WO2019029110A1

WO2019029110A1 - Radio access network-based location area update method and apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2019029110A1
Application number: PCT/CN2017/119493
Authority: WO
Inventors: Lu Yang; Xiang Chen; Eddy Chiu
Original assignee: Huizhou TCL Mobile Communication Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huizhou TCL Mobile Communication Co Ltd
Priority date: 2017-08-11
Filing date: 2017-12-28
Publication date: 2019-02-14
Anticipated expiration: 2020-02-11
Also published as: CN109392084A; CN109392084B

Abstract

The present disclosure discloses a radio access network-based location area update (RLAU) method with which a user equipment can complete the RLAU procedure remaining in RRC_INACTIVE state. The method includes: configuring, by an anchor base station, N notification areas for a user equipment, wherein N is an integer greater than or equal to 1, the anchor base station has a core network-radio access network connection for the user equipment, each of the configured notification areas has a head base station, the anchor base station has a connection interface to each head base station belonging to the configured N notification areas, and the head base station has a context of the user equipment pre-deployed by the anchor base station; and sending, by the anchor base station, information of the N notification areas configured for the user equipment to the user equipment when the user equipment is in RRC_INACTIVE state or when the user equipment is in RRC_CONNECTED state but the anchor base station decides to move the user equipment into RRC_INACTIVE state. The present disclosure further discloses a radio access network-based location area update apparatus.

Description

RADIO ACCESS NETWORK-BASED LOCATION AREA UPDATE METHOD AND APPARATUS

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to communication technology, and in particular relate to a radio access network-based location area update method and apparatus.

BACKGROUND

In new radio (NR) , the user equipment (UE) has three states, RRC_CONNECTED state, RRC_INACTIVE state, and RRC_IDLE state. A core network (CN) -radio access network (RAN) connection is still established for the UE in RRC_INACTIVE state, and at least one base station stores a context of the UE. The RAN knows the notification area (NA) in which the UE is located.

When the UE in RRC_INACITVE moves out of the current notification area, it needs to perform an event-triggered RAN-based location area update (RLAU) procedure. In the RLAU procedure, the target base station reselected by the UE needs to obtain UE context from the source base station on which the UE camped before. If there is a connection interface between the target base station and the source base station, e.g., an Xn interface, the target base station can successfully obtain UE context from the source base station through the connection interface, the RLAU can be completed in the case that the UE remains in RRC_INACTIVE state.

If the target base station cannot obtain UE context from the source base station, for example, in the case that there is no connection interface between the target base station and the source base station, the UE needs to change from RRC_INACTIVE state to RRC_CONNECTED state in the RLAU procedure so that the target base station obtains UE context from the core network, and then changes back to RRC_INACTIVE state from the connected state, which will cause many problems, such as additional signaling overhead, including the signaling overhead over the CN-RAN interface and the RAN-UE interface, and the signaling process overhead in the core network, additional power consumption, and additional latency.

SUMMARY

The technical problem that the present disclosure mainly resolves is to provide a radio access network-based location area update method and apparatus, which can solve the problem in the related art that the UE may need to enter RRC_CONNECTED state to complete the RLAU procedure which causes additional signaling overhead, power consumption and time delay.

In order to solve the above-mentioned technical problem, a first aspect of the present disclosure provides a radio access network-based location area update method. The method includes: configuring N notification areas (NAs) for a user equipment by an anchor base station, wherein the anchor base station has a core network (CN) -radio access network (RAN) connection for the UE, N is an integer greater than or equal to 1, each of the configured NAs includes a head base station, and the anchor base station has a connection interface to each of the head base stations; and sending information of the N NAs configured for the UE to the UE by the anchor base station.

In order to solve the above-mentioned technical problem, a second aspect of the present disclosure provides a radio access network-based location area update method. The method includes: receiving information of N NAs from an anchor base station by a UE, wherein the anchor base station has a core network-radio access network connection for the UE, the N NAs are configured for the UE by the anchor base station, N is an integer greater than or equal to 1, each of the configured NAs includes a head base station, and the anchor base station has a connection interface to each of the head base stations; and performing a radio access network-based location area update with remaining in RRC_INACTIVE state after entering any of the configured NAs by the UE.

In order to solve the above-mentioned technical problem, a third aspect of the present disclosure provides a radio access network-based location area update method. The method includes: receiving and storing the UE context and the information of source NA from an anchor base station by a head base station, wherein the anchor base station has a core network-radio access network connection for the UE, the anchor base station has a connection interface to the head base station, the source NA is a NA in which the anchor base station is located, and the information of the source NA includes a resume identifier of the anchor base station for locating the base station storing UE context and verifying UE context; and sending information of a corresponding NA where the head base station located to the anchor base station to help the anchor base station to configure multiple NAs for the UE by the head base station, wherein the information of the corresponding NA includes a resume identifier of the head base station.

In order to solve the above-mentioned technical problem, a fourth aspect of the present disclosure provides a radio access network-based location area update method. The method includes: receiving an RRC request from the UE in RRC_INACTIVE state by a target base station, wherein the target base station is reselected by the UE in RRC_INACTIVE state, the NA in which the target base station located is the target NA, the target NA belongs to the N NAs configured for the UE by the anchor base station, N is an integer greater than or equal to 1, the anchor base station has a core network-radio access network connection for the UE, the target NA includes a head base station, the anchor base station has a connection interface to the head base station, and the RRC request includes a resume identifier of the head base station for helping the target base station locating the base station storing UE context (namely, the head base station) and verifying UE context; and sending a second radio access network-based location area update request to the head base station by the target base station, so that the head base station sends the first radio access network-based location area update request to the anchor base station, wherein the first radio access network-based location area update request includes the resume identifier of the anchor base station.

In order to solve the above-mentioned technical problem, a fifth aspect of the present disclosure provides a radio access network-based location area update apparatus. The apparatus includes a processor and a communication circuit, in which the processor is coupled to the communication circuit, and the processor is configured to execute instructions to implement the method of any of the first to the fourth aspect of the present disclosure.

In order to solve the above-mentioned technical problem, a sixth aspect of the present disclosure provides a radio access network-based location area update apparatus. The apparatus is stored with instructions, and the instructions implement the method of any of the first to the fourth aspect of the present disclosure while executed.

The present disclosure may have the advantages that: the anchor base station configures N NAs for the UE and then sends the information of the N configured NAs to the UE. The anchor base station has the CN-RAN connection for the UE. Each of the configured NAs has a head base station, and the anchor base station has a connection interface to each of the head base stations. Assuming that the UE moves out of the current NA and enters any of the configured NAs with cell reselection, the target base station can obtain the UE context from the anchor base station directly through the connection interface or forwarded by the head base state of the new NA from the anchor base station, and the RLAU procedure can be completed without the UE entering RRC_CONNECTED state. By avoiding UE entering RRC_CONNECTED state and turning back to RRC_INACTIVE state, the proposed scheme in the present disclosure can effectively reduce the signaling overhead, the power consumption, and the time cost for RLAU procedure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a flow chart illustrating a first embodiment of a radio access network-based location area update method of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating a second embodiment of a radio access network-based location area update method of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating a third embodiment of a radio access network-based location area update method of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating a fourth embodiment of a radio access network-based location area update method of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a fifth embodiment of a radio access network-based location area update method of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating a sixth embodiment of a radio access network-based location area update method of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating a seventh embodiment of a radio access network-based location area update method of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating an eighth embodiment of a radio access network-based location area update method of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart illustrating a ninth embodiment of a radio access network-based location area update method of the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart illustrating a tenth embodiment of a radio access network-based location area update method of the present disclosure.

FIG. 11 is a flow chart illustrating an eleventh embodiment of a radio access network-based location area update method of the present disclosure.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating an application scenario of a radio access network-based location area update method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 13 is a flow chart illustrating a first example of a radio access network-based location area update method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 14 is a flow chart illustrating a second example of a radio access network-based location area update method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 15 is a flow chart illustrating a third example of a radio access network-based location area update method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 16 is a flow chart illustrating a fourth example of a radio access network-based location area update method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram illustrating a first embodiment of a radio access network-based location area update apparatus of the present disclosure.

FIG. 18 is a block diagram illustrating a second embodiment of a radio access network-based location area update apparatus of the present disclosure.

FIG. 19 is a block diagram illustrating a third embodiment of a radio access network-based location area update apparatus of the present disclosure.

FIG. 20 is a block diagram illustrating a fourth embodiment of a radio access network-based location area update apparatus of the present disclosure.

This disclosure includes references to “one embodiment, ” “a particular embodiment, ” “some embodiments, ” “various embodiments, ” or “an embodiment. ” The appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment, ” “in a particular embodiment, ” “in some embodiments, ” “in various embodiments, ” or “in an embodiment, ” do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner consistent with this disclosure. Various modules, units, circuits, or other components may be described or claimed as “configured to” perform a task or tasks. In such contexts, “configured to” is used to connote structure by indicating that the modules/units/circuits/components include structure (e.g., circuitry) that performs those task or tasks during operation. As such, the modules/units/circuits/components can be said to be configured to perform the task even when the specified module/unit/circuit/component is not currently operational (e.g., is not on) . The modules/units/circuits/components used with the “configured to” language include hardware-for example, circuits, memory storing program instructions executable to implement the operation, etc. Reciting that a module/unit/circuit/component is “configured to” perform one or more tasks is expressly intended not to invoke 35 U.S.C. §112 (f) , for that module/unit/circuit/component. Additionally, “configured to” can include a generic structure (e.g., generic circuitry) that is manipulated by software and/or firmware (e.g., an FPGA or a general-purpose processor executing software) to operate in a manner that is capable of performing the task (s) at issue. “Configured to” may also include adapting a manufacturing process (e.g., a semiconductor fabrication facility) to fabricate devices (e.g., integrated circuits) that are adapted to implement or perform one or more tasks. As used herein, the term “based on” describes one or more factors that affect a determination. This term does not foreclose additional factors that may affect the determination. That is, a determination may be solely based on those factors or based, at least in part, on those factors. Consider the phrase “determine A based on B. ” While in this case, B is a factor affects the determination of A, such a phrase does not foreclose the determination of A from also being based on C. In other instances, A may be determined based solely on B.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure will now be described in detail with the accompanied drawings and embodiments. In the following embodiments, the non-conflicting ones may be combined with each other.

Referring to FIG. 1, a flow chart illustrating a first embodiment of a radio access network-based location area update (RLAU) method of the present disclosure is depicted. The present method can be implemented on a base station, which is taken as an anchor base station in the present embodiment. The base station may be connected to a core network and performs wireless communication with user equipment (UE) , and provides communication coverage for a corresponding geographical area. The base station may be a macro base station, a micro base station, a pico base station, or a femtocell. In some embodiments, the base station may also be referred to as a radio base station, an access point, a Node B, an evolved Node B (eNodeB, eNB) , a gNB, or other suitable terminology. As shown in FIG. 1, the method may include the following blocks.

At S11: an anchor base station can configure N notification areas for a user equipment.

The anchor base station may have a core network (CN) -radio access network (RAN) connection for the UE, and may store a context of the user equipment (hereinafter referred to as UE context) . N is an integer greater than or equal to 1.

The anchor base station may be a base station of a cell on which the UE currently camps, for example, the UE may be controlled to enter RRC_INACTIVE state from RRC_CONNECTED state through the anchor base station, or the UE may reselect to the anchor base station when the UE is in RRC_INACTIVE state. The anchor base station may not be the base station of the cell on which the UE currently camps, while the base station of the cell on which the UE currently camps may belong to the same notification area (NA) as the anchor base station. The NA in which the anchor base station located in may be referred to as a source NA.

Each of the configured NAs may include a head base station, and the anchor base station has a connection interface to each of the head base stations, for example, an Xn interface. The anchor base station may be the head base station of the source NA. The anchor base station and the head base station can exchange information through the connection interface.

Each of NAs (including the source NA and the configured NAs) may include a head base station. If the number of the base stations in the NA may be greater than one, there will be a connection interface between the head base station and all the other base stations in the same NA. The RAN including which NAs, each of the NAs may including which base stations, and which of the base stations being the head base stations may be fixed and may be UE-specified.

The anchor base station may select a plurality of NAs from fixed NAs to configure them for the UE according to the state of the UE, or specifically configure a plurality of NAs for the UE according to the state of the UE. The state of the UE may include at least one of a location, a moving trajectory, and a moving speed. Specifically, the anchor base station may configure a plurality of NAs which neighbors with the source NA and the UE may have a great probability to move thereto for the UE according to the state of the UE. The anchor base station may interact with the head base station after ascertaining the NA so as to obtain information of the NA. In order to optimize the subsequent RLAU procedure, the anchor base station may send UE context to the head base station in the information interaction.

At S12: the anchor base station can send information of the N NAs configured for the UE to the UE.

The information of the N NAs configured for the UE can be delivered to the UE through RRCConnectionSuspend. RRCConnectionSuspend may be sent when the base station (becoming the anchor base station after the UE entering RRC_INACTIVE state) to which the UE attaches in the RRC_CONNECTED state controls the UE to enter RRC_INACTIVE state from RRC_CONNECTED state, or can also be sent when the UE enters a new NA in RRC_INACTIVE state in response to RRCConnectionResumeRequest from the UE.

The information of each of the N configured NAs may include area information of the NA, which may be carried by a ranAreaInformation information element (IE) . In addition, the information of each NA may also include the resume identifier of its head base station. The resume identifier of the head base station may be composed of an ID of the head base station and an ID of the UE, which can be used to locate the base station storing UE context and verify UE context in the RLAU procedure.

With the implementation of the present embodiment, the anchor base station configures the N NAs for the UE and then sends the information of the N configured NAs to the UE. The anchor base station may have the CN-RAN connection for the UE. Each of the configured NAs may include a head base station, and the anchor base station has a connection interface to each of the head base stations. Assuming that the UE moves out of the current NA and enters any of the configured NAs with cell re-selection, the target base station can obtain the UE context from the anchor base station directly through the connection interface or forwarded by the head base state of the new NA from the anchor base station, and the RLAU procedure can be completed without the UE entering RRC_CONNECTED state. By avoiding UE entering RRC_CONNECTED state and turning back to RRC_INACTIVE state, the proposed scheme in the present disclosure can effectively reduce the signaling overhead, the power consumption, and the time cost for RLAU procedure.

Referring to FIG. 2, a flow chart illustrating a second embodiment of a RLAU method of the present disclosure is depicted. As shown in FIG. 2, the second embodiment of the RLAU method of the present disclosure may be based on the first embodiment of the RLAU method of the present disclosure, and S11 may include the following blocks.

At S111: the anchor base station can send the UE context and information of the source NA to the N head base stations of the N NAs.

The information of the source NA may include the Resume identifier of the anchor base station. Similarly, the Resume identifier of the anchor base station may be composed of an ID of the anchor base station and an ID of the UE. Each of the head base stations may receive and store UE context and the information of the source NA.

At S112: the anchor base station can receive information of the corresponding NAs from the N head base stations.

The NA corresponding to each head base station may refer to the NA in which the head base station is located, and the information of the NA may include area information and the Resume identifier of the head base station in the NA. For each of the N configured NAs, the anchor base station may need to perform the interaction in the present embodiment with its head base station to obtain the information of the NA. The anchor base station may then send the received information of the NA to the UE. The UE can confirm which NA may be entered based on the area information in the received N NAs information, and the Resume identifier of the head base station of the NA can be used for the target base station to confirm that which may be the head base station.

With the implementation of the present embodiment, the anchor base station may send UE context to the head base station of the configured N NAs in advance, so that the head base station of the NA in which the target base station located in may need not to request UE context from the anchor base station in the subsequent possible RLAU procedure, thereby optimizing the RLAU, reducing the signaling overhead, and further shortening the latency.

Referring to FIG. 3, a flow chart illustrating a third embodiment of a RLAU method of the present disclosure is depicted. As shown in FIG. 3, the third embodiment of the RLAU method of the present disclosure may be based on the second embodiment of the RLAU method of the present disclosure, and may further include the following blocks after S12.

At S13: the anchor base station can receive a first RLAU request from a head base station of a target NA.

The target NA may be the NA in which a target base station reselected by the UE in RRC_INACTIVE state is located, and the target NA may be one of the N NAs configured for the UE by the anchor base station. The first RLAU request may include the Resume identifier of the anchor base station, and the head base station may receive and store the Resume identifier of the anchor base station in the above-mentioned configuration procedure.

At S14: the anchor base station can verify UE context based on the received resume identifier of the anchor base station, and decide whether to relocate the anchor base station if the verification is successful.

The anchor base station may verify the locally stored UE context according to the resume identifier of the anchor base station in the received first RLAU request.

In the case that the UE may be in RRC_INACTIVE state, the anchor base station may have a CN-RAN connection for the UE at a same time. The relocating the anchor base station may refer to changing the base station having the CN-RAN connection for the UE.

If the anchor base station decides to relocate the anchor base station, the procedure proceeds to block S15; if the anchor base station decides not to relocate the anchor base station, the procedure proceeds to blockS19.

At S15: the anchor base station can notify the head base stations of the configured NAs except for the head base station of the target NA of releasing UE context.

The original UE context after relocating the anchor base station may become invalid, hence the original anchor base station may need to inform the other head base stations except for the relocation target to release the original context.

At S16: the anchor base station may notify the head base station of the target NA of relocating the anchor base station to the head base station of the target NA itself.

The head station of the target NA may be the relocation target. The head base station may own the CN-RAN connection for the UE after the relocation may be completed and may become the new anchor base station, and the target NA may become the new source NA.

The execution order of this block and S15 is merely schematic, and the orders can be changed partially or executed simultaneously.

At S17: the anchor base station can receive a notification of releasing the context of the UE from the head base station of the target NA which is the new anchor base station.

At S18: the anchor base station can release UE context in response to the notification.

At S19: the anchor base station can inform the head base station of the target NA of keeping the anchor base station unchanged.

In the present embodiment, the UE enters one of the configured NAs in RRC_INACTIVE state, thereby initiating a RLAU procedure. Since the anchor base station may have deployed UE context in the head base station in advance in the present embodiment, the head base station do not need to request the context from the anchor base station. In other embodiments, the head base station may need to obtain the context from the anchor base station if the anchor base station does not send the context to the head base station in advance.

Referring to FIG. 4, a flow chart illustrating a fourth embodiment of a RLAU method of the present disclosure is depicted. The present method can be implemented on a UE, and the UE may be fixed or mobile, which may be a cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA) , a wireless modems, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a cordless phone, etc. As shown in FIG. 4, the method may include the following blocks.

At S21: an UE can receive information of N NAs from an anchor base station.

The anchor base station can have a CN-RAN connection for the UE, and store the UE context.

The anchor base station may be a base station of a cell on which the UE currently camps, for example, the UE may be controlled to enter RRC_INACTIVE state from RRC_CONNECTED state through the anchor base station, or the UE may reselect to the anchor base station when the UE is in RRC_INACTIVE state. The anchor base station may not be the base station of the cell on which the UE currently camps, while the base station of the cell on which the UE currently camps may belong to the same NA as the anchor base station. The NA in which the anchor base station located in may be referred to as a source NA.

The N NAs may be configured for the UE by the anchor base station, wherein N may be an integer greater than or equal to 1. Each of the configured NAs may include a head base station, and the anchor base station may have a connection interface to each of the head base stations, for example, an Xn interface. If the number of the base stations in the NA is greater than one, there may be a connection interface between the head base station and all the other base stations in the same NA.

The information of the N NAs configured for the UE may be delivered to the UE through RRCConnectionSuspend. RRCConnectionSuspend may be sent when the base station (becoming the anchor base station after the UE entering RRC_INACTIVE state) to which the UE attaches in RRC_CONNECTED state controls the UE to enter RRC_INACTIVE state from RRC_CONNECTED state, an can also be sent when the UE enters a new NA in RRC_INACTIVE state in response to RRCConnectionResumeRequest from the UE.

The information of each of the N configured NAs may include area information of the NA, which may be carried by a ranAreaInformation IE. In addition, the information of each NA may also include the resume identifier of its head base station. The resume identifier of the head base station may be composed of an ID of the head base station and an ID of the UE, which can be used to locate the base station storing UE context and verify UE context in the RLAU procedure.

At S22: the UE can perform a RLAU procedure with remaining in RRC_INACTIVE state after entering any of the configured NAs.

The UE may complete the RLAU after entering any of the configured NAs while in RRC_INACTIVE state, wherein the specific procedure can refer to the description of the subsequent embodiments.

Since the anchor base station has a connection interface to each of the head base stations, if the target base station selected by the UE is the head base station, UE context can be obtained from the anchor base station through the connection interface; if the target base station reselected by the UE is not the head base station, the RLAU can be completed through the head base station of the same NA, so that the UE may remain in RRC_INACTIVE state in the procedure of the RLAU without entering RRC_CONNECTED state, thereby reducing the signaling overhead and the power consumption.

Referring to FIG. 5, a flow chart illustrating a fifth embodiment of a RLAU method of the present disclosure is depicted. As shown in FIG. 5, the fifth embodiment of the RLAU method of the present disclosure may be based on the fourth embodiment of the RLAU method of the present disclosure, and block S22 may include the following blocks.

At S221: the UE can reselect the target base station when the UE is in RRC_INACTIVE state.

The mobility management of the UE in RRC_INACTIVE state may adopt a re-selection. The NA in which the target base station located in may be the target NA, and the target NA may be one of the N NAs configured for the UE by the anchor base station. The target base station may be the head base station of the target NA, or may not be.

At S222: the UE can determine the target NA and the resume identifier of the head base station of the target NA by matching the information of the target base station with the received area information of the N NAs .

The UE may match the ID of the target base station with the area information in the information of the configured N NAs. After the matching is successful, the UE can determine which NA among the configured N NAs is the currently entered target NA, and then the UE can confirm which is the head base station of the target NA according to the Resume identifier of the head base station of the target NA.

At S223: the UE can send an RRC request to the target base station when the UE is in RRC_INACTIVE state.

The RRC request may be used for requesting the RLAU procedure and may include the Resume identifier of the head base station in the target NA. If the target base station is not the head base station of the target NA, the target base station may find out the head base station of the target NA according to the ResumeID, thereby completing the RLAU through the head base station. The RRC request can be RRCConnectionResumeRequest. The causeValue in RRCConnectionResumeRequest can be ranAreaUpdate so as to indicate that this request may be used for requesting the RLAU.

Upon receipt of the RRC request, if the target base station is the head base station of the target NA, it may interact directly with the anchor base station to perform the RLAU. If the target base station is not the head base station of the target NA and has no connection interface to the anchor base station, the target base station may interact with the anchor base station through the head base station of the target NA so as to perform the RLAU, and the target base station can serve as the new anchor base station if the original anchor base station decides to relocate the anchor base station. Otherwise, the target base station may send a second RLAU request to the head base station of the target NA according to the received RRC request so that it (the head base station of the target NA) may interact with the anchor base station to perform the RLAU, and the head base station of the target NA can serve as the new anchor base station if the original anchor base station decides to relocate the anchor base station. If the target base station is not the head base station of the target NA and has a connection interface to the anchor base station, the target base station may interact directly with the anchor base station or interact with the anchor base station through the head base station, or send the second RLAU request to the head base station.

At S224: the UE can receive an RRC signaling from the target base station.

The RRC signaling can be RRCConnectionSuspend. If the anchor base station decides not to relocate the anchor base station, the RRC signaling may include an indicator of the anchor base station unchanged; if the anchor base station decides to relocate the anchor base station, the RRC signaling may include information of the M NAs reconfigured for the UE by the new anchor base station after a relocation, and M may be an integer greater than or equal to one.

Referring to FIG. 6, a flow chart illustrating a sixth embodiment of a RLAU method of the present disclosure is depicted. The present method can be implemented on a base station, which may be taken as a head base station in the present embodiment. The base station may be connected to a CN and may perform wireless communication with an UE, and may provide communication coverage for a corresponding geographical area. The base station may be a macro base station, a micro base station, a pico base station, or a femtocell. In some embodiments, the base station may also be referred to as a radio base station, an access point, a Node B, an evolved Node B (eNodeB, eNB) , a gNB, or other suitable terminology. As shown in FIG. 6, the method may include the following blocks.

At S31: a head base station can receive and store UE context and information of a source NA from an anchor base station.

The anchor base station may have a CN-RAN connection for the UE and may store the UE context, while the head base station do not have the CN-RAN connection for the UE. The anchor base station may have a connection interface to the head base station. The source NA may be a NA in which the anchor base station is located, and the information of the source NA may include a Resume identifier of the anchor base station. The Resume identifier of the anchor base station may be composed of an ID of the anchor base station and an ID of the UE. Each of NAs (including the source NA and the configured NAs) may include a head base station (the anchor base station in the source NA) . If the number of the base stations in the NA is greater than one, there may be a connection interface between the head base station (the anchor base station in the source NA) and all the other base stations.

At S32: the head base station can send information of a corresponding NA to the anchor base station to help the anchor base station to configure multiple NAs for the UE.

The NA corresponding to the head base station may refer to the NA in which the head base station is located, and the information of the NA may include area information of the NA and the Resume identifier of the head base station, wherein the Resume identifier of the head base station may be composed of an ID of the head base station and an ID of the UE. The information of the NA may be included in the information of the N NAs configured for the UE sent by the anchor base station to the UE subsequently.

Referring to FIG. 7, a flow chart illustrating a seventh embodiment of a RLAU method of the present disclosure is depicted. As shown in FIG. 7, the seventh embodiment of the RLAU method of the present disclosure may be based on the sixth embodiment of the RLAU method of the present disclosure, and may further include the following blocks after S32.

At S33: the head base station can receive an RRC request from the UE directly, or it can receive a second RLAU request from a target base station.

In the present embodiment, the UE may enter the NA in which the head base station is located in RRC_INACTIVE state and may perform a reselection. The NA in which the head base station is located may become the target NA, and the target of the reselection may be the target base station. The RRC request may be used for requesting the RLAU. The RRC request and the second RLAU request may include the Resume identifier of the head base station.

If the head base station is the target base station reselected by the UE, the head base station may directly receive the RRC request from the UE; if the head base station is not the target base station, the head base station may receive the second RLAU request from the target base station, wherein the second RLAU request may be sent by the target base station in response to the RRC request from the UE.

The RRC request may be sent directly by the UE can be RRCConnectionResumeRequest. The causeValue in RRCConnectionResumeRequest can be ranAreaUpdate so as to indicate that the request may be used for the RLAU.

At S34: the head base station can verify the UE context based on the received resume identifier of the head base station, and can send a first RLAU request to the anchor base station if the verification is successful.

The first RLAU request may include the Resume identifier of the anchor base station for the verification of UE context. After the verification is successful, the anchor base station can decide whether to relocate the anchor base station.

In the case that the UE is in RRC_INACTIVE state, only the anchor base station has the CN-RAN connection for the UE at a same time. The relocation of the anchor base station refers to changing the base station having the CN-RAN connection for the UE.

Referring to FIG. 8, a flow chart illustrating an eighth embodiment of a RLAU method of the present disclosure is depicted. As shown in FIG. 8, the seventh embodiment of the RLAU method of the present disclosure may be based on the seventh embodiment of the RLAU method of the present disclosure, and may further include the following blocks after S34.

At S351: the head base station can receive a relocation indication from the original anchor base station.

In the present embodiment, the original anchor base station may decide to relocate the anchor base station.

At S352: the head base station can initiate a path switch in response to the relocation indication to switch the CN-RAN connection for UE to the head base station itself.

Specifically, the head base station may send a path switch request to the CN, and the CN may send a path switch request response message to the head base station after modifying bearer information in response to the request so as to complete the path switch. After the path switch is completed, the head base station may have the CN-RAN connection and may store the updated UE context. The head station may become the new anchor base station, and the NA the UE camping on becomes the NA in which the head base station is located.

At S353: the head base station (the new anchor base station) can notify the anchor base station of releasing the UE context.

The head base station as the new anchor base station notifies the original anchor base station of releasing the stored UE context.

At S354: the head base station (the new anchor base station) can reconfigure M NAs for UE.

The specific procedure can be referred to the description in the above-mentioned embodiments. M may be an integer greater than or equal to 1. M and N can be equal or unequal.

At S355: the head base station can send the information of the reconfigured M NAs to the UE.

Similarly, if the head base station is the target base station, it is possible to directly send the information of the reconfigured M NAs to the UE; if the head base station is not the target base station, it may need to be relayed by the target base station. The information of the reconfigured M NAs which may be sent by the target base station directly to the UE through RRCConnectionSuspend.

In the present embodiment, after the RLAU procedure is completed, the head base station may be the new anchor base station, and in other embodiments, the target base station may be the new anchor base station.

Referring to FIG. 9, a flow chart illustrating a ninth embodiment of a RLAU method of the present disclosure is depicted. As shown in FIG. 8, the ninth embodiment of the RLAU method of the present disclosure may be based on the seventh embodiment of the RLAU method of the present disclosure, and may further include the following blocks after S34.

At S356: the head base station can receive a notification of remaining the anchor base station unchanged from the anchor base station.

In the present embodiment, the anchor station may decide not to relocate the anchor base station, and the NA the anchor base station located in and the UE camping on may be not changed.

At S357: the head base station can forward the notification of remaining the anchor base station unchanged to UE.

Similarly, if the head base station is the target base station, it is possible to directly send the notification of remaining the anchor base station unchanged to the UE; if the head base station is not the target base station, it may need to forward the notification through the target base station. The notification of remaining the anchor base station unchanged may be delivered by the target base station directly to the UE through RRCConnectionSuspend.

Referring to FIG. 10, a flow chart illustrating a tenth embodiment of a RLAU method of the present disclosure is depicted. The present method can be implemented on a base station, which may be taken as a target base station in the present embodiment. The base station may be connected to a CN and may perform wireless communication with a UE, and may provide communication coverage for a corresponding geographical area. The base station may be a macro base station, a micro base station, a pico base station, or a femtocell. In some embodiments, the base station may also be referred to as a radio base station, an access point, a Node B, an evolved Node B (eNodeB, eNB) , a gNB, or other suitable terminology. As shown in FIG. 10, the method may include the following blocks.

At S41: a target base station can receive an RRC request from the UE in RRC_INACTIVE state.

The target base station may be a target reselected by the UE in RRC_INACTIVE state. The NA in which the target base station is located may be a target NA, and the target NA may be one of the N NAs configured for the UE by the anchor base station.

The anchor base station may have a CN-RAN connection of the UE. The target NA may include a head base station, and the anchor base station may have a connection interface to the head base station. In the present embodiment, the target base station may be not the head base station of the target NA, but in other embodiments, the target base station may also be the head base station. If the number of the base stations in the NA is greater than one, there may be a connection interface between the head base station and all the other base stations in the same NA, which means that there may be a connection interface between the head station of the target NA and the target base station in the present embodiment.

The RRC request can be RRCConnectionResumeRequest. The causeValue in RRCConnectionResumeRequest can be ranAreaUpdate so as to indicate that this request may be used for requesting the RLAU.

The RRC request may include a Resume identifier of the head base station. The Resume identifier of the head base station may be composed of an ID of the head base station and an ID of the UE. If the target base station may be not the head base station, the target base station may confirm which one is the head base station according to the resume identifier.

S42: the target base station can send a second RLAU request to the head base station to enable the head base station to send the first RLAU request to the anchor base station.

The second RLAU request may include the Resume identifier of the head base station, wherein the Resume identifier may be used for the head base station to verify the UE context and may send the first RLAU request to the anchor base station after the verification is successful.

Referring to FIG. 11, a flow chart illustrating an eleventh embodiment of a RLAU method of the present disclosure is depicted. As shown in FIG. 11, the eleventh embodiment of the RLAU method of the present disclosure may be based on the tenth embodiment of the RLAU method of the present disclosure, and may further include the following blocks after S42.

At S43: the target base station can receive a second RLAU response message from the head base station.

In the present embodiment, the target base station may be not the head base station. The case in which the target base station may be the head base station can be referred to the description of the above-mention embodiment.

If the anchor base station decides not to relocate the anchor base station, the second RLAU response message may include an indicator of the anchor base station unchanged; if the anchor base station decides to relocate the anchor base station, the second RLAU response message may include the information of the M NAs reconfigured for the UE by the new anchor base station after a relocation, that is, the head base station of the target NA, wherein M may be an integer greater than or equal to one.

At S44: the target base station can send an RRC signaling to the UE.

The RRC signaling can be RRCConnectionSuspend. The RRC signaling may include an indicator of the anchor base station unchanged or information of the M NAs reconfigured for the UE by the head base station as the new anchor base station after the relocation.

The complete RLAU procedure may be illustrated below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring to FIG. 12, a schematic diagram illustrating an application scenario of a RLAU method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is depicted. As shown in FIG. 12, in the application scenario of the RLAU method according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, there may be two adjacent NAs: NA1 and NA2, wherein NA1 includes one base station gNB1and NA2 includes two base stations gNB2 and gNB3. There is an Xn interface between gNB2 and gNB3, and another Xn interface between gNB2 and gNB1, while there is no Xn interface between gNB3 and gNB1.

A UE may be initially in the RRC _CONNECTED state and attaches to gNB1, and then gNB1 may control the UE to enter RRC_INACTIVE state, become the anchor base station of the UE and configure NA2 for the UE, wherein gNB2 is the head base station of NA2; then the UE may enter NA2 in RRC_INACTIVE state.

In accordance with whether the target base station selected by the UE is gNB2 or gNB3, and whether or not gNB1 relocates the anchor base station, it is divided into four cases and respectively described through examples. The same parts as those of the above-mentioned embodiments may be not described herein.

The first example: the UE may select gNB3 as the target base station, and gNB1 may decide to relocate the anchor base station. As shown in FIG. 13, this example may specifically include the following blocks.

At S171: gNB1 (i.e., the anchor base station) can decide to move the UE to RRC_INACTIVE state and start to make preparation for multiple NA configuration for the UE.

In the preparation, gNB 1 may select multiple NAs (including NA2) for the UE. For the convenience of illustration, only NA2 is shown in this example, while the actual number of NAs can be more.

At S172: gNB1 can send UE context (i.e., a context of the UE) and information (including resume identifier 1, i.e., a resume identifier of gNB1) of NA1 (i.e., the source NA of the UE) to gNB2 (i.e., the head base station of NA2) and request for information of NA2.

At S173: gNB2 can store UE context and the information of NA1.

At S174: gNB2 can send the information (including resume identifier 2, i.e., a resume identifier of gNB2) of NA2 to gNB1.

The execution order of the present block and block S173 is only indicative and is not practically limited.

If N is greater than 1, the anchor base station may need to perform the information exchanging blocks described in S172-S174 with the head base station of each of the NAs.

At S175: gNB1 can send RRCConnectionSuspend to the UE.

The RRCConnectionSuspend may carry the information of the N configured NAs (including NA2) and a next hop chaining counter (NCC) .

After receiving the RRCConnectionSuspend, the UE can change from RRC_CONNECTED state to RRC_INACTIVE state.

At S176: the UE can enter NA2 and reselect to gNB3 (i.e., the target base station) .

At S177: the UE and gNB3 can complete a random access.

At S178: the UE can derive new keys based on the NCC and select resume identifier 2 from the received information of the N NAs.

The UE may match an ID of the gNB3 with the received area information of the N NAs configured for the UE. After the matching is successful, the UE may determine that currently enters NA2, and then may select the resume identifier 2 of the head base station gNB2 of NA2 from the resume identifier of the head base station of the N NAs.

At S179: the UE can send RRCConnectionResumeRequest to gNB3.

The RRCConnectionResumeRequest may be protected by new keys, in which the causeValue may be ranAreaUpdate and may include resume identifier 2.

At S180: gNB3 can send a second RLAU request (including resume identifier 2) to gNB2.

At S181: gNB2 can verify the locally stored UE context according to resume identifier 2.

The next block can merely be executed after the verification is successful.

At S182: gNB2 can send a first RLAU request (including resume identifier 1) to gNB1.

At S183: gNB1 can verify the locally stored UE context according to resume identifier 1, and decide to relocate the anchor base station after the successful verification.

At S184: gNB1 can notify the head base stations of the N configured NAs except for gNB2 t of releasing UE context.

At S185: gNB1 can send a first RLAU response message (for notifying gNB2 of relocating the anchor base station to itself) to gNB2.

At S186: gNB2 can send a path switch request to the CN.

The CN may modify bearer information in response to the request.

At S187: the CN can send a path switch request response message to gNB2.

gNB2 may become the new anchor base station.

At S188: gNB2 can send a notification of releasing UE context to gNB1.

At S189: gNB1 can release the locally stored UE context.

At S190: gNB2 can reconfigure M NAs for the UE.

The execution order of the present block as well as blocks S188 and S189 is only indicative and is not limited in practice.

gNB2 may determine the newly configured M NAs for the UE and exchanges information with the head base station of the newly configured M NAs to obtain the information of the newly configured M NAs. The specific procedure may be not shown, and may be partially referred to blocks S171-S174.

At S191: gNB2 can send a second RLAU response message (including the information of the newly configured M NAs) to gNB3.

At S192: gNB3 can send RRCConnectionSuspend to the UE.

The RRCConnectionSuspend may be encrypted with new keys, and may carry the information of the newly configured M NAs and the NCC.

The second example: The UE may select gNB3 as the target base station, and gNB1 may decide not to relocate the anchor base station. In this example, the same parts as those of the above-mentioned embodiments may not be described herein. As shown in FIG. 14, this example specifically may include the following blocks.

At S271: gNB1 (i.e., the anchor base station) can decide to move the UE to RRC_INACTIVE state and start to make preparation for multiple NA configuration for the UE.

S272: gNB1 can send UE context (i.e., a context of the UE) and information (including resume identifier 1, i.e., a resume identifier of gNB1) of NA1 (i.e., the source NA of the UE) to gNB2 (i.e., the head base station of NA2) and request for information of NA2.

At S273: gNB2 can store UE context and the information of NA1.

At S274: gNB2 can send the information (including resume identifier 2, i.e., a resume identifier of gNB2) of NA2 to gNB1.

The execution order of the present block and block S273 is only indicative and is not practically limited.

If the number N of the NAs configured for the UE is greater than 1, the anchor base station may need to perform the information exchanging blocks described in blocks S272-S274 with the head base station of each of the NAs.

At S275: gNB1 can send RRCConnectionSuspend to the UE.

The RRCConnectionSuspend may carry the information of the N configured NAs (including NA2) configured for the UE and an NCC.

After receiving the RRCConnectionSuspend, the UE may change from RRC_CONNECTED state to RRC_INACTIVE state.

At S276: the UE can enter NA2 and reselect to gNB3 (i.e., the target base station) .

At S277: the UE and gNB3 can complete a random access.

At S278: the UE can derive new keys based on the NCC and select resume identifier 2 from the received information of the N NAs.

The UE may match an ID of the gNB3 with the received area information of the N NAs. After the matching is successful, the UE may determine that currently enters NA2, and then may select the resume identifier 2 of the head base station gNB2 of NA2 from the resume identifier of the head base station of the N NAs.

At S279: the UE can send RRCConnectionResumeRequest to gNB3.

The RRCConnectionResumeRequest may be protected by new keys, and in which the causeValue may be ranAreaUpdate and may include resume identifier 2.

At S280: gNB3 can send a second RLAU request (including resume identifier 2) to gNB2.

At S281: gNB2 can verify the locally stored UE context according to resume identifier 2.

The next block can merely be executed after the verification is successful.

At S282: gNB2 can send a first RLAU request (including resume identifier 1) to gNB1.

At S283: gNB1 can verify the locally stored UE context according to resume identifier 1, and decides not to relocate the anchor base station after the successful verification.

At S284: gNB1 can send a first RLAU response message to gNB2 (which keeps the anchor base station unchanged) .

At S285: gNB2 can send a second RLAU response message to gNB3 (which keeps the anchor base station unchanged) .

At S286: gNB3 can send RRCConnectionSuspend to the UE.

The RRCConnectionSuspend may be encrypted with new keys and may include an indicator of the anchor base station unchanged and an NCC.

The third example: the UE may select gNB2 as the target base station, and gNB1 may decide to relocate the anchor base station. In this example, the same parts as those of the above-mentioned embodiments may not be described herein. As shown in FIG. 15, this example specifically includes the following blocks.

At S371: gNB1 (i.e., the anchor base station) can decide to move the UE to RRC_INACTIVE state and start to make preparation for multiple NA configuration for the UE.

In the preparation, gNB 1 may select multiple NAs (including NA2) for the UE. For the convenience of illustration, only one NA NA2 is shown in this example, while the actual number of NAs can be more.

At S372: gNB1 can send UE context (i.e., a context of the UE) and information (including resume identifier 1, i.e., a resume identifier of gNB1) of NA1 (i.e., the source NA of the UE) to gNB2 (i.e., the head base station of NA2) and request for information of NA2.

At S373: gNB2 can store UE context and the information of NA1.

At S374: gNB2 can send the information (including resume identifier 2, i.e., a resume identifier of gNB2) of NA2 to gNB1.

The execution order of the present block and block S373 is only indicative and is not practically limited.

If the number N of the NAs configured for the UE is greater than 1, the anchor base station may need to perform the information exchanging blocks described in S372-S374 with the head base station of each of the NAs, respectively.

At S375: gNB1 can send RRCConnectionSuspend to the UE.

After receiving the RRCConnectionSuspend, the UE may change from RRC_RRC_CONNECTED state to RRC_INACTIVE state.

At S376: the UE can enter NA2 and reselects to gNB2 (i.e., the target base station, and is also the head base station of NA2) .

At S377: the UE and gNB2 can complete a random access.

At S378: the UE can derive new keys based on the NCC and select resume identifier 2 from the received information of the N NAs.

The UE may match an ID of the gNB2 with the received area information of the N NAs configured for the UE. After the matching is successful, the UE may determine that currently enters NA2, and then may select the resume identifier 2 of the head base station gNB2 of NA2 from the resume identifier of the head base station of the N NAs.

At S379: the UE can send RRCConnectionResumeRequest to gNB2.

The RRCConnectionResumeRequest may be protected by new keys, and in which causeValue may be ranAreaUpdate and may include resume identifier 2.

At S380: gNB2 can verify the locally stored UE context according to resume identifier 2.

The next block can merely be executed after the verification is successful.

At S381: gNB2 can send a first RLAU request (including resume identifier 1) to gNB1.

At S382: gNB1 can verify the locally stored UE context according to resume identifier 1, and decide to relocate the anchor base station after the successful verification.

At S383: gNB1 can notify the head base stations of the N configured NAs except for gNB2 to release UE context.

At S384: gNB1 can send a first RLAU response message to gNB2 (for notifying gNB2 to relocate the anchor base station to itself) .

At S385: gNB2 can send a path switch request to the CN.

The CN may modify bearer information in response to the request.

At S386: the CN can send a path switch request response message to gNB.

gNB2 may become the new anchor base station.

At S387: gNB2 can send a notification of releasing UE context to gNB1.

At S388: gNB1 can release the locally stored UE context.

At S389: gNB2 can reconfigure M NAs for the UE.

The execution order of the present block as well as blocks S387 and S388 is only indicative and is not limited in practice.

gNB2 may determine the newly configured M NAs for the UE and exchanges information with the head base station of the newly configured M NAs to obtain the information of the newly configured M NAs. The specific procedure is not shown, and may be partially referred to blocks S371-S374.

At S390: gNB2 can send RRCConnectionSuspend to the UE.

The RRCConnectionSuspend may be encrypted with new keys and may carry information of the newly configured M NAs and an NCC.

The fourth example: the UE may select gNB2 as the target base station, and gNB1 may decide not to relocate the anchor base station. In this example, the same parts as those of the above-mentioned embodiments are not described herein. As shown in FIG. 16, this example specifically includes the following blocks.

At S471: gNB1 (i.e., the anchor base station) can decide to move the UE to RRC_INACTIVE state and start to make preparation for multiple NA configuration for the UE.

At S472: gNB1 can send UE context (i.e., a context of the UE) and information (including resume identifier 1, i.e., a resume identifier of gNB1) of NA1 (i.e., the source NA of the UE) to gNB2 (i.e., the head base station of NA2) and request for information of NA2.

At S473: gNB2 can store UE context and the information of NA1.

At S474: gNB2 can send the information (including resume identifier 2, i.e., a resume identifier of gNB2) of NA2 to gNB1.

The execution order of the present block and block S473 is only indicative and is not practically limited.

If the number N of the NAs configured for the UE is greater than 1, the anchor base station may need to perform the information exchanging blocks described in S472 and S474 with the head base station of each of the NAs.

At S475: gNB1 can send RRCConnectionSuspend to the UE.

After receiving the RRCConnectionSuspend, the UE changes from RRC_CONNECTED state to RRC_INACTIVE state.

At S476: the UE can enter NA2 and reselects to gNB2 (i.e., the target base station, and is also the head base station of NA2) .

At S477: the UE and gNB2 can complete a random access.

At S478: the UE can derive new keys based on the NCC and select resume identifier 2 from the received information of the N NAs.

The UE may match an ID of the gNB2 with the received area information of the N NAs. After the matching is successful, the UE may determine that currently may enter NA2, and then may select the resume identifier 2 of the head base station gNB2 of NA2 from the resume identifier of the head base station of the N NAs.

At S479: the UE can send RRCConnectionResumeRequest to gNB2.

At S480: gNB2 can verify the locally stored UE context according to resume identifier 2.

The next block can merely be executed after the verification is successful.

At S481: gNB2 can send a first RLAU request (including resume identifier 1) to gNB1.

At S482: gNB1 can verify the locally stored UE context according to resume identifier 1, and decide not to relocate the anchor base station after the verification is successful.

At S483: gNB1 can send a first RLAU response message to gNB2 (indicating keeping the anchor base station unchanged) .

At S484: gNB2 can send RRCConnectionSuspend to the UE.

The RRCConnectionSuspend may use new keys to encrypt and may carry an indication that the anchor base station remains unchanged and an NCC.

Referring to FIG. 17, a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of a first embodiment of a RLAU apparatus of the present disclosure is depicted. As shown in FIG. 17, the apparatus includes a processor 110 and a communication circuit 120, wherein the processor 110 is coupled to the communication circuit 120.

The communication circuit 120 may be configured to transmit and receive data, and may be an interface for the RLAU apparatus to communicate with other communication apparatuses.

The processor 110 controls the operation of the RLAU apparatus, which may also be referred to as a CPU (central processing unit) . The processor 110 may be an integrated circuit chip having signal processing capability. The processor 110 may also be a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP) , an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) , a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) , or be other programmable logic device, a discrete gate, a transistor logic device, and a discrete hardware component. The general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, or the processor may also be any conventional processor.

The processor 110 may be configured to execute instructions to implement the methods provided by any one of the first to the third and the sixth to the eleventh embodiments of the RLAU method of the present disclosure and their non-conflicting combination.

In the present embodiment, the RLAU apparatus may be a base station, or a separate component integrated into the base station, such as a baseband board. With respect to the functions of each part and the feasible extensions can refer to the descriptions in the corresponding embodiments of the RLAU method of the present disclosure, and will not be repeated herein.

Referring to FIG. 18, a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of a second embodiment of a RLAU apparatus of the present disclosure is depicted. As shown in FIG. 18, the apparatus may include a processor 210 and a communication circuit 220, wherein the processor 210 may be coupled to the communication circuit 220.

The communication circuit 220 may be configured to transmit and receive data, and is an interface for the RLAU apparatus to communicate with other communication apparatuses.

The processor 210 may control the operation of the RLAU apparatus, which may also be referred to as a CPU (central processing unit) . The processor 210 may be an integrated circuit chip having signal processing capability. The processor 210 may also be a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP) , an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) , a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) , or be other programmable logic device, a discrete gate, a transistor logic device, and a discrete hardware component. The general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, or the processor may also be any conventional processor.

The processor 210 may be configured to execute instructions to implement the methods provided by any of the fourth or the fifth embodiments of the RLAU method of the present disclosure.

In the present embodiment, the RLAU apparatus may be a UE, or a separate component integrated into the UE, such as a baseband chip. With respect to the functions of each part and the feasible extensions can refer to the descriptions in the corresponding embodiments of the RLAU method of the present disclosure, and will not be repeated herein.

Referring to FIG. 19, a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of a third embodiment of a RLAU apparatus of the present disclosure is depicted. As shown in FIG. 19, the apparatus may include a storage 310 in which instructions are stored, and the methods provided by any of the embodiments of the RLAU method of the present disclosure and their non-conflicting combination may be implemented when the instructions are executed.

The storage 310 may include a read-only memory (ROM) , a random access memory (RAM) , a flash memory, a hard disk, an optical disk, etc.

Referring to FIG. 20, a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of a fourth embodiment of a RLAU apparatus of the present disclosure is depicted. As shown in FIG. 20, the apparatus may include a storage 410 in which instructions are stored, and the methods provided by any of the fourth or the fifth embodiments of the RLAU method of the present disclosure and their non-conflicting combination is implemented when the instructions are executed.

The storage 410 may include a read-only memory (ROM) , a random access memory (RAM) , a flash memory, a hard disk, an optical disk, etc.

In the embodiments provided by the present disclosure, it is to be understood that the disclosed methods and apparatuses can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; the division of the modules or units is merely a division of logical functions, and can be divided in other ways such as combining or integrating multiple units or components with another system when being implemented; and some features can be ignored or not executed. In another aspect, the coupling such as direct coupling and communication connection which may be shown or discussed can be implemented through some interfaces, and the indirect coupling and the communication connection between devices or units can be electrical, mechanical, or otherwise.

The units described as separated components can or cannot be physically separate, and the components shown as units can or cannot be physical units, that is, can be located in one place or distributed over a plurality of network elements. It is possible to select some or all of the units in accordance with the actual needs to achieve the object of the embodiments.

In addition, each of the functional units in each of the embodiments of the present disclosure can be integrated in one processing unit. Each unit can be physically exists alone, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit. The above-mentioned integrated unit can be implemented either in the form of hardware, or in the form of software functional units.

The integrated unit can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium if it is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or utilized as a separate product. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present disclosure, either essentially or in part, contributes to the prior art, or all or a part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product. The software product may be stored in a storage medium, which may include a number of instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, a network device, etc. ) or a processor to execute all or a part of the steps of the methods described in each of the embodiments of the present disclosure. The above-mentioned storage medium may include a variety of media such as a USB disk, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM) , a random access memory (RAM) , a magnetic disk, and an optical disk which may be capable of storing program codes.

The foregoing is merely embodiments of the present disclosure, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Any equivalent structure or flow transformation made based on the specification and the accompanying drawings of the present disclosure, or any direct or indirect applications of the disclosure on other related fields, shall all be covered within the protection of the present disclosure.

Claims

A radio access network-based location area update method, comprising:

configuring, by an anchor base station, N notification areas for a user equipment, wherein the anchor base station has a core network-radio access network connection for the user equipment, N is an integer greater than or equal to 1, each of the configured notification areas comprises a head base station, and the anchor base station has a connection interface to each of the head base stations; and

sending, by the anchor base station, information of the N notification areas configured for the user equipment to the user equipment.
The method of claim 1, wherein the configuring the N notification areas for the user equipment comprises:

determining, by the anchor base station, the N notification areas according to the state of the user equipment, wherein the state of the user equipment comprises at least one of a location, a moving trajectory, and a moving speed.
The method of claim 1, wherein the configuring the N notification areas for the user equipment comprises:

sending, by the anchor base station, a context of the user equipment and information of a source notification area to the head base stations of the N configured notification areas, wherein the source notification area is a notification area the anchor base station located in, and the information of the source notification area comprises a resume identifier of the anchor base station, the resume identifier being used for locating a base station storing the context of the user equipment and verifying the context of the user equipment; and

receiving, by the anchor base station, information of the corresponding notification areas from the N head base stations, wherein the information of each of the notification areas comprises the resume identifier of the head base station of the notification area.
The method of claim 3, further comprising, after the sending information of the N notification areas configured for the user equipment to the user equipment:

receiving, by the anchor base station, a first radio access network-based location area update request from a head base station of a target notification area, wherein the target notification area is the notification area a target base station reselected by the user equipment in RRC_INACTIVE state located in, and the target notification area belongs to the N notification areas configured for the user equipment by the anchor base station, the first radio access network-based location area update request comprises the resume identifier of the anchor base station; and

verifying, by the anchor base station, the context of the user equipment based on the received resume identifier of the anchor base station; and

determining, by the anchor base station, whether to relocate the anchor base station when the verification is successful.
A method of claim 4, further comprising, after the deciding to relocate the anchor base station:

notifying, by the anchor base station, the head base stations of the configured notification areas except for the head base station of the target notification area of releasing the context of the user equipment;

notifying, by the anchor base station, the head base station of the target notification area of relocating the anchor base station to the head base station of the target notification area itself;

receiving, by the anchor base station, a notification of releasing the context of the user equipment from the head base station of the target notification area; and

releasing, by the anchor base station, the context of the user equipment in response to the notification.
A method of claim 4, further comprising, after the deciding not to relocate the anchor base station:

informing, by the anchor base station, the head base station of the target NA of keeping the anchor base station unchanged.
A method of any one of claims 1-6, wherein the information of the N notification areas configured for the user equipment is delivered to the user equipment through an RRC signaling.
The method of claim 7, wherein the RRC signaling is

RRCConnectionSuspend.
A radio access network-based location area update method, comprising:

receiving, by a user equipment, information of N notification areas from an anchor base station, wherein the anchor base station has a core network-radio access network connection for the user equipment, the N notification areas are configured for the user equipment by the anchor base station, N is an integer greater than or equal to 1, each of the configured notification areas comprises a head base station, and the anchor base station has a connection interface to each of the head base stations; and

performing, by the user equipment, a radio access network-based location area update with remaining in RRC_INACTIVE state after entering any of the configured notification areas for the user equipment.
A method of claim 9, wherein the information of each of the notification areas comprises a resume identifier of a head base station in the notification area, wherein the resume identifier is used for locating a base station storing the context of the user equipment and verifying the context of the user equipment;

the performing the radio access network-based location area update with remaining in RRC_INACTIVE state comprises:

reselecting, by the user equipment, a target base station when the user equipment is in RRC_INACTIVE state, wherein the notification area the target base station located in is a target notification area, and the target notification area belongs to the N notification areas configured for the user equipment by the anchor base station;

sending, by the user equipment, an RRC request to the target base station when the user equipment is in RRC_INACTIVE state, wherein the RRC request is used for requesting the radio access network-based location area update and includes the resume identifier of the head base station of the target notification area; and

receiving, by the user equipment, an RRC signaling from the target base station, wherein the RRC signaling comprises an indicator of the anchor base station unchanged or the information of the M notification areas reconfigured for the user equipment by the new anchor base station after a relocation, and M is an integer greater than or equal to 1.
A method of claim 10, wherein the information of each of the notification areas further comprising area information of the notification area, and before the sending the RRC request to the target base station when the user equipment is in RRC_INACTIVE state the method further comprises:

determining, by the user equipment, the target notification area and the resume identifier of the head base station of the target notification area by matching the information of the target base station with the area information of the N notification areas.
A method of claim 10, wherein the RRC request is a RRCConnectionResumeRequest, and the RRC signaling is a RRCConnectionSuspend.
A method of any one of claims 9-12, wherein the information of the N notification areas configured for the user equipment is delivered to the user equipment through RRCConnectionSuspend.
A radio access network-based location area update method, comprising:

receiving and storing, by a head base station, a context of a user equipment and information of a source notification area from an anchor base station, wherein the anchor base station has a core network-radio access network connection of the user equipment, the anchor base station has a connection interface to the head base station, the source notification area is a notification area the anchor base station located in, and the information of the source notification area comprises a resume identifier of the anchor base station for locating a base station storing the context of the user equipment and verifying the context of the user equipment; and

sending, by the head base station, information of a corresponding notification area to the anchor base station to help the anchor base station to configure multiple notification areas for the user equipment, wherein the information of the corresponding notification area includes a resume identifier of the head base station.
The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving, by the head base station, an RRC request from the user equipment directly, or receiving a second radio access network-based location area update request from a target base station, wherein the target base station is reselected by the user equipment in RRC_INACTIVE state, the RRC request is used for the radio access network-based location area update, the RRC request and the second radio access network-based location area update request comprise the resume identifier of the head base station;

verifying, by the head base station, the context of the user equipment based on the received resume identifier of the head base station, and sending a first radio access network-based location area update request to the anchor base station when the verification is successful, wherein the first radio access network-based location area update request comprises the resume identifier of the anchor base station.
A method of claim 15, wherein the receiving the RRC request from the user equipment comprises:

receiving, by the head base station, the RRC request from the user equipment when the head base station is the target base station;

the receiving the second radio access network-based location area update request from the target base station comprises:

receiving, by the head base station, the second radio access network-based location area update request from the target base station when the head base station is not the target base station, wherein the second radio access network-based location area update request is sent in response to the RRC request from the user equipment by the target base station.
The method of claim 15, further comprising, after the sending a first radio access network-based location area update request to the anchor base station:

receiving, by the head base station, a relocation indication from the anchor base station;

initiating a path switch in response to the relocation indication to switch the core network-radio access network connection for the user equipment to the head base station itself;

notifying, by the head base station, the anchor base station of releasing the context of the user equipment;

reconfiguring, by the head base station, M notification areas for the user equipment as a new anchor base station, wherein M is an integer greater than or equal to 1;

sending, by the head base station, the information of the reconfigured M notification areas to the user equipment.
The method of claim 17, wherein the sending the information of the reconfigured M notification areas to the user equipment comprises:

sending, by the head base station, the information of the reconfigured M notification areas to the user equipment directly or relayed by the target base station reselected by the user equipment.
The method of claim 15, further comprising, after the sending a first radio access network-based location area update request to the anchor base station:

receiving, by the head base station, a notification of remaining the anchor base station unchanged from the anchor base station; and

forwarding, by the head base station, the notification of remaining the anchor base station unchanged to the user equipment.
The method of claim 19, wherein the forwarding the notification of remaining the anchor base station unchanged to the user equipment comprises:

forwarding, by the head base station, directly or relayed by the target base station reselected by the user equipment the notification of remaining the anchor base station unchanged to the user equipment.
A radio access network-based location area update method, comprising:

receiving, by a target base station, an RRC request from the user equipment in RRC_INACTIVE state, wherein the target base station is reselected by the user equipment in RRC_INACTIVE state, the notification area the target base station located in is the target notification area, the target notification area belongs to the N notification areas configured for the user equipment by the anchor base station, N is an integer greater than or equal to 1, the anchor base station has a core network-radio access network connection for the user equipment, the target notification area comprises a head base station, the anchor base station has a connection interface to the head base station, and the RRC request comprises a resume identifier of the head base station for locating a base station storing context of the user equipment and verifying the context of the user equipment; and

sending, by the target base station, a second radio access network-based location area update request to the head base station to enable the head base station to send the first radio access network-based location area update request to the anchor base station, wherein the second radio access network-based location area update request comprises the resume identifier of the head base station.
The method of claim 21, further comprising:

receiving, by the target base station, a second radio access network-based location area update response message from the head base station, wherein the second radio access network-based location area update response message comprises an indicator of the anchor base station unchanged or information of the M notification areas reconfigured for the user equipment by the head base station as a new anchor base station after a relocation, and M is an integer greater than or equal to 1; and

sending, by the target base station, an RRC signaling to the user equipment, the RRC signaling comprises an indicator of the anchor base station unchanged or information of the M notification areas reconfigured for the user equipment by the head base station as a new anchor base station after a relocation.
A radio access network-based location area update apparatus, comprising a processor and a communication circuit coupled to the processor;

wherein the processor is configured to execute instructions to implement the method of any one of claims 1-22.
A radio access network-based location area update apparatus storing instructions, wherein the instructions implement the method of any one of claims 1-22 while executed.