CN108632924A

CN108632924A - A kind of method for handover control, device, base station and core net

Info

Publication number: CN108632924A
Application number: CN201710182453.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 王胡成
Original assignee: China Academy of Telecommunications Technology CATT
Current assignee: China Academy of Telecommunications Technology CATT
Priority date: 2017-03-24
Filing date: 2017-03-24
Publication date: 2018-10-09

Abstract

The present invention provides a kind of method for handover control, device, base station and core net, base station side method includes：Receive the instruction information that core net is sent after determining endpoint registration pattern；In the switching between being ready for different access technologies, the switching between access technology is carried out or abandons according to the instruction information.Its core-network side method includes：After determining endpoint registration pattern, instruction information is sent to base station；So that base station carries out or abandons the switching between access technology in the switching between being ready for different access technologies, according to the instruction information.The present invention can ensure after switching between carrying out different access technologies that registration ability and the network side ability after switching of terminal match, and then ensure the continuity of terminal traffic.

Description

Switching control method, device, base station and core network

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of communications technologies, and in particular, to a handover control method, an apparatus, a base station, and a core network.

Background

The 5G network needs to support interoperation with the LTE network, and in order to support service continuity, 3GPP proposes two methods, one is to support an Nx interface between the 5G network and the LTE network, so that the network can support service continuity through inter-RAT handover (Radio Access Technology handover); the other is to require the UE to register to the 5G network and the LTE network at the same time, and establish a Session connection to the same SMF (Session management function)/PGW (PDN gateway), so that the UE (User Equipment) can switch data streams between different Session connections when changing RATs. However, since the registration mode of the UE is that the core network is provided to the UE in the registration process, and the registration process of the connected state occurs after the handover, a case may occur in which the registration mode of the UE does not match the capability of the network side after the handover.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention provides a switching control method, a device, a base station and a core network, which solve the problem that the registration mode of UE after switching among different access technologies is not matched with the capability of a network side after switching in the prior art.

In order to achieve the above object, an embodiment of the present invention provides a handover control method, applied to a base station, including:

receiving indication information sent by a core network after a terminal registration mode is determined;

when preparing to switch between different access technologies, switching between the access technologies is carried out or abandoned according to the indication information.

Wherein, the indication information is: information indicating a registration mode of the terminal, or handover restriction information of the terminal.

The step of receiving the indication information sent by the core network after determining the terminal registration mode includes:

receiving an N2 message sent by a core network in the processes of initial registration, registration updating and/or service request; the N2 message carries information for indicating a registration mode of the terminal, or the N2 message carries handover restriction information of the terminal, where the handover restriction information is determined by the core network according to the registration mode of the terminal.

The switching restriction information comprises first information of networks which do not support an Nx interface and use different access technologies between the base station and a core network, or second information of all networks which are adjacent to or overlapped with the base station and use different access technologies; the first information is determined by the core network after the terminal is determined to be in the single registration mode, and the second information is determined by the core network after the terminal is determined to be in the double registration mode.

When preparing to switch between different access technologies, the step of switching between access technologies according to the indication information is carried out or abandoned, and the method comprises the following steps:

when preparing to switch between different access technologies, when the indication information indicates that the registration mode of the terminal is a single registration mode, inter-RAT switching between the access technologies is carried out; or,

and when the indication information indicates that the registration mode of the terminal is a dual registration mode when the switching between different access technologies is prepared, the inter-access technology-RAT switching is abandoned.

Wherein, when the indication information indicates that the registration mode of the terminal is a single registration mode, the step of inter-RAT handover between access technologies includes:

and when the indication information indicates that the registration mode of the terminal is a single registration mode, selecting a target network supporting the Nx interface to perform inter-RAT switching between access technologies.

Wherein, when the indication information indicates that the registration information of the terminal is in the single registration mode, and when preparing to perform the switching between different access technologies, the step of determining whether to perform the switching between the access technologies according to the indication information further comprises:

when preparing to switch between different access technologies, sending a switching request to a core network; wherein, the switching request carries the identification information of the target base station or the cell;

receiving a switching refusing message sent by a core network after the core network determines that a target base station or a target network to which a cell belongs does not support an Nx interface according to the identification information;

and abandoning the switching between the access technologies according to the switching refusing message.

Before the step of determining whether to perform access handover according to the indication information, the method further includes:

acquiring configuration information of a base station from a core network; wherein the configuration information includes: information of a network supporting an Nx interface with a core network.

The information of the network supporting the Nx interface with the core network is as follows: cell information for networks using different access technologies that are covered adjacent or overlapping with a base station and support an Nx interface.

The step of obtaining the configuration information of the base station from the core network comprises the following steps:

receiving configuration information of a base station sent by a core network through an operation, maintenance and management (OAM) system; or,

and when the base station is started, downloading the configuration information configured for the base station by the core network.

According to another aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a handover control apparatus, applied to a base station, including:

the first receiving module is used for receiving the indication information sent by the core network after the terminal registration mode is determined;

and the switching module is used for switching among the access technologies according to the indication information or abandoning the switching among the access technologies when the switching among the different access technologies is prepared.

Wherein, the first receiving module includes:

the first receiving submodule is used for receiving an N2 message sent by a core network in the processes of initial registration, registration updating and/or service request; the N2 message carries information for indicating a registration mode of the terminal, or the N2 message carries handover restriction information of the terminal, where the handover restriction information is determined by the core network according to the registration mode of the terminal.

Wherein, the switching module includes:

the first switching submodule is used for switching inter-access technology to access technology when the registration mode of the terminal is indicated to be a single registration mode by the indication information when switching among different access technologies is prepared; or,

and the second switching submodule is used for abandoning inter-access technology-RAT switching when the indication information indicates that the registration mode of the terminal is a dual-registration mode when the switching between different access technologies is prepared.

Wherein, the first switching submodule includes:

and the switching unit is used for selecting a target network supporting the Nx interface to perform inter-RAT switching between access technologies when the indication information indicates that the registration mode of the terminal is a single registration mode.

Wherein, the switching module further comprises:

the first sending submodule is used for sending a switching request to a core network when the switching between different access technologies is prepared and if the registration information of the terminal is indicated to be in a single registration mode by the indication information; wherein, the switching request carries the identification information of the target base station or the cell;

the second receiving submodule is used for receiving a switching refusing message which is sent after the core network determines that the target base station or the target network to which the cell belongs does not support the Nx interface according to the identification information;

and the third switching submodule is used for abandoning the switching among the access technologies according to the switching refusing message.

Wherein, the switching control device further comprises:

an obtaining module, configured to obtain configuration information of a base station from a core network; wherein the configuration information includes: information of a network supporting an Nx interface with a core network.

Wherein, the acquisition module includes:

the third receiving submodule is used for receiving the configuration information of the base station sent by the core network through the operation maintenance management OAM system; or,

and the downloading submodule is used for downloading the configuration information configured for the base station by the core network when the base station is started.

According to still another aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a base station, including a first memory, a first processor and a computer program stored in the first memory and executable on the first processor, wherein the first processor implements the steps in the handover control method as described above when executing the computer program.

According to another aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a handover control method applied to a core network, including:

after determining the terminal registration mode, sending indication information to a base station; when the base station is ready to switch between different access technologies, the base station switches between the access technologies according to the indication information or abandons the switch between the access technologies.

The indication information is information for indicating a registration mode of the terminal or switching restriction information of the terminal.

Wherein, the step of sending the indication information to the base station comprises:

sending an N2 message to the base station during initial registration, registration update and/or service request; the N2 message carries information for indicating a registration mode of the terminal, or the N2 message carries handover restriction information of the terminal, where the handover restriction information is determined by the core network according to the registration mode of the terminal.

When the registration mode of the terminal is a single registration mode, switching restriction information is first information of networks which do not support an Nx interface and use different access technologies between the terminal and a core network;

when the registration mode of the terminal is the dual registration mode, the handover restriction information is second information of a network using a different access technology that is adjacent to or overlaps with the base station.

When the indication information indicates that the registration information of the terminal is in the single registration mode, after the terminal registration mode is determined, the method further comprises:

receiving a switching request sent by a base station when preparing to switch between different access technologies; wherein, the switching request carries the identification information of the target base station or the cell;

and if the target base station corresponding to the identification information or the target network to which the cell belongs does not support the Nx interface, sending a switching refusing message to the base station.

Before the step of sending the indication information to the base station, the method further comprises the following steps:

and configuring information of a network supporting the Nx interface between the base station and the core network.

The step of configuring information of a network supporting an Nx interface between a base station and a core network includes:

and configuring information of a network supporting the Nx interface between the base station and the core network by an operation maintenance management (OAM) system.

According to another aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a handover control apparatus, applied to a core network, including:

the first sending module is used for sending indication information to the base station after the terminal registration mode is determined; when the base station is ready to switch between different access technologies, the base station switches between the access technologies according to the indication information or abandons the switch between the access technologies.

Wherein the first transmitting module comprises:

a first sending submodule, configured to send an N2 message to the base station in an initial registration, registration update, and/or service request process; the N2 message carries information for indicating a registration mode of the terminal, or the N2 message carries handover restriction information of the terminal, where the handover restriction information is determined by the core network according to the registration mode of the terminal.

Wherein, the switching control device further comprises:

the second receiving module is used for receiving a switching request sent by the base station when the registration information of the indication information indication terminal is in a single registration mode and the base station prepares to switch different access technologies; wherein, the switching request carries the identification information of the target base station or the cell;

and the second sending module is used for sending a handover rejection message to the base station when the target base station corresponding to the identification information or the target network to which the cell belongs does not support the Nx interface.

Wherein, the switching control device further comprises:

and the configuration module is used for configuring the information of the network supporting the Nx interface between the base station and the core network.

Wherein, the configuration module includes:

and the configuration unit is used for configuring the information of the network supporting the Nx interface between the base station and the core network through the operation, maintenance and management (OAM) system.

According to still another aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a core network, including a second memory, a second processor, and a computer program stored in the second memory and executable on the second processor, where the second processor implements the steps in the handover control method as described above when executing the computer program.

sending switching refusing information of the switching request to the base station according to the registration mode of the terminal;

and sending the switching refusing information to the base station so that the base station abandons the switching among different access technologies according to the switching refusing information.

Wherein, the step of sending the switching refusing information of the switching request to the base station according to the registration mode of the terminal comprises:

and if the registration mode of the terminal is a double registration mode or the registration mode of the terminal is a single registration mode but the target base station corresponding to the identification information or the target network to which the cell belongs does not support the Nx interface, sending switching refusing information of the switching request to the base station.

Before the step of determining the handover response information of the handover request according to the registration mode of the terminal, the method further includes:

a registration mode of the terminal is determined.

Before the step of receiving a handover request sent by a base station when preparing to perform handover between different access technologies, the method further comprises the following steps:

the first transmission module is used for receiving a switching request sent by a base station when the base station prepares to switch between different access technologies; wherein, the switching request carries the identification information of the target base station or the cell;

a refusing module for sending the switching refusing information of the switching request to the base station according to the registration mode of the terminal;

and the second transmission module is used for sending the switching refusing information to the base station so that the base station abandons the switching among different access technologies according to the switching refusing information.

Wherein the rejection module comprises:

and the rejection submodule is used for sending the switching rejection information of the switching request to the base station if the registration mode of the terminal is a double registration mode or the registration mode of the terminal is a single registration mode but the target base station or the target network to which the cell corresponding to the identification information belongs does not support the Nx interface.

Wherein, the switching control device further comprises:

and the determining module is used for determining the registration mode of the terminal.

Wherein, the switching control device further comprises:

and the processing module is used for configuring the information of the network supporting the Nx interface between the base station and the core network.

Wherein, processing module includes:

and the processing submodule is used for configuring the information of the network supporting the Nx interface between the base station and the core network through the operation maintenance management OAM system.

According to still another aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, there is also provided a core network, including a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, where the processor implements the steps in the handover control method as described above when executing the computer program.

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

according to the technical scheme of the embodiment of the invention, the indication information of the terminal registration mode is acquired from the core network through the base station, the switching between the access technologies is carried out when the terminal registration mode is matched with the capability of the target switching network, otherwise, the switching between the access technologies is abandoned, so that the registration capability of the terminal is matched with the capability of the switched network side after the switching between different access technologies is carried out, and the continuity of the terminal service is further ensured.

Drawings

Fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a network architecture model supporting interoperation of a 5G network and an LTE network;

fig. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a handover control method according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating scenario one in a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a first interaction flow of scenario one according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an interaction flow of scenario one in a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating scenario two in a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating scenario three in the second embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 8 is a schematic configuration diagram of a base station-side switching control apparatus according to the present invention;

fig. 9 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a base station according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a handover control method according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of a handover control apparatus on the core network side according to the present invention;

fig. 12 is a block diagram showing a core network according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a ninth embodiment of a handover control method according to the present invention;

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an interaction flow of scenario four in a ninth embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 15 is a schematic configuration diagram of a switching control apparatus according to a tenth embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 16 is a block diagram showing a core network according to an eleventh embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

In order to make the technical problems, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more apparent, the following detailed description is given with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. In the following description, specific details such as specific configurations and components are provided only to help the full understanding of the embodiments of the present invention. Thus, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made to the embodiments described herein without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. In addition, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions are omitted for clarity and conciseness.

It should be appreciated that reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, the appearances of the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

In various embodiments of the present invention, it should be understood that the sequence numbers of the following processes do not mean the execution sequence, and the execution sequence of each process should be determined by its function and inherent logic, and should not constitute any limitation to the implementation process of the embodiments of the present invention.

In addition, the terms "system" and "network" are often used interchangeably herein.

In the embodiments provided herein, it should be understood that "B corresponding to a" means that B is associated with a from which B can be determined. It should also be understood that determining B from a does not mean determining B from a alone, but may be determined from a and/or other information.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the access network may be an access network including a Macro Base Station (Macro Base Station), a micro Base Station (Pico Base Station), a Node B (3G mobile Station), an enhanced Base Station (eNB), a Home enhanced Base Station (Femto eNB or Home eNode B or Home eNB or HeNB), a relay Station, an access point, an RRU (Remote Radio unit), an RRH (Remote Radio Head), and the like. The user terminal may be a mobile phone (or handset), or other device capable of sending or receiving wireless signals, including user Equipment, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, a wireless communicator, a handheld device, a laptop computer, a cordless phone, a Wireless Local Loop (WLL) station, a CPE (Customer Premise Equipment) or a mobile smart hotspot capable of converting mobile signals into WiFi signals, a smart appliance, or other devices capable of autonomously communicating with a mobile communication network without human operation, and so on.

Specifically, the embodiment of the present invention provides a handover control method, which solves the problem in the prior art that the registration mode of the UE after handover between different access technologies is not matched with the capability of the network side after handover.

As shown in fig. 1, an Nx interface between a Mobility Management Entity (MME) in the LTE system and a 5GS Access and Mobility Management function Entity (AMF) in the 5G system is optionally supported, and when the network supports the Nx interface, the network may support handover between the 5G and LTE networks, and context information of the UE needs to be transferred between the MME and the AMF, where the context information includes a Mobility context of the UE and a session connection context of the UE. When a terminal accesses such a network supporting the Nx interface, the network may configure its registration mode as a single registration mode, i.e., a single registration mode.

When the network does not support the Nx interface, handover is not supported between the 5G network and the LTE network, and at this time, in order to support the inter-operation, the network needs to require the terminal to perform Dual registration (Dual registration mode), that is, to simultaneously maintain registration in the LTE network and the 5G network. Considering the support of service continuity in the dual registration mode, the SMF of the control plane in the network is required to support the PGW-C function at the same time, so that through handover registration (HO registration), it can be ensured that when the UE moves between the LTE network and the 5G network, the session connection is always anchored at the same user plane anchor point.

The terminals in Dual registration mode are further divided into Single radio capability and Dual radio capability. The Single radio terminal can only keep one-side session connection at the same time, that is, the connection is kept in the LTE network or the 5G network, so that packet loss inevitably occurs if the terminal moves between the LTE network and the 5G network, and seamless service continuity cannot be guaranteed. The Dual radio terminal can maintain connection in the LTE network and the 5G network, so when moving between networks, the connection can be switched in a make-before-break manner, that is, data is received from the source side network while data is received from the target network, thereby ensuring service connection.

Taking the handover from 5G to the LTE network as an example, after receiving a handover request from a RAN (Residential access network), the AMF requests all SMFs to map a PDU session Context (PDU session Context). The SMF converts the PDU session Context into an evolved packet system bearer (EPS bearer Context) and returns the EPS bearer Context to the AMF. The core network processes to map non-GBR QoS flows to default nodes and GBR truncated QoS flows to truncated routers. Further, after receiving all EPS bearer contexts returned by the SMF, the AMF converts the EPS bearer contexts (MM contexts) combined with the UE into UE Context contexts (UE contexts), and transmits the UE contexts to the MME through the Nx interface. And the MME at the target network side regards Nx as an S10 interface, namely, the AMF is regarded as the MME, and after the target MME receives the Context of the UE from the Nx interface, the subsequent processes are continued according to the S1 switching process of the existing EPS system. When the SMF/PGW-C determines that the session of the terminal is switched to the LTE network, a specified bearer operation process may be initiated to establish a specified bearer for some non-GRB QoS flows.

First embodiment

As shown in fig. 2, an embodiment of the present invention provides a handover control method, which is applied to a base station, and specifically includes the following steps:

step 21: and receiving indication information sent by the core network after the terminal registration mode is determined.

Since the Nx interface of the MME in the LTE system and the AMF in the 5G system is optionally supported, when the terminal accesses the core network supporting the Nx interface, the MME or the AMF may configure its registration mode as the single registration mode. When a terminal accesses a network that does not support an Nx interface, in order to support the interoperation of the 5G system and the LTE system, the MME or the AMF needs to configure the terminal in a dual registration mode. Wherein, the Dual registration mode is further divided into Single radio capability and Dual radio capability. The terminal of Singleradio can only keep the session connection on one side at the same time. While the terminal of Dual radio can maintain connection in both LTE network and 5G network.

Wherein, the indication information is: information indicating a registration mode of the terminal, or handover restriction information of the terminal. That is, after the core network and the terminal negotiate the registration mode of the terminal, the registration mode of the terminal may be notified to the base station by displaying indication information (information for indicating the registration mode of the terminal) or hiding indication information (information for indicating the handover restriction of the terminal).

Step 22: when preparing to switch between different access technologies, switching between the access technologies is carried out or abandoned according to the indication information.

The base station of the embodiment of the present invention obtains an indication information through step 21, and performs or abandons the handover between access technologies according to the indication information when preparing to perform the handover between different access technologies. The indication information indicates the registration mode of the terminal in a display or hidden manner, and the base station can select the target network according to the registration mode of the terminal, so that the selected target network is matched with the registration mode of the terminal, and the problem that the registration mode of the terminal is not matched with the network capacity after switching in the prior art is solved.

According to the embodiment of the invention, the indication information of the terminal registration mode is acquired from the core network through the base station, the switching between the access technologies is carried out when the terminal registration mode is matched with the capability of the target switching network, otherwise, the switching between the access technologies is abandoned, so that the registration capability of the terminal is matched with the capability of the switched network side after the switching between different access technologies is carried out, and the continuity of the terminal service is further ensured. It should be noted that the base station is one of the access networks, and other types of access networks are also applicable to the above-described embodiments of the base station and achieve the same technical effects.

Second embodiment

A second embodiment of the present invention provides a handover control method, which specifically includes the following steps: receiving indication information sent by a core network after a terminal registration mode is determined; when preparing to switch between different access technologies, switching between the access technologies is carried out or abandoned according to the indication information.

Scene one

As shown in fig. 3, the handover control method according to the second embodiment of the present invention specifically includes the following steps:

step 31: and receiving indication information sent by the core network after the terminal registration mode is determined.

Specifically, the indication information is: information indicating a registration mode of the terminal, or handover restriction information of the terminal. Step 31 may be accomplished by: and receiving an N2 message sent by the core network in the processes of initial registration, registration updating and/or service request. Wherein the N2 message refers to a message on the N2 interface between the core network and the base station.

The N2 message carries information for indicating a registration mode of the terminal, or the N2 message carries handover restriction information of the terminal, where the handover restriction information is determined by the core network according to the registration mode of the terminal.

Further, the handover restriction information includes first information of a network using a different access technology that does not support an Nx interface with a core network, or second information of all networks using different access technologies that are adjacent to or overlap with the base station. The first information is determined by the core network after the terminal is determined to be in the single registration mode, and the second information is determined by the core network after the terminal is determined to be in the double registration mode.

Further, as shown in fig. 3, when preparing to perform handover between different access technologies, the step of performing or abandoning handover between access technologies according to the indication information specifically includes:

step 32: when preparing to switch between different access technologies, when the indication information indicates that the registration mode of the terminal is a single registration mode, inter-RAT switching between the access technologies is carried out.

Wherein, step 32 specifically includes: and when the indication information indicates that the registration mode of the terminal is a single registration mode, selecting a target network supporting the Nx interface to perform inter-RAT switching between access technologies. When the base station knows that the registration mode of the terminal is the single registration mode, the base station does not only perform inter-RAT handover according to the registration mode, but also further selects a target network supporting an Nx interface to perform the inter-RAT handover, so as to ensure that the network capability after handover is matched with the registration mode.

Step 33: and when the indication information indicates that the registration mode of the terminal is a dual registration mode when the switching between different access technologies is prepared, the inter-access technology-RAT switching is abandoned.

When the indication information indicates that the registration mode of the terminal is a dual registration mode, the inter-RAT handover between access technologies needs to be abandoned no matter whether the target network supports the Nx interface or not.

To sum up, a specific flow of the scenario one is shown in fig. 4 (display indication), where the core Network, especially, the AMF first determines a registration mode negotiated and determined with the UE, and then displays and notifies the registration mode of the UE to the AN when a Network requests AN Access Network (AN, Access Network, in this embodiment, a base station is used as AN exemplary illustration) to establish a UE context in a mobility management process, for example, a registration Request process or a Service Request process. Specifically, the AMF and the UE negotiate to determine a registration mode of the UE, and the UE enters an idle state; after the UE initiates the Service Request, the AMF carries the registration mode of the UE in the N2 message requesting the AN to establish the UE Context. The AN receives and saves the UE registration mode.

As shown in fig. 5 (hidden indication), the core Network AMF first determines a registration mode negotiated and determined with the UE, and then determines handover restriction information handover restriction list according to the registration mode of the UE in a mobility management procedure, for example, a registration Request procedure or a Service Request procedure, and if the UE is in a single registration mode, the handover restriction list only contains first information (such as a Public Land Mobile Network identity PLMN ID, a Public Land Mobile Network) of a Network using a different access technology that does not support an Nx interface with the core Network; if the UE is in the dual registration mode, the handover restriction list includes plmn ids or reserved values of all LTE networks neighboring to or overlapping with the base station (the reserved values indicate all LTE networks). Then, according to the prior art, when the network requests the AN to establish the UE context, the network sends a handover restart list to the AN. Thus, when the AN executes the handover process subsequently, according to the handover triggering list, the AN may not select AN EPS (evolved packet System) network that does not support the Nx interface for the UE in the single registration mode, and for the UE in the dual registration mode, the AN may not select a suitable EPS network, and thus the handover process may not be executed.

Scene two

As shown in fig. 6, the handover control method of the present invention specifically includes the following steps:

step 61: and receiving indication information sent by the core network after the terminal registration mode is determined.

Specifically, the indication information is: information indicating a registration mode of the terminal, or handover restriction information of the terminal. Step 61 may be accomplished by: and receiving an N2 message sent by the core network in the processes of initial registration, registration updating and/or service request. The N2 message carries information for indicating a registration mode of the terminal, or the N2 message carries handover restriction information of the terminal, where the handover restriction information is determined by the core network according to the registration mode of the terminal.

Specifically, when the indication information indicates that the registration information of the terminal is in the single registration mode, and when preparing to perform handover between different access technologies, the step of determining whether to perform handover between access technologies according to the indication information specifically includes:

step 62: when preparing to perform handover between different access technologies, a handover request is sent to the core network.

The handover request carries identification information of the target base station or the cell. It should be noted that, when the indication information indicates that the registration mode of the UE is the single registration mode, the base station sends a handover request to the core network when preparing to perform handover between different access technologies. When the indication information indicates that the registration mode of the UE is the dual registration mode, the base station does not perform the switching process, namely directly abandons the switching between the access technologies.

And step 63: and receiving a switching refusing message sent by the core network after the core network determines that the target base station or the target network to which the cell belongs does not support the Nx interface according to the identification information.

When the core network receives the identification information of the target base station or the cell carried by the base station in the switching request, whether the target network to which the target base station or the cell belongs supports the Nx interface or not is determined according to the identification information, if so, the base station is instructed to switch between the access technologies, and if not, a switching refusing message is fed back to the base station.

Step 64: and abandoning the switching between the access technologies according to the switching refusing message.

After receiving the switching refusing message sent by the core network, the base station gives up the switching between the access technologies. It is worth pointing out that the core network further indicates the base station not to initiate the inter-RAT handover procedure for the mechanism when sending the handover rejection information to the base station.

Scene three

As shown in fig. 7, the handover control method of the present invention specifically includes the following steps:

step 71: and receiving indication information sent by the core network after the terminal registration mode is determined.

Step 72: configuration information of a base station is acquired from a core network.

Wherein the configuration information includes: information of a network supporting an Nx interface with a core network. Further, the information of the network supporting the Nx interface with the core network is: cell information for networks using different access technologies that are covered adjacent or overlapping with a base station and support an Nx interface.

Further, step 72 may be implemented with reference to the following steps: receiving configuration information of a base station, which is sent by a core network through an Operation Administration and Maintenance (OAM) system; or, when the base station is started, downloading the configuration information configured for the base station by the core network.

The specific process of obtaining the configuration information of the base station from the core network is as follows: the network configures the neighbor list of the base station to only contain the cell information of the network supporting the Nx interface. Specifically, the configuration may be performed by the OAM system, or may be performed by the base station downloading configuration information from the network when the base station is started.

The execution sequence of step 71 and step 72 is not strictly in accordance with the sequence, and step 71 may be executed first and then step 72 may be executed, step 72 may be executed first and then step 71 may be executed, or step 71 and step 72 may be executed simultaneously, that is, the base station acquires the indication information from the core network and also acquires the configuration information related to itself.

Step 73: and when the switching among different access technologies is prepared, determining whether to switch among the access technologies according to the indication information and the configuration information.

After receiving the registration mode of the UE, the base station determines whether the UE is in a single registration mode or a double registration mode, if the UE is in the single registration mode, the base station supports inter-RAT switching and selects a target cell according to the neighbor cell list information (the selected cell is a cell of a network supporting an Nx interface); if the UE is in the dual registration mode, the inter-RAT switching is not supported.

In summary, the above three scenarios are all composed of: the core network configures the base station so that the base station finally selects a cell of a network supporting an Nx interface after determining that the base station switches between access technologies for the UE; after determining the registration mode of the UE, the core network AMF informs a base station of the registration mode of the UE; and after receiving the registration mode of the UE, the base station selects the target network according to the registration mode of the UE. If the UE is in the single registration mode, triggering the switching of the inter-RAT, and finally enabling the base station to select a target network supporting the Nx interface; if the UE is in the dual registration mode, the base station does not perform a handover procedure of the inter-RAT. Therefore, after switching among different access technologies is carried out, the registration capability of the terminal is matched with the capability of the switched network side, and the continuity of the terminal service is further ensured.

Third embodiment

The above first embodiment and the second embodiment are respectively described with respect to the handover control method of the base station side of the present invention, and the following embodiment will further describe a corresponding handover control apparatus with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 8, the handover control apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, applied to a base station 800, includes:

a first receiving module 810, configured to receive indication information sent by a core network after determining a terminal registration mode;

a handover module 820, configured to perform or abandon handover between access technologies according to the indication information when handover between different access technologies is to be performed.

Wherein, the first receiving module 810 includes:

Wherein the switching module 820 comprises:

Wherein, the first switching submodule includes:

Wherein, the switching module 820 further comprises:

Wherein, the switching control device further comprises:

Wherein, the acquisition module includes:

The embodiment of the switching control device of the invention corresponds to the embodiment of the switching control method, and all implementation means in the embodiment of the method are applicable to the embodiment of the switching control device, so that the same technical effects can be achieved. The base station acquires the indication information of the terminal registration mode from the core network, performs switching between the access technologies when the terminal registration mode is matched with the capability of a target switching network, otherwise abandons the switching between the access technologies, so as to ensure that the registration capability of the terminal is matched with the capability of the switched network side after switching between different access technologies, and further ensure the continuity of terminal services.

Fourth embodiment

In order to better achieve the above object, as shown in fig. 9, a fourth embodiment of the present invention further provides a base station, including: a first memory 910, a first processor 920 and a computer program stored on the first memory 910 and executable on the first processor 920, the first processor implementing the steps in the handover control method as described above when executing the computer program. Specifically, the first processor 920 is connected to the first memory 910 through a bus interface. Further, the base station further comprises a first transceiver 930 connected to the first processor 920 via a bus interface; the first memory 910 is used for storing programs and data used by the processor in performing operations; transmitting data information or pilot through the first transceiver 930, and also receiving an uplink control channel through the first transceiver 930; when the first processor 920 calls and executes the programs and data stored in the first memory 910, the following functional modules are implemented:

A first transceiver 930, configured to receive and send data under the control of the first processor 920, and specifically configured to receive indication information sent by the core network after determining the terminal registration mode.

The first processor 920 is used to read the program in the first memory 910, and perform the following processes: when preparing to switch between different access technologies, switching between the access technologies is carried out or abandoned according to the indication information.

Where, in fig. 9, the bus architecture may include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, with one or more processors, represented by the first processor 920, and various circuits of the memory, represented by the first memory 910, being linked together. The bus architecture may also link together various other circuits such as peripherals, voltage regulators, power management circuits, and the like, which are well known in the art, and therefore, will not be described any further herein. The bus interface provides an interface. The first transceiver 930 may be a number of elements, including a transmitter and a transceiver, providing a means for communicating with various other apparatus over a transmission medium. The first processor 920 is responsible for managing a bus architecture and general processing, and the first memory 910 may store data used by the first processor 920 when performing operations.

In addition, an embodiment of the present invention also provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, wherein the computer program causes a computer to execute the steps of: and receiving indication information sent by the core network after the terminal registration mode is determined, and performing or abandoning switching between the access technologies according to the indication information when preparing to perform switching between different access technologies. The base station acquires the indication information of the terminal registration mode from the core network, the switching between the access technologies is carried out when the terminal registration mode is matched with the capability of a target switching network, otherwise, the switching between the access technologies is abandoned, so that the registration capability of the terminal is matched with the capability of the switched network side after the switching between different access technologies is carried out, and the continuity of the terminal service is further ensured.

Fifth embodiment

The above first to fourth embodiments have described the handover control method of the present invention from the base station side, respectively, and the following embodiments will further describe it from the core network side.

The switching control method of the invention is applied to a core network, particularly an AMF, and specifically comprises the following steps: and after determining the terminal registration mode, sending indication information to the base station.

After negotiating the registration mode of the terminal with the terminal, the core network sends corresponding indication information to the base station, so that the base station performs or abandons the switching between the access technologies according to the indication information when preparing to perform the switching between the different access technologies.

Further, the step of sending the indication information to the base station specifically includes: an N2 message is sent to the base station during initial registration, registration update, and/or service request. The N2 message carries information indicating a registration mode of the terminal, or the N2 message carries handover restriction information of the terminal.

Wherein, the switching restriction information is determined by the core network according to the registration mode of the terminal. Specifically, when the registration mode of the terminal is the single registration mode, the switching restriction information is first information of a network which does not support an Nx interface between the terminal and a core network and uses different access technologies; when the registration mode of the terminal is the dual registration mode, the handover restriction information is second information of a network using a different access technology that is adjacent to or overlaps with the base station.

In the embodiment of the invention, the core network AMF sends the indication information of the terminal registration mode to the base station to ensure that the base station performs the switching between the access technologies when the terminal registration mode is matched with the capability of a target switching network, otherwise, the switching between the access technologies is abandoned to ensure that the registration capability of the terminal is matched with the capability of the switched network side after the switching between different access technologies is performed, thereby ensuring the continuity of the terminal service.

Sixth embodiment

The switching control method in the embodiment of the invention comprises the following steps: and after determining the terminal registration mode, sending indication information to the base station so that the base station carries out or abandons the switching between the access technologies according to the indication information when preparing to carry out the switching between different access technologies.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 10, the handover control method in the embodiment of the present invention, applied to the AMF, specifically includes the following steps:

step 1001: a terminal registration mode is determined.

Since the Nx interface of the MME in the LTE system and the Nx interface of the 5GS AMF in the 5G system are optionally supported, when the terminal accesses the core network supporting the Nx interface, the MME or the AMF may configure its registration mode as the single registration mode. When a terminal accesses a network that does not support an Nx interface, in order to support the interoperation of the 5G system and the LTE system, the MME or the AMF needs to configure the terminal in a dual registration mode.

Step 1002: and sending indication information to the base station.

Wherein, the indication information is: information indicating a registration mode of the terminal, or handover restriction information of the terminal. Before the step of sending the indication information to the base station, the method further comprises: and configuring information of a network supporting the Nx interface between the base station and the core network. The method specifically comprises the following steps: and configuring information of a network supporting the Nx interface between the base station and the core network by an operation maintenance management (OAM) system. The specific process is as follows: the network configures the neighbor list of the base station to only contain the cell information of the network supporting the Nx interface. Specifically, the configuration may be performed by the OAM system, or may be performed by the base station downloading configuration information from the network when the base station is started.

Step 1003: and when the indication information indicates that the registration information of the terminal is in the single registration mode, receiving a switching request sent by the base station when the base station prepares to switch between different access technologies.

The handover request carries identification information of the target base station or the cell. It should be noted that, when the indication information indicates that the registration mode of the UE is the single registration mode, the base station sends a handover request to the core network when preparing to perform handover between different access technologies.

Step 1004: and if the target base station corresponding to the identification information or the target network to which the cell belongs does not support the Nx interface, sending a switching refusing message to the base station.

The core network sends a switching refusing message to the base station so that the base station abandons the switching between the access technologies according to the switching refusing message. When receiving the identification information of the target base station or the cell carried by the base station in the switching request, the core network determines whether the target network to which the target base station or the cell belongs supports the Nx interface or not according to the identification information, if so, the core network instructs the base station to switch between access technologies, and if not, the core network feeds back a switching refusing message to the base station.

To sum up, the core network of the embodiment of the present invention configures the base station so that the base station only selects the cell of the network supporting the Nx interface when selecting the target cell; after determining the registration mode of the UE, the core network AMF informs a base station of the registration mode of the UE; and after receiving the registration mode of the UE, the base station selects the target network according to the registration mode of the UE. If the UE is in the single registration mode, the base station selects a target network supporting the Nx interface and triggers the switching of inter-RAT; if the UE is in the dual registration mode, the base station does not perform a handover procedure of the inter-RAT. Therefore, after switching among different access technologies is carried out, the registration capability of the terminal is matched with the capability of the switched network side, and the continuity of the terminal service is further ensured.

Seventh embodiment

The first embodiment and the second embodiment are respectively described with respect to the handover control method of the core network side of the present invention, and the following embodiment will further describe a corresponding handover control apparatus with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in fig. 11, according to still another aspect of the embodiment of the present invention, there is further provided a handover control apparatus applied to a core network 1100, including:

a first sending module 1110, configured to send indication information to a base station after determining a terminal registration mode; when the base station is ready to switch between different access technologies, the base station switches between the access technologies according to the indication information or abandons the switch between the access technologies.

Wherein the first transmitting module 1110 includes:

Wherein, the switching control device further comprises:

Wherein, the configuration module includes:

The embodiment of the switching control device of the invention corresponds to the embodiment of the switching control method, and all implementation means in the embodiment of the method are applicable to the embodiment of the switching control device, so that the same technical effects can be achieved. The core network sends the indication information of the terminal registration mode to the base station, so that the base station performs switching between the access technologies when the terminal registration mode is matched with the capability of a target switching network, otherwise, the switching between the access technologies is abandoned, so that the registration capability of the terminal is matched with the capability of the switched network side after switching between different access technologies is performed, and further, the continuity of terminal services is ensured.

Eighth embodiment

In order to better achieve the above object, as shown in fig. 12, an eighth embodiment of the present invention further provides a core network, which includes a second memory, a second processor, and a computer program stored in the second memory and executable on the second processor, and when the second processor executes the computer program, the steps in the handover control method described above are implemented. Specifically, the second processor 1220 is connected with the second memory 1210 through a bus interface. Further, the base station further comprises a second transceiver 1230 connected to the second processor 1220 via a bus interface; the second memory 1210 is used for storing programs and data used by the processor in performing operations; transmitting data information or pilot frequency through the second transceiver 1230, and also receiving an uplink control channel through the second transceiver 1230; when the second processor 1220 calls and executes the programs and data stored in the second memory 1210, the following functional modules are implemented:

A second transceiver 1230, configured to receive and send data under the control of the second processor 1220, and specifically configured to send indication information to the base station after determining the terminal registration mode; when the base station is ready to switch between different access technologies, the base station switches between the access technologies according to the indication information or abandons the switch between the access technologies.

Where in fig. 12 the bus architecture may include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, in particular one or more processors represented by the second processor 1220 and various circuits of the memory represented by the second memory 1210 linked together. The bus architecture may also link together various other circuits such as peripherals, voltage regulators, power management circuits, and the like, which are well known in the art, and therefore, will not be described any further herein. The bus interface provides an interface. The second transceiver 1230 may be a number of elements including a transmitter and a transceiver providing a means for communicating with various other apparatus over a transmission medium. The second processor 1220 is responsible for managing a bus architecture and general processing, and the second memory 1210 may store data used by the second processor 1220 when performing operations.

In addition, an embodiment of the present invention also provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, wherein the computer program causes a computer to execute the steps of: after determining the terminal registration mode, sending indication information to a base station; when the base station is ready to switch between different access technologies, the base station switches between the access technologies according to the indication information or abandons the switch between the access technologies. And sending indication information of the terminal registration mode to the base station through the core network so that the base station performs switching between the access technologies when the terminal registration mode is matched with the capability of a target switching network, otherwise abandoning the switching between the access technologies to ensure that the registration capability of the terminal is matched with the capability of the switched network side after switching between different access technologies, thereby ensuring the continuity of terminal services.

Ninth embodiment

As shown in fig. 13, the handover control method according to the ninth embodiment of the present invention is applied to a core network, and specifically includes the following steps:

step 1301: a handover request sent by a base station in preparation for a handover between different access technologies is received.

The handover request carries identification information of the target base station or the cell. Different from the above embodiment, after determining the registration mode of the terminal, the core network does not send corresponding indication information to the base station to inform the base station of the terminal registration mode.

Further, before step 1301, the method further comprises the steps of: and configuring information of a network supporting the Nx interface between the base station and the core network. The step can be realized by the following steps: and configuring information of a network supporting the Nx interface between the base station and the core network by an operation maintenance management (OAM) system. The information is: cell information for networks using different access technologies that are covered adjacent or overlapping with a base station and support an Nx interface. The specific process of the configuration information configured by the core network for the base station is as follows: the network configures the neighbor list of the base station to only contain the cell information of the network supporting the Nx interface. And may specifically be configured by an OAM system.

Step 1302: and sending switching refusing information of the switching request to the base station according to the registration mode of the terminal.

Before step 1302, further comprising: a registration mode of the terminal is determined. Specifically, when the terminal accesses a core network supporting an Nx interface, the MME or the AMF may configure its registration mode as a single registration mode. When a terminal accesses a network that does not support an Nx interface, in order to support the interoperation of the 5G system and the LTE system, the MME or the AMF needs to configure the terminal in a dual registration mode.

Specifically, step 1302 is: and if the registration mode of the terminal is a double registration mode or the registration mode of the terminal is a single registration mode but the target base station corresponding to the identification information or the target network to which the cell belongs does not support the Nx interface, sending switching refusing information of the switching request to the base station.

Step 1303: and sending the switching refusing information to the base station so that the base station abandons the switching among different access technologies according to the switching refusing information.

In summary, as shown in fig. 14, the core network AMF does not notify the AN (e.g. base station) of the registration mode of the UE, and the AN initiates inter-RAT handover according to the prior art and sends a handover request HO required message to the AMF; the AMF determines that the current switching is inter-RAT switching according to the switching type in the HO required message or the identification of the target base station; if the UE is in the dual registration mode at this time, the AMF rejects the switching request of the base station and indicates that the base station does not initiate the inter-RAT switching process for the mechanism any more, and the AN does not initiate the inter-RAT switching for the UE any more after receiving the indication, namely does not select the cells of different RATs as the target cells any more. If the UE is in the single registration mode, the AMF further determines whether an Nx interface is supported between the UE and the target network according to the information of the target network, if so, the switching process is continued, otherwise, the switching process is rejected, and further, the target network supporting the Nx interface can be carried in the rejection message. And after receiving the switching refusing message, the AN determines to abandon the inter-RAT switching or reselect the target cell according to the message content.

In the embodiment of the invention, after receiving a switching request sent by a base station, a core network determines to switch to inter-RAT switching between access technologies according to a switching type carried in the switching request or an identifier of a target base station, and further sends corresponding switching response information to the base station according to a negotiated registration mode of a terminal, wherein when the registration mode of the terminal is a dual registration mode or the registration mode of the terminal is a single registration mode but a target network to which the target base station or a cell corresponding to the identifier information belongs does not support an Nx interface, switching rejection information of the switching request is sent to the base station so that the base station abandons switching according to the switching rejection information. Therefore, after switching among different access technologies, the registration capability of the terminal can be matched with the network side capability after switching, and the continuity of the terminal service is further ensured.

Tenth embodiment

The above tenth embodiment is described with respect to the switching control method of the present invention, and the following embodiment will further describe the corresponding switching control device with reference to the drawings.

As shown in fig. 15, according to still another aspect of the embodiment of the present invention, there is further provided a handover control apparatus applied to a core network, including:

a first transmission module 1510, configured to receive a handover request sent by a base station when the base station is ready to perform handover between different access technologies; wherein, the switching request carries the identification information of the target base station or the cell;

a rejecting module 1520, configured to send handover rejection information of the handover request to the base station according to the registration mode of the terminal;

the second transmission module 1530 is configured to send the handover rejection information to the base station, so that the base station abandons the handover between different access technologies according to the handover rejection information.

Among other things, the rejection module 1520 includes:

Wherein, the switching control device further comprises:

Wherein, processing module includes:

The embodiment of the switching control device of the invention corresponds to the embodiment of the switching control method, and all implementation means in the embodiment of the method are applicable to the embodiment of the switching control device, so that the same technical effects can be achieved. The core network of the embodiment of the invention determines to switch to inter-access technology-RAT switching according to a switching type carried in a switching request or an identification of a target base station after receiving the switching request sent by the base station, and further sends corresponding switching response information to the base station according to a negotiated registration mode of the terminal, wherein when the registration mode of the terminal is a double registration mode or the registration mode of the terminal is a single registration mode but a target network to which the target base station or a cell corresponding to the identification information belongs does not support an Nx interface, switching rejection information of the switching request is sent to the base station so that the base station abandons the switching according to the switching rejection information. Therefore, after switching among different access technologies, the registration capability of the terminal can be matched with the network side capability after switching, and the continuity of the terminal service is further ensured.

Eleventh embodiment

In order to better achieve the above object, as shown in fig. 16, an eleventh embodiment of the present invention further provides a core network, which includes a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, and the processor implements the steps in the handover control method as described above when executing the computer program. In particular, the processor 1620 is connected to the memory 1610 through a bus interface. Further, the base station also includes a transceiver 1630 coupled to the processor 1620 via a bus interface; the memory 1610 is used for storing programs and data used by the processor in performing operations; transmitting data information or pilot via the transceiver 1630, and receiving an uplink control channel via the transceiver 1630; when the processor 1620 invokes and executes the programs and data stored in the memory 1610, the following functional blocks are implemented:

A transceiver 1630, configured to receive and send data under the control of the processor 1620, and specifically, configured to receive a handover request sent by a base station when preparing to perform handover between different access technologies; the handover request carries identification information of the target base station or the cell.

The processor 1620 is configured to read the program in the first memory 1610, and perform the following processes: and sending switching refusing information of the switching request to the base station according to the registration mode of the terminal.

Further, the transceiver 1630 is configured to send handover reject information to the base station, so that the base station abandons the handover between different access technologies according to the handover reject information.

Wherein in fig. 16, the bus architecture may include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, with one or more processors, represented in particular by the processor 1620, and various circuits of the memory, represented in particular by the memory 1610, linked together. The bus architecture may also link together various other circuits such as peripherals, voltage regulators, power management circuits, and the like, which are well known in the art, and therefore, will not be described any further herein. The bus interface provides an interface. The transceiver 1630 may be a number of elements, including a transmitter and a transceiver, providing a means for communicating with various other apparatus over a transmission medium. The processor 1620 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing, and the memory 1610 may store data used by the processor 1620 in performing operations.

In addition, an embodiment of the present invention also provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, wherein the computer program causes a computer to execute the steps of: after determining the terminal registration mode, sending indication information to a base station; when the base station is ready to switch between different access technologies, the base station switches between the access technologies according to the indication information or abandons the switch between the access technologies.

The core network of the embodiment of the invention determines to switch to inter-access technology-RAT switching according to a switching type carried in a switching request or an identification of a target base station after receiving the switching request sent by the base station, and further sends corresponding switching response information to the base station according to a negotiated registration mode of the terminal, wherein when the registration mode of the terminal is a double registration mode or the registration mode of the terminal is a single registration mode but a target network to which the target base station or a cell corresponding to the identification information belongs does not support an Nx interface, switching rejection information of the switching request is sent to the base station so that the base station abandons the switching according to the switching rejection information. Therefore, after switching among different access technologies, the registration capability of the terminal can be matched with the network side capability after switching, and the continuity of the terminal service is further ensured.

Furthermore, it is to be noted that in the device and method of the invention, it is obvious that the individual components or steps can be decomposed and/or recombined. These decompositions and/or recombinations are to be regarded as equivalents of the present invention. Also, the steps of performing the series of processes described above may naturally be performed chronologically in the order described, but need not necessarily be performed chronologically, and some steps may be performed in parallel or independently of each other. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that all or any of the steps or elements of the method and apparatus of the present invention may be implemented in any computing device (including processors, storage media, etc.) or network of computing devices, in hardware, firmware, software, or any combination thereof, which can be implemented by those skilled in the art using their basic programming skills after reading the description of the present invention.

Thus, the objects of the invention may also be achieved by running a program or a set of programs on any computing device. The computing device may be a general purpose device as is well known. The object of the invention is thus also achieved solely by providing a program product comprising program code for implementing the method or the apparatus. That is, such a program product also constitutes the present invention, and a storage medium storing such a program product also constitutes the present invention. It is to be understood that the storage medium may be any known storage medium or any storage medium developed in the future. It is further noted that in the apparatus and method of the present invention, it is apparent that each component or step can be decomposed and/or recombined. These decompositions and/or recombinations are to be regarded as equivalents of the present invention. Also, the steps of executing the series of processes described above may naturally be executed chronologically in the order described, but need not necessarily be executed chronologically. Some steps may be performed in parallel or independently of each other.

While the foregoing is directed to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A switching control method is applied to a base station, and is characterized by comprising the following steps:

and when the switching among different access technologies is prepared, switching among the access technologies is carried out or abandoned according to the indication information.

2. The handover control method according to claim 1, wherein the indication information is: information indicating a registration mode of a terminal, or handover restriction information of the terminal.

3. The handover control method according to claim 2, wherein the step of receiving the indication information sent by the core network after determining the terminal registration mode includes:

receiving an N2 message sent by the core network in the processes of initial registration, registration updating and/or service request; the N2 message carries information for indicating a registration mode of a terminal, or the N2 message carries handover restriction information of the terminal, where the handover restriction information is determined by the core network according to the terminal registration mode.

4. The handover control method according to claim 3, wherein the handover restriction information includes first information of networks using different access technologies that do not support an Nx interface with the core network, or second information of all networks using different access technologies that are adjacent to or overlap with the base station; the first information is determined by a core network after the terminal is determined to be in a single registration mode, and the second information is determined by the core network after the terminal is determined to be in a double registration mode.

5. The handover control method according to claim 2, wherein the step of performing or abandoning handover between access technologies according to the indication information when preparing to perform handover between different access technologies comprises:

and when preparing to carry out switching among different access technologies, and when the indication information indicates that the registration mode of the terminal is a dual registration mode, abandoning inter-access technology-RAT switching.

6. The handover control method according to claim 5, wherein the performing inter-access technology inter-RAT handover when the indication information indicates that the registration mode of the terminal is a single registration mode comprises:

and when the indication information indicates that the registration mode of the terminal is a single registration mode, selecting a target network supporting the Nx interface to perform inter-RAT (inter-RAT) switching between access technologies.

7. The handover control method according to claim 2, wherein when the indication information indicates that the registration information of the terminal is in the single registration mode, and when the handover between different access technologies is to be performed, the step of determining whether to perform the handover between access technologies according to the indication information further comprises:

when preparing to switch between different access technologies, sending a switching request to the core network; wherein, the switching request carries the identification information of the target base station or the cell;

receiving a switching refusing message sent by the core network after the core network determines that the target base station or the target network to which the cell belongs does not support the Nx interface according to the identification information;

and abandoning the switching among the access technologies according to the switching refusing message.

8. The handover control method according to claim 1, further comprising, before the step of determining whether to perform the access handover according to the indication information:

acquiring configuration information of the base station from a core network; wherein the configuration information comprises: information of a network supporting an Nx interface with the core network.

9. The handover control method according to claim 8, wherein the information about the network supporting the Nx interface with the core network is: cell information for networks using different access technologies that are adjacent or overlapping coverage with the base station and support an Nx interface.

10. The handover control method according to claim 8, wherein the step of obtaining the configuration information of the base station from the core network comprises:

receiving configuration information of the base station, which is sent by a core network through an operation, maintenance and management (OAM) system; or,

and downloading configuration information configured for the base station by a core network when the base station is started.

11. A handover control apparatus applied to a base station, comprising:

12. The handover control device according to claim 11, wherein the indication information is: information indicating a registration mode of a terminal, or handover restriction information of the terminal.

13. The handover control device according to claim 12, wherein the first receiving module comprises:

a first receiving submodule, configured to receive an N2 message sent by the core network in an initial registration, registration update, and/or service request process; the N2 message carries information for indicating a registration mode of a terminal, or the N2 message carries handover restriction information of the terminal, where the handover restriction information is determined by the core network according to the terminal registration mode.

14. The handover control apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the handover restriction information includes first information of networks using different access technologies that do not support Nx interfaces with the core network, or second information of all networks using different access technologies that are adjacent to or overlap with the base station; the first information is determined by a core network after the terminal is determined to be in a single registration mode, and the second information is determined by the core network after the terminal is determined to be in a double registration mode.

15. The switching control device according to claim 12, wherein the switching module includes:

and the second switching submodule is used for giving up inter-access-technology inter-RAT switching when the indication information indicates that the registration mode of the terminal is a dual-registration mode when the switching between different access technologies is prepared.

16. The switching control device of claim 15, wherein the first switching sub-module comprises:

17. The switching control device according to claim 12, wherein the switching module further comprises:

a first sending sub-module, configured to send a handover request to the core network when preparing to perform handover between different access technologies and if the indication information indicates that the registration information of the terminal is in a single registration mode; wherein, the switching request carries the identification information of the target base station or the cell;

a second receiving submodule, configured to receive a handover reject message sent by the core network after determining, according to the identification information, that a target network to which the target base station or the cell belongs does not support the Nx interface;

18. The switching control device according to claim 11, characterized by further comprising:

an obtaining module, configured to obtain configuration information of the base station from a core network; wherein the configuration information comprises: information of a network supporting an Nx interface with the core network.

19. The handover control device according to claim 18, wherein the information about the network supporting the Nx interface with the core network is: cell information for networks using different access technologies that are adjacent or overlapping coverage with the base station and support an Nx interface.

20. The handover control device according to claim 18, wherein the obtaining module comprises:

the third receiving submodule is used for receiving the configuration information of the base station, which is sent by a core network through an operation, maintenance and management (OAM) system; or,

21. A base station comprising a first memory, a first processor and a computer program stored on the first memory and executable on the first processor, characterized in that the first processor implements the steps in the handover control method according to any of claims 1 to 10 when executing the computer program.

22. A switching control method is applied to a core network, and is characterized by comprising the following steps:

after determining the terminal registration mode, sending indication information to a base station; and when the base station prepares to switch among different access technologies, switching among the access technologies is carried out or abandoned according to the indication information.

23. The handover control method according to claim 22, wherein the indication information is information indicating a registration mode of a terminal or handover restriction information of the terminal.

24. The handover control method according to claim 23, wherein the step of sending the indication information to the base station comprises:

sending an N2 message to the base station during initial registration, registration update and/or service request; the N2 message carries information for indicating a registration mode of a terminal, or the N2 message carries handover restriction information of the terminal, where the handover restriction information is determined by the core network according to the registration mode of the terminal.

25. The handover control method according to claim 24, wherein when the registration mode of the terminal is a single registration mode, the handover restriction information is first information of a network using a different access technology that does not support an Nx interface with the core network;

and when the registration mode of the terminal is a dual registration mode, the switching restriction information is second information of networks which are adjacent to or overlapped with the base station and use different access technologies.

26. The handover control method according to claim 22, wherein when the indication information indicates that the registration information of the terminal is in the single registration mode, after determining the terminal registration mode, the method further comprises:

27. The handover control method according to claim 22, further comprising, before the step of transmitting the indication information to the base station:

28. The handover control method according to claim 27, wherein the step of configuring the information of the network supporting the Nx interface with the core network for the base station comprises:

and configuring information of a network supporting the Nx interface between the base station and the core network for the base station through an operation, maintenance and management (OAM) system.

29. A handover control apparatus applied to a core network, comprising:

the first sending module is used for sending indication information to the base station after the terminal registration mode is determined; and when the base station prepares to switch among different access technologies, switching among the access technologies is carried out or abandoned according to the indication information.

30. The handover control apparatus according to claim 29, wherein the indication information is information indicating a registration mode of a terminal or handover restriction information of the terminal.

31. The handover control device of claim 30, wherein the first sending module comprises:

a first sending submodule, configured to send an N2 message to the base station in an initial registration, registration update, and/or service request process; the N2 message carries information for indicating a registration mode of a terminal, or the N2 message carries handover restriction information of the terminal, where the handover restriction information is determined by the core network according to the registration mode of the terminal.

32. The apparatus according to claim 31, wherein when the registration mode of the terminal is a single registration mode, the handover restriction information is first information of a network using a different access technology that does not support an Nx interface with the core network;

33. The switching control device according to claim 29, characterized by further comprising:

a second receiving module, configured to receive, when the indication information indicates that the registration information of the terminal is in a single registration mode, a handover request sent by a base station when preparing to perform handover between different access technologies; wherein, the switching request carries the identification information of the target base station or the cell;

and a second sending module, configured to send a handover reject message to the base station when the Nx interface is not supported between the target base stations or target networks to which the cells belong, where the target base stations or the cells correspond to the identification information.

34. The switching control device according to claim 29, characterized by further comprising:

35. The handover control device of claim 34, wherein the configuration module comprises:

and the configuration unit is used for configuring information of a network supporting the Nx interface between the base station and the core network for the base station through an operation, maintenance and management (OAM) system.

36. A core network comprising a second memory, a second processor and a computer program stored on the second memory and executable on the second processor, wherein the second processor implements the steps in the handover control method according to any of claims 22 to 28 when executing the computer program.

37. A switching control method is applied to a core network, and is characterized by comprising the following steps:

38. The handover control method according to claim 37, wherein the step of sending handover rejection information of the handover request to the base station according to the registration mode of the terminal comprises:

39. The handover control method according to claim 37, wherein before the step of sending handover rejection information of the handover request to the base station according to the registration mode of the terminal, the method further comprises:

a registration mode of the terminal is determined.

40. The handover control method according to claim 37, wherein before the step of receiving the handover request sent by the base station in preparation for handover between different access technologies, the method further comprises:

and configuring information of a network supporting an Nx interface between the base station and the core network.

41. The handover control method according to claim 40, wherein the information about the network supporting the Nx interface with the core network is: cell information for networks using different access technologies that are adjacent or overlapping coverage with the base station and support an Nx interface.

42. The handover control method according to claim 40, wherein the step of configuring the information of the network supporting the Nx interface with the core network for the base station comprises:

43. A handover control apparatus applied to a core network, comprising:

a refusing module, configured to send handover refusing information of the handover request to the base station according to a registration mode of a terminal;

44. The handover control device of claim 43, wherein the rejection module comprises:

and the rejecting submodule is used for sending the switching rejection information of the switching request to the base station if the registration mode of the terminal is a double registration mode or the registration mode of the terminal is a single registration mode but the target base station or the target network to which the cell corresponding to the identification information belongs does not support the Nx interface.

45. The switching control device according to claim 43, further comprising:

46. The switching control device according to claim 43, further comprising:

and the processing module is used for configuring information of a network supporting the Nx interface between the base station and the core network.

47. The handover control device according to claim 46, wherein the information about the network supporting the Nx interface with the core network is: cell information for networks using different access technologies that are adjacent or overlapping coverage with the base station and support an Nx interface.

48. The handover control device of claim 46, wherein the processing module comprises:

and the processing submodule is used for configuring information of a network supporting the Nx interface between the base station and the core network for the base station through an operation, maintenance and management (OAM) system.

49. A core network comprising a memory, a processor and a computer program stored on the memory and executable on the processor, characterized in that the processor implements the steps in the handover control method according to any of claims 37 to 42 when executing the computer program.