Method and device for transferring data

• US 9,307,425 B2
• Filed: 07/07/2014
• Issued: 04/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2012
• 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: Jiang, Yi, Quan, Wei, Zhang, Jian, Zhang, Peng, Han, Guanglin
• Primary Examiner(s): Qureshi, Afsar M
• Application Number:
  US14/324,865
• Publication Number:
  US 20140321267A1
• Time in Patent Office: 638 Days
• Field of Search: 370/225
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/28 using route fault recovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/15 Setup of multiple wireless link connections

Abstract

Provided in embodiments of the present invention are a method and a device for transferring data. The method includes: transferring data to a base station via a first link, a second link offloading for the first link; if a radio link failure (RLF) occurs on the first link, transmitting an RLF indication message to the base station, where the RLF indication message is used to notify the base station that the RLF occurs on the first link; and transferring, over the second link, at least a portion of the data on the first link. According to embodiments of the present invention, when a link failure occurs between a user equipment and the base station during a mobile data offloading process, data transfer is performed via the offloading link, a time delay can be reduced and the data transfer efficiency is improved.

Claims

1. A method for transferring data, comprising:

transferring data with a base station via a first link, wherein a second link is established for offloading for the first link;

transmitting, if a radio link failure (RLF) occurs on the first link, an RLF indication message to the base station, wherein the RLF indication message is used to notify the base station that the RLF occurs on the first link; and

transferring, over the second link, at least a portion of the data on the first link.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein in a case where the offloading by the second link for the first link is offloading not based on a radio bearer (RB) offloading, the RLF indication message is also used to request the base station to offload onto the second link at least a portion of downlink data scheduled on the first link;

the transferring, over the second link, at least a portion of the data on the first link comprises;

offloading onto the second link at least a portion of uplink data scheduled on the first link.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein, in a case where offloading by the second link for the first link is offloading based on a radio bearer (RB) and a signaling radio bearer (SRB) is scheduled on the second link for transfer, the RLF indication message is also used to request the base station to configure at least one RB on the first link, so that the at least one RB is offloaded onto the second link;

the method further comprises;

receiving, via the SRB, an offloading reconfiguration message transmitted by the base station according to the RLF indication message, wherein the offloading reconfiguration message is used to indicate information of at least one RB offloaded from the first link onto the second link;

the transferring, over the second link, at least a portion of the data on the first link comprises;

transferring, according to the offloading reconfiguration message and over the second link, the at least one RB on the first link.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

starting, when an RLF occurs on the first link, a first timer;

monitoring, within a time length of the first timer, whether the first link is recovered, wherein the time length is notified by the base station or is pre-configured;

initiating, in a case where the first link being recovered is monitored, a random access so as to transfer the data with the base station via the recovered first link.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the monitoring whether the first link is recovered, comprises:

monitoring whether N in-sync indications are detected successively, wherein N is a positive integer and is notified by the base station or is pre-configured.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the method further comprises:

in a case where the first timer times out and the first link being recovered is monitored, initiating a radio resource control (RRC) connection reestablishment procedure and suspending all radio bearers (RB) of the first link and all RBs of the second link, so as to reestablish the first link.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the RLF indication message is a newly-added information element in an RRC message, or is a newly-added RRC message, or is a medium access control (MAC) control element.

8. A device for transferring data, comprising:

a first transfer unit, configured to transfer the data with a base station via a first link, wherein a second link is established for offloading for the first link;

a message transmission unit, configured to transmit, if a radio link failure (RLF) occurs on the first link, an RLF indication message to the base station, wherein the RLF indication message is used to notify the base station that the RLF occurs on the first link; and

a second transfer unit, configured to transfer, over the second link, at least a portion of the data on the first link.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein in a case where the offloading by the second link for the first link is offloading not based on a radio bearer (RB), the RLF indication message transmitted by the message transmission unit is also used to request the base station to offload onto the second link at least a portion of downlink data scheduled on the first link;

the second transfer unit is configured to offload onto the second link at least a portion of uplink data scheduled on the first link.

10. The device according to claim 8, wherein the device further comprises a receiving unit, in a case where the offloading by the second link for the first link is offloading based on an RB and a signaling radio bearer (SRB) is scheduled on the second link for transfer, the RLF indication message transmitted by the message transmission unit is also used to request the base station to configure at least one RB on the first link, so that the at least one RB is offloaded onto the second link;

the receiving unit is configured to receive, via the SRB, an offloading reconfiguration message transmitted by the base station according to the RLF indication message, wherein the offloading reconfiguration message is used to indicate information of the at least one RB offloaded from the first link onto the second link;

the second transfer unit is configured to transfer, according to the offloading reconfiguration message and over the second link, the at least one RB on the first link.

11. The device according to claim 8, wherein the device further comprises:

a start unit, configured to start a first timer when the RLF occurs on the first link;

a monitor unit, configured to monitor, within a time length of the first timer, whether the first link is recovered, wherein the time length is notified by the base station or is pre-configured;

a recovery unit, configured to initiate, in a case where the monitor unit monitors that the first link is recovered, a random access, so as to transfer the data with the base station via the recovered first link.

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein the monitor unit is configured to monitor whether N in-sync indications are detected successively, wherein N is a positive integer and is notified by the base station or is pre-configured.

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein the recovery unit is further configured to, in a case where the first timer times out and the monitor unit monitors that the first link is not recovered, initiate a radio resource control (RRC) connection reestablishment procedure and suspend all radio bearers (RB) of the first link and all RBs of the second link, so as to reestablish the first link.

14. The device according to claim 8, wherein the RLF indication message transmitted by the message transmission unit is a newly-added information element in an RRC message, or is a newly-added RRC message, or is a medium access control (MAC) control element.

15. A device for transferring data, comprising:

a first transfer unit, configured to transfer data with a user equipment (UE) via a first link, wherein a second link is established for offloading for the first link;

a message receiving unit, configured to receive, if a radio link failure (RLF) occurs on the first link, an RLF indication message from the UE, wherein the RLF indication message is used to notify that the RLF occurs on the first link;

a second transfer unit, configured to transfer, according to the RLF indication message and over the second link, at least a portion of the data on the first link.

16. The device according to claim 15, wherein in a case where the offloading by the second link for the first link is offloading not based on a radio bearer (RB), the RLF indication message received by the message receiving unit is also used to request to offload onto the second link at least a portion of downlink data scheduled on the first link.

17. The device according to claim 15, wherein the device further comprises a transmission unit,

in a case where the offloading by the second link for the first link is offloading based on an RB and a signaling radio bearer (SRB) is scheduled on the second link for transfer, the RLF indication message received by the message receiving unit is also used to request to configure at least one RB on the first link, so that the at least one RB is offloaded onto the second link;

the transmission unit is configured to transmit, according to the RLF indication message, an offloading reconfiguration message to the UE via the SRB, wherein the offloading reconfiguration message is configured to indicate information of the at least one RB offloaded from the first link onto the second link.

18. The device according to claim 15, wherein the device further comprises:

a timing start unit, configured to start a second timer when the first link experiences the RLF;

a link monitor unit, configured to monitor, within a time length of the second timer, whether the first link is recovered, wherein the time length is pre-configured;

a processing unit, configured to trigger, in a case where the link monitor unit monitors that the first link is recovered and via a physical downlink control channel command, the UE to initiate a random access, so as to transfer the data with the UE via the recovered first link.

19. The device according to claim 18, wherein, the link monitor unit is configured to monitor whether N in-sync indications are detected successively, wherein N is a positive integer and is preconfigured.

20. The device according to claim 18, wherein the processing unit is further configured to initiate, in a case where the second timer times out and the link monitor unit monitors that the first link is not recovered, a radio resource control (RRC) connection release procedure, so as to release the first link.