WO2018191952A1

WO2018191952A1 - Network switching method, device and system

Info

Publication number: WO2018191952A1
Application number: PCT/CN2017/081427
Authority: WO
Inventors: 金辉; 欧阳国威; 窦凤辉; 何岳
Original assignee: 华为技术有限公司
Priority date: 2017-04-21
Filing date: 2017-04-21
Publication date: 2018-10-25
Also published as: CN109565723A; CN109565723B

Abstract

Provided by the present application are a network switching method, device and system, the method comprising: a user equipment (UE) accesses a first communication system by means of a base station, and sends a first message to the base station after learning that the base station supports a second communication system, the first message carrying first information, and the first information being used for instructing the base station to carry out a switch therein; the UE receives a second message sent by the base station, the second message carrying second information used by the UE in the second communication system; and the UE accesses the second communication system by using the second information.

Description

Network switching method, device and system

Technical field

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

Background technique

With the development of the fifth-generation mobile communication technology (5th-generation, 5G for short), the core network of the 5G network and the core network of the 4G network and the 2G/3G network coexist, so there is a user equipment (User Equipment, UE) from 4G. The situation where the network switches to a 5G network. In the early stage of 5G deployment, there are three types of 4G base stations: 4G legacy base stations (Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN)), enhanced for 4G to 5G handover. E-UTRAN and Evolved E-UTRAN, the UE can access the 5G network through Evolved E-UTRAN.

In the related art, the UE can be switched from 4G to 5G, but the 4G base station in the handover process is the enhanced E-UTRAN, not the 4G traditional E-UTRAN, but not in the initial stage of the 5G network. 4G E-UTRAN is enhanced, and there is a partially un-enhanced E-UTRAN. For un-enhanced E-UTRAN, when the target base station for handover is Evolved E-UTRAN, the un-enhanced E-TURTAN considers the target base station to be a 4G base station and switches the UE to the 4G network, when the UE is never enhanced within 4G. After the E-UTRAN is switched to Evolved E-UTRAN, that is, when the Evolved E-UTRAN is in the connected state, how to switch between 4G and 5G within the Evolved E-UTRAN is an urgent problem to be solved.

Summary of the invention

The present application provides a network handover method, apparatus, and system to solve the problem of how to perform handover between 4G and 5G within the Evolved E-UTRAN when the Evolved E-UTRAN is in the connected state.

In a first aspect, the present application provides a network handover method, including: after a UE monitors an SIB message sent by a base station, and learns that the base station supports the second communication system, the UE sends a first message to the base station, where the first message carries the first information, and the first message The information is used to indicate that the handover is performed in the base station, the UE receives the second message sent by the base station, the second message carries the second information used by the UE in the second communication system, and the UE accesses the second communication system by using the second information. Therefore, when the Evolved E-UTRAN is in the connected state, the UE performs handover between 4G and 5G within the Evolved E-UTRAN. When the UE moves between 4G and 5G, the continuity of the service can be ensured.

In one possible design, the version of the second communication system is higher than the first communication system.

In a possible design, the first message is used to request to switch from the first communication system to the second communication system, so that the base station sends a third message to the second core network element of the first communication system, in the third message. And carrying the identifier of the UE and the third information, where the third message is used to enable the second core network element to learn to switch the UE from the first communication system to the second communication system, and the third information is used to indicate that the handover is performed in the base station.

In a possible design, the first message is used to request to switch from the first communication system to the second communication system, so that the base station sends a third message to the second core network element of the first communication system, in the third message. Carrying the identity and first of the UE The third message is used to enable the second core network element to learn to switch the UE from the first communication system to the second communication system.

In one possible design, the identity and first information of the UE is carried by the source to the target transparent container.

In a possible design, the UE learns that the base station supports the second communication system, including:

The UE monitors the indication information carried in the system information sent by the base station, and learns that the base station supports the second communication system; or

The UE receives the indication information sent by the base station, and learns, according to the indication information, that the base station supports the second communication system.

In a possible design, the first message includes a fourth message sent by the UE to the first core network element, so that the base station sends a fourth message to the first core network element, where the fourth message carries the identifier of the UE. The fourth information is used to indicate that the handover is performed in the base station, the fourth message is used for the UE to request location update, or the fourth message is used for the UE to request the mobile registration update.

In a possible design, the first message includes a fifth message sent by the UE to the second core network element, so that the base station sends a fifth message to the first core network element, where the fifth message carries the identifier of the UE. The fifth information is used to indicate that the handover is performed in the base station, and the fifth message is used to request the location update by the UE.

In a possible design, the second information includes: radio resource information used by the UE to access the second communication system by using the base station.

In a possible design, the identifier of the UE is an identifier allocated by the base station to the UE, or the identifier of the UE is an identifier allocated by the second core network element to the UE.

In a second aspect, the application provides a network handover method, including: receiving, by a base station, a first message sent by a first core network element of a second communication system, where the first message is used to request to switch the UE from the first communication system to the first In the second communication system, the first message carries the identifier of the UE and the first information, where the first information is used to indicate that the handover is performed in the base station, and the base station determines, according to the first condition, the second information that is used by the UE in the second communication system, first The condition includes the identifier of the UE and the first information, the base station sends a second message to the UE, and the second message carries the second information. Therefore, when the Evolved E-UTRAN is in the connected state, the UE performs handover between 4G and 5G within the Evolved E-UTRAN. When the UE moves between 4G and 5G, the continuity of the service can be ensured.

In a possible design, before receiving the first message sent by the first core network element of the second communication system, the base station further includes: receiving, by the base station, a third message sent by the UE, where the third message is used to request the first communication The system switches to the second communication system; the base station sends a fourth message to the second core network element of the first communication system, where the fourth message carries the identifier of the UE and the third information, and the fourth message is used to make the second core network The element learns to switch the UE from the first communication system to the second communication system, and the third information is used to indicate that the handover is performed within the base station.

In a possible design, before receiving the first message sent by the first core network element of the second communication system, the base station further includes: receiving, by the base station, a third message sent by the UE, where the third message is used to request the first communication The system switches to the second communication system; the base station sends a fourth message to the second core network element of the first communication system, where the fourth message carries the identifier of the UE and the first information, and the fourth message is used to make the second core network The element learns to switch the UE from the first communication system to the second communication system.

In a possible design, before the base station sends the second message to the UE, the method further includes:

The base station saves the correspondence between the identifier of the UE and the second information; the base station sends the first message to the network element of the first core network a confirmation message; the base station receives the fifth message sent by the second core network element, and the fifth message carries the identifier of the UE, the base station obtains the second information according to the identifier and the corresponding relationship of the UE, and sends the second information to the UE; or, the base station And receiving, by the second core network element, a fifth message, where the fifth message carries the identifier of the UE and the protocol data unit PDU session context, and the base station obtains the second information according to the identifier and the corresponding relationship of the UE, and sends the second information to the UE. PDU session context.

In a possible design, before receiving the first message sent by the first core network element of the second communication system, the base station further includes: the base station receiving the sixth message sent by the UE, where the sixth message includes the UE to the first core The seventh message sent by the network element, the seventh message carries the identifier of the UE and the fourth information, and the fourth information is used to indicate that the handover is performed in the base station;

The base station sends a seventh message to the first core network element, where the seventh message is used for the UE to request location update, or the seventh message is used by the UE to request mobile registration update.

In a possible design, before receiving the first message sent by the first core network element of the second communication system, the base station further includes: receiving, by the base station, an eighth message sent by the UE, where the eighth message includes the UE to the second core The ninth message sent by the network element, the ninth message carries the identifier of the UE and the fourth information, and the fourth information is used to indicate that the handover is performed in the base station;

The base station sends a ninth message to the first core network element, and the ninth message is used by the UE to request tracking area update.

In a possible design, the first information further includes a PDU session context, and the base station determines the second information used by the UE in the second communication system according to the first condition, where the base station obtains the UE in the first communication system according to the first condition. The radio resource information, the base station generates the second information based on the radio resource information of the first communication system and the PDU session context.

In a third aspect, the present application provides a network switching method, including: a first core network element of a second communication system receives a third core network element sent by a second communication system, and is used to establish a protocol data unit for a user equipment UE. a second message of the PDU session, the second message carries a PDU context, the first core network element sends a first message to the base station, where the first message is used to request to switch the UE from the first communication system to the second communication system, the first message The identifier of the UE and the first information are carried in, where the first information is used to indicate that the handover is performed in the base station. Therefore, when the Evolved E-UTRAN is in the connected state, the UE performs handover between 4G and 5G within the Evolved E-UTRAN. When the UE moves between 4G and 5G, the continuity of the service can be ensured.

In a possible design, before the first core network element receives the second message sent by the third core network element of the second communication system for establishing a PDU session for the UE, the first core network element further includes: the first core network element Receiving a third message sent by the second core network element of the first communication system, where the third message carries the identifier of the UE and the first information, where the first information is used to indicate that the handover is performed in the base station.

In a possible design, the third message is sent by the second core network element after receiving the fourth message sent by the base station, and the fourth message carries the first information and the identifier of the UE.

In a possible design, the third message is sent after the second core network element receives the fifth message sent by the UE, and the fifth message is used by the UE to request location update.

In a possible design, before the first core network element receives the second message sent by the third core network element, the method further includes: the first core network element receives the sixth message sent by the UE, and the sixth message is used. The UE requests a location update, Or the sixth message is used by the UE to request a mobile registration update.

In a fourth aspect, the application provides a user equipment, including: a processing module, configured to access a first communication system by using a base station, to learn that the base station supports a second communication system, and a sending module, configured to send a first message to the base station, The first message carries the first information, where the first information is used to indicate that the handover is performed in the base station, the receiving module is configured to receive the second message sent by the base station, and the second message is used to carry the second message that is used by the UE in the second communication system. The information processing module is further configured to access the second communication system using the second information. Therefore, when the Evolved E-UTRAN is in the connected state, the UE performs handover between 4G and 5G within the Evolved E-UTRAN. When the UE moves between 4G and 5G, the continuity of the service can be ensured.

In a possible design, the first message is used to request to switch from the first communication system to the second communication system, so that the base station sends a third message to the second core network element of the first communication system, in the third message. And carrying the identifier of the UE and the first information, where the third message is used to enable the second core network element to learn to switch the UE from the first communication system to the second communication system.

In one possible design, the processing module is specifically configured to:

Monitoring the indication information carried in the system information sent by the base station to learn that the base station supports the second communication system; or

The receiving module is further configured to receive the indication information sent by the base station, where the processing module is specifically configured to learn, according to the indication information, that the base station supports the second communication system.

In a fifth aspect, the application provides a base station, including: a receiving module, configured to receive a first message sent by a first core network element of a second communications system, where the first message is used to request that the user equipment UE be from the first communications The system switches to the second communication system, where the first message carries the identifier of the UE and the first information, the first information is used to indicate that the handover is performed in the base station, and the processing module is configured to determine, according to the first condition, that the UE is in the second communication system. The second information used, the first condition includes The identifier of the UE and the first information, the sending module, configured to send the second message to the UE, where the second message carries the second information. Therefore, when the Evolved E-UTRAN is in the connected state, the UE performs handover between 4G and 5G within the Evolved E-UTRAN. When the UE moves between 4G and 5G, the continuity of the service can be ensured.

In a possible design, the receiving module is further configured to: before receiving the first message sent by the first core network element of the second communication system, receive a third message sent by the UE, where the third message is used to request a communication system is switched to the second communication system; the sending module is further configured to: send a fourth message to the second core network element of the first communication system, where the fourth message carries the identifier of the UE and the third information, where the fourth message is used The second core network element is informed that the UE is handed over from the first communication system to the second communication system, and the third information is used to indicate that the handover is performed within the base station.

In a possible design, the receiving module is further configured to: before receiving the first message sent by the first core network element of the second communication system, receive a third message sent by the UE, where the third message is used to request from the first The communication system switches to the second communication system;

The sending module is further configured to: send a fourth message to the second core network element of the first communication system, where the fourth message carries the identifier of the UE and the first information, where the fourth message is used to learn the second core network element The UE switches from the first communication system to the second communication system.

In a possible design, the processing module is further configured to: before the sending module sends the second message to the UE, save the correspondence between the identifier of the UE and the second information;

The sending module is further configured to send a confirmation message of the first message to the first core network element.

The receiving module is further configured to receive a fifth message sent by the second core network element, where the fifth message carries the identifier of the UE, where the sending module is further configured to obtain the second information according to the identifier and the corresponding relationship of the UE, and send the second information to the UE. The receiving module is further configured to receive the fifth message sent by the second core network element, where the fifth message carries the identifier of the UE and the protocol data unit PDU session context, and the sending module is further configured to use the identifier and the corresponding relationship of the UE. Obtaining the second information and transmitting the second information and the PDU session context to the UE.

In a possible design, the receiving module is further configured to: before receiving the first message sent by the first core network element of the second communication system, receive the sixth message sent by the UE, where the sixth message includes the UE The seventh message sent by a core network element, the seventh message carries the identifier of the UE and the fourth information, the fourth information is used to indicate that the handover is performed in the base station, and the sending module is further configured to send the seventh message to the first core network element. The message, the seventh message is used for the UE to request location update, or the seventh message is used for the UE to request mobile registration update.

In a possible design, the receiving module is further configured to: before receiving the first message sent by the first core network element of the second communication system, receive an eighth message sent by the UE, where the eighth message includes the UE to the first The ninth message sent by the network element of the second core network, the ninth message carries the identifier of the UE and the fourth information, and the fourth information is used to indicate that the handover is performed in the base station;

The sending module is further configured to send a ninth message to the first core network element, where the ninth message is used by the UE to perform tracking area update.

In a possible design, the first information further includes a PDU session context, and the processing module is specifically configured to: obtain, according to the first condition, radio resource information of the UE in the first communication system, and based on the radio resource information of the first communication system, The PDU session context generates second information.

In a sixth aspect, the application provides a core network element, including:

a receiving module, configured to receive a second message that is sent by the third core network element of the second communications system to establish a protocol data unit PDU session for the user equipment UE, the second message carries a PDU context, and the sending module is configured to send to the base station Sending a first message, the first message is used to request to switch the UE from the first communication system to the second communication system, where the first message carries the identifier of the UE and the first information, where the first information is used to indicate that the handover is performed in the base station. Therefore, when the Evolved E-UTRAN is in the connected state, the UE performs handover between 4G and 5G within the Evolved E-UTRAN. When the UE moves between 4G and 5G, the continuity of the service can be ensured.

In a possible design, the receiving module is further configured to: receive the second message of the first communication system before receiving the second message sent by the third core network element of the second communication system for establishing a PDU session for the UE The third message sent by the network element of the core network, where the third message carries the identifier of the UE and the first information, where the first information is used to indicate that the handover is performed in the base station.

In a possible design, the receiving module is further configured to: before receiving the second message sent by the third core network element, receive the sixth message sent by the UE, where the sixth message is used by the UE to request location update, or Six messages are used by the UE to request a mobile registration update.

In a seventh aspect, the present application provides a communication system comprising the user equipment described in the fourth aspect and the possible design of the fourth aspect, and the base station described in the fifth aspect and the possible design of the fifth aspect.

In an eighth aspect, the application provides a readable storage medium, where an execution instruction is stored, and when at least one processor of the network switching device executes the execution instruction, the network switching device performs the first aspect and the second aspect. Or the network switching method of the third aspect.

In a ninth aspect, the application provides a program product, the program product comprising an execution instruction, the execution instruction being stored in a readable storage medium. At least one processor of the network switching device can read the execution instruction from a readable storage medium, and the at least one processor executes the execution instruction such that the network switching device implements the network switching method of the first aspect, the second aspect, or the third aspect.

DRAWINGS

1 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture provided by the present application;

2 is a schematic diagram of an interaction process of Embodiment 1 of a network switching method provided by the present application;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an interaction process of a second embodiment of a network switching method according to the present application;

4 is a schematic diagram of an interaction process of Embodiment 3 of a network switching method provided by the present application;

FIG. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of Embodiment 1 of a UE according to the present application;

6 is a schematic structural diagram of Embodiment 1 of a base station according to the present application;

7 is a schematic structural diagram of Embodiment 2 of a UE according to the present application;

FIG. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of Embodiment 2 of a base station according to the present application.

detailed description

The technical solution of the present application can be applied to various communication systems of a wireless cellular network, for example, a Global System of Mobile communication (GSM) system, a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) system, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access Wireless (WCDMA) system, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) system, LTE system, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Etc., this application is not limited.

The technical solution of the present application is mainly applied to a 4G communication system and a 5G communication system. In the communication system to which the present application is applied, the network element involved is a base station (also referred to as an access network device) and a UE.

1 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture provided by the present application, including: a UE, an Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), a Mobile Management Entity (MME), and a Serving Gateway ( Serving Gateway (SGW), User Plane Function (UPF) + PDN Gateway-Control plane (PGW-C), Session Management Function (SMF) + User Plan of PDN Gateway (PDN Gateway-User plane, PGW-U), policy control function (PCF) + Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF), Home Subscriber Server (HSS) + Unified Data Management (UDM), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), and E-UTRAN ("Evolved" E-UTRAN).

The network architecture of the present application includes a first communication system, a second communication system, and a UE, and the first communication system and the second communication system include a shared network element and a shared base station ("Evolved" E-UTRAN), and the second communication The version of the system is higher than the first communication system. In the embodiment of the present application, the first communication system is a 4G communication system, and the second communication system is a 5G communication system.

The E-UTRAN is a 4G side base station, and the UE can access the 4G communication system through the base station; the “Evolved” E-UTRAN is an enhancement to the 4G side base station, and the UE can access the 5G communication system through the base station.

The MME is a 4G core network device, which is responsible for authentication, authorization, mobility management, and session management of the UE; the associated EPS bearer identifier of the UE in a 4G protocol data network (PDN) connection (Connection or Connectivity) (Linked) EPS Bearer ID, LBI) is assigned by this entity.

The SGW is a 4G core network device (core network gateway), which is responsible for data forwarding, downlink data storage, and the like.

UPF+PGW-U is the core network equipment shared by 4G and 5G, that is, the core network equipment of 4G and 5G, including the functions of UPF and PGW-U. The UPF is a user plane device of the 5G core network, and provides a user plane service for the PDU session of the UE; it is an interface gateway between the operator network and the external network. The PGW-U is a user plane device of the 4G core network, and provides user plane services for the PDN connection of the UE; it is an interface gateway between the carrier network and the external network. UPF+PGW-U can also be called PGW-U+UPF, as long as it is a device that includes UPF and PGW-U functions.

SMF+PGW-C is the core network equipment shared by 4G and 5G, that is, the core network equipment of 4G and 5G, including the functions of SMF and PGW-C. The SMF is a control plane device of the 5G core network, and provides a control plane service for the PDU session of the UE; manages the 5G PDU session, manages the 5G QoS, and is responsible for allocating an IP address for the UE, and is responsible for selecting the UPF for the UE. The PGW-C is a control plane device of the 4G core network, and provides user plane services for the PDN connection of the UE. It is responsible for allocating an IP address for the UE and establishing an EPS bearer for the UE. SMF+PGW-C can also be called PGW-C+SMF, as long as it is a device that includes SMF and PGW-C functions.

PCF+PCRF is a core network device shared by 4G and 5G, that is, 4G and 5G core network devices, including PCF and PCRF. The PCRF is a 4G core network device, and is responsible for generating a policy for a user to establish a data bearer. PCF is a 5G core network device, similar to the PCRF function. PCF+PCRF may also be referred to as PCRF+PCF, as long as it is a device containing PCF and PCRF functions.

UDM+HSS is a core network device shared by 4G and 5G, that is, 4G and 5G core network devices, including HSS and UDM. The HSS is a 4G core network device and is used to store subscription data of the user. The SDM is a 5G core network device and is used to store user subscription data. UDM+HSS can also be called HSS+UDM, as long as it is a device that includes both HSS and UDM functions.

AMF is a 5G core network device, which is used to authenticate and authorize users and manage user mobility.

The Nx interface is an interface between the MME and the AMF, and the interface is optional.

In the related art, the process of switching 4G to 5G is as follows:

1. The enhanced E-UTRAN determines that the UE needs to be switched from 4G to 5G according to the measurement report reported by the UE.

2. The enhanced E-UTRAN sends a handover request message to the 4G network element (Mobile Management Entity, MME for short), and carries the source to target transparent container (Source to Target Transparent Container) and the target 5G in the message. The identifier of the base station and the tracking area identifier (TAI) of the location area information to which the target 5G base station belongs, the wireless capability information of the UE that carries the UE in the source transparent container, and the wireless resource information allocated by the enhanced E-UTRAN for the UE, Target cell information, etc. The target 5G base station includes a base station defined by the 5G system dedicated to access the 5G core network, and Evolved E-UTRAN.

3. The MME determines the 5G core network element, the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), and sends a forward relocation request message to the AMF.

4. The AMF determines a session management function (SSF) for providing a service to the UE according to the forward redirect request message, and sends a protocol data unit (PDU) session establishment request to the SMF. The packet data network (Packet Data Network abbreviation: PDN) connection (Connection or Connectivity) context (Context) is carried in the message.

5. The SMF determines the PDU session context used by the UE in 5G according to the PDN connection context.

6. The SMF sends a session creation request to the User Plane Function (UPF) gateway to establish a session for the UE at 5G.

7. The SMF returns a PDU session setup response message to the AMF, where the message carries the PDU session context.

8. The AMF sends a handover request message to the 5G base station, where the message carries the source-to-target transparent container and the PDU session context.

9. The 5G base station determines the radio resource information used by the UE in the 5G base station according to the source-to-target transparent container and the PDU session context, and generates a target to source transparent container, and sends the carry target to the source transparent container to the AMF. Switching reply message.

10. The AMF sends a forward redirect response message to the MME, where the message includes a target-to-source transparent container.

11. The MME sends a handover command handover command to the enhanced E-UTRAN, where the message carries the target to the source transparent container.

12. The enhanced E-UTRAN sends a handover command handover command message to the UE, where the message carries the target-to-source transparent container, and the UE updates the radio resource information according to the handover message, and returns a handover complete message to the 5G base station.

The 4G base station in the above handover procedure is an enhanced E-UTRAN, which is not a conventional E-UTRAN of 4G. In the initial stage of 5G deployment, all 4G E-UTRANs are not enhanced, and some un-enhanced Es exist. -UTRAN. For un-enhanced E-UTRAN, when the target base station for handover is Evolved E-UTRAN, the un-enhanced E-TURTAN considers the target base station to be a 4G base station and switches the UE to the 4G network, when the UE is never enhanced within 4G. After the E-UTRAN is switched to the Evolved E-UTRAN, that is, when the Evolved E-UTRAN is in the connected state, how to switch between 4G and 5G within the Evolved E-UTRAN is a problem to be solved in the present application. .

The network handover method, device and system proposed by the present application are used to solve the problem of how to switch between 4G and 5G within the Evolved E-UTRAN when the UE is in the connected state in the Evolved E-UTRAN, so that the UE is in 4G and When moving between 5Gs, business continuity can be guaranteed. The first communication system is a 4G communication system, and the second communication system is a 5G communication system. The technical solution of the present application is described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the embodiment of the present application, the first core of the second communication system is used. The network element is the AMF, the second core network element of the first communication system is the MME, the third core network element of the second communication system is the SMF, and the base station of the first communication system is the E-UTRAN and the Evolved E-UTRAN. The UE may access the first communication system or the second communication system through the Evolved E-UTRAN.

It should be noted that the names of the devices, messages, or parameters in the present application are only for describing the embodiments, and are not intended to limit the functions or features of the devices, messages, or parameters.

Before introducing various embodiments of the present application, the difference between the inter-base station handover and the intra-base station handover is first introduced. The prior art inter-base station handover is that the UE switches from the base station of the first communication system to the base station of the second communication system, and switches within the base station. The UE performs switching between 4G and 5G inside the Evolved E-UTRAN of the base station of the 4G communication system. The intra-base station handover includes the UE performing handover between communication systems when the base station is unchanged, for example, switching from 4G to 5G, or performing radio access technology (RAT) handover when the base station is unchanged.

2 is a schematic diagram of an interaction process of a network switching method according to Embodiment 1 of the present application. In this embodiment, a UE initiates a request to an Evolved E-UTRAN to request a handover from a 4G communication system to a 5G communication system within the Evolved E-UTRAN. Or conversion, as shown in Figure 2, the method includes:

S101. The UE learns that the currently accessed base station supports the 5G communication system.

The base station is an Evolved E-UTRAN, and the UE can learn by referring to the indication information that the base station supports the access to the 5G core network carried in the system information (SIB) sent by the base station; or the UE can control the radio resource by the receiving base station. The base station carried in the (Radio Resource Control, RRC) supports the indication information of the access to the 5G core network.

S102. Send a request message to the base station, where the request message is used to request intra-base station handover. The request message may be specifically a switch request, where the conversion request carries the first information, and the first information is used to indicate that the handover is performed in the base station. Performing intra-base station handover includes performing handover between communication systems when the base station is unchanged; or performing inter-RAT handover when the base station is unchanged; or switching from the 4G system to the case where the base station is unchanged 5G system; or, from the 4G RAT to the 5G RAT if the base station is unchanged.

It should be noted that the first information, the second information, the third information, the fourth information, the fifth information, and the like in the present application may be a specific parameter or a combination of multiple parameters.

S103. The base station sends a handover request message (Handover required) to the MME according to the request message, where the handover request message carries the identifier of the UE and the third information, or the handover request message carries the identifier and the first information of the UE, and carries the target base station. The identification and target tracking area identification (TAI). The handover request message is used to enable the MME to learn to handover the UE from the 4G communication system to the 5G communication system, and the third information is used to indicate handover within the base station. Performing intra-base station handover includes performing handover between communication systems when the base station is unchanged; or performing inter-RAT handover when the base station is unchanged; or switching from the 4G system to the case where the base station is unchanged 5G system; or, from the 4G RAT to the 5G RAT if the base station is unchanged.

The base station may send a handover request message to the MME according to the first information carried in the request message.

The identifier of the UE is an identifier that is allocated by the base station to the UE, for example, the C-RNTI of the UE in the 4G communication system, or the identifier of the UE is an identifier that the MME allocates for the UE. For example, the UE is S-TMSI in a 4G communication system. Optionally, the third information may be the same as or different from the first information.

The UE may carry the identifier of the UE in the request message, the base station obtains the identifier of the UE from the request message, and carries the identifier of the UE obtained from the request message in the handover request message; or the base station locally obtains the identifier of the UE, and performs the handover request. The message carries the identity of the locally obtained UE.

Optionally, the identifier of the UE and the first information, or the identifier of the UE and the third information are carried by the source to the target transparent container.

The advantage that the source-to-target transparent container carries is that the MME does not need to be modified, and the MME can process according to the inter-system handover procedure of the prior art.

S104. The MME determines, according to the handover request message, that the UE needs to perform the handover of the 4G communication system to the 5G communication system, and sends a forward relocation request message to the AMF of the 5G communication system, and carries the UE in the forward redirection request message. The identifier, the indication information for indicating handover in the base station, the identifier of the target base station, and the target TAI, the MM context, and the PDN connection context.

S105. The AMF determines an SMF of the second communication system that serves the UE, and sends a PDU session establishment request to the SMF, where the PDU session establishment request carries a PDN connection context.

Optionally, the first information or the third information is further carried.

S106. The SMF determines a PDU session context used by the UE in the second communication system according to a PDN connection (connection or connectivity) context.

Optionally, the SMF may send the PDN connection context to the PCF, and the PCF determines a PDU session context used by the UE in the second communication system, and sends the PDU session context to the SMF.

S107. The SMF sends a Session Creation request to the UPF to establish a PDU session for the UE in the 5G communication system.

S108. The SMF returns a PDU session establishment response (Session Establishment response) to the AMF. The PDU session establishment response carries a PDU session context, and the PDU session context includes a rule of one or more Quality of Service (QoS) flows allocated by the SMF for the UE. The QoS Rule includes the following information: Traffic Flow Template (TFT), QoS Configuration (Profile), QoS Flow Identification (ID), and Priority (Precedence).

S109. The AMF sends a handover request message to the base station, where the handover request message carries an identifier of the UE, a PDU session context, and indication information for indicating handover in the base station. The indication information may be the first information or the third information.

Optionally, the identifier and indication information of the UE are carried by the source to the target transparent container.

S110. The base station determines, according to the handover request message, second information used by the UE in the 5G communication system.

The second information includes the radio resource information used by the UE to access the second communication system by using the base station. Specifically, the base station determines, according to the identifier of the UE, the indication information used to indicate handover in the base station, that the UE is in the 4G. The radio resource information used in the UE determines the session information of the UE in 5G according to the PDU session context. The base station determines the radio resource information used by the UE in the 5G according to the radio resource information used by the UE in the 4G and the session information of the UE in the 5G. Then, the base station saves the correspondence between the identifier of the UE and the second information. The radio resource information includes a data radio bearer (DRB) and/or a signaling radio bearer (SRB) used by the UE to access the second communication system through the base station.

S111. The base station sends a handover request acknowledgement message to the AMF.

S112. The AMF sends a PDU session modification request to the SMF, and is used to establish, for the UE, a tunnel for transmitting data between the base station and the UPF.

S113. The AMF sends a forward relocation response message to the MME, where the message carries the SM context and the identifier of the UE.

S114. The MME sends a handover command to the base station, where the SM command carries the identifier of the SM context and the UE.

S115. The base station determines the radio resource information saved in the S110 according to the identifier of the UE, and sends a handover command message to the UE, where the PDU session context is further carried in the handover command message.

S116. The UE updates the radio resource information according to the handover command message, and returns a handover complete message to the base station.

S117. The base station sends a handover complete message to the AMF.

S118, AMF updates the SMF.

S119. The UE sends a 5G location update message to the AMF.

The network switching method provided in this embodiment, after the UE learns that the current base station supports the 5G communication system, initiates a request for requesting intra-base station handover to the current base station, and then performs signaling interaction between the base station and the MME, the AMF, and the SMF. The base station determines the radio resource information used by the UE in the 5G communication system and saves the correspondence between the identifier of the UE and the radio resource information. After the MME sends the handover command to the base station, the base station determines, according to the identifier of the UE, the UE is used in the 5G communication system. The radio resource information is sent to the UE, and finally the UE updates the radio resource information according to the handover command message, and the handover is completed. Therefore, when the Evolved E-UTRAN is in the connected state, the UE performs handover between 4G and 5G within the Evolved E-UTRAN. When the UE moves between 4G and 5G, the continuity of the service can be ensured.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the interaction process of the network switching method according to Embodiment 2 of the present application. In this embodiment, the UE is directed to The current core network element MME initiates a request to perform handover or conversion of the 4G communication system to the 5G communication system within the Evolved E-UTRAN. As shown in FIG. 3, the method includes:

S201. The UE learns that the currently accessed base station supports the 5G communication system.

The details are the same as those of S101 shown in FIG. 2, and details are not described herein again.

S202. The UE sends a RAT change request or a Tracking Area Update (TAU) request to the MME through the base station, and the RAT conversion request or the TAU request is used to request intra-base station handover. Performing intra-base station handover includes performing handover between communication systems when the base station is unchanged; or performing inter-RAT handover when the base station is unchanged.

The request may carry the identifier of the UE and the fifth information, where the fifth information is used to indicate that the handover is performed within the base station.

S203. The MME determines an AMF of the second communications system, and the MME determines, according to the first information, that the UE needs to perform handover of the first communications system to the second communications system, and sends a forward relocation request message to the AMF. The redirection request message carries an identifier of the UE, indication information for indicating handover in the base station, an identifier of the target base station and a target TAI, a Mobility Management (MM) context, and a PDN connection context.

S204 to S207 are the same as the steps S105 to S108 shown in FIG. 2, and are not described herein again.

S208. The AMF sends a handover request message to the base station, where the handover request message carries the identifier of the UE, the PDU session context, the first information, and the SM context.

The AMF determines the base station according to the identifier of the target base station in S203.

S209. The base station determines, according to the handover request message, second information used by the UE in the 5G communication system.

The second information includes the radio resource information used by the UE to access the 5G communication system by using the base station. Specifically, the base station determines the radio resource information used by the UE in the 4G according to the identifier and the first information of the UE, according to the PDU. The session context determines the session information of the UE in 5G. The base station determines the radio resource information used by the UE in the 5G according to the radio resource information used by the UE in the 4G and the session information of the UE in the 5G.

S210. The base station sends a handover command message to the UE, where the handover command message carries the radio resource information determined by S209, and the handover command message may further carry the PDU session context. The PDU session context contains information about one or more QoS flows used by the UE in 5G, including information such as QoS, flow ID, TFT, and priority of the flow. When the UE has uplink data transmission, it can select the correct QoS flow for transmission according to the PDU session context.

Next, the same as S116 to S119. I will not repeat them here.

The network switching method provided in this embodiment, after the UE learns that the current base station supports the 5G communication system, initiates a request to the MME to carry a message for indicating handover in the base station, and then passes the letter between the base station and the MME, the AMF, and the SMF. For the interaction, the base station determines the radio resource information used by the UE in the 5G communication system, and sends a handover command message to the UE. Finally, the UE updates the radio resource information according to the handover command message, and the handover is completed. Therefore, when the Evolved E-UTRAN is in the connected state, the UE performs handover between 4G and 5G within the Evolved E-UTRAN. When the UE moves between 4G and 5G, the continuity of the service can be ensured.

4 is a schematic diagram of an interaction process of a network switching method according to Embodiment 3 of the present application. In this embodiment, a UE initiates a request to a target core network element AMF to request a 4G communication system to a 5G communication system within the Evolved E-UTRAN. Switching or converting, as shown in Figure 4, the method includes:

S301. The UE learns that the currently accessed base station supports the 5G communication system.

S302: The UE sends a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message to the base station, where the RRC message includes a 5G indication message, and the RRC message includes a 5G mobility registration update message, where the 5G mobility registration update message carries the UE. The identifier, the fourth information, and the 5G Globally Unique Temporary UE Identity (GUTI), the fourth information is used to indicate that the handover is performed within the base station. The 5G mobility registration update message may specifically be a registration message carrying a mobility registration update (mobility registration update) indication. The 5G GUTI may be obtained by the UE according to the 4G GUTI mapping.

S303. The base station sends a 5G mobility registration update message in the RRC message to the AMF according to the 5G indication message in the RRC message. The 5G mobility registration update message is used by the UE to request a location update, or for the UE to request a mobile registration update.

S304. The AMF acquires context information of the UE from the MME.

The UE can obtain the 4G GUTI according to the 5G GUTI mapping, and the message sent by the AMF to the MME carries the 4G GUTI.

S305 to S308 are the same as the steps S105 to S108 shown in FIG. 2, and are not described herein again.

S309 to S311 are the same as the steps S208 to S210 shown in FIG. 3, and are not described herein again.

Next, the same as S116 to S118. I will not repeat them here.

The network switching method provided in this embodiment, after the UE learns that the current base station supports the 5G communication system, the base station initiates a request to the AMF to carry a message for indicating handover in the base station, and then passes between the base station and the MME, the AMF, and the SMF. The signaling interaction, the base station determines the radio resource information used by the UE in the 5G communication system, and sends a handover command message to the UE. Finally, the UE updates the radio resource information according to the handover command message, and the handover is completed. Therefore, when the Evolved E-UTRAN is in the connected state, the UE performs handover between 4G and 5G within the Evolved E-UTRAN. When the UE moves between 4G and 5G, the continuity of the service can be ensured.

The application may divide the functional modules of the UE and the base station according to the foregoing method example. For example, each functional module may be divided according to each function, or two or more functions may be integrated into one processing module. The above integrated modules can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules. It should be noted that the division of the modules in the embodiments of the present application is schematic, and is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be another division manner.

FIG. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of Embodiment 1 of a UE according to the present application. As shown in FIG. 5, the apparatus in this embodiment may include: a sending module 21, a receiving module 22, and a processing module 23, where the processing module 23 is configured to access the first through the base station. The communication system is configured to support the second communication system, and the transmitter 41 is configured to: after the base station supports the second communication system, the first message is sent to the base station, and the first message carries the first information. The first information is used to indicate that the handover is performed in the base station; the receiving module 22 is configured to receive the second message sent by the base station, and the second message carries the second information used by the UE in the second communication system; the processing module 23 is further configured to use The second information is accessed to the second communication system. Wherein the version of the second communication system is higher than the first communication system.

Optionally, the first message is used to request to switch from the first communications system to the second communications system, so that the base station sends a third message to the second core network element of the first communications system, where the third message carries the identifier of the UE. And the third information, the third message is used to enable the second core network element to learn to switch the UE from the first communication system to the second communication system, and the third information is used to indicate that the handover is performed in the base station.

Optionally, the first message is used to request to switch from the first communications system to the second communications system, so that the base station sends a third message to the second core network element of the first communications system, where the third message carries the identifier of the UE. And the first message, the third The information is used to enable the second core network element to learn to switch the UE from the first communication system to the second communication system.

Optionally, the identifier and the first information of the UE are carried by the source to the target transparent container.

Optionally, the processing module 23 is specifically configured to: monitor the indication information carried in the system information sent by the base station, and learn that the base station supports the second communication system; or the receiving module 22 is further configured to receive the The processing module 23 is specifically configured to learn, according to the indication information, that the base station supports the second communication system.

Further, the first message includes a fourth message sent by the UE to the first core network element, so that the base station sends a fourth message to the first core network element, where the fourth message carries the identifier and the fourth information of the UE. The fourth information is used to indicate handover within the base station, the fourth message is used for the UE to request location update, or the fourth message is used for the UE to request mobile registration update.

Further, the first message includes a fifth message sent by the UE to the second core network element, so that the base station sends a fifth message to the first core network element, where the fifth message carries the identifier and the fifth information of the UE. The fifth message is used to indicate that the handover is performed within the base station, and the fifth message is used for the UE to request location update.

The second information includes: radio resource information used by the UE to access the second communication system by using the base station. The identifier of the UE is an identifier assigned by the base station to the UE, or the identifier of the UE is an identifier allocated by the second core network element to the UE.

The user equipment in this embodiment may be used to implement the technical solution of the method embodiment shown in any of FIG. 4 to FIG. 6. The implementation principle and technical effects are similar, and details are not described herein again.

FIG. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of Embodiment 1 of a base station according to the present application. As shown in FIG. 6, the base station in this embodiment may include: a receiving module 31, a processing module 32, and a sending module 33, where the receiving module 31 is configured to receive the second communications. The first message sent by the first core network element of the system, the first message is used to request to switch the user equipment UE from the first communication system to the second communication system, where the first message carries the identifier and the first information of the UE, The information is used to indicate the handover in the base station; the processing module 32 is configured to determine, according to the first condition, the second information used by the UE in the second communication system, where the first condition includes the identifier and the first information of the UE, and the sending module 33 uses Sending a second message to the UE, where the second message carries the second information.

Wherein, the version of the second communication system is higher than the first communication system.

Optionally, the receiving module 31 is further configured to: before receiving the first message sent by the first core network element of the second communication system, receive a third message sent by the UE, where the third message is used to request the first communication system. Switch to the second communication system. The sending module 33 is further configured to: send a fourth message to the second core network element of the first communications system, where the fourth message carries the identifier of the UE and the third information, where the fourth message is used to learn the second core network element The UE is handed over from the first communication system to the second communication system, and the third information is used to indicate handover within the base station.

Optionally, the receiving module 31 is further configured to: before receiving the first message sent by the first core network element of the second communications system, receive a third message sent by the UE, where the third message is used to request to switch from the first communications system. To the second communication system. The sending module 33 is further configured to: send a fourth message to the second core network element of the first communications system, where the fourth message carries the identifier of the UE and the first information, where the fourth message is used to learn the second core network element The UE is handed over from the first communication system to the second communication system.

The identifier and the first information of the UE are carried by the source to the target transparent container.

Optionally, the processing module 32 is further configured to: before the sending the module 33 sends the second message to the UE, save the correspondence between the identifier of the UE and the second information; the sending module 33 is further configured to send the first core network element The acknowledgement message of the message; the receiving module 31 is further configured to receive the fifth message sent by the second core network element, where the fifth message carries the UE The identifier, the sending module 33 is further configured to: obtain the second information according to the identifier and the corresponding relationship of the UE, and send the second information to the UE; or the receiving module 31 is further configured to receive the fifth message sent by the second core network element, The fifth message carries the identifier of the UE and the protocol data unit PDU session context. The sending module 33 is further configured to obtain the second information according to the identifier and the correspondence of the UE, and send the second information and the PDU session context to the UE.

Optionally, the receiving module 31 is further configured to: before receiving the first message sent by the first core network element of the second communications system, receive the sixth message sent by the UE, where the sixth message includes the UE to the first core network. The seventh message sent by the network element, the seventh message carries the identifier of the UE and the fourth information, the fourth information is used to indicate that the handover is performed in the base station, and the sending module 33 is further configured to send the seventh message to the first core network element. The seventh message is used for the UE to request location update, or the seventh message is used for the UE to request mobile registration update.

Optionally, the receiving module 31 is further configured to: before receiving the first message sent by the first core network element of the second communications system, receive the eighth message sent by the UE, where the eighth message includes the UE to the second core network. The ninth message sent by the network element, the ninth message carries the identifier of the UE and the fourth information, the fourth information is used to indicate that the handover is performed in the base station, and the sending module 33 is further configured to send the ninth message to the first core network element. The ninth message is used by the UE to request tracking area update.

Further, the first information further includes a PDU session context, and the processing module 32 is specifically configured to: obtain radio resource information of the UE in the first communication system according to the first condition, and generate the radio resource information and the PDU session context based on the first communication system. Second message.

The base station of this embodiment may be used to perform the technical solution of the method embodiment shown in any of FIG. 2 to FIG. 4, and the implementation principle and technical effects are similar, and details are not described herein again.

The communication system provided by the present application includes the UE shown in FIG. 5 and the base station shown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of Embodiment 2 of the UE according to the present application. As shown in FIG. 7, the apparatus in this embodiment may include: a transmitter 41, a receiver 42 and a processor 43. The processor 43 is configured to access the first through the base station. The communication system is configured to support the second communication system, and the transmitter 41 is configured to: after the base station supports the second communication system, the first message is sent to the base station, and the first message carries the first information. The first information is used to indicate that the handover is performed in the base station; the receiver 42 is configured to receive the second message sent by the base station, and the second message carries the second information used by the UE in the second communication system; the processor 43 is further configured to use The second information is accessed to the second communication system. Wherein the version of the second communication system is higher than the first communication system.

Optionally, the first message is used to request to switch from the first communications system to the second communications system, so that the base station sends a third message to the second core network element of the first communications system, where the third message carries the identifier of the UE. And the first information, the third message is used to enable the second core network element to learn to switch the UE from the first communication system to the second communication system.

Optionally, the processor 43 is specifically configured to: monitor the indication information carried in the system information sent by the base station to learn that the base station supports the second communication system; or the receiver 42 is further configured to receive the Describe the information sent by the base station, where the processor 43 is specifically configured to learn, according to the indication information, that the base station supports the second communication system.

Further, the first message includes a fourth message sent by the UE to the first core network element, the fourth message carries the identifier of the UE and the fourth information, and the fourth information is used to indicate that the handover is performed in the base station, so that the base station The first core network element sends a fourth message, where the fourth message is used for the UE to request location update, or the fourth message is used by the UE to request mobile registration update.

Further, the first message includes a fifth message sent by the UE to the second core network element, the fifth message carries the identifier of the UE and the fifth information, and the fifth information is used to indicate that the handover is performed in the base station, so that the base station The first core network element sends a fifth message, and the fifth message is used by the UE to request location update.

The user equipment in this embodiment may be used to perform the technical solution of the method embodiment shown in any of FIG. 2 to FIG. 4, and the implementation principle and technical effects are similar, and details are not described herein again.

FIG. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of Embodiment 2 of a base station according to the present application. As shown in FIG. 8, the base station in this embodiment may include: a receiver 51, a processor 52, and a transmitter 53, wherein the receiver 51 is configured to receive the second communication. The first message sent by the first core network element of the system, the first message is used to request to switch the user equipment UE from the first communication system to the second communication system, where the first message carries the identifier and the first information of the UE, A message is used to indicate that the handover is performed in the base station; the processor 52 is configured to determine, according to the first condition, the second information used by the UE in the second communication system, where the first condition includes the identifier of the UE and the first information; Sending a second message to the UE, where the second message carries the second information.

Optionally, the receiver 51 is further configured to: before receiving the first message sent by the first core network element of the second communication system, receive a third message sent by the UE, where the third message is used to request the first communication system. Switch to the second communication system. The transmitter 53 is further configured to: send a fourth message to the second core network element of the first communication system, where the fourth message carries the identifier of the UE and the third information, where the fourth message is used to learn the second core network element The UE is handed over from the first communication system to the second communication system, and the third information is used to indicate handover within the base station.

Optionally, the receiver 51 is further configured to: before receiving the first message sent by the first core network element of the second communications system, receive a third message sent by the UE, where the third message is used to request to switch from the first communications system. To the second communication system. The transmitter 53 is further configured to: send a fourth message to the second core network element of the first communication system, where the fourth message carries the identifier of the UE and the first information, where the fourth message is used to learn the second core network element The UE is handed over from the first communication system to the second communication system.

Optionally, the processor 52 is further configured to: before the transmitter 53 sends the second message to the UE, save the correspondence between the identifier of the UE and the second information; the transmitter 53 is further configured to send the first core network element The acknowledgement message of the message; the receiver 51 is further configured to receive the fifth message sent by the network element of the second core network, where the fifth message carries the identifier of the UE, and the transmitter 53 is further configured to obtain the second message according to the identifier and the corresponding relationship of the UE. And sending the second information to the UE; or the receiver 51 is further configured to receive the fifth message sent by the second core network element, where the fifth message carries the identifier of the UE and the protocol data unit PDU session context, and the transmitter 53 The method is further configured to obtain second information according to the identifier and the correspondence of the UE, and send the second information and the PDU session context to the UE.

Optionally, the receiver 51 is further configured to: receive the first message sent by the first core network element of the second communication system Before receiving the sixth message sent by the UE, the sixth message includes the seventh message sent by the UE to the first core network element, the seventh message carries the identifier of the UE and the fourth information, and the fourth information is used to indicate in the base station. The switch 53 is further configured to send a seventh message to the first core network element, the seventh message is used by the UE to request location update, or the seventh message is used by the UE to request mobile registration update.

Optionally, the receiver 51 is further configured to: before receiving the first message sent by the first core network element of the second communication system, receive an eighth message sent by the UE, where the eighth message includes the UE to the second core network. The ninth message sent by the network element, the ninth message carries the identifier of the UE and the fourth information, the fourth information is used to indicate that the handover is performed in the base station, and the transmitter 53 is further configured to send the ninth message to the first core network element. The ninth message is used by the UE to request tracking area update.

Further, the first information further includes a PDU session context, and the processor 52 is specifically configured to: obtain radio resource information of the UE in the first communication system according to the first condition, and generate the radio resource information and the PDU session context based on the first communication system. Second message.

The communication system provided by the present application includes the UE shown in FIG. 7 and the base station shown in FIG. 8.

The various embodiments in the specification are described in a progressive manner, and the same or similar parts between the various embodiments may be referred to each other, and each embodiment focuses on the differences from the other embodiments. In particular, for the device and the system embodiment, since it is basically similar to the method embodiment, the description is relatively simple, and the relevant parts can be referred to the description of the method embodiment.

One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that various aspects of the present application, or possible implementations of various aspects, can be embodied as a system, method, or computer program product. Accordingly, aspects of the present application, or possible implementations of various aspects, may be in the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (including firmware, resident software, etc.), or a combination of software and hardware aspects, They are collectively referred to herein as "circuits," "modules," or "systems." Furthermore, aspects of the present application, or possible implementations of various aspects, may take the form of a computer program product, which is a computer readable program code stored in a computer readable medium.

The computer readable medium can be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. The computer readable storage medium includes, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing, such as random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), Erase programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fiber, portable read-only memory (CD-ROM).

The processor in the computer reads the computer readable program code stored in the computer readable medium such that the processor is capable of performing the various functional steps specified in each step of the flowchart, or a combination of steps; A device that functions as specified in each block, or combination of blocks.

The computer readable program code can execute entirely on the user's local computer, partly on the user's local computer, as a separate software package, partly on the user's local computer and partly on the remote computer, or entirely on the remote computer or Executed on the server. It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the various steps in the flowcharts or in the blocks in the block diagrams may not occur in the order noted. E.g, Depending on the functionality involved, two steps, or two blocks, shown in succession may actually be performed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be performed in the reverse order.

Claims

A network switching method, comprising:

The user equipment UE accesses the first communication system by using the base station, and after the UE learns that the base station supports the second communication system, the UE sends a first message to the base station, where the first message carries the first information, where the first The information is used to indicate that the handover is performed within the base station;

Receiving, by the UE, a second message sent by the base station, where the second message carries second information used by the UE in the second communication system;

The UE accesses the second communication system by using the second information.
The method of claim 1 wherein the version of the second communication system is higher than the first communication system.
The method of claim 1 wherein said first message is for requesting a switch from a first communication system to said second communication system to cause said base station to be second to said first communication system The core network element sends a third message, where the third message carries the identifier of the UE and the third information, where the third message is used to enable the second core network element to learn the UE from the The first communication system switches to the second communication system, and the third information is used to indicate that handover is performed within the base station.
The method of claim 1 wherein said first message is for requesting a handover from said first communication system to said second communication system to cause said base station to communicate with said first communication system The second core network element sends a third message, where the third message carries the identifier of the UE and the first information, and the third message is used to enable the second core network element to learn The UE switches from the first communication system to the second communication system.
The method according to claim 1 or 4, wherein the identifier of the UE and the first information are carried by a source to a target transparent container.
The method according to claim 1, wherein the UE learns that the base station supports the second communication system, including:

The UE monitors the indication information carried in the system information sent by the base station, and learns that the base station supports the second communication system; or

The UE receives the indication information sent by the base station, and learns, according to the indication information, that the base station supports the second communication system.
The method according to claim 1, wherein the first message includes a fourth message sent by the UE to the first core network element, so that the base station is to the first core network. The fourth message is sent by the network element, where the fourth message carries the identifier of the UE and fourth information, where the fourth information is used to indicate that the handover is performed in the base station, and the fourth message is used for the The UE requests a location update, or the fourth message is used by the UE to request a mobile registration update.
The method according to claim 1, wherein the first message includes a fifth message sent by the UE to the second core network element, so that the base station is sent to the first core network. The fifth message is sent by the network element, where the fifth message carries the identifier of the UE and the fifth information, the fifth information is used to indicate that the handover is performed in the base station, and the fifth message is used for the The UE requests to perform tracking area update.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the second information comprises:

The UE accesses radio resource information used by the second communication system by using the base station.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the identifier of the UE is the base station An identifier assigned to the UE, or an identifier of the UE is an identifier allocated by the second core network element to the UE.
A network switching method, comprising:

Receiving, by the base station, a first message sent by the first core network element of the second communication system, where the first message is used to request to switch the user equipment UE from the first communication system to the second communication system, the first message And carrying the identifier of the UE and the second information, where the second information is used to indicate that the handover is performed in the base station;

Determining, by the base station, first information used by the UE in the second communications system according to the first condition, where the first condition includes an identifier of the UE and the second information;

The base station sends a second message to the UE, where the second message carries the first information.
The method of claim 11 wherein the version of the second communication system is higher than the first communication system.
The method according to claim 11, wherein before the receiving, by the base station, the first message sent by the first core network element of the second communication system, the method further includes:

Receiving, by the base station, a third message sent by the UE, where the third message is used to request to perform handover in the base station;

The base station sends a fourth message to the second core network element of the first communication system, where the fourth message carries the identifier of the UE and third information, where the fourth message is used to enable the The second core network element is informed that the UE is handed over from the first communication system to the second communication system, and the third information is used to indicate that handover is performed within the base station.
The method according to claim 11, wherein before the receiving, by the base station, the first message sent by the first core network element of the second communication system, the method further includes:

Receiving, by the base station, a third message sent by the UE, where the third message is used to request to switch from the first communications system to the second communications system;

The base station sends a fourth message to the second core network element of the first communication system, where the fourth message carries the identifier of the UE and the first information, and the fourth message is used to The second core network element is informed that the UE is handed over from the first communication system to the second communication system.
The method according to claim 11 or 14, wherein the identity of the UE and the first information are carried by a source to a target transparent container.
The method according to any one of claims 11 to 15, wherein before the base station sends the second message to the UE, the method further includes:

The base station saves a correspondence between the identifier of the UE and the second information;

Sending, by the base station, an acknowledgement message of the first message to the first core network element;

Receiving, by the base station, a fifth message sent by the second core network element, where the fifth message carries the identifier of the UE, and the base station obtains the second according to the identifier of the UE and the corresponding relationship And transmitting, by the base station, the second information sent by the second core network element, where the fifth message carries the identifier and protocol data unit of the UE a PDU session context, the base station obtaining the second information according to the identifier of the UE and the corresponding relationship, and sending the second information and the PDU session context to the UE.
The method according to claim 11, wherein before the receiving, by the base station, the first message sent by the first core network element of the second communication system, the method further includes:

Receiving, by the base station, a sixth message sent by the UE, where the sixth message includes the UE to the first core a seventh message sent by the network element, the seventh message carrying the identifier of the UE and the fourth information, where the fourth information is used to indicate that the handover is performed in the base station;

Sending, by the base station, the seventh message to the first core network element, where the seventh message is used by the UE to request location update, or the seventh message is used by the UE to request mobile registration update .
The method according to claim 11, wherein before the receiving, by the base station, the first message sent by the first core network element of the second communication system, the method further includes:

Receiving, by the base station, an eighth message sent by the UE, where the eighth message includes a ninth message that is sent by the UE to the network element of the second core network, where the ninth message carries the identifier of the UE and Fourth information, the fourth information is used to indicate that the handover is performed in the base station;

The eNB sends the ninth message to the first core network element, where the ninth message is used by the UE to perform tracking area update.
The method according to any one of claims 11 to 18, wherein the first information further comprises a PDU session context, and the base station determines, according to the first condition, that the UE is in the second communication system The second information used, including:

Obtaining, by the base station, radio resource information of the UE in the first communications system according to the first condition, where the base station generates the second information based on radio resource information of the first communications system and the PDU session context information.
The method according to any one of claims 11 to 19, wherein the second information comprises:

The UE accesses radio resource information used by the second communication system by using the base station.
The method according to any one of claims 11 to 19, wherein the identifier of the UE is an identifier allocated by the base station to the UE, or the identifier of the UE is the second core network The identity assigned by the element to the UE.
A user equipment, comprising:

a processing module, configured to access the first communication system by using the base station, to learn that the base station supports the second communication system;

a sending module, configured to send a first message to the base station, where the first message carries the first information, where the first information is used to indicate that the handover is performed in the base station;

a receiving module, configured to receive a second message sent by the base station, where the second message carries second information used by the UE in the second communications system;

The processing module is further configured to access the second communication system by using the second information.
The user equipment of claim 22, wherein the version of the second communication system is higher than the first communication system.
The user equipment according to claim 22, wherein said first message is for requesting handover from said first communication system to said second communication system to cause said base station to communicate with said first communication system The second core network element sends a third message, where the third message carries the identifier of the UE and the third information, where the third message is used to enable the second core network element to learn to send the UE from the The first communication system switches to the second communication system, and the third information is used to indicate that handover is performed within the base station.
The user equipment according to claim 22, wherein said first message is for requesting handover from said first communication system to said second communication system to cause said base station to communicate with said first communication system The second core network element sends a third message, where the third message carries the identifier of the UE and the first information, and the third message is used to enable the second core network element to learn the location Switching from the first communication system to the second communication system System.
The user equipment according to claim 22 or 25, wherein the identifier of the UE and the first information are carried by a source to a target transparent container.
The user equipment according to claim 23 or 25, wherein the processing module is specifically configured to:

Monitoring the indication information carried in the system information sent by the base station to learn that the base station supports the second communication system; or

The receiving module is further configured to receive the indication information sent by the base station, where the processing module is specifically configured to learn, according to the indication information, that the base station supports the second communication system.
The user equipment according to claim 22, wherein the first message includes a fourth message sent by the UE to the first core network element, so that the base station is to the first core. The network element sends the fourth message, where the fourth message carries the identifier of the UE and the fourth information, where the fourth information is used to indicate that the handover is performed in the base station, and the fourth message is used in the The UE requests location update, or the fourth message is used by the UE to request a mobile registration update.
The user equipment according to claim 22, wherein the first message includes a fifth message sent by the UE to the second core network element, so that the base station is to the first core. The network element sends the fifth message, where the fifth message carries the identifier of the UE and the fifth information, where the fifth information is used to indicate that the handover is performed in the base station, and the fifth message is used in the The UE requests to perform tracking area update.
The user equipment according to any one of claims 22 to 29, wherein the second information comprises:

The UE accesses radio resource information used by the second communication system by using the base station.
The user equipment according to any one of claims 22 to 30, wherein the identifier of the UE is an identifier allocated by the base station to the UE, or the identifier of the UE is the second core network. The identifier assigned by the network element to the UE.
A base station, comprising:

a receiving module, configured to receive a first message sent by a first core network element of the second communications system, where the first message is used to request to switch the user equipment UE from the first communications system to the second communications system, where The first message carries the identifier of the UE and the first information, where the first information is used to indicate that the handover is performed in the base station;

a processing module, configured to determine, according to the first condition, second information that is used by the UE in the second communications system, where the first condition includes an identifier of the UE and the first information;

And a sending module, configured to send a second message to the UE, where the second message carries the second information.
The base station according to claim 32, wherein the version of the second communication system is higher than the first communication system.
The base station according to claim 32, wherein the receiving module is further configured to:

Receiving, by the UE, a third message sent by the UE, before receiving the first message sent by the first core network element of the second communication system, where the third message is used to request to switch from the first communication system to the first Two communication systems;

The sending module is further configured to: send a fourth message to the second core network element of the first communications system, where the fourth message carries the identifier of the UE and third information, where the fourth message is used And causing the second core network element to learn to switch the UE from the first communication system to the second communication system, where the third information is used to indicate that handover is performed in the base station.
The base station according to claim 32, wherein the receiving module is further configured to:

Before receiving the first message sent by the first core network element of the second communication system, receiving a third message sent by the UE, where the third message is used to request to switch from the first communication system to the second Communication Systems;

The sending module is further configured to: send a fourth message to the second core network element of the first communications system, where the fourth message carries the identifier of the UE and the first information, where the fourth The message is for causing the second core network element to learn to switch the UE from the first communication system to the second communication system.
The base station according to claim 32 or 35, wherein the identifier of the UE and the first information are carried by a source to a target transparent container.
The base station according to any one of claims 32 to 36, wherein the processing module is further configured to:

Before the sending module sends the second message to the UE, saving a correspondence between the identifier of the UE and the second information;

The sending module is further configured to send an acknowledgement message of the first message to the first core network element.

The receiving module is further configured to receive a fifth message sent by the network element of the second core network, where the fifth message carries an identifier of the UE, and the sending module is further configured to use, according to the identifier and location of the UE Obtaining the second information, and sending the second information to the UE; or the receiving module is further configured to receive a fifth message sent by the second core network element, the fifth The message carries the identifier of the UE and the protocol data unit PDU session context, and the sending module is further configured to obtain the second information according to the identifier of the UE and the corresponding relationship, and send the first information to the UE Two messages and the PDU session context.
The base station according to claim 32, wherein the receiving module is further configured to:

Before receiving the first message sent by the first core network element of the second communication system, receiving a sixth message sent by the UE, where the sixth message includes the UE to the first core network a seventh message sent by the element, where the seventh message carries the identifier of the UE and the fourth information, where the fourth information is used to indicate that the handover is performed in the base station;

The sending module is further configured to send the seventh message to the first core network element, where the seventh message is used by the UE to request location update, or the seventh message is used for the UE request Make a mobile registration update.
The base station according to claim 32, wherein the receiving module is further configured to:

Receiving, by the UE, an eighth message sent by the UE, before receiving the first message sent by the first core network element of the second communications system, where the eighth message includes the UE to the second core network And a ninth message sent by the element, where the ninth message carries the identifier of the UE and the fourth information, where the fourth information is used to indicate that the handover is performed in the base station;

The sending module is further configured to send the ninth message to the first core network element, where the ninth message is used by the UE to perform tracking area update.
The base station according to any one of claims 32 to 39, wherein the first information further includes a PDU session context, and the processing module is specifically configured to:

Obtaining, according to the first condition, radio resource information of the UE in the first communications system, and generating the second information based on radio resource information of the first communications system and the PDU session context.
The base station according to any one of claims 32 to 40, wherein the second information comprises:

The UE accesses radio resource information used by the second communication system by using the base station.
The base station according to any one of claims 32 to 40, wherein the identifier of the UE is an identifier allocated by the base station to the UE, or the identifier of the UE is the second core network The identity assigned by the element to the UE.
A communication system comprising the user equipment according to any one of claims 22 to 31 and the base station according to any one of claims 32 to 42.