CN112118587A

CN112118587A - Cell management method and equipment

Info

Publication number: CN112118587A
Application number: CN201910533235.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 王胡成
Original assignee: Datang Mobile Communications Equipment Co Ltd
Current assignee: Datang Mobile Communications Equipment Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-06-19
Filing date: 2019-06-19
Publication date: 2020-12-22
Anticipated expiration: 2039-06-19
Also published as: WO2020253228A1; CN112118587B

Abstract

The invention discloses a method and equipment for managing a cell, which are used for solving the problems that the existing method for controlling the start and stop of a micro base station and/or a small cell has a single judgment mode and low accuracy, and frequent start and stop of the cell can be caused, so that the network energy efficiency is reduced. After receiving the prediction request information sent by the network side equipment, the network data analysis functional entity analyzes and predicts at least one of the cell load of the network, the mobility information of the terminal and the communication information of the terminal according to the prediction request information to generate cell load change trend prediction information or cell start-stop control suggestion information, and the network side equipment can control the start and stop of a cell or a base station of a relevant area according to the cell load change trend prediction information or the cell start-stop control suggestion information, so that cell management is realized, the frequent start and stop of the cell which is possibly caused when the cell is controlled by only depending on the current load of the cell is avoided, and the accuracy of controlling the start and stop of the cell and the network energy efficiency are improved.

Description

Cell management method and equipment

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of communications technologies, and in particular, to a method and a device for cell management.

Background

The wireless communication technology is rapidly developed at present, the situation of overlapping coverage of wireless networks is more and more common along with the densification of wireless network deployment, and in the densely deployed network, in order to ensure user experience and simultaneously improve network energy efficiency, the network needs to dynamically open or close small cells of a repeated coverage area according to the network load situation of the cells. As shown in fig. 1, coverage areas of a macro base station and a micro base station are respectively shown, wherein the macro base station completely covers a serving cell of the micro base station, and therefore, the serving cell of the micro base station can be regarded as a small cell of the macro base station. Assuming that the small cell is currently in an inactive state, when the macro base station detects that the current network load of the macro base station serving cell is high, the macro base station may request to activate the small cell from the micro base station, and evacuate the network load pressure of the macro base station, as shown in fig. 2, eNB (5G base station) 1 is the macro base station, eNB2 is the micro base station, the macro base station sends cell activation request information to the micro base station, and the micro base station sends a cell activation response to the macro base station, and through the process, the state of the small cell is changed from the inactive cell to the active cell; when the micro base station detects that the network load of the small cell is low, the micro base station may request the macro base station to switch an active user in the small cell to the macro base station, so as to close the small cell, and change the state of the small cell from an active cell to an inactive cell, so as to reduce energy consumption.

Currently, the turning on or off of the small cell is completely determined according to the network load status of the current macro base station and/or micro base station, and therefore, the following situations may be caused:

1) when a plurality of base stations with higher network loads need to activate cells of adjacent base stations, whether the adjacent base stations of the base stations are the same or not cannot be determined, so that cell capacity may be wasted or lacked; 2) when the network load of the current cell is higher, the micro base station starts the small cell, but the network load is about to start to decrease, and then the micro base station closes the small cell again; or the network load of the current cell is low, the micro base station closes the small cell, but the network load is about to increase, and the micro base station needs to start the small cell again, so that the small cell is started and stopped frequently, and the user experience and the network energy efficiency are reduced. Wherein, the same effect can be achieved by turning off the micro base station when the small cell is turned off.

In summary, the existing method for controlling the start and stop of the micro base station and/or the small cell is single in judgment mode, low in accuracy, and may cause frequent start and stop, thereby reducing network energy efficiency.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention provides a cell management method and device, which are used for solving the problems that the existing method for controlling the start and stop of a micro base station and/or a small cell is single in judgment mode and low in accuracy, and frequent start and stop are possibly caused, so that the network energy efficiency is reduced.

In a first aspect, a method for cell management provided in an embodiment of the present invention includes:

a network data analysis functional entity receives prediction request information sent by network side equipment;

the network data analysis functional entity analyzes and predicts at least one of the cell load of the network, the mobility information of the terminal and the communication information of the terminal according to the prediction request information;

and the network data analysis functional entity sends the generated cell load change trend prediction information or the cell start-stop control suggestion information to the network side equipment so that the network side equipment performs cell management according to the cell load change trend prediction information or the cell start-stop control suggestion information.

According to the method, after the network data analysis functional entity receives the prediction request information sent by the network side equipment, the network data analysis functional entity analyzes and predicts at least one of the mobility information of the terminal and the communication information of the terminal and the cell load of the network according to the prediction request information to generate cell load change trend prediction information or cell start-stop control suggestion information, and the network side equipment can control the start and stop of the cell or the base station of the relevant area according to the cell load change trend prediction information or the cell start-stop control suggestion information, so that cell management is achieved, the cell frequent start and stop which are possibly caused when the cell is controlled by only depending on the current load of the cell are avoided, and the accuracy of controlling the start and stop of the cell and the network energy efficiency are improved.

In an alternative embodiment, the prediction request information includes some or all of the following:

designated area information, designated base station information, and a designated cell list.

According to the method, the prediction request information can carry at least one object information of the area to be analyzed, the base station to be analyzed and the cell to be analyzed, and the objects which can be analyzed and predicted are various in types and large in range.

In an optional implementation manner, the analyzing and predicting, by the network data analysis functional entity, at least one of cell load of the network, mobility information of the terminal, and communication information of the terminal according to the prediction request information includes:

the network data analysis functional entity analyzes and predicts at least one of cell load, terminal mobility information and terminal communication information in the designated area according to the designated area information; or

The network data analysis functional entity analyzes and predicts according to at least one of the cell load under the designated base station information, the mobility information of the terminal served by the designated base station and the communication information of the terminal served by the designated base station; or

And the network data analysis functional entity analyzes and predicts according to at least one of the cell load of the cell in the specified cell list, the mobility information of the terminal covered by the cell in the specified cell list and the communication information of the terminal covered by the cell in the specified cell list.

In the method, the network data analysis functional entity can perform corresponding analysis and prediction according to the specified object carried in the prediction request information, for example, the cell load of the specified area can be analyzed and predicted, or the cell load of the specified cell can be analyzed and predicted, or the cell load under the specified base station can be analyzed and predicted.

In an optional implementation manner, the prediction request information carries specified time period information, where the specified time period information is used to instruct the network data analysis functional entity to generate an analysis or prediction result of a specified time period.

In an optional implementation manner, after receiving prediction request information sent by a network side device, and before performing prediction, the network data analysis functional entity further includes:

the network data analysis functional entity sends a request for acquiring the mobility information of the terminal and/or the communication information of the terminal and the cell load of the network to an operation maintenance management device and/or a core network device;

and the network data analysis functional entity receives the information fed back by the operation maintenance management equipment and/or the core network equipment.

According to the method, the network data analysis functional entity acquires the mobility information of the relevant terminal and/or the communication information of the terminal and the cell load of the network from the operation maintenance management equipment and/or the core network equipment, and analyzes and predicts the specified object according to the acquired information, so that the accuracy of analysis and prediction is improved.

In an optional implementation manner, the network-side device is one of an operation maintenance management device, a base station, and a core network device.

In an optional implementation manner, if the network data analysis functional entity is located on the access network side, the network data analysis functional entity obtains the terminal mobility prediction information and/or the terminal communication prediction information from the network data analysis functional entity in the core network.

In a second aspect, a method for cell management provided in an embodiment of the present invention includes:

the network side equipment sends prediction request information to a network data analysis functional entity;

and the network side equipment performs cell management according to the received cell load change trend prediction information or cell start-stop control suggestion information sent by the network data analysis functional entity.

In an alternative embodiment, the prediction request includes some or all of the following:

In an optional implementation manner, the prediction request information is cell load prediction request information;

the network side equipment performs cell management according to the received cell load change trend prediction information or cell start-stop control suggestion information sent by the network data analysis functional entity, and the cell management method comprises the following steps:

if the network side equipment is core network equipment, the core network equipment generates cell start-stop control suggestion information according to the received cell load change trend prediction information sent by the network data analysis functional entity, and sends the cell start-stop control suggestion information to a corresponding base station in the cell load change trend prediction information, so that the base station controls the cell to start or close according to the cell start-stop control suggestion information; or

If the network side equipment is core network equipment, the core network equipment sends the received cell load change trend prediction information sent by the network data analysis functional entity to a corresponding base station in the cell load change trend prediction information, so that the base station generates cell start-stop control suggestion information according to the cell load change trend prediction information and controls the cell to start or close according to the cell start-stop control suggestion information; or

If the network side equipment is operation maintenance management equipment or a base station, the operation maintenance management equipment or the base station generates cell start-stop control suggestion information according to the received cell load change trend prediction information sent by the network data analysis functional entity, and controls the cell to start or close according to the cell start-stop control suggestion information.

In an optional implementation manner, the prediction request is cell start-stop control prediction request information;

if the network side equipment is core network equipment, after sending cell start-stop control prediction request information to the network data analysis functional entity, the core network equipment sends the received cell start-stop control suggestion information sent by the network data analysis functional entity to a corresponding base station in the cell start-stop control suggestion information, so that the base station controls the cell to be started or closed according to the cell start-stop control suggestion information; or

And if the network side equipment is operation maintenance management equipment or a base station, the operation maintenance management equipment or the base station controls the cell to be started or closed according to the received cell start-stop control suggestion information sent by the network data analysis functional entity.

In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a device for a network data analysis functional entity for cell management, where the device includes: a processor, a memory, and a transceiver;

wherein the processor is configured to read a program in the memory and execute:

receiving prediction request information sent by network side equipment;

analyzing and predicting at least one of cell load of the network, mobility information of the terminal and communication information of the terminal according to the prediction request information;

and sending the generated cell load change trend prediction information or the cell start-stop control suggestion information to the network side equipment so that the network side equipment performs cell management according to the cell load change trend prediction information or the cell start-stop control suggestion information.

In one possible implementation, the prediction request information includes some or all of the following:

In one possible implementation, the processor is specifically configured to:

analyzing and predicting at least one of cell load, terminal mobility information and terminal communication information in the designated area according to the designated area information; or

Analyzing and predicting according to at least one of the cell load under the designated base station information, the mobility information of the terminal served by the designated base station and the communication information of the terminal served by the designated base station; or

And analyzing and predicting according to at least one of the cell load of the cell in the specified cell list, the mobility information of the terminal covered by the cell in the specified cell list and the communication information of the terminal covered by the cell in the specified cell list.

In a possible implementation manner, the prediction request information carries specified time period information, where the specified time period information is used to instruct the network data analysis functional entity to generate an analysis or prediction result of a specified time period.

In one possible implementation, the processor is further configured to:

sending a request for acquiring the mobility information of the terminal and/or the communication information of the terminal and the cell load of the network to an operation maintenance management device and/or a core network device;

and receiving the information fed back by the operation maintenance management equipment and/or the core network equipment.

In a possible implementation manner, the network side device is one of an operation maintenance management device, a base station, and a core network device.

In a possible implementation manner, if the network data analysis functional entity is located on the access network side, the processor is further configured to:

and acquiring the terminal mobility prediction information and/or the terminal communication prediction information from a network data analysis functional entity in a core network.

In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a network side device for cell management, where the network side device includes: a processor, a memory, and a transceiver;

sending prediction request information to a network data analysis functional entity;

and managing the cell according to the received cell load change trend prediction information or cell start-stop control suggestion information sent by the network data analysis functional entity.

In one possible implementation, the prediction request includes some or all of the following:

In a possible implementation manner, if the prediction request information is cell load prediction request information, the processor is specifically configured to:

the network side equipment is core network equipment, generates cell start-stop control suggestion information according to the received cell load change trend prediction information sent by the network data analysis functional entity, and sends the cell start-stop control suggestion information to a corresponding base station in the cell load change trend prediction information, so that the base station controls the cell to start or close according to the cell start-stop control suggestion information; or sending the received cell load change trend prediction information sent by the network data analysis functional entity to a corresponding base station in the cell load change trend prediction information, so that the base station generates cell start-stop control suggestion information according to the cell load change trend prediction information and controls the cell to start or close according to the cell start-stop control suggestion information; or

And if the network side equipment is operation maintenance management equipment or a base station, generating cell start-stop control suggestion information according to the received cell load change trend prediction information sent by the network data analysis functional entity, and controlling the cell to start or close according to the cell start-stop control suggestion information.

In a possible implementation manner, if the prediction request is cell start-stop control prediction request information, the processor is specifically configured to:

the network side equipment is core network equipment, and after sending cell start-stop control prediction request information to the network data analysis functional entity, the network side equipment sends the received cell start-stop control suggestion information sent by the network data analysis functional entity to a corresponding base station in the cell start-stop control suggestion information, so that the base station controls the cell to be started or closed according to the cell start-stop control suggestion information; or

And if the network side equipment is operation maintenance management equipment or a base station, controlling the cell to be started or closed according to the received cell start-stop control suggestion information sent by the network data analysis functional entity.

In a fifth aspect, the present application further provides a computer storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, which when executed by a processor, performs the steps of the method of the first or second aspect.

In addition, for technical effects brought by any one implementation manner of the third aspect to the fifth aspect, reference may be made to technical effects brought by different implementation manners of the first aspect or the second aspect, and details are not repeated here.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings needed to be used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious for those skilled in the art to obtain other drawings based on these drawings without inventive exercise.

Fig. 1 is a schematic view of a scenario for performing cell management according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of an interaction procedure for cell activation according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture of a 5G (5G network ) PCC (Policy Control and Charging) according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a system for cell management according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a system interaction flow when a network-side device is an AMF according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of a system interaction flow when a network side device is a base station according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of a system interaction flow when another network-side device is a base station according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of a system interaction flow when a network-side device is an operation maintenance management device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of a network data analysis functional entity device for cell management according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of another network data analysis functional entity device for cell management according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of a network side device for cell management according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 12 is a schematic structural diagram of another network-side device for cell management according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a method for cell management according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 14 is a flowchart illustrating another method for cell management according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention clearer, the present invention will be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, and it is apparent that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Some of the words that appear in the text are explained below:

1. the term "and/or" in the embodiments of the present invention describes an association relationship of associated objects, and indicates that three relationships may exist, for example, a and/or B may indicate: a exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. The character "/" generally indicates that the former and latter associated objects are in an "or" relationship.

2. In the embodiments of the present application, the term "plurality" means two or more, and other terms are similar thereto.

3. The term "small cell" in the embodiments of the present application refers to a cell covered by a small base station.

The application scenario described in the embodiment of the present invention is for more clearly illustrating the technical solution of the embodiment of the present invention, and does not form a limitation on the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present invention, and it can be known by a person skilled in the art that with the occurrence of a new application scenario, the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present invention is also applicable to similar technical problems. In the description of the present invention, the term "plurality" means two or more unless otherwise specified.

At present, the degree of network densification is getting heavier and heavier, in order to save energy and reduce consumption, the access network device may close some cells or base stations with repeated signal coverage and lower load according to the network load condition, when the network load is higher, the cell is reactivated or the corresponding base station is started, then the current mode of controlling the start and stop of the cell or base station is single, which causes frequent start and stop of the cell or base station, seriously affects the network performance, and brings bad use experience to users. In order to avoid frequent start and stop of the cell or the base station, the embodiment of the invention combines the analysis and prediction of the network load trend, and determines whether to close or start the cell or the base station according to the current network load condition and the network load change trend in a later period of time, thereby improving the control precision and avoiding frequent start and stop of the cell or the base station.

For the analysis and prediction of network load trend, the embodiment of the present invention is based on a 5G PCC network architecture supporting a network data analysis function, wherein a schematic diagram of a basic network architecture of the 5G PCC is shown in fig. 3. The following description describes a 5G PCC network architecture supporting network data analysis functions:

first, each node in the 5G PCC network architecture is explained:

1, an NWDAF entity (Network data analysis function) has a Network data analysis function, and can provide Network data analysis related to Network slicing.

2, (R) AN ((Radio) Access Network, (Radio) Access Network): can be 3gpp access network (such as LTE, 5G-NR) or non-3gpp access network (such as common wifi access);

such as: if the UE (User Equipment) is a mobile phone, when the mobile phone is used to access the internet, (R) the AN node is the base station.

3, UPF (User Plane Function): a user plane functional entity; the main functions are responsible for routing forwarding of data packets and Qos flow mapping.

4, AMF: the access and mobility management functional entity is a termination point of a RAN signaling interface (N2), a termination point of NAS (N1) signaling (MM information) and functions of encryption and complete protection of the NAS information, registration, access, mobility, authentication, short message passing-through and the like.

SMF (Session Management Function): a session management function entity; the main functions of SMF are: 1) a termination point of an SM (Session Management) message of an NAS (Non-access stratum) message; 2) establishing, modifying and releasing a session (session); 3) allocation management of UE IP (Internet Protocol Address); 4) selecting and controlling a UPF for a session; 5) collecting charging data and supporting a charging interface; 6) downlink data indication; and so on.

PCF (Policy Control Function): the policy control function entity supports a unified policy framework to manage network behaviors, provides policy rules for the network entity to implement execution, accesses subscription information of a Unified Data Repository (UDR), and the PCF can only access NDR of the same PLMN.

NEF (Network Exposure Function, Network capability open Function): a network exposure function entity; the network elements of 3gpp all expose their capabilities to other network elements through NEF.

UDR (Unified Data Repository, Unified database): 1) the UDM stores subscription data or reads the subscription data; 2) PCF stores strategy data or reads strategy data; 3) storing the exposed data or reading the exposed data therefrom.

The Network architecture further includes NSSF (Network Slice Selection Function), AF (Application Function), and OCS (Online Charging System).

In the embodiment of the invention, the network side equipment can subscribe network load prediction analysis to the NWDAF entity through the AMF, and when the network side equipment performs cell management, whether the cell and a corresponding base station need to be closed or started is determined according to the analysis prediction result of the NWDAF entity.

The embodiments of the present invention will be described in further detail with reference to the drawings attached hereto.

As shown in fig. 4, an embodiment of the present invention provides a system for cell management, where the system includes: a network data analysis functional entity 10 and a network side device 20.

A network data analysis functional entity 10, configured to receive prediction request information sent by a network side device; analyzing and predicting at least one of mobility information of the terminal and communication information of the terminal and a cell load of the network according to the prediction request information; and sending the generated cell load change trend prediction information or cell start-stop control suggestion information to network side equipment so that the network side equipment performs cell management according to the cell load change trend prediction information or the cell start-stop control suggestion information.

A network side device 20, configured to send prediction request information to a network data analysis functional entity; and managing the cell according to the received cell load change trend prediction information or cell start-stop control suggestion information sent by the network data analysis functional entity.

According to the scheme, after receiving the prediction request information sent by the network side equipment, the network data analysis functional entity analyzes and predicts at least one of the mobility information of the terminal and the communication information of the terminal and the cell load of the network according to the prediction request information to generate cell load change trend prediction information or cell start-stop control suggestion information, and the network side equipment can control the start and stop of the cell or the base station of the relevant area according to the cell load change trend prediction information or the cell start-stop control suggestion information, so that cell management is realized, the frequent start and stop of the cell which is possibly caused when the cell is controlled by only depending on the current load of the cell is avoided, and the accuracy of controlling the start and stop of the cell and the network energy efficiency are improved.

In the embodiment of the invention, after receiving request information sent by a network side device, an NWDAF entity determines object information to be analyzed and predicted according to the request information, wherein the request information comprises at least one of designated area information, designated base station information, designated cell information and predicted time information, and if the request information sent by the network side device contains the designated cell information, the NWDAF entity needs to collect base station load information of the designated cell, terminal mobility information and/or terminal communication information of a user served by the base station, analyze and predict network load of the designated cell in a prediction time period according to the collected information, and notify the obtained prediction result to the network side device.

The NWDAF entity may receive the request information in a plurality of types, including: the NWDAF entity feeds back a corresponding prediction result according to the type of the received request information, which is exemplified below:

the first method is as follows: the request information is cell load prediction request information;

network side equipment sends a cell load prediction request;

the NWDAF entity receives the cell load prediction request information, the prediction result of the NWDAF entity is the cell load change trend, and the NWDAF entity notifies the network side device of the cell load change trend prediction information, wherein the cell load change trend prediction information can be embodied in the form of numbers, characters, diagrams or the like.

Correspondingly, after receiving the cell load change trend information, the network side device determines whether the cell or the base station corresponding to the cell needs to be started or closed within the prediction time by combining the current load of the cell and the cell load change trend, so as to manage the cell.

The second method comprises the following steps: the request information is cell start-stop control prediction request information;

network side equipment sends a cell start-stop control prediction request;

the NWDAF entity receives the cell start-stop control prediction request information, the prediction result of the NWDAF entity is a cell start-stop control suggestion, and the NWDAF entity notifies the network side device of the cell start-stop control suggestion information, wherein the cell start-stop control suggestion information includes: the cell needing to be closed and/or the base station corresponding to the cell, and the cell needing to be opened and/or the base station corresponding to the cell.

Correspondingly, after receiving the cell start-stop control suggestion information, the network side equipment opens the corresponding cell or base station and closes the corresponding cell or base station according to the cell start-stop control suggestion information, so as to realize the management of the cell.

It should be noted that there are multiple network side devices, where the network side device may be a base station or a core network device, and the core network device is a device having a mobility management function and a session management function, such as: in conjunction with the 5G PCC network architecture of fig. 3, the core network device may be an AMF device. If the network side equipment is a base station, the base station sends request information for network load analysis and prediction required by cell management to an NWDAF entity; or the network side device is an AMF device, the AMF device assists an access network device (such as a base station) to perform cell management, and the AM device F sends the request information to the NWDAF entity and sends the request information to the service associated with the subscribed NWDAF entity.

In addition, at present, an operator divides the management work of a network into 3 categories according to the actual needs of network operation, which are respectively: operation (Operation), management (Administration), Maintenance (Maintenance). The operation management maintenance equipment can complete the analysis, prediction, planning and configuration work of daily network and service; since the configuration work also includes the configuration of start-stop control of the cell or the base station, a device with an operation management maintenance function (referred to as an operation management maintenance device for short) may also send request information to the NWDAF entity to obtain analysis and prediction information of the network load for accurate cell management.

In summary, the network side device may be one of an operation management maintenance device, a base station, and a core network device, and different network side devices also have different processing on the prediction result.

The following describes a scheme for performing cell management when a network side device is a core network device, by taking an AMF as an example, through a specific embodiment:

example 1: the network side equipment is AMF;

as shown in fig. 5, a schematic diagram of an interaction flow between systems for cell management, which are composed of AMFs and NWDAF entities, mainly includes the following steps:

step 500, the AMF sends prediction request information to an NWDAF entity, and subscribes cell load prediction information or cell start-stop control suggestion prediction information to the NWDAF entity; the prediction request information comprises information such as cell information to be analyzed, base station information to be analyzed, area information to be analyzed, prediction time and the like; the predicted time information may be a specific time period or a fixed time length, and further, the predicted time information may also be periodic time information, and the NWDAF entity feeds back the analysis prediction result to the AMF at regular intervals.

Step 501, after receiving prediction request information sent by an AMF, an NWDAF entity determines an object to be analyzed and a time period to be predicted according to indication information carried by the prediction request information, for example: the prediction request is cell load prediction request information, the indication information carried by the request information is prediction time 20min, and the specified object is a specified cell, so that the NWDAF entity needs to analyze and predict the network load change trend of the specified cell within 20min after receiving the prediction request information or after the network side equipment sends the prediction request information;

in order to obtain a more accurate analysis prediction result, the NWDAF entity needs to collect and acquire information of a specified object, such as: if the designated object is a designated area, the NWDAF entity acquires the mobility information of the terminal in the designated area and/or the communication information of the terminal and the cell load information of the cell in the designated area; or if the designated object is a designated base station, the NWDAF entity acquires the mobility information of a terminal served by the designated base station and/or the communication information of the terminal and the cell load information of a cell under the base station; or if the designated object is a designated cell, the NWDAF entity acquires mobility information of a terminal covered by the designated cell and/or communication information of the terminal covered by the designated cell and cell load information of the designated cell.

The NWDAF entity predicts the position of the terminal in the prediction time according to the collected mobility information of the terminal; predicting a traffic model, traffic size and traffic rate of the terminal within prediction time according to the acquired communication information of the terminal, analyzing and predicting the load change trend of the specified object within 20min in the future according to the mobility prediction information and the communication prediction information of the terminal and the cell load information of the specified object, and informing the AMF of a prediction result;

if the prediction request information carries the information of the designated area, the NWDAF entity needs to acquire the mobility information of the terminal in the designated area and/or the communication information of the terminal in the designated area, and performs analysis and prediction according to the acquired information; if the prediction request information carries the information of the designated base station, the NWDAF entity needs to acquire at least one of the mobility information of the terminal served by the designated base station, the communication information of the terminal served by the designated base station, and the cell load under the designated base station to analyze and predict.

The NWDAF entity may acquire information in a variety of ways, such as: the NWDAF entity acquires the data from the core network equipment; the specific process comprises the following steps: the NWDAF entity sends a request for acquiring the mobility information of the terminal and/or the communication information of the terminal and the cell load of the network to the AMF, and the NWDAF entity receives the information fed back by the AMF. Or

The NWDAF entity obtains from the operation maintenance management device, and the specific process includes: the NWDAF entity sends a request for acquiring the mobility information of the terminal and/or the communication information of the terminal and the cell load to the operation maintenance management equipment, and receives the information fed back by the operation maintenance management equipment.

502, the NWDAF entity analyzes and predicts the load change trend of the cell or the start-stop control of the cell within the prediction time period according to the mobility prediction information of the terminal and/or the communication prediction information of the terminal and the cell load information within the prediction time period, and notifies the AMF device of the prediction information;

step 503, after receiving the prediction information, the AMF device notifies the specified base station of the prediction information of the load change trend of the specified area or the specified cell or the specified base station service area, and if the specified base station is not directly connected with the AMF through a signaling, the AMF device may notify the prediction information to a macro base station adjacent to the specified base station.

The AMF device may process the received prediction information in a variety of ways, which is exemplified as follows:

the first processing mode is as follows: directly notifying the received prediction information to a specified base station;

after receiving the cell start-stop control suggestion information or the cell load change trend prediction information sent by the NWDAF entity, the AMF equipment sends the cell start-stop control suggestion information or the cell load change trend prediction information to a specified base station;

the second treatment method comprises the following steps: generating cell start-stop control suggestion information according to the received cell load change trend prediction information;

after receiving the cell load change trend prediction information sent by the NWDAF entity, the AMF equipment generates cell start-stop control suggestion information according to the cell load change trend prediction information and notifies the specified base station of the cell start-stop control suggestion information.

When cell start-stop control suggestion information is generated according to the cell load change trend, if the cell load change trend is an ascending trend, determining that the cell needs to be started; if the cell load change trend is a descending trend, determining that the cell can be closed; or if the cell load and the cell load increase rate both exceed the cell opening threshold, determining that the cell needs to be opened; if the cell load does not reach the opening threshold and the cell load reduction rate reaches the closing threshold, it is determined that the cell needs to be closed, and there are various specific ways of generating the cell start-stop control advice information.

Step 504, the base station receives the cell start-stop control suggestion information sent by the AMF device, and starts or closes the designated cell and/or the base station according to the received cell start-stop control suggestion information; or the base station receives the cell load change trend prediction information sent by the AMF, generates cell start-stop control suggestion information according to the cell load change trend prediction information, and starts or closes the designated cell and/or the base station according to the generated cell start-stop control suggestion information.

The base station realizes communication with a specified base station through an Access Point (AP); such as: the cell start-stop control suggestion information indicates that the base station needs to activate the cell of the neighboring base station, and then the cell activation process shown in fig. 2 is initiated to the neighboring base station through the AP.

Example 2: the network side equipment is a base station;

as shown in fig. 6, a schematic view of an interaction flow between systems for cell management, which are composed of a base station and an NWDAF entity, mainly includes the following steps:

step 600, a base station sends prediction request information to an NWDAF entity, and subscribes cell load prediction information or cell start-stop control suggestion prediction information to the NWDAF entity;

601, after receiving the prediction request information sent by the base station, the NWDAF entity determines the object to be analyzed and the time period to be predicted according to the indication information carried by the prediction request information, and collects the mobility prediction information of the terminal and/or the communication prediction information of the terminal and the cell load information related to the specified object from the operation maintenance management device or the AMF device;

step 602, the NWDAF entity analyzes and predicts the load change trend of the cell or the start-stop control of the cell in the prediction time period according to the mobility prediction information of the terminal and/or the communication prediction information of the terminal and the cell load information in the prediction time period, and notifies the prediction information to the base station;

step 603, the base station performs corresponding operations according to the prediction information, such as: if the prediction information is cell load change trend prediction information, the base station generates cell start-stop control information according to the cell load change trend prediction information, and starts or closes a specified cell and/or base station according to the generated cell start-stop control information; or if the prediction information is the cell start-stop control suggestion information, the base station starts or closes the appointed cell and/or the base station according to the cell start-stop control suggestion information.

The foregoing embodiment describes a main flow of performing cell management by communicating between a base station and an NWDAF entity on a core network side, and further, if an NWDAF entity is deployed on an access network side, the base station may further communicate with the NWDAF entity on the core network side through the NWDAF entity on the access network side to obtain prediction information for performing cell management. A detailed description is given below of a system for cell management, which is formed by a base station through an NWDAF entity deployed on an access network side and an NWDAF entity on a core network side, in a specific embodiment:

example 3: the base station, the NWDAF entity deployed at the access network side and the NWDAF entity at the core network side form a system for managing the cell;

as shown in fig. 7, the network side device is a base station, and the interaction flow diagram between the systems for cell management, which are composed of an NWDAF entity deployed on an access network side and an NWDAF entity on a core network side, is mainly included in the base station, and the interaction flow diagram mainly includes the following steps:

step 700, a base station sends prediction request information to an NWDAF entity deployed on an access network side; the access network side deploys the NWDAF entity only for example, and may also be a NWDAF entity deployed adjacent to the access network side or a NWDAF entity locally deployed by the base station.

Step 701, after receiving prediction request information sent by a base station, an NWDAF entity deployed at an access network side determines an object to be analyzed and a prediction time period required according to indication information carried by the prediction request information, and subscribes mobility prediction information of a terminal corresponding to the specified object and/or communication prediction information of the terminal and cell load information to the NWDAF entity at a core network side within the prediction time period; wherein, the designated object is a designated area, a designated cell or a designated base station.

Step 702, the NWDAF entity on the core network side collects the mobility information of the terminal and/or the communication information of the terminal and the cell load of the network of the specified object from the operation maintenance management device or the AMF device, generates the mobility prediction information of the terminal and/or the communication prediction information of the terminal and the cell load information according to the collected information, and sends the generated mobility prediction information of the terminal and/or the communication prediction information of the terminal and the cell load information to the NWDAF entity on the access network side.

Step 703, the NWDAF entity accessing the network side predicts mobility prediction information of the terminal and/or communication prediction information of the terminal and cell load information within a prediction time period, analyzes and predicts a load change trend of the cell or start-stop control of the cell within the prediction time period, and notifies the prediction information to the base station;

in step 704, the base station performs corresponding operations according to the prediction information, such as: if the prediction information is cell load change trend prediction information, the base station generates cell start-stop control information according to the cell load change trend prediction information, and starts or closes a specified cell and/or base station according to the generated cell start-stop control information; or if the prediction information is the cell start-stop control suggestion information, the base station starts or closes the appointed cell and/or the base station according to the cell start-stop control suggestion information.

The above is merely an example, and the prediction information may be generated by an NWDAF entity on the access network side or an NWDAF entity on the core network side.

Example 4: the network side equipment is operation maintenance management equipment;

as shown in fig. 8, a schematic view of an interaction flow between systems for cell management, which are composed of an operation maintenance management device and an NWDAF entity, mainly includes the following steps:

step 800, the operation maintenance management equipment sends prediction request information to an NWDAF entity, and subscribes cell load prediction information or cell start-stop control suggestion prediction information to the NWDAF entity;

step 801, after receiving prediction request information sent by an operation maintenance management device, an NWDAF entity determines an object to be analyzed and a time period required to be predicted according to indication information carried by the prediction request information, and collects mobility prediction information of a terminal related to the specified object and/or communication prediction information of the terminal and cell load information to the operation maintenance management device or an AMF device;

step 802, the NWDAF entity generates mobility prediction information of the terminal and/or communication prediction information of the terminal within a prediction time period according to the collected mobility prediction information of the terminal and/or communication prediction information of the terminal related to the specified object and cell load information, analyzes and predicts a load change trend of the cell or start-stop control of the cell within the prediction time period according to the cell load information and the generated mobility prediction information of the terminal and/or communication prediction information of the terminal, and notifies the prediction information to the operation maintenance management device;

step 803, the operation maintenance management device executes corresponding operations according to the prediction information, such as: if the prediction information is cell load change trend prediction information, the operation maintenance management equipment generates cell start-stop control suggestion information according to the cell load change trend prediction information, and starts or closes a specified cell and/or a base station according to the generated cell start-stop control suggestion information; or if the prediction information is cell start-stop control suggestion information, the operation maintenance management equipment starts or closes a specified cell and/or base station according to the cell start-stop control suggestion information;

it should be noted that, in the above embodiment, after receiving the cell start-stop control suggestion information, the base station and the operation maintenance management device may control to turn on or turn off the specified cell and/or base station according to the cell start-stop control suggestion information, or determine whether to turn on or turn off the specified cell and/or base station by combining the cell start-stop control suggestion information and other information. Further, the same or similar operations and the specific implementation steps involved for achieving the same technical effects between the above embodiments 1 to 4 may be mutually referred to, and are not repeatedly described in the embodiments.

Based on the same inventive concept, the embodiment of the present invention further provides a network data analysis functional entity device for cell management, and as the device is the network data analysis functional entity device in the system for cell management in the embodiment of the present invention, and the principle of the device for solving the problem is similar to that of the method, the implementation of the device may refer to the implementation of the method, and repeated details are not repeated.

As shown in fig. 9, a first network data analysis functional entity apparatus for cell management according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a processor 900, a memory 901, and a transceiver 902;

the processor 900 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing, and the memory 901 may store data used by the processor 900 in performing operations. The transceiver 902 is used for receiving and transmitting data under the control of the processor 900.

The bus architecture may include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, with one or more processors, represented by processor 900, and various circuits, represented by memory 901, being linked together. The bus architecture may also link together various other circuits such as peripherals, voltage regulators, power management circuits, and the like, which are well known in the art, and therefore, will not be described any further herein. The bus interface provides an interface. The processor 900 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing, and the memory 901 may store data used by the processor 900 in performing operations.

The processes disclosed in the embodiments of the present invention may be applied to the processor 900, or implemented by the processor 900. In implementation, the steps of the signal processing flow may be performed by integrated logic circuits of hardware or instructions in the form of software in the processor 900. The processor 900 may be a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or the like that may implement or perform the methods, steps, and logic blocks disclosed in embodiments of the present invention. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor or the like. The steps of a method disclosed in connection with the embodiments of the present invention may be directly implemented by a hardware processor, or may be implemented by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor. The software module may be located in ram, flash memory, rom, prom, or eprom, registers, etc. storage media as is well known in the art. The storage medium is located in the memory 901, and the processor 900 reads the information in the memory 901 and completes the steps of the signal processing flow in combination with the hardware thereof.

Specifically, the processor 900 is configured to read a program in the memory 901 and execute:

receiving prediction request information sent by network side equipment;

Optionally, the prediction request information includes part or all of the following:

Optionally, the processor 900 is specifically configured to:

Optionally, the prediction request information carries specified time period information, where the specified time period information is used to instruct the network data analysis functional entity to generate an analysis or prediction result of a specified time period.

Optionally, the processor 900 is specifically configured to:

and receiving the information fed back to the operation maintenance management equipment and/or the core network equipment.

Optionally, the network side device is one of a maintenance management device, a base station, and a core network.

Optionally, if the network data analysis functional entity is located on an access network side, the processor 900 is further configured to:

Based on the same idea, as shown in fig. 10, a schematic structural diagram of another network data analysis functional entity device for cell management according to an embodiment of the present invention includes:

the receiving module 1000: the device comprises a prediction request message used for receiving prediction request information sent by network side equipment;

the processing module 1001: analyzing and predicting at least one of cell load of the network, mobility information of the terminal, and communication information of the terminal according to the prediction request information;

the sending module 1002: and the network side equipment is used for sending the generated cell load change trend prediction information or the cell start-stop control suggestion information to the network side equipment so that the network side equipment performs cell management according to the cell load change trend prediction information or the cell start-stop control suggestion information.

Optionally, the processing module 1001 is specifically configured to:

Optionally, the sending module 1002 is specifically configured to:

the receiving module 1000 is further configured to receive information fed back by the operation maintenance management device and/or the core network device.

Optionally, the network side device is one of an operation maintenance management device, a base station, and a core network device.

Optionally, if the network data analysis functional entity is located at an access network side, the receiving module 1000 is further configured to:

Based on the same inventive concept, the embodiment of the present invention further provides a network side device for cell management, and as the device is a network side device in a system for cell management in the embodiment of the present invention, and the principle of the device for solving the problem is similar to that of the method, the implementation of the device may refer to the implementation of the method, and repeated details are omitted.

As shown in fig. 11, a network side device for cell management according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a processor 1100, a memory 1101, and a transceiver 1102;

the processor 1100 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing, and the memory 1101 may store data used by the processor 1100 in performing operations. The transceiver 1102 is used to receive and transmit data under the control of the processor 1100.

The bus architecture may include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, with various circuits specifically represented by one or more of processor 1100 and memory represented by memory 1101 linked together. The bus architecture may also link together various other circuits such as peripherals, voltage regulators, power management circuits, and the like, which are well known in the art, and therefore, will not be described any further herein. The bus interface provides an interface. The processor 1100 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing, and the memory 1101 may store data used by the processor 1100 in performing operations.

The processes disclosed in the embodiments of the present invention can be implemented in the processor 1100, or implemented by the processor 1100. In implementation, the steps of the signal processing flow may be performed by integrated logic circuits of hardware or instructions in the form of software in the processor 1100. The processor 1100 may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or the like that implement or perform the methods, steps, and logic blocks disclosed in embodiments of the present invention. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor or the like. The steps of a method disclosed in connection with the embodiments of the present invention may be directly implemented by a hardware processor, or may be implemented by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor. The software module may be located in ram, flash memory, rom, prom, or eprom, registers, etc. storage media as is well known in the art. The storage medium is located in the memory 1101, and the processor 1100 reads information in the memory 1101, and completes the steps of the signal processing flow in combination with hardware thereof.

Specifically, the processor 1100 is configured to read a program in the memory 1101 and execute:

Optionally, the prediction request includes part or all of the following:

Optionally, if the prediction request information is cell load prediction request information, the processor 1100 is specifically configured to:

Optionally, if the prediction request is cell start-stop control prediction request information, the processor 1100 is specifically configured to:

Based on the same idea, as shown in fig. 12, a schematic structural diagram of another network side device for cell management according to an embodiment of the present invention is provided, where the network side device includes:

the transmission module 1200: the system comprises a network data analysis functional entity and a prediction request message sending module, wherein the network data analysis functional entity is used for sending prediction request information to the network data analysis functional entity;

cell management module 1201: and the network data analysis functional entity is used for carrying out cell management according to the received cell load change trend prediction information or cell start-stop control suggestion information sent by the network data analysis functional entity.

Optionally, the prediction request includes part or all of the following:

Optionally, if the prediction request information is cell load prediction request information, the cell management module 1201 is specifically configured to:

Optionally, if the prediction request is cell start-stop control prediction request information, the cell management module 1201 is specifically configured to:

Based on the same inventive concept, the embodiment of the present invention further provides a method for cell management, and since the method corresponds to the method for network data analysis functional entity equipment in the system for cell management of the embodiment of the present invention, and the principle of the method for solving the problem is similar to that of the equipment, the implementation of the method can refer to the implementation of the terminal, and repeated details are not repeated.

As shown in fig. 13, a flowchart of a method for cell management according to an embodiment of the present invention specifically includes the following steps:

step 1300, the network data analysis functional entity receives the prediction request information sent by the network side equipment;

step 1301, the network data analysis functional entity analyzes and predicts at least one of the cell load of the network, the mobility information of the terminal and the communication information of the terminal according to the prediction request information;

in step 1302, the network data analysis functional entity sends the generated cell load change trend prediction information or the cell start-stop control recommendation information to the network side device, so that the network side device performs cell management according to the cell load change trend prediction information or the cell start-stop control recommendation information.

Optionally, the analyzing and predicting, by the network data analyzing functional entity, at least one of a cell load of a network, mobility information of a terminal, and communication information of the terminal according to the prediction request information includes:

Optionally, after receiving the prediction request information sent by the network side device, and before performing prediction, the network data analysis functional entity further includes:

Optionally, if the network data analysis functional entity is located on the access network side, the network data analysis functional entity obtains the terminal mobility prediction information and/or the terminal communication prediction information from the network data analysis functional entity in the core network.

Based on the same inventive concept, the embodiment of the present invention further provides a method for cell management, and since the method corresponds to the method for network side equipment in the system for cell management in the embodiment of the present invention, and the principle of the method for solving the problem is similar to that of the equipment, the implementation of the method can refer to the implementation of the terminal, and repeated details are omitted.

As shown in fig. 14, a flowchart of a method for cell management according to an embodiment of the present invention specifically includes the following steps:

step 1400, the network side device sends prediction request information to the network data analysis functional entity;

and 1401, the network side device performs cell management according to the received cell load change trend prediction information or cell start-stop control suggestion information sent by the network data analysis functional entity.

Optionally, the prediction request includes part or all of the following:

Optionally, the prediction request information is cell load prediction request information;

If the network side equipment is operation maintenance management equipment or a base station, the core network equipment or the base station generates cell start-stop control suggestion information according to the received cell load change trend prediction information sent by the network data analysis functional entity, and controls the cell to start or close according to the cell start-stop control suggestion information.

Optionally, the prediction request is cell start-stop control prediction request information;

The present application is described above with reference to block diagrams and/or flowchart illustrations of methods, apparatus (systems) and/or computer program products according to embodiments of the application. It will be understood that one block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustrations, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustrations, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, and/or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer and/or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified in the block diagrams and/or flowchart block or blocks.

Accordingly, the subject application may also be embodied in hardware and/or in software (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.). Furthermore, the present application may take the form of a computer program product on a computer-usable or computer-readable storage medium having computer-usable or computer-readable program code embodied in the medium for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system. In the context of this application, a computer-usable or computer-readable medium may be any medium that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, if such modifications and variations of the present invention fall within the scope of the claims of the present invention and their equivalents, the present invention is also intended to include such modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A method for cell management, the method comprising:

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the prediction request information comprises some or all of:

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the network data analysis functional entity analyzes and predicts at least one of cell load of the network, mobility information of the terminal, and communication information of the terminal according to the prediction request information, comprising:

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the prediction request information carries specified time period information, wherein the specified time period information is used to instruct the network data analysis functional entity to generate an analysis or prediction result for a specified time period.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the network data analysis functional entity, after receiving the prediction request information sent by the network side device and before performing prediction, further comprises:

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the network side device is one of an operation maintenance management device, a base station, and a core network device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

and if the network data analysis functional entity is positioned at the access network side, the network data analysis functional entity acquires the terminal mobility prediction information and/or the terminal communication prediction information from the network data analysis functional entity in the core network.

8. A method for cell management, the method comprising:

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the prediction request includes some or all of:

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the prediction request information is cell load prediction request information;

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the prediction request is cell start-stop control prediction request information;

12. A network data analysis function entity device for cell management, the device comprising: a processor, a memory, and a transceiver;

receiving prediction request information sent by network side equipment;

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the prediction request information comprises some or all of:

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the processor is specifically configured to:

15. The device of claim 12, wherein the prediction request information carries specified time period information, wherein the specified time period information is used to instruct the network data analysis functional entity to generate an analysis or prediction result for a specified time period.

16. The device of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to:

17. The device of claim 12, wherein the network side device is one of an operation maintenance management device, a base station, and a core network device.

18. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein if the network data analysis function entity is located on an access network side, the processor is further configured to:

19. A network side device for cell management, the network side device comprising: a processor, a memory, and a transceiver;

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the prediction request comprises some or all of:

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein if the predicted request information is cell load prediction request information, the processor is specifically configured to:

22. The device of claim 19, wherein if the prediction request is cell start stop control prediction request information, the processor is specifically configured to: