Handover method and system in master-slave network, master device, and slave device

• US 10,349,326 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2015
• Issued: 07/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Zhu, Chong, Ruan, Wei
• Primary Examiner(s): Trinh, Tan H
• Application Number:
  US16/067,311
• Publication Number:
  US 20190007876A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,286 Days
• Field of Search: 455 306, 455437, 455436, 455451, 455450, 455442, 370331, 370329, 370328, 370255, 709227
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0009 for a plurality of users or terminals, e.g. group communication or moving wireless networks user group management H04W4/08; processing of subscriber group data H04W8/186
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/08 Reselecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/18 for allowing seamless reselection, e.g. soft reselection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/30 by measured or perceived connection quality data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/36 by user or terminal equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/38 by fixed network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A handover method in a master-slave network, and a master device, and slave devices are provided. The method includes when a master device or a first slave device determines that a user device needs to be handed over to a second slave device, the first slave device sends, to the second slave device, a first identifier of a first network interface allocated by the first slave device to the user device, and first network connection information used after the user device establishes a connection to the first network interface of the first slave device. The first identifier of the first network interface and a second identifier of the user device correspond on a one-to-one basis. The first slave device deactivates the first network interface and the second slave device activates a second network interface.

Claims

1. A handover method in a master-slave network, the method comprising:

determining, by a master device of the master-slave network, that a user device needs to be handed over from an access device, wherein the master-slave network comprises the master device, a first slave device, a second slave device, and the user device, and wherein the first slave device is the access device of the user device;

determining, by the master device, that the user device is to be handed over to the second slave device;

sending, by the master device to the second slave device, a first identifier of a first network interface and a second identifier of the user device, wherein the first identifier and the second identifier are received by the master device from the first slave device, wherein the sending the first identifier and the second identifier to the second slave device causes the second slave device to allocate a second network interface to the user device, wherein a third identifier of the second network interface is the same as the first identifier of the first network interface, wherein the first network interface is a network interface allocated by the first slave device to the user device and used when the user device accesses the first slave device, and wherein the second identifier of the user device and the first identifier of the first network interface correspond on a one-to-one basis;

instructing, by the master device, the first slave device to send first network connection information to the second slave device, wherein the first network connection information is information associated with a first connection established between the user device and the first network interface of the first slave device, wherein the first slave device sending the first network connection information to the second slave device causes the second slave device to generate second network connection information using the first network connection information, wherein the second network connection information is network connection information associated with a second connection between the user device and the second network interface of the second slave device;

sending, by the master device, a first handover command to the first slave device, wherein the first handover command enables the first slave device to deactivate the first network interface; and

sending a second handover command to the second slave device, wherein the second handover command enables the second slave device to activate the second network interface.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining that the user device needs to be handed over from the access device comprises performing at least one of:

receiving, by the master device from the first slave device, the second identifier of the user device and first link status information of the user device, and determining, according to the first link status information and a first handover condition, that the user device needs to be handed over from the access device;

or

receiving, by the master device, a second indication message sent by the first slave device, wherein the second indication message is an indication message sent to the master device in response to the first slave device determining, according to first link status information of the user device and a first handover condition, that the user device needs to be handed over from the access device, wherein the second indication message notifies the master device that the user device needs to be handed over from the access device, and wherein the second indication message carries the second identifier of the user device, and wherein the first handover condition is that at least one value in the first link status information reaches a corresponding preset threshold.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the determining that the user device needs to be handed over to the second slave device comprises:

receiving, by the master device from the first slave device, the second identifier of the user device and an operating channel of the user device;

sending, by the master device, the second identifier of the user device and the operating channel of the user device to the second slave device, wherein sending the second identifier and the operating channel to the second slave device causes the second slave device to send second link status information to the master device, wherein the second link status information comprises at least one of a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) associated with the user device and that is on the operating channel obtained by the second slave device, a packet error rate (PER) associated with the user device and that is on the operating channel obtained by the second slave device, a signal-to-noise ratio associated with the user device and that is on the operating channel obtained by the second slave device, a quantity of user devices that access the second slave device, a duty cycle of a user device that accesses the second slave device, or a throughput of a user device that accesses the second slave device; and

;

determining, by the master device according to the second link status information and a second handover condition, that the user device needs to handed over to the second slave device, wherein the second handover condition is that at least one value in the second link status information reaches a corresponding preset threshold.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the instructing the first slave device to send the first network connection information to the second slave device comprises performing at least one of:

obtaining, by the master device, the first network connection information, and sending the first network connection information to the second slave device;

or

sending, by the master device, instruction information to the first slave device, wherein the instruction information instructs the first slave device to send the first network connection information to the second slave device.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein the first network connection information comprises at least one of a service set identifier, an encryption mode, key information, state machine information, address resolution protocol (ARP) information, the second identifier of the user device, or an Internet Protocol (IP) address.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining that the user device needs to be handed over from the access device comprises determining, according to at least first link status information of the user device, that the user device needs to be handed over from the access device;

and

wherein the first link status information comprises at least one of a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) associated with the user device, a packet error rate (PER) associated with the user device, a signal-to-noise ratio associated with the user device, a quantity of user devices that access the first slave device, a duty cycle of a user device that accesses the first slave device, or a throughput of a user device that accesses the first slave device.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining that the user device needs to be handed over to the second slave device comprises:

receiving, by the master device from the first slave device, the second identifier of the user device and an operating channel of the user device;

sending, by the master device, the second identifier of the user device and the operating channel of the user device to the second slave device, the sending the second identifier and the operation channel to the second slave device causing the second slave device to send second link status information to the master device, wherein the second link status information comprises at least one of a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) associated with the user device and that is on the operating channel obtained by the second slave device, a packet error rate (PER) associated with the user device and that is on the operating channel obtained by the second slave device, a signal-to-noise ratio associated with the user device and that is on the operating channel obtained by the second slave device, a quantity of user devices that access the second slave device, a duty cycle of a user device that accesses the second slave device, or a throughput of a user device that accesses the second slave device; and

determining, by the master device according to the second link status information and a second handover condition, that the user device is to be handed over to the second slave device, wherein the second handover condition is that at least one value in the second link status information reaches a corresponding preset threshold.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the instructing, by the master device, the first slave device to send first network connection information to the second slave device comprises:

obtaining, by the master device, the first network connection information, and sending the first network connection information to the second slave device;

or

sending, by the master device, instruction information to the first slave device, wherein the instruction information instructs the first slave device to send the first network connection information to the second slave device.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first network connection information comprises at least one of a service set identifier, an encryption mode, key information, state machine information, address resolution protocol (ARP) information, the second identifier of the user device, or an Internet Protocol (IP) address.

10. A handover method in a master-slave network, the method comprising:

determining, by a first slave device in the master-slave network, that a user device of the master-slave network needs to be handed over from an access device, wherein the master-slave network comprises a master device, the first slave device, a second slave device, and the user device, the first slave device is the access device of the user device;

sending, by the first slave device, a second identifier of the user device to the master device, the sending the second identifier of the user device to the master device causing the master device to determine that the user device needs to be handed over to the second slave device, and sending a first identifier of a first network interface and the second identifier of the user device to the second slave device, the sending the first identifier the second identifier of the user device to the second slave device causing the second slave device to allocate a second network interface to the user device, wherein a third identifier of the second network interface is the same as the first identifier of the first network interface, wherein the first network interface is a network interface allocated by the first slave device to the user device and used when the user device accesses the first slave device, and wherein the second identifier of the user device and the first identifier of the first network interface correspond on a one-to-one basis;

sending, by the first slave device, first network connection information to the second slave device according to an instruction of the master device, wherein the first network connection information is information associated with a first connection established between the user device and the first network interface of the first slave device, the sending the first network connection information to the second slave device causing the second slave device to generate second network connection information using the first network connection information, wherein the second network connection information is network connection information associated with a second connection between the user device and the second network interface of the second slave device;

receiving, by the first slave device, a first handover command sent by the master device, wherein the first handover command is a handover command sent simultaneously with, or after, the master device sends a second handover command to the second slave device, and wherein the second handover command causes the second slave device to activate the second network interface; and

deactivating, by the first slave device, the first network interface in response to receiving the first handover command.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the method further comprises performing, after the first handover command is received and before the first slave device deactivates the first network interface:

discarding, by the first slave device, received data associated with the user device; and

;

sending, by the first slave device, a first instruction message after the first slave device sends all data that is to be sent to the user device, wherein the first instruction message instructs the second slave device to send data to the user device.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the determining that the user device needs to be handed over from the access device comprises:

determining, by the first slave device according to first link status information of the user device and a first handover condition, that the user device needs to be handed over from the access device; and

sending a second indication message to the master device, wherein the second indication message notifies the master device that the user device needs to be handed over from the access device, wherein the second indication message carries the second identifier of the user device, and wherein the first handover condition is that at least one value in the first link status information reaches a corresponding preset threshold.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the determining that the user device needs to be handed over from the access device comprises determining, according to at least first link status information of the user device, that the user device needs to be handed over from the access device;

and

wherein the first link status information comprises at least one of a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) associated with the user device, a packet error rate (PER) associated with the user device, a signal-to-noise ratio associated with the user device, a quantity of user devices that access the first slave device, a duty cycle of a user device that accesses the first slave device, or a throughput of a user device that accesses the first slave device.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein the sending the first network connection information to the second slave device comprises receiving, by the first slave device, a third instruction message of the master device, wherein the third instruction message instructs the first slave device to send the first network connection information to the second slave device.

15. The method according to claim 10, wherein the determining that the user device needs to be handed over from the access device comprises:

determining, by the first slave device according to first link status information of the user device and a first handover condition, that the user device needs to be handed over from the access device; and

sending a second indication message to the master device, wherein the second indication message notifies the master device that the user device needs to be handed over from the access device, wherein the second indication message carries the second identifier of the user device, and wherein the first handover condition is that at least one value in the first link status information reaches a corresponding preset threshold.

16. The method according to claim 10, wherein the determining that the user device needs to be handed over from the access device comprises determining, according to at least first link status information of the user device, that the user device needs to be handed over from the access device;

and

wherein the first link status information comprises at least one of a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) associated with the user device, a packet error rate (PER) associated with the user device, a signal-to-noise ratio associated with the user device, a quantity of user devices that access the first slave device, a duty cycle of a user device that accesses the first slave device, or a throughput of a user device that accesses the first slave device.

17. The method according to claim 10, wherein the sending the first network connection information to the second slave device comprises receiving, by the first slave device, a third instruction message of the master device, wherein the third instruction message instructs the first slave device to send the first network connection information to the second slave device.

18. The method according to claim 10, wherein the first network connection information comprises at least one of a service set identifier, an encryption mode, key information, state machine information, address resolution protocol ARP information, or an Internet Protocol IP address.

19. A handover method in a master-slave network, the method comprising:

receiving, by a second slave device of the master-slave network, a first identifier of a first network interface of a first slave device of the master-slave network and a second identifier of a user device of the master-slave network that are sent by a master device of the master-slave network, wherein the first slave device is a current access device of the user device, wherein the first network interface is a network interface allocated by the first slave device to the user device and used when the user device accesses the first slave device, and the second identifier of the user device and the first identifier of the first network interface correspond on a one-to-one basis;

allocating, by the second slave device, a second network interface to the user device, wherein a third identifier of the second network interface is the same as the first identifier of the first network interface;

receiving, by the second slave device, first network connection information of the first slave device, wherein the first network connection information is network connection information associated with a first connection established between the user device and the first network interface of the first slave device;

generating, by the second slave device, second network connection information by using the first network connection information, wherein the second network connection information is network connection information associated with a second connection between the user device and the second network interface of the second slave device;

receiving a second handover command sent by the master device; and

;

activating the second network interface to be activated by the second slave device in response to receiving the second handover command.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the method further comprises performing, after the activating the second network interface by the second slave device:

buffering, by the second slave device, data that is to be sent to the user device; and

;

sending, by the second slave device to the user device after receiving a first instruction message, the data that is to be sent to the user device, wherein the first instruction message is an instruction message sent to the first slave device after the first slave device sends all data that is to be sent to the user device, and the first instruction message is used to instruct the second slave device to send data to the user device.