Method and device for mode switching

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9832807-B2
Application number	US-201414901024-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 25, 2014
Priority date	Jun 27, 2013
Publication date	Nov 28, 2017
Grant date	Nov 28, 2017

Abstract

A method and device for mode switching includes: a first base station sending a message including mode switching information to a first User Equipment (UE) to trigger the first UE to perform mode switching according to indication information of a mode in the mode switching information. The problem of poorer service continuity caused by mode switching inflexibility in the related is solved, and the effect of improving overall throughput of a system is further achieved.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for mode switching, comprising:
sending, by a first base station, a message comprising mode switching information to a first User Equipment, UE, to trigger the first UE to perform mode switching according to indication information of a mode carried in the mode switching information;
wherein determining, by the first base station, the MME or the ProSe function, that the first UE meets the condition of the mode switching comprises:
when the following conditions are met, determining that the first UE meets a condition of switching from a cellular communication mode to a D2D communication mode: the first UE supports a D2D communication function or passes D2D communication authorization and authentication, cellular communication is performed between the first UE and the second UE, the first UE is in a proximity with the second UE, and there are enough D2D communication air interface resources for D2D communication between the first UE and the second UE;
when one of the following conditions is met, determining that the first UE meets a condition of switching from the D2D communication mode to the cellular communication mode: D2D communication is performed between the first UE and the second UE, and there are enough cellular communication air interface and backbone link resources;
D2D communication is performed between the first UE and the second UE, the first UE is not in the proximity with the second UE, and there are enough cellular communication air interface and backbone link resources;
wherein, the second UE refers to one of the followings: a UE which has established cellular communication with the first UE, a UE which has established D2D communication with the first UE.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein before sending, by the first base station, the message comprising the mode switching information to the first UE, the method further comprises:
determining, by the first base station, that the first UE meets a condition of the mode switching, wherein the first base station is a serving base station of the first UE.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein determining, by the first base station, that the first UE meets the condition of the mode switching comprises:
sending, by the first base station, a first mode switching request to a Mobility Management Entity, MME, or a Device-to-Device, D2D, server; and receiving, by the first base station, a first mode switching response message sent by the MME or the ProSe function, wherein the first mode switching response message is used for indicating that the first UE meets the condition of the mode switching; or
receiving, by the first base station, a message which is sent, by the MME or the ProSe function, to the first base station and used for indicating the first UE to perform the mode switching.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the first mode switching request information and the second mode switching request information comprise at least one of the followings: an identifier of a second UE, a signal measurement result, obtained by the first UE, of a second UE, a signal measurement result, obtained by the first UE, of the first base station, an indication indicating which one of cellular communication and D2D communication is performed between the first UE and a second UE, bearer information corresponding to a data stream of cellular communication or D2D communication between the first UE and a second UE, quality of service information corresponding to data stream and/or bearer of cellular communication or D2D communication between the first UE and a second UE, an indication about whether D2D communication data bearer has been established between the first UE and a second UE or not and/or D2D communication data bearer is required to be established between the first UE and a second UE;
or the first mode switching request information and the second mode switching request information comprise information of a second base station, wherein the second base station is a serving base station of a second UE.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein judging, by the first base station, whether the first UE is in the proximity with the second UE or not comprises:
configuring, by the first base station, signal measurement to be performed by the first UE over the second UE, judging whether a D2D communication link quality threshold is met or not according to a measurement report sent by the first UE, determining that the first UE is in the proximity with the second UE when the D2D communication link quality threshold is met, or determining that the first UE is not in the proximity with the second UE when the D2D communication link quality threshold is not met; or
judging, by the first base station, whether a D2D communication link quality threshold is met or not according to a signal measurement result, obtained by the first UE, of the second UE carried in a received message, sent by the first UE, comprising first mode switching request information, determining that the first UE is in the proximity with the second UE when the D2D communication link quality threshold is met, or determining that the first UE is not in the proximity with the second UE when the D2D communication link quality threshold is not met; or
acquiring, by the first base station, information about whether the first UE is in the proximity with the second UE or not from a network side entity, judging whether a distance between the first UE and the second UE meets a D2D communication distance threshold or not, determining that the first UE is in the proximity with the second UE when the distance meets the D2D communication distance threshold, or determining that the first UE is not in the proximity with the second UE when the distance does not meet the D2D communication distance threshold; or
acquiring, by the first base station, geographical location information or distance information of the first UE and the second UE from a network side entity, judging whether a distance between the first UE and the second UE meets a D2D communication distance threshold or not, determining that the first UE is in the proximity with the second UE when the distance meets the D2D communication distance threshold, or determining that the first UE is not in the proximity with the second UE when the distance does not meet the D2D communication distance threshold;
wherein, when the first UE is in the proximity with the second UE, the first base station determines that the first UE and the second UE are qualified to perform D2D communication; or when the first UE is not in the proximity with the second UE, the first base station determines that the first UE and the second UE are able to perform cellular communication only.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the message, comprising the first mode switching request information, comprises at least one of the followings:
an identifier of the second UE, a signal measurement result, obtained by the first UE, of the second UE, a signal measurement result, obtained by the first UE, of the first base station, an indication indicating which one of cellular communication and D2D communication is being conducted between the first UE and the second UE, bearer information corresponding to a data stream of the cellular communication or the D2D communication between the first UE and the second UE, quality of service information corresponding to data stream and/or bearer of the cellular communication or the D2D communication between the first UE and the second UE and an indication about whether data bearer of the D2D communication has been established between the first UE and the second UE or not and/or data bearer of the D2D communication is required to be established between the first UE and the second UE.

Assignees

• Zte Corp
• Xian Zhongxing New Software Co Ltd

Inventors

• Chen Lin
• Ma Shuyu
• Luo Yumin
• Huang Ying
• Liu Yulan
• Xie Feng

Classifications

• H04W24/02

  Arrangements for optimising operational condition · CPC title

• H04W84/042

  Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems · CPC title

• H04W28/0268

  using specific QoS parameters for wireless networks, e.g. QoS class identifier [QCI] or guaranteed bit rate [GBR] (negotiating SLA or negotiating QoS H04W28/24) · CPC title

• H04W72/1215

  for collaboration of different radio technologies · CPC title

• H04W88/06

  adapted for operation in multiple networks {or having at least two operational modes}, e.g. multi-mode terminals · CPC title