Network switching method, device, equipment, readable storage medium and program product

Abstract

The present application discloses a network switching method, device, equipment, readable storage medium and program product, which relates to the field of wireless communication network technology, and discloses a network switching method, including: obtaining a network switching request initiated by a user device; determining the system type and interface type of the network switching request; switching the base station and core network of the user device according to the system type and the interface type. The present application realizes the aggregation management of signaling data.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of wireless communication network technology, and in particular to a network switching method, apparatus, device, readable storage medium and program product. Background Art

[0002] Under the 5G system architecture of SA system independent networking, the basic principles of its switching are the same as LTE (Long-Term Evolution) system switching, and its switching types include intra-system switching and inter-system switching. At the same time, the NR switching process includes NG and Xn interfaces; the switching process in the network usually includes three steps: switching measurement, switching decision and switching execution.

[0003] In existing solutions, terminal switching requests are usually processed and optimized by base stations. Base stations are key nodes in wireless communication systems, responsible for communicating with terminals and triggering switching when necessary, but cannot achieve aggregation management of signaling data. Summary of the invention

[0004] The main purpose of the present application is to provide a network switching method, device, equipment, readable storage medium and program product, aiming to solve the technical problem of not being able to achieve convergence management of signaling data.

[0005] To achieve the above object, the present application proposes a network switching method, the method comprising:

[0006] Obtain a network switching request initiated by a user device;

[0007] Determining a system type and an interface type of the network switching request;

[0008] The base station and the core network of the user equipment are switched according to the system type and the interface type.

[0009] In one embodiment, the step of switching a base station and a core network of a user equipment according to the system type and the interface type includes:

[0010] If it is determined according to the system type and the interface type that the network switching request includes a first switching request for switching within the same system, determining a target base station corresponding to the first switching request;

[0011] If the target base station has been connected to the target gateway, obtaining the home network information of the user equipment, wherein the home network information includes the core network pool information to which the user equipment is connected;

[0012] If the load of the core network pool information is less than or equal to a preset load threshold, the first switching request is forwarded to the original core network after performing cell processing.

[0013] In one embodiment, after the step of obtaining the home network information of the user equipment, the method further includes:

[0014] If the load of the core network pool information is greater than a preset load threshold, determining whether to switch the first handover request to a second handover request according to the resource information of the user equipment and the resource information of the target base station;

[0015] If so, forward the second switching request to the core network corresponding to the target base station.

[0016] In one embodiment, the step of switching a base station and a core network of a user equipment according to the system type and the interface type includes:

[0017] If it is determined according to the system type and the interface type that the network switching request includes a first switching request for inter-system switching, determining a target base station corresponding to the first switching request;

[0018] If the target base station has been connected to the target gateway, the first switching request is forwarded to the original core network after performing cell processing.

[0019] In one embodiment, the step of switching a base station and a core network of a user equipment according to the system type and the interface type includes:

[0020] If it is determined according to the system type and the interface type that the network switching request includes a second switching request for switching within the same system, determining whether to forward the second switching request to a corresponding core network according to the second switching request and the protocol information to which it belongs;

[0021] If so, the second switching request is forwarded to the corresponding core network.

[0022] In one embodiment, the method comprises:

[0023] If it is determined that the network switching request is a first switching request according to the system type and the interface type, determining a forwarding tunnel type according to a source base station of the user equipment, a target base station corresponding to the first switching request, and a core network;

[0024] A forwarding path is created according to the forwarding tunnel type so that the network switching request is forwarded to a corresponding core network.

[0025] In addition, to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present application also proposes a network switching device, the network switching device comprising:

[0026] An acquisition module, used to acquire a network switching request initiated by a user device;

[0027] A determination module, used to determine the system type and interface type of the network switching request;

[0028] A switching module is used to switch the base station and the core network of the user equipment according to the system type and the interface type.

[0029] In addition, to achieve the above objectives, the present application also proposes a network switching device, which includes: a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the computer program is configured to implement the steps of the network switching method described above.

[0030] In addition, to achieve the above objectives, the present application also proposes a storage medium, which is a computer-readable storage medium, and a computer program is stored on the storage medium. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the network switching method described above are implemented.

[0031] In addition, to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present application also provides a computer program product, wherein the computer program product includes a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the network switching method described above are implemented.

[0032] One or more technical solutions proposed in this application have at least the following technical effects: the target gateway obtains the network switching request initiated by the user equipment; determines the system type and interface type of the network switching request; switches the base station and core network of the user equipment according to the system type and interface type. By introducing the target gateway, the operators, base stations, and terminal-related resources in the region can be integrated to achieve the convergence management of signaling data, improve switching efficiency, reduce network load, and improve the overall network resource utilization. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present application.

[0034] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, for ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative labor.

[0035] Figure 1 A flowchart of the first embodiment of the network switching method of the present application is provided;

[0036] Figure 2 A connection diagram of the target gateway in the network switching method of this application;

[0037] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of switching the target gateway in the network switching method of this application;

[0038] Figure 4 A flowchart of the second embodiment of the network switching method of the present application is provided;

[0039] Figure 5 A flowchart of the third embodiment of the network switching method of the present application is provided;

[0040] Figure 6 A flowchart of the fourth embodiment of the network switching method of the present application is provided;

[0041] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the module structure of the network switching device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the device structure of the hardware operating environment involved in the network switching method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0043] The purpose, features and advantages of this application will be further described in conjunction with the embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the technical solutions of the present application and are not used to limit the present application.

[0045] In order to better understand the technical solution of the present application, a detailed description will be given below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods.

[0046] The main solution of the embodiment of the present application is: the target gateway obtains the network switching request initiated by the user equipment; determines the system type and interface type of the network switching request; and switches the base station and the core network of the user equipment according to the system type and interface type.

[0047] In this embodiment, for the convenience of description, the following description is made with the network switching device as the execution subject.

[0048] In the prior art, the base station is a key node in the wireless communication system, responsible for communicating with the terminal and triggering handover when necessary, but cannot achieve aggregation management of signaling data.

[0049] The present application provides a solution that integrates regional operators, base stations, and terminal-related resources to achieve converged management of signaling data, improve switching efficiency, reduce network load, and improve overall network resource utilization.

[0050] It should be noted that the execution subject of this embodiment can be a computing service device with data processing, network communication and program running functions, such as a tablet computer, a personal computer, a mobile phone, etc., or an electronic device capable of realizing the above functions, a network switching device, etc. The following takes a network switching device as an example to illustrate this embodiment and the following embodiments.

[0051] Based on this, the embodiment of the present application provides a network switching method, referring to Figure 1 , Figure 1 This is a flowchart of the first embodiment of the network switching method of the present application.

[0052] In this embodiment, the network switching method includes steps S10 to S30:

[0053] Step S10: obtaining a network switching request initiated by a user equipment.

[0054] It should be noted that the target gateway is applied, for example, the target gateway is a dual-mode gateway. Figure 2 As shown, the target gateway is connected to different base stations and different core networks. Optionally, the target gateway can be connected to the 4G core network and the 5G core network, and the 4G base station equipment and the 5G base station equipment can be uniformly connected to the target gateway, which is mainly used to solve the problem that a large number of base stations are connected to the core network and the core network is heavily burdened. The target gateway is responsible for unified equipment access, aggregation and management. The target gateway can access operators of different core networks. The 4G and 5G base stations in the region can be connected to the target gateway through certain configuration rules. The target gateway manages the base stations and terminal-related services under the base stations in a unified manner, such as base station access management, terminal access management, terminal mobility management, core network selection and redirection management, paging management, etc.

[0055] Optionally, the network switching request is used for network switching of the user equipment, and includes a first switching request or a second switching request, the first switching request is used for switching between networks, and the second switching request is used for switching between cells in the network.

[0056] Optionally, the first handover request includes an S1 / NG handover request, and the S1 / NG handover request can be used for handover between LTE and 5G network or between 5G and LTE network. The S1 / NG handover request within the terminal system occurs in the same core network, that is, the core network to which the target base station and the source base station belong is the same. The S1 / NG handover request outside the terminal system occurs between different core networks, that is, the core networks to which the target base station and the source base station belong are different.

[0057] Optionally, the second handover request includes an X2 / XN handover request, which can be used for handover between cells in an LTE or 5G network. The X2 / XN handover request within the terminal system refers to a handover performed within the same core network. This means that the source base station (the currently serving base station) and the target base station (the base station to be served) both belong to the scope controlled by the same core network. The X2 / XN handover request outside the terminal system is a handover between different core networks. This means that the source base station and the target base station belong to the scope controlled by different core networks, respectively.

[0058] Step S20: determining the system type and interface type of the network switching request.

[0059] Optionally, the system type of the network switching request includes intra-system switching and inter-system switching.

[0060] When the network handover request includes intra-system handover and inter-system handover, the difference between intra-system handover and inter-system handover is based on the type of radio access technology involved in the handover. Intra-system handover refers to the handover of UE between different cells within the same radio access technology, such as switching from one 5G cell to another 5G cell. This handover can be completed directly between gNBs based on the Xn interface. Inter-system handover refers to the handover of UE between cells of different radio access technologies, such as switching from 5G cell to LTE cell, or from LTE cell to 5G cell. This handover needs to be coordinated through the NG interface with the participation of 5GC. Compared with LTE, 5G SA introduces a new Xn interface to optimize intra-system handover, while inter-system handover mainly relies on the NG interface.

[0061] It should be noted that under the SA system architecture, the basic principles of switching are the same as those of LTE system switching, and the types of switching include intra-system switching and inter-system switching. In SA system switching means that when the UE (User Equipment) switches, both the source station and the target station are 5G base stations, and inter-system switching means that when the UE switches, the source station and the target station can come from different networks, such as the source base station is a 5G base station and the target base station is a 4G base station, or the source base station is a 4G base station and the target base station is a 5G base station. LTE system switching means that both the source station and the target station are 4G base stations during switching. Here, SA intra-system switching, inter-system switching, and LTE system switching gateways are all supported, and UE can initiate switching. At the same time, the NR switching process includes those based on NG and Xn interfaces.

[0062] Optionally, the interface type of the network switching request includes an S1 interface, an X2 interface, an NG interface, an Xn interface, and the like.

[0063] Among them, the NG interface is the interface between the 5G core network and the base station, which is used to transmit user data and control information, and carries the transmission of the control plane and user plane traffic of the 5G core network to the base station. The Xn interface is the interface between 5G base stations, which is used to support the collaboration and switching functions between base stations. Through the Xn interface, base stations from different manufacturers can communicate with each other to achieve more flexible and efficient network deployment. The S1 interface is the interface between the LTE core network and the LTE base station, which is used to transmit control signaling and user data. The S1 interface includes S1-MME (S1 Mobility Management Entity Interface, S1 control plane interface) and S1-U (S1 User Plane Interface, S1 user plane interface). The S1-MME interface is used to carry control plane signaling, and the S1-U interface is used to carry user plane data. The X2 interface is the interface between LTE base stations, which is used to support functions such as neighboring cell collaboration, switching and interference management between LTE base stations. Through the X2 interface, adjacent LTE base stations can work together to improve the utilization efficiency of wireless resources.

[0064] Step S30: switching the base station and the core network of the user equipment according to the system type and the interface type.

[0065] It should be noted that the network switching request type is determined according to the system type and the interface type, and the base station and the core network of the user equipment are switched according to the network switching request type.

[0066] Optionally, if the network switching request is determined to be a first switching request based on the system type and interface type, the forwarding tunnel type is determined based on the source base station of the user equipment, the target base station corresponding to the first switching request, and the core network; a forwarding path is created based on the forwarding tunnel type so that the network switching request is forwarded to the corresponding core network.

[0067] The source base station carries the mapping information of PDU, QoS, and DRB. After receiving the switching request, the target gateway queries the current core network and dual-mode tunnel establishment information, gateway data tunnel resource information, gateway data resource load information, gateway previous different types of tunnel forwarding efficiency, target station previous users' tunnel mapping information, etc., selects the optimal tunnel type according to the algorithm, and forwards it to the core network.

[0068] Optionally, for S1 / NG switching, the target gateway can flexibly deploy the creation of the selection of the forwarding tunnel type according to the network information of the source base station, the target base station and the core network, so as to improve the switching efficiency and enhance the user experience. The target gateway first needs to obtain the network information of the source base station, the target base station and the core network. This information may include the location, type, and load of the base station, as well as the topology and load status of the core network. Based on the obtained network information, the target gateway analyzes the network situation. This may involve evaluating factors such as the distance between the source base station and the target base station, the channel quality, the base station load, and the load status of the core network. Based on the analysis of the network situation, the target gateway can decide what type of forwarding tunnel to select. Different types of tunnels may include X2 interfaces, S1 interfaces, NG interfaces, etc. The decision to select the tunnel type may take into account factors such as network topology, load balancing, switching delay, and user experience. Once the tunnel type is determined, the target gateway creates the corresponding tunnel according to the selected tunnel type. This may involve signaling interaction with the source base station, the target base station and the core network to establish a forwarding path and a communication connection. After the tunnel is created, the target gateway may perform some optimization configurations to ensure the performance and stability of the forwarding tunnel. This may include operations such as adjusting tunnel parameters, optimizing route selection, and monitoring tunnel status.

[0069] In one embodiment, if Figure 3 As shown in the figure, when receiving an S1 / NG handover request within the terminal system, the target gateway extracts the target base station information. If the target base station has been deployed to the target gateway, the target gateway finds the home network information of the UE and queries the core network pool information to which the UE is connected. If the pool is heavily loaded, the gateway integrates and analyzes the UE resources and base station resources, converts the type to X2 / XN handover, and forwards it to the corresponding core network, thereby reducing the load of the core network. After receiving the response from the core network, the gateway completes the subsequent signaling interaction with the source base station and the target base station; otherwise, it will be forwarded to the original core network after processing the information element. When receiving an S1 / NG handover request outside the terminal system, the target gateway extracts the target base station information. If the target base station has been deployed to the target gateway, it will be forwarded to the original core network after processing the information element. When receiving an X2 / XN handover request within the terminal system, the target gateway will decide to terminate at the gateway or forward it to the core network based on the handover information and network deployment, and complete the subsequent interaction. For S1 / NG handover, the target gateway can flexibly deploy the creation of the selection of the forwarding tunnel type based on the network information of the source base station, the target base station and the core network, thereby improving the switching efficiency and user experience.

[0070] The existing 4G network architecture is composed of 4G terminals, LTE base stations and 4G core network, and the 5G network architecture is composed of 5G terminals, NR base stations and 5G core network. This embodiment introduces the target gateway to integrate the 4G network and the 5G network. It is mainly responsible for unified device access, aggregation and management, thereby reducing the signaling interaction burden on the core side.

[0071] In the existing 4G network, when the UE accesses the 4G base station, when the UE is far away from the current service cell or is subject to other interference, the base station will start the S1 / X2 switching process. When the UE accesses the 5G base station, when the UE is far away from the current service cell or is subject to other interference, the base station will start the NG / XN switching process. The switching strategy is determined by the base station. This embodiment can make decisions on the switching behavior initiated by the base station through the mobility management function of the target gateway, execute different switching types according to the network deployment, and create different tunnel types to transmit and switch data during the switching process, thereby reducing the signaling interaction with the core network, improving the switching efficiency, and enhancing the user experience.

[0072] Through the deployment of the target gateway blockchain network, the existing network deployment can be improved, and the entire network resources on the core side, base station side, and terminal side can be integrated. Unified access, aggregation, and management of all base stations in the area can be achieved, and terminal, base station, and operator resources can be integrated for intelligent allocation and use. The target gateway identifies different switching behaviors of 5G terminals, and the target gateway intelligently selects switching strategies through the mobility management device to improve network resource utilization, switching success rate, and enhance user service experience.

[0073] In the technical solution of this embodiment, the target gateway obtains the network switching request initiated by the user equipment; determines the system type and interface type of the network switching request; and switches the base station and core network of the user equipment according to the system type and interface type. By introducing the target gateway, the operators, base stations, and terminal-related resources in the region can be integrated to achieve the convergence management of signaling data, improve the switching efficiency, reduce the network load, and improve the overall network resource utilization.

[0074] Based on the first embodiment of the present application, in the second embodiment of the present application, the same or similar contents as those in the above-mentioned embodiment 1 can be referred to the above introduction, and will not be repeated in the following. Figure 4 , the step S30 further includes:

[0075] Step S31, if it is determined according to the system type and the interface type that the network switching request includes a first switching request for switching within the same system, determining a target base station corresponding to the first switching request;

[0076] Step S32: if the target base station has been connected to the target gateway, obtaining the home network information of the user equipment, the home network information including the core network pool information to which the user equipment is connected;

[0077] Step S33: If the load of the core network pool information is less than or equal to a preset load threshold, the first switching request is forwarded to the original core network after performing cell processing.

[0078] It should be noted that since a gateway is added between the base station and the core network, the core side can only see the relevant information of the gateway, and the core network cannot see the information of the base station. If a handover request is received from the source base station and needs to be forwarded directly to the core network, the base station information must be converted. The information element processing is to convert the target base station information into the access gateway information visible to the core network.

[0079] It should be noted that the home network information is the various status data of the UE (User Equipment) in the current network. It is the key information that needs to be transmitted and maintained during the handover process to achieve seamless movement of the UE between different networks. By analyzing this information, the target gateway can optimize the handover process and improve resource utilization efficiency.

[0080] The UE initiates the access process with PLMN (Public Land Mobile Network) information, i.e., the UE's home network information. When the UE accesses the base station, the target gateway will access the core network based on the PLMN, tac (Tracking Area Code), slice and other parameters. When the UE is switched, the access process has been completed, and the corresponding base station, gateway and core network information are all known. When the target gateway receives the switching request initiated by the base station where the UE is located, it can find the core network it is connected to.

[0081] The home network information includes the following: the core network pool information to which the UE is connected, that is, the resource pool to which the core network element to which the UE is currently connected belongs, which is used to determine the load of the pool; the UE's mobility management context, including UE identification, security context, PDN (Packet Data Network) connection information, etc., which needs to be transmitted to the target core network during the switching process; the UE's service information, such as bearer context, QoS (Quality of Service) parameters, etc., which is used to be transmitted during the switching process to ensure service continuity; the UE's location information, such as tracking area, serving cell, etc., which helps the target core network understand the UE's location and perform paging and other operations.

[0082] When the network switching request includes a first switching request for switching within the same system, for example, an S1 / NG switching request within the terminal system, the target gateway determines the target base station corresponding to the first switching request; if the target base station has been connected to the target gateway, the user equipment's home network information is found to query the core network pool information to which the user equipment is connected, i.e., the core network pool information. Optionally, the core network pool information includes the resource pool and load conditions of the core network element to which the UE is connected, which helps the gateway determine whether the core network to which the UE currently belongs can continue to provide services. Exemplarily, pool refers to a set of core networks with the same PLMN, such as core network 1 supports 46000 and core network 2 supports 46000, such as core network 3 supports 46001 and core network 4 supports 46001, core network 1 and core network 2 can form pool1, and core network 3 and core network 4 can form pool2.

[0083] Optionally, if the load of the core network pool information is less than or equal to a preset load threshold, the first switching request is forwarded to the original core network after performing information element processing. Optionally, the information element processing includes protocol conversion, message format conversion, security parameter processing, etc.

[0084] As another feasible solution, if the load of the core network pool information is greater than a preset load threshold, determine whether to switch the first switching request to the second switching request based on the resource information of the user equipment and the resource information of the target base station; if so, forward the second switching request to the core network corresponding to the target base station.

[0085] Optionally, if the core network pool information load is greater than the preset load threshold, the gateway will integrate and analyze the UE resources and base station resources. The resource integration analysis includes evaluating the coverage, capacity, neighboring relationship and other resources of the cell where the UE is located, as well as the load, service capability and other resources of the target base station. By comprehensively considering these factors, the target gateway decides whether to trigger the X2 / XN handover to optimize the utilization of wireless and core network resources. If triggered, the S1 / NG handover request is converted into an X2 / XN handover request and forwarded to the corresponding core network, thereby reducing the load of the core network. After receiving the response from the core network, the target gateway completes the subsequent signaling interaction with the source base station and the target base station. In the signaling interaction, the target gateway, as an intermediate node between the base station and the core network, needs to process the handover-related signaling messages, such as handover request, handover confirmation, UE context transmission, etc. At the same time, the target gateway also coordinates the data forwarding between the source base station and the target base station.

[0086] For example, the load of pool1 is 95%, which means that this group of core network has a large amount of business and a lot of signaling interactions, such as the NG switching and S1 switching signaling process interactions. If the target gateway finds that the pool load is large based on the operation information, the target base station information carried in the NG switching or S1 switching signaling can be queried. If it belongs to the base station under this target gateway, the switching mode can be converted to reduce the interaction process with the core network. After selecting the switching type, you can interact according to the relevant processes specified in the protocol, such as the 38300 protocol in the 3GPP specification.

[0087] In the technical solution of this embodiment, the target gateway intelligently selects the user equipment switching behavior to ensure the load balancing of network resources, solves the problems of heavy operator load and poor user experience, and through effective allocation and behavior selection of network resources, brings into play the unique integration advantages of the target gateway and improves the utilization rate of network resources.

[0088] Based on the first or second embodiment of the present application, in the third embodiment of the present application, the same or similar contents as those in the above-mentioned embodiment 1 can be referred to the above introduction, and will not be repeated in the following. Figure 5 , the step S30 comprises:

[0089] Step S34: if it is determined according to the system type and the interface type that the network switching request includes a first switching request for a different system switching, determining a target base station corresponding to the first switching request;

[0090] Step S35: If the target base station has been connected to the target gateway, the first handover request is forwarded to the original core network after performing cell processing.

[0091] S1 / NG out-of-system switching is also called inter-system switching, which means that the source and target base stations belong to different networks and are connected to different core networks. If the source base station is a 4G base station, the core network accessed by the users under the base station is the 4G core network. During switching, the gateway will process the switching request and forward it to the core network to which it is connected; if the source base station is a 5G base station, the core network accessed by the users under the base station is the 5G core network. During switching, the gateway will process the switching request and forward it to the core network to which it is connected.

[0092] The target base station information includes the relevant information of the target base station that the signaling will carry when the UE initiates a handover request.

[0093] When the first switching request of the inter-system switching is an S1 / NG switching request outside the terminal system, the target gateway extracts the target base station information, and if the target base station has been deployed to the target gateway, the first switching request is forwarded to the original core network after performing cell processing.

[0094] For inter-system handover, since the UE needs to leave the current core network, even if the target base station deploys a target gateway, it is necessary to notify the original core network to release the context. The cell processing performed by the gateway may involve protocol mapping, routing selection, etc. to ensure that the handover message can correctly reach the original core network.

[0095] In the technical solution of this embodiment, the target gateway intelligently selects the user equipment switching behavior to ensure the load balancing of network resources, solves the problems of heavy operator load and poor user experience, and through effective allocation and behavior selection of network resources, brings into play the unique integration advantages of the target gateway and improves the utilization rate of network resources.

[0096] Based on any one of the first to third embodiments of the present application, in the fourth embodiment of the present application, the same or similar contents as those in the first embodiment can refer to the above description, and no further description will be given later. Figure 6 , the step S30 comprises:

[0097] Step S36, if it is determined according to the system type and the interface type that the network switching request includes a second switching request for switching within the same system, determining whether to forward the second switching request to the corresponding core network according to the second switching request and the protocol information to which it belongs;

[0098] Step S37: If yes, forward the second switching request to the corresponding core network.

[0099] In this embodiment, when the second handover request of the same system handover is an X2 / XN handover request within the terminal system, the target gateway will decide whether to terminate at the gateway or forward to the core network according to the handover information and network deployment, and complete the subsequent interaction. The subsequent interaction includes handover completion notification, data forwarding status update, resource release indication, etc., to complete the handover process and ensure business continuity.

[0100] The target gateway can be determined based on factors such as the handover type, UE service type, and network topology. The UE service type can be voice or data, and the network topology can be the connection relationship between the base station and the core network. For example, Xn handover for local services can be terminated at the gateway, while X2 handover that requires the participation of the core network needs to be forwarded to the core network for processing.

[0101] For example, when the gateway receives the pathSwitchReq (Path SwitchRequest) of XN switching sent by the base station, it identifies the UPF (User Plane Function) to which it belongs based on the tunnel information it carries, and determines whether the local switching conversion can be completed based on the previous UPF information. If the interaction of the pathSwitch process ends at the gateway, the gateway does not need to forward it to the core network. The gateway constructs a response message and forwards it to the base station. If it needs to be forwarded to the core network, it modifies the ID and other information elements in the path switch request message and forwards it to the core network.

[0102] In the technical solution of this embodiment, the target gateway can be deployed as a whole, automatically identify and select different switching behaviors and strategies, meet the mobility management requirements of different terminals, and improve user experience.

[0103] It should be noted that the above examples are only used to understand the present application and do not constitute a limitation on the network switching method of the present application. More simple transformations based on this technical concept are all within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0104] This application also provides a network switching device, please refer to Figure 7 , the network switching device comprises:

[0105] An acquisition module 10 is used to acquire a network switching request initiated by a user equipment;

[0106] A determination module 20, configured to determine a system type and an interface type of the network switching request;

[0107] The switching module 30 is used to switch the base station and the core network of the user equipment according to the system type and the interface type.

[0108] Optionally, the step of switching a base station and a core network of the user equipment according to the system type and the interface type includes:

[0109] If it is determined according to the system type and the interface type that the network switching request includes a first switching request for switching within the same system, determining a target base station corresponding to the first switching request;

[0110] If the target base station has been connected to the target gateway, obtaining the home network information of the user equipment, wherein the home network information includes the core network pool information to which the user equipment is connected;

[0111] If the load of the core network pool information is less than or equal to a preset load threshold, the first switching request is forwarded to the original core network after performing cell processing.

[0112] Optionally, after the step of acquiring the home network information of the user equipment, the method further includes:

[0113] If the load of the core network pool information is greater than a preset load threshold, determining whether to switch the first handover request to a second handover request according to the resource information of the user equipment and the resource information of the target base station;

[0114] If so, forward the second switching request to the core network corresponding to the target base station.

[0115] Optionally, the step of switching a base station and a core network of the user equipment according to the system type and the interface type includes:

[0116] If it is determined according to the system type and the interface type that the network switching request includes a first switching request for a different system switching, determining a target base station corresponding to the first switching request;

[0117] If the target base station has been connected to the target gateway, the first switching request is forwarded to the original core network after performing cell processing.

[0118] Optionally, the step of switching a base station and a core network of the user equipment according to the system type and the interface type includes:

[0119] If it is determined according to the system type and the interface type that the network switching request includes a second switching request for switching within the same system, determining whether to forward the second switching request to a corresponding core network according to the second switching request and the protocol information to which it belongs;

[0120] If so, forward the second switching request to the corresponding core network.

[0121] Optionally, the method comprises:

[0122] If it is determined that the network switching request is a first switching request according to the system type and the interface type, determining a forwarding tunnel type according to a source base station of the user equipment, a target base station corresponding to the first switching request, and a core network;

[0123] A forwarding path is created according to the forwarding tunnel type so that the network switching request is forwarded to a corresponding core network.

[0124] The network switching device provided by the present application adopts the network switching method in the above embodiment, which can solve the technical problem that the convergence management of signaling data cannot be realized. Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the network switching device provided by the present application are the same as the beneficial effects of the network switching method provided by the above embodiment, and other technical features in the network switching device are the same as the features disclosed in the above embodiment method, which will not be repeated here.

[0125] The present application provides a network switching device, which includes: at least one processor; and a memory that is communicatively connected to the at least one processor; wherein the memory stores instructions that can be executed by the at least one processor, and the instructions are executed by the at least one processor so that the at least one processor can execute the network switching method in the above-mentioned embodiment 1.

[0126] Reference below Figure 8 , which shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a network switching device suitable for implementing an embodiment of the present application. The network switching device in the embodiment of the present application may include but is not limited to mobile terminals such as mobile phones, laptop computers, digital broadcast receivers, PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), PADs (Portable Application Descriptions), PMPs (Portable Media Players), vehicle-mounted terminals (such as vehicle-mounted navigation terminals), etc., and fixed terminals such as digital TVs, desktop computers, etc. Figure 8 The network switching device shown is merely an example and should not bring any limitation to the functions and scope of use of the embodiments of the present application.

[0127] like Figure 8As shown, the network switching device may include a processing device 1001 (such as a central processing unit, a graphics processor, etc.), which can perform various appropriate actions and processes according to a program stored in a read-only memory (ROM: Read Only Memory) 1002 or a program loaded from a storage device 1003 to a random access memory (RAM: Random Access Memory) 1004. In RAM1004, various programs and data required for the operation of the network switching device are also stored. The processing device 1001, ROM1002 and RAM1004 are connected to each other through a bus 1005. An input / output (I / O) interface 1006 is also connected to the bus. Generally, the following systems can be connected to the I / O interface 1006: an input device 1007 including, for example, a touch screen, a touch pad, a keyboard, a mouse, an image sensor, a microphone, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, etc.; an output device 1008 including, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD: Liquid Crystal Display), a speaker, a vibrator, etc.; a storage device 1003 including, for example, a magnetic tape, a hard disk, etc.; and a communication device 1009. The communication device 1009 can allow the network switching device to communicate with other devices wirelessly or wired to exchange data. Although the figure shows a network switching device with various systems, it should be understood that it is not required to implement or have all the systems shown. More or fewer systems can be implemented or provided instead.

[0128] In particular, according to the embodiments disclosed in the present application, the process described above with reference to the flowchart can be implemented as a computer software program. For example, the embodiments disclosed in the present application include a computer program product, which includes a computer program carried on a computer-readable medium, and the computer program includes a program code for executing the method shown in the flowchart. In such an embodiment, the computer program can be downloaded and installed from a network through a communication device, or installed from a storage device 1003, or installed from a ROM 1002. When the computer program is executed by the processing device 1001, the above-mentioned functions defined in the method of the embodiment disclosed in the present application are executed.

[0129] The network switching device provided by the present application adopts the network switching method in the above embodiment, which can solve the technical problems that the convergence management of signaling data cannot be realized, the signaling burden on the core network side is large, and the switching efficiency is low. Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the network switching device provided by the present application are the same as the beneficial effects of the network switching method provided by the above embodiment, and the other technical features in the network switching device are the same as the features disclosed in the method of the previous embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0130] It should be understood that the various parts disclosed in this application can be implemented by hardware, software, firmware or a combination thereof. In the description of the above embodiments, specific features, structures, materials or characteristics can be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner.

[0131] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art who is familiar with the present technical field can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which should be included in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

[0132] The present application provides a computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program instructions (ie, computer programs) stored thereon, wherein the computer-readable program instructions are used to execute the network switching method in the above-mentioned embodiment.

[0133] The computer-readable storage medium provided in the present application may be, for example, a USB flash drive, but is not limited to electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, systems or devices, or any combination of the above. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media may include, but are not limited to: an electrical connection with one or more wires, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM: Random Access Memory), a read-only memory (ROM: Read Only Memory), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM: Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM: CD-Read Only Memory), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the above. In this embodiment, the computer-readable storage medium may be any tangible medium containing or storing a program, which may be used by or in combination with an instruction execution system, system or device. The program code contained on the computer-readable storage medium may be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited to: wires, optical cables, RF (Radio Frequency: Radio Frequency), etc., or any suitable combination of the above.

[0134] The computer-readable storage medium may be included in the network switching device; or may exist independently without being installed in the network switching device.

[0135] The above-mentioned computer-readable storage medium carries one or more programs. When the above-mentioned one or more programs are executed by the network switching device, the network switching device: by introducing the target gateway, it can integrate the operators, base stations, and terminal-related resources in the region, realize the aggregation management of signaling data, improve switching efficiency, reduce network load, and improve the overall network resource utilization.

[0136] Computer program code for performing the operations of the present application may be written in one or more programming languages ​​or a combination thereof, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Java, Smalltalk, C++, and conventional procedural programming languages ​​such as "C" or similar programming languages. The program code may be executed entirely on the user's computer, partially on the user's computer, as a separate software package, partially on the user's computer and partially on a remote computer, or entirely on a remote computer or server. In the case of a remote computer, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or may be connected to an external computer (e.g., via the Internet using an Internet service provider).

[0137] The flow chart and block diagram in the accompanying drawings illustrate the possible architecture, function and operation of the system, method and computer program product according to various embodiments of the present application. In this regard, each square box in the flow chart or block diagram can represent a module, a program segment or a part of a code, and the module, the program segment or a part of the code contains one or more executable instructions for realizing the specified logical function. It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions marked in the square box can also occur in a sequence different from that marked in the accompanying drawings. For example, two square boxes represented in succession can actually be executed substantially in parallel, and they can sometimes be executed in the opposite order, depending on the functions involved. It should also be noted that each square box in the block diagram and / or flow chart, and the combination of the square boxes in the block diagram and / or flow chart can be implemented with a dedicated hardware-based system that performs a specified function or operation, or can be implemented with a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0138] The modules involved in the embodiments described in this application may be implemented by software or hardware, wherein the name of the module does not constitute a limitation on the unit itself in some cases.

[0139] The readable storage medium provided in the present application is a computer-readable storage medium, which stores computer-readable program instructions (i.e., computer programs) for executing the above-mentioned network switching method, and can solve the technical problem of not being able to achieve convergence management of signaling data. Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the computer-readable storage medium provided in the present application are the same as the beneficial effects of the network switching method provided in the above-mentioned embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0140] The present application also provides a computer program product, including a computer program, which implements the steps of the above-mentioned network switching method when executed by a processor.

[0141] The computer program product provided by the present application can solve the technical problem of not being able to achieve convergence management of signaling data. Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the computer program product provided by the present application are the same as the beneficial effects of the network switching method provided by the above embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0142] The above descriptions are only some embodiments of the present application, and are not intended to limit the patent scope of the present application. All equivalent structural changes made using the contents of the present application specification and drawings under the technical concept of the present application, or direct / indirect applications in other related technical fields are included in the patent protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A network switching method, characterized in that: Applied to a target gateway, the target gateway is connected to different base stations and different core networks, the method comprising: Acquire a network handover request initiated by a user equipment, where the network handover request includes a first handover request or a second handover request, where the first handover request is used for handover between networks, and the second handover request is used for handover between cells in a network; Determine the system type and interface type of the network switching request, wherein the system type includes intra-system switching and inter-system switching; The base station and the core network of the user equipment are switched according to the system type and the interface type; the method includes: if it is determined according to the system type and the interface type that the network switching request includes a first switching request for switching within the same system, then the target base station corresponding to the first switching request is determined; if the target base station has been connected to the target gateway, the user equipment's home network information is obtained, and the home network information includes the core network pool information to which the user equipment is connected; if the load of the core network pool information is greater than a preset load threshold, then according to the resource information of the user equipment and the resource information of the target base station, it is determined whether to switch the first switching request to a second switching request; if so, the second switching request is forwarded to the core network corresponding to the target base station.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that After the step of obtaining the home network information of the user equipment, the method further includes: If the load of the core network pool information is less than or equal to a preset load threshold, the first switching request is forwarded to the original core network after performing cell processing.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The step of switching the base station and the core network of the user equipment according to the system type and the interface type comprises: If it is determined according to the system type and the interface type that the network switching request includes a first switching request for inter-system switching, determining a target base station corresponding to the first switching request; If the target base station has been connected to the target gateway, the first switching request is forwarded to the original core network after performing cell processing.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The step of switching the base station and the core network of the user equipment according to the system type and the interface type comprises: If it is determined according to the system type and the interface type that the network switching request includes a second switching request for switching within the same system, determining whether to forward the second switching request to a corresponding core network according to the second switching request and the protocol information to which it belongs; If so, the second switching request is forwarded to the corresponding core network.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method comprises: If it is determined that the network switching request is a first switching request according to the system type and the interface type, determining a forwarding tunnel type according to a source base station of the user equipment, a target base station corresponding to the first switching request, and a core network; A forwarding path is created according to the forwarding tunnel type so that the network switching request is forwarded to a corresponding core network.

6. A network switching device, characterized in that: The device comprises: An acquisition module, configured to acquire a network handover request initiated by a user equipment, wherein the network handover request includes a first handover request or a second handover request, wherein the first handover request is used for handover between networks, and the second handover request is used for handover between cells in a network; A determination module, used to determine the system type and interface type of the network switching request, wherein the system type includes intra-system switching and inter-system switching; A switching module, used to switch the base station and core network of the user equipment according to the system type and the interface type; including: if it is determined according to the system type and the interface type that the network switching request includes a first switching request for switching within the same system, then determining the target base station corresponding to the first switching request; if the target base station has been connected to the target gateway, obtaining the user equipment's home network information, the home network information including the core network pool information to which the user equipment is connected; if the load of the core network pool information is greater than a preset load threshold, determining whether to switch the first switching request to a second switching request based on the resource information of the user equipment and the resource information of the target base station; if so, forwarding the second switching request to the core network corresponding to the target base station.

7. A network switching device, characterized in that: The device comprises: a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the computer program is configured to implement the steps of the network switching method according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

8. A storage medium, characterized in that: The storage medium is a computer-readable storage medium, and a computer program is stored on the storage medium. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the network switching method according to any one of claims 1 to 5 are implemented.

9. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product comprises a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the network switching method according to any one of claims 1 to 5 are implemented.

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