Network handover method and apparatus

• US 9,510,255 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2014
• Issued: 11/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2011
• 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: Xu, Min, Zhou, Zheng, Chen, Dong, Lin, Yuan
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Lester
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bassett, Daniel G
• Application Number:
  US14/273,453
• Publication Number:
  US 20140242994A1
• Time in Patent Office: 936 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0058 Transmission of hand-off measurement information, e.g. measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0079 in case of hand-off failure or rejection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/04 Reselecting a cell layer in multi-layered cells
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 Reselecting a network or an air interface

Abstract

The present invention discloses a network handover method and apparatus. In the network handover method, by a base station gateway receives a handover request message or a radio link establishment request message that is sent by a source cell RNC. The base station gateway performs an access control process or initiating an access control process to a core network.

Claims

1. A network handover method, comprising:

receiving, by a base station gateway, a handover request message or a radio link establishment request message that is sent by a source cell radio network controller (RNC); and

performing, by the base station gateway an access control process or initiating the access control process to a core network in response to receiving the handover request message or radio link establishment request message from the source cell RNC;

wherein receiving the handover request message or the radio link establishment request message that is sent by a source cell RNC comprises;

when the handover request message or the radio link establishment request message that is received by the base station gateway carries a closed subscriber group identifier (CSG ID) of a target cell base station, verifying, by the base station gateway, the CSG ID; and

when verification fails, generating, by the base station gateway, a radio link establishment failure message or a handover failure message and sending the radio link establishment failure message or the handover failure message from the base station gateway to the source cell RNC, or when verification fails, generating, by the base station gateway, a handover response message or a radio link establishment response message that is added with a real closed subscriber group identifier (CSG ID) and sending the handover response message or the radio link establishment response message from the base station gateway to the source cell RNC.

2. The network handover method according to claim 1, wherein performing the access control process or initiating the access control process to the core network comprises:

when UE capability indication information in the handover request message or the radio link establishment request message indicates that a user equipment (UE) has no closed subscriber group (CSG) capability, performing, by the base station gateway, the access control process; and

when UE capability indication information in the handover request message or the radio link establishment request message indicates that the UE has CSG capability, initiating, by the base station gateway, the access control process to the core network.

3. The network handover method according to claim 1, wherein UE capability indication information in the handover request message or the radio link establishment request message indicates that a user equipment (UE) has a closed subscriber group (CSG) capability;

wherein performing the access control process or initiating the access control process to the core network comprises initiating, by the base station gateway, the access control process to the core network by;

generating, by the base station gateway, an access control request message, sending the access control request message to the core network, and receiving an access control response message sent by the core network;

or

receiving, by the base station gateway, an access control request message sent by a target cell base station, forwarding the access control request message to the core network, receiving an access control response message sent by the core network, and forwarding the access control response message to the target cell base station.

4. The network handover method according to claim 1, wherein the base station gateway initiates the access control process to the core network by using connectionless signaling transmission.

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

determining whether performing the access control process or initiating the access control process leads to a successful access control;

when the access control is successful, adding, by the base station gateway, member state information to the radio link establishment request message or the handover request message, and sending the radio link establishment request message or the handover request message to a target cell base station;

or adding, by the base station gateway, member state information to a radio network subsystem application part user adaptation (RNA) Connect message, and sending the RNA Connect message to the target cell base station; and

when access control is not successful, generating or forwarding, by the base station gateway, a radio link setup failure message or a handover failure message that is sent by the target cell base station, and/or sending state information indicating that a user equipment (UE) is a non-member to the source cell RNC.

6. The network handover method according to claim 5, wherein the radio link setup failure message or the handover failure message carries a cause value that indicates that access of the UE is not allowed.

7. A network handover method, comprising:

receiving a cell update message at a source cell radio network controller (RNC), the cell update message having been sent by a user equipment (UE) to a base station gateway and from the base station gateway to the source cell RNC;

sending, by the source cell RNC, an access control request message to a core network or the base station gateway, wherein the access control request message carries a closed subscriber group identifier (CSG ID) of a target cell base station, the access control request message being sent in response to receiving the cell update message;

performing access control, by the core network or the base station gateway that received the access control request message, according to the CSD ID carried in the access control request message;

receiving, by the source cell RNC, access control response message sent by the core network or the base station gateway; and

sending, by the source cell RNC, a handover request message or a radio link establishment request message to the base station gateway, wherein the handover request message or the radio link establishment request message carries the CSG ID and member state information.

8. The network handover method according to claim 7, wherein the access control request message to the core network or the base station gateway specifically comprises:

when the UE has a CSG capability, sending the access control request message to the core network and, after receiving the access control request message, sending, by the core network, an access control response message to the source cell RNC; and

when the UE does not have a CSG capability, sending the access control request message to the base station gateway and, after receiving the access control request message, sending, by the base station gateway, the access control response message to the source cell RNC.

9. A network handover method, comprising:

receiving, by a base station gateway, an uplink signaling transmission indication message sent by a target cell base station after the target cell base station receives a cell update message sent by a user equipment (UE), wherein the cell update message carries a UE identifier and/or UE capability indication information, and wherein the target cell base station is a micro cell base station;

performing, by the base station gateway, an access control process or initiating the access control process to a core network in response to receiving the uplink signaling transmission indication message sent by the target cell base station; and

sending, by the base station gateway, the uplink signaling transmission indication message to a source cell radio network controller (RNC), wherein the uplink signaling transmission indication message carries the cell update message and/or an access control completion indication message.

10. The network handover method according to claim 9, wherein performing the access control process or initiating the access control process to the core network comprises:

when UE capability indication information in a handover request message or a radio link establishment request message indicates that the UE has no closed subscriber group (CSG) capability, performing, by the base station gateway, the access control process; and

when UE capability indication information in the handover request message or the radio link establishment request message indicates that the UE has CSG capability, initiating, by the base station gateway, the access control process to the core network.

11. The network handover method according to claim 9, wherein UE capability indication information in a handover request message or a radio link establishment request message indicates that the UE has a closed subscriber group (CSG) capability;

wherein performing the access control process or initiating the access control process to the core network comprises initiating, by the base station gateway, the access control process to the core network; and

wherein initiating the access control process to the core network specifically comprises;

generating, by the base station gateway, an access control request message, sending the access control request message to the core network, and receiving an access control response message sent by the core network;

or

receiving, by the base station gateway, the access control request message sent by the target cell base station, forwarding the access control request message to the core network, receiving the access control response message sent by the core network, and forwarding the access control response message to the target cell base station.

12. A base station gateway, comprising:

a receiver, configured to receive a handover request message or a radio link establishment request message that is sent by a source cell radio network controller (RNC), wherein the handover request message or the radio link establishment request message carries a closed subscriber group identifier (CSG ID);

a processor, configured to;

verify the handover request message or the radio link establishment request message in response to receiving the handover request message or the radio link establishment request message that is sent by the source cell RNC; and

in response to verification failing, generating a first message, wherein the first message comprises a radio link establishment failure message or a handover failure message, or a handover response message, or a radio link establishment response message that is added with a real closed subscriber group identifier (CSG ID); and

a transmitter, configured to send the first message to the source cell RNC.

13. A base station gateway, comprising:

a receiver, configured to receive an uplink signaling transmission indication message sent by a target micro cell base station, wherein the uplink signaling transmission indication message carries a cell update message and the cell update message carries a user equipment (UE) identifier and/or user equipment (UE) capability indication information;

a processor, configured to perform an access control process; and

/or configured to initiate an access control process to a core network in response to receiving the uplink signaling transmission indication message sent by the target micro cell base station; and

a transmitter, configured to send the uplink signaling transmission indication message to a source cell radio network controller (RNC), wherein the uplink signaling transmission indication message carries the cell update message and/or an access control completion indication message.