Switching control method, apparatus, and wireless communications network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016337915-A1
Application number	US-201615222257-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 28, 2016
Priority date	Jan 29, 2014
Publication date	Nov 17, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application provide a switching control method, an apparatus, and a wireless communications network. The switching control method in the present application includes: receiving a path switching request sent by a radio node (RN), and obtaining information about user equipment (UE), an identifier of a source RN, and an identifier of a destination RN according to the path switching request; determining, according to the information about the UE, the identifier of the source RN, and the identifier of the destination RN, a function node (FN) that provides a service to the destination RN, and generating a path switching rule according to the FN; sending the path switching rule to an ingress network element. The embodiments of the present application resolve a problem that when system performance is insufficient, free extension cannot be performed due to mutual restriction between multiple functions.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A switching control method, comprising:
receiving a path switching request sent by a radio node (RN), and obtaining information about user equipment (UE), an identifier of a source RN, and an identifier of a destination RN according to the path switching request; determining, according to the information about the UE, the identifier of the source RN, and the identifier of the destination RN, a function node (FN) that provides a service to the destination RN, and generating a path switching rule according to the FN; sending the path switching rule to an ingress network element, so that the ingress network element adds, according to the path switching rule, the FN as a function node onto a data path of the UE, and updates locally saved data path information of the UE; and sending path switching request confirmation information to the destination RN.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the determining, according to the information about the UE, the identifier of the source RN, and the identifier of the destination RN, a function node FN that provides a service to the destination RN, and generating a path switching rule according to the FN comprises:
obtaining, according to the information about the UE, the identifier of the source RN, and the identifier of the destination RN, a first FN that provides a service to the source RN; determining, according to a load status of the first FN, whether the first FN continues to be available; and if the first FN continues to be acailable, determining that the first FN is the function node that provides a service to the destination RN, and generating a first path switching rule according to the first FN.

3 . The method according to claim 2 , wherein the sending the path switching rule to an ingress network element, so that the ingress network element adds, according to the path switching rule, the FN as a function node onto a data path of the UE, and updates locally saved data path information of the UE comprises:
sending the first path switching rule to the ingress network element, so that the ingress network element adds, according to the first path switching rule, the first FN as a function node onto the data path of the UE, and updates the locally saved data path information of the UE.

4 . The method according to claim 2 , after the determining, according to a load status of the first FN, whether the first FN continues to be available, further comprising:
if the first FN is unavailable, obtaining an associated RN neighboring to the destination RN, selecting, according to a load status of an FN that provides a service to the associated RN, a second FN that provides a service to the destination RN, and generating a second path switching rule according to the second FN.

5 . The method according to claim 4 , wherein the sending the path switching rule to an ingress network element, so that the ingress network element adds, according to the path switching rule, the FN as a function node onto a data path of the UE, and updates locally saved data path information of the UE comprises:
sending the second path switching rule to the ingress network element, so that the ingress network element adds, according to the second path switching rule, the second FN as a function node onto the data path of the UE, and updates the locally saved data path information of the UE.

6 . The method according to claim 5 , before the sending the second path switching rule to the ingress network element, so that the ingress network element adds, according to the second path switching rule, the second FN as a function node onto the data path of the UE, and updates the locally saved data path information of the UE, further comprising:
sending a context data transfer indication to the first FN, so that the first FN sends context data of the UE to the second FN; receiving context data receiving confirmation information sent by the second FN; and sending a UE information deletion indication to the first FN, so that the first FN deletes saved information of the UE according to the UE information deletion indication.

7 . The method according to claim 5 , after the sending the second path switching rule to the ingress network element, so that the ingress network element adds, according to the second path switching rule, the second FN as a function node onto the data path of the UE, and updates the locally saved data path information of the UE, further comprising:
receiving a context data request message sent by the second FN; sending a context data transfer indication to the first FN according to the context data request message, so that the first FN sends context data of the UE to the second FN; receiving context data receiving confirmation information sent by the second FN; and sending a UE information deletion indication to the first FN, so that the first FN deletes saved information of the UE according to the UE information deletion indication.

8 . The method according to claim 2 , before the sending path switching request confirmation information to the destination RN, further comprising:
receiving a path switching rule configuration completion response sent by the ingress network element.

9 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the receiving a path switching request sent by a radio node RN, and obtaining information about user equipment UE, an identifier of the source RN, and an identifier of a destination RN according to the path switching request comprises:
receiving a first path switching request sent by the destination RN, and obtaining the information about the user equipment UE, the identifier of the source RN, and the identifier of the destination RN according to the first path switching request.

10 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the receiving a path switching request sent by a radio node RN, and obtaining information about user equipment UE, an identifier of the source RN, and an identifier of a destination RN according to the path switching request comprises:
receiving a second path switching request sent by the source RN, and obtaining the information about the user equipment UE, the identifier of the source RN, and the identifier of the destination RN according to the second path switching request.

11 . The method according to claim 10 , before the sending path switching request confirmation information to the destination RN, further comprising:
receiving a first path switching request sent by the destination RN.

12 . A single network controller (SNC), comprising:
a receiving module, configured to receive a path switching request sent by a radio node (RN), and obtain information about user equipment (UE), an identifier of a source RN, and an identifier of a destination RN according to the path switching request; a rule generation module, configured to determine, according to the information about the UE, the identifier of the source RN, and the identifier of the destination RN, a function node (FN) that provides a service to the destination RN, and generate a path switching rule according to the FN; an updating module, configured to send the path switching rule to an ingress network element, so that the ingress network element adds, according to the path switching rule, the FN as a function node onto a data path of the UE, and updates locally saved data path information of the UE; and a sending module, configured to send path switching request confirmation information to the destination RN.

13 . The SNC according to claim 12 , wherein the rule generation module comprises:
an obtaining unit, configured to obtain, according to the info

Assignees

• Huawei Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Tan Wei
• Peng Chenghui
• Zhang Wei

Classifications

• H04W36/0005

  Control or signalling for completing the hand-off · CPC title

• H04W24/02 Primary

  Arrangements for optimising operational condition · CPC title

• H04L45/42

  Centralised routing · CPC title

• H04W36/38

  by fixed network equipment · CPC title

• H04W36/0083 Primary

  Determination of parameters used for hand-off, e.g. generation or modification of neighbour cell lists · CPC title