CN111866928A

CN111866928A - Method and device for configuring neighbor cell information

Info

Publication number: CN111866928A
Application number: CN201910365349.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 刘琼; 晋英豪; 谭巍
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-04-30
Filing date: 2019-04-30
Publication date: 2020-10-30

Abstract

The embodiment of the application provides a method for configuring neighbor cell information, which comprises the following steps: receiving neighbor cell information sent by a controller by a first Radio Access Network (RAN) device, wherein the neighbor cell information is associated with time; the first RAN device stores the neighbor cell information. The method realizes the configuration of the time-associated neighbor cell information for the RAN equipment, so that the RAN equipment can maintain and manage accurate neighbor cell information.

Description

Method and device for configuring neighbor cell information

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of wireless communications, and in particular, to a method and an apparatus for configuring neighbor cell information.

Background

With the rapid development of wireless communication technology, the fifth Generation (5th Generation,5G) wireless communication technology has been a hot spot in the industry. The 5G will support diverse application requirements including access capability supporting higher rate experience and larger bandwidth, lower latency and highly reliable information interaction, and access and management of larger-scale and low-cost machine type communication devices, etc. In addition, 5G can support various vertical industry application scenes such as car networking, emergency communication, industrial internet and the like, so that the vision of all things interconnection is realized.

In order to realize the interconnection of everything, 5G needs to provide seamless stereoscopic coverage in the air and on the ground. Conventional public land mobile networks generally only guarantee seamless coverage in areas with high population density due to operating costs and cellular technology considerations. However, 5G networks not only provide person-to-person communication, but also provide object-to-object connectivity, and therefore seamless coverage must be provided even in sparsely populated areas. In order to compensate for the problem of coverage holes of ground base stations, non-terrestrial networks (NTN) are introduced, wherein a base station or a part of functions of a base station are deployed on an idle platform or a satellite so as to provide seamless coverage for a terminal device.

In a mobile network, a base station needs to maintain and manage information of neighboring cells, so that service quality of terminal equipment is guaranteed when the terminal equipment is switched between different cells. In a conventional public land mobile network, the physical location of each base station is fixed, and the neighbor relation between the base stations is also fixed. These airborne radio access network devices may move around the earth moving on different orbits when the base station or portions of the base station functionality are deployed on an empty platform or satellite. Therefore, the relative positions between the air radio access network devices located on different tracks and between the air radio access network devices and the ground base station may change, which causes the neighboring area relationship of each radio access network device in mobile communication to change continuously. How to maintain and manage information of adjacent cells and ensure the switching performance of terminal equipment is a problem to be solved urgently at present.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the application provides a method for configuring neighbor cell information, which is used for solving the problem of insufficient support for maintaining and managing dynamic neighbor cell information in the prior art.

The present application is described below in a number of aspects, it being readily understood that implementations of the following aspects may be referred to one another.

In a first aspect, the present application provides a method for configuring neighboring cell information, including: receiving neighbor cell information sent by a controller by a first Radio Access Network (RAN) device, wherein the neighbor cell information is associated with time; the first RAN device stores the neighbor cell information.

Therefore, the method provided by the embodiment of the application realizes the configuration of the time-associated neighbor cell information for the RAN equipment, so that the RAN equipment can maintain and manage the accurate neighbor cell information.

In one possible implementation, the neighbor information is changed at different time periods.

In one possible implementation, the method further includes: and the first RAN equipment sends measurement configuration to the terminal equipment, wherein the measurement configuration comprises part or all of the neighbor cell information.

In one possible implementation, the measurement configuration is carried on a radio resource management, RRC, reconfiguration message.

Therefore, the terminal equipment can obtain accurate neighbor cell information to carry out neighbor cell measurement, and the switching performance of the terminal equipment is facilitated.

In one possible implementation, the method further includes: and the first RAN equipment sends a broadcast message to terminal equipment, wherein the broadcast message comprises part or all of the neighbor cell information.

In one possible implementation, the broadcast message is carried on a system information block SIB.

Therefore, the terminal equipment can obtain accurate neighbor cell information to perform cell measurement, and the terminal can select a proper cell.

In one possible implementation, the method further includes: the first RAN equipment sends a first message to second RAN equipment, and the first message contains part or all of the neighbor cell information.

In one possible implementation, the first message is any one of the following messages: an Xn setup request message, an Xn setup response message, an NG-RAN node configuration update message, and an NG-RAN node configuration update response message.

Therefore, the RAN equipment can obtain mutual accurate adjacent cell information, and effective adjacent cell information management and maintenance are achieved.

In a possible implementation manner, the measurement configuration further includes priority information of each cell in the part or all of the neighboring cell information; or the broadcast message also contains the priority information of each cell in the part or all of the neighbor cell information; or the first message also contains the priority information of each cell in the part or all of the neighbor cell information.

In one possible implementation, at least one of the first RAN equipment and the second RAN equipment is a central unit CU or a central unit control plane CU-CP.

In a possible implementation, the first RAN device sends a measurement configuration or a broadcast message to the terminal device via the central unit DU.

In one possible implementation, the controller is an operations, administration and maintenance, OAM, system.

In a second aspect, the present application provides a method for configuring neighboring cell information, including: receiving partial or all neighbor cell information sent by RAN equipment by terminal equipment, wherein the neighbor cell information is associated with time; and the terminal equipment measures the adjacent cell according to the part or all of the adjacent cell information.

Therefore, the method provided by the embodiment of the application realizes that the terminal equipment obtains accurate neighbor cell information so as to realize effective neighbor cell measurement.

In a possible implementation manner, the associating the neighboring cell information with time includes: the neighbor information is changed at different time periods.

In a possible implementation manner, the receiving, by the terminal device, part or all of the neighboring cell information sent by the RAN device includes: and the terminal equipment receives measurement configuration sent by the RAN equipment, wherein the measurement configuration comprises part or all of the neighbor cell information.

In a possible implementation manner, the receiving, by the terminal device, part or all of the neighboring cell information sent by the RAN device includes: and the terminal equipment receives a broadcast message sent by the RAN equipment, wherein the broadcast message comprises part or all of the neighbor cell information.

In a possible implementation manner, the receiving, by the terminal device, part or all of the neighboring cell information sent by the RAN device further includes: and the terminal equipment receives the priority information of each cell in the part or all of the neighbor cell information sent by the RAN equipment.

In one possible implementation, the method further includes: the terminal equipment measures the adjacent cells according to the configuration information; and the terminal equipment reports the measurement result to the RAN equipment.

In one possible implementation, the method further includes: the terminal device measures the adjacent cells according to the broadcast message; and the terminal equipment performs cell reselection according to the measurement result.

In a possible implementation, the RAN device is a central unit CU or a central unit control plane CU-CP, and the terminal device receives the measurement configuration or the broadcast message sent by the RAN device via a distribution unit DU.

In a third aspect, the present application provides a method for configuring neighboring cell information, including: the controller generates neighbor cell information, and the neighbor cell information is associated with time; the controller sends the neighbor cell information to the RAN device.

In a possible implementation manner, the sending, by the controller, the neighboring cell information to the RAN device includes: the controller transfers the time-dependent neighbor cell information to the RAN apparatus by changing a newly added ioc (information Object class) timeshangenrcellrelationship. The time-dependent neighbor information is delivered to the RAN equipment, for example, by sending a time-varying NR neighbor relation Configuration (timechangenrcellconfiguration) message.

In one possible implementation, the RAN device is a central unit CU or a central unit control plane CU-CP.

In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a method for configuring neighboring cell information, including: RAN equipment sends measurement configuration to terminal equipment, wherein the measurement configuration comprises part or all of the neighbor cell information, and the neighbor cell information is associated with time; the RAN device receives the measurement report sent by the terminal device.

In a possible implementation manner, the measurement configuration further includes priority information of each cell in the part or all of the neighboring cell information.

In one possible implementation, the RAN device is a central unit CU or a central unit control plane CU-CP; the RAN equipment sends the measurement configuration to the terminal equipment via the concentration unit DU.

In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a method for configuring neighboring cell information, including: the method comprises the steps that terminal equipment receives measurement configuration sent by RAN equipment, wherein the measurement configuration comprises part or all of neighbor cell information, and the neighbor cell information is associated with time; the terminal device measures the adjacent cell according to the partial or all adjacent cell information; and the terminal device sending a measurement report to the RAN device.

In one possible implementation, the RAN device is a central unit CU or a central unit control plane CU-CP; the terminal device receives the measurement configuration sent by the RAN device through the central unit DU.

In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a method for configuring neighboring cell information, including: and the RAN equipment sends a broadcast message to the terminal equipment, wherein the broadcast message comprises part or all of the neighbor cell information, and the neighbor cell information is associated with time.

In a possible implementation manner, the broadcast message further includes priority information of each cell in the part or all of the neighboring cell information.

In one possible implementation, the RAN device is a central unit CU or a central unit control plane CU-CP; the RAN device sends a broadcast message to the terminal device via the concentration unit DU.

In a seventh aspect, the present application provides a method for configuring neighboring cell information, including: the method comprises the steps that terminal equipment receives a broadcast message sent by RAN equipment, wherein the broadcast message comprises part or all of neighbor cell information, and the neighbor cell information is associated with time; and the terminal equipment measures and reselects the adjacent cell according to the part or all of the adjacent cell information.

In one possible implementation, the RAN device is a central unit CU or a central unit control plane CU-CP; the terminal device receives the broadcast message sent by the RAN device through the central unit DU.

In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a method for configuring neighboring cell information, including: the first RAN equipment sends a first message to the second RAN equipment, wherein the first message comprises part or all of the neighbor cell information, and the neighbor cell information is associated with time.

Therefore, the RAN equipment can obtain accurate neighbor cell information of the neighbor RAN equipment, and effective neighbor cell information management and maintenance are achieved.

In one possible implementation, the first message is any one of the following messages: xn setup request message, Xn setup response message, NG-RAN node configuration update message, and NG-RAN node configuration update response message

In a possible implementation manner, the first message further includes priority information of each cell in the part or all of the neighboring cell information.

In one possible implementation, the first RAN equipment is a central unit CU or a central unit control plane CU-CP.

In one possible implementation, the second RAN device is a central unit CU or a central unit control plane CU-CP.

A ninth aspect provides an access network RAN apparatus for performing the method of the first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect, or any possible implementation manner of the fourth aspect or the fourth aspect, or any possible implementation manner of the sixth aspect or the sixth aspect, or any possible implementation manner of the eighth aspect, and in particular, the RAN apparatus may include means for performing the method of the first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect, or any possible implementation manner of the fourth aspect or the fourth aspect, or any possible implementation manner of the sixth aspect or the sixth aspect, or any possible implementation manner of the eighth aspect.

A tenth aspect provides a terminal device, configured to perform any possible implementation manner of the second aspect or the second aspect, or any possible implementation manner of the fifth aspect or the fifth aspect, or any possible implementation manner of the seventh aspect or the seventh aspect, and in particular, the terminal device may include a unit configured to perform the method of any possible implementation manner of the second aspect or the second aspect, or any possible implementation manner of the fifth aspect or the fifth aspect, or any possible implementation manner of the seventh aspect or the seventh aspect.

In an eleventh aspect, a controller is provided for performing the method of the third aspect or any possible implementation manner of the third aspect, and in particular, the controller may include a unit for performing the method of the third aspect or any possible implementation manner of the third aspect.

In a twelfth aspect, there is provided a computer program product comprising: computer program code which, when run by a communication unit, a processing unit or a transceiver, a processor of a communication device (e.g. an access network device or a terminal device), causes the communication device to perform the method of the first to eighth aspect or any of the possible implementations of the first to eighth aspects.

In a thirteenth aspect, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute the method of the first to eighth aspects or any one of the possible implementations of the first to eighth aspects.

These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiment(s) described hereinafter.

Drawings

The drawings that accompany the detailed description can be briefly described as follows:

fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a mobile communication system architecture involving a satellite node according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of an architecture of a gNB divided into a CU and a DU according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 3 is a scenario of a 5G access network including both a satellite node of a non-terrestrial network and a base station of a public land mobile network according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for configuring a neighboring cell according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 5 is a schematic flowchart of another method for configuring a neighboring cell according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method for configuring a neighboring cell according to another embodiment of the present application;

fig. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method for configuring a neighboring cell according to another embodiment of the present application;

Fig. 8 is a schematic block diagram of a first network device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 9 is another schematic block diagram of a first network device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 10 is a schematic block diagram of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 11 is another schematic block diagram of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 12 is a schematic block diagram of a second network device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 13 is another schematic block diagram of a second network device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

The embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In this application, the word "exemplary" is used to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration. Any embodiment described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. The following description is presented to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention. In the following description, details are set forth for the purpose of explanation. It will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and processes are not shown in detail to avoid obscuring the description of the invention with unnecessary detail. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein.

The terms "first," "second," "third," "fourth," and the like in the description and in the claims of the present application and in the drawings described above, if any, are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a particular sequential or chronological order. It is to be understood that the data so used is interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such that the embodiments of the application described herein are capable of operation in sequences other than those illustrated or described herein. Furthermore, the terms "comprises," "comprising," and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, system, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of steps or elements is not necessarily limited to those steps or elements expressly listed, but may include other steps or elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.

The terms "system" and "network" are often used interchangeably herein.

The technical solution of the present invention will be described in detail below with specific examples. The following several specific embodiments may be combined with each other, and details of the same or similar concepts or processes may not be repeated in some embodiments.

The technical scheme of the embodiment of the application can be applied to various wireless communication systems related to no-load platforms or satellites, for example: a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system combined with a non-terrestrial network, a fifth generation (5G) mobile communication system combined with a non-terrestrial network, a New Radio (NR) communication system combined with a non-terrestrial network, a Next Generation (NG) communication system combined with a non-terrestrial network, a hybrid networking system between the above systems, a future mobile communication system, and the like.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a mobile communication system architecture involving satellite nodes. As shown in fig. 1(a), the communication system includes a terminal device, a satellite node, and a ground receiving station (referred to as "ground station" for short). The terminal device and the satellite node communicate with each other through a wireless service link (service link), the satellite node and the ground station communicate with each other through a wireless feedback link (feeder link), and the ground station is connected with a core network (data network) in a wired manner, so that data is processed through the core network, for example, data interaction with other terminal devices is performed. It should be understood that the service link and the feeder link herein refer to a link between the terminal device and the satellite node and a link between the satellite node and the ground station, respectively, and in other possible embodiments, the link between the terminal device and the satellite node and/or the link between the satellite node and the ground station may also be expressed by other terms, which is not specifically limited in this application.

A terminal device is a device with communication functionality, which may include a handheld device with wireless communication functionality, a vehicle mounted device, a wearable device, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, etc. The terminal devices in different networks may be called different names, for example: user Equipment (UE), access terminal, subscriber unit, subscriber station, mobile station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, wireless communication device, user agent, or user device. The terminal device may be a Station (ST) in a WLAN, and may be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a SIP phone, a Wireless Local Loop (WLL) station, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) device, a handheld device with wireless communication capability, a relay device, a computing device or other processing device coupled to a wireless modem, an in-vehicle device, a wearable device, and a next generation communication system, such as a terminal device in a 5G network or a terminal device in a future-evolution Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) network, and so on. By way of example and not limitation, in the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device may also be a wearable device. Wearable equipment can also be called wearable intelligent equipment, is the general term of applying wearable technique to carry out intelligent design, develop the equipment that can dress to daily wearing, like glasses, gloves, wrist-watch, dress and shoes etc.. A wearable device is a portable device that is worn directly on the body or integrated into the clothing or accessories of the user. The wearable device is not only a hardware device, but also realizes powerful functions through software support, data interaction and cloud interaction. The generalized wearable smart device includes full functionality, large size, and can implement full or partial functionality without relying on a smart phone, such as: smart watches or smart glasses and the like, and only focus on a certain type of application functions, and need to be used in cooperation with other devices such as smart phones, such as various smart bracelets for physical sign monitoring, smart jewelry and the like. A terminal device may communicate with one or more core network devices via a Radio Access Network (RAN).

Satellite nodes can be classified as Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites, Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) satellites, Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) satellites, and so on. As the satellite nodes move, the coverage of the low and medium earth orbit satellites, etc., is in motion relative to the surface of the earth, and the coverage of the geostationary satellite is stationary relative to the surface of the earth. The satellite node may be a radio access network device having a complete base station function, or may be a radio access network device having a partial base station function, such as a Distributed Unit (DU), which is not listed here. The satellite nodes communicate using 3GPP protocol specifications. It should be understood that a satellite node herein refers to a radio access network device on an off-board platform or satellite, and may have a fixed or dynamic moving orbit. The satellite nodes are only exemplary names, and may also be referred to by other names, which are not specifically limited in the present application.

The RAN device may be a next generation base station, such as a next-generation Node B (gNB) or a next-generation evolved Node B (ng-eNB), an Access Point (AP) in a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), an evolved Node B (eNB) or eNodeB in LTE, a relay station or an access point, or a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, and a Transmission and Reception Point (TRP). It should be understood that the terminal device communicates with the RAN device through transmission resources (e.g., frequency domain resources, time domain resources, code domain resources, etc.) used by one or more cells managed by the RAN device, where the cells may belong to a macro cell (macro cell), a super cell (super cell), or a small cell (small cell), where the small cell may include: urban cell (metro cell), micro cell (microcell), pico cell (pico cell), femto cell (femto cell), etc., and these small cells have the characteristics of small coverage and low transmission power, and are suitable for providing high-rate data transmission service. Generally, an air interface user plane protocol stack of a RAN device at least includes a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, a Media Access Control (MAC) layer, and a Physical (PHY) layer; in the NR system, an air interface user plane protocol stack of the RAN device further includes a Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer, where the SDAP layer is an upper layer of the PDCP layer. An air interface control plane protocol stack of a RAN device includes a Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer, a PDCP layer, an RLC layer, a MAC layer, and a PHY layer. It can be seen that the PDCP layer, the RLC layer, the MAC layer, and the PHY layer have both control plane and user plane functions. Accordingly, a terminal device also has an air interface user plane and control plane protocol stack corresponding to the RAN device.

Optionally, in the 5G system, one RAN device (e.g. the gNB) is further divided into CUs and DUs according to the protocol stack, where CUs and DUs may be deployed on different physical devices, respectively. The CU is responsible for the operation of the RRC layer, the SDAP layer, and the PDCP layer, and the DU is responsible for the operation of the RLC layer, the MAC layer, and the PHY layer. Fig. 2(a) shows an architecture of a gbb divided into CUs and DUs. A gNB may include a CU and one or more DUs controlled by the CU. One DU is connected to the CU via a control plane interface (e.g., F1-C) for transmitting control plane data; a DU is connected to the CU via a user plane interface (e.g., F1-U) for transmitting user plane data. Further, the CUs may be further divided into a centralized unit of the control plane (i.e. a centralized unit control plane CU-CP network element) and a centralized unit of the user plane (i.e. a centralized unit user plane CU-UP network element), wherein the CU-CP and the CU-UP may also be deployed on different physical devices, respectively, the CU-CP is responsible for handling of the control plane of the RRC layer and the PDCP layer, and the CU-UP is responsible for handling of the user plane of the SDAP layer and the PDCP layer. FIG. 2(b) shows an architecture of a gNB divided into CU-CP, CU-UP and DU. Wherein, a gNB may comprise a CU-CP, one or more CU-UP and one or more DU. One CP-UP is connected with only one CU-CP through a control plane interface (e.g., E1) for transmitting control plane data; one DU is connected to only one CU-CP through a control plane interface (e.g., F1-C) for transmitting control plane data; under the control of the CU-CP, a DU may be connected with one or more CU-UP, and a CU-UP may also be connected with one or more DU, and the CU-UP and DU are connected through a user plane interface (such as F1-U) for transmitting user plane data. It is worth mentioning that one DU or one CU-UP may also be connected to multiple CUs-CPs in order to keep the network resilient. At this time, the plurality of CU-CPs act as backups to each other; in practical applications, only one CU-CP is in operation at a time. It should be understood that, for the RAN device architecture divided into CUs and DUs, the protocol stack division manner according to which the RAN device divides the CUs and DUs is only exemplary, and the RAN device may also divide the CUs and DUs according to other division manners, for example, the CU may be responsible for the operations of the RRC layer, the SDAP layer, the PDCP layer, and the RLC layer, and the DU may be responsible for the operations of the MAC layer and the PHY layer; or the CU is responsible for the operations of the RRC layer and the SDAP layer, and the DU is responsible for the operations of the PDCP layer, the RLC layer, the MAC layer, and the PHY layer; similarly, the protocol stack partitioning between CU-CP and CU-UP in a CU is also variable; the application is not specifically limited thereto.

The ground receiving station may be a gateway, or may be a donor (donor) node with a base station function, such as a radio access network device with a complete base station function, for example, a gNB. The ground receiving station may also be a device with partial base station functions, such as a Central Unit (CU), which is not listed here.

Further, the types of satellite nodes can be divided into three types, the first type of satellite node only has a forwarding function, and for the satellite node, a received terminal device signal is amplified and then sent to a ground receiving station without any processing on the satellite node, as shown in fig. 1 (b); the terminal device and the satellite node may communicate with each other through an NR-Uu interface, the satellite node and the ground receiving station (for example, may include an NTN Radio Remote Unit (RRU) and a gNB) may communicate with each other through the NR-Uu interface, the ground receiving station and the 5G core network (5G CN) may communicate with each other through an N1/2/3 interface, and the 5G CN and the data network may communicate with each other through an N6 interface. The second satellite node has a complete base station processing function, the satellite node is a base station for the terminal equipment on the ground, and the communication between the satellite node and the terminal equipment is basically consistent with the normal 5G communication, as shown in fig. 1 (c); the terminal device and the satellite node may communicate with each other through an NR-Uu interface, the satellite node and the ground receiving station may communicate with each other through a Satellite Radio Interface (SRI), the SRI interface may be configured to send interface messages (e.g., N2/N3 interface messages) between the satellite node and the 5G CN, the ground receiving station and the 5G CN may communicate with each other through an N1/2/3 interface, and the 5G CN and the data network may communicate with each other through an N6 interface. The third satellite node has the function of processing DU, the satellite node is a DU for the terminal device on the ground, and the communication between the satellite node and the terminal device is basically the same as the communication between the terminal device and the DU in the normal 5G terrestrial communication system, as shown in fig. 1 (d); the terminal equipment and the satellite node can communicate through an NR-Uu interface, the satellite node and a ground receiving station (such as a gNB-CU can be included) can communicate through an SRI interface, the SRI interface can transmit F1 interface messages between the satellite and the ground receiving station, the ground receiving station and the 5G CN can communicate through an N1/2/3 interface, and the 5G CN and the data network can communicate through an N6 interface.

One base station controls one or more cells, and cells between neighboring base stations are often referred to as neighbor cells. A cell needs to maintain and manage information of its neighboring cells, that is, a cell needs to maintain and manage cell identifiers of its neighboring cells, so that terminal equipment served by the cell can acquire information of the neighboring cells, which is helpful for cell selection when the terminal equipment performs handover, and improves handover performance. It is to be understood that the cell identifier may be a Physical Cell Identifier (PCI), a global cell identifier (CGI), or another identifier for indicating the cell, which is not specifically limited in this application.

Compared with the traditional public land mobile network, the non-land network corresponding to the satellite node has complex adjacent area relation change among the base stations. Fig. 3 shows a 5G access network scenario that includes both a satellite node of a non-terrestrial network and a base station of a public land mobile network. Illustratively, the access network includes satellite nodes #1 to #3 of the non-terrestrial network and terrestrial base stations #1 to #4 of the public land mobile network. Wherein satellite node #1 and satellite node #2 operate on LEO orbit #1, providing coverage for region a and region B, respectively; satellite node #3 operates on LEO orbit #2, providing coverage for area C. The physical locations of terrestrial base station #1 to terrestrial base station #4 are relatively fixed, and therefore the neighbor relation between the terrestrial base stations remains unchanged. In general, when a new ground base station is added or an original ground base station fails, the neighboring relationship between the ground base stations changes. The satellite node #1 and the satellite node #2 are relatively fixed in physical position due to the fact that the two nodes run on the same orbit, but the relative physical positions of the two nodes and the ground base station are changed; since the satellite node #3 operates in another orbit, the physical positions of the satellite node #1 and the satellite node #2 are dynamically changed, and the physical position of the ground base station is also dynamically changed. Therefore, in the process that each satellite node moves along the orbit of the satellite node, the neighbor cell relations between different satellite nodes and between the satellite nodes and the ground base station may change, and the neighbor cell list maintained and managed by each satellite node changes. Illustratively, when satellite node #3 is moving to the left of satellite node #1, it maintains a neighbor list containing the identity of the cell of satellite node #1, the identity of the cell of base station #1, and the identity of the cell of base station # 2; when satellite node #3 is moving to the right of satellite node #2, it maintains a neighbor list that contains the identity of the cell of satellite node #2, the identity of the cell of base station #3, and the identity of the cell of base station # 4. Similarly, as the satellite nodes move, the neighbor lists maintained by the ground base stations also change. Illustratively, when satellite node #3 is moving to the left of satellite node #1, base station #1 maintains a neighbor list that contains the identity of the cell of satellite node #1, the identity of the cell of satellite node #3, and the identity of the cell of base station # 2; when satellite node #3 is moving to the right of satellite node #2, the neighbor list maintained by base station #1 contains the identity of the cell of satellite node #1 and the identity of the cell of base station # 2. Therefore, how to configure the neighbor cell information in the mobile communication system including the satellite node, including how to acquire and maintain the neighbor cell information between the satellite node and the base station and how to acquire and measure the neighbor cell by the terminal device, is a key problem for ensuring the normal operation of the mobile communication system.

Based on this, embodiments of the present application provide a method and an apparatus for configuring a neighboring cell, and a computer storage medium, so as to solve the problem in the prior art that support for maintaining and managing dynamic neighboring cell information is insufficient. The method and the device are based on the same inventive concept, and because the principles of solving the problems of the method and the device are similar, the implementation of the device and the method can be mutually referred, and repeated parts are not repeated.

The following embodiments are specifically provided, and the technical solution of the present application is described in detail with reference to fig. 4 to 7. The following several specific embodiments may be combined with each other, and details of the same or similar concepts or processes may not be repeated in some embodiments. It should be understood that fig. 4 to 7 are schematic flow charts of the communication method of the embodiment of the present application, showing detailed communication steps or operations of the method, but these steps or operations are merely examples, and the embodiment of the present application may also perform other operations or variations of the various operations in fig. 4 to 7. Furthermore, the various steps in fig. 4-7 may be performed in a different order than presented in fig. 4-7, respectively, and it is possible that not all of the operations in fig. 4-7 are performed.

Fig. 4 shows a flowchart of a method for configuring a neighboring cell according to an embodiment of the present application. The method 400 may be applied to a scenario in which a controller configures time-associated neighbor information for a satellite node or a base station as shown in fig. 3. The process illustrated in FIG. 4 includes the following steps:

401. the controller generates neighbor information.

In this step, for a RAN device, the controller generates neighbor information for the RAN device, the neighbor information being time-associated. The neighboring cell information is used to indicate information of a neighboring cell of the RAN device, which is associated with time, such as a cell identifier of the neighboring cell. The information associated with the time indicates that the neighborhood of the RAN equipment is time varying. In other words, the information of the neighboring cell of the RAN device has a time correspondence. For example, a particular neighborhood of the RAN equipment exists for a particular time period, or periodically for some particular time period; the RAN device may have different neighboring cells and the like in different time periods.

Specifically, the controller generates neighbor information between the satellite nodes according to the ephemeris of the satellite nodes, and further, may generate neighbor information of the satellite nodes and the ground base station according to the network planning and optimization result of the ground base station. Illustratively, table 1 gives the ephemeris of one satellite node.

TABLE 1 ephemeris

For a satellite node, the first column in table 1 corresponds to the operating time of the satellite node, the second to fourth columns represent three-dimensional physical coordinates of the satellite node, and the fifth to seventh columns represent the offset speed of the satellite node in the directions of the x axis, the y axis and the z axis, respectively. The controller can determine the operation track of the satellite node according to the table 1, and estimate the coverage area of the satellite node according to the height of the orbit of the satellite node. Therefore, the controller can determine the adjacent cell relation between different satellite nodes and the adjacent cell relation between each satellite node and the ground base station according to the respective ephemeris of the plurality of satellite nodes. It should be understood that the neighborhood relationships between satellite nodes and ground base stations are time-varying, i.e., time-dependent.

Based on the ephemeris of each satellite node and the results of the network planning or optimization of the ground base stations, the controller generates time-dependent neighborhood information for a RAN device for the RAN device. The RAN equipment may be any one of the satellite nodes or any one of the terrestrial base stations. Table 2, table 3, table 4, and table 5 show different forms of time-associated neighbor information lists, respectively.

Table 2 time-varying neighbor information list form 1

Time (day, hour, minute, second)	Cell ID	Neighboring Cell ID	Cell frequency point
				2018/10/26 2:00	1	111	F1
2018/10/26 2:00	1	211	F1
				2018/10/26 2:00	1	113	F1
2018/10/26 2:00	2	221	F1
				2018/10/26 2:05	1	211	F1
2018/10/26 2:05	2	221	F1
				2018/10/26 2:10	1	211	F1
2018/10/26 2:10	2	221	F1
				…

Table 3 time-varying neighbor information list form 2

Time (day, hour, minute, second)	Cell ID	Neighboring Cell ID	Cell frequency point
				2018/10/26 2:00	1	111,211	F1
2018/10/26 2:00	2	121,221	F1
				2018/10/26 2:05	1	211,311	F1
2018/10/26 2:05	2	221,321	F1
				2018/10/26 2:10	1	211,311,411	F1
2018/10/26 2:10	2	221,321,421	F1
				2018/10/26 2:15	1	211,311,411	F1
2018/10/26 2:15	2	221,321,421	F1
				…

Table 4 time-varying neighbor information list form 3

Table 5 time-varying neighbor information list form 4

As shown in table 2, at time 2018/10/262: 00, Cell ID #111 is its neighbor Cell for Cell ID #1 of one RAN device, and the neighbor Cell frequency point is F1; similarly, at time 2018/10/262: 00, Cell ID #211 of the RAN device is also its neighboring Cell, and the neighboring Cell frequency point is also F1; similarly, at time 2018/10/262: 00, Cell ID #113 of the RAN device is also its neighbor Cell, and the neighbor Cell frequency point is also F1.

As shown in table 3, at time 2018/10/262: 00, Cell ID #111 and Cell ID #211 are neighbors of Cell ID #1 on one RAN device, and the neighbor frequency points are F1; at time 2018/10/262: 00, Cell ID #121 and Cell ID #221 of the Cell ID #2 of the RAN device are neighbors of the RAN device, and the neighbor frequency points are F1.

As shown in table 4, at time 2018/10/262: 00, for Cell ID #1 on gNB ID #0 on a RAN device, there are neighboring satellite nodes #1 and #2, where gNB ID #11 and gNB ID #21 carried on the satellite nodes are neighboring stations of the RAN device, Cell ID #111 and Cell IDl #211 are its neighbors, and these neighbor frequency points are F1.

As shown in table 5, for Cell ID #1 on the gNB ID #0 of one RAN device, Cell ID #111 and Cell ID #112 on the gNB ID #11 on the neighboring Satellite ID #1 will become its neighbors in the time period from 2018/10/262: 00 to 2018/10/262: 20, and these neighbor frequency points are F1; for Cell ID #1 on the RAN device gNB ID #0, Cell ID #211 on the gNB ID #21 on the neighbor Satellite ID #2 is a fixed neighbor, and these neighbor bins are F1. For the fixed neighbor cell, the real effective time and the terminal effective time in the time-varying neighbor cell information list may be set to 0, or NULL, or both values are the same, indicating that the neighbor cell relationship between the neighbor cell and the corresponding cell remains unchanged, for example, the two are satellite nodes on a unified orbit, etc. The fixed neighbor cell and the time-varying neighbor cell can be carried in a table and expressed by a special field. Or may be carried on different surfaces.

It should be understood that the neighbor information lists of tables 1-5 above are merely illustrative. Typically, the neighbor cell information list includes neighbor cell information of surrounding mobile satellite nodes and also includes neighbor cell information of surrounding fixed terrestrial base stations.

The controller may be an Operation Administration and Maintenance (OAM) system, a network management system, or another network entity in the network having a function of generating neighboring cell information, and the naming method of the controller is not specifically limited in the present application.

402. The controller sends neighbor information to the RAN device. Accordingly, the RAN device receives the neighbor cell information sent by the controller.

In this step, the controller may send the time-associated neighbor information through an existing message or a new message of the network. Optionally, the controller carries the neighbor information by adding a new field or information element to an existing message of the network. Illustratively, the controller transfers the time-dependent neighbor cell information to the RAN apparatus by changing a newly added ioc (information Object class) timeshangenrcellrelationship. The time-dependent neighbor information is delivered to the RAN equipment, for example, by sending a time-varying NR neighbor relation Configuration (timechangenrcellconfiguration) message.

403. The RAN device stores the received neighbor cell information.

In this step, the RAN equipment stores the received time-associated neighbour information. It can be understood that the RAN device may directly store the received neighboring cell information, or may store the processed neighboring cell information, and the specific manner of storing the neighboring cell information is not specifically limited in the present application.

It should be understood that the RAN device in the embodiment of the present application may be a satellite node or a ground base station. In the case where the RAN device employs a split architecture, as in the architecture of fig. 2(a), the RAN device in the embodiment of the present application corresponds to a CU; under the architecture of fig. 2(b), the RAN device in the embodiment of the present application corresponds to a CU-CP.

Through the steps of the embodiment of the application, the RAN equipment is configured with the time-associated neighbor cell information, so that the RAN equipment can maintain and manage the accurate neighbor cell information.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating another method for configuring a neighboring cell according to an embodiment of the present application. The method 500 may be applied to a scenario in which the RAN device configures the terminal device to perform measurement configuration on its time-associated neighbor cell. The process illustrated in FIG. 5 includes the following steps:

501. the RAN device sends the measurement configuration to the terminal device. Accordingly, the terminal device receives the measurement configuration sent by the RAN device.

Wherein the measurement configuration includes neighbor cell information of the RAN device associated with time.

In this step, the RAN device configures the terminal device to perform neighbor cell measurement, where the information of the neighbor cell is included in part or all of the neighbor cell information of the RAN device. Illustratively, the neighborhood information of the RAN device includes the following: a first neighbor list of the RAN device in a first time period, a second neighbor list of the RAN device in a second time period, and a third neighbor list of the RAN device in a third time period.

In a possible implementation manner, at a certain time within a first time period, the measurement configuration sent by the RAN device to the terminal device includes all contents of the neighbor cell information, that is, a first neighbor cell list of the RAN device in the first time period, a second neighbor cell list of the RAN device in a second time period, and a third neighbor cell list of the RAN device in a third time period. It should be understood that the time-associated neighbor cell information may be pre-stored in the RAN device, or may be acquired by the RAN device from a controller.

In another possible implementation manner, at a certain time within the first time period, the measurement configuration sent by the RAN device to the terminal device includes a part of content of the neighbor cell information, that is, includes a first neighbor cell list of the RAN device within the first time period and a second neighbor cell list of the RAN device within the second time period. In this case, it may be that the RAN device cannot predict whether the terminal device is still within the coverage of the RAN device in the third time period in consideration of the mobility of the terminal device because the third time period is far from the current time, and therefore, the RAN device does not need to configure the terminal device to measure the third neighbor cell list of the RAN device in the third time period.

Optionally, the measurement configuration includes priority information of each neighboring cell in the neighboring cell list. For example, in the above example, the measurement configuration of the terminal device by the RAN device contains at least one of the following information: the priority information of each cell in a first neighbor cell list and a first neighbor cell list of the RAN device in a first time period, the priority information of each cell in a second neighbor cell list and a second neighbor cell list of the RAN device in a second time period, and the priority information of each cell in a third neighbor cell list and a third neighbor cell list of the RAN device in a third time period. The priority information may be a number or other characters to indicate priority, or may be in other forms to indicate priority, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

For example, for one satellite node, the priority of the cell of the neighboring satellite node running in the same orbit in the neighboring list thereof may be set to be higher, and the priority of the cell of the satellite node running in a different orbit in the neighboring list thereof and the priority of the cell of the ground base station may be set to be lower. For a ground base station, the priority of the cell of the adjacent ground base station in the adjacent area list of the ground base station can be set to be higher, and the priority of the cell of the satellite node in the adjacent area list of the ground base station can be set to be lower. Therefore, the terminal equipment can be preferentially selected or switched to the cell with the fixed adjacent cell relation with the current service base station, and unnecessary switching is reduced.

Optionally, the RAN device configures the terminal device to periodically measure the neighboring cell; RAN equipment configures terminal equipment to measure a neighboring cell after the channel quality between the terminal equipment and a serving cell is reduced to a certain degree.

Optionally, the measurement configuration is included in an RRC reconfiguration message.

502. And the terminal equipment carries out neighbor cell measurement.

In this step, the terminal device measures the corresponding neighboring cell according to the received measurement configuration. Specifically, the terminal device measures the radio signals of each neighboring cell. Illustratively, the terminal device makes Reference Signal Receiving Power (RSRP) and signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR) measurements.

Optionally, the terminal device further measures the corresponding neighboring cell according to the priority of each cell in the received measurement configuration. Illustratively, the terminal device preferentially measures a cell with a high priority.

503. The terminal device sends a measurement report to the RAN device. Accordingly, the RAN device receives the measurement report sent by the terminal device.

In this step, the terminal device sends a measurement report of the RAN device after the RAN device measures the neighboring cell.

Optionally, under the condition that the measurement configuration received by the terminal device includes priority information of the neighboring cell, the terminal device reports a part of or all measurement reports of the neighboring cell according to the priority. For example, the terminal device may send only measurement reports of high priority neighbors.

Optionally, the terminal device periodically sends a measurement report to the RAN device; or the terminal equipment sends a measurement report to the RAN equipment after the channel quality between the terminal equipment and the serving cell is reduced to a certain degree; or the terminal equipment sends the measurement report to the RAN equipment after the quality of the neighboring cell channel is higher than that of the serving cell channel to a certain degree.

It should be understood that the RAN device in the embodiment of the present application may be a satellite node or a ground base station. In the case where the RAN device employs a split architecture, as in the architecture of fig. 2(a), the RAN device in the embodiment of the present application corresponds to a CU; under the architecture of fig. 2(b), the RAN device in the embodiment of the present application corresponds to a CU-CP. Wherein the CU or CU-CP sends the measurement configuration to the terminal device via the DU serving the terminal device.

Through the steps of the embodiment of the application, the neighbor cell information configuration for measuring the terminal equipment is realized, so that the terminal equipment can accurately measure the specific neighbor cell in a specific time period, and the measurement of the omitted cell and the redundant cell is avoided.

Fig. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a further method for configuring a neighboring cell according to an embodiment of the present application. The method 600 may be applied to a scenario in which RAN equipment broadcasts its time-associated neighbor information to terminal equipment. The process illustrated in FIG. 6 includes the following steps:

601. the RAN device sends a system broadcast to the terminal device. Accordingly, the terminal device receives the system broadcast transmitted by the RAN device.

The system broadcast content includes time-associated neighbor cell information of the RAN device.

In this step, the RAN device broadcasts part or all of its neighbor information to the terminal device. Illustratively, the neighborhood information of the RAN device includes the following: a first neighbor list of the RAN device in a first time period, a second neighbor list of the RAN device in a second time period, and a third neighbor list of the RAN device in a third time period. It should be understood that the time-associated neighbor cell information may be pre-stored in the RAN device, or may be acquired by the RAN device from a controller.

In a possible implementation manner, in a first time period, the RAN device periodically sends all contents of the neighboring cell information to the terminal device through system broadcast, that is, the contents include a first neighboring cell list of the RAN device in the first time period, a second neighboring cell list of the RAN device in a second time period, and a third neighboring cell list of the RAN device in a third time period.

In another possible implementation manner, in the first time period, the RAN device periodically sends part of content of the neighbor cell information to the terminal device through system broadcast, that is, the content includes a first neighbor cell list of the RAN device in the first time period and a second neighbor cell list of the RAN device in the second time period. In this case, the RAN device may not predict whether the terminal device is still within its coverage area in the third time period in consideration of mobility of the terminal device because the third time period is far from the current time, and thus, the RAN device does not need to broadcast the third neighbor cell list of the RAN device to the terminal device.

Optionally, the system broadcasts priority information of each neighboring cell in the neighboring cell information. Specifically, reference may be made to the description of the priority information in the embodiment of fig. 4, which is not described herein again.

Optionally, the system broadcast information is contained in a System Information Block (SIB) message.

602. And the terminal equipment performs neighbor cell measurement and cell reselection.

In this step, the terminal device that receives the system broadcast message performs neighbor cell measurement and cell reselection according to the neighbor cell information in the system broadcast message. Specifically, the terminal device in an idle (idle) state or an inactive (inactive) state measures the neighboring cell in the received neighboring cell information, and performs cell reselection according to the measurement result.

Optionally, the terminal device further measures the corresponding neighboring cell according to the priority information of each neighboring cell in the received neighboring cell information, and performs cell reselection according to the measurement result.

It should be understood that the RAN device in the embodiment of the present application may be a satellite node or a ground base station. In the case that the RAN device adopts a split architecture, such as the architecture in fig. 2(a), the RAN device in the embodiment of the present application corresponds to a CU; under the architecture of fig. 2(b), the RAN device in the embodiment of the present application corresponds to a CU-CP. And the CU or the CU-CP broadcasts the neighbor cell information to the terminal equipment through the DU of the service terminal equipment.

Through the steps of the embodiment of the application, the terminal equipment is configured to receive the neighbor cell information through system broadcasting, so that the terminal equipment can accurately measure the specific neighbor cell in a specific time period, the measurement of the omitted cell and the redundant cell is avoided, and the efficiency of cell reselection of the terminal equipment is improved.

Fig. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a further method for configuring a neighboring cell according to an embodiment of the present application. The method 700 may be applied to a scenario in which neighboring cell information is interacted between neighboring RAN devices. The process illustrated in FIG. 7 includes the following steps:

701. the first RAN device sends a first request to the second RAN device. Accordingly, the second RAN apparatus receives the first request sent by the first RAN apparatus.

Wherein the first request includes neighbor information of the first RAN device associated with time.

In this step, the first RAN apparatus sends part or all of its neighbor information to the second RAN apparatus. Illustratively, the neighbor information of the first RAN apparatus includes the following: a first neighbor list of the first RAN device in a first time period, a second neighbor list of the first RAN device in a second time period, and a third neighbor list of the first RAN device in a third time period. It should be understood that the time-associated neighbor cell information may be pre-stored in the RAN device, or may be acquired by the RAN device from a controller.

In a possible implementation manner, in a first time period, a first RAN device sends all contents of neighbor cell information of the first RAN device to a second RAN device, that is, the contents include a first neighbor cell list of the first RAN device in the first time period, a second neighbor cell list of the first RAN device in a second time period, and a third neighbor cell list of the first RAN device in a third time period.

In another possible implementation manner, the first RAN device sends, to the second RAN device, content corresponding to the current time period and a future partial time period in the neighboring cell information of the first RAN device, for example, a first neighboring cell list of the first RAN device in the first time period and a second neighboring cell list of the first RAN device in the second time period. In this case, the first RAN device may predict that the first RAN device and the second RAN device may no longer be adjacent within the third time period, considering a change in relative physical location between the first RAN device and the second RAN device, possibly because the third time period is farther from the current time, and therefore, the first RAN device need not send the third neighbor list to the second RAN device.

Optionally, the first request includes priority information of each neighboring cell in the neighboring cell information. Specifically, reference may be made to the description of the priority information in the embodiment of fig. 4, which is not described herein again.

Optionally, the first request is included in an interface setup request message, such as an Xn setup request message, between the first RAN equipment and the second RAN equipment. The first request may also be included in a node configuration update message, such as a NG-RAN node configuration update message, sent to the second RAN device after the first RAN device updates its neighbor information.

702. The second RAN apparatus sends a first response to the first RAN apparatus. Accordingly, the first RAN device receives the first response sent by the second RAN device.

Wherein the first response is a response of the second RAN device to the first request.

In this step, the second RAN apparatus sends some or all of its time-associated neighbor information to the first RAN apparatus. The part or all of the neighboring cell information indicates the part or all of the neighboring cell information of the second RAN device associated with time, and the form of the part or all of the neighboring cell information is similar to that of the neighboring cell information in the first request, and is not described herein again.

Optionally, the first response is included in an interface setup response message of the first RAN device and the second RAN device, such as an Xn setup response message. The first response may also include a node configuration update response message, such as a NG-RAN node configuration update response message, sent by the second RAN device after receiving the node configuration update message sent by the first RAN device.

703. The first RAN device sends a second removal request to the second RAN device. Accordingly, the second RAN apparatus receives the second removal request sent by the first RAN apparatus.

In this step, when the relative physical location of the first RAN apparatus and the second RAN apparatus changes such that the first RAN apparatus no longer becomes a neighboring base station, the first RAN apparatus requests the second RAN apparatus to remove the interface therebetween. Illustratively, the first RAN device and the second RAN device are both satellite nodes and operate in different orbits, and when the first RAN device is gradually away from the second RAN device, an Xn link between the first RAN device and the second RAN device is about to be broken, the first RAN device sends a second removal request to the second RAN device, requesting removal of the Xn interface. The second removal request may also be applicable where one of the first RAN apparatus and the second RAN apparatus is a satellite node and the other is a terrestrial base station.

704. The second RAN device sends a second removal response to the first RAN device. Accordingly, the first RAN device receives the second removal response sent by the second RAN device.

Wherein the second removal response is a response of the second RAN device to the second removal request.

After receiving the second removal request, the second RAN device may delete part or all of the neighboring cell information of the first RAN device on the second RAN device. Optionally, after receiving the second removal response, the first RAN device may delete part or all of the neighboring cell information of the second RAN device on the first RAN device.

The above-mentioned steps 703 and 704 are optional.

It should be understood that the first RAN device and the second RAN device in the embodiments of the present application may be both a satellite node and a ground base station. In the case where the RAN device employs a split architecture, as in the architecture of fig. 2(a), the first RAN device and the second RAN device in the embodiment of the present application correspond to CUs; under the architecture of fig. 2(b), the first RAN device and the second RAN device in the embodiment of the present application correspond to a CU-CP.

Through the steps of the embodiment of the application, the interaction of the neighbor cell information between the RAN devices is realized, the detection of cell identifier conflict by the neighbor RAN devices is facilitated, the detection of whether the cell identifiers of the neighbor cells are mixed up in the overlapping time is facilitated through the changed neighbor cell list by the RAN devices, and therefore the effective neighbor cell management of the RAN devices is facilitated.

In the above embodiments, the implementation may be wholly or partially realized by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, may be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When loaded and executed on a computer, cause the processes or functions described in accordance with the embodiments of the application to occur, in whole or in part. The computer may be a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a network of computers, or other programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer readable storage medium to another, for example, from one website site, computer, server, or data center to another website site, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.). The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device, such as a server, a data center, etc., that incorporates one or more of the available media. The usable medium may be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., Solid State Disk (SSD)), among others. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present patent application.

Method embodiments of the present application are described in detail above in conjunction with fig. 4-7, and apparatus embodiments of the present application are described in detail below in conjunction with fig. 8-13. It is to be understood that the apparatus embodiments correspond to the method embodiments and similar descriptions may be made with reference to the method embodiments. It is noted that the device embodiments may be used in conjunction with the above-described methods, or may be used alone.

Fig. 8 shows a schematic block diagram of a first network device 800 according to an embodiment of the present application, where the first network device 800 may correspond to (e.g., may be configured as or be itself) a RAN device described in the method 400 described above, or a RAN device described in the method 500 described above, or a RAN device described in the method 600 described above, or a first RAN device or a second RAN device described in the method 700 described above. The first network device 800 may include: processor 801 and transceiver 802, processor 801 and transceiver 802 being communicatively coupled. The first network device 800 may also include a memory 803, the memory 803 communicatively coupled to the processor 801. Optionally, the processor 801, the memory 803, and the transceiver 802 may be communicatively coupled, the memory 803 may be used to store instructions and may also be used to store information received and/or transmitted by the transceiver 802, and the processor 801 may be used to execute the instructions stored by the memory 803 to control the transceiver 802 to receive and/or transmit information or signals. The processor 801, the transceiver 802, and the memory 803 are respectively configured to perform actions or processes performed by the RAN apparatus described in the method 400, the RAN apparatus described in the method 500, the RAN apparatus described in the method 600, or the first RAN apparatus or the second RAN apparatus described in the method 700. Here, detailed description thereof is omitted in order to avoid redundancy.

Fig. 9 shows another schematic block diagram of a first network device 900 according to an embodiment of the present application, where the first network device 900 may correspond to (e.g., may be configured as or be itself) a RAN device described in the method 400 described above, or a RAN device described in the method 500 described above, or a RAN device described in the method 600 described above, or a first RAN device or a second RAN device described in the method 700 described above. The first network device 900 may include: a receiving module 901, a processing module 902, a transmitting module 903, and a storage module 904, the processing module 902 being communicatively coupled to the receiving module 901, the transmitting module 903, and the storage module 904, respectively. First network device 900 may take the form shown in fig. 8. The processing module 902 may be implemented by the processor 801 in fig. 8, and the receiving module 901 and/or the transmitting module 803 may be implemented by the transceiver 802 in fig. 8. The RAN arrangement 900 may also comprise a storage unit 904 for storing programs or data to be executed by the processing module 902 or for storing information received by the receiving module 901 and/or transmitted by the transmitting module 903. The storage unit 904 may be implemented by the memory 803 in fig. 8. The modules or units in the first network device 900 are respectively configured to perform the actions or processes performed by the RAN device described in the method 400, the RAN device described in the method 500, the RAN device described in the method 600, or the first RAN device or the second RAN device described in the method 700. Here, detailed description thereof is omitted in order to avoid redundancy.

Fig. 10 shows a schematic block diagram of a terminal device 1000 according to an embodiment of the present application, where the terminal device 1000 may correspond to (e.g., may be configured as or be itself) the terminal device described in the method 500 or the terminal device described in the method 600. The terminal device 1000 may include: processor 1001 and transceiver 1002, processor 1001 and transceiver 1002 being communicatively coupled. Optionally, the terminal device 1000 further comprises a memory 1003, the memory 1003 being communicatively coupled to the processor 1001. Alternatively, the processor 1001, the memory 1003, and the transceiver 1002 may be communicatively coupled, the memory 1003 may be used to store instructions, and the processor 1001 is used to execute the instructions stored by the memory 1003 to control the transceiver 1002 to receive and/or transmit information or signals. The processor 1001 and the transceiver 1002 are respectively configured to execute each action or processing procedure executed by the terminal device described in the method 500 or the terminal device described in the method 600. Here, detailed description thereof is omitted in order to avoid redundancy.

Fig. 11 shows another schematic block diagram of a terminal device 1100 according to an embodiment of the present application, where the terminal device 1100 may correspond to (e.g., may be configured as or be itself) the terminal device described in the method 500 or the terminal device described in the method 600. The terminal device 1100 may include: a receiving module 1101, a processing module 1102 and a sending module 1103, the processing module 1102 being communicatively coupled to the receiving module 1101 and the sending module 1103, respectively. Terminal device 1100 may take the form shown in fig. 10. The processing module 1102 may be implemented by the processor 1001 in fig. 10, and the receiving module 1101 and/or the sending module 1103 may be implemented by the transceiver 1002 in fig. 10. The terminal device 1100 may further include a storage unit for storing a program or data to be executed by the processing module 1102, or storing information received by the receiving module 1101 and/or transmitted by the transmitting module 1103. The modules or units in the terminal device 1100 are respectively configured to execute the actions or processes executed by the terminal device described in the method 500 or the terminal device described in the method 600. Here, detailed description thereof is omitted in order to avoid redundancy.

Fig. 12 shows a schematic block diagram of a second network device 1200 according to an embodiment of the present application, where the second network device 1200 may correspond to (e.g., may be configured with or be itself) the controller described in the method 400. The second network device 1200 may include: a processor 1201 and a transceiver 1202, the processor 1201 and the transceiver 1202 being communicatively coupled. Optionally, the controller 1200 further comprises a memory 1203, the memory 1203 communicatively coupled to the processor 1201. Optionally, the processor 1201, the memory 1203, and the transceiver 1202 may be communicatively coupled, the memory 1203 may be used to store instructions, and the processor 1201 is used to execute the instructions stored by the memory 1203 to control the transceiver 1202 to receive and/or transmit information or signals. The processor 1201 and the transceiver 1202 are respectively configured to perform each action or process performed by the controller described in the method 400. Here, detailed description thereof is omitted in order to avoid redundancy.

Fig. 13 shows another schematic block diagram of a second network device 1300 according to an embodiment of the present application, where the second network device 1300 may correspond to (e.g., may be configured with or be itself) the controller described in the method 400. The controller 1300 may include: a receive module 1301, a process module 1302, and a transmit module 1303, the process module 1302 communicatively coupled to the receive module 1301 and the transmit module 1303, respectively. The second network device 1300 may take the form shown in fig. 12. The processing module 1302 may be implemented by the processor 1201 in fig. 12, and the receiving module 1301 and/or the transmitting module 1303 may be implemented by the transceiver 1202 in fig. 12. The second network device 1300 may further include a storage unit for storing a program or data to be executed by the processing module 1302, or storing information received through the receiving module 1301 and/or transmitted through the transmitting module 1303. The modules or units in the second network device 1300 are respectively configured to execute the actions or processes executed by the controller described in the method 400. Here, detailed description thereof is omitted in order to avoid redundancy.

It should be understood that the processors (801, 1001, 1201) in the apparatus embodiments of the present application may be Central Processing Units (CPUs), Network Processors (NPs), hardware chips, or any combination thereof. The hardware chip may be an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a Programmable Logic Device (PLD), or a combination thereof. The PLD may be a Complex Programmable Logic Device (CPLD), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a General Array Logic (GAL), or any combination thereof.

The memory (903, 1003, 1203) in the device embodiments of the present application may be a volatile memory (volatile memory), such as a random-access memory (RAM); a non-volatile memory (non-volatile memory) such as a read-only memory (ROM), a flash memory (flash memory), a Hard Disk Drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD); combinations of the above types of memories are also possible.

In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus and method may be implemented in other ways. For example, the above-described apparatus embodiments are merely illustrative, and for example, a division of a unit is merely a logical division, and an actual implementation may have another division, for example, a plurality of units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be omitted, or not executed. In addition, the shown or discussed mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication coupling may be an indirect coupling or communication coupling of devices or units through some interfaces, and may be in an electrical, mechanical or other form.

Units described as separate parts may or may not be physically separate, and parts displayed as units may or may not be physical units, may be located in one place, or may be distributed on a plurality of network units. Some or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of the embodiment.

In addition, functional units in the embodiments of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist alone physically, or two or more units are integrated into one unit.

The functions, if implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as a stand-alone product, may be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on such understanding, the technical solution of the present patent application or a part of the technical solution that substantially contributes to the prior art may be embodied in the form of a software product stored in a storage medium and containing instructions for causing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, or a network device) to execute all or part of the steps of the method according to the embodiments of the present patent application. And the aforementioned storage medium comprises: various media capable of storing program codes, such as a usb disk, a removable hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a Random Access Memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

The above description is only for the specific embodiments of the present application, but the scope of the present application is not limited thereto, and any person skilled in the art can easily think of the changes or substitutions within the technical scope of the present application, and shall be covered by the scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present patent application shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for configuring neighbor cell information is characterized by comprising the following steps:

receiving neighbor cell information sent by a controller by a first Radio Access Network (RAN) device, wherein the neighbor cell information is associated with time;

the first RAN device stores the neighbor cell information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the neighbor information is associated with time, and wherein the method comprises:

the neighbor information is changed at different time periods.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

and the first RAN equipment sends measurement configuration to terminal equipment, wherein the measurement configuration comprises part or all of the neighbor cell information.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

and the first RAN equipment sends a broadcast message to terminal equipment, wherein the broadcast message comprises part or all of the neighbor cell information.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

and the first RAN equipment sends a first message to second RAN equipment, wherein the first message comprises part or all of the neighbor cell information.

6. The method according to any one of claims 3-5, further comprising:

the measurement configuration also comprises priority information of each cell in the partial or all neighbor cell information; or

The broadcast message also comprises priority information of each cell in the partial or all adjacent cell information; or

The first message also includes priority information of each cell in the part or all of the neighbor cell information.

7. The method according to claim 3 or 6, wherein the measurement configuration is carried on a radio resource management, RRC, reconfiguration message.

8. The method of claim 4 or 6, wherein the broadcast message is carried on a System Information Block (SIB).

9. The method according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the first message is any one of the following messages: an Xn setup request message, an Xn setup response message, an NG-RAN node configuration update message, and an NG-RAN node configuration update response message.

10. The method according to any of claims 1-9, wherein at least one of the first RAN device and the second RAN device is a central unit, CU, or a central unit control plane, CU-CP.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first RAN device sends a measurement configuration or a broadcast message to the terminal device via a central unit, DU.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the controller is an operations, administration and maintenance, OAM, system.

13. A method for configuring neighbor cell information is characterized by comprising the following steps:

receiving partial or all neighbor cell information sent by RAN equipment by terminal equipment, wherein the neighbor cell information is associated with time;

and the terminal equipment measures the adjacent cells according to the partial or all adjacent cell information.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the neighbor information is associated with time, and wherein the method comprises:

the neighbor information is changed at different time periods.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the receiving, by the terminal device, part or all of the neighbor cell information sent by the RAN device comprises:

and the terminal equipment receives measurement configuration sent by the RAN equipment, wherein the measurement configuration comprises part or all of the neighbor cell information.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the receiving, by the terminal device, part or all of the neighbor cell information sent by the RAN device comprises:

and the terminal equipment receives a broadcast message sent by the RAN equipment, wherein the broadcast message comprises part or all of the neighbor cell information.

17. The method of any of claims 13-15, wherein the terminal device receives part or all of the neighbor cell information sent by the RAN device, further comprising:

and the terminal equipment receives the priority information of each cell in the part or all of the neighbor cell information sent by the RAN equipment.

18. The method of claim 15 or 17, further comprising:

the terminal equipment measures the adjacent cells according to the configuration information;

and the terminal equipment reports the measurement result to the RAN equipment.

19. The method of claim 16 or 17, further comprising:

the terminal equipment measures the adjacent cells according to the broadcast message;

and the terminal equipment performs cell reselection according to the measurement result.

20. The method according to claim 14 or 17, wherein the measurement configuration is carried on a radio resource management, RRC, reconfiguration message.

21. The method of claim 16 or 17, wherein the broadcast message is carried on a System Information Block (SIB).

22. The method according to any of claims 13-21, wherein said RAN equipment is a central unit CU or a central unit control plane CU-CP, and wherein said terminal equipment receives said broadcast message or measurement configuration sent by said RAN equipment via a distribution unit DU.

23. A method for configuring neighbor cell information is characterized by comprising the following steps:

the controller generates neighbor cell information, and the neighbor cell information is associated with time;

and the controller sends the neighbor cell information to RAN equipment.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the neighbor information is associated with time, and wherein the method comprises:

the neighbor information is changed at different time periods.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the controller sends the neighbor cell information to a RAN device, comprising:

and the controller sends the neighbor cell information to the RAN equipment through a time-varying NR neighbor cell relation configuration message.

26. The method according to any of claims 23-25, wherein the controller is an operation, administration and maintenance, OAM, system.

27. The method according to any of the claims 23-25, wherein said RAN equipment is a central unit, CU, or a central unit control plane, CU-CP.

28. A communications apparatus, comprising:

a memory for storing a computer program and the storing step in the method of any one of claims 1-12;

a transceiver for performing the transceiving steps in the method of any of claims 1-12;

a processor for invoking and running the computer program from the memory, causing the communication device to perform the method of any of claims 1-12.

29. A communications apparatus, comprising:

a memory for storing a computer program;

a transceiver for performing the transceiving steps in the method of any of claims 13-22;

a processor for invoking and running the computer program from the memory, causing the communication device to perform the method of any of claims 13-22.

30. A communications apparatus, comprising:

A memory for storing a computer program;

a transceiver for performing the transceiving steps in the method of any of claims 23-28;

a processor for invoking and running the computer program from the memory, causing the communication device to perform the method of any of claims 23-27.

31. A computer-readable storage medium, comprising:

the computer readable medium stores a computer program;

the computer program, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1-12.

32. A computer-readable storage medium, comprising:

the computer readable medium stores a computer program;

the computer program, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method of any of claims 13-22.

33. A computer-readable storage medium, comprising:

the computer readable medium stores a computer program;

the computer program, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method of any of claims 23-27.

34. A communication system, characterized in that the communication system comprises a first communication device and a second communication device; wherein the first communication device is configured to perform the method of claims 1-12; the second communication device is configured to perform the method of claims 23-27.