WO2020210944A1

WO2020210944A1 - Switching control method and apparatus, and electronic device, storage medium and program product

Info

Publication number: WO2020210944A1
Application number: PCT/CN2019/082692
Authority: WO
Inventors: 张洁; 马万里; 王力
Original assignee: 西门子股份公司; 西门子（中国）有限公司
Priority date: 2019-04-15
Filing date: 2019-04-15
Publication date: 2020-10-22

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a switching control method and apparatus, and an electronic device, a storage medium and a program product. The switching control method comprises: collecting switching state information of at least one mobile client, wherein the switching state information at least comprises: a sending static sector and a receiving static sector selected at the mobile client and a target access point respectively when the mobile client is switched from a source access point to the target access point; generating a switching strategy according to the switching state information, wherein the switching strategy is used for optimizing a switching flow of the mobile client being switched from the source access point to the target access point; and sending the switching strategy to the mobile client, so that the mobile client is switched according to the switching strategy.

Description

Switching control method, device, electronic equipment, storage medium and program product

Technical field

The present disclosure generally relates to the field of mobile communication technology, and more specifically, to switching control methods, devices, electronic equipment, storage media, and program products.

Background technique

Wireless local area network (WLAN) systems based on IEEE802.11 have been more and more widely used in recent years. Initially, WLAN was designed as a supplement to the wired network, just to eliminate the messy connections between indoor network devices, and the handover problem was not taken seriously. However, with the rapid development of WLAN technology, in practical applications, people not only hope that WLAN can provide high rates, but also hope that WLAN can support real-time services, such as Voice Over IP (VoIP) services and multimedia applications. Since real-time services have high requirements for delay, WLAN technology is required to support fast switching between different access points (Access Point, AP). However, the WLAN network based on the IEEE802.11 protocol does not have enough support for handover. When the mobile client performs handover, it will feel very obvious interruption. Therefore, providing fast and smooth handover in WLAN networks has become a key issue in providing seamless mobile services.

IEEE802.11ad and the upcoming IEEE802.11ay use a frequency band around 60GHz, and the channel bandwidth reaches 2GHz. In order to combat high path loss and provide relatively large coverage, IEEE802.11ad and the upcoming IEEE802.11ay standard adopt beamforming based on multi-antenna or even multi-antenna array operation.

The beamforming process in IEEE802.11ad is divided into two stages: sector level sweep (SLS) and beam refinement protocol (BRP) stages. A large number of static sectors are redefined, and in the SLS phase, after scanning all sectors, the best sectors are selected for both sides of the transmitter (TX) and the receiver (RX). Thereafter, in the BRP stage, the selected sector is optimized to obtain higher gains. Compared with normal WiFi, current IEEE802.11ad devices do not support the scanning function. Before the client closes the connection to the current AP, it scans all channels to find potential APs. One possible reason is that it takes a lot of time to scan all sectors on all channels and cannot be completed during a short idle time. Therefore, for IEEE802.11ad and IEEE802.11ay, the interruption during handover is more serious than other WiFi systems.

When IEEE802.11ad and IEEE802.11ay are applied to some time-sensitive applications, such as industrial applications, providing fast and smooth handover has become a key issue in achieving seamless mobile services.

In addition, another problem of the current IEEE802.11ad is that the current chip only supports a maximum of 8 clients associated with one AP at the same time. Therefore, it is also very important to continuously monitor the load of the AP.

Summary of the invention

A brief summary of the present invention is given below in order to provide a basic understanding of certain aspects of the present invention. It should be understood that this summary is not an exhaustive summary of the present invention. It is not intended to determine the key or important part of the present invention, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Its purpose is merely to present some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that will be discussed later.

In view of the foregoing, the present disclosure provides a switching control method, a computer-readable storage medium, and a computer program product.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a handover control method, including: collecting handover status information of at least one mobile client, wherein the handover status information at least includes: the mobile client is handed over from a source access point to a target When accessing the point, the mobile client and the target access point respectively select the static sector for sending and receiving; generating a handover strategy according to the handover status information, wherein the handover strategy is used to optimize the mobile client A handover procedure for handover from the source access point to the target access point; and sending the handover policy to the mobile client, so that the mobile client performs handover according to the handover policy.

Optionally, in an example of the foregoing aspect, the switching by the mobile client according to the switching strategy includes: the mobile client selects a recommended static transmission sector of the mobile client according to the target access point to be connected And receive static sectors for scanning.

Optionally, in an example of the foregoing aspect, the mobile client performing handover according to the handover strategy includes: the target access point selecting the recommended target access point according to the source access point of the mobile client Point the send static sector and receive static sector to scan.

Optionally, in an example of the above aspect, the mobile client moves along a predictable path.

Optionally, in an example of the foregoing aspect, collecting handover status information of at least one mobile client includes: the mobile client sends the handover status information to the target access point; and the target access point The handover status information is sent to the source access point or sent to a central server.

Optionally, in an example of the foregoing aspect, the handover status information further includes at least one of the following: the received signal strength indicator RSSI of the source access point when the mobile client is handed over, and the mobile client The RSSI of the target access point during terminal handover, the total handover delay of the mobile client from the source access point to the target access point, the mobile client and the source access point The associated time, the load status of the target access point, and information about the candidate target access point.

Optionally, in an example of the foregoing aspect, generating a handover strategy according to the handover status information includes: calculating a weight of each candidate target access point of the mobile client according to the handover status information, and At least one access point is selected from the candidate target access points to join the recommended access point list from the large to small calculated weight.

Optionally, in an example of the foregoing aspect, sending the handover policy to the mobile client so that the mobile client performs handover according to the handover policy includes: sending the recommended access point list To the mobile client, so that the mobile client preferentially selects the access point in the recommended access point list as the target access point for handover.

Optionally, in an example of the foregoing aspect, the recommended access point list includes the access point identifier, the weight of the access point, the access channel of the access point, and the mobile client when accessing the access point. The sending and receiving static sectors of the terminal and the access point.

Optionally, in an example of the foregoing aspect, the generating a handover strategy according to the handover status information includes: judging according to the load status of the target access point, and if the load of the target access point is greater than Or equal to the threshold value, the target access point is included in the list of non-recommended access points; the switching strategy is sent to the mobile client, so that the mobile client is based on the switching strategy The switching includes: sending the list of non-recommended access points to the mobile client, so that the mobile client does not select or finally selects an access point in the list of non-recommended access points during handover Make an association.

Optionally, in an example of the foregoing aspect, the generating a handover strategy according to the handover status information includes: determining whether the target access point will be the same as the source access point according to the handover status information A ping-pong effect is generated, and if the target access point will have a ping-pong effect with the source access point, the target access point is included in the non-recommended access point list; the switching strategy is set Sent to the mobile client associated with the source access point, so that the mobile client associated with the source access point performs handover according to the handover strategy, including: sending the list of non-recommended access points to The mobile client associated with the source access point, so that the mobile client associated with the source access point does not select during handover or finally selects an access point in the non-recommended access point list for association .

Optionally, in an example of the above aspect, the method further includes: acquiring a context of the mobile client; and sending the context to an access point in the recommended access point list.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a handover method for a mobile client, including: the mobile client receives from an access point the handover strategy generated according to the handover control method described above; The switching strategy is described.

Optionally, in an example of the foregoing aspect, in a case where the switching strategy includes a recommended access point list, the mobile client switching according to the switching strategy includes: the mobile client selecting the recommended One access point in the access point list is associated; if the mobile client fails to associate with the selected access point, the mobile client selects other access points from the recommended access point list The points are associated until they are successfully associated with the access points in the recommended access point list, or until there are no remaining access points in the recommended access point list.

Optionally, in an example of the foregoing aspect, in a case where the handover policy includes a list of non-recommended access points, the mobile client performs handover according to the handover policy, further comprising: if the recommended access point If none of the access points in the point list is successfully associated with the mobile client, the mobile client obtains at least one associated access point through scanning; the mobile client determines the associated access Whether the point includes the access points in the list of non-recommended access points; if it is included, the mobile client selects access points that are not in the list of non-recommended access points from the associated access points Click to associate.

Optionally, in an example of the foregoing aspect, in a case where the handover policy includes a list of non-recommended access points, the mobile client performs handover according to the handover policy, including: the mobile client scans Know the access points that can be associated; the mobile client determines whether the access points that can be associated include the access points in the non-recommended access point list; From the access points that can be associated, an access point outside the list of non-recommended access points is selected for association.

Optionally, in an example of the foregoing aspect, the mobile client performs handover according to the handover policy, which further includes: if the access points that can be associated are other than the non-recommended access point list; If none of the access points is associated with the mobile client, the mobile client selects an access point in the list of not recommended access points for association.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a handover control device, including: a collecting unit configured to collect handover status information of at least one mobile client, wherein the handover status information includes at least: the mobile client When switching from the source access point to the target access point, the mobile client and the target access point select the static sectors for sending and receiving respectively; a strategy unit is configured to be based on the collection of the collection unit Handover status information to generate a handover strategy, wherein the handover strategy is used to optimize the handover process of the mobile client from the source access point to the target access point; a sending unit is configured to transfer the The switching policy is sent to the mobile client, so that the mobile client performs switching according to the switching policy.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an electronic device, including: at least one processor; and a memory coupled with the at least one processor for storing instructions, when the instructions are used by the at least one processor When executed, the processor is caused to execute the switching control method as described above.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores computer-executable instructions, which when executed, cause at least one processor to perform the above-mentioned switching Control Method.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer program product that is tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium and includes computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause at least One processor executes the switching control method as described above.

By using the method and device of the present disclosure, when associating with an access point, the mobile client only needs to scan the first few good static sectors instead of scanning all sectors, thereby reducing the time required for handover.

With the method and device of the present disclosure, load balancing of the network can be realized, and the success rate of handover can be improved through automatic diagnosis of faulty AP, and handover time can be saved.

With the method and device of the present disclosure, different switching strategies can be adopted according to different implementation requirements, so as to meet various fast switching requirements.

Description of the drawings

By referring to the following drawings, a further understanding of the nature and advantages of the present disclosure can be achieved. In the drawings, similar components or features may have the same reference signs.

Fig. 1 is a flowchart of an exemplary process of a handover control method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

2 is a flowchart of an exemplary process of a method for handover of a mobile client according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an exemplary process of the operation in block S204 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing another exemplary process of the operation in block S204 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an exemplary configuration of a handover control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

Fig. 6 shows a block diagram of an electronic device of a switching control method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Reference number

100: Switch control method

200: Switching method of mobile client

S102, S104, S106, S202, S204, S2041, S2042, S2043, S205, S2044, S2045, S2046, S2047: steps

500: Switch control device

502: Collection unit

504: Strategy Unit

506: Sending unit

600: Electronic equipment

602: At least one processor

604: Storage

detailed description

The subject matter described herein will now be discussed with reference to example embodiments. It should be understood that the discussion of these embodiments is only to enable those skilled in the art to better understand and implement the subject matter described herein, and is not to limit the scope of protection, applicability or examples set forth in the claims. The function and arrangement of the discussed elements can be changed without departing from the scope of protection of the present disclosure. Various examples can omit, replace or add various processes or components as needed. For example, the described method may be executed in a different order from the described order, and various steps may be added, omitted, or combined. In addition, features described with respect to some examples can also be combined in other examples.

As used herein, the term "including" and its variants means open terms, meaning "including but not limited to." The term "based on" means "based at least in part on." The terms "one embodiment" and "an embodiment" mean "at least one embodiment." The term "another embodiment" means "at least one other embodiment." The terms "first", "second", etc. may refer to different or the same objects. Other definitions can be included below, either explicit or implicit. Unless clearly indicated in the context, the definition of a term is consistent throughout the specification.

The technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied in various mobile communication scenarios, especially to provide fast and smooth handover in a WLAN network. Preferably, the embodiments of the present disclosure are applied in scenarios where the movement path is predictable, such as subways, railways, highways, etc., especially applied to WLANs in vehicle-ground communication, such as wireless train control systems, passenger information systems, and AGV (Automatic Guided Transport Vehicle) etc. driving in the factory.

The present disclosure further improves and optimizes handover performance for WLAN networks based on IEEE 802.11ad and IEEE 802.11ad protocols. In WLAN networks based on IEEE 802.11ad and IEEE 802.11ad protocols, beamforming based on multi-antenna or even multi-antenna array operation is adopted. The beamforming process is divided into two stages: sector level scanning (SLS) and beam optimization (BRP) stages. In the SLS stage, after scanning all static sectors, the best static sectors are selected for the transmitter (TX) and the receiver (RX) respectively. Since there are multiple static sectors, the process of scanning all the static sectors results in a long time for handover.

In an embodiment of the handover control method according to the present disclosure, by counting the sending static sectors and receiving static sectors respectively selected by each mobile client and access point, and generating a handover strategy based on this information, the mobile client When the terminal associates with an access point (Access Point, AP), it only needs to scan the first few good static sectors instead of scanning all sectors, thereby reducing the time required for handover.

Fig. 1 is a flowchart of an exemplary process of a handover control method 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The handover control method according to this embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to FIG. 1.

As shown in Fig. 1, in block S102, the handover status information of at least one mobile client is collected.

Wherein, the handover status information includes at least: the sending static sector and the receiving static sector respectively selected by the mobile client and the target access point when the mobile client switches from the source access point to the target access point.

Among them, the handover status information of one mobile client can be collected, or the handover status information of multiple mobile clients can be collected to obtain a better handover strategy through statistics.

Wherein, the operation in block S102 may be performed by at least one of the following devices individually or jointly, for example: a mobile client, a source AP, a target AP, and a central server.

Next, in block S104, a handover strategy is generated according to the acquired handover status information, wherein the handover strategy is used to optimize the handover procedure of the mobile client from the source access point to the target access point.

The operation in block S104 may be performed by at least one of the following devices individually or jointly, for example: the mobile client, the source AP, the target AP, and the central server.

In block S106, the handover strategy is sent to the mobile client. Wherein, the generated handover strategy can be provided to the mobile client, so that the mobile client can switch according to the handover strategy.

In the embodiment according to the present disclosure, the sending static sector and the receiving static sector respectively selected in each mobile client and the access point are counted, and a handover strategy is generated based on this information. The handover strategy can be used to optimize the mobile client Handover process from the source AP to the target AP. Specifically, when the mobile client tries to associate with the target AP, it can select the recommended mobile according to the mobile client’s receiving static sector and sending static sector information in the pre-stored recommended AP list (for example, Table 1 below). The client's good reception of static sectors and sending of static sectors for scanning, without having to scan all static sectors.

In an example according to the present disclosure, a central server can be provided, which can communicate with each AP, and further can communicate with mobile clients. In this case, collecting the handover status information of at least one mobile client includes: the mobile client sends the handover status information to the target AP; and the target AP sends the handover status information to the central server . The central server can process the switching status information according to predetermined standards to obtain the switching strategy, and then the central server can notify each AP of its related switching strategy.

In another example according to the present disclosure, the central server may not be provided, and the APs can communicate through the Inter Access Point Protocol (IAPP). In this case, collecting the handover status information of at least one mobile client may include: the mobile client sends the handover status information to the target AP; and the target AP sends the handover status information to the target AP. The source AP. The source AP can process the handover status information according to a predetermined standard to obtain a handover strategy. In addition, the target AP can also collect handover status information by itself, such as a list of good receiving static sectors and sending static sectors of the target AP, and store this information locally. In this case, when the mobile client switches from the source AP to the target AP, the target AP can recommend its good receiving and sending static sectors (for example, Table 3 below) to the mobile client, so that the mobile client When switching to the target AP, only the static sectors of the recommended AP need to be scanned, instead of scanning all sectors, thereby reducing the time required for switching.

In an embodiment according to the present disclosure, the handover state information is used to indicate at least one state in which the mobile client switches from the source AP to the target AP. In an example, the handover status information may include the following static sectors selected by the mobile client and the target access point when the mobile client switches from the source AP to the target AP, and the static sectors received: One of the information or any combination: Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) of the source AP when the mobile client switches, the RSSI of the target AP when the mobile client switches, and the mobile client switches from the source AP to The total handover delay of the target AP, the association time between the mobile client and the source AP, and the load status of the target AP.

In addition, the handover status information may also include related information about other candidate target APs. In one example, the candidate target APs include APs that can be target APs of mobile clients associated with the source AP. The above-mentioned RSSIs are especially RSSIs at the start of handover.

In an example, generating a handover strategy according to the handover status information includes: calculating the weight of each candidate target AP of the mobile client according to the handover status information, and then according to the calculated weight from large to small At least one AP among the candidate target APs is selected to be included in the recommended AP list.

In the embodiment according to the present disclosure, the calculation method of the weight is not limited. For example, the weight may be proportional to the RSSI of the target AP, for example, the weight may also be inversely proportional to the total handover delay. The following formula 1 is an exemplary formula for calculating the weight of each candidate target AP.

In formula (1), t is the switching index, α is the filter parameter, and its value is greater than 0 and less than 1, weight represents the weight, i is the index of the AP, f is the function of the switching status information, and RSSI is the target AP's RSSI, HandoffDelay is the handover delay, LoadofNewAP is the load of the new AP.

The weight calculated by the above formula can not only reflect the status information of each handover, but also can make the handover with the closer occurrence time have a greater influence on the weight, and the handover with a longer occurrence time has a smaller influence on the weight.

The handover strategy is used to optimize the handover procedure of the mobile client from the source AP to the target AP. The handover strategy may include, for example, one of the following or any combination thereof: the weight of the candidate target AP, the maintenance of the recommended AP list, the maintenance of the non-recommended AP list, the adjustment of handover trigger conditions, and the setting of handover reminders. The foregoing example of the switching strategy is only an illustration of the switching strategy, and does not limit the present invention.

In an example, sending the handover policy to the mobile client so that the mobile client performs handover according to the handover policy includes: sending the recommended AP list to the mobile client to The mobile client is enabled to preferentially select the AP in the recommended AP list as the target AP for handover.

In the absence of a central server, a recommended AP list including some or all candidate target APs can be maintained in the source AP, as shown in Table 1 below. The AP information list includes AP index, AP ID, AP weight, and channel ID. And, for each AP, it also maintains a good list of sending static sectors and receiving static sector IDs of recommended mobile clients. By saving the AP’s channel and the mobile client’s good sending and receiving of static sector IDs, the mobile client can directly switch to the AP’s channel when associating with the target AP, and the mobile client can select the recommended Good static sectors are scanned without scanning all sectors, thereby reducing the time required for handover.

In the case of a central server, a recommended AP list can be maintained for each AP in the central server. This list can be very long. However, it is sufficient to notify the mobile client of the first few recommended APs. Therefore, in this case, only a short recommended AP list can be maintained in each AP, as shown in Table 2 below. When the recommended AP list for a certain AP is updated, the central server can notify the AP to update its local list.

Table 1

Table 2

For each AP, a list of good sending and receiving static sectors used by the AP can be maintained, see Table 3. Table 3 records when the source AP is an APi, the static sectors of the APi that are sent and received multiple times are selected. In this way, when the mobile client performs handover, it can avoid exhausting search for the static sectors of the AP, thereby saving handover time.

table 3

In an example, the source AP may, for example, send the ID or index of each AP in the AP information list to the mobile client in the order of weight. Alternatively, the source AP may also send the AP ID and weight in the AP information list to the mobile client. Therefore, when the mobile client needs to perform handover, it may preferentially select a better AP for association according to the order of the received APs or according to the weight of each AP, so as to save time spent in the scanning phase in the prior art.

According to the method provided in this embodiment, in actual implementation, different handover strategies can be adopted according to specific requirements. For example, the provided service has lower requirements for handover delay, but higher requirements for service continuity. At this time, the handover strategy may be, for example, increasing the handover trigger condition or setting a handover reminder. For another example, if the provided service requires high handover delay, the handover strategy can be, for example, maintaining a recommended AP list, and the APs in the recommended AP list are APs with a shorter total handover delay after statistics.

In an example, a non-recommended AP list can also be saved in the source AP or server to avoid unnecessary handover attempts. For example, if a ping-pong handover occurs or the number of associated clients reaches the upper limit, the relevant AP can be regarded as a "bad" handover AP. However, except for the case where the maximum number of clients have been associated, an AP in the deprecated AP list does not mean that clients are prohibited from being associated with it. If there are other options, the client should avoid associating APs that are not recommended, but if there are no other options, the client can also associate with APs that are not recommended.

Specifically, the handover strategy may be, for example, maintaining a list of non-recommended APs, where APs in the list of non-recommended APs are, for example, APs that may have a ping-pong effect after statistics, or may be degraded APs or APs that are overloaded.

In an example, the source AP may determine whether there is an AP that can cause a ping-pong effect with the source AP among the candidate target APs, and if there is, the AP is listed as an AP in the non-recommended AP list. Further, if the AP is an AP in the recommended AP list, the AP is deleted from the recommended AP list.

The source AP can determine whether there is an AP that can cause a ping-pong effect among the candidate target APs, and there may be multiple specific implementation manners. For example, according to the mobile client switching between the source AP and a certain target AP multiple times, or the source AP is included in the recommended AP list of the target AP, or the mobile client is associated with the source AP or the target AP for too short time, etc. , Can judge whether the ping-pong effect occurs between the source AP and a target AP. In the specific implementation of this embodiment, the non-recommended AP list may not be maintained. When the source AP finds that there is an AP that can cause a ping-pong effect with the source AP, it is determined whether the AP is included in the recommended AP list. Include, delete the AP from the recommended AP list.

In another example, according to the load status of the target AP, if the load of the target AP is greater than or equal to a threshold value, the target AP is included in the list of non-recommended APs; and the list of non-recommended APs It is sent to the mobile client associated with the source AP, so that the mobile client associated with the source AP does not select during handover or finally selects an AP in the non-recommended AP list for association.

In various embodiments of the present disclosure, APs in the list of non-recommended APs can also be selected as target APs. For example, after scanning that all APs that can be associated belong to the list of non-recommended APs, the APs in the list of non-recommended APs can be selected Associate as the target AP.

In an example, the handover control method according to the embodiment of the present disclosure further includes: acquiring the context of the mobile client; and sending the context to the AP in the recommended AP list. The context of the mobile client may include one of the following or any combination thereof: information about the mobile client's session, quality of service (QoS), and security association.

The AP can send the context of the mobile client to the AP in the recommended access point list by using IAPP or a central server. If the AP sends the context of the mobile client to the AP in the recommended AP list, the AP that receives the context saves the context of the mobile client. If the mobile client subsequently associates with it, it does not need to transmit the corresponding context and can communicate directly. It can greatly reduce the time for authentication and association, improve service continuity, and reduce the possibility of packet loss, which can further save the time required for mobile client handover and reduce the total handover delay.

In one example, the source AP's processing of the switching status information and the maintenance of the recommended AP list and the non-recommended AP list can be completed by the central server; in another example, the processing of the switching status information and the maintenance of the recommended AP list and The maintenance of the non-recommended AP list can also be completed by the central server and the source AP respectively. If the processing of the switching state and the maintenance of the recommended AP list and the non-recommended AP list are all completed by the central server, the implementation of the AP can be simpler and the cost is lower. And because the central server can collect and record more information, it is more advantageous for generating better switching strategies. In addition, when the central server only sends the recommended AP list and/or the non-recommended AP list to the source AP, the signaling overhead in the handover can be reduced.

Through the handover control method according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the source AP can generate or update various handover strategies according to the handover status information, so as to optimize the existing handover procedure, save the handover time, and reduce the handover delay. While optimizing the existing handover procedure, this embodiment does not change the basic structure of the existing network, nor does it change the protocol. Therefore, there are few changes to the existing network during implementation, and the cost is low. Since the switching strategy is generated, the mobile client can switch according to the switching strategy, which greatly reduces the scanning time. Further, considering the load status of the target AP and/or the AP in the recommended AP list has not been associated for a long time, the method provided in this embodiment is beneficial to achieve network load balancing, and through automatic control of the failed AP Diagnosis improves the success rate of handover and saves handover time.

In this embodiment, multiple handover strategies are exemplarily given. In actual implementation, more handover strategies can be designed according to actual needs, and the handover state information required by the handover strategy can be collected accordingly.

The handover control method provided in this embodiment can collect statistics on the handover of the mobile client from the source AP in the past. Under the condition that the path of the mobile client is predictable, the historically better target AP is also very likely to become the current handover. Therefore, the switching strategy generated according to the switching status information is beneficial to optimize the switching process of the mobile client associated with the source AP.

By providing a handover strategy for the mobile client, the handover control method provided in this embodiment can enable the mobile client to determine the target AP according to the handover strategy, save time in the scanning and authentication stages of the mobile client, and realize fast handover of the mobile client. Furthermore, the realization of fast switching of mobile clients can improve the possibility of providing high-quality real-time services for mobile clients. It can be seen that by recording or counting the switching state information, different switching strategies can be adopted according to different implementation requirements, so as to meet various fast switching requirements.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of an exemplary process of a method 200 for handover of a mobile client according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The switching method can use the switching strategy provided in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 to perform switching, thereby optimizing the switching process of the mobile client and reducing the switching delay. The handover method 200 of the mobile client according to this embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to FIG. 2.

As shown in FIG. 2, in block S202, the mobile client receives the handover strategy generated according to the handover control method described above with reference to FIG. 1 from the AP.

In this embodiment, the operation in block S202 can be executed when the mobile client associates with the AP, or it can be executed periodically, or executed when the mobile client decides to switch, or can also be executed under other trigger conditions .

Next, in block S204, the mobile client performs handover according to the handover strategy.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an exemplary process of the operation in block S204 in FIG. 2.

If the handover strategy received by the mobile client in block S202 includes the recommended AP list, as shown in FIG. 3, the operation in block S204 may specifically include the following process:

In block S2041, when the handover trigger condition is met, the mobile client selects an AP in the recommended AP list for association.

Wherein, when the mobile client selects one from the recommended AP list for association, for example, one may be selected randomly, or one may be selected in the order of weight.

In this embodiment, when an AP is selected for association, the communication with the AP still uses the existing protocol, which will not be repeated here.

After performing the operation of block S2041, if the mobile client is successfully associated with the selected AP, the operation proceeds to S205, that is, the process ends, otherwise the operation in block S2042 is performed.

In block S2042, if the mobile client fails to successfully associate with the selected AP, another AP is selected in the recommended AP list for association.

After performing the operation of block S2042, if the mobile client can successfully associate with an AP in the recommended AP list, the operation proceeds to S205, that is, the process ends, otherwise the operation in block S2043 is performed.

In block S2043, if the mobile client fails to associate successfully with all APs in the recommended AP list, then the existing handover scanning process is started.

In this embodiment, the mobile client will preferentially select APs in the recommended AP list for association, and since the recommended AP list includes the sending static sector and the receiving static sector respectively selected by the mobile client and the target access point, Therefore, there is no need to scan all static sectors, which saves a lot of scanning time and helps realize fast switching. In addition, the APs in the recommended AP list are usually APs with a shorter total handover delay and higher signal strength, which facilitates the mobile client to quickly switch to the most preferred AP.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing another exemplary process of the operation in block S204 in FIG. 2.

If the handover strategy received in block S202 includes the list of non-recommended APs, as shown in FIG. 4, the operation in block S204 may specifically include the following process:

Step S2044, the mobile client obtains at least one AP that can be associated through scanning.

In this embodiment, the scanning of the mobile client may be, for example, a scanning process in the prior art, or may also be a scanning process that starts when none of the APs in the recommended AP list are successfully associated.

In block S2045, the mobile client determines whether the APs that can be associated include an AP in the list of not recommended APs, if it contains (Y), execute the processing in block S2046, if it does not contain (N), execute block S2047 Processing in.

In block S2046, the mobile client preferentially selects the APs that can be associated that are not included in the list of not recommended APs for association. If all the available APs are included in the list of not recommended APs, the mobile client can select the APs that can be associated Choose one to associate.

In block S2047, one of the APs that can be associated is selected for association.

Specifically, the processing in block S2046 may use the existing handover procedure and protocol, which will not be repeated here.

In this embodiment, since the source AP provides the mobile client with a list of non-recommended APs, after scanning, the mobile client can avoid associating with APs in the list of non-recommended APs, reducing the time wasted for unsuccessful associations . However, when only APs in the deprecated AP list can be associated, the mobile client can also associate with these APs.

Further, in an example, if the handover strategy includes a recommended AP list and a non-recommended AP list, the operations described with reference to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 may be combined, and details are not described herein again.

The foregoing embodiments may refer to each other, and each step of the method disclosed in each embodiment may be implemented by software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an exemplary configuration of a switching control device 500 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The handover control device 500 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to FIG. 5. As shown in FIG. 5, the switching control device 500 includes: a collecting unit 502, a strategy unit 504, and a sending unit 506.

Wherein, the collecting unit 502 is configured to collect handover status information of at least one mobile client, where the handover status information includes at least: when the mobile client switches from the source access point to the target access point, The access point selects the sending static sector and the receiving static sector respectively.

Wherein, collecting the handover status information may include collecting data based on its own, and may also include receiving handover status information sent by other devices. For the switching status information, reference may be made to the foregoing embodiment of the switching control method.

Wherein, the collecting unit 502 may be set in each access point to collect the handover status information of the mobile client, and send the collected handover status information to the central server or the source access point.

The policy unit 504 may be set in a central server (in the case of a central server) or in each access point (in the case of no central server). The strategy unit 504 is configured to generate a handover strategy according to the handover status information collected by the collection unit 502, wherein the handover strategy is used to optimize the handover procedure of the mobile client from the source AP to the target access point.

In this embodiment, the switching strategy can be specifically referred to the embodiment of the above switching control method.

The sending unit 506 can be set in the central server (when there is a central server) or in each access point (when there is no central server), and is configured to send the switching strategy generated by the policy unit 504 to the mobile client end.

Wherein, the mobile client moves along a predictable path.

Wherein, the handover status information further includes at least one of the following: the received signal strength indicator RSSI of the source access point when the mobile client is handed over, and the signal strength of the target access point when the mobile client is handed over RSSI, the total handover delay for the mobile client to switch from the source access point to the target access point, the association time between the mobile client and the source access point, the target access point Load status and information about candidate target access points.

Wherein, the strategy unit 504 is further configured to: calculate the weight of each candidate target access point of the mobile client according to the handover status information, and descend from the candidate target access point according to the calculated weight. Select at least one access point to join the recommended access point list.

Wherein, the sending unit 506 is further configured to send the recommended access point list to the mobile client, so that the mobile client preferentially selects the access points in the recommended access point list as the handover Target access point.

Wherein, the recommended access point list includes the access point identifier, the weight of the access point, the access channel of the access point, and the mobile client and the access point respectively selected when accessing the access point. At least one of sending static sectors and receiving static sectors.

In an example, the strategy unit 504 is further configured to determine whether the candidate target AP includes a degraded AP, and if it is included, the degraded AP is included in the list of non-recommended APs, where the degraded AP has a weight reduction greater than or APs equal to the threshold, and/or APs whose ranking reduction is greater than or equal to the threshold; the sending unit 506 is further configured to: send the list of non-recommended APs to the mobile client, so that the The mobile client does not select or finally selects an AP in the non-recommended AP list for association during handover.

In an example, the policy unit 504 is further configured to: make a judgment according to the load status of the target AP, and if the load of the target AP is greater than or equal to a threshold, then the target AP is included in the list of non-recommended APs The sending unit 506 is further configured to send the list of non-recommended APs to the mobile client, so that the mobile client does not select or finally selects an AP in the list of non-recommended APs for association during handover .

In an example, the policy unit 504 is further configured to: determine whether the target AP will generate a ping-pong effect with the source AP according to the handover status information, and the target AP will generate a ping-pong effect with the source AP. In the case that the target AP is included in the list of non-recommended APs; the sending unit 506 is further configured to: send the list of non-recommended APs to the mobile client associated with the source AP, so that the The mobile client associated with the source AP does not select during handover or finally selects the AP in the non-recommended AP list for association.

In an example, the switching control device may further include an acquisition module (not shown in the figure) for acquiring the context of the mobile client. Correspondingly, the sending unit 506 is further configured to send the context to the AP in the recommended AP list.

The device provided in this embodiment may be used, for example, to implement the handover control method embodiment shown in FIG. 1. For specific implementation, refer to the foregoing method embodiments.

The device provided in this embodiment can collect handover status information according to actual needs, and generate a corresponding handover strategy, so that the mobile client can optimize the handover process according to the handover strategy, with regard to handover time, handover success rate, and service continuity. Performance indicators can be optimized. The details of the operations and functions of each part of the switching control device may be the same as or similar to the relevant parts of the switching control method embodiment of the present disclosure described with reference to FIGS. 1-4, for example, and will not be described in detail here. It should be noted here that the structure of the switching control device 500 and its constituent units shown in FIG. 5 is only exemplary, and those skilled in the art can modify the structure block diagram shown in FIG. 5 as needed.

1 to 5, the handover control method, the handover control method of the mobile client, and the handover control device according to the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above. The above switching control method can also be implemented using electronic equipment.

FIG. 6 shows a block diagram of an electronic device 600 of a switching control method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. According to an embodiment, the electronic device 600 may include at least one processor 602 that executes at least one computer-readable instruction stored or encoded in a computer-readable storage medium (ie, the memory 604) (ie, the above-mentioned in the form of software) Implementation elements).

In one embodiment, a computer executable instruction is stored in the memory 604, which when executed causes at least one processor 602 to collect handover status information of at least one mobile client, wherein the handover status information includes at least: When the client switches from the source access point to the target access point, the mobile client and the target access point respectively select the static sector for sending and receiving the static sector; according to the handover status information, a handover strategy is generated, wherein the The handover strategy is used to optimize the handover procedure of the mobile client from the source access point to the target access point; and send the handover strategy to the mobile client so that the mobile client Switch according to the switching strategy.

It should be understood that the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 604, when executed, cause at least one processor 602 to perform various operations and functions described above with reference to FIGS. 1-5 in the various embodiments of the present disclosure.

According to one embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium is provided. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may have computer-executable instructions (ie, the above-mentioned elements implemented in the form of software), which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to execute the various embodiments of the present disclosure in combination with FIG. 1- 5 describes the various operations and functions.

According to one embodiment, there is provided a computer program product that is tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium and includes computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause at least one processor to Perform various operations and functions described above in conjunction with FIGS. 1-5 in various embodiments of the present disclosure.

The specific implementations set forth above in conjunction with the drawings describe exemplary embodiments, but do not represent all embodiments that can be implemented or fall within the protection scope of the claims. The term "exemplary" used throughout this specification means "serving as an example, instance, or illustration", and does not mean "preferred" or "advantageous" over other embodiments. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing an understanding of the described technology. However, these techniques can be implemented without these specific details. In some instances, in order to avoid incomprehensibility to the concepts of the described embodiments, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form.

The foregoing description of the present disclosure is provided to enable any person of ordinary skill in the art to implement or use the present disclosure. For those of ordinary skill in the art, various modifications to the present disclosure are obvious, and the general principles defined herein can also be applied to other modifications without departing from the scope of protection of the present disclosure. . Therefore, the present disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein, but is consistent with the broadest scope that conforms to the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

Switching control methods, including:

Collect handover status information of at least one mobile client, where the handover status information includes at least: the transmission selected by the mobile client and the target access point when the mobile client switches from the source access point to the target access point Static sector and receiving static sector;

Generating a handover strategy according to the handover status information, wherein the handover strategy is used to optimize the handover process of the mobile client from the source access point to the target access point; and

The handover policy is sent to the mobile client, so that the mobile client performs handover according to the handover policy.
The method according to claim 1, wherein the switching of the mobile client according to the switching strategy comprises: the mobile client selects a recommended static transmission sector of the mobile client according to the target access point to be connected Receive static sectors for scanning.
The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile client switching according to the switching strategy comprises: the target access point selecting the recommended target access point according to the source access point of the mobile client The sending static sector and receiving static sector are scanned.
The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile client moves along a predictable path.
The method of claim 1, wherein collecting the handover status information of at least one mobile client comprises:

The mobile client sends the handover status information to the target access point; and

The target access point sends the handover status information to the source access point or to a central server.
The method according to claim 1, wherein the handover status information further includes at least one of the following: the received signal strength indicator RSSI of the source access point when the mobile client is handed over, the mobile client The RSSI of the target access point during handover, the total handover delay for the mobile client to switch from the source access point to the target access point, the difference between the mobile client and the source access point Association time, load status of the target access point, and information about candidate target access points.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein:

According to the handover status information, generating a handover strategy includes: calculating a weight of each candidate target access point of the mobile client according to the handover status information, and descending from the candidate target according to the calculated weight Select at least one of the access points to join the recommended access point list.
The method of claim 7, wherein:

Sending the handover policy to the mobile client so that the mobile client performs handover according to the handover policy includes: sending the recommended access point list to the mobile client, so that the mobile client The client preferentially selects the access point in the recommended access point list as the target access point for handover.
The method according to claim 7, wherein the recommended access point list includes at least one of the following: an access point identifier, a weight of the access point, an access channel of the access point, and the access point When the access point is mobile, the sending and receiving static sectors of the client and the access point are moved.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein:

The generating a handover strategy according to the handover status information includes: judging according to the load status of the target access point, and if the load of the target access point is greater than or equal to a threshold value, then connecting the target The access point is included in the list of non-recommended access points; and

The sending the handover policy to the mobile client so that the mobile client performs handover according to the handover policy includes: sending the list of non-recommended access points to the mobile client, to The mobile client does not select or finally selects an access point in the list of not recommended access points for association during handover.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein:

The generating a handover strategy according to the handover status information includes: determining, according to the handover status information, whether the target access point will have a ping-pong effect with the source access point, and meeting at the target access point In the case of a ping-pong effect with the source access point, the target access point is included in the non-recommended access point list; and

The sending the handover policy to the mobile client associated with the source access point so that the mobile client associated with the source access point performs handover according to the handover policy includes: The recommended access point list is sent to the mobile client associated with the source access point, so that the mobile client associated with the source access point does not select during handover or finally selects the non-recommended access point list To associate the access point in.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the method further comprises:

Acquiring the context of the mobile client; and

Sending the context to the access points in the recommended access point list.
Handover methods for mobile clients include:

The mobile client receives the handover strategy generated by the handover control method according to claim 1 from the access point; and

The mobile client performs handover according to the handover strategy.
The method according to claim 13, wherein, in the case that the handover policy includes a recommended access point list, the mobile client switching according to the handover policy comprises:

The mobile client selects an access point in the recommended access point list for association;

If the mobile client fails to successfully associate with the selected access point, the mobile client selects other access points from the recommended access point list for association until it associates with the recommended access point list Or until there are no remaining access points in the recommended access point list.
The method according to claim 14, wherein, in the case that the handover policy includes a list of non-recommended access points, the mobile client performs handover according to the handover policy, further comprising:

If none of the access points in the recommended access point list are successfully associated with the mobile client, the mobile client obtains at least one associated access point through scanning;

Determining, by the mobile client, whether the associated access points include the access points in the non-recommended access point list;

If it is included, the mobile client selects an access point outside the list of not recommended access points from the access points that can be associated for association.
The method according to claim 13, wherein, in the case that the handover policy includes a list of not recommended access points, the mobile client performs handover according to the handover policy, comprising:

The mobile client learns the associated access points through scanning;

Determining, by the mobile client, whether the associated access points include the access points in the non-recommended access point list;

If it is included, the mobile client selects an access point outside the list of not recommended access points from the access points that can be associated for association.
The method according to claim 15 or 16, wherein the mobile client performs handover according to the handover policy, further comprising:

If none of the access points that can be associated except the non-recommended access point list fails to associate with the mobile client, the mobile client selects the non-recommended access point list To associate the access point in.
Switch control device (500), including:

A collecting unit (502) is configured to collect handover status information of at least one mobile client, where the handover status information includes at least: when the mobile client switches from the source access point to the target access point, the mobile client The sending static sector and the receiving static sector selected by the terminal and the target access point respectively;

A strategy unit (504) configured to generate a handover strategy according to the handover status information collected by the collection unit (502), wherein the handover strategy is used to optimize the mobile client from the source access point A handover procedure for handover to the target access point;

A sending unit (506) is configured to send the handover policy to the mobile client, so that the mobile client performs handover according to the handover policy.
The device (500) of claim 17, wherein:

The collection unit (502) is set in each access point, and is used to send the collected handover status information of at least one mobile client to the central server or the source access point; and

The strategy unit (504) is set in the central server or in each access point.
Electronic equipment (600), including:

At least one processor (602); and

The memory (604) coupled with the at least one processor (602) is used to store instructions. When the instructions are executed by the at least one processor (602), the processor (602) can execute the The method described in any one of 1 to 12 is required.
A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12.
A computer program product, which is tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium and includes computer-executable instructions, which when executed, cause at least one processor to execute any of claims 1 to 12 The method described in one item.