CN108541031B

CN108541031B - Service switching method, device and system

Info

Publication number: CN108541031B
Application number: CN201710123697.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 汪红星
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2017-03-03
Filing date: 2017-03-03
Publication date: 2020-07-21
Anticipated expiration: 2037-03-03
Also published as: CN108541031A

Abstract

The application relates to a service switching method, a device and a system, wherein the method comprises the following steps: a control plane network element of a source network receives a first request message for establishing a bearer for a service, which is sent by a CSCF network element; receiving a second request message for switching the UE from the source network to the target network; sending a third request message to a control plane network element of the target network according to the second request message, wherein the control plane network element of the target network allocates a second IP address for the UE, and the network information and the IP address type of the second IP address are respectively the same as those of the first IP address; and the control plane network element of the source network sends a fourth request message to the UE, wherein the fourth request message comprises a second IP address, and the second IP address is used for indicating the UE to be switched to the second IP address. And a control plane network element of the target network allocates network information of the first IP address and a second IP address with the same IP address type for the UE, so that a cross-network renegotiation process of media is avoided, and the rapid switching of services with high requirements on time delay is realized.

Description

Service switching method, device and system

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of communications technologies, and in particular, to a method, an apparatus, and a system for service switching.

Background

In a long Term Evolution (L ong Term Evolution, L TE) system, in a Packet Switching (PS) -PS process, a User Equipment (UE) anchors an Internet Protocol (IP) address to a Packet data network Gateway (PDN Gateway, PGW)1, when the UE switches from a source network to a target network, as shown in fig. 1, fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a UE switching between the source network and the target network in the prior art, a Mobility Management Entity (MME) 2 of the target network controls a Serving Gateway (SGW) 2 of the target network to be connected to a PGW1 of the source network, so that the IP address of the UE remains unchanged, and at the same time, an Application Function (AF) does not sense the inter-network switching of the UE at a signaling level, a thick solid line in fig. 1 is a User plane path before the UE switches, and a User plane path after the thick switching is a dotted line.

Since the UE moves, but after the UE is switched from the source network to the target network, the UE needs to pass through the PGW1 of the source network, the thick solid line in fig. 1 is the user plane path before the UE is switched, and the thick dotted line is the user plane path after the UE is switched, so that the path from the UE to the user plane may not be optimal, the delay is long, and the service requirement for the high delay cannot be met, especially in the fifth-generation mobile communication system (i.e., the 5G system) in the future, because the requirement for the delay is stricter, the requirement for the service with the high delay requirement cannot be met.

Disclosure of Invention

Aiming at the technical problem, the invention provides a service switching method, which realizes the quick switching of services with high delay requirements.

In a first aspect, a method for service handover is provided, including: a control plane network element of a source network receives a first request message sent by a CSCF network element for establishing a bearer for a service, where the first request message includes: an IP unanchored handover indication for the bearer; a control plane network element of the source network receives a second request message which is sent by access network equipment of the source network and used for switching the UE from the source network to the target network; according to the second request message, the control plane network element of the source network sends a third request message to the control plane network element of the target network, where the third request message includes: an IP non-anchored handover indication, network information of a first IP address, and an IP address type of the first IP address; according to the IP non-anchoring switching indication, a control plane network element of the target network allocates a second IP address to the UE, wherein network information of the second IP address is the same as that of the first IP address, and the IP address type of the second IP address is the same as that of the first IP address; a control plane network element of the target network sends a response message to a control plane network element of the source network, wherein the response message comprises a second IP address; and a control plane network element of the source network sends a fourth request message to the UE, wherein the fourth request message comprises a second IP address, and the second IP address is used for indicating the UE to be switched from the first IP address to the second IP address. Therefore, according to the IP non-anchored switching indication, when the UE is switched to the network, the UE is switched to the target network after not passing through the user plane network element of the source network, and as the network information of the second IP address allocated to the UE by the control plane network element of the target network is the same as the network information of the first IP address, and the IP address type of the second IP address is the same as the IP address type of the first IP address, the renegotiation process of media across networks is avoided, and the rapid switching of services with high time delay requirements is realized.

In one possible implementation manner, the first request message further includes: detecting an event of IP handover and a session ID of a CSCF network element; after the control plane network element of the source network receives the response message sent by the control plane network element of the target network, the method further includes: and according to the IP switching detection event, a control plane network element of the source network sends a notification to the CSCF network element, wherein the notification comprises a session ID, a first IP address and a second IP address of the CSCF network element, and the notification is used for indicating the CSCF network element to acquire a media session according to the session ID and notifying a TrGW (TrGW) so that the TrGW switches the IP address of the UE in the media session from the first IP address to the second IP address. Because the network information of the second IP address is the same as that of the first IP address, and the IP address type of the second IP address is the same as that of the first IP address, the CSCF informs the TrGW to directly refresh the IP address in the media session, and the rapid switching of the service is ensured.

In a possible implementation manner, when the target network is a 5G network, a control plane network element of the target network is an NG CP 2; or, when the target network is a 4G network, the control plane network element of the target network is a mobility management entity MME. The method and the device realize the rapid switching of the service from the source network to the 5G network or from the source network to the 4G network.

In a second aspect, a service switching apparatus is provided, where the apparatus is configured to implement the service switching method executed by the control plane network element of the source network in the first aspect.

In a third aspect, a service switching apparatus is provided, where the apparatus is configured to implement the service switching method executed by the control plane network element of the target network in the first aspect.

In a fourth aspect, a service switching system is provided, which includes: a control plane network element of a source network, configured to receive a first request message sent by a CSCF network element and used for establishing a bearer for a service, where the first request message includes: an IP unanchored handover indication for the bearer; receiving a second request message sent by the access network equipment of the source network and used for switching the UE from the source network to the target network; sending a third request message to a control plane network element of a target network, wherein the third request message comprises: an IP non-anchored handover indication, network information of a first IP address, and an IP address type of the first IP address; the control plane network element of the target network is used for receiving a third request message sent by the control plane network element of the source network; allocating a second IP address to the UE according to the IP non-anchor switching indication, wherein the network information of the second IP address is the same as that of the first IP address, and the IP address type of the second IP address is the same as that of the first IP address; sending a response message to a control plane network element of the source network, wherein the response message comprises a second IP address; the control plane network element of the source network is also used for receiving a response message sent by the control plane network element of the target network element; sending a fourth request message to the UE, wherein the fourth request message comprises a second IP address, and the second IP address is used for indicating the UE to switch from the first IP address to the second IP address. Therefore, according to the IP non-anchored switching indication, when the UE is switched to the network, the UE is switched to the target network after not passing through the user plane network element of the source network, and as the network information of the second IP address allocated to the UE by the control plane network element of the target network is the same as the network information of the first IP address, and the IP address type of the second IP address is the same as the IP address type of the first IP address, the renegotiation process of media across networks is avoided, and the rapid switching of services with high time delay requirements is realized.

In a fifth aspect, a computer storage medium is provided, which includes instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the service switching method performed by the control plane network element of the source network in the first aspect.

A sixth aspect provides a computer storage medium, which includes instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the traffic switching method performed by the control plane network element of the target network in the first aspect.

The technical effects obtained by the second aspect to the sixth aspect of the embodiments of the present invention are similar to the technical effects obtained by the corresponding technical means in the first aspect, and are not described herein again.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a UE handover between a source network and a target network in the prior art;

fig. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a service switching system in accordance with an exemplary embodiment;

fig. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a service switching system according to another exemplary embodiment;

fig. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a service switching system in accordance with another exemplary embodiment;

fig. 5 is a schematic structural diagram illustrating a control plane network element according to an exemplary embodiment;

fig. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of service switching in accordance with an exemplary embodiment;

fig. 7 is a flow chart illustrating a method of service switching according to another exemplary embodiment;

fig. 8 is a schematic structural diagram illustrating a service switching apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment;

fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of another service switching apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment.

Detailed Description

In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention clearer, the present invention will be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, and it is apparent that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments.

The terms "first," "second," and the like in the description and claims of the present application and in the above-described drawings are used for distinguishing between different objects and not for describing a particular order. Furthermore, the terms "include" and "have," as well as any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of steps or elements is not limited to only those steps or elements listed, but may alternatively include other steps or elements not listed, or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a service switching system according to an exemplary embodiment, in which a control plane network element 210 of an active network and a control plane network element 220 of a target network are mainly included. The control plane network element is a control plane network element of core network equipment, and the core network equipment comprises a user plane network element besides the control plane network element.

UE230 may transmit information between the source network and the access network device of the source network, for example, transmit real-time traffic, which is time-delay-critical. The UE230 may be any communication terminal such as a mobile phone that can be used for implementing mobile communication, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present invention.

In a specific implementation, the service switching system may further include a Call Session Control Function (CSCF) network element 240 in an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS). The CSCF network element is configured to check whether the service needs to perform an IP unanchored handover after the UE230 completes access through the source network. When the service needs to perform the IP unanchored handover, the CSCF network element sends a first request message for establishing a bearer for the service to the control plane network element 210 of the source network, where the first request message includes an IP unanchored handover instruction.

Next, the control plane network element 210 of the source network is configured to receive a first request message sent by the CSCF network element for establishing a bearer for a service, where the first request message includes an IP unanchored handover indication of the bearer, and send a third request message to the control plane network element 220 of the target network after receiving a second request message sent by the access network device of the source network and used for handing over the UE230 from the source network to the target network, where the third request message includes: an IP-not-anchored handover indication, network information for a first IP address, and an IP address type for the first IP address.

The control plane network element 220 of the target network is configured to, after receiving the third request message, allocate a second IP address to the UE according to the IP unanchored handover instruction, and send a response message to the control plane network element 210 of the source network, where the response message includes the second IP address, where network information of the second IP address is the same as network information of the first IP address, and an IP address type of the second IP address is the same as an IP address type of the first IP address.

The control plane network element 210 of the source network is further configured to, after receiving a response message sent by the control plane network element 220 of the target network, send a fourth request message to the UE230 according to the response message, where the fourth request message includes a second IP address, and the second IP address is used to instruct the UE230 to switch from the first IP address to the second IP address. Therefore, according to the IP non-anchored switching indication, when the UE is switched to the network, the UE is switched to the target network after not passing through the user plane network element of the source network, and as the network information of the second IP address allocated to the UE by the control plane network element of the target network is the same as the network information of the first IP address, and the IP address type of the second IP address is the same as the IP address type of the first IP address, the renegotiation process of media across networks is avoided, and the rapid switching of services with high time delay requirements is realized.

In a specific implementation, the first request message further includes: detecting an event of IP handover and a session ID of a CSCF network element; after receiving the response message sent by the control plane network element 220 element of the target network, the control plane network element 210 of the source network sends a notification to the CSCF network element according to the IP handover detection event, where the notification includes a session ID, a first IP address, and a second IP address of the CSCF network element, and the notification is used to instruct the CSCF network element to acquire a media session according to the session ID and notify a transition gateway (TrGW) so that the TrGW switches the IP address of the UE in the media session from the first IP address to the second IP address. Because the network information of the second IP address is the same as that of the first IP address, and the IP address type of the second IP address is the same as that of the first IP address, the CSCF informs the TrGW to directly refresh the IP address in the media session, and the rapid switching of the service is ensured. .

The control plane network element 220 of the target network is mainly configured to receive an IP unanchored handover instruction sent by the control plane network element 210 of the source network, the network information of the first IP address, and the IP address type of the first IP address, allocate a second IP address that is the same as the IP address type of the first IP address in the network identified by the network information of the first IP address, and use the second IP address to complete handover from the source network to the target network by the UE 230.

It should be noted that the interaction between the entities in the above system can be implemented by using the service switching method shown in the embodiment of fig. 6 or fig. 7 below.

It should be further noted that, in the embodiment of the present invention, the source network is a network to which the UE230 currently accesses, and the target network is a network to which the UE230 is to access, for example, the source network may be a 5G network, and the target network is a 5G network, where at this time, the embodiment of the present invention relates to service switching from the 5G network to the 5G network. Or, the source network may also be a 5G network, and the target network is a 4G network, where the embodiment of the present invention relates to service switching from the 5G network to the 4G network.

When the source network is a 5G network, the Control Plane network element 210 of the source network may be a Next Generation Core Control Plane function (NG CP) 1.

The control plane network element 220 of the target network is different according to the type of the target network, for example, when the target network is a 4G network, the control plane network element 210 of the target network may be a Mobility Management Entity (MME), and when the target network is a 5G network, the control plane network element 220 of the target network may be an NG CP2, and the NG CP2 has a similar function as the MME.

Referring to fig. 3, fig. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a service switching system according to another exemplary embodiment. The system mainly includes NG CP310 and NG CP 320.

In the scenario of switching traffic from the 5G network to the 5G network, the NG CP310 corresponds to the control plane network element 210 of the source network in the system of fig. 2, and the NG CP320 corresponds to the control plane network element 220 of the target network in the system of fig. 2.

In a specific implementation, the system may further include an Application Function (AF) Network element 330, a Next Generation Core User Plane Function (NG UP) Network element 340, an NG UP350, a Next Generation Radio Access Network (NGRAN) 360, and an NG RAN 370. The NG UP340 and the NG RAN360 can be used to cooperate with the NG CP310 in a 5G network to establish a traffic transmission channel for the UE230, for example, the traffic is delay sensitive traffic. The NG UP350 and the NG RAN370 may be used to establish a traffic transmission channel for the UE230 in the 5G network in cooperation with the NG CP 320.

Referring to fig. 4, fig. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a service switching system according to another exemplary embodiment. The system mainly comprises a NG CP410 and an MME 420.

In a service switching scenario from a 5G network to a 4G network, the NG CP410 corresponds to the control plane network element 210 of the source network in the system of fig. 2, and the MME420 corresponds to the control plane network element 220 of the target network in the system of fig. 2.

In a specific implementation, the system may further include an AF430, an NG UP440, an SGW/PGW450, an NG RAN460, and an evolved Node B (eNB or e-NodeB) 470. The NG UP440 and the NG RAN460 may be used to establish a traffic transmission channel for the UE230 in the 5G network in cooperation with the NG CP 410. The MME450 and the eNB470 may be used to cooperate with the MME420 in a 4G network to establish traffic channels for the UE 230.

It should be noted that, of course, the above is only described by taking the system shown in fig. 2 as an example applied to the systems shown in fig. 3 and fig. 4, in another embodiment, the system shown in fig. 2 may also be applied to any other system capable of implementing handover between different networks, and the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this.

Fig. 5 is a schematic structural diagram illustrating a control plane network element according to an exemplary embodiment, where the control plane network element 500 includes a transmitter 510, a receiver 520, a memory 530, a processor 540, and a communication bus 550. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the structure of the control plane network element 500 shown in fig. 5 does not constitute a limitation to the control plane network element 500, and may include more or less components than those shown, or combine some components, or arrange different components, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

The transmitter 510 may be configured to transmit data and/or signaling and the like to the UE or other control plane network elements. The receiver 520 may be configured to receive data and/or signaling and the like sent by a CSCF network element or other control plane network elements. The memory 530 may be used for storing data and/or signaling sent by the CSCF network element described above, and the memory 530 may also be used for storing one or more operating programs and/or modules for performing the service switching method. In particular implementations, the memory 530 may also be used to invoke a number of running programs and/or modules in an external software system. The memory 530 is a computer storage medium that includes instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the services performed by the control plane network element.

Wherein the processor 540 is a control center of the control plane network element 110. The processor 540 may be a general-purpose Central Processing Unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), or one or more Integrated circuits configured to control the execution of programs in accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure. The processor 540 may implement the service switching method provided in the embodiments of fig. 7 or fig. 8 below by running or executing software programs and/or modules stored in the memory 530 and calling data stored in the memory 530.

The communication bus 550 may include a path for communicating information between the processor 540 and the memory 530.

It should be noted that both the control plane network element of the source network and the control plane network element of the target network may adopt the structure shown in fig. 5, and a specific implementation manner thereof is described in fig. 5, which is not described herein again.

Fig. 6 is a flow chart illustrating a method of service switching according to an example embodiment. The method may be applied to the system shown in fig. 2, fig. 3 or fig. 4. Here, a source network is a 5G network, and a target network is a 5G network, in this case, a control plane network element of the source network corresponds to the NG CP310 in fig. 3 or the NG CP320 in fig. 4, and for convenience of description, may be collectively referred to as NG CP1 hereinafter, and a control plane network element of the target network corresponds to the NGCP320 in fig. 3, and for convenience of description, may be collectively referred to as NG CP2 hereinafter, and in the embodiment of the present invention, a method of implementing service switching in a manner of interaction between the NG CP1 and the NG CP2 is described as an example.

In step 610, the NG CP1 receives a first request message sent by a CSCF network element for establishing a bearer for a service, where the first request message includes: the IP of the bearer does not anchor the handover indication.

Specifically, after the UE accesses the 5G network through the NG RAN1, a service call, such as a service call for a delay-sensitive service, is generated.

For example, when the parameter value of a specific field in the first request message is 1, it indicates that the first request message carries the IP unanchored handover indication. Correspondingly, when the parameter value is 0, it indicates that the first request message does not carry the IP unanchored handover indication. For the bearer not carrying the IP unanchored handover indication, the service handover may be performed according to the method in the background art. NG RAN1 is the access network device of the source network.

In step 620, the NG CP1 receives a second request message sent by the NG RAN1 for handing over the UE from the source network to the target network.

Specifically, after the NG RAN1 collects the cell measurement information, it sends a second request message including the cell measurement information to the NG CP 1.

The cell measurement information may include: information of the neighboring cell, the information of the neighboring cell including a base station identification.

Step 630, according to the second request message, the NG CP1 sends a third request message to the NG CP2, the third request message including: an IP non-anchored handover indication, network information of a first IP address, and an IP address type of the first IP address; the NG CP2 receives the third request message.

Specifically, the NG CP1 may obtain information such as priority, capacity, and load of the base station according to the base station identifier, determine the target base station and the cell to which the target base station belongs, determine whether to switch between different types of networks according to the type of the target base station, and determine which core network device of the target network the target base station belongs to according to the cell to which the target base station belongs, thereby determining that the control plane network element of the target network is NG CP 2.

And step 640, according to the IP unanchored handover indication, the NG CP2 allocates a second IP address to the UE, wherein the network information of the second IP address is the same as the network information of the first IP address, and the IP address type of the second IP address is the same as the IP address type of the first IP address.

Specifically, the IP address type may be Internet Protocol version4 (IPv 4), in the 5G Network, the Network information may be described by Domain Network Name (DNN) information, the NG CP2 has an IP address pool, and the NG CP2 selects, as the second IP address, an IP address that is the same as the Network information of the first IP address and the IP address type of the first IP address from the address pool.

Meanwhile, the NG CP2 informs the NG RAN2 (not shown in fig. 6) to allocate radio resources, such as channel energy, the number of sub-channels, etc., and establish a connection of the NG RAN2 and the NG UP 2. Wherein the NG RAN2 is an access network device of the target network.

Step 650, the NG CP2 sending a response message to the NG CP1, the response message including the second IP address; the NG CP1 receives the response message.

In step 660, according to the response message, the NG CP1 sends a fourth request message to the UE, where the fourth request message includes a second IP address, and the second IP address is used for instructing the UE to switch from the first IP address to the second IP address.

Therefore, according to the IP unanchored handover indication, when the UE switches the network, the UE does not need to go through the user plane network element of the source network before switching to the target network, and since the network information of the second IP address allocated by the control plane network element of the target network to the UE is the same as the network information of the first IP address, and the IP address type of the second IP address is the same as the IP address type of the first IP address, the inter-network renegotiation process of the media is avoided, and the fast handover of the service with high delay requirement is realized.

In a specific implementation, the first request message further includes: the IP handover detection event and the session ID of the CSCF network element, after step 650, may further include: step 670, according to the IP handover detection event and the session ID, the NG CP1 sends a notification to the CSCF network element, where the notification includes the session ID, the first IP address, and the second IP address of the CSCF network element, and the notification is used to instruct the CSCF network element to acquire the media session according to the session ID and notify the TrGW, so that the TrGW switches the IP address of the UE in the media session from the first IP address to the second IP address.

Specifically, the IP address of the UE is stored in the media session, for example, before the service is not switched, the IP address of the UE is the first IP address. The TrGW may switch the IP address of the UE stored in the media session from the first IP address to the second IP address, and thus, switch the bearer link between the UE and the source network to the bearer link between the UE and the target network, thereby implementing fast service switching.

The execution sequence of step 660 and step 670 is not limited by numbers, and may be that step 660 is executed first and then step 670 is executed, or step 670 is executed first and then step 660 is executed, or step 660 and step 670 are executed simultaneously.

It should be noted that, for a specific implementation process of the UE establishing a data transmission channel with a source network and a target network, reference may be made to related technologies, and embodiments of the present invention are not described in detail herein.

Fig. 7 is a flow chart illustrating a method of service switching according to another exemplary embodiment. The method may also be applied in the system shown in fig. 2, 3 or 4. Here, the source network is a 5G network, and the target network is a 4G network, in this case, the control plane network element of the source network is NG CP1, and the control plane network element of the target network may correspond to MME420 in fig. 4, and the embodiment of the present invention is described by taking an example of service switching implemented in a manner that NG CP1 and MME interact.

In step 710, the NG CP1 receives a first request message sent by a CSCF network element for establishing a bearer for a service, where the first request message includes: the IP of the bearer does not anchor the handover indication.

In step 720, the NG CP1 receives a second request message sent by the NG RAN1 for handing over the UE from the source network to the target network.

Specifically, the implementation manner of steps 710-720 is the same as that of steps 710-720, and is not described herein again.

Step 730, according to the second request message, the NG CP1 sends a third request message to the MME, where the third request message includes: an IP non-anchored handover indication, network information of a first IP address, and an IP address type of the first IP address; the MME receives the third request message.

Specifically, the NG CP1 may determine an MME pool according to the base station identifier, select an MME from the MME pool according to information such as priority, capacity, and load of the MME in the MME pool, and use the selected MME as a control plane network element of the target network.

Step 740, according to the IP unanchored handover indication, the MME allocates a second IP address to the UE, where the network information of the second IP address is the same as the network information of the first IP address, and the IP address type of the second IP address is the same as the IP address type of the first IP address.

Specifically, the MME allocates a second IP address to the UE in the IP address pool according to the IP unanchored handover indication, where the second IP address has the same network information and the same IP address type as the first IP address.

Meanwhile, the MME notifies the eNodeB (not shown in fig. 7) to allocate radio resources, such as channel energy, the number of subchannels, and the like, and establishes a connection between the MME and the eNodeB. The eNodeB is access network equipment of a target network.

Step 750, the MME sending a response message to the NG CP1, the response message including the second IP address; the NG CP1 receives the response message.

In step 760, according to the response message, the NG CP1 sends a fourth request message to the UE, the fourth request message including a second IP address, the second IP address being used to instruct the UE to switch from the first IP address to the second IP address.

In a specific implementation, the first request message further includes: the IP handover detection event and the session ID of the CSCF network element, after step 750, may further include: step 770, according to the IP handover detection event and the session ID, the NG CP1 sends a notification to a CSCF network element, where the notification includes the session ID, the first IP address, and the second IP address of the CSCF network element, and the notification is used to instruct the CSCF network element to acquire the media session according to the session ID and notify the TrGW, so that the TrGW switches the IP address of the UE in the media session from the first IP address to the second IP address. Therefore, the bearing link between the UE and the source network is switched to the bearing link between the UE and the target network, and the rapid switching of the service is realized.

Fig. 8 is a schematic structural diagram illustrating a service switching apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment, where the service switching apparatus is configured to perform a method performed by a control plane network element of a source network in a service switching method, and the method may be implemented by software, hardware, or a combination of the two. The service switching device may include: receiving section 810 and transmitting section 820.

A receiving unit 810, configured to receive a first request message sent by a CSCF network element for establishing a bearer for a service, where the first request message includes: the IP of the bearer does not anchor the handover indication.

The receiving unit 810 is further configured to receive a second request message sent by the access network device of the source network, and the second request message is used for switching the UE from the source network to the target network.

A sending unit 820, configured to send a third request message to a control plane network element of a target network according to the second request message, where the third request message includes: the method comprises the steps that an IP non-anchoring switching instruction, network information of a first IP address and an IP address type of the first IP address are obtained, so that a control plane network element of a target network allocates a second IP address to the UE according to the IP non-anchoring switching instruction, the network information of the second IP address is the same as the network information of the first IP address, and the IP address type of the second IP address is the same as the IP address type of the first IP address.

The receiving unit 810 is further configured to receive a response message sent by a control plane network element of a target network, where the response message includes: a second IP address.

The sending unit 820 is further configured to send a fourth request message to the UE, where the fourth request message includes a second IP address, and the second IP address is used to instruct the UE to switch from the first IP address to the second IP address.

The first request message further comprises: detecting an event of IP handover and a session ID of a CSCF network element;

after the receiving unit 810 receives the response message sent by the control plane network element of the target network, the sending unit 820 is further configured to send, according to the IP handover detection event, a notification to the CSCF network element by the control plane network element of the source network, where the notification includes a session ID, a first IP address, and a second IP address of the CSCF network element, and the notification is used to instruct the CSCF network element to obtain a media session according to the session ID and notify the TrGW, so that the TrGW switches the IP address of the media session from the first IP address to the second IP address.

By the device provided by the embodiment of the invention, according to the switching indication of the non-anchoring IP, the UE is switched to the target network after not passing through the user plane network element of the source network during network switching, and because the network information of the second IP address allocated to the UE by the control plane network element of the target network is the same as the network information of the first IP address, and the IP address type of the second IP address is the same as the IP address type of the first IP address, the renegotiation process of media across networks is avoided, and the rapid switching of services with high requirements on time delay is realized.

It should be noted that: in the service switching method provided in the foregoing embodiment, when implementing service switching, only the division of each functional module is described as an example, and in practical applications, the function distribution may be completed by different functional modules according to needs, that is, the internal structure of the device is divided into different functional modules to complete all or part of the functions described above. In addition, the service switching apparatus and the service switching method provided by the foregoing embodiments belong to the same concept, and specific implementation processes thereof are described in the method embodiments for details, which are not described herein again.

Fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram illustrating another service switching apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment, where the service switching apparatus is configured to perform a method performed by a control plane network element of a target network in a service switching method, and the method may be implemented by software, hardware, or a combination of the two. The service switching device may include: receiving section 910, allocating section 920, and transmitting section 930.

A receiving unit 910, configured to receive a first request message sent by a control plane network element of a source network, where the first request message includes: an IP-not-anchored handover indication, network information for a first IP address, and an IP address type for the first IP address.

An allocating unit 920, configured to allocate a second IP address to the UE according to the IP unanchored handover instruction, where network information of the second IP address is the same as network information of the first IP address, and an IP address type of the second IP address is the same as an IP address type of the first IP address.

A sending unit 930, configured to send a response message to the control plane network element of the source network, where the response message includes a second IP address, so that the control plane network element of the source network sends a second request message to the UE, where the second request message includes a second IP address, and the second IP address is used to instruct the UE to switch from the first IP address to the second IP address.

By the device provided by the embodiment of the invention, according to the switching indication of the non-anchoring IP, the UE is switched to the target network after not passing through the user plane network element of the source network during network switching, and meanwhile, because the network information of the second IP address allocated to the UE by the control plane network element of the target network is the same as the network information of the first IP address, and the IP address type of the second IP address is the same as the IP address type of the first IP address, the renegotiation process of media across networks is avoided, and the rapid switching of services with high requirements on time delay is realized.

The computer instructions may be stored on or transmitted from one website site, computer, server, or data center to another website site, computer, server, or data center via a wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DS L)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) manner.

The above description is only a specific implementation of the embodiments of the present application, and any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope of the disclosure of the present application are intended to be covered by the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. A method for service switching, the method comprising:

a control plane network element of a source network receives a first request message sent by a Call Session Control Function (CSCF) network element and used for establishing a bearer for a service, wherein the first request message comprises: an IP unanchored handover indication for the bearer;

a control plane network element of the source network receives a second request message which is sent by access network equipment of the source network and used for switching the UE from the source network to a target network;

according to the second request message, the control plane network element of the source network sends a third request message to the control plane network element of the target network, where the third request message includes: an IP non-anchored handover indication, network information of a first IP address, and an IP address type of the first IP address;

according to the IP non-anchoring switching indication, a control plane network element of the target network allocates a second IP address to the UE, wherein network information of the second IP address is the same as that of the first IP address, and the IP address type of the second IP address is the same as that of the first IP address;

the control plane network element of the target network sends a response message to the control plane network element of the source network, wherein the response message comprises a second IP address;

and the control plane network element of the source network sends a fourth request message to the UE, wherein the fourth request message comprises a second IP address, and the second IP address is used for indicating the UE to be switched from the first IP address to the second IP address.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first request message further comprises: detecting an event of IP handover and a session ID of a CSCF network element;

after the control plane network element of the source network receives the response message sent by the control plane network element of the target network, the method further includes:

and according to the IP switching detection event, a control plane network element of the source network sends a notification to the CSCF network element, wherein the notification comprises a session ID, a first IP address and a second IP address of the CSCF network element, and the notification is used for indicating the CSCF network element to acquire a media session according to the session ID and notifying a conversion gateway TrGW so that the TrGW switches the IP address of the UE in the media session from the first IP address to the second IP address.

3. The method according to any of claims 1-2, wherein when the target network is a 5G network, the control plane network element of the target network is a next generation core network control plane function NG CP 2; alternatively, the first and second electrodes may be,

and when the target network is a 4G network, the control plane network element of the target network is a Mobility Management Entity (MME).

4. An apparatus for switching traffic, the apparatus comprising:

a receiving unit, configured to receive a first request message sent by a CSCF network element and used for establishing a bearer for a service, where the first request message includes: an IP unanchored handover indication for the bearer;

the receiving unit is further configured to receive a second request message, sent by an access network device of a source network, for switching the UE from the source network to a target network;

a sending unit, configured to send a third request message to a control plane network element of a target network according to the second request message, where the third request message includes: an IP non-anchor switching instruction, network information of a first IP address and an IP address type of the first IP address, so that a control plane network element of the target network allocates a second IP address to the UE according to the IP non-anchor switching instruction, wherein the network information of the second IP address is the same as the network information of the first IP address, and the IP address type of the second IP address is the same as the IP address type of the first IP address;

the receiving unit is further configured to receive a response message sent by a control plane network element of a target network, where the response message includes: a second IP address;

the sending unit is further configured to send a fourth request message to the UE, where the fourth request message includes a second IP address, and the second IP address is used to instruct the UE to switch from the first IP address to the second IP address.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the first request message further comprises: detecting an event of IP handover and a session ID of a CSCF network element;

after the receiving unit receives a response message sent by a control plane network element of a target network, the sending unit is further configured to send, according to the IP handover detection event, a notification to the CSCF network element by the control plane network element of the source network, where the notification includes a session ID, a first IP address, and a second IP address of the CSCF network element, and the notification is used to instruct the CSCF network element to acquire a media session according to the session ID and notify a TrGW, so that the TrGW switches an IP address of a UE in the media session from the first IP address to the second IP address.

6. The apparatus according to any of claims 4-5, wherein when the target network is a 5G network, the control plane network element of the target network is a next generation core network control plane function NG CP 2; alternatively, the first and second electrodes may be,

7. An apparatus for switching traffic, the apparatus comprising:

a receiving unit, configured to receive a first request message sent by a control plane network element of a source network, where the first request message includes: an IP non-anchored handover indication, network information of a first IP address, and an IP address type of the first IP address;

the allocation unit is used for allocating a second IP address to the UE according to the IP non-anchored switching indication, wherein the network information of the second IP address is the same as that of the first IP address, and the IP address type of the second IP address is the same as that of the first IP address;

a sending unit, configured to send a response message to a control plane network element of the source network, where the response message includes a second IP address, so that the control plane network element of the source network sends a second request message to the UE, where the second request message includes a second IP address, and the second IP address is used to instruct the UE to switch from the first IP address to the second IP address.

8. A service switching system, said system comprising:

a control plane network element of a source network, configured to receive a first request message sent by a CSCF network element and used for establishing a bearer for a service, where the first request message includes: an IP unanchored handover indication for the bearer; receiving a second request message sent by the access network equipment of the source network and used for switching the UE from the source network to the target network; sending a third request message to a control plane network element of a target network, wherein the third request message comprises: an IP non-anchored handover indication, network information of a first IP address, and an IP address type of the first IP address;

the control plane network element of the target network is used for receiving a third request message sent by the control plane network element of the source network; allocating a second IP address to the UE according to the IP non-anchor switching indication, wherein the network information of the second IP address is the same as that of the first IP address, and the IP address type of the second IP address is the same as that of the first IP address; sending a response message to a control plane network element of the source network, wherein the response message comprises a second IP address;

the control plane network element of the source network is also used for receiving a response message sent by the control plane network element of the target network element; sending a fourth request message to the UE, wherein the fourth request message comprises a second IP address, and the second IP address is used for indicating the UE to switch from the first IP address to the second IP address.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the first request message further comprises: detecting an event of IP handover and a session ID of a CSCF network element;

the control plane network element of the source network is further configured to send a notification to the CSCF network element according to the IP handover detection event after receiving a response message sent by the control plane network element of the destination network, where the notification includes a session ID, a first IP address, and a second IP address of the CSCF network element, and the notification is used to instruct the CSCF network element to acquire a media session according to the session ID and notify the TrGW, so that the TrGW switches the IP address of the UE in the media session from the first IP address to the second IP address.

10. The system according to any of claims 8-9, wherein when the target network is a 5G network, the control plane network element of the target network is a next generation core network control plane function NG CP 2; alternatively, the first and second electrodes may be,