CN109429281B

CN109429281B - Service switching method based on dual-connection architecture, terminal and base station

Info

Publication number: CN109429281B
Application number: CN201710752595.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 孔健; 苏进喜
Original assignee: Datang Mobile Communications Equipment Co Ltd
Current assignee: Datang Mobile Communications Equipment Co Ltd
Priority date: 2017-08-28
Filing date: 2017-08-28
Publication date: 2020-07-31
Anticipated expiration: 2037-08-28
Also published as: CN109429281A

Abstract

The invention discloses a service switching method, a terminal and a base station based on a dual-connection architecture, wherein the method comprises the following steps: before the source base station determines that the terminal equipment needs to carry out service switching according to the measurement report message, setting the state of a target base station to be switched by the terminal equipment as the state of a secondary base station of the terminal equipment; when the source base station determines that the terminal equipment needs to perform service switching according to the measurement report message, the control terminal equipment switches the state of the source base station stored in the terminal equipment into the state of the auxiliary base station and switches the state of the target base station stored in the terminal equipment from the state of the auxiliary base station into the state of the main base station, and controls the target base station to enter a preparation state for switching the state of the target base station from the state of the auxiliary base station into the state of the main base station; and when the source base station receives the switching success indication information sent by the target base station, switching the current state from the main base station state to the auxiliary base station state, and controlling the target base station to be switched from the auxiliary base station state to the main base station state to complete service switching.

Description

Service switching method based on dual-connection architecture, terminal and base station

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of wireless communication technologies, and in particular, to a service switching method based on a dual connectivity architecture, a terminal, and a base station.

Background

The service switching process is an important link for communication between a terminal and a base station in a wireless communication system, and when the terminal moves from a cell of a source base station to a cell of a target base station, service data aiming at the terminal is switched between the source base station and the target base station.

The inventor of the invention finds the following defects in the prior art in the actual operation process:

the handover procedure of current L TE (L ong Term Evolution ) system generally includes three steps of handover preparation, handover execution and handover completion, as shown in fig. 1.

In a Handover preparation phase, a source cell sends a Handover Request message to a target cell, and the Handover Request message carries information necessary for Handover preparation in the target cell, if the target cell approves the Handover Request, the target cell prepares Handover and sends a Handover Request acknowledgement (Handover Request acknowledgement) to the source cell, and after the source cell receives the acknowledgement message, the source cell sends a Handover command, that is, an RRC connection reconfiguration (RRC reestablishment configuration), to a UE (User Equipment), so that the UE performs Handover.

In the handover execution phase, after receiving the handover command, the UE performs random access with the target cell. When the UE sends an acknowledgement command, i.e. RRC Connection Reconfiguration Complete, to the target cell, the UE may communicate with the target cell. Meanwhile, the source cell transfers the cache data which is not sent out to the target cell.

In the handover completion phase, after the RRC Connection reconfiguration complete sent by the target cell UE, the MME is notified to change the downlink data Path of the UE, and after the target cell receives a Path switch ack (Path switch success) message sent back from the MME, the source cell is notified to release the UE Context resource, and the handover is completed.

In the handover process, after the source base station sends the RRC Connection reconfiguration message to the UE, the source base station terminates data transmission with the UE, until the target base station receives the RRC Connection reconfiguration Complete message sent by the UE, the UE cannot perform data transmission with the target base station, during which the data transmission is interrupted for 45-49 ms, as shown in fig. 2.

Therefore, the switching process in the prior art has the technical problem of service plane interruption.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention provides a service switching method, a terminal and a base station based on a dual-connection architecture, which are used for solving the technical problem of service plane interruption in the switching process in the prior art.

The first aspect of the present invention provides a service switching method based on a dual connectivity architecture, where the method includes:

before a source base station determines that the terminal equipment needs to perform service switching according to a measurement report message sent by the terminal equipment, setting the state of a target base station to be switched by the terminal equipment as the state of a secondary base station of the terminal equipment; the current state of the source base station is the main base station state of the terminal equipment, and the target base station is the base station determined by the source base station according to the measurement report message;

when the source base station determines that the terminal equipment needs to perform service switching according to a measurement report message sent by the terminal equipment, the source base station controls the terminal equipment to switch the state of the source base station stored in the terminal equipment to the state of the auxiliary base station and switch the state of the target base station stored in the terminal equipment from the state of the auxiliary base station to the state of the main base station, and controls the target base station to enter a preparation state for switching the state of the target base station from the state of the auxiliary base station to the state of the main base station;

when the source base station receives the switching success indication information sent by the target base station, the current state is switched from the main base station state to the auxiliary base station state, and the target base station is controlled to be switched from the auxiliary base station state to the main base station state, so that the terminal equipment can respectively perform data interaction with the target base station and the source base station by using context information different from that before switching, and service switching is completed.

In a possible embodiment, after the source base station sets the state of the target base station to which the terminal device is to be handed over as the secondary base station state of the terminal device, the method further includes:

the source base station establishes a separate bearer.

In a possible embodiment, the controlling, by the source base station, the terminal device to switch the state of the target base station stored in the terminal device from the secondary base station state to the primary base station state, and controlling the target base station to enter a preparation state for switching the state of the target base station from the secondary base station state to the primary base station state includes:

when receiving a switching measurement report message sent by the terminal equipment, the source base station sends a switching request message to the target base station; the switching request message comprises a first state switching instruction, wherein the first state switching instruction is used for indicating the target base station to enter a preparation state for switching the state of the target base station from the state of the secondary base station to the state of the main base station;

when the source base station receives a switching request confirmation message sent by the target base station, sending switching indication information to the terminal equipment; the switching instruction information includes a second state switching instruction, where the second state switching instruction is used to instruct the terminal device to switch the state of the source base station stored in the terminal device to the state of the secondary base station and to switch the state of the target base station stored in the terminal device to the state of the primary base station.

In a possible implementation manner, when the source base station receives the handover success indication information sent by the target base station, the switching the current state from the master base station state to the secondary base station state and controlling the target base station to switch from the secondary base station state to the master base station state include:

the source base station sends the cache data of the terminal equipment to the target base station; when the state of the source base station is the main base station state, the cache data is data which is not sent to the terminal equipment;

the source base station sends an end mark used for indicating the end of the transmission of the cache data to the target base station, so that the target base station switches the state of the target base station from the state of the secondary base station to the state of the main base station based on the end mark;

and the source base station switches the current state from the main base station state to the auxiliary base station state.

In a possible implementation manner, before the source base station determines that the terminal device needs to perform service handover according to a measurement report message sent by the terminal device, the setting, by the source base station, a state of a target base station to be handed over by the terminal device as a secondary base station state of the terminal device includes:

when the source base station determines that the measurement report message comprises at least one piece of information of at least one alternative base station, determining a target base station from the at least one alternative base station;

and setting the state of the target base station as the state of the auxiliary base station of the terminal equipment.

A second aspect of the present invention provides a service switching method based on a dual connectivity architecture, where the method includes:

the target base station sets the current state of the target base station as the auxiliary base station state of the terminal equipment according to the received auxiliary base station addition indication information sent by the source base station; the state of the source base station is a main base station state of the terminal equipment;

the target base station enters a preparation state for switching the current state from the auxiliary base station state to a main base station state when receiving a switching request message sent by the source base station;

after the target base station receives the reconfiguration completion message sent by the terminal equipment, the target base station sends switching success indication information to the source base station, so that the source base station switches the state of the source base station from the state of the main base station to the state of the auxiliary base station based on the switching success indication information;

and the target base station switches the current state from the auxiliary base station state to the main base station state, so that the terminal equipment can respectively perform data interaction with the target base station and the source base station by using context information different from that before switching, and service switching is completed.

In a possible embodiment, after the target base station sets the current state of the target base station as the secondary base station state of the terminal device according to the received secondary base station addition indication information sent by the source base station, the method further includes:

and the target base station establishes a separated load.

In a possible embodiment, after the target base station enters a preparation state for switching the current state from the secondary base station state to a primary base station state, the method further includes:

and the target base station sends a switching request confirmation message to the source base station, so that the source base station controls the terminal equipment to switch the state of the source base station stored in the terminal equipment to the state of the auxiliary base station and switch the state of the target base station stored in the terminal equipment to the state of the main base station based on the switching request confirmation message.

the target base station sends path switching indication information to a mobility management entity so that the mobility management entity switches a downlink data path of the terminal equipment from the source base station to the target base station;

and the target base station receives a path switching confirmation message sent by the mobile management entity.

In a possible embodiment, the switching, by the target base station, the current state from the secondary base station state to the primary base station state includes:

the target base station receives the cache data sent by the source base station and an end mark used for indicating the end of sending the cache data; when the state of the source base station is the main base station state, the cache data is data which is not sent to the terminal equipment;

and the target base station switches the current state from the secondary base station state to the main base station state based on the path switching confirmation message and the end mark.

The third aspect of the present invention provides a service switching method based on a dual connectivity architecture, where the method includes:

before receiving the switching indication information sent by the source base station, the terminal equipment sets a target base station to be switched by the terminal equipment as a secondary base station state of the terminal equipment; the current state of the source base station is the main base station state of the terminal equipment, and the target base station is a base station determined by the source base station according to a measurement report message sent by the terminal equipment;

when the terminal equipment receives the switching indication information, the state of the source base station stored in the terminal equipment is switched to the state of the auxiliary base station, and the state of the target base station stored in the terminal equipment is switched from the state of the auxiliary base station to the state of the main base station, so that the reconfiguration process is completed;

and the terminal equipment sends a reconfiguration completion message to the target base station so that the target base station switches the state of the target base station from the state of the auxiliary base station to the state of the main base station, and the target base station informs the source base station, and switches the state of the source base station from the state of the main base station to the state of the auxiliary base station so that the terminal equipment can respectively perform data interaction with the target base station and the source base station by using context information different from that before switching to complete service switching.

In a possible embodiment, after the setting the target base station to which the terminal is to be handed over as the secondary base station state of the terminal device, the method further includes:

and the terminal equipment establishes a separated bearer.

A fourth aspect of the present invention provides a base station, comprising:

the device comprises a setting module, a switching module and a switching module, wherein the setting module is used for setting the state of a target base station to be switched by the terminal equipment as the state of an auxiliary base station of the terminal equipment before determining that the terminal equipment needs to carry out service switching according to a measurement report message sent by the terminal equipment; the current state of the base station is the main base station state of the terminal equipment, and the target base station is the base station determined by the base station according to the measurement report message;

a control module, configured to control, when it is determined that the terminal device needs to perform service switching according to a measurement report message sent by the terminal device, the terminal device to switch the state of the base station stored in the terminal device to the secondary base station state and switch the state of the target base station stored in the terminal device from the secondary base station state to the primary base station state, and control the target base station to enter a preparation state in which the state of the target base station is switched from the secondary base station state to the primary base station state;

and the switching module is used for switching the current state from the main base station state to the auxiliary base station state and controlling the target base station to be switched from the auxiliary base station state to the main base station state when receiving switching success indication information sent by the target base station, so that the terminal equipment can respectively perform data interaction with the target base station and the base station by using context information different from that before switching, and service switching is completed.

In a possible implementation, the base station further includes:

and the establishing module is used for establishing the separation bearing.

In a possible embodiment, the control module is specifically configured to:

when receiving a switching measurement report message sent by the terminal equipment, sending a switching request message to the target base station; the switching request message comprises a first state switching instruction, wherein the first state switching instruction is used for indicating the target base station to enter a preparation state for switching the state of the target base station from the state of the secondary base station to the state of the main base station;

when receiving a switching request confirmation message sent by the target base station, sending switching indication information to the terminal equipment; the switching instruction information includes a second state switching instruction, where the second state switching instruction is used to instruct the terminal device to switch the state of the base station stored in the terminal device to the secondary base station state and to switch the state of the target base station stored in the terminal device to the primary base station state.

In a possible embodiment, the switching module is specifically configured to:

sending the cache data of the terminal equipment to the target base station; when the state of the base station is the main base station state, the cache data is data which is not sent to the terminal equipment;

sending an end mark for indicating the end of the transmission of the cache data to the target base station, so that the target base station switches the state of the target base station from the state of the secondary base station to the state of the main base station based on the end mark;

and switching the current state from the main base station state to the auxiliary base station state.

In a possible embodiment, the setting module is specifically configured to:

when the measurement report message is determined to comprise at least one piece of information of at least one alternative base station, determining a target base station from the at least one alternative base station;

A fifth aspect of the present invention provides a base station, comprising:

the setting module is used for setting the current state of the base station as the auxiliary base station state of the terminal equipment according to the received auxiliary base station addition indication information sent by the source base station; the state of the source base station is a main base station state of the terminal equipment;

a first switching module, configured to enter a preparation state for switching the current state from the secondary base station state to a primary base station state when receiving a switching request message sent by the source base station;

a first sending module, configured to send, after receiving the reconfiguration complete message sent by the terminal device, switching success indication information to the source base station, so that the source base station switches the state of the source base station from the state of the primary base station to the state of the secondary base station based on the switching success indication information;

and the second switching module is used for switching the current state from the auxiliary base station state to the main base station state, so that the terminal equipment can respectively perform data interaction with the base station and the source base station by using context information different from that before switching, and service switching is completed.

In a possible implementation, the base station further includes:

and the establishing module is used for establishing the separation bearing.

In a possible implementation, the base station further includes:

a second sending module, configured to send a handover request acknowledgement message to the source base station, so that the source base station controls, based on the handover request acknowledgement message, the terminal device to switch the state of the source base station stored in the terminal device to the secondary base station state and to switch the state of the base station stored in the terminal device to the primary base station state.

In a possible implementation, the base station further includes:

a third sending module, configured to send path switching indication information to a mobility management entity, so that the mobility management entity switches a downlink data path of the terminal device from the source base station to the base station;

a first receiving module, configured to receive a path switch acknowledgement message sent by the mobility management entity.

In a possible implementation manner, the second switching module is specifically configured to:

receiving the cache data sent by the source base station and an end mark used for indicating the end of sending the cache data; when the state of the source base station is the main base station state, the cache data is data which is not sent to the terminal equipment;

and switching the current state from the secondary base station state to the main base station state based on the path switching confirmation message and the end mark.

A sixth aspect of the present invention provides a terminal device, including:

a setting module, configured to set a target base station to which the terminal device is to be switched as a secondary base station state of the terminal device before receiving the switching indication information sent by the source base station; the current state of the source base station is the main base station state of the terminal equipment, and the target base station is a base station determined by the source base station according to a measurement report message sent by the terminal equipment;

a switching module, configured to switch the state of the source base station stored in the terminal device to the secondary base station state and switch the state of the target base station stored in the terminal device from the secondary base station state to the primary base station state when receiving the switching indication information, so as to complete a reconfiguration process;

a sending module, configured to send a reconfiguration complete message to the target base station, so that the target base station switches the state of the target base station from the secondary base station state to the primary base station state, and the target base station notifies the source base station, and switches the state of the source base station from the primary base station state to the secondary base station state, so that the terminal device can perform data interaction with the target base station and the source base station respectively using context information different from that before switching, and complete service switching.

In a possible implementation manner, the terminal device further includes:

and the establishing module is used for establishing the separation bearing.

A seventh aspect of the present invention provides a base station, including a processor, a memory and a transceiver, wherein the transceiver receives and transmits data under the control of the processor, the memory stores a preset program, the processor reads the program in the memory, and executes the following procedures according to the program:

before a processor determines that the terminal equipment needs to perform service switching according to a measurement report message sent by the terminal equipment, setting the state of a target base station to be switched by the terminal equipment as a secondary base station state of the terminal equipment; the current state of the base station is the main base station state of the terminal equipment, and the target base station is the base station determined by the base station according to the measurement report message;

when the processor determines that the terminal equipment needs to perform service switching according to a measurement report message received by a transceiver and sent by the terminal equipment, the processor controls the terminal equipment to switch the state of the base station stored in the terminal equipment to the auxiliary base station state, switches the state of the target base station stored in the terminal equipment from the auxiliary base station state to the main base station state, and controls the target base station to enter a preparation state for switching the state of the target base station from the auxiliary base station state to the main base station state;

when receiving the switching success indication information sent by the target base station through the transceiver, the processor switches the current state from the main base station state to the auxiliary base station state and controls the target base station to switch from the auxiliary base station state to the main base station state, so that the terminal device can respectively perform data interaction with the target base station and the base station by using context information different from that before switching, and service switching is completed.

An eighth aspect of the present invention provides a base station, including a processor, a memory, and a transceiver, wherein the transceiver receives and transmits data under the control of the processor, the memory stores a preset program, the processor reads the program in the memory, and executes the following procedures according to the program:

the processor sets the current state of the base station as the auxiliary base station state of the terminal equipment according to the auxiliary base station addition indication information sent by the source base station and received by the transceiver; the state of the source base station is a main base station state of the terminal equipment;

entering a preparation state for switching the current state from the secondary base station state to a primary base station state when the processor receives a switching request message transmitted by the source base station through the transceiver;

receiving, at the processor, a reconfiguration complete message sent by the terminal device through a transceiver, where the processor sends handover success indication information to the source base station through the transceiver, so that the source base station switches a state of the source base station from a state of the primary base station to a state of the secondary base station based on the handover success indication information;

and the processor switches the current state from the auxiliary base station state to the main base station state, so that the terminal equipment can respectively perform data interaction with the base station and the source base station by using context information different from that before switching, and service switching is completed.

A ninth aspect of the present invention provides a terminal device, including a processor, a memory and a transceiver, wherein the transceiver receives and transmits data under the control of the processor, the memory stores a preset program, the processor reads the program in the memory, and executes the following procedures according to the program:

before a processor receives switching indication information sent by the source base station through a transceiver, setting a target base station to be switched by the terminal equipment as a secondary base station state of the terminal equipment; the current state of the source base station is the main base station state of the terminal equipment, and the target base station is a base station determined by the source base station according to a measurement report message sent by the terminal equipment;

when the processor receives the switching indication information through the transceiver, the state of the source base station stored in the terminal equipment is switched to the state of the secondary base station, and the state of the target base station stored in the terminal equipment is switched from the state of the secondary base station to the state of the main base station, so that the reconfiguration process is completed;

the processor sends a reconfiguration complete message to the target base station through the transceiver, so that the target base station switches the state of the target base station from the state of the secondary base station to the state of the main base station, and the target base station informs the source base station, and switches the state of the source base station from the state of the main base station to the state of the secondary base station, so that the terminal device can perform data interaction with the target base station and the source base station respectively by using context information different from that before switching, and service switching is completed.

The technical scheme in the embodiment of the invention has the following beneficial effects:

in the technical scheme provided by the embodiment of the invention, the target base station is added as the auxiliary base station in the double connection before the terminal equipment is switched, and the terminal equipment is in uplink synchronization with the target cell in the process of adding the target base station as the auxiliary base station in the double connection, so that the random access process is not needed in the subsequent switching process, and only the states of the source base station and the target base station are changed, thereby avoiding the technical problem of service surface interruption caused by the random access process and reducing the transmission delay.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a flow chart of a handover procedure of an L TE system in the prior art;

fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a service plane terminal existing in a handover process of an L TE system in the prior art;

fig. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating control plane connection of a UE in dual connectivity mode;

fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario provided in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 5 is a flowchart of a service switching method based on a dual connectivity architecture according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of a first structure of a base station according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 7 is a second structural diagram of a base station according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of a third structure of a base station according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 10 is a schematic diagram of a fourth structure of a base station according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 11 is another schematic structural diagram of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

In order to solve the technical problems, the general idea of the invention is as follows:

In order to better understand the technical solutions of the present invention, the following detailed descriptions of the technical solutions of the present invention are provided with the accompanying drawings and the specific embodiments, and it should be understood that the specific features of the embodiments and the examples of the present invention are the detailed descriptions of the technical solutions of the present invention, and are not limitations of the technical solutions of the present invention, and the technical features of the embodiments and the examples of the present invention can be combined with each other without conflict.

First, the dual-connection architecture of the L TE system is described:

l TE system, a UE under dual connectivity architecture has only one S1-MME connection between a MeNB (Master eNB, main base station) and an MME (Mobility Management Entity), the base station providing the S1-MME connection is called as the MeNB, and another base station is used for providing additional resources, called as a SeNB (Secondary eNB, Secondary base station).

In the dual connectivity architecture of L TE, each base station is capable of independently managing radio resources in the UE and respective cell, the coordination of resources between the MeNB and the SeNB is conveyed via signaling messages over the X2 interface, FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the control plane connection of the UE in dual connectivity mode, wherein the S1-MME terminates at the MeNB and SeNB are interconnected via the X2-C.

Under the L TE dual connectivity architecture, the data plane radio Bearer can be served by the MeNB or the SeNB independently, or by both the MeNB and the SeNB.

Next, an application scenario of the embodiment of the present application will be described with reference to fig. 4.

In fig. 4, the UE moves from the cell of the source base station into the target cell of the target base station via points a and B. The UE reports the measurement report message in real time during moving, and when the UE reaches point a, the UE is still in the coverage area of the source base station, but starts to measure the signal of the target base station, that is, the signal strength of the signal of the target base station measured by the UE at point a reaches a certain threshold (the threshold is configured by the source base station), and at this time, the measurement report message reported by the UE at point a includes the signal of the target base station. When the UE reaches point B, at this time, in the measurement report message reported by the UE, the signal strength of the signal of the source base station is already lower than a preset threshold (the threshold is configured by the source base station), that is, the UE is about to move outside the coverage area of the source base station, at this time, the measurement report message reported by the terminal equipment is a handover measurement report message, and the source base station determines that the UE needs to be handed over according to the handover measurement report message.

The technical solution provided by the embodiment of the present application is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, and in the following description, the technical solution provided by the present invention is applied to the application scenario shown in fig. 4 as an example.

Taking the application scenario shown in fig. 4 as an example, please refer to fig. 5, which is a flow of a service switching method based on a dual connectivity architecture provided in the application embodiment.

S501: and the terminal equipment sends a measurement report message to the source base station in real time.

In the moving process, the UE needs to send a measurement report message to the source base station according to a preset rule. The measurement report message at least includes the signal strength of the source base station signal received by the UE, the detected PCI (physical cell Identifier) of each cell, and the like.

S502: the source base station sets the state of a target base station to be switched by the terminal equipment as the state of a secondary base station of the terminal equipment according to a measurement report message sent by the terminal equipment.

When the source base station determines that the measurement report message sent by the UE comprises at least one piece of information of at least one alternative base station, a target base station is determined from the at least one alternative base station, and then the state of the target base station is set as the state of the auxiliary base station of the terminal equipment. At this time, the state of the source base station is the main base station state of the terminal device.

Specifically, when the source base station determines that the UE detects the signal of at least one candidate base station for the first time through the measurement report message reported by the UE in real time, for example, the measurement report message of the UE includes the signals of the candidate base station 1 and the candidate base station 2, and at this time, the source base station determines that the UE moves to the point a, and then determines the target base station from the candidate base station 1 and the candidate base station 2 according to a preset policy. The preset policy may be comparing signal strengths, and determining a base station with the largest signal strength among the multiple candidate base stations as a target base station, for example, if the signal strength of the candidate base station 1 is greater than the signal strength of the candidate base station 2, the source base station determines that the candidate base station 1 is the target base station of the UE. Of course, the preset policy may be set according to actual use requirements, and specific content of the preset policy is not limited herein.

At the same time, the source base station determines a target Cell of the UE in a plurality of cells covered by the target base station, and the target Cell is used as a PScell (Primary Secondary Cell) of a Secondary Cell Group (SCG) of the UE.

Correspondingly, the target base station sets the current state of the target base station as the auxiliary base station state of the terminal equipment according to the received SeNB addition indication information sent by the source base station in the process of adding the SeNB.

Meanwhile, the source base station establishes a Split Bearer, that is, the attribute of the original Bearer corresponding to the source base station is modified into a separate Bearer, so that one Bearer can be transmitted through an air interface link between the MeNB and the UE, and also can be transmitted through an air interface link between the SeNB and the UE. Meanwhile, the original bearer attribute of the UE is modified, and the original bearer attribute is changed into a separated bearer. Therefore, the UE can simultaneously carry out uplink/downlink data transmission with the source base station or the target base station.

S503: and when receiving a switching measurement report message sent by the terminal equipment, the source base station sends a switching request message to the target base station.

And the source base station judges whether the UE needs to be switched or not according to the measurement report message reported by the UE. For example, whether to detect to switch the measurement report message, or when the source base station determines that the signal strength of the signal of the source base station is lower than a preset threshold in the measurement report message reported by the UE, the preset threshold is determined by the source base station, at this time, the source base station determines that the UE needs to be switched to the target base station, that is, the UE reaches point B in fig. 3. Of course, the source base station may determine whether the UE needs handover in other manners, which is not limited herein.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the handover request message includes a first state handover instruction, where the first state handover instruction is used to instruct the target base station to enter a preparation state for switching its own state from a secondary base station state to a primary base station state.

Specifically, the source cell sends a handover request message to the target cell through the source base station, where the handover request message carries an additional indication field and information related to a bearer for performing handover, and the additional indication field is used to notify the target base station to enter a preparation state in which roles of the MeNB and the SeNB are interchanged.

After receiving the handover request sent by the source cell of the source base station, the target base station determines whether to allow the handover, for example, whether the load amount of the target cell reaches a preset maximum value or not may be determined, and if the handover condition is satisfied, the handover request is approved, and the current state of the target base station is switched from the SeNB role to the MeNB role.

S504: and the target base station sends a switching request confirmation message to the source base station.

And when the target base station enters the preparation state, the target cell is ready for switching, and the target base station sends a Handover Request acknowledgement message to the source cell.

S505: and the source base station sends switching indication information to the terminal equipment.

In this embodiment of the present invention, the handover instruction information includes a second state handover instruction, where the second state handover instruction is used to instruct the terminal device to switch the state of the source base station stored in the terminal device to the state of the secondary base station and switch the state of the target base station stored in the terminal device to the state of the primary base station.

Specifically, after receiving a Handover Request acknowledgement message sent by a target cell, a source cell sends Handover indication information, that is, an RRC Connection reconfiguration message, to a UE through a source base station, and the message carries a new indication field, where the new indication field is used to notify the UE to exchange roles of an MeNB and an SeNB, that is, the source base station in the UE is switched from the MeNB to the SeNB, the target base station is switched from the SeNB to the MeNB, the target cell is switched to a PCell, and the source cell is switched to a PSCell. The position and form of the new indication field may be set according to the actual use condition, and is not limited herein.

Since the target cell is already configured as the PSCell before handover, the radio resource configuration information carried in the handover command sent by the source base station to the UE can be greatly reduced.

Meanwhile, the source base station buffers data which is not sent to the UE.

S506: the terminal equipment executes the switching indication information.

In this embodiment of the present invention, when a terminal device receives the handover indication information, the state of the source base station stored in the terminal device is switched to the secondary base station state, and the state of the target base station stored in the terminal device is switched from the secondary base station state to the primary base station state.

Specifically, the UE can immediately perform the handover indication information without transmitting a HARQ/ARQ response to the source cell.

S507: and the terminal equipment sends a confirmation message to the target base station.

When the UE executes the handover command, exchanges roles of the source base station and the target base station, and exchanges roles of the source cell and the target cell, the UE sends a handover confirmation message to the target cell, that is, sends an RRCConnection Reconfiguration Complete message to the target cell, and starts to perform data transmission with the target cell using a new security context. In this case, the target base station becomes MeNB of the UE, the source base station becomes SeNB of the UE, the target cell becomes PCell of the UE, and the source cell becomes PSCell of the UE.

S508: and the target base station sends path switching indication information to the mobile management entity and sends switching success indication information to the source base station.

When the target cell receives the RRC Connection Reconfiguration Complete message sent by the UE, the MME is notified to perform path switching, and a handover success indication message sent to the source base station is added in the X2 interface to notify that the source cell is successfully handed over. The position and form of the handover success indication message may be set according to the actual use situation, and are not limited herein.

S509: the source base station completes the handover.

And when the source base station receives the switching success indication information sent by the target base station, sending the cache data of the terminal equipment to the target base station. For example, an SN Status Transfer message is sent to the target cell and the buffered data is forwarded to the target cell. After the cache data is sent, the source base station sends an End mark for indicating the End of sending the cache data to the target base station, that is, after the End Marker message is sent to the target cell, the source base station changes the role of the source base station into the SeNB, and simultaneously changes the role of the source cell into the PSCell, and releases resources.

S510: and the target base station completes the switching.

And when the MME finishes the Path switching, sending a Path Switch Ack message to the target base station. After receiving the Path Switch Ack message sent back by the MME and the End Marker message sent by the source cell through the source base station, the target base station changes the role of the target base station into the MeNB, changes the role of the target cell into the PCell, and uses a new security context to perform uplink and downlink communication with the UE, thereby completing the service switching of the UE.

In the technical scheme of the application, since the UE is in uplink synchronization with the target cell in the process of adding the SeNB before switching, a random access process is not needed in the subsequent switching process, and service plane interruption caused by the random access process is avoided. Further, the UE may simultaneously communicate with the source station (MeNB) and the destination station (SeNB) before sending the RRC Connection Reconfiguration Complete message, and may also simultaneously communicate with the source station (SeNB) and the destination station (MeNB) using a new security context after sending the RRC Connection Reconfiguration Complete message, so as to facilitate simultaneous transmission of data packets on two links or selection of an optimal transmission path to obtain a certain diversity gain, which is beneficial to improve reliability of service transmission before and after switching, and reduce transmission delay.

Please refer to fig. 6, which is a schematic structural diagram of a base station according to an embodiment of the present invention, and the base station includes:

a setting module 601, configured to set a state of a target base station to be switched by a terminal device as an auxiliary base station state of the terminal device before determining that the terminal device needs to perform service switching according to a measurement report message sent by the terminal device; the current state of the base station is the main base station state of the terminal equipment, and the target base station is the base station determined by the base station according to the measurement report message;

a control module 602, configured to control, when it is determined that the terminal device needs to perform service switching according to a measurement report message sent by the terminal device, the terminal device to switch the state of the base station stored in the terminal device to the secondary base station state and switch the state of the target base station stored in the terminal device from the secondary base station state to the primary base station state, and control the target base station to enter a preparation state in which the state of the target base station is switched from the secondary base station state to the primary base station state;

a switching module 603, configured to switch the current state from the primary base station state to the secondary base station state when receiving the handover success indication information sent by the target base station, and control the target base station to switch from the secondary base station state to the primary base station state, so that the terminal device can perform data interaction with the target base station and the base station respectively using context information different from that before handover, and complete service handover.

Since the base station provided in the second aspect of the embodiment of the present invention is proposed under the same concept as the dual connectivity architecture based service switching method provided in the first aspect of the present invention, various variations and specific embodiments of the processing procedure of the source base station in the dual connectivity architecture based service switching method in the embodiment of fig. 5 are also applicable to the base station of this embodiment, and a person skilled in the art can clearly know the implementation procedure of the base station in this embodiment through the foregoing detailed description of the dual connectivity architecture based service switching method, so for the brevity of the description, detailed description is not repeated here.

Please refer to fig. 7, which is a schematic structural diagram of a base station according to an embodiment of the present invention, and the base station includes:

a setting module 701, configured to set a current state of a base station as a secondary base station state of a terminal device according to received secondary base station addition indication information sent by a source base station; the state of the source base station is a main base station state of the terminal equipment;

a first switching module 702, configured to enter a preparation state for switching the current state from the secondary base station state to a primary base station state when receiving a switching request message sent by the source base station;

a first sending module 703, configured to send, after receiving the reconfiguration complete message sent by the terminal device, switching success indication information to the source base station, so that the source base station switches the state of the source base station from the state of the primary base station to the state of the secondary base station based on the switching success indication information;

a second switching module 704, configured to switch the current state from the secondary base station state to the primary base station state, so that the terminal device can perform data interaction with the base station and the source base station respectively by using context information different from that before switching, and complete service switching.

Since the base station provided in the third aspect of the embodiment of the present invention is proposed under the same concept as the dual connectivity architecture based service handover method provided in the first aspect of the present invention, various variations and specific embodiments of the processing procedure of the target base station in the dual connectivity architecture based service handover method in the embodiment of fig. 5 are also applicable to the base station of this embodiment, and through the foregoing detailed description of the dual connectivity architecture based service handover method, a person skilled in the art can clearly know the implementation procedure of the base station in this embodiment, so for the brevity of the description, detailed description is not repeated here.

Referring to fig. 8, a schematic structural diagram of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown, where the terminal device includes:

a setting module 801, configured to set a target base station to be switched by the terminal device as a secondary base station state of the terminal device before receiving the switching indication information sent by the source base station; the current state of the source base station is the main base station state of the terminal equipment, and the target base station is a base station determined by the source base station according to a measurement report message sent by the terminal equipment;

a switching module 802, configured to switch the state of the source base station stored in the terminal device to the secondary base station state and switch the state of the target base station stored in the terminal device from the secondary base station state to the primary base station state when receiving the switching indication information, so as to complete a reconfiguration process;

a sending module 803, configured to send a reconfiguration complete message to the target base station, so that the target base station switches the state of the target base station from the secondary base station state to the primary base station state, and the target base station notifies the source base station, and switches the state of the source base station from the primary base station state to the secondary base station state, so that the terminal device can perform data interaction with the target base station and the source base station respectively using context information different from that before switching, and complete service switching.

Since the terminal device provided in the fourth aspect of the present invention is proposed under the same concept as the dual connectivity architecture based service switching method provided in the first aspect of the present invention, various variations and specific embodiments of the processing procedure of the terminal device in the dual connectivity architecture based service switching method in the foregoing embodiment of fig. 5 are also applicable to the terminal device of this embodiment, and through the foregoing detailed description of the dual connectivity architecture based service switching method, a person skilled in the art can clearly know the implementation procedure of the terminal device in this embodiment, so for brevity of description, detailed description is not repeated here.

Referring to fig. 9, the base station is a structure diagram of a base station provided in an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in fig. 9, the base station includes a processor 901, a memory 902, and a transceiver 903, where the transceiver 903 receives and transmits data under the control of the processor 901, the memory 902 stores a preset program, and the processor 901 reads the program in the memory 902, and executes the following processes according to the program:

before the processor 901 determines that the terminal device needs to perform service switching according to a measurement report message sent by the terminal device, setting a state of a target base station to be switched by the terminal device as a secondary base station state of the terminal device; the current state of the base station is the main base station state of the terminal equipment, and the target base station is the base station determined by the base station according to the measurement report message;

when the processor 901 determines that the terminal device needs to perform service switching according to a measurement report message received by the transceiver 903 and sent by the terminal device, the terminal device is controlled to switch the state of the base station stored in the terminal device to the secondary base station state and switch the state of the target base station stored in the terminal device from the secondary base station state to the primary base station state, and the target base station is controlled to enter a preparation state in which the state of the target base station is switched from the secondary base station state to the primary base station state;

when receiving the handover success indication information sent by the target base station through the transceiver 903, the processor 901 switches the current state from the primary base station state to the secondary base station state, and controls the target base station to switch from the secondary base station state to the primary base station state, so that the terminal device can perform data interaction with the target base station and the base station respectively using context information different from that before handover, thereby completing service handover.

Optionally, the processor 901 may specifically be a central processing unit, an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), one or more Integrated circuits for controlling program execution, a hardware Circuit developed by using a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or a baseband processor.

Optionally, processor 901 may include at least one processing core.

Optionally, the Memory 902 may include a Read Only Memory (ROM), a Random Access Memory (RAM), and a disk Memory. The memory is used for storing data required when the processor 901 operates. The number of the memories is one or more.

Since the base station provided in the fifth aspect of the embodiment of the present invention is proposed under the same concept as the dual connectivity architecture based service switching method provided in the first aspect of the present invention, various variations and specific embodiments of the processing procedure of the source base station in the dual connectivity architecture based service switching method in the embodiment of fig. 5 are also applicable to the base station of this embodiment, and a person skilled in the art can clearly know the implementation procedure of the base station in this embodiment through the foregoing detailed description of the dual connectivity architecture based service switching method, so for the brevity of the description, detailed description is not repeated here.

Referring to fig. 10, the base station is a structure diagram of a base station provided in an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in fig. 10, the base station includes a processor 1001, a memory 1002, and a transceiver 1003, wherein the transceiver 1003 receives and transmits data under the control of the processor 1001, the memory 1002 stores a preset program, and the processor 1001 reads the program in the memory 1002, and executes the following processes according to the program:

the processor 1001 sets the current state of the base station as the secondary base station state of the terminal device according to the secondary base station addition indication information sent by the source base station and received by the transceiver 1003; the state of the source base station is a main base station state of the terminal equipment;

entering a preparation state for switching the current state from the secondary base station state to a primary base station state when the processor 1001 receives a switching request message transmitted by the source base station through the transceiver 1003;

receiving, at the processor 1001 through the transceiver 1003, a reconfiguration complete message sent by the terminal device, where the processor 1001 sends handover success indication information to the source base station through the transceiver, so that the source base station switches the state of the source base station from the main base station state to the secondary base station state based on the handover success indication information;

the processor 1001 switches the current state from the secondary base station state to the primary base station state, so that the terminal device can perform data interaction with the base station and the source base station respectively by using context information different from that before switching, and service switching is completed.

Optionally, the processor 1001 may be a central processing unit, an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), one or more Integrated circuits for controlling program execution, a hardware Circuit developed by using a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or a baseband processor.

Optionally, the processor 1001 may include at least one processing core.

Optionally, the Memory 1002 may include a Read Only Memory (ROM), a Random Access Memory (RAM), and a disk Memory. The memory 1002 is used for storing data required for the operation of the processor 1001. The number of the memories is one or more.

Since the base station provided in the sixth aspect of the embodiment of the present invention is proposed under the same concept as the dual connectivity architecture based service handover method provided in the first aspect of the present invention, various changes and specific embodiments of the processing procedure of the target base station in the dual connectivity architecture based service handover method in the embodiment of fig. 5 are also applicable to the base station of this embodiment, and through the foregoing detailed description of the dual connectivity architecture based service handover method, a person skilled in the art can clearly know the implementation procedure of the base station in this embodiment, so for the brevity of the description, detailed description is not repeated here.

Please refer to fig. 11, which is a schematic structural diagram of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present invention, the terminal device includes a processor 1101, a memory 1102, and a transceiver 1103, wherein the transceiver 1103 receives and transmits data under the control of the processor 1101, the memory 1102 stores a preset program, and the processor 1101 reads the program in the memory 1102, and executes the following processes according to the program:

before the processor 1101 receives the handover indication information sent by the source base station through the transceiver 1103, setting a target base station to be handed over by the terminal device as a secondary base station state of the terminal device; the current state of the source base station is the main base station state of the terminal equipment, and the target base station is a base station determined by the source base station according to a measurement report message sent by the terminal equipment;

when the processor 1101 receives the switching indication information through the transceiver 1103, the state of the source base station stored in the terminal device is switched to the secondary base station state and the state of the target base station stored in the terminal device is switched from the secondary base station state to the primary base station state, so that a reconfiguration process is completed;

the processor 1101 sends a reconfiguration complete message to the target base station through the transceiver, so that the target base station switches the state of the target base station from the state of the secondary base station to the state of the primary base station, and the target base station notifies the source base station, and switches the state of the source base station from the state of the primary base station to the state of the secondary base station, so that the terminal device can perform data interaction with the target base station and the source base station respectively by using context information different from that before switching, and complete service switching.

Optionally, the processor 1101 may be a central processing unit, an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), one or more Integrated circuits for controlling program execution, a hardware Circuit developed by using a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or a baseband processor.

Optionally, processor 1101 may include at least one processing core.

Alternatively, the Memory 1102 may include a Read Only Memory (ROM), a Random Access Memory (RAM), and a disk Memory. The memory 1102 is used to store data required by the processor 1101 during operation. The number of the memories is one or more.

Since the terminal device provided in the seventh aspect of the present invention is proposed under the same concept as the dual connectivity architecture based service switching method provided in the first aspect of the present invention, various variations and specific embodiments of the processing procedure of the terminal device in the dual connectivity architecture based service switching method in the foregoing embodiment of fig. 5 are also applicable to the terminal device of this embodiment, and through the foregoing detailed description of the dual connectivity architecture based service switching method, a person skilled in the art can clearly know the implementation procedure of the terminal device in this embodiment, so for brevity of description, detailed description is not repeated here.

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

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

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

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

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

Claims

1. A service switching method based on a dual-connection architecture is characterized in that the method comprises the following steps:

2. The method of claim 1, wherein after the source base station sets the state of the target base station to which the terminal device is to be handed over to the secondary base station state of the terminal device, the method further comprises:

the source base station establishes a separate bearer.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the source base station controlling the terminal device to switch the state of the target base station stored in the terminal device from the secondary base station state to the primary base station state and controlling the target base station to enter a preparation state for switching the state of the target base station from the secondary base station state to the primary base station state comprises:

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the switching the current state from the primary base station state to the secondary base station state and the controlling the target base station from the secondary base station state to the primary base station state when the source base station receives the handover success indication information sent by the target base station comprises:

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the setting, by the source base station, the state of the target base station to which the terminal device is to be handed over to the secondary base station state of the terminal device before determining that the terminal device needs to perform service handover according to the measurement report message sent by the terminal device, comprises:

when the source base station determines that the measurement report message comprises at least one piece of information of at least one alternative base station, determining a target base station from the at least one alternative base station; the at least one message comprises a physical cell identity of each of the at least one alternative base station;

6. A service switching method based on a dual-connection architecture is characterized in that the method comprises the following steps:

7. The method of claim 6, wherein after the target base station sets the current state of the target base station to the secondary base station state of the terminal device according to receiving the secondary base station addition indication information transmitted by the source base station, the method further comprises:

and the target base station establishes a separated load.

8. The method of claim 6 or 7, wherein after the target base station enters a ready state to switch the current state from the secondary base station state to a primary base station state, the method further comprises:

9. The method of claim 8, wherein after the target base station enters a ready state to switch the current state from the secondary base station state to a primary base station state, the method further comprises:

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the target base station switching the current state from the secondary base station state to the primary base station state comprises:

11. A service switching method based on a dual-connection architecture is characterized in that the method comprises the following steps:

12. The method of claim 11, wherein after the setting of the target base station to which the terminal is to be handed over as the secondary base station state for the terminal device, the method further comprises:

and the terminal equipment establishes a separated bearer.

13. A base station, comprising:

14. The base station of claim 13, wherein the base station further comprises:

and the establishing module is used for establishing the separation bearing.

15. The base station of claim 13 or 14, wherein the control module is specifically configured to:

16. The base station of claim 15, wherein the handover module is specifically configured to:

17. The base station of claim 16, wherein the setting module is specifically configured to:

when the measurement report message is determined to comprise at least one piece of information of at least one alternative base station, determining a target base station from the at least one alternative base station; the at least one message comprises a physical cell identity of each of the at least one alternative base station;

18. A base station, characterized in that the base station comprises:

19. The base station of claim 18, wherein the base station further comprises:

and the establishing module is used for establishing the separation bearing.

20. The base station of claim 18 or 19, wherein the base station further comprises:

21. The base station of claim 20, wherein the base station further comprises:

22. The base station of claim 21, wherein the second handover module is specifically configured to:

23. A terminal device, comprising:

24. The terminal device of claim 23, wherein the terminal device further comprises:

and the establishing module is used for establishing the separation bearing.