CN101547431B - Generation method and generation device of position area list and network system - Google Patents

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention discloses a method, device and network system for generating a location area list. The method includes: after the trigger condition for generating the location area list is triggered, according to the record information, generating a location area list consisting of the location area entered by the user terminal within a set period of time and the location area where the user terminal is currently located, the The record information includes the location area entered by the user terminal and the time of entering the location area. The implementation of the present invention also provides a location area list generating device and a network system correspondingly. The technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present invention can specifically realize the generation of the location area list.

Description

Method, device and network system for generating location area list

technical field

The invention relates to the field of communication technology, in particular to a method, device and network system for generating a location area list. the

Background technique

In a mobile communication system, in order to ensure that the network side tracks the location of the user terminal UE when it is in an idle state, an area for tracking the location of the user terminal is usually defined, which can be collectively referred to as a location area. For example, in GPRS (General Packet Radio Service, general packet radio service)/UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System, universal mobile communication system), the location area is defined as RA (Routing Area, routing area), when the user terminal moves from an RA area When going to another RA area, it is necessary to initiate a routing area update message to notify the SGSN (Serving GPRS Support Node, serving GPRS support node) on the network side of the change of the routing area, and the network side records the change of the user terminal routing area in real time. In the SAE (System Architecture Evolution, System Architecture Evolution) of 3GPP (The 3rd Generation Partnership Project, the third generation partnership project), the location area is defined as TA (Tracking Area, tracking area), and the corresponding TA is assigned to the user terminal. ID, and perform location management on the user terminal when the user terminal is in an idle state. When the TA of the user terminal changes, it is necessary to notify the MME (Mobility Management Entity, Mobility Management Entity) on the network side. In WiMax (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, Microwave Access Global Interoperability System), the location area is defined as PG (Paging Group, paging group), when the PG of the user terminal changes, it is also necessary to notify the access network on the network side Gateway Decision Point ASN-GWD. the

At present, SAE has proposed the concept of the tracking area list TA LIST. The tracking area list mentioned here belongs to a kind of location area list. For the scenario of applying RA or PG, the location area list can be called routing area list and paging group respectively. list. TALIST is composed of multiple TAs, and the network side can send this TALIST to the user terminal, so that when the user terminal moves in this TA list area, it does not need to initiate a TA area update message. the

During the research and practice of the prior art, the inventor found the following problems in the prior art:

In the prior art, only the concept of the location area list is proposed. For example, SAE only proposes the concept of the tracking area list TALIST, but does not provide a specific method for generating the tracking area list. This problem also exists for the application of RA or PG. , that is, no specific method for generating the location area list is provided in the prior art. the

Contents of the invention

Embodiments of the present invention provide a method, device, and network system for generating a location area list, which can specifically realize the generation of a location area list. the

In order to solve the problems of the technologies described above, the embodiments provided by the present invention are achieved through the following technical solutions:

An embodiment of the present invention provides a method for generating a location area list, including: when a user terminal enters a location area, recording the location area that the user terminal enters and the time when the user terminal enters the location area; after the trigger condition for generating the location area list is triggered , according to the record information, generate a location area list consisting of the location area entered by the user terminal within the set time period and the location area where the user terminal is currently located, the record information includes the location area entered by the user terminal and the time of entering the location area . the

An embodiment of the present invention provides a device for generating a location area list, including: a recording unit, configured to record the location area entered by the user terminal and the time when the user terminal enters the location area when the user terminal enters the location area; After the trigger condition of the location area list is triggered, the recording information is obtained from the recording unit, and the recording information includes the location area entered by the user terminal and the time of entering the location area; The location area list is composed of the location areas entered by the user terminal within a certain period of time and the location area where the user terminal is currently located. the

An embodiment of the present invention provides a network system, including: a network side device, configured to send a message requesting a location area list; a location area list generator, configured to record the location area entered by the user terminal when the user terminal enters the location area and the time of entering the location area, after receiving the message requesting the location area list sent by the network device, according to the record information, generate the location area entered by the user terminal within the set time period and the current location area of the user terminal A location area list is formed, and the record information includes the location area entered by the user terminal and the time when the user terminal enters the location area. the

It can be seen from the above technical solution that the record information in the technical solution of the embodiment of the present invention records the location area entered by the user terminal and the time of entering the location area, then after the trigger condition for generating the location area list is triggered, it can be generated according to the record information The location area list is composed of the location areas entered by the user terminal within the set time period and the location areas where the user terminal is currently located. In this way, the technical solution of the embodiment of the present invention specifically provides a method for generating a location area list. the

Description of drawings

Fig. 1 is a flow chart of a method for generating a tracking area list in an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a flow chart of application example one of the embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 3 is the flow chart of application example two of the embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 4 is the structural representation of device of the embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of the network system structure of the example of the present invention. the

Detailed ways

An embodiment of the present invention provides a method for generating a location area list. the

The method for generating the location area list provided by the embodiment of the present invention includes:

1) The trigger condition for generating the location area list is triggered;

2) After the trigger condition for generating the location area list is triggered, according to the record information, generate a location area list consisting of the location area entered by the user terminal within the set time period and the location area where the user terminal is currently located, the record information Including the location area entered by the user terminal and the time when entering the location area. the

In the solution of the embodiment of the present invention, when the user terminal enters the location area, the identifier of the user terminal, the location area entered by the user terminal, and the time of entering the location area may be recorded. the

The set time period may be t0≤t≤t0+T, where t0 represents the start time of generating the location area list, and T represents the length of the preset time period. The T can be set by the user terminal, or set by the network side. the

In addition, in the solution of the embodiment of the present invention, the maximum number of records of the location area entered by the user terminal in the recorded information may be preset. When the user terminal enters the location area, if the location of the user terminal entered by the user terminal identifier corresponds When the number of area records exceeds the preset maximum value, delete the earliest recorded location area and record the newly added location area; and/or, set the maximum number of records of the time of entering the same location area in the recorded information value, when the user terminal enters the location area, if the number of time records of the user terminal corresponding to the user terminal identifier entering the same location area exceeds the preset maximum value, delete the earliest recorded time and record the newly added time of entering the same location zone time. the

In the solution of the embodiment of the present invention, the triggering condition for generating the location area list may be specifically: receiving a location area list request message carrying the user terminal identifier sent by the network side device, and the location area list request message is sent by the network side The device sends out after receiving the attach request message or the location update request message sent by the user terminal. In different networks, the network-side devices may be different. For example, in a GPRS/UMTS network, the network-side device is an SGSN; in an SAE network, the network-side device is an MME; in a WiMax network, the network-side device is an access network gateway Click ASN-GW DP. the

The solution of the embodiment of the present invention further includes: returning the location area list generated for the user terminal to the network side device, and sending it to the terminal by the mobility management entity MME. the

It should be noted that, the location area list is generated by the location area list generator above. the

The location area list generator can be set independently, or set together with the network side device. For example, when the location area in the GPRS/UMTS network is a routing area, the location area list generator and the serving GPRS support node SGSN are set as one, and at this time the location area list generator can be called a routing area list generator; When the location area in the SAE network is a tracking area, the location area list generator and the mobility management entity MME are set as one. At this time, the location area list generator can be called a tracking area list generator; in WiMax When the location area in the network is a paging group, the location area list generator and the access network gateway decision point ASN-GW DP are set as one, and at this time the location area list generator can be called a paging group list generator . the

The following further introduces the method of the embodiment of the present invention. In the following embodiment, the application scenario of the tracking area TA is illustrated but not limited thereto. The generated location area list is called the tracking area list TA List. the

Please refer to Fig. 1, which is a flow chart of a method for generating a tracking area list in an embodiment of the present invention, including:

101. When the user terminal enters the tracking area TA, record the user identification of the user terminal, the number of the entered TA area, and the time t of entering the TA area;

A logical functional entity is defined in the embodiment of the present invention: Tracking Area List Generator (TA ListGenerator), denoted as TLG. the

It should be noted that the TLG is only a logical functional entity, and the technical solution of the embodiment of the present invention does not limit its physical implementation form. The TLG can exist alone, or can be integrated with the MME (mobility management entity) in the SAE Set implementation. the

When a user terminal enters a certain TA area, TLG records the number of the TA area where the user terminal is currently located in the database table, and the time t when entering this TA area. One of the recording methods is shown in Table 1 below:

Table 1

It should be noted that the time t recorded in the table may be a historical record recorded within a certain period of time, such as within a week, or recorded in the previous two days, and is not specifically limited. the

102. After the trigger condition is triggered, form a set of all TA areas satisfying the filter condition and the current TA area of the user terminal to generate a tracking area list TA LIST. the

The trigger condition in the embodiment of the present invention may be that the network-side mobility management entity MME receives an attach request message or a tracking area update request message sent by the user terminal, or it may be the cycle time set by the network side to automatically generate the tracking area list TALIST arrive. the

When the trigger condition occurs, that is, when a TA list needs to be generated for a user terminal, record the time when the TA list needs to be generated as t0, and record the TA area where the user terminal is located at t0 as TA0, and the time when TLG will enter the TA area satisfies the screening All TA areas with the condition t0≤t≤t0+T are screened out, and a set is formed with the TA areas where the user terminal is currently located to form a TA LIST. The T mentioned here refers to the length of a time period. T can be set by the network side or by the terminal, and the setting can be set by default or maintained dynamically. the

Assume that if user terminal A has a record as shown in Table 2 below:

Table 2

At time 8:15 (t0), it is required to generate a TA LIST. At this time, the TA area where user terminal A is located is TA1. If T is set to 2 hours, then the TA area in the record satisfies t0≤t≤t0+T at this time TA5 and TA6, plus TA1 where the current user terminal A is located, the final TA LIST is {TA1, TA5, TA6}. the

It should be noted that the technical solution of the embodiment of the present invention does not limit the recording method of recording the number of the TA area where the user terminal is located and the time t in this TA area. Make a note. the

In addition, the above method can be further improved, that is, when the system is implemented, a maximum number of TA area records can be set for the same user terminal, for example, only 5 TA areas can be recorded at most, and the number of TA areas recorded for a certain user can reach the maximum When recording the number of records, if the user enters a new TA area at this time, delete the earliest TA area record and record the new TA area at the same time; for the same TA area of the same user terminal, a maximum number of time records can be set, for example, for the same TA The zone only records 4 time points, and the time point interval is greater than T. When the records of the same user and the same TA area reach the maximum time point record, if a new time point needs to be recorded, the earliest recorded time point in this record will be deleted. At the same time record the new time point. the

The method in the embodiment of the present invention will be further described below in combination with specific application scenarios. The following application scenarios are illustrated by setting the TLG and MME separately, but not limited thereto. The two can also be set together. In this case, the corresponding interface messages are internal interaction messages. the

Please refer to FIG. 2 , which is a flowchart of application example 1 of the embodiment of the present invention. the

The first application example is the processing situation during the attach process for the user terminal. As shown in Figure 2, including:

201. The user terminal initiates an attach request message to the MME;

202. The MME sends a TA LIST request message to the TLG;

In the TA LIST request message, the ID of the user terminal and the TA area (TA0) where the user terminal is currently located are mandatory parameters, and t0 and T are optional parameters. the

If t0 is not included in the message, TLG will use the current time of the system that received the TA LIST request message as t0; if T is not included in the message, then T can be set according to the default configuration information in TLG, or in the operation and maintenance system of TLG Setting; if T is included in the message, then T is set by the MME, or is set in the operation and maintenance system of the MME, or T is set by the user terminal and sent to the MME, and the MME carries it in the message. the

203. The TLG obtains relevant information from the TA LIST request message, searches the database according to the user terminal identifier, and filters the record information corresponding to the user terminal identifier in the table of the database according to the condition of t0≤t≤t0+T, and obtains the corresponding The TA area, plus the current TA0 where the current user terminal is located, finally generates a TA LIST including TA0 for the user terminal;

204. The TLG returns a TA LIST response message to the MME, which carries the user terminal identifier and the generated TA LIST;

205. The MME returns an Attach Accept message to the user terminal, which carries TA LIST. the

It should be noted that the TLG can also update the TA area in the TA LIST as needed, and send the updated TA LIST to the user terminal through the MME. the

It should also be noted that, in the above process, if the MME and TLG are set as one, steps 202 to 204 are internal implementation processes. the

In addition, in this application example, the process of triggering the generation of TALIST after the network side receives the attach request message sent by the user terminal is used as an example for illustration. It may also be the process of triggering the generation of TALIST after the cycle time for automatically generating TALIST set by the network side arrives. , and then after receiving the attach request message sent by the user terminal, the generated TA LIST can be directly delivered. the

Please refer to FIG. 3 , which is a flowchart of application example 2 of the embodiment of the present invention. the

The second application example is for the processing when the user terminal initiates a tracking area update. This tracking area update process includes the situation when the tracking area is changed and the situation where the tracking area is updated periodically. As shown in Figure 3, including:

301. The user terminal sends a tracking area update request message to the MME;

302. The MME sends a TA LIST request message to the TLG;

In the TA LIST request message, the ID of the user terminal and the TA area (TA0) where the user terminal is currently located are mandatory parameters, and t0 and T are optional parameters. the

If t0 is not included in the message, then TLG will take the current time of the system that received the TA LIST request message as t0; if T is not included in the message, then T can be set by default in TLG or in the operation and maintenance system of TLG; if If T is included in the message, then T is set by the MME, or is set in the operation and maintenance system of the MME, or T is set by the user terminal and sent to the MME. the

303. The TLG obtains relevant information from the TA LIST request message, searches the database according to the user terminal identifier, and filters the record information corresponding to the user terminal identifier in the database table according to the condition of t0≤t≤t0+T to obtain the corresponding TA area, plus the TA0 where the current user terminal is currently located, and finally generate a TALIST including TA0 for the user terminal;

304. The TLG returns a TA LIST response message to the MME, which carries the user terminal identifier and the generated TA LIST;

305. The MME returns a tracking area update acceptance message to the user terminal, which carries the TALIST. the

It should be noted that the TLG can also update the TA area in the TA LIST as needed, and send the updated TA LIST to the user terminal through the MME. For example, it may be updated every other time period, or it may be updated according to the user's record information. the

It should also be noted that, in the above process, if the MME and TLG are set as one, then steps 302 to 304 are internal implementation processes. the

In addition, this application example uses an example to illustrate the process of triggering the generation of TA list after the network side receives the tracking area update request message sent by the user terminal. It can also be triggered after the cycle time for automatically generating the TA list set by the network side arrives. The process of generating TA LIST, and then after receiving the attach request message sent by the user terminal, the generated TA LIST can be directly issued. the

In the foregoing embodiment, the generation method of TA LIST has been specifically provided, so when the user terminal moves in this TALIST area, it is not necessary to initiate a TA area update message, which can reduce the number of tracking area update messages generated due to tracking area changes , especially for mobile scenarios with relatively fixed routes, the number of tracking area update messages initiated by users can be greatly reduced, thereby saving air interface signaling overhead and reducing system processing load. In addition, the network side can also update the TA area in the TA LIST as required, and send the updated TA LIST to the user terminal. the

It should be noted that the location area list is used as an example of the tracking area list above but is not limited thereto. For the GPRS/UMTS system, the routing area list can be generated. For the WiMax system, the paging group list can be generated. The principle is similar to the generation of the tracking area list. the

Because the location area list can be generated in the technical solution of the embodiment of the present invention, when the user terminal moves in the area of the location area list, there is no need to generate a location update notification message, thereby improving the effective utilization of air interface resources and reducing the system load. the

The above content introduces in detail the method for generating a location area list according to the embodiment of the present invention. Correspondingly, the embodiment of the present invention provides a device and a network system for generating a location area list. the

Please refer to FIG. 4 , which is a schematic structural diagram of an apparatus for generating a location area list according to an embodiment of the present invention. the

As shown in FIG. 4 , the device includes: an acquiring unit 401 and a generating unit 402 . the

The obtaining unit 401 is configured to obtain record information after the trigger condition for generating the location area list is triggered, and the record information includes the location area entered by the user terminal and the time of entering the location area. the

The generation unit 402 is configured to generate a location area list consisting of location areas entered by the user terminal within a set time period and location areas where the user terminal is currently located according to the record information. the

The device further includes: a recording unit 403 . the

The recording unit 403 is configured to record the location area entered by the user terminal and the time of entering the location area when the user terminal enters the location area; the obtaining unit 401 obtains the record information from the recording unit 403 . the

The device further includes: a setting unit 404 . the

The setting unit 404 is configured to set a time period, the time period is t0≤t≤t0+T, the t0 indicates the start time of generating the location area list, and the T indicates the length of the preset time period. the

The trigger condition for generating the location area list mentioned above is triggered specifically: the location area list request message carrying the user terminal identifier is received; the location area list request message is received by the network side device 501 such as the mobility management entity MME It is sent after the attach request message or the location update request message sent by the user terminal. the

In the recording unit 403, the maximum value of the record number of the location area entered by the user terminal in the record information is preset. When the user terminal enters the location area, if the number of records of the location area entered by the user terminal exceeds the preset maximum value, delete the earliest recorded location area and record the newly added location area; and/or,

Pre-setting the maximum value of the record number of time entering the same location area in the record information, when the user terminal enters the location area, if the record number of time the user terminal enters the same location area exceeds the preset maximum value, then Delete the earliest recorded time and record the newly added time of entering the same location area. the

The embodiment of the present invention also provides a network system. the

As shown in FIG. 5 , the network system includes: a network side device 501 and a location area list generator 502 . the

The network side device 501 is configured to send a message requesting a location area list. the

The location area list generator 502 is configured to, after receiving the message requesting the location area list sent by the network device, generate the location area entered by the user terminal within the set time period and the current location of the user terminal according to the record information. A location area list composed of location areas, the record information includes the location area entered by the user terminal and the time when the user terminal entered the location area. the

After receiving the attach request message or the location update request message sent by the user terminal, the network side device 501 sends a message requesting a location area list to the location area list generator 502 . the

The network side device 501 is a serving GPRS support node SGSN, a mobility management entity MME or an access network gateway decision point ASN-GW DP. the

The structure of the location area list generator 502 is shown in FIG. 4 above, and will not be described in detail here. the

To sum up, the record information in the technical solution of the embodiment of the present invention records the location area entered by the user terminal and the time of entering the location area, then after the trigger condition for generating the location area list is triggered, the record information can be generated according to the record information. The location area list is composed of the location areas entered by the user terminal within a certain period of time and the location area where the user terminal is currently located. In this way, the technical solution of the embodiment of the present invention specifically provides a method for generating a location area list. the

Furthermore, in the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the triggering conditions for generating the location area list may be different, and thus may be applicable to different scenarios. In addition, the location area list may be a routing area list, a location area list or a paging group list. the

Through the description of the above embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the present invention can be implemented by means of software plus a necessary general-purpose hardware platform, and of course also by hardware, but in many cases the former is a better implementation Way. Based on such an understanding, the essence of the technical solution of the present invention or the part that contributes to the prior art can be embodied in the form of a software product, and the computer software product is stored in a readable storage medium, such as a floppy disk of a computer , a hard disk or an optical disk, etc., including several instructions for enabling a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute the methods described in various embodiments of the present invention. the

The method, device and network system for generating a tracking area list provided by the embodiment of the present invention have been introduced in detail above. For those of ordinary skill in the art, based on the idea of the embodiment of the present invention, in terms of specific implementation and application scope There will be changes. In summary, the contents of this specification should not be construed as limiting the present invention. the

Claims (11)

1. A method for generating a location area list, comprising: When the user terminal enters the location area, record the location area entered by the user terminal and the time of entering the location area; After the trigger condition for generating the location area list is triggered, generate a location area list consisting of the location area entered by the user terminal within the set time period and the location area where the user terminal is currently located according to the record information; Wherein, the record information includes the location area entered by the user terminal and the time of entering the location area; The set time period is t0≤t≤t0+T, the t0 indicates the start time of generating the location area list, and the T indicates the length of the preset time period. 2. The method for generating the location area list according to claim 1, further comprising: Pre-setting the maximum number of records in the location area entered by the user terminal in the record information, when the user terminal enters the location area, if the number of records in the location area entered by the user terminal exceeds the preset maximum value, delete the earliest record location area and record the newly added location area; and/or, Preset the maximum value of the record number of time when the user terminal enters the same location area in the record information, and when the user terminal enters the location area, if the record number of time when the user terminal enters the same location area exceeds the preset maximum value, delete The earliest recorded time and record the newly added time of entering the same location area. 3. The generation method of the location area list according to claim 1, characterized in that: The T is set by the user terminal, or set by the network side. 4. The method for generating a location area list according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the trigger condition for generating the location area list is specifically: The location area list generator receives the location area list request message carried by the network side device carrying the user terminal identifier, and the location area list request message is sent by the network side device after receiving the attach request message or the location update request message sent by the user terminal. 5. The method for generating a location area list according to claim 4, wherein the method further comprises: The location area list generator returns the location area list generated for the user terminal to the network side device, and is sent to the terminal by the network side device. 6. The generation method of the location area list according to claim 4, characterized in that: When the location area is a routing area, the network side device is a serving GPRS support node SGSN, When the location area is a tracking area, the network side device is a mobility management entity MME, When the location area is a paging group, the network side device is an access network gateway decision point ASN-GWDP. 7. The generation method of the location area list according to claim 6, characterized in that: The location area list generator is set independently, or set together with the network side device. 8. A device for generating a location area list, comprising: The recording unit is used to record the location area entered by the user terminal and the time when the user terminal enters the location area when the user terminal enters the location area; The obtaining unit is configured to obtain record information from the record unit after the trigger condition for generating the location area list is triggered, the record information includes the location area entered by the user terminal and the time of entering the location area; A generating unit, configured to generate a location area list consisting of location areas entered by the user terminal within a set time period and location areas where the user terminal is currently located according to the record information; The device also includes: The setting unit is used to set a time period, the time period is t0≤t≤t0+T, the t0 indicates the start time of generating the location area list, and the T indicates the length of the preset time period. 9. A network system, characterized in that it comprises: A network side device, configured to send a message requesting a location area list; The location area list generator is used to record the location area entered by the user terminal and the time when the user terminal enters the location area when the user terminal enters the location area. After receiving the message requesting the location area list sent by the network side device, according to Record information, generate a location area list consisting of the location area entered by the user terminal within the set time period and the location area where the user terminal is currently located, wherein the record information includes the location area entered by the user terminal and the time when the user terminal entered the location area ; The set time period is t0≤t≤t0+T, the t0 indicates the start time of generating the location area list, and the T indicates the length of the preset time period. 10. The network system according to claim 9, characterized in that: After receiving the attach request message or location update request message sent by the user terminal, the network side device sends a message requesting a location area list to the location area list generator. 11. The network system according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that: The network side device is a serving GPRS support node SGSN, a mobility management entity MME or an access network gateway decision point ASN-GW DP.

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