CN106941477A

CN106941477A - A kind of transmission method and device of chain of command information

Info

Publication number: CN106941477A
Application number: CN201610006248.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 王昕�
Original assignee: ZTE Corp
Current assignee: ZTE Corp
Priority date: 2016-01-04
Filing date: 2016-01-04
Publication date: 2017-07-11
Also published as: WO2017118191A1

Abstract

The invention discloses a kind of transmission method and device of chain of command information, applied to the wireless communication node for being deployed in access network, this method includes：Wireless communication node obtains RRC configuration information；Wireless communication node transmits RRC configuration information by following at least one mode on wireline interface：X2-AP signalings are transmitted, wherein, the container of the X2-AP signalings includes RRC configuration information；The packet of RRC configuration information is carried by tunnel transmission.The transmission method and device of chain of command information disclosed by the invention, can effectively and reliably transmit chain of command information on wireline interface.

Description

Control plane information transmission method and device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of communications deployed in a wireless heterogeneous access network, and in particular, to a method and an apparatus for transmitting control plane information.

Background

With the increasing demands of users on various aspects such as large data volume services and communication performance, communication systems are maintaining rapid development. In the present day that the fourth Generation mobile communication technology (4G) network is increasingly widely deployed, research on the fifth Generation mobile communication technology (5G) network technology has also been proposed. The 5G network is expected to achieve an order of magnitude increase in data capacity, transmission speed, and the like, compared with the 4G network, and can be applied to various scenes at a lower cost and be compatible with various terminals.

At present, the communication industry basically considers that the service capability provided by a communication network only deploying traditional macro base stations and micro base stations is difficult to meet the requirement of a 5G system, so that it is more important to additionally utilize a novel transmission technology and/or deploy a novel base station on the basis of the existing network. The new base station referred to herein is one of many new base station formats that have been developed from 4G, and is herein rated as a Small evolved Node B (SeNB) to distinguish it from conventional Macro base stations (Macro evolved Node B, MeNB) and micro base stations.

Fig. 1 is a schematic deployment diagram of a communication system. As shown in fig. 1, the communication system includes a User Equipment (UE), an access Network, and a Core Network (CN). Wherein, the access network is disposed with an SeNB and an MeNB. The SeNB has a wireless Uu port with the UE and a wired interface with the MeNB, but has no interface with a Mobility Management Entity (MME) in the core network. The type and properties of the wired interface between the SeNB and the MeNB may be various, such as an X2 interface in the prior art; in addition, a control plane interface S1-MME between the access network and the core network is established between the MeNB and the MME, that is, at least for a UE in a single connection state, control plane signaling related to the UE needs to be transmitted between the MeNB and the UE via the SeNB. The radio interface established between the UE and the SeNB transports user plane data and control plane signaling. In addition, according to the coverage condition of the wireless signal and/or the capability of the UE, a wireless interface is optionally established between the UE and the MeNB, and the wireless interface can transmit user plane data and control plane signaling.

A control plane protocol stack between the access network with the SeNB deployed and the MME and the UE is shown in fig. 2. The SeNB has no Radio Resource Control (RRC) entity in the Control plane, and at least no Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) sublayer in the Layer 2(Layer 2) protocol stack, that is, only a Radio Link Control (RLC) sublayer, a Medium Access Control (MAC) sublayer, and a Physical Layer (PHY) may be configured on the SeNB. The opposite end entities corresponding to the RRC entity and the PDCP entity on the UE side are established on the MeNB, that is, responsibilities for mobility control, radio resource configuration, encryption of a radio interface, and the like of the UE still remain in the MeNB, which is very beneficial to aspects of data transmission, mobility performance, and the like of the UE.

The underlying transport technologies, deployment scenarios and supported UE types that the SeNB is adapted to are very wide. For example, in an area with/without MeNB radio signal coverage, the SeNB may provide service for the UE; in addition, in terms of radio interface, the SeNB may provide services for the UE alone (i.e., UE supporting single connectivity state) or may provide joint services for the UE in cooperation with the MeNB (i.e., UE supporting dual connectivity state). Wherein, the control plane information related to the UE is mainly transmitted through RRC signaling. However, in the process of serving the UE, the generation/transmission and reception/processing of the RRC signaling can be performed only by the MeNB having the RRC entity on the access network side, and the PDCP packet loaded with the RRC configuration information, which should originally be transmitted only through the radio Uu port, needs to be transmitted not only through the Uu port between the SeNB and the UE but also through the wired X2 interface between the SeNB and the MeNB. Therefore, how to effectively and reliably transmit RRC configuration information over the X2 interface is a problem to be solved at present.

Disclosure of Invention

Embodiments of the present invention provide a method and an apparatus for transmitting control plane information, which can effectively and reliably transmit control plane information over a wired interface.

In order to achieve the above technical object, an embodiment of the present invention provides a method for transmitting control plane information, which is applied to a wireless network communication node deployed in an access network, and includes: a wireless network communication node acquires RRC configuration information; the wireless network communication node transmits the RRC configuration information on a wired interface by at least one of:

transmitting X2 application layer protocol (X2-AP) signaling, wherein the RRC configuration information is included in a container of the X2-AP signaling;

and transmitting a data packet carrying the RRC configuration information through a tunnel.

Optionally, the transmitting, by the wireless network communication node, the RRC configuration information on a wired interface includes:

the wireless network communication node sends the RRC configuration information on a wired interface; and/or the presence of a gas in the gas,

the wireless network communication node receives the RRC configuration information over a wired interface.

Optionally, the acquiring, by the wireless network communication node, RRC configuration information includes:

the wireless network communication node receives an RRC message carrying RRC configuration information; or,

the RRC entity of the wireless network communication node generates RRC configuration information.

Optionally, after the radio network communication node acquires the RRC configuration information, the method further includes: the wireless network communication node judges whether an RRC message carrying RRC configuration information received from User Equipment (UE) needs to be sent to another wireless network communication node, wherein the judgment is based on at least one of the following terms:

judging according to the type of the logic channel used by the received RRC message;

judging according to the type of a transmission channel used by the received RRC message;

judging according to the physical resource used by the received RRC message;

and judging according to the content in the received RRC message.

Optionally, when the radio network communication node decides not to forward the received RRC message, the radio network communication node processes the RRC message by itself.

Optionally, the another wireless network communication node is a preconfigured wireless network communication node or a wireless network communication node dynamically selected through content in the RRC message.

Optionally, after the radio network communication node acquires the RRC configuration information and before the radio network communication node transmits the RRC configuration information on the wired interface, the method further includes:

the wireless network communication node decapsulates the received RRC message to a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, acquires an RLC Service Data Unit (SDU) carrying the RRC configuration information, and encapsulates the RLC SDU carrying the RRC configuration information in a container of an X2-AP signaling through a control plane protocol stack entity of an X2 interface; or,

and the wireless network communication node encapsulates the PDCP PDU carrying the RRC configuration information in a container of an X2-AP signaling through a control plane protocol stack entity of an X2 interface.

the wireless network communication node sends an X2-AP signaling through the X2 interface, RLC SDUs carrying RRC configuration information are packaged in a container of the X2-AP signaling, or PDCP PDUs carrying RRC configuration information are packaged in a container of the X2-AP signaling.

Optionally, before the wireless network communication node transmits the RRC configuration information on a wired interface, the method further includes:

the wireless network communication node establishing at least one common general packet radio system tunneling protocol user plane (GTP-U) tunnel over the wired interface with another wireless network communication node connected to the wireless network communication node over the wired interface for communicating information carried in SRBs 0 over the wireless interface; and/or the presence of a gas in the gas,

the wireless network communication node establishes at least one GTP-U tunnel over the wired interface with another wireless network communication node connected to the wireless network communication node over the wired interface for communicating information carried in SRB1 or SRB2 over the wireless interface.

the wireless network communication node sends the RRC configuration information in a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) form through the public GTP-U tunnel; and/or the presence of a gas in the gas,

and the wireless network communication node sends the RRC configuration information in an encapsulation form of a user plane protocol stack of an X2 interface through the GTP-U tunnel.

Optionally, the wireless network communication node is: a small base station (SeNB), or a macro base station (MeNB) connected to the SeNB via a wired interface, or other network nodes meeting the requirements of the third generation partnership project (3GPP) access network specifications.

The embodiment of the present invention further provides a transmission device for control plane information, which is applied to a wireless network communication node deployed in an access network, and includes: an obtaining module, configured to obtain RRC configuration information; a transmission module, configured to transmit the RRC configuration information over a wired interface in at least one of the following manners:

transmitting X2-AP signaling, wherein the RRC configuration information is included in a container of the X2-AP signaling;

Optionally, the transmission module is specifically configured to:

transmitting the RRC configuration information on a wired interface; and/or the presence of a gas in the gas,

receiving the RRC configuration information over a wired interface.

Optionally, the obtaining module includes:

a receiving unit, configured to receive an RRC message carrying RRC configuration information; or,

and the RRC entity is used for generating RRC configuration information.

Optionally, the apparatus further comprises: a determining module, configured to determine whether an RRC message carrying RRC configuration information from a user equipment UE needs to be sent to another wireless network communication node when the acquiring module receives the RRC message, where the determining criterion includes at least one term:

judging according to the physical resource used by the received RRC message;

and judging according to the content in the received RRC message.

Optionally, the apparatus further comprises: a first processing module, configured to process the RRC message when the determining module determines not to forward the received RRC message.

Optionally, the apparatus further comprises: and the second processing module is used for decapsulating the received RRC message to an RLC layer to obtain an RLC SDU carrying the RRC configuration information, and encapsulating the RLC SDU carrying the RRC configuration information in a container of an X2-AP signaling through a control plane protocol stack entity of an X2 interface.

Optionally, the apparatus further comprises: a PDCP entity and an encapsulation module; the PDCP entity is used for packaging the RRC configuration information generated by the RRC entity to obtain a PDCP PDU carrying the RRC configuration information; the encapsulation module is configured to encapsulate the PDCP PDU carrying the RRC configuration information in a container of an X2-AP signaling through a control plane protocol stack entity of an X2 interface.

Optionally, the apparatus further comprises: a tunnel establishing module for establishing at least one common GTP-U tunnel for transmitting information carried by SRB0 on a wireless interface and another wireless network communication node connected with the wireless network communication node through the wired interface; and/or establishing at least one GTP-U tunnel over the wired interface and another wireless network communication node connected to the wireless network communication node over the wired interface for communicating information carried in SRB1 or SRB2 over the wireless interface.

Optionally, the transmission module is specifically configured to:

transmitting the RRC configuration information in a UDP form through the common GTP-U tunnel; and/or the presence of a gas in the gas,

and sending the RRC configuration information in an encapsulation form of a user plane protocol stack of an X2 interface through the GTP-U tunnel.

Optionally, the wireless network communication node is: the SeNB, or the MeNB connected to the SeNB via a wired interface, or other network nodes meeting the requirements of the 3GPP access network specifications.

In addition, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a computer-readable storage medium, in which computer-executable instructions are stored, and when the computer-executable instructions are executed, the method for transmitting the control plane information is implemented.

In the invention, a wireless network communication node acquires RRC configuration information and transmits the RRC configuration information on a wired interface in at least one of the following modes: transmitting X2-AP signaling, wherein a container of the X2-AP signaling comprises RRC configuration information; and transmitting a data packet carrying the RRC configuration information through a tunnel. The invention can effectively and reliably transmit the control plane information on the wired interface, is suitable for various wired interfaces, UE with various capabilities and various states, and ensures the reliability of the transmission of RRC configuration information on the wired interface.

Moreover, the invention can effectively transmit the RRC configuration information between the SeNB only configuring part of the control plane protocol stack and the MeNB configuring the complete control plane protocol stack.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a deployment of a communication system;

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a control plane protocol stack of the system architecture shown in FIG. 1;

fig. 3 is a flowchart of a transmission method of control plane information according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a system control plane protocol stack according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a system control plane protocol stack according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of a system control plane protocol stack and a tunnel establishment process according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of a system control plane protocol stack and a tunnel establishment process according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of a transmission apparatus for control plane information according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 9 is another schematic diagram of a transmission apparatus for control plane information according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

The embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, and it should be understood that the embodiments described below are only for illustrating and explaining the present application and are not intended to limit the present application.

Fig. 3 is a flowchart of a transmission method of control plane information according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 3, the transmission method of control plane information provided in this embodiment is applied to a wireless network communication node deployed in an access network, and includes the following steps:

step 11: a wireless network communication node acquires RRC configuration information;

step 12: the wireless network communication node transmits the RRC configuration information on the wired interface by at least one of the following modes:

transmitting an X2 Application Protocol (AP) (X2-AP) signaling, wherein a container of the X2-AP signaling comprises RRC configuration information;

In this embodiment, the wireless network communication node is, for example, a small base station (SeNB) in the communication system shown in fig. 1 or a macro base station (MeNB) connected to the SeNB through a wired interface (e.g., an X2 interface). However, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited thereto. Such as other network nodes (e.g., next Generation communication network access network devices) that meet the requirements of the third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) access network specifications.

Optionally, step 12 comprises:

a wireless network communication node sends RRC configuration information on a wired interface; and/or the presence of a gas in the gas,

the wireless network communication node receives RRC configuration information over the wired interface.

Optionally, step 11 comprises:

a wireless network communication node receives an RRC message carrying RRC configuration information; or,

the RRC entity of the radio network communication node generates RRC configuration information.

In other words, as used herein, the meaning of "obtaining" includes, but is not limited to, "receiving" and "generating".

Optionally, after step 11, the method further comprises: the wireless network communication node judges whether an RRC message carrying RRC configuration information received from the UE needs to be sent to another wireless network communication node, wherein the judgment basis comprises at least one of the following terms:

judging according to physical resources used by the received RRC message, wherein the physical resources are physical resources related to the transmission of the RRC message at this time, and comprise random access resources and the like received before the RRC message is transmitted;

and judging according to the content in the received RRC message.

Specifically, when the Radio network communication node (e.g., Radio network communication node 1) receives an RRC message from a UE, it determines that the RRC message belongs to a logical channel Signaling Radio Bearer (SRB) 0, and then determines to forward the RRC message to another Radio network communication node (e.g., Radio network communication node 2);

when the wireless network communication node receives an RRC message from UE, judging that the RRC message uses a common transmission channel, and then judging to forward the RRC message to another wireless network communication node;

when the wireless network communication node receives an RRC message from UE, if the fact that a preconfigured random access resource is used in the sending process of the RRC message is judged, the fact that the RRC message is forwarded to another wireless network communication node is judged;

when the wireless network communication node receives an RRC message from a UE, forwarding the RRC message to another wireless network communication node according to one or more of the following decisions in the message content:

determining that the RRC message type is a specific RRC message, for example, the RRC message is an RRC establishment request;

judging whether the RRC message carries a specific value agreed by a protocol or the value of an IE in the message is the specific value agreed by the protocol;

and judging the UE ID to which the RRC message belongs, for example, when judging that the RRC message is from the UE which belongs to the wireless network communication node and has established the context, or the context exists and the context is displayed without being forwarded, not forwarding.

Optionally, the another wireless network communication node (e.g. the wireless network communication node 2) is a pre-configured wireless network communication node or a wireless network communication node dynamically selected by the content in the RRC message. The radio Network communication node 2 selects the radio Network communication node by, for example, RRC establishment cause value, or by Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) or other ID.

Optionally, after step 11 and before step 12, the method further comprises:

the wireless network communication node decapsulates the received RRC message to an RLC layer, and acquires an RLC Service Data Unit (SDU) carrying the RRC configuration information; the wireless network communication node packages RLC SDU carrying RRC configuration information in a container of X2-AP signaling through a control plane protocol stack of an X2 interface; or,

a PDCP entity of a wireless network communication node encapsulates RRC configuration information generated by the RRC entity to obtain a PDCP Protocol Data Unit (PDU) carrying the RRC configuration information; and the wireless network communication node encapsulates the PDCP PDU carrying the RRC configuration information in a container of X2-AP signaling through a control plane protocol stack entity of an X2 interface.

Optionally, step 12 comprises: the wireless network communication node sends an X2-AP signaling through an X2 interface, RLC SDUs carrying RRC configuration information are packaged in a container of the X2-AP signaling, or PDCP PDUs carrying RRC configuration information are packaged in a container of the X2-AP signaling.

Optionally, before step 12, the method further includes:

the wireless network communication node establishes at least one common General Packet Radio System tunnel protocol User Plane (GTP-U) tunnel on a wired interface and another wireless network communication node connected with the wireless network communication node through the wired interface, and the common General Packet Radio System tunnel protocol User Plane (GPRS) tunnel is used for transmitting information loaded by SRB0 on the wireless interface; and/or the presence of a gas in the gas,

Optionally, step 12 comprises:

a wireless network communication node sends RRC configuration information in a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) form through a public GTP-U tunnel; and/or the presence of a gas in the gas,

the wireless network communication node sends the RRC configuration information in the form of encapsulation of a user plane protocol stack of an X2 interface through a GTP-U tunnel.

Specifically, the control plane information related to the UE is mainly transmitted through RRC signaling, wherein the control plane information is mapped on a control channel in the MAC entity for transmission, and the control channel is further divided into:

common Control Channel (CCCH), which is used when no RRC connection is established between the UE and the access network, and the corresponding bearer is Signaling Radio Bearer (SRB) 0; at this time, the base station in the access network has not yet completed context of the UE, and a PDCP entity has not yet been established between the base station and the UE, that is, the SRB0 is a PDCP Transparent Mode (TM);

dedicated Control Channel (DCCH), when RRC connection has been established between the UE and at least one base station in the access network, the corresponding bearer may be SRB1 or SRB 2; at this time, the UE has the context of the UE in the base station accessed by the UE, and both SRBs 1 and 2 have their PDCP entities, i.e., it needs to perform ciphering and integrity protection.

For information carried by SRB0, it is appropriate to carry it in containers for X2-AP signaling. Since the SRB0 does not need the processing of the PDCP entity, i.e. the RRC entity of the MeNB and the control plane protocol stack entity of the X2 interface can interact directly, the implementation complexity is not increased compared to the prior art.

For information carried by SRB1 or SRB2, tunneling is appropriate. At this time, the base station has the context of the UE, that is, the operation of establishing GTP-U for SRB1 or SRB2 is similar to the operation of establishing GTP-U for Data Radio Bearer (DRB) in the prior art.

When the information carried by the SRB0 is transmitted through the tunnel, a common GTP-U tunnel needs to be established between the SeNB and the MeNB, so that the information carried by the SRB0 of the UE initiating access to the SeNB can be transmitted through the common GTP-U tunnel.

The following is a detailed description of specific examples.

Example one

In this embodiment, the RRC configuration information that needs to be carried by the SRB0 is transmitted by using a control plane signaling flow over the X2 interface. Specifically, the RRC configuration information is carried in an RRC Container (Container) in the X2-AP signaling, and is transmitted through an X2 interface in the form of an existing X2 Control Plane (CP) message. In the present embodiment, the control plane protocol stack of the communication system is shown in fig. 4. In the above behavior example, the process of performing one-way control plane signaling transmission is as follows:

step 101: when the UE in the RRC idle state needs to access the network, the UE may select a suitable base station according to information such as a measurement result of a radio signal, and request the base station for RRC connection establishment. In this embodiment, after a certain UE selects an SeNB, the UE generates RRC configuration information in an RRC entity, carries the RRC configuration information in an RRC connection Request (RRCConnection Request) message, and sends the RRC configuration information to the SeNB through a wireless Uu interface, where the RRC message is carried through an SRB 0. The SRB0 belongs to PDCP TM and is mapped on CCCH in the MAC entity.

Step 102: after receiving the RRC message on the SRB0, the SeNB decapsulates the RRC message to the RLC layer in sequence according to the protocol stack configuration thereof and the identity of the receiving end, obtains an RLC Service Data Unit (SDU), encapsulates the RLC SDU in a Container carried in an X2-AP signaling according to a control plane protocol stack of the X2 interface, and sends the X2-AP signaling to the MeNB through the X2 interface.

The signaling transmitted by the X2-AP to the MeNB is signaling indicating that the UE attempts to access the network, the Container carries an rlc sdu including inter-node (inter-node) RRC configuration information, and the RRC configuration information indicates RRC Connection Request related information required by the network side.

Step 103: and the MeNB resolves the RLC SDU contained in the Container from the received X2-AP signaling and delivers the RLC SDU to an upper RRC entity for processing. If the MeNB grants the UE access request, the MeNB continues to request the core network for access to the UE through the S1 interface. The technology of the subsequent access process is the same as the related standard, and therefore, the detailed description thereof is omitted.

Example two

In this embodiment, the RRC configuration information that needs to be carried by SRB1 or SRB2 is transmitted by using a control plane signaling flow over the X2 interface. Specifically, the RRC configuration information is carried in an RRC connector in the X2-AP signaling, and reliable message Transmission is performed by using Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP) through an X2 interface. In the present embodiment, the control plane protocol stack of the communication system is shown in fig. 5. As an example of the following behavior, the procedure for performing one-way control plane signaling transmission is as follows:

step 201: the MME in the core network triggers an S1 procedure (e.g., parameter modification of Evolved Packet System (EPS) bearer) related to UE-side radio resource configuration modification), where the S1 procedure is started by the MME sending S1-AP signaling (e.g., E-RAB MODIFY REQUEST signaling) to the MeNB through an S1-MME interface. Wherein, the wired transmission protocol stack and the signaling form of the S1-MME interface are related technology.

It should be noted that step 201 is optional, that is, the MeNB may autonomously trigger the RRC signaling procedure facing the UE, and need not be triggered by a signaling indication from the MME.

Step 202: the MeNB generates corresponding RRC configuration information in the RRC entity according to the received S1-AP signaling indication, the RRC entity delivers the RRC configuration information to a lower PDCP entity, and the PDCP entity performs encapsulation processing such as encryption, integrity protection and the like on the RRC configuration information. The PDCP entity submits the processed PDCP Protocol Data Unit (PDU) to the control plane Protocol stack (i.e., SCTP and the following layers) of the X2 interface for transmission over the wired interface.

And carrying a new Container in the X2-AP signaling, wherein the Container is loaded with the PDCP PDU carrying the RRC configuration information. The MeNB passes the X2-AP signaling to the SeNB over an X2 interface.

Step 203: as a receiving end of the X2 interface, the SeNB decodes the received signaling flow from the X2 control plane protocol stack to obtain the PDCP PDU, delivers the PDCP PDU to the protocol stack of the radio interface (i.e., RLC and the following layers), and then sends the PDCP PDU to the UE through SRB1 or SRB 2.

Step 204: and the UE at the receiving end sequentially decapsulates the control plane signaling received on the SRB1 or the SRB2 according to the existing protocol stack, and acquires the RRC configuration information indicated by the MeNB from the RRC entity.

EXAMPLE III

In this embodiment, a User Plane (UP) data transmission manner is adopted, that is, RRC configuration information is sent through a GTP-U tunnel. Specifically, the SeNB and MeNB may establish a common GTP-U tunnel over the X2 interface for all UEs' SRBs 0 to transport signaling transported over SRBs 0. The protocol stack for transmitting SRB0 (wireless Uu port) in the communication system is shown in fig. 6(a), and the tunnel establishment of the X2 interface is shown in fig. 6 (b). In the above behavior example, the process of performing one-way control plane signaling transmission is as follows:

step 301: when the UE in the RRC idle state needs to access the network, the UE may select a suitable base station according to information such as a measurement result of a radio signal, and request the base station for RRC connection establishment. In this embodiment, after the UE _2 selects the SeNB, the UE _2 generates RRC configuration information in an RRC entity, carries the RRC configuration information in an RRC Connection Request message, and sends the RRC configuration information to the SeNB through a wireless Uu port, where the RRC message is carried through an SRB 0. The SRB0 belongs to PDCP TM and is mapped on CCCH in the MAC entity.

Step 302: the SeNB and the MeNB establish a Common GTP-U tunnel (GTP-U _ Common) over the X2 interface over which SRB0 signaling (e.g., UE _1 and UE _2) for at least one UE may be communicated.

After receiving the RRC message on SRB0, SeNB decapsulates the RRC message to RLC layer in sequence according to its own Protocol stack configuration and with the identity of the receiving end to obtain RLC SDU, and then sends the RLC SDU to MeNB in the form of User Datagram Protocol (UDP) through GTP-U _ Common.

Step 303: the MeNB extracts UDP data received from GTP-U _ Common and delivers it to an upper layer (RRC entity) for processing. If the MeNB grants the UE 'S access request, the MeNB continues to request the UE' S access to the core network through the S1 interface. The technology of the subsequent access procedure (e.g. establishing signaling connection on S1-MME) is the same as the existing standard. And therefore will not be described herein.

Example four

In this embodiment, a user plane data transmission manner is adopted, that is, the RRC configuration information is sent through a GTP-U tunnel. Specifically, the SeNB and the MeNB establish a GTP-U tunnel for the SRB1 or SRB2 of each UE over the X2 interface, respectively, to transmit signaling that each UE needs to transmit over the SRB1 or 2. The protocol stack for transmitting SRB1 or SRB2 (wireless Uu port) in the communication system is shown in fig. 7(a), and the X2 interface tunnel establishment procedure is shown in fig. 7 (b). As an example of the following behavior, the procedure for performing one-way control plane signaling transmission is as follows:

step 401: when the MeNB triggers RRC signaling facing UE _1, corresponding RRC configuration information is generated in an RRC entity, the RRC configuration information is submitted to a PDCP entity of a lower layer by the RRC entity, and the PDCP entity performs encapsulation processing such as encryption, integrity protection and the like on the RRC configuration information. The PDCP PDUs are signaling data mapped for transmission on the SRB 2.

In order to establish a GTP-U tunnel (GTP-U _1) capable of transmitting SRB2 signaling data of the UE _1, the MeNB and the SeNB exchange a Transport Layer Address (Transport Layer Address) and a tunnel port (GTP TEID) number, which are respectively allocated to the GTP-U _1, on an X2 interface control plane. After the GTP-U _1 is established, the MeNB encapsulates the PDCP PDU in a form of an X2 interface user plane protocol stack and sends the PDCP PDU to the SeNB through the GTP-U _ 1.

Step 402: the SeNB extracts the data packet received on GTP-U _1 from the X2 user plane protocol stack to obtain the PDCP PDU, further encapsulates the PDCP PDU into an RLC packet transmitted by a radio interface, and then sends the RLC packet to the UE _1 through the SRB 2.

Step 403: and sequentially decapsulating the information received on the SRB2 by the UE _1 according to a protocol stack, and obtaining the RRC configuration information indicated by the MeNB in an RRC entity.

Another GTP-U tunnel (GTP-U _2) is established between the MeNB and the SeNB for SRB2 of UE _2, and the operation details are similar to GTP-U _ 1. And therefore will not be described herein.

EXAMPLE five

The difference between this embodiment and the first embodiment is: in this embodiment, after the SeNB receives the RRC message from the UE, the SeNB may determine whether to send the RRC message to the MeNB.

Wherein the criterion includes at least one of the following terms:

and judging according to the content in the received RRC message.

Herein, when the SeNB receives the RRC message from the UE, and determines that the RRC message belongs to the logical channel SRB0, the SeNB determines to forward the RRC message to the MeNB.

Optionally, the SeNB processes the RRC message by itself when it decides never to forward the received RRC message.

In addition, the transmission process of the RRC configuration information between the SeNB and the MeNB in this embodiment is the same as that in the first embodiment, and therefore is not described herein again.

In addition, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a transmission apparatus for control plane information, which is applied to a wireless network communication node deployed in an access network, and includes: an obtaining module, configured to obtain RRC configuration information; a transmission module, configured to transmit the RRC configuration information over a wired interface in at least one of the following manners: transmitting X2-AP signaling, wherein the RRC configuration information is included in a container of the X2-AP signaling; and transmitting a data packet carrying the RRC configuration information through a tunnel.

In this embodiment, the apparatus for transmitting control plane information is applied to the SeNB in the communication system shown in fig. 1 or the MeNB connected to the SeNB through a wired interface (e.g., an X2 interface), for example. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. The transmission means of the control plane information may also be applied to other network nodes (such as a next generation communication network access network device) that meet the requirements of the 3GPP access network specifications, for example.

Optionally, the transmission module is specifically configured to:

receiving the RRC configuration information over a wired interface.

Fig. 8 is a transmission apparatus of control plane information according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 8, the apparatus for transmitting control plane information provided in this embodiment, for example, applied to an SeNB, includes: the device comprises an acquisition module, a judgment module, a first processing module, a second processing module and a transmission module. Wherein the acquisition module comprises: a receiving unit; the receiving unit is configured to receive, from the UE through the radio interface, an RRC message carrying RRC configuration information; a determining module, configured to determine whether the RRC message needs to be sent to another wireless network communication node (e.g., MeNB); a first processing module, configured to process the RRC message when the determining module determines not to forward the received RRC message; a second processing module, configured to decapsulate the received RRC message to an RLC layer when the determining module determines to forward the received RRC message, to obtain an RLC SDU carrying the RRC configuration information, and encapsulate the RLC SDU carrying the RRC configuration information in a container of an X2-AP signaling through a control plane protocol stack entity of an X2 interface; the transmission module is configured to send the X2-AP signaling through the X2 interface. The judgment basis of the judgment module comprises at least one term: judging according to the type of the logic channel used by the received RRC message; judging according to the type of a transmission channel used by the received RRC message; judging according to the physical resource used by the received RRC message; and judging according to the content in the received RRC message.

Fig. 9 is a transmission apparatus of control plane information according to another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 9, the apparatus for transmitting control plane information provided in this embodiment, for example, applied to an MeNB, includes: the device comprises an RRC entity, a PDCP entity, an encapsulation module and a transmission module. Wherein the acquisition module comprises: the RRC entity is used for generating RRC configuration information and transmitting the RRC configuration information to the PDCP entity; the PDCP entity is used for packaging the RRC configuration information to obtain a PDCP PDU carrying the RRC configuration information; the encapsulation module is configured to encapsulate the PDCP PDU carrying the RRC configuration information in a container of an X2-AP signaling through a control plane protocol stack entity of an X2 interface; the transmission module is configured to send the X2-AP signaling through the X2 interface.

Optionally, the apparatus for transmitting control plane information further includes: a tunnel establishing module for establishing at least one common GTP-U tunnel for transmitting information carried by SRB0 on a wireless interface and another wireless network communication node connected with the wireless network communication node through the wired interface; and/or establishing at least one GTP-U tunnel over the wired interface and another wireless network communication node connected to the wireless network communication node over the wired interface for communicating information carried in SRB1 or SRB2 over the wireless interface.

Optionally, the transmission module is specifically configured to:

In addition, the specific processing flow of the above device is the same as that of the above method, and therefore, the detailed description thereof is omitted.

In summary, the embodiments of the present invention can implement effective and reliable transmission of control plane information related to the UE on the wired interface between the SeNB configured with only part of the control plane protocol stack and the MeNB configured with the complete control plane protocol stack. Moreover, the embodiment of the invention is suitable for the UE with various wired interfaces, various capabilities and various states.

In addition, the embodiment of the present invention also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores computer-executable instructions, and when the computer-executable instructions are executed, the method for transmitting the control plane information is implemented.

Through 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 software plus a necessary general hardware platform, and certainly can also be implemented by hardware, but the former is a better implementation mode in many cases. Based on such understanding, the technical solutions of the present invention may be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a storage medium (e.g., ROM/RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk) and includes instructions for enabling a terminal device (e.g., a mobile phone, a computer, a server, or a network device) to execute the method according to the embodiments of the present invention.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the modules or steps of the present invention described above may be implemented by a general purpose computing device, they may be centralized on a single computing device or distributed across a network of multiple computing devices, and alternatively, they may be implemented by program code executable by a computing device, such that they may be stored in a storage device and executed by a computing device, and in some cases, the steps shown or described may be performed in an order different than that described herein, or they may be separately fabricated into individual integrated circuit modules, or multiple ones of them may be fabricated into a single integrated circuit module. Thus, the present invention is not limited to any specific combination of hardware and software.

The foregoing shows and describes the general principles and broad features of the present invention and advantages thereof. The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, which are described in the specification and illustrated only for illustrating the principle of the present invention, but various changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the present invention as claimed without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A transmission method of control plane information is applied to a wireless network communication node deployed in an access network, and is characterized by comprising the following steps:

a wireless network communication node acquires Radio Resource Control (RRC) configuration information;

the wireless network communication node transmits the RRC configuration information on a wired interface by at least one of:

transmitting X2 application layer protocol X2-AP signaling, wherein the RRC configuration information is included in a container of the X2-AP signaling;

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless network communication node transmitting the RRC configuration information over a wired interface comprises:

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless network communication node obtaining RRC configuration information comprises:

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein after the radio network communication node acquires RRC configuration information, further comprising: the wireless network communication node judges whether an RRC message carrying RRC configuration information received from User Equipment (UE) needs to be sent to another wireless network communication node, wherein the judgment is based on at least one of the following terms:

judging according to the physical resource used by the received RRC message;

and judging according to the content in the received RRC message.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the radio network communication node processes the RRC message by itself when the radio network communication node decides not to forward the received RRC message.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the other wireless network communication node is a preconfigured wireless network communication node or a wireless network communication node dynamically selected by content in the RRC message.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein after the wireless network communication node obtains the RRC configuration information and before the wireless network communication node transmits the RRC configuration information over a wired interface, further comprising:

the wireless network communication node decapsulates the received RRC message to a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer to obtain an RLC Service Data Unit (SDU) carrying the RRC configuration information, and encapsulates the RLC SDU carrying the RRC configuration information in a container of an X2-AP signaling through a control plane protocol stack entity of an X2 interface; or,

and the wireless network communication node packages the PDCP PDU carrying the RRC configuration information in a container of an X2-AP signaling through a control plane protocol stack entity of an X2 interface.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the wireless network communication node transmits the RRC configuration information over a wired interface, comprising:

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless network communication node, prior to transmitting the RRC configuration information over a wired interface, further comprises:

the wireless network communication node establishes at least one common general data packet wireless system tunnel protocol user plane GTP-U tunnel on the wired interface and another wireless network communication node connected with the wireless network communication node through the wired interface, and the common general data packet wireless system tunnel protocol user plane GTP-U tunnel is used for transmitting information carried by signaling wireless bearer SRB0 on the wireless interface; and/or the presence of a gas in the gas,

the wireless network communication node establishes at least one GTP-U tunnel over the wired interface with another wireless network communication node connected to the wireless network communication node over the wired interface for communicating information carried over the wireless interface in the signaling radio bearer SRB1 or SRB 2.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the wireless network communication node transmitting the RRC configuration information over a wired interface, comprises:

the wireless network communication node sends the RRC configuration information in a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) mode through the public GTP-U tunnel; and/or the presence of a gas in the gas,

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless network communication node is: the small base station SeNB, or the macro base station MeNB connected to the SeNB through a wired interface, or other network nodes meeting the requirements of the third generation partnership project 3GPP access network specifications.

12. A transmission device of control plane information is applied to a wireless network communication node deployed in an access network, and is characterized by comprising:

an obtaining module, configured to obtain RRC configuration information;

a transmission module, configured to transmit the RRC configuration information over a wired interface in at least one of the following manners:

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the transmission module is specifically configured to:

receiving the RRC configuration information over a wired interface.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the acquisition module comprises:

and the RRC entity is used for generating RRC configuration information.

15. The apparatus of claim 12 or 13, further comprising: a determining module, configured to determine whether an RRC message carrying RRC configuration information from a user equipment UE needs to be sent to another wireless network communication node when the acquiring module receives the RRC message, where the determining criterion includes at least one term:

judging according to the physical resource used by the received RRC message;

and judging according to the content in the received RRC message.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising: a first processing module, configured to process the RRC message when the determining module determines not to forward the received RRC message.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the another wireless network communication node is a preconfigured wireless network communication node or a wireless network communication node dynamically selected by content in the RRC message.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising: and the second processing module is used for decapsulating the received RRC message to a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, obtaining an RLC Service Data Unit (SDU) carrying the RRC configuration information, and encapsulating the RLC SDU carrying the RRC configuration information in a container of X2-AP signaling through a control plane protocol stack entity of an X2 interface.

19. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising: a PDCP entity and an encapsulation module; the PDCP entity is used for packaging the RRC configuration information generated by the RRC entity to obtain a PDCP protocol data unit PDU carrying the RRC configuration information; the encapsulating module is configured to encapsulate the PDCPPDU carrying the RRC configuration information in a container of an X2-AP signaling through a control plane protocol stack entity of an X2 interface.

20. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising: a tunnel establishing module for establishing at least one common GTP-U tunnel for transmitting information carried by a signaling radio bearer SRB0 on a radio interface with another radio network communication node connected to the radio network communication node through the wired interface; and/or establishing at least one GTP-U tunnel over the wired interface and another wireless network communication node connected to the wireless network communication node over the wired interface for communicating information carried in SRB1 or SRB2 over the wireless interface.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the transmission module is specifically configured to:

22. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the wireless network communication node is: the small base station SeNB, or the macro base station MeNB connected to the SeNB through a wired interface, or other network nodes meeting the requirements of the third generation partnership project 3GPP access network specifications.