CN112055387B

CN112055387B - Cell switching method and device

Info

Publication number: CN112055387B
Application number: CN201910492360.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 刘华玲
Original assignee: Datang Mobile Communications Equipment Co Ltd
Current assignee: Datang Mobile Communications Equipment Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-06-06
Filing date: 2019-06-06
Publication date: 2021-07-23
Anticipated expiration: 2039-06-06
Also published as: CN112055387A

Abstract

The application discloses a cell switching method and a cell switching device, which are used for improving the cell switching success rate under the NSA and SA mixed networking scene in a 5G system. The cell switching method provided by the application comprises the following steps: determining a cell service mode of a first cell according to cell service mode information in the cell configuration information; determining a cell service mode of a second cell according to the cell service mode of the first cell; and determining to initiate a cell switching request according to the cell service mode of the second cell.

Description

Cell switching method and device

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of communications technologies, and in particular, to a cell switching method and apparatus.

Background

Under NSA and SA hybrid networking, the same New radio access Network (NR) cell may provide both a fifth Generation Mobile Communication Technology (5-Generation Mobile Communication Technology, 5G) independent networking (SA) service to support terminal access to a 5G Core Network (5G Core Network, 5GC) and a 5G Non-independent Networking (NSA) service to support terminal access to an NR cell for a fourth Generation Mobile Communication Technology (4-Generation Mobile Communication Technology, 4G) radio access Network and 5G radio access Network dual connectivity (EN-DC) service in the 4G cell, where the Network architecture is shown in fig. 1.

38.331, the protocol specifies that a terminal can determine whether an NR cell can support SA terminal access through PLMN-identyinfo- > trackingarea code field in a first System Information Block (SIB 1), and the protocol specifies that, when the trackingarea code field appears in SIB1, the cell supports at least SA user access (may also support NSA user access), and when the trackingarea code field does not appear, the cell can only support EN-DC service, which specifically includes the following two scenarios:

in a scenario one, when an SA terminal accesses an NR cell, a 5G base station configures the mobility of a neighboring cell measurement trigger terminal for the terminal, and a general handover procedure is shown in fig. 2. In the prior art, after receiving a measurement report (carrying a Physical Cell Identity (PCI)) of a terminal, an NR base station searches for target Cell ID (Cell Global ID) information of a neighboring Cell in a neighboring Cell relation table according to the PCI information, and then initiates a handover request to a base station where the neighboring Cell is located.

In a second scenario, after an NSA terminal is accessed in a 4G Cell and establishes EN-DC connection with an NR Cell, the NR Cell may configure a neighbor measurement trigger Change of a Secondary Cell (Secondary nodeb, SgNB) for the terminal, and a general SgNB Change process is shown in fig. 3.

Under the NSA and SA mixed networking, the NR cell can provide three types of capabilities of NSA/SA/NSA & SA due to the reasons of base station capability, authorization (License) control, link failure of a 5G access network and the like. When measuring, the terminal only reads physical signals such as Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) of the cell, and does not read the system information SIB1, so the terminal reports the test event as long as the terminal detects that the strength of the physical signals satisfies the measurement event threshold, and does not distinguish whether the neighboring cell has the service capability of SA/NSA.

For scenario one, if the neighboring cell only supports NSA, a response message of failure will be returned after receiving a Handover Request (Handover Request) of the source base station, resulting in a failure of Handover preparation.

For scenario two, if the neighboring cell only supports SA, a response message of failure will be returned after receiving a secondary cell handover request (SgNB Change Required) initiated by the MeNB, resulting in a failure of SgNB handover.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the application provides a cell switching method and a cell switching device, which are used for improving the cell switching success rate under the NSA and SA hybrid networking scene in a 5G system.

The cell switching method provided by the embodiment of the application comprises the following steps:

determining a cell service mode of a first cell according to cell service mode information in the cell configuration information;

determining a cell service mode of a second cell according to the cell service mode of the first cell;

and determining to initiate a cell switching request according to the cell service mode of the second cell.

By the method, the cell service mode of the first cell is determined according to the cell service mode information in the cell configuration information, the cell service mode of the second cell is determined according to the cell service mode of the first cell, and finally the cell switching request is determined to be initiated according to the determined cell service mode of the second cell, so that the cell switching failure under the NSA and SA mixed networking scene in a 5G system can be avoided, and the cell switching success rate is improved.

Optionally, the cell service mode information in the cell configuration information includes one of the following three fields:

5G non-independent networking NSA;

5G independent networking SA;

5G non-independent networking and 5G independent networking NSA & SA.

Optionally, determining a cell service mode of a second cell according to the cell service mode of the first cell specifically includes:

sending an interface XN establishment request message between wireless network nodes to the second cell according to the cell service mode of the first cell;

receiving an XN establishment request feedback message sent by the second cell;

and determining the cell service mode of the second cell according to the XN establishment request feedback message.

Optionally, the XN establishment request message and the XN establishment request feedback message both carry a connection Support Connectivity Support field, where the Connectivity Support field includes one of the following two types of information:

EN-DC service is not supported;

supporting EN-DC services.

Optionally, when the cell service mode of the first cell is an SA mode, the information included in the XN establishment request message, which carries the Connectivity Support field, is that EN-DC service is not supported, and is used to instruct the second cell to update a preset cell service mode NSA mode to the SA mode;

when the cell service mode of the first cell is the NSA & SA mode, the information included in the XN establishment request message, which carries the Connectivity Support field, is to Support the EN-DC service, and is used to instruct the second cell to update the preset cell service mode NSA mode to the NSA & SA mode.

Optionally, the method further comprises:

when a link between a wireless network of a first cell with a cell service mode being an NSA & SA mode and an interface of a core network fails, the first cell sends a message of deleting a new wireless NR service cell To Delete NR To the second cell, so that the second cell updates the cell service mode To the NSA mode.

Optionally, an XN establishment request feedback message sent by the second cell is received, where information carried in the XN establishment request feedback message is a field corresponding to the updated cell service mode of the second cell.

By the method, after the cell mode of the first cell is determined, an XN establishment request message is sent to the second cell by utilizing information interaction of an XN port (an interface between wireless network nodes), the XN establishment request message carries a Connectivity Support field, the specific information in the Connectivity Support field is determined according to the cell mode of the first cell, the Connectivity Support field to indicate that the second cell updates a cell service mode of the second cell, the first cell receives an XN establishment request feedback message sent by the second cell, the XN establishment request feedback message also carries a Connectivity Support field, the specific information in the Connectivity Support field is determined according to the cell service mode of the second cell, and the first cell determines the cell service mode of the second cell according to the XN establishment request feedback message, thereby determining the initiated cell switching request.

Optionally, determining to initiate a cell handover request according to the cell service mode of the second cell specifically includes:

when the cell service mode of the second cell is an SA mode, initiating an SA cell switching request through the first cell;

and when the cell service mode of the second cell is the NSA mode, initiating a secondary cell switching request through the first cell.

The application provides a cell switching method, which comprises the following steps:

presetting a cell service mode of a second cell according to cell service mode information in the cell configuration information;

receiving an XN establishment request message sent by a first cell;

updating the cell service mode of the second cell according to the XN establishment request message;

and sending an XN establishment request feedback message to the first cell according to the updated cell service mode of the second cell, wherein the XN establishment request feedback message is used for indicating the first cell to initiate a cell switching request.

5G non-independent networking NSA;

5G independent networking SA;

5G non-independent networking and 5G independent networking NSA & SA.

Optionally, the cell service mode of the second cell is preset to be an NSA mode. Optionally, the XN establishment request message and the XN establishment request feedback message both carry a connection Support Connectivity Support field, where the Connectivity Support field includes one of the following two types of information:

EN-DC service is not supported;

supporting EN-DC services.

Optionally, updating the cell service mode of the second cell according to the XN establishment request message specifically includes:

when the information contained in the connection Support field carried in the XN establishment request message is that EN-DC service is not supported, the second cell updates a preset cell service mode (NSA) mode to an SA mode;

and when the information contained in the connection Support field carried in the XN establishment request message is the Support of EN-DC service, the second cell updates a preset cell service mode NSA mode to an NSA & SA mode.

Optionally, the method further comprises:

when a link between a wireless network of a first cell with a cell service mode of NSA & SA mode and an interface of a core network fails, receiving a message for deleting a new wireless NR service cell To Delete NR sent by the first cell;

and updating the cell service mode of the second cell To be an NSA mode according To the Served Cells To Delete NR message.

Optionally, an XN establishment request feedback message is sent to the first cell according to the updated cell service mode of the second cell, where the XN establishment request feedback message is used to indicate the first cell to initiate a cell handover request, and specifically includes:

when the cell service mode of the second cell is an SA mode, the XN establishment request feedback information is used to indicate the first cell to initiate an SA cell handover request;

when the cell service mode of the second cell is the NSA mode, the XN establishment request feedback information is used to indicate the first cell to initiate a secondary cell handover request;

and the information carried by the XN establishment request feedback message is a field corresponding to the updated cell service mode of the second cell.

The present application provides a cell switching apparatus on a source base station side, the apparatus including:

a first unit, configured to determine a cell service mode of a first cell according to cell service mode information in cell configuration information;

a second unit, configured to determine a cell service mode of a second cell according to the cell service mode of the first cell;

a third unit, configured to determine to initiate a cell handover request according to the cell service mode of the second cell.

5G non-independent networking NSA;

5G independent networking SA;

5G non-independent networking and 5G independent networking NSA & SA.

Optionally, the second unit is specifically configured to:

sending an XN establishment request message to the second cell according to the cell service mode of the first cell;

receiving an XN establishment request feedback message sent by the second cell;

the dual-connection EN-DC service of a 4G wireless access network and a 5G wireless access network is not supported;

supporting EN-DC services.

Optionally, the second unit is further configured to:

Optionally, the third unit is specifically configured to:

Correspondingly, the cell switching device provided by the application further comprises:

the preset unit is used for presetting the cell service mode of the second cell according to the cell service mode information in the cell configuration information;

a receiving unit, configured to receive an XN establishment request message sent by a first cell;

an updating unit, configured to update a cell service mode of the second cell according to the XN establishment request message;

a sending unit, configured to send an XN establishment request feedback message to the first cell according to the updated cell service mode of the second cell, where the XN establishment request feedback message is used to indicate that the first cell initiates a cell handover request. Optionally, the cell service mode information in the cell configuration information includes one of the following three fields:

5G non-independent networking NSA;

5G independent networking SA;

5G non-independent networking and 5G independent networking NSA & SA.

Optionally, the cell service mode of the second cell is preset to be an NSA mode.

supporting EN-DC services.

Optionally, the updating unit is specifically configured to:

Optionally, the updating unit is further configured to:

Optionally, the sending unit is specifically configured to:

Another embodiment of the present application provides a computing device, which includes a memory and a processor, wherein the memory is configured to store program instructions, and the processor is configured to call the program instructions stored in the memory, and execute, according to an obtained program:

5G non-independent networking NSA;

5G independent networking SA;

5G non-independent networking and 5G independent networking NSA & SA.

receiving an XN establishment request feedback message sent by the second cell;

supporting EN-DC services.

Optionally, the processor executing the content further comprises:

Accordingly, on the target base station side, the processor executing the content further includes:

receiving an XN establishment request message sent by a first cell;

5G non-independent networking NSA;

5G independent networking SA;

5G non-independent networking and 5G independent networking NSA & SA.

supporting EN-DC services.

Optionally, the processor executing the content further comprises:

Another embodiment of the present application provides a computer storage medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions for causing a computer to perform any one of the methods described above.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the drawings needed to be used in the description of the embodiments are briefly introduced below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application, and it is obvious for those skilled in the art to obtain other drawings based on these drawings without creative efforts.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture for mixed NSA and SA networking according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a cell handover process of an SA of a 5G base station according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a secondary cell handover process of a 5G base station according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 4 is a schematic flowchart of a cell handover method provided at a first cell side according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 5 is a schematic flowchart of a cell handover method provided at a second cell side according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 6 is a schematic implementation flow chart of a cell handover method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a cell switching apparatus provided at a first cell side according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of a cell switching apparatus provided at a second cell side according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of a computing device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, 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 application.

On the source base station side, a cell handover method provided in an embodiment of the present application, with reference to fig. 4, includes:

s401, determining a cell service mode of a first cell according to cell service mode information in cell configuration information;

s402, determining a cell service mode of a second cell according to the cell service mode of the first cell;

s403, determining to initiate a cell switching request according to the cell service mode of the second cell.

Optionally, the method further comprises:

the cell service mode information in the cell configuration information includes one of the following three fields:

5G non-independent networking NSA;

5G independent networking SA;

5G non-independent networking and 5G independent networking NSA & SA.

receiving an XN establishment request feedback message sent by the second cell;

supporting EN-DC services.

Optionally, the method further comprises:

On the target base station side, a cell handover method provided in an embodiment of the present application, with reference to fig. 5, includes:

s501, presetting a cell service mode of a second cell according to cell service mode information in cell configuration information;

s502, receiving an XN establishment request message sent by a first cell;

s503, updating the cell service mode of the second cell according to the XN establishment request message;

s504, according to the updated cell service mode of the second cell, sending an XN establishment request feedback message to the first cell, wherein the XN establishment request feedback message is used for indicating the first cell to initiate a cell switching request.

5G non-independent networking NSA;

5G independent networking SA;

5G non-independent networking and 5G independent networking NSA & SA.

supporting EN-DC services.

Optionally, the method further comprises:

To sum up, an embodiment of the present application provides a cell handover method, which includes the following specific steps with reference to fig. 6:

s601, the NR cell adds cell service mode information in configuration information of a first cell (source cell) and a second cell (target cell), that is, adds a cell service mode field in the configuration information, and takes the value of NSA or SA or NSA & SA (supports both NSA and SA cell service modes);

the NR cell configures the service mode of the first cell to be NSA/SA/NSA & SA through Operation Maintenance (OM) according to the capability or authorization limit of the base station, and the cell service mode of the second cell is preset to be NSA mode.

S602, after activating a first cell whose cell service mode is SA/NSA & SA, in an XN establishment request message in an XN establishment procedure, according to a cell service mode of the first cell, carrying a Connectivity Support field:

when the cell service mode is the SA mode, the carried Connectivity Support field is Not supporting dual Connectivity EN-DC service (NSA Connectivity Support- > EN-DC Support ═ Not supported) for the 4G radio access network and the 5G radio access network;

when the cell service mode is the NSA & SA mode, the carried Connectivity Support field is an EN-DC service (NSA Connectivity Support- > EN-DC Support) supporting dual Connectivity between the 4G radio access network and the 5G radio access network.

S603, after receiving the XN establishment request message, the second cell updates the cell service mode field of the second cell:

if the XN establishment request message received by the second cell contains a field of NSA Connectivity Support- > EN-DC Support ═ Not supported, modifying the cell service mode of the second cell into an SA mode;

if the XN establishment request message received by the second cell contains a field of NSA Connectivity Support- > EN-DC Support ═ Supported, modifying the cell service mode of the second cell to NSA & SA;

note that when the link between the interfaces of the radio network and the core network (i.e., the link between NG ports) fails, the first cell whose cell service mode is the SA mode can be directly deleted, so that the terminal does not measure the signal of the cell; the first cell with the cell service mode of the NSA & SA mode can still provide the NSA service, so that the first cell carries a message (Served Cells To Delete NR) for deleting a new wireless NR service cell in the radio access network NODE CONFIGURATION UPDATE (NG-RAN NODE CONFIGURATION UPDATE) process To notify the second cell, and the second cell UPDATEs the cell service mode field of the second cell To the NSA after receiving the message.

S604, the second cell sends the XN establishment request feedback message to the first cell, where the XN establishment request feedback message carries the updated field corresponding to the cell service mode.

S605, after receiving the measurement report of the terminal, the first cell judges which cell switching request is initiated according to the cell service mode of the second cell:

when the cell service mode of the second cell is the SA mode, initiating an SA cell switching request through the first cell;

On the first cell side, an embodiment of the present application provides a cell switching apparatus, referring to fig. 7, the apparatus includes:

a first unit 71, configured to determine a cell service mode of the first cell according to the cell service mode information in the cell configuration information;

a second unit 72, configured to determine a cell service mode of a second cell according to the cell service mode of the first cell;

a third unit 73, configured to determine to initiate a cell handover request according to the cell service mode of the second cell.

5G non-independent networking NSA;

5G independent networking SA;

5G non-independent networking and 5G independent networking NSA & SA.

Optionally, the second unit 72 is specifically configured to:

receiving an XN establishment request feedback message sent by the second cell;

supporting EN-DC services.

Optionally, the second unit 72 is further configured to:

Optionally, the third unit 73 is specifically configured to:

On the second cell side, an embodiment of the present application provides a cell switching apparatus, referring to fig. 8, the apparatus includes:

a presetting unit 81, configured to preset a cell service mode of the second cell according to the cell service mode information in the cell configuration information;

a receiving unit 82, configured to receive an XN establishment request message sent by a first cell;

an updating unit 83, configured to update the cell service mode of the second cell according to the XN establishment request message;

a sending unit 84, configured to send an XN establishment request feedback message to the first cell according to the updated cell service mode of the second cell, where the XN establishment request feedback message is used to indicate that the first cell initiates a cell handover request. Optionally, the cell service mode information in the cell configuration information includes one of the following three fields:

5G non-independent networking NSA;

5G independent networking SA;

5G non-independent networking and 5G independent networking NSA & SA.

supporting EN-DC services.

Optionally, the updating unit 83 is specifically configured to:

Optionally, the updating unit 83 is further configured to:

Optionally, the sending unit 84 is specifically configured to:

The method and the device are based on the same application concept, and because the principles of solving the problems of the method and the device are similar, the implementation of the device and the method can be mutually referred, and repeated parts are not repeated.

The technical scheme provided by the embodiment of the application can be suitable for various systems, particularly 5G systems. For example, the applicable system may be a global system for mobile communication (GSM) system, a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) system, a Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) system, a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, an LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) system, an LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD), a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), a universal microwave Access (WiMAX) system, a 5G NR system, and the like. These various systems include terminal devices and network devices.

The terminal device referred to in the embodiments of the present application may refer to a device providing voice and/or data connectivity to a user, a handheld device having a wireless connection function, or other processing device connected to a wireless modem. The names of the terminal devices may also be different in different systems, for example, in a 5G system, the terminal devices may be referred to as User Equipments (UEs). Wireless terminal devices, which may be mobile terminal devices such as mobile telephones (or "cellular" telephones) and computers with mobile terminal devices, e.g., mobile devices that may be portable, pocket, hand-held, computer-included, or vehicle-mounted, communicate with one or more core networks via the RAN. Examples of such devices include Personal Communication Service (PCS) phones, cordless phones, Session Initiated Protocol (SIP) phones, Wireless Local Loop (WLL) stations, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), and the like. The wireless terminal device may also be referred to as a system, a subscriber unit (subscriber unit), a subscriber station (subscriber station), a mobile station (mobile), a remote station (remote station), an access point (access point), a remote terminal device (remote terminal), an access terminal device (access terminal), a user terminal device (user terminal), a user agent (user agent), and a user device (user device), which are not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

The network device according to the embodiment of the present application may be a base station, and the base station may include a plurality of cells. A base station may also be referred to as an access point, or a device in an access network that communicates over the air-interface, through one or more sectors, with wireless terminal devices, or by other names, depending on the particular application. The network device may be configured to interconvert received air frames with Internet Protocol (IP) packets as a router between the wireless terminal device and the rest of the access network, which may include an Internet Protocol (IP) communication network. The network device may also coordinate attribute management for the air interface. For example, the network device according to the embodiment of the present application may be a Base Transceiver Station (BTS) in a global system for mobile communications (GSM) or a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), may also be a network device (NodeB) in a Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), may also be an evolved network device (eNB or e-NodeB) in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, a 5G base station in a 5G network architecture (next generation system), and may also be a home evolved node B (HeNB), a relay node (relay node), a home base station (femto), a pico base station (pico), and the like, which are not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

It should be noted that the division of the unit in the embodiment of the present application 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.

The embodiment of the present application provides a computing device, which may specifically be a desktop computer, a portable computer, a smart phone, a tablet computer, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), and the like. The computing device may include a Central Processing Unit (CPU), memory, input/output devices, etc., the input devices may include a keyboard, mouse, touch screen, etc., and the output devices may include a Display device, such as a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), a Cathode Ray Tube (CRT), etc.

The memory may include Read Only Memory (ROM) and Random Access Memory (RAM), and provides the processor with program instructions and data stored in the memory. In the embodiments of the present application, the memory may be used for storing a program of any one of the methods provided by the embodiments of the present application.

The processor is used for executing any one of the methods provided by the embodiment of the application according to the obtained program instructions by calling the program instructions stored in the memory.

An embodiment of the present application provides a cell switching device, see fig. 9, including:

a processor 900 for reading the program in the memory 920, executing the following processes at the source base station side:

5G non-independent networking NSA;

5G independent networking SA;

5G non-independent networking and 5G independent networking NSA & SA.

Optionally, the processor 900 determines the cell service mode of the second cell according to the cell service mode of the first cell, specifically including:

sending an XN setup request message to the second cell through the transceiver 910 according to the cell service mode of the first cell;

receiving, by the transceiver 910, an XN setup request feedback message sent by the second cell;

supporting EN-DC services.

Optionally, the processor 900 executing the content further comprises:

Receiving, by the transceiver 910, an XN establishment request feedback message sent by the second cell, where information carried in the XN establishment request feedback message is a field corresponding to a cell service mode updated by the second cell.

Accordingly, the processor 900 performs the following processes on the target base station side:

receiving, by the transceiver 910, an XN setup request message sent by a first cell;

sending an XN establishment request feedback message to the first cell through the transceiver 910 according to the updated cell service mode of the second cell, where the XN establishment request feedback message is used to indicate that the first cell initiates a cell handover request.

5G non-independent networking NSA;

5G independent networking SA;

5G non-independent networking and 5G independent networking NSA & SA.

supporting EN-DC services.

Optionally, the processor 900 executing the content further comprises:

A transceiver 910 for receiving and transmitting data under the control of the processor 900.

In fig. 9, among other things, the bus architecture may include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, with one or more processors, represented by processor 900, and various circuits, represented by memory 920, 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 910 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 900 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing, and the memory 920 may store data used by the processor 900 in performing operations.

The processor 900 may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or a Complex Programmable Logic Device (CPLD).

Embodiments of the present application provide a computer storage medium for storing computer program instructions for an apparatus provided in the embodiments of the present application, which includes a program for executing any one of the methods provided in the embodiments of the present application.

The computer storage media may be any available media or data storage device that can be accessed by a computer, including, but not limited to, magnetic memory (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tape, magneto-optical disks (MOs), etc.), optical memory (e.g., CDs, DVDs, BDs, HVDs, etc.), and semiconductor memory (e.g., ROMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs, non-volatile memory (NAND FLASH), Solid State Disks (SSDs)), etc.

The method provided by the embodiment of the application can be applied to terminal equipment and also can be applied to network equipment.

The Terminal device may also be referred to as a User Equipment (User Equipment, abbreviated as "UE"), a Mobile Station (Mobile Station, abbreviated as "MS"), a Mobile Terminal (Mobile Terminal), or the like, and optionally, the Terminal may have a capability of communicating with one or more core networks through a Radio Access Network (RAN), for example, the Terminal may be a Mobile phone (or referred to as a "cellular" phone), a computer with Mobile property, or the like, and for example, the Terminal may also be a portable, pocket, hand-held, computer-built-in, or vehicle-mounted Mobile device.

A network device may be a base station (e.g., access point) that refers to a device in an access network that communicates over the air-interface, through one or more sectors, with wireless terminals. The base station may be configured to interconvert received air frames and IP packets as a router between the wireless terminal and the rest of the access network, which may include an Internet Protocol (IP) network. The base station may also coordinate management of attributes for the air interface. For example, the Base Station may be a Base Transceiver Station (BTS) in GSM or CDMA, a Base Station (NodeB) in WCDMA, an evolved Node B (NodeB or eNB or e-NodeB) in LTE, or a gNB in 5G system. The embodiments of the present application are not limited.

The above method process flow may be implemented by a software program, which may be stored in a storage medium, and when the stored software program is called, the above method steps are performed.

To sum up, in the embodiment of the present application, a cell service mode NSA/SA/NSA & SA field is added to configuration information of a cell and a neighboring cell of the cell, and the cell service mode field of the neighboring cell is updated through an XN establishment process and an NG-RAN node configuration update process, and when the cell receives a measurement report from a terminal, a cell handover request or an auxiliary cell handover request is determined to be initiated according to the cell service mode of the neighboring cell, so that the cell service mode of the cell is automatically maintained through XN interface information interaction, a failure of the cell handover or auxiliary cell handover process is avoided, and a cell handover success rate in an NSA and SA hybrid networking scenario in a 5G system is improved.

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

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

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

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

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

Claims

1. A method for cell handover, the method comprising:

determining a cell service mode of a second cell according to the cell service mode of the first cell, wherein the cell service mode of the second cell is the same as the cell service mode of the first cell;

determining to initiate a cell switching request according to the cell service mode of the second cell;

determining to initiate a cell switching request according to the cell service mode of the second cell specifically includes:

when the cell service mode of the second cell is a 5G independent networking SA mode, initiating an SA cell switching request through the first cell;

and when the cell service mode of the second cell is a 5G non-independent Networking (NSA) mode, initiating a secondary cell switching request through the first cell.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the cell service mode information in the cell configuration information includes one of the following three fields:

5G non-independent networking NSA;

5G independent networking SA;

5G non-independent networking and 5G independent networking NSA & SA.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining the cell service mode of the second cell according to the cell service mode of the first cell specifically comprises:

receiving an XN establishment request feedback message sent by the second cell;

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the XN setup request message and the XN setup request feedback message both carry a connection Support Connectivity Support field, and wherein the Connectivity Support field includes one of the following two types of information:

supporting EN-DC services.

5. The method of claim 4,

when the cell service mode of the first cell is an SA mode, the information included in the XN establishment request message carrying the Connectivity Support field is that the EN-DC service is not supported, and is used to instruct the second cell to update a preset cell service mode NSA mode to the SA mode;

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein an XN establishment request feedback message sent by the second cell is received, and information carried in the XN establishment request feedback message is a field corresponding to a cell service mode updated by the second cell.

8. A method for cell handover, the method comprising:

receiving an XN establishment request message sent by a first cell;

sending an XN establishment request feedback message to the first cell according to the updated cell service mode of the second cell, wherein the XN establishment request feedback message is used for indicating the first cell to initiate a cell switching request;

when the cell service mode of the second cell is a 5G independent networking SA mode, the first cell initiates an SA cell switching request;

and when the cell service mode of the second cell is a 5G non-independent Networking (NSA) mode, the first cell initiates a secondary cell switching request.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the cell service mode information in the cell configuration information includes one of the following three fields:

5G non-independent networking NSA;

5G independent networking SA;

5G non-independent networking and 5G independent networking NSA & SA.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the cell service mode of the second cell is preset to be NSA mode.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the XN setup request message and the XN setup request feedback message both carry a connection Support Connectivity Support field, and wherein the Connectivity Support field includes one of the following two types of information:

supporting EN-DC services.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein updating the cell service mode of the second cell according to the XN establishment request message specifically includes:

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein sending an XN establishment request feedback message to the first cell according to the updated cell service mode of the second cell, where the XN establishment request feedback message is used to instruct the first cell to initiate a cell handover request, specifically includes:

15. A cell switching apparatus, comprising:

a memory for storing program instructions;

a processor for calling the program instructions stored in the memory and executing according to the obtained program:

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the cell service mode information in the cell configuration information includes one of the following three fields:

5G non-independent networking NSA;

5G independent networking SA;

5G non-independent networking and 5G independent networking NSA & SA.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein determining the cell service mode of the second cell according to the cell service mode of the first cell specifically comprises:

receiving an XN establishment request feedback message sent by the second cell;

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the XN setup request message and the XN setup request feedback message both carry a connection Support Connectivity Support field, and wherein the Connectivity Support field includes one of the following two types of information:

supporting EN-DC services.

19. The apparatus of claim 18,

20. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising:

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein an XN establishment request feedback message sent by the second cell is received, and information carried in the XN establishment request feedback message is a field corresponding to a cell service mode updated by the second cell.

22. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to invoke program instructions stored in the memory to perform, in accordance with the obtained program:

receiving an XN establishment request message sent by a first cell;

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the cell service mode information in the cell configuration information includes one of the following three fields:

5G non-independent networking NSA;

5G independent networking SA;

5G non-independent networking and 5G independent networking NSA & SA.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the cell service mode of the second cell is preset to be NSA mode.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the XN setup request message and the XN setup request feedback message both carry a connection Support Connectivity Support field, and wherein the Connectivity Support field includes one of the following two types of information:

supporting EN-DC services.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the updating the cell service mode of the second cell according to the XN establishment request message specifically includes:

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the processor is further configured to:

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein an XN establishment request feedback message is sent to the first cell according to the updated cell service mode of the second cell, and the XN establishment request feedback message is used to indicate that the first cell initiates a cell handover request, specifically including:

29. A cell switching apparatus, comprising:

a second unit, configured to determine a cell service mode of a second cell according to the cell service mode of the first cell, where the cell service mode of the second cell is the same as the cell service mode of the first cell;

a third unit, configured to determine to initiate a cell switching request according to a cell service mode of the second cell;

30. The apparatus of claim 29, further comprising:

a sending unit, configured to send an XN establishment request feedback message to the first cell according to the updated cell service mode of the second cell, where the XN establishment request feedback message is used to indicate that the first cell initiates a cell handover request.

31. A computer storage medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions for causing a computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 14.