Handover method and system in relay network, relay node, control base station and base station

• US 9,301,231 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2014
• Issued: 03/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2009
• 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, Tao
• Primary Examiner(s): MILLER, BRANDON J
• Application Number:
  US14/550,278
• Publication Number:
  US 20150079993A1
• Time in Patent Office: 494 Days
• Field of Search: 455436-448, 455/466, 455/432.1, 455/426.1, 370/331, 370/328, 370/338
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/155 Ground-based stations H04B7/204 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0005 Control or signalling for completing the hand-off
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/247 by using coverage extension
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/10 using broadcasted information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/14 using user query or user detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/047 using dedicated repeater stations

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide a handover method and system in a relay network, a relay node, a control base station and a base station. The method includes: receiving, by a relay node, a first area identifier that identifies the relay node; sending a system information broadcast message carrying the first area identifier to a terminal in a coverage area; receiving a handover request message forwarded by a control base station; and performing, according to the handover request message, a control operation of accessing the relay node on the terminal. The first area identifier that identifies the relay node is allocated to the relay node, so that the terminal in the relay network can be normally handed over from the base station to the relay node.

Claims

1. A method for performing handover in a relay network, comprising:

sending, by a control base station, a response message to a relay node according to a received interface setup request message, wherein the response message carries a first area identifier that identifies the relay node; and

receiving, by a mobility management entity, a handover required message including target node information from a base station when the relay node is a target of the handover, wherein the target node information includes the first area identifier and an identifier of the control base station, and the identifier of the control base station is obtained according to the first area identifier;

sending, by the mobility management entity, a handover request including the first area identifier to the control base station according to the identifier of the control base station included in the handover required message;

forwarding, by the control base station, the handover request to the relay node according to the first area identifier in the handover request.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first area identifier is a first evolved universal terrestrial radio access network cell global identifier (ECGI), and the first ECGI comprises the identifier of the control base station.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first area identifier is a first tracking area identity, and the first tracking area identity corresponds the identifier of the control base station.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising:

sending, by the control base station, a base station configuration update message to the mobility management entity, wherein the base station configuration update message includes the first tracking area identity.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the base station, a measurement report from a terminal, wherein the measurement report includes the first area identifier;

obtaining, by the base station, the identifier of the control base station according to the first area identifier;

sending, by the base station, the handover required message including the first area identifier and the identifier of the control base station to the mobility management entity.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

broadcasting, by the relay node, the first area identifier in a coverage area of the relay node through a system information broadcast message.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first area identifier is allocated by an operation administration and maintenance (OAM).

8. A system for performing handover in a relay network, comprising:

a control base station, a mobility management entity;

wherein the control base station is configured to send a response message to a relay node according to a received interface setup request message, wherein the response message carries a first area identifier that identifies the relay node;

the mobility management entity is further configured to receive a handover required message including target node information from a base station when the relay node is a target of the handover, wherein the target node information includes the first area identifier and an identifier of the control base station, and the identifier of the control base station is obtained according to the first area identifier, and send a handover request including the first area identifier to the control base station according to the identifier of the control base station included in the handover required message;

the control base station is further configured to forward the handover request to the relay node according to the first area identifier in the handover request.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the first area identifier is a first evolved universal terrestrial radio access network cell global identifier (ECGI), and the first ECGI comprises the identifier of the control base station.

10. The system according to claim 8, wherein the first area identifier is a first tracking area identity, and the first tracking area identity corresponds to the identifier of the control base station.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the control base station is further configured to send a base station configuration update message to the mobility management entity, wherein the base station configuration update message includes the first tracking area identity.

12. The system according to claim 8, further comprising:

the base station, configured to;

receive a measurement report from a terminal, wherein the measurement report includes the first area identifier,

obtain the identifier of the control base station according to the first area identifier, and

send the handover required message including the first area identifier and the identifier of the control base station to the mobility management entity.

13. The system according to claim 8, further comprising:

the relay node, configured to broadcast the first area identifier in a coverage area of the relay node through a system information broadcast message.

14. The system according to claim 8, wherein the first area identifier is allocated by an operation administration and maintenance (OAM).

15. A method for performing handover in a relay network, comprising:

receiving, by a mobility management entity, a handover required message including target node information from a base station, where a relay node is a target of the handover, the target node information includes a first area identifier identifying the relay node and an identifier of a control base station controlling the relay node, and the identifier of the control base station is obtained according to the first area identifier;

sending, by the mobility management entity, a handover request including the first area identifier to the control base station according to the identifier of the control base station included in the handover required message, so that the handover request is forwarded to the relay node according to the first area identifier in the handover request.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the first area identifier is a first evolved universal terrestrial radio access network cell global identifier (ECGI), and the first ECGI comprises the identifier of the control base station.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein the first area identifier is a first tracking area identity and the first tracking area identity corresponds to the identifier of the control base station.

18. The method according to claim 15, wherein the first area identifier is allocated by an operation administration and maintenance (OAM).

19. A mobility management entity (MME), comprising:

a storage medium including an executable instruction; and

a processor;

wherein the executable instruction, when executed by the processor, cause the MME to;

receive a handover required message including target node information from a base station, where a relay node is a target of the handover, the target node information includes a first area identifier identifying the relay node and an identifier of a control base station controlling the relay node, and the identifier of the control base station is obtained according to the first area identifier; and

send a handover request including the first area identifier to the control base station according to the identifier of the control base station included in the handover required message, so that the handover request is forwarded to the relay node according to the first area identifier in the handover request.

20. The MME according to claim 19, wherein the first area identifier is a first evolved universal terrestrial radio access network cell global identifier (ECGI), and the first ECGI comprises the identifier of the control base station.

21. The MME according to claim 19, wherein the first area identifier is a first tracking area identity and the first tracking area identity corresponds to the identifier of the control base station.

22. The MME according to claim 19, wherein the first area identifier is allocated by an operation administration and maintenance (OAM).