JP6220235B2 - Base station apparatus and decoding method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to the field of wireless communication technology, and more particularly, to decoding technology for messages exchanged via an S1 interface and an X2 interface in a base station apparatus.

  In the LTE (Long Term Evolution) radio access network (E-UTRAN), which is the standard of 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project), the base station apparatus is called “Evolved node B (eNB)”. It is.

In the network 1 of FIG. 1, each eNB performs radio communication with the user terminals 20 ₁ and 20 ₂ within the service area managed by the own station. Each eNB is connected to MME / S-GW (Mobility Management Entity / Serving Gateway) 30 ₁ and 30 ₂ (abbreviated as “MME30”) of a higher-level device via a logical interface called an S1 interface, and is connected to an adjacent eNB. They are connected via a logical interface called an X2 interface.

  In the communication between the eNB and the MME 30, messages are exchanged according to the S1 application protocol (S1-AP). Communication between eNBs exchanges messages according to the X2 application protocol (X2-AP).

  The S1-AP message and the X2-AP message used for communication are composed of a plurality of information elements (parameters), and the protocols are respectively defined in 3GPP TS36.413 and TS36.423.

  When an S1-AP message or an X2-AP message (abbreviated as “S1 / X2 message”) is transmitted, a message is generated by encoding (combining) necessary information elements according to a corresponding protocol. When the S1 / X2 message is received, the encoded (combined) message is decoded (decomposed) and the necessary information element is extracted, contrary to the transmission.

  FIG. 2 shows a general S1 / X2 message process in the eNB 100. Conventionally, the eNB 100 has one control processing unit 102 (single processor configuration), and the S1 / X2 message is also decoded by the control processing unit 102 to acquire information.

  As the communication speed increases, the capacity of the eNB 100 needs to be increased, and the amount of processing required for the eNB 100 is also increasing. When increasing the processing amount of the eNB 100, a method of increasing the speed of the arithmetic device (CPU core) to be used and the number of arithmetic devices to be used in the eNB 100 (multiprocessor configuration) as shown in FIG. There is a way.

3CPP TS36.413 3GPP TS36.423

When a plurality of control processing units 102 _{1 to} 102 ₃ are simply provided in the eNB 100 for parallel processing, each control processing unit 102 performs S1 / X2 message decoding processing. In this configuration,
(1) A problem that redundant processing occurs in each of the control processing units 102 _{1 to} 102 ₃ , and (2) a problem that unnecessary message routing occurs inside the eNB 100,
Occurs.

Regarding the problem (1), in the parallel processing, the control processing units 102 _{1 to} 102 ₃ share the processing for each user. Since the contents of the S1 / X2 message are unknown until the information element is read after being decoded, it is necessary to distribute the S1 / X2 message to all the control processing units 102 _{1 to} 102 ₃ and decode the message. Therefore, a message unnecessary for a certain control processing unit 102 is also decoded.

Issues (2), in order to carry out decoding at each control processing unit 102 ₁ to 102 _3, all of the control processing unit 102 ₁ to 102 ₃ must deliver S1 / X2 message. Therefore, a large amount of resources in the intermediate frequency (IF) band inside the eNB 100 are consumed.

  In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a configuration and method for efficiently decoding an S1 / X2 message by eliminating useless processing.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, in the embodiment, a part of the S1 / X2 message is decoded to determine the message type, and a transfer destination control processing unit that processes the message is specified according to the determination result. The control processing unit performs the control processing of the message.

More specifically, in the first aspect of the present invention,
The base station device connected to the host device via the first logical interface and connected to the adjacent base station device via the second logical interface is:
A plurality of distributed control processing units that share and process messages transmitted and received via the first logical interface or the second logical interface;
A centralized control processing unit for centrally processing the messages;
A simple decoding unit that decodes a part of the message to detect a message type, and distributes the message to the centralized control processing unit or the distributed control processing unit based on the message type;
It is characterized by having.

In the second aspect of the present invention,
The base station device connected to the host device via the first logical interface and connected to the adjacent base station device via the second logical interface is:
A plurality of control processing units for processing messages transmitted and received via the first logical interface or the second logical interface;
Have
Each of the control processing units
A determination unit that decodes a part of the message to detect a message type, and determines whether the self-control processing unit is in charge of processing the message based on the message type;
When the determination unit determines that it is in charge of processing the message, all the decoding units that decode all the messages;
A message discarding unit that discards the message when it is determined by the determination unit that the message is not processed;
Have

  With the above technique and configuration, the base station apparatus can efficiently decode the S1 / X2 message. As a result, it is possible to appropriately cope with high-speed and large-capacity communication.

1 is a schematic diagram of an LTE radio access network. FIG. It is a figure explaining the problem which arises in the existing decoding process. It is a figure which shows the structure considered in the process leading to the structure of embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram of the base station apparatus (eNB) of 1st Example form. It is a figure which shows the protocol stack and message structure in the network of embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the decoding process of the S1-AP message performed in eNB. It is a figure which shows the example of the S1-AP message table which eNB has. It is a flowchart which shows the example of a process of S105 of FIG. FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating processing subsequent to node A in FIG. 8. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the example of a process of S106 of FIG. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing processing subsequent to node A in FIG. 10. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the decoding process of the X2-AP message performed in eNB. It is a figure which shows the example of the X2-AP message table which eNB has. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process of S405 in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the process which continues from the node A of FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing in S406 of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the process which continues from the node A of FIG. It is a schematic block diagram of the base station apparatus (eNB) of 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the decoding process of the S1-AP message performed in eNB. It is a flowchart which shows the decoding process of the X2-AP message performed in eNB.

FIG. 3 shows a configuration of the eNB 100A that can be considered in the process leading to the present invention. The eNB 100A includes a plurality of control processing units 102 _{1 to} 102 _n and one S1X2 message decoding unit 101 connected to the control processing units 102 _{1 to} 102 _n .

As a method for solving the problems (1) and (2) in the conventional configuration, it is conceivable that the S1 / X2 message is collectively decoded and distributed to the appropriate control processing unit 102 for each information element. In FIG. 3, an S1X2 message decoding unit 101 is added to decode and distribute the S1 / X2 message. In this configuration, it is not necessary to distribute the S1 / X2 message to all the control processing units 102 _{1 to} 102 _n . Redundancy processing in each of the control processing units 102 _{1 to} 102 _n can be avoided, and the processing performance of the eNB 100A is improved. Moreover, the data amount transmitted / received inside eNB100A can be reduced, and the resource of IF band in eNB100A can be utilized effectively.

  However, another problem may occur in the configuration of FIG. That is, as the number of S1 / X2 messages to be decoded increases, the processing amount of the S1X2 message decoding unit 101 increases and the load increases. In addition, when the information elements decoded and extracted are individually transmitted from the S1X2 message decoding unit 101 to each control processing unit 102, the number of parameters managed by the S1X2 message decoding unit increases, and the control becomes complicated.

  Therefore, in the embodiment, in order to reduce the processing load of the S1X2 message decoding unit 101 and avoid complication of control, simple decoding is performed as will be described later, and a control processing unit serving as a message destination is specified. Sort messages.

“Simple decoding” is a decoding process in which the destination of a message is specified by a simpler process than all decoding by specifying the purpose of decoding and performing the minimum necessary decoding according to the purpose. Although it is assumed that the S1 / X2 message is fully decoded, the destination control processing unit is identified by a simplified method prior to the full decoding by the corresponding control processing unit. Thereby, even when the number of messages increases, it is possible to avoid an increase in processing amount and complicated control.
<First Embodiment>
FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of the base station apparatus (eNB) 10 of the first embodiment. eNB10 has a S1X2 message simple decoding unit 11 which performs a simple decode of S1 / X2 message, a plurality of distributed control processing unit 12 ₁ to 12 _n, a central control processing unit 15. Processing range of each of the distributed control unit 12 ₁ to 12 _n are sharing the predetermined registered.

  The eNB 10 is used in the network 1 of FIG. 1 and is connected to an adjacent eNB through an X2 interface and is connected to an upper MME / S-GW 30 through an S1 interface.

FIG. 5A shows an S1 / X2 protocol stack used in the network 1 of FIG. In communication between the adjacent eNB 10 ₁ and eNB 10 ₂ , messages are exchanged on SCTP (Stream Control Transmission Protocol) according to the X2-AP protocol. eNB 10 ₁ and communication between MME30 according S1-AP protocol, and exchanges messages over SCTP.

  The X2-CP (Control Plane) interface 2 is used for communication of control information when a certain user (UE or mobile terminal) moves (hands over) to an adjacent eNB 10. In the X1-AP message, there are an individual message addressed to each user and a common message addressed to the eNB 10.

  The S1-MME interface 3 is used for notification of control information of a user (UE or mobile terminal) accommodated in the eNB 10. This control information includes new acceptance and handover notification. The S1-AP message also includes an individual message addressed to each user and a common message addressed to the eNB 10.

  FIG. 5B shows the configuration of the S1 / X2 message 41 used in the network 1 of FIG. As described above, the S1-AP message and the X2-AP message used for communication are composed of a plurality of information elements (parameters) # 0, # 1, # 2,. Parameter # 0 corresponds to the packet header and indicates the message type of the message 41. The position (header position) and size at which the parameter # 0 is arranged are fixed. The other parameters # 1, # 2,... Are parameters determined for each message type, but their storage positions and order are not determined. When the message 41 is transmitted, the parameters # 0, # 1, # 2,... Are encoded (combined) to generate the message 41.

  Returning to FIG. 4, the S1X2 message simple decoding unit 11 includes a processing type determination unit 112, a distributed processing distribution unit 113, and a message table 114. The processing type determination unit 112 and the distributed processing distribution unit 113 constitute a message determination unit 111. In this example, the message table 114 includes an S1-AP message table 114a and an X2-AP message table 114b. However, the message table 114 may be stored as one table or arranged outside the S1X2 message simple decoding unit 11. Good.

  When the S1 / X2 message 41 having the configuration shown in FIG. 5B is input, the message determination unit 111 decodes a part of the head parameter # 0. The processing type determination unit 112 refers to the message table 114 from the decoding result, and determines whether the message 41 is a message intended for distributed control or a message intended for centralized control.

  “Distributed control” is control for individual users, and is control when a user (UE) and a cell are specified. Distributed control includes handover control and location report control. “Centralized control” is control for the eNB 10 itself. A message addressed to an eNB or a message in which a UE and a cell are not specified is a target of centralized control.

  If the received message is a message intended for centralized control, the message determination unit 111 supplies the received message to the centralized control processing unit 15. If the message is intended for distributed processing, the message determination unit 111 further refers to the message table 114 and identifies the message type from the previous decoding result. The distributed processing distribution unit 113 specifies the distributed control processing unit 12 that should process the message according to the type of the S1 / X2 message 41, and distributes the message.

The central control processing unit 15 and each of the distributed control processing units 12 _{1 to} 12 _n decode the input message and perform control according to the message.

  With this configuration, the S1X2 message simple decoding unit 11 performs minimum necessary decoding (simple decoding), and performs message type determination and distribution. Therefore, concentration of processing load on the S1X2 message simple decoding unit 11 can be prevented.

  In addition, since the communication between the S1X2 message simple decoding unit 11 and the centralized control processing unit 15 and the communication between the S1X2 message simple decoding unit 11 and the distributed control processing unit 12 are performed as the S1 / X2 message 41, Compared with the case where parameters are distributed after complete decoding by the decoding unit, information distribution is simplified.

  FIG. 6 shows a processing flow for the S1-AP message performed in the S1X2 message simple decoding unit 11 of the eNB 10.

  When the S1-AP message is received in S101, the message determination unit 111 reads the first two bytes of the message and determines whether the processing type is for distributed control or centralized control (S102). . As shown in FIG. 5B, an identifier indicating the message type is stored at the head of the message. The message determination unit 111 refers to the S1-AP message table 114a to determine whether it is a message for distributed processing or a message for centralized processing.

  FIG. 7 shows an example of the S1-AP message table 114a. The S1-AP message table 114a records a message identifier and a processing type in association with each message. When the message identifier is specified from the first two bytes of the S1-AP message, either distributed control or centralized control is specified from the processing type described in the S1-AP message table 114a.

  Returning to FIG. 6, if the message is intended for centralized control (NO in S102), the message is transferred to the centralized control processing unit 15 (S104).

  If the message is intended for distributed control (YES in S102), it is determined whether or not the message type is a handover request (S103). If it is a handover request, the process proceeds to step S105, the target cell ID (TargetCell ID) included in the message is detected, the sector / carrier number is specified, and the distribution control processing unit 12 as the message transfer destination is specified.

  When the message type is other than the handover request, the process proceeds to step S106, the eNB-UE-S1AP-ID is detected from the message, and the distribution of the transfer destination is performed by referring to the radio base station ID (RBS-ID) list of the platform. The control processing unit 12 is specified.

  In S105 and S106, when the distributed control processing unit 12 that is the message transfer destination is specified, the message is transferred to the distributed control processing unit 12 (S107). Since each distributed control processing unit 12 is assigned and registered with a processing ID (TargetCell ID, eNB-UE-S1AP-ID, etc.) that the distributed control processing unit 12 should be in charge of, the processing results of S105 and S106 Thus, the distribution control processing unit 12 as the transfer destination can be specified with reference to the registration information.

  8 and 9 show a specific processing example when the processing of S105 of FIG. 6, that is, the message type is a handover request. When the message type is a handover request, it is necessary to extract the target cell ID in order to specify the distribution control processing unit 12 as the transfer destination.

  First, 2 bytes from the first 4 bytes of the received S1-AP message are read and stored in the function m (S201). The function m is the number of information elements (parameters # 1 to #n) included in the S1-AP message. Next, it is determined whether the most significant bit (MSB) of “m” is “0” (S202). When the most significant bit of m is “0”, the number of information elements included in the message is within 1 byte, so “m” is shifted to the right by 1 byte (S203), and “7” is displayed in the function read counter. (6 bytes + 1 byte) is set (S204). When the most significant bit of m is “1”, the number of information elements occupies 2 bytes. Therefore, after the MSB of m is converted to “0” (S205), “8” (6 bytes) is displayed in the function read counter. +2 bytes) is set (S206).

  Next, it is determined whether the value of m is greater than 0 (m> 0) (S207). If the value of m is less than or equal to zero (NO in S207), the message does not contain an information element (parameter) and cannot be decoded (S208). If the value of m is greater than zero (YES in S207), 2 bytes are read from the read counter byte at the beginning of the message (7th or 8th byte in this example) and stored in the function IE-ID ( S209). IE-ID (Information Element ID) is an identifier for specifying an information element, that is, a parameter in a message. Further, 1 byte is read from the read counter value at the head of the message + 3rd byte and stored in the function x (S210).

  Next, proceeding to FIG. 9, it is determined whether or not the read IE-ID is “Source-To-Target Transparent Container” (S211). When the IE-ID is “Source-To-Target Transparent Container” (YES in S211), “Source-To-Target Transparent Container” is extracted from the input S1-AP message, and the MSB of x is “0”. Is determined (S219). If the MSB of x is “0” (YES in S219), the 1-byte parameter is entered after the 1-byte container, so the read counter value is updated to the current value +5 (3 bytes +2 bytes). (S220).

  When the MSB of x is “1” (NO in S210), the size of the container is 2 bytes. In this case, the read counter value at the beginning of the message +2 bytes from the third byte are read and stored in the function x (S221), the MSB of x is rewritten to zero (S222), and x is from 129 (0x81 in hexadecimal) It is determined whether or not is larger (S223).

  If x is larger than 129 (YES in S223), the size of the parameter following the container occupies 2 bytes, so the value of the read counter is updated to the current value + 7 (3 bytes + 4 bytes) (S225). If x is 129 or less (NO in S223), the size of the parameter following the container is 1 byte, so the value of the read counter is updated to the current value + 6 (3 bytes + 3 bytes) (S224).

  Next, 2 bytes are read from the read counter value + 1 byte and stored in the function x (S226), and it is determined whether or not the MSB of x is “0” (S227). If the MSB is “0”, x is shifted to the right by 1 byte (S228), and the value of the read counter is updated to the current read counter value + 3 + x. If the MSB is “1”, the MSB of x is replaced with 0 (S230), and the value of the read counter is updated to the current read counter value + 4 + x (S231).

  Next, 4 bytes are read from the read counter + 4th byte and stored in the function TargetCell-ID (S232). At this stage, since the target cell ID of interest can be detected from the information element of interest (parameter # 1), the process of S105 in FIG. 6 is terminated normally (S234).

  On the other hand, if the IE-ID read in S211 is not "Source-To-Target Transparent Container" (NO in S211), the target cell ID is not included in this information element (parameter # 1), so the next information element Judging. Specifically, it is determined whether or not the MSB of x is “0” (S212). If it is “0”, the value of the read counter is updated to the current read counter value + 4 + x (S213). If the MSB is “1”, the read counter value at the head of the message + 2 bytes from the third byte are read and stored in the function x (S214), the MSB of x is rewritten to 0 (S215), and the value of the read counter Is updated to the current read counter value + 5 + x (S216).

  Next, the element number m is subtracted by 1 and set to “m = m−1” (S217), and the process returns to S207 to repeat the above-described processing for the next information element.

  10 and 11 show an example of the process in S106 of FIG. 6, that is, a process when the message type is other than the handover request. When the message type is other than the handover request, the eNB-UE-S1AP-ID is detected. eNB-UE-S1AP-ID is an identifier given uniquely to the user apparatus (UE) accommodated in eNB10 via S1 interface. By specifying this identifier, it is possible to specify the distributed processing unit 12 as a message transfer destination.

  First, 2 bytes from the first 4 bytes of the received S1-AP message are read and stored in the function m (S301). The function m is the number of information elements (parameters # 1 to #n) included in the message. Next, it is determined whether or not the most significant bit (MSB) of “m” is “0” (S302). When the MSB is “0”, the number of information elements included in the message is within one byte, so “m” is shifted to the right by 1 byte (S303), and “7” is set to the read counter (S303). S304). If the MSB is “1”, the number of information elements occupies 2 bytes, so the MSB of m is converted to “0” (S305), and then “8” is set in the read counter (S306).

  Next, proceeding to FIG. 11, it is determined whether or not the value of m is greater than zero (S307). If m is less than or equal to zero, it cannot be decoded (S308). When m is larger than zero (YES in S307), 2 bytes are read from the read counter byte at the head of the message and stored in the function IE-ID (S309), and the read counter value at the head of the message plus 3 bytes. One byte is read from the eye and stored in the function x (S310).

  Next, it is determined whether or not the read IE-ID is “eNB-UE-S1AP-ID” (S311). When the IE-ID is “eNB-UE-S1AP-ID” (YES in S311), 2 bytes are read from the read counter value + 4th byte to extract “eNB-UE-S1AP-ID”, and the function eNB -Store in UE-S1AP-ID. At this stage, the target eNB-UE-S1AP-ID is detected, and the process of S106 in FIG. 6 ends normally (S320).

  If the IE-ID read in S311 is not “eNB-UE-S1AP-ID”, it is determined whether the MSB of the size function x is “0” (S312). If the MSB is “0”, the value of the read counter is updated to the current read counter value + 4 + x (S213). When the MSB is “1”, 2 bytes are read from the read counter value at the head of the message + the 3rd byte and stored in the function x (S314), and the MSB of x is rewritten to 0 (S315). The current read counter value is updated to + 5 + x (S316).

  Next, the element number m is subtracted by 1 and set to “m = m−1” (S317), and the process returns to S307 to repeat the above-described processing for the next information element.

  As described above, when the target parameter is obtained, the distributed control processing unit 12 to which the message should be transferred can be specified, and the distributed control processing unit corresponding to the S1-AP message with the minimum necessary decoding processing. 12 can be transferred.

  FIG. 12 shows a processing flow for the X2-AP message performed in the S1X2 message simple decoding unit 11 of the eNB 10. The X2-AP message is sent from an adjacent eNB.

  When the X2-AP message is received in S401, the message determination unit 111 reads the first two bytes of the message and determines whether the processing type is for distributed control or centralized control (S402). . The message determination unit 111 refers to the X2-AP message table 114b to determine whether the message is for distributed processing or centralized processing.

  FIG. 13 shows an example of the X2-AP message table 114b. The X2-AP message table 114b records a message identifier and a processing type in association with each message. When the message identifier is specified from the first two bytes of the X2-AP message, either distributed control or centralized control is specified from the processing type described in the X2-AP message table 114b.

  Returning to FIG. 12, if the message is intended for centralized control (NO in S402), the message is transferred to the centralized control processing unit 15 (S404).

  If the message is intended for distributed control (YES in S402), it is determined whether or not the message type is a handover request (S403). If it is a handover request, the process proceeds to step S405, the target cell ID (TargetCell ID) included in the message is detected, and the distributed control processing unit 12 that is the transfer destination of the message is specified.

  If the message type is other than the handover request, the process proceeds to step S406, where the X2-UE-ID is detected from the message, and the distribution control processing unit 12 of the transfer destination is specified.

  When the distributed control processing unit 12 is specified in S405 and S406, the message is transferred to the corresponding distributed control processing unit 12 (S407). Since each distributed control processing unit 12 is assigned and registered with a processing ID (TargetCell ID, X2-UE-ID, etc.) that the distributed control processing unit 12 should be in charge of, from the processing results of S405 and S406, The transfer control unit 12 can be identified by referring to the registration information.

  14 and 15 show an example of the process in S405 of FIG. 12, that is, a process when the message type is a handover request.

  First, 2 bytes are read from the first 4 bytes of the received X2-AP message and stored in the function m (S501). The function m is the number of information elements (parameters # 1 to #n) included in the X2-AP message. Next, it is determined whether or not the most significant bit (MSB) of “m” is “0” (S502). If the most significant bit is “0”, 1 byte is read from the first 6 bytes and stored in the function “m” (S503), and “7” is set in the function read counter (S504). If the MSB is “1”, 1 byte is read from the first 7 bytes and stored in the function “m” (S505), and “8” is set in the function read counter (S506).

  Next, proceeding to FIG. 15, it is determined whether or not the value of m is larger than 0 (S507). If m is less than or equal to zero (NO in S507), decoding cannot be performed (S508). If m is greater than zero (YES in S507), 2 bytes are read from the read counter byte at the beginning of the message, stored in the function IE-ID (S509), and the read counter value at the beginning of the message + 3 bytes. One byte is read from the eye and stored in the function x (S510).

  Next, it is determined whether or not the IE-ID is “TargetCell-ID” (S511). When the IE-ID is “TargetCell-ID” (YES in S511), 4 bytes are read from the read counter value + 8th byte, “TargetCell-ID” is extracted, and stored in the function TargetCell-ID (S519). . At this stage, since the target cell ID of interest can be detected from the information element (parameter # 1), the process of S405 in FIG. 12 is normally terminated (S520).

  On the other hand, when the IE-ID read in S511 is not “TargetCell-ID” (NO in S511), it is determined whether the MSB of x is “0” (S512). The counter value is updated to the current read counter value + 4 + x (S513). When the MSB is “1”, 2 bytes are read from the read counter value at the head of the message + 3rd byte and stored in the function x (S514), the MSB of x is rewritten to 0 (S515), and the value of the read counter Is updated to the current read counter value + 5 + x (S516).

  Next, the element number m is subtracted by 1 and set to “m = m−1” (S517), and the process returns to S507 to repeat the above-described processing for the next information element.

  16 and 17 show an example of the process in S406 of FIG. 12, that is, a process when the message type is other than the handover request. When the type of the X2-AP message is other than the handover request, the X2-UE-ID is detected.

  First, 2 bytes are read from the first 4 bytes of the received X2-AP message and stored in the function m (S601). The function m is the number of information elements (parameters # 1 to #n) included in the message. Next, it is determined whether or not the MSB of “m” is “0” (S602). If the MSB is “0”, 1 byte is read from the first 6 bytes of the message and stored in the function “m” (S603), and “7” is set in the read counter (S604). If the MSB is “1”, 1 byte is read from the first 7 bytes of the message and stored in the function “m” (S605), and “8” is set in the read counter (S606).

  Next, proceeding to FIG. 17, it is determined whether or not the value of m is greater than 0 (S607). If m is less than or equal to zero, it cannot be decoded (S608). If m is greater than zero (YES in S607), 2 bytes are read from the read counter byte at the beginning of the message, stored in the function IE-ID (S609), and the read counter value at the beginning of the message + 3 bytes. One byte is read from the eye and stored in the function x (S610).

  Next, it is determined whether or not the read IE-ID is “X2-UE-ID” (S611). When the IE-ID is “X2-UE-ID” (YES in S611), 2 bytes are read from the read counter value + 4th byte, and “X2-UE-ID” is extracted, and the function X2-UE-ID is obtained. Store. At this stage, the target X2-UE-ID is detected, and the process of S406 in FIG. 12 ends normally (S620).

  If the IE-ID read in S611 is not “X2-UE-ID”, it is determined whether the MSB of the function x is “0” (S612). If the MSB is “0”, the value of the read counter is updated to the current read counter value + 4 + x (S613). When the MSB is “1”, 2 bytes are read from the read counter value at the head of the message + the third byte and stored in the function x (S614), and the MSB of x is rewritten to 0 (S615). The current read counter value is updated to + 5 + x (S616).

  Next, the number of elements m is subtracted by 1 and set to “m = m−1” (S617), and the process returns to S607 to repeat the above-described processing for the next information element.

  As described above, when the target parameter is obtained, the distributed control processing unit 12 to which the message should be transferred can be specified, and the distributed control processing unit corresponding to the X2-AP message with the minimum necessary decoding processing. 12 can be transferred.

In the first embodiment, the centralized control processing unit 15 and the distributed control processing units 12 _{1 to} 12 _n are provided separately, but instead of providing the independent centralized control processing unit 15, the distributed control processing units 12 _{1 to} 12 _n are provided. At least one of them may have a centralized control processing function.
Second Embodiment
FIG. 18 is a schematic configuration diagram of a base station apparatus (eNB) 50 according to the second embodiment. In the first embodiment, the S1X2 message simple decoding unit 11 for distributing messages is provided. In the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 18A, each of the plurality of control processing units 52 _{1 to} 52 _n is provided with an S1-AP message simple decoding function and an X2-AP message simple decoding function. Each of the control processing units 52 _{1 to} 52 _n (collectively referred to as “control processing unit 52”) has not only a simple decoding function but also a full decoding function. Each control processing unit 52 decodes a part of the input S1 / X2 message 41 to determine the message type. Depending on the message type, if the process is a control process shared by the control processing unit 52, the entire decoding is performed as it is. Otherwise, discard the message. This avoids the inconvenience of decoding even redundant processing, that is, a message that the self-control processing unit 52 is not in charge of.

  FIG. 18B shows a schematic configuration of each control processing unit 52. The control processing unit 52 includes a message determination unit 521, an all decoding processing unit 523, a message discarding unit 525, and a message table 114. The message table 114 includes an S1-AP message table 114a similar to FIG. 7 and an X2-AP message table 114b similar to FIG. The message table 114 is not necessarily provided in each control processing unit 52, and a single message table 114 may be shared and referenced by a plurality of control processing units 52.

  The message determination unit 521 reads the head part of the message and determines whether the message is intended for centralized control or distributed control. Further, when the purpose is distributed control, it is determined whether or not the message is a handover request. Based on the determination result, the message is distributed to all the decoding processing units 523 and the message discarding unit 525.

  FIG. 19 shows a processing flow for the S1-AP message performed by the control processing unit 52 of FIG. The same steps as those in the flow of FIG. 6 of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals to simplify the description.

  When the S1-AP message is received in S701, the message determination unit 521 reads the first two bytes of the message and determines whether the processing type is for distributed control or centralized control (S102). . Based on the identifier at the head of the message and the S1-AP message table 114a, it is determined whether the message is for distributed processing or centralized processing. If the message is intended for centralized control (NO in S102), if the self-control processing unit shares the centralized processing of the message, the process proceeds to all decoding processing. Otherwise, discard the message.

  If the message is intended for distributed control (YES in S102), it is determined whether or not the message type is a handover request (S103). If it is a handover request, the process proceeds to step S105, where the target cell ID (TargetCell ID) included in the message is detected to identify the sector / carrier number, and the control processing unit is in charge of processing from the detected sector / carrier number Is identified. The specific processing in step S105 is as described with reference to FIGS.

  In S707, if the self-control processing unit is in charge of the process, the entire decoding process is performed, and if not, the message is discarded.

  If the message type is other than the handover request, the process proceeds to step S106, the eNB-UE-S1AP-ID is detected from the message, and the control that should be handled by referring to the radio base station ID (RBS-ID) list of the platform Specify the processing unit. The specific processing in step S106 is as described with reference to FIGS.

  In S707, when the self-control processing unit is in charge of the process, the entire decoding process is performed. Otherwise, discard the message.

  FIG. 20 shows a processing flow for the X2-AP message performed by the control processing unit 52 of FIG. The same steps as those in the flow of FIG. 12 of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description will be simplified.

  When the X2-AP message is received in S801, the message determination unit 521 reads the first two bytes of the message and determines whether the processing type is for distributed control or centralized control (S402). . Based on the identifier at the head of the message and the X2-AP message table 114b, it is determined whether the message is for distributed processing or centralized processing. If the message is intended for centralized control (NO in S402), if the self-control processing unit shares the centralized processing of the message, the process proceeds to all decoding processing. Otherwise, discard the message.

  If the message is intended for distributed control (YES in S402), it is determined whether or not the message type is a handover request (S403). If it is a handover request, the process proceeds to step S405, where the target cell ID (TargetCell ID) included in the message is detected to identify the sector / carrier number, and the control processing unit in charge of the process is identified from the sector / carrier number. To do. The specific process in step S405 is as described with reference to FIGS.

  In S807, if the self-control processing unit is in charge of the process, the entire decoding process is performed, and if not, the message is discarded.

  If the message type is other than the handover request, the process proceeds to step S406, where the X2-UE-ID is detected from the message, and the control processing unit in charge of the process is specified. The specific process of step S406 is as described with reference to FIGS.

  In S807, if the self-control processing unit is in charge of the process, the entire decoding process is performed, and if not, the message is discarded.

  As described above, the first embodiment and the second embodiment focus on extracting data necessary for specifying the control processing unit in charge of message processing, so compared with the case of performing full decoding. Processing load can be reduced.

  By classifying message types into centralized control and distributed control according to the message components and processing contents, the number of parameters to be decoded for distribution can be limited and the processing load can be reduced. it can.

  By combining message discrimination processing and decoding processing, the number of parameters to be decoded can be minimized for each message, and redundant decoding processing can be suppressed and processing load can be reduced.

1 Network 10, 50 Base station apparatus (eNB)
11 S1X2 message simple decoding unit 12, 12 _{1 to} 12 _n distributed control processing unit 15 centralized control processing unit 52 control processing unit (with simple decoding function)
111, 521 Message determination unit 112 Processing type determination unit 113 Distributed processing distribution unit 114 Message table 114a S1-AP message table 114b X2-AP message table 523 All decoding unit 525 Message discarding unit S1 S1 interface (first logical interface)
X2 X2 interface (second logical interface)

Claims (8)

A base station device connected to a host device via a first logical interface and connected to an adjacent base station device via a second logical interface,
A plurality of distributed control processing units that share and process messages transmitted and received via the first logical interface or the second logical interface;
A centralized control processing unit for centrally processing the messages;
A simple decoding unit that decodes a part of the message to detect a message type, and distributes the message to the centralized control processing unit or the distributed control processing unit based on the message type;
A base station apparatus comprising: A table that records a message type and a processing type indicating centralized control or distributed control in association with each of the plurality of types of messages;
Further comprising
The base station according to claim 1, wherein when the message type is detected, the simple decoding unit allocates the message to the centralized control processing unit or the distributed control processing unit with reference to the table. apparatus. When the message type is a handover request, the simple decoding unit decodes the message until a target cell identifier is detected from the message, and terminates the decoding when the target cell identifier is detected. , Supplying the message to one of the distributed control processing units specified from the target cell identifier,
The identified distributed control processing unit performs a process of all decoding and sharing the supplied message.
The base station apparatus according to claim 2. The simple decoding unit has identification information uniquely given to a user apparatus on the first logical interface or the second logical interface when the message is intended for distributed control and is a message other than a handover request. The message is decoded until it is detected, the decoding is terminated when the identification information is detected, and the message is supplied to one of the distributed control processing units specified from the identification information,
The specified distributed control processing unit performs a process of fully decoding and sharing the supplied message,
The base station apparatus according to claim 2. In the base station, when receiving a message which is exchanged via the second logical interface between the first logical interface, and the base station between the host device detects a message type by decoding a part of said message And
In the base station , according to the message type, determine whether it is a message for centralized control or a message for distributed control,
Distributing the message to the control processor central control processor or distributed in the base station based on said determination,
A decoding method characterized by the above. If the message is a message for the central control, the message is transferred to the central control processing unit without further decoding the message,
The central control processing unit performs all decoding of the message and corresponding control processing.
The decoding method according to claim 5 , wherein: If the message is for the distributed control and is a handover request, the message is decoded until a target cell identifier is detected from the message,
Decoding is terminated when the target cell identifier is detected, and the message is transferred to one of the distributed control processing units specified from the target cell identifier,
In the distributed control processor identified, performs processing Ru all decode dos the forwarded message;
The decoding method according to claim 6 . When the message is for the purpose of the distributed control and is other than a handover request, until the identification information uniquely given to the user apparatus is detected on the first logical interface or the second logical interface, Decode it,
Decoding is terminated when the identification information is detected, and the message is transferred to one of the distributed control processing units specified from the identification information,
Wherein at specified distributed control processing unit performs processing Ru all decode dos the forwarded message;
The decoding method according to claim 6 .

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