BEARER HANDOVER CONTROL DEVICE AND CONTROL METHOD

• US 20170195933A1
• Filed: 12/12/2016
• Published: 07/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2014
• 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: ZHANG, Wanqiang, SHI, Xiaoyan
• Granted Patent: US 10,264,501 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0069 in case of dual connectivity, e.g. decoupled uplink/downlink
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/28 involving a plurality of connections, e.g. multi-call or multi-bearer connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/38 by fixed network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/385 of the core network

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention disclose a bearer handover control device and control method. The method includes: receiving, by a network side device, a bearer handover message; and determining, by the network side device according to the bearer handover message, a bearer needing to be handed over in all bearers, so that an end marker End Marker message is sent to a source base station only for the bearer needing to be handed over. By using the foregoing solutions, for a multi-connection scenario, a network side device can determine a bearer needing to be handed over, so that an end marker message is sent only for the bearer needing to be handed over, which can prevent discarding of subsequent data of a bearer that is not to be handed over, and ensure multiple connections between a UE and base stations, thereby improving stability of a system.

Claims

1. A network side device, configured to control a bearer handover, wherein the network side device belongs to a wireless communications system, wherein the system further comprises a source base station and a target base station, and at least some of all bearers between user equipment and the source base station need to be handed over from the source base station to the target base station, and the network side device comprises:

a receiver, configured to receive a bearer handover message;

a processor, configured to determine, according to the bearer handover message, a bearer needing to be handed over in all the bearers; and

a transmitter, configured to send an end marker message to the source base station only for the bearer needing to be handed over.

2. The network side device according to claim 1, wherein the network side device is a serving gateway SGW, wherein

the receiver is configured to receive at least one bearer modification request message sent by a mobility management entity (MME), wherein bearer contexts comprised in the at least one bearer modification request message correspond to all the bearers;

the processor is configured to determine, according to the bearer contexts in the at least one bearer modification request message, the bearer needing to be handed over; and

the transmitter is configured to send the End Marker message to the source base station only for the bearer needing to be handed over.

3. The network side device according to claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to match fully qualified tunnel endpoint identifiers (F-TEIDs) in the bearer contexts in the at least one bearer modification request message with F-TEIDs in bearer contexts that are currently stored by the SGW, and when an F-TEID of a bearer is changed, determine that the bearer is a bearer needing to be handed over.

4. The network side device according to claim 1, wherein the network side device is a serving gateway SGW, wherein

the receiver is configured to receive at least one bearer modification request message sent by a mobility management entity MME, wherein the at least one bearer modification request message comprises first indication information, and the first indication information indicates the bearer needing to be handed over;

the processor is configured to determine, according to the first indication information in the at least one bearer modification request message, the bearer needing to be handed over; and

the transmitter is configured to send the End Marker message to the source base station only for the bearer needing to be handed over.

5. The network side device according to claim 4, wherein

each bearer modification request message of the at least one bearer modification request message comprises one piece of first indication information, wherein the first indication information indicates that all bearers in the at least one bearer modification request message are bearers needing to be handed over;

or

each bearer modification request message of the at least one bearer modification request message comprises a plurality of pieces of first indication information, wherein each bearer in the bearer modification request corresponds to one piece of first indication information, and each piece of the first indication information indicates whether a corresponding bearer needs to be handed over.

6. The network side device according to claim 2, wherein the processing unit of the SGW is further configured to reserve a context of a bearer that does not need to be handed over.

7. A bearer handover control method, wherein the method is applicable to a wireless communications system, wherein the system comprises a network side device, a source base station, and a target base station, and at least some of all bearers between user equipment and the source base station need to be handed over from the source base station to the target base station, and the method comprises following steps:

receiving, by the network side device, a bearer handover message;

determining, by the network side device according to the bearer handover message, a bearer needing to be handed over in all the bearers; and

sending an end marker message to the source base station only for the bearer needing to be handed over.

8. The control method according to claim 7, wherein the network side device is a serving gateway SGW, wherein

the receiving, by the network side device, a bearer handover message comprises:

receiving, by the SGW, at least one bearer modification request message sent by a mobility management entity MME, wherein bearer contexts comprised in the at least one bearer modification request message correspond to all the bearers;

the determining, by the network side device according to the bearer handover message, a bearer needing to be handed over in all the bearers, comprises;

determining, by the SGW according to the bearer contexts in the at least one bearer modification request message, the bearer needing to be handed over; and

the sending, by the network side device, the end marker message to the source base station comprises;

sending, by the SGW, the End Marker message to the source base station only for the bearer needing to be handed over.

9. The control method according to claim 8, wherein the determining, by the SGW according to the bearer contexts in the at least one bearer modification request message, the bearer needing to be handed over comprises:

matching, by the SGW, fully qualified tunnel endpoint identifiers (F-TEIDs) in the bearer contexts in the at least one bearer modification request message with F-TEIDs in bearer contexts that are currently stored by the SGW, and when an F-TEID of a bearer is changed, determining that the bearer is a bearer needing to be handed over.

10. The control method according to claim 7, wherein the network side device is a serving gateway SGW, wherein

the receiving, by the network side device, a bearer handover message comprises:

receiving, by the SGW, at least one bearer modification request message sent by a mobility management entity MME, wherein the at least one bearer modification request message comprises first indication information, and the first indication information indicates the bearer needing to be handed over;

the determining, by the network side device according to the bearer handover message, a bearer needing to be handed over in all the bearers, comprises;

determining, by the SGW according to the first indication information in the at least one bearer modification request message, the bearer needing to be handed over; and

the sending, by the network side device, the end marker message to the source base station comprises;

sending, by the SGW, the End Marker message to the source base station only for the bearer needing to be handed over.

11. The control method according to claim 10, wherein

each bearer modification request message of the at least one bearer modification request message comprises one piece of first indication information, wherein the first indication information indicates that all bearers in the at least one bearer modification request message are bearers needing to be handed over;

or

each bearer modification request message of the at least one bearer modification request message comprises a plurality of pieces of first indication information, wherein each bearer in the bearer modification request corresponds to one piece of first indication information, and each piece of the first indication information indicates whether a corresponding bearer needs to be handed over.

12. The control method according to claim 8, further comprising:

reserving, by the SGW, a context of a bearer that does not need to be handed over.

13. A computer program product, comprising computer program code, which, when executed by a computer unit, will cause the computer unit to perform the steps:

receiving a bearer handover message;

determining according to the bearer handover message, a bearer needing to be handed over in all the bearers; and

sending an end marker message to the source base station only for the bearer needing to be handed over.