CN117796067A

CN117796067A - Cell identity determination

Info

Publication number: CN117796067A
Application number: CN202180101299.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 许翔; 袁平
Original assignee: Nokia Shanghai Bell Co Ltd; Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy
Current assignee: Nokia Shanghai Bell Co Ltd; Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy
Priority date: 2021-08-05
Filing date: 2021-08-05
Publication date: 2024-03-29
Also published as: WO2023010491A1

Abstract

An apparatus, method, device, and computer-readable storage medium for cell Identity (ID) determination in a non-terrestrial network (NTN) system. The first device (210) receives a first indication from the second device (220) that the location of the second device (220) has not changed. The first device (210) then sends a second indication to the third device (230) that the location of the second device (220) is unchanged and/or that the stored cell identity for the second device (220) is to be used.

Description

Cell identity determination

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of telecommunications and, more particularly, relate to an apparatus, method, device, and computer-readable storage medium for cell Identity (ID) determination.

Background

With the development of communication technology, more and more internet of things (IOT) communication scenarios may involve non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) in which terminal devices may be connected to a Core Network (CN) via satellites or drones. Currently, support for narrowband internet of things (NB-IOT)/Long Term Evolution (LTE)/enhanced machine type communication (eMTC) over NTN has been agreed. NB-IOT/eMTC devices are cost sensitive and energy sensitive. These devices need to operate for many years without changing the battery and typically transmit/receive small amounts of application data (e.g., 50 bytes) from every few hours to every few days.

Disclosure of Invention

In general, example embodiments of the present disclosure provide apparatus, methods, devices, and computer-readable storage media for cell Identity (ID) determination.

In a first aspect, a first device is provided. The first device includes at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the first device to receive a first indication from the second device that the location of the second device is unchanged. The first device is further caused to send a second indication to the third device that the location of the second device is unchanged and/or that the stored cell identity for the second device is to be used.

In a second aspect, a third device is provided. The third device includes at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the third device to receive from the first device a second indication that the location of the second device is unchanged and/or that a stored cell identity for the second device is to be used. The third device is further caused to perform management of the second device based on the stored cell identity.

In a third aspect, a second device is provided. The second device includes at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the second device to determine if the location of the second device changes, once data or signaling needs to be exchanged with the third device. The second device is further caused to send a first indication of unchanged location of the second device to the first device in a radio resource control message in accordance with the determination that the location of the second device has not changed.

In a fourth aspect, a method implemented in a first device is provided. In the method, the first device receives a first indication from the second device that the location of the second device has not changed. The first device also sends a second indication to the third device that the location of the second device is unchanged and/or that the stored cell identity for the second device is to be used.

In a fifth aspect, a method implemented in a third device is provided. In the method, the third device receives from the first device a second indication that the location of the second device is unchanged and/or that a stored cell identity for the second device is to be used. The third device also performs management of the second device based on the stored cell identity.

In a sixth aspect, a method implemented in a second device is provided. In the method, the second device determines whether the location of the second device changes once data or signaling needs to be exchanged with the third device; and in accordance with a determination that the location of the second device has not changed. The second device also sends a first indication to the first device in a radio resource control message that the location of the second device has not changed.

In a seventh aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising means for performing the method according to any one of the fourth to sixth aspects.

In an eighth aspect, a computer readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon is provided. The instructions, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the method of any of the fourth to sixth aspects.

Other features of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description.

Drawings

The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the disclosure will be more apparent from the following more particular description of some example embodiments of the disclosure in the accompanying drawings in which:

fig. 1 illustrates conventional cell identity determination in a New Radio (NR) NTN;

FIG. 2 illustrates an example environment in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

Fig. 3 illustrates a signaling diagram for determining a mapped cell ID of a second device according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart of an example method implemented at a second device, according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart of an example method implemented at a first device, according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of an example method implemented at a third device, according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure; and

fig. 7 is a simplified block diagram of an apparatus suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure.

The same or similar reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like elements.

Detailed Description

Principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some example embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only and to assist those skilled in the art in understanding and practicing the present disclosure, and do not imply any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. The disclosure described herein may be implemented in various ways other than those described below.

In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

As used herein, the term "radio access network device" or "RAN device" refers to a device that is capable of providing or hosting a cell or coverage with which a second device (e.g., a terminal device) may communicate. Examples of the first device include, but are not limited to, a node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved node B (eNodeB or eNB), a next generation eNB (ng-eNB), a ng-eNB central unit (ng-eNB-CU), a ng-eNB distributed unit (ng-eNB-DU), a next generation node B (gNB), a gNB central unit (gNB-CU), a gNB distributed unit (gNB-DU), a Remote Radio Unit (RRU), a Radio Head (RH), a Remote Radio Head (RRH), an Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) node, a low power node such as a femto node, a pico node, and the like. In some communication systems, the first device may be comprised of a plurality of separate entities, for example, in NTN systems, the first device may be comprised of a radio frequency portion located in a satellite or drone and an inter-frequency/baseband portion located in a ground station.

As used herein, the term "terminal device" refers to any device having wireless or wired communication capabilities. Examples of terminal devices include, but are not limited to, user Equipment (UE), personal computers, desktops, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), portable computers, tablets, wearable devices, internet of things (IoT) devices, various internet of things (IoE) devices, machine Type Communication (MTC) devices, in-vehicle devices for V2X communication (where X means pedestrians, vehicles, or infrastructure/networks), devices for Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB), or image capturing devices such as digital cameras, gaming devices, music storage and playback devices, or internet devices allowing wireless or wired internet access and browsing, and the like. The term "terminal device" may be used interchangeably herein with UE.

As used herein, a "core network device" or "CN device" may include one or more network elements, which may include core network functionality, and which provide connectivity to another network, such as a telephone network and/or a data communications network (e.g., the internet). Such core network functionality for the fifth generation (5G) may include access and mobility management function(s) (AMF) and/or user plane function(s) (UPF) and/or session management function(s) (SMF). Such core network functionality for LTE may include MME (mobility management entity)/SGW (serving gateway) functionality.

The term "circuitry" as used herein may refer to hardware circuitry and/or a combination of hardware circuitry and software. For example, the circuitry may be a combination of analog and/or digital hardware circuitry and software/firmware. As another example, circuitry may be any portion of a hardware processor with software, including a digital signal processor, software and memory that work together to cause an apparatus, such as a terminal device or network device, to perform various functions. In yet another example, the circuitry may be hardware circuitry and/or a processor, such as a microprocessor or a portion of a microprocessor, that requires software/firmware to operate, but when software is not required to operate, the software may not be present. As used herein, the term "circuitry" also encompasses hardware-only or processor(s) or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor(s) and their (or their) accompanying implementation of software and/or firmware.

As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The term "comprising" and variants thereof are to be construed as open-ended terms, meaning "including, but not limited to. The term "based on" will be read as "based at least in part on". The terms "one embodiment" and "an embodiment" are to be interpreted as "at least one embodiment. The term "another embodiment" will be read as "at least one other embodiment. The terms "first," "second," and the like, may refer to different or the same object.

In a wireless network (e.g., an LTE network or an NR network), the location of a RAN device (e.g., a gNB) is static. The particular cell ID used by the RAN equipment, e.g., the cell identity broadcast over the air interface, corresponds to a fixed geographic area on earth. The RAN apparatus reports the location of the UE as a cell identity to the core network so that the CN apparatus can perform management such as quality of service (QoS) control, or policy control, or charging control, etc., based on the location of the UE.

In NTN, a User Equipment (UE) may connect to a CN device via a Radio Access Network (RAN) device that deploys all or part of the RAN functionality on a satellite and/or a drone. In some NTN scenarios, for example, NTN networks using Low Earth Orbit (LEO) earth moving cells, the cell coverage sweeps over the earth as the satellites move. The particular cell ID used by the NTN RAN device, e.g., the cell ID broadcast over the air interface, may not correspond to a fixed geographic area on earth. In order to support the CN device to perform management based on the cell ID reported from the RAN device, the RAN device is agreed to perform mapping to determine a cell ID corresponding to a fixed geographical area on earth (hereinafter also referred to as "mapped cell identity" or "mapped cell ID"). Conventionally, each time a UE transitions to an rrc_connected state, the UE may need to report its location information to a RAN device (such as a gNB) serving the UE. The RAN device then determines a cell ID corresponding to a geographical area on earth based on the location information of the UE, and transmits the mapped cell ID to the CN device for policy control and charging of the UE.

Fig. 1 illustrates transmission cell identity mapping in a New Radio (NR) NTN.

As shown in fig. 1, ue 120 transitions from the rrc_idle state to the rrc_connected state at step 110. In step 130, UE 120 sends UE location information to RAN device 140 during or after the RRC establishment procedure. In step 145, ran device 140 determines a mapped cell ID for UE 120 corresponding to the fixed geographic area on earth based on the UE location information. The ran device 140 then transmits the determined cell ID to the CN device 150 in step 147. Upon receiving the determined cell ID, the CN device 150 applies management such as QoS control, policy control, and charging control based on the cell ID. Without knowing the location of the UE, the CN device 150 cannot apply location-based management. Therefore, mapping cell identities is very important in NTN systems.

Conventionally, each time UE 120 transitions to the rrc_connected state, UE 120 needs to provide its location information to RAN device 140. The location information may occupy about 70 bits. This is not negligible—considering that NB-IOT/eMTC devices typically send a small amount of application data (e.g., 50 bytes) when transitioning to the rrc_connected state. Thus, there is a need for an energy efficient method to support the determination of mapped cell identities, especially in NB-IOT/eMTCNTN systems.

Example embodiments of the present disclosure provide an efficient solution to support mapping cell identity determination. This scheme will be described below by taking terminal equipment, RAN equipment and CN equipment as examples. With this scheme, the terminal device determines whether the location of the terminal device is changed whenever the UE needs to exchange data and/or signaling with the CN device, for example, whenever the UE transmits or receives data/signaling with the CN device upon or after transitioning to the rrc_connected state, or the UE transmits or receives data/signaling to or from the CN device without entering the rrc_connected state. If it is determined that the location of the terminal device has not changed, the terminal device sends an indication to the RAN device that the location of the terminal device has not changed, for example, in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message.

The RAN device receives an indication from the terminal device that the location of the terminal device is unchanged and transmits an indication to the CN device that the location of the terminal device is unchanged and/or that the stored cell ID for the terminal device is to be used. The CN device receives from the RAN device an indication that the stored cell identity for the terminal device is to be used. The CN device then performs management of the terminal device based on the stored cell ID.

By using the scheme, the signaling overhead between the devices can be reduced, and the energy consumption of the devices can be reduced.

Fig. 2 illustrates an example environment 200 in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented.

The environment 200, which may be part of a communication network, includes three devices, referred to as a first device 210 and a second device 220, and a third device 230, respectively. In this example, the first device 210 operates as a RAN device and includes a ground station 212 having a baseband functional portion and a satellite 214 having a Radio Frequency (RF) functional portion. In some example embodiments, the satellite 214 may be an unmanned aerial vehicle or other aerospace device and other aerospace devices. The functionality of the RAN equipment may also be arbitrarily divided between satellite 214 and ground station 212 as desired. In one example, the ground station 212 may host a non-NTN infrastructure functionality portion of the RAN device, while the satellite 214 may host an RF functionality portion of the RAN device. In another example, the ground station 212 may host a functional portion of a central unit of the RAN device (e.g., a gNB-CU or ng-eNBCU), while the satellite 214 may host a functional portion of a distributed unit of the RAN device (e.g., a gNB-DU or ng-eNB-DU). In yet another example, the satellite 214 may host the full functionality of a RAN device (e.g., a gNB or ng-eNB). In fig. 2, the second device 220 is stationary and thus can observe the IDs of the different Uu cells 245 and 246 in the air at different times as the satellite 214 moves. The cell ID (or mapped cell ID) corresponds to a fixed geographic area 255, while the other cell ID (or other mapped cell ID) corresponds to a different geographic area 256.

It should be appreciated that the first, second, and third devices 210, 220, and 230 may be implemented by any other suitable device and in any other suitable structure. For example, in some example embodiments, both the first device 210 and the second device 220 may be implemented by terminal devices capable of directly communicating with each other, and the third device 230 may operate as a RAN device.

The communications in environment 200 may conform to any suitable communications standard or protocol that may exist or will be developed in the future, such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-advanced (LTE-a), fifth generation (5G) New Radio (NR), wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi), and Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) standards, and employ any suitable communications technology including, for example, multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO), orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), time Division Multiplexing (TDM), frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM), code Division Multiplexing (CDM), bluetooth, zigbee, and Machine Type Communications (MTC), enhanced mobile broadband (embbb), large-scale machine type communications (mctc), ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC), carrier Aggregation (CA), dual Connectivity (DC), and new radio unlicensed (NR-U) technologies.

According to example embodiments of the present disclosure, when data and/or signaling needs to be exchanged with the third device 230, for example, when the second device 220 needs to transmit data and/or signaling to the third device 230 or receive data and/or signaling from the third device 230 when or after transitioning to the rrc_connected state, or the second device 220 needs to transmit data and/or signaling to the third device 230 or receive data and/or signaling from the third device 230 without entering the rrc_connected state, the second device 220 determines whether the location of the second device 220 is changed. If it is determined that its location has not changed, the second device sends an indication to the first device 210 that the location of the second device 220 has not changed. The first device 210 then sends an indication to the third device 230 that the location of the second device 220 is unchanged and/or that the stored cell identity for the second device 220 is to be used for management of the second device 220. The stored cell identity for the second device 220 may be a mapped cell ID corresponding to the fixed geographic area 255. In this way, the signaling overhead associated with location can be significantly reduced.

Fig. 3 illustrates a signaling process 300 between the first, second, and third devices 210, 220, and 230 according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

In the signaling procedure 300, when data and/or signaling needs to be exchanged with the third device 230, the second device 220 determines (305) whether its location has changed. For example, the second device 220 may need to send data and/or signaling to the third device 230 or receive data and/or signaling from the third device 230 upon or after transitioning to the connected state. The transition to the CONNECTED state may be a transition from an rrc_idle state to an rrc_connected state. In another example, the transition to the CONNECTED state may be a transition from an rrc_inactive state to an rrc_connected state. In other embodiments, the transition to the connected state may be a transition from any idle/inactive state to the connected state. In yet another embodiment, the transmission or reception of data and/or signaling may not require a transition to the rrc_connected state.

In some example embodiments, the second device 220 may send data and/or signaling to the third device 230 or receive data and/or signaling from the third device 230 without entering the rrc_connected state. For example, for eMTC and NB-IoT, early Data Transmission (EDT) may be allowed for mobile originated data in release 15 and mobile terminated data in release 16. EDT (data initiated for mobile stations) enables the UE to transmit small amounts of data in msg3 (message 3) of the random access procedure. If the transmission is successful, the UE will not transition to RRC connected mode, but return to RRC idle (sleep). In an example embodiment where the second device 220 is implemented by a UE, the second device 220 may initiate EDT without entering the rrc_connected state. In this case, the second device 220 may determine whether its location is changed.

The second device 220 may determine the change in its location with any suitable rules or criteria. For example, if the second device 220 does not move and remains at the same location, it may be determined that the location of the second device 220 is unchanged. Alternatively or additionally, if the current location of the second device 220 is very close to the previous location, it may be determined that the location of the second device 220 is unchanged. For example, if the distance between the current location and the previous location is very small, e.g., below a threshold distance, it may be determined that the location of the second device 220 is unchanged. The threshold distance may be adaptively adjusted or predefined as desired. The threshold distance may be preconfigured in the second device 220, or received from the first device 210 via an RRC message, or received from the third device 230. The previous location is a location where the second device 220 performs the last data transmission (e.g., where the second device 220 performs data transmission upon or after transitioning to the rrc_connected state, or where the second device 220 performs data transmission without entering the rrc_connected state), or where the second device 220 performs the last signaling transmission without transmitting data (e.g., where the second device 220 performs registration with the third device 230 without transmitting data), or where the second device 220 performs the last signaling and data transmission.

Alternatively or additionally, if the current location of the second device 220 is in the same geographic area as the previous location of the second device 220, it may be determined that the location of the second device 220 is unchanged. For example, the same geographic region may be a region employing the same QoS control, policy control, or policy charging. The information of the geographical area may be adaptively adjusted or predefined as desired. The information of the geographical area may be preconfigured in the second device 220, or received from the first device 210 via an RRC message, or received from the third device 230.

If the second device 220 determines that the location of the second device 220 has not changed, the second device 220 transmits an indication (referred to as a first indication) that the location of the second device 220 has not changed to the first device 210 in an RRC message. In some example embodiments, the second device 220 may notify the first device 210 of the first indication in other messages or in other explicit and implicit ways.

In some example embodiments, the second device 220 may use only one bit to provide its location information to the first device 210. For example, a bit of "1" indicates that the location of the second device 220 is unchanged, while a bit of "0" indicates that the location of the second device 220 is changed, or vice versa. Thus, the second device 220 need only provide a 1-bit indication to the first device 210, rather than complete location information (e.g., 70 bits). This saves significant air interface resources of the second device 220 when the second device 220 is stationary or not moving frequently. In some embodiments, if the second device 220 determines that its location is changed, the second device 220 may not send a 1-bit indication, but instead send its current location information to implicitly indicate that its location is changed, thereby further reducing signaling overhead.

The first device 210 receives (315) a first indication that the location of the second device 220 has not changed. As discussed above, the first indication may be received by the first device 210 in a radio resource control message or other message or in other explicit and implicit ways from the second device 220.

The first device 210 sends an indication (referred to as a second indication) to the third device 230 that the location of the second device 220 is unchanged and/or that the stored cell identity for the second device 220 is to be used. Thus, the first device 210 may directly skip the mapped cell identity determination procedure based on the received first indication. Thus, with the first indication indicating that the location of the second device 220 has not changed, the first device 210 may save computing and storage resources for determining the mapped cell ID.

The third device 230 receives (335) the second indication from the first device 210 and performs (345) management of the second device 220 based on the stored cell identity for the second device 220. For example, the management of the second device 220 includes policy control, charging control, or any other control or management.

In some example embodiments, the third device 230 may perform (345) the management of the second device 220 by: the third device 230 obtains the stored cell ID from the stored context for the second device 220 and uses the obtained cell ID for management of the second device 220. During a previous (or last) transmission associated with the second device 220, e.g., during a previous transmission of data and/or signaling between the second device 220 and the third device 230, during a previous registration (or registration update) procedure of the second device 220 and the third device 230, during a previous attach or tracking area update procedure of the second device 220 and the third device 230, during a last transition to rrc_connected state for data or signaling transmission, etc., a context may be created and stored locally for the second device 220 by the third device 230. The third device 230 may perform policy control or policy charging for the second device 220.

In some example embodiments, the stored cell ID may be the cell ID of the last known mapped cell for the second device 220. During a previous (or last) transmission (e.g., a previous data and/or signaling transmission, or a previous registration procedure) with the second device 220, the first device 210 may determine a mapped cell ID based on the location received from the second device 220 and inform the third device 230 of the mapped cell ID. The third device 230 may then store the cell ID for the second device 220 in the context for the second device 220.

In some example embodiments, the third device 230 sends (355) the stored cell ID to the first device 210 for use in location-related processing or for other purposes. In some example embodiments, the transmission of the stored cell ID may be triggered by a request (referred to as a first request) from the first device 210 for the stored cell ID (355). For example, the third device 230 may receive a first request for the stored cell ID from the first device 210 and, in response to the first request, the third device 230 sends (355) the stored cell ID to the first device 210. In another embodiment, the first request may be sent when the first device 210 sends the second indication to the third device 230.

In some example embodiments, the third device 230 may not have a stored cell ID for the second device 220. For example, the second device 220 may register with the third device 230, but there is no communication between the second device 220 and the third device 230 for a long time. Thus, the third device 230 may implicitly deregister the second device 220. In another example, it may be the first time the second device 220 initiates communication with the third device 230, and the third device 230 does not have a stored context for the second device 220. In this case, the third device 230 may determine that the stored cell identity is not available. Thus, the third device 230 may send (365) a request for a new cell identity for the second device 220 (referred to as a second request).

After the first device 210 receives the second request from the third device 230, the first device 210 may send 375 a request for location information of the second device 220 (referred to as a third request) to the second device 220. In some example embodiments, the first device 210 notifies 375 the second device 220 to provide location information. The first device 210 may then generate a mapped cell ID based on the location information from the second device 210 and send the mapped cell ID to the third device 230, as discussed above with reference to fig. 1.

Fig. 4 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 400 implemented at the second device 220, according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

At block 410, when data and/or signaling needs to be exchanged with the third device 230, for example, when the second device 220 needs to send data and/or signaling to the third device 230 or receive data and/or signaling from the third device 230 when or after transitioning to the rrc_connected state, or the second device 220 needs to send data and/or signaling to the third device 230 or receive data and/or signaling from the third device 230 without entering the rrc_connected state, the second device 220 determines whether the location of the second device 220 changes. The second device 220 may determine the change in its location with any suitable rules or criteria. For example, if the second device 220 does not move and remains at the same location, or the moving distance from the current location to the previous location when the second device 220 is last in the connected state is below a predetermined threshold, it may be determined that the location of the second device 220 is not changed.

At block 420, if it is determined that the location of the second device 220 is unchanged, the second device 220 sends a first indication to the first device 210 that the location of the second device 220 is unchanged in the radio resource control message. With RRC signaling, information about whether the location of the second device 220 is changed can be explicitly and flexibly provided to the first device 210.

Fig. 5 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 500 implemented at the first device 210, according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

As shown in fig. 5, at block 510, the first device 210 receives a first indication from the second device 220 that the location of the second device 220 has not changed. The first indication may have a size of only 1 bit, which is much smaller than the size of the complete location information (such as 70 bits). In some example embodiments, the first device 210 receives the first indication from the second device 220 in a radio resource control message. In this way, the overhead of signaling is significantly reduced.

At block 520, the first device 210 sends a second indication to the third device 230 that the location of the second device 220 is unchanged and/or that the stored cell ID for the second device 220 is to be used. In some example embodiments, the stored cell ID for the second device 220 may be the last known mapped cell identity for the second device 220. This stored cell ID may be, for example, the last known mapping ID reported by the first device 210 during a previous registration procedure or data/signaling exchange with the second device 220. With the first indication, the first device 210 may directly skip the mapped cell ID determination procedure and send a second indication to the third device 230. Thus, the first device 210 may save computing and storage resources for determining the mapped cell IDs.

In some example embodiments, the first device 210 may receive a cell ID for the second device 220 stored from the third device 230. The stored cell ID may be received in response to a first request for the stored cell identity from the first device 210 to the third device 230.

In some example embodiments, the third device 230 may implicitly log off the second device 220 and clear the stored context for the second device 220 because there is no communication from the second device 220 for a long time. In this case, the first device 210 may receive a second request for a new cell ID for the second device 220 from the third device 230. The first device 210 then sends a third request for location information of the second device 220 to the second device 220. The first device 210 may then generate a mapped cell ID based on the location information from the second device 210 and send the mapped cell ID to the third device 230.

Fig. 6 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 600 implemented at the third device 230, according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For discussion purposes, the method 600 will be described with reference to FIG. 2.

At block 610, the third device 230 receives a second indication from the first device 210 that the location of the second device 220 is unchanged and/or that the stored cell ID for the second device 220 is to be used. In some example embodiments, the third device 230 may obtain the stored cell identity from the stored context for the second device 220. The third device 230 may then use the acquired cell ID for management of the second device 220. As discussed above, the context may be created and stored locally for the second device 220 by the third device 230 after the previous RRC establishment procedure of the second device 220.

In some example embodiments, the stored cell ID for the second device 220 may be the cell ID for the last known cell of the second device 220. This stored cell ID may be, for example, the last known mapping ID reported by the first device 210 during the previous RRC establishment procedure.

At block 620, the third device 230 performs management of the second device 220 based on the stored cell ID. For example, the management of the second device 220 includes QoS control, policy control, charging control, or any other control or management.

In some example embodiments, the third device 230 may send the stored cell ID to the first device 210. For example, after receiving the second indication, the third device 230 may automatically send the stored cell ID to the first device 210.

In other example embodiments, the third device 230 may receive a first request for the stored cell ID from the first device 210. In response to the first request, the third device 230 may send the stored cell ID to the first device 210.

In some example embodiments, if the stored cell identity is determined to be unavailable, the third device 230 may send a second request to the first device 210 for a new cell identity for the second device 220. The first device 210 will then send a third request to the second device 220 for current location information of the second device 220. In some example embodiments, the first device 210 notifies the second device 220 to provide location information. The first device 210 may then generate a mapped cell ID based on the location information from the second device 210 and send the mapped cell ID to the third device 230, as discussed above with reference to fig. 1.

It should be appreciated that methods 400, 500, and 600 may include additional actions not shown and/or may omit some of the actions shown, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect. It should also be appreciated that all of the operations and features described above with reference to fig. 2 and 3 are equally applicable to, and have similar effects as, methods 400, 500, and 600. Details will be omitted for simplicity.

Fig. 7 is a simplified block diagram of an apparatus 700 suitable for implementing example embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 700 may be implemented at the first device 210, the second device 220, or the third device 230 as shown in fig. 2.

As shown, the device 700 includes a processor 710, a memory 720 coupled to the processor 710, a communication module 730 coupled to the processor 710, and a communication interface (not shown) coupled to the communication module 730. Memory 720 stores at least program 740. The communication module 730 is used for bi-directional communication, for example via multiple antennas or via cables. The communication interface may represent any interface required for communication.

The program 740 is assumed to include program instructions that, when executed by the associated processor 710, enable the device 700 to operate in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure, as discussed herein with reference to fig. 1-6. The example embodiments herein may be implemented by computer software executable by the processor 710 of the device 700, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. The processor 710 may be configured to implement various example embodiments of the present disclosure.

Memory 720 may be of any type suitable to the local technical network and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as non-transitory computer-readable storage media, semiconductor-based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory, and removable memory, as non-limiting examples. Although only one memory 720 is shown in device 700, there may be several physically distinct memory modules in device 700. Processor 710 may be of any type suitable to the local technology network and may include one or more of general purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital Signal Processors (DSPs) and processors based on a multi-core processor architecture, as non-limiting examples. The device 700 may have multiple processors, such as an application specific integrated circuit chip that is temporally slaved to a clock that synchronizes the master processor.

When the device 700 is acting as the first device 210, the processor 710 may implement the operations or actions of the first device 210 as described above with reference to fig. 2-3 and 5. When the device 700 acts as the second device 220, the processor 710 may implement the operations or actions of the second device 220 as described above with reference to fig. 2-3 and 4. When device 700 is acting as third device 230, processor 710 may implement the operations or actions of third device 230 as described above with reference to fig. 2-3 and 6. All of the operations and features described above with reference to fig. 1-6 are equally applicable to the device 700 and have similar effects. Details will be omitted for simplicity.

In general, the various example embodiments of the disclosure may be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor or other computing device. While aspects of the example embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other pictorial representation, it is well understood that these blocks, apparatus, systems, techniques or methods described herein may be implemented in, as non-limiting examples, hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as those included in program modules, that are executed in a device on a target real or virtual processor to perform the operations and acts described above with reference to fig. 1-6. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. In various example embodiments, the functionality of the program modules may be combined or split between program modules as desired. Machine-executable instructions for program modules may be executed within a local device or within a distributed device. In distributed devices, program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage media.

Program code for carrying out the methods of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program code may be provided to a processor or controller of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus such that the program code, when executed by the processor or controller, causes the functions/operations specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram to be implemented. The program code may execute entirely on the machine, partly on the machine, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the machine and partly on a remote machine or entirely on the remote machine or server.

In the context of this disclosure, computer program code or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus, or processor to perform the various processes and operations described above. Examples of the carrier include a signal, a computer-readable medium.

The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. The computer readable medium may include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of the computer readable storage medium would include the following: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a Random Access Memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a Digital Versatile Disc (DVD), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

Moreover, although operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In some scenarios, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Likewise, while several specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these details should not be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosure, but as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular example embodiments. Certain features that are described in the context of separate exemplary embodiments can also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multiple exemplary embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination.

Although the disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Various example embodiments of the technology have been described. In addition to or as an alternative to the above, the following embodiments are described. The features described in any of the examples below may be used with any of the other examples described herein.

In some aspects, the second device comprises at least one processor; at least one memory including computer program code; and the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the second device to determine whether the location of the second device changes when data or signaling needs to be exchanged with the third device; and transmitting a first indication that the location of the second device is unchanged to the first device in a radio resource control message according to the determination that the location of the second device is unchanged.

In some aspects, the first device comprises at least one processor; at least one memory including computer program code; the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the first device to receive a first indication from the second device that the location of the second device is unchanged; and sending a second indication to the third device that the location of the second device is unchanged and/or that the stored cell identity for the second device is to be used.

In some example embodiments, the first device is caused to receive the first indication by: a first indication from a second device is received in a radio resource control message.

In some example embodiments, the first device is further caused to: the stored cell identity is received from the third device.

In some example embodiments, the first device is caused to receive the stored cell identity from the third device 230 by: transmitting a first request for the stored cell identity to a third device; and receiving the stored cell identity from the third device in response to sending the first request.

In some example embodiments, the first device is further caused to: receiving a second request from the third device for a new cell identity for the second device 220; and in response to receiving the second request, sending a third request to the second device for location information of the second device.

In some example embodiments, the stored cell identity for the second device is the cell identity of the last known cell for the second device.

In some aspects, a third device comprises at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code; and the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the third device to receive from the first device a second indication that the location of the second device is unchanged and/or that the stored cell identity for the second device is to be used; and performing management of the second device based on the stored cell identity.

In some example embodiments, the third device is caused to perform management of the second device by: acquiring a stored cell identity from a stored context for the second device; and using the acquired cell identity for management of the second device.

In some example embodiments, the third device is further caused to: the stored cell identity is sent to the first device.

In some example embodiments, the third device is caused to send the stored cell identity to the second device by: receiving a first request for the stored cell identity from a first device; and in response to receiving the first request, transmitting the stored cell identity to the first device.

In some example embodiments, the third device is further caused to: in accordance with a determination that the stored cell identity is not available, a second request for a new cell identity for the second device is sent to the first device.

In some aspects, an apparatus implemented in a second device comprises: means for determining if the location of the second device changes when data or signalling needs to be exchanged with the third device; and means for sending a first indication of unchanged location of the second device to the first device in a radio resource control message in accordance with a determination that the location of the second device has not changed.

In some aspects, an apparatus implemented in a first device comprises: means for receiving a first indication from the second device that the location of the second device has not changed; and means for sending to the third device a second indication that the location of the second device is unchanged and/or that the stored cell identity for the second device is to be used.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises: means for receiving a first indication from a second device in a radio resource control message.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises: means for receiving the stored cell identity from the third device.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises: means for sending a first request for the stored cell identity to a third device; and means for receiving the stored cell identity from the third device in response to sending the first request.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises: means for receiving a second request from a third device for a new cell identity for a second device; and means for sending a third request for location information of the second device to the second device in response to receiving the second request.

In some example embodiments, the stored cell identity for the second device is a cell identity of a last known cell for the second device.

In some aspects, an apparatus implemented in a third device comprises: means for receiving from the first device a second indication that the location of the second device is unchanged and/or that the stored cell identity for the second device is to be used; and means for performing management of the second device based on the stored cell identity.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises: means for obtaining a stored cell identity from a stored context of the second device; and means for using the acquired cell identity for management of the second device.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises: means for transmitting the stored cell identity to the first device.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises: means for receiving a first request for a stored cell ID from a first device; and means for transmitting the stored cell identity to the first device in response to receiving the first request.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises: in accordance with a determination that the stored cell identity is not available, sending a second request to the first device for a new cell identity for the second device.

In some aspects, a computer-readable storage medium has stored thereon instructions that, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the steps of the preceding aspects.

Claims

1. A first device, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code;

the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the first device to:

receiving, from a second device, a first indication that a location of the second device has not changed; and

a second indication is sent to a third device that the location of the second device is unchanged and/or that a stored cell identity for the second device is to be used.

2. The first device of claim 1, wherein the first device is caused to receive the first indication by:

the first indication from the second device is received in a radio resource control message.

3. The first device of claim 1 or 2, wherein the first device is further caused to:

the stored cell identity is received from the third device.

4. A first device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the first device is further caused to receive the stored cell identity from the third device by:

transmitting a first request for the stored cell identity to the third device; and

the stored cell identity is received from the third device in response to sending the first request.

5. The first device of claim 1 or 2, wherein the first device is further caused to:

receiving a second request from the third device for a new cell identity for the second device; and

in response to receiving the second request, a third request for location information of the second device is sent to the second device.

6. The first device of any of claims 1-5, wherein the stored cell identity for the second device is the cell identity for a last known cell of the second device.

7. A third device, comprising:

At least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code;

the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the third device to:

receiving, from the first device, a second indication that the location of the second device is unchanged and/or that a stored cell identity for the second device is to be used; and

management of the second device is performed based on the stored cell identity.

8. The third device of claim 7, wherein the third device is caused to perform management of the second device by:

acquiring the stored cell identity from the stored context for the second device; and

the acquired cell identity is used for management of the second device.

9. The third device of claim 7 or 8, wherein the third device is further caused to:

the stored cell identity is sent to the first device.

10. The third device of claim 9, wherein the third device is further caused to:

receiving a first request for the stored cell identity from the first device, and

The third device is caused to transmit the stored cell identity for the second device by:

in response to receiving the first request, the stored cell identity is sent to the first device.

11. A third device according to any of claims 7-10, wherein the third device is further caused to:

in accordance with a determination that the stored cell identity is not available, a second request for a new cell identity for the second device is sent to the first device.

12. The third device according to any of claims 7-11, wherein the stored cell identity for the second device is the cell identity for a last known cell of the second device.

13. A second device, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code;

the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the second device to:

determining if the location of the second device changes once data or signaling needs to be exchanged with a third device; and

in accordance with a determination that the location of the second device has not changed, a first indication is sent in a radio resource control message to a first device that the location of the second device has not changed.

14. A method implemented in a first device, comprising:

15. The method of claim 14, wherein receiving the first indication comprises:

the first indication is received in a radio resource control message from the second device.

16. The method of claim 14 or 15, further comprising:

the stored cell identity is received from the third device.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

transmitting a first request for the stored cell identity to the third device, and

receiving the stored cell identity comprises:

18. The method of claim 14 or 15, further comprising:

19. The method according to any of claims 13 to 18, wherein the stored cell identity for the second device is a cell identity for a last known cell of the second device.

20. A method implemented in a third device, comprising:

management of the second device is performed based on the stored cell identity.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein performing the management of the second device comprises:

the acquired cell identity is used for management of the second device.

22. The method of claim 20 or 21, further comprising:

the stored cell identity is sent to the first device.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein transmitting the stored cell identity comprises:

receiving a first request for the stored cell ID from the first device; and

24. The method of any of claims 20-23, further comprising:

25. The method according to any of claims 20-24, wherein the stored cell identity for the second device is a cell identity for a last known cell of the second device.

26. A method implemented in a second device, comprising:

27. An apparatus implemented in a first device, comprising:

means for receiving a first indication from the second device that the location of the second device has not changed; and

means for sending to a third device a second indication that the location of the second device is unchanged and/or that a stored cell identity for the second device is to be used.

28. An apparatus implemented in a third device, comprising:

means for receiving from the first device a second indication that the location of the second device is unchanged and/or that a stored cell identity for the second device is to be used; and

means for performing management of the second device based on the stored cell identity.

29. An apparatus implemented in a second device, comprising:

means for determining if the location of the second device has changed once data or signalling needs to be exchanged with a third device; and

in accordance with a determination that the location of the second device has not changed, sending a first indication of the unchanged location of the second device to a first device in a radio resource control message.

30. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the method of any of claims 14-19, or the method of any of claims 20-25, or the method of claim 26.