Patent Application
20190373462
Embodiments of the present invention relate to the wireless communications field, and in particular, to an information transmission method, a radio access device, and a terminal.
With the development of wireless communications technologies, a terminal remains in a network-connected state when the terminal does not need to send or receive data. To save network resources, a lightly connected state is used in a long term evolution (LTE) network, and a state referred to as an inactive state (inactive) is introduced to a 5G technology such as a new radio access technology (RAT). Behavior in the state is similar to that in the lightly connected state in LTE, and allows the terminal to remain a connection between a core-network node and a radio access network.
Interfaces of a terminal in an “LTE lightly connected state/5G INACTIVE” state, for example, user equipment (UE) in a core network and a radio access network (RAN) are anchored at a RAN node (a radio access device to which the terminal is connected during movement for data transmission). When the terminal moves inside a predetermined area (which is referred to as a notification area in 5G or referred to as a paging area in LTE), the terminal does not need to notify a serving radio access device, and once the terminal moves out of this area, the terminal needs to notify a position of the terminal to a radio access device whose coverage the terminal has been moved to, that is, a tracking area update process is performed. When the terminal in the “LTE lightly connected state/5G INACTIVE state” moves to coverage of another radio access device and needs to send data, the terminal initiates a connection restoration process to the serving radio access device whose coverage the terminal has been moved to. The serving radio access device provides a cell having an air interface resource for the terminal, so that the terminal enters a connected (ACTIVE) state. The serving radio access device initiates a context request of the terminal to an anchor radio access device to switch a context of the terminal to the current serving radio access device of the terminal, and sends a path switch request to the core network to switch a core-network connection path corresponding to the terminal to the current serving radio access device, so as to implement data transmission.
However, in the foregoing manners, after performing serving radio access device switching, the terminal still uses a key parameter allocated by the serving radio access device corresponding to the terminal before switching or obtained through negotiation with the serving radio access device, to transmit data to the switched serving radio access device. As a result, the switched serving radio access device cannot correctly decode uplink data from the terminal.
Embodiments of the present invention provide an information transmission method, so that after a terminal in an inactive state performs serving radio access device switching, a serving radio access device can correctly decode uplink data transmitted by the terminal.
A first aspect of the embodiments of the present invention provides an information transmission method, including:
receiving, by a serving radio access device, a first uplink data packet and a terminal identifier from a terminal, where the first uplink data packet includes uplink data;
if the serving radio access device determines that a radio access device that allocates the terminal identifier is not the serving radio access device,
sending, by the serving radio access device, first information to the terminal, where the first information is used to provide a notification about a key parameter used for encrypting a second uplink data packet from the terminal, or to instruct the terminal to deduce a key used for encrypting the second uplink data packet; and
receiving, by the serving radio access device, the second uplink data packet from the terminal, where the second uplink data packet includes the uplink data or newly transmitted uplink data.
According to the technical solution according to the first aspect, the current serving radio access device of the terminal determines, based on the terminal identifier sent together with the uplink data packet, whether the radio access device that allocates the terminal identifier is the serving access device. If the radio access device that allocates the terminal identifier is not the serving access device, the serving radio access device may incorrectly decode the uplink data from the terminal. Therefore, the serving radio access device notifies the terminal of the key parameter used for the retransmitted uplink data or the newly transmitted uplink data, for performing encryption, or instructs the terminal to deduce the key used for encrypting the second uplink data packet. In this way, the serving radio access device can correctly decode the retransmitted uplink data or the newly transmitted uplink data from the terminal.
Based on the first aspect, in a first possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes:
discarding, by the serving radio access device, the first uplink data packet.
The serving radio access device may incorrectly decode the first uplink data packet. Therefore, in the possible implementation, the serving radio access device discards the first uplink data to reduce a waste of system resources.
Based on the first aspect or the first possible implementation of the first aspect, in a second possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes:
receiving, by the serving radio access device, the first information from the radio access device that allocates the terminal identifier.
In the possible implementation, the key, notified by the serving radio access device to the terminal, used for the second uplink data packet is obtained from the radio access device that allocates the terminal identifier.
Based on any one of the first aspect to the second possible implementation of the first aspect, in a third possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes:
requesting, by the serving radio access device, a context of the terminal from the radio access device that allocates the terminal identifier; and
receiving, by the serving radio access device, the context of the terminal and the first information from the radio access device that allocates the terminal identifier.
In the possible implementation, the first information may be obtained in a process in which the serving radio access device obtains the context of the terminal.
Based on any one of the first aspect to the third possible implementation of the first aspect, in the third possible implementation of the first aspect, a key used for encrypting the first uplink data packet is generated through negotiation between the terminal and the radio access device that allocates the terminal identifier.
In the possible implementation, the following is limited: The key used for the first uplink data packet is generated through negotiation between the radio access device that allocates the terminal identifier and the terminal. Therefore, the serving radio access device may incorrectly decode the uplink data packet.
A second aspect of the embodiments of the present invention provides an information transmission method, including:
sending, by a terminal, a first uplink data packet and a terminal identifier to a serving radio access device, where the first uplink data packet includes uplink data;
receiving, by the terminal, first information sent by the serving radio access device, where the first information is used to provide a notification about a key parameter used for encrypting a second uplink data packet from the terminal; and
encrypting, by the terminal, the second uplink data packet based on the first information, and sending the second uplink data packet to the serving radio access device, where the second uplink data packet includes the uplink data or newly transmitted uplink data.
According to the technical solution according to the second aspect, the current serving radio access device of the terminal determines, based on the terminal identifier sent together with the uplink data packet, whether a radio access device that allocates the terminal identifier is the serving access device. If the radio access device that allocates the terminal identifier is not the serving access device, the serving radio access device may incorrectly decode the uplink data from the terminal. Therefore, the serving radio access device notifies the terminal of the key parameter used for the retransmitted uplink data or the newly transmitted uplink data, for performing encryption, or instructs the terminal to deduce the key used for encrypting the second uplink data packet. In this way, the serving radio access device can correctly decode the retransmitted uplink data or the newly transmitted uplink data from the terminal.
Based on the second aspect, in a first possible implementation of the second aspect, a key used for encrypting the first uplink data packet is generated through negotiation between the terminal and the radio access device that allocates the terminal identifier.
In the possible implementation, the following is limited: The key used for the first uplink data packet is generated through negotiation between the radio access device that allocates the terminal identifier and the terminal.
A third aspect of the embodiments of the present invention provides a radio access device. The radio access device is a serving radio access device that serves the terminal currently. The serving radio access device includes a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter is configured to perform a sending action of the serving radio access device according to the first aspect and various possible implementations of the first aspect of the embodiments of the present invention. The receiver is configured to perform a receiving action of the serving radio access device according to the first aspect and the various possible implementations of the first aspect of the embodiments of the present invention. A technical effect the same as that achieved by the first aspect and the various possible implementations of the first aspect of the embodiments of the present invention can be achieved by using the radio access device according to the third aspect of the embodiments of the present invention. For details, refer to the foregoing description.
A fourth aspect of the embodiments of the present invention provides a terminal. The terminal includes a transmitter, a receiver, and a processor. The transmitter is configured to perform a sending action of the terminal according to the second aspect and various possible implementations of the second aspect of the embodiments of the present invention. The receiver is configured to perform a receiving action of the terminal according to the second aspect and the various possible implementations of the second aspect of the embodiments of the present invention. The processor is configured to perform processing actions such as obtaining and determining of the terminal according to the second aspect and the various possible implementations of the second aspect of the embodiments of the present invention. A technical effect the same as that achieved by the second aspect and the various possible implementations of the second aspect of the embodiments of the present invention can be achieved by using the terminal according to the fourth aspect of the embodiments of the present invention. For details, refer to the foregoing description.
In a schematic architectural diagram of a wireless communications system shown in
To implement data transmission at the physical layer, a plurality of time units are obtained through division in time domain, and a plurality of frequency units are obtained through division in frequency domain. For example, in a long term evolution (LTE) system, a time unit may be one radio frame. One radio frame has a length of 10 milliseconds (ms), and includes 10 subframes each having a length of 1 ms. One subframe includes several orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols. A frequency unit may be one subcarrier, and one subcarrier is usually 15 kHz (kilohertz). Combinations of different quantities of subcarriers may implement different total system bandwidth. With in-depth research on LTE systems and an increase in requirements for an enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) service, a massive machine type communication (mMTC) service, and an ultra reliable and low latency communications (URLLC) service in a fifth generation mobile communications system, a time length occupied by one time unit and a frequency length occupied by one frequency unit may vary in time domain and frequency domain as a wireless communication requirement varies. In a wireless communications system, definitions of a time unit and a frequency unit used for data transmission can be obtained by using different wireless parameter configurations, such as a parameter that may be referred to as numerology in the fifth generation mobile communications system, to meet different radio communication requirements.
A terminal in a radio access network does not always have data to be transmitted. Therefore, after a time period in which the terminal has no data to be transmitted, to reduce power consumption of the terminal, the terminal enters an inactive state. However, as the terminal moves, if the terminal is in the inactive state, and the terminal switches to a new serving radio access device, the terminal still encrypts a data packet by using a key parameter ever obtained when the terminal is in the inactive state or an active state, and sends the data packet to the new serving radio access device. In this case, because the new serving radio access device does not know the key parameter used by the terminal, the radio access device may incorrectly decode the received data packet.
In view of the foregoing technical problem, an aspect of the embodiments of the present invention provides a data processing method.
200. When a terminal has data to be transmitted, the terminal in an idle state initiates a radio link control connection to a first radio access device, establishes the connection in a cell (which is referred to as a source cell herein for ease of description in the following) of the first radio access device to enter a connected state, and negotiates with the first radio access device about a security parameter used in data transmission, such as a key and a security algorithm.
It should be noted that in this embodiment of the present invention, the terminal may have three states: an idle state, an inactive state, and a connected (active) state. When the terminal is in the inactive state, the terminal stores a context of the UE, and maintains a connection between an access network and a CN. When moving inside a specified area of a network, the terminal does not notify the network. When the terminal is in the idle state, the terminal neither stores the context of the UE nor maintains the connection between the access network and the CN. For details, refer to an existing definition.
201. When the terminal does not perform data transmission during a time period, the first radio access device may instruct the UE to enter an inactive state to save electricity, and allocate a terminal identifier to the terminal in the inactive state. The terminal identifier of the terminal is unique in at least one cell range of a notification area or a paging area in which the first radio access device is located. The terminal identifier indicates information about the radio access device to which the source cell in which the terminal is located belongs. For example, the terminal identifier may be generated by using an identifier of the first radio access device and a unique identifier allocated by the first radio access device. There is another manner for generating the terminal identifier herein.
202. As the terminal moves, the terminal may reselect or switch to a new cell based on cell signal quality during a moving process. A second radio access device to which the new cell belongs is different from the first radio access device to which the source cell belongs. Optionally, the first radio access device further notifies the terminal of a key deduction manner.
203. When the terminal has uplink data to be sent, the terminal performs security protection by using the key negotiated in the source cell, that is, encrypts an uplink data packet (a first uplink data packet), and performs integrity protection on the terminal identifier. The terminal sends the first uplink data packet and the terminal identifier to the second radio access device through the new cell.
204. After receiving the first uplink data packet and the terminal identifier, the second radio access device learns, through parsing, that the radio access device corresponding to the terminal identifier is not the current radio access device (that is, the second radio access device). In this way, the second radio access device learns that the terminal moves across radio access devices. On one hand, the second radio access device may discard the first uplink data packet; on the other hand, the second radio access device notifies the terminal of a key parameter used for uplink data in the retransmitted first uplink data packet or newly transmitted uplink data. The key parameter is notified by the second radio access device. The key parameter may be stored on the terminal in advance or may not be stored on the terminal in advance. The terminal may obtain a key by deducing the key parameter. The terminal may retransmit the uplink data in the first uplink data packet or transmit new uplink data in a form of a second uplink data packet.
In the foregoing implementations, the key parameter notified by the second radio access device may be determined by the second radio access device and then notified to the terminal by the second radio access device. In another possible implementation, the key parameter notified by the second radio access device may be alternatively obtained by using the first radio access device. The method further includes the following steps:
205 (optionally). The second radio access device (the current serving radio access device) requests the first radio access device (the radio access device to which the source cell belongs) for the context of the terminal. Optionally, the terminal identifier is carried in the request.
206 (optionally). The first radio access device responds to the request, and sends the context of the terminal carried in the response to the second radio access device, where the response further includes a key parameter used for encrypting a second uplink data packet, and the second uplink data packet includes uplink data in the first uplink data packet (that is, the uplink data in the retransmitted first uplink data packet) or the newly transmitted uplink data. It should be noted that the key parameter used for encrypting the second uplink data packet may be either a key or a group of parameters used for determining the key, such as NextHopChainingCount in LTE. Optionally, if the first radio access device sends the key parameter to the second radio access device, the second radio access device may send the key parameter to the terminal. Alternatively, the terminal has been connected to the first radio access device before, and therefore the terminal knows a manner for determining the key parameter by the first radio access device. In this case, the second radio access device may instruct the terminal to deduce, according to a key obtaining manner negotiated between the terminal and the first radio access device, the key used for encrypting the second uplink data packet, with no need to send the key parameter to the terminal. In this case, the terminal and the second radio access device obtain the same key to transmit data.
207. The second radio access device notifies the terminal of the key parameter, or instructs the terminal to deduce a key according to a key obtaining manner previously negotiated between the terminal and the first radio access device.
208. The terminal encrypts the second uplink data packet based on the obtained key, to retransmit the uplink data in the first uplink data packet or transmit new uplink data.
According to the technical solution provided in this embodiment of the present invention, the current serving radio access device of the terminal determines, based on the terminal identifier sent together with the uplink data packet, whether the radio access device that allocates the terminal identifier is the serving access device. If the radio access device that allocates the terminal identifier is not the serving access device, the serving radio access device may incorrectly decode the uplink data from the terminal. Therefore, the serving radio access device notifies the terminal of the key parameter used for the retransmitted uplink data or the newly transmitted uplink data, or instructs the terminal to deduce the key, for performing encryption. In this way, the serving radio access device can correctly decode the retransmitted uplink data or the newly transmitted uplink data from the terminal.
An embodiment of the present invention provides a radio access device 300. The radio access device 300 is a serving radio access device that currently performs data transmission with the terminal. In a schematic structural diagram of the radio access device 300 shown in
The receiver 302 is configured to receive a first uplink data packet and a terminal identifier from the terminal, where the first uplink data packet includes uplink data.
The transmitter 301 is configured to send first information to the terminal when a radio access device that allocates the terminal identifier is not the serving radio access device, where the first information is used to determine a key used for encrypting a second uplink data packet from the terminal, or to instruct the terminal to deduce the key used for encrypting the second uplink data packet.
The receiver 302 is further configured to receive the second uplink data packet from the terminal, where the second uplink data packet includes the uplink data or newly transmitted uplink data.
Optionally, the radio access device 300 further includes: the processor 300, configured to discard the first uplink data packet. It should be noted that the first uplink data packet received by the receiver 302 may be decoded incorrectly by the processor. Therefore, when determining that the radio access device that allocates the terminal identifier is not the serving radio access device, the processor may discard the first uplink data directly instead of decoding the first uplink data packet.
Optionally, the receiver 302 is further configured to receive the first information from the radio access device that allocates the terminal identifier.
Optionally, the transmitter 301 is further configured to send a request to the radio access device that allocates the terminal identifier, where the request is used to obtain a context of the terminal. The receiver 302 is further configured to receive the context of the terminal and the first information from the radio access device that allocates the terminal identifier.
It should be noted that a key used for encrypting the first uplink data packet is generated through negotiation between the terminal and the radio access device that allocates the terminal identifier.
The radio access device provided in this embodiment of the present invention may perform an action of the radio access device in the foregoing method embodiment, for example, the embodiment shown in
An embodiment of the present invention provides a terminal 400. In a schematic structural diagram of the terminal 400 shown in
The transmitter 401 is configured to send a first uplink data packet and a terminal identifier to a serving radio access device, where the first uplink data packet includes uplink data.
The receiver 402 is configured to receive first information sent by the serving radio access device, where the first information is used to determine a key used for encrypting a second uplink data packet from the terminal, or to instruct the terminal to deduce the key used for encrypting the second uplink data packet.
The processor 403 is configured to encrypt the second uplink data packet based on the first information.
The transmitter 401 is further configured to send the second uplink data packet to the serving radio access device, where the second uplink data packet includes the uplink data or newly transmitted uplink data.
It should be noted that the terminal 400 provided in this embodiment of the present invention may perform an action of the terminal in the foregoing method embodiment, for example, the embodiment shown in
To implement communication between the terminal 400 and the radio access device 300, the terminal 400 and the radio access device 300 each include at least one logical antenna array, and are mapped to at least one physical antenna. A quantity of physical antennas of the terminal 400 may be the same as or may be different from a quantity of physical antennas of the radio access device 300. For specific antenna configurations and utilization, refer to the prior art.
According to the terminal 400 and the radio access device 300, the current serving radio access device of the terminal determines, based on the terminal identifier sent together with the uplink data packet, whether the radio access device that allocates the terminal identifier is the serving access device. If the radio access device that allocates the terminal identifier is not the serving access device, the serving radio access device may incorrectly decode the uplink data from the terminal. Therefore, the serving radio access device notifies the terminal of the key parameter used for the retransmitted uplink data or the newly transmitted uplink data, or instructs the terminal to deduce the key, for performing encryption. In this way, the serving radio access device can correctly decode the retransmitted uplink data or the newly transmitted uplink data from the terminal.
A person skilled in the art should understand that the embodiments of the present invention may be provided as a method, a system, or a computer program product. Therefore, the present invention may use a form of hardware only embodiments, software only embodiments, or embodiments with a combination of software and hardware. In addition, the present invention may use a form of a computer program product that is implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to a disk memory, a CD-ROM, and an optical memory) that include computer-usable program code.
The present invention is described with reference to the flowcharts and/or block diagrams of the method, the apparatus (system), and the computer program product according to the embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood that computer program instructions may be used to implement each process and/or each block in the flowcharts and/or the block diagrams and a combination of a process and/or a block in the flowcharts and/or the block diagrams. These computer program instructions may be provided for a general-purpose computer, a dedicated computer, an embedded processor, or a processor of another programmable (data processing) device to generate a machine, so that the instructions executed by a computer or a processor of another programmable (data processing) device generate an apparatus for implementing a specific function in one or more processes in the flowcharts and/or in one or more blocks in the block diagrams.
These computer program instructions may be stored in a computer readable memory that can instruct the computer or another programmable (data processing) device to work in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer readable memory generate an artifact that includes an instruction apparatus. The instruction apparatus implements a specific function in one or more processes in the flowcharts and/or in one or more blocks in the block diagrams.
These computer program instructions may be loaded onto a computer or another programmable data processing device, so that a series of operations and steps are performed on the computer or another programmable device, thereby generating computer-implemented processing. Therefore, the instructions executed on the computer or another programmable device are used to provide steps for implementing a specific function in one or more processes in the flowcharts and/or in one or more blocks in the block diagrams.
Although some preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, a person skilled in the art can make changes and modifications to these embodiments once they learn the basic inventive concept. Therefore, the following claims are intended to be construed as to cover the preferred embodiments and all changes and modifications falling within the scope of the present invention.
Obviously, a person skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. In this case, if these modifications and variations in the present invention fall within the scope of claims and equivalent technologies of the present invention, the present invention is also intended to include these modifications and variations.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 201710079522.9 | Feb 2017 | CN | national |
This application is a continuation of International Application No. PCT/CN2018/076468, filed on Feb. 12, 2018, which claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 201710079522.9, filed on Feb. 14, 2017. The disclosures of the aforementioned applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/CN2018/076468 | Feb 2018 | US |
| Child | 16540535 | US |
