Communication method, electronic equipment and computer readable medium

Abstract

The invention provides a communication method, electronic equipment and a computer readable medium. The method comprises the following steps: user equipment is connected with a first cell of a first network type; the user equipment is in a call service state, the call service of the user equipment satisfies a first condition, and the first condition comprises that the call service restricts access to a cell of a second network type from a cell of a first network type; the user equipment restricts access to a second cell of a second network type from a first cell of a first network type, and selects access to a third cell of the first network type from the first cell of the first network type. According to the method and the device, call drop and other call service abnormities caused by inter-system switching and / or inter-system reselection of the user equipment in the call service process can be avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of computer technology, and in particular to a communication method, electronic equipment and computer-readable medium. Background Art

[0002] In the process of moving, in order to ensure the continuity of services such as calls and Internet access, user equipment (UE) can select a target cell with better signal quality than the current cell for switching or reselecting access based on the cell switching process and cell reselection process.

[0003] When the UE supports both long term evolution (LTE) and new radio (NR) network standards to access the network, it may also need to perform inter-system switching and / or inter-system reselection. Inter-system switching means that the target cell selected by the UE for switching is a cell with a different network standard from the current cell; inter-system reselection means that the target cell selected by the UE for reselection is a cell with a different network standard from the current cell.

[0004] In actual application, researchers found that the failure rate of call services is high after UE performs inter-system switching and inter-system reselection during call services. For example, when UE performs inter-system switching and / or inter-system reselection with an inter-system neighboring cell as the target cell based on the cell switching process and / or cell reselection process, call services may be frequently dropped, affecting the user's call experience. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present application provides a communication method, an electronic device and a computer-readable medium, which can avoid call service anomalies such as dropped calls caused by heterogeneous system switching and / or heterogeneous system reselection during the call service of the user equipment, thereby improving the user's call experience.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present application provides a communication method, the method comprising: a user device is connected to a first cell of a first network standard; the user device is in a call service state, and the call service of the user device satisfies a first condition, the first condition comprising: the call service restricts access from the cell of the first network standard to the cell of the second network standard; the user device restricts access from the first cell of the first network standard to the second cell of the second network standard, and chooses to access the third cell of the first network standard from the first cell of the first network standard.

[0007] Here, since during the call service process, the user equipment may cause call service anomalies such as dropped calls after performing inter-system switching and / or inter-system reselection, the user equipment may perform call services based on the aforementioned first condition. Exemplarily, in the scenario where the user equipment switches from a new air interface voice bearer (voice over new radio, VoNR) call to a long-term evolution voice bearer (voice over LTE, VoLTE) call, based on the actual service data of the user equipment, it is found that there is a risk of call service anomalies such as dropped calls after the inter-system switching. Therefore, the user equipment can set the first condition to reduce the possibility of switching from a VoNR call to a VoLTE call, and further reduce the risk of service anomalies caused by switching from a VoNR call to a VoLTE call. Exemplarily, in the scenario where the user equipment switches from a VoLTE call to a VoNR call, based on the actual service data of the user equipment, it is found that the operator of the call service usually sets the first condition to prohibit the user equipment from switching to a VoNR call during the VoLTE call. It is understandable that the operator of the call service prohibits user equipment from switching to VoNR call during a VoLTE call, which may include user equipment with VoNR call function and user equipment without VoNR call function.

[0008] In this way, based on the first condition, the user equipment can be restricted from accessing the second cell of the second network standard from the first cell of the first network standard, and the user equipment can be enabled to select to access the third cell of the first network standard from the first cell of the first network standard.

[0009] In a possible implementation of the first aspect above, the first network standard is the NR network standard, the second network standard is the LTE network standard, and the user equipment is in a connected state; and the user equipment restricts access from the first cell of the first network standard to the second cell of the second network standard, and selects access from the first cell of the first network standard to the third cell of the first network standard, including: the user equipment receives measurement control information sent by the base station to which the first cell belongs, wherein the measurement control information includes the same system measurement event; the user equipment measures the signal quality of the same system neighboring area of ​​the first cell based on the same system measurement event, wherein the same system neighboring area is the neighboring area of ​​the first cell in the NR network standard, and the same system neighboring area includes the third cell; the user equipment determines that the signal quality of the third cell is higher than the first private threshold, and accesses the third cell of the first network standard from the first cell of the first network standard, wherein the first private threshold is the signal quality threshold set corresponding to the same system neighboring area.

[0010] Here, the user equipment is located in the first cell of the NR network standard, for example, it can be understood that: the current cell of the user equipment is the NR cell, and the user equipment makes a VoNR call based on the VoNR bearer between the user equipment and the 5G base station to which the NR cell belongs. As before, in the scenario where the user equipment switches from a VoNR call to a VoLTE call, there is a risk of call service abnormalities such as dropped calls after the user equipment switches to a different system. Therefore, the user equipment can set measurement and reporting rules, and then after receiving the measurement control information sent by the 5G base station for cell switching, the possibility of sending measurement reports of neighboring cells of different systems to the 5G base station is reduced based on the signal quality of neighboring cells of the same system and / or neighboring cells of different systems and the measurement and reporting rules.

[0011] For example, the measurement and reporting rule set by the user equipment may be: when the signal quality of the same-system neighboring area measured by the user equipment is higher than the first private threshold, the measurement report of the heterogeneous system neighboring area is not sent to the 5G base station. Here, the first private threshold can be set so that after the user equipment receives the measurement control information sent by the 5G base station, only the measurement report of the heterogeneous system neighboring area with a signal quality higher than the first private threshold is reported to the 5G base station. In this way, the probability of the user equipment performing heterogeneous system switching can be reduced, thereby reducing the possibility of abnormal call services such as dropped calls after the user equipment switches from a VoNR call to a VoLTE call. At the same time, since the heterogeneous system neighboring areas that may be reported to the 5G base station are all cells with high signal quality, the possibility of abnormal call services after the user equipment switches to the VoLTE call is low. For example, the first private threshold may be -95dB. When the signal quality of the same-system neighboring area is higher than -95dB, the measurement report of the heterogeneous system neighboring area is not sent to the 5G base station.

[0012] In a possible implementation of the first aspect above, the aforementioned measurement control information also includes an inter-system measurement event; and after the user equipment receives the measurement control information sent by the base station to which the first cell belongs, it also includes: the user equipment measures the signal quality of the inter-system neighboring area of ​​the first cell based on the inter-system measurement event, wherein the inter-system neighboring area is the neighboring area of ​​the first cell in the LTE network standard, and the inter-system neighboring area includes the second cell; and accessing the third cell of the first network standard from the first cell of the first network standard includes: the user equipment determines that the signal quality of the third cell is higher than the first private threshold and the signal quality difference between the second cell and the third cell is lower than the second private threshold, and accesses the third cell of the first network standard from the first cell of the first network standard, wherein the second private threshold is a threshold set based on the signal quality difference between the inter-system neighboring area and the same system neighboring area.

[0013] For example, the measurement and reporting rules set by the user equipment may be: when the signal quality of the neighboring cell of the same system measured by the user equipment is higher than the first private threshold and the difference between the signal quality of the neighboring cell of the different system and the signal quality of the neighboring cell of the same system is less than the second private threshold, the measurement report of the neighboring cell of the different system will not be sent to the 5G base station.

[0014] It can be understood that when the signal quality of the neighboring area of ​​the same system measured by the user equipment is higher than the first private threshold, and the difference between the signal quality of the neighboring area of ​​the different system and the signal quality of the neighboring area of ​​the same system is less than the second private threshold, on the one hand, it indicates that the 5G signal quality of the user equipment for VoNR calls is better, and the VoNR call can continue to be made in the neighboring area of ​​the same system; on the other hand, it indicates that if the user equipment switches to a VoLTE call, the 4G signal quality for the VoLTE call is weaker than the 5G signal quality for the current VoNR call, or the difference between the 4G signal quality of the VoLTE call and the 5G signal quality of the current VoNR call is small. At this time, there is no need to switch to a VoLTE call. Therefore, the user equipment only sends a measurement report of the neighboring area of ​​the same system to the 5G base station, and does not send a measurement report of the neighboring area of ​​the different system to the 5G base station, so as to avoid call service anomalies such as dropped calls that may occur when the user equipment switches from a VoNR call to a VoLTE call. For example, the first private threshold can be -95dB, and the second private threshold can be 15dB. When the signal quality of the neighboring cell of the same system is higher than -95dB, and the signal quality difference between the neighboring cell of the different system and the neighboring cell of the same system is less than 15dB, the measurement report of the neighboring cell of the different system will not be sent to the 5G base station.

[0015] In a possible implementation of the first aspect above, accessing a third cell of the first network standard from a first cell of the first network standard includes: a user device reports a measurement report of a neighboring area of ​​the same system to a base station to which the first cell belongs; and the user device responds to a first switching instruction sent by the base station to which the first cell belongs based on the measurement report of the neighboring area of ​​the same system, and switches to the third cell of the first network standard indicated by the first switching instruction for access.

[0016] In this way, when the aforementioned measurement reporting rule of not sending the measurement report of the neighboring area of ​​the different system to the 5G base station is met, the user equipment only reports the measurement report of the neighboring area of ​​the same system to the 5G base station. The 5G base station determines the target cell in the NR cell based on the measurement report of the same system measurement event, and sends a switching instruction to the user equipment to switch the user equipment to the NR cell as the target cell to continue the VoNR call. In this way, call service anomalies such as dropped calls that may occur when the user equipment switches from a VoNR call to a VoLTE call can be avoided.

[0017] In a possible implementation of the first aspect above, the first network standard is the LTE network standard, the second network standard is the NR network standard, and the user equipment is in a call service state, and the call service of the user equipment satisfies the first condition, including: the user equipment sets a call service mark corresponding to the first condition, wherein the call service mark indicates that the user equipment cannot switch from a VoLTE call to a VoNR call, the VoLTE call is a call service supported by the LTE network standard, and the VoNR call is a call service supported by the NR network standard; the user equipment is in the VoLTE call service state, and determines based on the call service mark that it is currently in the VoLTE call service that satisfies the first condition.

[0018] For example, the first network standard is the LTE network standard, and the user equipment is located in the first cell of the LTE network standard. Correspondingly, it can be understood that: the current cell of the user equipment is the LTE cell, and the user equipment makes a VoLTE call based on the VoLTE bearer between the user equipment and the 4G base station to which the LTE cell belongs. As mentioned above, the operator of the call service usually sets a first condition to prohibit the user equipment from switching to a VoNR call during the VoLTE call. Accordingly, if the user equipment uses the NR cell of a different system as the target cell based on the cell reselection and / or cell switching process, there is a high possibility of call abnormalities such as dropped calls after the VoLTE call is switched to the VoNR call.

[0019] Therefore, a call service mark can be set based on information such as the operator of the call service. For example, based on the analysis of the actual service data of the user equipment, it is believed that the operator does not support switching to VoNR calls during VoLTE calls, and the call service mark can be set to prevent the user equipment from switching from VoLTE calls to VoNR calls. Cell switching and / or cell reselection are performed based on the call service mark to prevent the user equipment from using the NR cell of a different system as the target cell based on the cell switching and / or cell reselection process when the user equipment cannot switch from a VoLTE call to a VoNR call.

[0020] In a possible implementation of the first aspect above, the user equipment is in a connected state; and the user equipment is restricted from accessing the second cell of the second network standard from the first cell of the first network standard, and chooses to access the third cell of the first network standard from the first cell of the first network standard, including: the user equipment receives measurement control information sent by the base station to which the first cell belongs, wherein the measurement control information includes a same-system measurement event; the user equipment measures the signal quality of a same-system neighboring area of ​​the first cell based on the same-system measurement event, wherein the same-system neighboring area is a neighboring area of ​​the first cell in the LTE network standard, and the same-system neighboring area includes the third cell; the user equipment reports the measurement report of the same-system neighboring area to the base station to which the first cell belongs based on a call service mark; the user equipment responds to a second switching instruction sent by the base station to which the first cell belongs based on the measurement report of the same-system neighboring area, and switches to the third cell of the first network standard indicated by the second switching instruction for access.

[0021] In this way, for a user device in a connected state that is conducting a VoLTE call, if it is determined based on the set call service mark that the user device cannot switch from a VoLTE call to a VoNR call, then the user device cannot switch from a different system to an NR cell based on the cell switching process. In this case, after receiving the measurement control information sent by the 4G base station for cell switching, the user device only sends measurement reports of neighboring cells in the same system to the 4G base station, and does not send measurement reports of neighboring cells in different systems to the 4G base station. In this way, the user device is prevented from switching to a VoNR call during a VoLTE call.

[0022] In a possible implementation of the first aspect above, the measurement control information also includes an inter-system measurement event; and the user equipment is restricted from accessing a second cell of a second network standard from a first cell of a first network standard, including: the user equipment does not respond to the inter-system measurement event based on a call service mark.

[0023] For example, when the measurement control information sent by the 4G base station for cell switching includes a different system measurement event, in order to prevent the user equipment from switching to the NR cell from a different system based on the cell switching process, the user equipment may not respond to the different system measurement event in the measurement control information sent by the 4G base station.

[0024] It is understandable that the user equipment may also measure the heterosystem neighboring cell in response to the heterosystem measurement event, but does not send a measurement report corresponding to the heterosystem neighboring cell to the 4G base station.

[0025] In a possible implementation of the first aspect above, the user equipment is in an IDLE state; and the user equipment is restricted from accessing the second cell of the second network standard from the first cell of the first network standard, and chooses to access the third cell of the first network standard from the first cell of the first network standard, including: the user equipment determines the third cell as the target cell in the same system neighboring cell of the first cell based on the call service mark; the user equipment accesses the third cell.

[0026] For example, for a user device in the IDLE state, if it is determined that the user device cannot switch from a VoLTE call to a VoNR call based on the set call service mark, the user device cannot reselect to the NR cell based on the cell reselection process. Therefore, when the user device enters the IDLE state and performs cell reselection, it can only perform cell reselection based on the neighboring cells of the same system of the current cell to determine the target cell. In this way, the VoLTE call is continued by reselecting to the LTE cell of the same system to avoid call service anomalies such as dropped calls caused by the user device switching from a VoLTE call to a VoNR call.

[0027] In a possible implementation of the first aspect above, the user equipment includes a first storage path for storing same-system neighboring cells, wherein the user equipment determines a third cell as a target cell in the same-system neighboring cell of the first cell based on a call service mark, including: the user equipment accesses the first storage path based on the call service mark to determine the same-system neighboring cell of the first cell; the user equipment determines the third cell as the target cell in the same-system neighboring cell.

[0028] In a possible implementation of the first aspect above, the user equipment also includes a second storage path for storing the heterosystem neighboring cells of the first cell, wherein the heterosystem neighboring cells are neighboring cells of the first cell in the NR network standard, including the second cell; and the user equipment restricts access from the first cell of the first network standard to the second cell of the second network standard, including: the user equipment avoids accessing the second storage path based on a call service mark.

[0029] It can be understood that since the user equipment usually stores neighboring cells in the form of a list or database, and the storage paths of neighboring cells of the same system and neighboring cells of different systems are generally different. Therefore, when the user equipment cannot reselect to the NR cell based on the cell reselection process, the user equipment can only access the storage path of the neighboring cells of the same system, and not the storage path of the neighboring cells of different systems. Furthermore, cell reselection can be performed only in the neighboring cells of the same system to avoid call service anomalies such as dropped calls caused by the user equipment switching from a VoLTE call to a VoNR call.

[0030] In a possible implementation of the first aspect above, the user equipment is in a call service state, and the call service of the user equipment meets the first condition, and further includes: if there is an abnormality in the call service performed by the user equipment based on the currently connected LTE network standard, then the call service mark is deleted.

[0031] It is understandable that when the VoLTE call conducted by the user equipment based on the LTE network standard has abnormal conditions such as 4G network disconnection, VoLTE call abnormal time exceeding the acceptable duration, such as the call silence state exceeding 30 seconds, the user equipment can no longer make a normal VoLTE call based on the 4G base station. At this time, the call service mark can be cancelled so that the user equipment can try to switch to the VoNR call, and the possibility of normal call service can be increased as much as possible. It is understandable that the call service mark can also be adjusted to switch from the VoLTE call to the VoNR call.

[0032] In a second aspect, the present application provides an electronic device, comprising: one or more processors; one or more memories; one or more memories storing one or more programs, and when the one or more programs are executed by the one or more processors, the electronic device executes the communication method provided by the above-mentioned first aspect and various possible implementations of the above-mentioned first aspect.

[0033] In a third aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to execute the communication method provided by the first aspect and various possible implementations of the first aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] Figure 1a A schematic diagram of a scenario in which a user equipment switches from a VoNR call to a VoLTE call during a call service provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] Figure 1b A schematic diagram of a scenario in which a user equipment switches from a VoLTE call to a VoNR call during a call service provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a call system architecture provided in an embodiment of the present application for implementing the communication method provided in the present application;

[0037] Figure 3 A flowchart of cell switching of a user equipment during a VoNR call provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] Figure 4 A flow chart of a user equipment supporting VoNR calls and performing VoLTE calls and experiencing call service abnormality due to reselection of a different system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] Figure 5 A flow chart of a user equipment that does not support VoNR calls and is conducting a VoLTE call and has a call service abnormality due to a different system reselection provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0040] Figure 6 A flowchart of cell reselection of a user equipment during a VoLTE call provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] Figure 7 A flowchart of cell switching of a user equipment during a VoLTE call provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] Figure 8 A flowchart of cell reselection and cell switching of a user equipment during a VoLTE call provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0043] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of the structure of a user device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods.

[0045] In order to facilitate those skilled in the art to understand the solutions in the embodiments of the present application, some concepts and terms involved in the embodiments of the present application are explained below.

[0046] (1) Cellular cell: referred to as cell. The entire coverage area of ​​a base station consists of several small areas, each of which is usually called a cell. The base station provides cellular resources to UEs residing in the cell through a wireless interface. Generally, a cell provided by a 4G base station (evolved nodeB, eNB) based on the LTE network standard is called a 4G cell or LTE cell. A cell provided by a 5G base station (5GnodeB, gNB) based on the NR network standard is called a 5G cell or NR cell.

[0047] (2) IDLE state: refers to a communication state in which the user equipment and the base station have no data link and therefore cannot send or receive data. The user equipment in the IDLE state will trigger the cell reselection process. Usually, the user equipment can establish a connection with the base station through the radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment process and thus enter the connected state from the IDLE state.

[0048] (3) Connected state: refers to a communication state in which a data link exists between the user equipment and the base station and data can be sent and received. The user equipment in the connected state performs cell switching during the movement process. Generally, the user equipment can release the connection with the base station through the RRC connection release process and thus enter the IDLE state from the connected state.

[0049] (4) Measurement report (MR): refers to a report file generated based on measurement control information such as measurement report events and measurement objects sent by network equipment, which is used to report information such as signal quality and coverage of each neighboring cell to the network equipment. For example, a user equipment in a connected state measures the neighboring cells of the current cell based on the measurement control information sent by the network equipment to which the current cell belongs and generates a measurement report, and then reports information such as signal quality and coverage of each neighboring cell to the network equipment through the measurement report. In this way, the network equipment can determine whether to use a neighboring cell as a target cell for cell switching and / or cell reselection based on the measurement report information reported by the user equipment.

[0050] It can be understood that the user equipment can send the above-mentioned measurement reports to the network equipment in different event types, so the various types of events used to send the above-mentioned measurement reports can be collectively referred to as measurement report events, or events for short. The above-mentioned events can include same-system measurement events for sending measurements about neighboring areas of the same system, such as events A1 to A6; and can also include different-system measurement events for sending measurements about neighboring areas of different systems, such as events B1 and B2. The above-mentioned network equipment that communicates with the user equipment can be, for example, a base station or other equipment.

[0051] Figure 1a According to an embodiment of the present application, a schematic diagram of a scenario in which a user equipment switches from a VoNR call to a VoLTE call during a call service is shown. Specifically, Figure 1a As shown, the current cell of the user equipment 100 is the NR cell 220, and the heterogeneous system neighboring cell is the LTE cell 210. The user equipment 100 makes a VoNR call based on the VoNR bearer between the 5G base station 102 to which the NR cell 220 belongs. During the movement, the user equipment 100 may select the LTE cell 210 as the target cell for heterogeneous system switching based on the cell switching process. Here, since the priority of the NR cell 220 in the cell reselection process is higher than that of the LTE cell 210, the user equipment 100 will not select the LTE cell 210 as the target cell based on the cell reselection process.

[0052] Based on actual business data, researchers found that when the user equipment uses LTE cell 210 as the target cell based on the cell switching process, and then switches from VoNR call to VoLTE call, the call service of the user equipment may fail to switch to another system due to the network abnormality of 4G base station 101, which may cause call service abnormality. Here, the specific reasons and processes for the call service abnormality caused by the user equipment switching from VoNR call to VoLTE call will be described in detail below in conjunction with the corresponding figures, and will not be repeated here.

[0053] Figure 1b According to an embodiment of the present application, a schematic diagram of a scenario in which a user equipment switches from a VoLTE call to a VoNR call during a call service is shown. Specifically, Figure 1b As shown, the current cell of the user equipment 100 is the LTE cell 210, and the heterogeneous system neighboring cell is the NR cell 220. The user equipment 100 makes a VoLTE call based on the VoLTE bearer between the user equipment 100 and the 4G base station 101 to which the LTE cell 210 belongs. The user equipment 100 may select the NR cell 220 as the target cell for heterogeneous system handover and / or heterogeneous system reselection based on the cell handover process and / or the cell reselection process.

[0054] Based on actual business data, researchers found that after the user equipment switches from VoLTE call to VoNR call based on the cell switching process and / or cell reselection process, the user equipment that does not support VoNR call will be unable to conduct call services on the 5G network, resulting in abnormal call services. For user equipment that supports VoNR calls, since their operators generally do not support switching to VoNR calls during VoLTE calls, call services may be abnormal after the user equipment switches from different systems and / or reselects to the LTE cell from different systems.

[0055] Therefore, in the process of switching a VoLTE call to a VoNR call based on the cell switching process and / or the cell reselection process, the user equipment has a high probability of abnormal call service (such as dropped call) after performing inter-system switching and / or inter-system reselection. Here, the specific reasons and processes for the user equipment to easily generate abnormal call service when switching from a VoLTE call to a VoNR call will be described in detail below in conjunction with the corresponding figures, and will not be repeated here.

[0056] As mentioned above, in order to solve the problem that the above-mentioned heterogeneous system switching and / or heterogeneous system reselection easily leads to service anomalies such as dropped calls, the present application provides a communication method applied to electronic devices such as the above-mentioned user equipment.

[0057] Specifically, the method can selectively select a same-system neighboring cell or a different-system neighboring cell with a higher switching and / or reselection success rate for the user device to switch and / or reselect based on the current service status of the user device and the signal strength provided by the same-system neighboring cell and the different-system neighboring cell, and in combination with the operator's restrictions on switching VoLTE calls to VoNR calls. In this way, it can avoid the problem of dropped calls caused by the user device blindly switching to a different system and / or reselecting a different system when making calls and other services, thereby helping to improve the user's call experience. Here, the aforementioned service status includes but is not limited to the connected state and the IDLE state.

[0058] As mentioned above, in the implementation scenario where the user equipment switches from a VoNR call to a VoLTE call, call service abnormalities may occur due to occasional network abnormalities of the 4G base station after the user equipment switches to a different system. Therefore, when the VoNR call of the user equipment is normal, avoid switching to a different system to reduce the possibility of call service abnormalities due to switching to a different system. Specifically, the user equipment can intervene in the cell switching process of the user equipment by selectively reporting a measurement report to the base station to which the current cell belongs, so as to reduce the probability of the user equipment switching from a VoNR call to a VoLTE call.

[0059] Here, the user equipment can be restricted from reporting the measurement report of the inter-system measurement event to the 5G base station to which the current NR cell belongs, while the user equipment is allowed to report the measurement report of the same-system measurement event to the 5G base station. This reduces the possibility that the base station instructs the user equipment to switch from the NR cell to the LTE cell of the inter-system based on the measurement report of the inter-system measurement event.

[0060] For example, to reduce the possibility of the user equipment switching from the NR cell to the LTE cell of a different system in this scenario, the user equipment can send the measurement report of the LTE cell to the 5G base station only when the signal strength of the NR cell of the same system is low and the user equipment may not be able to perform normal call services in the 5G network. When the signal strength of the NR cell of the same system is high and the user equipment can perform normal call services in the 5G network, the measurement report of the LTE cell is not sent to the 5G base station. This reduces the possibility of the 5G base station instructing the user equipment to use the LTE cell of a different system as the target cell based on the measurement report of the LTE cell, thereby reducing the possibility of abnormal call services due to switching between different systems in this scenario.

[0061] In other implementation scenarios, since the operator does not support the user equipment to switch from a VoLTE call to a VoNR call, after the user equipment switches from a VoLTE call to a VoNR call, abnormalities in call services such as dropped calls occur. Therefore, in this scenario, the user equipment is prohibited from performing inter-system switching and inter-system reselection. Specifically, on the one hand, the user equipment can intervene in the cell switching process of the user equipment by selectively reporting a measurement report to the base station to which the current cell belongs; on the other hand, the user equipment can intervene in the cell reselection process of the user equipment by limiting the cell range of the cell reselection. In this way, the user equipment can be prevented from switching from an ongoing VoLTE call to a VoNR call.

[0062] It is understandable that when a user device is making a VoLTE call, it may be in a connected state or may enter an IDLE state for some reason. Therefore, for the above-mentioned business scenario where the user device switches from a VoLTE call to a VoNR call and experiences call drops and other abnormal call services, different specific implementations of how to solve the problem of avoiding call drops caused by switching from a VoLTE call to a VoNR call can be introduced for the case where the user device is in an IDLE state or in a connected state.

[0063] For example, a call service mark can be set based on whether the operator supports switching VoLTE calls to VoNR calls and / or whether the user equipment supports VoNR calls. The call service mark indicates whether the user equipment can switch from VoLTE calls to VoNR calls. For user equipment in a connected state, when its call service mark indicates that the user equipment can switch from VoLTE calls to VoNR calls, the user equipment can be allowed to report measurement reports corresponding to the same system measurement events and different system measurement events at the same time during the cell switching process. At this time, the user equipment can switch to the LTE cell or the NR cell. Therefore, when the 5G network quality is good and the 4G network quality cannot provide normal call services, the user equipment can switch to the NR cell to try to restore normal call services.

[0064] When its call service mark indicates that the user equipment cannot switch from a VoLTE call to a VoNR call, it is possible to avoid reporting the heterogeneous system measurement event to the 4G base station to which the current LTE cell belongs during the cell switching process, thereby avoiding the 4G base station instructing the user equipment to switch from the current LTE cell to the heterogeneous system NR cell. Here, it can be understood that there is a possibility of successful heterogeneous system switching and / or heterogeneous system reselection in the process of the user equipment switching from a VoLTE call to a VoNR call. Therefore, when the 4G network for the VoLTE call is disconnected, the service is abnormal for too long, the signal strength is too low, and other abnormal conditions occur, causing the user equipment to be unable to make a VoLTE call, the user equipment can send a measurement report of the NR cell to the 4G base station to try to switch to the 5G network for the VoNR call. If the user successfully switches to the 5G network for the VoNR call, the user equipment can modify the call service mark to allow the VoLTE call to be switched to the VoNR call, so as to eliminate the restrictions that are not supported by the current operator and / or the user equipment when the VoLTE call is switched to the VoNR call next time.

[0065] For another example, for a user device in the IDLE state, when its call service mark indicates that the user device can switch from a VoLTE call to a VoNR call, the user device can be allowed to reselect based on the priority of the LTE and NR cells during the cell reselection process. Therefore, when the 5G network quality is good and the 4G network quality cannot provide normal call services, the user device can switch to the NR cell to try to restore normal call services.

[0066] In addition, if the call service mark indicates that the user equipment cannot switch from a VoLTE call to a VoNR call, the user equipment can reselect only based on the priority of the LTE cell to avoid switching to the NR cell triggering a situation where the operator does not support it and / or the user equipment does not support it, resulting in dropped calls. If the LTE cell is disconnected or the service is abnormal for too long, the user equipment can also try to reselect again based on the priority of the LTE and NR cells. In this way, even if the current operator does not support switching, the user equipment may reselect successfully when the 5G network quality is better.

[0067] It can be understood that the communication method provided by the present application is applicable to user devices including but not limited to mobile phones, tablet computers, desktops, laptops, handheld computers, netbooks, as well as augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) devices, smart TVs, smart watches and other wearable devices, car equipment, portable game consoles, portable music players, and other electronic devices with one or more processors.

[0068] In order to facilitate understanding of the specific implementation process of the communication method provided in the present application, the communication system software structure of the user equipment to which the communication method is applicable is exemplarily described below with reference to the relevant drawings.

[0069] As an example, Figure 2 According to an embodiment of the present application, a schematic diagram of a call system architecture for implementing the communication method provided by the present application is shown.

[0070] It should be understood that the layered architecture currently used by the communication system 200 of the user equipment can divide the software into several layers, wherein the layers communicate with each other through software interfaces. These layers may include, for example, an application layer, an application framework layer, an AndroidTM runtime (AndroidTM runtime) and a system library, a hardware abstraction layer, a kernel layer, etc. The following is only an example of the layer where the functional modules involved in the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application are located.

[0071] exist Figure 2 In the figure, from top to bottom, they are application layer 201, application framework layer 202, kernel layer 203, and hardware 204.

[0072] The application layer 201 may include a series of application packages.

[0073] Continue to see Figure 2 Specifically, in the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application, the application layer 201 may include a phone application 201A, a setting application 201B, a compatible function activation application 201C, etc. Among them, the phone application 201A can be used by the user to initiate a call service operation, and the compatible function activation application 201C can provide an entry to activate the compatible function.

[0074] Exemplarily, in the case where the compatible function mentioned in the above embodiment can be turned on by the user, the user can turn on the compatible function through the entrance provided by the compatible function turning on application 201C specifically used to turn on the compatible function, so that the user equipment can complete the RRC reconfiguration using the communication method provided in this application. The RRC reconfiguration can, for example, be configured to switch from the base station to which the current cell belongs to the base station to which the target cell belongs. Among them, the above-mentioned setting application 201B can provide an entrance to turn on the compatible function. For example, in the case where the compatible function mentioned in the above embodiment can be turned on by the user, the entrance to turn on the compatible function can be integrated into the setting application 201B. In this way, the user does not need to install a compatible function turning on application separately in the mobile phone, and can turn on the compatible function through the entrance provided by the setting application 201B.

[0075] It should be understood that the above description is merely an example listed to better understand the specific implementation of the communication method provided in the present application, and does not constitute a restrictive description of the embodiments of the present application.

[0076] Continue to see Figure 2 The application framework layer 202 provides an application programming interface (API) and a programming framework for the application programs of the application layer. In some implementations, these programming interfaces and programming frameworks can be described as functions.

[0077] By way of example, the application framework layer 202 may include a telephone / IMS service 202A, a CS Phone 202B, a PSPhone 202C, and the like.

[0078] Among them, the phone / IMS service 202A is an IP multimedia subsystem in the communication system of the user equipment, which is used to establish a media session and can implement voice services under the packet switching network, such as the exchange between 4G and 5G networks. Among them, the voice service supported by 4G under IMS is called VoLTE, and the voice service supported by 5G under IMS is called VoNR. After the media session is established, that is, during the call, the IMS service 202A calls the SIP module in the modem based on the network standard of the user equipment to make various SIP request messages, such as INVITE messages, ACK messages, HTTP 200OK messages, etc.

[0079] CS Phone 202B is used for calls in CS (Circuit Switched) networks. When IMS service 202A is unavailable (the phone is stationed in 2G / 3G or IMS registration is unsuccessful), a call can be made through CS calls. CS Phone 202B can also be used to perform domain switching redialing (commonly known as CS redialing) when an IMS call fails.

[0080] PS Phone 202C is used for calls over a packet switched (PS) network. When IMS service 202A is available, IMS calls (VOLTE, VONR) can be made over the PS domain.

[0081] It should be understood that the above description is merely an example listed to better understand the specific implementation of the communication method provided in the present application, and does not constitute a restrictive description of the embodiments of the present application.

[0082] In addition, it can be understood that the kernel layer 203 in the Android system is a layer between the hardware 204 and the software. Figure 2Specifically, in the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application, the kernel layer 203 may include a transmission control protocol / internet protocol stack (TCP / IP protocol stack). The TCP / IP protocol stack refers to a protocol cluster that can realize information transmission between multiple different networks. Specifically in practical applications, the TCP / IP protocol stack of the kernel layer 203 mainly serves Internet access services and also provides services for video-related data processing during call services.

[0083] Continue to see Figure 2 The hardware 204 of the communication system 200 may include a modem 204A, an antenna 204B, and the like.

[0084] The antenna 204B is used to receive the content sent by the network side, such as the RRC connection configuration message, SIP request message, and SRS that need to be sent in turn in the above embodiment. For example, the data packet encrypted by PDCP will be transmitted to the antenna 204B through the RLC layer, MAC layer and PHY layer in sequence, and finally sent to the network side through the antenna 204B. Accordingly, the data packet received by the antenna 204B from the network side will be transmitted to the PDCP layer through the PHY layer, MAC layer, and RLC layer in sequence.

[0085] It can be understood that in the process of the user opening a call service based on the phone application 201A of the user device, the above-mentioned phone / IMS service 202A can create a call, conduct a VOLTE or VONR call through the PS domain based on the PS Phone 202C, and call the IMS module in the Modem 204A to generate signaling in the call service. The IMS module informs the RRC module that the call service is in progress, so that the RRC module performs cell switching and / or cell reselection based on the communication method provided in this application.

[0086] For example, in a scenario where the probability of a user device switching from a VoNR call to a VoLTE call is reduced, the RRC module receives the measurement control information sent by the base station corresponding to the current network standard, and measures the neighboring cells of the current cell based on the neighboring cell frequencies collected by the RRC module. The RRC module can transmit the measurement report of the same system measurement event to antenna 204B via the PDCP layer, RLC layer, MAC layer, and PHY layer in sequence, and finally send it to the base station via antenna 204B. The base station determines the target cell in the same system neighboring cell based on the received measurement report of the same system neighboring cell.

[0087] In some embodiments, the RRC module can reduce the measurement report of the inter-system measurement event by setting a private threshold, and only report the same system measurement event. Among them, the private threshold can be set based on the signal strength value, for example. The RRC module can measure the signal strength of the same system neighboring area. Exemplarily, when the signal strength of the same system neighboring area is higher than the first private threshold and / or the difference in signal quality between the heterogeneous system neighboring area and the same system neighboring area is less than the second private threshold, the RRC module may not report the measurement report of the heterogeneous system neighboring area to the base station. When the signal quality of the user equipment that can make a normal VoNR call and / or switch to the VoLTE call is slightly different from the signal quality of the current VoNR call, avoid switching from the heterogeneous system to the LTE cell; and when the user equipment cannot make a normal VoNR call and / or the signal quality of the switch to the VoLTE call is significantly stronger than the signal quality of the current VoNR call, allow the heterogeneous system to switch to the LTE cell. In this way, the measurement report of the heterogeneous system measurement event can be suppressed to a certain extent. In this way, the possibility of the base station taking the neighboring cell of the current cell with a different system as the target cell is reduced, thereby reducing the probability of the user equipment switching from a VoNR call to a VoLTE call. After determining the target cell, the base station sends the frequency configuration information of the target cell to the RRC module.

[0088] In the process of switching to the target cell to continue the call service, the RRC module can receive the target cell frequency configuration information determined by the base station based on the reported event, and can configure the relevant parameters of the target cell in the PCDP layer, RLC layer, MAC layer and PHY layer based on the frequency configuration information, so as to achieve switching. After the RRC module completes the cell switching, it can send a notification message or instruction to the IMS module to inform the IMS module of the current network standard. In this way, the IMS module can determine the parameter information related to the network standard in the call service related signaling, so as to continue the call service based on the switched network standard.

[0089] For another example, in order to avoid a scenario in which a user device in a connected state switches from a VoLTE call to a VoNR call, the RRC module receives the measurement control information sent by the base station corresponding to the current network standard, and measures the neighboring cells of the current cell based on the neighboring cell frequencies collected by the RRC module. The RRC module can transmit the measurement report of the same system measurement event to antenna 204B via the PDCP layer, RLC layer, MAC layer, and PHY layer in sequence, and finally send it to the base station via antenna 204B. The base station determines the target cell in the same system neighboring cell based on the received measurement report of the same system neighboring cell.

[0090] In some embodiments, the RRC module first determines whether the user equipment can switch from a VoLTE call to a VoNR call based on the aforementioned call service mark. The following takes the case where the user equipment cannot switch from a VoLTE call to a VoNR call as an example. The RRC module can avoid reporting measurement reports of inter-system measurement events based on the call service mark, and only report same-system measurement events. In this way, the base station is prevented from using the inter-system neighboring cell of the current cell as the target cell, thereby avoiding the probability of the user equipment switching from a VoNR call to a VoLTE call. After determining the target cell of the same system, the base station sends the frequency configuration information of the target cell to the RRC module.

[0091] In addition, when the 4G network for VoLTE calls is disconnected, the service is abnormal for too long, the signal strength is too low, and other abnormal conditions occur, making the user equipment unable to make VoLTE calls, the user equipment can send a measurement report of the NR cell to the 4G base station to try to switch to the 5G network for VoNR calls. If the user successfully switches to the 5G network for VoNR calls, the user equipment can modify the call service mark to allow switching from VoLTE calls to VoNR calls, so as to eliminate the restrictions that are not supported by the current operator and / or the user equipment when switching from VoLTE calls to VoNR calls next time.

[0092] In the process of switching to the target cell to continue the call service, the RRC module can receive the target cell frequency configuration information determined by the base station based on the reported event, and can configure the relevant parameters of the target cell in the PCDP layer, RLC layer, MAC layer and PHY layer based on the frequency configuration information, so as to achieve switching. After the RRC module completes the cell switching, it can send a notification message or instruction to the IMS module to inform the IMS module of the current network standard. In this way, the IMS module can determine the parameter information related to the network standard in the call service related signaling, so as to continue the call service based on the switched network standard.

[0093] For another example, in order to avoid the scenario where a user device in IDLE switches from a VoLTE call to a VoNR call, the RRC module can collect the cell frequency information of the user equipment's historical access and / or the cell frequency information covered in the SIB message while the user equipment is carrying out services and / or moving. The RRC module can also store the collected cell frequency information as a neighboring cell of the current cell in the user equipment's list and / or database. It can be understood that the frequency information of neighboring cells of the same system and neighboring cells of different systems can be stored in different storage spaces, so the paths for RRC to read neighboring cells of the same system and neighboring cells of different systems may also be different.

[0094] Thus, in an exemplary scenario, in order to prevent a user device in an IDLE state that is conducting a VoLTE call from using an NR cell of a different system as a target cell during cell reselection, the RRC module of the communication system 200 can access the frequency information storage space of the LTE cell of the same system, and reselect based on the priority of the LTE cell of the same system. And avoid accessing the frequency information storage space of the NR cell of the different system. Furthermore, during the cell reselection process, the RRC module can determine the target cell in the LTE cell of the same system, and avoid selecting the target cell in the NR cell of the different system.

[0095] In addition, if the LTE cell is disconnected or the service is abnormal for a long time, the user equipment can also try to reselect again based on the priority of the LTE cell and the NR cell. In this way, even if the current operator does not support switching, the user equipment may successfully reselect when the 5G network quality is better. If the reselection is successful, the call service mark can be modified to allow switching from VoLTE call to VoNR call, so as to eliminate the restrictions that are not supported by the current operator and / or the user equipment when switching from VoLTE call to VoNR call next time.

[0096] After the RRC module determines the target cell of the same system during the cell reselection process, it selects the target cell to reside in so that the user equipment can continue the call service in the target cell. After the RRC module completes the cell selection, it sends an instruction to the IMS module to inform the IMS module of the current network standard, so that the IMS module determines the parameter information related to the network standard in the call service related signaling, so as to continue the call service based on the switched network standard.

[0097] In addition, it should be noted that the processing of various SIP signaling messages involved in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented by the SIP module in Modem204A. The processing of various RRC messages involved in the embodiments of the present application, such as RRCreconfiguration, RRC reconfiguration complete, RRC connection re-establishment, etc., are all implemented by the RRC module in Modem204A.

[0098] Understandably, the above Figure 2 The layers in the communication system software structure shown and the components included in each layer do not constitute a specific limitation on the user equipment. In other embodiments of the present application, the communication system of the user equipment may include Figure 2 More or fewer layers may be shown, and each layer may include more than Figure 2 The present application is not limited to more or fewer components shown.

[0099] Based on the aforementioned Figure 2 The user equipment communication system structure shown in the figure will be described in detail below in combination with specific embodiments to explain the different corresponding implementation processes of the communication method provided by the present application when the user equipment is in different call service scenarios.

[0100] Example 1

[0101] The embodiment of the present application specifically describes the specific implementation process of reducing the switching of user equipment from VoNR calls to VoLTE calls based on the communication method provided by the present application.

[0102] In the embodiment of the present application, firstly, a specific scenario in which a user equipment switches from a VoNR call to a VoLTE call and may cause call service abnormalities such as dropped calls is described in detail.

[0103] Refer to the above Figure 1a In the scenario shown, the user equipment 100 in the connected state and conducting a VoNR call may use the LTE cell 210 of the alien system as the target cell during the cell switching process. In the process of the user equipment 100 trying to stay in the LTE cell 210 of the alien system, the user equipment may experience call service abnormalities after the alien system switching due to the network abnormality of the 4G base station 101 to which the LTE cell 210 belongs. This is because: there may be no response to the tracking area update request message (TAU request) sent by the user equipment 100 to the 4G base station 101, the TAU request is rejected, the data radio bearer (DRB) used to transmit IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) data is not restored, and other abnormal phenomena may occur, resulting in call abnormalities such as dropped calls.

[0104] In view of the problem that the user equipment may experience call drop and other call service anomalies when switching from a VoNR call to a VoLTE call, this embodiment provides a call method to reduce the probability of the user equipment switching from a VoNR call to a VoLTE call. Figure 3 The cell switching flow chart of the user equipment 100 during the VoNR call process is shown. The communication method provided by the embodiment of the present application may include:

[0105] It should also be stated that the steps in the methods and processes in the embodiments of the present application are numbered for ease of reference, rather than to limit the order of precedence. If there is an order between the steps, the text description shall prevail.

[0106] like Figure 3 As shown, the process includes the following steps:

[0107] 301: The user equipment 100 makes a VoNR call based on the 5G base station 102.

[0108] Exemplarily, the current cell of the user equipment 100 is an NR cell, and the user equipment 100 conducts a VoNR call based on the VoNR bearer between the user equipment 100 and the 5G base station 102 to which the NR cell belongs.

[0109] 302: The user equipment 100 measures the signal quality of neighboring cells of the same system and / or neighboring cells of different systems based on the measurement and reporting rules to determine the measurement report to be sent to the 5G base station 102.

[0110] Specifically, the user equipment 100 may set a measurement report rule, and then after receiving the measurement control information sent by the 5G base station 102, determine the measurement report sent to the 5G base station 102 based on the signal quality of the same system neighboring area and / or the heterogeneous system neighboring area and the measurement report rule. Here, the 5G base station 102 may configure the same system measurement event and the heterogeneous system measurement event at the same time. In this case, the measurement control information sent by the 5G base station 102 to the user equipment 100 may include the same system measurement event and the heterogeneous system measurement event. In this way, the 5G base station 102 can instruct the user equipment 100 to measure the signal strength of the same system neighboring area and the heterogeneous system neighboring area and report the measurement report.

[0111] Exemplarily, the measurement and reporting rule set by the user equipment 100 may be that when the signal quality of the neighboring cell of the same system measured by the user equipment 100 is higher than the first private threshold, the measurement report of the neighboring cell of the different system is not sent to the 5G base station 102.

[0112] Specifically, when the signal quality of the neighboring cell of the same system measured by the user equipment 100 is higher than the first private threshold, it indicates that the user equipment 100 can continue to make a VoNR call in the neighboring cell of the same system. At this time, only the measurement report of the neighboring cell of the same system is sent to the 5G base station 102, and the measurement report of the neighboring cell of the different system is not sent to the 5G base station 102, so as to avoid call service abnormalities such as dropped calls that may be caused by the user equipment 100 switching from the VoNR call to the VoLTE call.

[0113] On the contrary, when the signal quality of the neighboring cell of the same system is lower than the first private threshold, it indicates that the user equipment 100 cannot normally conduct VoNR calls in the 5G network. At this time, a measurement report of the neighboring cell of the different system can be sent to the 5G base station 102 to increase the possibility of the user equipment 100 conducting normal call services.

[0114] For example, the first private threshold set by the user equipment 100 is -95dB, the heterosystem measurement event in the measurement control information is a B2 event, and the reporting condition of the B2 event is that the signal strength of the current cell is less than -90dB and the signal strength of the heterosystem neighboring cell is greater than -80dB. Assume that the user equipment 100 measures the signal strength of the NR cell as the current cell based on the B2 event to be -91dB, and the signal strength of the LTE cell as the heterosystem neighboring cell is -79dB. At this time, the LTE cell meets the reporting condition of the B2 event, and the measurement report of the LTE cell should be reported to the 5G base station 102, so that the 5G base station 102 uses the LTE cell as an alternative target cell. However, since the user equipment 100 sets the first private threshold, before reporting the measurement report of the LTE cell to the 5G base station 102, the signal strength of the NR cell as the current cell is compared with the private threshold. Since the signal strength of the NR cell is greater than the first private threshold of -95dB, the heterosystem cell reporting condition of the user equipment 100 is not met. Based on this, the measurement report of the LTE cell is not reported to the 5G base station 102, thereby avoiding the possibility that the 5G base station 102 determines it as the target cell based on the measurement report of the LTE cell.

[0115] Exemplarily, the measurement and reporting rules set by the user equipment 100 may be that when the signal quality of the neighboring cell of the same system measured by the user equipment 100 is higher than the first private threshold and the difference between the signal quality of the neighboring cell of the different system and the signal quality of the neighboring cell of the same system is less than the second private threshold, the measurement report of the neighboring cell of the different system is not sent to the 5G base station 102.

[0116] Specifically, when the signal quality of the neighboring cell of the same system measured by the user equipment 100 is higher than the first private threshold, and the difference between the signal quality of the neighboring cell of the different system and the signal quality of the neighboring cell of the same system is less than the second private threshold, it indicates that the user equipment 100 can continue to make VoNR calls in the neighboring cell of the same system, and the 4G signal quality when switching to the VoLTE call is weaker than the 5G signal quality during the VoNR call or the signal quality difference is small. At this time, there is no need to switch to the VoLTE call. Therefore, only the measurement report of the neighboring cell of the same system is sent to the 5G base station 102, and the measurement report of the neighboring cell of the different system is not sent to the 5G base station 102, so as to avoid call service abnormalities such as dropped calls that may be caused by the user equipment 100 switching from the VoNR call to the VoLTE call.

[0117] On the contrary, when the signal quality of the neighboring cell of the same system is lower than the first private threshold and / or the difference between the signal quality of the neighboring cell of the different system and the signal quality of the neighboring cell of the same system is greater than the second private threshold, it indicates that the user equipment 100 cannot normally conduct VoNR calls in the 5G network and / or the 4G signal quality switched to VoLTE calls is significantly stronger than the 5G signal quality of VoNR calls. At this time, a measurement report of the neighboring cell of the different system can be sent to the 5G base station 102 to increase the possibility of the user equipment 100 conducting normal call services.

[0118] 303: The user equipment 100 reports a measurement report to the 5G base station 102.

[0119] Exemplarily, in the above step 302, if the user equipment 100 determines to report only the measurement report of the neighboring cell of the same system to the 5G base station 102, the measurement report of the NR cell is sent to the 5G base station 102, so that the 5G base station 102 determines the target cell only in the NR cell, so as to avoid call service anomalies such as dropped calls that may be caused by the user equipment 100 switching from the VoNR call to the VoLTE call. The user equipment 100 executes steps 304 and 305.

[0120] Exemplarily, in the above step 302, if the user equipment 100 determines that the measurement report of the neighboring cell of the different system can be sent to the 5G base station 102, the measurement report of the LTE cell can be sent to the 5G base station 102 to increase the possibility of the user equipment 100 to conduct the call service normally. The user equipment 100 executes steps 306 and 307.

[0121] 304: The 5G base station 102 sends a switching instruction to the user equipment 100.

[0122] Exemplarily, in the above step 303, if the user equipment only reports the measurement report of the neighboring area of ​​the same system to the 5G base station 102, the 5G base station 102 determines the target cell in the NR cell based on the measurement report of the measurement event of the same system, and sends a switching instruction to the user equipment 100 to enable the user equipment 100 to switch to the NR cell as the target cell to continue the VoNR call.

[0123] Here, the 5G base station 102 may also send a redirection instruction to the user equipment 100. Here, no restrictive description is given to the specific instruction type.

[0124] 305: The user equipment 100 switches to a target cell in the same system and makes a VoNR call based on the 5G base station 102.

[0125] Exemplarily, in the above step 304, the 5G base station 102 uses the NR cell of the same system as the target cell and sends a switching instruction to the user equipment 100. The user equipment 100 switches to the NR cell of the same system based on the switching instruction, and continues the VoNR call based on the 5G base station 102. In this way, call service anomalies such as dropped calls that may occur when the user equipment 100 switches from a VoNR call to a VoLTE call are avoided.

[0126] 306: The 5G base station 102 sends a switching / redirection instruction to the user equipment 100.

[0127] For example, in the above step 303, if the user equipment reports the measurement report of the heterogeneous system neighboring cell to the 5G base station 102, the 5G base station 102 may determine the target cell in the LTE cell based on the measurement report of the heterogeneous system measurement event. At this time, the switching / redirection instruction sent by the 5G base station 102 to the user equipment 100 may cause the user equipment 100 to switch to a heterogeneous system LTE cell with better signal quality for VoLTE calls.

[0128] Specifically, after receiving the handover / redirection instruction sent by the 5G base station 102, the user equipment 100 needs to establish an RRC connection with the 4G base station 101 to which the LTE cell belongs in order to switch to the LTE cell for VoLTE call, so as to establish a data link between the user equipment 100 and the 4G base station 101. Furthermore, the user equipment 100 can perform a tracking area update (TAU) process to enable the 4G base station 101 to obtain the location of the user equipment 100.

[0129] It can be understood that the above-mentioned TAU process refers to the location registration process performed on the 4G base station 101 before the user equipment 100 switches from the NR cell to the LTE cell for call services, so that the 4G base station 101 can obtain the location information of the user equipment 100.

[0130] 307 : The user equipment 100 switches to a target cell of a different system and makes a VoLTE call based on the 4G base station 101 .

[0131] Exemplarily, when the signal quality of the NR cell is poor and the user equipment 100 cannot conduct a VoNR call normally in the 5G network, and / or when the 4G signal quality of the user equipment 100 switching to a VoLTE call is significantly stronger than the 5G signal quality of the VoNR call, the user equipment 100 may attempt to access the LTE cell and conduct a VoLTE call based on the 4G base station 101 to increase the possibility of normal call service of the user equipment 100.

[0132] Based on the implementation process of the above steps 301 to 307, the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application prevents the user equipment 100 from switching to the VoLTE call based on the cell switching process when the user equipment 100 can normally conduct the VoNR call based on the 5G network; when the user equipment 100 may not be able to normally conduct the VoNR call based on the 5G network, the user equipment 100 is allowed to switch to the VoLTE call based on the cell switching process. In this way, while increasing the possibility of the user equipment 100's call service being conducted normally, the probability of the user equipment 100 switching to the VoLTE call during the VoNR call is reduced, thereby reducing the possibility of abnormal call service of the user equipment 100 after switching to a different system.

[0133] In conjunction with another embodiment 2, the following describes in detail the corresponding implementation process of the communication method provided by the present application when preventing the user equipment from switching from a VoLTE call to a VoNR call.

[0134] Example 2

[0135] The embodiment of the present application specifically describes the specific implementation process of preventing the user equipment from switching from a VoLTE call to a VoNR call based on the communication method provided by the present application.

[0136] In the embodiment of the present application, a specific scenario in which a user equipment is very likely to cause call service abnormalities such as dropped calls when switching from a VoLTE call to a VoNR call is first described in detail.

[0137] In an exemplary scenario, see above Figure 1b , the user equipment 100 making a VoLTE call may use the NR cell 220 of a different system as the target cell during the cell switching and / or cell reselection process. Based on actual service data, researchers found that after the user equipment making a VoLTE call switches to a VoNR call, the probability of service anomalies such as dropped calls is extremely high.

[0138] After further research and analysis on this issue, the researchers found that the operator of the user equipment 100 may not support the user equipment 100 switching to a VoNR call during a VoLTE call. Therefore, when the user equipment 100 uses the NR cell 220 of a different system as the target cell and attempts to access it based on the cell switching and / or cell reselection process, the user equipment 100 may send a registration request message (registration request) to the 5G base station 102 to which the NR cell 220 belongs. There is no response, the registration request message is rejected, and other reasons may cause call service anomalies such as dropped calls.

[0139] Here, the operator of the user equipment 100 does not allow the user equipment 100 to switch to the VoNR call during the VoLTE call, including the user equipment 100 supporting the VoNR call and / or the user equipment 100 not supporting the VoNR call.

[0140] In an exemplary scenario, for a user device 100 supporting VoNR calls, it may use a foreign system's NR cell 220 as a target cell based on a cell reselection process and / or a cell switching process during a VoLTE call. However, the operator does not allow the user device 100 to switch to a VoNR call during a VoLTE call. Therefore, during the process of the user device 100 accessing the NR cell 220, call service anomalies such as dropped calls may occur due to the inability of the 5G base station 102 to provide services to the user device 100.

[0141] Here, taking the case where the user equipment 100 supporting VoNR calls performs inter-system reselection during a VoLTE call as an example, the process of abnormal call service is specifically described. Figure 4 The flowchart of the user equipment 100 making a VoLTE call and causing a call service abnormality due to a different system reselection is shown. The flowchart includes the following steps:

[0142] 401 : The user equipment 100 makes a VoLTE call based on the 4G base station 101 .

[0143] For example, when the user equipment 100 performs VoNR by default through the 5G base station, the user equipment 100 can switch to the 4G base station 101 to perform VoLTE calls during the VoNR call. In other embodiments, the user equipment 100 can also respond to the user's call operation and directly perform VoLTE calls based on the 4G base station 101. This is not limited here.

[0144] 402: The signal quality of the current cell of the user equipment 100 deteriorates.

[0145] 403: The user equipment 100 reports a measurement report of the same system measurement event to the 4G base station 101.

[0146] The user equipment 100 sends a measurement report to the 4G base station 101 based on the measurement control information including the same system measurement event sent by the 4G base station 101. It can be understood that since the signal quality of the current cell in which the VoLTE call is being made has deteriorated, the signal quality of another LTE cell in the same system may be stronger than that of the current cell. Therefore, the user equipment 100 may report the measurement report of the LTE cell with stronger signal quality to the 4G base station 101.

[0147] 404: The 4G base station 101 sends a same-system switching instruction to the user equipment 100.

[0148] Exemplarily, in the above step 403, the user equipment reports the measurement report of the neighboring cell of the same system to the 4G base station 101. The 4G base station 101 can use the cell as the target cell based on the measurement report of the LTE cell with stronger signal quality, and send a same-system switching instruction to the user equipment 100, instructing the user equipment 100 to switch to the LTE cell with stronger signal quality to continue the VoLTE call.

[0149] 405: The user equipment 100 establishes an RRC connection with the 4G base station 101.

[0150] In order to switch to the LTE cell with stronger signal quality to continue the VoLTE call, the user equipment 100 needs to establish an RRC connection with the 4G base station 101 to which the LTE cell belongs.

[0151] 406: The tracking area code (TAC) of the user equipment 100 changes.

[0152] Here, since the LTE cell with higher signal quality and the current cell of the user equipment 100 are located in different tracking areas (TA), when the user equipment 100 uses the LTE cell with higher signal quality as the target cell, the TAC of the user equipment 100 changes.

[0153] 407 : The user equipment 100 sends a TAU request to the 4G base station 101 .

[0154] Since the TAC of the user equipment 100 changes, the user equipment 100 may start the timer T3430 and send a TAU request to the 4G base station 101 to register in the TA to which the target cell belongs, thereby triggering the TAU process.

[0155] 408: The timer of the user equipment 100 times out, and a local release is performed to enter the IDLE state.

[0156] Here, due to the network failure of the 4G base station 101, the user equipment 100 may not receive the tracking area update accept (TAU accept) message of the 4G base station 101 within the timing of the timer T3430, and then the user equipment 100 performs a local release to release the network connection and enter the IDLE state.

[0157] Here, it should be made clear that the aforementioned steps 402 to 408 are only exemplary scenarios in which the user equipment 100 enters the IDLE state during a VoLTE call. They are only examples, and this application does not make any restrictive description of the specific process of the user equipment 100 entering the IDLE state during a VoLTE call.

[0158] 409: The user equipment 100 reselects to the NR cell based on the cell reselection process.

[0159] Here, since the priority of the NR cell in the cell reselection process is higher than that of the LTE cell, the user equipment 100 in the IDLE state can reselect to the NR cell based on the cell reselection process.

[0160] 410: The user equipment 100 establishes an RRC connection with the 5G base station 102.

[0161] In order to reselect the NR cell for the VoNR call, the user equipment 100 needs to establish an RRC connection with the 5G base station 102 to which the NR cell belongs.

[0162] 411: The user equipment 100 sends a registration request to the 5G base station 102.

[0163] In order to migrate the call service to the NR cell, the user equipment 100 needs to send a registration request to the 5G base station 102 to which the NR cell belongs.

[0164] 412: The 5G base station 102 sends a registration reject message (registration reject) to the user equipment 100.

[0165] Since the operator does not support the user equipment 100 switching from a VoLTE call to a VoNR call, the user equipment 100 is not allowed to reselect from the LTE cell to the NR cell to continue the call service in the call service scenario. In this case, after the 5G base station 102 receives the registration request sent by the user equipment 100, it replies to the user equipment 100 with a registration rejection message. For example, the 5G base station 102 may reject the registration request of the user equipment 100 with a rejection reason value of 9 (cause=9: the network cannot derive the user equipment identity, UE identitycannot be derived by the network).

[0166] 413: The user equipment 100 performs an initial registration process with the 5G base station 102.

[0167] When the 5G base station 102 rejects the registration request of the user equipment 100 , the user equipment 100 will perform an initial registration process with the 5G base station 102 .

[0168] 414: The call service of the user equipment 100 is dropped.

[0169] Here, performing the initial registration process will result in passive termination of the call service of the user equipment 100, resulting in call drops, which seriously affects the user's call experience.

[0170] It can be understood that for the user equipment 100 supporting VoNR calls, in the exemplary scenario where the user equipment 100 is in a connected state and uses the NR cell as the target cell for inter-system handover based on the cell handover process, Figure 4 The reasons for substantially the same process as shown lead to passive termination of the call service and call drops.

[0171] In another exemplary scenario, for a user equipment 100 that does not support VoNR calls, it may also use the NR cell 220 of a different system as the target cell based on the cell reselection process and / or the cell switching process during the VoLTE call. However, since the user equipment 100 does not have the function of VoNR calls, during the process of the user equipment 100 accessing the NR cell 220, the inability to conduct VoNR calls may cause call service abnormalities such as dropped calls.

[0172] Here, taking the case where the user equipment 100 that does not support VoNR calls performs inter-system reselection during a VoLTE call as an example, the process of abnormal call service is specifically described. Figure 5 The flowchart of the user equipment 100 making a VoLTE call and causing a call service abnormality due to a different system reselection is shown. The flowchart includes the following steps:

[0173] 501: The core network 103 sends a VoLTE incoming call to the user equipment 100.

[0174] 502: The user equipment 100 sends a ringing message (180ring) to the 4G base station 101.

[0175] Here, after receiving the invite message sent by the caller, the user equipment 100 sends 180ring to the 4G base station 101 to which the current cell belongs, notifying the 4G base station 101 that the invite message has been delivered and notifying the 4G base station 101 that the called party has rung.

[0176] 503: 4G base station 101 sends a ringing message to core network 103.

[0177] The 4G base station 101 sends 180ring to the core network 103, notifying the core network 103 that the invite message has been delivered, and notifying the core network 103 that the called party has rung.

[0178] 504: The inactivity timer of the 4G base station 101 times out.

[0179] Here, after the user equipment 100 rings, it may not send or receive data with the 4G base station 101 within the timing duration of the inactivity timer of the 4G base station 101, causing the inactivity timer of the 4G base station 101 to time out.

[0180] 505: The 4G base station 101 sends an RRC connection release instruction (RRC connection release) to the user equipment 100.

[0181] Here, in the aforementioned step 504 , due to the expiration of the inactivity timer of the 4G base station 101 , the 4G base station 101 sends an RRC connection release to the user equipment 100 .

[0182] 506: The user equipment 100 enters the IDLE state.

[0183] After receiving the RRC connection release sent by the 4G base station 101, the user equipment 100 enters the IDLE state from the connected state.

[0184] Here, it should be made clear that the aforementioned steps 502 to 506 are only exemplary scenarios in which the user equipment 100 enters the IDLE state during a VoLTE call. They are only for example, and this application does not make any restrictive description on the specific process of the user equipment 100 entering the IDLE state during a VoLTE call.

[0185] 507: The user equipment 100 selects the NR cell as the target cell based on the cell reselection process.

[0186] Here, the user equipment 100 enters the IDLE state from the connected state and triggers the cell reselection mechanism. Since the reselection priority of the NR cell is higher than the reselection priority of the LTE cell in the cell reselection mechanism, the user equipment 100 may select the NR cell as the target cell based on the cell reselection process.

[0187] 508: The user equipment 100 resides in the 5G base station 102.

[0188] Exemplarily, after the user equipment selects the NR cell as the target cell, it resides in the 5G base station 102 to which the NR cell belongs.

[0189] 509: User equipment 100 successfully registers with 5G base station 102.

[0190] 510: The user equipment 100 performs packet data unit session modification (PDU session modification) with the 5G base station 102.

[0191] 511: The core network 103 sends service unavailable information to the 5G base station 102.

[0192] Exemplarily, since the user equipment 100 does not support VoNR calls, after the user equipment 100 performs PDU session modification with the 5G base station 102, the core network will notify the 5G base station 102 that the service is unavailable. For example, the core network 103 may send an error code corresponding to "service unavailable", i.e., 503service unavailable, to the 5G base station 102.

[0193] 512: The 5G base station 102 sends service unavailable information to the user equipment 100.

[0194] Exemplarily, the 5G base station 102 may forward the service unavailable information sent by the core network 103 to the user equipment 100 .

[0195] 513: The call service of the user equipment 100 is dropped.

[0196] For example, since the user equipment 100 does not support VoNR calls, the 5G base station 102 cannot provide the VoNR call service to the user equipment 100. Therefore, the user equipment 100 cannot make calls on the 5G network, the inter-system reselection fails, the call service ends abnormally, and a call drop occurs.

[0197] It can be understood that for a user equipment 100 that does not support VoNR calls, in an exemplary scenario where the user equipment 100 is in a connected state and uses the NR cell as the target cell for inter-system handover based on the cell handover process, the user equipment 100 will be connected to the NR cell as the target cell based on the cell handover process. Figure 5 The reasons for substantially the same process as shown lead to abnormal termination of call service and call drop.

[0198] Based on the aforementioned multiple exemplary scenarios of call drops when the user equipment 100 switches from a VoLTE call to a VoNR call, it can be known that the user equipment 100 is very likely to experience call drops when switching from a VoLTE call to a VoNR call. To address this issue, this embodiment provides a call method to prevent the user equipment from switching from a VoLTE call to a VoNR call.

[0199] Here, firstly, an implementation method of preventing the user equipment 100 in the IDLE state from switching from a VoLTE call to a VoNR call is specifically described. Figure 6 The cell reselection flow chart of the user equipment 100 during the VoLTE call process is shown. The communication method provided by the embodiment of the present application may include:

[0200] 601: The user equipment 100 sets a call service flag.

[0201] Exemplarily, it is possible to determine whether the user equipment 100 can switch from a VoLTE call to a VoNR call in combination with the operator information. For example, if it is found through research that a certain operator does not support the user equipment 100 to switch from a VoLTE call to a VoNR call, the call service mark can be set to not be switched from a VoLTE call to a VoNR call according to the operator information. In addition, for user equipment 100 that does not support VoNR calls, the call service mark can also be set to not be switched from a VoLTE call to a VoNR call. Here, the operator and its corresponding call service mark can be preset when the user equipment 100 leaves the factory, or the user equipment 100 can determine the call service mark based on its own actual business data or based on cloud server data. This application does not restrict the setting method of the call service mark.

[0202] Here, the technical content of storing the information of whether a VoLTE call can be switched to a VoNR call in the user equipment 100 in a marked manner is only an example, and this application does not make a restrictive description on the specific storage method of the information.

[0203] 602: The user equipment 100 enters the IDLE state.

[0204] The user equipment 100 that is conducting a VoLTE call enters the IDLE state. For example, the user equipment 100 may not send or receive data with the 4G base station 101 within the time limit of the inactivity timer of the 4G base station 101, resulting in the 4G base station 101 sending an RRC connection release instruction to the user equipment 100, and the user equipment 100 enters the IDLE state from the connected state. Here, no restrictive explanation is given on the reasons and process for the user equipment 100 that is conducting a VoLTE call to enter the IDLE state.

[0205] 603: The user equipment 100 determines whether the VoLTE call can be switched to the VoNR call based on the call service flag.

[0206] If the judgment result is yes, indicating that the user equipment 100 in the IDLE state for the VoLTE call can reselect to the NR cell based on the cell reselection process, then the following steps 604 to 605 are executed.

[0207] If the judgment result is no, indicating that the user equipment 100 in the IDLE state for the VoLTE call cannot reselect to the NR cell based on the cell reselection process, then the following steps 609 to 612 are executed.

[0208] 604: The user equipment 100 performs cell reselection based on the priorities of the NR cell and the LTE cell.

[0209] Exemplarily, in the above step 603, if the user equipment 100 can reselect to the NR cell based on the cell reselection process, the user equipment 100 can perform cell reselection based on all neighboring cells of the current cell to determine the target cell when entering the IDLE state for cell reselection.

[0210] Here, since the user equipment 100 usually stores the frequency point information of the neighboring cells in a list or database, and the storage paths of the neighboring cells of the same system and the neighboring cells of different systems are generally different. Therefore, when the user equipment 100 performs cell reselection based on the priorities of the NR cell and the LTE cell, the user equipment 100 can access the storage paths of the neighboring cells of the same system and the storage paths of the neighboring cells of different systems to determine the target cell in the neighboring cells of the same system and the neighboring cells of different systems.

[0211] 605: The user equipment 100 determines whether to reselect to the NR cell.

[0212] If the judgment result is yes, indicating that the target cell determined by the user equipment 100 based on the cell reselection process is an NR cell, the following steps 606 to 608 are executed.

[0213] If the determination result is no, indicating that the target cell determined by the user equipment 100 based on the cell reselection process is an LTE cell, the following steps 610 to 612 are executed.

[0214] 606: The user equipment 100 establishes an RRC connection and registration process with the 5G base station 102.

[0215] To reselect to the NR cell for a VoNR call, the user equipment 100 needs to establish an RRC connection with the 5G base station 102 to which the NR cell belongs. To migrate the call service to the NR cell, the user equipment 100 needs to register with the 5G base station 102 to which the NR cell belongs.

[0216] 607: The user equipment 100 makes a VoNR call based on the 5G base station 102.

[0217] After the user equipment 100 establishes an RRC connection and registration process with the 5G base station 102, a VoNR call can be made based on the 5G network.

[0218] 608: The user equipment 100 adjusts the call service flag based on the duration of the VoNR call.

[0219] Exemplarily, the user equipment 100 may set a call duration threshold. When the duration of the VoNR call made by the user equipment 100 based on access to the 5G base station 102 exceeds the call duration threshold, it indicates that after the user equipment 100 reselects to the NR cell of the different system, a normal VoNR call can be made in the NR cell. For example, when the operator cancels the restriction on VoNR calls and allows the user equipment 100 to switch from a VoLTE call to a VoNR call, the user equipment 100 can make a normal VoNR call in the NR cell. Here, no restrictive explanation is given on the reasons why the user equipment 100 makes a normal VoNR call in the NR cell.

[0220] Since the user equipment 100 can make a normal VoNR call in the NR cell, the call service mark can be adjusted at this time. For example, the call service mark can be cancelled, or the call service mark can be adjusted to switch from a VoLTE call to a VoNR call.

[0221] On the contrary, when the duration of the VoNR call made by the user equipment 100 based on accessing the 5G base station 102 is less than the call duration threshold, it indicates that after the user equipment 100 reselects to the NR cell of the different system, it is unable to make a normal VoNR call in the NR cell. At this time, the call service mark can be kept as not being able to switch from the VoLTE call to the VoNR call.

[0222] 609: The user equipment 100 performs cell reselection based on the priority of the LTE cell.

[0223] Exemplarily, in the above step 603, the user equipment 100 cannot reselect to the NR cell in a different system based on the cell reselection process. Then, when the user equipment 100 enters the IDLE state for cell reselection, it can only perform cell reselection based on the same system neighboring cell of the current cell to determine the target cell.

[0224] Here, since the user equipment 100 usually stores the frequency point information of the neighboring cells in a list or database, and the storage paths of the neighboring cells of the same system and the neighboring cells of different systems are generally different. Therefore, when the user equipment 100 performs cell reselection based on the priority of the LTE cell, the user equipment 100 can only access the storage path of the neighboring cells of the same system. Then, the cell reselection can be performed only in the neighboring cells of the same system to avoid call service abnormalities such as dropped calls caused by the user equipment 100 switching from a VoLTE call to a VoNR call.

[0225] 610: The user equipment 100 establishes an RRC connection with the 4G base station 101.

[0226] Exemplarily, in the above step 609, the user equipment 100 determines a certain LTE cell in the same system neighboring cell as the target cell. If the target cell and the current cell of the user equipment 100 are in different TAs, the user equipment 100 needs to perform a TAU process with the 4G base station 101 in addition to establishing an RRC connection with the 4G base station 101.

[0227] 611 : The user equipment 100 makes a VoLTE call based on the 4G base station 101 .

[0228] 612: The user equipment 100 adjusts the call service flag based on the 4G network for conducting the VoLTE call.

[0229] For example, when the VoLTE call conducted by the user equipment 100 has abnormal conditions such as the 4G network being disconnected, the VoLTE call being abnormal for a long time, etc., for example, the call is silent for more than 30 seconds, etc., the user equipment 100 is no longer able to conduct a normal VoLTE call based on the 4G base station 101. At this time, the call service mark can be adjusted. For example, the call service mark can be canceled, or the call service mark can be adjusted to switch from the VoLTE call to the VoNR call, so that the user equipment 100 can try to switch to the VoNR call, and the possibility of the user equipment 100 call service being carried out normally is increased as much as possible.

[0230] Based on the implementation process of the above steps 601 to 612, the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application prevents the user equipment 100 from switching to the VoLTE call based on the cell reselection process when the user equipment 100 in the IDLE state can normally conduct the VoLTE call based on the 4G network; when the user equipment 100 may not be able to normally conduct the VoLTE call based on the 4G network, the user equipment 100 is allowed to switch to the VoNR call based on the cell reselection process. In this way, while increasing the possibility of the user equipment 100's call service being carried out normally, it avoids the user equipment 100 from switching from the VoLTE call to the VoNR call, thereby reducing the call service anomalies such as dropped calls that are very likely to occur when the user equipment 100 reselects to the NR cell from a different system.

[0231] The foregoing Figure 6 The process shown is an implementation method for the user equipment 100 in the IDLE state to avoid switching from a VoLTE call to a VoNR call. Next, the implementation method for the user equipment 100 in the connected state to avoid switching from a VoLTE call to a VoNR call will be described in detail.

[0232] See also Figure 7 The cell switching flow chart of the user equipment 100 during the VoLTE call is shown. The communication method provided by the embodiment of the present application may include:

[0233] 701: The user equipment 100 sets a call service flag.

[0234] Here, the user equipment 100 sets the call service flag as described in the aforementioned step 601, which will not be described in detail here.

[0235] 702 : The user equipment 100 makes a VoLTE call based on the 4G base station 101 .

[0236] Exemplarily, the current cell of the user equipment 100 is an LTE cell, and the user equipment 100 makes a VoLTE call based on the VoLTE bearer between the user equipment 100 and the 4G base station 101 to which the LTE cell belongs.

[0237] 703: The user equipment 100 sends a measurement report of a neighboring cell in the same system to the 4G base station 101 based on the call service mark.

[0238] Exemplarily, when the call service is marked as not being able to be switched from a VoLTE call to a VoNR call, after receiving the measurement control information sent by the 4G base station 101, the user equipment 100 may only send measurement reports of neighboring cells of the same system to the 4G base station 101, instead of sending measurement reports of neighboring cells of different systems, so as to avoid call service anomalies such as dropped calls that are very likely to occur when the user equipment 100 switches from a VoLTE call to a VoNR call.

[0239] 704: The 4G base station 101 sends a switching instruction to the user equipment 100.

[0240] Exemplarily, in the above step 703, the user equipment only reports the measurement report of the neighboring cell of the same system to the 4G base station 101. Therefore, the 4G base station 101 determines the target cell in the LTE cell based on the measurement report of the measurement event of the same system, and sends a switching instruction to the user equipment 100 to enable the user equipment 100 to switch to the LTE cell of the same system to continue the VoLTE call.

[0241] Here, the 4G base station 101 may also send a redirection instruction to the user equipment 100. Here, no restrictive description is given to the specific instruction type.

[0242] 705 : The user equipment 100 switches to a target cell in the same system and makes a VoLTE call based on the 4G base station 101 .

[0243] Exemplarily, in the above step 704, the 4G base station 101 uses the LTE cell of the same system as the target cell and sends a switching instruction to the user equipment 100. The user equipment 100 switches to the LTE cell of the same system based on the switching instruction, and continues the VoLTE call based on the 4G base station 101. This avoids call service anomalies such as call drops that are very likely to occur when the user equipment 100 switches from a VoLTE call to a VoNR call.

[0244] Based on the implementation process of the above steps 701 to 705, the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application can prevent the user equipment 100 in the connected state from switching from a VoLTE call to a VoNR call, thereby avoiding call service anomalies such as dropped calls that are very likely to occur when the user equipment 100 switches from a different system to an NR cell.

[0245] In other embodiments, if the service state of the user equipment 100 performing the VoLTE call changes during the call service, the user equipment 100 may be configured to receive a call from a different service provider based on the service state of the user equipment 100. Figure 8 The flowchart shown in the figure is used to perform cell reselection in IDLE state and cell switching in connected state. Figure 8 , the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application may include:

[0246] 801: The user equipment 100 sets a call service flag.

[0247] 802 : The user equipment 100 makes a VoLTE call based on the 4G base station 101 .

[0248] 803: The user equipment 100 sends a measurement report of a neighboring cell in the same system to the 4G base station 101 based on the call service mark.

[0249] 804: The 4G base station 101 sends a switching instruction to the user equipment 100.

[0250] 805 : The user equipment 100 switches to a target cell in the same system and makes a VoLTE call based on the 4G base station 101 .

[0251] 806: The user equipment 100 enters the IDLE state.

[0252] 807: The user equipment 100 determines whether the VoLTE call can be switched to the VoNR call based on the call service flag.

[0253] If the judgment result is yes, indicating that the user equipment 100 in the IDLE state for the VoLTE call can reselect to the NR cell based on the cell reselection process, then the following steps 808 to 809 are executed.

[0254] If the judgment result is no, indicating that the user equipment 100 in the IDLE state for the VoLTE call cannot reselect to the NR cell based on the cell reselection process, then the following steps 813 to 816 are executed.

[0255] 808: The user equipment 100 performs cell reselection based on the priorities of the NR cell and the LTE cell.

[0256] 809: The user equipment 100 determines whether to reselect to the NR cell.

[0257] If the judgment result is yes, indicating that the target cell determined by the user equipment 100 based on the cell reselection process is an NR cell, the following steps 810 to 812 are executed.

[0258] If the determination result is no, indicating that the target cell determined by the user equipment 100 based on the cell reselection process is an LTE cell, the following steps 814 to 816 are executed.

[0259] 810: The user equipment 100 establishes an RRC connection and registration process with the 5G base station 102.

[0260] 811: User equipment 100 makes a VoNR call based on 5G base station 102.

[0261] 812: The user equipment 100 adjusts the call service flag based on the duration of the VoNR call.

[0262] 813: The user equipment 100 performs cell reselection based on the priority of the LTE cell.

[0263] 814: The user equipment 100 establishes an RRC connection with the 4G base station 101.

[0264] 815 : The user equipment 100 makes a VoLTE call based on the 4G base station 101 .

[0265] 816: The user equipment 100 adjusts the call service flag based on the 4G network for conducting the VoLTE call.

[0266] For the specific execution process of the above steps 801 to 816, reference may be made to the relevant descriptions in the above steps 601 to 612 and 701 to 705, which will not be repeated here.

[0267] Based on the implementation process of the above steps 801 to 816, the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application can prevent the user equipment 100 in the connected state and the IDLE state from switching from a VoLTE call to a VoNR call, thereby avoiding call service anomalies such as dropped calls that are very likely to occur during the user equipment 100 switching between different systems and reselecting from different systems to the NR cell.

[0268] Fig. 9The structure diagram of the user equipment 100 is shown. The user equipment 100 may include a processor 110, an external memory interface 120, an internal memory 121, a universal serial bus (USB) interface 130, a charging management module 140, a power management module 141, a battery 142, an antenna 1, an antenna 2, a mobile communication module 150, a wireless communication module 160, an audio module 170, a speaker 170A, a receiver 170B, a microphone 170C, an earphone interface 170D, a sensor module 180, a button 190, a motor 191, an indicator 192, a camera 193, a display screen 194, and a subscriber identification module (SIM) card interface 195. The sensor module 180 may include a pressure sensor 180A, a gyroscope sensor 180B, an air pressure sensor 180C, a magnetic sensor 180D, an acceleration sensor 180E, a distance sensor 180F, a proximity light sensor 180G, a fingerprint sensor 180H, a temperature sensor 180J, a touch sensor 180K, an ambient light sensor 180L, and the like.

[0269] It is to be understood that the structure illustrated in the embodiment of the present invention does not constitute a specific limitation on the user equipment 100. In other embodiments of the present application, the user equipment 100 may include more or fewer components than shown in the figure, or combine some components, or split some components, or arrange the components differently. The components shown in the figure may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0270] The processor 110 may include one or more processing units, for example, the processor 110 may include an application processor (AP), a modem processor, a graphics processor (GPU), an image signal processor (ISP), a controller, a video codec, a digital signal processor (DSP), a baseband processor, and / or a neural-network processing unit (NPU), etc. Different processing units may be independent devices or integrated into one or more processors.

[0271] The controller can generate operation control signals according to the instruction operation code and timing signal to complete the control of instruction fetching and execution.

[0272] The processor 110 may also be provided with a memory for storing instructions and data. In some embodiments, the memory in the processor 110 is a cache memory. The memory may store instructions or data that the processor 110 has just used or cyclically used. If the processor 110 needs to use the instruction or data again, it may be directly called from the memory. This avoids repeated access, reduces the waiting time of the processor 110, and thus improves the efficiency of the system.

[0273] The wireless communication function of the user equipment 100 can be implemented through the antenna 1, the antenna 2, the mobile communication module 150, the wireless communication module 160, the modem processor and the baseband processor.

[0274] Antenna 1 and antenna 2 are used to transmit and receive electromagnetic wave signals. Each antenna in user equipment 100 can be used to cover a single or multiple communication frequency bands. Different antennas can also be reused to improve the utilization of the antennas. For example, antenna 1 can be reused as a diversity antenna for a wireless local area network. In some other embodiments, the antenna can be used in combination with a tuning switch.

[0275] The mobile communication module 150 can provide solutions for wireless communications including 2G / 3G / 4G / 5G, etc., applied to the user equipment 100. The mobile communication module 150 may include at least one filter, a switch, a power amplifier, a low noise amplifier (LNA), etc. The mobile communication module 150 can receive electromagnetic waves from the antenna 1, and filter, amplify, and process the received electromagnetic waves, and transmit them to the modulation and demodulation processor for demodulation. The mobile communication module 150 can also amplify the signal modulated by the modulation and demodulation processor, and convert it into electromagnetic waves for radiation through the antenna 1. In some embodiments, at least some of the functional modules of the mobile communication module 150 can be set in the processor 110. In some embodiments, at least some of the functional modules of the mobile communication module 150 can be set in the same device as at least some of the modules of the processor 110.

[0276] The modem processor may include a modulator and a demodulator. Among them, the modulator is used to modulate the low-frequency baseband signal to be sent into a medium-high frequency signal. The demodulator is used to demodulate the received electromagnetic wave signal into a low-frequency baseband signal. The demodulator then transmits the demodulated low-frequency baseband signal to the baseband processor for processing. After the low-frequency baseband signal is processed by the baseband processor, it is passed to the application processor. The application processor outputs a sound signal through an audio device (not limited to a speaker 170A, a receiver 170B, etc.), or displays an image or video through a display screen 194. In some embodiments, the modem processor may be an independent device. In other embodiments, the modem processor may be independent of the processor 110 and be set in the same device as the mobile communication module 150 or other functional modules.

[0277] The wireless communication module 160 can provide wireless communication solutions including wireless local area networks (WLAN) (such as wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) networks), Bluetooth (BT), global navigation satellite system (GNSS), frequency modulation (FM), near field communication (NFC), infrared (IR), etc., which are applied to the user equipment 100. The wireless communication module 160 can be one or more devices integrating at least one communication processing module. The wireless communication module 160 receives electromagnetic waves via the antenna 2, modulates the frequency of the electromagnetic wave signal and filters it, and sends the processed signal to the processor 110. The wireless communication module 160 can also receive the signal to be sent from the processor 110, modulate the frequency of it, amplify it, and convert it into electromagnetic waves for radiation through the antenna 2.

[0278] In some embodiments, the antenna 1 of the user equipment 100 is coupled to the mobile communication module 150, and the antenna 2 is coupled to the wireless communication module 160, so that the user equipment 100 can communicate with the network and other devices through wireless communication technology. The above wireless communication technology may include global system for mobile communications (GSM), general packet radio service (GPRS), code division multiple access (CDMA), wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), time-division code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA), long term evolution (LTE), BT, GNSS, WLAN, NFC, FM, and / or IR technology. The above-mentioned GNSS may include a global positioning system (GPS), a global navigation satellite system (GLONASS), a Beidou navigation satellite system (BDS), a quasi-zenith satellite system (QZSS) and / or a satellite based augmentation system (SBAS).

[0279] The user device 100 implements display functions through a GPU, a display screen 194, and an application processor. The GPU is a microprocessor for image processing, which connects the display screen 194 and the application processor. The GPU is used to perform mathematical and geometric calculations for graphics rendering. The processor 110 may include one or more GPUs that execute program instructions to generate or change display information.

[0280] The external memory interface 120 can be used to connect an external memory card, such as a Micro SD card, to expand the storage capacity of the user device 100. The external memory card communicates with the processor 110 through the external memory interface 120 to implement a data storage function. For example, files such as music and videos are stored in the external memory card.

[0281] The internal memory 121 can be used to store computer executable program codes, which include instructions. The internal memory 121 may include a program storage area and a data storage area. Among them, the program storage area may store an operating system, an application required for at least one function (such as a sound playback function, an image playback function, etc.), etc. The data storage area may store data created during the use of the user device 100 (such as audio data, a phone book, etc.), etc. In addition, the internal memory 121 may include a high-speed random access memory, and may also include a non-volatile memory, such as at least one disk storage device, a flash memory device, a universal flash storage (UFS), etc. The processor 110 executes various functional applications and data processing of the user device 100 by running instructions stored in the internal memory 121 and / or instructions stored in a memory provided in the processor.

[0282] The SIM card interface 195 is used to connect a SIM card. The SIM card can be connected to and separated from the user device 100 by inserting it into the SIM card interface 195 or pulling it out from the SIM card interface 195. The user device 100 can support 1 or N SIM card interfaces, where N is a positive integer greater than 1. The SIM card interface 195 can support Nano SIM cards, Micro SIM cards, SIM cards, and the like. Multiple cards can be inserted into the same SIM card interface 195 at the same time. The types of the above multiple cards can be the same or different. The SIM card interface 195 can also be compatible with different types of SIM cards. The SIM card interface 195 can also be compatible with external memory cards. The user device 100 interacts with the network through the SIM card to implement functions such as calls and data communications. In some embodiments, the user device 100 uses an eSIM, i.e., an embedded SIM card. The eSIM card can be embedded in the user device 100 and cannot be separated from the user device 100.

[0283] The embodiments of the present application also provide a computer program product for implementing the communication methods provided in the above embodiments.

[0284] The various embodiments of the mechanism disclosed in the present application can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware or a combination of these implementation methods. The embodiments of the present application can be implemented as a computer program module or module code executed on a programmable system, and the programmable system includes at least one processor, a storage system (including volatile and non-volatile memory and / or storage elements), at least one input device and at least one output device.

[0285] A computer program module or module code can be applied to input instructions to perform the functions described in this application and generate output information. The output information can be applied to one or more output devices in a known manner. For the purposes of this application, a processing system includes any system having a processor such as, for example, a digital signal processor (DSP), a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a microprocessor.

[0286] Module code can be implemented with high-level modular language or object-oriented programming language to communicate with the processing system. When necessary, module code can also be implemented with assembly language or machine language. In fact, the mechanism described in this application is not limited to the scope of any specific programming language. In either case, the language can be a compiled language or an interpreted language.

[0287] In some cases, the disclosed embodiments may be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or any combination thereof. The disclosed embodiments may also be implemented as instructions carried or stored on one or more temporary or non-temporary machine-readable (e.g., computer-readable) storage media, which may be read and executed by one or more processors. For example, instructions may be distributed over a network or through other computer-readable media. Therefore, machine-readable media may include any mechanism for storing or transmitting information in a machine (e.g., computer) readable form, including, but not limited to, floppy disks, optical disks, optical disks, read-only memories (CD-ROMs), magneto-optical disks, read-only memories (ROMs), random access memories (RAMs), erasable programmable read-only memories (EPROMs), electrically erasable programmable read-only memories (EEPROMs), magnetic or optical cards, flash memory, or tangible machine-readable memories for transmitting information (e.g., carrier waves, infrared signals, digital signals, etc.) using the Internet in electrical, optical, acoustic, or other forms of propagation signals. Accordingly, machine-readable media include any type of machine-readable media suitable for storing or transmitting electronic instructions or information in a form readable by a machine (eg, a computer).

[0288] References to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" in the specification mean that the specific features, structures, or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment are included in at least one exemplary implementation or technology disclosed according to the embodiment of the present application. The appearance of the phrase "in one embodiment" in various places in the specification does not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment.

[0289] The disclosure of the embodiment of the present application also relates to an operating device for executing the text. The device can be specially constructed for the required purpose or it can include a general-purpose computer selectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored in the computer. Such a computer program can be stored in a computer-readable medium, such as, but not limited to any type of disk, including a floppy disk, an optical disk, a CD-ROM, a magneto-optical disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), an EPROM, an EEPROM, a magnetic or optical card, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or any type of medium suitable for storing electronic instructions, and each can be coupled to a computer system bus. In addition, the computer mentioned in the specification may include a single processor or may be an architecture involving multiple processors for increased computing power.

[0290] In addition, the language used in this specification has been primarily selected for readability and instructional purposes and may not be selected to describe or limit the disclosed subject matter. Therefore, the present application embodiment disclosure is intended to illustrate rather than limit the scope of the concepts discussed herein.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: The method comprises: The user equipment is connected to a first cell of a first network standard; The user equipment is in a call service state, and the call service of the user equipment satisfies a first condition, wherein the first condition includes: the call service restricts access from a cell of the first network standard to a cell of a second network standard; The user equipment is restricted from accessing the first cell of the first network standard to the second cell of the second network standard, and selects to access the first cell of the first network standard to the third cell of the first network standard.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first network standard is an NR network standard, the second network standard is an LTE network standard, and the user equipment is in a connected state; and The user equipment is restricted from accessing the second cell of the second network standard from the first cell of the first network standard, and selects to access the third cell of the first network standard from the first cell of the first network standard, including: The user equipment receives measurement control information sent by the base station to which the first cell belongs, wherein the measurement control information includes an intra-system measurement event; Measuring, by the user equipment, a signal quality of a same-system neighboring cell of the first cell based on the same-system measurement event, wherein the same-system neighboring cell is a neighboring cell of the first cell in the NR network standard, and the same-system neighboring cell includes the third cell; The user equipment determines that the signal quality of the third cell is higher than a first private threshold, and accesses the third cell of the first network standard from the first cell of the first network standard, wherein the first private threshold is the signal quality threshold set corresponding to the neighboring cell of the same system.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The measurement control information also includes a heterogeneous system measurement event; and, After the user equipment receives the measurement control information sent by the base station to which the first cell belongs, the method further includes: The user equipment measures, based on the inter-system measurement event, a signal quality of an inter-system neighboring cell of the first cell, wherein the inter-system neighboring cell is a neighboring cell of the first cell in an LTE network standard, and the inter-system neighboring cell includes the second cell; and The accessing a third cell of the first network standard from the first cell of the first network standard includes: The user equipment determines that the signal quality of the third cell is higher than a first private threshold and the signal quality difference between the second cell and the third cell is lower than a second private threshold, and accesses the third cell of the first network standard from the first cell of the first network standard, wherein the second private threshold is a threshold set based on the signal quality difference between the neighboring cell of the different system and the neighboring cell of the same system.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that: The accessing a third cell of the first network standard from the first cell of the first network standard includes: The user equipment reports the measurement report of the neighboring cell in the same system to the base station to which the first cell belongs; The user equipment switches to a third cell of the first network standard that the first switching instruction indicates to access, in response to a first switching instruction sent by a base station to which the first cell belongs based on a measurement report of a neighboring cell in the same system.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first network standard is an LTE network standard, the second network standard is an NR network standard, and, The user equipment is in a call service state, and the call service of the user equipment satisfies a first condition, including: The user equipment sets a call service flag corresponding to the first condition, wherein the call service flag indicates that the user equipment cannot switch from a VoLTE call to a VoNR call, the VoLTE call is a call service supported by the LTE network standard, and the VoNR call is a call service supported by the NR network standard; The user equipment is in a VoLTE call service state, and determines based on the call service mark that it is currently in a VoLTE call service that satisfies the first condition.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The user equipment is in a connected state; and The user equipment is restricted from accessing the first cell of the first network standard to the second cell of the second network standard, and selects to access the first cell of the first network standard to the third cell of the first network standard, including: The user equipment receives measurement control information sent by the base station to which the first cell belongs, wherein the measurement control information includes an intra-system measurement event; The user equipment measures, based on the same-system measurement event, a signal quality of a neighboring cell in the same system of the first cell, wherein the neighboring cell in the same system is a neighboring cell of the first cell in an LTE network standard, and the neighboring cell in the same system includes the third cell; The user equipment reports the measurement report of the neighboring cell in the same system to the base station to which the first cell belongs based on the call service mark; The user equipment switches to a third cell of the first network standard that is accessed as indicated by the second switching instruction in response to a second switching instruction sent by a base station to which the first cell belongs based on a measurement report of a neighboring cell in the same system.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The measurement control information also includes a different system measurement event; and, The user equipment restricting access from the first cell of the first network standard to the second cell of the second network standard includes: The user equipment does not respond to the inter-system measurement event based on the call service flag.

8. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The user equipment is in IDLE state; and The user equipment is restricted from accessing the first cell of the first network standard to the second cell of the second network standard, and selects to access the first cell of the first network standard to the third cell of the first network standard, including: The user equipment determines, based on the call service flag, the third cell as a target cell in a neighboring cell of the same system as the first cell; The user equipment accesses the third cell.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The user equipment includes a first storage path for storing the same-system neighboring cell, wherein the user equipment determines the third cell as a target cell in the same-system neighboring cell of the first cell based on the call service mark, including: The user equipment accesses the first storage path based on the call service tag to determine the same-system neighboring cell of the first cell; The user equipment determines the third cell as a target cell in the same system neighboring cell.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The user equipment further includes a second storage path for storing a heterogeneous system neighboring cell of the first cell, wherein the heterogeneous system neighboring cell is a neighboring cell of the first cell in the NR network standard, including the second cell; Furthermore, the user equipment is restricted from accessing the first cell of the first network standard to the second cell of the second network standard, including: The user equipment avoids accessing the second storage path based on the call service tag.

11. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The user equipment is in a call service state, and the call service of the user equipment meets a first condition, further comprising: The call service performed by the user equipment based on the currently connected LTE network standard is abnormal, and the call service mark is deleted.

12. An electronic device, characterized in that: include: one or more processors; One or more memories; the one or more memories store one or more programs, and when the one or more programs are executed by the one or more processors, the electronic device executes the communication method described in any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. A computer readable medium, characterized in that The readable medium stores instructions, which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to execute the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

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