Multi-link switching methods, switching devices, electronic equipment and storage media

Abstract

This disclosure provides a multi-link switching method, apparatus, electronic device, and storage medium to solve the technical problem of excessively long data link switching time. The method includes: dialing two SIM cards according to their respective operator's APN configuration, connecting one card to its corresponding operator's 5G network and the other card to its operator's 4G network; obtaining the IP address and DNS address of the 5G network corresponding to each SIM card for each virtual network card; monitoring the signal quality parameters of the links corresponding to the two cards and determining the link of the SIM card with better network transmission quality; setting the link of the SIM card with better network transmission quality to the 5G network and the link of the other SIM card to the 4G network; and re-monitoring the signal quality parameters of the links corresponding to the two cards. This disclosure can achieve real-time, fast, and seamless switching of data links based on network signal quality.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, specifically to a multi-link switching method, a multi-link switching device, an electronic device, and a computer-readable storage medium. Background Technology

[0002] With the increasing popularity of drone products, the demand for business scenarios that utilize mobile network operators to provide wide-coverage access for drones for large-scale inspections is becoming stronger. However, currently, mobile network operators mainly provide signal coverage for ground terminals. As altitude increases, signal coverage weakens. To meet the inspection needs of network-connected drones based on mobile network operators, it is necessary to insert multiple SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) cards from different operators simultaneously during the flight, detect the signal coverage quality of different operators' airspace in real time during the flight, and complete link switching in a very short time to improve the stability of low-altitude network access for drones.

[0003] Currently, most dual-SIM phone solutions support dual-SIM dual-standby single-pass switching technology, using one baseband chip and one radio frequency solution. This dual-SIM dual-standby single-pass solution selects one SIM card as the primary card for data transmission. The data switching process involves redialing the data links between the different card slots, re-assigning IP addresses via DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol), and re-obtaining DNS server addresses via DNS (Domain Name System). The entire data link switching process takes at least 3 seconds. Meanwhile, the existing drone onboard terminal and 5G module software architecture... Figure 1 As shown, the 5G module that supports dual SIM dual standby has the same problem: the data link switching time cannot meet the stability requirements of millisecond-level network access in the drone field. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To at least address the technical problem of excessively long data link switching time in existing technologies, this disclosure provides a multi-link switching method, a multi-link switching device, an electronic device, and a computer-readable storage medium, which can achieve real-time, fast, and seamless switching of data links based on network signal quality, thereby ensuring continuous transmission of flight control data and image data during UAV use.

[0005] In a first aspect, this disclosure provides a multi-link switching method, wherein at least two SIM cards are configured in a terminal, and virtual network cards corresponding to the two SIM cards respectively, the method comprising:

[0006] Make calls to the two SIM cards according to their respective operators' APN (Access Point Name) configurations, connecting one SIM card to its corresponding operator's 5G network and the other SIM card to its corresponding operator's 4G network.

[0007] Obtain the IP address and DNS address of the 5G network corresponding to the SIM card of each virtual network card;

[0008] Monitor the signal quality parameters of the corresponding links of the two SIM cards respectively, and determine the link of the SIM card with better network transmission quality;

[0009] The SIM card with better network transmission quality is configured to connect to the 5G network, while the other SIM card is configured to connect to the 4G network; and,

[0010] Re-monitor the signal quality parameters of the links corresponding to the two SIM cards.

[0011] Furthermore, setting the link of the SIM card with better network transmission quality to a 5G network and setting the link of the other SIM card to a 4G network includes:

[0012] If the SIM card currently connected to the 5G network has better network transmission quality, then that SIM card will remain on the 5G network, while the other SIM card will remain on the 4G network.

[0013] If the SIM card currently connected to the 4G network has a better link network transmission quality, then the link of the SIM card currently connected to the 5G network will be downgraded to the 4G network, and the link of the SIM card currently connected to the 4G network will be upgraded to the 5G network.

[0014] Furthermore, the method also includes:

[0015] Select slices from the virtual network cards corresponding to the two SIM cards respectively;

[0016] The virtual network card corresponding to the SIM card that accesses the 5G network will be used as the default routing device.

[0017] Furthermore, the signal quality parameters include:

[0018] Network latency and packet loss rate.

[0019] Secondly, this disclosure provides a multi-link switching device, the switching device including a terminal, wherein the terminal is provided with at least two SIM cards and virtual network cards corresponding to the two SIM cards respectively, and the terminal further includes:

[0020] The dialing module is configured to dial the two SIM cards separately according to the APN configuration of their respective operators, connecting one SIM card to its corresponding operator's 5G network and the other SIM card to its corresponding operator's 4G network.

[0021] The acquisition module is configured to obtain the IP address and DNS address of the 5G network corresponding to the SIM card of each virtual network card.

[0022] The monitoring module is configured to monitor the signal quality parameters of the corresponding links of the two SIM cards respectively, and determine the link of the SIM card with better network transmission quality.

[0023] The configuration module is set to set the link of the SIM card with better network transmission quality to the 5G network, and the link of the other SIM card to the 4G network.

[0024] The monitoring module is also configured to re-monitor the signal quality parameters of the corresponding links of the two SIM cards after the settings are configured in the setting module.

[0025] Furthermore, the setting module is specifically configured as follows:

[0026] If the SIM card currently connected to the 5G network has better network transmission quality, then that SIM card will remain on the 5G network, while the other SIM card will remain on the 4G network; and,

[0027] If the SIM card currently connected to the 4G network has a better link network transmission quality, then the link of the SIM card currently connected to the 5G network will be downgraded to the 4G network, and the link of the SIM card currently connected to the 4G network will be upgraded to the 5G network.

[0028] Furthermore, the setting module is also configured as follows:

[0029] Select slices from the virtual network cards corresponding to the two SIM cards respectively; and,

[0030] The virtual network card corresponding to the SIM card that accesses the 5G network will be used as the default routing device.

[0031] Furthermore, the signal quality parameters include:

[0032] Network latency and packet loss rate.

[0033] Thirdly, this disclosure provides an electronic device including a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and when the processor runs the computer program stored in the memory, the processor performs a multi-link switching method as described in any of the first aspects.

[0034] Fourthly, this disclosure provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the multi-link switching method described in any of the first aspects above.

[0035] Beneficial effects:

[0036] The multi-link switching method, multi-link switching device, electronic device, and storage medium disclosed herein achieve the following: Since the implementation of the 5G protocol stack and the 4G protocol stack within the baseband is independent, and the frequency bands supported by 4G and 5G are different, the terminal is modified to reuse one set of baseband and one set of radio frequency modules to enable the simultaneous operation of 4G and 5G data transmission links (PDU (Protocol Data Unit) Sessions). Then, virtual network cards are set for two SIM cards respectively, and the IP address and DNS address of the corresponding operator's 5G network are obtained in advance. The routing switching process only requires one route command and is completed within 100~200ms. Real-time, fast, and seamless switching of data links is achieved based on the network signal quality to ensure continuous transmission of terminal data. Attached Figure Description

[0037] Figure 1 This is a diagram of the software architecture of the onboard terminal and 5G module for existing drones.

[0038] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating a multi-link switching method provided in Embodiment 1 of this disclosure;

[0039] Figure 3 The improved UAV onboard terminal and 5G module software architecture diagram provided in Embodiment 1 of this disclosure;

[0040] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating a multi-link switching method provided in Embodiment 2 of this disclosure;

[0041] Figure 5 This is an architecture diagram of a terminal provided in Embodiment 3 of this disclosure;

[0042] Figure 6 This is an architectural diagram of an electronic device provided in Embodiment 4 of this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0043] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions of this disclosure, the disclosure will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments and drawings described herein are merely for explaining the invention and are not intended to limit the invention.

[0044] It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," etc., in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this disclosure are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence; furthermore, in the absence of conflict, the embodiments and features in the embodiments of this disclosure can be arbitrarily combined with each other.

[0045] The terminology used in the embodiments of this disclosure is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of this disclosure. The singular forms “a,” “the,” and “the” as used in the embodiments of this disclosure and the appended claims are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0046] In the following description, the use of suffixes such as “module,” “part,” or “unit” to denote elements is solely for the purpose of illustrative purposes and has no specific meaning in itself. Therefore, “module,” “part,” or “unit” may be used interchangeably.

[0047] The following detailed embodiments illustrate the technical solutions of this disclosure and how they solve the aforementioned technical problems in the prior art. It is understood that in the embodiments of this application, the executing entity may perform some or all of the steps in the embodiments of this application. These steps or operations are merely examples, and the embodiments of this application may also perform other operations or variations thereof. Furthermore, the steps may be executed in different orders as presented in the embodiments of this application, and it is not necessary to execute all the operations in the embodiments of this application. Moreover, the following specific embodiments can be combined with each other, and the same or similar concepts or processes may not be described again in some embodiments.

[0048] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating a multi-link switching method provided in Embodiment 1 of this disclosure. The terminal has at least two SIM cards and virtual network cards corresponding to each of the two SIM cards, such as... Figure 2 As shown, the method includes:

[0049] Step S101: Make calls to the two SIM cards according to the APN configuration of their respective operators, so that one SIM card can be connected to the 5G network of its corresponding operator and the other SIM card can be connected to the 4G network of its corresponding operator.

[0050] This disclosure can be applied to various multi-link communication scenarios. Taking drone communication as an example, the drone terminal is equipped with two SIM cards (or USIM (Universal Subscriber Identity Module) cards), both supporting 4G and 5G networks. Since the 5G protocol stack and the 4G protocol stack are implemented independently within the baseband, and 4G and 5G support different frequency bands, by modifying the link control and routing management modules within the module's operating system, 4G and 5G data transmission links (PDU Sessions) can operate simultaneously by reusing one set of baseband and one set of radio frequency modules. Figure 3 As shown, by modifying the link control and routing management module within the module's operating system, corresponding virtual network devices (virtual network cards) are set up for the two SIM cards; namely SIM1 and SIM2, and virtual network device 1 (eth0) corresponding to SIM1 and virtual network device 2 (eth1) corresponding to SIM2.

[0051] The terminal checks whether the 5G module has completed initialization. If it has, a USB network card device can be seen on the host side, and the terminal can access the 5G network through the 5G module.

[0052] The link control and routing management module within the module interacts with the modem to detect whether two SIM cards are recognized;

[0053] Once both SIM cards are ready, dial numbers for each SIM card according to the APN configuration of their respective operators. The default SIM card will connect to the corresponding operator's 5G network, while the other SIM card will connect to the corresponding operator's 4G network.

[0054] Step S102: Obtain the IP address and DNS address of the 5G network corresponding to the SIM card of each virtual network card;

[0055] After both cards successfully dial up and register the corresponding operator network PS domain, you can see two virtual network cards eth0 and eth1 corresponding to the data links of the two SIM cards respectively;

[0056] The eth0 and eth1 virtual network interfaces each obtain the IP address and DNS address configured for their respective SIM card's corresponding operator's 5G network through DHCP client and DNS client, respectively, thus completing the initialization of the 5G links of the two different operators.

[0057] Step S103: Monitor the signal quality parameters of the corresponding links of the two SIM cards respectively, and determine the link of the SIM card with better network transmission quality;

[0058] The link control and routing management module interacts with the modem to obtain the signal quality parameters of the links corresponding to the two cards.

[0059] Specifically, when no data transmission is being performed, signal quality can be compared by obtaining parameters such as RSRP (Reference Signal Received Power) and RSRQ (Reference Signal Received Quality) of the link. When data transmission is being performed, network latency and packet loss rate can be used as signal quality parameters to compare two links. Through parameters and calculation models, the link of the SIM card with better network transmission quality can be selected.

[0060] Step S104: Set the link of the SIM card with better network transmission quality to the 5G network, and set the link of the other SIM card to the 4G network;

[0061] Specifically, if the SIM card currently connected to the 5G network has better network transmission quality, then that SIM card will remain on the 5G network, while the other SIM card will remain on the 4G network.

[0062] If the SIM card currently connected to the 4G network has a better link network transmission quality, then the link of the SIM card currently connected to the 5G network will be downgraded to the 4G network, and the link of the SIM card currently connected to the 4G network will be upgraded to the 5G network.

[0063] When judging link quality, the link of the SIM card accessing the 5G network is compared with the link of the SIM card accessing the 4G network. If the link of the SIM card accessing the 4G network has better signal quality than the link of the SIM card accessing the 5G network, it is generally believed that the 5G network signal of the corresponding operator of the 4G network will be stronger. Therefore, link switching can be performed to upgrade the link of the target card to the 5G network.

[0064] Furthermore, the method also includes:

[0065] Select slices from the virtual network cards corresponding to the two SIM cards respectively;

[0066] The virtual network card corresponding to the SIM card that accesses the 5G network will be used as the default routing device.

[0067] Using a 5G network link with better signal quality for data transmission can provide a better data transmission experience. Furthermore, the route switching process only requires a single route command and is completed within 100-200ms, allowing the drone terminal's IP packets to instantly switch to the better quality link for transmission.

[0068] Step S105: Re-monitor the signal quality parameters of the corresponding links of the two SIM cards.

[0069] After switching, steps S103-S104 can be repeated to monitor the current link in real time, re-compare the signal quality of the links, and ensure that data is always transmitted through the better link until the terminal is powered off.

[0070] Furthermore, after downgrading the link of the SIM card currently accessing the 5G network to the 4G network and upgrading the link of the SIM card currently accessing the 4G network to the 5G network, the signal quality parameters of the link corresponding to the SIM card upgraded to the 5G network are compared with the signal quality parameters of the link of the SIM card accessing the 5G network before being downgraded to the 4G network. The link of the SIM card with better network transmission quality is selected as the target link and set as the 5G network, while the link of the other SIM card is set as the 4G network.

[0071] The links of the two SIM cards are compared on a 5G network to eliminate the scenario where the SIM card performs well on a 4G network but poorly on a 5G network; and transmission is performed using the 5G link of that SIM card. This achieves signal transmission with the optimal link.

[0072] The embodiments disclosed herein can obtain the IP address and DNS address of the 5G network of the operator corresponding to the SIM card in advance. The routing switching process only requires one route command and is completed within 100~200ms. Based on the network signal quality, the data link can be switched in real time, quickly and seamlessly to ensure the continuous transmission of terminal data.

[0073] To more clearly describe the technical solution of this disclosure, Embodiment 2 of this disclosure also provides a multi-link switching method, such as... Figure 4 As shown, the multi-link switching process in this embodiment includes:

[0074] S1. The terminal checks whether the 5G module has completed initialization. If it has, a USB network card device can be seen on the host side, and the terminal can access the 5G network through the 5G module.

[0075] The link control and routing management module within the S2 and 5G modules interacts with the modem to detect whether two SIM cards are recognized.

[0076] After S3 and two SIM cards are ready, dial the number for each card according to the APN configuration of their respective operators. The current default card connects to the corresponding operator's 5G network, and the other card connects to the corresponding operator's 4G network.

[0077] S4. After both cards have successfully dialed and registered the corresponding operator network PS domain, you can see two virtual network card devices eth0 and eth1, which correspond to the data links of the two SIM cards respectively.

[0078] The S5, eth0, and eth1 virtual network interfaces each obtain their respective IP addresses and DNS addresses from different operators' 5G networks through DHCP client and DNS client.

[0079] S6. Initialization of 5G links from two different operators is complete;

[0080] S7, the link control and routing management module interacts with the modem to obtain the signal quality parameters of the links corresponding to the two cards respectively;

[0081] S8. Based on the parameters and calculation model, select the link with better network transmission quality as the target link, first downgrade the current card link from 5G network to 4G network, and then switch the target card link to upgrade to 5G network (at this time, the link of the SIM card accessing the 4G network is the target link).

[0082] S9. Select a slice from two virtual network cards through the link control and routing management module, and use the virtual network card corresponding to the target card as the default routing device;

[0083] S10. The route switching process only requires one route command and is completed within 100~200ms. The IP packets on the drone terminal side are instantly switched to a higher quality link for transmission.

[0084] S11. Monitor the current link in real time, and repeat steps 7-10 until the terminal is powered off;

[0085] S12, Terminal is powered off, 5G module loses power.

[0086] Embodiment 3 of this disclosure also provides a multi-link switching device, the switching device including a terminal, wherein the terminal is provided with at least two SIM cards and virtual network cards corresponding to the two SIM cards respectively, such as Figure 5 As shown, the terminal also includes:

[0087] The dialing module 11 is configured to dial the two SIM cards respectively according to the APN configuration of their respective operators, so that one SIM card can access the 5G network of its corresponding operator and the other SIM card can access the 4G network of its corresponding operator.

[0088] The module 12 is configured to obtain the IP address and DNS address of the 5G network corresponding to the SIM card of each virtual network card.

[0089] The monitoring module 13 is configured to monitor the signal quality parameters of the corresponding links of the two SIM cards respectively, and determine the link of the SIM card with better network transmission quality.

[0090] Setting module 14 is configured to set the link of the SIM card with better network transmission quality to the 5G network, and the link of the other SIM card to the 4G network.

[0091] The monitoring module 13 is also configured to re-monitor the signal quality parameters of the corresponding links of the two SIM cards after the settings are configured in the setting module.

[0092] Furthermore, the setting module 14 is specifically configured as follows:

[0093] If the SIM card currently connected to the 5G network has better network transmission quality, then that SIM card will remain on the 5G network, while the other SIM card will remain on the 4G network; and,

[0094] If the SIM card currently connected to the 4G network has a better link network transmission quality, then the link of the SIM card currently connected to the 5G network will be downgraded to the 4G network, and the link of the SIM card currently connected to the 4G network will be upgraded to the 5G network.

[0095] Furthermore, the setting module 14 is also configured as follows:

[0096] Select slices from the virtual network cards corresponding to the two SIM cards respectively; and,

[0097] The virtual network card corresponding to the SIM card that accesses the 5G network will be used as the default routing device.

[0098] Furthermore, the signal quality parameters include:

[0099] Network latency and packet loss rate.

[0100] This embodiment of the disclosure sets up a virtual network card device for the SIM card. The virtual network card device can obtain the IP address and DNS address of the 5G network of the corresponding operator of the SIM card in advance. The routing switching process only requires a single route command and is completed within 100~200ms. Based on the network signal quality, the data link can be switched in real time, quickly and seamlessly to ensure the continuous transmission of terminal data.

[0101] The multi-link switching system of this disclosure is used to implement the multi-link switching method in Method Embodiment 1 and Method Embodiment 2, so the description is relatively simple. For details, please refer to the relevant descriptions in Method Embodiment 1 and Method Embodiment 2 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0102] In addition, such as Figure 6As shown, Embodiment 4 of this disclosure also provides an electronic device, including a memory 100 and a processor 200. The memory 100 stores a computer program. When the processor 200 runs the computer program stored in the memory 100, the processor 200 executes the various possible methods described above.

[0103] The memory 100 is connected to the processor 200. The memory 100 can be a flash memory, a read-only memory, or another type of memory. The processor 200 can be a central processing unit or a microcontroller.

[0104] Furthermore, embodiments of this disclosure also provide a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, which is executed by a processor using the various possible methods described above.

[0105] The computer-readable storage medium includes volatile or non-volatile, removable or non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storing information, such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, computer program modules or other data. Computer-readable storage media include, but are not limited to, RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read-Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), flash memory or other memory technologies, CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read-Only Memory), Digital Video Disc (DVD) or other optical disc storage, cartridges, magnetic tapes, disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store desired information and is accessible to a computer.

[0106] It is understood that the above embodiments are merely exemplary embodiments used to illustrate the principles of this disclosure, and this disclosure is not limited thereto. For those skilled in the art, various modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the spirit and substance of this disclosure, and these modifications and improvements are also considered to be within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A multi-link handover method, characterized in that, The terminal has at least two SIM cards (User Identity Modules) and virtual network cards corresponding to each of the two SIM cards. The method includes: Make calls to the two SIM cards according to the Access Point Name (APN) configuration of their respective operators, connecting one SIM card to its corresponding operator's 5G network and the other SIM card to its corresponding operator's 4G network. Obtain the IP address and Domain Name System (DNS) address of the 5G network corresponding to the SIM card for each virtual network card; Monitor the signal quality parameters of the corresponding links of the two SIM cards respectively, and determine the link of the SIM card with better network transmission quality; The SIM card with better network transmission quality is configured to connect to the 5G network, while the other SIM card is configured to connect to the 4G network; and, Re-monitor the signal quality parameters of the links corresponding to the two SIM cards.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of setting the link of the SIM card with better network transmission quality to a 5G network and setting the link of the other SIM card to a 4G network includes: If the SIM card currently connected to the 5G network has a better link network transmission quality, then that SIM card will continue to be connected to the 5G network, while the other SIM card will remain connected to the 4G network. If the SIM card currently connected to the 4G network has a better link network transmission quality, then the link of the SIM card currently connected to the 5G network will be downgraded to the 4G network, and the link of the SIM card currently connected to the 4G network will be upgraded to the 5G network.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The method further includes: Select slices from the virtual network cards corresponding to the two SIM cards respectively; The virtual network card corresponding to the SIM card that accesses the 5G network will be used as the default routing device.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The signal quality parameters include: Network latency and packet loss rate.

5. A multi-link switching device, characterized in that, The switching device includes a terminal, which has at least two SIM cards and virtual network cards corresponding to the two SIM cards respectively. The terminal also includes: The dialing module is configured to dial the two SIM cards separately according to the APN configuration of their respective operators, connecting one SIM card to its corresponding operator's 5G network and the other SIM card to its corresponding operator's 4G network. The acquisition module is configured to obtain the IP address and DNS address of the 5G network corresponding to the SIM card of each virtual network card. The monitoring module is configured to monitor the signal quality parameters of the corresponding links of the two SIM cards respectively, and determine the link of the SIM card with better network transmission quality. The configuration module is set to set the link of the SIM card with better network transmission quality to the 5G network, and the link of the other SIM card to the 4G network. The monitoring module is also configured to re-monitor the signal quality parameters of the corresponding links of the two SIM cards after the settings are configured in the setting module.

6. The switching device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The settings module is specifically configured as follows: If the SIM card currently connected to the 5G network has better network transmission quality, then that SIM card will remain on the 5G network, while the other SIM card will remain on the 4G network; and, If the SIM card currently connected to the 4G network has a better link network transmission quality, then the link of the SIM card currently connected to the 5G network will be downgraded to the 4G network, and the link of the SIM card currently connected to the 4G network will be upgraded to the 5G network.

7. The switching device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The settings module is also configured to: Select slices from the virtual network cards corresponding to the two SIM cards respectively; and, The virtual network card corresponding to the SIM card that accesses the 5G network will be used as the default routing device.

8. The switching device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The signal quality parameters include: Network latency and packet loss rate.

9. An electronic device, characterized in that, It includes a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and when the processor runs the computer program stored in the memory, the processor performs the multi-link switching method as described in any one of claims 1-4.

10. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the multi-link switching method as described in any one of claims 1-4.

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