CN105493535B - A mobility management method, device and system - Google Patents

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention discloses a kind of motion management methods, apparatus and system, are related to the communications field, improve the performance of handoffs in mobility management process.The specific scheme is that the second access network node receives the switching request that the first access network node is sent by X2 connection when UE is moved to the cell of the second access network node covering from the cell that the first access network node covers；Second access network node is connected to the first access network node by X2 and sends Handover Request Acknowledge, so that the first access network node and the second access network node execute switching and execute process；Second access network node is determined to need to establish dynamic S1 with the first MME and be connect；Second access network node is established dynamic S1 with the first MME and is connect；Second access network node is connected to the first MME by dynamic S1 and initiates path switching flow.During the present invention is used for mobile management.

Description

A mobility management method, device and system

technical field

The present invention relates to the communication field, in particular to a mobility management method, device and system.

Background technique

The 3rd Generation Partnership Project Evolved Packet System (3GPP EPS) consists of Evolved Packet Core (EPC), Evolved-Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network, E-UTRAN) and user equipment (User Equipment, UE) are composed of three parts. Among them, the E-UTRAN may include multiple access network nodes (such as base stations), and the EPC may include core network nodes (such as Mobile Management Entity (Mobile Management Entity, MME), Serving Gateway (Serving Gateway, SGW)). The network access nodes are connected through the X2 interface, and each access network node can be connected with the core network node through the S1 interface.

In order to realize flexible load sharing and good disaster recovery function, EPS introduces 3GPP pool (Pool) technology. Specifically, several MME pools can be deployed in the EPC, where each MME pool can contain multiple MMEs, and the access network node can be connected to multiple MMEs in the MME pool through the S1 interface. After the introduction of 3GPP Pool technology, the access network nodes can balance the load according to the weight of each MME in the MME Pool, and select the MME that provides services for the UE, thereby realizing flexible load sharing. When a fault occurs, other MMEs in the MME Pool can continue to provide services for the UE, thereby achieving a good disaster recovery function. In the EPS that introduces the 3GPP Pool technology, when the UE is covered by the radio resources of the MME pool, it is only served by one MME in the MME pool. If the UE is roaming within the radio resource coverage of the current MME Pool, it only needs to perform handover based on the X2 interface, and when the UE leaves the radio resource coverage of the current MME Pool, EPS needs to initiate a handover based on the S1 interface handover, that is, the base station needs to reselect the core network node that provides services for the UE.

There are at least the following problems in the prior art. When the UE leaves the radio resource coverage of the current MME Pool, the EPS needs to initiate a handover based on the S1 interface, and the base station needs to reselect the core network node that provides services for the UE. When the UE leaves the radio resource coverage area of the current MME Pool, compared with the handover based on the X2 interface initiated by the EPS, the handover based on the S1 interface requires more signaling interactions in the core network, so that when the UE leaves the current When the wireless resource coverage of the MME Pool is limited, the handover operation is prolonged and the complexity is high, resulting in poor handover performance.

Contents of the invention

Embodiments of the present invention provide a mobility management method, device and system, which improve handover performance in the mobility management process.

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

The first aspect of the present invention provides a mobility management method, which is applied to the Evolved Packet System EPS, the EPS includes at least two mobility management entities MME, at least two access network nodes, and user equipment UE, the at least Each of the two access network nodes establishes a static S1 connection with any one of the at least two MMEs in advance;

Wherein, the at least two MMEs include a first MME and a second MME, the first MME is the MME currently serving the UE, and the second MME establishes the MME with the second access network node in advance. Static S1 connection; and the at least two access network nodes include the first access network node and the second access network node, and the cell to which the UE is currently attached is covered by the first access network node A cell, the cell covered by the first access network node is adjacent to at least one cell covered by the second access network node, and the first access network node and the second access network node pre-establish X2 connect;

When the UE moves from the cell covered by the first access network node to the cell covered by the second access network node, the second access network node receives the The switching request sent by the X2 connection;

The second access network node sends a handover request confirmation to the first access network node through the X2 connection, so that the first access network node and the second access network node perform a handover execution process;

The second access network node determines that a dynamic S1 connection needs to be established with the first MME;

The second access network node establishes the dynamic S1 connection with the first MME;

The second access network node initiates a path switching procedure to the first MME through the dynamic S1 connection.

In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, it also includes:

The second access network node determines that it is not necessary to establish the dynamic S1 connection with the first MME; wherein, the second access network node has established the dynamic S1 connection with the first MME;

The second access network node initiates the path switching procedure to the first MME through the dynamic S1 connection.

Combining the first aspect and the above possible implementation manners, in another possible implementation manner,

The handover request carries the globally unique MME identifier GUMMEI of the first MME;

Before the second access network node determines that a dynamic S1 connection needs to be established with the first MME, the method further includes:

The second access network node determines, according to the GUMMEI carried in the handover request, that the MME currently serving the UE is the first MME;

The second access network node determining that a dynamic S1 connection needs to be established with the first MME includes:

The second access network node determines that the first MME is different from the second MME according to the GUMMEI carried in the handover request, then determines that the dynamic S1 connection needs to be established with the first MME; or The second access network node determines that the first MME is different from the second MME according to the GUMMEI carried in the handover request, and determines that the second access network node is different from the first MME If the dynamic S1 connection is not established, then determine that the dynamic S1 connection needs to be established with the first MME;

The second access network node determining that the dynamic S1 connection does not need to be established with the first MME includes:

The second access network node determines that the first MME is different from the second MME according to the GUMMEI carried in the handover request, and determines that the second access network node and the first MME have If the dynamic S1 connection is established, it is determined that the dynamic S1 connection does not need to be established with the first MME.

Combining the first aspect and the above possible implementation manners, in another possible implementation manner,

The second access network node establishing the dynamic S1 connection with the first MME includes:

The second access network node sends an S1 connection establishment request to the first MME;

The second access network node receives the S1 connection establishment response sent by the first MME.

Combining the first aspect and the above possible implementation manners, in another possible implementation manner,

In the path switching process initiated by the second access network node to the first MME, the first MME selects the original serving gateway SGW to provide services for the UE; the original SGW currently serves the UE The SGW that provides the service.

Combining the first aspect and the above possible implementation manners, in another possible implementation manner,

After the second access network node initiates a path switching procedure to the first MME through the dynamic S1 connection, the method further includes:

The second access network node receives the tracking area update TAU request sent by the UE; wherein, the TAU request is that the UE determines that the current state is an idle state, and determines that the received second access The tracking area identifier broadcast by the network access node is sent after it is not in the tracking area list of the UE;

The second access network node sends the TAU request to the second MME through the static S1 connection, so that the second MME initiates a TAU process according to the TAU request.

Combining the first aspect and the above possible implementation manners, in another possible implementation manner,

After the second access network node initiates a path switching procedure to the first MME through the dynamic S1 connection, the method further includes:

The second access network node receives the TAU request relocation sent by the first MME through the dynamic S1 connection; wherein, the TAU request relocation is that the first MME receives the UE through the The TAU request sent by the second access network node is sent after determining that the tracking area identifier of the cell covered by the second access network node where the UE is located is not in the tracking area managed by the first MME , the TAU request is carried in the relocation of the TAU request;

The second access network node sends the TAU request carried in the TAU request relocation to the second MME through the static S1 connection, so that the second MME initiates a TAU process according to the TAU request .

Combining the first aspect and the above possible implementation manners, in another possible implementation manner,

The TAU request relocation includes an indication message; or, the indication message is carried in the context response sent by the first MME to the second MME in the TAU process;

Wherein, the indication message is used to instruct the second MME to select the original SGW to serve the UE in the TAU process.

A second aspect of the present invention provides a mobility management method, including:

The user equipment UE determines that the current state is an idle state;

The UE determines that the received tracking area identifier sent by the second access network node is not in the tracking area list of the UE; wherein the second access network node is a node currently providing services for the UE;

The UE sends a tracking area update TAU request to the second access network node, so that the second access network node initiates a TAU procedure according to the TAU request.

A third aspect of the present invention provides a mobility management method, including:

The second access network node determines that the S1-AP connection for the user equipment UE on the dynamic S1 connection established between the second access network node and the first mobility management entity MME has been released, then the second access network node releasing the dynamic S1 connection established with the first MME; or,

The second access network node determines that the S1-AP connections of all UEs on the dynamic S1 connection established between the second access network node and the first MME have been released, then the second access network node The node releases the dynamic S1 connection established with the first MME.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a second access network node is provided, which is applied to an evolved packet system EPS, and the EPS includes at least two mobility management entities MME, at least two access network nodes, and user equipment UE, so Each of the at least two access network nodes establishes a static S1 connection with any one of the at least two MMEs in advance;

Wherein, the at least two MMEs include a first MME and a second MME, the first MME is the MME currently serving the UE, and the second MME is pre-established with the second access network node The static S1 connection; and the at least two access network nodes include the first access network node and the second access network node, and the cell to which the UE is currently attached is the first access network node The cell covered by the first access network node is adjacent to at least one cell covered by the second access network node, and the first access network node and the second access network node have previously Establish X2 connection;

a receiving unit, configured to, when the UE moves from a cell covered by the first access network node to a cell covered by the second access network node, receive The switch request sent;

a sending unit, configured to send a handover request acknowledgment to the first access network node through the X2 connection, so that the first access network node and the second access network node perform a handover execution procedure;

A determining unit, configured to determine that a dynamic S1 connection needs to be established with the first MME;

an establishing unit, configured to establish the dynamic S1 connection with the first MME;

An initiating unit, configured to initiate a path switching process to the first MME through the dynamic S1 connection established by the establishing unit.

In combination with the fourth aspect, in a possible implementation manner,

The determining unit is further configured to determine that the dynamic S1 connection does not need to be established with the first MME; wherein, the second access network node has established the dynamic S1 connection with the first MME;

The initiating unit is further configured to initiate the path switching procedure to the first MME through the dynamic S1 connection.

In combination with the fourth aspect and the above possible implementation, in another possible implementation,

The handover request carries the globally unique MME identifier GUMMEI of the first MME;

The determining unit is further configured to determine that the MME currently serving the UE is the first MME according to the GUMMEI carried in the handover request before determining that a dynamic S1 connection needs to be established with the first MME ;

The determining unit is specifically used for:

According to the GUMMEI carried in the handover request, it is determined that the first MME is different from the second MME, then it is determined that the dynamic S1 connection needs to be established with the first MME; or, according to the GUMMEI carried in the handover request The GUMMEI determines that the first MME is different from the second MME, and determines that the second access network node has not established the dynamic S1 connection with the first MME, then it is determined that the first MME needs to be connected with the first MME. MME establishes the dynamic S1 connection;

The determining unit is specifically configured to determine that the first MME is different from the second MME according to the GUMMEI carried in the handover request, and determine that the second access network node and the first MME have If the dynamic S1 connection is established, it is determined that the dynamic S1 connection does not need to be established with the first MME.

In combination with the fourth aspect and the above possible implementation, in another possible implementation,

The establishment unit includes:

A sending module, configured to send an S1 connection establishment request to the first MME;

The receiving module is configured to receive the S1 connection establishment response sent by the first MME.

In combination with the fourth aspect and the above possible implementation, in another possible implementation,

In the path switching process initiated by the initiating unit to the first MME, the first MME selects the original serving gateway SGW to provide services for the UE; the original SGW is the SGW currently providing services for the UE .

In combination with the fourth aspect and the above possible implementation, in another possible implementation,

The receiving unit is further configured to receive a tracking area update TAU request sent by the UE after the initiating unit initiates a path switching procedure to the first MME through the dynamic S1 connection; wherein the TAU request is The UE sends it after determining that the current state is an idle state and determining that the received tracking area identifier broadcast by the second access network node is not in the tracking area list of the UE;

The sending unit is further configured to send the TAU request to the second MME through the static S1 connection, so that the second MME initiates a TAU process according to the TAU request.

In combination with the fourth aspect and the above possible implementation, in another possible implementation,

The receiving unit is further configured to receive a TAU request relocation sent by the first MME through the dynamic S1 connection after the initiating unit initiates a path switching procedure to the first MME through the dynamic S1 connection; Wherein, the TAU request relocation is that the first MME receives the TAU request sent by the UE through the second access network node, and determines the second access network node where the UE is located The tracking area identifier of the covered cell is sent after it is not in the tracking area managed by the first MME, and the TAU request is carried in the TAU request relocation;

The sending unit is further configured to send the TAU request carried in the TAU request relocation to the second MME through the static S1 connection, so that the second MME initiates a TAU process according to the TAU request .

In combination with the fourth aspect and the above possible implementation, in another possible implementation,

The TAU request relocation includes an indication message; or, the indication message is carried in the context response sent by the first MME to the second MME in the TAU process;

Wherein, the indication message is used to instruct the second MME to select the original SGW to serve the UE in the TAU process.

A fifth aspect of the present invention provides a user equipment UE, including:

A determining unit, configured to determine that the current state is an idle state;

The determining unit is further configured to determine that the received tracking area identifier sent by the second access network node is not in the tracking area list of the UE; wherein, the second access network node is currently providing the UE with service node;

A sending unit, configured to send a Tracking Area Update TAU request to the second access network node, so that the second access network node initiates a TAU process according to the TAU request.

A sixth aspect of the present invention provides a second access network node, including:

A determining unit, configured to determine that the S1-AP connection for the user equipment UE on the dynamic S1 connection established between the second access network node and the first mobility management entity MME has been released, and then the second access network node releases said dynamic S1 connection established with said first MME; or,

The determining unit is further configured to determine that the S1-AP connections of all UEs on the dynamic S1 connection established between the second access network node and the first MME have been released, then the second access network The node releases the dynamic S1 connection established with the first MME.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, a second access network node is provided, which is applied to an evolved packet system EPS, and the EPS includes at least two mobility management entities MME, at least two access network nodes, and user equipment UE. Each of the at least two access network nodes establishes a static S1 connection with any one of the at least two MMEs in advance;

Wherein, the at least two MMEs include a first MME and a second MME, the first MME is the MME currently serving the UE, and the second MME is pre-established with the second access network node The static S1 connection; and the at least two access network nodes include the first access network node and the second access network node, and the cell to which the UE is currently attached is the first access network node The cell covered by the first access network node is adjacent to at least one cell covered by the second access network node, and the first access network node and the second access network node have previously Establish X2 connection;

a receiver, configured to, when the UE moves from a cell covered by the first access network node to a cell covered by the second access network node, receive The switch request sent;

a transmitter, configured to send a handover request confirmation to the first access network node through the X2 connection, so that the first access network node and the second access network node perform a handover execution procedure;

A processor, configured to determine that a dynamic S1 connection needs to be established with the first MME, establish the dynamic S1 connection with the first MME, and initiate a path switching procedure to the first MME through the dynamic S1 connection.

In combination with the seventh aspect, in a possible implementation manner,

The processor is further configured to determine that the dynamic S1 connection does not need to be established with the first MME; wherein, the second access network node has established the dynamic S1 connection with the first MME; by The dynamic S1 connection initiates the path switching process to the first MME.

Combining the seventh aspect and the above possible implementation manners, in another possible implementation manner,

The handover request carries the globally unique MME identifier GUMMEI of the first MME;

The processor is further configured to determine that the MME currently serving the UE is the first MME according to the GUMMEI carried in the handover request before determining that a dynamic S1 connection needs to be established with the first MME ;

The processor is specifically configured to determine that the first MME is different from the second MME according to the GUMMEI carried in the handover request, and then determine that the dynamic S1 connection needs to be established with the first MME; or determining, according to the GUMMEI carried in the handover request, that the first MME is different from the second MME, and determining that the dynamic S1 connection has not been established between the second access network node and the first MME, Then determine that the dynamic S1 connection needs to be established with the first MME;

The processor is specifically configured to determine, according to the GUMMEI carried in the handover request, that the first MME is different from the second MME, and determine that the second access network node and the first MME have If the dynamic S1 connection is established, it is determined that the dynamic S1 connection does not need to be established with the first MME.

Combining the seventh aspect and the above possible implementation manners, in another possible implementation manner,

The sender is further configured to send an S1 connection establishment request to the first MME;

The receiver is further configured to receive the S1 connection establishment response sent by the first MME.

Combining the seventh aspect and the above possible implementation manners, in another possible implementation manner,

In the path switching process initiated by the processor to the first MME, the first MME selects the original serving gateway SGW to provide services for the UE; the original SGW is the SGW currently providing services for the UE .

Combining the seventh aspect and the above possible implementation manners, in another possible implementation manner,

The receiver is further configured to receive a tracking area update TAU request sent by the UE after the processor initiates a path switch procedure to the first MME through the dynamic S1 connection; wherein the TAU request is The UE sends it after determining that the current state is an idle state and determining that the received tracking area identifier broadcast by the second access network node is not in the tracking area list of the UE;

The sender is further configured to send the TAU request to the second MME through the static S1 connection, so that the second MME initiates a TAU process according to the TAU request.

Combining the seventh aspect and the above possible implementation manners, in another possible implementation manner,

The receiver is further configured to receive a TAU request relocation sent by the first MME through the dynamic S1 connection after the processor initiates a path switching procedure to the first MME through the dynamic S1 connection; Wherein, the TAU request relocation is that the first MME receives the TAU request sent by the UE through the second access network node, and determines the second access network node where the UE is located The tracking area identifier of the covered cell is sent after it is not in the tracking area managed by the first MME, and the TAU request is carried in the TAU request relocation;

The sender is further configured to send the TAU request carried in the TAU request relocation to the second MME through the static S1 connection, so that the second MME initiates a TAU process according to the TAU request .

Combining the seventh aspect and the above possible implementation manners, in another possible implementation manner,

The TAU request relocation includes an indication message; or, the indication message is carried in the context response sent by the first MME to the second MME in the TAU process;

Wherein, the indication message is used to instruct the second MME to select the original SGW to serve the UE in the TAU process.

In an eighth aspect of the present invention, a user equipment UE is provided, including:

A processor, configured to determine that the current state is an idle state; determine that the received tracking area identifier sent by the second access network node is not in the tracking area list of the UE; wherein the second access network node is A node currently serving the UE;

A sender, configured to send a Tracking Area Update TAU request to the second access network node, so that the second access network node initiates a TAU process according to the TAU request.

A ninth aspect of the present invention provides a second access network node, including:

A processor, configured to determine that the S1-AP connection for the user equipment UE on the dynamic S1 connection established between the second access network node and the first mobility management entity MME has been released, and then the second access network node releases the establishing the dynamic S1 connection with the first MME; or determining that the S1-AP connections of all UEs on the dynamic S1 connection established between the second access network node and the first MME have been released, Then the second access network node releases the dynamic S1 connection established with the first MME.

A tenth aspect of the present invention provides an evolved packet system EPS, the EPS includes at least two mobility management entities MME, at least two access network nodes, and user equipment UE, the at least two access network nodes Each of the access network nodes pre-establishes a static S1 connection with any one of the at least two MMEs;

Wherein, the at least two MMEs include a first MME and a second MME, the first MME is the MME currently serving the UE, and the second MME establishes the MME with the second access network node in advance. Static S1 connection; and the at least two access network nodes include the first access network node and the second access network node, and the cell to which the UE is currently attached is covered by the first access network node A cell, the cell covered by the first access network node is adjacent to at least one cell covered by the second access network node, and the first access network node and the second access network node pre-establish X2 connect.

In the mobility management method, device, and system provided by the embodiments of the present invention, in the new network architecture provided by the embodiments of the present invention, when the UE moves from a cell covered by the first access network node to a cell covered by the second access network node cell, after receiving the handover request sent by the first access network through the X2 connection, the second access network node sends a handover request acknowledgment to the first access network node through the X2 connection, so that the first access network node and the second The second access network node executes the handover execution process, and after the second access network node determines that it needs to establish a dynamic S1 connection with the first MME currently serving the UE, it establishes a dynamic S1 connection with the first MME, and then passes the established dynamic S1 connection. The S1 connection initiates a path switching process to the first MME. By using the new simplified network architecture, when the UE moves and needs to switch the MME that provides services for it, the switching based on the S1 interface is no longer used, but by using The handover based on the X2 interface reduces the handover delay and improves the handover performance in the mobility management process.

Description of drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings that need to be used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the accompanying drawings in the following description are only These are some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can also be obtained according to these drawings without any creative effort.

FIG. 1 is a flowchart of a mobility management method provided by Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a mobility management method provided by Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a mobility management method provided by Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of another mobility management method provided by Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of another mobility management method provided by Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a schematic composition diagram of a second access network node provided by Embodiment 4 of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a schematic composition diagram of another second access network node provided by Embodiment 4 of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a schematic composition diagram of a UE provided by Embodiment 5 of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a schematic composition diagram of a second access network node provided by Embodiment 6 of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of the composition of a second access network node provided by Embodiment 7 of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a schematic composition diagram of a UE provided by Embodiment 8 of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of the composition of a second access network node provided by Embodiment 9 of the present invention;

Fig. 13 is a schematic composition diagram of an EPS provided by Embodiment 10 of the present invention.

Detailed ways

The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of them. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by persons of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

The techniques described herein can be used in various communication systems such as current 2G, 3G communication systems and next generation communication systems such as Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access, CDMA) system, time division multiple access (Time Division Multiple Access, TDMA) system, wideband code division multiple access (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access Wireless, WCDMA), frequency division multiple access (Frequency Division Multiple Addressing, FDMA) system, orthogonal frequency division multiple Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) systems, Single Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) systems, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) systems, LTE systems, and other such communication systems.

Various aspects are described herein in connection with terminals and/or base stations and/or base station nodes.

The user equipment may be a wireless terminal or a wired terminal. The wireless terminal may be a device that provides voice and/or data connectivity to the user, a handheld device with a wireless connection function, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem. The wireless terminal can communicate with one or more core networks via a radio access network (for example, Radio Access Network, RAN), and the wireless terminal can be a mobile terminal, such as a mobile phone (or called a "cellular" phone) and a mobile terminal The computers, which may be, for example, portable, pocket, handheld, built-in or vehicle-mounted mobile devices, exchange speech and/or data with the radio access network. For example, Personal Communication Service (Personal Communication Service, PCS) phone, cordless phone, Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, Wireless Local Loop (WLL, Wireless Local Loop) station, Personal Digital Assistant (Personal Digital Assistant, PDA) and other equipment. The wireless terminal can also be called a system, a subscriber unit (Subscriber Unit), a subscriber station (Subscriber Station), a mobile station (MobileStation), a mobile station (Mobile), a remote station (Remote Station), an access point (Access Point), a remote Terminal (Remote Terminal), Access Terminal (Access Terminal), User Terminal (User Terminal), User Agent (User Agent), User Equipment (User Equipment).

A base station (eg, access point) can refer to a device in an access network that communicates with wireless terminals over the air interface through one or more sectors. The base station can be used to convert received over-the-air frames to and from IP packets, acting as a router between the wireless terminal and the rest of the access network, which can include an Internet Protocol (IP) network. The base station may also coordinate attribute management for the air interface. For example, the base station may be a base station (Base TransceiverStation, BTS) in GSM or CDMA, or a radio network controller (Radio Network Controller, RNC) base station (NodeB) in WCDMA, or an evolved base station (NodeB) in LTE. evolutional Node B, NodeB or eNB or e-NodeB), this application does not limit.

Additionally, the terms "system" and "network" are often used herein interchangeably. The term "and/or" in this article is just an association relationship describing associated objects, which means that there can be three relationships, for example, A and/or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and there exists alone B these three situations. In addition, the character "/" in this article generally indicates that the contextual objects are an "or" relationship.

In 2012, operators released a white paper on Network Function Virtualization (NFV) and announced the establishment of the NFV Industry Standards Group (Industry Standard Group, ISG) at the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI). Nearly 100 companies have become members of NFV ISG. The purpose of operators establishing NFV ISG is to define the requirements of operators' network function virtualization and related technical reports. It is hoped that by referring to the virtualization technology of Internet Technology (IT), it can be used in common high-performance servers, switches and storage Realize some network functions. The purpose of the operator needs to realize this part of the network function in the form of software, and can run on general-purpose high-performance servers, switches and storage hardware, etc., and this part of the network function can be migrated and instanced as needed It can be customized and deployed in different locations on the network, and does not require the installation of new equipment. At present, many types of network devices, such as servers, routers, storage devices, content distribution network (Content Distribution Network, CDN), switches, etc., can be separated from hardware and software through NFV technology, so that they can be deployed in data centers, network nodes, etc. or the user's home. And in the NFV white paper issued by the operator, it is stated that the scenarios it focuses on include: Broadband Network Gateway (BNG), carrier grade network address translation (Carrier Grade Network Address Translation, CG-NAT), routers, mobile network EPC , Internet Protocol Multimedia CoreNetwork Subsystem (IMS), RAN, home network, etc.

NFV technology mainly includes three key features: first, the software that defines network functions is completely separated from general-purpose high-performance servers, storage, and switches; second, the independent modularity of software and hardware components; third, automated orchestration , that is, to remotely install and manage software devices based on general-purpose hardware, and NFV technology also has its unique architecture. It is precisely because of the characteristics of NFV technology and its unique architecture that it can orchestrate and manage domain functions And use the resources of the network connection domain to establish any network connection between computing or storage nodes in the same network function virtualization infrastructure (Network Function Virtualization Infrastructure, NFVI) domain.

In the existing technology, after EPS introduces 3GPP Pool technology, several MME pools can be deployed in EPC, and all MMEs in the MME pool should communicate with all access network nodes (such as base stations) in the service area of the MME pool through the S1 interface Connection, usually, the connection between the access network node and the MME through the S1 interface is established when the access network node and the MME are powered on, and in the E-UTRAN of the EPS, the connection between the access network nodes through X2 interface connection. As we all know, when the UE moves in this application scenario, the EPS may need to initiate a handover based on the S1 interface, or may need to initiate a handover based on the X2 interface, and the handover based on the S1 interface initiated by the EPS is relatively In terms of handover, there are many signaling interactions in the core network, so the handover performance based on the S1 interface is not good. Therefore, how to improve the performance of handover and simplify the process and complexity of mobility management has become an important issue. An important topic for research by technical personnel in the field. Especially with the gradual maturity of NFV technology, it brings room for optimization to the mobility management process of 3GPP EPS network.

NFV can automatically orchestrate NFV infrastructure (NFV Infrastructure, NFVI) hardware resources through NFV orchestration and management domain (Management&Orchestration, MANO), and NFVI hardware resources can provide multiple different virtualization network functions (Virtualization Network Function, VNF) (such as virtualized MME, virtualized SGW, etc.), and can perform scalable arrangement of resources according to needs, coordinate and allocate hardware resources required for VNF operation, and create a virtual operating environment of VNF. The hardware resources mentioned here include computing resources, storage resources and network resources.

On the one hand, when the load of network function nodes (such as MME and SGW) increases, not only traditional 3GPP pools (such as MME pool and SGW pool) can be used for load sharing, but a part of the load can be transferred to other nodes. It is also possible to use the feature of automatic scalability of resources used by VNF in NFV to add required hardware resources to the network function node.

On the other hand, the characteristics and architecture of NFV enable it to use the resources of the Infrastructure network domain through the functions provided by MANO to establish network connections between any computing and storage nodes in the same NFVI domain. And with the development and progress of technology, the time to establish this connection can be very short.

These features provided for virtual network functions in NFV can be used in the mobility management process of 3GPP, such as establishing dynamic S1 connections between base stations and MMEs in a very short time as needed.

It should be noted that, in order to facilitate the understanding of those skilled in the art, a Long Term Evolution (Long Term Evolution, LTE) network is taken as an example for description in the embodiments of the present invention. The mobility management method, device and system provided by the present invention are also applicable to the mobility management process in which the terminal performs handover based on the Iur interface, and the RNC dynamically establishes an Iu connection to the SGSN as required in a 3G network. In the embodiment of the present invention, only the LTE network is taken as an example for description, but it is not limited to the LTE network.

Among them, the embodiment of the present invention provides a new simplified network architecture on this basis, that is, at least two MMEs included in the EPS, at least two access network nodes, and at least two access network nodes included in the UE Each access network node in the MME pre-establishes a static S1 connection with any one of the at least two MMEs. On the basis of the new network architecture provided by the embodiment of the present invention, in the mobility management method provided by the embodiment of the present invention, the node selection function in the 3GPP network is simplified by using the characteristics of the NFV technology, and the mobility management is simplified The handover process in the process improves the handover performance in the mobility management process and reduces the complexity of UE implementation. For the specific implementation process, refer to the specific description of the embodiments of the present invention.

Example 1

Embodiment 1 of the present invention provides a mobility management method, which is applied to an EPS, and the EPS includes at least two MMEs, at least two access network nodes, and a UE. Each of the at least two access network nodes establishes a static S1 connection with any one of the at least two MMEs in advance. Wherein, the at least two MMEs include the first MME and the second MME, the first MME is the MME currently serving the UE, and the second MME establishes a static S1 connection with the second access network node in advance; and at least two access The network nodes include a first access network node and a second access network node, the cell to which the UE is currently attached is a cell covered by the first access network node, and the cell covered by the first access network node is the same as the second access network node At least one cell covered by the access network node is adjacent, and the first access network node and the second access network node establish an X2 connection in advance. Specifically, as shown in Figure 1, the method may include:

101A. When the UE moves from a cell covered by the first access network node to a cell covered by the second access network node, the second access network node receives a handover request sent by the first access network node through the X2 connection.

Wherein, when the UE moves from a cell covered by the first access network node to a cell covered by the second access network node, the first access network node may connect to the second The access network node sends the handover request, and at this moment, the second access network node can receive the handover request sent by the first access node through the X2 connection.

102A. The second access network node sends a handover request confirmation to the first access network node through the X2 connection, so that the first access network node and the second access network node perform a handover execution procedure.

Wherein, in response to the received handover request, the second access network node may send a handover request confirmation to the first access network node through the X2 connection, so that the first access network node and the second access network node can Execute the handover execution procedure, so that the second access network node continues to provide services for the UE.

103A. The second access network node determines that a dynamic S1 connection needs to be established with the first MME.

Wherein, the second access network node may also determine whether a dynamic S1 connection needs to be established with the first MME currently providing services for the UE, and after determining that a dynamic S1 connection needs to be established with the first MME currently providing services for the UE, perform the following Step 104A.

104A. The second access network node establishes a dynamic S1 connection with the first MME.

Wherein, after the second access network node determines that the dynamic S1 connection needs to be established with the first MME, the dynamic S1 connection can be established with the first MME.

105A. The second access network node initiates a path switching process to the first MME through the dynamic S1 connection.

Wherein, after the second access network node establishes a dynamic S1 connection with the first MME, the second access network node can initiate a path switching procedure to the first MME through the dynamic S1 connection established with the first MME.

It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present invention, there is no specific limitation on the execution sequence of step 101A-step 104A. Specifically: in a possible implementation of the embodiment of the present invention, step 103A and step 104A can be performed after step 101A is executed; in another possible implementation of the embodiment of the present invention, step 103A can be performed after Execute after step 101A is executed, and step 104A may be executed after the second access network node described in step 102A sends a handover request confirmation to the first access network node through the X2 connection; in another embodiment of the present invention In a possible implementation, the second access network node in step 102A sends a handover request confirmation to the first access network node through the X2 connection, and steps 103A and 104A can also be executed at the same time after step 101A is executed; In yet another possible implementation manner of the embodiment of the present invention, step 103A and step 104A may be performed after the first access network node and the second access network node perform the handover execution procedure described in step 102A.

In the mobility management method provided by the embodiment of the present invention, in the new network architecture provided by the embodiment of the present invention, when the UE moves from the cell covered by the first access network node to the cell covered by the second access network node, the second After receiving the handover request sent by the first access network through the X2 connection, the second access network node sends a handover request confirmation to the first access network node through the X2 connection, so that the first access network node and the second access network The node executes the handover execution process, and after the second access network node determines that it needs to establish a dynamic S1 connection with the first MME currently serving the UE, it establishes a dynamic S1 connection with the first MME, and then connects to the first MME through the established dynamic S1 connection. An MME initiates the path switching process. By using the new simplified network architecture, when the UE moves and needs to switch to the MME that provides services for it, it no longer uses the switching based on the S1 interface, but uses the switching based on the X2 interface. The handover reduces the handover delay and improves the handover performance in the mobility management process.

Example 2

Embodiment 2 of the present invention provides a mobility management method. When a UE moves from a cell covered by a first access network node to a cell covered by a second access network node, and the transfer from the first access network node to the second access network node has been completed After the handover of the network access node, the UE also needs to determine whether to trigger the TAU process according to the tracking area identifier of the currently attached cell (that is, the cell covered by the second access network node). In the embodiment of the present invention, after the UE enters the idle state, it is determined whether the TAU process needs to be triggered. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the method may include:

101B. The UE determines that the current state is the idle state.

102B. The UE determines that the received tracking area identifier sent by the second access network node is not in the tracking area list of the UE.

Wherein, the second access network node is a node currently serving the UE. After the UE determines that the current state is the idle state, the UE can determine whether the received tracking area identifier sent by the second access network node exists in its own tracking area list, and determine whether the received second access network node When the tracking area identifier sent by the network access node is not in the tracking area list of the UE, the following step 103B is performed.

103B. The UE sends a TAU request to the second access network node, so that the second access network node initiates a TAU process according to the TAU request.

Wherein, after the UE determines that the received tracking area identifier sent by the second access network node is not in the tracking area list of the UE, the UE sends a TAU request to the second access network node, so that the second access network node will receive The TAU request is sent to the second MME that has established a static S1 connection with itself in advance, and then the second MME initiates a TAU process according to the TAU request.

In the mobility management method provided by the embodiment of the present invention, the UE determines that the current state is the idle state, and determines that the received tracking area identifier sent by the second access network node corresponding to the currently attached cell is not in the tracking area of the UE After entering the list, send a TAU request to the second access network node to trigger the TAU process. In the embodiment of the present invention, the UE only triggers the TAU process in the idle state, which reduces the complexity of UE implementation.

Example 3

Embodiment 3 of the present invention provides a mobility management method, which is applied to an EPS, and the EPS includes at least two MMEs, at least two access network nodes, and a UE. Each of the at least two access network nodes establishes a static S1 connection with any one of the at least two MMEs in advance. Wherein, the at least two MMEs include the first MME and the second MME, the first MME is the MME currently serving the UE, and the second MME establishes a static S1 connection with the second access network node in advance; and at least two access The network nodes include a first access network node and a second access network node, the cell to which the UE is currently attached is a cell covered by the first access network node, and the cell covered by the first access network node is the same as the second access network node At least one cell covered by the access network node is adjacent, and the first access network node and the second access network node establish an X2 connection in advance. Specifically, as shown in Figure 3, the method may include:

201. When a UE moves from a cell covered by a first access network node to a cell covered by a second access network node, the second access network node receives a handover request sent by the first access network node through an X2 connection.

Wherein, the handover request may carry a globally unique MME identifier (Globally Unique MMEIdentifier, GUMMEI) of the first MME. When the UE moves from a cell covered by the first access network node to a cell covered by a second access network node that has at least one adjacent cell to the cell covered by the first access network node, the first access network node may pass The X2 connection pre-established with the second access network node sends a handover request to the second access network node, and at this time, the second access network node can receive the handover request sent by the first access node through the X2 connection.

202. The second access network node sends a handover request confirmation to the first access network node through the X2 connection.

Wherein, in response to the received handover request, the second access network node may send a handover request acknowledgment to the first access network node through the X2 connection, so that the following step 203 may be performed, so that the second access network node continues to Provide services.

203. The first access network node and the second access network node perform a handover execution process.

Wherein, the second access network node sends a handover request acknowledgment to the first access network node through the X2 connection, and after the first access network node receives the handover request acknowledgment sent by the second access network node, the first access network node The handover execution procedure may be performed with the second access network node, so that after the UE moves from a cell covered by the first access network node to a cell covered by the second access network node, the second access network node may continue for the UE Provide services.

204. The second access network node determines, according to the GUMMEI carried in the handover request, that the MME currently serving the UE is the first MME.

Wherein, after the second access network node receives the handover request sent by the first access network node, it can determine which MME is the MME currently serving the UE according to the GUMMEI carried in the received handover request. In this example, since the GUMMEI carried in the handover request is the identifier of the first MME, the second access network node may determine that the MME currently serving the UE is the first MME according to the GUMMEI carried in the handover request.

It should be noted that, in the new simplified network architecture provided in the embodiment of the present invention, each of the at least two access network nodes included in the EPS only communicates with at least two MMEs in advance. A static S1 connection is established by any of the MMEs, so the second access network node receives the handover request sent by the first access network node, and determines that the MME currently serving the UE is the first MME according to the GUMMEI carried in the handover request Afterwards, the second access network node can judge whether it needs to establish a dynamic S1 connection with the first MME, so as to complete the path switching process in the switching process. Wherein, in a possible implementation of the embodiment of the present invention, the second access network node has established a static S1 connection with the first MME in advance, that is, the first MME is the same as the second MME, that is to say, the second access network node The network access node determines that it does not need to establish a dynamic S1 connection with the first MME. At this time, when the UE moves from the cell covered by the first access network node to the cell covered by the second access network node, the X2-based SGW does not change. The handover process is the same as the handover process of the X2-based SGW in the prior art, and will not be described in detail here in the embodiment of the present invention. In another possible implementation of the embodiment of the present invention, the second access network node determines that there is no need to establish a dynamic S1 connection with the first MME, but the second access network node has established a dynamic S1 connection with the first MME , step 207 can be directly executed. Specifically, in the application scenario where a dynamic S1 connection is established based on each access network node, the second access network node determines that it has not established a static S1 connection with the first MME in advance according to the GUMMEI carried in the handover request, that is, The first MME is different from the second MME, but it is determined that the second access network node has established a dynamic S1 connection with the first MME, then the second access network node also determines that it does not need to establish a dynamic S1 connection with the first MME at this time, Instead, initiate a path switching process to the first MME through the established dynamic S1 connection with the first MME, that is, do not execute step 206, and directly determine that there is an established dynamic S1 connection, without establishing an S1 connection with the first MME. After the dynamic S1 connection is executed, step 207 is executed. In yet another possible implementation manner of the embodiment of the present invention, the second access network node determines that it needs to establish a dynamic S1 connection with the first MME, and specifically performs the following steps 205 and 206 .

205. The second access network node determines that a dynamic S1 connection needs to be established with the first MME.

Wherein, after the second access network node receives the handover request sent by the first access network node, and determines that the MME currently serving the UE is the first MME according to the GUMMEI carried in the handover request, the second access network node It can judge whether it needs to establish a dynamic S1 connection with the first MME. Specifically, in a possible implementation of the embodiment of the present invention, a dynamic S1 connection can be established based on each UE. At this time, when the second access network node determines that it has not previously connected with The first MME establishes a static S1 connection, that is, when the first MME is different from the second MME, the second access network node determines that a dynamic S1 connection needs to be established with the first MME. Or, in another possible implementation of the embodiment of the present invention, a dynamic S1 connection can be established based on each access network node. A static S1 connection has not been established with the first MME, that is, the first MME is different from the second MME, and when it is determined that the second access network node has not established a dynamic S1 connection with the first MME, the second access network node determines that it needs to communicate with the first MME. The first MME establishes a dynamic S1 connection.

206. The second access network node establishes a dynamic S1 connection with the first MME.

Wherein, after the second access network node determines that the dynamic S1 connection needs to be established with the first MME, the second access network node may establish the dynamic S1 connection with the first MME.

Optionally in this embodiment of the present invention, the process of establishing a dynamic S1 connection between the second access network node and the first MME may specifically be: the second access network node first sends an S1 connection establishment request to the first MME, and the first After receiving the S1 connection establishment request sent by the second access network node, the MME sends an S1 connection establishment response to the second access network node, and at this time the second access network node can receive the S1 connection establishment response sent by the first MME , and then complete the establishment of the dynamic S1 connection.

It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present invention, there is no specific limitation on the execution sequence of steps 201 to 206. Specifically, in a possible implementation of the embodiment of the present invention, step 204-step 206 may be executed after step 201 is completed; in another possible implementation of the embodiment of the present invention, step 204 and step Step 205 may be executed after step 201 is executed, and step 206 may be executed after step 202 is executed; Then execute simultaneously; in yet another possible implementation manner of the embodiment of the present invention, step 204-step 206 may be executed after step 203 is executed. Wherein, performing step 204-step 206 after step 203 is executed may be: after the second access network node detects that the UE has switched to the second access network node and has completed the air interface connection, then perform step 204-step 206. Specifically, after successfully accessing the second access network node, the UE needs to send an RRC connection reconfiguration complete message to the second access network node to notify the second access network node that the handover process is complete. After receiving the RRC connection reconfiguration complete message sent by the UE, the second access network node may execute steps 204-206.

207. The second access network node initiates a path switching process to the first MME through the dynamic S1 connection.

Wherein, after the second access network node establishes a dynamic S1 connection with the first MME, the second access network node can initiate a path switching procedure to the first MME through the dynamic S1 connection, and the method described in the embodiment of the present invention The SGW serving the UE is not changed in the path switching process initiated by the second access network node to the first MME, that is, the first MME selects the original SGW to provide services for the UE, so as to further simplify the switching process and improve the switching performance. The SGW is the SGW currently serving the UE. The second access network node initiates a path switching process to the first MME through the dynamic S1 connection, which may specifically include the following steps 207a-207e:

207a. The second access network node sends a path switching request to the first MME through the dynamic S1 connection.

207b. In response to the received path switch request, the first MME sends a bearer update request to the SGW.

207c. In response to the received bearer update request, the SGW sends a bearer update response to the first MME.

Optionally, after the SGW receives the bearer update request sent by the first MME, the SGW may send the bearer update request to a packet data network gateway (Packet Data Network-Gateway, PGW), and after the PGW receives the bearer update request, it may A bearer update response is sent to the SGW, and the SGW sends a bearer response to the first MME after receiving the bearer update response sent by the PGW.

207d. The first MME sends a path switching request confirmation to the second access network node through the dynamic S1 connection.

207e. The second access network node sends a resource release message to the first access network node.

When the UE moves from the cell covered by the first access network node to the cell covered by the second access network node, and after performing steps 201 to 207, the transfer from the first access network node to the second access network node is completed After the handover, the UE also needs to determine whether a TAU procedure needs to be triggered according to the tracking area identifier of the currently attached cell (ie, the cell covered by the second access network node).

Wherein, in a possible implementation of the embodiment of the present invention, after the UE is in the idle state, when the UE judges that the TAU process needs to be triggered, the TAU process is initiated again. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4 , the following steps may be included 301-step 304.

301. The UE determines that the current state is the idle state, and determines that the received tracking area identifier sent by the second access network node is not in the tracking area list of the UE.

Wherein, when the UE determines that the current state is the idle state, the UE judges whether the received tracking area identifier broadcast by the second access network node exists in its own tracking area list, and when the UE determines that the received second When the tracking area identifier broadcast by the access network node is not in the tracking area list of the UE, the following step 302 is performed.

302. The UE sends a tracking area update (Tacking Area Update, TAU) request to a second access network node.

Wherein, after the UE determines that the current state is the idle state, and determines that the received tracking area identifier broadcast by the second access network node is not in the tracking area list of the UE, the UE may send a TAU to the second access network node ask.

303. The second access network node receives the TAU request sent by the UE.

Wherein, the TAU request is sent by the UE after determining that the current state is the idle state and that the received tracking area identifier broadcast by the second access network node is not in the tracking area list of the UE. After the UE sends the TAU request to the second access network node, the second access network node can receive the TAU request sent by the UE.

304. The second access network node sends the TAU request to the second MME through the static S1 connection, so that the second MME initiates a TAU process according to the TAU request.

Wherein, after receiving the TAU request sent by the UE, the second access network node directly sends the TAU request to the second MME through the static S1 connection, so that the second MME initiates a TAU process according to the TAU request. In the embodiment of the present invention, after receiving the TAU request sent by the UE, the second access network node directly selects the second MME that has established a static S1 connection with itself as the MME that continues to provide services for the UE. The information or other rules are used to select the MME that continues to provide services for the UE, which simplifies the functions of the second access network node.

Wherein, in a possible implementation manner in the embodiment of the present invention, the SGW changes during the execution of the TAU, and the second MME initiates the TAU process according to the TAU request, which may specifically include the following steps 304a1-304a14.

304a1. The second MME sends a context request to the first MME.

304a2. In response to the received context request, the first MME sends a context response to the second MME.

Wherein, further optionally, after the first MME sends the context response to the second MME, an authentication process may also be performed between the UE and the second MME, and between the second MME and a home subscriber server (HSS), so as to The legitimacy of the second MME that provides services for the UE is ensured.

304a3. The second MME sends a context confirmation to the first MME.

304a4. The second MME sends a bearer creation request to the new SGW.

304a5. The new SGW sends a bearer update request to the PGW.

Wherein, further optionally, after the PGW receives the bearer update request sent by the new SGW, it may initiate an IP connectivity access network (IP Connectivity Accesses Network, IP- CAN) session update process, and execute step 304a6 after the IP-CAN session update process is completed.

304a6. The PGW sends a bearer update response to the new SGW.

304a7. The new SGW sends a bearer creation response to the second MME.

304a8. The second MME sends a location update message to the HSS.

304a9. The HSS sends a location cancel message to the first MME.

304a10. The first MME sends a location cancellation confirmation to the HSS.

Wherein, further optionally, after the first MME sends a location cancel confirmation to the HSS, it may send an lu connection release command to a radio network controller (Radio Network Controller, RNC), and receive an lu connection release complete message sent by the RNC.

304a11. The HSS sends a location update confirmation to the second MME.

304a12. The first MME sends a bearer delete request to the original SGW.

304a13. The original SGW sends a delete bearer response to the first MME.

304a14. The second MME sends a TAU acceptance to the UE, so as to notify the UE that the process is completed.

Wherein, further optionally, the UE may also send TAU completion to the second MME.

It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present invention, if the second access network node has established a static S1 connection with the first MME in advance, that is, the first MME is the same as the second MME in the new network architecture, that is to say , during the TAU process, the second MME to which the second access network node sends the TAU request is the first MME currently serving the UE, that is, the MME does not change during the TAU process. At this time, the second MME according to the TAU request Initiating the TAU process does not need to execute steps 304a1-304a3 and steps 304a8-304a11 in the above steps.

Wherein, in another possible implementation manner of the embodiment of the present invention, the SGW does not change during the execution of the TAU, and the second MME initiates the TAU process according to the TAU request, which may specifically include the following steps 304b1-304b9.

304b1. The second MME sends a context request to the first MME.

304b2. In response to the received context request, the first MME sends a context response to the second MME.

Wherein, further optionally, after the first MME sends the context response to the second MME, an authentication process may also be performed between the UE and the second MME, and between the second MME and the HSS, so as to ensure that the second MME serving the UE legality.

304b3. The second MME sends a context confirmation to the first MME.

304b4. The second MME sends a bearer update request to the SGW.

304b5. The SGW sends a bearer update response to the second MME.

Wherein, further optionally, after the second MME sends a bearer update request to the SGW, and after the SGW receives the bearer update request, the SGW may send the bearer update request to the PGW, and after the PGW receives the bearer update request, it may initiate an IP address to the PCRF. -CAN session update process, and after the IP-CAN session update process is completed, the PGW sends a bearer update response to the SGW, and executes step 304b5 after the SGW receives the bearer update response sent by the PGW.

304b6. The second MME sends a location update request to the HSS.

304b7. The HSS sends a location cancel message to the first MME.

304b8. The first MME sends a location cancellation confirmation to the HSS.

Wherein, further optionally, after the first MME sends the location cancel confirmation to the HSS, it may send an lu connection release command to the RNC, and receive a lu connection release complete message sent by the RNC.

304b9. The HSS sends a location update confirmation to the second MME.

304b10. The second MME sends a TAU acceptance to the UE, so as to notify the UE that the process is completed.

Wherein, further optionally, the UE may also send TAU completion to the second MME.

It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present invention, if the second access network node has established a static S1 connection with the first MME in advance, that is, the first MME is the same as the second MME in the new network architecture, that is to say , during the TAU process, the second MME to which the second access network node sends the TAU request is the first MME currently serving the UE, that is, the MME does not change during the TAU process. At this time, the second MME according to the TAU request Initiating the TAU process does not need to perform steps 304b1-304b9 in the above steps.

Wherein, in another possible implementation of the embodiment of the present invention, when the UE is in the connected state, when the UE judges that the TAU process needs to be triggered, it initiates the TAU process. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5 , it may include the following Step 401-Step 407.

401. The UE determines that the received tracking area identifier broadcast by the second access network node is not in the tracking area list of the UE.

Wherein, after completing the handover from the first access network node to the second access network node, the UE also needs to determine whether to trigger In the TAU process, specifically, the UE needs to determine whether the received tracking area identifier sent by the second access network node exists in its own tracking area list, and determines that the received tracking area identifier sent by the second access network node is not in the When it is in the tracking area list of the UE, the following step 402 is performed.

402. The UE sends a TAU request to the first MME through the second access network node.

Wherein, when the UE needs to initiate a TAU process, since the UE is in the connected state, after the UE sends the TAU request to the second access network node, the second access network node transparently sends the received TAU request to the first MME .

403. The first MME receives the TAU request sent by the UE through the second access network node.

404. The first MME determines that the tracking area identifier of the cell covered by the second access network node where the UE is located is not in the tracking area managed by the first MME.

Wherein, after the first MME receives the TAU request sent by the UE through the second access network node, it may determine whether the tracking area identifier of the cell covered by the second access network node where the UE is located exists in the TAU request of the first MME. In the managed tracking area, and when it is determined that the tracking area identifier of the cell covered by the second access network node where the UE is located is not in the managed tracking area of the first MME, the following step 405 is performed.

405. The first MME sends a TAU request to the second access network node to request relocation through the dynamic S1 connection.

After the first MME determines that the tracking area identifier of the cell covered by the second access network node where the UE is located is not in the tracking area managed by the first MME, the first MME may establish a The dynamic S1 connection of the UE sends a TAU request to the second access network node to request relocation, so that the second access network node reselects an MME that provides services for the UE.

406. The second access network node receives the TAU request relocation sent by the first MME through the dynamic S1 connection.

Wherein, the TAU request relocation means that the first MME receives the TAU request sent by the UE through the second access network node, and determines that the tracking area identifier of the cell covered by the second access network node where the UE is located is not in the first In the tracking area managed by the MME, the TAU request is carried in the relocation of the TAU request.

407. The second access network node sends the TAU request carried in the TAU request relocation to the second MME through the static S1 connection, so that the second MME initiates a TAU procedure according to the TAU request.

Wherein, after the second access network node receives the TAU request relocation sent by the first MME through the dynamic S1 connection, it directly sends the TAU request carried in the TAU request relocation to the first MME through the static S1 connection established with the second MME. The second MME, so that the second MME initiates a TAU process according to the TAU request. In the embodiment of the present invention, after receiving the TAU request relocation sent by the first MME, the second access network node directly selects the second MME that has established a static S1 connection with itself as the MME that continues to provide services for the UE. The MME that continues to provide services for the UE needs to be selected according to the information provided by the UE or other rules, which simplifies the functions of the second access network node.

It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present invention, the second MME initiates the TAU process according to the TAU request. Reference may be made to the specific description of steps 304b1-304b9 in the embodiment of the present invention, and the embodiment of the present invention will not be described in detail here.

Among them, in the embodiment of the present invention, the second MME selects the original SGW to continue to provide services for the UE, that is, the SGW is not changed during the TAU process, and is used to instruct the second MME to select the original SGW to provide services for the UE during the TAU process The message can be notified to the second MME through steps 405-407, that is, the indication information is included in the TAU request for relocation, or the indication message can also be carried in the context response sent by the first MME to the second MME in the TAU process Notify the second MME, so that the second MME continues to select the original SGW to provide services for the UE, so as to further improve the handover performance in the mobility management process.

In the embodiment of the present invention, a mobility management method is also provided. In the above embodiment, the second access network node establishes a dynamic S1 connection with the first MME, and in the embodiment of the present invention, release of the dynamic S1 connection is provided. the process of. Specifically: for the application scenario of establishing a dynamic S1 connection based on each UE, when the second access network node judges that the S1-AP connection for the UE on the dynamic S1 connection between the second access network node and the first MME is released Afterwards, the second access network node releases the dynamic S1 connection established with the first MME, wherein the S1-AP connection of the UE on the dynamic S1 connection is when the UE needs to leave the cell covered by the second access network node due to handover, Or it is released when the TAU needs to select another MME, or the UE needs to enter the idle state. Or, for establishing a dynamic S1 connection based on each access network node, when the second access network node determines that the S1-AP connections of all UEs on the dynamic S1 connection between the second access network node and the first MME are released, The second access network node releases the dynamic S1 connection established with the first MME, wherein the S1-AP connection of each UE on the dynamic S1 connection is when the UE needs to leave the cell covered by the second access network node due to handover, Or it is released when the TAU needs to select another MME, or the UE needs to enter the idle state.

In the mobility management method provided by the embodiment of the present invention, in the new network architecture provided by the embodiment of the present invention, when the UE moves from the cell covered by the first access network node to the cell covered by the second access network node, the second After receiving the handover request sent by the first access network through the X2 connection, the second access network node sends a handover request confirmation to the first access network node through the X2 connection, so that the first access network node and the second access network The node executes the handover execution process, and after the second access network node determines that it needs to establish a dynamic S1 connection with the first MME currently serving the UE, it establishes a dynamic S1 connection with the first MME, and then connects to the first MME through the established dynamic S1 connection. An MME initiates a path switching process. By using the new simplified network architecture, when the UE moves and needs to switch the MME that provides services for it, the S! Instead, the handover based on the X2 interface is used to reduce the handover delay and improve the handover performance in the mobility management process.

Example 4

Embodiment 4 of the present invention provides a second access network node, which is applied to an evolved packet system EPS. The EPS includes at least two mobility management entities MME, at least two access network nodes, and user equipment UE. The at least Each of the two access network nodes establishes a static S1 connection with any one of the at least two MMEs in advance.

Wherein, the at least two MMEs include a first MME and a second MME, the first MME is the MME currently serving the UE, and the second MME is pre-established with the second access network node The static S1 connection; and the at least two access network nodes include the first access network node and the second access network node, and the cell to which the UE is currently attached is the first access network node The cell covered by the first access network node is adjacent to at least one cell covered by the second access network node, and the first access network node and the second access network node have previously Establish X2 connection.

As shown in FIG. 6 , the second access network node according to the embodiment of the present invention may include: a receiving unit 51 , a sending unit 52 , a determining unit 53 , an establishing unit 54 , and an initiating unit 55 .

The receiving unit 51 is configured to, when the UE moves from a cell covered by the first access network node to a cell covered by the second access network node, receive the X2 The switch request sent by the connection.

Wherein, when the UE moves from a cell covered by the first access network node to a cell covered by a second access network node that has at least one adjacent cell to the cell covered by the first access network node, the first access network node The handover request may be sent to the second access network node through the X2 connection pre-established with the second access network node. At this time, the receiving unit 51 may receive the handover request sent by the first access node through the X2 connection.

The sending unit 52 is configured to send a handover request acknowledgment to the first access network node through the X2 connection, so that the first access network node and the second access network node perform a handover execution procedure.

Wherein, in response to the handover request received by the receiving unit 51, the sending unit 52 can send a handover request confirmation to the first access network node through the X2 connection, so that the first access network node can communicate with the second access network node The handover execution procedure is executed, so that after the UE moves from the cell covered by the first access network node to the cell covered by the second access network node, the second access network node can continue to provide services for the UE.

The determining unit 53 is configured to determine that a dynamic S1 connection needs to be established with the first MME.

An establishing unit 54, configured to establish the dynamic S1 connection with the first MME.

The initiating unit 55 is configured to initiate a path switching procedure to the first MME through the dynamic S1 connection established by the establishing unit 54 .

It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present invention, the specific process of the path switching process initiated by the initiating unit 55 to the first MME can refer to the specific description of step 207 in the method embodiment of the present invention, and the embodiment of the present invention will not repeat it here. A repeat.

In the embodiment of the present invention, further optionally, the determining unit 53 is further configured to determine that the dynamic S1 connection does not need to be established with the first MME; wherein, the second access network node and the The first MME has established the dynamic S1 connection.

The initiating unit 55 is further configured to initiate the path switching process to the first MME through the dynamic S1 connection.

In the embodiment of the present invention, further optionally, the handover request carries the globally unique MME identifier GUMMEI of the first MME.

The determining unit 53 is further configured to determine that the MME currently serving the UE is the first MME according to the GUMMEI carried in the handover request before determining that a dynamic S1 connection needs to be established with the first MME. MME.

The determining unit 53 is specifically used for:

According to the GUMMEI carried in the handover request, it is determined that the first MME is different from the second MME, then it is determined that the dynamic S1 connection needs to be established with the first MME; or, according to the GUMMEI carried in the handover request The GUMMEI determines that the first MME is different from the second MME, and determines that the second access network node has not established the dynamic S1 connection with the first MME, then it is determined that the first MME needs to be connected with the first MME. The MME establishes the dynamic S1 connection.

The determining unit 53 is specifically configured to determine that the first MME is different from the second MME according to the GUMMEI carried in the handover request, and determine that the second access network node is different from the first MME If the dynamic S1 connection has been established, it is determined that the dynamic S1 connection does not need to be established with the first MME.

In the embodiment of the present invention, further optionally, as shown in FIG. 7 , the establishing unit 54 may include: a sending module 541 and a receiving module 542 .

The sending module 541 is configured to send an S1 connection establishment request to the first MME.

The receiving module 542 is configured to receive the S1 connection establishment response sent by the first MME.

In the embodiment of the present invention, further optionally, in the path switching process initiated by the initiating unit 55 to the first MME, the first MME selects the original serving gateway SGW to provide services for the UE; The original SGW is the SGW currently serving the UE.

After the UE moves from the cell covered by the first access network node to the cell covered by the second access network node and completes the handover from the first access network node to the second access network node, the UE also needs to The tracking area identifier of the cell (that is, the cell covered by the second access network node) determines whether a TAU process needs to be triggered.

In the embodiment of the present invention, further optionally, the receiving unit 51 is further configured to receive the UE sending A tracking area update TAU request; wherein, the TAU request is that the UE determines that the current state is an idle state, and it is determined that the received tracking area identifier broadcast by the second access network node is not in the UE's Sent after the tracking area list.

The sending unit 52 is further configured to send the TAU request to the second MME through the static S1 connection, so that the second MME initiates a TAU process according to the TAU request.

In the embodiment of the present invention, further optionally, the receiving unit 51 is further configured to receive the first The TAU request relocation sent by the MME through the dynamic S1 connection; wherein the TAU request relocation is that the first MME receives the TAU request sent by the UE through the second access network node and determines The tracking area identifier of the cell covered by the second access network node where the UE is located is sent after it is not in the tracking area managed by the first MME, and the TAU request is carried in the TAU request relocation .

The sending unit 52 is further configured to send the TAU request carried in the TAU request relocation to the second MME through the static S1 connection, so that the second MME initiates a TAU according to the TAU request process.

In the embodiment of the present invention, further optionally, the TAU request relocation includes an indication message; or, the indication message carries the information sent by the first MME to the second MME in the TAU process. In context response.

Wherein, the indication message is used to instruct the second MME to select the original SGW to serve the UE in the TAU process.

It should be noted that, for the specific description of the functional modules in the second access network node provided in the embodiment of the present invention, reference may be made to the specific description of the corresponding content in the method embodiment, and details will not be described in detail here in the embodiment of the present invention.

The second access network node provided by the embodiment of the present invention, in the new network architecture provided by the embodiment of the present invention, when the UE moves from the cell covered by the first access network node to the cell covered by the second access network node , after receiving the handover request sent by the first access network through the X2 connection, the second access network node sends a handover request confirmation to the first access network node through the X2 connection, so that the first access network node and the second access network node The network access node executes the handover execution process, and after the second access network node determines that it needs to establish a dynamic S1 connection with the first MME currently serving the UE, it establishes a dynamic S1 connection with the first MME, and then uses the established dynamic S1 connection Initiate the path switching process to the first MME, and use the new simplified network architecture, so that when the UE moves and needs to switch the MME that provides services for it, the S! Instead, the handover based on the X2 interface is used to reduce the handover delay and improve the handover performance in the mobility management process.

Example 5

Embodiment 5 of the present invention provides a UE, as shown in FIG. 8 , including: a determining unit 61 and a sending unit 62 .

The determining unit 61 is configured to determine that the current state is an idle state.

The determining unit 61 is further configured to determine that the received tracking area identifier sent by the second access network node is not in the tracking area list of the UE; wherein, the second access network node is currently the UE The node that provides the service.

The sending unit 62 is configured to send a tracking area update TAU request to the second access network node, so that the second access network node initiates a TAU process according to the TAU request.

It should be noted that, for the specific description of the functional modules in the UE provided by the embodiment of the present invention, reference may be made to the specific description of the corresponding content in the method embodiment, and details will not be described in detail here in the embodiment of the present invention.

In the UE provided by the embodiment of the present invention, after the UE determines that the current state is the idle state, and determines that the received tracking area identifier sent by the second access network node corresponding to the currently attached cell is not in the tracking area list of the UE , sending a TAU request to the second access network node so as to trigger the TAU process. In the embodiment of the present invention, the UE only triggers the TAU process in an idle state, which reduces the complexity of UE implementation.

Example 6

Embodiment 6 of the present invention provides a second access network node, as shown in FIG. 9 , including: a determining unit 71 .

The determining unit 71 is configured to determine that the S1-AP connection for the user equipment UE on the dynamic S1 connection established between the second access network node and the first mobility management entity MME has been released, then the second access network node releasing the dynamic S1 connection established with the first MME; or, the determining unit 71 is further configured to determine the dynamic S1 connection established between the second access network node and the first MME The S1-AP connections of all UEs have been released, then the second access network node releases the dynamic S1 connection established with the first MME.

It should be noted that, for the specific description of the functional modules in the second access network node provided in the embodiment of the present invention, reference may be made to the specific description of the corresponding content in the method embodiment, and details will not be described in detail here in the embodiment of the present invention.

The second access network node provided by the embodiment of the present invention, in the new network architecture provided by the embodiment of the present invention, when the UE moves from the cell covered by the first access network node to the cell covered by the second access network node , after receiving the handover request sent by the first access network through the X2 connection, the second access network node sends a handover request confirmation to the first access network node through the X2 connection, so that the first access network node and the second access network node The network access node executes the handover execution process, and after the second access network node determines that it needs to establish a dynamic S1 connection with the first MME currently serving the UE, it establishes a dynamic S1 connection with the first MME, and then uses the established dynamic S1 connection Initiate the path switching process to the first MME, and use the new simplified network architecture, so that when the UE moves and needs to switch the MME that provides services for it, the S! Instead, the handover based on the X2 interface is used to reduce the handover delay and improve the handover performance in the mobility management process.

Example 7

Embodiment 7 of the present invention provides a second access network node, which is applied to an evolved packet system EPS. The EPS includes at least two mobility management entities MME, at least two access network nodes, and user equipment UE. The at least Each of the two access network nodes establishes a static S1 connection with any one of the at least two MMEs in advance.

Wherein, the at least two MMEs include a first MME and a second MME, the first MME is the MME currently serving the UE, and the second MME is pre-established with the second access network node The static S1 connection; and the at least two access network nodes include the first access network node and the second access network node, and the cell to which the UE is currently attached is the first access network node The cell covered by the first access network node is adjacent to at least one cell covered by the second access network node, and the first access network node and the second access network node have previously Establish X2 connection.

As shown in FIG. 10 , the second access network node may include: a receiver 81 , a transmitter 82 , and a processor 83 .

A receiver 81, configured to receive, when the UE moves from a cell covered by the first access network node to a cell covered by the second access network node, the X2 The switch request sent by the connection.

The sender 82 is configured to send a handover request confirmation to the first access network node through the X2 connection, so that the first access network node and the second access network node perform a handover execution procedure.

A processor 83, configured to determine that a dynamic S1 connection needs to be established with the first MME, establish the dynamic S1 connection with the first MME, and initiate a path switching process to the first MME through the dynamic S1 connection .

In the embodiment of the present invention, further optionally, the processor 83 is further configured to determine that the dynamic S1 connection does not need to be established with the first MME; wherein, the second access network node and the The first MME has established the dynamic S1 connection; initiates the path switching procedure to the first MME through the dynamic S1 connection.

In the embodiment of the present invention, further optionally, the handover request carries the globally unique MME identifier GUMMEI of the first MME.

The processor 83 is further configured to determine that the MME currently serving the UE is the first MME according to the GUMMEI carried in the handover request before determining that a dynamic S1 connection needs to be established with the first MME. MME.

The processor 83 is specifically configured to determine that the first MME is different from the second MME according to the GUMMEI carried in the handover request, and then determine that the dynamic S1 connection needs to be established with the first MME; Or, determining that the first MME is different from the second MME according to the GUMMEI carried in the handover request, and determining that the dynamic S1 connection has not been established between the second access network node and the first MME , it is determined that the dynamic S1 connection needs to be established with the first MME.

The processor 83 is specifically configured to determine that the first MME is different from the second MME according to the GUMMEI carried in the handover request, and determine that the second access network node is different from the first MME If the dynamic S1 connection has been established, it is determined that the dynamic S1 connection does not need to be established with the first MME.

In the embodiment of the present invention, further optionally, the sender 82 is further configured to send an S1 connection establishment request to the first MME.

The receiver 81 is further configured to receive the S1 connection establishment response sent by the first MME.

In the embodiment of the present invention, further optionally, in the path switching process initiated by the processor 83 to the first MME, the first MME selects the original serving gateway SGW to provide services for the UE; The original SGW is the SGW currently serving the UE.

In the embodiment of the present invention, further optionally, the receiver 81 is further configured to receive the UE transmission after the processor 83 initiates a path switching procedure to the first MME through the dynamic S1 connection A tracking area update TAU request; wherein, the TAU request is that the UE determines that the current state is an idle state, and it is determined that the received tracking area identifier broadcast by the second access network node is not in the UE's Sent after the tracking area list.

The sender 82 is further configured to send the TAU request to the second MME through the static S1 connection, so that the second MME initiates a TAU process according to the TAU request.

In the embodiment of the present invention, further optionally, the receiver 81 is further configured to receive the first The TAU request relocation sent by the MME through the dynamic S1 connection; wherein the TAU request relocation is that the first MME receives the TAU request sent by the UE through the second access network node and determines The tracking area identifier of the cell covered by the second access network node where the UE is located is sent after it is not in the tracking area managed by the first MME, and the TAU request is carried in the TAU request relocation .

The transmitter 82 is further configured to send the TAU request carried in the TAU request relocation to the second MME through the static S1 connection, so that the second MME initiates a TAU according to the TAU request process.

In the embodiment of the present invention, further optionally, the TAU request relocation includes an indication message; or, the indication message carries the information sent by the first MME to the second MME in the TAU process. In context response.

Wherein, the indication message is used to instruct the second MME to select the original SGW to serve the UE in the TAU process.

It should be noted that, for the specific description of the functional modules in the second access network node provided in the embodiment of the present invention, reference may be made to the specific description of the corresponding content in the method embodiment, and details will not be described in detail here in the embodiment of the present invention.

The second access network node provided by the embodiment of the present invention, in the new network architecture provided by the embodiment of the present invention, when the UE moves from the cell covered by the first access network node to the cell covered by the second access network node , after receiving the handover request sent by the first access network through the X2 connection, the second access network node sends a handover request confirmation to the first access network node through the X2 connection, so that the first access network node and the second access network node The network access node executes the handover execution process, and after the second access network node determines that it needs to establish a dynamic S1 connection with the first MME currently serving the UE, it establishes a dynamic S1 connection with the first MME, and then uses the established dynamic S1 connection Initiate the path switching process to the first MME, and use the new simplified network architecture, so that when the UE moves and needs to switch the MME that provides services for it, the S! Instead, the handover based on the X2 interface is used to reduce the handover delay and improve the handover performance in the mobility management process.

Example 8

Embodiment 8 of the present invention provides a UE, as shown in FIG. 11 , including: a processor 91 and a transmitter 92 .

Processor 91, configured to determine that the current state is an idle state; determine that the received tracking area identifier sent by the second access network node is not in the tracking area list of the UE; wherein, the second access network node is the node currently serving the UE.

The sender 92 is configured to send a Tracking Area Update TAU request to the second access network node, so that the second access network node initiates a TAU process according to the TAU request.

It should be noted that, for the specific description of the functional modules in the UE provided by the embodiment of the present invention, reference may be made to the specific description of the corresponding content in the method embodiment, and details will not be described in detail here in the embodiment of the present invention.

In the UE provided by the embodiment of the present invention, after the UE determines that the current state is the idle state, and determines that the received tracking area identifier sent by the second access network node corresponding to the currently attached cell is not in the tracking area list of the UE , sending a TAU request to the second access network node so as to trigger the TAU process. In the embodiment of the present invention, the UE only triggers the TAU process in an idle state, which reduces the complexity of UE implementation.

Example 9

Embodiment 9 of the present invention provides a second access network node, as shown in FIG. 12 , including: a processor 1001 .

Processor 1001, configured to determine that the S1-AP connection for the user equipment UE on the dynamic S1 connection established between the second access network node and the first mobility management entity MME has been released, then the second access network node Release the dynamic S1 connection established with the first MME; or, determine that the S1-AP connections of all UEs on the dynamic S1 connection established between the second access network node and the first MME have been released , the second access network node releases the dynamic S1 connection established with the first MME.

It should be noted that, for the specific description of the functional modules in the second access network node provided in the embodiment of the present invention, reference may be made to the specific description of the corresponding content in the method embodiment, and details will not be described in detail here in the embodiment of the present invention.

The second access network node provided by the embodiment of the present invention, in the new network architecture provided by the embodiment of the present invention, when the UE moves from the cell covered by the first access network node to the cell covered by the second access network node , after receiving the handover request sent by the first access network through the X2 connection, the second access network node sends a handover request confirmation to the first access network node through the X2 connection, so that the first access network node and the second access network node The network access node executes the handover execution process, and after the second access network node determines that it needs to establish a dynamic S1 connection with the first MME currently serving the UE, it establishes a dynamic S1 connection with the first MME, and then uses the established dynamic S1 connection Initiate the path switching process to the first MME, and use the new simplified network architecture, so that when the UE moves and needs to switch the MME that provides services for it, the S! Instead, the handover based on the X2 interface is used to reduce the handover delay and improve the handover performance in the mobility management process.

Example 10

Embodiment 10 of the present invention provides an evolved packet system EPS. As shown in FIG. 13 , the EPS includes at least two mobility management entities MME, at least two access network nodes, and user equipment UE. Each of the access network nodes among the network access nodes establishes a static S1 connection with any one of the MMEs among the at least two MMEs in advance;

Wherein, the at least two MMEs include a first MME1101 and a second MME1102, the first MME1101 is the MME currently serving the UE1105, and the second MME1102 has previously established an MME with the second access network node 1104 The static S1 connection; and the at least two access network nodes include the first access network node 1103 and the second access network node 1104, and the cell to which the UE 1105 is currently attached is the first access network node The cell covered by the node 1103, the cell covered by the first access network node 1103 is adjacent to at least one cell covered by the second access network node 1104, the first access network node 1103 and the second The access network node 1104 establishes the X2 connection in advance.

It should be noted that, for the specific description of the functional modules in the EPS provided by the embodiment of the present invention, reference may be made to the specific description of the corresponding content in the method embodiment, and details will not be described in detail here in the embodiment of the present invention.

In the EPS provided by the embodiment of the present invention, in the new network architecture provided by the embodiment of the present invention, when the UE moves from the cell covered by the first access network node to the cell covered by the second access network node, the second access After the network node receives the handover request sent by the first access network through the X2 connection, it sends a handover request confirmation to the first access network node through the X2 connection, so that the first access network node and the second access network node perform handover Execute the process, and after the second access network node determines that it needs to establish a dynamic S1 connection with the first MME currently serving the UE, establish a dynamic S1 connection with the first MME, and then initiate a dynamic S1 connection to the first MME through the established dynamic S1 connection. The path switching process uses the new simplified network architecture so that when the UE moves and needs to switch the MME that provides services for it, it no longer uses the switching based on the S1 interface, but uses the switching based on the X2 interface, reducing the The handover delay is reduced, and the handover performance in the mobility management process is improved.

In addition, after the UE determines that the current state is the idle state, and determines that the received tracking area identifier sent by the second access network node corresponding to the currently attached cell is not in the tracking area list of the UE, the UE sends a notification to the second access network node. The network node sends a TAU request to trigger the TAU process. In the embodiment of the present invention, the UE only triggers the TAU process in an idle state, which reduces the complexity of UE implementation.

Through the description of the above embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that for the convenience and brevity of the description, only the division of the above-mentioned functional modules is used as an example for illustration. In practical applications, the above-mentioned functions can be allocated according to needs It is completed by different functional modules, that is, the internal structure of the device is divided into different functional modules to complete all or part of the functions described above. For the specific working process of the device described above, reference may be made to the corresponding process in the foregoing method embodiments, and details are not repeated here.

In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices and methods may be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only illustrative. For example, the division of the modules or units is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components can be Incorporation or may be integrated into another device, or some features may be omitted, or not implemented. In another point, the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces, and the indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units may be in electrical, mechanical or other forms.

The unit described as a separate component may or may not be physically separated, and the component displayed as a unit may be one physical unit or multiple physical units, that is, it may be located in one place, or may be distributed to multiple different places . Part or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present invention may be integrated into one processing unit, each unit may exist separately physically, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit. The above-mentioned integrated units can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional units.

If the integrated unit is realized in the form of a software function unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the essence of the technical solution of the present invention or the part that contributes to the prior art or all or part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a storage medium. Several instructions are included to make a device (which may be a single-chip microcomputer, a chip, etc.) or a processor (processor) execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present invention. The aforementioned storage medium includes: U disk, mobile hard disk, read-only memory (ROM, Read-Only Memory), random access memory (RAM, Random Access Memory), magnetic disk or optical disk and other media that can store program codes. .

The above is only a specific embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Anyone skilled in the art can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention. Should be covered within the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims (25)

1. A mobility management method, characterized in that it is applied to the Evolved Packet System EPS, the EPS includes at least two mobility management entities MME, at least two access network nodes, and user equipment UE, the at least two Each of the access network nodes among the access network nodes pre-establishes a static S1 connection with any one of the MMEs among the at least two MMEs; Wherein, the at least two MMEs include a first MME and a second MME, the first MME is the MME currently serving the UE, and the second MME establishes the MME with the second access network node in advance. Static S1 connection; and the at least two access network nodes include the first access network node and the second access network node, and the cell to which the UE is currently attached is covered by the first access network node A cell, the cell covered by the first access network node is adjacent to at least one cell covered by the second access network node, and the first access network node and the second access network node pre-establish X2 connect; When the UE moves from the cell covered by the first access network node to the cell covered by the second access network node, the second access network node receives the The switching request sent by the X2 connection; The second access network node sends a handover request confirmation to the first access network node through the X2 connection, so that the first access network node and the second access network node perform a handover execution process; The second access network node determines that a dynamic S1 connection needs to be established with the first MME; The second access network node establishes the dynamic S1 connection with the first MME; The second access network node initiates a path switching procedure to the first MME through the dynamic S1 connection. 2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The second access network node determines that it is not necessary to establish the dynamic S1 connection with the first MME; wherein, the second access network node has established the dynamic S1 connection with the first MME; The second access network node initiates the path switching procedure to the first MME through the dynamic S1 connection. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the handover request carries the globally unique MME identifier GUMMEI of the first MME; Before the second access network node determines that a dynamic S1 connection needs to be established with the first MME, the method further includes: The second access network node determines, according to the GUMMEI carried in the handover request, that the MME currently serving the UE is the first MME; The second access network node determining that a dynamic S1 connection needs to be established with the first MME includes: The second access network node determines that the first MME is different from the second MME according to the GUMMEI carried in the handover request, then determines that the dynamic S1 connection needs to be established with the first MME; or The second access network node determines that the first MME is different from the second MME according to the GUMMEI carried in the handover request, and determines that the second access network node is different from the first MME If the dynamic S1 connection is not established, then determine that the dynamic S1 connection needs to be established with the first MME; The second access network node determining that the dynamic S1 connection does not need to be established with the first MME includes: The second access network node determines that the first MME is different from the second MME according to the GUMMEI carried in the handover request, and determines that the second access network node and the first MME have If the dynamic S1 connection is established, it is determined that the dynamic S1 connection does not need to be established with the first MME. 4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein establishing the dynamic S1 connection between the second access network node and the first MME comprises: The second access network node sends an S1 connection establishment request to the first MME; The second access network node receives the S1 connection establishment response sent by the first MME. 5. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, in the path switching process initiated by the second access network node to the first MME, the first MME selects the original serving gateway SGW Provide service for the UE; the original SGW is the SGW currently providing service for the UE. 6. The method according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: after the second access network node initiates a path switching process to the first MME through the dynamic S1 connection: The second access network node receives the tracking area update TAU request sent by the UE; wherein, the TAU request is that the UE determines that the current state is an idle state, and determines that the received second access The tracking area identifier broadcast by the network access node is sent after it is not in the tracking area list of the UE; The second access network node sends the TAU request to the second MME through the static S1 connection, so that the second MME initiates a TAU process according to the TAU request. 7. The method according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: after the second access network node initiates a path switching process to the first MME through the dynamic S1 connection: The second access network node receives the TAU request relocation sent by the first MME through the dynamic S1 connection; wherein, the TAU request relocation is that the first MME receives the UE through the The TAU request sent by the second access network node is sent after determining that the tracking area identifier of the cell covered by the second access network node where the UE is located is not in the tracking area managed by the first MME , the TAU request is carried in the relocation of the TAU request; The second access network node sends the TAU request carried in the TAU request relocation to the second MME through the static S1 connection, so that the second MME initiates a TAU process according to the TAU request . 8. The method of claim 7, wherein, The TAU request relocation includes an indication message; or, the indication message is carried in the context response sent by the first MME to the second MME in the TAU process; Wherein, the indication message is used to instruct the second MME to select the original SGW to serve the UE in the TAU process. 9. A second access network node, characterized in that it is applied to an evolved packet system EPS, the EPS includes at least two mobility management entities MME, at least two access network nodes, and user equipment UE, the at least Each of the two access network nodes establishes a static S1 connection with any one of the at least two MMEs in advance; Wherein, the at least two MMEs include a first MME and a second MME, the first MME is the MME currently serving the UE, and the second MME is pre-established with the second access network node The static S1 connection; and the at least two access network nodes include the first access network node and the second access network node, and the cell to which the UE is currently attached is the first access network node The cell covered by the first access network node is adjacent to at least one cell covered by the second access network node, and the first access network node and the second access network node have previously Establish X2 connection; a receiving unit, configured to, when the UE moves from a cell covered by the first access network node to a cell covered by the second access network node, receive The switch request sent; a sending unit, configured to send a handover request acknowledgment to the first access network node through the X2 connection, so that the first access network node and the second access network node perform a handover execution procedure; A determining unit, configured to determine that a dynamic S1 connection needs to be established with the first MME; an establishing unit, configured to establish the dynamic S1 connection with the first MME; An initiating unit, configured to initiate a path switching process to the first MME through the dynamic S1 connection established by the establishing unit. 10. The second access network node according to claim 9, characterized in that, The determining unit is further configured to determine that the dynamic S1 connection does not need to be established with the first MME; wherein, the second access network node has established the dynamic S1 connection with the first MME; The initiating unit is further configured to initiate the path switching procedure to the first MME through the dynamic S1 connection. 11. The second access network node according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the handover request carries the globally unique MME identifier GUMMEI of the first MME; The determining unit is further configured to determine that the MME currently serving the UE is the first MME according to the GUMMEI carried in the handover request before determining that a dynamic S1 connection needs to be established with the first MME ; The determining unit is specifically used for: According to the GUMMEI carried in the handover request, it is determined that the first MME is different from the second MME, then it is determined that the dynamic S1 connection needs to be established with the first MME; or, according to the GUMMEI carried in the handover request The GUMMEI determines that the first MME is different from the second MME, and determines that the second access network node has not established the dynamic S1 connection with the first MME, then it is determined that the first MME needs to be connected with the first MME. MME establishes the dynamic S1 connection; The determining unit is specifically configured to determine that the first MME is different from the second MME according to the GUMMEI carried in the handover request, and determine that the second access network node and the first MME have If the dynamic S1 connection is established, it is determined that the dynamic S1 connection does not need to be established with the first MME. 12. The second access network node according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the establishing unit comprises: A sending module, configured to send an S1 connection establishment request to the first MME; The receiving module is configured to receive the S1 connection establishment response sent by the first MME. 13. The second access network node according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that, In the path switching process initiated by the initiating unit to the first MME, the first MME selects the original serving gateway SGW to provide services for the UE; the original SGW is the SGW currently providing services for the UE . 14. The second access network node according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that, The receiving unit is further configured to receive a tracking area update TAU request sent by the UE after the initiating unit initiates a path switching procedure to the first MME through the dynamic S1 connection; wherein the TAU request is The UE sends it after determining that the current state is an idle state and determining that the received tracking area identifier broadcast by the second access network node is not in the tracking area list of the UE; The sending unit is further configured to send the TAU request to the second MME through the static S1 connection, so that the second MME initiates a TAU process according to the TAU request. 15. The second access network node according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that, The receiving unit is further configured to receive a TAU request relocation sent by the first MME through the dynamic S1 connection after the initiating unit initiates a path switching procedure to the first MME through the dynamic S1 connection; Wherein, the TAU request relocation is that the first MME receives the TAU request sent by the UE through the second access network node, and determines the second access network node where the UE is located The tracking area identifier of the covered cell is sent after it is not in the tracking area managed by the first MME, and the TAU request is carried in the TAU request relocation; The sending unit is further configured to send the TAU request carried in the TAU request relocation to the second MME through the static S1 connection, so that the second MME initiates a TAU process according to the TAU request . 16. The second access network node according to claim 15, characterized in that, The TAU request relocation includes an indication message; or, the indication message is carried in the context response sent by the first MME to the second MME in the TAU process; Wherein, the indication message is used to instruct the second MME to select the original SGW to serve the UE in the TAU process. 17. A second access network node, characterized in that it is applied to an evolved packet system EPS, the EPS includes at least two mobility management entities MME, at least two access network nodes, and user equipment UE, the at least Each of the two access network nodes establishes a static S1 connection with any one of the at least two MMEs in advance; Wherein, the at least two MMEs include a first MME and a second MME, the first MME is the MME currently serving the UE, and the second MME is pre-established with the second access network node The static S1 connection; and the at least two access network nodes include the first access network node and the second access network node, and the cell to which the UE is currently attached is the first access network node The cell covered by the first access network node is adjacent to at least one cell covered by the second access network node, and the first access network node and the second access network node have previously Establish X2 connection; a receiver, configured to, when the UE moves from a cell covered by the first access network node to a cell covered by the second access network node, receive The switch request sent; a transmitter, configured to send a handover request confirmation to the first access network node through the X2 connection, so that the first access network node and the second access network node perform a handover execution procedure; A processor, configured to determine that a dynamic S1 connection needs to be established with the first MME, establish the dynamic S1 connection with the first MME, and initiate a path switching procedure to the first MME through the dynamic S1 connection. 18. The second access network node according to claim 17, characterized in that, The processor is further configured to determine that the dynamic S1 connection does not need to be established with the first MME; wherein, the second access network node has established the dynamic S1 connection with the first MME; by The dynamic S1 connection initiates the path switching process to the first MME. 19. The second access network node according to claim 17 or 18, wherein the handover request carries the globally unique MME identifier GUMMEI of the first MME; The processor is further configured to determine that the MME currently serving the UE is the first MME according to the GUMMEI carried in the handover request before determining that a dynamic S1 connection needs to be established with the first MME ; The processor is specifically configured to determine that the first MME is different from the second MME according to the GUMMEI carried in the handover request, and then determine that the dynamic S1 connection needs to be established with the first MME; or determining, according to the GUMMEI carried in the handover request, that the first MME is different from the second MME, and determining that the dynamic S1 connection has not been established between the second access network node and the first MME, Then determine that the dynamic S1 connection needs to be established with the first MME; The processor is specifically configured to determine, according to the GUMMEI carried in the handover request, that the first MME is different from the second MME, and determine that the second access network node and the first MME have If the dynamic S1 connection is established, it is determined that the dynamic S1 connection does not need to be established with the first MME. 20. The second access network node according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that, The sender is further configured to send an S1 connection establishment request to the first MME; The receiver is further configured to receive the S1 connection establishment response sent by the first MME. 21. The second access network node according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that, In the path switching process initiated by the processor to the first MME, the first MME selects the original serving gateway SGW to provide services for the UE; the original SGW is the SGW currently providing services for the UE . 22. The second access network node according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that, The receiver is further configured to receive a tracking area update TAU request sent by the UE after the processor initiates a path switch procedure to the first MME through the dynamic S1 connection; wherein the TAU request is The UE sends it after determining that the current state is an idle state and determining that the received tracking area identifier broadcast by the second access network node is not in the tracking area list of the UE; The sender is further configured to send the TAU request to the second MME through the static S1 connection, so that the second MME initiates a TAU process according to the TAU request. 23. The second access network node according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that, The receiver is further configured to receive a TAU request relocation sent by the first MME through the dynamic S1 connection after the processor initiates a path switching procedure to the first MME through the dynamic S1 connection; Wherein, the TAU request relocation is that the first MME receives the TAU request sent by the UE through the second access network node, and determines the second access network node where the UE is located The tracking area identifier of the covered cell is sent after it is not in the tracking area managed by the first MME, and the TAU request is carried in the TAU request relocation; The sender is further configured to send the TAU request carried in the TAU request relocation to the second MME through the static S1 connection, so that the second MME initiates a TAU process according to the TAU request . 24. The second access network node according to claim 23, characterized in that, The TAU request relocation includes an indication message; or, the indication message is carried in the context response sent by the first MME to the second MME in the TAU process; Wherein, the indication message is used to instruct the second MME to select the original SGW to serve the UE in the TAU process. 25. An evolved packet system EPS, characterized in that the EPS includes at least two mobility management entities MME, at least two access network nodes, and user equipment UE, each of the at least two access network nodes one of the access network nodes pre-establishes a static S1 connection with any one of the at least two MMEs; Wherein, the at least two MMEs include a first MME and a second MME, the first MME is the MME currently serving the UE, and the second MME establishes the MME with the second access network node in advance. Static S1 connection; and the at least two access network nodes include the first access network node and the second access network node, and the cell to which the UE is currently attached is covered by the first access network node A cell, the cell covered by the first access network node is adjacent to at least one cell covered by the second access network node, and the first access network node and the second access network node pre-establish X2 connect; which include, The second access network node according to any one of claims 9-16 or 17-24.