CN110958684B

CN110958684B - Network registration method and user equipment

Info

Publication number: CN110958684B
Application number: CN201911195243.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 曾焜
Original assignee: Vivo Mobile Communication Co Ltd
Current assignee: Vivo Mobile Communication Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-11-28
Filing date: 2019-11-28
Publication date: 2022-09-20
Anticipated expiration: 2039-11-28
Also published as: CN110958684A

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention discloses a network registration method and user equipment, relates to the technical field of communication, and aims to solve the problem that UE (user equipment) cannot be successfully registered to a mobile network in an NSA (non-switched access) network environment. The method comprises the following steps: under the condition that the times of receiving a first response message sent by access network equipment is greater than or equal to preset times, controlling the UE to be switched from a first network mode to a second network mode, wherein the first response message is used for indicating the UE to reinitiate a request message for registering to a first network in the first network mode; and sending a first request message to an access network device, wherein the first request message is used for requesting to register to the first network in the second network mode. The method can be applied to the scene that the UE registers the network in the NSA network environment.

Description

Network registration method and user equipment

Technical Field

The embodiment of the invention relates to the technical field of communication, in particular to a network registration method and user equipment.

Background

Non-standalone Networking (NSA) refers to the deployment of wireless communication networks of other generations using the infrastructure of a wireless communication network of one generation.

Take the example of deployment of a fifth Generation wireless communication (5-Generation, 5G) network using a fourth Generation wireless communication (4-Generation, 4G) network in an NSA network environment. A User Equipment (UE) may send a registration request message to an access network device, where the registration request message may carry NSA capability information of the UE. After the access network device receives the request message sent by the UE, the access network device may determine whether to allow the UE to register to the 4G network first according to the NSA capability information, and assist the UE to register to the 5G network under the condition that the UE is allowed to register to the 4G network first.

However, in the process that the UE requests to register to the mobile network (for example, a 5G network) through the access network device providing the 4G network service, if the access network device is not compatible with the NSA capability of the UE, the access network device may issue a response message indicating that the registration request is reinitiated to the UE, so that the UE may resend the registration request message to the access network device, and the access network device may issue a response message indicating that the registration request is reinitiated to the UE again. Thus, if the access network device and the UE repeat the above registration process all the time, the UE cannot be successfully registered to the mobile network.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the invention provides a network registration method and UE (user equipment) so as to solve the problem that the UE cannot be successfully registered to a mobile network in an NSA (non-switched access stratum) network environment.

In order to solve the above technical problem, the embodiment of the present invention is implemented as follows:

in a first aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a network registration method. The method comprises the following steps: under the condition that the number of times of receiving a first response message sent by access network equipment is greater than or equal to a preset number of times, controlling the UE to be switched from a first network mode to a second network mode, wherein the first response message is used for indicating the UE to reinitiate a request message for registering to a first network in the first network mode; and sending a first request message to the access network equipment, wherein the first request message is used for requesting to register to the first network in the second network mode.

In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a UE. The UE comprises a processing module and a transceiver module. And the processing module is used for controlling the UE to be switched from the first network mode to the second network mode under the condition that the number of times that the transceiver module receives the first response message sent by the access network equipment is greater than or equal to the preset number of times, wherein the first response message is used for indicating the UE to reinitiate the request message for registering to the first network in the first network mode. A transceiver module, configured to send a first request message to an access network device, where the first request message is used to request to register to the first network in the second network mode.

In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a UE, including a processor, a memory, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, where the computer program, when executed by the processor, implements the steps of the network registration method provided in the first aspect.

In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a computer-readable storage medium, on which a computer program is stored, where the computer program, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the network registration method provided in the first aspect.

In the embodiment of the present invention, when the number of times of receiving a first response message sent by an access network device is greater than or equal to a preset number of times, the UE may be controlled to switch from a first network mode to a second network mode, where the first response message is used to instruct the UE to reinitiate a request message for registering to a first network in the first network mode; and sending a first request message to an access network device, the first request message requesting registration to the first network in the second network mode. By the scheme, when the number of times of registration failure request of the UE to the first network in the first network mode is greater than or equal to the preset number of times, the UE is switched from the first network mode to the second network mode, so that the UE can send a request message for requesting registration to the first network to the access network equipment in the second network mode, the UE can successfully register to the first network in the second network mode, and the access network equipment can assist a subsequent network registration process. Compared with the prior art, the network registration method provided by the embodiment of the invention can prevent the UE from repeatedly sending the request message for registering to the first network to the access network equipment for a long time in the first network mode, thereby improving the success rate of network registration.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic architecture diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a network registration method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 3 is a second schematic diagram illustrating a network registration method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 4 is a third schematic diagram illustrating a network registration method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 5 is a fourth schematic diagram illustrating a network registration method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 6 is a fifth schematic diagram illustrating a network registration method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 7 is a sixth schematic view illustrating a network registration method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating a module of a UE performing network registration according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 9 is a seventh schematic diagram illustrating a network registration method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of a UE according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 11 is a second schematic structural diagram of a UE according to the embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 12 is a hardware diagram of a UE according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are some, not all, embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

The term "and/or" herein is an association relationship describing an associated object, meaning that three relationships may exist, e.g., a and/or B, may mean: a exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. The symbol "/" herein denotes a relationship in which the associated object is or, for example, a/B denotes a or B.

The terms "first" and "second," and the like, in the description and in the claims of the present invention are used for distinguishing between different objects and not for describing a particular order of the objects. For example, the first request message and the second request message, etc. are used to distinguish different request messages, rather than to describe a specific order of the request messages.

In the embodiments of the present invention, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to mean serving as examples, illustrations or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "such as" in an embodiment of the present invention is not necessarily to be construed as advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, use of the word "exemplary" or "such as" is intended to present concepts related in a concrete fashion.

In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, unless otherwise specified, "a plurality" means two or more, for example, a plurality of elements means two or more elements, and the like.

Some terms/nouns referred to in the embodiments of the present invention are explained below.

Network registration: the network injection means that the UE control signaling establishes data connection with the network through network transmission, and then the UE can be successfully accessed into the network to realize data transmission and communication with the outside. It should be noted that network registration in the implementation of the present invention may refer to a request of a UE to register to a mobile network through an access network device providing a network service, for example, a request of registering to a 5G network through an access network device providing a 4G network service.

Attach request (attach request): during UE network registration, the UE may send an attach request message to the access network device. In general, the attach request message may include capability information of the UE, which is related to a network mode of the UE. For example, in an NSA network environment, in one case, the UE preferentially turns on a 5G network mode by default, and when the UE can send an attach request message to the access network device, the request message may include information indicating the NSA capability that the UE has; alternatively, the UE may turn off the 5G network mode and switch to the 4G network mode, and when the UE sends the attach request message to the access network device, the request message may not include information indicating the NSA capability that the UE has. It should be noted that, in the implementation of the present invention, the first request message, the second request message, and the third request message are all attach request messages sent by the UE to the access network device.

Detach request (detach request): in the UE network registration process, after the UE sends an attach request message including information indicating the NSA capability that the UE has to the access network device, if the access network device is not compatible with the NSA capability of the UE, the access network device may send a detach request message to the UE. Wherein the detach request message includes a cause value #111 (unacknowledged). In an embodiment of the present invention, the first response message may be a detach request message.

#111(protocol error, unspecified) cause: in existing communication protocols, the network may reject the UE's network registration request using the #111 cause, according to operator policies, the UE's NSA capabilities, etc. Specifically, if the detach _ value is 1, that is, the attach request (re-attach request) is repeated, the UE may determine that the access network device requires the UE to reinitiate the attach request.

cell identification (cell ID): may be referred to as a cellular identification or cellular area number. In the embodiment of the present invention, the cell ID may be used to indicate the identity of a cell corresponding to a network to which the UE is registered when the UE registers the network. It is understood that the cell ID before change may be assigned to disable _5g _ cell _ ID, and when the UE location moves, the cell ID changes, and the disable _5g _ cell _ ID may be used to record the cell ID newly saved by the UE.

Tracking Area Code (TAC): refers to the area used for paging and location updates. In general, the network coverage corresponding to the TAC is larger than the network coverage corresponding to the cell ID. In the embodiment of the invention, the TAC is suitable for the condition that a plurality of cell IDs in the adjacent area are abnormal, and unnecessary network mode switching operation of the UE can be reduced.

The embodiment of the invention provides a network registration method and UE, which can control the UE to be switched from a first network mode to a second network mode under the condition that the times of receiving a first response message sent by access network equipment are greater than or equal to preset times, wherein the first response message is used for indicating the UE to reinitiate a request message for registering to a first network in the first network mode; and sending a first request message to an access network device, the first request message requesting registration to the first network in the second network mode. By the scheme, when the number of times that the UE fails to request registration to the first network in the first network mode is greater than or equal to the preset number of times, the UE is switched from the first network mode to the second network mode, so that the UE can send a request message for requesting registration to the first network to the access network equipment in the second network mode, the UE can successfully register to the first network in the second network mode, and the access network equipment can assist subsequent network registration processes. Compared with the prior art, the network registration method provided by the embodiment of the invention can prevent the UE from repeatedly sending the request message for registering to the first network to the access network equipment for a long time in the first network mode, thereby improving the success rate of network registration.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 1, the communication system may include a UE 01 and an access network device 02. Wherein, the connection between the UE 01 and the access network device 02 can be established.

It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present invention, the UE 01 and the access network device 02 shown in fig. 1 may be in a wireless connection.

A UE is a device that provides voice and/or data connectivity to a user, a handheld device with wired/wireless connectivity, or other processing device connected to a wireless modem. A UE may communicate with one or more core network devices via a Radio Access Network (RAN). The UE may be a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone (or "cellular" phone) and a computer having a mobile terminal, or a portable, pocket, hand-held, computer-included, or vehicle-mounted mobile device that exchanges speech and/or data with the RAN, such as a Personal Communication Service (PCS) phone, a cordless phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a Wireless Local Loop (WLL) station, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), and so on. The UE may also be referred to as a user agent (user agent) or a terminal device.

An access network device is a device deployed in a RAN for providing wireless communication functionality for a UE. In the embodiment of the present invention, the access network device may be a base station, and the base station may include various macro base stations, micro base stations, relay stations, access points, and the like. In systems using different radio access technologies, the names of devices that function as base stations may differ. For example, in a 5G system, it may be referred to as a 5G base station (gNB); in a fourth Generation wireless communication (4-Generation, 4G) system, such as a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, it may be referred to as an evolved NodeB (eNB); in a third generation mobile communication (3G) system, it may be referred to as a base station (Node B). As communication technology evolves, the name "base station" may change.

The user equipment UE in the embodiment of the present invention may be a terminal device with an operating system, such as a mobile phone. The operating system may be an Android (Android) operating system, an ios operating system, or other possible operating systems, and embodiments of the present invention are not limited in particular.

The UE provided by the embodiment of the invention can comprise a network abnormity detection module, a network mode setting module and a network mode recovery detection module. The network anomaly detection module can be used for detecting an anomaly message sent to the UE by the access network equipment; the network mode setting module may be configured to switch the network mode of the UE from the first network mode to the second network mode when the network anomaly detection module detects an anomaly message sent by the access network device to the UE; the network mode recovery detection module may be configured to record a cell identifier corresponding to a network searched by the UE, and notify the network mode setting module to switch the network mode of the UE from the second network mode to the first network mode again when it is detected that the cell identifier corresponding to the network searched by the UE changes. It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present invention, in an NSA network environment, a network injection process of a UE may be completed based on the above three modules.

In the NSA network environment, the UE may send a registration request message carrying NSA capability information of the UE to the access network device. However, if the access network device providing the 4G network service is not compatible with the NSA capability of the UE, the access network device may issue a response message indicating that the registration request is reinitiated to the UE, so that the UE may resend the registration request message to the access network device, and the access network device may issue a response message indicating that the registration request is reinitiated to the UE again. Therefore, if the access network equipment and the UE repeat the network injection process all the time, the UE cannot be successfully registered to the network. The embodiments of the present invention provide the following network registration method for this problem.

As shown in fig. 2, an embodiment of the present invention provides a network registration method. The method is applied to the UE. The method may include steps S101 and S102 described below.

S101, under the condition that the number of times of receiving the first response message sent by the access network equipment is larger than or equal to the preset number of times, the UE is controlled to be switched from the first network mode to the second network mode.

The first response message is used for instructing the UE to reinitiate a request message for registering to the first network in the first network mode.

It should be noted that the network registration method provided by the embodiment of the present invention may be applied to an NSA network environment, and the UE may send a registration request message to the access network device, where the registration request message may carry NSA capability information of the UE. After the access network device receives the request message sent by the UE, the access network device may determine whether to allow the UE to register to the 4G network first according to the NSA capability information, and assist the UE to register to the 5G network under the condition that the UE is allowed to register to the 4G network first.

It can be understood that, in the first network mode, when the UE sends a request message requesting registration to the first network to the access network device, if the UE does not receive the first response message sent by the access network device, the UE may continue the subsequent network injection process, which may specifically refer to the network injection process in the prior art, which is not described in detail in the embodiment of the present invention; if the UE receives the first response message sent by the access network device, the network registration method provided in the embodiment of the present invention may be executed.

Optionally, the first network mode may be a 5G mode, and the second network mode may be a 4G mode.

Optionally, the network mode after the factory leaving of the UE may be set as a default to be the 5G mode with priority; alternatively, the user may set the network mode of the UE to the 5G mode priority.

In the embodiment of the present invention, before the UE performs S101, the UE may first perform: in the first network mode, the UE sends a request message to the access network device requesting registration to the first network. Wherein the request message may include capability information indicating that the UE is NSA capable.

It should be noted that, in this embodiment of the present invention, the first response message may be a detach request (detach request) message. According to the message containing the #111 (unsectified) reason, the UE may perform re-attach, i.e., re-initiate an attach request (attach request).

Optionally, the preset times may be default when the UE leaves the factory; or may be user-autonomous. The value of the preset number of times is not particularly limited in the embodiment of the present invention, for example, the preset number of times may be 5 times. It can be understood that by setting the preset number of times, it can be avoided that the UE misjudges that it cannot register to the first network in the first network mode due to accidental errors.

Optionally, the preset number of times may be the number of times that a counter of the UE calculates the number of times that the UE receives the detach request sent by the access network device. For example, the counter may be a disable _5G _ count counter for the off 5G function, and accordingly, the preset number of times may be represented by disable _5G _ count _ max.

S102, the UE sends a first request message to the access network equipment.

The first request message may be used to request to register to the first network in the second network mode.

In the embodiment of the present invention, since the UE does not need to use the NSA capability in the second network mode, the first request message may not include the capability information, and the capability information may be used to indicate that the UE has the NSA capability.

Alternatively, the first request message may be an attach request (attach request) message initiated by the UE that does not include 5G NSA capability information.

In the implementation of the present invention, after the UE performs S102, the access network device may receive a first request message sent by the UE.

For example, as shown in fig. 3, in an NSA network environment, a 5G-capable UE may request to perform network injection. In the network injection process, the UE may send an attach request message requesting registration to the 4G network to the access network device in the 5G mode, where the attach request message may include a capability message indicating that the UE is 5G NSA capable. When the access network device does not support the NSA capability, the access network device may send a first response message of the detach request to the UE. The UE may send an attach request message requesting registration to the 4G network to the access network device again according to the first response message, and the access network device may send a first response message requesting detachment to the UE again. In this way, in a case that the number of times that the UE receives the first response message sent by the access network device is greater than or equal to the preset number of times, the UE may control the UE to switch from the 5G mode to the 4G mode, and then, the UE may send the first request message to the access network device again, where the first request message may not include the capability information of the 5G NSA capability. That is, the UE may send, to the access network device in the 4G mode, an attach request message requesting registration to the 4G network, and accordingly, the access network device may receive the first request message that does not include the 5G NSA capability information and is sent by the UE, so that the UE may successfully register to the 4G network, and the access network device may assist the UE to register to the 5G network.

The embodiment of the invention provides a network registration method, when the number of times of registration failure request of UE to a first network in a first network mode is greater than or equal to the preset number of times, because the UE is switched from the first network mode to a second network mode, the UE can send a request message for requesting registration to the first network to access network equipment in the second network mode, so that the UE can successfully register to the first network in the second network mode, and the access network equipment can assist subsequent network registration processes. Compared with the prior art, the network registration method provided by the embodiment of the invention can prevent the UE from repeatedly sending the request message for registering to the first network to the access network equipment for a long time in the first network mode, thereby improving the success rate of network registration.

Optionally, with reference to fig. 2, as shown in fig. 4, the network registration method provided in the embodiment of the present invention further includes the following step S103.

S103, under the condition that the number of times of receiving the first response message sent by the access network equipment is larger than or equal to the preset number of times, storing the first identifier in the UE.

The first identifier may be an identifier of a cell corresponding to the first network.

Optionally, the first network may correspond to one cell or multiple cells, that is, the UE may store an identifier of at least one cell, that is, at least one first identifier in the UE.

Optionally, in a case that the first network corresponds to multiple cells, the first identifier may be all or part of identifiers in the multiple cells, and may be specifically determined according to actual usage requirements.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the present invention, the first identifier may be represented by a cell ID or a TAC.

Optionally, in the case that the first identifier is a TAC, the area indicated by each TAC includes a plurality of neighboring area cell IDs.

It should be noted that, in fig. 4, the step S101, the step S102, and the step S103 are performed first, for example, and the description is not limited in any way. It is understood that the execution sequence of S101, S102, and S103 is not limited in the embodiment of the present invention, and is determined according to the actual situation, for example, S101 and S103 may be executed simultaneously.

For example, assume that the preset number of times set by the UE is 5. In the NSA network environment, the UE may send an attach request message requesting registration to the 4G network to the access network device in the 5G mode. If the number of times that the UE receives the first response message sent by the access network device is greater than or equal to 5 times, the UE may store the identifier of the cell corresponding to the 4G network in the UE.

In the network registration method provided by the embodiment of the invention, in the process of network registration of the UE, when the number of times that the UE receives the first response message sent by the access network device is greater than or equal to the preset number of times, the UE determines whether to perform network mode switching according to the first identifier by storing the first identifier in the UE.

Optionally, after the first identifier is stored in the UE, if the UE is in a mobile state, the UE may re-search for the cell, that is, the identifier of the searched cell, so that the UE may determine whether to switch the network mode according to whether the identifier of the searched cell is the same as the first identifier. Exemplarily, in conjunction with fig. 4, as shown in fig. 5, after S101, S102 and S103, the network registration method provided in the embodiment of the present invention may further include S104 and S105 described below.

And S104, controlling the UE to be switched from the second network mode to the first network mode under the condition that the second identifier is different from the first identifier.

And the second identifier is an identifier of a cell searched by the UE.

It should be noted that, when the second identifier of the cell searched by the UE is different from the first identifier, it indicates that the location of the UE changes, and if the UE can be registered in the first network mode to the first network in the cell corresponding to the second identifier, the UE can be switched from the second network mode to the first network mode; when the second identifier of the cell searched by the UE is the same as the first identifier, it indicates that the cell corresponding to the access network device providing network injection for the UE does not change, that is, the UE does not move or the moving range of the UE still belongs to the network coverage of the cell, so that network mode switching is not required.

Optionally, the step S104 may be specifically implemented by steps S104A and S104B.

S104A, when the second identity is different from the first identity, the UE starts timing. And the second identifier is the identifier of the cell searched by the UE.

And S104B, if the timing duration reaches the preset duration, the UE does not search the identifiers of other cells, and the UE is controlled to be switched from the second network mode to the first network mode.

Optionally, the UE may start timing by using an internal timer of the UE.

For example, the timer may be represented by a cell _ hold _ timer.

Optionally, the preset duration may be a duration set by the UE from a factory or a duration set by a user.

Optionally, after S104A, the network registration method provided in the embodiment of the present invention may further include: and if the timing duration does not reach the preset duration, the UE searches the identifiers of other cells different from the first identifier and the second identifier, the UE restarts timing and keeps the second network mode within the preset duration.

For example, in the case that the UE searches for the identity of another cell different from the first identity, the UE may control the timer cell _ hold _ timer to start timing. If the UE searches for a third identifier of another cell different from the first identifier and the second identifier within a preset time length after the start of timing, the UE may restart timing and maintain the second network mode within the preset time length. It should be noted that, after the UE restarts the timing, the UE may perform the actions according to the above embodiments, and details are not described herein.

S105, the UE sends a second request message to the access network equipment.

The second request message may be used to request to register to the first network in the first network mode. The second request message includes capability information that may be used to indicate that the UE is NSA capable.

For the specific description of the first network mode, the first network, reference may be made to the relevant description in the above embodiments.

Optionally, the second request message may be an attach request message initiated by the UE and including the 5G NSA capability information.

In the implementation of the present invention, after the UE performs S105, the access network device receives the second request message sent by the UE.

Optionally, after the access network device receives the second request message sent by the UE, because the second request message includes capability information for indicating that the UE has the NSA capability, if the access network device is compatible with the NSA capability, the access network device may allow the UE to successfully register to the first network, and assist in performing a subsequent network injection procedure; if the access network device is not compatible with the NSA capability, the UE may perform S101 to S103 described above.

For example, it is assumed that after the UE switches from the first network mode to the second network mode, the UE stores a first identifier of a cell corresponding to the first network. As shown in fig. 6, during the UE moving, the UE may search for the identity of the cell. The UE may control the UE to switch from the second network mode to the first network mode if the searched second identifier is different from the first identifier; thereafter, the UE may send a second request message to the access network device including capability information indicating that the UE is NSA-capable. Accordingly, the access network device may receive the second request message.

In the network registration method provided in the embodiment of the present invention, in a process of network registration by a UE, when the UE stores an identifier of a cell corresponding to a first network, if the identifier of the cell searched by the UE is different from the first identifier, the UE controls the UE to switch from a second network mode to the first network mode. In this way, the UE may register to the first network in the first network mode with better performance, thereby improving network performance of the UE.

Optionally, with reference to fig. 2, as shown in fig. 7, the network registration method provided in the embodiment of the present invention further includes the following S106.

S106, under the condition that the number of times of receiving the first response message sent by the access network equipment is smaller than the preset number of times, the UE sends a third request message to the access network equipment.

The third request message may be used to request to register to the first network in the first network mode. The third request message may include capability information, which may be used to indicate that the UE is NSA capable.

Optionally, the first response message and the preset number of times may refer to the detailed description of the foregoing embodiment, and are not described herein again.

Optionally, the third request message may be an attach request message initiated by the UE and including the 5G NSA capability information.

In the implementation of the present invention, after the UE performs S106, the access network device may receive a third request message sent by the UE.

It should be noted that, after the access network device may receive the second request message sent by the UE, since the number of times that the UE receives the first response message is less than the preset number of times, the UE may repeatedly perform S106 until the number of times that the UE receives the first response message is equal to the preset number of times, and the UE may perform S101 to S103. The embodiment of the invention is not limited, and is determined according to actual conditions.

For example, it is assumed that in an NSA network environment, the network mode of the UE may be set to the first network mode, and an attach request message including 5G NSA capability information is sent to the access network device. As shown in fig. 9, in a case that the number of times that the UE receives the first response message sent by the access network device is less than a preset number of times, the UE may send a third request message to the access network device. Accordingly, the access network device may receive a third request message sent by the UE, where the third request message may be a request message instructing the UE to re-initiate registration with the first network in the first network mode.

In the network registration method provided in the embodiment of the present invention, in a network registration process of the UE, if the number of times that the UE receives the first response message sent by the access network device is less than the preset number of times, the UE sends, to the access network device, a third request message that instructs the UE to reinitiate registration to the first network in the first network mode. Therefore, the UE is prevented from misjudging to be incapable of registering to the first network in the first network mode due to accidental failure, and more attempt opportunities are provided for the UE to register to the first network in the first network mode.

For example, as shown in fig. 8, the network anomaly detection module, the network mode setting module, and the network mode recovery detection module of the UE may be configured to perform a network registration procedure. In a default mode, the UE starts a 5G function, that is, a network mode is 5G preferred, and starts to annotate a network and initiate an attach request. The method specifically comprises the following steps:

step 01-1: the network anomaly detection module detects a detach anomaly.

Step 01-2: and the network anomaly detection module judges whether the detach anomaly meets the condition of closing the 5G function.

In the embodiment of the invention, if the condition of closing the 5G function is not met, the UE continues to execute the step 01-1. If the off 5G function condition is satisfied, the UE continues to perform steps 02-1 and 02-2.

Optionally, the condition that the 5G function is closed is satisfied, where a number of times that the UE receives the first response message sent by the access network device is greater than or equal to a preset number of times.

Alternatively, the step 01-1 and the step 01-2 may specifically include the following (a) to (d):

(a) the network anomaly detection module starts to detect the Detach anomaly, and if a Detach request message sent by a network is received and Detach _ value in the message is 1(re-attach required), the step (b) is executed; if the detach exception is not received, the 4G network is successfully registered.

(b) The 5G function counter disable _5G _ count is turned off plus 1.

It should be noted that, in the case that the disable _5G _ count of the off 5G function counter has not reached the preset number of times, the following (c) may be performed until the disable _5G _ count is greater than or equal to the preset number of times.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the preset number of times may also be referred to as a maximum number threshold. The maximum number threshold value can be set freely. For example: denoted by disable _5G _ count _ max, disable _5G _ count _ max is 5.

(c) If disable _5G _ count is greater than or equal to the maximum number threshold disable _5G _ count _ max, the close 5G function condition has been met, performing (d); if the number of times is smaller than the threshold value, the 5G function closing condition is not met, the detach abnormality is continuously detected, the terminal initiates an attach request again, and the step (a) is executed again.

(d) The UE resets the off 5G function counter disable _5G _ count to 0, and performs step 02-1 to step 02-2.

Step 02-1: and the network anomaly detection module informs the network mode recovery detection module to record the current problem cell ID. For example, the recorded cell ID may be disable _5g _ cell _ ID, and step 02-2 is performed.

Step 02-2: and the network anomaly detection module informs the network mode setting module to close the 5G function. Namely, setting the network mode as 4G priority, and when initiating the attach request again and the network query capability, the terminal does not report the 5G NSA capability, and re-executes the step 01-1.

When the UE moves, the network mode recovery detection procedure starts to execute step 03-1.

Step 03-1: the network mode recovery detection module detects the cell ID change.

Step 03-2: and detecting whether the cell ID is changed to meet the condition of re-opening the 5G function by the network mode recovery detection module.

If the cell ID changes and the current cell ID does not change after the set time cell _ hold _ timer is overtime, executing step 04-1; if the current cell ID changes again in the cell _ hold _ timer, the timer needs to be restarted until the time-out, and then step 03-1 is executed.

Alternatively, step 03-1 and step 03-2 may specifically include the following (e) to (h).

(e) Detecting the change condition of the cell ID by a network mode recovery detection module, and if the cell ID changes, namely the current cell ID is not equal to the recorded disable _5g _ cell _ ID, executing (f); and (e) if the cell ID is not changed, continuously detecting the change condition of the cell ID when the position of the terminal moves, and re-executing.

Optionally, the network mode recovery detection module detects a change in the cell ID, and the UE may start a timer to time. For example, a timer cell _ hold _ timer.

(f) And (3) the UE starts a cell _ hold _ timer to time, the preset time is the cell _ hold _ time, and (g) is executed.

Optionally, the preset time period may be freely set. For example, the preset time period cell _ hold _ time may be set to 10 minutes.

(g) Detecting the change condition of the cell ID by a network mode recovery detection module, if the cell ID changes, restarting a cell _ hold _ timer, and executing (f) again; if the cell ID has not changed, (h) is performed.

(h) The network mode recovery detection module detects whether the cell _ hold _ timer is overtime, and if yes, the step 04-1 is executed; if not, continue waiting, and execute (h).

Step 04-1: and the network mode recovery detection module informs the network mode setting module to reopen the 5G function. I.e. setting the network mode to 5G priority.

Step 04-2: and the network mode recovery detection module informs the network anomaly detection module to restart the detach anomaly detection. Accordingly, step 01-1 and other steps may be repeatedly performed.

It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present invention, the execution sequence of the network anomaly detection module, the network mode setting module, and the network mode recovery detection module is not limited, and may be specifically determined according to an actual situation.

It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present invention, the network registration methods shown in the above drawings are all exemplarily described by referring to one drawing in the embodiment of the present invention. In specific implementation, the network registration method shown in each of the above figures may also be implemented in combination with any other figures that may be combined and are illustrated in the above embodiments, and details are not described here again.

As shown in fig. 10, an embodiment of the present invention provides a user equipment UE 1000. The UE may include a processing module 1001 and a transceiver module 1002. The processing module 1001 may be configured to control the UE to switch from the first network mode to the second network mode when the number of times that the transceiver module 1002 receives the first response message sent by the access network device is greater than or equal to a preset number of times, where the first response message may be used to instruct the UE to reinitiate a request message for registering to the first network in the first network mode. The transceiver module 1002 may be configured to send a first request message to an access network device, where the first request message may be used to request registration to the first network in the second network mode.

Optionally, with reference to fig. 10, as shown in fig. 11, the UE provided in the embodiment of the present invention may further include a storage module 1003. The storing module 1003 may be configured to, when the number of times that the transceiver module 1002 receives the first response message sent by the access network device is greater than or equal to a preset number of times, store a first identifier in the UE, where the first identifier may be an identifier of a cell corresponding to the first network.

Optionally, the processing module 1001 may be further configured to, after the first identifier is stored in the UE, control the UE to switch from the second network mode to the first network mode when the second identifier is different from the first identifier, where the second identifier is an identifier of a cell searched by the UE. The transceiver module 1002 may be further configured to send a third request message to the access network device, where the third request message may be used to request registration to the first network in the first network mode, and the third request message may include capability information, where the capability information may be used to indicate that the UE is NSA-capable.

Optionally, the processing module 1001 may be specifically configured to start timing when the second identifier is different from the first identifier, and if the timing duration reaches a preset duration and no identifier of another cell is searched, control the UE to switch from the second network mode to the first network mode.

Optionally, the processing module 1001 may be further configured to restart timing if the timing duration does not reach the preset duration and identifiers of other cells different from the first identifier and the second identifier are searched, and maintain the second network mode within the preset duration.

Optionally, the transceiver module 1002 may be further configured to send the second request message to the access network device when the number of times of receiving the first response message sent by the access network device is smaller than a preset number of times. The second request message may be for requesting registration to the first network in the first network mode. The second request message may include capability information. The capability information may be used to indicate that the UE is NSA capable.

The UE provided in the embodiment of the present invention can implement each process implemented by the UE in the foregoing method embodiments, and is not described here again to avoid repetition.

The embodiment of the invention provides a UE, wherein when the number of times that the UE fails to request registration to a first network in a first network mode is greater than or equal to a preset number of times, the UE is switched from the first network mode to a second network mode, so that the UE can send a request message requesting registration to the first network to an access network device in the second network mode, and the UE can successfully register to the first network in the second network mode, and the access network device can assist a subsequent network registration process. Compared with the prior art, the UE provided by the embodiment of the invention can avoid the UE repeatedly sending the request message for registering to the first network to the access network equipment for a long time in the first network mode, thereby improving the success rate of network registration.

Fig. 12 is a schematic hardware structure diagram of a UE implementing various embodiments of the present invention. As shown in fig. 12, the UE200 includes, but is not limited to: radio frequency unit 201, network module 202, audio output unit 203, input unit 204, sensor 205, display unit 206, user input unit 207, interface unit 208, memory 209, processor 210, and power supply 211. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the UE structure shown in fig. 12 does not constitute a limitation of the UE, which may include more or fewer components than shown, or some components may be combined, or a different arrangement of components. In the embodiment of the present invention, the UE includes, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a notebook computer, a palm computer, a vehicle-mounted UE, a wearable device, a pedometer, and the like.

The processor 210 is configured to control the UE to switch from the first network mode to the second network mode when the number of times that the radio frequency unit 201 receives the first response message sent by the access network device is greater than or equal to a preset number of times, where the first response message may be used to instruct the UE to reinitiate a request message for registering to the first network in the first network mode; and is configured to control the radio frequency unit 201 to send a first request message to the access network device, where the first request message may be used to request registration to the first network in the second network mode.

The embodiment of the invention provides a UE, and provides the UE, when the number of times of registration failure request of the UE to a first network in a first network mode is greater than or equal to the preset number of times, because the UE is switched from the first network mode to a second network mode, the UE can send a request message requesting registration to the first network to an access network device in the second network mode, so that the UE can successfully register to the first network in the second network mode, and the access network device can assist a subsequent network registration process. Compared with the prior art, the UE provided by the embodiment of the invention can avoid the UE repeatedly sending the request message for registering to the first network to the access network equipment for a long time in the first network mode, thereby improving the success rate of network registration.

It should be understood that, in the embodiment of the present invention, the radio frequency unit 201 may be used for receiving and sending signals during a message transmission and reception process or a call process, and specifically, receives downlink data from a base station and then processes the received downlink data to the processor 210; in addition, the uplink data is transmitted to the base station. In general, radio frequency unit 201 includes, but is not limited to, an antenna, at least one amplifier, a transceiver, a coupler, a low noise amplifier, a duplexer, and the like. In addition, the radio frequency unit 201 can also communicate with a network and other devices through a wireless communication system.

The UE200 provides the user with wireless broadband internet access via the network module 202, such as helping the user send and receive e-mails, browse web pages, and access streaming media.

The audio output unit 203 may convert audio data received by the radio frequency unit 201 or the network module 202 or stored in the memory 209 into an audio signal and output as sound. Also, the audio output unit 203 may also provide audio output related to a specific function performed by the UE200 (e.g., a call signal reception sound, a message reception sound, etc.). The audio output unit 203 includes a speaker, a buzzer, a receiver, and the like.

The input unit 204 is used to receive audio or video signals. The input Unit 204 may include a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) 2041 and a microphone 2042, and the Graphics processor 2041 processes image data of a still picture or video obtained by an image capturing device (e.g., a camera) in a video capture mode or an image capture mode. The processed image frames may be displayed on the display unit 206. The image frames processed by the graphic processor 2041 may be stored in the memory 209 (or other storage medium) or transmitted via the radio frequency unit 201 or the network module 202. The microphone 2042 may receive sound and may be capable of processing such sound into audio data. The processed audio data may be converted into a format output transmittable to a mobile communication base station via the radio frequency unit 201 in case of a phone call mode.

The UE200 also includes at least one sensor 205, such as light sensors, motion sensors, and other sensors. Specifically, the light sensor includes an ambient light sensor that can adjust the brightness of the display panel 2061 according to the brightness of ambient light, and a proximity sensor that can turn off the display panel 2061 and/or backlight when the UE200 moves to the ear. As one of the motion sensors, the accelerometer sensor can detect the magnitude of acceleration in each direction (generally three axes), detect the magnitude and direction of gravity when stationary, and can be used to identify the UE attitude (such as horizontal and vertical screen switching, related games, magnetometer attitude calibration), vibration identification related functions (such as pedometer, tapping), and the like; the sensors 205 may also include fingerprint sensors, pressure sensors, iris sensors, molecular sensors, gyroscopes, barometers, hygrometers, thermometers, infrared sensors, etc., which are not described in detail herein.

The display unit 206 is used to display information input by the user or information provided to the user. The Display unit 206 may include a Display panel 2061, and the Display panel 2061 may be configured in the form of a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), an Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED), or the like.

The user input unit 207 may be used to receive input numeric or character information and generate key signal inputs related to user settings and function control of the UE. Specifically, the user input unit 207 includes a touch panel 2071 and other input devices 2072. Touch panel 2071, also referred to as a touch screen, may collect touch operations by a user on or near the touch panel 2071 (e.g., user operation on or near the touch panel 2071 using a finger, a stylus, or any other suitable object or attachment). The touch panel 2071 may include two parts of a touch detection device and a touch controller. The touch detection device detects the touch direction of a user, detects a signal brought by touch operation and transmits the signal to the touch controller; the touch controller receives touch information from the touch sensing device, converts the touch information into touch point coordinates, sends the touch point coordinates to the processor 210, and receives and executes commands sent by the processor 210. In addition, the touch panel 2071 may be implemented by using various types such as a resistive type, a capacitive type, an infrared ray, and a surface acoustic wave. The user input unit 207 may include other input devices 2072 in addition to the touch panel 2071. In particular, the other input devices 2072 may include but are not limited to a physical keyboard, function keys (such as volume control keys, switch keys, etc.), a trackball, a mouse and a joystick, which are not described in detail herein.

Further, a touch panel 2071 may be overlaid on the display panel 2061, and when the touch panel 2071 detects a touch operation on or near the touch panel 2071, the touch panel is transmitted to the processor 210 to determine the type of the touch event, and then the processor 210 provides a corresponding visual output on the display panel 2061 according to the type of the touch event. Although the touch panel 2071 and the display panel 2061 are shown as two separate components in fig. 12 to implement the input and output functions of the UE, in some embodiments, the touch panel 2071 and the display panel 2061 may be integrated to implement the input and output functions of the UE, and this is not limited herein.

The interface unit 208 is an interface for connecting an external device to the UE 200. For example, the external device may include a wired or wireless headset port, an external power supply (or battery charger) port, a wired or wireless data port, a memory card port, a port for connecting a device having an identification module, an audio input/output (I/O) port, a video I/O port, an earphone port, and the like. The interface unit 208 may be used to receive input (e.g., data information, power, etc.) from external devices and transmit the received input to one or more elements within the UE200 or may be used to transmit data between the UE200 and external devices.

The memory 209 may be used to store software programs as well as various data. The memory 209 may mainly include a storage program area and a storage data area, wherein the storage program area may store an operating system, an application program required for at least one function (such as a sound playing function, an image playing function, etc.), and the like; the storage data area may store data (such as audio data, a phonebook, etc.) created according to the use of the cellular phone, and the like. Further, the memory 209 may include high speed random access memory, and may also include non-volatile memory, such as at least one magnetic disk storage device, flash memory device, or other volatile solid state storage device.

The processor 210 is a control center of the UE, connects various parts of the entire UE using various interfaces and lines, and performs various functions of the UE and processes data by running or executing software programs and/or modules stored in the memory 209 and calling data stored in the memory 209, thereby performing overall monitoring of the UE. Processor 210 may include one or more processing units; optionally, the processor 210 may integrate an application processor and a modem processor, wherein the application processor mainly handles operating systems, user interfaces, application programs, and the like, and the modem processor mainly handles wireless communications. It will be appreciated that the modem processor described above may not be integrated into the processor 210.

The UE200 may further include a power source 211 (e.g., a battery) for supplying power to various components, and optionally, the power source 211 may be logically connected to the processor 210 through a power management system, so as to implement functions of managing charging, discharging, and power consumption through the power management system.

In addition, the UE200 includes some functional modules that are not shown, and are not described herein again.

Optionally, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a UE, which includes the processor 210 shown in fig. 12, the memory 209, and a computer program stored in the memory 209 and capable of running on the processor 210, where the computer program is executed by the processor 210 to implement the processes of the foregoing method embodiments, and can achieve the same technical effects, and details are not described here to avoid repetition.

The embodiment of the present invention further provides a computer-readable storage medium, where a computer program is stored on the computer-readable storage medium, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the computer program implements the processes of the method embodiments, and can achieve the same technical effects, and in order to avoid repetition, the details are not repeated here. Examples of the computer-readable storage medium include a Read-Only Memory (ROM), a Random Access Memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, and an optical disk.

It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising an … …" does not exclude the presence of other like elements in a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises the element.

Through the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art will clearly understand that the method of the above embodiments can be implemented by software plus a necessary general hardware platform, and certainly can also be implemented by hardware, but in many cases, the former is a better implementation manner. 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 UE (e.g., a mobile phone, a computer, a server, an air conditioner, or a network device) to perform the methods described in the embodiments of the present invention.

While the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments, which are illustrative and not restrictive, and it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A network registration method is applied to User Equipment (UE), and is characterized in that the method comprises the following steps:

under the condition that the number of times of receiving a first response message sent by access network equipment is greater than or equal to a preset number of times, controlling the UE to be switched from a first network mode to a second network mode, wherein the first response message is used for indicating the UE to reinitiate a request message for registering to a first network in the first network mode;

sending a first request message to the access network device, the first request message requesting to register to the first network in the second network mode.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

and under the condition that the number of times of receiving the first response message sent by the access network equipment is greater than or equal to the preset number of times, storing a first identifier in the UE, wherein the first identifier is an identifier of a cell corresponding to the first network.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein after saving the first identity in the UE, the method further comprises:

under the condition that a second identifier is different from the first identifier, controlling the UE to be switched from the second network mode to the first network mode, wherein the second identifier is an identifier of a cell searched by the UE;

sending a second request message to the access network device, where the second request message is used to request registration to the first network in the first network mode, and the second request message includes capability information, where the capability information is used to indicate that the UE has a non-independent networking capability.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the controlling the UE to switch from the second network mode to the first network mode if the second identity is different from the first identity comprises:

and under the condition that the second identifier is different from the first identifier, starting timing, and if the timing duration reaches a preset duration and the identifiers of other cells are not searched, controlling the UE to be switched from the second network mode to the first network mode.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein after the starting the timing, the method further comprises:

and if the timing duration does not reach the preset duration, searching identifiers of other cells different from the first identifier and the second identifier, restarting timing, and keeping the second network mode within the preset duration.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

and sending a third request message to the access network equipment under the condition that the number of times of receiving a first response message sent by the access network equipment is less than a preset number of times, wherein the third request message is used for requesting to register to the first network in the first network mode, and the third request message comprises capability information which is used for indicating that the UE has the non-independent networking capability.

7. A User Equipment (UE), wherein the UE comprises a processing module and a transceiver module;

the processing module is configured to control the UE to switch from a first network mode to a second network mode when a number of times that the transceiver module receives a first response message sent by an access network device is greater than or equal to a preset number of times, where the first response message is used to instruct the UE to reinitiate a request message for registering to a first network in the first network mode;

the transceiver module is configured to send a first request message to the access network device, where the first request message is used to request to register to the first network in the second network mode.

8. The UE of claim 7, wherein the UE comprises a storage module:

the storage module is configured to store a first identifier in the UE when the number of times that the transceiver module receives the first response message sent by the access network device is greater than or equal to the preset number of times, where the first identifier is an identifier of a cell corresponding to the first network.

9. The UE of claim 8, wherein the processing module is further configured to control the UE to switch from the second network mode to the first network mode if a second identity is different from the first identity after the first identity is saved in the UE, and the second identity is an identity of a cell searched by the UE;

the transceiver module is further configured to send a third request message to the access network device, where the third request message is used to request to register to the first network in the first network mode, and the third request message includes capability information, where the capability information is used to indicate that the UE has a non-independent networking capability.

10. The UE of claim 9,

the processing module is specifically configured to start timing when the second identifier is different from the first identifier, and control the UE to switch from the second network mode to the first network mode if the timing duration reaches a preset duration and no identifier of another cell is searched.

11. The UE of claim 10, wherein the processing module is further configured to restart timing and maintain the second network mode for a preset time period if identifiers of other cells different from the first identifier and the second identifier are searched when the timing time period does not reach the preset time period.

12. The UE of claim 7, wherein the transceiver module is further configured to send a second request message to an access network device when a number of times of receiving a first response message sent by the access network device is less than a preset number of times, where the second request message is used to request registration to the first network in the first network mode, and the second request message includes capability information, where the capability information is used to indicate that the UE has a non-independent networking capability.