CN115226091A

CN115226091A - Method, network element, device and storage medium for acquiring prediction information

Info

Publication number: CN115226091A
Application number: CN202110413966.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 周叶; 刘爱娟
Original assignee: Datang Mobile Communications Equipment Co Ltd
Current assignee: Datang Mobile Communications Equipment Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-04-16
Filing date: 2021-04-16
Publication date: 2022-10-21

Abstract

The embodiment of the application provides a method, a network element, a device and a storage medium for acquiring prediction information. The method is applied to a first network element in a radio access network and comprises the following steps: receiving a first interface message sent by a second network element in a radio access network, wherein the first interface message comprises first information; the first information is prediction information corresponding to User Equipment (UE) or an index used for acquiring the prediction information corresponding to the UE; and acquiring the corresponding prediction information of the UE based on the first information. By the method, the network element, the device and the storage medium for acquiring the prediction information, a first network element in a radio access network can acquire the prediction information corresponding to the UE or an index for acquiring the prediction information corresponding to the UE from a first interface message sent by a second network element in the radio access network, so that the first network element can acquire the prediction information corresponding to the UE without any static UE identifier, and the privacy of a user is ensured.

Description

Method, network element, device and storage medium for acquiring prediction information

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of wireless communication technologies, and in particular, to a method, a network element, an apparatus, and a storage medium for acquiring prediction information.

Background

In order to improve the operating efficiency and the service quality of the fifth generation mobile communication system (5G, 5th generation mobile networks), it is proposed that a prediction mechanism based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be applied to the 5G system, so that the latter can efficiently and flexibly allocate resources according to the prediction.

To achieve this, prediction for User Equipment (UE) is widely considered as a key technology, especially for UE trajectory prediction and traffic prediction. In a core network of a 5G system, each network element uses identifiers such as 5G-S-TMSI (5G S-temporal Mobile Subscription Identifier,5GS Temporary Mobile subscriber Identifier) to mark a UE, and the 5G-S-TMSI has a long change period and can be basically regarded as a static UE Identifier in actual use. When a certain network element without prediction function needs to generate the context optimally based on the prediction for a certain UE (i.e. to generate the configuration optimally), it may send an interface message to the network element with prediction function and indicate for which UE the prediction information is requested by including the UE' S5G-S-TMSI in the message.

However, this method is not applicable to a 5G Access Network NG-RAN (Next Generation-Radio Access Network,5G Radio Access Network). This is because network elements in the NG-RAN, such as communication base stations, are often not deployed in a computer room and are vulnerable to theft or intrusion by an attacker. In order to guarantee user privacy, the 5G standard requires that network elements in NG-RAN do not hold any static UE identity, but only hold temporary identities that are valid for each pair of network interface local areas that involve NG-RAN network elements, called "interface signaling connection for this UE".

This brings about the following problems: one important use of the prediction information for a certain UE is to configure it optimally for that UE, however according to the prior art, the following situation prevails: before the configuration generator is requested to generate the configuration for the UE, any interface signaling connection for the UE is not established between the configuration generator and the network element with the prediction function, so that the configuration generator cannot obtain the prediction information for the UE, and further cannot realize the function of optimizing the UE configuration according to the prediction information.

Disclosure of Invention

To solve the problems in the prior art, embodiments of the present application provide a method, a network element, an apparatus, and a storage medium for obtaining prediction information.

In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for obtaining prediction information, which is applied to a first network element in a radio access network, and includes:

receiving a first interface message sent by a second network element in the radio access network, wherein the first interface message comprises first information; the first information is prediction information corresponding to User Equipment (UE) or an index used for acquiring the prediction information corresponding to the UE;

and acquiring the corresponding prediction information of the UE based on the first information.

Optionally, when the first information is the index, the obtaining of the prediction information corresponding to the UE based on the first information includes:

receiving a second interface message sent by the second network element, where the second interface message includes the prediction information corresponding to the UE and the index;

and acquiring the corresponding prediction information of the UE from the second interface message based on the index.

sending a prediction information request message to a third network element, wherein the prediction information request message comprises the index;

receiving a prediction information transmission message sent by the third network element, where the prediction information transmission message includes prediction information corresponding to the UE; wherein the prediction information corresponding to the UE is determined by the third network element based on the index.

Optionally, when the first information is the index, the obtaining, based on the first information, prediction information corresponding to the UE includes:

receiving a prediction information transmission message sent by a third network element, where the prediction information transmission message includes prediction information corresponding to the UE and the index; the prediction information corresponding to the UE is determined by the third network element based on an index included in the prediction information request message after receiving the prediction information request message sent by the second network element.

Optionally, the method further comprises:

and generating the context of the UE based on the prediction information corresponding to the UE.

In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a method for obtaining prediction information, which is applied to a second network element in a radio access network, and includes:

sending a first interface message to a first network element in the radio access network, where the first interface message includes first information, so that the first network element obtains, based on the first information, prediction information corresponding to User Equipment (UE); the first information is prediction information corresponding to the UE or an index used for obtaining the prediction information corresponding to the UE.

Optionally, in a case that the first information is the index, the method further includes:

and sending a second interface message to the first network element, where the second interface message includes the prediction information corresponding to the UE and the index, so that the first network element obtains the prediction information corresponding to the UE from the second interface message based on the index.

sending a prediction information request message to a third network element, so that the third network element sends a prediction information transmission message to the first network element, where the prediction information transmission message includes prediction information corresponding to the UE and the index; wherein the prediction information corresponding to the UE is determined by the third network element based on an index included in the prediction information request message.

In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a method for obtaining prediction information, which is applied to a third network element, and includes:

sending a prediction information transmission message to a first network element in a radio access network, wherein the prediction information transmission message comprises prediction information corresponding to User Equipment (UE); the prediction information corresponding to the UE is determined by the index included in the prediction information request message after the third network element receives the prediction information request message sent by the first network element, where the index is sent to the first network element by a second network element in a radio access network, where the second network element is carried in a first interface message, so that the first network element obtains the prediction information corresponding to the UE based on the index; or the like, or, alternatively,

sending a prediction information transmission message to a first network element in a radio access network, wherein the prediction information transmission message comprises prediction information corresponding to User Equipment (UE) and an index used for acquiring the prediction information corresponding to the UE, so that the first network element acquires the prediction information corresponding to the UE based on the index received from a first interface message sent by a second network element in the radio access network; the prediction information corresponding to the UE is determined by the third network element based on an index included in the prediction information request message after receiving the prediction information request message sent by the second network element.

In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a first network element in a radio access network, including a memory, a transceiver, and a processor, where:

a memory for storing a computer program; a transceiver for transceiving data under the control of the processor; a processor for reading the computer program in the memory and implementing the steps of the method for obtaining prediction information according to the first aspect.

In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a second network element in a radio access network, including a memory, a transceiver, and a processor, where:

a memory for storing a computer program; a transceiver for transceiving data under the control of the processor; a processor for reading the computer program in the memory and implementing the steps of the method for obtaining prediction information according to the second aspect.

In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a third network element, including a memory, a transceiver, and a processor, where:

a memory for storing a computer program; a transceiver for transceiving data under control of the processor; a processor for reading the computer program in the memory and implementing the steps of the method for obtaining prediction information according to the third aspect.

In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides an apparatus for obtaining prediction information, where the apparatus is applied to a first network element in a radio access network, and the apparatus includes:

a receiving unit, configured to receive a first interface message sent by a second network element in the radio access network, where the first interface message includes first information; the first information is prediction information corresponding to User Equipment (UE) or an index used for acquiring the prediction information corresponding to the UE;

an obtaining unit, configured to obtain, based on the first information, prediction information corresponding to the UE.

In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides an apparatus for obtaining prediction information, where the apparatus is applied to a second network element in a radio access network, and the apparatus includes:

a first sending unit, configured to send a first interface message to a first network element in the radio access network, where the first interface message includes first information, so that the first network element obtains, based on the first information, prediction information corresponding to User Equipment (UE); the first information is prediction information corresponding to the UE or an index used for obtaining the prediction information corresponding to the UE.

In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides an apparatus for obtaining prediction information, where the apparatus is applied to a third network element, and the apparatus includes:

a second sending unit, configured to send a prediction information transmission message to a first network element in a radio access network, where the prediction information transmission message includes prediction information corresponding to user equipment UE; the prediction information corresponding to the UE is determined by the index included in the prediction information request message after the third network element receives the prediction information request message sent by the first network element, where the index is sent to the first network element by a second network element in a radio access network, where the second network element is carried in a first interface message, so that the first network element obtains the prediction information corresponding to the UE based on the index; or the like, or, alternatively,

In a tenth aspect, embodiments of the present application further provide a processor-readable storage medium, where the processor-readable storage medium stores a computer program for causing the processor to execute the steps of the method for acquiring prediction information according to the first aspect, or execute the steps of the method for acquiring prediction information according to the second aspect, or execute the steps of the method for acquiring prediction information according to the third aspect.

According to the method, the network element, the device and the storage medium for acquiring the prediction information, the first network element in the radio access network can acquire the prediction information corresponding to the UE or the index for acquiring the prediction information corresponding to the UE from the first interface message sent by the second network element in the radio access network, so that the first network element can acquire the prediction information corresponding to the UE without any static UE identifier, and the privacy of a user is ensured.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings used in the embodiments or the prior art descriptions will be briefly described below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following descriptions are some embodiments of the present application, and other drawings can be obtained by those skilled in the art without creative efforts.

Fig. 1 is a schematic flowchart of a method for obtaining prediction information according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 2 is a second flowchart of a method for obtaining prediction information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 3 is a third flowchart illustrating a method for obtaining prediction information according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 4 is a fourth schematic flowchart of a method for obtaining prediction information according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 5 is a fifth flowchart illustrating a method for obtaining prediction information according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 6 is a sixth schematic flowchart of a method for acquiring prediction information according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 7 is a seventh schematic flowchart of a method for acquiring prediction information according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of a first network element in a radio access network according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of a second network element in a radio access network according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of a third network element according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of an apparatus for obtaining prediction information according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 12 is a second schematic structural diagram of an apparatus for obtaining prediction information according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 13 is a third schematic structural diagram of an apparatus for obtaining prediction information according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

In the embodiment of the present application, the term "and/or" describes an association relationship of associated objects, and means that there may be three relationships, for example, a and/or B, which may mean: a exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. The character "/" generally indicates that the former and latter associated objects are in an "or" relationship.

In the embodiments of the present application, the term "plurality" means two or more, and other terms are similar thereto.

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present application, and not all embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present application.

The embodiments of the present application provide a solution to the problem that a configuration generator in a current 5G radio access network cannot obtain prediction information for a certain UE to optimize the UE configuration before being requested to generate the configuration for the UE, so that the configuration generator in the radio access network can generate a context for the UE optimally according to the prediction information without holding the context for the certain UE before, and can also ensure user privacy. In order to facilitate a clearer understanding of the embodiments of the present application, some relevant technical knowledge will be first described as follows.

1. Configuration for a UE with predictive optimization

In conventional wireless communication systems, the network's configuration for the UE is often generated based only on current or historical information. For example, the network usually configures measurement for the UE, and instructs the UE to start measuring signals of neighboring cells when specific conditions are met, and if the signal strengths of the neighboring cells and the cell satisfy a certain relationship (which relationship needs to be satisfied is also configured by the network), the UE reports the measurement result to inform the network of the signal strengths of the neighboring cells and the cell. The network then compares the two signal strengths to a preset threshold and triggers a handover procedure if the condition is met. In addition, when configuring services for the UE, the network only considers static information such as QoS (Quality of Service) information about the services provided by the core network.

However, with the development of AI technology, the industry proposes configurations that can apply AI technology in 5G networks, predict future location and traffic needs of UEs, and then optimize based on these predictions.

For example, before handover, the network may select, according to the predicted future motion trajectory of the UE, the cell with the longest expected service duration and the highest expected average signal quality as a handover target cell when multiple cells can provide services for the UE, so as to reduce the impact of the handover process on the service as much as possible, improve the service experience of the UE, and reduce the signaling load caused by the handover to the network.

For another example, if the network predicts that the traffic of the UE in a future period of time is concentrated on low-traffic and delay-sensitive traffic (e.g., real-time voice), the network may focus more on the signal coverage condition during the handover decision to ensure the service continuity of the UE, and consider less the capacity and load conditions of the candidate target cell, so that the network tends to select a low-frequency wide-coverage cell. On the contrary, if the network predicts that the traffic of the UE in the future period is concentrated on high-traffic (such as non-real-time video downloading), the network may emphasize the capacity and load condition of the candidate target cell more to ensure the data transmission rate during the handover decision, and considers less the signal coverage condition, thus tending to select the high-frequency broadband cell.

In order to take into account the accuracy of prediction for a certain UE (for which it is necessary to collect as much data about the UE as possible) and the privacy requirements of the user, it is proposed in the industry that AI-based prediction modules can be separately deployed centrally (which should generally be located in a computer room) to reduce security risks. This AI prediction module is called the DCA (Data Collection and Analysis) module. In order to ensure the real-time performance of data collection, reduce the signaling load as much as possible, and reduce the influence on the existing RAN (Radio Access Network) as much as possible, the industry proposes that the DCA module can communicate with any node in the existing RAN, and the communication interface is an AI function dedicated interface designed separately. In principle, the DCA module may use the interface to obtain information it needs from other nodes in the RAN as input for the prediction, and other nodes in the RAN may also use the interface to obtain the prediction information from the DCA module.

2. UE identification in 5G access networks

The 5G radio access network, i.e. the NG-RAN, comprises a variety of network elements. When a UE accesses the network, the network selects some network elements in the NG-RAN to serve the UE. To do this, the network elements need to establish a context related to the UE and generate a corresponding configuration. In order to guarantee the privacy of the UE, these network elements do not store any long-term valid UE identities, but only store temporary identities as an index of the UE context.

Specifically, for a network element in the NG-RAN, which is not referred to as "network element a" herein, if the network element needs to receive signaling related to the UE sent by another network element (which is not referred to as "network element B" herein) in the case that it is establishing or has established a context related to the UE, it allocates a "UE interface AP (Application Protocol) ID (Identity)" as an index to the UE and its context, and informs network element B through interface signaling. After that, whenever the network element B needs to send an interface message related to the UE to the network element a, the network element B should include the above-mentioned "UE interface AP ID" in the interface message. Thus, when receiving the interface message sent by network element B, network element a can deduce which UE this message is for through the "UE interface AP ID" included in the message. Even if the same UE is aimed at, when different network elements distribute the 'UE interface AP ID', the operations are mutually independent, and the distributed 'UE interface AP ID' is completely irrelevant in value, so that any potential attacker can not judge that the two network elements are aimed at the same UE through the UE context stored in the two network elements as long as the two network elements are not directly connected with the UE, and the difficulty of tracking the UE by attacking a small number of base stations by the attacker is obviously improved.

3. UE-related context establishment procedure

Due to the movement of the UE itself or the change of the service condition, the network sometimes needs to dynamically adjust the network element providing the service for the UE, so that a network element not providing the service for the UE originally generates the context related to the UE and generates some necessary configurations. The most typical scenario among these is the handover process: as the UE moves, the NG-RAN nodes that originally served it (each having a complete base station functionality and may be composed of multiple network elements) can no longer serve it, and then the NG-RAN node will request another NG-RAN node to serve it by triggering a handover procedure, including establishing a corresponding context associated with the UE, and generating a post-handover configuration.

In the existing NG-RAN, in the case where the UE is already connected to the network, the procedure for requesting a network element to generate a context related to the UE includes the following 6 types:

1) And switching process based on the NG interface. The NG interface refers to a signaling interface between the NG-RAN node and the core network. In such a handover procedure, the UE is initially served by a source NG-RAN node of the handover, and the source node determines to change the target NG-RAN node to serve the UE for some reason, then the source NG-RAN node first initiates a request to the target NG-RAN node via the core network to request the target NG-RAN node to generate a context of the UE, generate corresponding configuration information, and configure an air interface connection between the target NG-RAN node and the UE. The Source NG-RAN node first generates a Source-to-Target Container, specifically a Source NG-RAN-to-Target NG-RAN Container, that contains the necessary Access Spectrum (AS) context information associated with the UE for the configuration of the Target NG-RAN node. The source NG-RAN node will include the container in the Handover Required (Handover requested) message it sends to the core network, and after receiving this message the core network will include the container as is in the Handover Request (Handover Request) message it sends to the target NG-RAN node. That is, this "source-to-target container" can be understood as a kind of information sent by the source NG-RAN node of the handover to the target NG-RAN node of the handover.

2) And switching process based on the Xn interface. The Xn interface refers to the signaling interface between two NG-RAN nodes. In such a Handover procedure, the UE is initially served by the source NG-RAN node of the Handover, and the source node decides for some reason to serve the UE by the target NG-RAN node, then the source NG-RAN node sends a Handover Request (Handover Request) message to the target NG-RAN node via the Xn interface to Request the target NG-RAN node to generate the context of the UE and generate the corresponding configuration information. This handover request message will contain the necessary access stratum context information related to the UE.

3) And extracting the UE context flow. For some reason, a UE is disconnected from a NG-RAN node serving the UE, and then the UE establishes a connection with another NG-RAN node in the vicinity. If the latter NG-RAN node identifies which NG-RAN node the UE was previously connected to based on the information provided by the UE, the latter NG-RAN node may send a Retrieve UE Context Request (Retrieve UE Context Request) message to the former NG-RAN node. After the previous NG-RAN node passes the verification, a UE Context Response (Retrieve UE Context Response) message is fed back to the next NG-RAN node, so that the next NG-RAN node generates the UE Context and generates corresponding configuration information. The extracted UE context response message contains the necessary access stratum context information related to the UE.

4) And adding a flow by the auxiliary node. In a 5G system, one UE may be served by two NG-RAN nodes at the same time. When an NG-RAN Node serving a certain UE needs another NG-RAN Node to simultaneously serve the UE for some reason (e.g., insufficient bandwidth), it sends a Secondary Node Addition Request (S-Node Addition Request) message to the latter NG-RAN Node via the Xn interface, requesting the latter to serve as a Secondary Node (Secondary Node) of the UE, including requesting the target NG-RAN Node to generate a context of the UE and generate corresponding configuration information. At the same time, the previous NG-RAN Node becomes the Master Node (Master Node) for the UE. This secondary node addition request message contains the necessary access stratum context information relating to the UE.

5) And establishing a UE context. In a 5G system, an NG-RAN node may be subdivided into two parts, CU (Central Unit) and DU (Distributed Unit). In particular, a NG-RAN node may consist of one CU and one or more DUs. The CU and the DU are connected through an F1 interface or a W1 interface. The CUs control and apply the higher layer configuration, while the DUs control and apply the lower layer configuration. In order for a UE to obtain complete service, the CU and DU need to jointly serve the UE. To this end, when a CU decides to serve a UE, it sends a UE Context Setup Request (UE Context Setup Request) message to an appropriate DU to Request the DU to generate the UE's underlying Context and generate corresponding configuration information. The UE context setup request message contains the necessary access stratum context information related to the UE.

6) And a bearer context establishing process. CU can be further subdivided into two parts CU-CP (Control Plane) and CU-UP (User Plane). Specifically, one CU may be composed of one CU-CP and one or more CU-UP. The CU-CP and the CU-UP are connected through an E1 interface. The CU-CP is responsible for configuration control, and the CU-UP is responsible for configuration application and dynamic scheduling of the user plane. In order for one UE to obtain complete service, CU-CP and CU-UP need to jointly provide service for the UE. To this end, when a CU-CP decides to serve a certain UE, it sends a Bearer Context Setup Request (Bearer Context Setup Request) message to an appropriate CU-UP to Request the CU-UP to generate a user plane Context for the UE. This bearer context setup request message will contain the necessary access stratum context information related to the UE.

It is noted that the above lists containers or messages that are existing inside the existing 5G system, intended to enable one radio access network element to establish UE context. In fact, in other systems including 4G (the 4th generation mobile communication technology), and in the interaction between different systems, there are some other containers or messages that aim to enable a radio access network element to establish UE context, and their functions are basically similar to those of the above-listed containers and messages in the 5G system, and are not described in detail here.

Fig. 1 is a schematic flowchart of a method for obtaining prediction information according to an embodiment of the present application, where the method is applied to a first network element in a radio access network, and as shown in fig. 1, the method includes the following steps:

step 100, receiving a first interface message sent by a second network element in a radio access network, wherein the first interface message comprises first information; the first information is prediction information corresponding to User Equipment (UE) or an index used for acquiring the prediction information corresponding to the UE;

specifically, since the network element in the radio access network does not hold any static UE identity, but only holds a temporary identity that is valid for each pair of network interface areas related to the network element in the radio access network, which is called "interface signaling connection for the UE", when the network element in the radio access network needs to request the prediction information from the network element with the prediction function, it is impossible to indicate to the network element with the prediction function which UE the prediction information is requested for, so that the network element in the radio access network cannot directly obtain the prediction information for the UE from the network element with the prediction function.

In order to enable a first network element in a radio access network to obtain prediction information for a UE (one or more), in this embodiment of the present application, a second network element in the radio access network first sends a first interface message to the first network element, where the first interface message includes first information, where the first information is prediction information corresponding to the UE or an index that can be used to obtain the prediction information corresponding to the UE.

The prediction information may be at least one type of prediction information for the UE, such as prediction information for a future location of the UE or prediction information for future traffic flow of the UE, and so on.

The first interface message may be various interface messages or containers, such as a source-to-target container, a handover request message, an extract UE context response message, a secondary node addition request message, a UE context setup request message, or a bearer context setup request message.

And 101, acquiring the corresponding prediction information of the UE based on the first information.

Specifically, if the first information is prediction information corresponding to the UE, the first network element may directly obtain the prediction information corresponding to the UE from the first interface message after receiving the first interface message sent by the second network element. The prediction information held by the second network element may be obtained in advance from a network element that can provide the prediction information, for example, the second network element may be obtained in advance from the network element with the prediction function after establishing an interface signaling connection for the UE between the core network and the network element with the prediction function in advance, or the second network element may be obtained in advance from a network element in another radio access network that has obtained the prediction information corresponding to the UE.

If the first information is an index used for acquiring the prediction information corresponding to the UE, the first network element cannot directly acquire the prediction information corresponding to the UE from the first interface message after receiving the first interface message sent by the second network element, and further needs to acquire the prediction information corresponding to the UE through other manners according to the acquired index, specifically, the manner of acquiring the prediction information corresponding to the UE based on the index will be introduced in the following content.

According to the method for obtaining the prediction information, the first network element in the radio access network can obtain the prediction information corresponding to the UE or the index for obtaining the prediction information corresponding to the UE from the first interface message sent by the second network element in the radio access network, so that the first network element does not have any static UE identification and can also obtain the prediction information corresponding to the UE, and the user privacy is ensured.

Optionally, the first network element may be a network element that needs to generate a UE context in the radio access network, the second network element may be a network element that holds the UE context in the radio access network, and the network element that needs to generate the UE context may optimally generate the context of the UE according to the prediction information after acquiring the prediction information corresponding to the UE.

Fig. 2 is a schematic flowchart of a method for acquiring prediction information according to an embodiment of the present application, and as shown in fig. 2, the method includes the following steps:

step 200, the network element holding the UE context (i.e. the UE context holder) sends an interface message or container to the network element needing to generate the UE context (i.e. the UE context generator), where the interface message or container directly contains the prediction information for the UE, so that the network element needing to generate the UE context can optimally generate the UE context according to the prediction information.

The interface message or container is used to enable the configuration generator (i.e., UE context generator) to establish a context for the UE, including but not limited to source-to-target container, handover request message, extract UE context response message, secondary node addition request message, UE context establishment request message, bearer context establishment request message, and the like.

The prediction information is at least one prediction information for the UE, including but not limited to a prediction of a future location of the UE, a prediction of a future traffic flow of the UE, and the like. These prediction information may have been obtained in advance by the network element holding the UE context from the network element capable of providing the prediction information.

Step 201, the network element that needs to generate the UE context optimally generates the UE context according to the content contained in the interface message or the container and by combining the prediction information in the interface message or the container.

The present embodiment has the advantage of lowest latency, the configuration generator can configure immediately after receiving the message, and is applicable to all scenarios.

Optionally, when the first information is an index, obtaining prediction information corresponding to the UE based on the first information includes:

receiving a second interface message sent by a second network element, wherein the second interface message comprises prediction information and an index corresponding to the UE;

specifically, if the first information included in the first interface message sent by the second network element to the first network element is an index used for acquiring the prediction information corresponding to the UE, the second network element may also send a second interface message to the first network element, where the second interface message includes the prediction information and the index corresponding to the UE, so that the first network element acquires the prediction information corresponding to the UE from the second interface message, and it can be understood that the index included in the second interface message is the same as the index included in the first interface message.

The prediction information held by the second network element may be obtained in advance from a network element that can provide the prediction information, for example, the second network element may be obtained in advance from the network element with the prediction function after establishing an interface signaling connection for the UE between the core network and the network element with the prediction function in advance, or the second network element may be obtained in advance from a network element in another radio access network that has obtained the prediction information corresponding to the UE.

Alternatively, the second interface message may be an interface message transmitted through an interface dedicated to the AI function.

And acquiring the prediction information corresponding to the UE from the second interface message based on the index.

Specifically, after receiving the second interface message sent by the second network element, the first network element may obtain the prediction information corresponding to the UE from the second interface message according to the index obtained from the first interface message and the association between the prediction information and the index included in the second interface message.

According to the method for obtaining the prediction information, the first network element in the radio access network can obtain the prediction information corresponding to the UE from the second interface message sent by the second network element in the radio access network, so that the first network element does not have any static UE identification and can also obtain the prediction information corresponding to the UE, and the privacy of the user is guaranteed.

Fig. 3 is a schematic flowchart of a method for acquiring prediction information according to an embodiment of the present application, and as shown in fig. 3, the method includes the following steps:

step 300, the network element holding the UE context (i.e. the UE context holder) sends a first interface message or container to the network element needing to generate the UE context (i.e. the UE context generator), where the first interface message or container includes an index of prediction information for the UE, so that the network element needing to generate the UE context can optimally generate the context of the UE according to the prediction information.

The first interface message or container is used to enable the configuration generator (i.e., UE context generator) to establish a context for the UE, including but not limited to a source-to-target container, a handover request message, an extract UE context response message, a secondary node addition request message, a UE context establishment request message, a bearer context establishment request message, and the like.

Step 301, the network element holding the UE context sends a second interface message (generally, this message should be transmitted through an interface dedicated to the AI function) to the network element that needs to generate the UE context, where the second interface message includes the prediction information for the UE and the index of the prediction information.

Step 302, since the network element that needs to generate the UE context may be configured for multiple UEs at the same time, it needs to first determine the prediction information transmission message (i.e. the second interface message) related to the UE according to the index of the configuration information in step 300, then obtain the prediction information related to the UE, and then optimally generate the context of the UE according to the content contained in the message or container in step 300 and in combination with the prediction information.

The advantage of this embodiment is that the interface usage is clear, the delay is not much different from the embodiment corresponding to fig. 2, and it is applicable to all scenarios.

sending a prediction information request message to a third network element, wherein the prediction information request message comprises an index;

specifically, if the first information included in the first interface message sent by the second network element to the first network element is an index used for acquiring the prediction information corresponding to the UE, the first network element may send a prediction information request message to the third network element after receiving the first interface message, where the prediction information request message includes the index obtained by the first network element from the first interface message, so that the third network element determines, according to the index, the prediction information corresponding to the UE.

Alternatively, the third network element may be a network element including functions of data collection and prediction based on AI, that is, a network element with a prediction function. It should be noted that, since the interface signaling connection for the UE cannot be established between the third network element and the first network element before (before the first network element sends the prediction information request message to the third network element), the index included in the prediction information request message sent by the first network element to the third network element (that is, the index included in the first interface message) should be an index that can indicate to the third network element which UE the prediction information is requested to be, for example, the index may be a UE interface application protocol identifier used when the second network element establishes the interface signaling connection for the UE with the third network element in advance, so that the third network element can know, according to the index included in the prediction information request message, which UE the first network element requests is the prediction information for.

Alternatively, the prediction information request message may be transmitted through an interface dedicated to the AI function.

Receiving a prediction information transmission message sent by a third network element, wherein the prediction information transmission message comprises prediction information corresponding to the UE; and the prediction information corresponding to the UE is determined by the third network element based on the index.

Specifically, after the first network element sends the prediction information request message to the third network element, the third network element may determine, according to an index included in the received prediction information request message, prediction information corresponding to the UE, and send a prediction information transmission message to the first network element, where the prediction information transmission message includes the prediction information corresponding to the UE, so that the first network element obtains the prediction information corresponding to the UE from the prediction information transmission message. Optionally, the prediction information transmission message may further include an index obtained by the third network element from the prediction information request message.

Alternatively, the prediction information transmission message may be transmitted through an interface dedicated to the AI function.

According to the method for acquiring the prediction information, the first network element in the radio access network can request the prediction information from the third network element according to the index sent by the second network element, so that the first network element does not have any static UE identification and can acquire the prediction information corresponding to the UE, and the privacy of a user is ensured.

Fig. 4 is a schematic flowchart of a method for acquiring prediction information according to an embodiment of the present application, and as shown in fig. 4, the method includes the following steps:

step 400, the network element holding the UE context (i.e. the UE context holder) sends an interface message or container to the network element needing to generate the UE context (i.e. the UE context generator), where the interface message or container includes an index of the prediction information for the UE, so that the network element needing to generate the UE context can optimally generate the UE context according to the prediction information.

The interface message or container is used to enable the configuration generator (i.e., UE context generator) to establish a context for the UE, including but not limited to a source-to-target container, a handover request message, an extract UE context response message, a secondary node addition request message, a UE context setup request message, a bearer context setup request message, and the like.

Step 401, the network element that needs to generate the UE context sends a prediction information request message to the network element that can provide prediction information (i.e. prediction information provider, generally speaking, the network element that includes the functions of data collection and prediction based on AI) to request the other party to provide prediction information. The prediction information request message contains an index of the prediction information, which is the same as an index obtained from the interface message or the container by the network element that needs to generate the UE context, and is an index that can indicate to the network element that can provide the prediction information which UE the prediction information is requested for.

Step 402, the network element capable of providing the prediction information determines the prediction information requested by the network element performing the configuration (i.e. the network element that needs to generate the UE context) according to the index in the prediction information request message, and then feeds back a prediction information transmission message, which includes the requested prediction information, to the network element that needs to generate the UE context.

The prediction information is at least one type of prediction information for the UE, including but not limited to prediction information for a future location of the UE, prediction information for future traffic flow of the UE, and the like.

Optionally, the fed back prediction information transmission message may further include an index obtained from the prediction information request message by the network element capable of providing the prediction information, for indicating that the prediction information transmission message is associated with the prediction information request message received in step 401.

Step 403, the network element that needs to generate the UE context optimally generates the UE context according to the content contained in the message or container in step 400 and the prediction information in step 402.

The embodiment has the advantages that the network element has clear division of labor and clear signaling use, the network element needing to generate the UE context can directly acquire the latest prediction information from the network element capable of providing the prediction information, and the method is not limited by the version of the network element communication protocol needing to generate the UE context.

receiving a prediction information transmission message sent by a third network element, wherein the prediction information transmission message comprises prediction information and an index corresponding to the UE; the prediction information corresponding to the UE is determined by the third network element based on the index included in the prediction information request message after receiving the prediction information request message sent by the second network element.

Specifically, if the first information included in the first interface message sent by the second network element to the first network element is an index used for acquiring the prediction information corresponding to the UE, the second network element may further send a prediction information request message to the third network element, where the prediction information request message includes an index used for acquiring the prediction information corresponding to the UE, so that the third network element determines the prediction information corresponding to the UE according to the index, and it can be understood that the index included in the prediction information request message is the same as the index included in the first interface message.

Alternatively, the third network element may be a network element including functions of data collection and prediction based on AI, that is, a network element with a prediction function. The second network element may be a network element in a radio access network that establishes an interface signaling connection for the UE in advance through the core network and the third network element. It can be understood that, after the interface signaling connection for the UE is established between the second network element and the third network element, the interface message related to the UE, which is sent by the second network element to the third network element, will include the UE interface application protocol identifier for the UE, and the identifier can indicate to the third network element which UE the interface message is related to, so that the index included in the prediction information request message may be the UE interface application protocol identifier used when the second network element establishes the interface signaling connection for the UE with the third network element in advance through the core network, or any other index identifier, for example, the UE interface application protocol identifier used when the interface signaling connection for the UE is established between the first network element and the second network element.

After the second network element sends the prediction information request message to the third network element, the third network element may determine, according to an index included in the received prediction information request message, prediction information corresponding to the UE, and send a prediction information transmission message to the first network element, where the prediction information transmission message includes the prediction information corresponding to the UE and an index obtained by the third network element from the prediction information request message, so that the first network element obtains the prediction information corresponding to the UE from the prediction information transmission message.

According to the method for obtaining the prediction information, the second network element in the radio access network can send the prediction information request message to the third network element to request the third network element to send the prediction information to the first network element, so that the first network element does not have any static UE identification and can also obtain the prediction information corresponding to the UE, and the user privacy is guaranteed.

Fig. 5 is a schematic flowchart of a method for acquiring prediction information according to an embodiment of the present application, and as shown in fig. 5, the method includes the following steps:

step 500, the network element holding the UE context (i.e. the UE context holder) sends an interface message or container to the network element needing to generate the UE context (i.e. the UE context generator), where the interface message or container includes an index of prediction information for the UE, so that the network element needing to generate the UE context can optimally generate the UE context according to the prediction information.

Step 501, the network element holding the UE context sends a prediction information request message to a network element capable of providing prediction information (i.e. a prediction information provider, generally speaking, a network element including data collection and prediction based on AI), so as to request the network element that needs to generate the UE context to provide prediction information. The prediction information request message includes an index of the prediction information, which is the same as an index obtained from the interface message or the container by the network element that needs to generate the UE context. In particular, the index may be the UE interface application protocol identification in step 500. The network element that needs to generate the UE context may establish an interface signaling connection for the UE in advance through the core network and the network element that can provide the prediction information.

Step 502, the network element capable of providing the prediction information sends a prediction information transmission message to the network element that needs to generate the UE context, where the prediction information transmission message includes the prediction information and an index of the prediction information, and the index is obtained by the network element capable of providing the prediction information from the prediction information request message.

Step 503, since the network element that needs to generate the UE context may be configured for multiple UEs at the same time, it needs to first determine the prediction information transmission message related to the UE according to the index of the configuration information in step 500, then obtain the prediction information related to the UE, and then optimally generate the context of the UE according to the content contained in the message or container in step 500 in combination with the prediction information.

The embodiment has the advantages that the division of the network elements is clear, and the network elements which need to generate the UE context can directly acquire the latest prediction information from the network elements which can provide the prediction information, so that the time delay is moderate.

Fig. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method for obtaining prediction information according to an embodiment of the present application, where the method is applied to a second network element in a radio access network, and as shown in fig. 6, the method includes the following steps:

step 600, start;

step 601, sending a first interface message to a first network element in a radio access network, where the first interface message includes first information, so that the first network element obtains, based on the first information, prediction information corresponding to User Equipment (UE); the first information is prediction information corresponding to the UE or an index used for acquiring the prediction information corresponding to the UE.

Specifically, since the network element in the radio access network does not hold any static UE identity, but only holds a temporary identity that is valid for each pair of network interface areas related to the network element in the radio access network, which is called "interface signaling connection for the UE", when the network element in the radio access network needs to request the prediction information from the network element with the prediction function, it is impossible to indicate to the network element with the prediction function which UE the prediction information is requested for, and thus the network element in the radio access network cannot directly obtain the prediction information for the UE from the network element with the prediction function.

The prediction information may be at least one of prediction information for the UE, such as prediction information for a future location of the UE or prediction information for future traffic flow of the UE.

The first interface message may be various interface messages or containers, such as a source-to-target container, a handover request message, an extract UE context response message, a secondary node addition request message, a UE context setup request message, or a bearer context setup request message, etc.

If the first information is the prediction information corresponding to the UE, the first network element may directly obtain the prediction information corresponding to the UE from the first interface message after receiving the first interface message sent by the second network element. The prediction information held by the second network element may be obtained in advance from a network element that can provide the prediction information, for example, the second network element may be obtained in advance from the network element with the prediction function after establishing an interface signaling connection for the UE between the core network and the network element with the prediction function in advance, or the second network element may be obtained in advance from a network element in another radio access network that has obtained the prediction information corresponding to the UE.

If the first information is an index used for acquiring the prediction information corresponding to the UE, after receiving the first interface message sent by the second network element, the first network element cannot directly acquire the prediction information corresponding to the UE from the first interface message, and further needs to acquire the prediction information corresponding to the UE in other manners according to the acquired index.

According to the method for obtaining the prediction information, the first network element in the radio access network can obtain the prediction information corresponding to the UE or the index for obtaining the prediction information corresponding to the UE from the first interface message sent by the second network element in the radio access network, so that the first network element can also obtain the prediction information corresponding to the UE without any static UE identification, and the privacy of a user is ensured.

Optionally, in a case that the first information is an index, the method further includes:

and sending a second interface message to the first network element, wherein the second interface message comprises the prediction information and the index corresponding to the UE, so that the first network element can acquire the prediction information corresponding to the UE from the second interface message based on the index.

After receiving the second interface message sent by the second network element, the first network element may obtain the prediction information corresponding to the UE from the second interface message according to the association between the index obtained from the first interface message and the prediction information and index included in the second interface message.

According to the method for obtaining the prediction information, the first network element in the radio access network can obtain the prediction information corresponding to the UE from the second interface message sent by the second network element in the radio access network, so that the first network element does not have any static UE identification and can also obtain the prediction information corresponding to the UE, and the privacy of a user is ensured.

sending a prediction information request message to a third network element so that the third network element sends a prediction information transmission message to the first network element, wherein the prediction information transmission message comprises prediction information and an index corresponding to the UE; and the prediction information corresponding to the UE is determined by the third network element based on the index included in the prediction information request message.

Specifically, if the first information included in the first interface message sent by the second network element to the first network element is an index used for acquiring the prediction information corresponding to the UE, the second network element may also send a prediction information request message to the third network element, where the prediction information request message includes an index used for acquiring the prediction information corresponding to the UE, so that the third network element determines the prediction information corresponding to the UE according to the index, and it can be understood that the index included in the prediction information request message is the same as the index included in the first interface message.

Alternatively, the third network element may be a network element including functions of data collection and prediction based on AI, that is, a network element with a prediction function. The second network element may be a network element in a radio access network that previously establishes an interface signaling connection for the UE through the core network and the third network element. It can be understood that, after the interface signaling connection for the UE is established between the second network element and the third network element, the interface message related to the UE, which is sent by the second network element to the third network element, will include the UE interface application protocol identifier for the UE, and the identifier can indicate to the third network element which UE the interface message is related to, so that the index included in the prediction information request message may be the UE interface application protocol identifier used when the second network element establishes the interface signaling connection for the UE with the third network element in advance through the core network, or any other index identifier, for example, the UE interface application protocol identifier used when the interface signaling connection for the UE is established between the first network element and the second network element.

Fig. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method for obtaining prediction information according to an embodiment of the present application, where the method is applied to a third network element, and as shown in fig. 7, the method includes the following steps:

step 700, start;

step 701, sending a prediction information transmission message to a first network element in a radio access network, where the prediction information transmission message includes prediction information corresponding to User Equipment (UE); the prediction information corresponding to the UE is determined by a third network element based on an index included in a prediction information request message after receiving the prediction information request message sent by a first network element, wherein the index is carried by a second network element in a radio access network in a first interface message and sent to the first network element, so that the first network element can obtain the prediction information corresponding to the UE based on the index; or the like, or, alternatively,

sending a prediction information transmission message to a first network element in a radio access network, wherein the prediction information transmission message comprises prediction information corresponding to User Equipment (UE) and an index used for acquiring the prediction information corresponding to the UE, so that the first network element acquires the prediction information corresponding to the UE based on the index received from a first interface message sent by a second network element in the radio access network; the prediction information corresponding to the UE is determined by the third network element based on the index included in the prediction information request message after receiving the prediction information request message sent by the second network element.

In order to enable a first network element in a radio access network to obtain prediction information for a UE (one or more), in this embodiment of the present application, a second network element in the radio access network first sends a first interface message to the first network element, where the first interface message includes first information, where the first information is an index that can be used to obtain the prediction information corresponding to the UE.

Optionally, after receiving the first interface message, the first network element may send a prediction information request message to the third network element, where the prediction information request message includes an index obtained by the first network element from the first interface message, so that the third network element determines, according to the index, prediction information corresponding to the UE.

After the first network element sends the prediction information request message to the third network element, the third network element may determine, according to an index included in the received prediction information request message, prediction information corresponding to the UE, and send a prediction information transmission message to the first network element, where the prediction information transmission message includes the prediction information corresponding to the UE, so that the first network element obtains the prediction information corresponding to the UE from the prediction information transmission message. Optionally, the prediction information transmission message may further include an index obtained by the third network element from the prediction information request message.

The third network element may be a network element including functions of data collection and prediction based on AI, that is, a network element with a prediction function. It should be noted that, since the interface signaling connection for the UE cannot be established between the third network element and the first network element before (before the first network element sends the prediction information request message to the third network element), the index included in the prediction information request message sent by the first network element to the third network element (that is, the index included in the first interface message) should be an index that can indicate to the third network element which UE the prediction information is requested to, for example, the index may be a UE interface application protocol identifier used when the second network element establishes the interface signaling connection for the UE between the core network and the third network element in advance, so that the third network element can know, according to the index included in the prediction information request message, which UE the prediction information is requested by the first network element.

Optionally, the second network element may further send a prediction information request message to the third network element, where the prediction information request message includes an index used to obtain the prediction information corresponding to the UE, so that the third network element determines the prediction information corresponding to the UE according to the index, and it can be understood that the index included in the prediction information request message is the same as the index included in the first interface message.

The third network element may be a network element including functions of data collection and prediction based on AI, that is, a network element with a prediction function. The second network element may be a network element in a radio access network that establishes an interface signaling connection for the UE in advance through the core network and the third network element. It can be understood that, after the interface signaling connection for the UE is established between the second network element and the third network element, the interface message related to the UE, which is sent by the second network element to the third network element, may include the UE interface application protocol identifier for the UE, and the identifier may indicate to the third network element which UE the interface message is related to, so that the index included in the prediction information request message may be the UE interface application protocol identifier used when the second network element establishes the interface signaling connection for the UE between the core network and the third network element in advance, or may be any other index identifier, for example, the UE interface application protocol identifier used when the interface signaling connection for the UE is established between the first network element and the second network element.

According to the method for obtaining the prediction information, the first network element in the radio access network can obtain the prediction information corresponding to the UE from the prediction information transmission message sent by the third network element under the condition that the first network element does not hold any static UE identification, and therefore user privacy is guaranteed.

The method and the device provided by the embodiments of the application are based on the same application concept, and because the principles of solving the problems of the method and the device are similar, the implementation of the device and the method can be mutually referred, and repeated parts are not repeated.

Fig. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of a first network element in a radio access network according to an embodiment of the present application, where as shown in fig. 8, the first network element includes a memory 820, a transceiver 810 and a processor 800; wherein, the processor 800 and the memory 820 may also be arranged physically separately.

A memory 820 for storing a computer program; a transceiver 810 for transceiving data under the control of the processor 800.

In particular, the transceiver 810 is used to receive and transmit data under the control of the processor 800.

Wherein in fig. 8 the bus architecture may include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, with one or more processors represented by processor 800 and various circuits of memory represented by memory 820 being linked together. The bus architecture may also link together various other circuits such as peripherals, voltage regulators, power management circuits, and the like, which are well known in the art, and therefore, will not be described any further herein. The bus interface provides an interface. The transceiver 810 may be a number of elements including a transmitter and receiver that provide a means for communicating with various other apparatus over a transmission medium including wireless channels, wired channels, fiber optic cables, and the like. The processor 800 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing, and the memory 820 may store data used by the processor 800 in performing operations.

The processor 800 may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or a Complex Programmable Logic Device (CPLD), and may also have a multi-core architecture.

The processor 800 is configured to execute any of the methods provided by the embodiments of the present application by calling the computer program stored in the memory 820, according to the obtained executable instructions, for example: receiving a first interface message sent by a second network element in a radio access network, wherein the first interface message comprises first information; the first information is prediction information corresponding to User Equipment (UE) or an index used for acquiring the prediction information corresponding to the UE; and acquiring the corresponding prediction information of the UE based on the first information.

Optionally, when the first information is an index, obtaining prediction information corresponding to the UE based on the first information includes: receiving a second interface message sent by a second network element, wherein the second interface message comprises prediction information and an index corresponding to the UE; and acquiring the prediction information corresponding to the UE from the second interface message based on the index.

Optionally, when the first information is an index, obtaining prediction information corresponding to the UE based on the first information includes: sending a prediction information request message to a third network element, wherein the prediction information request message comprises an index; receiving a prediction information transmission message sent by a third network element, wherein the prediction information transmission message comprises prediction information corresponding to the UE; and the prediction information corresponding to the UE is determined by the third network element based on the index.

Optionally, when the first information is an index, obtaining prediction information corresponding to the UE based on the first information includes: receiving a prediction information transmission message sent by a third network element, wherein the prediction information transmission message comprises prediction information and an index corresponding to the UE; the prediction information corresponding to the UE is determined by the third network element based on the index included in the prediction information request message after receiving the prediction information request message sent by the second network element.

Optionally, the method further comprises: and generating the context of the UE based on the corresponding prediction information of the UE.

Fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of a second network element in a radio access network according to an embodiment of the present application, where as shown in fig. 9, the second network element includes a memory 920, a transceiver 910, and a processor 900; wherein the processor 900 and the memory 920 may also be physically separated.

A memory 920 for storing a computer program; a transceiver 910 for transceiving data under the control of the processor 900.

In particular, the transceiver 910 is used to receive and transmit data under the control of the processor 900.

In fig. 9, among other things, the bus architecture may include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, with one or more processors, represented by processor 900, and various circuits, represented by memory 920, being linked together. The bus architecture may also link together various other circuits such as peripherals, voltage regulators, power management circuits, and the like, which are well known in the art, and therefore, will not be described any further herein. The bus interface provides an interface. The transceiver 910 may be a plurality of elements including a transmitter and a receiver that provide a means for communicating with various other apparatus over a transmission medium including wireless channels, wired channels, fiber optic cables, and the like. The processor 900 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing, and the memory 920 may store data used by the processor 900 in performing operations.

The processor 900 may be a CPU, ASIC, FPGA or CPLD, and the processor may also employ a multi-core architecture.

The processor 900 is configured to execute any of the methods provided by the embodiments of the present application by calling the computer program stored in the memory 920 according to the obtained executable instructions, for example: sending a first interface message to a first network element in a radio access network, wherein the first interface message comprises first information so that the first network element can obtain prediction information corresponding to User Equipment (UE) based on the first information; the first information is prediction information corresponding to the UE or an index used for acquiring the prediction information corresponding to the UE.

Optionally, in a case that the first information is an index, the method further includes: and sending a second interface message to the first network element, wherein the second interface message comprises the prediction information and the index corresponding to the UE, so that the first network element can acquire the prediction information corresponding to the UE from the second interface message based on the index.

Optionally, in a case that the first information is an index, the method further includes: sending a prediction information request message to a third network element so that the third network element can send a prediction information transmission message to the first network element, wherein the prediction information transmission message comprises prediction information and an index corresponding to the UE; the prediction information corresponding to the UE is determined by the third network element based on the index included in the prediction information request message.

Fig. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of a third network element according to an embodiment of the present application, and as shown in fig. 10, the third network element includes a memory 1020, a transceiver 1010 and a processor 1000; wherein the processor 1000 and the memory 1020 may also be physically separated.

A memory 1020 for storing a computer program; a transceiver 1010 for transceiving data under the control of the processor 1000.

In particular, the transceiver 1010 is used to receive and transmit data under the control of the processor 1000.

Where in fig. 10, the bus architecture may include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, with various circuits being linked together, particularly one or more processors represented by processor 1000 and memory represented by memory 1020. The bus architecture may also link together various other circuits such as peripherals, voltage regulators, power management circuits, and the like, which are well known in the art, and therefore, will not be described any further herein. The bus interface provides an interface. The transceiver 1010 may be a number of elements including a transmitter and receiver that provide a means for communicating with various other apparatus over a transmission medium including wireless channels, wired channels, fiber optic cables, and the like. The processor 1000 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing, and the memory 1020 may store data used by the processor 1000 in performing operations.

The processor 1000 may be a CPU, ASIC, FPGA or CPLD, and the processor may also adopt a multi-core architecture.

The processor 1000 is configured to execute any of the methods provided by the embodiments of the present application by calling the computer program stored in the memory 1020 according to the obtained executable instructions, for example: sending a prediction information transmission message to a first network element in a radio access network, wherein the prediction information transmission message comprises prediction information corresponding to User Equipment (UE); the prediction information corresponding to the UE is determined by a third network element based on an index included in a prediction information request message after receiving the prediction information request message sent by a first network element, wherein the index is carried by a second network element in a radio access network in a first interface message and sent to the first network element, so that the first network element can obtain the prediction information corresponding to the UE based on the index; or, sending a prediction information transmission message to a first network element in the radio access network, where the prediction information transmission message includes prediction information corresponding to the user equipment UE and an index used for acquiring the prediction information corresponding to the UE, so that the first network element acquires the prediction information corresponding to the UE based on the index included in a first interface message received from a second network element in the radio access network; the prediction information corresponding to the UE is determined by the third network element based on the index included in the prediction information request message after receiving the prediction information request message sent by the second network element.

It should be noted that, in the first network element in the radio access network, the second network element in the radio access network, and the third network element provided in the embodiment of the present application, all the method steps implemented by the foregoing method embodiment can be implemented, and the same technical effect can be achieved.

Fig. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of an apparatus for obtaining prediction information according to an embodiment of the present application, where the apparatus is applied to a first network element in a radio access network, and as shown in fig. 11, the apparatus includes:

a receiving unit 1100, configured to receive a first interface message sent by a second network element in a radio access network, where the first interface message includes first information; the first information is prediction information corresponding to User Equipment (UE) or an index used for acquiring the prediction information corresponding to the UE;

an obtaining unit 1110, configured to obtain prediction information corresponding to the UE based on the first information.

Optionally, in a case that the first information is an index, the obtaining unit 1110 is configured to: receiving a second interface message sent by a second network element, wherein the second interface message comprises prediction information and an index corresponding to the UE; and acquiring the prediction information corresponding to the UE from the second interface message based on the index.

Optionally, in a case that the first information is an index, the obtaining unit 1110 is configured to: sending a prediction information request message to a third network element, wherein the prediction information request message comprises an index; receiving a prediction information transmission message sent by a third network element, wherein the prediction information transmission message comprises prediction information corresponding to the UE; and the prediction information corresponding to the UE is determined by the third network element based on the index.

Optionally, in a case that the first information is an index, the obtaining unit 1110 is configured to: receiving a prediction information transmission message sent by a third network element, wherein the prediction information transmission message comprises prediction information and an index corresponding to the UE; the prediction information corresponding to the UE is determined by the third network element based on the index included in the prediction information request message after receiving the prediction information request message sent by the second network element.

Optionally, the apparatus further comprises:

a generating unit 1120, configured to generate a context of the UE based on the prediction information corresponding to the UE.

Fig. 12 is a schematic structural diagram of an apparatus for obtaining prediction information according to an embodiment of the present application, where the apparatus is applied to a second network element in a radio access network, and as shown in fig. 12, the apparatus includes:

a first sending unit 1200, configured to send a first interface message to a first network element in a radio access network, where the first interface message includes first information, so that the first network element obtains, based on the first information, prediction information corresponding to user equipment UE; the first information is prediction information corresponding to the UE or an index used for acquiring the prediction information corresponding to the UE.

Optionally, in a case that the first information is an index, the first sending unit 1200 is further configured to: and sending a second interface message to the first network element, wherein the second interface message comprises the prediction information and the index corresponding to the UE, so that the first network element can acquire the prediction information corresponding to the UE from the second interface message based on the index.

Optionally, in a case that the first information is an index, the first sending unit 1200 is further configured to: sending a prediction information request message to a third network element so that the third network element sends a prediction information transmission message to the first network element, wherein the prediction information transmission message comprises prediction information and an index corresponding to the UE; and the prediction information corresponding to the UE is determined by the third network element based on the index included in the prediction information request message.

Fig. 13 is a schematic structural diagram of an apparatus for obtaining prediction information according to an embodiment of the present application, where the apparatus is applied to a third network element, and as shown in fig. 13, the apparatus includes:

a second sending unit 1300, configured to send a prediction information transmission message to a first network element in a radio access network, where the prediction information transmission message includes prediction information corresponding to user equipment UE; the prediction information corresponding to the UE is determined by a third network element based on an index included in a prediction information request message after receiving the prediction information request message sent by a first network element, wherein the index is carried by a second network element in a radio access network in a first interface message and sent to the first network element, so that the first network element can obtain the prediction information corresponding to the UE based on the index; or, sending a prediction information transmission message to a first network element in the radio access network, where the prediction information transmission message includes prediction information corresponding to the user equipment UE and an index used to obtain the prediction information corresponding to the UE, so that the first network element obtains the prediction information corresponding to the UE based on the index included in a first interface message received from a second network element in the radio access network; the prediction information corresponding to the UE is determined by the third network element based on the index included in the prediction information request message after receiving the prediction information request message sent by the second network element.

It should be noted that the division of the unit in the embodiment of the present application is schematic, and is only a logic function division, and there may be another division manner in actual implementation. In addition, functional units in the embodiments of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist alone physically, or two or more units are integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be realized in a form of hardware, and can also be realized in a form of a software functional unit.

The integrated unit, if implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as a stand-alone product, may be stored in a processor readable storage medium. Based on such understanding, the technical solutions of the present application, which are essential or contributing to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solutions may be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for causing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, a network device, or the like) or a processor (processor) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the embodiments of the present application. And the aforementioned storage medium includes: a U-disk, a removable hard disk, a Read-Only Memory (ROM), a Random Access Memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, an optical disk, or other various media capable of storing program codes.

It should be noted that the apparatus provided in the embodiment of the present application can implement all the method steps implemented by the method embodiment and achieve the same technical effect, and detailed descriptions of the same parts and beneficial effects as the method embodiment in this embodiment are omitted here.

On the other hand, an embodiment of the present application further provides a processor-readable storage medium, where the processor-readable storage medium stores a computer program, where the computer program is configured to enable the processor to execute the method for obtaining prediction information provided in each of the foregoing embodiments, where the method includes: receiving a first interface message sent by a second network element in a radio access network, wherein the first interface message comprises first information; the first information is prediction information corresponding to User Equipment (UE) or an index used for acquiring the prediction information corresponding to the UE; and acquiring the corresponding prediction information of the UE based on the first information.

On the other hand, an embodiment of the present application further provides a processor-readable storage medium, where the processor-readable storage medium stores a computer program, where the computer program is configured to enable the processor to execute the method for obtaining prediction information provided in each of the above embodiments, and the method includes: sending a first interface message to a first network element in a radio access network, wherein the first interface message comprises first information so that the first network element can obtain corresponding prediction information of User Equipment (UE) based on the first information; the first information is prediction information corresponding to the UE or an index used for acquiring the prediction information corresponding to the UE.

On the other hand, an embodiment of the present application further provides a processor-readable storage medium, where the processor-readable storage medium stores a computer program, where the computer program is configured to enable the processor to execute the method for obtaining prediction information provided in each of the above embodiments, and the method includes: sending a prediction information transmission message to a first network element in a radio access network, wherein the prediction information transmission message comprises prediction information corresponding to User Equipment (UE); the prediction information corresponding to the UE is determined by a third network element based on an index included in a prediction information request message after receiving the prediction information request message sent by a first network element, wherein the index is carried by a second network element in a radio access network in a first interface message and sent to the first network element, so that the first network element can obtain the prediction information corresponding to the UE based on the index; or, sending a prediction information transmission message to a first network element in the radio access network, where the prediction information transmission message includes prediction information corresponding to the user equipment UE and an index used for acquiring the prediction information corresponding to the UE, so that the first network element acquires the prediction information corresponding to the UE based on the index included in a first interface message received from a second network element in the radio access network; the prediction information corresponding to the UE is determined by the third network element based on the index included in the prediction information request message after receiving the prediction information request message sent by the second network element.

The processor-readable storage medium can be any available medium or data storage device that can be accessed by a processor, including, but not limited to, magnetic memory (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tape, magneto-optical disks (MOs), etc.), optical memory (e.g., CDs, DVDs, BDs, HVDs, etc.), and semiconductor memory (e.g., ROMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs, non-volatile memories (NAND FLASH), solid State Disks (SSDs)), etc.

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, embodiments of the present application may be provided as a method, system, or computer program product. Accordingly, the present application may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, the present application may take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, optical storage, and the like) having computer-usable program code embodied therein.

The present application is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the application. It will be understood that each flow and/or block of the flow diagrams and/or block diagrams, and combinations of flows and/or blocks in the flow diagrams and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer-executable instructions. These computer-executable instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These processor-executable instructions may also be stored in a processor-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the processor-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instruction means which implement the function specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These processor-executable instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made in the present application without departing from the spirit and scope of the application. Thus, if such modifications and variations of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents, the present application is intended to include such modifications and variations as well.

Claims

1. A method for obtaining prediction information, applied to a first network element in a radio access network, includes:

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, when the first information is the index, the obtaining the prediction information corresponding to the UE based on the first information includes:

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein, when the first information is the index, the obtaining the prediction information corresponding to the UE based on the first information includes:

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein, when the first information is the index, the obtaining the prediction information corresponding to the UE based on the first information includes:

5. The method for acquiring prediction information according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising:

6. A method for obtaining prediction information, applied to a second network element in a radio access network, includes:

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein when the first information is the index, the method further includes:

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein when the first information is the index, the method further includes:

9. A method for obtaining prediction information, applied to a third network element, includes:

sending a prediction information transmission message to a first network element in a radio access network, wherein the prediction information transmission message comprises prediction information corresponding to User Equipment (UE); the prediction information corresponding to the UE is determined by the index included in the prediction information request message after the third network element receives the prediction information request message sent by the first network element, where the index is sent to the first network element by a second network element in a radio access network, where the second network element is carried in a first interface message, so that the first network element can obtain the prediction information corresponding to the UE based on the index; or the like, or, alternatively,

10. A first network element in a radio access network, comprising a memory, a transceiver, a processor:

a memory for storing a computer program; a transceiver for transceiving data under control of the processor; a processor for reading the computer program in the memory and performing the following operations:

11. The first network element in the radio access network of claim 10, wherein, in a case that the first information is the index, the obtaining of the prediction information corresponding to the UE based on the first information comprises:

12. The first network element in the radio access network of claim 10, wherein, in case that the first information is the index, the obtaining of the prediction information corresponding to the UE based on the first information comprises:

13. The first network element in the radio access network of claim 10, wherein, in a case that the first information is the index, the obtaining of the prediction information corresponding to the UE based on the first information comprises:

14. The first network element in the radio access network according to any of claims 10 to 13, wherein the operations further comprise:

15. A second network element in a radio access network, comprising a memory, a transceiver, a processor:

a memory for storing a computer program; a transceiver for transceiving data under control of the processor; a processor for reading the computer program in the memory and performing the following:

16. The second network element in the radio access network of claim 15, wherein in case the first information is the index, the operations further comprise:

17. The second network element in the radio access network of claim 15, wherein in case the first information is the index, the operations further comprise:

18. A third network element comprising a memory, a transceiver, a processor:

sending a prediction information transmission message to a first network element in a radio access network, wherein the prediction information transmission message comprises prediction information corresponding to User Equipment (UE); the prediction information corresponding to the UE is determined by the index included in the prediction information request message after the third network element receives the prediction information request message sent by the first network element, where the index is sent to the first network element by a second network element in a radio access network, where the second network element is carried in a first interface message, so that the first network element obtains the prediction information corresponding to the UE based on the index; or the like, or a combination thereof,

19. An apparatus for obtaining prediction information, applied to a first network element in a radio access network, includes:

20. An apparatus for obtaining prediction information, applied to a second network element in a radio access network, includes:

21. An apparatus for obtaining prediction information, applied to a third network element, includes:

a second sending unit, configured to send a prediction information transmission message to a first network element in a radio access network, where the prediction information transmission message includes prediction information corresponding to user equipment UE; the prediction information corresponding to the UE is determined by the index included in the prediction information request message after the third network element receives the prediction information request message sent by the first network element, where the index is sent to the first network element by a second network element in a radio access network, where the second network element is carried in a first interface message, so that the first network element obtains the prediction information corresponding to the UE based on the index; or the like, or a combination thereof,

22. A processor-readable storage medium, characterized in that the processor-readable storage medium stores a computer program for causing a processor to perform the method of any of claims 1 to 5, or to perform the method of any of claims 6 to 8, or to perform the method of claim 9.