WO2015096618A1 - Method and network device for converging registration area - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of communications. Provided are a method and network device for converging a registration area. Provided is a mechanism for converging a user equipment (UE) registration area, enabling a network to adjust and converge the registration area according to the actual condition of the UE, avoiding waste of network resources. The method comprises: within a specified time period, collecting statistics about whether the UE has resided in each basic registration area of the registration area; removing the basic registration areas where the UE has not resided from the registration area to obtain an updated registration area; sending the updated registration area to the UE. The present invention is used for converging a UE registration area.

Description

Method and network device for converging registration area

This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 201310739903.7, entitled "Method and Network Equipment for Converging Registration Areas", filed on December 27, 2013, the entire contents of In this application.

Technical field

The present invention relates to the field of communications, and in particular, to a method and network device for converging a registration area.

Background technique

When the user equipment is in an idle state, the location area of the user equipment known by the network is called a registration area. In an evolved packet switch (EPS), a registration area is composed of one or more basic registration areas, that is, a TA (Tracking Area). In the actual data transmission process, the registration area information is sent by the network to the user equipment in the form of a Tracking Area List (TA List).

If the network needs to send signaling or data to the user equipment when the user equipment is in an idle state, the network will page the user equipment in the TA list of the user equipment through the paging technology. After receiving the paging message sent to itself, the user equipment responds to the paging, establishes communication with the network, and changes from the idle state to the connected state. At this time, if the range of the TA List is too small, the user equipment may frequently leave the current TA List to enter a new TA when moving, thereby generating more location update signaling; and if the range of the TA List is large, the network When paging a user equipment, it is required to send a paging message in a large range, and the paging load is high. Therefore, planning the TA List should consider the effects of balancing location update signaling and paging overhead.

Therefore, the prior art provides two methods for generating a TA list. The first method is to analyze which neighboring TAs are to be entered from the current TA and statically configure the current TA and the neighboring TAs on the network element after the field survey. The static configuration generates a TA List. At this time, when the user equipment enters the current TA, the network sends the configured TA List to the user equipment. The second method is that the network dynamically allocates different TA Lists to different user equipments according to existing algorithms and different inputs including user type, user movement model, time period, and current moving direction speed of the user equipment.

However, the TA list allocation method of the prior art lacks the method of adjusting and optimizing after the TA list is specified for the user equipment, so that the network cannot adjust and converge the allocated TA List according to the actual situation of the user equipment, thereby causing waste of network resources. .

Summary of the invention

The embodiment of the present invention provides a method and a network device for converging a registration area, and provides a mechanism for converging a basic registration area of a user equipment, which can ensure that the network adjusts and converges the registration area according to the actual situation of the user equipment, and avoids the network. Waste of resources.

In order to achieve the above object, embodiments of the present invention adopt the following technical solutions:

In a first aspect, a method for converging a registration area is provided, the method comprising:

Whether the user equipment resides in each basic registration area in the registration area during the specified time period;

Removing a basic registration area that the user equipment has not camped from the registration area, to obtain an updated registration area;

Sending the updated registration area to the user equipment.

In conjunction with the first aspect, in a first possible implementation manner, the specified time period is a preset registration area update period.

In combination with the first aspect, in a second possible implementation manner,

The specified time period is a time interval when the user equipment initiates the registration area update process when the user equipment sends the registration area; the specified time period is greater than or equal to a preset time interval threshold.

With reference to the second possible implementation of the first aspect, in a third possible implementation, the basic registration area that is not resident by the user equipment is removed from the registration area, and is updated. Before the registration area, the method further includes:

Determining whether the number of basic registration areas in the registration area is greater than a preset minimum number of basic registration areas;

If the number of the basic registration areas in the registration area is greater than the number of the minimum basic registration areas, the basic registration area that the user equipment has not parked is removed from the registration area, and the updated registration area is obtained. .

With reference to the first aspect, in a fourth possible implementation, the The registration area for sending the update includes:

Sending, to the user equipment, a signaling message including the updated registration area;

The signaling message includes a registration area update accept message or a globally unique temporary identity redistribution request message.

In a second aspect, a method for converging a registration area is provided, the method comprising:

Recording, at a first moment when the user equipment last resides in each basic registration area of the registration area, where the registration area includes the one or more basic registration areas allocated for the user equipment;

Deleting a basic registration area between the first time and the second time in the basic registration area of the registration area that is greater than a preset time interval from the registration area, to obtain an updated registration area; The second time is a time when the user equipment initiates a registration area update process;

Sending the updated registration area to the user equipment.

With reference to the second aspect, in a first possible implementation manner, the time interval between the first time and the second time in each basic registration area of the registration area is greater than a basic time of a preset time interval. Before the registration area is deleted from the registration area and the updated registration area is obtained, the method further includes:

Determining whether the number of basic registration areas in the registration area is greater than a preset minimum number of basic registration areas;

If the number of the basic registration areas in the registration area is greater than the number of the minimum basic registration areas, when the user equipment initiates the registration area update process, the time interval between the second time and the second time is greater than the first time interval of the preset time interval. The basic registration area corresponding to the time is deleted from the registration area, and the updated registration area is obtained.

With reference to the second aspect, in the second possible implementation, the sending the updated registration area to the user equipment includes:

Sending, to the user equipment, a signaling message including the updated registration area;

The signaling message includes a registration area update accept message or a globally unique temporary identity redistribution request message.

In a third aspect, a network device is provided, where the network device includes:

a statistical unit, configured to count, during a specified time period, whether the user equipment has camped in each basic registration area in the registration area;

An update unit that removes a basic registration area that the user equipment has not resided from the registration area to obtain an updated registration area;

And sending, by the sending unit, the updated registration area to the user equipment.

In conjunction with the third aspect, in a first possible implementation manner, the specified time period is a preset registration area update period.

In combination with the third aspect, in a second possible implementation manner,

The specified time period is a time interval when the user equipment initiates the registration area update process when the user equipment sends the registration area; the specified time period is greater than or equal to a preset time interval threshold.

With reference to the second possible implementation of the third aspect, in a third possible implementation, the network device further includes a determining unit, where the determining unit is configured to:

Determining whether the number of basic registration areas in the registration area is greater than a preset minimum number of basic registration areas;

If the number of the basic registration areas in the registration area is greater than the number of the minimum basic registration areas, the basic registration area that the user equipment has not parked is removed from the registration area, and the updated registration area is obtained. .

With reference to the third aspect, in a fourth possible implementation, the signaling message that includes the updated registration area is sent to the user equipment;

The signaling message includes a registration area update accept message or a globally unique temporary identity redistribution request message.

A fourth aspect provides a network device, where the network device includes:

a recording unit, configured to record a first moment when the user equipment last resides in each basic registration area of the registration area, where the registration area includes the one or more basic registration areas allocated for the user equipment;

An update unit, configured to delete, from the registration area, a basic registration area in which each time interval between the first time and the second time in the basic registration area of the registration area is greater than a preset time interval, and obtain an update Post-registration area; wherein, the second a time when the registration area update process is initiated for the user equipment;

And a sending unit, configured to send the updated registration area to the user equipment.

With reference to the fourth aspect, in a first possible implementation, the network device further includes a determining unit, where the determining unit is configured to:

Determining whether the number of basic registration areas in the registration area is greater than a preset minimum number of basic registration areas;

If the number of the basic registration areas in the registration area is greater than the minimum number of basic registration areas, when the user equipment initiates the registration area update process, the time interval between the update unit and the second time is greater than the preset time. The basic registration area corresponding to the first moment of the interval is deleted from the registration area, and the updated registration area is obtained.

With reference to the fourth aspect, in a second possible implementation manner, the sending unit is specifically configured to:

Sending, to the user equipment, a signaling message including the updated registration area;

The signaling message includes a registration area update accept message or a globally unique temporary identity redistribution request message.

The present invention provides a method and network device for converging a registration area. The network device first counts whether the user equipment has camped in each basic registration area in the registration area within a specified time period, and then the user equipment is not resident. The basic registration area is removed from the registration area, the updated registration area is obtained, and finally the updated registration area is sent to the user equipment; or the user equipment is first recorded when the user equipment last resides in each of the basic registration areas of the registration area. The first time, the basic registration area in which the time interval between the first time and the second time in the basic registration area of the registration area is greater than the preset time interval is deleted from the registration area, and the updated area is obtained. The registration area and send the updated registration area to the user device. Therefore, a mechanism for converging the basic registration area is provided, which can ensure that the network adjusts and converges the registration area according to the actual situation of the user equipment, thereby avoiding waste of network resources.

DRAWINGS

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings used in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly described below. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only Are some embodiments of the invention for the field For the ordinary technicians, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative work.

FIG. 1 is a schematic flowchart diagram of a method for converging a registration area according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

2 is a schematic flowchart of a method for converging a registration area according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic flowchart of a method for converging a registration area according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a schematic flowchart diagram of a method for converging a registration area according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a schematic flowchart of a method for converging a registration area according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a schematic flowchart diagram of a method for converging a registration area according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a schematic flowchart diagram of a method for converging a registration area according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a schematic flowchart diagram of a method for converging a registration area according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 is a schematic flowchart diagram of a method for converging a registration area according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 is a schematic flowchart diagram of a method for converging a registration area according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 12 is a schematic structural diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 13 is a schematic structural diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 14 is a schematic structural diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 15 is a schematic structural diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 16 is a schematic structural diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

detailed description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention are clearly and completely described in the following with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. It is obvious that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, but not all embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts are within the scope of the present invention.

The embodiment of the invention provides a method for converging a registration area. As shown in FIG. 1 , the method includes:

101. The network device counts whether the user equipment has camped in each basic registration area in the registration area within a specified time period.

102. The network device removes the basic registration area that the user equipment does not reside from the registration area, and obtains the updated registration area.

103. The network device sends the updated registration area to the user equipment.

The registration area may be in the form of a list, and each basic registration area included in the registration area may be recorded in each entry of the list. For example, the registration area in the 4G network may be recorded as a tracking area list due to basic registration. An area may also be referred to as a tracking area, so a registration area may also be referred to as a registration area list.

The network device may be a Mobility Management Entity (MME).

The present invention provides a method for converging a registration area. First, it is counted whether a user equipment resides in each basic registration area in the registration area within a specified time period, and then the basic registration area that the user equipment has not parked is from the registration area. Remove, get the updated registration area, and finally send the updated registration area to the user equipment. Therefore, a mechanism for converging the basic registration area is provided, which can ensure that the network adjusts and converges the registration area according to the actual situation of the user equipment, thereby avoiding waste of network resources.

The embodiment of the invention further provides a method for converging a registration area, as shown in FIG. 2, the method includes:

201. The network device records a first moment when the user equipment last resides in each of the basic registration areas of the registration area, where the registration area includes one or more basic registration areas allocated for the user equipment.

The network device deletes the basic registration area between the first time and the second time in the basic registration area of the registration area that is greater than the preset time interval from the registration area, and obtains the updated registration area. The second time is the time when the user equipment initiates the registration area update process.

203. The network device sends the updated registration area to the user equipment.

The present invention provides a method for converging a registration area, which first records the first time when the user equipment last resides in each of the basic registration areas of the registration area, and sets the first time and the second time in each basic registration area of the registration area. The basic registration area whose time interval is greater than the preset time interval is deleted from the registration area, the updated registration area is obtained, and the updated registration area is sent to the user equipment. Therefore, a mechanism for converging the basic registration area is provided, which can ensure that the network adjusts and converges the registration area according to the actual situation of the user equipment, thereby avoiding waste of network resources.

In order to enable a person skilled in the art to more clearly understand the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present invention, a method for converging a registration area provided by an embodiment of the present invention is described in detail by using a specific embodiment. The area is the same as the registration area allocated by the network device for the user equipment in the foregoing embodiment. The basic registration area mentioned in this embodiment is also the same as the basic registration area mentioned in the foregoing embodiment, as shown in FIG. include:

301. The network device allocates a registration area to the user equipment, and sends the allocated registration area to the user equipment. The registration area includes one or more basic registration areas.

302. The network device counts whether the user equipment resides in each basic registration area in the registration area within a specified time period.

Specifically, determining whether the user equipment has camped in a certain basic registration area in the registration area within a predetermined period of time may determine whether the user equipment is in a connected state in the basic registration area within the specified time period.

The predetermined time period may be a preset registration area update period, and the registration area update period A may be locally configured in advance or obtained from other network elements, such as a Home Subscriber Register (HSS), policy, and accounting. Policy & Charging Rule Function (PCRF) or Packet Data Network Gateway (P-GW).

For example, by counting the manner in which the user equipment resides in the basic registration area in the registration area, whether the user equipment resides in each basic registration area in the registration area within a specified time period may be counted in the registration area. The resident flag of the basic registration area where the user equipment resides is set to Yes, and the resident flag of the basic registration area where the user equipment has not resided is set to No.

For a better understanding of those skilled in the art, a more detailed description is given by the following examples. For convenience of description, the basic registration area is simply referred to as TA, and the registration area is simply referred to as TA List.

Assume that the TA in the TA List received by the user equipment is TA1 to TA5, as shown in Table 1:

Table 1

Basic registration area
	TA1
TA2
	TA3
TA4
	TA5

Assume that the user equipment resides in TA1 within the specified time period A, and the resident flag corresponding to TA1 is set to Y (or). If the user equipment does not reside in TA1, the resident corresponding to TA1 The flag is set to N (or no). Similarly, the setting of the resident flag of TA2 to TA5 can be completed, and the resident record of TA1 to TA5 of the user equipment in the TA List is obtained. Assume that the user equipment does not reside in TA3 and TA5 and resides in TA1, TA2, and TA4. The resident records of TA1 to TA5 of the TA in the TA List of the user equipment can be as shown in Table 2:

Table 2

Basic registration area	Resident flag
		TA1	Y
TA2	Y
		TA3	N

TA4	Y
		TA5	N

303. The network device removes the basic registration area with the resident flag set to No from the registration area list, obtains the updated registration area, and clears the resident flag in the updated registration area.

For example, according to the resident record shown in Table 2, TA3 and TA5 are removed from the TA List in the TA List, and the updated TA List is obtained. The updated TA List is as shown in Table 3:

table 3

Basic registration area
	TA1
TA2
	TA4

304. The network device sends the updated registration area to the user equipment.

Specifically, the updated registration area is sent to the user equipment by using a signaling message. The signaling message may be a Globally Unique Temporary Identifier Command (GUTI Command) or a Basic Registration Area Update Accept (TAUA) message.

Optionally, as shown in FIG. 4, after 304, the method may further include:

305. Clear the resident record, so that the network device counts the resident record in the basic registration area of the user equipment in the updated registration area in the next specified time period.

The next predetermined time period is a next time period adjacent to the predetermined time period, and the predetermined time period and the next specified time period have the same or different lengths.

The specified time period and the next specified time period appearing in the embodiment of the present invention are not specific to a certain two time periods, but may be the Nth and N+1th adjacent time periods of the entire according to the area list process ( N is a positive integer and the starting value of N is 1).

In addition, optionally, the number of registration area convergences and/or the minimum number of basic registration areas may be set in advance, and the minimum number of basic registration areas refers to the minimum number of basic registration areas in the registration area, for example, as shown in FIG. 5 . As shown, before 302, it can also include:

306. Determine whether the number of updates of the registration area is less than a preset number of registration area convergence times.

If the number of updates is less than the number of registration area convergences, 302 is performed; if the number of updates is equal to the number of registration area convergences, 302 and subsequent processes are not executed.

Or, execute

307. Determine whether the number of basic registration areas in the registration area is greater than a preset minimum number of basic registration areas.

If the number of basic registration areas in the registration area is greater than the minimum number of basic registration areas, execute 302; if the number of basic registration areas in the updated registration area is less than or equal to the minimum number of basic registration areas, 302 and subsequent processes are not executed. .

The number of registration area convergences and the minimum number of basic registration areas can be configured locally in advance, or obtained from other network elements, such as a home user register, a policy and charging rule function, or a packet data gateway.

The present invention provides a method for converging a registration area. The network device counts the resident record of the user equipment in each basic registration area in the registration area within a first predetermined time, and updates the registration area according to the resident record to obtain the updated registration area. The updated registration area is then sent to the user device. Therefore, a mechanism for converging the basic registration area is provided, which can ensure that the network adjusts and converges the registration area according to the actual situation of the user equipment, thereby avoiding waste of network resources.

Another method for converging a registration area according to the embodiment of the present invention, the registration area mentioned in this embodiment is the same as the registration area allocated by the network device for the user equipment in the foregoing embodiment, and the basic registration area mentioned in the present embodiment is the same as the foregoing. The basic registration area mentioned in the embodiment is also the same concept, as shown in FIG. 6, the method includes:

401. The network device allocates a registration area to the user equipment, sends the allocated registration area to the user equipment, and records a time when the registration area is sent to the user equipment. The registration area includes one or more basic registration areas.

402. The network device collects, in a specified time period, user equipments in the registration area. Whether it has been parked in the basic registration area.

For example, by counting the manner in which the user equipment resides in the basic registration area in the registration area, whether the user equipment resides in each basic registration area in the registration area within a specified time may be counted in the registration area. The resident flag of the basic registration area where the user equipment resides is set to Yes, and the resident flag of the basic registration area that the user equipment has not camped on is set to No.

The specified time period may be a time interval from when the registration area list is sent to the user equipment to when the user equipment initiates the registration area update process. The time interval may be a time interval between a time when the registration area list is sent to the user equipment and a time when the user equipment initiates the registration area update procedure.

Except for the difference between the form of the above specified time period and 302, the other steps are the same as 302, and will not be described again.

403. The user equipment initiates a registration area update process, and the network device determines whether the time interval from when the registration area is sent to the user equipment to when the user equipment initiates the registration area update process is greater than or equal to a preset time interval threshold, if the time interval is greater than or equal to The preset time interval threshold is performed 404; if the time interval is less than the preset time interval threshold, 405 is performed.

The preset time interval threshold can be configured locally in advance or obtained from other network elements, such as a home user register, a policy and charging rule function, or a packet data gateway.

404. The basic registration area with the resident flag set to No is removed from the registration area, and the updated registration area is obtained.

405. If the time interval is less than a preset time interval threshold, the registration area is not updated.

Assume that the resident user records of the statistical user equipment in each basic registration area in the registration area are as shown in Table 4:

Table 4

Basic registration area	Resident flag
		TA1	Y
TA2	Y

TA3	N
		TA4	Y
TA5	N

The user equipment initiates a registration area update process, and assumes that the time interval from when the registration area is sent to the user equipment to when the user equipment initiates the registration area update process is the time interval A.

After the user equipment initiates the update process of the registration area, the network device first determines whether the time interval A is greater than or equal to a preset time interval threshold. If the time interval A is greater than or equal to the preset time interval threshold, the TA3 and the TA5 are registered. The area is removed, the updated registration area is obtained, and the time when the registration area is sent to the user equipment is updated to the current time. The updated registration area can be as shown in Table 5:

table 5

Basic registration area
	TA1
TA2
	TA4

After 404, subsequent execution 406; after 405, subsequent execution 407.

406. The network device sends the updated registration area to the user equipment.

Specifically, the updated registration area is sent to the user equipment by using a signaling message. The signaling message may be a global unique temporary identity re-allocation requirement or a basic registration area update accept message.

407. The network device continues to collect the resident record of the user equipment in each basic registration area in the registration area, and when the user equipment initiates the registration area update process again, perform 403 again.

Optionally, as shown in FIG. 7, after 406, the method may further include:

408. Clear the resident record to collect the resident record in the basic registration area of the user equipment in the updated registration area within a specified time period of the user equipment.

The next specified time period is a time interval from when the registration area is sent to the user equipment to when the user equipment initiates the registration area update process. This time interval can also be used The time interval between the time when the user device sends the registration area list and the time when the user equipment initiates the registration area update process.

The user equipment initiates the registration area update process again, and the network device determines whether the time interval from when the registration area is sent to the user equipment to when the user equipment initiates the registration area update process is greater than or equal to a preset time interval threshold, if the time interval is greater than or equal to the pre- If the time interval threshold is set, then 404 is performed; if the time interval is less than the preset time interval threshold, 405 is performed.

The specified time period and the next specified time period appearing in the embodiment of the present invention are not specific to a certain two time periods, but may be the Nth and N+1th adjacent specified time periods according to the entire area list process. (N is a positive integer and N starts at 1).

In addition, optionally, the number of registration area convergences and/or the minimum number of basic registration areas may be set in advance, and the minimum number of basic registration areas refers to the minimum number of basic registration areas in the registration area, for example, as shown in FIG. 8. As shown, before 404, the method may further include:

409. Determine whether the number of updates of the registration area is less than a preset number of registration area convergence times.

If the number of updates is less than the number of registration area convergences, then 402 is performed; if the number of updates is equal to the number of registration area convergences, 402 and subsequent processes are not executed.

Or, execute

410. Determine whether the number of basic registration areas in the registration area is greater than a preset minimum number of basic registration areas.

If the number of basic registration areas in the registration area is greater than the minimum number of basic registration areas, execute 402; if the number of basic registration areas in the registration area is equal to or less than the minimum number of basic registration areas, 402 and subsequent processes are not performed.

The present invention provides a method for converging a registration area. The network device counts the resident record of the user equipment in each basic registration area in the registration area within a first predetermined time, and then registers the basic registration of the user equipment in the registration area. The resident flag of the zone is set to Yes, setting the park flag of the basic registration area that the user device has not parked to No. Then, according to the resident record update registration area, the basic registration area with the resident flag set to No is removed from the registration area, and the updated registration area is obtained. Finally, the user is set by the signaling message. The updated registration area is sent. Therefore, a mechanism for converging the basic registration area is provided, which can ensure that the network adjusts and converges the registration area according to the actual situation of the user equipment, thereby avoiding waste of network resources.

Another method for converging a registration area according to the embodiment of the present invention, the registration area mentioned in this embodiment is the same as the registration area allocated by the network device for the user equipment in the foregoing embodiment, and the basic registration area mentioned in the present embodiment is the same as the foregoing. The basic registration area mentioned in the embodiment is also the same concept, as shown in FIG. 9, the method includes:

501. The network device allocates a registration area to the user equipment, and sends the allocated registration area to the user equipment, where the registration area includes one or more basic registration areas.

502. The network device collects a time when the user equipment is last resident in each of the basic registration areas in the registration area.

Specifically, for a basic registration area in the registration area, record the time when the user equipment last resided, the time is the first time, and each basic registration area of the registration area is recorded in the same manner, and obtained with each The current time corresponding to the basic registration area.

The determining whether the user equipment has camped in a basic registration area in the registration area may determine whether the user equipment is in the connection state in the basic registration area.

For a better understanding of those skilled in the art, a more detailed description is given by the following examples. For convenience of description, the basic registration area is simply referred to as TA, and the registration area is simply referred to as TA List.

The TA in the TA List received by the user equipment is TA1 to TA5, as shown in Table 6:

Table 6

Basic registration area
	TA1
TA2
	TA3
TA4

TA5

If the registration area update procedure is initiated to the network device after the TA List received by the user equipment, the registration area update procedure indicates that the user equipment is currently at TA1. Assume that the time when the user equipment initiates the registration area update process is the first time A, and the time that the user equipment initiates the registration area update process is the first time B, And the registration area update process indicates that the user equipment is currently in TA2, and the network device records the camping time corresponding to TA2 as the first time B; if it is assumed that the user equipment does not reside in TA1, the camping time corresponding to TA1 is not recorded, If the user equipment resides in TA1, TA2, and TA4 and does not reside in TA3 and TA5, the user equipment records the camping time of TA1 to TA5 of the TA List as shown in Table 7:

Table 7

Basic registration area	Residing moment
		TA1	First moment A
TA2	First time B
		TA3
TA4	First moment C
		TA5

If the user equipment initiates the registration area update process again, the current time is the first time D, and the registration area update process indicates that the user equipment is currently at TA1. The network device covers the first time A with the first time D for the camping time of the TA1, and the user equipment records the resident time of the TA1 to TA5 of the TA List as shown in Table 8:

Table 8

Basic registration area	Residing moment
		TA1	First moment D
TA2	First time B
		TA3
TA4	First moment C

TA5

503. The user equipment initiates a registration area update process, and the network device determines whether a time interval between the current time and a dwell time of each of the basic registration areas in the registration area that is sent to the user equipment is greater than a preset time interval threshold. If the time interval is greater than the preset time interval threshold, perform 504; if the time interval is less than or equal to the preset time interval threshold, execute 505.

The preset time interval threshold may be configured locally in advance or obtained from other network elements, such as a home user register, a policy and charging rule function, or a packet data gateway.

504. Remove a basic registration area whose time interval is greater than a preset time interval threshold from the registration area, to obtain an updated registration area.

505. If the time interval is less than or equal to the preset time interval threshold, it remains in the registration area.

Specifically, after the user equipment initiates the registration area update process, the network device first determines whether the time interval between the camping time of the TA1 and the TA5 and the first time D is greater than the time interval A.

It is assumed that the time interval between the first time B and the first time D is greater than the time interval A; assuming that the time interval between the first time C and the first time D is less than the time interval A; then TA1 and TA4 are reserved in the TA List, TA2, TA3, and TA5 are deleted from the TA List, and the TA List of the obtained row is as shown in Table 9:

Table 9

Basic registration area
	TA1
TA4

Correspondingly, after 504, subsequent execution 506, or after 505, subsequent execution 507.

506. The network device sends the updated registration area to the user equipment, and the subsequent execution is 507.

Specifically, the updated registration area is sent to the user equipment by using a signaling message. Its The signaling message may be a global unique temporary identity re-allocation requirement or a basic registration area update accept message.

507. The network device continues to count the time when the user equipment is last resident in each of the basic registration areas in the registration area, until the user equipment initiates the next registration area update process, and executes 503 again.

Optionally, the number of registration area convergences and/or the minimum number of basic registration areas may be set in advance, and the minimum number of basic registration areas refers to the minimum number of basic registration areas in the registration area, as shown in FIG. 10 . In addition, before 503, the foregoing method may further include:

508. Determine whether the number of updates of the registration area is less than a preset number of registration area convergence times.

If the number of updates is less than the number of registration area convergences, 503 is performed; if the number of updates is equal to the number of registration area convergences, 503 and subsequent processes are not performed.

Or, execute

509. Determine whether the number of basic registration areas in the registration area is greater than a preset minimum number of basic registration areas.

If the number of basic registration areas in the registration area is greater than the minimum number of basic registration areas, execute 503. If the number of basic registration areas in the registration area is equal to or less than the minimum number of basic registration areas, 503 and subsequent processes are not performed.

The present invention provides a method for converging a registration area. The network device records the first time when the user equipment last resides in each basic registration area of the registration area, and then updates the registration area with the first time to obtain the updated registration area. And send the updated registration area to the user device. Therefore, a mechanism for converging the basic registration area is provided, which can ensure that the network adjusts and converges the registration area according to the actual situation of the user equipment, thereby avoiding waste of network resources.

The embodiment of the present invention further provides a network device 1, which can be applied to the method for convening a registration area provided by the foregoing embodiment. As shown in FIG. 11, the user equipment includes:

The statistic unit 11 is configured to count, during a specified time period, whether the user equipment has camped in each basic registration area in the registration area;

The updating unit 12 is configured to remove a basic registration area that has not been parked by the user equipment from the registration area, to obtain an updated registration area.

The sending unit 13 is configured to send the updated registration area to the user equipment.

Specifically, determining whether the user equipment has camped in a certain basic registration area in the registration area within a predetermined time period may determine whether the user equipment is in the connection state in the basic registration area within the specified time period.

The predetermined time period may be a preset registration area update period, and the preset registration area update period may be locally configured in advance or obtained from other network elements, such as a home user register, a policy, and a charging rule function or packet data. Gateway.

Illustratively, a resident record can be used to count whether the user equipment has resided in each of the basic registration areas in the registration area for a specified period of time.

Optionally, the statistics unit 11 is further configured to:

The resident record is emptied to count the resident record of the user equipment in each of the basic registration areas in the updated registration area within the next specified time adjacent to the currently specified time;

The length of time of the specified time period and the next specified time period is the same or different.

The specified time period and the next specified time period appearing in the embodiment of the present invention are not specifically referred to as two time periods, but may be the entire time period according to the Nth and N+1th times of the area list process ( N is a positive integer and the starting value of N is 1).

Optionally, if the specified time period is a preset registration area update period, the statistics unit 11 is specifically configured to:

Check whether the user equipment resides in each basic registration area in the registration area during a preset registration area update period, and set the resident flag of the basic registration area where the user equipment in the registration area resides to Yes, The park flag for the basic registration area where the user device has not resided is set to No.

The setting of the resident flag in the implementation of the present invention is only one of the methods for counting whether the user equipment has camped in each of the basic registration areas in the registration area, which is not limited herein.

For a clearer understanding by those skilled in the art, the following examples are more detailed. For the convenience of explanation, in the following, the basic registration area is simply referred to as TA, and the registration area is simply referred to as TA List, specifically:

Assume that the TA in the TA List received by the user equipment is TA1 to TA5, as shown in Table 1. Assume that in the preset registration area update period A, the user equipment resides in TA1, then the resident flag corresponding to TA1 is set to Y (or), if the user equipment does not reside in TA1, then The resident flag corresponding to TA1 is set to N (or No). Similarly, the setting of the resident flag of TA2 to TA5 can be completed, and the resident record of TA1 to TA5 of the user equipment in the TA List is obtained. It is assumed that the user equipment does not reside in TA3 and TA5 and resides in TA1, TA2, and TA4. The resident record of TA1 to TA5 of the TA in the TA List of the user equipment can be as shown in Table 2.

Optionally, the updating unit 12 is specifically configured to:

The basic registration area with the park flag set to No is removed from the registration area to obtain the updated registration area.

For example, according to the resident record shown in Table 2, in the TA List, TA3 and TA5 are removed from the TA List to obtain the updated TA List, and the updated TA List is as shown in Table 3.

Optionally, if the specified time period is a time interval from when the registration area is sent to the user equipment to when the user equipment initiates the registration area update process, the recording unit 11 is further configured to:

During the time interval when the user equipment sends the registration area to the time when the user equipment initiates the registration area update process, it is counted whether the user equipment resides in each basic registration area in the registration area, and the user equipment in the registration area resides. The resident flag of the registration area is set to Yes to set the park flag of the basic registration area that the user device has not parked to No.

The specified time period is greater than or equal to a preset time interval threshold, and the predetermined time period is determined according to a time when the registration area is sent to the user equipment and a time when the user equipment initiates the registration area update process.

Exemplarily, it is assumed that the resident user records in the respective basic registration areas in the registration area are as shown in Table 4.

Optionally, as shown in FIG. 12, the network device 1 further includes a determining unit 14, and the determining unit 14 is configured to:

Determining whether the number of basic registration areas in the registration area is greater than a preset minimum number of basic registration areas;

If the number of basic registration areas in the registration area is greater than the minimum number of basic registration areas, the basic registration area that has not been parked by the user equipment is removed from the registration area to obtain the updated registration area.

The length of the specified time period, the number of registration area convergences, and the minimum number of basic registration areas may be locally configured in advance, or obtained from other network elements, such as a home user register, a policy and charging rule function, or a packet data gateway.

Optionally, the sending unit 13 is further configured to:

Sending, to the user equipment, a signaling message including the updated registration area;

The signaling message includes a basic registration area update accept message or a globally unique temporary identity reallocation request message.

The network device 1 described above may be a mobility management entity.

The present invention provides a network device, which first counts whether a user equipment has been residing in each basic registration area in the registration area within a specified time period, and then the basic registration area that the user equipment has not parked is from the registration area. Remove, get the updated registration area, and finally send the updated registration area to the user equipment. Therefore, a mechanism for converging the basic registration area is provided, which can ensure that the network adjusts and converges the registration area according to the actual situation of the user equipment, thereby avoiding waste of network resources.

The embodiment of the present invention further provides a network device 2, which can be applied to the method for convening a registration area provided by the foregoing embodiment. As shown in FIG. 13, the user equipment includes:

a recording unit 21, configured to record a first moment when the user equipment last resides in each basic registration area of the registration area, where the registration area includes one or more basic registration areas allocated for the user equipment;

The updating unit 22 is configured to delete the basic registration area between the first time and the second time in the basic registration areas of the registration area that is greater than the preset time interval from the registration area, to obtain the updated registration area; The second time is a time when the user equipment initiates a registration area update process.

The sending unit 23 is configured to send the updated registration area to the user equipment.

Specifically, for a basic registration area in the registration area, record the time when the user equipment last resided, the time is the first time, and each basic registration area of the registration area is recorded in the same manner, and obtained with each The current time corresponding to the basic registration area.

The determining whether the user equipment has camped in a basic registration area in the registration area may determine whether the user equipment is in the connection state in the basic registration area.

For a better understanding of those skilled in the art, a more detailed description is given by the following examples. For convenience of description, the basic registration area is simply referred to as TA, and the registration area is simply referred to as TA List.

The TA in the TA List received by the user equipment is TA1 to TA5, as shown in Table 6.

If the registration area update procedure is initiated to the network device after the TA List received by the user equipment, the registration area update procedure indicates that the user equipment is currently at TA1. Assume that the time when the user equipment initiates the registration area update process is the first time A, and the network device records the time of residence of the TA1 as the first time A; And the registration area update process indicates that the user equipment is currently in TA2, and the network device records the camping time corresponding to TA2 as the first time B; if it is assumed that the user equipment does not reside in TA1, the camping time corresponding to TA1 is not recorded, The user equipment resides in TA1, TA2, and TA4, and does not reside in TA3 and TA5. The resident equipment records of TA1 to TA5 of the TA List may be as shown in Table 7.

If the user equipment initiates the registration area update process again, the current time is the first time D, and the signaling process indicates that the user equipment is currently at TA1. The network device covers the first time A with the first time D for the camping time of the TA1, and the user equipment records the parking time of the TA1 to TA5 of the TA List as shown in Table 8.

Optionally, the updating unit 22 is further configured to:

When the user equipment initiates the registration area update process, it is determined whether the time interval between the second time and the first time when the user equipment initiates the registration area update process is greater than a preset time interval; wherein the preset time interval is preset;

If the user equipment initiates the registration area update process, the second moment and the first moment If the time interval is greater than the preset time interval, the basic registration area corresponding to the first time is deleted from the registration area;

If the time interval between the second time and the first time when the user equipment initiates the registration area update process is less than or equal to the preset time interval, the basic registration area corresponding to the first time is reserved in the registration area.

The preset time interval can be configured locally in advance or obtained from other network elements, such as a home user register, a policy and charging rule function, or a packet data gateway.

Exemplarily, taking the TA in Table 8 as an example, after the user equipment initiates the first registration area update process, the network device first determines whether the time interval between the camping time of TA1 and TA5 and the first time D is greater than the time interval. A.

It is assumed that the time interval between the first time B and the first time D is greater than the time interval A; assuming that the time interval between the first time C and the first time D is less than the time interval A; then TA1 and TA4 are reserved in the TA List, TA2, TA3, and TA5 are deleted from the TA List, and the TA List of the obtained row is as shown in Table 9.

Optionally, the network device 2 further includes a determining unit 24, as shown in FIG. 14, the determining unit 24 is configured to: determine whether the number of updates of the registration area is less than a preset number of registration area convergence times;

Determining whether the number of basic registration areas in the registration area is greater than a preset minimum number of basic registration areas;

If the number of the basic registration areas in the registration area is greater than the minimum number of basic registration areas, when the user equipment initiates the registration area update process, the update unit will correspond to the first time interval of the preset time interval. The basic registration area is deleted from the registration area and the updated registration area is obtained.

Optionally, the sending unit 23 is further configured to:

Sending, to the user equipment, a signaling message including the updated registration area;

The signaling message includes a registration area update accept message or a globally unique temporary identity redistribution request message.

The present invention provides a method for converging a registration area, which first records the first time when the user equipment last resides in each basic registration area of the registration area, and the registration area is The basic registration area between the first time and the second time in each basic registration area is greater than the preset time interval, and the basic registration area is deleted from the registration area, the updated registration area is obtained, and the updated registration is sent to the user equipment. region. Therefore, a mechanism for converging the basic registration area is provided, which can ensure that the network adjusts and converges the registration area according to the actual situation of the user equipment, thereby avoiding waste of network resources.

The embodiment of the present invention further provides a network device 3, as shown in FIG. 15, the user equipment includes: a bus 31, and a processor 32, a memory 33 and an interface 34 connected to the bus, wherein the interface 34 is used for other network elements. Communication 33 is used to store instructions 331; processor 32 executes instructions 331 for:

Whether the user equipment resides in each basic registration area in the registration area during the specified time period;

The basic registration area that has not been parked by the user equipment is removed from the registration area, and the updated registration area is obtained;

The updated registration area is sent to the user equipment.

Optional,

The specified time period is a preset registration area update period. The preset registration area update period may be locally configured in advance or obtained from other network elements, such as a home user register, a policy and charging rule function, or a packet data gateway.

Optional,

The specified time period is a time interval from when the registration area is sent to the user equipment to when the user equipment initiates the registration area update process; the specified time period is greater than or equal to the preset time interval threshold;

The predetermined time period is determined according to a time when the registration area is sent to the user equipment and a time when the user equipment initiates the registration area update process.

Optionally, the processor 32 executes the instruction 331 and is further configured to:

Determining whether the number of basic registration areas in the registration area is greater than a preset minimum number of basic registration areas;

If the number of basic registration areas in the registration area is greater than the minimum number of basic registration areas, the basic registration area that has not been parked by the user equipment is removed from the registration area, and the updated area is obtained. Registration area.

Optionally, the processor 32 executes the instruction 331 and is further configured to:

Sending, to the user equipment, a signaling message including the updated registration area;

The signaling message includes a registration area update accept message or a globally unique temporary identity redistribution request message.

The present invention provides a network device, which first counts whether a user equipment has been residing in each basic registration area in the registration area within a specified time period, and then the basic registration area that the user equipment has not parked is from the registration area. Remove, get the updated registration area, and finally send the updated registration area to the user equipment. Therefore, a mechanism for converging the basic registration area is provided, which can ensure that the network adjusts and converges the registration area according to the actual situation of the user equipment, thereby avoiding waste of network resources.

The embodiment of the present invention further provides a network device 4, as shown in FIG. 16, the user equipment includes: a bus 41, and a processor 42, a memory 43 and an interface 44 connected to the bus 41, wherein the interface 44 is used for other networks. Meta-communication; memory 43 is used to store instructions 431; processor 42 executes instructions 431 for:

Recording, at a first moment when the user equipment last resides in each of the basic registration areas of the registration area, the registration area includes one or more basic registration areas allocated for the user equipment;

And deleting the basic registration area with the time interval between the first time and the second time in the basic registration area of the registration area that is greater than the preset time interval from the registration area, and obtaining the updated registration area; wherein, the second time is The time when the user equipment initiates the registration area update process;

The updated registration area is sent to the user equipment.

Optionally, the processor 42 executes the instruction 431 and is further configured to:

Determining whether the number of basic registration areas in the registration area is greater than a preset minimum number of basic registration areas;

If the number of the basic registration areas in the registration area is greater than the minimum number of basic registration areas, when the user equipment initiates the registration area update process, the time interval between the second time and the second time is greater than the first time corresponding to the preset time interval. The registration area is deleted from the registration area In addition, get the updated registration area.

Optionally, the processor 42 executes the instruction 431 and is further configured to:

Sending, to the user equipment, a signaling message including the updated registration area;

The signaling message includes a registration area update accept message or a globally unique temporary identity redistribution request message.

The present invention provides a method for converging a registration area, which first records the first time when the user equipment last resides in each of the basic registration areas of the registration area, and sets the first time and the second time in each basic registration area of the registration area. The basic registration area whose time interval is greater than the preset time interval is deleted from the registration area, the updated registration area is obtained, and the updated registration area is sent to the user equipment. Therefore, a mechanism for converging the basic registration area is provided, which can ensure that the network adjusts and converges the registration area according to the actual situation of the user equipment, thereby avoiding waste of network resources.

The term "and/or" in the present invention is merely an association relationship describing an associated object, indicating that there may be three relationships, for example, A and/or B, which may indicate that A exists separately, and A and B exist simultaneously. There are three cases of B. In addition, the character "/" in this article generally indicates that the contextual object is an "or" relationship.

In the several embodiments provided by the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed method and apparatus may be implemented in other manners. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For example, the division of cells is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be another division manner. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated. Go to another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be an indirect coupling or communication connection through some interface, device or unit, and may be in an electrical, mechanical or other form.

The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components displayed as units may or may not be physical units, that is, may be located in one place, or may be distributed to multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of the embodiment.

In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present invention may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may be physically included separately, or two or more singles may be used. The elements are integrated in one unit. The above integrated unit can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of hardware plus software functional units.

The above-described integrated unit implemented in the form of a software functional unit can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. The software functional units described above are stored in a storage medium and include instructions for causing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to perform portions of the steps of various embodiments of the present invention. The foregoing storage medium includes: a U disk, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk, and the like, and the program code can be stored. Medium.

The above is only a specific embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope of the present invention. It should be covered by the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the invention should be determined by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (16)

1. A method for converging a registration area, the method comprising:

   Whether the user equipment resides in each basic registration area in the registration area during the specified time period;

   Removing a basic registration area that the user equipment has not camped from the registration area, to obtain an updated registration area;

   Sending the updated registration area to the user equipment.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein said predetermined time period is a predetermined registration area update period.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein

   The specified time period is a time interval when the user equipment initiates the registration area update process when the user equipment sends the registration area; the specified time period is greater than or equal to a preset time interval threshold.
4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises: before the basic registration area that the user equipment has not camped on is removed from the registration area, to obtain an updated registration area, the method further includes :

   Determining whether the number of basic registration areas in the registration area is greater than a preset minimum number of basic registration areas;

   If the number of the basic registration areas in the registration area is greater than the number of the minimum basic registration areas, the basic registration area that the user equipment has not camped on is removed from the registration area, and the updated Registration area.
5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the sending the updated registration area to the user equipment comprises:

   Sending, to the user equipment, a signaling message including the updated registration area;

   The signaling message includes a registration area update accept message or a globally unique temporary identity redistribution request message.
6. A method for converging a registration area, the method comprising:

   Record that the user device last resided in each of the basic registration areas of the registration area At a first moment in time, the registration area includes the one or more basic registration areas allocated for the user equipment;

   Deleting a basic registration area between the first time and the second time in the basic registration area of the registration area that is greater than a preset time interval from the registration area, to obtain an updated registration area; The second time is a time when the user equipment initiates a registration area update process;

   Sending the updated registration area to the user equipment.
7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the time interval between the first time and the second time in each basic registration area of the registration area is greater than a basic registration area of a preset time interval Before deleting the registration area and obtaining the updated registration area, the method further includes:

   Determining whether the number of basic registration areas in the registration area is greater than a preset minimum number of basic registration areas;

   If the number of the basic registration areas in the registration area is greater than the number of the minimum basic registration areas, when the user equipment initiates the registration area update process, the time interval between the second time and the second time is greater than the first time interval of the preset time interval. The basic registration area corresponding to the time is deleted from the registration area, and the updated registration area is obtained.
8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the sending the updated registration area to the user equipment comprises:

   Sending, to the user equipment, a signaling message including the updated registration area;

   The signaling message includes a registration area update accept message or a globally unique temporary identity redistribution request message.
9. A network device, where the network device includes:

   a statistical unit, configured to count, during a specified time period, whether the user equipment has camped in each basic registration area in the registration area;

   An update unit that removes a basic registration area that the user equipment has not resided from the registration area to obtain an updated registration area;

   And sending, by the sending unit, the updated registration area to the user equipment.
10. The network device according to claim 9, wherein said prescribed time The interval is a preset registration area update period.
11. The network device according to claim 9, wherein

    The specified time period is a time interval when the user equipment initiates the registration area update process when the user equipment sends the registration area; the specified time period is greater than or equal to a preset time interval threshold.
12. The network device according to claim 11, wherein the network device further comprises a determining unit, wherein the determining unit is configured to:

    Determining whether the number of basic registration areas in the registration area is greater than a preset minimum number of basic registration areas;

    If the number of the basic registration areas in the registration area is greater than the number of the minimum basic registration areas, the basic registration area that the user equipment has not parked is removed from the registration area, and the updated registration area is obtained. .
13. The network device according to claim 9, wherein the sending unit is configured to:

    Sending, to the user equipment, a signaling message including the updated registration area;

    The signaling message includes a registration area update accept message or a globally unique temporary identity redistribution request message.
14. A network device, where the network device includes:

    a recording unit, configured to record a first moment when the user equipment is last resident in each of the basic registration areas of the registration area, where the registration area includes the one or more basic registration areas allocated for the user equipment;

    An update unit, configured to delete, from the registration area, a basic registration area in which each time interval between the first time and the second time in the basic registration area of the registration area is greater than a preset time interval, and obtain an update a registration area; wherein the second time is a time when the user equipment initiates a registration area update process;

    And a sending unit, configured to send the updated registration area to the user equipment.
15. The network device according to claim 14, wherein the network device further comprises a determining unit, wherein the determining unit is configured to:

    Determining whether the number of basic registration areas in the registration area is greater than a preset minimum base The number of registered areas;

    If the number of the basic registration areas in the registration area is greater than the minimum number of basic registration areas, when the user equipment initiates the registration area update process, the time interval between the update unit and the second time is greater than the preset time. The basic registration area corresponding to the first moment of the interval is deleted from the registration area, and the updated registration area is obtained.
16. The network device according to claim 14, wherein the sending unit is specifically configured to:

    Sending, to the user equipment, a signaling message including the updated registration area;

    The signaling message includes a registration area update accept message or a globally unique temporary identity redistribution request message.

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