Voice switching method and apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10506485-B2
Application number	US-201715616691-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 7, 2017
Priority date	Dec 8, 2014
Publication date	Dec 10, 2019
Grant date	Dec 10, 2019

Abstract

Embodiments disclose a voice switching method and apparatus. The method includes: receiving a voice switching request that is sent by a source mobility management entity (MME) and that carries a first communications network currently used by a to-be-switched terminal, a terminal identifier of the terminal, and a target base station identifier; if the first communications network is a preset communications network, sending, to an Internet Protocol multimedia subsystem (IMS), a query request that is used to query whether the terminal currently has a voice switching capability from the first communications network to a locally used second communications network, where the query request carries the terminal identifier; and performing voice switching processing according to the target base station identifier and the terminal identifier if a notification message that is sent by the IMS and that indicates that the terminal has the voice switching capability is received.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A voice switching method, comprising:
sending, by a mobility management entity (MME), a voice switching request of a terminal from a first communication network to a second communication network to a mobile switch center (MSC) server, the voice switching request carries a terminal identifier of the terminal and a target base station identifier;
receiving, by the MSC server, the voice switching request that is sent by the MME;
sending, by the MSC server to an Internet Protocol multimedia subsystem (IMS), a query request that is used to query whether the terminal is able to switch from the first communications network to the second communications network in a current call state of the terminal, wherein the query request carries the terminal identifier; and
receiving, by the MSC server, a notification message from the IMS, the notification message indicating whether the terminal is able to switch from the first communication network to the second communication network in the current call state of the terminal; and
performing, by the MSC server, voice switching processing according to the target base station identifier and the terminal identifier in response to determining that the notification message received from the IMS indicates that the terminal is able to switch from the first communication network to the second communication network in the current call state of the terminal, or sending, by the MSC server, a switching failure notification message to the MME in response to determining that the notification message received from the IMS indicates that the terminal is not able to switch from the first communication network to the second communication network in the current call state of the terminal.

2. The method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the notification message indicates whether the terminal has a voice switching capability and carries current-call-state information of the terminal.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the performing voice switching processing according to the target base station identifier and the terminal identifier comprises:
obtaining resource usage of a target base station corresponding to the target base station identifier, and performing voice switching processing according to the target base station identifier and the terminal identifier if the resource usage is less than a preset resource usage threshold.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:
receiving a voice switching failure notification message from the IMS;
sending a resource release request to a target base station corresponding to the target base station identifier;
suspending a network resource of the first communications network and the current call state of the terminal; and
in response to receiving a voice switching cancellation notification message from the MME, canceling voice switching of the terminal from the first communications network to the second communications network.

5. The method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the notification message indicates that the terminal has a voice switching capability and carries current-call-state information of the terminal;
wherein the performing voice switching processing according to the target base station identifier and the terminal identifier comprises:
performing voice switching processing according to the target base station identifier and the terminal identifier if voice switching of the terminal from the first communications network to the second communications network in a call state corresponding to the current-call-state information is locally supported; and

wherein the method further comprises:
sending a voice switching failure notification message to the MME if the voice switching of the terminal from the first communications network to the second communications network in the call state corresponding to the current-call-state information is not locally supported.

6. The method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the notification message indicates whether the IMS has a voice switching capability and carries current-call-state information of the terminal.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the MME receives a handover request from a base station of the terminal.

8. The method according to claim 2 ,
wherein the voice switching capability includes voice switching before ringing, voice switching during ringing, or voice switching of a multi-channel call.

9. The method according to claim 7 , further comprising:
sending, by the MME, the switching failure notification message to the base station of the terminal.

10. The method according to claim 8 ,
wherein the voice switching capability includes voice switching before ringing, voice switching during ringing, or voice switching of a multi-channel call.

11. A voice switching apparatus, comprising:
a processor;
a receiver, configured to receive, from a mobility management entity (MME), a voice switching request of a terminal to switch from a first communication network to a second communication network, wherein the voice switching request carries a terminal identifier of the terminal and a target base station identifier; and
a transmitter, configured to send, to an Internet Protocol multimedia subsystem (IMS), a query request that is used to query whether the terminal is able to switch from the first communications network to the second communications network in a current call state of the terminal, wherein the query request carries the terminal identifier;
wherein the receiver is further configured to receive a notification message from the IMS, the notification message indicating whether the terminal is able to switch from the first communication network to the second communication network in the current call state of the terminal; and
the processor is further configured to:
perform voice switching processing according to the target base station identifier and the terminal identifier in response to determining that the notification message received from the IMS indicates that the terminal is able to switch from the first communication network to the second communication network; or
send a switching failure notification message to the MME in response to determining that the notification message received from the IMS indicates that the terminal is not able to switch from the first communication network to the second communication network.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11 ,
wherein the notification message indicates whether the terminal has a voice switching capability and carries current-call-state information of the terminal.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
obtain resource usage of a target base station corresponding to the target base station identifier, and perform voice switching processing according to the target base station identifier and the terminal identifier if the resource usage is less than a preset resource usage threshold.

14. The apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the processor is further configured t:
in response to a voice switching failure notification message received from the IMS, cause the transmitter to send a resource release request to a target base station corresponding to the target base station identifier,
suspend a network resource of the first communications network and the current call state of the terminal, and
in response to a voice switching cancellation notification message received from the MME, cancel voice switching of the terminal from the first communications network to the second communications network.

Assignees

• Huawei Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Zheng Shunli

Classifications

• H04W88/08

  Access point devices · CPC title

• H04L65/1016

  IP multimedia subsystem [IMS] · CPC title

• H04W36/0022

  for transferring data sessions between adjacent core network technologies · CPC title

• H04W36/14 Primary

  Reselecting a network or an air interface · CPC title

• H04W36/0072 Primary

  of resource information of target access point · CPC title