WO2017201717A1

WO2017201717A1 - Communication method, network apparatus, and system

Info

Publication number: WO2017201717A1
Application number: PCT/CN2016/083498
Authority: WO
Inventors: 彭文杰; 张宏卓
Original assignee: 华为技术有限公司
Priority date: 2016-05-26
Filing date: 2016-05-26
Publication date: 2017-11-30

Abstract

Provided in embodiments of the present invention are a communication method, first network apparatus, second network apparatus, and system. The communication method comprises: a first network apparatus acquires an identifier of a second network apparatus, the first network apparatus pertain to a first communication system, and the second network apparatus pertain to a second communication system; and the first network apparatus sends, according to the identifier of the second network apparatus, to the second network apparatus a first request used to request for establishing a communication tunnel between the first network apparatus and the second network apparatus for a terminal. In this way, the solution of the embodiments of the present invention enables dual connectivity of a terminal to both a first communication system and a second communication system.

Description

Communication method, network device and system

Technical field

The present invention relates to the field of communications technologies, and in particular, to a communication method, a network device, and a system.

Background technique

With the continuous development of communication technologies, the industry is already studying the evolution of LTE systems, such as the no cell system, as the Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology becomes more mature.

In the evolution of the communication system, two inter-systems need to be closely interoperable to ensure the communication quality. At present, the more common interoperability technology is that the terminal is dual-connected (Dual Connectivity, DC) with two different systems. For example, the terminal is dual-connected to the LTE system and the no cell system, respectively. However, when the terminal moves, the dual connection between the terminal and the two different systems may be interrupted.

Summary of the invention

Embodiments of the present invention provide a communication method, a first network device, a second network device, and a system to maintain dual connectivity between a terminal and a different system.

In one aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a communication method, in which a first network device acquires an identifier of a second network device, where the first network device belongs to a first communication system, and the second network device belongs to a second communication. The first network device sends a first request to the second network device according to the identifier of the second network device, where the first request is used to request to establish a communication tunnel between the first network device and the second network device for the terminal. The communication tunnel can be used to transmit control signaling and/or data services corresponding to the terminal. Thus, by the solution of the embodiment of the present invention, the dual connection between the terminal and the first communication system and the second communication system can be maintained.

The first communication system and the second communication system are systems of different systems. For example, the first communication system may be an LTE system, and the second communication system may be a no cell system; for example, the first communication system may be an LTE system, and the second communication system may be a CRAN; for example, the first communication system may be In the LTE system, the second communication system is another evolved system that may appear in the future. Of course, the foregoing first communication system and the second communication system may also be other situations, for example, the first communication system may be UMTS, and the second communication system may be an LTE system, a no cell system, a CRAN, or other evolved systems that may appear in the future. The embodiment of the invention is not limited. It should be noted, In the above method, the first network device may be a base station device, and the second network device may be an access device (for example, a TP in a no cell system or an RN in a CRAN) or a control device (for example, a controller or a CRAN in a no cell system) CC).

In a possible design, the first network device may obtain the identifier of the second network device during the moving process of the terminal, so that the solution of the embodiment of the present invention may enable the terminal to maintain the terminal and the first communication during the mobile process. A dual connection between the system and the second communication system.

In one possible design, the second network device can be a target access device. When the terminal moves from the coverage of the source access device to the coverage of the target access device, the first network device may receive the identifier of the target access device from the control device, for example, the first network device may receive the second from the control device. The second request is used to indicate that the access device accessed by the terminal is changed from the source access device to the target access device, where the second request carries the identifier of the target access device and the identifier of the terminal.

The control device belongs to the second communication system and is a control device corresponding to the source access device and the target access device.

In a possible implementation manner, the first network device may further send a release request to the source access device, where the release request is used to indicate that the source access device releases resources configured for the terminal.

The first network device may be a base station device. The control device sends the second request to the base station device, where the second request carries the identifier of the target access device and the identifier of the terminal, to trigger the base station device to send the identifier to the target access device according to the identifier of the target access device. The first request is to change the access device accessed by the terminal from the source access device to the target access device.

Through the foregoing implementation manner, the terminal can maintain dual connectivity with the first communication system and the second communication system in the case of moving from the coverage of the source access device to the coverage of the target access device, so that the first The communication system and the second communication system continue to provide a high transmission rate for the terminal, ensuring that the terminal can continue to obtain a higher data transmission rate.

In a possible design, the second network device may be a target control device, and when the terminal moves from the coverage of the source control device to the coverage of the target control device, the first network device may receive the target control device from the source control device. The identifier, for example, the first network device may receive a third request from the source control device, where the third request is used to indicate that the control device accessed by the terminal is changed from the source control device to the target control device, wherein the third request carries the target Control the identity of the device and the identity of the terminal. The source control device belongs to the second communication system.

In a possible implementation manner, the first network device may further send a release request to the source control device, where the release request is used to instruct the source control device to release resources configured for the terminal.

The first network device may be a base station device. The source control device sends the third request to the base station device, where the third request carries the identifier of the target control device and the identifier of the terminal, to trigger the base station device to send the first message to the target control device according to the identifier of the target control device. Upon request, the control device accessed by the terminal is changed from the source control device to the target control device.

Through the foregoing implementation manner, when the terminal moves from the coverage of the source control device to the coverage of the target control device, the dual connection with the first communication system and the second communication system is still maintained, so that the first communication system and the first communication system The second communication system continuously provides a high transmission rate for the terminal, ensuring that the terminal can continuously obtain a higher data transmission rate.

In one possible design, the first network device may be the target base station device and the second network device may be the control device. When the terminal moves from the coverage of the source base station device to the coverage of the target base station, the target base station device may receive the identifier of the control device from the source base station device, for example, the target base station device may receive the fourth request from the source base station device, the fourth request. And configured to request that the terminal be able to switch from the source base station device to the target base station device, where the fourth request carries the identifier of the control device. The source base station device belongs to the first communication system.

The control device may receive the first request sent by the target base station device, where the first request is used to request that a communication tunnel is established between the control device and the target base station device for establishing a communication tunnel. A communication tunnel in which the terminal performs communication signaling corresponding to the communication.

In a possible implementation, the first request may further include an identifier of the access device accessed by the terminal, so that the target base station device and the access device accessed by the terminal in the second communication system can Establishing a communication tunnel for transmitting data services corresponding to the communication by the terminal.

In another possible implementation manner, the control device may further send, to the target base station device, an identifier of the access device that is accessed after the terminal moves. The identifier of the access device after the terminal moves is the same as the identifier of the access device included in the first request, if the access device does not change during the mobile terminal. If the access device changes during the mobile terminal, the identifier of the access device after the terminal moves is different from the identifier of the access device included in the first request.

In a further possible implementation, the target base station device may further receive the identifier of the access device from the control device, and send a fifth request to the access device, where the fifth request is used to request the target base station device and the access device. Establish a communication tunnel for the terminal.

In a further possible implementation, the source base station device may further send a release request message to the control device and the access device to release the establishment between the source base station device and the control device for the terminal. Communication tunnel, and releasing between the source base station device and the access device The communication tunnel established by the terminal.

Through the foregoing implementation manner, in a case where the terminal moves from the coverage of the source base station device to the coverage of the target base station, the dual connection between the terminal and the first communication system and the second communication system is still maintained, and the first communication system and the first communication system are implemented. The second communication system continuously provides a high transmission rate for the terminal, ensuring that the terminal can continuously obtain a higher data transmission rate.

On the other hand, an embodiment of the present invention provides a first network device, where the first network device has a function of implementing behavior of the first network device in the foregoing method example. The functions may be implemented by hardware or by corresponding software implemented by hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the functions described above.

In a possible design, the first network device comprises a processor and a communication interface, the processor being configured to support the first network device to perform a corresponding function in the above method, the communication interface for supporting the first network device Communication with a second network device or other network entity. Further, the first network device may further include a memory for coupling with the processor, which stores program instructions and data necessary for the first network device.

In one possible design, the first network device can be a base station device. The base station device may further include a transmitter/receiver for supporting a communication system between the base station device and the terminal described in the above method example, and may also be used to support radio between the terminal and other terminals. Communication.

In another aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a second network device, where the second network device has a function of implementing behavior of a second network device in the foregoing method example. The functions may be implemented by hardware or by corresponding software implemented by hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the functions described above.

In a possible design, the second network device comprises a processor and a communication interface, the processor being configured to support the second network device to perform a corresponding function in the method, the communication interface for supporting the second network device Communication with a second network device or other network entity. Further, the second network device can further include a memory for coupling with the processor, which stores program instructions and data necessary for the second network device.

In a possible design, the second network device may be a control device, such as a controller in a no cell system or a CC in a CRAN; or the second network device may be an access device, such as a TP or CRAN in a no cell system. RN in.

In another aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a communication system, where the system includes the above aspects. The first network device and the second network device.

In still another aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a computer storage medium for storing the above computer software instructions for use in a first network device, including a program designed to perform the above aspects.

In still another aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a computer storage medium for storing the above-mentioned computer software instructions for a second network device, including a program designed to perform the above aspects.

Compared with the prior art, in the solution of the embodiment of the present invention, the first network device belonging to the first communication system acquires the identifier of the second network device that belongs to the second communication system, and according to the identifier of the second network device The second network device sends a first request to request to establish a communication tunnel between the first network device and the second network device for the terminal. Thereby, the dual connection between the terminal and the first communication system and the second communication system can be maintained.

DRAWINGS

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, a brief description of the drawings used in the embodiments or the prior art description will be briefly described below. Obviously, the drawings in the following description It is a certain embodiment of the present invention, and other drawings can be obtained from those skilled in the art without any inventive effort.

FIG. 1 is a structural diagram of a no cell communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a schematic diagram of a possible dual-connected network architecture according to an embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a schematic diagram of another possible dual-connected network architecture according to an embodiment of the present invention;

4 is a schematic diagram of still another possible dual-connected network architecture according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of communication of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a possible application scenario according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of communication of a communication method in the application scenario shown in FIG. 6 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of another possible application scenario according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of communication of a communication method in the application scenario shown in FIG. 8 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of still another possible application scenario according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of still another possible application scenario according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of communication of a communication method in the application scenario shown in FIG. 10 or FIG. 11 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 13 is a schematic structural diagram of a first network device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 13B is a schematic diagram of another possible structure of a first network device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 14 is a schematic structural diagram of a second network device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 14B is another schematic structural diagram of a second network device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

detailed description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention.

The network architecture and the service scenario described in the embodiments of the present invention are used to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, and do not constitute a limitation of the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present invention. The technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present invention are equally applicable to similar technical problems.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture of a no cell system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The no cell system can be composed of a controller and a Transmit Point (TP). As shown in FIG. 1 , a controller manages multiple TPs, each TP has a certain coverage, and the coverage of the multiple TPs constitutes a hyper cell, wherein the controller performs radio resources on the hyper cell. management. It is to be understood that the evolved system of the LTE system may have other forms. The embodiment of the present invention is only illustrated by the no cell system. When the evolved system of the LTE system is in other forms, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present invention are also applicable.

In the no cell system, the terminal includes two states: an active state and an energy-saving state, and the energy-saving state may also be referred to as an eco state. In the active state, the terminal can support scheduling data transmission, and the terminal sends a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) to the network side. The sequence and channel of the SRS are configured by the controller. At least one TP receives the SRS of the terminal, and the at least one TP reports the SRS to the controller, and the controller selects one or two TPs for the terminal to provide the air interface service for the terminal. In the eco state, the terminal does not support scheduling data transmission, but supports grant-free data transmission (also referred to as connectionless data transmission) and supports background traffic. The terminal sends a tracking signal to the network side. The sequence of signals and the channel are also configured by the controller. The difference is that the terminal sends SRS more frequently than sending the tracking signal, and the controller needs to dynamically select the terminal based on the SRS measurement in real time. The optimal TP is used for data transmission, and the tracking signal is used to determine the location of the terminal, so the tracking signal can be relatively sparse.

It can be understood that, in the initial stage of no cell system deployment, since continuous coverage cannot be achieved, the terminal maintains dual connections with two different systems of the no cell system and the LTE system to ensure communication quality.

The possible dual-connected network architecture provided by the embodiment of the present invention is described below with reference to FIG. 2 to FIG. In FIG. 2 to FIG. 4, the dual connection between the terminal and the LTE system and the no cell system is taken as an example, which does not limit the embodiment of the present invention.

In the network architecture shown in Figure 2, the controller is co-located with the evolved NodeB (eNB), and there is an interface between the TP and the eNB. Under this architecture, the eNB can establish a connection between the terminal and the corresponding TP. Therefore, in this architecture, the eNB can provide air interface services for the terminal through the TP.

In the network architecture shown in Figure 3, the controller and the eNB are not co-located, and there is an interface between the eNB and the controller, and there is no interface between the eNB and the TP under the controller. Under this architecture, the eNB can establish a connection between the terminal and the controller. Therefore, in this architecture, the eNB can provide air interface services for the terminal through the LTE system, and can also provide air interface services for the terminal through the no cell system. It should be noted that, under this architecture, the selection of the TP under the coverage of the controller is invisible to both the terminal and the eNB.

In the network architecture shown in FIG. 4, the controller and the eNB are not co-located, and an interface exists between the eNB and the controller, and an interface exists between the eNB and the TP under the controller. Under this architecture, the eNB can establish a connection with the TP selected by the controller based on the interaction with the controller. Therefore, in this architecture, the eNB can provide air interface services for the terminal through the LTE system, and can also provide air interface services for the terminal through the no cell system. Unlike the architecture shown in Figure 3, the choice of the TP under which the controller covers it is visible to the eNB. It should be noted that the choice of TP is invisible to the terminal.

It should be noted that, in FIG. 2 to FIG. 4, the coverage of the cell in the LTE system completely overlaps with the coverage of the hyper cell in the no cell system, but the embodiment of the present invention does not limit whether the coverage of the two is completely overlapped, FIG. 2 to FIG. The situation shown in 4 is only an example. It can be understood that, in the solution of the embodiment of the present invention, the relationship between the coverage of the cell in the LTE system and the coverage of the hyper cell in the no cell system may be other situations. For example, the coverage of the cell in the LTE system may be completely in the no cell system. In the coverage of the hyper cell, or the coverage of the hyper cell in the no cell system is completely in the coverage of the cell in the LTE system, or the coverage of the cell in the LTE system overlaps with the coverage of the hyper cell in the no cell system.

In the case where the terminal is dual-connected with two different systems, when the terminal moves, it may cause the double connection to be interrupted. For example, in the case where the terminal performs dual connectivity with the LTE system and the no cell system, the terminal may move from the coverage of one TP of the no cell system to the coverage of another TP, or may be from one of the no cell systems. The coverage of the controller is moved to the coverage of another controller, and may also be moved from the coverage of one eNB of the LTE system to the coverage of another eNB. This may cause the connection condition of the terminal to change in the above-mentioned no cell system or the LTE system, thereby causing the double connection between the terminal and the LTE system and the no cell system to be interrupted.

Based on this, an embodiment of the present invention provides a communication method, and a first network device, a second network device, and a system based on the method, so that the terminal maintains dual connectivity with a different system (for example, an LTE system and a no cell system). . The method includes: the first network device acquires an identifier of the second network device, where the first network device belongs to the first communication system, and the second network device belongs to the second communication system; the first network device according to the identifier of the second network device The second network device sends a first request, where the first request is used to request to establish a communication tunnel between the first network device and the second network device for the terminal. For example, the communication tunnel can be used to transmit control signaling and/or data traffic corresponding to the terminal. It can be understood that the embodiment of the present invention does not limit the number of the foregoing communication tunnels, and the number may be one, or two or more. Thus, by the solution of the embodiment of the present invention, the dual connection between the terminal and the first communication system and the second communication system can be maintained. As an example, the method can be as shown in FIG. It should be noted that, in the foregoing method, the first network device may obtain the identifier of the second network device during the moving process of the terminal, and thus, the solution of the embodiment of the present invention may enable the terminal to maintain the terminal and the first during the moving process. A dual connection between the communication system and the second communication system.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the first communication system and the second communication system are systems of different standards. For example, the first communication system may be an LTE system, and the second communication system may be a no cell system; for example, the first communication system may be an LTE system, and the second communication system may be a Cloud Radio Access Network (Cloud Radio Access Network, CRAN); Again, for example, the first communication system can be an LTE system, and the second communication system is another evolved system that may occur in the future. The CRAN network architecture includes at least a CRAN controller (CC) and a remote node (RN), and the CC can be used for joint scheduling or fast handover of different RNs. The CC may also be a control node of a super cell (eg, a super cell) for controlling one or more such cells. In CRAN, the terminal can access the CC through the RN. Of course, the first communication system and the second communication system may be other situations. For example, the first communication system may be a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), and the second communication system may be an LTE system. The no cell system, the CRAN, or other evolving systems that may occur in the future are not limited in the embodiment of the present invention. It should be noted that, in the foregoing method, the first network device may be a base station device, and the second network device may be an access device (such as a TP or an RN) or a control device (such as a controller or a CC).

In the embodiments of the present invention, the terms "network" and "system" are often used interchangeably, but those skilled in the art can understand the meaning thereof. The terminal involved in the embodiments of the present invention may include various handheld devices, in-vehicle devices, wearable devices, computing devices, or other processing devices connected to the wireless modem, and various forms of user equipment (User Equipment). , UE), mobile station (MS), terminal device, and the like. For convenience of description, the devices mentioned above are collectively referred to as terminals. The base station device involved in the embodiment of the present invention is a device deployed in a radio access network to provide a wireless communication function for a terminal. The base station device may include various forms of macro base stations, micro base stations, relay stations, access points, and the like. In a system using different radio access technologies, the name of the device having the function of the base station device may be different. For example, in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, it may be an evolved Node B (evolved NodeB, The eNB or eNodeB) may be a Node B in a 3rd Generation (3G) communication system, and may be a Base Station (BS) in a 2nd Generation (2G) communication system. )and many more. For convenience of description, in the embodiment of the present invention, the foregoing apparatus for providing a wireless communication function for a terminal is collectively referred to as a base station device.

In the above methods provided by the embodiments of the present invention, different implementation manners may be implemented in different scenarios.

In an embodiment, the second network device may be a target access device, and when the terminal moves from the coverage of the source access device to the coverage of the target access device, the first network device may receive the target connection from the control device. The identifier of the incoming device, where the control device belongs to the second communication system and is the control device corresponding to the source access device and the target access device. For example, the first network device may receive the second request from the control device, where the second request is used to indicate that the access device accessed by the terminal is changed from the source access device to the target access device, where the second request carries the target connection. The identifier of the incoming device and the identifier of the terminal.

In another implementation manner, the second network device may be a target control device, and when the terminal moves from the coverage of the source control device to the coverage of the target control device, the first network device may receive the target control device from the source control device. The identifier of the source control device belongs to the second communication system. For example, the first network device may receive a third request from the source control device, where the third request is used to indicate that the control device accessed by the terminal is changed from the source control device to the target control device, wherein the third The request carries the identifier of the target control device and the identifier of the terminal.

In still another embodiment, the first network device may be a target base station device, and the second network device may be a control device. When the terminal moves from the coverage of the source base station device to the coverage of the target base station, the target base station device may The source base station device receives an identifier of the control device, wherein the source base station device belongs to the first communication system. For example, the target base station device may receive a fourth request from the source base station device, and the fourth request is for requesting to switch the terminal from the source base station device to the target base station device, wherein the fourth request carries the identity of the control device. Further, the target base station device may further receive the identifier of the access device from the control device, and send a fifth request to the access device, where the fifth request is used to request to establish a communication tunnel between the target base station device and the access device for the terminal.

The embodiments of the present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

The network architecture of the LTE system and the no cell system shown in FIG. 4 is taken as an example. In the foregoing several implementation manners, the movement of the terminal causes the network device corresponding to the coverage area to change. In the case, the solution of the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 12.

In the following schemes, the base station device is used as the eNB, the control device is the controller, and the access device is the TP as an example to describe different situations.

The first case: the terminal moves from the coverage of one TP to the coverage of another TP.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a scenario in which a terminal moves from a coverage area of one TP to a coverage area of another TP according to an embodiment of the present invention.

During the terminal mobility, the TP sends a measurement report to the controller. The controller can trigger the eNB to initiate a TP change process based on the measurement report reported by each TP, and change the TP accessed by the terminal from the source TP to the target TP.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of communication of a communication method in the application scenario shown in FIG. 6 according to an embodiment of the present invention, where the terminal can maintain dual connectivity when moving from the coverage of the source TP to the coverage of the target TP. . In the method shown in FIG. 7, the first network device may be an eNB in an LTE system, and the second network device may be a target TP in a no cell system. The method of Figure 7 includes:

S101: The controller sends a change request message to the eNB.

After the controller determines that the TP needs to be reselected for the terminal based on the measurement report of each TP, the controller sends a change request message to the eNB. The change request message is used to instruct the eNB to initiate a TP change procedure, and change the TP accessed by the terminal from the source TP to the target TP. The source TP is the TP that is accessed before the terminal moves, and the target TP is the TP that the terminal will access after the terminal moves. In one example, The change request message carries at least the identifier of the target TP and the identifier of the terminal. The identifier of the terminal may be a Dedicated Connection Identifier (DCID), or may be a Cell Radio Network Temporary Identity (C-RNTI) of the terminal in the LTE system, or may be an eNB. The terminal identifier on the interface with the controller. The DCID is an identifier that the controller assigns to the terminal after the terminal initially accesses the hyper cell. The terminal maintains the DCID when it moves within the hyper cell range, and does not change due to the changed TP.

S102: The eNB sends a change request acknowledgement message to the controller.

The change request acknowledgement message is used to notify the controller that the change request is accepted. It should be noted that the S102 part is an optional part.

S103: The eNB sends an increase request message to the target TP.

The increase request message is used to request that a communication tunnel be established between the eNB and the target TP for the terminal, and the target TP is instructed to allocate resources for the data service of the terminal.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the communication tunnel established between the eNB and the target TP may be used to transmit data services of the terminal, and the number of the communication tunnels may be one or more.

The eNB may determine the target TP to be accessed by the terminal according to the identifier of the target TP carried in the received change request message, and send an increase request message to the target TP.

S104: After the target TP receives the increase request message sent by the eNB, if the target TP can allocate the corresponding resource to the terminal, the target TP sends an increase request acknowledgement message to the eNB.

Through the two parts S103 and S104, at least one communication tunnel for transmitting the service data of the terminal can be established between the eNB and the target TP.

S105: The eNB sends a release request message to the source TP.

The release request message is used to indicate that the source TP releases the resources configured for the terminal.

S106: The eNB sends a UE context release message to the controller.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the controller sends a change request to the eNB according to the measurement report of the TP, and the identifier of the target TP is carried in the change request, so that the eNB may be triggered to send an increase request to the target TP according to the identifier of the target TP, in the eNB and the target. A communication tunnel is established between the TPs for the service transmission of the terminal, and the TP that is connected to the terminal is changed from the source TP to the target TP, that is, when the TP changes during the terminal mobility, the LTE system and the no cell system are still maintained. Dual connectivity so that the LTE system and the no cell system continue to provide high transmission rates for the terminal.

The second case: the terminal moves from the coverage of one hyper cell to the coverage of another hyper cell, that is, the coverage range of the terminal from one controller to another. Move around.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a scenario in which a terminal moves from a coverage range of one controller to a coverage range of another controller according to an embodiment of the present invention. In Figure 8, the TP connected to the terminal is in the overlapping area of the coverage of the two controllers, and interfaces with both controllers. It should be noted that, when the terminal moves from the coverage of one controller to the coverage of another controller, the TP accessed by the terminal may also change. The scenario shown in FIG. 8 is only an example and does not constitute an implementation of the present invention. The definition of the example.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of communication of a communication method in the application scenario shown in FIG. 8 according to an embodiment of the present invention, where the terminal can maintain dual connectivity when moving from the coverage of the source controller to the coverage of the target controller. . In the method shown in FIG. 9, the first network device may be an eNB in an LTE system, and the second network device may be a target controller in a no cell system. The method of Figure 9 includes:

S201: The source controller sends a change request message to the eNB.

The source controller determines that the terminal will enter the hyper cell under the coverage of the target controller based on the measurement report of the TP, and the source controller sends a change request message to the eNB. The change request message is used to instruct the eNB to initiate a controller change process, and the controller accessed by the terminal is changed from the source controller to the target controller. The source controller is the controller that is connected before the terminal moves, and the target controller is the controller to be accessed after the terminal moves.

In an example, the change request message carries at least the identifier of the target controller and the identifier of the terminal. For the description of the identifier of the terminal, refer to the part S101 in the method shown in Figure 7, which is not described here.

S202: The eNB sends a change request acknowledgement message to the source controller.

The change request acknowledgement message is used to notify the source controller that the change request is accepted. It should be noted that the S202 part is an optional part.

S203: The eNB sends an increase request message to the target controller.

The increase request message is used to request to establish a communication tunnel corresponding to the terminal between the eNB and the target controller, so that the eNB can instruct the target controller to allocate resources to the service of the terminal.

The eNB may determine, according to the identifier of the target controller carried in the received change request message, the target controller to be accessed by the terminal, and send an increase request message to the target controller.

S204: After receiving the increase request message sent by the eNB, the target controller sends an increase request acknowledgement message to the eNB if the target controller can allocate the corresponding resource to the eNB.

Through the two parts S203 and S204, a communication tunnel for transmitting control signaling of the terminal can be established between the eNB and the target controller.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the communication tunnel established between the eNB and the target controller may be used to transmit control signaling corresponding to the terminal, and the number of communication tunnels used for transmitting control signaling is one, but the embodiment of the present invention does not limited.

S205: The eNB sends a release request message to the source controller.

The release request message is used to instruct the source controller to release the resources configured for the terminal.

S206: The eNB performs radio resource control (RRC) connection reconfiguration on the terminal.

The eNB reconfigures the terminal, including the configuration of the hyper cell to which the terminal belongs after being moved.

S207: The terminal returns an RRC connection reconfiguration complete message to the eNB.

S208: The eNB sends a UE context release message to the source controller.

S209: The source controller sends a UE context release message to the TP, instructing the TP to release the communication tunnel established between the source controller and the source controller.

Among them, the S209 part is an optional part.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the source controller sends a change request to the eNB according to the measurement report of the TP, where the change request carries the identifier of the target controller, so that the eNB may be triggered to send an increase request to the target controller according to the identifier of the target controller, in the eNB and the eNB. A communication tunnel is established between the target controllers for the service transmission of the terminal, and the controller that is connected to the terminal is changed from the source controller to the target controller, that is, when the controller changes during the terminal movement, the LTE system and the no cell system are still maintained. Dual connectivity so that the LTE system and the no cell system continue to provide high transmission rates for the terminal.

In the third case, the terminal moves from the coverage of one LTE cell to the coverage of another LTE cell, that is, the terminal moves from the coverage of one eNB to the coverage of another eNB.

In this case, the TP accessed by the terminal may or may not change. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a scenario in which a terminal moves from the coverage of one eNB to the coverage of another eNB according to an embodiment of the present invention, where the TP accessed by the terminal does not change. Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of another scenario in which a terminal moves from the coverage of one eNB to the coverage of another eNB according to an embodiment of the present invention, where the TP accessed by the terminal changes.

During the terminal mobility, the source eNB can determine that the terminal is about to be taken from the terminal based on the measurement report of the terminal. The cell covered by itself moves to the cell covered by other eNBs. In this case, the source eNB may send a handover request to the target eNB to establish a communication tunnel between the target eNB and the controller in the no cell system.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of communication of a communication method in the application scenario shown in FIG. 10 or FIG. 11 according to an embodiment of the present invention, where the terminal may move from the coverage of the source eNB to the coverage of the target eNB, Keep double connections. In the method shown in FIG. 12, the first network device may be a target eNB in an LTE system, and the second network device may be a controller in a no cell system. It should be noted that when the application scenario shown in FIG. 10 is applied, the source TP in FIG. 12 and the target TP are the same TP. The method of Figure 12 includes:

S301: The source eNB sends a handover request message to the target eNB.

The source eNB determines that the terminal will enter the cell under the coverage of the target eNB based on the measurement report of the terminal, and the source eNB sends a handover request message to the target eNB. The handover request message is used to request to handover the terminal from the source eNB to the target eNB. The source eNB is an eNB that is accessed before the terminal moves, and the target eNB is an eNB to be accessed after the terminal moves.

In an example, the handover request message carries an identifier of a controller that is accessed by the terminal in the no cell system, so that a communication tunnel is established between the target eNB and the controller for the terminal.

In another example, the handover request message may further carry an identifier of the TP accessed by the terminal. When the solution of the embodiment of the present invention is applied to the application scenario shown in FIG. 11, the identifier of the TP is the identifier of the source TP that is accessed before the terminal moves.

S302: The target eNB sends an increase request message to the controller.

The target eNB may send an increase request message to the controller according to the identifier of the controller carried in the handover request message.

S303: The controller sends an increase request acknowledgement message to the target eNB.

In an example, when the solution of the embodiment of the present invention is applied to the application scenario shown in FIG. 11, the request for confirming the acknowledgement message carries the identifier of the TP that is accessed after the terminal moves.

If the TP is not changed during the mobile terminal, for example, the application scenario described in FIG. 10 is applied, the identifier of the TP carried in the increase request acknowledgement message is the same as the identifier of the TP carried in the handover request message. If the TP is changed during the mobile terminal, for example, the application scenario described in FIG. 11 is applied, the identifier of the TP carried in the acknowledgment request acknowledgement message is the identifier of the target TP, which is different from the identifier of the source TP carried in the handover request message. .

Through the two parts S302 and S303, the target eNB and the controller can be established for transmission. A communication tunnel for transmitting control signaling of the terminal for communication.

S304: The target eNB sends an increase request message to the target TP, where the increase request message is used to establish that a communication tunnel is established for the terminal between the target eNB and the target TP.

In the embodiment of the present invention, a communication tunnel established between the target eNB and the target TP is used to transmit data services for the terminal to communicate.

S305: The target eNB sends a handover request acknowledgement message to the source eNB.

S306: The source eNB releases the communication tunnel with the controller and the source TP.

The source eNB sends a release request message to the controller and the source TP, respectively, to release a communication tunnel established between the source eNB and the controller for the terminal, and a communication tunnel established between the source eNB and the source TP for the terminal.

S307: The source eNB sends an RRC connection reconfiguration message to the terminal.

S308: Perform a random access procedure between the terminal and the target eNB.

S309: The terminal sends an RRC connection reconfiguration complete message to the target eNB.

S310: The target eNB sends a connection reconfiguration complete message to the controller.

Optionally, the target eNB may also send a connection reconfiguration complete message to the target TP.

S311: The target eNB sends a UE context release message to the source eNB.

S312: The source eNB sends a UE context release message to the controller and the source TP.

Among them, the S312 part is an optional part.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the source eNB that is accessed before the terminal moves may send a change request to the target eNB to be accessed after the terminal moves, and the change request carries the identifier of the controller accessed by the terminal in the no cell system, The target eNB is enabled to establish, with the controller in the no cell system, a communication tunnel for transmitting control signaling corresponding to the communication of the terminal. Further, the change request may further carry the identifier of the TP, so that the target eNB can establish a communication tunnel for transmitting the data service corresponding to the communication by the terminal with the TP accessed by the terminal in the no cell system. With the solution of the embodiment of the present invention, the LTE system and the no cell system continuously maintain a high transmission rate for the terminal when the eNB changes in the process of the terminal movement, and the LTE system and the no cell system are maintained.

The solution provided by the embodiment of the present invention is mainly introduced from the perspective of interaction of the network elements. It can be understood that each network element, for example, the first network device and the second network device, in order to implement the above functions, includes corresponding hardware structures and/or software modules for performing the respective functions. Embodiments of the present invention can be implemented in combination with the elements of the examples and algorithm steps described in the embodiments disclosed in the present disclosure. Hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software is implemented. Whether a function is implemented in hardware or computer software to drive hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the solution. A person skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

The embodiment of the present invention may divide the functional units of the first network device and the second network device according to the foregoing method example. For example, each functional unit may be divided according to each function, or two or more functions may be integrated in the In a processing unit. The above integrated unit can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of a software functional unit. It should be noted that the division of the unit in the embodiment of the present invention is schematic, and is only a logical function division, and the actual implementation may have another division manner.

FIG. 13A is a schematic structural diagram of a possible first network device 1300 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The first network device 1300 includes a processing unit 1302 and a communication unit 1303. The processing unit 1302 is configured to perform control management on the action of the first network device 1300. For example, the processing unit 1302 is configured to support the first network device 1300 to perform the method shown in FIG. 5, and the processes S102, S103, S105, and S106 in FIG. Processes S202, S203, S205, S206, and S208 in FIG. 9, processes S302, S305, S310, and S311 in FIG. 12, and/or other processes for the techniques described herein. The communication unit 1303 is configured to support communication of the first network device 1300 with other network entities, such as communication with the second network device, and the like. The first network device 1300 may further include a storage unit 1301 for storing program codes and data of the first network device 1300.

The processing unit 1302 can be a processor or a controller. The communication unit 1303 can be a communication interface, a transceiver, a transceiver circuit, etc., wherein the communication interface is a collective name and can include one or more interfaces. The storage unit 1301 may be a memory.

When the processing unit 1302 is a processor, the communication unit 1303 is a communication interface, and the storage unit 1301 is a memory, the first network device 1300 according to the embodiment of the present invention may be the first network device shown in FIG. 13B. For example, the first network device shown in FIG. 13B may be the base station device 1310.

FIG. 13B shows a possible base station device 1310 according to an embodiment of the present invention, that is, another possible first network device according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

The base station device 1310 includes a processor 1312 and a communication interface 1313. The processor 1312 may also be a controller, and is represented as "controller/processor 1312" in FIG. The communication interface 1313 is for supporting the base station device 1310 to communicate with the second network device or other network entity. For example, the communication interface 1313 can be used to support the TP or CRAN in the base station device 1310 and the no cell system. The RN performs communication; alternatively, the communication interface 1313 can also be used to support the base station device 1310 to communicate with a controller in the no cell system or a CC in the CRAN.

The base station device 1310 may further include a memory 1311 for storing program codes and data of the base station device 1310.

Further, the base station device 1310 may further include a transmitter/receiver 1314. The transmitter/receiver 1314 is configured to support transmission and reception of information between the base station device 1310 and the terminal described in the above embodiments, and to support radio communication between the terminal and other terminals. The processor 1312 can perform various functions for communicating with the terminal. For example, on the uplink, an uplink signal from the terminal is received via an antenna, demodulated by the receiver 1314 (e.g., demodulated into a baseband signal), and further processed by the processor 1312 to recover The service data and signaling information sent by the terminal. On the downlink, the traffic data and signaling messages are processed by the processor 1312 and modulated by the transmitter 1314 (e.g., modulating the baseband signal into a high frequency signal) to generate a downlink signal and transmitted to the terminal via the antenna. . It should be noted that the above demodulation or modulation function can also be completed by the processor 1312.

It will be appreciated that Figure 13B shows only a simplified design of base station device 1310. In a practical application, the base station device 1310 may include any number of transmitters, receivers, processors, controllers, memories, communication units, etc., and all base station devices that can implement the embodiments of the present invention are protected in the embodiments of the present invention. Within the scope.

In the case of an integrated unit, FIG. 14A shows one possible second network device 1400 involved in the above embodiment. The second network device may be a control device, such as a controller in a no cell system or a CC in a CRAN; or the second network device may be an access device, such as a TP in a no cell system or an RN in a CRAN. The second network device 1400 includes a processing unit 1402 and a communication unit 1403. The processing unit 1402 is configured to perform control management on the action of the second network device 1400. For example, if the second network device 1400 is a control device, the processing unit 1402 is configured to support the second network device 1400 to perform the process of reselecting the TP in FIG. 7. The process of reselecting the controller in FIG. 9, and/or other processes for the techniques described herein; or, if the second network device 1400 is an access device, the processing unit 1402 is configured to support the second network device 1400 to perform the map. The process and process S104 of reporting the measurement report in 7, the process of reporting the measurement report in FIG. 9, the process of reporting the measurement report in FIG. 12 and the process S304, and/or other processes for the techniques described herein. The communication unit 1403 is configured to support communication of the second network device 1400 with the first network device or other network entity. The second network device 1400 may further include a storage unit 1401 for storing the second network. The program code and data of the network device 1400.

The processing unit 1402 can be a processor or a controller. The communication unit 1403 may be a communication interface, a transceiver, a transceiver circuit, etc., wherein the communication interface is a collective name and may include one or more interfaces. The storage unit 1401 may be a memory.

When the processing unit 1402 is a processor, the communication unit 1403 is a communication interface, and the storage unit 1401 is a memory, the second network device 1400 according to the embodiment of the present invention may be the second network device 14000 shown in FIG. 14B.

Referring to FIG. 14B, the second network device 1410 includes a processor 1412, a communication interface 1413, and a memory 1411. Optionally, the second network device 1410 may further include a bus 1414. The communication interface 1413, the processor 1412, and the memory 1411 may be connected to each other through a bus 1414. The bus 1414 may be a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus or an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (abbreviated). EISA) bus and so on. The bus 1414 can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, and the like. For ease of representation, only one thick line is shown in Figure 14B, but it does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present invention, the processor involved in the foregoing may be a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and an application specific integrated circuit ( Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, transistor logic device, hardware component, or any combination thereof. It is possible to implement or carry out the various illustrative logical blocks, modules and circuits described in connection with the present disclosure. The processor may also be a combination of computing functions, for example, including one or more microprocessor combinations, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, and the like.

The steps of the method or algorithm described in connection with the disclosure of the embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in a hardware manner, or may be implemented by a processor executing software instructions. The software instructions may be composed of corresponding software modules, which may be stored in a random access memory (RAM), a flash memory, a read only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read only memory ( Erasable Programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), registers, hard disk, removable hard disk, compact disk read only (CD-ROM) or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium coupled to the processor to enable the processor to read from the storage medium Information and information can be written to the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium can also be an integral part of the processor. The processor and the storage medium can be located in an ASIC. Additionally, the ASIC can be located in a base station or terminal. Of course, the processor and the storage medium may also reside as a discrete component in a base station or terminal.

Those skilled in the art should appreciate that in one or more of the above examples, the functions described in the embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, the functions may be stored in a computer readable medium or transmitted as one or more instructions or code on a computer readable medium. Computer readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one location to another. A storage medium may be any available media that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer.

The specific embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the embodiments of the embodiments of the present invention. The scope of the present invention is defined by the scope of the present invention. Any modifications, equivalents, improvements, etc., which are included in the embodiments of the present invention, are included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims

A communication method, comprising:

The first network device acquires an identifier of the second network device, where the first network device belongs to the first communication system, and the second network device belongs to the second communication system;

The first network device sends a first request to the second network device according to the identifier of the second network device, where the first request is used to request to establish a terminal between the first network device and the second network device. Communication tunnel.
The method of claim 1, wherein the second network device is a target access device, and the first network device acquires an identifier of the second network device, including:

When the terminal moves from the coverage of the source access device to the coverage of the target access device, the first network device receives an identifier of the target access device from the control device, where the control device A control device belonging to the second communication system and corresponding to the source access device and the target access device.
The method of claim 2, wherein the receiving, by the first network device, the identifier of the target access device from the control device comprises:

The first network device receives a second request from the control device, where the second request is used to indicate that the access device accessed by the terminal is changed from the source access device to the target access device The second request carries an identifier of the target access device and an identifier of the terminal.
The method of claim 1, wherein the second network device is a target control device, and the first network device acquires an identifier of the second network device, including:

Receiving, by the first network device, an identifier of the target control device from the source control device when the terminal moves from a coverage of the source control device to a coverage of the target control device, wherein the source control The device belongs to the second communication system.
The method of claim 4, wherein the receiving, by the first network device, the identifier of the target control device from the source control device comprises:

The first network device receives a third request from the source control device, where the third request is used to indicate that the control device accessed by the terminal is changed from the source control device to the target control device, where The third request carries an identifier of the target control device and an identifier of the terminal.
The method according to claim 1, wherein the first network device is a target base station device, and the second network device is a control device, and the first network device acquires an identifier of the second network device, including:

When the terminal moves from the coverage of the source base station device to the coverage of the target base station device, the target base station device receives an identifier of the control device from the source base station device, where the source base station device belongs to The first communication system.
The method of claim 6, wherein the receiving, by the target base station device, the identifier of the control device from the source base station device comprises:

Receiving, by the target base station device, a fourth request, where the fourth request is used to request to switch the terminal from the source base station device to the target base station device, where the fourth request carries The identification of the control device.
The method of claim 6 or claim 7, wherein the method further comprises:

Receiving, by the target base station device, an identifier of the access device from the control device;

The target base station device sends a fifth request to the access device, where the fifth request is used to request to establish a communication tunnel between the target base station device and the access device for the terminal.
A network device, wherein the network device is a first network device that belongs to a first communication system, where the network device includes: a processing unit and a communication unit,

The processing unit is configured to acquire an identifier of the second network device, where the second network device belongs to the second communication system, and configured to use the communication unit to the second network device according to the identifier of the second network device Sending a first request, the first request is used to request to establish a communication tunnel between the first network device and the second network device for the terminal.
The network device according to claim 9, wherein the second network device is a target access device;

The processing unit is specifically configured to: when the terminal moves from the coverage of the source access device to the coverage of the target access device, receive, by the communication unit, the identifier of the target access device from the control device The control device belongs to the second communication system and is a control device corresponding to the source access device and the target access device.
The network device according to claim 10, wherein the processing unit is configured to: receive, by the communication unit, a second request from the control device, where the second request is used to indicate that the terminal is to be The accessed access device is changed by the source access device to the target access device, where the second request carries an identifier of the target access device and an identifier of the terminal.
The network device according to claim 9, wherein the second network device is a target control device;

The complaint processing unit is specifically configured to: when the terminal is from the coverage of the source control device to the target The identifier of the target control device is received from the source control device by the communication unit when the coverage of the target control device is moved, wherein the source control device belongs to the second communication system.
The network device according to claim 12, wherein the processing unit is configured to: receive, by the communication unit, a third request from the source control device, where the third request is used to indicate that the terminal is to be The accessed control device is changed by the source control device to the target control device, wherein the third request carries an identifier of the target control device and an identifier of the terminal.
The network device according to claim 9, wherein the network device is a target base station device, and the second network device is a control device;

The processing unit is specifically configured to: when the terminal moves from the coverage of the source base station device to the coverage of the target base station device, receive, by the communication unit, the identifier of the control device from the source base station device, The source base station device belongs to the first communication system.
The network device according to claim 14, wherein the processing unit is configured to: receive, by the communication unit, a fourth request from the source base station device, where the fourth request is used to request the terminal Switching from the source base station device to the target base station device, wherein the fourth request carries an identifier of the control device.
The network device according to claim 14 or 15, wherein the processing unit is further configured to receive, by the communication unit, an identifier of the access device from the control device; and to use the communication unit to The access device sends a fifth request, where the fifth request is used to request to establish a communication tunnel between the target base station device and the access device for the terminal.