CN111698069B

CN111698069B - Method and equipment for random access based on PLMN

Info

Publication number: CN111698069B
Application number: CN201911198959.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 赵晓垠; 李志军; 朱雪田
Original assignee: China Telecom Corp Ltd
Current assignee: China Telecom Corp Ltd
Priority date: 2019-11-29
Filing date: 2019-11-29
Publication date: 2021-06-15
Anticipated expiration: 2039-11-29
Also published as: CN111698069A

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to methods and apparatus for random access based on a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), wherein the PLMN is associated with an operator. Provided is a communication method for a base station device side, including: dividing user equipment into N user equipment groups based on PLMN in an area, wherein N is equal to the number of PLMNs in the area; dividing the Preamble codes into N Preamble code subsets which are orthogonal to each other; and sending different independent Preamble code subsets to each equipment group used in the N user equipment groups, wherein the user equipment in each user equipment group utilizes the Preamble codes in the received Preamble code subsets to carry out random access. In the method, the performing, by the user equipment in each user equipment group, random access by using the Preamble code in the received Preamble code subset may include: each user equipment in each user equipment group randomly selects one Preamble code from the received Preamble code subset and sends the Preamble code to the base station equipment, and then receives a random access response from the base station equipment.

Description

Method and equipment for random access based on PLMN

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to the field of wireless communications, and in particular, to a wireless communication method and apparatus for performing random access based on a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN).

Background

In a fifth generation (5G) mobile communication system, a 5G base station and a 5G core network can be introduced in one step through independent networking (SA networking), and various new functions and new services introduced by the 5G network can be supported. Due to the high operating frequency band, high number of base stations, high cost and high power consumption in the 5G system, co-construction of base stations (used interchangeably with "shared base station" herein) by multiple operators is a very promising trend in order to reduce cost and efficiently construct 5G base stations. Under the SA networking mode, the base station is built together to realize the doubling of network coverage and speed, and enable users to enjoy higher transmission bandwidth and higher data rate. Currently, operators such as china telecom and china unicom have established 5G shared base stations in common in multiple regions throughout the country.

When sharing a base station, a plurality of operators share the system in a carrier sharing manner. To minimize interference between different operators, current research tends to support a network slicing function that slices individual isolated resources (slices) for each operator. However, current network slice techniques cannot guarantee the performance of other network slices in case of common signaling overload or congestion due to events inside one network slice. That is, when a situation occurs in which the number of users of one operator is increased sharply to cause network congestion, access performance of other operators with whom the base station is shared is likely to be adversely affected. In addition, the wireless random channel is rigidly divided into a plurality of independent self-channels, which easily results in that limited channel resources are not fully utilized.

Therefore, there is a need for an efficient and reliable communication method and electronic device to enable users of different operators to perform random access fairly and efficiently, while having a certain resource isolation.

Disclosure of Invention

The present disclosure provides novel PLMN-based random access communication methods and electronic devices.

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a communication method for a base station apparatus side, including: dividing user equipment into N user equipment groups within an area based on Public Land Mobile Networks (PLMNs), wherein N is equal to the number of PLMNs within the area; dividing the Preamble codes into N Preamble code subsets which are orthogonal to each other; and sending different independent Preamble code subsets to each equipment group used in the N user equipment groups, wherein the user equipment in each user equipment group utilizes the Preamble codes in the received Preamble code subsets to carry out random access. In the method, the performing, by the user equipment in each user equipment group, random access by using the Preamble code in the received Preamble code subset may include: each user equipment in each user equipment group randomly selects one Preamble code from the received Preamble code subset and sends the Preamble code to the base station equipment, and then receives a random access response from the base station equipment. In the method, the PLMNs are associated with operators, and one operator may correspond to one or more PLMNs. In this method, the Preamble code may be used for contention-based random access. The Preamble code is an orthogonal sequence generated by cyclic shift of a ZC (ZADOFF-CHU) sequence. In the method, the region may include one or more of: cell, small cell, micro cell, femto cell.

Correspondingly, according to a first aspect of the present disclosure, the present disclosure provides an electronic device for a base station device side, comprising: one or more processors; and one or more memories having executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform a corresponding method.

Correspondingly, according to a first aspect of the present disclosure, the present disclosure also provides a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform a respective method.

According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a communication method for a user equipment side, including: receiving, by each of N user equipment groups within an area, separate Preamble code subsets different from each other from a base station device, wherein N is equal to the number of Public Land Mobile Networks (PLMNs) within the area, and wherein the Preamble codes are divided by the base station device into N mutually orthogonal Preamble code subsets; and the user equipment in each user equipment group carries out random access by using the Preamble codes in the received Preamble code subset. In the method, the performing, by the user equipment in each user equipment group, random access by using the Preamble code in the received Preamble code subset may include: each user equipment in each user equipment group randomly selects one Preamble code from the received Preamble code subset and sends the Preamble code to the base station equipment, and then receives a random access response from the base station equipment. In the method, the PLMNs are associated with operators, and one operator may correspond to one or more PLMNs. In this method, the Preamble code may be used for contention-based random access. The Preamble code is an orthogonal sequence generated by cyclic shift of a ZC (ZADOFF-CHU) sequence. In the method, the region may include one or more of: cell, small cell, micro cell, femto cell.

Correspondingly, according to a second aspect of the present disclosure, the present disclosure provides an electronic device for a user equipment side, comprising: one or more processors; and one or more memories having executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform a corresponding method.

Correspondingly, according to a second aspect of the present disclosure, the present disclosure also provides a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform a respective method.

Other features of the present disclosure and advantages thereof will become more apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments thereof, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the disclosure and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.

The present disclosure may be more clearly understood from the following detailed description, taken with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2A and 2B illustrate a flowchart of a method for PLMN-based random access according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 3 illustrates a communication interaction diagram between electronic devices for PLMN-based random access in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 4 illustrates a schematic diagram of user equipment division into user equipment groups based on PLMNs, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5 illustrates a diagram of partitioning Preamble codes into a subset of Preamble codes based on a PLMN according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 6 illustrates an exemplary configuration of a computing device in which exemplary embodiments according to the present disclosure may be implemented.

It should be recognized that some of the reference numbers in this disclosure are represented in two stages, separated by "-" between the numbers of the two stages, with the numbers of the first stage representing a larger range of elements or steps, and the numbers of the second stage representing further sub-divided numbers in that range of elements or steps.

Detailed Description

Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that: the relative arrangement of the components and steps, the numerical expressions, and numerical values set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present disclosure unless specifically stated otherwise. In the following description, numerous details are set forth in order to better explain the present disclosure, however, it is understood that the present disclosure may be practiced without these details.

The following description of various exemplary embodiments is merely illustrative, and one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that other variations, modifications, and alternatives are possible. In this disclosure, the terms "first," "second," and the like are used merely to distinguish between elements or steps, and the like, and are not intended to indicate temporal order, priority, or importance.

Techniques, methods, and apparatus known to those of ordinary skill in the art may not be discussed in detail herein, but are intended to be considered a part of the specification where appropriate.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

In the wireless communication system 100 shown in fig. 1, the base station apparatus 101 is a co-established base station of a plurality of operators. The wireless communication system includes a plurality of user equipments 102, and the user equipments 102 can access different operator core networks (e.g., operator a core network 103 and operator B core network 104) through a base station apparatus 101. It should be understood that 5 user equipments (i.e., 102-1 to 102-5) and two operators (i.e., operator a and operator B) are shown in fig. 1 as an example, and the number of user equipments and operators is not limited thereto in practice.

A common land mobile network (PLMN) refers to a network established and operated by the government or its approved operator for the purpose of providing land mobile communication services to the public. PLMNs may generally be interconnected with the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to form a communications Network throughout a region. Typically, PLMNs are associated with operators, and one operator may correspond to one or more PLMNs.

As mentioned in the background section, the current technology of slicing the network based on the PLMN cannot guarantee that the access performance of other operators is still good in the case that the number of users of one operator is increased rapidly to cause network congestion. This is because the Preamble codes (also commonly referred to as "random access Preamble codes") currently used by different operators for random access are shared. The Preamble code is actual content transmitted by the user equipment in a physical random access channel, and can be obtained by generating an orthogonal sequence through cyclic shift of a ZC (ZADOFF-CHU) sequence. As an example, according to the current mobile communication standard, 64 Preamble codes (numbered 0-63) orthogonal to each other exist in one cell, wherein the Preamble codes numbered 0-61 are used for contention-based random access, and the Preamble codes numbered 62-63 are used for non-contention-based random access. The present disclosure is generally directed to Preamble codes for contention-based random access. Each user equipment 102 randomly selects one Preamble for access, and two or more user equipments may select the same Preamble code, resulting in collision, and thus cannot all successfully access the respective operator core networks.

In order to solve the above problem, the present disclosure provides a method for grouping user equipments based on PLMN and optimizing the subset division of Preamble codes, so that the user equipments corresponding to different operators use different subsets of Preamble codes to perform random access, thereby effectively avoiding access interference between the operators.

It should be understood that the term base station apparatus as referred to in this disclosure has its full breadth of ordinary meaning and includes at least a wireless communication station for facilitating communication as part of a wireless communication system or radio system. One or more antenna arrays may be included in the base station apparatus for transmitting and receiving beams and radio signals with the user equipment. The user devices referred to in this disclosure are also commonly referred to as terminal devices, including but not limited to smart phones, tablet personal computers, laptop computers, portable game terminals, and digital camcorders, among others.

It should be appreciated that the wireless communication system shown herein is merely one example. Those skilled in the art may add more components or delete some components as necessary, and may modify the function and configuration of some components.

Fig. 2A and 2B illustrate a flowchart of a method for PLMN-based random access according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Specifically, fig. 2A shows a flowchart 200A of a method for PLMN-based random access on the base station device side according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 2B shows a flowchart 200B of a method for PLMN-based random access on the user equipment side according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

At step S201A in fig. 2A, the base station apparatus divides the user equipments into N user equipment groups based on PLMNs within an area, where N is equal to the number of PLMNs within the area. At step S202A, the base station device divides the Preamble codes into N mutually orthogonal Preamble code subsets. Then, at step S203A, the base station device sends different individual Preamble code subsets to each of the N user equipment groups, where the user equipment in each user equipment group performs random access by using the Preamble code in the received Preamble code subset.

At step S201B of fig. 2B, each of N user equipment groups within an area receives from a base station device separate Preamble code subsets different from each other, where N is equal to the number of PLMNs within the area, and where the Preamble codes are divided into N mutually orthogonal Preamble code subsets by the base station device. Thereafter, at step S202B, the user equipments in each user equipment group perform random access by using the Preamble codes in the received Preamble code subset.

Fig. 3 illustrates a communication interaction diagram between electronic devices for PLMN-based random access in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 3 is intended to illustrate and explain the PLMN-based random access method flow shown in fig. 2A and 2B in more detail.

First, at 301, the base station apparatus determines the number N of PLMNs within the area. It should be understood that the regions described in this disclosure may include, but are not limited to, cells (cells), small cells (small cells), microcells (microcells), femtocells (femtocells), and the like. Each PLMN has a unique corresponding PLMN code, which is known to the base station equipment. By way of example, china telecommunications includes PLMN code 46011 and china unicom includes PLMN code 46001. After the base station determines that the area includes N PLMNs in total, at 302, the base station device divides all user devices in the area into N user device groups, and at 303, the base station device divides the Preamble codes into N mutually orthogonal Preamble code subsets.

At 304, the base station device sends a separate one of the Preamble code subsets to each of the N user equipment groups, where the Preamble code subsets sent to different user equipment groups are different. Correspondingly, after receiving the corresponding Preamble code subset, each user equipment in each user equipment group performs random access by using the received corresponding Preamble subset. Specifically, at 305, each user equipment in each user equipment group randomly selects one Preamble code from the received Preamble subset to transmit for random access. Thereafter, the base station apparatus transmits a Random Access Response (Random Access Response) to the user equipment at 306 to inform the user equipment whether to allow the user equipment to Access the network.

Because the user equipment of each PLMN can only select the Preamble codes in the corresponding Preamble code subset for random access, good resource and access isolation is realized among users of different operators, the fairness and the effectiveness of random access can be effectively improved, and the condition that the performance of all other operators is damaged due to the network blockage of one operator is avoided. Specific examples of user equipment group division and Preamble code subset division will be set forth in detail in the following description with respect to fig. 4 and 5.

Fig. 4 shows a schematic diagram 400 of user equipment partitioning into user equipment groups based on PLMNs, according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

In the present exemplary embodiment, N is selected to be 2, that is, A total of 2 PLMNs are included in the wireless communication system, denoted as PLMN-A and PLMN-B (corresponding to two operators, operator A and operator B, respectively). The base station device 401 is a shared base station commonly established by two operators, and is used for accessing the user equipment to the core network of the corresponding operator, namely to the core network a (402) of the operator a or the core network B (403) of the operator B. The base station apparatus 401 divides all user equipments within the areA into 2 user equipment groups based on PLMN, i.e. A PLMN-A user equipment group 404 (including user equipments 404-1, 404-2, …) and A PLMN-B user equipment group 405 (including user equipments 405-1, 405-2, …). The user equipment in the PLMN-A user equipment group 404 corresponds to operator A (such as when the user equipment is A smartphone, its SIM card is issued by operator A, and the PLMN code of PLMN-A can be displayed), and it is desired to randomly access the core network A through the base station apparatus 401 (402). Similarly, the user equipments in the PLMN-B user equipment group 405 belong to operator B and desire random access to the core network B through the base station apparatus 401 (403).

Fig. 5 shows a diagram 500 of partitioning Preamble codes into Preamble code subsets based on PLMNs, according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

In the present exemplary embodiment, N-2 is selected, i.e. a total of 2 PLMNs (corresponding to two operators) are included in the wireless communication system, and the user equipments have been divided into 2 user equipment groups according to the steps shown in fig. 4. As shown in fig. 5, the Preamble codes are divided into 2 mutually orthogonal Preamble code subsets by the base station device. As an example, for the Preamble codes with numbers of 0-61 used for contention random access in the Preamble codes, the 0-30 th Preamble codes are used as a first subset, i.e., a Preamble code subset a, and the 31-61 th Preamble codes are used as a second subset, i.e., a Preamble code subset B, where the Preamble code subset a and the Preamble code subset B are orthogonal to each other. As illustrated in fig. 4, the base station apparatus 401 divides the user equipments into 2 user equipment groups: a PLMN-A group of user equipment and A PLMN-B group of user equipment. In this exemplary embodiment, the base station device sends information of different Preamble code subsets to different user equipment groups. Specifically, each user equipment (such as 404-1, 404-2, …) in the PLMN-A user equipment group receives Preamble code subset A, and each user equipment (such as 405-1, 405-2, …) in the PLMN-B user equipment group receives Preamble code subset B. After that, the user equipment in the PLMN-A user equipment group can only select the Preamble code in the received Preamble code subset A for random access, while the user equipment in the PLMN-B user equipment group can only select the Preamble code in the received Preamble code subset B for random access. Each user equipment randomly sends one Preamble code in the corresponding Preamble subset to the base station equipment in the random access channel, and receives a random access response from the base station equipment to know whether the access is successful.

By utilizing the method and the equipment for random access based on the PLMN, when one operator has a burst state to cause resource overload or network blockage, the access performance of other operators can be prevented from being adversely affected, thereby ensuring the user experience of related operators. By grouping the user equipment based on the PLMN and performing subset division on the Preamble codes, a plurality of user equipment groups corresponding to a plurality of operators use the corresponding Preamble code subsets which are orthogonal to each other, the occurrence of collision and mutual interference of the Preamble codes between the user equipment of different operators can be effectively avoided, and thus, the effective isolation and utilization of resources are realized. In addition, the method provided by the present disclosure does not need to rigidly divide the wireless random channel into a plurality of independent channels, and thus unnecessary waste of wireless channel resources can also be reduced.

Fig. 6 illustrates an exemplary configuration of a computing device 600 in which exemplary embodiments according to the present disclosure may be implemented. Computing device 600 is an example of a hardware device to which the above-described aspects of the disclosure may be applied. Computing device 600 may be any machine configured to perform processing and/or computing. Computing device 600 may be, but is not limited to, a workstation, a server, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a Personal Data Assistant (PDA), a smart phone, an in-vehicle computer, or a combination thereof.

As shown in fig. 6, computing device 600 may include one or more elements connected to or in communication with bus 602, possibly via one or more interfaces. Bus 602 can include, but is not limited to, an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, a Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, an enhanced ISA (eisa) bus, a Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, and a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, among others. Computing device 600 may include, for example, one or more processors 604, one or more input devices 606, and one or more output devices 608. The one or more processors 604 may be any kind of processor and may include, but are not limited to, one or more general purpose processors or special purpose processors (such as special purpose processing chips). Input device 606 may be any type of input device capable of inputting information to a computing device and may include, but is not limited to, a mouse, a keyboard, a touch screen, a microphone, and/or a remote controller. Output device 608 may be any type of device capable of presenting information and may include, but is not limited to, a display, speakers, a video/audio output terminal, a vibrator, and/or a printer.

Computing device 600 may also include or be connected to a non-transitory storage device 614, which non-transitory storage device 614 may be any non-transitory and may implement a storage of data, and may include, but is not limited to, a disk drive, an optical storage device, a solid state memory, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape, or any other magnetic medium, a compact disk, or any other optical medium, a cache memory, and/or any other memory chip or module, and/or any other medium from which a computer may read data, instructions, and/or code. Computing device 600 may also include Random Access Memory (RAM)610 and Read Only Memory (ROM) 612. The ROM 612 may store programs, utilities or processes to be executed in a nonvolatile manner. The RAM 610 may provide volatile data storage and stores instructions related to the operation of the computing device 600. Computing device 600 may also include a network/bus interface 616 that couples to a data link 618. The network/bus interface 616 may be any kind of device or system capable of enabling communication with external apparatuses and/or networks and may include, but is not limited to, a modem, a network card, an infrared communication device, a wireless communication device, and/or a chipset (such as a bluetooth (TM) device, an 1302.11 device, a WiFi device, a WiMax device, a cellular communication facility, etc.).

Various aspects, embodiments, implementations or features of the foregoing embodiments may be used alone or in any combination. Various aspects of the foregoing embodiments may be implemented by software, hardware, or a combination of hardware and software.

For example, the foregoing embodiments may be embodied as computer readable code on a computer readable medium. The computer readable medium is any data storage device that can store data which can thereafter be read by a computer system. Examples of a computer readable medium include read-only memory, random-access memory, CD-ROMs, DVDs, magnetic tape, hard drives, solid state drives, and optical data storage devices. The computer readable medium can also be distributed over network coupled computer systems so that the computer readable code is stored and executed in a distributed fashion.

For example, the foregoing embodiments may take the form of hardware circuitry. Hardware circuitry may include any combination of combinational logic circuitry, clocked storage devices (such as floppy disks, flip-flops, latches, etc.), finite state machines, memories such as static random access memories or embedded dynamic random access memories, custom designed circuits, programmable logic arrays, etc.

While some specific embodiments of the present disclosure have been shown in detail by way of example, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing examples are intended to be illustrative only and are not limiting upon the scope of the present disclosure. It should be appreciated that some of the steps of the foregoing methods need not be performed in the order illustrated, but rather they may be performed simultaneously, in a different order, or in an overlapping manner. In addition, one skilled in the art may add some steps or omit some steps as desired. Some of the components in the foregoing systems need not be arranged as shown, and those skilled in the art may add or omit some components as desired. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the above-described embodiments may be modified without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A communication method for a base station apparatus side, comprising:

dividing user equipment into N user equipment groups within an area based on a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), wherein the PLMN is associated with an operator and N is equal to a number of PLMNs within the area, and wherein users of the N user equipment groups share a base station device;

dividing a random access Preamble code (Preamble code) into N mutually orthogonal Preamble code subsets; and

sending different independent Preamble code subsets to each user equipment group in the N user equipment groups, wherein the user equipment in each user equipment group utilizes the Preamble codes in the received Preamble code subsets to carry out random access,

wherein the region comprises one or more of: cell, small cell, micro cell, femto cell.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of performing random access by the ue in each ue group using the Preamble codes in the received Preamble code subset comprises:

each user equipment in each user equipment group randomly selects one Preamble code from the received Preamble code subset and sends the Preamble code to the base station equipment, and then receives a random access response from the base station equipment.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the PLMN being associated with an operator comprises one operator corresponding to one or more PLMNs.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the Preamble code is used for contention-based random access.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the Preamble code is an orthogonal sequence generated by a ZC (ZADOFF-CHU) sequence cyclic shift.

6. A communication method for a user equipment side, comprising:

receiving, by each of N user equipment groups within an area, a different individual subset of random access Preamble codes (Preamble codes) from a base station device, wherein: n is equal to the number of public land mobile networks, PLMNs, associated with an operator, and users of said N user equipment groups share a base station equipment, and wherein the Preamble codes are divided by the base station equipment into N mutually orthogonal Preamble code subsets; and

the user equipments in each user equipment group perform random access by using the Preamble codes in the received Preamble code subset,

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of performing random access by the user equipment in each user equipment group by using the Preamble codes in the received Preamble code subset comprises:

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the PLMN being associated with an operator comprises one operator corresponding to one or more PLMNs.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the Preamble code is used for contention-based random access.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the Preamble code is an orthogonal sequence generated by a ZC (ZADOFF-CHU) sequence cyclic shift.

11. An electronic device for a base station device side, comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more memories having stored thereon executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the method of any of claims 1-5.

12. An electronic device for a user equipment side, comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more memories having executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the method of any of claims 6-10.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the method of any one of claims 1-5.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the method of any one of claims 6-10.