WO2018119816A1

WO2018119816A1 - Cell switching method and device

Info

Publication number: WO2018119816A1
Application number: PCT/CN2016/112857
Authority: WO
Inventors: 雍文远
Original assignee: 华为技术有限公司
Priority date: 2016-12-29
Filing date: 2016-12-29
Publication date: 2018-07-05
Also published as: CN109155953B; CN109155953A

Abstract

The embodiments of the present invention relate to the technical field of cell switching, in particular to a cell switching method and device. The cell switching method comprises: a first network device determines whether to switch user equipment from a serving cell currently connected thereto to a target cell; when the first network device determines to switch the user equipment from the serving cell currently connected thereto to the target cell, the first network device sends a cell switching indication message to a second network device so that the second network device configures a communication link between the user equipment and the target cell according to configuration information of a link between the user equipment and the serving cell. The cell switching method and device of the embodiments of the present invention may solve the problem of service interruption in a cell switching process.

Description

Cell switching method and device

Technical field

The embodiments of the present invention relate to the field of cell handover technologies, and in particular, to a cell handover method and apparatus.

Background technique

During the communication process of the user equipment, when the location of the user equipment moves, the cell that provides the communication service for the user equipment may switch, that is, the cell handover.

Currently, the process of implementing cell handover by a user equipment, as shown in FIG. 1 , mainly includes:

A: The user equipment sends a measurement report to the original cell, which includes measurement result information of multiple cells, such as the received strength of the pilot signal.

B: The original cell sends a handover request message to the target cell according to the determination of the received measurement report, where the handover request message includes context information of the user equipment.

C: The target cell generates a cell handover command according to the cell handover request message, and sends a cell handover request acknowledgement message to the original cell, and includes the cell handover command in the cell handover request acknowledgement message.

D: The original cell forwards the cell handover command to the user equipment.

E: The user equipment disconnects the radio link with the original cell according to the cell handover command, and configures a radio link with the target cell, such as configuring downlink synchronization (DL synchronization) information and time advancement (Timing advance) ) Information, UL resource request/grant information, etc.

F: The user equipment performs a process of randomly accessing the target cell, the target cell applies for a new link resource, and configures user plane and control plane information of the user equipment, and after the target cell configuration is completed, the data transmission is resumed.

It can be seen from the above process that in the process of the user equipment switching from one cell to another, the user equipment needs to take a little time to disconnect from the original cell and access to the target cell. During this time, the user There is no wireless link available between the device and the communication network, and data transmission cannot be performed, resulting in service interruption during the handover process.

Summary of the invention

The embodiment of the invention provides a cell handover method and device to solve the service interruption problem in the cell handover process.

In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a cell handover method, including:

Determining, by the first network device, whether the user equipment is handed over from the currently connected serving cell to the target cell;

When the first network device determines to switch the user equipment from the currently connected serving cell to the target cell, the first network device sends a cell handover indication message to the second network device, so that the second network device And configuring a communication link between the user equipment and the target cell according to link configuration information between the user equipment and the serving cell.

In an implementation manner of the embodiment of the present invention, when it is determined that the user equipment needs to be handed over from the serving cell (original cell) to the target cell, the network side device (the second network device) configures the link between the user equipment and the original cell. The communication link between the user equipment and the target cell is configured, and the user equipment does not need to perform the reconfiguration process of the radio link, so service interruption caused by reconfiguring the radio link during the cell handover process can be avoided.

In a possible design, when the first network device determines to switch the user equipment from a currently connected serving cell to a target cell, the method further includes: the first network device to the second The network device sends link configuration information between the user equipment and the serving cell.

In an implementation manner of the embodiment of the present invention, when it is determined that the user equipment needs to perform cell handover, the first network device sends the link configuration information between the user equipment and the serving cell to the second network device, so that the second network is configured. The device configures a wireless link between the target cell and the user equipment according to the link configuration information.

In a possible design, the link configuration information is carried in the cell handover indication message. For example, the cell handover indication message is a cell handover request message, and the cell handover request message carries the link configuration information.

In a possible design, the link configuration information includes one or more of the following: the user equipment receives search space information of a common channel in the serving cell; and the user equipment is configured in the serving cell. Time-frequency resource information; a reference signal sequence used by the user equipment to transmit and receive data in the serving cell, a scrambling code sequence used by the user equipment to transmit and receive data in the serving cell; and used to calculate the user equipment in the service a parameter of the cell link configuration, where the link configuration of the user equipment in the serving cell may include the time-frequency resource configured by the user equipment in the serving cell, the reference signal sequence used for transmitting and receiving data in the serving cell, and the service. The scrambling code sequence used by the cell to send and receive data, etc., specifically, the parameter may be a cell identifier, a user equipment identifier, or the like.

In an implementation manner of the embodiment of the present invention, after the second network device receives the link configuration information sent by the first network device, the second network device determines, according to the search space information and the time-frequency resource information, that the user equipment is currently a search space under the serving cell and a time-frequency resource used, so that the second network device performs link configuration according to the search space of the user equipment in the current serving cell and the used time-frequency resource, and the second network device is the user equipment. The reference signal used by the allocated associated channel when transmitting and receiving data is a reference signal sequence used by the user equipment (ie, transmitting and receiving data in the serving cell), and the scrambling code used is a scrambling code sequence currently used by the user equipment, and does not need the second. The network device allocates a new reference signal sequence and a scrambling code sequence, thereby enabling the user equipment to communicate through the target cell without changing the radio link configuration.

In a possible design, before the first network device determines whether to switch the user equipment from the currently connected serving cell to the target cell, the method further includes: the first network device measuring the user equipment in the Decoding the signal quality of the serving cell, and obtaining the signal quality information of the user equipment in the serving cell; the first network device receiving the user equipment sent by the second network device except the serving cell Signal quality information under at least one cell.

In a possible scenario, for example, when the user equipment performs a signal occlusion area, the signal quality drops sharply, the user equipment may not be able to send the measurement report to the first network device, and the first network device cannot send the handover command to the user equipment. Causes dropped calls of user equipment. In order to solve the technical problem, in the solution of the embodiment of the present invention, the first network device changes the manner for determining whether to perform cell handover information on the user equipment. Specifically, the first network device measures the signal quality of the user equipment in the current serving cell. The second network device measures the signal quality signal of the user equipment in the at least one cell except the serving cell, so that the first network device can obtain the signal quality information of the user equipment in multiple cells, and when it is determined that the cell switching needs to be performed The handover indication can be directly sent to the corresponding network side device, and the information exchange with the user equipment is not required, thereby solving the call drop problem caused by the user equipment being unable to send the measurement report to the network side device.

In a second aspect, the embodiment of the present invention provides a cell handover method, including: receiving, by a second network device, a cell handover indication message sent by a first network device, where the cell handover indication message is used to indicate that the second network device The user equipment is handed over from the currently connected serving cell to the target cell; the second network device performs communication between the user equipment and the target cell according to link configuration information between the user equipment and the serving cell The link is configured.

In an implementation manner of the embodiment of the present invention, after the second network device receives the cell handover indication sent by the first network device, the second network device configures the user equipment and the target cell according to the link configuration manner between the user equipment and the original cell. Inter-communication link, the network side device does not need to apply for new radio link resources and perform reconfiguration of the radio link, so it can avoid the service caused by reconfiguring the radio link during the cell handover process. Broken.

In a possible design, the method further includes: the second network device receiving link configuration information between the user equipment and the serving cell sent by the first network device.

In a possible design, the link configuration information is carried in the cell handover indication message.

In a possible design, the link configuration information includes one or more of the following:

The user equipment receives search space information of a common channel in the serving cell;

Time-frequency resource information configured by the user equipment in the serving cell;

a reference signal sequence used by the user equipment to transmit and receive data in the serving cell

a scrambling code sequence used by the user equipment to send and receive data in the serving cell;

A parameter for calculating a configuration of the user equipment in the serving cell link.

In a possible design, before the second network device receives the cell handover indication message sent by the first network device, the method further includes:

The second network device measures signal quality of the user equipment under the target cell, and obtains signal quality information of the user equipment under the target cell;

Sending, by the second network device, signal quality information of the user equipment under the target cell to the first network device.

In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a cell switching apparatus, where the apparatus has a function of implementing behavior of a first network device in an embodiment of a cell handover method. The functions may be implemented by hardware or by corresponding software implemented by hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the functions described above.

In a possible design, the cell switching apparatus includes: a determining unit and a sending unit, where the determining unit is configured to determine whether to switch the user equipment from the currently connected serving cell to the target cell; and the sending unit is used to When the processing unit determines to switch the user equipment from the currently connected serving cell to the target cell, send a cell handover indication message to the second network device, so that the second network device is configured according to the user equipment and the serving cell The link configuration information between the user equipment configures a communication link between the user equipment and the target cell.

In a possible design, when the determining unit determines that the user equipment is handed over from the currently connected serving cell to the target cell, the sending unit is further configured to:

Transmitting link configuration information between the user equipment and the serving cell to the second network device.

In a possible design, the link configuration information is carried in the cell handover indication message. In a possible design, the link configuration information includes one or more of the following:

a reference signal sequence used by the user equipment to send and receive data in the serving cell;

In a possible design, the device further includes: a measuring unit and a receiving unit;

Before the determining unit determines whether to switch the user equipment from the currently connected serving cell to the target cell:

The measuring unit is configured to measure signal quality of the user equipment in the serving cell, and obtain signal quality information of the user equipment in the serving cell;

The receiving unit is configured to receive signal quality information of the user equipment that is sent by the second network device, at least one cell except the serving cell.

In another possible design, the cell switching device includes: a transmitter, a receiver, and a processor, where the processor is configured to determine whether to switch the user equipment from the currently connected serving cell to the target cell; The transmitter is configured to: when the processor determines to switch the user equipment from the currently connected serving cell to the target cell, send a cell handover indication message to the second network device, so that the second network device is configured according to the user equipment The link configuration information with the serving cell configures a communication link between the user equipment and the target cell.

Further, the transmitter is further configured to perform a correlation step performed by the sending unit in the third aspect embodiment; the receiver is configured to perform a correlation step performed by the receiving unit in the third aspect embodiment; the processor is further configured to: The determining unit and the relevant steps performed by the measuring unit in the embodiment of the third aspect are performed.

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

In a possible design, the cell switching apparatus includes: a receiving unit and a link configuration unit, where the receiving unit is configured to receive a cell handover indication message sent by the first network device, where the cell handover indication message is used. Instructing the second network device to switch the user equipment from the currently connected serving cell to the target cell; the link configuration unit is configured to use the link configuration information between the user equipment and the serving cell to the user equipment The communication link with the target cell is configured.

In a possible design, the receiving unit is further configured to receive link configuration information between the user equipment and the serving cell that are sent by the first network device.

In a possible design, the device further comprises a measuring unit and a transmitting unit;

Before the receiving unit receives the cell handover indication message sent by the first network device:

The measuring unit is configured to measure signal quality of the user equipment under the target cell, and obtain signal quality information of the user equipment under the target cell;

The sending unit is configured to send signal quality information of the user equipment under the target cell to the first network device.

In another possible design, the cell switching apparatus includes: a transmitter, a receiver, and a processor, where the receiver is configured to receive a cell handover indication message sent by the first network device, where the cell handover indication message is Instructing the second network device to switch the user equipment from the currently connected serving cell to the target cell; the processor is configured to use the user equipment according to link configuration information between the user equipment and the serving cell The communication link with the target cell is configured.

Further, the receiver is further configured to perform a correlation step performed by the receiving unit in the fourth aspect embodiment; the transmitter is configured to perform a correlation step performed by the sending unit in the fourth aspect embodiment; the processor is further configured to: The link configuration unit in the embodiment of the fourth aspect and the related steps performed by the measurement unit are performed.

In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a computer storage medium, configured to store computer software instructions used by the first network device, and includes a program designed to execute the cell switching method.

In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a computer storage medium, configured to store computer software instructions used by the second network device, and includes a program designed to execute the cell switching method.

The cell handover method and apparatus provided by the embodiments of the present invention can solve the service interruption problem in the cell handover process.

DRAWINGS

1 is a flowchart of a method for cell handover in the prior art;

2 is a schematic diagram of a possible application scenario of an embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a schematic diagram of a scenario of cell handover based on the system architecture of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a cell handover method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of another scenario of cell handover;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a second cell handover method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

7 is a schematic structural diagram of a cell switching apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

8 is a schematic structural diagram of a second cell switching apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of a three-cell switching apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

detailed description

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a possible application scenario of an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the user equipment UE accesses the service network through a radio access network (Radio Access Network, abbreviated as follows) and a core network (Core Network, CN for short). The technology described in the present invention can be applied to a cellular network system, a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, or other wireless communication systems using various radio access technologies, for example, using code division multiple access, frequency division multiple access, A system for access technology such as time division multiple access, orthogonal frequency division multiple access, single carrier frequency division multiple access. In addition, it can also be applied to the subsequent evolution system using the LTE system, such as the fifth generation 5G system and the like.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the related user equipment may include various handheld devices with wireless communication functions, in-vehicle devices, wearable devices, computing devices or other processing devices connected to the wireless modem, and various forms of users. User Equipment (UE), Mobile Station (MS), Terminal, Terminal Equipment, etc. For convenience of description, in the present application, the devices mentioned above are collectively referred to as user equipments or UEs. A base station (BS) according to the present invention is a device deployed in a radio access network to provide a wireless communication function for a UE. The base station may include various forms of macro base stations, micro base stations, relay stations, access points, and the like. In a system using different radio access technologies, the name of a device having a base station function may be different. For example, in an LTE network, an evolved Node B (evolved Node B: eNB or eNodeB) is in the third. In the 3G network, it is called Node B and so on. For convenience of description, in the present application, the above-mentioned devices that provide wireless communication functions for the UE are collectively referred to as a base station or a BS.

3 is a schematic diagram of a scenario of cell handover based on the system architecture of FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 3, the UE is connected to the core network through the base station. Wherein, in the process of UE mobility, another cell is switched from one cell to another. In order to solve the problem of the service interruption caused by the cell handover method in the prior art, the embodiment of the present invention provides A cell handover method. In the cell handover method of the embodiment of the present invention, when the first network device determines to switch the UE from the currently connected serving cell to the target cell, the first network device sends the cell switching indication information to the second network device, and the second After the network device receives the cell handover indication information sent by the first network device, the second network device configures a communication link between the UE and the target cell according to the link configuration information between the UE and the original cell (ie, the foregoing serving cell). The UE does not need to perform the reconfiguration process of the radio link, so the service interruption problem caused by reconfiguring the radio link during the cell handover process can be avoided.

In a possible implementation, the first network device and the second network device are respectively deployed in two independent devices, for example, the first network device is deployed in the first base station, and optionally, the signal coverage area of the first base station is The second network device is deployed in the second base station. Optionally, the signal coverage area of the second base station includes the target cell.

In another possible implementation, the first network device and the second network device are deployed on the same device, and the first network device and the second network device are deployed in the same base station, and the signal coverage area of the base station includes The foregoing serving cell and the target cell, optionally, the first network device and the second network device may be two virtual machines on the base station, where the first network device is responsible for the communication service in the serving cell, and the second network device serves the target cell Communication business.

The cell handover method of the present application will be described in detail below in conjunction with specific embodiments.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a cell handover method according to an embodiment of the present invention. The processing steps of the cell handover method shown in FIG. 4 include:

Step S101: The UE sends a measurement report to the first network device corresponding to the serving cell, where the measurement report includes the measurement result information of the multiple cells, for example, including, in the measurement report, the receiving strength of the pilot signal of each cell by the UE. .

Step S102: The first network device determines, according to the received measurement report, whether a cell handover needs to be performed on the UE.

The first network device compares the signal strength of each cell according to the measurement result information of each cell in the measurement report. When the signal strength of the UE in a certain cell is greater than the signal strength of the serving cell, the UE may select to perform cell handover on the UE.

Step S103: When the first network device determines to handover the UE to the target cell, the first network device sends a cell handover indication message to the second network device corresponding to the target cell.

Optionally, the cell handover indication message is a handover request message.

Optionally, the first network device further sends link configuration information between the UE and the serving cell when sending the cell handover indication message to the second network device.

In a possible implementation manner, the link configuration information is carried in the cell handover indication message.

In a specific example, the link configuration information is carried in a cell handover request message.

Step S104: The second network device receives the cell handover indication message sent by the first network device.

Optionally, the cell handover indication message received by the second network device is a cell handover request message.

Optionally, the second network device further receives link configuration information between the UE and the serving cell that are sent by the first network device.

Step S105: The second network device configures a communication link between the UE and the target cell according to link configuration information between the UE and the serving cell.

Optionally, the second network device configures a communication link between the UE and the target cell according to the received link configuration information between the UE and the serving cell.

The link configuration information between the UE and the serving cell includes one or more of the following, for example, including one of the following information, or a combination of any two or more types of information:

The UE receives search space information of the common channel in the serving cell;

Time-frequency resource information configured by the UE in the serving cell;

a reference signal sequence used by the UE to transmit and receive data in the serving cell;

a scrambling code sequence used by the UE to transmit and receive data in the serving cell;

A parameter for calculating a configuration of a UE in a serving cell link, where the link configuration of the UE in the serving cell may include a time-frequency resource configured by the UE in the serving cell, a reference signal sequence used for transmitting and receiving data in the serving cell, and receiving and transmitting in the serving cell. One or more of the scrambling code sequences and the like used by the data. Specifically, the parameters may be a cell identifier, a UE identifier, or the like.

For the foregoing link configuration parameter, the second network device may determine, according to the search space information and the time-frequency resource information, a search space of the UE in the current serving cell and a used time-frequency resource, so that the second network device can follow the second network device. The UE performs link configuration in the search space under the current serving cell and the used time-frequency resources, and In addition, the reference signal used by the second network device to allocate and receive data for the UE is a reference signal sequence used by the UE (ie, transmitting and receiving data in the serving cell), and the scrambling code used is the scrambling code currently used by the UE. The sequence does not require the second network device to allocate a new reference signal sequence and a scrambling code sequence, thereby enabling the UE to communicate through the target cell without changing the radio link configuration. In addition, when the link configuration information includes a parameter for calculating a configuration of a serving cell link, the second network device may calculate specific link configuration information of the UE in the serving cell according to the parameter, for example, calculating The UE receives the search space of the common channel in the serving cell, the time-frequency resource configured in the serving cell, the reference signal data used for transmitting and receiving data, and the scrambling code sequence.

In the solution of the embodiment of the present invention, when the cell handover is performed, the second network device configures the communication link between the UE and the target cell according to the link configuration manner between the UE and the original cell, and the UE does not need to perform the wireless chain again. The reconfiguration process of the road can therefore avoid the service interruption caused by reconfiguring the radio link during the cell handover process.

FIG. 5 is another schematic diagram of a scenario of cell handover. As shown in FIG. 5, the cell 1 is a serving cell of the UE, the cell 2 is a neighboring cell of the cell 1, and the UE moves from the cell 1 to the cell 2. In the process of the UE moving, the UE and the cell 1 are blocked by the building. The inter-channel will be fading, causing the UE to be unable to communicate with the cell 1. The measurement report and the RRC reconfiguration message that must be sent during the cell handover may fail to be sent, eventually causing the UE to drop. In order to solve the problem of the call drop in the cell handover process caused by the channel fading, the embodiment of the present invention further provides a specific method for cell handover.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a second cell handover method according to an embodiment of the present invention. The processing steps of the cell handover method shown in FIG. 6 include:

Step S201: The UE accesses the first cell, and the first cell becomes a serving cell of the UE.

Step S202: The first network device measures the signal quality of the UE under the serving cell, and obtains the signal quality information of the UE under the serving cell.

For example, the first network device measures the SRS (Sounding Reference Signal) power of the UE in the first cell.

Step S203: The second network device measures signal quality of the UE in at least one cell except the first cell, and obtains signal quality information of the UE in at least one cell other than the first cell.

For example, the second network device measures the SRS power of the UE under at least one cell other than the first cell. In a specific example, the second network device measures the SRS power of the UE in the second cell.

Step S204: The second network device sends the signal quality information of the UE to the first network device in at least one cell other than the first cell.

Step S205: The first network device determines whether to perform cell handover according to the signal quality information of the UE in the first cell and the signal quality information of the UE in at least one cell other than the first cell.

For example, the second network device sends the signal quality information of the UE in the second cell to the first network device, and when the signal quality of the UE in the second cell is better than the signal quality of the UE in the first cell, the first network The device determines to perform a cell handover. For example, when the SRS power of the UE in the second cell is greater than the SRS power of the UE in the first cell, the first network device determines to handover the UE from the first cell to the second cell.

Step S206: The first network device sends a cell handover indication message to the second network device.

Step S207: After receiving the cell handover indication message, the second network device configures a communication link between the UE and the target cell according to link configuration information between the UE and the serving cell.

Optionally, the second network device configures a communication link between the UE and the target cell according to the link configuration information in the cell handover request message.

Time-frequency resource information configured by the UE in the serving cell;

For the foregoing link configuration parameter, the second network device may determine, according to the search space information and the time-frequency resource information, a search space of the UE in the current serving cell and a used time-frequency resource, so as to facilitate the second The network device performs link configuration according to the search space of the UE in the current serving cell and the used time-frequency resource. In addition, the reference signal used by the second network device to transmit and receive data for the relevant channel allocated by the UE is the current UE (ie, The reference signal sequence used by the serving cell to transmit and receive data, the scrambling code used is the scrambling code sequence currently used by the UE, and the second network device is not required to allocate a new reference signal sequence and the scrambling code sequence, thereby realizing that the UE does not change. Under the premise of the wireless link configuration, communication is performed through the target cell. In addition, when the link configuration information includes a parameter for calculating a configuration of a serving cell link, the second network device may calculate specific link configuration information of the UE in the serving cell according to the parameter, for example, calculating The UE receives the search space of the common channel in the serving cell, the time-frequency resource configured in the serving cell, the reference signal data used for transmitting and receiving data, and the scrambling code sequence.

In a specific example, the link configuration information between the UE and the serving cell sent by the first network device to the second network device includes: an enhanced physical downlink control channel used by the UE in the serving cell (English: Enhanced Physical Downlink Control Channel) For example, the ePDCCH resource, the physical downlink shared channel (English: Physical Downlink Shared Channel, PDSCH for short), and the physical uplink shared channel (English: Physical Uplink Shared Channel, PUSCH for short), where ePDCCH resources are included for transmission. The time-frequency resource of the control information and the scrambling code, the PDSCH resource includes a time-frequency resource for transmitting downlink data, and a scrambling code, and the PUSCH includes a time-frequency resource for transmitting uplink data and a scrambling code.

The second network device configures a communication link between the target cell and the UE according to the received link configuration information. Specifically, the ePDCCH resource that the target cell sends the downlink control information is a search that the UE can receive under the channel configuration used by the serving cell. Space, further, the demodulation reference signal (English: Demodulation Reference Signal, DMRS) transmitted by the target cell in the ePDCCH and the PDSCH uses a sequence that the UE is using in the serving cell, so that the UE can change the current channel configuration without changing the current channel configuration. Underneath, data transmitted from the target cell can still be received. The target cell receives the uplink data sent by the UE according to the PUSCH resource configured by the UE in the serving cell and the PUCCH resource that the UE is using, and performs demodulation using the DMRS sequence configured by the uplink channel originally used by the UE.

In the cell handover process of the embodiment of the present invention, since the original cell (ie, the serving cell) and the target cell maintain the channel configuration that can simultaneously communicate with the UE, the UE can simultaneously transmit and receive data with the two cells.

In the cell handover process of the embodiment of the present invention, there is no need for signaling interaction between the original cell and the UE through a channel that is suddenly deteriorated, so that the call drop problem caused by the signaling interaction failure does not occur. In addition, in the cell handover process, the process of disconnecting the UE from the original cell and re-searching the channel configuration of the access target cell is removed, Therefore, the interruption of the long-term data transmission service caused thereby can be avoided.

Corresponding to the foregoing cell handover method, the embodiment of the present invention further provides a cell handover apparatus. FIG. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a cell switching apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The apparatus shown in FIG. 7 may be used to perform the cell handover procedure performed by the first network device in the foregoing method embodiments in Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2. The following is the main structure of the cell switching device in combination with the specific structure of the cell switching device. The function is introduced. For the part not involved, refer to Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2.

As shown in FIG. 7, the cell switching apparatus includes: a determining unit 301 and a transmitting unit 302, where:

a determining unit 301, configured to determine whether to switch the user equipment from the currently connected serving cell to the target cell;

The sending unit 302 is configured to: when the processing unit determines to switch the user equipment from the currently connected serving cell to the target cell, send a cell handover indication message to the second network device, so that the second network device is configured according to the The link configuration information between the user equipment and the serving cell configures a communication link between the user equipment and the target cell.

In a possible design, when the determining unit 301 determines that the user equipment is handed over from the currently connected serving cell to the target cell, the sending unit 302 is further configured to: send the to the second network device Link configuration information between the user equipment and the serving cell.

In a possible design, the device further includes: a measuring unit 303 and a receiving unit 304;

Before the determining unit 301 determines whether to switch the user equipment from the currently connected serving cell to the target cell:

The measuring unit 303 is configured to measure signal quality of the user equipment in the serving cell, and obtain signal quality information of the user equipment in the serving cell.

The receiving unit 304 is configured to receive signal quality information of the user equipment that is sent by the second network device, at least one cell except the serving cell.

FIG. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of a second cell switching apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The apparatus shown in FIG. 8 may be used to perform the cell handover procedure performed by the second network device in the foregoing method embodiments in Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2, The main functions of the cell switching device will be introduced in the following with reference to the specific structure of the cell switching device. For the parts not involved, refer to the first embodiment and the second embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 8, the cell switching apparatus includes: a receiving unit 401 and a link configuration unit 402, where:

The receiving unit 401 is configured to receive a cell handover indication message sent by the first network device, where the cell handover indication message is used to instruct the second network device to switch the user equipment from the currently connected serving cell to the target cell;

The link configuration unit 402 is configured to configure a communication link between the user equipment and the target cell according to link configuration information between the user equipment and the serving cell.

In a possible design, the receiving unit 401 is further configured to receive link configuration information between the user equipment and the serving cell that are sent by the first network device.

In a possible design, the device further includes a measuring unit 403 and a transmitting unit 404;

Before the receiving unit 401 receives the cell handover indication message sent by the first network device:

The measuring unit 403 is configured to measure signal quality of the user equipment under the target cell, and obtain signal quality information of the user equipment under the target cell;

The sending unit 404 is configured to send signal quality information of the user equipment under the target cell to the first network device.

The cell switching device shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 is functionally divided. In an actual application scenario, the structure of the cell switching device may be further divided from a hardware perspective. When the functions of the cell switching device are divided, the hardware configuration of the cell switching device shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 may be the same. In another possible design, the cell switching devices shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 are deployed in the same In the apparatus, based on this, the hardware configuration of the cell switching apparatus shown in Figs. 7 and 8 will be described below with a specific device.

FIG. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of a three-cell switching apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The cell switching apparatus shown in FIG. 9 includes a transmitter/receiver 501, a controller/processor 502, a memory 503, and a communication unit 504. The launch The receiver/receiver 501 is configured to support the cell handover apparatus to transmit and receive information between the UE and other cell handover apparatuses in the foregoing embodiments, and to support radio communication between the UE and other UEs.

When the cell switching apparatus shown in FIG. 9 is used as the hardware implementation structure of the cell switching apparatus shown in FIG. 7, the transmitter/receiver 501 is configured to implement the functions of the transmitting unit 302 and the receiving unit 304 in FIG. The processor 502 is configured to implement the functions of the determining unit 301 and the measuring unit 303 in FIG. The memory 503 is configured to store a program. In particular, the program can include program code, the program code including computer operating instructions. The memory 503 may include a random access memory (RAM), and may also include a non-volatile memory such as at least one disk storage. The controller/processor 502 implements the functions performed by the first network device in the first embodiment and the second embodiment by executing the program stored in the memory 503.

When the cell switching apparatus shown in FIG. 9 is used as the hardware implementation structure of the cell switching apparatus shown in FIG. 8, the transmitter/receiver 501 is configured to implement the functions of the receiving unit 401 and the transmitting unit 404 in FIG. The processor 502 is configured to implement the functions of the link configuration unit 402 and the measurement unit 403 in FIG. The memory 503 is configured to store a program. In particular, the program can include program code, the program code including computer operating instructions. The memory 503 may include a random access memory (RAM), and may also include a non-volatile memory such as at least one disk storage. The controller/processor 502 implements the functions performed by the second network device in the first embodiment and the second embodiment by executing the program stored in the memory 503.

Further, the cell switching apparatus shown in FIG. 9 can simultaneously implement the functions to be implemented by the apparatus shown in FIGS. 7 and 8.

It will be appreciated that Figure 5 only shows a simplified design of the cell switching device. In practical applications, the cell switching device may include any number of transmitters, receivers, processors, controllers, memories, communication units, etc., and all the cell switching devices that can implement the present invention are within the scope of the present invention. .

The controller/processor for performing the above-described function of the cell switching device of the present invention may be a central processing unit (CPU), a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and a field programmable gate array ( FPGA) or other programmable logic device, transistor logic device, hardware component, or any combination thereof. It is possible to implement or carry out the various illustrative logical blocks, modules and circuits described in connection with the present disclosure. The processor may also be a combination of computing functions, for example, including one or more microprocessor combinations, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, and the like.

The steps of a method or algorithm described in connection with the present disclosure may be implemented in a hardware, or may be implemented by a processor executing software instructions. Software instructions can be composed of corresponding software modules, soft The modules may be stored in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, removable hard disk, CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor to enable the processor to read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium can also be an integral part of the processor. The processor and the storage medium can be located in an ASIC. Additionally, the ASIC can be located in the user equipment. Of course, the processor and the storage medium may also reside as discrete components in the user equipment.

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

The specific embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments of the present invention. The scope of the protection, any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., which are made on the basis of the technical solutions of the present invention, are included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims

A cell switching method, comprising:

Determining, by the first network device, whether the user equipment is handed over from the currently connected serving cell to the target cell;

When the first network device determines to switch the user equipment from the currently connected serving cell to the target cell, the first network device sends a cell handover indication message to the second network device, so that the second network device And configuring a communication link between the user equipment and the target cell according to link configuration information between the user equipment and the serving cell.
The method according to claim 1, wherein when the first network device determines to switch the user equipment from a currently connected serving cell to a target cell, the method further includes:

The first network device sends link configuration information between the user equipment and the serving cell to the second network device.
The method according to claim 2, wherein the link configuration information is carried in the cell handover indication message.
The method according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the link configuration information comprises one or more of the following:

The user equipment receives search space information of a common channel in the serving cell;

Time-frequency resource information configured by the user equipment in the serving cell;

a reference signal sequence used by the user equipment to send and receive data in the serving cell;

a scrambling code sequence used by the user equipment to send and receive data in the serving cell;

A parameter for calculating a configuration of the user equipment in the serving cell link.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the method further comprises: before the first network device determines whether to switch the user equipment from the currently connected serving cell to the target cell, the method further comprising:

The first network device measures signal quality of the user equipment under the serving cell, and obtains signal quality information of the user equipment under the serving cell;

The first network device receives signal quality information of the user equipment sent by the second network device in at least one cell except the serving cell.
A cell switching method, comprising:

Receiving, by the second network device, a cell handover indication message sent by the first network device, where the cell handover indication message is used to indicate that the second network device switches the user equipment from the currently connected serving cell to the target cell;

The second network device configures a communication link between the user equipment and the target cell according to link configuration information between the user equipment and the serving cell.
The method of claim 6 wherein the method further comprises:

The second network device receives link configuration information between the user equipment and the serving cell that is sent by the first network device.
The method according to claim 7, wherein the link configuration information is carried in the cell handover indication message.
The method according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the link configuration information comprises one or more of the following:

The user equipment receives search space information of a common channel in the serving cell;

Time-frequency resource information configured by the user equipment in the serving cell;

a reference signal sequence used by the user equipment to send and receive data in the serving cell;

a scrambling code sequence used by the user equipment to send and receive data in the serving cell;

A parameter for calculating a configuration of the user equipment in the serving cell link.
The method according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein before the second network device receives the cell handover indication message sent by the first network device, the method further includes:

The second network device measures signal quality of the user equipment under the target cell, and obtains signal quality information of the user equipment under the target cell;

Sending, by the second network device, signal quality information of the user equipment under the target cell to the first network device.
A cell switching device, where the device is deployed on a first network device, including:

a determining unit, configured to determine whether to switch the user equipment from the currently connected serving cell to the target cell;

a sending unit, configured to: when the processing unit determines to switch the user equipment from the currently connected serving cell to the target cell, send a cell handover indication message to the second network device, so that the second network device is configured according to the A link configuration information between the user equipment and the serving cell configures a communication link between the user equipment and the target cell.
The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein when the determining unit determines that the user equipment is handed over from a currently connected serving cell to a target cell, the sending unit is further configured to:

Transmitting link configuration information between the user equipment and the serving cell to the second network device.
The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said link configuration information is carried in The cell handover indication message is included.
The apparatus according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the link configuration information comprises one or more of the following:

The user equipment receives search space information of a common channel in the serving cell;

Time-frequency resource information configured by the user equipment in the serving cell;

a reference signal sequence used by the user equipment to send and receive data in the serving cell;

a scrambling code sequence used by the user equipment to send and receive data in the serving cell;

A parameter for calculating a configuration of the user equipment in the serving cell link.
The apparatus according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein the apparatus further comprises: a measuring unit and a receiving unit;

Before the determining unit determines whether to switch the user equipment from the currently connected serving cell to the target cell:

The measuring unit is configured to measure signal quality of the user equipment in the serving cell, and obtain signal quality information of the user equipment in the serving cell;

The receiving unit is configured to receive signal quality information of the user equipment that is sent by the second network device, at least one cell except the serving cell.
A cell switching device, where the device is deployed on a second network device, including:

a receiving unit, configured to receive a cell handover indication message sent by the first network device, where the cell handover indication message is used to instruct the second network device to switch the user equipment from the currently connected serving cell to the target cell;

And a link configuration unit, configured to configure, according to link configuration information between the user equipment and the serving cell, a communication link between the user equipment and the target cell.
The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the receiving unit is further configured to receive link configuration information between the user equipment and the serving cell that are sent by the first network device.
The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said link configuration information is carried in said cell handover indication message.
The apparatus according to claim 17 or 18, wherein the link configuration information comprises one or more of the following:

The user equipment receives search space information of a common channel in the serving cell;

Time-frequency resource information configured by the user equipment in the serving cell;

a reference signal sequence used by the user equipment to send and receive data in the serving cell;

a scrambling code sequence used by the user equipment to send and receive data in the serving cell;

A parameter for calculating a configuration of the user equipment in the serving cell link.
The device according to any one of claims 16 to 19, characterized in that the device further comprises a measuring unit and a transmitting unit;

Before the receiving unit receives the cell handover indication message sent by the first network device:

The measuring unit is configured to measure signal quality of the user equipment under the target cell, and obtain signal quality information of the user equipment under the target cell;

The sending unit is configured to send signal quality information of the user equipment under the target cell to the first network device.