedicated signaling.

Next, in step S22, the small base station configured connection to the UE based on the capability allocation information so as to perform data transmission between the small base station and the UE.

Specifically, the small base station configured connection between the small base station itself and the UE based on the capability allocation information so that the data transmission performed through the connection could satisfy the capability allocation information.

According to a first example of the present invention, UE belongs to type 5. It is seen from Table 1 that the maximum amount of the DL-SCH transport block bit received in one TTI is 299552, and the total number of soft channel bits is 3667200; then, in step S 13, the macro base station determines that the available allocation information of the macro base station itself includes available soft channel bit number 1000000, and the available amount 100000 of the DL-SCH transport block bits received within one TTI, and determines that the capability allocation information of the small base station includes the available soft channel bit number of the small base station to be 3667200-1000000=2667200, and the available amount of the DL-SCH transport block bit received within one TTI to be 299552-100000=199552. Moreover, in step S 14, the macro base station configured a connection between the macro base station itself and the UE based on the available allocation information of the macro base station itself, such that the soft channel bit number transmitted by the UE through a connection to the macro base station is less than or equal to 1000000, and the available amount of the DL-SCH transport block bit received in one TTI is less than or equal to 100000; moreover, in step S 14, the macro base station transmits the capability allocation information to the small base station. Then the small base station configures the connection to the UE based on the obtained available capability allocation information, such that when transmitting data to the UE, the soft channel bit number transmitted by the UE through connection to the small base station is less than or equal to 2667200, and the available number of the DL-SCH transport block bits received in one TTI is less than or equal to 199552.

Herein, with reference to the contents introduced in the present invention, those skilled in the art can determine a manner of configuring connection between the base station and the UE based on the available allocation information/ capability allocation information according to the actual conditions and demands. For example, based on the buffer space of the UE, which is available for the small base station, as included in the capability allocation information, those skilled in the art may appreciate controlling the buffer space occupied by the data packet through corresponding configurations such as setting a sequence length, setting a acknowledge time interval, etc., such that the buffer space of the UE occupied by the data transmission through the connection between the small base station and the UE does not exceed the space allocated to the small base station.

More preferably, when the communication system according to the present invention adopts a different technology, the parameter information that needs to be configured is also different. For example, in a communication system adopting a multiple input multiple output(MIMO) technology, it also needs to configure the layer number information of the corresponding MIMO based on the information of the layer number which may be supported by the UE. Those skilled in the art should obtain the parameter information that needs to be configured according to the actual conditions. For example, if the maximum layer number supported by the UE is 4, then it may be configured that the small base station uses 2 layers, while the macro base station uses the other 2 layers.

It should be noted that steps S ll to S 14 and steps S21 and S22 according to the present invention may be performed during the process in which the UE established dual connectivity to the macro base station and the small base station, such that the connections of the UE to the macro base station and to the small base station respectively satisfy the available allocation information of the macro base station and the capability allocation information of the small base station; or, in the case that the dual connectivity of the UE to the macro base station and to the small base station already exist, execution of the above steps are triggered when the allocation related information changes, so as to update configuration of the connections of the UE to the macro base station and to the small base station.

Fig. 3 schematically shows a flow diagram of a method for transmitting data through dual connectivity to a user equipment (UE) according to another embodiment of the present invention. The method according to the present embodiment comprises steps S ll', S 12', S 13', S 14' and S 15' performed by the macro base station, and steps S21', S22', and S23' performed by the small base station.

In step S ll', the macro base station obtains capability related information of the UE. Wherein the manner in which the macro base station obtains the capability information of the UE is identical or similar to step S ll in which the macro base station obtains the capability information of the UE, which will not be detailed here. Next, in step S 12', the macro base station transmits a request to the small base station for configuring a connection to the UE.

Preferably, the request for configuring a connection to the UE includes, but not limited to, any one of the following:

1) a dual-connectivity establishment request for establishing a connection between the small base station and the UE;

2) a reconfiguration request for updating the configuration of the connection between the small base station and the UE.

Herein, when the small base station has not established a connection to the UE, the macro base station transmits an establishment request to the small base station such that the small base station establishes a connection to the UE; when the small base station already has a connection to the UE, the macro base station may transmit a reconfiguration request to the small base station so as to update configuration of the connection.

Next, in step S 13', the macro base station receives allocation request information fed back from the small base station based on the request.

Herein, the allocation request information is for requesting the macro base station to allocate available UE processing capability to the small base station.

Next, in step S 14', the macro base station determines available allocation information corresponding to the macro base station itself based on the allocation request information and the capability related information.

Herein, the available allocation information is for indicating the processing capability of the UE which is available for the macro base station.

For example, for the UE corresponding to type 6, the allocation request information includes the available amount of capability allocation information requested to allocated to the small base station which is included in the DL-SCH transport block bits received within one TTI being 100000; it is seen from Table 1 that the maximum amount of the DL-SCH transport block bits received by the UE of type 6 within one TTI is 301504, then the macro bases station determines that the available amount of the available allocation information of the macro base station itself included within the DL-SCH transport block bits received within one TTI being 301504-100000=201504.

Next, in step S 15', the macro base station configures a connection between the macro base station and the UE based on the available configuration information, so as to perform data transmission between the macro base station and the UE.

Herein, the manner in which the macro base station configures the connection between the macro base station and the UE based on the available allocation information so as to perform data transmission between the macro base station and the UE is identical or similar to the manner in step S 14 in which the macro base station configures the connection between the macro base station and the UE based on the available allocation information so as to perform data transmission between the macro base station and the UE, which will not be detailed here.

Next, in step S21', the small base station obtains base station state information of itself.

Herein, the base station state information is used for indicating an information processing state of the small base station. Preferably, the base station state information includes, but not limited to, at least any one of the following:

1) channel state information of the small base station, i.e., the channel state information of the UE in the small base station;

2) load information of the small base station;

3) transmission state information offloaded to DRB of the small base station;

4) backhaul state between the small base station and the macro base station.

Herein, those skilled in the art should determine the manner in which the small base station obtains the base station state information of the small base station itself according to the actual conditions and needs, which will not be detailed here.

Next, in step S22', the small base station determines allocation request information corresponding to the UE based on the base station state information.

Next, in step S23', the small base station will transmit the allocation request information to the macro base station, and configure the connection to the UE based on the allocation request information, so as to perform data transmission between the small base station and the UE.

The manner in which the small base station configured connection to the UE based on the allocation request information includes, but not limited to, any one of the following:

1) the small base station directly configures a connection between the small base station itself and the UE based on the processing capability information of the UE included in the allocation request information, such that data transmission via the connection does not exceed the UE processing capability defined in the allocation request information;

2) the small base station transmits the allocation request information to the macro base station, available for the macro base station to determine the capability allocation information, and configures a connection between the small base station itself and the UE based on the capability allocation information as fed back by the macro base station, such that the data transmission via the connection does not exceed the UE processing capability defined in the capability allocation information. This manner will be described in detail in the subsequent preferred embodiment, which will not be detailed here.

According to one preferred embodiment of the present embodiment, the method according to the present solution further comprises step S 16' (not shown) performed by the macro base station, and step S 15' performed by the macro base station further comprises step S 151 ' (not shown); step S23' performed by the small base station further comprises step S231' (not shown), step S232' (not shown), and step S233' (not shown).

In step S231', the small base station transmits the allocation request information to the macro base station.

Next, in step S 151 ' , the macro base station determines available allocation information corresponding to the macro base station and capability allocation information corresponding to the small base station based on the allocation request information and the capability related information.

Herein, the available allocation information is used for indicating processing capability of the UE which is available for the macro base station, and the capability allocation information is used for indicating processing capability of the UE which is available for the small base station.

Specifically, the macro base station determines, based on the allocation request information and the capability related information, a first processing capability corresponding to the allocation request information and available to the macro base station itself, and a second processing capability of the small base station corresponding to the allocation request information, and, in conjunction with the capability related information, determines initial available allocation information corresponding to the macro base station itself and initial capability allocation information corresponding to the small bas station, to finally determine available allocation information corresponding to the small base station and capability allocation information corresponding to the small base station.

Preferably, the macro base station determines available allocation information corresponding to the macro base station itself based on the first processing capability and the initial available allocation information according to a predetermined processing rule; similarly, the macro base station determines capability allocation information corresponding to the small base station itself based on the second processing capability and the initial capability allocation information based on a predetermined processing rule.

For example, the macro base station selects a larger one of the first processing capability and the initial available allocation information as the available allocation information corresponding to the macro base station itself; for another example, the macro base station selects a smaller one of the second processing capability and the initial capability allocation information as the capability allocation information of the small base station.

Next, in step S 16', the macro base station transmits the capability allocation information to the small base station.

Next, in step S232', the small base station receives the capability allocation information of the UE as fed back by the macro base station based on the allocation request information.

Next, in step S233', the small base station configures a connection to the UE based on the capability allocation information so as to perform data transmission between the small base station and the UE.

Herein, the operation of step S233' is identical or similar to the manner in step S22 in which the small base station configured a connection to the UE based on the capability allocation information, so as to perform data transmission between the small base station and the UE, which will not be detailed here.

According to the method of the present invention, by setting processing capability thresholds of a UE which is respectively available for the macro base station and the small base station based on capability related information of the UE, the data transmission on dual connectivity of the UE to the macro base station and the small base station will not exceed the processing capability of the UE, such that in the precondition of sufficiently utilizing the UE processing capability, abnormalities such as error caused by data transmission exceeding the UE processing capability can be reduced as much as possible.

It should be noted that steps S 11 ' to S 15' and step S21' to step S23' according to the present invention may be performed during the process in which the UE established dual connectivity to the macro base station and to the small base station, such that the connections of the UE to the macro base station and to the small bases station satisfy the available capability information of the macro base station and the allocation capability information of the small base station, respectively; or, in the case that the dual connectivity of the UE to the macro base station and to the small base station already exists, these steps are triggered to perform when the allocation related information changes, so as to update configuration information of the connections of the UE to the macro base station and to the small base station.

Fig. 4 schematically shows a flow diagram of a method for processing data corresponding to the dual connectivity in a UE according to a further embodiment of the present invention. The method according to the present embodiment includes steps S31 and S32 performed by the UE.

In step S31, the UE decides whether to-be-processed data corresponding to the dual connectivity exceeds the processing capability of the UE based on the capability related information of the UE itself. Herein, the capability related information has been described above in detail in the embodiment shown with reference to Fig. 2, which will not be detailed here.

Specifically, the UE compares a data packet received from dual connectivity to a macro base station or a small base station with the capability related information of the UE itself, in order to determine whether the received data packet exceeds the maximum processing capability of the UE itself.

For example, in downlink, the UE compares a total sum of transport block bits from the DL-SCH as received within one TTI from two connections to the macro base station and the small base station, respectively, with a maximum amount of DL-SCH transport block bits received within one TTI and corresponding to the type information of the UE itself; when the transport block bit number from the two connections is larger than the maximum number corresponding to the type information, it is determined that the current to-be-processed data corresponding to the dual connectivity exceeds the processing capability of the UE itself.

For another example, the UE compares the sum of data sizes from two connections which have to be stored in layer 2 with the current buffer space of the user itself; when it is determined that the data that need to be buffered are greater than the current buffer space, it is determined that the current to-be-processed data corresponding to the dual connectivity exceeds the processing capability of the UE itself.

Next, in step S32, if the to-be-processed data corresponding to the dual connectivity exceeds the processing capability of the UE itself, a selection processing operation is performed to prioritize processing of the to-be-processed data from the macro base station.

Herein, the selection processing operation includes, but not limited to, any one of the following manners: 1) prioritizing processing of to-be-processed data from the macro base station;

2) stopping receiving information from the small base station;

3) deleting partial or all information corresponding to the small base station;

4) deleting low-priority data based on the traffic priority of the to-be-processed data, for example, delete the data corresponding to a lower-priority DRB based on the priorities of respective DRBs, to release its buffer.

Preferably, the capability related information includes channel information that may be supported by the UE.

For example, when the UE cannot transmit information simultaneously to the MeNB and SeNB over PUCCH, the UE transmits information to the MeNB in priority over PUCCH.

Preferably, those skilled in the art may determine a specific implementation of the selection processing operation based on the actual conditions and needs, such that when the to-be-processed data exceeds its own processing capability, process in priority the to-be-processed information of the macro base station, thereby alleviating the impact of error caused by insufficient processing capability.

Refer to Fig. 5, in which a structural schematic diagram of a macro base station and a small base station according to one embodiment of the present invention is schematically presented. The macro base station shown in Fig. 5 comprises a first obtaining device 11, a second obtaining device 12, a first determining device 13, and a first configuring device 14; and the small base station comprises a first receiving device 21 and a second configuring device 22.

The first obtaining device 11 obtains capability related information of the UE, wherein the capability related information is used for indicating capability of the UE in processing resources.

1) buffer space information of UE at layer 2 (Layer 2);

Next, the second obtaining device 12 obtains allocation related information.

Preferably, the allocation related information includes at least any one of the following:

1) backhaul information between the small base station and the macro base station, e.g., transmission state information, transmission delay information, and the like;

v) load information of the small base station.

i) total DRB amount, i.e., total DRB amount established by the UE;

v) load information of the macro base station.

Herein, the second obtaining device 12 may obtain partial first transmission information of the small base station through interaction with the small base station, the macro base station, the UE or the core network. Those skilled in the art should determine a manner of obtaining the first transmission information of the small base station according to the actual condition and needs, which will not be detailed here.

Next, the first determining device 13 determines available allocation information corresponding to the macro base station itself and capability allocation information corresponding to the small base station based on capability related information of the UE and the allocation related information.

Specifically, the first determining device 13 compares the first transmission information and the second transmission information included in the allocation related information, and/or determines its own available allocation information based on the backhaul information from the small base station to the macro base station as included in the allocation related information; and determines the capability allocation information of the corresponding small base station based on the available allocation information of the macro base station itself in conjunction with the capability related information of the UE.

For example, the first determining device 13 determines, based on the backhaul information from the small base station to the macro base station which it belongs to, the amount of DRB offloaded to the small base station, and the total amount of DRB established by the UE, that the available allocation information of itself includes, available transport block bit bit_nol received by the UE over DL-SCH within one TTI, and, the first determining device 13 determines the capability allocation information of the small base station according to the maximum amount bit_max of the DL-SCH transport block bits that is corresponding to the UE received in one TTI, i.e., the available transport block bit number bit_no2 of the small base station as received by the UE over DL-SCH, wherein bit_no2 = nit_max - bit_nol.

Next, the first configuring device 14 configures a connection between the macro base station itself and the UE based on the available allocation information, so as to perform data transmission between the macro base station and the UE, and transmit the capability allocation information to the small base station.

Specifically, the first configuring device 14 configures connection between the macro base station itself and the UE based on the available allocation information, so as to satisfy the available allocation information when the macro base station performs data transmission between the macro base station itself and the UE.

For example, when the second obtaining device 12, the first determining device 13 and the first configuring device 14 are implemented during the process of configuring dual connectivity for the UE, the first configuring device 14 may include the capability allocation information in the request for indicating the small base station to establish connection to the UE.

Next, the first receiving device 21 receives capability allocation information from the macro base station.

Corresponding to the previous operation of the first configuring device 14, the first receiving device 21 may obtain the capability allocation information via a dual-connectivity establishment request, such as request information for indicating establishing connection to UE.

Next, the second configuring device 22 configures a connection to the UE based on the capability allocation information so as to perform data transmission between the small base station and the UE.

Specifically, the second configuring device 22 configures a connection between the small base station itself and the UE based on the capability allocation information so that the data transmission performed through the connection could satisfy the capability allocation information.

According to a first example of the present invention, UE belongs to type 5. It is seen from Table 1 that the maximum amount of the DL-SCH transport block bit received in one TTI is 299552, and the total number of soft channel bits is 3667200; then, the first determining device 13 of the macro base station determines that the available allocation information of the macro base station itself includes available soft channel bit number 1000000, and the available amount 100000 of the DL-SCH transport block bits received within one TTI, and determines that the capability allocation information of the small base station includes the available soft channel bit number of the small base station to be 3667200-1000000=2667200, and the available amount of the DL-SCH transport block bit received within one TTI to be 299552-100000=199552. Moreover, the first configuring device 14 of the macro base station configured a connection between the macro base station itself and the UE based on the available allocation information of the macro base station itself, such that the soft channel bit number transmitted by the UE through a connection to the macro base station is less than or equal to 1000000, and the available amount of the DL-SCH transport block bit received in one TTI is less than or equal to 100000; moreover, first configuring device 14 transmits the capability allocation information to the small base station. Then the second configuring device 22 of the small base station configures the connection to the UE based on the obtained available capability allocation information, such that when transmitting data to the UE, the soft channel bit number transmitted by the UE through connection to the small base station is less than or equal to 2667200, and the available number of the DL-SCH transport block bits received in one TTI is less than or equal to 199552.

It should be noted that the first obtaining device 11, the second obtaining device 12, the first determining device 13, the first configuring device 14 in the macro base station, as well as the first receiving device 21 and the second configuring device 22 in the small base station according to the present invention may be performed during the process in which the UE established dual connectivity to the macro base station and the small base station, such that the connections of the UE to the macro base station and to the small base station respectively satisfy the available allocation information of the macro base station and the capability allocation information of the small base station; or, in the case that the dual connectivity of the UE to the macro base station and to the small base station already exist, operations of the above devices are triggered when the allocation related information changes, so as to update configuration of the connections of the UE to the macro base station and to the small base station.

Fig. 6 shows a structural schematic diagram of a macro base station and a small base station according to a further embodiment of the present invention. The macro base station according to the present embodiment comprises a third obtaining device 11 ', a first transmitting device 12', a second receiving device 13', a second determining device 14', and a third configuring device 15', and the small base station according to the present embodiment comprises a fourth obtaining device 21 ', a third determining device 22' and a third transmitting device 23' .

The third obtaining device 11 ' obtains capability related information of the UE. Wherein the manner in which the third obtaining device 11 ' obtains the capability information of the UE is identical or similar to the manner in which the first obtaining device 11 obtains the capability information of the UE, which will not be detailed here.

Next, the first transmitting device 12' transmits a request to the small base station for configuring a connection to the UE.

Preferably, the request for configuring a connection to the UE includes, but not limited to, any one of the following: 1) a dual-connectivity establishment request for establishing a connection between the small base station and the UE;

Herein, when the small base station has not established a connection to the UE, the macro base station transmits an establishment request to the small base station such that the small base station establishes a connection to the UE; when the small base station already has a connection to the UE, the first transmitting device 12' may transmit a reconfiguration request to the small base station so as to update configuration of the connection.

Next, the second receiving device 13' receives allocation request information fed back from the small base station based on the request.

Next, the second determining device 14' determines available allocation information corresponding to the macro base station itself based on the allocation request information and the capability related information.

For example, for the UE corresponding to type 6, the allocation request information includes the available amount of capability allocation information requested to allocated to the small base station which is included in the DL-SCH transport block bits received within one TTI being 100000; it is seen from Table 1 that the maximum amount of the DL-SCH transport block bits received by the UE of type 6 within one TTI is 301504, then the second determining device 14' determines that the available amount of the available allocation information of the macro base station itself included within the DL-SCH transport block bits received within one TTI being 301504-100000=201504.

Next, the third configuring device 15' configures a connection between the macro base station and the UE based on the available configuration information, so as to perform data transmission between the macro base station and the UE.

Herein, the manner in which the third configuring device 15' configures the connection between the macro base station and the UE based on the available allocation information so as to perform data transmission between the macro base station and the UE is identical or similar to the manner in which the first configuring device 14 configures the connection between the macro base station and the UE based on the available allocation information so as to perform data transmission between the macro base station and the UE, which will not be detailed here.

Next, the fourth obtaining device 21 ' obtains base station state information of itself.

2) load information of the small base station;

3) transmission state information offloaded to DRB of the small base station;

4) backhaul state between the small base station and the macro base station.

Next, the third determining device 22' determines allocation request information corresponding to the UE based on the base station state information.

Herein, the available allocation information is for indicating the processing capability of the UE which is available for by the macro base station.

Next, the third transmitting device 23' transmits the allocation request information to the macro base station, and configures the connection to the UE based on the allocation request information, so as to perform data transmission between the small base station and the UE.

The manner in which the third transmitting device 23' configures the connection to the UE based on the allocation request information includes, but not limited to, any one of the following:

1) the third transmitting device 23' directly configures a connection between the small base station itself and the UE based on the processing capability information of the UE included in the allocation request information, such that data transmission via the connection does not exceed the UE processing capability defined in the allocation request information;

2) the third transmitting device 23' transmits the allocation request information to the macro base station, available for the macro base station to determine the capability allocation information, and configures a connection between the small base station itself and the UE based on the capability allocation information as fed back by the macro base station, such that the data transmission via the connection does not exceed the UE processing capability defined in the capability allocation information. This manner will be described in detail in the subsequent preferred embodiment, which will not be detailed here. According to one preferred embodiment of the present embodiment, the macro base station according to the present solution further comprises a second transmitting device (not shown), the third transmitting device 23' of the small base station according to the present solution further comprises a fourth transmitting device (not shown), a third receiving device(not shown) and a fourth configuring device(not shown).

The fourth transmitting device transmits the allocation request information to the macro base station.

Next, the second determining device 14' of the macro base station determines available allocation information corresponding to the macro base station and capability allocation information corresponding to the small base station based on the allocation request information and the capability related information.

Specifically, the second determining device 14' determines, based on the allocation request information and the capability related information, a first processing capability corresponding to the allocation request information and available to the macro base station itself, and a second processing capability of the small base station corresponding to the allocation request information, and, in conjunction with the capability related information, determines initial available allocation information corresponding to the macro base station itself and initial capability allocation information corresponding to the small bas station, to finally determine available allocation information corresponding to the small base station and capability allocation information corresponding to the small base station. Preferably, the second determining device 14' determines available allocation information corresponding to the macro base station itself based on the first processing capability and the initial available allocation information according to a predetermined processing rule; similarly, the macro base station determines capability allocation information corresponding to the small base station itself based on the second processing capability and the initial capability allocation information based on a predetermined processing rule.

For example, the second determining device 14' selects a larger one of the first processing capability and the initial available allocation information as the available allocation information corresponding to the macro base station itself; for another example, the second determining device 14' selects a smaller one of the second processing capability and the initial capability allocation information as the capability allocation information of the small base station.

Next, the second transmitting device transmits the capability allocation information to the small base station.

Next, the third transmitting device 23' receives the capability allocation information of the UE as fed back by the macro base station based on the allocation request information.

Next, the fourth transmitting device configures a connection to the UE based on the capability allocation information so as to perform data transmission between the small base station and the UE.

Herein, the operation of the fourth transmitting device is identical or similar to the manner of the second configuring device 22 which configures a connection to the UE based on the capability allocation information, so as to perform data transmission between the small base station and the UE, which will not be detailed here.

It should be noted that the operations of the third obtaining device 11 ' , the first transmitting device 12', the second receiving device 13', the second determining device 14' and the third configuring device 15' of the macro base station, and the fourth obtaining device 21 ', the third determining device 22' and the third transmitting device 23' of the small base station according to the present invention may be performed during the process in which the UE established dual connectivity to the macro base station and to the small base station, such that the connections of the UE to the macro base station and to the small bases station satisfy the available capability information of the macro base station and the allocation capability information of the small base station, respectively; or, in the case that the dual connectivity of the UE to the macro base station and to the small base station already exists, these devices are triggered to perform when the allocation related information changes, so as to update configuration information of the connections of the UE to the macro base station and to the small base station.

Fig. 7 schematically shows a structural diagram of a UE according to a further embodiment of the present invention. The UE according to the present embodiment comprises a deciding device 31 and a performing device 32.

The deciding device 31 decides whether to-be-processed data corresponding to the dual connectivity exceeds the processing capability of the UE based on the capability related information of the UE itself.

Herein, the capability related information has been described above in detail in the embodiment shown with reference to Fig. 2, which will not be detailed here.

Specifically, the deciding device 31 compares a data packet received from dual connectivity to a macro base station or a small base station with the capability related information of the UE itself, in order to determine whether the received data packet exceeds the maximum processing capability of the UE itself.

For example, in downlink, the deciding device 31 compares a total sum of transport block bits from the DL-SCH as received within one TTI from two connections to the macro base station and the small base station, respectively, with a maximum amount of DL-SCH transport block bits received within one TTI and corresponding to the type information of the UE itself; when the transport block bit number from the two connections is larger than the maximum number corresponding to the type information, the deciding device 31 determines that the current to-be-processed data corresponding to the dual connectivity exceeds the processing capability of itself.

Next, if the to-be-processed data corresponding to the dual connectivity exceeds the processing capability of the UE itself, the performing device 32 performs a selection processing operation to prioritize processing of the to-be-processed data from the macro base station.

2) stopping receiving information from the small base station;

3) deleting partial or all information corresponding to the small base station;

For example, when the UE cannot transmit information simultaneously to the MeNB and SeNB over PUCCH, the performing device 32 of the UE determines that transmitting information to the MeNB over PUCCH is supported in priority.

To those skilled in the art, it is apparent that the present invention is not limited to the details of the above exemplary embodiments, and the present invention may be implemented with other embodiments without departing from the spirit or basic features of the present invention. Thus, in any way, the embodiments should be regarded as exemplary, not limitative; the scope of the present invention is limited by the appended claims, instead of the above depiction. Thus, all variations intended to fall into the meaning and scope of equivalent elements of the claims should be covered within the present invention. No reference signs in the claims should be regarded as limiting the involved claims. Besides, it is apparent that the term "comprise" does not exclude other units or steps, and singularity does not exclude plurality. A plurality of units or modules stated in a system claim may also be implemented by a single unit or module through software or hardware. Terms such as the first and the second are used to indicate names, but do not indicate any particular sequence.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting data in a macro base station via dual connectivity to a user equipment (UE), wherein said UE may be simultaneously connected to said macro base station and a small base station, wherein said method comprises steps as follows: a. obtaining capability related information of the UE; wherein the method further comprises steps as follows:

2. A method for transmitting data in a small base station via dual connectivity to a user equipment (UE), wherein said UE has established a connection with a macro base station, wherein said method comprises steps as follows: A. receiving capability allocation information from said macro base station, wherein said capability allocation information is used for indicating processing capability of said UE that is available for said small base station;

3. A method for transmitting data in a macro base station via dual connectivity to a user equipment (UE), wherein said method comprises steps below: a': obtaining capability related information of said UE; wherein said method further comprises steps as follows: b': transmitting a request to the small base station for configuring a connection to the UE; c': receiving allocation request information fed back based on said request from the small base station;

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein said step d' further comprises:

- determining available allocation information corresponding to said macro base station itself and capability allocation information corresponding to said small base station based on said capability related information and the allocation request information, wherein, said available allocation information is used for indicating processing capability of said UE that is available for said macro base station, and said capability allocation information is used for indicating processing capability of said UE that is available for said small base station.

Wherein said method further comprises the following step:

- transmitting said capability allocation information to said small base station.

5. A method for transmitting data in a small base station via dual connectivity to a user equipment (UE), wherein said UE may be simultaneously connected to a macro base station and said small base station, wherein said method comprises steps below:

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein said step C further comprises the following steps:

- transmitting said allocation request information to said macro base station;

- receiving capability allocation information of said UE as fed back by said macro base station based on said allocation request information;

- configuring a connection to said UE based on said capability allocation information so as to perform data transmission between said small base station and said UE, wherein said capability allocation information is used for indicating processing capability of said UE that is available for said small base station.

7. A method in a user equipment (UE) for processing corresponding data in dual connectivity of the UE, wherein said UE may be simultaneously connected to a macro base station and a small base station, wherein said method comprises steps as follows:

- deciding whether to-be-processed data corresponding to said dual connectivity has exceeded processing capability of said UE based on capability related information of said UE;

8. A macro base station, wherein the macro base station may transmit data via dual connectivity to a user equipment (UE), said UE may be simultaneously connected to said macro base station and a small base station, wherein said macro base station comprises: a first obtaining device configured to obtain capability related information of said UE; a second obtaining device configured to obtain allocation related information, wherein said allocation related information is used for determining the processing capability of said UE allocated to said macro base station and said small base station; a first determining device configured to determine available allocation information corresponding to said macro base station itself and capability allocation information corresponding to said small base station based on the capability related information of said UE and said allocation related information, wherein said available allocation information is used for indicating processing capability of the UE which is available for the macro base station, and the capability allocation information is used for indicating the processing capability of the UE which is available for said small base station; a first configuring device configured to configure connection between said macro base station and said UE based on said available allocation information, so as to perform data transmission between said macro base station and said UE and transmit said capability allocation information to said small base station.

9. A small base station, wherein the small base station may transmit data via dual connectivity to a user equipment (UE), said UE has established connection to a macro base station, wherein said small base station comprises: a first receiving device configured to receive capability allocation information from said macro base station, wherein said capability allocation information is used for indicating processing capability of said UE that is available for said small base station; a second configuring device configured to configure a connection to said UE based on said capability allocation information so as to perform data transmission between said small base station and said UE.

10. A macro base station, wherein the macro base station transmits data via dual connectivity to a user equipment (UE), wherein said macro base station comprises: a third obtaining device configured to obtain capability related information of said UE; a first transmitting device configured to transmit a request to the small base station for configuring a connection to the UE;

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said second determining device is further configured to:

- determine available allocation information corresponding to said macro base station itself and capability allocation information corresponding to said small base station based on said capability related information and said allocation request information, wherein, said available allocation information is used for indicating processing capability of the UE that is available for said macro base station, and said capability allocation information is used for indicating processing capability of said UE that is available for said small base station.

Wherein said macro base station further comprises:

- a second transmitting device configured to transmit said capability allocation information to said small base station.

12. A small base station, which transmits data via dual connectivity to a user equipment (UE), wherein said UE may be simultaneously connected to a macro base station and said small base station, wherein said small base station comprises: a fourth obtaining device configured to obtain base station state information of said small base station itself, wherein said base station state information is used for indicating information processing state of said small base station; a third determining device configured to determine allocation request information corresponding to said UE based on the base station state information; a third transmitting device configured to transmit said allocation request information to said macro base station, so as to configure a connection to said UE based on said allocation request information, and perform data transmission between said small base station and said UE.

13. The small base station according to claim 12, wherein said third transmitting device further comprises: a fourth transmitting device configured to transmit the allocation request information to said macro base station;

a third receiving device configured to receive capability allocation information of said UE as fed back by said macro base station based on said allocation request information;

a fourth configuring device configured to configure a connection to said UE based on said capability allocation information so as to perform data transmission between said small base station and said UE, wherein said capability allocation information is used for indicating processing capability of said UE that is available for said small base station.

14. A user equipment (UE), wherein said UE may be simultaneously connected to a macro base station and a small base station, wherein said UE comprises: a deciding device configured to decide whether to-be-processed data corresponding to the dual connectivity exceeds processing capability of said UE based on capability related information of said UE;

a performing device configured to perform a selection processing operation if the to-be-processed data corresponding to said dual connectivity exceeds the processing capability of said UE, so as to prioritize processing of the data information from said macro base station.

15. A communication system, wherein the communication system comprises a macro base station according to claim 8 and a small base station according to claim 9, and/or a macro base station according to claim 10 or 11 and a small base station according to claim 12 or 13, wherein said communication system further comprises the UE according to claim 14.