A data processing method and related equipment

Abstract

The embodiment of the present application discloses a data processing method and related equipment for increasing the network throughput in a dual connection scenario. In the embodiment of the present application, the target base station will send a first message to the core network element only after it determines that the core network element has completed the bearer change of the inter-station switching, so that the core network will then establish the user plane bearer between the auxiliary base station and the core network element for the terminal accessing the target base station according to the first message. That is to say, once the target base station and the core network element complete the bearer change, the process of adding the auxiliary base station is initiated through the first message, which avoids the failure of the target base station to add the auxiliary base station as an auxiliary carrier due to the core network being unable to simultaneously process the bearer change between the target base station and the auxiliary base station during the process of processing the bearer change of the inter-station switching, thereby increasing the success rate of adding the auxiliary carrier, reducing the switching data drop delay, thereby increasing the network throughput of the base station after the inter-station switching, and improving the user experience.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communications, and in particular to a data processing method and related equipment. Background Art

[0002] Non-standalone (NSA) and standalone (SA) are two networking configuration forms of 5G new radio (NR) in the actual network development process. NSA is a networking solution that quickly provides 5G capabilities and can achieve large-scale deployment. Generally speaking, NSA can be achieved through dual connectivity (DC), multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), evolved-UMTS terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) and NR dual connectivity (EN-DC, E-UTRA-NR dualconnectivity).

[0003] In the prior art, under the NSA architecture, taking EN-DC as an example, the core network is an evolved packet core network (EPC) based on the 4G network, and the evolved base station (eNB) anchored in the 4G network is used as the base station, that is, the main carrier for the terminal to access the core network, and the next generation base station (gNB) is used as the auxiliary carrier for the terminal to access the core network. As for when to add gNB as an auxiliary carrier, the eNB can make a judgment based on its own algorithm and send a request to the core network to add an auxiliary carrier. Then the core network executes the bearer change process of the terminal adding gNB as an auxiliary carrier according to the request. After completing the auxiliary carrier addition process, the eNB and gNB have a user plane (UP, userplane) connection with the EPC through the S1 interface, and only the eNB has a control plane (CP, control plane) connection with the EPC. The eNB transmits CP data with the gNB through the X2 interface.

[0004] However, when the terminal accessing the eNB triggers inter-site switching due to changes in signal quality, adjustments to the wireless transmission service load, activation of operation and maintenance, equipment fault lights, etc., a carrier transfer will occur. The eNB inter-site switching process and the gNB addition process may conflict. After the eNB inter-site switching, the user throughput rate will be significantly reduced. Similarly, the core network will also have the same problem when performing auxiliary carrier addition in other types under the NSA structure, resulting in a poor user experience. Summary of the invention

[0005] The embodiments of the present application provide a data processing method and related equipment for increasing the network throughput of a base station after inter-station switching and improving user experience.

[0006] A first aspect of an embodiment of the present application provides a data processing method, which is applied to a process in which, when an inter-station handover occurs between a target base station and a source base station, the target base station adds an auxiliary base station for a terminal accessing the target base station to implement dual connectivity. In the method, when the target base station determines that a core network element has completed a bearer change for the inter-station handover, that is, when the target base station determines that the core network element has completed a user plane bearer change between the source base station and the core network element of the terminal to a user plane bearer between the target base station and the core network element of the terminal, the target base station obtains a first message, wherein the first message carries an identifier of the auxiliary base station, and the first message is used to indicate establishment of a user plane bearer between the auxiliary base station and the core network element of the terminal accessing the target base station; thereafter, the target base station sends a first message, that is, when the target base station determines that the core network network element has completed the bearer change of the inter-station switching, it will send the first message to the core network network element, so that the core network will establish the user plane bearer between the auxiliary base station and the core network network element for the terminal accessing the target base station according to the first message, thereby avoiding the failure of the target base station to add the auxiliary base station as a secondary carrier due to the core network being unable to simultaneously process the bearer change between the target base station and the auxiliary base station during the process of processing the bearer change of the inter-station switching. By aligning the processing mechanism of the target base station and the core network network element, the failure scenario of the auxiliary carrier addition process during the inter-station switching process is avoided, the success rate of the auxiliary carrier addition is increased, and the switching data drop delay is reduced, thereby increasing the network throughput in the dual connection scenario and improving the user experience.

[0007] In a possible implementation of the first aspect of the embodiment of the present application, there are multiple processes for the target base station to determine that the core network element completes the bearer change of the inter-station handover, wherein the process may be that the target base station receives a first confirmation message from the core network element, and the first confirmation message is used to indicate that the core network element completes the bearer change of the inter-station handover. Further, after sending the first confirmation message, the target base station may send capability information to the core network element, and the capability information is used to indicate the target base station's ability to support dual connections, and the capability information is used to request the first confirmation message; thus, after the core network element determines that the target base station has the dual connection capability, when the core network element completes the bearer change of the inter-station handover, the core network element sends the first confirmation message to the target base station, so that the target base station determines that the core network element completes the bearer change of the inter-station handover, and the first confirmation message is used to indicate that the core network element has completed the bearer change of the inter-station handover.

[0008] In this embodiment, the target base station and the core network handshake to align the user plane bearer change status of both parties after the inter-site switching is achieved through the capability information, that is, a specific implementation method is provided for the target base station to determine the core network element to complete the bearer change of the inter-site switching, thereby improving the feasibility of the solution.

[0009] In a possible implementation method of the first aspect of the embodiment of the present application, the capability information can be specifically carried in the information interacted between the target base station and the core network network element, and can be specifically implemented through a second message, wherein the target base station sends a second message to the core network network element, and the second message includes capability information, and the second message is used to indicate that the control plane bearer between the terminal and the source base station and the core network element has been changed to the control plane bearer between the terminal and the target base station and the core network element.

[0010] In this embodiment, in order to avoid the reserved time for the core network to cache the capability information, the capability information can be carried in the second message sent by the target base station to the core network, thereby providing a specific implementation method for the target base station to send the capability information to the core network network element, thereby improving the feasibility of the solution.

[0011] In a possible implementation method of the first aspect of the embodiment of the present application, there are multiple processes for the target base station to determine that the core network element completes the bearer change for inter-site switching, wherein the process may be that after the target base station receives a termination identifier from the source base station, the target base station determines that the core network element completes the bearer change for inter-site switching.

[0012] In this embodiment, when the core network element determines that the bearer change of the inter-site switching has been completed, it will send an end marker (end marker) to the source base station to identify the process. Thereafter, when the target base station receives the end marker sent by the source base station, the target base station can determine that the core network element has completed the bearer change of the inter-site switching.

[0013] In a possible implementation of the first aspect of the embodiment of the present application, there are multiple processes for the target base station to determine that the core network network element completes the bearer change for inter-station switching, wherein the process may be that when the target base station sends a second message to the core network network element, the target base station starts a first timer, and the second message is used to indicate that the control plane bearer between the terminal and the source base station and the core network network element has been changed to the control plane bearer between the terminal and the core network network element; thereby, when the first timer times out, the target base station determines that the core network network element completes the bearer change for inter-station switching.

[0014] In this embodiment, when sending the second message, the target base station delays sending the first message through the first timer, thereby avoiding the processing time of the user plane bearer change corresponding to the inter-station switching within the core network. That is, it provides a specific implementation method for the target base station to determine the bearer change of the core network element to complete the inter-station switching, thereby improving the feasibility of the solution.

[0015] In a possible implementation method of the first aspect of the embodiment of the present application, in order to further improve the network access success rate, the target base station can start a second timer after the target base station sends a first message to the core network network element; when the second timer times out, if the target base station has not received the second confirmation information sent by the core network network element, the target base station re-sends the first message to the core network network element, and the second confirmation information is used to indicate that the core network network element has completed the establishment of the user plane bearer of the terminal between the auxiliary base station and the core network network element.

[0016] In this embodiment, after the target base station sends the first message to the core network network element, a second timer can be used to verify whether the core network network element has completed the bearer change process corresponding to the first message. If not completed, the first message is resent, so that the core network network element executes the corresponding bearer change according to the resent first message, thereby improving the network access success rate.

[0017] A second aspect of an embodiment of the present application provides a data processing method, which is applied to a process in which a core network network element adds an auxiliary base station to a terminal accessing the target base station to realize dual connection when processing a bearer change of an inter-station switching between a target base station and a source base station. In this method, when the core network network element completes the bearer change of the inter-station switching, the core network network element sends a first confirmation message to the target base station, wherein the bearer change of the inter-station switching indicates that the user plane bearer between the source base station and the core network network element of the terminal is changed to the user plane bearer between the target base station and the core network network element, and the first confirmation message is used to indicate that the core network network element has completed the bearer change of the inter-station switching; thereafter, the core network network element receives a first message sent by the target base station, and the first confirmation message is sent to the target base station. The message carries the identifier of the secondary base station, and the first message is used to indicate the establishment of a user plane bearer of the terminal between the secondary base station and the core network element; the core network element then establishes the user plane bearer of the terminal between the secondary base station and the core network element according to the first message, thereby avoiding the failure of the target base station to add the secondary base station as a secondary carrier due to the core network being unable to simultaneously process the bearer change between the terminal and the target base station during the bearer change process of the inter-station switching. By aligning the processing mechanism of the target base station and the core network element, the failure scenario of the secondary carrier addition process during the inter-station switching process is avoided, the success rate of the secondary carrier addition is increased, and the switching data drop delay is reduced, thereby increasing the network throughput in the dual connection scenario and improving the user experience.

[0018] In a possible implementation method of the second aspect of the embodiment of the present application, before the core network network element sends the first confirmation information to the target base station, it can send the first confirmation information in response to the capability information from the target base station, wherein the core network network element receives the capability information sent by the target base station, and the capability information is used to indicate the ability of the target base station to support dual connections; after the core network network element determines the ability of the target base station to support dual connections based on the capability information, it determines that the target base station may have a demand for dual connections, and then the core network network element triggers the execution of sending the first confirmation information to the target base station.

[0019] In a possible implementation method of the second aspect of the embodiment of the present application, a process in which a core network element receives capability information sent by a target base station can be carried in the information interacted between the target base station and the core network element, and can be specifically implemented through a second message, wherein the core network element receives a second message sent by the target base station, the second message including capability information, and the second message is used to indicate that the control plane bearer between the terminal and the source base station and the core network element has been changed to the control plane bearer between the terminal and the target base station and the core network element.

[0020] In this embodiment, in order to avoid the reserved time for the core network to cache the capability information, the capability information can be directly carried in the second message sent by the target base station to the core network, thereby providing a specific implementation method for the target base station to send the capability information to the core network network element, thereby improving the feasibility of the solution.

[0021] A third aspect of an embodiment of the present application provides a data processing method, which is applied to a process in which a core network network element adds a secondary base station to a terminal accessing the target base station to implement dual connectivity when processing a bearer change in an inter-station handover between a target base station and a source base station. In the method, the core network network element receives a first message sent by the target base station, wherein the first message carries an identifier of the secondary base station, and the first message is used to indicate establishment of a user plane bearer of the terminal between the secondary base station and the core network network element; thereafter, when the core network network element determines that the bearer change in the inter-station handover is completed, the core network network element establishes a user plane bearer of the terminal between the secondary base station and the core network network element according to the first message, and the station The bearer change of inter-station switching indicates that the user plane bearer between the terminal and the source base station and the core network element is changed to the user plane bearer between the terminal and the core network element. That is to say, only when the core network element determines that the bearer change of inter-station switching is completed, the core network element establishes the user plane bearer between the terminal and the secondary base station according to the first message. Thereby, the failure of the target base station to add the secondary base station as a secondary carrier is avoided due to the core network being unable to simultaneously process the bearer change between the target base station and the secondary base station during the process of processing the bearer change of inter-station switching, thereby increasing the network throughput in the dual-connection scenario and improving the user experience.

[0022] In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect of the embodiment of the present application, after the core network element receives the first message sent by the target base station, the method may further include: if the core network element determines that the bearer change of the inter-station switching has not been completed, the core network element caches the first message.

[0023] In this embodiment, when the core network network element determines that the bearer change of the inter-station switching has not been completed, the first message is cached. Compared with directly discarding the first message in the prior art, the first message is cached, so that when the core network network element determines that the bearer change of the inter-station switching is completed later, the core network network element establishes the user plane bearer of the terminal between the secondary base station and the core network network element according to the first message, thereby avoiding the failure of the target base station to add the secondary base station as a secondary carrier.

[0024] In a third aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a target base station is provided, which has the function of implementing the method of the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect. The function can be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions, such as: an acquisition unit, a sending unit, a determination unit, and a starting unit.

[0025] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a core network element, which has the function of implementing the method of the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect. The function can be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions, such as: a receiving unit, a sending unit, and an establishing unit.

[0026] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a core network element, which has the function of implementing the method of the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect. The function can be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions, such as: a receiving unit, an establishing unit, and a caching unit.

[0027] A sixth aspect of an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, including a processor, the processor is coupled to a memory, the memory is used to store computer programs or instructions, and the processor is used to execute the computer program or instructions in the memory, so that the method described in the first aspect or any possible implementation method of the first aspect is executed.

[0028] A seventh aspect of an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, including a processor, the processor is coupled to a memory, the memory is used to store computer programs or instructions, the processor is used to execute the computer programs or instructions in the memory, so that the method described in the aforementioned second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect, or the aforementioned third aspect or any possible implementation of the third aspect is executed.

[0029] In an eighth aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores one or more computer-executable instructions. When the computer-executable instructions are executed by a processor, the processor executes the method described in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0030] A ninth aspect of an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing one or more computer-executable instructions. When the computer-executable instructions are executed by a processor, the processor executes the method described in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect, or the processor executes the method described in the third aspect or any possible implementation of the third aspect.

[0031] The tenth aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides a computer program product (or computer program) storing one or more computers. When the computer program product is executed by the processor, the processor executes the method of the above-mentioned first aspect or any possible implementation method of the first aspect.

[0032] In an eleventh aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a computer program product is provided that stores one or more computers. When the computer program product is executed by the processor, the processor executes the method of the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect, or the processor executes the method of the third aspect or any possible implementation of the third aspect.

[0033] The twelfth aspect of the embodiment of the present application provides a chip system, which includes a processor for supporting the target base station to implement the functions involved in the above-mentioned first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect. In one possible design, the chip system may also include a memory, which is used to store program instructions and data necessary for the target base station. The chip system may be composed of a chip, or may include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0034] The thirteenth aspect of the embodiment of the present application provides a chip system, which includes a processor for supporting a core network element to implement the functions involved in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect, or for supporting a core network element to implement the functions involved in the third aspect or any possible implementation of the third aspect. In one possible design, the chip system may also include a memory, which is used to store necessary program instructions and data for the core network element. The chip system may be composed of chips, or may include chips and other discrete devices.

[0035] A fourteenth aspect of an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, wherein the communication system architecture includes a target base station in any of the above embodiments and the above core network element in any implementation.

[0036] Among them, the technical effects brought about by the third, sixth, eighth, tenth, twelfth and fourteenth aspects or any possible implementation methods thereof can refer to the technical effects brought about by the first aspect or different possible implementation methods of the first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0037] Among them, the technical effects brought about by the fourth, fifth, seventh, ninth, eleventh, thirteenth and fourteenth aspects or any possible implementation methods thereof can refer to the technical effects brought about by the second aspect or different possible implementation methods of the second aspect, or refer to the technical effects brought about by the third aspect or different possible implementation methods of the third aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0038] It can be seen from the above technical solutions that the embodiments of the present application have the following advantages:

[0039] In this embodiment, when the target base station determines that the core network network element completes the bearer change of inter-site switching, the target base station obtains a first message, wherein the bearer change of the inter-site switching includes the change of the user plane bearer between the terminal and the source base station and the core network network element to the user plane bearer between the terminal and the core network network element, and the first message carries the identifier of the secondary base station, and the first message is used to indicate the establishment of a user plane bearer of the terminal between the secondary base station and the core network network element; thereafter, the target base station sends a first message to the core network network element. Therefore, when the target base station determines that the core network element has completed the bearer change of the inter-station switching, it sends the first message to the core network element, so that the core network establishes the user plane bearer of the terminal between the auxiliary base station and the core network element according to the first message. That is to say, once the target base station and the core network element complete the bearer change, the process of adding the auxiliary base station is initiated through the first message to avoid the failure of adding the auxiliary base station due to inconsistent understanding between the target base station and the core network. By aligning the processing mechanism of the target base station and the core network element, the failure scenario of the auxiliary carrier addition process during the inter-station switching process is avoided, the success rate of the auxiliary carrier addition is increased, and the switching data drop delay is reduced, thereby increasing the network throughput of the target base station after the inter-station switching and improving the user experience. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a communication system implementation in an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] Figure 2a A schematic diagram of the dual-connection network implementation in the EN-DC scenario;

[0042] Figure 2b Another schematic diagram of dual-connection network implementation in EN-DC scenario;

[0043] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the implementation of inter-station handover in the EN-DC scenario;

[0044] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a data processing method in an embodiment of the present application;

[0045] Figure 5 Another schematic diagram of a data processing method in an embodiment of the present application;

[0046] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a target base station in an embodiment of the present application;

[0047] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of a core network element in an embodiment of the present application;

[0048] Figure 8 This is another schematic diagram of a core network element in an embodiment of the present application;

[0049] Fig. 9 This is another schematic diagram of a target base station in an embodiment of the present application;

[0050] Fig.10 This is another schematic diagram of a core network element in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0051] The embodiments of the present application provide a data processing method and related devices for increasing network throughput after inter-station switching and improving user experience.

[0052] The technical solution in this application will be described below in conjunction with the drawings in this application.

[0053] The technical solution of the embodiment of the present application can be applied to Figure 1 The communication system shown in FIG. 1 includes a core network element 101, an access network device 111, and an access network device 112. The core network element 101 can be connected to the access network device 111 and the access network device 112. The terminal 121 can communicate with the access network device 111. It should be noted that in the example Figure 1 The core network elements, base stations and terminals included in the communication system are only examples, and the interface connection relationship between the base stations is also only an example. In the embodiments of the present application, the types and quantities of network elements included in the communication system, and the connection relationship between the network elements are not limited to this.

[0054] The communication system may be a communication system supporting fourth generation (4G) access technology, such as long term evolution (LTE) access technology; or, the communication system may be a communication system supporting fifth generation (5G) access technology, such as new radio (NR) access technology; or, the communication system may be a communication system supporting third generation (3G) access technology, such as universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) access technology; or, the communication system may be a communication system supporting second generation (2G) access technology, such as global system for mobile communications (GSM) access technology; or, the communication system may be a communication system supporting multiple wireless technologies, such as a communication system supporting LTE technology and NR technology. In addition, the communication system may also be applicable to future-oriented communication technologies.

[0055] Figure 1 The access network devices 111 and 112 in the communication system may be devices on the access network side for supporting terminal access to the communication system, for example, they may be base transceiver stations (BTS) and base station controllers (BSC) in 2G access technology communication systems, node Bs (node ​​B) and radio network controllers (RNC) in 3G access technology communication systems, evolved node Bs (evolved node Bs, eNBs) in 4G access technology communication systems, next generation node Bs (gNBs) in 5G access technology communication systems, transmission reception points (TRPs), relay nodes (relay nodes), access points (APs), and the like.

[0056] Figure 1 The core network element 101 in the system can control one or more access network devices, or manage the resources in the system in a unified manner, or configure resources for the terminal. For example, the core network element can be a serving GPRS support node (SGSN) or a gateway GPRS support node (GGSN) in a 3G access technology communication system, a mobile management entity (MME) or a serving gateway (SGW) in a 4G access technology communication system, an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element or a user plane performance (UPF) network element in a 5G access technology communication system, and the like.

[0057] Figure 1The terminal 121 in the embodiment may be a device that provides voice or data connectivity to a user, for example, it may also be called user equipment (UE), mobile station, subscriber unit, station, terminal equipment (TE), etc. The terminal may be a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, a handheld device (handheld), a laptop computer, a cordless phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a tablet computer (pad), etc. With the development of wireless communication technology, devices that can access a communication system, communicate with the network side of a communication system, or communicate with other objects through a communication system can all be terminals in the embodiments of the present application, for example, terminals and cars in intelligent transportation, household appliances in intelligent homes, power meter reading instruments, voltage monitoring instruments, environmental monitoring instruments in intelligent power grids, video monitoring instruments in intelligent security networks, cash registers, etc. In the embodiment of the present application, the terminal can communicate with an access network device, such as access network device 111 or access network device 112. Multiple terminals can also communicate with each other. The terminal can be static or mobile.

[0058] exist Figure 1 In the corresponding communication system, the NSA architecture can be applied. Taking EN-DC as an example, the core network is an evolved packet core network based on the 4G network. The anchor eNB is used as the main base station, that is, the main carrier for the terminal to access the core network, and the gNB is used as the auxiliary carrier for the terminal to access the core network. As for when to add gNB as an auxiliary carrier, the eNB can judge according to its own algorithm and send a request to the core network to add an auxiliary carrier. Then the core network executes the bearer change process of the terminal adding gNB as an auxiliary carrier according to the request. The specific process of the main base station eNB adding the auxiliary base station gNB as an auxiliary carrier can refer to Figure 2a ,in, Figure 2a The interactive subjects of the data transmission process involved in the process include: user equipment (UE), master base station (MastereNB), secondary base station (Secondary gNB), and the core network elements include: serving gateway (SGW), mobility management node function entity (MME). The process specifically includes:

[0059] Step 201: The primary base station sends a secondary base station addition request (SgNB addition request) to the secondary base station;

[0060] Step 202: When the secondary base station confirms that it supports the request, the secondary base station returns a secondary base station addition acknowledgement (SgNB addition request acknowledgement) to the primary base station;

[0061] Step 203: The primary base station sends a radio resource control protocol connection reconfiguration message to the UE.

[0062] Step 204: The UE returns a radio resource control protocol connection reconfiguration confirmation (Radio resource control reconfiguration complete) to the primary base station;

[0063] Step 205: The primary base station sends a secondary base station reconstruction confirmation (SgNB reconfigurationcomplete) to the secondary base station.

[0064] Step 206: The secondary base station initiates a random access procedure establishment procedure to the UE;

[0065] Step 207: The primary base station sends a status transfer message (SgNB status transfer) to the secondary base station.

[0066] Step 208: The primary base station, the secondary base station, and the SGW negotiate and process data forwarding.

[0067] Step 209: The primary base station sends an evolved radio access bearer modification indication (E-rab modification indication) to the secondary base station;

[0068] Step 210: Bearer modification is processed between the SGW and the MME;

[0069] Step 211, the SGW sends a data packet carrying an end marker to the primary base station;

[0070] Step 212: The MME sends an evolved radio access bearer modification confirmation indication (E-rabmodification confirm) to the primary base station.

[0071] Among them, the process from step 209 to step 212 is called a path update process, that is, realizing the data transmission path to the UE through the data interaction core network. Subsequently, the UE can perform data transmission through the updated data transmission path, that is, taking the main base station as the main carrier and adding the secondary base station as the secondary carrier to perform carrier aggregation data transmission.

[0072] In completion Figure 2a After the secondary carrier addition process is shown, the network data transmission architecture can be referred to as Figure 2b As shown, the eNB and gNB have a UP connection with the serving gateway (SGW) in the EPC through the S1-U interface, and only the eNB has a control plane CP connection with the mobility management node function entity (MME) in the EPC. The eNB can transmit CP data with the gNB through the X2-C interface.

[0073] exist Figure 2b Before the corresponding network architecture is established, if the terminal accessing the eNB triggers inter-site switching due to changes in signal quality, adjustment of wireless transmission service load, activation of operation and maintenance, equipment fault light, etc., the main carrier will be transferred, that is, the terminal is transferred from the evolved base station (SeNB, source eNB) of the source 4G network to the evolved base station (TeNB, target eNB) of the target 4G network. The terminal completes the switch between SeNB and TeNB. At this time, the core network element needs to perform a bearer change process for the terminal to access the core network, so as to change the terminal from the original connection of accessing the core network through the source base station to the connection of accessing the core network through the target base station. For the specific implementation of inter-site switching of eNB based on the S1 interface, please refer to Figure 3 steps, where Figure 3 The interactive subjects of the transmission process involved in the transmission process include: UE, source eNB, target eNB, core network elements include source MME, target MME, source SGW, target SGW, public data network gateway (PGW), home subscriber server (HSS), the process specifically includes:

[0074] Data transmission status: downlink user plane data. The specific downlink user plane data path is PGW, SGW, SeNB, and UE.

[0075] Step 1: The source eNB decides to trigger a relocation via S1. That is, the source eNB decides to trigger a relocation via S1. The reason for the S1 relocation may be that there is no X2 connection between the source eNB and the target eNB, or the source eNB makes a judgment based on other circumstances.

[0076] Step 2: The source eNB sends a handover request (Handover required) message to the source MME;

[0077] Step 3: The source MME selects a suitable target MME and sends a Forward relocation request message to the target MME via the S10 interface;

[0078] Step 4: The target MME selects the corresponding target SGW;

[0079] Step 4a: The target SGW returns a create session response message to the source MME.

[0080] Step 5: The target MME sends a handover request message to the target eNB;

[0081] Step 5a: After receiving the above message, the target eNB will establish a UE context and send a handover request acknowledgement message back to the target MME.

[0082] Step 6: The target MME sends a Create indirect data forwarding tunnel request message to the target SGW;

[0083] Step 6a: The target SGW replies with a Create indirect data forwarding tunnel response message;

[0084] Step 7: The target MME sends a forward relocation response message to the source MME.

[0085] Step 8: The source MME sends a Create indirect data forwarding tunnel request message to the source SGW;

[0086] Step 8a: The source SGW replies with a Create indirect data forwarding response.

[0087] Step 9: The source MME sends a handover confirmation (Handover command) message to the source eNB;

[0088] Step 9a: The source eNB sends a handover confirmation (Handover command) to the UE;

[0089] Step 9b: The source eNB sends the access network usage data report (RAN Usage data report) to the source MME;

[0090] Step 10: The source eNB sends an eNB status transfer message;

[0091] Step 10a: The source MME sends a forward access context notification to the target MME;

[0092] Step 10b: The source MME sends a forward access context acknowledgment to the target MM;

[0093] Step 10c: The target MME sends an eNB status transfer to the target eNB;

[0094] Step 11a: The source eNB forwards the data to the target eNB through Only for direct forwarding of data;

[0095] Step 11b: The source eNB sends the data to the target eNB by only for indirect forwarding of data, wherein the source eNB finds that the data needs to be forwarded to the target eNB, the source eNB first sends the data to the source SGW, the source SGW forwards the data to the target SGW, and the target SGW finally forwards the data to the target eNB;

[0096] Step 12: After the UE establishes uplink and downlink synchronization with the target eNB, it sends a Handover confirm message to the target eNB;

[0097] Data transmission status: Uplink user plane data. At this time, the target eNB can send the downlink data forwarded from the source eNB to the UE, and the UE also starts to send uplink data, which goes through the target eNB to the target SGW and finally to the PGW.

[0098] Step 13: The target eNB sends a Handover Notify message to the target MME.

[0099] Step 14: The target MME sends a forward relocation complete notification message to the source MME;

[0100] Step 14b: The source MME responds with a Forward relocation complete acknowledgement message. At this time, the source MME and the target MME start corresponding timers to delete corresponding resources after the handover is completed.

[0101] Step 15: The target MME sends a Modify bearer request message to the target SGW, after which the downlink data channel after the switch is established between the target SGW and the target eNB.

[0102] Step 16: The target SGW sends a Modify bearer request message to the PGW. In this way, the downlink data channel between the PGW and the target SGW is established after the handover. The entire downlink channel between the PGW and the target eNB is established. The downlink data can reach the UE from the PGW via the target SGW and the target eNB.

[0103] Step 16a: The PGW updates the corresponding context and returns a Modify bearer response message to the target SGW;

[0104] Step 17: After the target SGW receives the response from the PGW, the uplink channel from the SGW to the PGW can be established, and the target SGW returns a Modify bearer response message to the target MME, where if the SGW does not change, the SGW should send one or more "end marker" data packets on the old path immediately after switching the path to assist the reordering function in the target eNB; if data forwarding occurs (directly or indirectly), the source eNB must forward the "end marker" packet to the target eNodeB through the forwarding tunnel.

[0105] Data transmission status: after step 17, the core network has determined that the bearer change corresponding to the inter-site handover between the source eNB and the target eNB has been completed;

[0106] Step 18: The UE may trigger the corresponding TAU process, after which the source MME and the target MME will trigger the corresponding resource release process, ie, complete the inter-eNB handover based on the S1 interface.

[0107] After receiving the handover completion notification sent by the target eNB in ​​step 13 , the core network processes the bearer change of the inter-station handover process in steps 14 to 17 .

[0108] However, the target base station is Figure 3 The process of triggering the addition of gNB as a secondary carrier during or after the handover is random. If the core network is in the process of processing the bearer change between the target base station and the source base station (corresponding to Figure 3 Step 14 to step 17), when the target base station sends a request to the core network to add gNB as a secondary carrier (corresponding to Figure 1 Step 109) will cause a conflict because the core network is performing a bearer change for inter-site handover (corresponding to Figure 3 Steps 14 to 17) cannot simultaneously process the bearer change of adding gNB as a secondary carrier (corresponding to Figure 1 Step 110 to step 112), resulting in the failure of adding the current secondary carrier of the target base station, that is, because the eNB and the core network may have inconsistent understandings of the handling of the process conflict scenario, it ultimately leads to the failure of gNB addition, affecting the 5G access success rate in the EN-DC scenario.

[0109] Similarly, the core network will also have the same problem in other types of dual connection modes under the NSA structure or the SA structure, such as E-UTRA and NR dual connection, NR and E-UTRA dual connection, or NR-NR dual connection, etc. Taking NR-NR dual connection as an example, when the base station accessed by the UE is a gNB, during the inter-station switching process of the base station, that is, the switching from the source gNB to the target gNB, when the secondary base station gNB is added as a secondary carrier through the target gNB, the target gNB and the core network may have inconsistent understandings of the handling of the process conflict scenario, which ultimately leads to the failure of the secondary base station to add, thereby affecting the network access success rate and making the user experience poor. To this end, the embodiment of the present application provides a data processing method and related equipment for increasing the network throughput after inter-station switching and improving the user experience.

[0110] A data processing method in the embodiment of the present application will be described below through a specific embodiment. Specifically, the method is applied to a process in which the target base station adds a secondary base station to a terminal accessing the target base station to implement dual connectivity when an inter-station handover occurs between the target base station and the source base station. Figure 4 , an embodiment of a data processing method in an embodiment of the present application includes:

[0111] 401. When it is determined that the core network element completes the bearer change of the inter-station handover, the target base station obtains a first message.

[0112] In this embodiment, when the target base station determines that the core network network element completes the bearer change of inter-site switching, the target base station obtains a first message, wherein the bearer change of inter-site switching indicates that the user plane bearer between the terminal and the source base station and the core network element is changed to the user plane bearer between the terminal and the core network element, and the first message includes the identifier of the secondary base station, and the first message indicates to establish a user plane connection between the secondary base station and the terminal.

[0113] Among them, the core network network elements may include relevant network elements in the EPC in the LTE network, such as MME, SGW, PGW and other network elements, or may include the authentication management function entity (AMF, authentication management function) and user port function entity (UPF, user port function) in the NR network, or core network network elements in a higher-level network, etc. The target base station, auxiliary base station and source base station may be eNB, gNB or base station equipment in a higher-level network, etc.

[0114] Specifically, when the target base station determines that the core network network element completes the bearer change of the inter-station switching, that is, when the target base station determines that the core network network element has completed the change of the user plane bearer of the terminal between the source base station and the core network network element to the user plane bearer of the terminal between the target base station and the core network network element, the target base station obtains the first message, wherein the first message includes the identifier of the secondary base station, which is used to indicate that a user plane connection is established between the terminal accessing the target base station and the secondary base station. In addition, the first message can be triggered when the target base station determines that the target base station and the terminal accessing the target base station have dual connection capabilities, or it can be obtained according to the request of the terminal accessing the target base station, or the departure message can be obtained in other ways, which is not limited here.

[0115] In this embodiment, the process of the target base station determining whether the core network element completes the bearer change of the inter-station handover can be implemented in multiple ways, which will be described in detail below:

[0116] 1. This is achieved by sending capability information to core network elements;

[0117] In this embodiment, there are multiple processes for the target base station to determine that the core network element has completed the bearer change for inter-station switching, wherein the process may be that the target base station sends capability information to the core network element, and the capability information is used to indicate the target base station's ability to support dual connections, and the capability information can be used to request the first confirmation information, after which the core network element determines that the target base station has the dual connection capability, and when the core network element completes the bearer change for inter-station switching, the core network element sends the first confirmation information to the target base station, so that the target base station determines that the core network element has completed the bearer change for inter-station switching, wherein the first confirmation information is used to indicate that the core network element has completed the bearer change for inter-station switching. In other words, the target base station and the core network handshake to align the user plane bearer change status of both parties after the inter-station switching is achieved through the capability information, that is, a specific implementation method for the target base station to determine that the core network element has completed the bearer change for inter-station switching is provided, which improves the feasibility of the solution.

[0118] In addition, the capability information can be carried in the information exchanged between the target base station and the core network element. For example, in the EN-DC scenario, it can be Figure 3 Before the corresponding step 13, each message sent by the target base station to the core network can carry the capability information, and even a new signaling can be created to carry the capability information. After that, the core network caches the capability information and performs adaptive processing based on the capability information when it is needed later. Specifically in the present embodiment, in order to avoid the reserved time for the core network to cache the capability information, that is, to reduce the signaling consumption of the core network network element, this can be achieved through a second message, wherein the target base station sends a second message to the core network network element, the second message includes the capability information, and the second message is used to indicate that the control plane bearer between the terminal and the source base station and the core network element has been changed to the control plane bearer between the terminal and the target base station and the core network element. For example, in the EN-DC scenario, the second message can be Figure 3 The corresponding step 13 is implemented, so that the target base station can determine that the core network element has completed the bearer change of the inter-station switching through the first confirmation information fed back by the core network element.

[0119] Second, it is achieved by sending a termination mark to the source base station;

[0120] In this embodiment, there are multiple processes for the target base station to determine that the core network element completes the bearer change of the inter-station handover. The process may be that after the target base station receives the termination identifier sent by the source base station, the target base station determines that the core network element completes the bearer change of the inter-station handover. Specifically, Figure 3 The corresponding implementation of inter-eNB handover based on S1 interface is taken as an example, in which the process of inter-eNB handover between the source base station and the target base station is as follows: Figure 1As shown in step 17, if the SGW does not change, the SGW should send one or more "end marker" data packets on the old path immediately after switching the path to assist the reordering function in the target eNB; if data forwarding occurs (directly or indirectly), the source eNB must forward the "end marker" packet to the target eNB through the forwarding tunnel. Similarly, in the gNB inter-site switching based on the S1 interface or other scenarios, the source base station will forward the end marker sent by the core network element to the target base station to indicate that the core network element has completed the bearer change of the inter-site switching.

[0121] In this embodiment, when the core network element determines that the bearer change of the inter-site switching has been completed, it will send an end marker (end marker) to the source base station to identify the process. Thereafter, when the target base station receives the end marker sent by the source base station, the target base station can determine that the core network element has completed the bearer change of the inter-site switching.

[0122] 3. It is realized by a first timer set by the source base station itself;

[0123] In this embodiment, there are multiple processes for the target base station to determine that the core network element completes the bearer change for inter-station switching. The process can be that when the target base station sends a second message to the core network element, the target base station starts a first timer, wherein the second message is used to indicate that the control plane bearer between the terminal and the source base station and the core network element has been changed to the control plane bearer between the terminal and the core network element. Thus, when the first timer times out, the target base station determines that the core network element completes the bearer change for inter-station switching.

[0124] Specifically, when the target base station sends the second message, the first timer is used to delay the sending of the first message, so as to avoid the processing time of the user plane bearer change corresponding to the inter-station switching in the core network. For example, in the EN-DC scenario, the second message can be Figure 3 The corresponding step 13 is implemented in the above method, so that the target base station can determine that the core network element has completed the bearer change of the inter-station switching when the first timer times out.

[0125] 402. The target base station sends a first message to a core network element;

[0126] In this embodiment, the target base station sends a first message to the core network element, the first message carries the identifier of the secondary base station, and the first message is used to instruct to establish a user plane bearer of the terminal between the secondary base station and the core network element.

[0127] Specifically, the target base station sends the first message obtained in step 401 to the core network element, wherein the first message carries the identifier of the secondary base station in the first message, so that the core network element can determine the secondary base station according to the identifier.

[0128] 403. The core network element establishes a user plane bearer for the terminal between the secondary base station and the core network element according to the first message.

[0129] In this embodiment, the core network network element establishes a user plane bearer of the terminal between the secondary base station and the core network network element according to the first message obtained in step 402. That is to say, when the target base station determines that the core network network element has completed the bearer change of the inter-station switching, it will send the first message to the core network network element, so that the core network will establish a user plane bearer between the secondary base station and the core network network element for the terminal accessing the target base station according to the first message, thereby avoiding the failure of the target base station to add the secondary base station as a secondary carrier due to the core network being unable to simultaneously process the bearer change between the target base station and the secondary base station during the process of processing the bearer change of the inter-station switching. By aligning the processing mechanism of the target base station and the core network network element, the failure scenario of the secondary carrier addition process during the inter-station switching is avoided, the success rate of the secondary carrier addition is increased, and the switching data drop delay is reduced, thereby increasing the network throughput after the inter-station switching and improving the user experience.

[0130] In the present application embodiment, based on Figure 4 The embodiment, as a preferred implementation, after the target base station sends the first message to the core network element in step 402, in order to further improve the network access success rate, the target base station can start the second timer after sending the first message to the core network element; when the second timer times out, if the target base station does not receive the second confirmation information sent by the core network element, the target base station re-sends the first message to the core network element, and the second confirmation information is used to indicate that the core network element has completed the establishment of the user plane bearer of the terminal between the secondary base station and the core network element. In addition, after resending the first message, if the response sent by the core network is still not received, that is, if the first confirmation message sent by the core network element is still not received within the preset time, the above process is repeated until the first confirmation message sent by the core network element is received, or the call ends, or because of other reasons (such as the signal quality of the secondary base station deteriorates), it is no longer necessary to trigger the addition of the secondary base station.

[0131] Among them, after the target base station sends the first message to the core network network element, a second timer can be used to verify whether the core network network element has completed the bearer change process corresponding to the first message. If not completed, the first message is resent, so that the core network network element executes the corresponding bearer change according to the resent first message, thereby further improving the network access success rate.

[0132] Figure 4 The corresponding embodiment is mainly aimed at the improvement and optimization of the target base station side, that is, when the target base station determines that the core network element completes the bearer change of the inter-station handover, the target base station obtains the first message again, and sends the first message to the target base station for indicating the establishment of adding the secondary base station as the secondary carrier, so that the core network element and the target base station reach a consensus, avoiding the conflict that may arise in the process of the core network element processing the bearer change. In addition, further improvement and optimization can be carried out on the core network element side, which will be introduced through specific embodiments below.

[0133] See also Figure 5 In one embodiment of a data processing method in an embodiment of the present application, when a core network element processes a bearer change caused by an inter-station handover between a target base station and a source base station, a secondary base station is added to a terminal accessing the target base station to implement dual connectivity. The method includes:

[0134] 501. A core network element receives a first message sent by a target base station;

[0135] In this embodiment, the core network element receives a first message sent by the target base station, wherein the first message carries an identifier of the secondary base station, and the first message is used to instruct to establish a user plane bearer of the terminal between the secondary base station and the core network element.

[0136] Among them, similar to Figure 4 In the illustrated embodiment, the core network element may include relevant network elements in the EPC in the LTE network, such as MME, SGW, PGW and other network elements, or may include an authentication management function entity (AMF, authentication management function), a user port function entity (UPF, user port function) in the NR network, or a core network element in a higher-level network, etc. The target base station, the secondary base station and the source base station may be eNB, gNB or a base station device in a higher-level network, etc. Specifically, the target base station may generate a first message according to a message triggering the secondary base station, wherein the first message carries an identifier of the secondary base station, so that the core network element may determine the secondary base station according to the identifier.

[0137] 502. When the core network element determines that the bearer change of the inter-station handover is completed, the core network element establishes a user plane bearer of the terminal between the secondary base station and the core network element according to the first message.

[0138] In this embodiment, when the core network element determines that the bearer change of the inter-station handover is completed, the core network element establishes the user plane bearer of the terminal between the secondary base station and the core network element according to the first message, and the bearer change of the inter-station handover indicates that the user plane bearer of the terminal between the source base station and the core network element is changed to the user plane bearer of the terminal between the target base station and the core network element. In other words, only when the core network element determines that the bearer change of the inter-station handover is completed, the core network element establishes the user plane bearer of the terminal between the secondary base station and the core network element according to the first message, thereby avoiding the failure of the target base station to add the secondary base station as a secondary carrier due to the core network being unable to simultaneously process the bearer change of the terminal between the target base station and the secondary base station during the process of processing the bearer change of the inter-station handover, increasing the network throughput after the inter-station handover, and improving the user experience.

[0139] based on Figure 5 The illustrated embodiment is a preferred implementation mode. After the core network element receives the first message sent by the target base station in step 501, the method may further include: if the core network element determines that the bearer change of the inter-station handover is not completed, the core network element caches the first message. Wherein, when the core network element determines that the bearer change of the inter-station handover is not completed, the first message is cached. Compared with directly discarding the first message in the prior art, the first message is cached, so that when the core network element determines that the bearer change of the inter-station handover is completed later, the core network element establishes the user plane bearer of the terminal between the secondary base station and the core network element according to the first message, so as to avoid the failure of the process of the target base station adding the secondary base station as a secondary carrier.

[0140] The above describes the embodiment of the present application from the perspective of the method. The following introduces the target base station and core network element in the embodiment of the present application from the perspective of specific device implementation.

[0141] See also Figure 6 In an embodiment of the present application, an embodiment of a target base station 600 includes:

[0142] An acquiring unit 601 is configured to acquire a first message when the target base station determines that the core network element completes the bearer change of the inter-station handover, where the bearer change of the inter-station handover includes changing the user plane bearer between the terminal and the source base station and the core network element to the user plane bearer between the terminal and the target base station and the core network element, and the first message carries an identifier of the secondary base station, and the first message is used to indicate the establishment of a user plane bearer of the terminal between the secondary base station and the core network element;

[0143] The sending unit 602 is used to send a first message to the core network element.

[0144] In this embodiment, the acquisition unit 601 is used to obtain a first message when the target base station determines that the core network network element completes the bearer change of the inter-station switching, and the bearer change of the inter-station switching includes the change of the user plane bearer between the terminal and the source base station and the core network network element to the user plane bearer between the terminal and the target base station and the core network network element. The first message carries the identifier of the auxiliary base station, and the first message is used to indicate the establishment of the user plane bearer of the terminal between the auxiliary base station and the core network network element; the sending unit 602 is used to send the first message to the core network network element. Therefore, when the target base station determines that the core network network element has completed the bearer change of the inter-station switching, the sending unit 602 sends the first message to the core network network element, so that the core network then establishes the user plane bearer of the terminal between the auxiliary base station and the core network network element according to the first message, thereby avoiding the failure of the target base station to add the auxiliary base station as an auxiliary carrier due to the core network being unable to simultaneously process the bearer change between the terminal and the target base station during the process of processing the bearer change of the inter-station switching. By aligning the processing mechanism of the target base station and the core network network element, the failure scenario of the auxiliary carrier addition process during the inter-station switching is avoided, the success rate of the auxiliary carrier addition is increased, and the switching data drop delay is reduced, thereby increasing the network throughput after the inter-station switching and improving the user experience.

[0145] In a possible implementation, the obtaining unit 601 is further configured to:

[0146] First confirmation information is received from the core network element, where the first confirmation information is used to indicate that the core network element completes the bearer change of the inter-site switching.

[0147] In a possible implementation, the sending unit 602 is further configured to:

[0148] Capability information is sent to the core network element, where the capability information indicates that the target base station supports dual connectivity, and the capability information is used to request the first confirmation information.

[0149] In a possible implementation manner, the target base station further includes:

[0150] Determination unit 603 is used to determine that the core network element completes the bearer change of the inter-station switching after the target base station receives a termination mark from the source base station, and the termination mark indicates that the data transmission of the user plane bearer between the source base station and the core network element of the terminal has ended.

[0151] In a possible implementation manner, the target base station further includes:

[0152] A starting unit 604 is configured to start a first timer when the target base station sends a second message to the core network element, where the second message is used to indicate that the control plane bearer between the terminal and the source base station and the core network element has been changed to the control plane bearer between the terminal and the core network element;

[0153] The determining unit 603 is configured to determine, when the first timer times out, that the core network element completes the bearer change of the inter-station handover.

[0154] In a possible implementation manner, the target base station further includes:

[0155] A starting unit 604, configured for the target base station to start a second timer;

[0156] The sending unit 602 is also used to, when the second timer times out and the target base station has not received the second confirmation information from the core network element, re-send the first message to the core network element, and the second confirmation information is used to indicate that the core network element has completed the establishment of the user plane bearer of the terminal between the auxiliary base station and the core network element.

[0157] It should be noted that the information execution process and other contents of the unit of the above-mentioned target base station 600 can be specifically referred to the description in the method embodiment shown in the above-mentioned application, and will not be repeated here.

[0158] See also Figure 7 In the embodiment of the present application, an embodiment of a core network element 700 includes:

[0159] A sending unit 701 is configured to send first confirmation information to a target base station, where the first confirmation information is used to indicate that the core network element has completed the bearer change of the inter-station handover, where the bearer change of the inter-station handover includes changing the user plane bearer of the terminal between the source base station and the core network element to the user plane bearer of the terminal between the target base station and the core network element;

[0160] A receiving unit 702 is configured to receive a first message from the target base station, where the first message carries an identifier of the secondary base station, and the first message is used to instruct to establish a user plane bearer of the terminal between the secondary base station and the core network element;

[0161] The establishing unit 703 is configured to establish a user plane bearer for the terminal between the secondary base station and the core network element according to the first message.

[0162] In this embodiment, a sending unit 701 is used to send a first confirmation message to a target base station, where the first confirmation message is used to indicate that the core network network element has completed the bearer change of the inter-station switching, where the bearer change of the inter-station switching includes the change of the user plane bearer of the terminal between the source base station and the core network network element to the user plane bearer of the terminal between the target base station and the core network network element; a receiving unit 702 is used to receive a first message from the target base station, where the first message carries an identifier of the secondary base station, where the first message is used to indicate the establishment of a user plane bearer of the terminal between the secondary base station and the core network network element; an establishing unit 703 is used to establish a user plane bearer of the terminal between the secondary base station and the core network network element according to the first message. Thus, the failure of the target base station to add the secondary base station as a secondary carrier caused by the core network network element 700 being unable to simultaneously process the bearer change of the terminal between the target base station and the secondary base station during the bearer change of the inter-station switching is avoided. By aligning the processing mechanism of the target base station and the core network network element, the failure scenario of the secondary carrier addition process during the inter-station switching is avoided, the success rate of the secondary carrier addition is increased, and the switching data drop delay is reduced, thereby increasing the network throughput after the inter-station switching and improving the user experience.

[0163] In a possible implementation, the receiving unit 702 is further configured to:

[0164] receiving capability information from the target base station, where the capability information is used to indicate a capability of the target base station to support dual connectivity;

[0165] The core network element also includes a trigger unit 704, which is used to trigger the execution of sending the first confirmation information to the target base station when the core network element determines the target base station's ability to support dual connections based on the capability information and when the core network element completes the bearer change of the inter-station switching.

[0166] It should be noted that the information execution process and other contents of the units of the above-mentioned core network network element 700 can be specifically referred to the description in the method embodiment shown in the above-mentioned embodiment of the present application, and will not be repeated here.

[0167] See also Figure 8 In the embodiment of the present application, an embodiment of a core network element 800 includes:

[0168] A receiving unit 801 is configured to receive a first message from a target base station, where the first message carries an identifier of a secondary base station, and is used to instruct establishment of a user plane bearer of a terminal between the secondary base station and a network element of a core network;

[0169] Establishing unit 802 is used to establish a user plane bearer for the terminal between the auxiliary base station and the core network element according to the first message when the core network element determines that the bearer change of the inter-station switching is completed. The bearer change of the inter-station switching indicates that the user plane bearer between the source base station and the core network element of the terminal is changed to the user plane bearer between the target base station and the core network element of the terminal.

[0170] In this embodiment, the receiving unit 801 is used to receive a first message from the target base station, the first message carries the identifier of the secondary base station, and the first message is used to indicate the establishment of a user plane bearer of the terminal between the secondary base station and the core network element; the establishing unit 802 is used to establish the user plane bearer of the terminal between the secondary base station and the core network element according to the first message when the core network element determines that the bearer change of the inter-station handover is completed, and the bearer change of the inter-station handover indicates that the user plane bearer between the source base station and the core network element of the terminal is changed to the user plane bearer between the target base station and the core network element of the terminal. That is to say, only when the core network element 800 determines that the bearer change of the inter-station handover is completed, the core network element then establishes the user plane bearer of the terminal between the secondary base station and the core network element according to the first message, thereby avoiding the failure of the target base station to add the secondary base station as a secondary carrier due to the core network being unable to simultaneously process the bearer change of the terminal between the target base station and the secondary base station during the process of processing the bearer change of the inter-station handover, thereby increasing the network throughput after the inter-station handover and improving the user experience.

[0171] In a possible implementation manner, the core network element further includes:

[0172] The cache unit 803 is used to cache the first message after the core network element receives the first message sent by the target base station and before the core network element determines that the bearer change of the inter-station handover is completed.

[0173] It should be noted that the information execution process and other contents of the units of the above-mentioned core network network element 800 can be specifically referred to the description in the method embodiment shown in the above-mentioned embodiment of the present application, and will not be repeated here.

[0174] See also Fig. 9 , which is a schematic diagram of the structure of the target base station, that is, the access network device, involved in the above embodiments provided in the embodiments of the present application, wherein the structure of the access network device can refer to Fig. 9 The structure shown.

[0175] The access network device includes at least one processor 911, at least one memory 912, at least one transceiver 913, at least one network interface 914 and one or more antennas 915. The processor 911, the memory 912, the transceiver 913 and the network interface 914 are connected, for example, through a bus. In the embodiment of the present application, the connection may include various interfaces, transmission lines or buses, etc., which are not limited in this embodiment. The antenna 915 is connected to the transceiver 913. The network interface 914 is used to connect the access network device to other communication devices through a communication link. For example, the network interface 914 may include a network interface between the access network device and the core network element, such as an S1 interface. The network interface may include a network interface between the access network device and other network devices (such as other access network devices or core network elements), such as an X2 or Xn interface.

[0176] The processor 911 is mainly used to process the communication protocol and communication data, and to control the entire access network device, execute the software program, and process the data of the software program, for example, to support the access network device to perform the actions described in the embodiment. The access network device may include a baseband processor and a central processing unit, the baseband processor is mainly used to process the communication protocol and communication data, and the central processing unit is mainly used to control the entire terminal device, execute the software program, and process the data of the software program. Fig. 9 The processor 911 in the embodiment can integrate the functions of the baseband processor and the central processor. It can be understood by those skilled in the art that the baseband processor and the central processor can also be independent processors, which are interconnected through technologies such as buses. It can be understood by those skilled in the art that the terminal device can include multiple baseband processors to adapt to different network formats, and the terminal device can include multiple central processors to enhance its processing capabilities. The various components of the terminal device can be connected through various buses. The baseband processor can also be described as a baseband processing circuit or a baseband processing chip. The central processor can also be described as a central processing circuit or a central processing chip. The function of processing the communication protocol and the communication data can be built into the processor, or it can be stored in the memory in the form of a software program, and the processor executes the software program to realize the baseband processing function.

[0177] The memory is mainly used to store software programs and data. The memory 912 can exist independently and be connected to the processor 911. Optionally, the memory 912 can be integrated with the processor 911, for example, integrated into a chip. Among them, the memory 912 can store program codes for executing the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and the execution is controlled by the processor 911. The various types of computer program codes executed can also be regarded as drivers of the processor 911.

[0178] Fig. 9Only one memory and one processor are shown. In an actual terminal device, there may be multiple processors and multiple memories. The memory may also be referred to as a storage medium or a storage device, etc. The memory may be a storage element on the same chip as the processor, i.e., an on-chip storage element, or an independent storage element, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0179] The transceiver 913 can be used to support the reception or transmission of radio frequency signals between the access network device and the terminal, and the transceiver 913 can be connected to the antenna 915. The transceiver 913 includes a transmitter Tx and a receiver Rx. Specifically, one or more antennas 915 can receive radio frequency signals, and the receiver Rx of the transceiver 913 is used to receive the radio frequency signal from the antenna, convert the radio frequency signal into a digital baseband signal or a digital intermediate frequency signal, and provide the digital baseband signal or the digital intermediate frequency signal to the processor 911, so that the processor 911 further processes the digital baseband signal or the digital intermediate frequency signal, such as demodulation processing and decoding processing. In addition, the transmitter Tx in the transceiver 913 is also used to receive a modulated digital baseband signal or a digital intermediate frequency signal from the processor 911, and convert the modulated digital baseband signal or the digital intermediate frequency signal into a radio frequency signal, and send the radio frequency signal through one or more antennas 915. Specifically, the receiver Rx can selectively perform one or more stages of down-mixing and analog-to-digital conversion processing on the RF signal to obtain a digital baseband signal or a digital intermediate frequency signal, and the order of the down-mixing and analog-to-digital conversion processing is adjustable. The transmitter Tx can selectively perform one or more stages of up-mixing and digital-to-analog conversion processing on the modulated digital baseband signal or digital intermediate frequency signal to obtain a RF signal, and the order of the up-mixing and digital-to-analog conversion processing is adjustable. The digital baseband signal and the digital intermediate frequency signal can be collectively referred to as a digital signal.

[0180] The transceiver may also be referred to as a transceiver unit, a transceiver, a transceiver device, etc. Optionally, a device in a transceiver unit for implementing a receiving function may be regarded as a receiving unit, and a device in a transceiver unit for implementing a sending function may be regarded as a sending unit, that is, the transceiver unit includes a receiving unit and a sending unit, and the receiving unit may also be referred to as a receiver, an input port, a receiving circuit, etc., and the sending unit may be referred to as a transmitter, a transmitter, or a transmitting circuit, etc.

[0181] See also Fig.10 , which is a possible logical structure diagram of a core network element involved in the above embodiments provided in an embodiment of the present application, the core network element includes at least one memory 1012, at least one processor 1011 and at least one network interface 1013. The memory 1012, the processor 1011 and the network interface 1013 are connected.

[0182] Processor 1011 can be used to implement various functions for the core network element, such as controlling one or more access network devices, or uniformly managing resources in the system, or configuring resources for the terminal.

[0183] The memory 1012 can be used to store program codes for executing the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and executed by the processor 1011 to realize the functions of the core network elements in the embodiments of the present application.

[0184] The core network element can communicate with the access network device or terminal through the network interface 1013, for example, sending data to the access network device or terminal, or receiving data from the access network device or terminal, etc.

[0185] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium storing one or more computer-executable instructions. When the computer-executable instructions are executed by a processor, the processor executes the method as described in a possible implementation manner of the target base station.

[0186] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing one or more computer-executable instructions. When the computer-executable instructions are executed by a processor, the processor executes the method described in the possible implementation method of the core network network element as described above.

[0187] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product (or computer program) storing one or more computers. When the computer program product is executed by the processor, the processor executes the method of the possible implementation of the above-mentioned target base station.

[0188] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product storing one or more computers. When the computer program product is executed by the processor, the processor executes the method of the possible implementation method of the above-mentioned core network network element.

[0189] The embodiment of the present application also provides a chip system, which includes a processor for supporting the target base station to implement the functions involved in the possible implementation of the target base station. In one possible design, the chip system may also include a memory, which is used to store the necessary program instructions and data of the target base station. The chip system may be composed of a chip, or may include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0190] The embodiment of the present application also provides a chip system, which includes a processor for supporting a core network element to implement the functions involved in the possible implementation of the core network element, or for supporting a core network element to implement the functions involved in the third aspect or any possible implementation of the third aspect. In one possible design, the chip system may also include a memory, which is used to store program instructions and data necessary for the core network element. The chip system may be composed of chips, or may include chips and other discrete devices.

[0191] An embodiment of the present application also provides a communication system, which includes the above-mentioned target base station and the above-mentioned core network element.

[0192] In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be an indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0193] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

[0194] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit. The above-mentioned integrated unit may be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional units.

[0195] If the integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application is essentially or the part that contributes to the prior art or all or part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product, and the computer software product is stored in a storage medium, including a number of instructions to enable a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to perform all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a disk or an optical disk.

Claims

1. A data processing method, characterized in that: include: When the target base station determines that the core network network element completes the bearer change of the inter-site handover, the target base station obtains a first message, where the bearer change of the inter-site handover includes changing the user plane bearer of the terminal between the source base station and the core network network element to the user plane bearer of the terminal between the target base station and the core network network element, and the first message carries an identifier of the secondary base station, and the first message is used to indicate the establishment of a user plane bearer of the terminal between the secondary base station and the core network network element; The target base station sends a first message to the core network element.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further comprises: The target base station receives first confirmation information from the core network element, where the first confirmation information is used to instruct the core network element to complete the bearer change of the inter-station handover.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that Before the target base station receives the first confirmation information from the core network element, the method further includes: The target base station sends capability information to the core network element, where the capability information indicates that the target base station supports dual connectivity, and the capability information is used to request the first confirmation information.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method further comprises: After the target base station receives the termination mark from the source base station, the target base station determines that the core network element completes the bearer change of the inter-station switching, and the termination mark indicates that the data transmission of the user plane bearer of the terminal between the source base station and the core network element has ended.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further comprises: When the target base station sends a second message to the core network element, the target base station starts a first timer, where the second message is used to indicate that the control plane bearer between the terminal and the core network element has been changed to the control plane bearer between the terminal and the core network element; When the first timer times out, the target base station determines that the core network element completes the bearer change of the inter-station handover.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: When the target base station sends the first message to the core network element, the method further includes: The target base station starts a second timer; When the second timer times out and the target base station has not received the second confirmation information from the core network element, the target base station resends the first message to the core network element, and the second confirmation information is used to indicate that the core network element has completed the establishment of the user plane bearer of the terminal between the auxiliary base station and the core network element.

7. A data processing method, characterized in that: include: The core network network element sends first confirmation information to the target base station, where the first confirmation information is used to indicate that the core network network element has completed the bearer change of the inter-station handover, where the bearer change of the inter-station handover includes changing the user plane bearer of the terminal between the source base station and the core network network element to the user plane bearer of the terminal between the target base station and the core network network element; The core network element receives a first message from the target base station, where the first message carries an identifier of a secondary base station, and the first message is used to instruct establishment of a user plane bearer of the terminal between the secondary base station and the core network element; The core network element establishes a user plane bearer for the terminal between the secondary base station and the core network element according to the first message.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The method further comprises: The core network element receives capability information from the target base station, where the capability information is used to indicate a capability of the target base station to support dual connectivity; After the core network element determines the capability of the target base station to support dual connectivity according to the capability information, when the core network element completes the bearer change of the inter-station switching, the core network element triggers the execution of sending the first confirmation information to the target base station.

9. A data processing method, characterized in that: include: The core network element receives a first message from the target base station, where the first message carries an identifier of the secondary base station, and the first message is used to instruct establishment of a user plane bearer of a terminal between the secondary base station and the core network element; When the core network network element determines that the bearer change of the inter-site switching is completed, the core network network element establishes a user plane bearer for the terminal between the secondary base station and the core network network element according to the first message, and the bearer change of the inter-site switching indicates that the user plane bearer between the source base station and the core network network element of the terminal is changed to the user plane bearer between the target base station and the core network network element.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that After the core network element receives the first message sent by the target base station and before the core network element determines that the bearer change of the inter-station handover is completed, the method further includes: The core network element caches the first message.

11. A target base station, characterized in that: include: an acquiring unit, configured to acquire a first message when the target base station determines that the core network network element completes the bearer change of the inter-station handover, wherein the bearer change of the inter-station handover includes changing the user plane bearer of the terminal between the source base station and the core network network element to the user plane bearer of the terminal between the target base station and the core network network element, and the first message carries an identifier of the secondary base station, and the first message is used to indicate the establishment of a user plane bearer of the terminal between the secondary base station and the core network network element; A sending unit is used to send a first message to the core network element.

12. The target base station according to claim 11, characterized in that: The acquisition unit is also used for: A first confirmation message is received from the core network element, where the first confirmation message is used to indicate that the core network element completes the bearer change of the inter-site switching.

13. The target base station according to claim 12, characterized in that: The sending unit is also used for: Send capability information to the core network element, where the capability information indicates that the target base station supports dual connectivity, and the capability information is used to request the first confirmation information.

14. The target base station according to claim 11, characterized in that: The target base station also includes: A determination unit is used to determine that the core network element completes the bearer change of the inter-station switching after the target base station receives a termination mark from the source base station, and the termination mark indicates that the data transmission of the user plane bearer of the terminal between the source base station and the core network element has ended.

15. The target base station according to claim 11, characterized in that: The target base station also includes: a starting unit, configured to start a first timer when the target base station sends a second message to the core network element, wherein the second message is used to indicate that a control plane bearer between the terminal and the core network element has been changed to a control plane bearer between the terminal and the core network element; A determination unit is used to determine that the core network element completes the bearer change of the inter-station switching when the first timer times out.

16. The target base station according to any one of claims 11 to 15, characterized in that: The target base station also includes: A starting unit, configured for the target base station to start a second timer; The sending unit is also used to, when the second timer times out and the target base station has not received second confirmation information from the core network network element, re-send the first message to the core network network element, and the second confirmation information is used to indicate that the core network network element has completed the establishment of the user plane bearer of the terminal between the secondary base station and the core network network element.

17. A core network element, characterized in that: include: A sending unit, configured to send first confirmation information to a target base station, wherein the first confirmation information is used to indicate that the core network element has completed the bearer change of the inter-station handover, and the bearer change of the inter-station handover includes changing the user plane bearer of the terminal between the source base station and the core network element to the user plane bearer of the terminal between the target base station and the core network element; A receiving unit, configured to receive a first message from the target base station, where the first message carries an identifier of the secondary base station, and the first message is used to instruct to establish a user plane bearer of the terminal between the secondary base station and the core network element; An establishing unit is configured to establish a user plane bearer for the terminal between the secondary base station and the core network element according to the first message.

18. The core network element according to claim 17, characterized in that: The receiving unit is also used for: receiving capability information from the target base station, where the capability information is used to indicate a capability of the target base station to support dual connectivity; The core network element also includes a trigger unit, which is used to trigger the execution of sending the first confirmation information to the target base station when the core network element completes the bearer change of the inter-station switching after the core network element determines the ability of the target base station to support dual connections based on the capability information.

19. A core network element, characterized in that: include: A receiving unit, configured to receive a first message from a target base station, where the first message carries an identifier of a secondary base station, and the first message is used to instruct to establish a user plane bearer of a terminal between the secondary base station and the core network element; An establishing unit is used for establishing a user plane bearer for the terminal between the secondary base station and the core network element according to the first message when the core network element determines that the bearer change of the inter-station switching is completed, and the bearer change of the inter-station switching indicates that the user plane bearer between the source base station and the core network element of the terminal is changed to the user plane bearer between the target base station and the core network element of the terminal.

20. The core network element according to claim 19, characterized in that: The core network element also includes: The cache unit is used to cache the first message sent by the target base station after the core network element receives the first message and before the core network element determines that the bearer change of the inter-station switching is completed.

21. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a processor, wherein the processor is coupled to a memory, the memory is used to store a computer program or an instruction, and the processor is used to execute the computer program or the instruction in the memory, so that the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6 is executed.

22. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a processor, wherein the processor is coupled to a memory, the memory is used to store a computer program or an instruction, and the processor is used to execute the computer program or the instruction in the memory, so that the method of claim 7 or 8 is executed.

23. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a processor, wherein the processor is coupled to a memory, the memory is used to store a computer program or an instruction, and the processor is used to execute the computer program or the instruction in the memory, so that the method of claim 9 or 10 is executed.

24. A communication system, characterized in that: The communication system comprises the communication device according to claim 21 and the communication device according to claim 22 or claim 23.

25. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: A program or instruction for implementing the method described in any one of claims 1 to 6 is stored, or a program or instruction for implementing the method described in claim 7 or 8 is stored, or a program or instruction for implementing the method described in claim 9 or 10 is stored.

26. A computer program product, characterized in that The program product includes a program, and when the program is run, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, or the method according to claim 7 or 8, or the method according to claim 9 or 10 is executed.

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