Voice switching method and apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11240721-B2
Application number	US-201916688643-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 19, 2019
Priority date	Dec 8, 2014
Publication date	Feb 1, 2022
Grant date	Feb 1, 2022

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

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein switching from the first communication network to the second communication network in the current call state of the terminal is supported, and 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.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein switching from the first communication network to the second communication network in the current call state of the terminal is supported, and wherein after the performing voice switching processing according to the target base station identifier and the terminal identifier, the method further comprises:
receiving, by the MSC server, a voice switching failure notification message sent by the IMS; and
sending, by the MSC server, 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 currently used by the terminal, and when a voice switching cancellation notification message sent by the source MME is received, canceling, by the MSC server, voice switching of the terminal from the first communications network to the second communications network.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the current call state of the terminal includes a pre-ringing state, a ringing state, or a state of a multi-channel call.

5. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, by the MME, a handover request from a base station of the terminal;
sending, by the MME, the voice switching request of the terminal to the MSC server.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first communication network is a 4G network, the second communication network is a 2G network.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first communication network is a 4G network, the second communication network is a 3G network.

8. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
sending, by the MME, the switching failure notification message to the base station of the terminal.

9. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
sending, by the IMS, a voice switching response to the MME after performing the voice switching processing.

10. A communication system, comprising:
a mobile switch center (MSC) server; and
an Internet Protocol multimedia subsystem (IMS);
wherein the MSC server is configured to:
receive, from a mobility management entity (MME), a voice switching request of a terminal 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
send a query request to the IMS, wherein the query request is used to query whether switching from the first communications network to the second communications network in a current call state of the terminal is supported;

wherein the IMS is configured to send a notification message to the MSC server, wherein the notification message indicates whether switching from the first communication network to the second communication network in the current call state of the terminal is supported; and
wherein the MSC server is 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 indicates that switching from the first communication network to the second communication network in the current call state of the terminal is supported; or
send a switching failure notification message to the MME in response to determining that the notification message indicates that switching from the first communication network to the second communication network in the current call state of the terminal is not supported.

11. The communication system according to claim 10 , wherein switching from the first communication network to the second communication network in the current call state of the terminal is supported, and 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.

12. The communication system according to claim 10 , wherein the MSC server is further configured to:
receive a voice switching failure notification message sent by the IMS; and
send 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 currently used by the terminal, and when a voice switching cancellation notification message sent by the source MME is received, cancel voice switching of the terminal from the first communications network to the second communications network.

13. The communication system according to claim 10 , wherein the current call state of the terminal includes a pre-ringing state, a ringing state, or a state of a multi-channel call.

14. The communication system according to claim 10 , further comprising the MME, the MME is configured to:
receive a handover request from a base station of the terminal; and
send the voice switching request of the terminal to the MSC server.

15. The communication system according to claim 10 , wherein the first communication network is a 4G network, the second communication network is a 2G network.

16. The communication system according to claim 10 , wherein the first communication net

Assignees

• Huawei Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Zheng Shunli

Classifications

• H04W88/08

  Access point devices · CPC title

• H04L65/1016

  IP multimedia subsystem [IMS] · CPC title

• H04W36/00226

  wherein the core network technologies comprise IP multimedia system [IMS], e.g. single radio voice call continuity [SRVCC] · CPC title

• H04W36/0072 Primary

  of resource information of target access point · CPC title

• H04W68/005

  Transmission of information for alerting of incoming communication · CPC title