CN107968996B

CN107968996B - Method for obtaining IMSI, target cell and source cell

Info

Publication number: CN107968996B
Application number: CN201610913400.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 籍汉超; 李刚; 刘兵章
Original assignee: Datang Mobile Communications Equipment Co Ltd
Current assignee: Datang Mobile Communications Equipment Co Ltd
Priority date: 2016-10-19
Filing date: 2016-10-19
Publication date: 2020-07-21
Anticipated expiration: 2036-10-19
Also published as: CN107968996A

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a method for acquiring IMSI, a target cell and a source cell, which are used for realizing that the target cell acquires the IMSI of UE when the UE is switched from the source cell to the target cell. The method comprises the following steps: the target cell determines that User Equipment (UE) needs to be switched from a source cell to the target cell; the target cell acquires the IMSI of the UE from the source cell; or after the UE is switched to the target cell, the target cell triggers the UE to perform a cell redirection process, the IMSI of the UE is acquired in the cell redirection process of the UE, and the UE accesses the target cell in the cell redirection process of the UE.

Description

Method for obtaining IMSI, target cell and source cell

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of wireless communication technologies, and in particular, to a method for acquiring an IMSI, a target cell, and a source cell.

Background

In a wireless communication system, the system allocates an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) to a Subscriber, the IMSI is used to identify different User Equipment (UE), and the IMSI is stored in a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) of the UE.

Currently, a method for a cell to acquire an IMSI of a UE is defined in a standard for a scenario where the UE powers on to attach to a cell/reselects an access cell. As shown in fig. 1, after the UE completes establishment of Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection with a base station where a cell to which the UE is connected is located, the base station obtains the IMSI of the UE by querying the identity of the UE.

The scenario that the UE performs cell handover refers to channel handover that needs to be performed to maintain uninterrupted communication of the UE when the UE moves from a source cell to a target cell, that is, the UE is handed over from the source cell to the target cell. For a scenario of cell switching of the UE, since an interactive message carrying the IMSI of the UE is encrypted during the process of switching the UE from the source cell to the target cell, the target cell cannot acquire the IMSI of the UE.

In summary, in the current scenario of switching the UE from the source cell to the target cell, the target cell cannot acquire the IMSI of the UE.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the invention provides a method for acquiring IMSI, a target cell and a source cell, which are used for solving the problem that the target cell cannot acquire the IMSI of UE aiming at the scene that the UE is switched from the source cell to the target cell.

The source cell and the target cell are cells before and after the UE is switched.

The embodiment of the invention is realized by the following technical scheme:

in a first aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a method for acquiring an IMSI, including:

the target cell determines that User Equipment (UE) needs to be switched from a source cell to the target cell;

the target cell acquires the IMSI of the UE from the source cell; or after the UE is switched to the target cell, the target cell triggers the UE to perform a cell redirection process, the IMSI of the UE is acquired in the cell redirection process of the UE, and the UE accesses the target cell in the cell redirection process of the UE.

In one possible design, the target cell obtains the IMSI of the UE from the source cell, including:

when the source cell and the target cell belong to the same base station, the target cell performs intra-station message interaction with the source cell to acquire the IMSI of the UE, or the target cell reads the global variable information of the UE to acquire the IMSI of the UE.

when a base station to which a source cell belongs and a base station to which a target cell belongs are different base stations of the same base station type, the target cell receives a cell switching request message including the IMSI of the UE, which is sent by the source cell;

and the target cell acquires the IMSI of the UE from the cell switching request message.

In one possible design, when the cell handover request message is an X2 cell handover request message, the IMSI of the UE is carried in the history information of the UE in the X2 cell handover request message.

In one possible design, the triggering, by the target cell, the UE to perform the cell redirection procedure, and acquiring the IMSI of the UE in the cell redirection procedure of the UE includes:

the target cell sends a connection release command message to the UE, wherein the connection release command message is used for indicating the UE to be redirected to access the target cell;

and the target cell establishes connection with the UE and acquires the IMSI of the UE by inquiring the identity of the UE.

In a possible design, the cell redirection information in the connection release command message includes an access frequency point of the target cell.

In one possible design, if the target cell determines that the IMSI of the UE can be obtained from the source cell, the target cell preferentially selects the manner in which the IMSI of the UE is obtained from the source cell.

In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a method for acquiring an IMSI, including:

a source cell determines to provide IMSI of User Equipment (UE) for a target cell, and the source cell and the target cell are respectively cells before and after cell switching of the UE;

and the source cell sends a message including the IMSI of the UE to the target cell, wherein the message is used for the target cell to acquire the IMSI of the UE.

In one possible design, the determining, by the source cell, the IMSI of the user equipment UE for the target cell includes:

when the source cell and the target cell belong to the same base station, the source cell determines to provide the IMSI of the User Equipment (UE) for the target cell;

the source cell sends a message including the IMSI of the UE to the target cell, and the message includes:

the source cell sends an intra-site message including the IMSI of the UE to the target cell.

when the base station to which the source cell belongs and the base station to which the target cell belongs are different base stations of the same base station type, the source cell determines to provide the IMSI of the user equipment UE for the target cell;

the source cell sends a cell handover request message including the IMSI of the UE to the target cell.

In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a target cell, including:

a determining unit, configured to determine that a user equipment UE needs to be handed over from a source cell to a target cell;

an obtaining unit, configured to obtain, after the determining unit determines that the UE needs to be switched from the source cell to the target cell, an IMSI of the UE from the source cell; or after the UE is switched to the target cell, triggering the UE to perform a cell redirection process, acquiring the IMSI of the UE in the cell redirection process of the UE, and accessing the UE to the target cell in the cell redirection process of the UE.

In a possible design, when the obtaining unit obtains the IMSI of the UE from the source cell, the obtaining unit is specifically configured to:

and when the source cell and the target cell belong to the same base station, performing intra-station message interaction with the source cell to acquire the IMSI of the UE, or reading global variable information of the UE to acquire the IMSI of the UE.

when the base station to which the source cell belongs and the base station to which the target cell belongs are different base stations of the same base station type, receiving a cell switching request message including the IMSI of the UE, which is sent by the source cell;

and obtaining the IMSI of the UE from the cell switching request message.

In a possible design, the obtaining unit triggers the UE to perform a cell redirection procedure, and when the UE obtains the IMSI of the UE during the cell redirection procedure, is specifically configured to:

sending a connection release command message to the UE, wherein the connection release command message is used for indicating the UE to be redirected to access a target cell;

and establishing the connection between the target cell and the UE, and inquiring the identity of the UE to acquire the IMSI of the UE.

In one possible design, if the determining unit determines that the IMSI of the UE can be acquired from the source cell, the acquiring unit preferentially selects the manner of acquiring the IMSI of the UE from the source cell.

In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a source cell, including:

a determining unit, configured to determine to provide an IMSI of a UE for a target cell, where a source cell and the target cell are cells before and after cell switching for the UE;

and the sending unit is used for sending a message comprising the IMSI of the UE to the target cell after the determining unit determines that the IMSI of the UE is provided for the target cell.

In one possible design, the determination unit is specifically configured to:

when the source cell and the target cell belong to the same base station, determining to provide the IMSI of the UE for the target cell;

the sending unit is specifically configured to:

an intra-site message including the IMSI of the UE is sent to the target cell.

In one possible design, the determination unit is specifically configured to:

when the base station to which the source cell belongs and the base station to which the target cell belongs are different base stations of the same base station type, determining to provide the IMSI of the UE for the target cell;

the sending unit is specifically configured to:

a cell handover request message including the IMSI of the UE is sent to the target cell.

In the technical scheme provided by the embodiment of the invention, after determining that the UE needs to be switched from the source cell to the target cell, the target cell can acquire the IMSI of the UE from the source cell, and can also trigger the UE to perform a cell redirection process after the UE is switched to the target cell, and acquire the IMSI of the UE in the cell redirection process of the UE, so that the target cell can acquire the IMSI of the UE. Therefore, the technical scheme provided by the invention can realize that the target cell acquires the IMSI of the UE in the scene that the UE is switched to the target cell, and solves the problem that the target cell cannot acquire the IMSI of the UE in the scene that the UE is switched from the source cell to the target cell in the prior art.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic flow diagram illustrating a process of acquiring an IMSI of a UE in a cell attach/cell reselection cell scenario in the prior art;

fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a cell switching scenario performed by a UE according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for acquiring an IMSI of a UE according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for a target cell to obtain an IMSI of a UE from a source cell according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for a target cell to obtain an IMSI by triggering a UE redirection procedure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 6 is a flowchart illustrating another method for acquiring an IMSI of a UE according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a target cell according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of another target cell according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of a source cell according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of another source cell according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

The embodiment of the present invention is applicable to a scenario in which the UE performs cell switching, as shown in fig. 2, the scenario in which the UE performs cell switching refers to channel switching that is required to maintain uninterrupted communication of the UE when the UE moves from a source cell to a target cell, that is, the UE is switched from the source cell to the target cell. In order to solve the problem that the target cell cannot acquire the IMSI of the UE in the current scenario of switching the UE from the source cell to the target cell, an embodiment of the present invention provides a technical scheme for acquiring the IMSI.

A Wireless Terminal Device may communicate with one or more core networks via a Radio Access Network (RAN), and the Wireless Terminal Device may be a Mobile Terminal Device, such as a Mobile phone (or referred to as a "cellular" phone) and a computer having a Mobile Terminal Device, such as a portable, pocket, hand-held, computer-included, or vehicle-mounted Mobile Device, which exchanges languages and/or data with the Radio Access Network.

The Base station may be configured to interconvert received air frames and Internet Protocol (IP) packets as a router between the wireless terminal device and the rest of the Access network, wherein the rest of the Access network may include an Internet Protocol (IP) network, and the Base station may also coordinate attribute management of the air interface, for example, the Base station may be a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) or a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) network device (BTS, Base station state), or a bandwidth-Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) network device (TE, L), or may be an evolved Node B (eNB-78) in an embodiment of the present invention.

The following detailed description of various embodiments of the invention refers to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the display sequence of the embodiment of the present invention only represents the sequence of the embodiment, and does not represent the merits of the technical solutions provided by the embodiments.

The first embodiment is as follows:

an embodiment of the present invention provides a method for obtaining an IMSI, where an execution subject of the method is a target cell, and as shown in fig. 3, the method includes:

step 301: the target cell determines that the UE needs to be handed over from the source cell to the target cell.

Step 302: the target cell acquires the IMSI of the UE from the source cell; or after the UE is switched to the target cell, the target cell triggers the UE to perform a cell redirection process, the IMSI of the UE is acquired in the cell redirection process of the UE, and the UE accesses the target cell in the cell redirection process of the UE.

In step 302, both the method for the target cell to obtain the IMSI of the UE from the source cell and the method for the target cell to obtain the IMSI of the UE by triggering the UE to perform the cell redirection process can solve the problem that the prior art cannot achieve the purpose that the target cell obtains the IMSI of the UE in the scenario that the UE is switched from the source cell to the target cell.

The two methods for obtaining the IMSI of the UE provided in step 302 are described in detail below.

The method comprises the following steps: a method for a target cell to obtain IMSI of UE from a source cell.

The method for the target cell to acquire the IMSI of the UE from the source cell can be divided into the following two cases:

the first condition is as follows: when the source cell and the target cell belong to the same base station, the target cell can acquire the IMSI of the UE from the source cell. The specific method comprises the following steps:

the target cell can acquire the IMSI of the UE through intra-station message interaction with the source cell, and the intra-station message interaction process can occur before, during or after the process of switching the UE from the source cell to the target cell; the intra-station message refers to a message for data interactive transmission between devices inside the base station.

For example, the target cell sends a request message for requesting to acquire the IMSI of the UE to the source cell, the source cell replies a response message including the IMSI of the UE to the target cell, and the request message and the response message are both in-station messages. As another example, the source cell sends an intra-site message to the target cell that includes the IMSI for the UE.

The target cell may also obtain the IMSI of the UE by reading global variable information of the UE, where the global variable information of the UE includes related description information about the UE, that is, includes the IMSI of the UE.

Case two: when the base station to which the source cell belongs and the base station to which the target cell belongs are different base stations of the same base station type, the target cell can acquire the IMSI of the UE from the source cell. The method comprises the following specific steps:

and the target cell receives a cell switching request message which is sent by the source cell and comprises the IMSI of the UE, and the target cell acquires the IMSI of the UE from the cell switching request message.

For example, as shown in fig. 4, an interaction diagram is shown in which a target cell acquires an IMSI of a UE from a source cell, where the target cell receives a cell handover request message including the IMSI of the UE sent by the source cell, acquires the IMSI of the UE from the cell handover request message, and then switches the UE from the source cell to the target cell, where the cell handover procedure is consistent with a cell handover procedure in the prior art, and is not described herein again.

Taking the scenario shown in fig. 4 as an X2 cell handover scenario as an example, the cell handover request message is an X2 cell handover request message, and at this time, the IMSI of the UE is included in the UE history information (HistoryInformation) in the X2 cell handover request message.

The UE History Information includes a variable length list (L last virtual Cell L ist), and the protocol specifies three standard types of elements (L last virtual Cell Information) in the variable length list, which are respectively a Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) of the Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications system, a Terrestrial Radio Access Network (Universal Mobile Radio Access Network) of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications system, and a Terrestrial Radio Access Network (Universal Mobile Radio Access Network, UTRAN) of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications system, a GSM Radio Access Network (GSM Radio Access Network, GSM) of the element.

The second method comprises the following steps: the target cell acquires the IMSI of the UE by triggering the UE to carry out the cell redirection process.

The target cell can acquire the IMSI of the UE by triggering the UE to perform a cell redirection process through the following method:

the method comprises the following steps: the target cell sends a connection release command message to the UE; wherein, the connection release order message is used for instructing the UE to redirect the access target cell.

Optionally, the cell redirection information in the connection release command message sent by the target cell to the UE includes an access frequency point of the target cell, and the UE can access the target cell in a redirection manner according to the access frequency point of the target cell.

Step two: and the target cell establishes connection with the UE and acquires the IMSI of the UE by inquiring the identity of the UE.

The method for acquiring the IMSI of the UE by triggering the UE to perform the cell redirection process by the target cell can be applied to all cell switching scenes, including the cell switching scene in the base station, namely the source cell and the target cell belong to the same base station, and the cell switching scene between base station pieces, namely the base station to which the source cell belongs and the base station to which the target cell belongs are different base stations of the same base station type, or the base station to which the source cell belongs and the base station to which the target cell belongs are different base stations.

For example, as shown in fig. 5, an interactive schematic diagram of the target cell acquiring the IMSI by triggering the UE redirection procedure is shown. After the UE is switched from the source cell to the target cell, the target cell initiates a redirection process of the UE, that is, the target cell sends a UE release request message to a Mobility Management Entity (MME), where the UE release request message is used to request permission to release the UE, and the MME replies a UE release command message to the target cell, where the UE release command message is used to indicate that the UE is authorized to be released. After receiving the UE release command message, the target cell sends a connection release command message containing cell redirection information to the UE, wherein the cell redirection information comprises an access frequency point of the target cell, and the UE can be redirected to access the target cell according to the access frequency point of the target cell, namely the UE is accessed to the target cell again. After the UE establishes a connection with the target cell, the target cell obtains the IMSI of the UE by querying the identity of the UE, where the process of obtaining the IMSI of the UE by querying the identity of the UE by the target cell is consistent with that in the prior art, for example, the method for obtaining the IMSI of the UE by the cell in the cell attachment/cell reselection scenario shown in fig. 1 is not described herein again.

It should be noted that, in the present embodiment, the implementation principle of the target cell triggering UE redirection utilizes the redirection characteristic in the UE release procedure in the 36.331 protocol. The redirection feature is currently applied to two aspects, namely, the redirection of the UE to a different system is indicated, and the cell releases the UE and assigns an access cell for the UE when the load of the cell is over-limited and the loads of other surrounding cells are known. In the procedure of triggering UE redirection by the target cell, the UE is instructed to re-access the target cell by using this characteristic.

Taking the scenario shown in fig. 5 as an inter-base station S1 cell handover scenario as an example, the specific process of the target cell acquiring the IMSI of the UE by triggering the UE to perform a cell redirection process is as follows:

after the UE is switched from the source cell to the target cell, the target cell triggers a redirection process of the UE, namely the target cell sends an S1 release request message to the MME, the S1 release request message is used for requesting permission to release the UE, the MME replies an S1 release command message to the target cell, the S1 release command message is used for indicating that the release of UE. target cell is approved after receiving the S1 release command message, the target cell sends an RRC connection release (RRC CONNECONRE L) message containing cell redirection information to the UE, the cell access frequency point of the target cell is included in the cell release command message, the UE can be redirected to the target cell according to the access frequency point of the target cell, namely the UE is accessed to the target cell again, after the UE is connected to the target cell, the target cell queries the identity of the UE to obtain IMSI of the UE, the target cell herein does not obtain IMSI of the UE in the existing IMSI attached cell reselection method, and the IMSI of the UE in the existing cell reselection scene, such as IMSI attached to the UE 1 attached to the target cell.

The RRC CONNECTION RE L EAS message includes a Redirected Carrier Info cell, where the type of the Redirected target filled in the Redirected Carrier Info cell is Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) of an Evolved universal mobile telecommunications system, and the frequency point is an Access frequency point of a target cell.

Taking the scenario shown in fig. 5 as an inter-base station X2 cell handover scenario as an example, a specific process in which the target cell acquires the IMSI of the UE by triggering the UE to perform a cell redirection process is similar to a specific process in an inter-base station S1 cell handover scenario, and the main difference is that the UE is handed over from the source cell to the target cell, an end flag of an inter-base station X2 cell handover process between different types of base stations is an X2UE CONTEXT release (UE CONTEXT RE L away) message sent by the source station to the target station, and an end flag of an inter-base station S1 cell handover process is an MME sending an S1UE CONTEXT RE L away message to the source station.

Optionally, if the target cell determines that the IMSI of the UE can be acquired from the source cell, the target cell preferentially selects to acquire the IMSI of the UE from the source cell. Compared with the method that the target cell acquires the IMSI of the UE by triggering the UE to perform the cell redirection process, the method that the target cell acquires the IMSI of the UE from the source cell is simple in process, and signaling overhead can be saved because the UE does not need to perform the cell redirection process after the UE is switched from the source cell to the target cell.

Optionally, the method for the target cell to determine that the IMSI of the UE can be acquired from the source cell may include:

when the source cell and the target cell belong to the same base station, because the target cell can acquire the IMSI of the UE through in-station message interaction with the source cell, or the target cell can acquire the IMSI of the UE by reading global variable information of the UE, the target cell can determine that the IMSI of the UE can be acquired from the source cell. When the base station to which the source cell belongs and the base station to which the target cell belongs are different base stations of the same base station type, and the source cell sends a cell handover request message including the IMSI of the UE to the target cell, the target cell may also determine that the IMSI of the UE can be acquired from the source cell, and the target cell may determine that the IMSI of the UE can be acquired from the source cell.

In the method for obtaining the IMSI, provided by the embodiment of the present invention, after determining that the UE needs to be switched from the source cell to the target cell, the target cell may obtain the IMSI of the UE from the source cell, or may trigger the UE to perform a cell redirection process after the UE is switched to the target cell, and obtain the IMSI of the UE during the cell redirection process of the UE, so that the target cell can obtain the IMSI of the UE. Therefore, the method for acquiring the IMSI provided by the embodiment of the present invention can realize that the target cell acquires the IMSI of the UE in the scenario where the UE is switched to the target cell, and solve the problem in the prior art that the target cell cannot acquire the IMSI of the UE in the scenario where the UE is switched from the source cell to the target cell.

In addition, the method provided by the embodiment of the invention can acquire the IMSI of the UE switched to the target cell under any cell switching scene, so that the tracking range of the UE accessed to the cell can be expanded according to the IMSI of the UE, the IMSI of the UE within the range of the accessed cell can be accurately tracked, various personalized service development based on the identity identification of the UE can be perfectly supported, and the method has good universality and high reliability. On the basis that the cell can identify the IMSI of each UE entering the cell, the method for acquiring the IMSI of the UE provided by the embodiment of the invention can also meet the special service requirements of the IMSI based on the UE, such as a special user tracking technology based on the IMSI, an intra-cell user monitoring function based on the IMSI, identification of key users based on the IMSI, a function of rejecting access to the cell by a special user based on the IMSI, a function of allowing the special user to access to the cell, a resource guarantee function based on the IMSI and the like.

Example two:

with reference to the first embodiment, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a method for acquiring an IMSI, where an execution subject of the method is a source cell, as shown in fig. 6, the method includes:

step 601: the source cell determines to provide the IMSI of the user equipment UE for the target cell.

Step 602: and the source cell sends a message including the IMSI of the UE to the target cell, wherein the message is used for the target cell to acquire the IMSI of the UE.

Step 602 is described in detail below with reference to the related description of the first embodiment and the accompanying drawings of the specification. The method for the source cell to send the message including the IMSI of the UE to the target cell in step 602 may be divided into the following two cases:

the first condition is as follows: when the source cell and the target cell belong to the same base station, the source cell may send a message including the IMSI of the UE to the target cell. The specific method comprises the following steps:

the source cell acquires the IMSI of the UE through intra-station message interaction with the target cell, and the intra-station message interaction process can occur before, during or after the process of switching the UE from the source cell to the target cell; the intra-station message refers to a message for data interactive transmission between devices inside the base station.

For example, after the source cell receives a request message for requesting to acquire the IMSI of the UE, which is sent by the target cell, the source cell replies a response message including the IMSI of the UE to the target cell, where the request message and the response message are both intra-site messages. As another example, the source cell sends an intra-site message to the target cell that includes the IMSI for the UE.

Case two: when the base station to which the source cell belongs and the base station to which the target cell belongs are different base stations of the same base station type, the source cell may send a message including the IMSI of the UE to the target cell. The specific method comprises the following steps:

and the source cell sends a cell switching request message including the IMSI of the UE to the target cell, wherein the message is used for the target cell to acquire the IMSI of the UE from the cell switching request message.

In this case, for a detailed procedure and an example in which the source cell sends the cell handover request message including the IMSI of the UE to the target cell, reference may be made to the related description in the first embodiment, and details are not described here again.

In the method for obtaining the IMSI provided in the embodiment of the present invention, the source cell provides the IMSI of the UE for the target cell, so that the target cell can obtain the IMSI of the UE from the source cell. Therefore, the method for acquiring the IMSI according to the embodiment of the present invention can acquire the IMSI of the UE for the target cell in the scenario where the UE is switched from the source cell to the target cell, and solve the problem in the prior art that the target cell cannot acquire the IMSI of the UE in the scenario where the UE is switched from the source cell to the target cell.

Example three:

based on the first embodiment, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a target cell, where the target cell is a cell after UE handover, and the target cell may use the method provided in the embodiment corresponding to fig. 3, and as shown in fig. 7, a target cell 700 includes: a determination unit 701 and an acquisition unit 702.

A determining unit 701, configured to determine that the UE needs to be handed over from the source cell to the target cell 700;

an obtaining unit 702, configured to obtain the IMSI of the UE from the source cell after the determining unit 701 determines that the UE needs to be handed over from the source cell to the target cell 700; or after the UE is switched to the target cell 700, triggering the UE to perform a cell redirection process, and acquiring the IMSI of the UE during the cell redirection process of the UE, where the UE accesses the target cell 700 during the cell redirection process of the UE.

Optionally, when acquiring the IMSI of the UE from the source cell, the acquiring unit 702 is specifically configured to:

when the source cell and the target cell 700 belong to the same base station, the IMSI of the UE is obtained through in-station message interaction with the source cell; alternatively, the first and second electrodes may be,

when the source cell and the target cell 700 belong to the same base station, the global variable information of the UE is read, and the IMSI of the UE is obtained.

when the base station to which the source cell belongs and the base station to which the target cell 700 belongs are different base stations of the same base station type, receiving a cell switching request message including the IMSI of the UE, which is sent by the source cell;

and obtaining the IMSI of the UE from the cell switching request message.

Optionally, when the cell handover request message is an X2 cell handover request message, the IMSI of the UE is carried in the history information of the UE in the X2 cell handover request message.

Optionally, the obtaining unit 702 triggers the UE to perform a cell redirection process, and when the UE obtains the IMSI of the UE during the cell redirection process, is specifically configured to:

sending a connection release command message to the UE, wherein the connection release command message is used for indicating the UE to be redirected to access the target cell 700;

and establishing the connection between the target cell 700 and the UE, and acquiring the IMSI of the UE by inquiring the identity of the UE.

Alternatively, if the determining unit 701 determines that the IMSI of the UE can be acquired from the source cell, the acquiring unit 702 preferentially selects a manner of acquiring the IMSI of the UE from the source cell.

It should be noted that the division of the unit in the embodiment of the present invention is schematic, and is only a logic function division, and there may be another division manner in actual implementation. In addition, functional units in the embodiments of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist alone physically, or two or more units are integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be realized in a form of hardware, and can also be realized in a form of a software functional unit.

The integrated unit, if implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as a stand-alone product, may be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on such understanding, the technical solution of the present application may be substantially implemented or contributed by the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution may be embodied in a software product, which is stored in a storage medium and includes instructions for causing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, a network device, or the like) or a processor (processor) to execute all or part of the steps of the method according to the embodiments of the present application. And the aforementioned storage medium includes: various media capable of storing program codes, such as a usb disk, a removable hard disk, a Read-Only Memory (ROM), a Random Access Memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

Based on the above embodiments, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a target cell, where the target cell may adopt the method provided in the first embodiment corresponding to fig. 3, and may be the same device as the target cell shown in fig. 7. Referring to fig. 8, the target cell 800 includes: a processor 801, a transceiver 802, a bus 803, and a memory 804, wherein:

the processor 801 is used for reading the program in the memory 804 and executing the following processes:

a processor 801 for determining that a UE needs to be handed over from a source cell to a target cell 800;

a processor 801, further configured to obtain an IMSI of the UE from the source cell after determining that the UE needs to be handed over from the source cell to the target cell 800; or, after the UE is switched to the target cell 800, the UE is triggered to perform a cell redirection process, and the IMSI of the UE is obtained during the cell redirection process of the UE, and the UE accesses the target cell 800 during the cell redirection process of the UE. In this process, the processor 801 needs to implement data interaction between the target cell and other devices (e.g., the source cell) through the transceiver 802.

Optionally, when the processor 801 acquires the IMSI of the UE from the source cell, the processor is specifically configured to:

when the source cell and the target cell 800 belong to the same base station, performing intra-station message interaction with the source cell through the transceiver 802 to obtain the IMSI of the UE; alternatively, the first and second electrodes may be,

and when the source cell and the target cell 800 belong to the same base station, reading the global variable information of the UE and acquiring the IMSI of the UE.

when the base station to which the source cell belongs and the base station to which the target cell 800 belongs are different base stations of the same base station type, receiving a cell handover request message including the IMSI of the UE, which is sent by the source cell, through the transceiver 802;

and obtaining the IMSI of the UE from the cell switching request message.

Optionally, the processor 801 is configured to trigger the UE to perform a cell redirection process, and when acquiring the IMSI of the UE during the cell redirection process of the UE, specifically:

sending a connection release command message to the UE through the transceiver 802, the connection release command message being used to instruct the UE to redirect access to the target cell 800;

and establishing the connection between the target cell 800 and the UE, and acquiring the IMSI of the UE by inquiring the identity of the UE.

Alternatively, if the processor 801 determines that the IMSI of the UE can be acquired from the source cell, the processor 801 preferentially selects a manner of acquiring the IMSI of the UE from the source cell.

A transceiver 802 for receiving and transmitting data under the control of the processor 801.

The processor 801, the transceiver 802, and the memory 804 are interconnected by a bus 803; the bus 803 may be a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, or the like. The bus may be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc.

Where in fig. 8, the bus architecture may include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, with one or more processors, represented by the processor 801, and various circuits, represented by the memory 804, 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 transceiver 802 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 801 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing, and the memory 804 may store data used by the processor 801 in performing operations.

Alternatively, the processor 804 may be a central processing unit, an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or a Complex Programmable logic Device (CP L D).

By the target cell provided by the embodiment of the invention, the target cell can acquire the IMSI of the UE in the scene that the UE is switched to the target cell, and the problem that the target cell cannot acquire the IMSI of the UE in the scene that the UE is switched from the source cell to the target cell in the prior art is solved.

Example four:

based on the second embodiment, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a source cell, where the source cell is a cell before UE handover, and the source cell may use the method provided in the embodiment corresponding to fig. 6, and as shown in fig. 9, the source cell 900 includes: a determining unit 901 and a transmitting unit 902.

A determining unit 901, configured to determine to provide the IMSI of the UE for the target cell, where the source cell 900 and the target cell are cells before and after cell switching for the UE;

a sending unit 902, configured to send, to the target cell, a message including the IMSI of the UE after the determining unit 901 determines to provide the IMSI of the UE for the target cell.

Optionally, the determining unit 901 is specifically configured to:

when the source cell 900 and the target cell belong to the same base station, determining to provide the IMSI of the UE for the target cell;

the sending unit 902 is specifically configured to:

an intra-site message including the IMSI of the UE is sent to the target cell.

Optionally, the determining unit 901 is specifically configured to:

when the base station to which the source cell 900 belongs and the base station to which the target cell belongs are different base stations of the same base station type, determining to provide the IMSI of the UE for the target cell;

the sending unit 902 is specifically configured to:

Based on the above embodiments, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a source cell, where the source cell may adopt the method provided in the second embodiment corresponding to fig. 6, and may be the same device as the source cell shown in fig. 9. Referring to fig. 10, the source cell 1000 includes: a processor 1001, a transceiver 1002, a bus 1003, and a memory 1004, wherein:

the processor 1001 is configured to read the program in the memory 1004 and execute the following processes:

a processor 1001, configured to determine to provide an IMSI of a UE for a target cell, where a source cell 1000 and the target cell are cells before and after cell switching for the UE; and is also used for:

after determining that the source cell 1000 provides the IMSI of the UE for the target cell, a message including the IMSI of the UE is sent to the target cell via the transceiver 1002.

Optionally, the processor 1001 is specifically configured to:

when the source cell 1000 and the target cell belong to the same base station, determining that the source cell 1000 provides the IMSI of the UE for the target cell;

the processor 1001 is specifically configured to:

an intra-site message including the IMSI of the UE is sent to the target cell through the transceiver 1002.

Optionally, the processor 1001 is specifically configured to:

when the base station to which the source cell 1000 belongs and the base station to which the target cell belongs are different base stations of the same base station type, determining to provide the IMSI of the UE for the target cell;

the processor 1001 is specifically configured to:

a cell handover request message including the IMSI of the UE is sent to the target cell through the transceiver 1002.

A transceiver 1002 for receiving and transmitting data under the control of the processor 1001.

The processor 1001, the transceiver 1002, and the memory 1004 are connected to each other by a bus 1003; the bus 1003 may be a PCI bus or an EISA bus, etc. The bus may be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc.

Where in fig. 10 the bus architecture may include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, in particular one or more processors, represented by the processor 1001, and various circuits of memory, represented by the memory 1004, 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 1002 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 1001 is responsible for managing a bus architecture and general processing, and the memory 1004 may store data used by the processor 1001 in performing operations.

Alternatively, processor 1004 may be a central processor, ASIC, FPGA or CP L D.

By the source cell provided by the embodiment of the invention, the IMSI of the UE can be acquired by the target cell aiming at the scene that the UE is switched from the source cell to the target cell, and the problem that the target cell cannot acquire the IMSI of the UE aiming at the scene that the UE is switched from the source cell to the target cell in the prior art is solved.

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

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

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

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

While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, additional variations and modifications in those embodiments may occur to those skilled in the art once they learn of the basic inventive concepts. Therefore, it is intended that the appended claims be interpreted as including preferred embodiments and all such alterations and modifications as fall within the scope of the invention.

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

Claims

1. A method for obtaining an international mobile subscriber identity IMSI is characterized in that,

the target cell acquires the IMSI of the UE from the source cell; or after the UE is switched to the target cell, the target cell triggers the UE to perform a cell redirection process, and obtains the IMSI of the UE in the cell redirection process of the UE, and the UE accesses the target cell in the cell redirection process of the UE;

if the target cell determines that the IMSI of the UE can be acquired from the source cell, the target cell preferentially selects a manner of acquiring the IMSI of the UE from the source cell.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the target cell obtaining the IMSI for the UE from the source cell, comprises:

and when the source cell and the target cell belong to the same base station, the target cell acquires the IMSI of the UE through in-station message interaction with the source cell, or the target cell reads the global variable information of the UE to acquire the IMSI of the UE.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the target cell obtaining the IMSI for the UE from the source cell, comprises:

when the base station to which the source cell belongs and the base station to which the target cell belongs are different base stations of the same base station type, the target cell receives a cell handover request message including the IMSI of the UE, which is sent by the source cell;

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the IMSI of the UE is carried in the UE's history information in the X2 cell switch request message when the cell switch request message is an X2 cell switch request message.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the target cell triggering the UE to perform a cell redirection procedure and obtaining the IMSI of the UE during the cell redirection procedure of the UE comprises:

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the cell redirection information in the connection release command message includes an access frequency point of the target cell.

7. A method for obtaining an international mobile subscriber identity IMSI is characterized in that,

a source cell determines to provide IMSI of User Equipment (UE) for a target cell, wherein the source cell and the target cell are respectively cells before and after cell switching of the UE;

the source cell sends a message including the IMSI of the UE to the target cell, wherein the message is used for the target cell to acquire the IMSI of the UE;

the determining, by the source cell, to provide the IMSI of the user equipment UE for the target cell includes:

the source cell provides the IMSI of the UE for the target cell; or after the UE is switched to the target cell, the target cell triggers the UE to perform a cell redirection process, and provides the IMSI of the UE for the target cell in the cell redirection process of the UE, and the UE accesses the target cell in the cell redirection process of the UE;

and if the source cell determines that the IMSI of the UE can be provided for the target cell, preferentially selecting a mode of providing the IMSI of the UE for the target cell by the source cell.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the source cell determining to provide the target cell with the IMSI of the user equipment UE comprises:

the source cell sends a message including the IMSI of the UE to the target cell, including:

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the source cell determining to provide the target cell with the IMSI of the user equipment UE comprises:

when the base station to which the source cell belongs and the base station to which the target cell belongs are different base stations of the same base station type, the source cell determines to provide the IMSI of the User Equipment (UE) for the target cell;

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the IMSI of the UE is carried in history information of the UE in the X2 cell handover request message when the cell handover request message is an X2 cell handover request message.

11. A target cell, comprising:

a determining unit, configured to determine that a user equipment UE needs to be handed over from a source cell to the target cell;

an obtaining unit, configured to obtain an international mobile subscriber identity IMSI of the UE from the source cell after the determining unit determines that the UE needs to be handed over from the source cell to the target cell; or after the UE is switched to the target cell, triggering the UE to perform a cell redirection process, acquiring the IMSI of the UE in the cell redirection process of the UE, and accessing the UE to the target cell in the cell redirection process of the UE;

if the determining unit determines that the IMSI of the UE can be acquired from the source cell, the acquiring unit preferentially selects a manner of acquiring the IMSI of the UE from the source cell.

12. The target cell of claim 11, wherein when the obtaining unit obtains the IMSI of the UE from the source cell, the obtaining unit is specifically configured to:

and when the source cell and the target cell belong to the same base station, obtaining the IMSI of the UE by performing in-station message interaction with the source cell, or reading the global variable information of the UE to obtain the IMSI of the UE.

13. The target cell of claim 11, wherein when the obtaining unit obtains the IMSI of the UE from the source cell, the obtaining unit is specifically configured to:

and obtaining the IMSI of the UE from the cell switching request message.

14. The target cell of claim 13, wherein the IMSI of the UE is carried in the history information of the UE in the X2 cell handover request message when the cell handover request message is an X2 cell handover request message.

15. The target cell of claim 11, wherein the obtaining unit is configured to trigger the UE to perform a cell redirection procedure, and when obtaining the IMSI of the UE in the cell redirection procedure of the UE, is specifically configured to:

sending a connection release command message to the UE, wherein the connection release command message is used for indicating the UE to be redirected to access the target cell;

and establishing the connection between the target cell and the UE, and acquiring the IMSI of the UE by inquiring the identity of the UE.

16. A source cell, comprising:

a determining unit, configured to determine an international mobile subscriber identity IMSI of a user equipment UE provided for a target cell, where the source cell and the target cell are cells before and after cell switching of the UE, respectively;

a sending unit, configured to send, to the target cell, a message including the IMSI of the UE after the determining unit determines to provide the IMSI of the UE for the target cell;

the determining unit is specifically configured to determine to provide the IMSI of the user equipment UE for the target cell as follows:

17. The source cell of claim 16, wherein the determining unit is specifically configured to:

the sending unit is specifically configured to:

sending an intra-site message including the IMSI of the UE to the target cell.

18. The source cell of claim 16, wherein the determining unit is specifically configured to:

the sending unit is specifically configured to:

sending a cell handover request message including the IMSI of the UE to the target cell.

19. The source cell of claim 18, wherein the IMSI of the UE is carried in history information of the UE in the X2 cell handover request message when the cell handover request message is an X2 cell handover request message.