CN118044250A

CN118044250A - Information reporting method, device, equipment, storage medium and program product

Info

Publication number: CN118044250A
Application number: CN202180102680.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 付喆; 刘洋
Original assignee: Guangdong Oppo Mobile Telecommunications Corp Ltd
Current assignee: Guangdong Oppo Mobile Telecommunications Corp Ltd
Filing date: 2021-12-31
Publication date: 2024-05-14

Abstract

The application discloses an information reporting method, an information reporting device, information reporting equipment, a storage medium and a program product, and relates to the technical field of communication. The method comprises the following steps: the terminal device reports first information comprising relevant information for the slice (310). The application reports the relevant information aiming at the slice through the terminal equipment, considers the influence of the relevant information of the slice on cell selection or reselection, and assists the network to reasonably or promote the configuration of the slice. The network side may perform related operations according to the information after receiving the information reported by the terminal device, for example, adjust configuration information related to the slice, adjust a cell supporting the slice, and so on, thereby improving slice configuration, improving support of the terminal device and the network to the slice, and improving terminal user experience.

Description

Information reporting method, device, equipment, storage medium and program product

Technical Field

The embodiment of the application relates to the technical field of communication, in particular to an information reporting method, an information reporting device, a storage medium and a program product.

Background

In R17 (Release 17), cell reselection for slice (slice) is introduced, and the terminal device performs cell reselection according to slice information. Based on this, further research is needed how to improve the support of the slice by the terminal device and the network.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the application provides an information reporting method, an information reporting device, information reporting equipment, a storage medium and a program product. The technical scheme is as follows:

According to an aspect of the embodiment of the present application, there is provided an information reporting method, including:

And the terminal equipment reports first information, wherein the first information comprises relevant information for slicing.

the first network entity receives first information from the terminal device, the first information comprising relevant information for the slice.

According to an aspect of the embodiment of the present application, there is provided an information reporting apparatus, including:

and the information reporting module is used for reporting first information, wherein the first information comprises relevant information for slicing.

And the information receiving module is used for receiving first information from the terminal equipment, wherein the first information comprises relevant information for slicing.

According to an aspect of the embodiment of the present application, there is provided a terminal device, including a processor and a memory, where the memory stores a computer program, and the processor executes the computer program to implement an information reporting method executed by the terminal device.

According to an aspect of the embodiment of the present application, there is provided a network device, where the network device includes a processor and a memory, where the memory stores a computer program, and the processor executes the computer program to implement the information reporting method performed by the first network entity.

According to an aspect of the embodiment of the present application, there is provided a computer readable storage medium, where a computer program is stored, where the computer program is configured to be executed by a processor to implement an information reporting method performed by the terminal device or implement an information reporting method performed by the first network entity.

According to an aspect of the embodiment of the present application, a chip is provided, where the chip includes a programmable logic circuit and/or program instructions, and when the chip runs, the chip is configured to implement an information reporting method performed by the terminal device or implement an information reporting method performed by the first network entity.

According to an aspect of the embodiments of the present application, there is provided a computer program product or a computer program, where the computer program product or the computer program includes computer instructions, where the computer instructions are stored in a computer readable storage medium, and a processor reads and executes the computer instructions from the computer readable storage medium, so as to implement an information reporting method performed by the terminal device, or implement an information reporting method performed by the first network entity.

The technical scheme provided by the embodiment of the application can have the following beneficial effects:

And reporting the relevant information aiming at the slice through the terminal equipment, and considering the influence of the relevant information of the slice on cell selection or reselection so as to assist the network to reasonably or promote the configuration of the slice. The network side may perform related operations according to the information after receiving the information reported by the terminal device, for example, adjust configuration information related to the slice, adjust a cell supporting the slice, and so on, thereby improving slice configuration, improving support of the terminal device and the network to the slice, and improving terminal user experience.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture provided by one embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a measurement reporting procedure in an MDT according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of a method for reporting information provided by an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an information reporting method according to another embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an information reporting method according to another embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an information reporting method according to another embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an information reporting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 8 is a block diagram of an information reporting apparatus according to another embodiment of the present application;

fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present application;

Fig. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

For the purpose of making the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present application more apparent, the embodiments of the present application will be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The network architecture and the service scenario described in the embodiments of the present application are for more clearly describing the technical solution of the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solution provided by the embodiments of the present application, and those skilled in the art can know that, with the evolution of the network architecture and the appearance of the new service scenario, the technical solution provided by the embodiments of the present application is applicable to similar technical problems.

The technical scheme of the embodiment of the application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: global system for mobile communications (Global System of Mobile communication, GSM), code division multiple access (Code Division Multiple Access, CDMA) system, wideband code division multiple access (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access, WCDMA) system, general packet Radio Service (GENERAL PACKET Radio Service, GPRS), long term evolution (Long Term Evolution, LTE) system, long term evolution advanced (Advanced long term evolution, LTE-a) system, new Radio (NR) system, evolution system of NR system, LTE-based access to unlicensed spectrum, LTE-U) system on unlicensed spectrum, NR (NR-based access to unlicensed spectrum, NR-U) system on unlicensed spectrum, non-terrestrial communication network (Non-TERRESTRIAL NETWORKS, NTN) system, universal mobile communication system (Universal Mobile Telecommunication System, UMTS), wireless local area network (Wireless Local Area Networks, WLAN), wireless fidelity (WIRELESS FIDELITY, WIFI), fifth Generation communication (5 th-Generation, 5G) system, or other communication system, etc.

Generally, the number of connections supported by the conventional Communication system is limited and easy to implement, however, with the development of Communication technology, the mobile Communication system will support not only conventional Communication but also, for example, device-to-Device (D2D) Communication, machine-to-machine (Machine to Machine, M2M) Communication, machine type Communication (MACHINE TYPE Communication, MTC), inter-vehicle (Vehicle to Vehicle, V2V) Communication, or internet of vehicles (Vehicle to everything, V2X) Communication, etc., and the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to these Communication systems.

The communication system in the embodiment of the application can be applied to a carrier aggregation (Carrier Aggregation, CA) scene, a dual-connection (Dual Connectivity, DC) scene and an independent (Standalone, SA) network deployment scene.

The communication system in the embodiment of the application can be applied to unlicensed spectrum, wherein the unlicensed spectrum can be considered as shared spectrum; or the communication system in the embodiment of the present application may also be applied to licensed spectrum, where licensed spectrum may also be considered as non-shared spectrum.

The embodiment of the application can be applied to a Non-terrestrial communication network (Non-TERRESTRIAL NETWORKS, NTN) system and a terrestrial communication network (TERRESTRIAL NETWORKS, TN) system.

Referring to fig. 1, a schematic diagram of a network architecture 100 according to an embodiment of the application is shown. The network architecture 100 may include: terminal device 10, access network device 20, and core network device 30.

The terminal device 10 may refer to a UE (User Equipment), an access terminal, a subscriber unit, a subscriber station, a mobile station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a wireless communication device, a User agent, or a User Equipment. Alternatively, the terminal device 10 may also be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a SIP (Session Initiation Protocol ) phone, a WLL (Wireless Local Loop, wireless local loop) station, a PDA (Personal Digita1Assistant, personal digital Assistant), a handheld device with wireless communication function, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, an in-vehicle device, a wearable device, a terminal device in 5GS (5 th Generation System, fifth generation mobile communication system) or a terminal device in a future evolved PLMN (public Land mobile communication Network), etc., which the embodiment of the present application is not limited. For convenience of description, the above-mentioned devices are collectively referred to as terminal devices. The number of terminal devices 10 is typically plural, and one or more terminal devices 10 may be distributed within a cell managed by each access network device 20. In the embodiment of the present application, "terminal device" and "UE" generally express the same meaning, and both may be used in combination, but those skilled in the art can understand the meaning.

The access network device 20 is a device deployed in the access network to provide wireless communication functionality for the terminal device 10. The access network device 20 may include various forms of macro base stations, micro base stations, relay stations, access points, and the like. The names of access network device-capable devices may vary in systems employing different radio access technologies, such as in 5G NR systems, referred to as gNodeB or gNB. As communication technology evolves, the name "access network device" may change. For convenience of description, in the embodiment of the present application, the above-mentioned devices for providing the terminal device 10 with the wireless communication function are collectively referred to as access network devices. Alternatively, a communication relationship may be established between the terminal device 10 and the core network device 30 via the access network device 20. Illustratively, in an LTE (Long Term Evolution ) system, the access network device 20 may be EUTRAN (Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network, evolved universal terrestrial radio network) or one or more enodebs in EUTRAN; in a 5G NR system, access network device 20 may be a RAN (Radio Access Network ) or one or more gnbs in the RAN. In the present embodiment, the "access network entity" refers to the access network device 20, such as a base station, unless specifically described.

The core network device 30 is a device deployed in the core network, and functions of the core network device 30 are mainly to provide user connection, management of users, and bearer completion of services, and to provide an interface to an external network as a bearer network. For example, core network devices in a 5G NR system may include NSSF (Network Slice Selection Function ) entities, AMF (ACCESS AND Mobility Management Function, access and mobility management function) entities, SMF (Session Management Function ) entities, UPF (User Plane Function, user plane function) entities, TCE (Trace Collection Entity, trace acquisition entity) and like devices (or functional entities). In the embodiment of the present application, the "core network entity" refers to the core network device 30 unless specifically described.

In some embodiments, the access network device 20 and the core network device 30 communicate with each other via some air interface technology, such as an NG interface in a 5G NR system. The access network device 20 and the terminal device 10 communicate with each other via some kind of air interface technology, e.g. Uu interface.

The "5G NR system" in the embodiment of the present application may also be referred to as a 5G system or an NR system, but the meaning thereof will be understood by those skilled in the art. The technical scheme described in the embodiment of the application can be applied to an LTE system, a 5G NR system, a subsequent evolution system of the 5G NR system, other communication systems such as an NB-IoT (Narrow Band Internet of Things ) system and the like, and the application is not limited to this.

In the embodiment of the present application, a network device (an access network device as mentioned above) may provide services for a cell, where a terminal device communicates with the network device through a transmission resource (e.g., a frequency domain resource, or a spectrum resource) on a carrier used by the cell, where the cell may be a cell corresponding to the network device, and the cell may belong to a macro base station or may belong to a base station corresponding to a small cell (SMALL CELL), where the small cell may include: urban cells (Metro cells), micro cells (Micro cells), pico cells (Pico cells), femto cells (Femto cells) and the like, and the small cells have the characteristics of small coverage area and low transmitting power and are suitable for providing high-rate data transmission services.

Before describing the technical scheme of the application, a few background technical knowledge related to the application is described. The following related technologies may be optionally combined with the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, which all belong to the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application. Embodiments of the present application include at least some of the following.

1. Slice (slice)

The strong demands of the vertical market for wireless communications are witnessed, and in order to meet the demands of the vertical industry for delay, mobility, reliability, location accuracy, etc., the RAN needs to enhance how vertical traffic is supported in the access network. One way is to provide services with lower latency, more targeting, greater flexibility and higher scalability to multiple services with different requirements based on network slicing. More specifically, RAN SLICING may enable the application provider to participate in the design, deployment, and operation of the custom RAN to better support the application provider's services.

2. Cell selection and reselection

In the process that the terminal equipment performs cell selection and reselection in an idle state (RRC_idle state, which is simply called idle state), in order to meet the load balancing in the idle state, a cell selection and reselection strategy based on frequency priority is defined.

Cell reselection (cell reselection) refers to a process in which a terminal device provides a service signal by monitoring signal quality of a neighbor cell and a current cell in an idle mode to select a best cell. When the signal quality and level of the neighbor cell meet the S criterion and meet a certain reselection decision criterion, the terminal equipment is accessed to the cell residence.

In the cell reselection process based on the slice, the terminal device needs to perform the cell reselection process for the slice (slice-specific) aiming at least one of the information of the supporting frequency point corresponding to the slice, the priority of the supporting frequency point, the priority of the slice, the cell supporting the slice and the like, so that the terminal device can access the cell supporting the required slice as soon as possible. In general, the terminal device determines the priority of the frequency point based on the slice information, and then performs measurement and determination of whether to camp according to the related cell reselection criteria. Alternatively, for a frequency bin that corresponds to a supported slice, a portion of the cells may not support the slice that is required by the terminal device.

3. Terminal device reporting (for SON (Self-Organizing Network, self-organizing network)/MDT (Minimization of drive-tests, minimization of drive tests) function): the terminal device records and reports logged measurement reports in idle state

Conventionally, in order to get a better understanding of the performance of a mobile network, a mobile network builder or network operator needs to drive a car along a fixed line to collect a series of measurements reflecting the current network performance, such as downstream signal quality/interference. Based on the collected measurement quantity about the network performance, the network optimization team can then adjust the deployment of the mobile network device, the strength of the signal, and the setting of the antenna angle, so as to improve the performance of the mobile network and the satisfaction of the user. However, the method has the disadvantage that as the scale of the mobile network is enlarged, the drive test becomes more time-consuming and labor-consuming, which is unfavorable for the mobile operator to adjust the network deployment in time and consume great cost.

Based on this, mobile networks introduce a signal acquisition method called Minimization of Drive Tests (MDT), whose core idea is to enable numerous terminal devices to report their signal acquisition in case of acquisition of their permission. On the premise that the number of terminal devices is sufficient, the network can quickly and economically acquire the network performance related information in the area, and this way of collecting the network performance of the terminal devices in some target areas is called management-based MDT (management-based MDT). Hereinafter, MDT is also used to help the network collect network performance related data of a specific terminal device (e.g., the terminal user often complains about poor network performance), and this MDT collection mode is called signal-based MDT (signaling-based MDT). The MDT configuration file is sent to the terminal device through a 5G core network control plane network element or network management (Operation Administration AND MAINTENANCE, abbreviated as OAM), and after the terminal device completes the acquisition and reports to the base station, the base station sends it to an independent MDT data analysis network element, such as TCE.

The MDT configuration signaling must be sent by the network to the terminal device while the terminal device is in a connected state (rrc_connected state, simply connected state). When the network is configured with logged (recorded) MDT, the terminal device reports the measurement quantity recorded when the network is returned to rrc_idle state to the network when the network is restored to connected state.

The specific flow is shown in fig. 2:

Step 21, the terminal equipment receives measurement configuration information from the access network equipment;

step 22, the terminal equipment completes measurement in an RRC idle state;

Step 23, the terminal equipment enters an RRC connection state and indicates "recorded measurement available", so that the network knows that the equipment has measurement data to report;

Step 24, the access network equipment sends a UE information request to the terminal equipment;

Step 25, the terminal equipment sends UE information response to the access network equipment, wherein the UE information response comprises the recorded measurement data;

the access network device sends an MDT record report to the TCE, step 26.

Current Logged MDT supports two measurement logging triggering schemes, periodicity and event triggering, respectively. When the triggering mode is periodic, the terminal device records the measured wireless measurement result (radio measurement results) at intervals. When the triggering mode is event type, when the configuration event condition is satisfied, the terminal equipment records the measured wireless measurement result.

Referring to fig. 3, a flowchart of an information reporting method according to an embodiment of the present application is shown. The method can be applied to the network architecture shown in fig. 1. The method may comprise the steps of:

in step 310, the terminal device reports first information, where the first information includes relevant information for slicing.

Optionally, the first information includes at least one of the following 1) to 7):

1) Channel quality for at least one cell and/or frequency point. Optionally, the at least one cell comprises at least one of: neighbor cells and serving cells. Optionally, the channel quality comprises at least one of: RSRQ (REFERENCE SIGNAL RECEIVING Quality, reference signal received Quality), RSRP (REFERENCE SIGNAL RECEIVING Power, reference signal received Power), SINR (Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio ), RSSI (RECEIVED SIGNAL STRENGTH Indication of received signal strength). The cell and/or channel quality corresponds to an object when performing cell selection or reselection, and for example, the object may be at least one measurement object of RSRQ, RSRP, SINR, RSSI. Optionally, the first information further comprises base station information for at least one cell and/or frequency point, such as an identification of the base station.

2) And selecting or reselecting the determined cell identifier of the target cell and/or the frequency point identifier corresponding to the target cell. Optionally, the first information further includes base station information corresponding to the target cell, such as an identifier of the target base station.

3) Location information where the terminal device is located, and/or location (positioning) information of the terminal device. In the embodiment of the present application, the manner in which the terminal device obtains the location information and/or the positioning information is not limited, and may be obtained by a relevant positioning means, or may be notified to the terminal device by a network, etc. In addition, the location information of the terminal device may refer to at least one information such as a cell, a base station, or a location area where the terminal device is located, and the location information of the terminal device may refer to at least one information such as a location coordinate, a longitude and latitude coordinate, and GPS (Global Positioning System ) information of the terminal device.

4) Time stamp (TIME STAMP). Optionally, the timestamp comprises at least one of: the method comprises the steps of performing time stamp when the terminal equipment performs cell selection or reselection, selecting time stamp when the terminal equipment selects a target cell, performing measurement time stamp when the terminal equipment performs measurement, and obtaining the measurement result time stamp by the terminal equipment.

5) The cell identification of the source cell and/or the frequency point identification corresponding to the source cell. Optionally, the source cell comprises one of: the cell where the terminal equipment resides before, the cell where the terminal equipment acquires slice information, the cell where slice information is sent to the terminal equipment, and the cell where the terminal equipment acquires the latest slice information. Alternatively, the slice information herein may include "slice information" described below, and may also include "cell-level information" described below. Optionally, the first information further includes base station information corresponding to the source cell, such as an identifier of the source base station.

6) Slice information. Optionally, the slice information includes at least one of: identification information of a slice (slice) or a slice group (slice group), frequency point information for a slice or a slice group, priority information of a frequency point for a slice or a slice group, supported or unsupported cell information for a slice or a slice group, slice priority information.

7) Cell level information. Optionally, the cell-level information includes at least one of: cell reselection parameters for the slice, cell-level (cell-level) cell reselection parameters. Parameters such as q-OffsetCell, q-RxLevMinOffsetCell, q-RxLevMinOffsetCellSUL, q-QualMinOffsetCell, ssb-PositionQCL.

Optionally, the first information is reported to the first network entity. Accordingly, the first network entity receives the first information from the terminal device. Optionally, the first network entity is an access network entity or a core network entity. Optionally, the core network entity comprises one of: NSSF, AMF, SMF, UPF, TCE.

In an exemplary embodiment, the first network entity is an access network entity. Optionally, the first network entity is a source base station. In this example, the terminal device may report the first information to an access network entity (e.g., a source base station) from which the access network entity performs the relevant processing or actions.

In an exemplary embodiment, the first network entity is a core network entity. Optionally, the first network entity is a core network entity corresponding to the source base station. In this example, the terminal device may report the first information to a core network entity (e.g., a core network entity corresponding to the source base station), and the core network entity performs a related process or action according to the first information.

Optionally, the source base station includes one of: the method comprises the steps of a base station corresponding to a cell where a terminal device resides before, a base station where the terminal device acquires slice information, a base station sending the slice information to the terminal device, and a base station where the terminal device acquires the latest slice information.

Optionally, the first information is reported through uplink signaling. Optionally, the uplink signaling is RRC (Radio Resource Control) signaling or NAS (Non-Access Stratum) signaling. Optionally, in case the uplink signaling is RRC signaling, the RRC signaling includes one of: UE information response (UE information response), logged measurement report (logged measurement report (LogMeasReport)), radio link failure report (rlf-report).

Optionally, before the step 310, the terminal device receives measurement configuration information, where the measurement configuration information is used to measure or acquire or store or report first information; and/or the measurement configuration information is used to perform measurements for cell selection or reselection. And the terminal equipment measures, acquires, stores or reports the first information based on the measurement configuration information. Alternatively, the measurement configuration information may be configured by an access network entity or may be configured by a core network entity.

Optionally, before the step 310, the terminal device receives a first information acquisition request, where the first information acquisition request is used to request acquisition of the first information. And the terminal equipment reports the first information based on the first information acquisition request. Optionally, the first information acquisition request is from an access network entity, for example, a base station corresponding to a cell where the terminal device is currently camping. Optionally, the first information acquisition request is from a core network entity. Optionally, the first information acquisition request is a UE information request (UE information request). Optionally, before the terminal device receives the first information acquisition request, the method further includes: the terminal equipment reports second information; wherein the second information is used to indicate that the first information is available or that the first information is stored (or saved).

Optionally, before the above step 310, the terminal device receives a first information storage request for requesting measurement or storing the first information. The terminal device measures or stores the first information based on the first information storage request, and reports the first information at an appropriate time. Optionally, the first information storage request is from an access network entity, for example a base station corresponding to a cell where the terminal device is currently camping. Optionally, the first information acquisition request is from a core network entity.

Optionally, before the above step 310, the terminal device receives the slice-related configuration information. Optionally, the slice-related configuration information includes at least one of: identification information of a slice or a slice group, frequency point information of a slice or a slice group, priority information of a frequency point of a slice or a slice group, supported or unsupported cell information of a slice or a slice group, cell reselection parameters of a slice, cell reselection parameters of a cell level. Optionally, the slice-related configuration information is from a source base station or a source cell.

Optionally, before the above step 310, the terminal device receives the slice-related configuration information. Optionally, the slice-related configuration information includes at least one of: identification information of a slice or a slice group, mapping relation of the slice or the slice group, and priority information of the slice or the slice group. Optionally, the slice-related configuration information is from a NAS of the core network or the terminal device.

Optionally, the terminal device has a first capability, the first capability comprising one of: the ability to select or reselect cells for a slice, the ability to report cell selection or reselection results associated with a slice, the ability to record cell selection or reselection results associated with a slice. Optionally, the first capability is an idle state and/or a non-active state (rrc_inactive state, abbreviated as inactive state) capability.

Optionally, the terminal device reports the first information after entering the connection state.

Optionally, the terminal device reports the first information in a cell where the terminal device resides and initiates RRC connection, or the terminal device reports the first information in a cell where RRC connection is established, or the terminal device reports the first information in a cell corresponding to the cell when the terminal device transitions from an idle state or an inactive state to a connected state.

Optionally, the first information reported by the terminal equipment is a piece; or the first information reported by the terminal equipment comprises a plurality of pieces of first information, and each piece of first information corresponds to one cell selection or reselection. Optionally, if the first information reported by the terminal device includes a plurality of pieces, the plurality of pieces of first information may be reported multiple times, or may be reported once.

Optionally, the terminal device reports a piece of first information once; or the terminal equipment reports a plurality of pieces of first information at a time. For example, in the case where the terminal device reports a plurality of pieces of first information at a time, the terminal device may report a list including the plurality of pieces of first information. The length of the list (i.e. the number of pieces of first information included) may be network configured or may depend on the implementation of the terminal device. Optionally, each piece of first information in the list corresponds to a cell selection or reselection.

Optionally, the first network entity performs at least one of the following actions according to the first information: adjusting configuration information related to the slice, and adjusting a cell supporting the slice. Optionally, the adjusting the configuration information related to the slice may be adjusting at least one of identification information of the slice or the slice group, frequency point information of the slice or the slice group, priority information of frequency points of the slice or the slice group, supported or unsupported cell information of the slice or the slice group, cell reselection parameters of the slice, cell reselection parameters of a cell level, or at least one of identification information of the slice or the slice group, mapping relation of the slice or the slice group, and priority information of the slice or the slice group. Alternatively, the adjustment of the cells supporting the slice may be to increase or decrease the cells supporting the slice.

According to the technical scheme provided by the embodiment of the application, the influence of the relevant information of the slice on cell selection or reselection is considered by reporting the relevant information of the slice through the terminal equipment, so that the network is assisted to reasonably or promote configuration of the slice. The network side may perform related operations according to the information after receiving the information reported by the terminal device, for example, adjust configuration information related to the slice, adjust a cell supporting the slice, and so on, thereby improving slice configuration, improving support of the terminal device and the network to the slice, and improving terminal user experience.

In the following, an information transmission path of reporting first information by a terminal device is described by using a first network entity as an access network entity (e.g., a source base station of the terminal device) in several exemplary embodiments.

Referring to fig. 4, a flowchart of an information reporting method according to another embodiment of the present application is shown. The method can be applied to the network architecture shown in fig. 1. The method may include at least one of the following steps (410-430):

in step 410, the terminal device sends the first information to the second network entity.

Optionally, the second network entity is a base station. Optionally, the second network entity comprises one of: the terminal equipment is in a base station which resides and initiates RRC connection, a base station which has established RRC connection with the terminal equipment, and a base station which corresponds to the terminal equipment entering a connection state from an idle state or a non-activated state.

In addition, for description of the first information, reference may be made to the above embodiments, and details are not repeated here.

The second network entity forwards the first information to the first network entity, step 420.

Optionally, the first network entity is another base station (different from the base station of the second network entity) or a source base station. Optionally, the other base station or the source base station comprises one of: the method comprises the steps of a base station corresponding to a cell where a terminal device resides before, a base station where the terminal device acquires slice information, a base station sending the slice information to the terminal device, and a base station where the terminal device acquires the latest slice information.

In this embodiment, the second network entity forwards the first information directly to the first network entity. Optionally, the second network entity forwards the first information to the first network entity through the Xn interface.

The first network entity performs a correlation process or action according to the first information, step 430.

Optionally, the first network entity performs at least one of the following actions according to the first information: adjusting configuration information related to the slice, and adjusting a cell supporting the slice.

In an exemplary embodiment, the UE reports the first information. And the base station receives the first information and adjusts the relevant configuration information of the slice according to the first information. Specifically, the current base station acquires first information and sends the first information to the source base station.

The specific implementation flow may include at least one of the following steps:

and S1, the UE reports the first information. Optionally:

a) The first information includes at least one of: (may be a first information, or a list of first information (e.g., multiple cell reselections performed before the UE enters the connected state.) alternatively, the list size may be network configured.

I. Channel quality for at least one cell. Optionally, the cell is a neighbor cell and/or a serving cell, and the channel instruction includes at least one of: RSRQ, RSRP, SINR, RSSI. The cell and/or channel quality corresponds to an object at which cell reselection is performed.

And ii, selecting the cell identification and/or the frequency point identification of the cell reselection.

The location information where the UE is located, or UE positioning information.

Timestamp (TIME STAMP). Optionally, the timestamp is at least one of: and the UE performs the time stamp when reselecting, selects the time stamp of the reselected cell, performs the time stamp of the measurement and acquires the time stamp of the measurement result.

And v, source cell identification and/or frequency point identification. Optionally, the source cell is one of: and the UE acquires the cell of the slice configuration information and sends the slice configuration information to a serving cell of the UE.

Slice information. The slice information includes at least one of: slice or slice group identification, frequency point information for a slice or slice group, priority information for a frequency point of a slice or slice group, cell information for support or non-support of a slice or slice group, slice priority information.

Cell level information. Including cell reselection parameters for the slice or cell level, such as q-OffsetCell, q-RxLevMinOffsetCell, q-RxLevMinOffsetCellSUL, q-QualMinOffsetCell, ssb-PositionQCL, etc.

B) The first information is reported through UL (uplink) signaling. The UL signaling may be RRC signaling.

Optionally, the RRC signaling is UE information response, or logged measurement report (LogMeasReport), or rlf-report.

S2, optionally, before S1, the UE receives related measurement configuration, or the UE receives a first information acquisition request, or the UE acquires configuration information for a slice, or the UE has first capability. Alternatively, the process may be carried out in a single-stage,

A) A first information acquisition request from a base station

I. the first information acquisition request is UE information request.

Optionally, before the UE receives the first information acquisition request, the UE reports to the network that the first information is available or that the first information is stored.

B) The relevant measurement configuration is configuration information reported for the measurement of S1. Optionally, the base station configuration or the core network configuration.

C) The configuration information for the slice includes at least one of: slice or slice group identification, frequency point information for a slice or slice group, priority information for a frequency point of a slice or slice group, supported or unsupported cell information for a slice or slice group, cell reselection parameters for a slice or cell-level cell reselection parameters, such as q-OffsetCell, q-RxLevMinOffsetCell, q-RxLevMinOffsetCellSUL, q-QualMinOffsetCell, ssb-PositionQCL, and the like.

Optionally, the configuration information is from a base station (source base station), or from a serving cell (source cell).

D) The configuration information for the slice includes at least one of: slice or slice group identification, mapping relationship of slice and slice group, priority information of slice or slice group.

Optionally, the configuration information is from a core network, or a UE NAS.

E) The first capability is: the UE supports slice-SPECIFIC CELL reselection (slice-specific cell reselection) capability, or the UE has the capability of reporting a slice-related cell reselection result, or the UE has the capability of recording a slice-related cell reselection result. Optionally, the capability is an idle and/or inactive state capability.

F) And after the UE enters a connection state, the first information is sent.

Optionally, the UE sends the first information in a cell where the UE camps and initiates an RRC connection, or where an RRC connection has been established.

S3, the first network entity receives the first information. Alternatively, the process may be carried out in a single-stage,

A) The first network entity is a source base station.

Specifically, the source base station is one of the following: and the UE acquires the base station of the slice configuration information and sends the slice configuration information to the base station of the UE.

B) Optionally, the first network entity performs a correlation process or performs a correlation action according to the first information. The correlation process or the correlation act is at least one of the following acts: the configuration information for a slice is adjusted, and the cells supporting the slice are adjusted (increased or decreased).

C) Optionally, the first information is reported to a second network entity, where the second network entity is: the UE is in a base station which resides and initiates RRC connection, or a base station of a cell which has established RRC connection with the UE, or a base station corresponding to the UE entering a connection state from idle/active.

Further, the second network entity may receive and/or forward the first information.

D) And the second network entity forwards the received first information to the first network entity.

Optionally, forwarding through an Xn interface.

In one example, the gNB configures UE cell reselection information by RRCRELEASE of cellA, which includes reselection priorities (f1:6, f2:5) for frequency points f1 and f2 of slice1. When the UE uses the information in the idle state and performs cell reselection, the UE discovers, at f1, cell1 and cell2 corresponding to f1 due to the high priority of f1, where cell1 is a best cell but does not support slice1, and cell2 is not a best cell but supports slice1. According to existing rules, the UE resides on cell 1. At this time, the UE may record the camping cell as cell1, but cell1 does not support slice1. In addition, the UE may record information such as a frequency point, a cell, a corresponding frequency point priority, etc. configured for slice1. Meanwhile, the UE may also record channel quality information, location information, etc. when camping on the cell 1. After the UE enters the connected state, the UE may report the recorded information (i.e. the "first information" described in the foregoing embodiment) to the network side. For this embodiment, the UE reports the recorded information through the connected base station. And the connected base station forwards the recorded information to the source base station. Alternatively, the source base station may perform the following actions, such as: the f2 priority is adjusted to be high (e.g., provided that the cell or best cell most likely to reside on f2 is slice1 enabled), or f1 is not slice1 enabled, or cell1 is also slice1 enabled, or cell reselection parameters for cells are adjusted, or cell reselection parameters for slices are adjusted. The method has the advantages of better supporting the network slicing and improving the supporting effect of the network slicing and the experience of the system/UE. The benefit of this embodiment is that core network effects are avoided.

Referring to fig. 5, a flowchart of an information reporting method according to another embodiment of the present application is shown. The method can be applied to the network architecture shown in fig. 1. The method may include at least one of the following steps (510-540):

step 510, the terminal device sends the first information to the second network entity.

The second network entity forwards the first information to the core network entity, step 520.

Optionally, the core network entity comprises one of: NSSF, AMF, SMF, UPF, TCE.

In step 530, the core network entity forwards the first information to the first network entity.

Optionally, the first network entity is another base station or a source base station. Optionally, the other base station or the source base station comprises one of: the method comprises the steps of a base station corresponding to a cell where a terminal device resides before, a base station where the terminal device acquires slice information, a base station sending the slice information to the terminal device, and a base station where the terminal device acquires the latest slice information.

In this embodiment, the second network entity forwards the first information indirectly to the first network entity. That is, the second network entity forwards the first information to the core network entity, and then the core network entity forwards the first information to the first network entity. Optionally, the core network entity forwards the first information to the first network entity through the NG interface.

The first network entity performs a correlation process or action according to the first information, step 540.

In an exemplary embodiment, the UE reports the first information. And the base station receives the first information and adjusts the relevant configuration information of the slice according to the first information. Specifically, the current base station acquires the first information, the current base station sends the first information to a core network, and the core network sends the first information to a source base station.

and S1, the UE reports the first information. Optionally:

B) The first information is reported through UL signaling. The UL signaling may be RRC signaling.

S2, optionally, before S1, the UE receives the relevant measurement configuration, or the UE receives a first information acquisition request, or the UE acquires configuration information for the slice, or the UE has a first capability. Alternatively, the process may be carried out in a single-stage,

A) The first information acquisition request is from a base station.

I. the first information acquisition request is UE information request.

Optionally, before the UE receives the first information acquisition request, the UE reports the first information available or the first information to the network for saving.

C) The configuration information for the slice includes at least one of: the slice or slice group identifier, the priority information of the frequency point of the slice or slice group, the supported or unsupported cell information of the slice or slice group, the cell reselection parameter of the slice or cell-level, such as q-OffsetCell, q-RxLevMinOffsetCell, q-RxLevMinOffsetCellSUL, q-QualMinOffsetCell, ssb-PositionQCL, and the like.

Optionally, the configuration information is from a base station, or from a serving cell.

D) The configuration information for the slice includes at least one of: the slice or slice group identification, the mapping relation of the slice and the slice group, and the priority information of the slice or the slice group.

Optionally, the configuration information is from a core network, or a UE NAS.

E) The first capability is: the UE supports the slice-SPECIFIC CELL reselection capability, or has the capability of reporting a slice-related cell reselection result, or has the capability of recording the slice-related cell reselection result. Optionally, the capability is an idle and/or inactive state capability.

F) And after the UE enters a connection state, the first information is sent.

A) The first network entity is a source base station.

D) And the second network entity forwards the received first information to a core network entity. Optionally, the core network entity is one of NSSF, AMF, SMF, UPF, TCE.

E) And the core network entity forwards the first information to the first network entity.

Optionally, forwarding through the NG interface.

In one example, the gNB configures UE cell reselection information by RRCRELEASE of cellA, which includes reselection priorities (f1:6, f2:5) for frequency points f1 and f2 of slice1. When the UE uses the information in the idle state and performs cell reselection, the UE discovers cell1 and cell2 corresponding to f1 in f1 due to the high priority of f1, wherein cell1 is a best cell but does not support slice1, and cell2 is not a best cell but supports slice1. According to existing rules, the UE resides on cell 1. At this time, the UE may record the camping cell as cell1, but cell1 does not support slice1. In addition, the UE may record information such as a frequency point, a cell, a corresponding frequency point priority, etc. configured for slice1. Meanwhile, the UE may also record channel quality information, location information, etc. when camping on the cell 1. After the UE enters the connected state, the UE may report the recorded information (i.e. the "first information" described in the foregoing embodiment) to the network side. For this embodiment, the UE reports the recorded information through the connected base station. The recorded information is forwarded to the source base station through the core network. Alternatively, the source base station may perform the following actions, such as: the f2 priority is adjusted to be high (e.g., provided that the cell or best cell most likely to reside on f2 is slice1 enabled), or f1 is not slice1 enabled, or cell1 is also slice1 enabled, or cell reselection parameters for cells are adjusted, or cell reselection parameters for slices are adjusted. The method has the advantages of better supporting the network slicing and improving the supporting effect of the network slicing and the experience of the system/UE. The benefit of this embodiment is that a more versatile reporting scheme is provided, i.e. a reporting scheme without an Xn interface.

In contrast to the embodiment of fig. 4, in this embodiment, the UE reports information, which is forwarded to the source base station through the core network, covering the situation that the source base station and the current base station have no interface.

Fig. 6 is a flowchart of an information reporting method according to another embodiment of the present application. The method can be applied to the network architecture shown in fig. 1. The method may include at least one of the following steps (610-630):

in step 610, the terminal device sends first information to the core network entity.

Optionally, the core network entity comprises one of: NSSF, AMF, SMF, UPF, TCE.

The core network entity forwards the first information to the first network entity, step 620, either directly or indirectly.

Optionally, in case the core network entity forwards the first information directly to the first network entity, the core network entity may forward the first information to the first network entity through the NG interface.

Alternatively, in case the core network entity forwards the first information indirectly to the first network entity, the core network entity may forward the first information to the relay device, which in turn forwards the first information to the first network entity. The transfer device may be other core network entities or access network entities, which is not limited in the present application.

The first network entity performs a correlation process or action based on the first information, step 630.

In an exemplary embodiment, the UE reports the first information. The core network receives the first information and sends the first information to the source base station, and the source base station adjusts the relevant configuration information of the slice according to the first information.

and S1, the UE reports the first information. Optionally:

B) The first information is reported through UL signaling.

I. The UL signaling may be RRC signaling. Further, NAS signaling carried in RRC.

Optionally, the RRC signaling is UL DATA TRANSFER, or, UE information response.

S2, optionally, before S1, the UE receives the relevant measurement configuration, or the UE receives a first information acquisition request, or the UE acquires configuration information for a slice, or the UE has a first capability. Alternatively, the process may be carried out in a single-stage,

A) The first information acquisition request is from a core network.

Optionally, before the UE receives the first information acquisition request, the UE reports the first information available or the first information to the network for saving (e.g. reporting to the core network).

C) The configuration information for the slice includes at least one of: the slice or slice group identifies, for frequency point information of the slice or slice group, priority information of the frequency point of the slice or slice group, supported or unsupported cell information of the slice or slice group, cell reselection parameters of the slice or cell-level (e.g., q-OffsetCell, q-RxLevMinOffsetCell, q-RxLevMinOffsetCellSUL, q-QualMinOffsetCell, ssb-PositionQCL).

Optionally, the configuration information is from a core network, or a UE NAS.

F) And after the UE enters a connection state, the first information is sent.

A) The first network entity is a source base station.

C) Optionally, the first information is reported to a core network entity. Optionally, the core network entity is one of NSSF, AMF, SMF, UPF, TCE.

D) And the core network entity forwards the first information to the first network entity.

Optionally, forwarding through the NG interface.

In one example, the gNB configures UE cell reselection information by RRCRELEASE of cellA, which includes reselection priorities (f1:6, f2:5) for frequency points f1 and f2 of slice1. When the UE uses the information in the idle state and performs cell reselection, the UE discovers cell1 and cell2 corresponding to f1 in f1 due to the high priority of f1, wherein cell1 is a best cell but does not support slice1, and cell2 is not a best cell but supports slice1. According to existing rules, the UE resides on cell 1. At this time, the UE may record the camping cell as cell1, but cell1 does not support slice1. In addition, the UE may record information such as a frequency point, a cell, a corresponding frequency point priority, etc. configured for slice1. Meanwhile, the UE may also record channel quality information, location information, etc. when camping on the cell 1. After the UE enters the connected state, the UE may report the recorded information (i.e. the "first information" described in the foregoing embodiment) to the network side. For this embodiment, the UE directly sends the recorded information to the core network through NAS information, and then the core network forwards the recorded information to the source base station. Alternatively, the source base station may perform the following actions, such as: the f2 priority is adjusted to be high (e.g., provided that the cell or best cell most likely to reside on f2 is slice1 enabled), or f1 is not slice1 enabled, or cell1 is also slice1 enabled, or cell reselection parameters for cells are adjusted, or cell reselection parameters for slices are adjusted. The method has the advantages of better supporting the network slicing and improving the supporting effect of the network slicing and the experience of the system/UE. This embodiment has the advantage of reducing the effort and impact on the access network.

In contrast to the embodiment of fig. 5, in this embodiment, the UE directly reports information to the core network, and directly reports information to the source base station through the core network, thereby providing another process and manner for reporting information of the UE.

It should be noted that, in the above method embodiment, for convenience of explanation, the technical solution of the present application is described only from the point of interaction of a plurality of devices. In the above method embodiment, the steps executed by the terminal device may be implemented separately in the information reporting method on the terminal device side; the steps executed by the first network entity can be implemented independently of the information reporting method on the first network entity side.

The following are examples of the apparatus of the present application that may be used to perform the method embodiments of the present application. For details not disclosed in the embodiments of the apparatus of the present application, please refer to the embodiments of the method of the present application.

Referring to fig. 7, a block diagram of an information reporting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application is shown. The device has the function of realizing the information reporting method of the terminal equipment side, and the function can be realized through hardware or can be realized through executing corresponding software through hardware. The device may be the terminal device described above, or may be provided in the terminal device. As shown in fig. 7, the apparatus 700 may include: and an information reporting module 710.

The information reporting module 710 is configured to report first information, where the first information includes related information for a slice.

In an exemplary embodiment, the first information includes at least one of:

channel quality for at least one cell and/or frequency point;

Selecting or reselecting a determined cell identifier of a target cell and/or a frequency point identifier corresponding to the target cell;

The location information of the terminal equipment and/or the positioning information of the terminal equipment;

A time stamp;

a cell identifier of a source cell and/or a frequency point identifier corresponding to the source cell;

Slicing information;

Cell level information.

Optionally, the at least one cell includes at least one of: neighbor cells and serving cells.

Optionally, the channel quality includes at least one of: RSRQ, RSRP, SINR, RSSI.

Optionally, the timestamp includes at least one of: the terminal equipment performs time stamp when selecting or reselecting the cell, time stamp when selecting the target cell, time stamp when performing measurement, and time stamp when acquiring the measurement result.

Optionally, the source cell includes one of: the cell where the terminal equipment resides before, the cell where the terminal equipment acquires the slicing information, the cell where the terminal equipment sends the slicing information to the terminal equipment, and the cell where the terminal equipment acquires the latest slicing information.

Optionally, the slice information includes at least one of: identification information of a slice or a slice group, frequency point information for a slice or a slice group, priority information of frequency points for a slice or a slice group, cell information with or without support for a slice or a slice group, slice priority information.

Optionally, the cell-level information includes at least one of: cell reselection parameters for the slice, cell reselection parameters for the cell level.

In an exemplary embodiment, the first information is reported through uplink signaling. Optionally, the uplink signaling is RRC signaling or NAS signaling. Optionally, in the case that the uplink signaling is RRC signaling, the RRC signaling includes one of: UE information response, logged measurement report, radio link failure report.

In an exemplary embodiment, the apparatus 700 further comprises: an information receiving module (not shown in fig. 7) for receiving measurement configuration information, where the measurement configuration information is used for measuring, acquiring, storing or reporting the first information; and/or the measurement configuration information is used to perform measurements for cell selection or reselection.

In an exemplary embodiment, the apparatus 700 further comprises: an information receiving module (not shown in fig. 7) for receiving a first information acquisition request for requesting acquisition of the first information. Optionally, the information reporting module 710 is further configured to report second information; wherein the second information is used to indicate that the first information is available or that the first information is stored.

In an exemplary embodiment, the apparatus 700 further comprises: an information receiving module (not shown in fig. 7) for receiving a first information storage request for requesting measurement or storing the first information.

In an exemplary embodiment, the apparatus 700 further comprises: an information receiving module (not shown in fig. 7) for receiving configuration information related to the slice; wherein the slice-related configuration information includes at least one of: identification information of a slice or a slice group, frequency point information of a slice or a slice group, priority information of a frequency point of a slice or a slice group, supported or unsupported cell information of a slice or a slice group, cell reselection parameters of a slice, cell reselection parameters of a cell level. Optionally, the slice-related configuration information is from a source base station or a source cell.

In an exemplary embodiment, the apparatus 700 further comprises: an information receiving module (not shown in fig. 7) for receiving configuration information related to the slice; wherein the slice-related configuration information includes at least one of: identification information of a slice or a slice group, mapping relation of the slice or the slice group, and priority information of the slice or the slice group. Optionally, the slice-related configuration information is from a core network or NAS of the terminal device.

In an exemplary embodiment, the terminal device has a first capability comprising one of: the ability to select or reselect cells for a slice, the ability to report cell selection or reselection results associated with a slice, the ability to record cell selection or reselection results associated with a slice. Optionally, the first capability is an idle state and/or inactive state capability.

In an exemplary embodiment, the terminal device reports the first information after entering a connection state.

In an exemplary embodiment, the terminal device reports the first information in a cell where the terminal device resides and initiates RRC connection, or the terminal device reports the first information in a cell where RRC connection is established, or a cell corresponding to the terminal device when the terminal device transitions from an idle state or a non-active state to a connected state.

In an exemplary embodiment, the first information is reported to a first network entity. Optionally, the first network entity is an access network entity or a core network entity.

Optionally, the first network entity is a source base station, and the source base station includes one of the following: the method comprises the steps of a base station corresponding to a cell where the terminal equipment resides before, a base station where the terminal equipment acquires the slice information, a base station sending the slice information to the terminal equipment, and a base station where the terminal equipment acquires the latest slice information.

Optionally, the first network entity is a core network entity corresponding to a source base station, where the source base station includes one of the following: the method comprises the steps of a base station corresponding to a cell where the terminal equipment resides before, a base station where the terminal equipment acquires the slice information, a base station sending the slice information to the terminal equipment, and a base station where the terminal equipment acquires the latest slice information.

In an exemplary embodiment, the information reporting module 710 is configured to send the first information to a second network entity, where the second network entity forwards the first information to the first network entity directly or indirectly.

Optionally, the second network entity comprises one of: the terminal equipment is in a base station which resides and initiates RRC connection, a base station which has established RRC connection with the terminal equipment, and a base station which corresponds to the terminal equipment entering a connection state from an idle state or a non-activated state.

Optionally, in the case that the second network entity forwards the first information to the first network entity indirectly, the second network entity forwards the first information to a core network entity, which forwards the first information to the first network entity.

In an exemplary embodiment, the information reporting module 710 is configured to send the first information to a core network entity, where the core network entity forwards the first information to the first network entity directly or indirectly.

Optionally, the core network entity includes one of: NSSF, AMF, SMF, UPF, TCE.

In an exemplary embodiment, the first information is a piece; or the first information includes a plurality of pieces, each piece corresponding to one cell selection or reselection.

In an exemplary embodiment, the terminal device reports one piece of the first information at a time; or the terminal equipment reports a plurality of pieces of first information at a time.

In an exemplary embodiment, the first network entity performs at least one of the following actions according to the first information: adjusting configuration information related to the slice, and adjusting a cell supporting the slice.

Referring to fig. 8, a block diagram of an information reporting apparatus according to another embodiment of the present application is shown. The device has the function of realizing the information reporting method of the first network entity side, and the function can be realized through hardware or can be realized through executing corresponding software through hardware. The apparatus may be a network device (e.g. the first network entity) as described above, or may be provided in a network device. As shown in fig. 8, the apparatus 800 may include: the information receiving module 810.

The information receiving module 810 is configured to receive first information from a terminal device, where the first information includes information about a slice.

In an exemplary embodiment, the first information includes at least one of:

channel quality for at least one cell and/or frequency point;

A time stamp;

Slicing information;

Cell level information.

Optionally, the source cell includes one of: the cell where the terminal equipment resides before, the cell where the terminal equipment acquires the slicing information, the cell where the slicing information is sent to the terminal equipment, and the cell where the terminal equipment acquires the latest slicing information.

In an exemplary embodiment, the terminal device reports the first information after receiving measurement configuration information; the measurement configuration information is used for measuring, acquiring, storing or reporting the first information; and/or the measurement configuration information is used for carrying out measurement configuration on cell selection or reselection.

In an exemplary embodiment, after receiving a first information acquisition request, the terminal device reports the first information; wherein the first information acquisition request is for requesting acquisition of the first information. Optionally, the first information acquisition request is received after the terminal device reports the second information; wherein the second information is used to indicate that the first information is available or that the first information is stored.

In an exemplary embodiment, after receiving a first information storage request, the terminal device reports the first information; wherein the first information storage request is for requesting measurement or storing the first information.

In an exemplary embodiment, after receiving configuration information related to slicing, the terminal device reports the first information; wherein the slice-related configuration information includes at least one of: identification information of a slice or a slice group, frequency point information of a slice or a slice group, priority information of a frequency point of a slice or a slice group, supported or unsupported cell information of a slice or a slice group, cell reselection parameters of a slice, cell reselection parameters of a cell level. Optionally, the slice-related configuration information is from a source base station or a source cell.

In an exemplary embodiment, after receiving configuration information related to slicing, the terminal device reports the first information; wherein the slice-related configuration information includes at least one of: identification information of a slice or a slice group, mapping relation of the slice or the slice group, and priority information of the slice or the slice group. Optionally, the slice-related configuration information is from a core network or NAS of the terminal device.

In an exemplary embodiment, the first network entity is an access network entity or a core network entity.

In an exemplary embodiment, the first network entity is a source base station, the source base station comprising one of: the method comprises the steps of a base station corresponding to a cell where the terminal equipment resides before, a base station where the terminal equipment acquires the slice information, a base station sending the slice information to the terminal equipment, and a base station where the terminal equipment acquires the latest slice information.

In an exemplary embodiment, the first network entity is a core network entity corresponding to a source base station, where the source base station includes one of the following: the method comprises the steps of a base station corresponding to a cell where the terminal equipment resides before, a base station where the terminal equipment acquires the slice information, a base station sending the slice information to the terminal equipment, and a base station where the terminal equipment acquires the latest slice information.

In an exemplary embodiment, the information receiving module 810 is configured to receive the first information from a second network entity, where the first information is sent by the terminal device to the second network entity.

In an exemplary embodiment, the information receiving module 810 is configured to receive the first information from a core network entity, where the first information is directly or indirectly sent by the terminal device to the core network entity.

Optionally, in the case that the terminal device indirectly sends the first information to the core network entity, the terminal device sends the first information to a second network entity, and the second network entity forwards the first information to the core network entity.

Optionally, the core network entity includes one of: NSSF, AMF, SMF, UPF, TCE.

In an exemplary embodiment, the apparatus 800 further comprises an execution module (not shown in fig. 8) for performing at least one of the following actions according to the first information: adjusting configuration information related to the slice, and adjusting a cell supporting the slice.

The specific manner in which the various modules perform the operations in the apparatus of the above embodiments have been described in detail in connection with the embodiments of the method, and will not be described in detail herein. It should be noted that, in the apparatus provided in the foregoing embodiment, when implementing the functions thereof, only the division of the foregoing functional modules is used as an example, in practical application, the foregoing functional allocation may be implemented by different functional modules, that is, the internal structure of the device is divided into different functional modules, so as to implement all or part of the functions described above. In addition, the apparatus and the method embodiments provided in the foregoing embodiments belong to the same concept, and specific implementation processes of the apparatus and the method embodiments are detailed in the method embodiments and are not repeated herein.

Referring to fig. 9, a schematic structural diagram of a terminal device 900 according to an embodiment of the present application is shown. The terminal device 900 may be adapted to perform the method steps performed by the terminal device in the embodiments described above. The terminal device 900 may include: a processor 901, a transceiver 902, and a memory 903.

The processor 901 includes one or more processing cores, and the processor 901 executes various functional applications and information processing by running software programs and modules.

The transceiver 902 may include a receiver and a transmitter, which may be implemented as the same wireless communication component, which may include a wireless communication chip and a radio frequency antenna, for example.

Memory 903 may be coupled to processor 901 and transceiver 902.

The memory 903 may be used for storing a computer program executed by the processor 901 for executing the computer program to implement the steps executed by the terminal device in the above-described method embodiment.

Further, the memory 903 may be implemented by any type of volatile or nonvolatile storage device, including but not limited to: magnetic or optical disks, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, static random access memory, read-only memory, magnetic memory, flash memory, programmable read-only memory.

In an exemplary embodiment, the transceiver 902 is configured to report first information, where the first information includes information about a slice.

For details not specifically described in the foregoing embodiments, reference may be made to the description of the foregoing method embodiments, which are not repeated herein.

Referring to fig. 10, a schematic structural diagram of a network device 1000 according to an embodiment of the present application is shown. The network device 1000 may be configured to perform the method steps performed by the network device (e.g., the first network entity) in the embodiments described above. The network device 1000 may include: a processor 1001, a transceiver 1002, and a memory 1003.

The processor 1001 includes one or more processing cores, and the processor 1001 executes various functional applications and information processing by running software programs and modules.

The transceiver 1002 may include a receiver and a transmitter. For example, the transceiver 1002 may include a wired communication component that may include a wired communication chip and a wired interface (e.g., a fiber optic interface). Optionally, the transceiver 1002 may also include a wireless communication component, which may include a wireless communication chip and radio frequency antenna.

Memory 1003 may be coupled to processor 1001 and transceiver 1002.

The memory 1003 may be used to store a computer program executed by a processor, and the processor 1001 is configured to execute the computer program to implement the steps executed by the network device (e.g. the first network entity) in the above-described method embodiment.

Further, memory 1003 may be implemented by any type or combination of volatile or nonvolatile memory devices including, but not limited to: magnetic or optical disks, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, static random access memory, read-only memory, magnetic memory, flash memory, programmable read-only memory.

In an exemplary embodiment, the transceiver 1002 is configured to receive first information from a terminal device, where the first information includes slice-specific related information.

The embodiment of the application also provides a computer readable storage medium, wherein the storage medium stores a computer program, and the computer program is used for being executed by a processor of terminal equipment or network equipment so as to realize the information reporting method.

Alternatively, the computer-readable storage medium may include: ROM (Read-Only Memory), RAM (Random-Access Memory), SSD (Solid State disk), or optical disk. The random access memory may include, among other things, reRAM (RESISTANCE RANDOM ACCESS MEMORY, resistive random access memory) and DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory ).

The embodiment of the application also provides a chip which comprises a programmable logic circuit and/or program instructions and is used for realizing the information reporting method when the chip runs on terminal equipment or network equipment.

The embodiment of the application also provides a computer program product or a computer program, wherein the computer program product or the computer program comprises computer instructions, the computer instructions are stored in a computer readable storage medium, and a processor of a terminal device or a network device reads and executes the computer instructions from the computer readable storage medium so as to realize the information reporting method.

It should be understood that the "indication" mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may be a direct indication, an indirect indication, or an indication having an association relationship. For example, a indicates B, which may mean that a indicates B directly, e.g., B may be obtained by a; it may also indicate that a indicates B indirectly, e.g. a indicates C, B may be obtained by C; it may also be indicated that there is an association between a and B.

In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the term "corresponding" may indicate that there is a direct correspondence or an indirect correspondence between the two, or may indicate that there is an association between the two, or may indicate a relationship between the two and the indicated, configured, etc.

References herein to "a plurality" means two or more. "and/or", describes an association relationship of an association object, and indicates that there may be three relationships, for example, a and/or B, and may indicate: a exists alone, A and B exist together, and B exists alone. The character "/" generally indicates that the context-dependent object is an "or" relationship.

Reference herein to "greater than or equal to" may mean greater than or equal to, and "less than or equal to" may mean less than or equal to.

In addition, the step numbers described herein are merely exemplary of one possible execution sequence among steps, and in some other embodiments, the steps may be executed out of the order of numbers, such as two differently numbered steps being executed simultaneously, or two differently numbered steps being executed in an order opposite to that shown, which is not limiting.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that in one or more of the examples described above, the functions described in the embodiments of the present application may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, these functions may be stored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer.

The foregoing description of the exemplary embodiments of the application is not intended to limit the application to the particular embodiments disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the application.

Claims

An information reporting method, which is characterized by comprising the following steps:

And the terminal equipment reports first information, wherein the first information comprises relevant information for slicing.
The method of claim 1, wherein the first information comprises at least one of:

channel quality for at least one cell and/or frequency point;

Selecting or reselecting a determined cell identifier of a target cell and/or a frequency point identifier corresponding to the target cell;

The location information of the terminal equipment and/or the positioning information of the terminal equipment;

A time stamp;

a cell identifier of a source cell and/or a frequency point identifier corresponding to the source cell;

Slicing information;

Cell level information.
The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one cell comprises at least one of: neighbor cells and serving cells.
A method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the channel quality comprises at least one of: reference signal received quality RSRQ, reference signal received power RSRP, signal to interference plus noise ratio SINR, received signal strength indication RSSI.
The method according to any of claims 2 to 4, wherein the timestamp comprises at least one of: the terminal equipment performs time stamp when selecting or reselecting the cell, time stamp when selecting the target cell, time stamp when performing measurement, and time stamp when acquiring the measurement result.
The method according to any of claims 2 to 5, wherein the source cell comprises one of: the cell where the terminal equipment resides before, the cell where the terminal equipment acquires the slicing information, the cell where the terminal equipment sends the slicing information to the terminal equipment, and the cell where the terminal equipment acquires the latest slicing information.
The method according to any of claims 2 to 6, wherein the slice information comprises at least one of: identification information of a slice or a slice group, frequency point information for a slice or a slice group, priority information of frequency points for a slice or a slice group, cell information with or without support for a slice or a slice group, slice priority information.
The method according to any of claims 2 to 7, wherein the cell level information comprises at least one of: cell reselection parameters for the slice, cell reselection parameters for the cell level.
The method according to any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the first information is reported by means of uplink signaling.
The method of claim 9, wherein the uplink signaling is radio resource control, RRC, signaling or non-access stratum, NAS, signaling.
The method of claim 10, wherein in the case where the uplink signaling is RRC signaling, the RRC signaling includes one of: user equipment UE information response, logged measurement report, radio link failure report.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein before the terminal device reports the first information, the method further comprises:

The terminal equipment receives measurement configuration information, wherein the measurement configuration information is used for measuring or acquiring or storing or reporting the first information; and/or the measurement configuration information is used to perform measurements for cell selection or reselection.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein before the terminal device reports the first information, the method further comprises:

The terminal device receives a first information acquisition request, where the first information acquisition request is used to request acquisition of the first information.
The method of claim 13, wherein before the terminal device receives the first information acquisition request, further comprising:

The terminal equipment reports second information; wherein the second information is used to indicate that the first information is available or that the first information is stored.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein before the terminal device reports the first information, the method further comprises:

the terminal device receives a first information storage request for requesting measurement or storing the first information.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein before the terminal device reports the first information, the method further comprises:

the terminal equipment receives configuration information related to slicing;

Wherein the slice-related configuration information includes at least one of: identification information of a slice or a slice group, frequency point information of a slice or a slice group, priority information of a frequency point of a slice or a slice group, supported or unsupported cell information of a slice or a slice group, cell reselection parameters of a slice, cell reselection parameters of a cell level.
The method of claim 16, wherein the slice-related configuration information is from a source base station or a source cell.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein before the terminal device reports the first information, the method further comprises:

the terminal equipment receives configuration information related to slicing;

Wherein the slice-related configuration information includes at least one of: identification information of a slice or a slice group, mapping relation of the slice or the slice group, and priority information of the slice or the slice group.
The method of claim 18, wherein the slice-related configuration information is from a core network or NAS of the terminal device.
The method according to any of claims 1 to 11, wherein the terminal device has a first capability comprising one of: the ability to select or reselect cells for a slice, the ability to report cell selection or reselection results associated with a slice, the ability to record cell selection or reselection results associated with a slice.
The method of claim 20, wherein the first capability is an idle state and/or inactive state capability.
A method according to any one of claims 1 to 21, wherein the terminal device reports the first information after entering a connected state.
The method according to any of claims 1 to 22, wherein the terminal device reports the first information in a cell where an RRC connection is camping and initiated, or wherein the terminal device reports the first information in a cell where an RRC connection has been established, or wherein the terminal device reports the first information in a cell corresponding to when switching from an idle state or an inactive state to a connected state.
The method according to any of the claims 1 to 23, wherein the first information is reported to a first network entity.
The method of claim 24, wherein the first network entity is an access network entity or a core network entity.
The method of claim 24, wherein the first network entity is a source base station, the source base station comprising one of: the method comprises the steps of a base station corresponding to a cell where the terminal equipment resides before, a base station where the terminal equipment acquires the slice information, a base station sending the slice information to the terminal equipment, and a base station where the terminal equipment acquires the latest slice information.
The method of claim 24, wherein the first network entity is a core network entity corresponding to a source base station, the source base station comprising one of: the method comprises the steps of a base station corresponding to a cell where the terminal equipment resides before, a base station where the terminal equipment acquires the slice information, a base station sending the slice information to the terminal equipment, and a base station where the terminal equipment acquires the latest slice information.
The method according to any of the claims 24 to 27, wherein the reporting of the first information by the terminal device comprises:

the terminal device sends the first information to a second network entity, and the second network entity forwards the first information to the first network entity directly or indirectly.
The method of claim 28, wherein the second network entity comprises one of: the terminal equipment is in a base station which resides and initiates RRC connection, a base station which has established RRC connection with the terminal equipment, and a base station which corresponds to the terminal equipment entering a connection state from an idle state or a non-activated state.
The method according to claim 28 or 29, wherein in case the second network entity forwards the first information to the first network entity indirectly, the second network entity forwards the first information to a core network entity, which forwards the first information to the first network entity.
The method according to any of the claims 24 to 27, wherein the reporting of the first information by the terminal device comprises:

The terminal device sends the first information to a core network entity, and the core network entity forwards the first information to the first network entity directly or indirectly.
The method according to claim 25, 27, 30 or 31, wherein the core network entity comprises one of: the network slice selection function NSSF, the access and mobility management function AMF, the session management function SMF, the user plane function UPF, and the trace acquisition entity TCE.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 32, wherein,

The first information is a piece;

Or alternatively

The first information includes a plurality of pieces, each piece of the first information corresponding to one cell selection or reselection.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 33, wherein,

The terminal equipment reports the first information once;

Or alternatively

The terminal equipment reports a plurality of pieces of first information at a time.
The method according to any of claims 24 to 32, wherein the first network entity performs at least one of the following actions according to the first information: adjusting configuration information related to the slice, and adjusting a cell supporting the slice.
An information reporting method, which is characterized by comprising the following steps:

the first network entity receives first information from the terminal device, the first information comprising relevant information for the slice.
The method of claim 36, wherein the first information comprises at least one of:

channel quality for at least one cell and/or frequency point;

Selecting or reselecting a determined cell identifier of a target cell and/or a frequency point identifier corresponding to the target cell;

The location information of the terminal equipment and/or the positioning information of the terminal equipment;

A time stamp;

a cell identifier of a source cell and/or a frequency point identifier corresponding to the source cell;

Slicing information;

Cell level information.
The method of claim 37, wherein the at least one cell comprises at least one of: neighbor cells and serving cells.
The method according to claim 37 or 38, wherein the channel quality comprises at least one of: reference signal received quality RSRQ, reference signal received power RSRP, signal to interference plus noise ratio SINR, received signal strength indication RSSI.
The method of any one of claims 37 to 39, wherein the timestamp comprises at least one of: the terminal equipment performs time stamp when selecting or reselecting the cell, time stamp when selecting the target cell, time stamp when performing measurement, and time stamp when acquiring the measurement result.
The method of any one of claims 37 to 40, wherein the source cell comprises one of: the cell where the terminal equipment resides before, the cell where the terminal equipment acquires the slicing information, the cell where the slicing information is sent to the terminal equipment, and the cell where the terminal equipment acquires the latest slicing information.
The method of any one of claims 37 to 41, wherein the slice information comprises at least one of: identification information of a slice or a slice group, frequency point information for a slice or a slice group, priority information of frequency points for a slice or a slice group, cell information with or without support for a slice or a slice group, slice priority information.
The method of any of claims 37 to 42, wherein the cell-level information comprises at least one of: cell reselection parameters for the slice, cell reselection parameters for the cell level.
The method of any one of claims 36 to 43, wherein the first information is reported by uplink signaling.
The method of claim 44, wherein the uplink signaling is radio resource control, RRC, signaling or non-access stratum, NAS, signaling.
The method of claim 45, wherein in the case where the uplink signaling is RRC signaling, the RRC signaling comprises one of: user equipment UE information response, logged measurement report, radio link failure report.
The method according to any one of claims 36 to 46, wherein the terminal device reports the first information after receiving measurement configuration information; the measurement configuration information is used for measuring, acquiring, storing or reporting the first information; and/or the measurement configuration information is used for carrying out measurement configuration on cell selection or reselection.
The method according to any one of claims 36 to 46, wherein the terminal device reports the first information after receiving a first information acquisition request; wherein the first information acquisition request is for requesting acquisition of the first information.
The method of claim 48, wherein the first information acquisition request is received after the terminal device reports the second information; wherein the second information is used to indicate that the first information is available or that the first information is stored.
The method according to any one of claims 36 to 46, wherein the terminal device reports the first information after receiving a first information storage request; wherein the first information storage request is for requesting measurement or storing the first information.
The method according to any one of claims 36 to 46, wherein the terminal device reports the first information after receiving the slice-related configuration information; wherein the slice-related configuration information includes at least one of: identification information of a slice or a slice group, frequency point information of a slice or a slice group, priority information of a frequency point of a slice or a slice group, supported or unsupported cell information of a slice or a slice group, cell reselection parameters of a slice, cell reselection parameters of a cell level.
The method of claim 51, wherein the slice-related configuration information is from a source base station or a source cell.
The method according to any one of claims 36 to 46, wherein the terminal device reports the first information after receiving the slice-related configuration information; wherein the slice-related configuration information includes at least one of: identification information of a slice or a slice group, mapping relation of the slice or the slice group, and priority information of the slice or the slice group.
The method of claim 53, wherein the slice-related configuration information is from a core network or a NAS of the terminal device.
The method according to any of claims 36 to 46, wherein the terminal device has a first capability comprising one of: the ability to select or reselect cells for a slice, the ability to report cell selection or reselection results associated with a slice, the ability to record cell selection or reselection results associated with a slice.
The method of claim 55, wherein the first capability is an idle state and/or inactive state capability.
A method as claimed in any one of claims 36 to 56, wherein the terminal device reports the first information after entering a connected state.
A method according to any of claims 36 to 57, wherein the terminal device reports the first information in a cell where an RRC connection is camping and initiated, or wherein the terminal device reports the first information in a cell where an RRC connection has been established, or wherein the terminal device reports the first information in a cell corresponding to when transitioning from an idle state or inactive state to a connected state.
The method according to any of claims 36 to 58, wherein the first network entity is an access network entity or a core network entity.
The method of any one of claims 36 to 58, wherein the first network entity is a source base station comprising one of: the method comprises the steps of a base station corresponding to a cell where the terminal equipment resides before, a base station where the terminal equipment acquires the slice information, a base station sending the slice information to the terminal equipment, and a base station where the terminal equipment acquires the latest slice information.
The method according to any one of claims 36 to 58, wherein the first network entity is a core network entity corresponding to a source base station, the source base station comprising one of: the method comprises the steps of a base station corresponding to a cell where the terminal equipment resides before, a base station where the terminal equipment acquires the slice information, a base station sending the slice information to the terminal equipment, and a base station where the terminal equipment acquires the latest slice information.
The method according to any of the claims 36 to 61, wherein the first network entity receives first information from a terminal device, comprising:

The first network entity receives the first information from a second network entity, the first information being sent by the terminal device to the second network entity.
The method according to any of the claims 36 to 61, wherein the first network entity receives first information from a terminal device, comprising:

The first network entity receives the first information from a core network entity, and the first information is directly or indirectly sent to the core network entity by the terminal equipment.
The method of claim 63, wherein the terminal device sends the first information to a second network entity, the second network entity forwarding the first information to the core network entity, in the event that the terminal device sends the first information indirectly to the core network entity.
The method of claim 62 or 64, wherein the second network entity comprises one of: the terminal equipment is in a base station which resides and initiates RRC connection, a base station which has established RRC connection with the terminal equipment, and a base station which corresponds to the terminal equipment entering a connection state from an idle state or a non-activated state.
The method of claim 59, 61, 63, or 64, wherein the core network entity comprises one of: the network slice selection function NSSF, the access and mobility management function AMF, the session management function SMF, the user plane function UPF, and the trace acquisition entity TCE.
The method of any one of claims 36 to 66, wherein,

The first information is a piece;

Or alternatively

The first information includes a plurality of pieces, each piece of the first information corresponding to one cell selection or reselection.
The method of any one of claims 36 to 67,

The terminal equipment reports the first information once;

Or alternatively

The terminal equipment reports a plurality of pieces of first information at a time.
The method according to any one of claims 36 to 68, wherein after the first network entity receives the first information from the terminal device, further comprising:

The first network entity performs at least one of the following actions according to the first information: adjusting configuration information related to the slice, and adjusting a cell supporting the slice.
An information reporting apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

and the information reporting module is used for reporting first information, wherein the first information comprises relevant information for slicing.
An information reporting apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

And the information receiving module is used for receiving first information from the terminal equipment, wherein the first information comprises relevant information for slicing.
A terminal device, characterized in that it comprises a processor and a memory, in which a computer program is stored, which processor executes the computer program to implement the method of any of claims 1 to 35.
A network device comprising a processor and a memory, the memory having stored therein a computer program, the processor executing the computer program to implement the method of any one of claims 36 to 69.
A computer readable storage medium, characterized in that the storage medium has stored therein a computer program for execution by a processor to implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 35 or to implement the method of any one of claims 36 to 69.
A chip comprising programmable logic circuitry and/or program instructions for implementing the method of any one of claims 1 to 35 or the method of any one of claims 36 to 69 when the chip is run.
A computer program product or computer program comprising computer instructions stored in a computer readable storage medium, from which a processor reads and executes the computer instructions to implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 35 or to implement the method of any one of claims 36 to 69.