Handover method, communication device and communication system

• US 8,913,588 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2012
• Issued: 12/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2010
• 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: Liu, Jing, Chang, Ningjuan, Peng, Yan, Ke, Wang
• Primary Examiner(s): Mian, Omer S
• Application Number:
  US13/633,020
• Publication Number:
  US 20130100929A1
• Time in Patent Office: 806 Days
• Field of Search: 370/331, 455/436
• US Class Current: 370/331
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0005 Control or signalling for completing the hand-off
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0016 Hand-off preparation specially adapted for end-to-end data sessions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/08 Reselecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/045 between access point and backbone network device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/20 between access points

Abstract

The present invention provides a handover method. An access node obtains mobility management entity pool MME pool information which is sent by a donor station of the access node and is used for identifying a mobility management entity MME to which a user equipment UE is attached. The access node initiates handover for the UE according to the MME pool information used for identifying the MME to which the UE is attached. The present invention further provides a communication device and a communication system.

Claims

1. A handover method, used for handing over a user equipment (UE) from a source access node to a target access node in a long term evolution (LTE) system,

wherein the source access node accesses a mobility management entity (MME) through a donor station of the source access node;

wherein handover types of the LTE system comprise an X2 handover and an S1 handover;

wherein in the X2 handover, an X2 interface between two base stations acts as a reference point;

wherein in the S1 handover, an S1 interface between an MME and a base station acts as a reference point; and

wherein the method comprises;

obtaining, by the source access node, a globally unique MME identifier (GUMMEI) sent by the donor station, wherein the GUMMEI is used for identifying a MME to which the UE in coverage of the source access node is attached, and the GUMMEI is sent by the donor station to the source access node through an initial context setup request message or an S1 handover request message;

obtaining, by the source access node, MME pool information of the target access node sent by the donor station;

determining, by the source access node, a handover type of the handover according to the obtained GUMMEI and the MME pool information of the target access node,

wherein the handover type is X2 handover if an MME pool of the MME to which the UE in coverage of the source access node is attached and an MME pool to which the target access node belongs are the same, and

wherein the handover type is S1 handover if the MME pool of the MME to which the UE in coverage of the source access node is attached and the MME pool to which the target access node belongs are different; and

initiating, by the source access node, the handover according to the determined handover type.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the access node is a relay node and the donor station is an evolved node B (eNB).

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the access node is a home evolution node B (HeNB) and the donor station is a home evolution node B gateway (HeNB GW).

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the MME pool information of the target access node is sent by the donor station to the source access node through a setup procedure of an X2 interface between the source access node and the donor station or an eNB configuration update procedure.

5. A computer program product, comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, wherein the computer readable storage medium comprises a program, and the program enables a computer to execute the handover method according to claim 1 when the program is run in the computer.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the MME pool information of the target access node is a Globally Unique (GU) Group ID.

7. A communication device, used as a source access node for handing over a user equipment (UE) from the source access node to a target access node in a long term evolution (LTE) system,

wherein the source access node accesses a mobility management entity (MME) through a donor station of the source access node;

wherein handover types of the LTE system comprise an X2 handover and an S1 handover;

wherein in the X2 handover, an X2 interface between two base stations acts as a reference point;

wherein in the S1 handover, an S1 interface between an MME and a base station acts as a reference point; and

wherein the communication device comprises;

a processor and a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, wherein the non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprises a program stored therein, and when the program runs, the following steps are performed;

obtaining a globally unique MME identifier (GUMMEI) sent by the donor station, wherein the GUMMEI is used for identifying a MME to which the UE in coverage of the communication device is attached, and the GUMMEI is sent by the donor station to the communication device through an initial context setup request message or an S1 handover request message;

obtaining MME pool information of the target access node sent by the donor station;

determining a handover type of the handover according to the obtained GUMMEI and the MME pool information of the target access node,

wherein the handover type is X2 handover if an MME pool of the MME to which the UE in coverage of the source access node is attached and an MME pool to which the target access node belongs are the same, and

wherein the handover type is S1 handover if the MME pool of the MME to which the UE in coverage of the source access node is attached and the MME pool to which the target access node belongs are different; and

initiating the handover according to the determined handover type.

8. The communication device according to claim 7, wherein the communication device is a relay node and the donor station is an evolved node B (eNB).

9. The communication device according to claim 7, wherein the communication device is a home evolution node B (HeNB) and the donor station is a home evolution node B gateway (HeNB GW).

10. The communication device according to claim 7, wherein the MME pool information of the target access node is sent by the donor station to the communication device through a setup procedure of an X2 interface between the communication device and the donor station or an eNB configuration update procedure.

11. The communication device according to claim 7, wherein the MME pool information of the target access node is a Globally Unique (GU) Group ID.

12. A communication device, as a donor station of a source access node, which is used for handing over a user equipment (UE) from the source access node to a target access node in a long term evolution (LTE) system,

wherein the source access node accesses a mobility management entity (MME) through the donor station;

wherein handover types of the LTE system comprise an X2 handover and an S1 handover;

wherein in the X2 handover, an X2 interface between two base stations acts as a reference point;

wherein in the S1 handover, an S1 interface between an MME and a base station acts as a reference point; and

wherein the communication device comprises;

a sender, a processor and a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, wherein the non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprises a program stored therein, and when the program runs, the following steps are performed;

controlling the sender to send a globally unique MME identifier (GUMMEI) to the source access node, wherein the GUMMEI is used for identifying a MME to which the UE in coverage of the source access node is attached, and the GUMMEI is sent by the sender to the source access node through an initial context setup request message or an S1 handover request message; and

,

controlling the sender to send MME pool information of the target access node to the source access node, wherein the GUMMEI and the MME pool information of the target access node are used for determining by the source access node a handover type of the handover,

wherein the handover type is X2 handover if an MME pool of the MME to which the UE in coverage of the source access node is attached and an MME pool to which the target access node belongs are the same, and

wherein the handover type is S1 handover if the MME pool of the MME to which the UE in coverage of the source access node is attached and the MME pool to which the target access node belongs are different.

13. The communication device according to claim 12, wherein the access node is a relay node and the communication device is an evolved node B (eNB).

14. The communication device according to claim 12, wherein the access node is a home evolution node B (HeNB) and the communication device is a home evolution node B gateway (HeNB GW).

15. The communication device according to claim 12, wherein the MME pool information of the target access node is a Globally Unique (GU) Group ID.

16. A handover method, comprising:

obtaining, by a first access node, donor station information sent by a donor station of the first access node, wherein the donor station information relates to a handover in a long term evolution (LTE) system and comprises;

a globally unique mobility management entity (MME) identifier (GUMMED, wherein the GUMMEI is used for identifying a MME to which a user equipment (UE) in coverage of the first access node is attached, and the GUMMEI is comprised in an initial context setup request message or in a S1 handover request message; and

MME pool information of a target access node of the handover, wherein the target access node is distinct from the first access node;

determining, by the first access node, a handover type of the handover according to the donor station information,

wherein the handover type is X2 handover if an MME pool of the MME to which the UE in coverage of the first access node is attached and an MME pool to which the target access node belongs are the same, and

wherein the handover type is S1 handover if the MME pool of the MME to which the UE in coverage of the first access node is attached and the MME pool to which the target access node belongs are different; and

initiating, by the first access node, the handover according to the determined handover type.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the first access node is a relay node and the donor station is an evolved node B (eNB).

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein the first access node is a home evolution node B (HeNB) and the donor station is a home evolution node B gateway (HeNB GW).

19. The method according to claim 16, wherein the MME pool information of the target access node is notified by the donor station to the first access node through a setup procedure of an X2 interface between the first access node and the donor station or an eNB configuration update procedure.

20. The method according to claim 16, wherein the MME pool information of the target access node is a Globally Unique (GU) Group ID.