WO2014075534A1 - Communication path switching method and device, and switching processing device and system - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided are a communication path switching method and device, and a switching processing device and system. The above-mentioned switching method comprises: acquiring switching information, wherein the switching information is information required for switching network architectures to perform communications between a first UE and a second UE; and according to the acquired switching information, switching a communication path adopted for performing communications between the first UE and the second UE from a first network architecture to a second network architecture or switching same from the second network architecture to the first network architecture. By adopting the above-mentioned technical solution provided in the present invention, the technical problems that when performing communications between the UEs, communication path switching cannot be performed between a base network architecture and a direct communication architecture, etc. are solved, thereby achieving the communication path switching between the base network architecture and the direct communication architecture, and improving the switching efficiency.

Description

 TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to the field of communications, and in particular to a method and apparatus for switching a communication path, a handover processing apparatus, and a system. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In order to maintain the competitiveness of the third generation mobile communication system in the communication field, users are provided with faster, less delayed, and more personalized mobile communication services, and at the same time, reduce operating costs of operators, the third generation The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Standards Working Group is working on the Evolved Packet System (EPS). The entire EPS system is divided into two parts: the wireless access network and the core network.

The 3GPP access network is composed of an Evolved NodeB (eNB), which is mainly responsible for transmitting and receiving wireless signals, and communicating with the terminal through the air interface to manage radio resources, resource scheduling, and access control of the air interface. In the core network, a Home Subscriber Server (HSS), a Mobility Management Entity (MME), and a Policy and Charging Rule Function (PCRF) are included. Serving Gateway (S-GW) and Packet Data Network Gateway (PDN GW, or P-GW). FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a 3GPP and a non-3GPP access system accessing an evolved packet core network (Evolved Packet Core, EPC for short). As shown in Figure 1, the EPS system supports 3GPP access. The HSS is a permanent storage location for user subscription data, located in the home network to which the user subscribes. The MME is responsible for control plane related functions such as mobility management, processing of non-access stratum signaling, and management of user mobility management context. The S-GW is an access gateway device connected to the radio access network, and forwards data between the radio access and the P-GW, and buffers the data. The P-GW is the border gateway between the EPS and the packet data network PDN, and is responsible for the access of the PDN and the function of forwarding data between the EPS and the PDN. The PCRF is a policy and charging rule function entity. It is connected to the carrier service network through the receiving interface Rx, and is responsible for providing charging control, online credit control, threshold control, and Quality of Service (QoS).

1 PN14809 As shown in Figure 1, the EPS system also supports non-3GPP access. The interworking with the non-3GPP access is implemented through the S2a/S2b/S2c interface, and the P-GW serves as an anchor point between the 3GPP and the non-3GPP access. Non-3GPP access is divided into credit non-3GPP access and non-credit non-3GPP access. The non-3GPP access can be directly connected to the P-GW through the S2a interface, and the S2a interface uses the Proxy Mobile IP (PMIP) protocol for information exchange. The untrusted non-3GPP access needs to be connected to the P-GW through an Evolved Packet Data Gateway (ePDG). The interface between the ePDG and the P-GW is S2b. The S2c interface provides user plane control and mobility support between User Equipment (UE) and P-GW. The mobility protocol supported by the S2c interface is Mobile IPv6 support for Dual Stack Hosts. And Routers, referred to as DSMIPv6). In the Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, even if the locations between devices are very close, the devices need to transmit communication data through the base station and the core network. The resources occupied by the base station and the core network are very large. . In order to improve the resource utilization rate and increase the capacity of the base station and the core network, the Proximity Services (ProSeimation Services, referred to as ProSe) function provides a direct communication technology between the devices. In the prior art, the ProSe function can implement LTE discovery and LTE communication under LTE coverage. The rapid development of smart terminals and mobile Internet applications has made mobile data traffic proliferating at an incalculable rate. In order to effectively alleviate the traffic pressure and continue to promote the development of mobile communication services, more and more operators around the world choose to develop wireless local area network (WLAN), and use low-cost, high-bandwidth WLAN as the cellular network. Diversion. In the traditional WLAN system, even if the locations between the devices are very close, the devices need to communicate with each other through the access point and the access controller, and the resource occupancy of the access point is very considerable. In order to increase the resource usage rate of the access point and increase the capacity of the access point, in the prior art, the devices supporting the Wi-Fi function may also be configured as a wireless ad hoc network (Ad hoc) mode to implement the Wi-Fi device. Direct communication between. In the prior art, between devices supporting Wi-Fi Direct (Wi-Fi Direct) technology, and between devices supporting Wi-Fi Direct technology and traditional Wi-Fi technology, Wi-Fi devices can also be implemented between Wi-Fi devices. Direct communication. In the Wi-Fi Direct technology, a soft access point (Soft Access Point, referred to as Soft AP) is built in.

The UE acts as a functional entity of a similar access point for another UE and forms a group with another UE. The group includes at least two UEs, and may also include more than two UEs. At least one UE in the group needs to support Wi-Fi Direct technology. The group must have a group owner who provides AP-like functionality for other UEs that support legacy WLAN technology and other UEs that support Wi-Fi Direct technology. Except for the group owner, the other members in the group are clients. If only one UE in the group supports Wi-Fi Direct technology, the UE acts as the group owner. If both UEs in the group support Wi-Fi Direct technology, the group owner is determined by the group owner negotiation mechanism between the two UEs. The group owner identifies the basic service set identifier (Basic Service Set Identifier, BSSID for short)

2 PN14809 Set to the MAC address of your device. The group owner sets the Service Set Identifier (SSID) unique to the Wi-Fi Direct technology, starting with the "Direct-" string, followed by "xy", where xy is two random characters, which can be uppercase. Letters, lowercase letters or numbers, after "Direct-xy", you can set any string that can be set by the SSID of the traditional WLAN access network. This mechanism avoids the SSID and traditional WLAN of Wi-Fi Direct technology. The SSID of the access network conflicts. The group owner functions as a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol Server (DHCP Server), which assigns IP addresses to other clients in the group that can act as DHCP clients. The Wi-Fi Direct technology supports the management frame of the traditional WLAN technology, adds the unique cells of the Wi-Fi Direct technology to the corresponding management frames, and also supports some new management frames, and implements these processes through device discovery, invitation, and service discovery. However, the prior art has the following problems:

UE1 and UE2 are currently in the basic network architecture. Due to network coverage, signal strength, proximity, operator policy or personal will, the session between UEs may need to be switched from the basic network architecture path to the WLAN direct communication path. In the case of network coverage recovery or normal signal strength, or distance, the session between UEs may need to be switched back to the basic network architecture path from the WLAN direct communication path. The basic network architecture includes an LTE basic network architecture and an underlying network architecture for S2a access. However, according to the prior art, the session between UEs cannot implement path switching between the underlying network architecture path and the WLAN direct communication path. In view of the above problems in the related art, an effective solution has not yet been proposed. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a communication path switching method and device, and a switching processing device, in a related art, when a communication between UEs is in communication, and a communication problem between different network architectures cannot be performed. And the system to at least solve the above problems. According to an embodiment of the present invention, a method for switching a communication path is provided, including: acquiring handover information, where the handover information is information required for the first UE and the second UE to switch the network architecture for communication; And, the communication path adopted by the first UE and the second UE is switched from the first network architecture to the second network architecture or from the second network architecture to the first network architecture. Preferably, the first network architecture is one of the following: a third generation partnership plan 3GPP network architecture, a trusted non-3GPP network architecture; and a second network architecture including: a 3GPP operator controlled wireless local area network WLAN direct communication architecture.

3 PN14809 Preferably, the acquiring the handover information comprises: acquiring, when the communication path is switched from the first network architecture to the second network architecture, the network addresses of the first UE and the second UE in the first network architecture. Preferably, obtaining the network addresses of the first UE and the second UE in the first network architecture, respectively, comprising: acquiring a gateway address when the first UE and the second UE access the first network architecture; and corresponding to the gateway address by the neighboring server The gateway sends a request message for requesting to switch the communication path; the neighbor server receives the response message sent by the gateway, where the response message carries the network address. Preferably, before acquiring the gateway address of the first UE and the second UE, the method includes: sending, by the neighbor server, the identity of the first UE and the second UE to the user subscription information storage entity in the first network architecture. And determining, by the user subscription information storage entity, that the first UE and the second UE support direct communication by using the second network architecture according to the identity identifier. Preferably, before the communication path used by the first UE and the second UE to communicate from the second network architecture to the first network architecture, according to the obtained handover information, the method includes: generating, by using the gateway, the first UE and the second UE Charging information when communicating using the first network architecture, and charging for communication between the first UE and the second UE using the second network architecture is started. Preferably, acquiring the handover information comprises: processing the following: when the first network architecture is a 3GPP network architecture, and when the communication path is switched from the second network architecture to the first network architecture, acquiring the first UE and the second UE respectively a network address in the first network architecture; when the first network architecture is a trusted non-3GPP network architecture, and when the communication path is switched from the second network architecture to the first network architecture, acquiring the first UE and the second UE at the first The gateway address to which the first UE and the second UE belong to each other through the information exchange between the first UE and the second UE through the gateway corresponding to the gateway address and the network side of the first network architecture. Preferably, respectively acquiring the network addresses of the first UE and the second UE in the first network architecture, including: when the first network architecture is a 3GPP network architecture, and when the communication path is switched from the second network architecture to the first network architecture, And obtaining, by the MME, a gateway address when the first UE and the second UE access the first network architecture; the MME and the gateway corresponding to the network address perform information exchange to obtain network addresses of the first UE and the second UE in the first network architecture, respectively. . Preferably, before the communication path used by the first UE and the second UE to communicate from the second network architecture to the first network architecture, according to the obtained handover information, the method includes: generating, by using the foregoing gateway, the first UE and the second UE Generating charging information when the first UE and the second UE communicate using the second network architecture, and starting to charge the communication performed by the first UE and the second UE using the first network architecture.

4 PN14809 According to still another embodiment of the present invention, a communication path switching apparatus is provided, including: an obtaining module, configured to acquire switching information, where the switching information is required for the first UE and the second UE to switch the network architecture for communication The switching module is configured to switch the communication path used by the first UE and the second UE to communicate from the first network architecture to the second network architecture or to switch from the second network architecture to the first network architecture according to the acquired handover information. . Preferably, the foregoing switching module is configured to perform handover of a communication path when the second network architecture includes a WLAN direct communication architecture controlled by a 3GPP operator, and the first network architecture is one of: 3GPP network architecture, a trusted non-3GPP network Architecture. Preferably, the acquiring module includes: a first acquiring unit, configured to acquire network addresses of the first UE and the second UE in the first network architecture, respectively, when the communication path is switched from the first network architecture to the second network architecture . Preferably, the acquiring module includes: a second acquiring unit, configured to acquire the first UE and the second when the first network architecture is a 3GPP network architecture, and when the communication path is switched from the second network architecture to the first network architecture a network address of the UE in the first network architecture; and a non-3GPP network architecture in which the first network architecture is trusted, and acquiring the first UE and the second UE when the communication path is switched from the second network architecture to the first network architecture The gateway address to which the first UE and the second UE belong, and the first UE and the second UE perform information exchange with the network side of the first network architecture by using the gateway corresponding to the gateway address, and complete access of the first UE and the second UE. According to still another embodiment of the present invention, a switching processing apparatus for a communication path is provided, which is located in a neighboring server, and includes: an acquiring module, configured to acquire, when the first UE and the second UE access the first network architecture, a sending module, configured to send a request message for requesting to switch the communication path to the gateway corresponding to the gateway address; the receiving module is configured to: after receiving the response message sent by the gateway, send the response message to the first UE and the first a second UE, where the response message carries a network address when the first UE and the second UE access the first network architecture, and the response message is used to notify the first UE and the second UE to switch by the first network architecture according to the network address. Communicate to the second network architecture. Preferably, the first network architecture is one of the following: a third generation partnership plan 3GPP network architecture, a trusted non-3GPP network architecture; and a second network architecture comprising: a 3GPP operator controlled WLAN direct communication architecture. According to still another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided another communication path switching processing apparatus, located in a user subscription information storage entity of a first network architecture, the apparatus comprising: a receiving module, configured to receive the first sent by the neighbor server And the authentication module is configured to verify, according to the identity identifier, whether the first UE and the second UE support direct communication by using the second network architecture;

5 PN14809 When the verification result is yes, the neighboring server is notified to start the communication between the first UE and the second UE by the first network architecture to the second network architecture. Preferably, the first network architecture is one of the following: 3GPP network architecture, a trusted non-3GPP network architecture. The second network architecture includes: a wireless local area network (WLAN) WLAN direct communication architecture controlled by the 3GPP operator. According to still another embodiment of the present invention, a handover processing apparatus of another communication path is provided. The gateway located in the first network architecture includes: a receiving module, configured to receive a request sent by the neighbor server for requesting to switch the communication path. a sending module, configured to send a response message to the neighboring server or the MME according to the request message, where the response message carries a network address when the first UE and the second UE access the first network architecture, and the response message is used to notify The first UE and the second UE are switched by the first network architecture to the second network architecture according to the network address. Preferably, the first network architecture is one of the following: a 3GPP network architecture, a trusted non-3GPP network architecture; and a second network architecture includes: a 3GPP operator controlled WLAN direct communication architecture. According to still another embodiment of the present invention, a switching system for a communication path is provided, including: a first UE and a second UE that need to communicate; and a gateway device that performs information interaction with the network side of the first network architecture to acquire a handover. The information is sent to the neighboring server, where the handover information is information required for the first UE and the second UE to switch the network architecture for communication; the neighbor server receives the handover information and forwards the handover information to the first UE and Second UE. Preferably, the first network architecture is one of the following: a third generation partnership plan 3GPP network architecture, a trusted non-3GPP network architecture; and a second network architecture comprising: a 3GPP operator controlled wireless local area network WLAN direct communication architecture. According to the embodiment of the present invention, a technical means for performing communication path switching according to the information required for the first UE and the second UE to switch the network architecture to perform communication is adopted, and the UE cannot be in different network architectures when communicating between the UEs. Technical problems such as switching between communication paths, thereby achieving switching between communication paths of different network architectures, and improving switching efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings, which are set to illustrate,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, In the drawing -

6 PN14809 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a 3GPP access system and a non-3GPP access system accessing an EPS according to the related art; FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a method for switching a communication path according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention; FIG. 3 is a flowchart according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing another structure of a switching path of a communication path according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention; FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a switching system of a communication path according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention; FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of another structure of a handover path of a communication path according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 7 is a flowchart of UE1 and UE2 switching from an LTE base path to a WLAN direct communication path according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention; 8 is a flowchart of UE1 and UE2 switching back to the LTE base path from the WLAN direct communication path according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention; FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of UE1 and UE2 switching from the base path of S2a access to the WLAN directly according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention; FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a basic path of UE1 and UE2 switching back to S2a from a WLAN direct communication path according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention; FIG. 11 is a flowchart of Embodiment 6 according to Embodiment 6 of the present invention; FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing the structure of another switching processing apparatus of a communication path according to Embodiment 6 of the present invention; and FIG. 13 is another switching processing of the communication path according to Embodiment 6 of the present invention; A block diagram of the device. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the embodiments in the present application and the features in the embodiments may be combined with each other without conflict. Considering the technical problems in the related art that the UEs cannot be switched between the communication paths of different network architectures when communicating between the UEs, the related solutions are provided below in conjunction with the embodiments, and are now described in detail. Example 1

7 PN14809 2 is a flow chart showing a method of switching a communication path according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the method includes: Step S202: Acquire handover information, where the handover information is information required for the first UE and the second UE to switch the network architecture for communication. Step S204: Switch the communication path used by the first UE and the second UE to switch from the first network architecture to the second network architecture or switch from the second network architecture to the first network architecture according to the acquired handover information. Through the above processing steps, since the information required for communication can be switched by the network architecture, and the communication path is switched according to the information, it is possible to solve the communication path of the different network architectures when the UEs are communicating. Technical problems such as switching between them improve the switching efficiency between communication paths switching between different networks. In this embodiment, the foregoing first network architecture may include, but is not limited to, one of the following: a 3GPP network architecture, a trusted non-3GPP network architecture; and the foregoing second network architecture includes: a 3GPP operator controlled WLAN direct communication architecture. The process of obtaining the switching information may be classified into the following two types according to the switching direction when the communication path is switched: The first type acquires the first UE and the second UE respectively when the communication path is switched from the first network architecture to the second network architecture. The network address in the first network architecture. In this case, the process is to obtain the network addresses of the first UE and the second UE in the first network architecture, which can be implemented by the following processing steps:

(1) Obtaining a gateway address when the first UE and the second UE access the first network architecture. (2) Sending, by the neighbor server, a request message for requesting handover of the communication path to the gateway corresponding to the gateway address.

(3) Receiving, by the neighbor server, a response message sent by the gateway, where the response message carries a network address. Before the foregoing step (1), that is, before the first UE and the second UE access the gateway address of the first network architecture, the following process may be further included: signing the information storage entity to the user in the first network architecture by using the neighbor server Sending the identity of the first UE and the second UE; determining, by the user subscription information storage entity (eg, HSS, etc.), that the first UE and the second UE support direct communication using the second network architecture according to the identity identifier. At this time, in order to achieve the continuity of the charging, the first UE and the

8 PN14809 Before the communication path adopted by the second UE for communication is switched from the second network architecture to the first network architecture, the charging of the first UE and the second UE when using the first network architecture for communication is required to be generated. Information, and charging for communication performed by the first UE and the second UE using the second network architecture. The second type 1. The first network architecture is a 3GPP network architecture, and when the communication path is switched from the second network architecture to the first network architecture, the network addresses of the first UE and the second UE in the first network architecture are respectively obtained. . The process may be implemented by the following process: when the first network architecture is a 3GPP network architecture, and when the communication path is switched from the second network architecture to the first network architecture, acquiring, by the MME, the first UE and the second UE accessing the first The gateway address when the network is architected. The MME and the gateway corresponding to the network address perform information exchange to obtain network addresses of the first UE and the second UE in the first network architecture, respectively. In order to ensure the continuity of the charging, before the communication path adopted by the first UE and the second UE is switched from the second network architecture to the first network architecture, according to the obtained switching information, And generating, by the gateway, the first UE and the second UE to generate charging information when the first UE and the second UE communicate by using the second network architecture, and start to perform the first The UE and the second UE perform charging using communication performed by the first network architecture.

2. Obtaining a gateway address to which the first UE and the second UE belong in the first network architecture when the first network architecture is a trusted non-3GPP network architecture, and when the communication path is switched from the second network architecture to the first network architecture. The first UE and the second UE perform information exchange with the network side of the first network architecture by using the gateway corresponding to the gateway address, and complete access of the first UE and the second UE. In the embodiment, a switching device for the communication path is also provided, which is used to implement the above-mentioned embodiments and preferred embodiments. The descriptions of the above-mentioned embodiments will be omitted. As used hereinafter, the term "module" can implement a combination of software and/or hardware for a predetermined function. Although the apparatus described in the following embodiments is preferably implemented in software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware, is also possible and conceivable. Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the structure of a communication path switching apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the device includes: an obtaining module 30, connected to the switching module 32, configured to acquire switching information, where the switching information is information required for the first UE and the second UE to switch the network architecture for communication;

9 PN14809 The switching module 32 is configured to switch the communication path used by the first UE and the second UE to switch from the first network architecture to the second network architecture or switch from the second network architecture to the first network architecture according to the acquired handover information. . The functions implemented by the above modules can also solve the technical problem that the UEs cannot switch between communication paths of different network architectures when communicating. Corresponding to the foregoing method embodiment, the foregoing switching module 32 is configured to perform communication path switching when the second network architecture includes a wireless local area network (WLAN) WLAN direct communication architecture controlled by the 3GPP operator, and the first network architecture is one of the following: 3GPP Network architecture, non-3GPP network architecture for credit granting. In a preferred embodiment of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the acquiring module 30 includes: a first acquiring unit 300, configured to separately acquire when the communication path is switched from the first network architecture to the second network architecture. The network address of the first UE and the second UE in the first network architecture. In another preferred embodiment of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the foregoing obtaining module 30 includes: a second obtaining unit 302, configured to be a 3GPP network architecture in a first network architecture, and a second network in a communication path When the architecture switches to the first network architecture, respectively acquiring network addresses of the first UE and the second UE in the first network architecture; and a non-3GPP network architecture in which the first network architecture is trusted, and the communication path is from the second network When the architecture is switched to the first network architecture, the gateway address of the first UE and the second UE in the first network architecture is obtained, where the first UE and the second UE pass the gateway corresponding to the gateway address and the network of the first network architecture. The information is exchanged on the side to complete access of the first UE and the second UE. In this embodiment, a switching system for a communication path is also provided. As shown in FIG. 5, the system includes: a first UE 50 and a second UE 52 that need to communicate. The gateway device 54 performs information exchange with the network side of the first network architecture, acquires the handover information, and sends the obtained handover information to the neighbor server, where the handover information is required for the first UE and the second UE to switch the network architecture for communication. information. The neighbor server 56 receives the handover information and forwards the handover information to the first UE and the second UE. In the solution of the system, the first network architecture is one of the following: 3GPP network architecture, non-credit

3GPP network architecture; The second network architecture includes: 3GPP operator controlled WLAN direct communication architecture. In order to better understand the above embodiments, the following detailed description will be made in conjunction with Embodiments 2-5 and related drawings. The following embodiment is implemented based on the system shown in FIG. 6. As shown in FIG. 6, the system includes: UE 60, neighbor server 62,

10 PN14809 HSS 64, P-GW 66 and its information transmission interface (St, Uv, Wx). The St, Uv interface may be an information transmission interface in the related art, and the Wx interface is a new information transmission interface in this embodiment. The neighbor server 62 is connected to the P-GW 66 via a Wx interface. The information transmission interface is used for information related to transmission path switching between the neighbor server 62 and the P-GW 66. Embodiment 2 As shown in FIG. 7, the method for the UE1 and the UE2 to be switched from the LTE base path to the WLAN direct communication path according to the embodiment includes:

UE1, UE2 initially communicate on the LTE infrastructure network. When the distance between UE1 and UE2 is close, the distance requirement of WLAN direct communication can be reached, and when UE1 and UE2 detect that the cellular network signal is weak, UE1 and UE2 can be converted to WLAN direct communication or Wi-Fi Direct. technology. Step S702: The UE1 sends a WLAN neighbor request message to the neighbor server, where the message includes information such as an International Mobile Subscriber Identification Number (IMSI) of the UE1 and the UE2. Step S704: The neighboring server performs the matching function, and the related information may be queried in the related art, and details are not described herein again. Step S706: The neighboring server sends a neighbor subscription information query request to the HSS, and carries the IMSI information of the UE1 and the UE2. Step S708: The HSS verifies that the UE1 and the UE2 can use the WLAN direct communication service to answer the neighbor subscription information query response to the neighboring server, and carry the mobile subscriber international ISDN number (MSISDN) of the UE1 and the UE2. UE1, UE2 previously accesses the P-GW address of the EPC in 3GPP, that is, the P-GW address of the EPC accessed by the 3GPP before UE1 and UE2. Step S710: The neighboring server sends a WLAN neighbor response message to the UE1, and carries the P-GW address and the D2D service ID of the EPC in the 3GPP before the MSISDN UE1 of the UE2. Step S712, UE1 sends a path switch request to the neighbor server, and carries a path switch indication and UE1.

IMSI, the neighbor server forwards the message through the Wx interface (as shown in Figure 6) with the P-GW. Step S714: The P-GW sends a path switch response to the UE1 through the neighboring server, and carries the IP address used by the UE1 in the LTE base path.

11 PN14809 Step S716, the P-GW generates a bill for the UE1 to communicate using the LTE base path, and then starts charging for the communication performed by the UE1 using the WLAN direct communication path. Step S718, the UE1 turns on the WLAN switch. Step S720: The neighbor server sends a wireless local area network neighbor response message to the UE2, and carries the MSISDN of the UE1 and the P-GW address and the D2D service ID of the EPC before the UE2. Step S722, the UE2 sends a path switch request to the P-GW through the neighbor server, and carries the path switch indication and the IMSI of the UE2. Step S724: The P-GW sends a path switch response to the UE2 through the neighbor server, and carries the IP address used by the UE2 in the LTE base path. Step S726, the P-GW generates a bill for the UE2 to communicate using the LTE base path, and then the pair

UE2 starts charging using communication using the WLAN direct communication path. Step S728, UE2 turns on the WLAN switch. Step S730, a discovery process of WLAN direct communication is started between UE1 and UE2. The UE, which is the group owner of the WLAN direct communication, allocates an IP address to another client serving as a group for direct WLAN communication. In the present invention, the UE determines that the operator controls the WLAN direct communication, and does not use the group. The owner assigns an IP address while still using the IP address previously used in 3GPP access. In step S732, the WLAN direct communication is started between the UE1 and the UE2. The UE1 uses the IP address 1 used in the 3GPP access EPC before, and the UE2 uses the IP address 2 used in the EPC before accessing the EPC to ensure the continuity of the IP flow service. Sex. Step S734, the P-GW releases the 3GPP EPS bearers of UE1 and UE2. This step is optional, and may not be performed. The 3GPP EPS bearer may also be reserved for subsequent UE1, UE2 to directly communicate from the WLAN, and then quickly switch back to the LTE base path. Embodiment 3 As shown in FIG. 8, the method for the UE1 and the UE2 to switch back to the LTE basic path from the WLAN direct communication path according to the embodiment includes:

WLAN direct communication is performed between UE1 and UE2.

12 PN14809 Step S802: When the distance between the UE1 and the UE2 is too far to reach the distance requirement of the WLAN direct communication, and the UE1 and the UE2 detect that the cellular network signal is strong, the UE1 and the UE2 can directly communicate from the WLAN. , Switch to the LTE base path. Step S804, UE1 performs handover attachment and attaches to MME1. Step S806, UE2 performs handover attachment and attaches to MME2. MME2 and MME1 may also be the same. Step S808, the UE1 performs access authentication through the 3GPP access system, and accesses the EPC. Step S810, the UE2 performs access authentication through the 3GPP access system, and accesses the EPC. Step S812: After the UE1 access authentication succeeds, the MME1 starts to perform the location update and the user data acquisition process, and the HSS transmits the P-GW address and the Access Point Name (APN) to the MME1. Step S814, after the UE2 access authentication succeeds, the MME2 starts performing a location update and a user data acquisition process.

The HSS passes the P-GW address and APN to MME2. Step S816: The MME1 sends a create session request to the S/P-GW, and carries the IMSI, the MME context, the APN, the P-GW address, and the handover indication of the UE1. Step S818: The S/P-GW sends back a create session response to the MME1, and carries the IP address 1 used by the UE1 to communicate directly in the WLAN. Step S820, the MME2 sends a create session request to the S/P-GW, and carries the IMSI, the MME context, the APN, the P-GW address, and the handover indication of the UE2. Step S822: The S/P-GW sends back a create session response to the MME2, carrying the IP address 2 used by the UE2 in direct communication over the WLAN. Step S824, UE1 establishes a radio and an access side bearer. Step S826, UE2 establishes a radio and an access side bearer. Step S828, the MME1 sends a modify bearer request to the S-GW, and carries the eNB address, the tunnel identifier of the eNB, and the handover indication. The S-GW sends a modify bearer request to the P-GW. Step S830: The P-GW returns a modified bearer response to the S-GW, and the S-GW returns a modified bearer response to the MME1 and carries the EPS bearer identifier.

13 PN14809 Step S832, the MME2 sends a modify bearer request to the S-GW, and carries the eNB address, the tunnel identifier of the eNB, and the handover indication. The S-GW sends a modify bearer request to the P-GW. Step S834: The P-GW returns a modified bearer response to the S-GW, and the S-GW returns a modified bearer response to the MME2 and carries the EPS bearer identifier. Step S836, UE1 starts communication on the LTE base path by using the same IP address 1 as before the handover of the communication path to ensure service continuity of the IP flow. Step S838, the UE2 starts the communication on the LTE base path by using the same IP address 2 as before the handover of the communication path to ensure the service continuity of the IP flow. Step S840, the P-GW generates a bill for the UE1 and the UE2 to communicate using the WLAN direct communication path, and then starts charging for the communication between the UE1 and the UE2 using the LTE base path. Embodiment 4 As shown in FIG. 9, the method for the UE1 and the UE2 to switch from the basic path of the access of the S2a to the WLAN direct communication path, including the following:

UE1, UE2 initially communicate with the underlying network at S2a. When the distance between UE1 and UE2 is detected to be close to the distance requirement of WLAN direct communication,

UE1 and UE2 can be switched to WLAN direct communication or Wi-Fi Direct technology. Steps S902 to S906 are the same as steps S702 to S706, and are not described herein again. Step S908: The HSS verifies that the UE1 and the UE2 can use the WLAN direct communication service to answer the neighbor subscription information query response to the neighbor server, and bring the P-GW address of the UE1, UE2, MSISDN, UE1, and UE2 before the non-3GPP access EPC. UE1, UE2 previously accessed the P-GW address of the EPC in non-3GPP. Step S910: The neighboring server sends a wireless local area network neighbor response message to the UE1, and carries the MSISDN of the UE2 and the P-GW address and the D2D service ID of the EPC before the non-3GPP access to the EPC. Step S912: The UE1 sends a path switch request to the neighbor server, and carries the path switch indication and the IMSI of the UE1, and the neighbor server forwards the message through the Wx interface between the neighbor and the P-GW. Step S914, the P-GW sends a path switch response to the UE1 through the neighbor server, and before the UE1 is

IP address used by the underlying path of S2a access.

14 PN14809 Step S916, the P-GW generates a bill for the UE1 to communicate using the base path accessed by the S2a, and then starts charging for the communication performed by the UE1 using the WLAN direct communication path. Step S918, the neighbor server sends a wireless local area network neighbor response message to the UE2, and carries the MSISDN of the UE1, the P-GW address and the D2D service ID of the non-3GPP access EPC before the UE2. Step S920, the UE2 sends a path switch request to the P-GW through the neighbor server, and carries the path switch indication and the IMSI of the UE2. Step S922: The P-GW sends a path switch response to the UE2 through the neighbor server, and carries the IP address used by the base path that the UE2 accesses in the S2a. Step S924, the P-GW generates a bill for the UE2 to communicate using the base path accessed by the S2a, and then starts charging for the communication performed by the UE2 using the WLAN direct communication path. Step S926, a discovery process of starting WLAN direct communication between UE1 and UE2. The UE, which is the group owner of the WLAN direct communication, allocates an IP address to another client serving as a group for direct WLAN communication. In the present invention, the UE determines that the operator controls the WLAN direct communication, and does not use the group. The owner assigns an IP address while still using the IP address previously used in non-3GPP access. Step S928, WLAN direct communication is started between UE1 and UE2, UE1 uses the IP address 1 used in the non-3GPP access EPC, and the UE2 uses the IP address 2 used in the non-3GPP access EPC to ensure the IP flow. Business continuity. Step S930, the P-GW releases the non-3GPP EPS bearers of UE1 and UE2. This step is optional, and may not be performed. The non-3GPP EPS bearer may also be reserved for the subsequent UE1, UE2 direct communication path from the WLAN, and then quickly switch back to the base path of the S2a access. Embodiment 5 As shown in FIG. 10, a method for the UE1 and the UE2 to switch back to the basic path of the S2a access from the WLAN direct communication path is provided in the embodiment, including:

WLAN direct communication is performed between UE1 and UE2. Step S1002: When the distance between the UE1 and the UE2 is too far to reach the distance requirement of the WLAN direct communication, and the UE1 and the UE2 detect that the traditional WLAN access network signal becomes strong, the UE1 and the UE2 may The WLAN direct communication path is switched to the base path of the S2a access.

15 PN14809 In step S1004, the UE1 discovers the trusted non-3GPP access and association, which is a prior art. Step S1006: UE2 discovers the trusted non-3GPP access and association, which is a prior art. Step S1008: UE1 performs access authentication and authorization, and the trusted non-3GPP access acquires a P-GW address from the HSS/3GPP AAA Server. Step S1010: UE2 performs access authentication and authorization, and the trusted non-3GPP accesses from the HSS/3GPP AAA.

The server obtains the P-GW address. Step S1012: UE1 sends a Layer 3 attach trigger to the trusted non-3GPP access, and carries the APN of UE1. Step S1014: The trusted non-3GPP access is a communication of UE1, and sends a proxy binding update message to the P-GW. Step S1016: The P-GW sends an agent update confirmation message to the trusted non-3GPP access. Step S1018: The trusted non-3GPP access sends an L3 attach completion to the UE1. Step S1020: UE1 starts communication of the base path accessed by S2a. Step S1022: The P-GW generates a CDR for direct communication of the WLAN for the UE1, and starts charging for the communication of the S2a access base path of the UE1. Step S1024: The UE2 sends a Layer 3 attach trigger to the trusted non-3GPP access, and carries the APN of the UE2. Step S1026: The trusted non-3GPP access is the communication of the UE2, and the proxy binding update message is sent to the P-GW. Step S1028: The P-GW sends an agent update confirmation message to the trusted non-3GPP access. Step S1030: The trusted non-3GPP access sends an L3 attach completion to the UE2. Step S1032: UE2 starts communication of the base path accessed by S2a. Step S1034: The P-GW generates a CDR for direct communication of the WLAN for the UE2, and starts charging for the communication of the S2a access base path of the UE2. In order to implement the handover process described in the above embodiments, it is also necessary to improve some of the entities involved therein, which will be described in detail in Embodiment 6. It should be noted that, in Embodiment 6, the first network architecture includes but is not limited to

16 PN14809 In one of the following: 3GPP network architecture, a trusted non-3GPP network architecture; the second network architecture includes but is not limited to: a 3GPP operator controlled WLAN direct communication architecture. Embodiment 6 In this embodiment, first, an improvement to a neighbor server is illustrated: a switching processing device for a communication path, located in a neighbor server, as shown in FIG. 11, the device includes: an obtaining module 110, connected to a sending module 112. Set to obtain a gateway address when the first UE and the second UE access the first network architecture. The sending module 112 is connected to the receiving module 114, and is configured to send a request message for requesting to switch the communication path to the gateway corresponding to the gateway address. The receiving module 114 is configured to: after receiving the response message sent by the gateway, send the response message to the first

a UE and a second UE, where the response message carries a network address when the first UE and the second UE access the first network architecture, and the response message is used to notify the first UE and the second UE that the first UE and the second UE are first according to the network address. The network architecture switches to the second network architecture for communication. Next, an improvement to the user subscription information storage entity - a communication path switching processing device, located in the user subscription information storage entity of the first network architecture, as shown in FIG. 12, the apparatus includes: a receiving module 120, connected to The verification module 122 is configured to receive the identity of the first user equipment UE and the second UE that are sent by the neighboring server. The verification module 122 is connected to the notification module 124, and is configured to verify, according to the identity identifier, whether the first UE and the second UE support direct communication using the second network architecture. The notification module 124 is configured to notify the neighbor server to start the first UE and the second UE to switch from the first network architecture to the second network architecture for communication if the verification result is yes. Finally, an improvement to the gateway device is illustrated: a switching processing device for the communication path, located in the gateway of the first network architecture, as shown in FIG. 13, the device includes:

17 PN14809 The receiving module 130 is connected to the sending module 132, and is configured to receive a request message sent by the neighboring server for requesting to switch the communication path. The sending module 132 is configured to send a response message to the neighboring server or the MME according to the request message, where the response message carries the network address of the first UE and the second UE when accessing the first network architecture, and the response message is used to notify the A UE and the second UE are switched by the first network architecture to the second network architecture according to the network address. In another embodiment, software is also provided for performing the technical solutions described in the above embodiments and preferred embodiments. In another embodiment, a storage medium is provided, the software being stored, including but not limited to: an optical disk, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a rewritable memory, and the like. Obviously, those skilled in the art should understand that the above modules or steps of the present invention can be implemented by a general-purpose computing device, which can be concentrated on a single computing device or distributed over a network composed of multiple computing devices. Alternatively, they may be implemented by program code executable by the computing device, such that they may be stored in the storage device by the computing device and, in some cases, may be different from the order herein. The steps shown or described are performed, or they are separately fabricated into individual integrated circuit modules, or a plurality of modules or steps are fabricated as a single integrated circuit module. Thus, the invention is not limited to any specific combination of hardware and software. The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention, and various modifications and changes can be made to the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and scope of the present invention are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention. INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The above technical solution provided by the present invention can be applied to a communication path switching process, and adopts a technical means for performing communication path switching according to information acquired by the first UE and the second UE switching network architecture for communication, and solving When communication between UEs is performed, technical problems such as communication path switching between the basic communication network architecture and the direct communication architecture cannot be performed, thereby achieving switching between the communication paths of the basic network architecture and the direct communication architecture, and improving Switching efficiency.

18 PN14809

Claims

Claim

A method for switching a communication path, comprising:

 Acquiring the handover information, where the handover information is information required for the first user equipment UE and the second UE to switch to the network architecture for communication;

 And switching, according to the obtained handover information, a communication path used by the first UE and the second UE to switch from a first network architecture to a second network architecture or from the second network architecture to the The first network architecture.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein

 The first network architecture is one of the following: a third generation partnership plan 3GPP network architecture, a trusted non-3GPP network architecture;

 The second network architecture includes: a wireless local area network (WLAN) WLAN direct communication architecture controlled by a 3GPP operator.

The method of claim 2, wherein acquiring the handover information comprises: acquiring, when the communication path is switched from the first network architecture to the second network architecture, acquiring the first UE and the second UE respectively The network address in the first network architecture.

The method of claim 3, wherein acquiring the network addresses of the first UE and the second UE in the first network architecture, respectively, includes:

 Obtaining a gateway address when the first UE and the second UE access the first network architecture; sending, by the neighbor server, a request message for requesting to switch the communication path to the gateway corresponding to the gateway address;

 The response message sent by the gateway is received by the neighboring server, where the response message carries the network address.

The method of claim 4, before acquiring the gateway address of the first network and the second UE to the first network, the method includes:

 Transmitting, by the neighboring server, an identity identifier of the first UE and the second UE to a user subscription information storage entity in the first network architecture;

19 PN14809 Determining, by the user subscription information storage entity, that the first UE and the second UE support direct communication by using the second network architecture according to the identity identifier.

The method according to claim 4, wherein, according to the acquired handover information, switching a communication path used by the first UE and the second UE to switch from a second network architecture to a first network Before the architecture, including:

 Generating, by the gateway, charging information when the first UE and the second UE communicate using the first network architecture, and starting to use the first UE and the second UE The communication carried out by the network architecture is performed.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein obtaining the handover information comprises one of the following processes:

 When the first network architecture is a 3GPP network architecture, and when the communication path is switched from the second network architecture to the first network architecture, acquiring the first UE and the second UE respectively a network address in the first network architecture;

 Acquiring the first UE and the second UE when the first network architecture is a trusted non-3GPP network architecture, and when the communication path is switched from the second network architecture to the first network architecture a gateway address to which the first network and the second UE interact with each other through the gateway corresponding to the gateway address and the network side of the first network architecture, The access of the first UE and the second UE is described.

The method of claim 7, wherein the obtaining the network address of the first UE and the second UE in the first network architecture, respectively, includes:

 When the first network architecture is a 3GPP network architecture, and when the communication path is switched from the second network architecture to the first network architecture, acquiring, by the mobility management entity MME, the first UE and the a gateway address when the second UE accesses the first network architecture;

 The MME and the gateway corresponding to the network address perform information exchange to obtain network addresses of the first UE and the second UE in the first network architecture, respectively.

The method according to claim 8, wherein, according to the acquired handover information, switching a communication path used by the first UE and the second UE to switch from a second network architecture to a first network Before the architecture, including:

 Generating, by the gateway, the first UE and the second UE, the charging information when the first UE and the second UE communicate using the second network architecture, and starting to use the A UE and the second UE perform charging using communication performed by the first network architecture.

20 PN14809

10. A communication path switching device, comprising:

 The acquiring module is configured to obtain the switching information, where the switching information is information required for the first user equipment UE and the second UE to switch the network architecture for communication;

 a switching module, configured to switch, according to the obtained handover information, a communication path used by the first UE and the second UE to communicate from a first network architecture to a second network architecture or from the second network architecture Switching to the first network architecture.

The device according to claim 10, wherein the switching module is configured to include a wireless local area network WLAN direct communication architecture controlled by a 3GPP operator in the second network architecture, and the first network architecture is as follows For a while, switch the communication path:

 3rd Generation Partnership Project 3GPP Network Architecture, Granted Non-3GPP Network Architecture.

The device of claim 11, wherein the obtaining module comprises:

 And the first acquiring unit is configured to acquire the network addresses of the first UE and the second UE in the first network architecture when the communication path is switched from the first network architecture to the second network architecture.

The device of claim 11, wherein the obtaining module comprises:

 a second acquiring unit, configured to acquire the first UE and the first network architecture when the first network architecture is a 3GPP network architecture, and when the communication path is switched from the second network architecture to the first network architecture a network address of the second UE in the first network architecture; and a non-3GPP network architecture in which the first network architecture is trusted, and switching the communication path from the second network architecture to the Obtaining, by the first network, a gateway address that the first UE and the second UE belong to in the first network architecture, where the first UE and the second UE correspond to the gateway address The gateway exchanges information with the network side of the first network architecture to complete access of the first UE and the second UE.

A switching processing device for a communication path, located in a neighbor server, comprising:

 An acquiring module, configured to obtain a gateway address when the first user equipment UE and the second UE access the first network architecture;

 a sending module, configured to send, to the gateway corresponding to the gateway address, a request message for requesting to switch the communication path;

21 PN14809 a receiving module, configured to: after receiving the response message sent by the gateway, send the response message to the first UE and the second UE, where the response message carries the first UE And the network address of the second UE when accessing the first network architecture, the response message is used to notify the first UE and the second UE by the first network architecture according to the network address Switching to the second network architecture for communication.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein

 The first network architecture is one of the following: a third generation partnership plan 3GPP network architecture, a trusted non-3GPP network architecture;

 The second network architecture includes: a wireless local area network (WLAN) WLAN direct communication architecture controlled by a 3GPP operator.

A switching processing device for a communication path, which is located in a user subscription information storage entity of the first network architecture, and includes:

 The receiving module is configured to receive the identity of the first user equipment UE and the second UE sent by the neighboring server;

 a verification module, configured to verify, according to the identity identifier, whether the first UE and the second UE support direct communication by using a second network architecture;

 The notification module is configured to notify the neighboring server to start the first UE and the second UE to be handed over by the first network architecture to the second network architecture for communication if the verification result is yes.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein

 The first network architecture is one of the following: a third generation partnership plan 3GPP network architecture, a trusted non-3GPP network architecture;

 The second network architecture includes: a wireless local area network (WLAN) WLAN direct communication architecture controlled by a 3GPP operator.

18. A communication processing device for a communication path, located in a gateway of a first network architecture, comprising:

 a receiving module, configured to receive a request message sent by the neighbor server for requesting to switch the communication path;

 a sending module, configured to send a response message to the neighbor server or the mobility management entity MME according to the request message, where the response message carries the first UE and the second

22 PN14809

a network address when the UE accesses the first network architecture, the response message is used to notify the first UE and the second UE to switch from the first network architecture to the first network according to the network address The second network architecture communicates.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein

 The first network architecture is one of the following: a third generation partnership plan 3GPP network architecture, a trusted non-3GPP network architecture;

 The second network architecture includes: a wireless local area network (WLAN) WLAN direct communication architecture controlled by a 3GPP operator.

20. A communication path switching system, comprising:

 a first user equipment UE and a second UE that need to communicate;

 The gateway device performs information exchange with the network side of the first network architecture, acquires the handover information, and sends the obtained handover information to the neighboring server, where the handover information is the first UE and the second UE Information required by the network architecture to communicate;

 The neighbor server receives the handover information and forwards the handover information to the first UE and the second UE.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein

 The first network architecture is one of the following: a third generation partnership plan 3GPP network architecture, a trusted non-3GPP network architecture;

 The second network architecture includes: a wireless local area network (WLAN) WLAN direct communication architecture controlled by a 3GPP operator.

23 PN14809