Base station handover method, communication device, and computer-readable storage medium

Abstract

The application provides a base station switching method, a communication device and a computer readable storage medium, and relates to the technical field of communication. The method comprises the following steps: after a micro base station gateway receives a first switching request message sent by a core network, determining a first target switching resource corresponding to a target user equipment from a switching resource pool, and sending first information for indicating the first target switching resource to a micro base station of a target virtual adjacent area, so that the micro base station performs a base station switching operation based on the first target switching resource; or the micro base station of the target virtual adjacent area determines the target user equipment and a corresponding second target index based on a switching preparation message sent by the micro base station gateway, obtains a second target switching resource corresponding to the second target index from the switching resource pool, and performs a base station switching operation based on the second target switching resource. The method enables multiple user equipments to perform concurrent switching from a source macro base station to a micro base station of a target virtual adjacent area, effectively reduces the switching time delay, and improves the switching success rate.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a base station handover method, communication equipment, and computer-readable storage medium. Background Technology

[0002] Base station handover refers to the process by which a user device (such as a mobile phone) switches from one base station (i.e., a radio signal transmitting and receiving device) to another when it is moving. Once the user device moves to a particular base station, that base station will provide service to the user device.

[0003] Micro base stations (also known as small base stations) can cover homes and small businesses in operator networks, solving the problem of weak coverage. They are a useful supplement to macro base stations and are widely used in 4G and 5G mobile networks for coverage improvement and hotspot enhancement. When a user device (User Equipment) moves from the coverage area of ​​a source macro base station into the coverage area of ​​a micro base station in a virtual neighboring cell, the source macro base station, based on the measurement report sent by the User Equipment, determines that the handover conditions are met and needs to switch the User Equipment to the micro base station in that virtual neighboring cell to provide better mobile network service.

[0004] Therefore, how to switch user equipment from a source macro base station to a micro base station in a virtual neighbor cell is of great research significance and is a problem that the industry has been studying. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a base station handover method, communication equipment, and computer-readable storage medium to enable user equipment to switch from a source macro base station to a micro base station of a target virtual neighbor cell.

[0006] Firstly, this application provides a base station handover method applied to a micro base station gateway, the base station handover method comprising:

[0007] Upon receiving a first handover request message from the core network, a first target handover resource for the target user equipment is determined from the handover resource pool; wherein, the first handover request message is used to request the target user equipment to be handed over from the source macro base station to the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell under the micro base station gateway;

[0008] Send first information to the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell to indicate the first target handover resource, so that the micro base station performs a base station handover operation based on the first target handover resource.

[0009] In one embodiment, the first information is a first target index of the first target handover resource; sending first information to the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell to indicate the first target handover resource, so that the micro base station performs a base station handover operation based on the first target handover resource, includes:

[0010] The first target index is sent to the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell so that the micro base station determines the first target handover resource corresponding to the first target index and performs a base station handover operation according to the first target handover resource.

[0011] In one embodiment, the first information is configuration information of the first target handover resource; sending first information to the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell to indicate the first target handover resource, so that the micro base station performs a base station handover operation based on the first target handover resource, includes:

[0012] The micro base station sends the configuration information of the first target handover resource to the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell, so that the micro base station performs a base station handover operation according to the configuration information of the first target handover resource.

[0013] In one embodiment, after switching the target user equipment from the source macro base station to the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell under the micro base station gateway, the base station switching method further includes:

[0014] Upon receiving the second information sent by the target micro base station in the micro base station where the handover has been successfully completed, the first target handover resource is released.

[0015] Secondly, this application provides a base station handover method applied to micro base stations, the base station handover method comprising:

[0016] Upon receiving first information sent by the micro base station gateway to which the micro base station belongs, a base station handover operation is performed based on the first target handover resource indicated by the first information.

[0017] Wherein, the first target handover resource is determined by the micro base station gateway from the handover resource pool for the target user equipment upon receiving a first handover request message sent by the core network; the first handover request message is used to request the target user equipment to be handed over from the source macro base station to the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell under the micro base station gateway.

[0018] In one embodiment, the first information is a first target index; the step of performing a base station handover operation based on the first target handover resource indicated by the first information includes:

[0019] Determine the first target switching resource corresponding to the first target index;

[0020] Perform base station handover operation based on the first target handover resource.

[0021] In one embodiment, the first information is the configuration information of the first target handover resource; the step of performing a base station handover operation based on the first target handover resource indicated by the first information includes:

[0022] The base station handover operation is performed based on the configuration information of the first target handover resource.

[0023] In one embodiment, after switching the target user equipment from the source macro base station to the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell under the micro base station gateway, the base station switching method further includes:

[0024] The target micro base station that successfully completes the handover directly releases the first target handover resource and sends second information to the micro base station gateway; the second information is used to instruct the micro base station gateway to release the first target handover resource.

[0025] or,

[0026] The target micro base station that successfully switches over uses the first target switching resource to serve the target user equipment until the target user equipment releases or switches out of the target micro base station. Then, it releases the first target switching resource and sends the second information to the micro base station gateway.

[0027] In one embodiment, the first target handover resource includes radio resources and local resources;

[0028] The radio resources include non-contention preamble identifiers and temporary identifiers for the cell radio network;

[0029] The local resources include user equipment entity instances and user equipment entity processing resources.

[0030] In one embodiment, the radio resources further include at least one of the following: uplink scheduling request resources for the physical uplink control channel, channel state information resources for the physical uplink control channel, semi-static scheduling resources, transmit power control format 3 resources, and probe reference signal resources.

[0031] Thirdly, this application provides a base station handover method applied to micro base stations, the base station handover method comprising:

[0032] Upon receiving a handover preparation message from the micro base station gateway, the target user equipment and the second target index corresponding to the target user equipment are determined; the handover preparation message is generated by the micro base station gateway upon receiving a first handover request message from the core network, the first handover request message being used to request the handover of the target user equipment from the source macro base station to the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell under the micro base station gateway;

[0033] Obtain the second target switching resource corresponding to the second target index from the switching resource pool;

[0034] A base station handover operation for the target user equipment is performed based on the second target handover resource.

[0035] In one embodiment, determining the second target index corresponding to the target user equipment includes:

[0036] Obtain the total number of switching resources and obtain the user equipment identifier from the switching preparation message; the user equipment identifier is used to identify the target user equipment.

[0037] The second target index corresponding to the target user equipment is determined based on the total number of switching resources and the user equipment identifier.

[0038] In one embodiment, determining the second target index corresponding to the target user equipment based on the total number of handover resources and the user equipment identifier includes:

[0039] Based on the total number of switching resources and the user equipment identifier, an index value is determined using a hash algorithm;

[0040] If the index values ​​determined by each of the micro base stations are the same, the index value is determined as the second target index corresponding to the target user equipment.

[0041] In one embodiment, after the base station handover is completed, the base station handover method further includes:

[0042] Release the second target switching resources.

[0043] In one embodiment, for a target micro base station that has successfully completed a handover among the micro base stations, releasing the second target handover resources includes:

[0044] Directly release the second target switching resources;

[0045] or,

[0046] The second target handover resource is used to serve the target user equipment until the target user equipment releases or hands over the target micro base station, and the second target handover resource is released.

[0047] In one embodiment, the second target handover resource includes radio resources and local resources;

[0048] The radio resources include non-contention preamble identifiers and temporary identifiers for the cell radio network;

[0049] The local resources include user equipment entity instances and user equipment entity processing resources.

[0050] In one embodiment, the radio resources further include at least one of the following: uplink scheduling request resources for the physical uplink control channel, channel state information resources for the physical uplink control channel, semi-static scheduling resources, transmit power control format 3 resources, and probe reference signal resources.

[0051] Fourthly, this application provides a base station handover device applied to a micro base station gateway, the base station handover device comprising:

[0052] The first determining module is used to determine a first target handover resource for the target user equipment from the handover resource pool upon receiving a first handover request message sent by the core network; wherein the first handover request message is used to request the target user equipment to be handed over from the source macro base station to the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell under the micro base station gateway;

[0053] The first sending module is configured to send first information to the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell to indicate the first target handover resource, so that the micro base station performs a base station handover operation based on the first target handover resource.

[0054] Fifthly, this application provides a base station handover device applied to a micro base station, the base station handover device comprising:

[0055] The first handover module is configured to perform a base station handover operation based on the first target handover resource indicated by the first information when it receives the first information sent by the micro base station gateway to which the micro base station belongs;

[0056] Wherein, the first target handover resource is determined by the micro base station gateway from the handover resource pool for the target user equipment upon receiving a first handover request message sent by the core network; the first handover request message is used to request the target user equipment to be handed over from the source macro base station to the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell under the micro base station gateway.

[0057] Sixthly, this application provides a base station handover device applied to a micro base station, the base station handover device comprising:

[0058] The second determining module is used to determine the target user equipment and the second target index corresponding to the target user equipment when receiving a handover preparation message sent by the micro base station gateway; the handover preparation message is generated by the micro base station gateway when receiving a first handover request message sent by the core network, the first handover request message is used to request the target user equipment to be handed over from the source macro base station to the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell under the micro base station gateway;

[0059] The acquisition module is used to acquire the second target switching resource corresponding to the second target index from the switching resource pool;

[0060] The second handover module is used to perform base station handover operations for the target user equipment based on the second target handover resources.

[0061] In a seventh aspect, this application provides a communication device, including a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program executable on the processor, and the processor executes the computer program to implement the steps of the base station handover method as described in any of the first aspects above, or to implement the steps of the base station handover method as described in any of the second aspects above, or to implement the steps of the base station handover method as described in any of the third aspects above.

[0062] Eighthly, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the base station handover method as described in any of the first aspects above, or implements the steps of the base station handover method as described in any of the second aspects above, or implements the steps of the base station handover method as described in any of the third aspects above.

[0063] The base station handover method, communication equipment, and computer-readable storage medium provided in this application enable the following: When the core network sends a first handover request message to the micro base station gateway requesting the handover of a target user equipment (User Equipment) from the source macro base station to the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell under the micro base station gateway, the micro base station gateway can determine the corresponding target handover resource for the target User Equipment from the handover resource pool. Alternatively, the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell under the micro base station gateway can determine the corresponding target handover resource for the target User Equipment from the handover resource pool. Then, the micro base station can perform a base station handover operation based on the target handover resource, thus realizing the handover of the target User Equipment from the source macro base station to the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell. Furthermore, when multiple User Equipments (User Equipments) simultaneously handover from the source macro base station to the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell, the handover process of each User Equipment can be selected from the handover resource pool, enabling concurrent handover of multiple User Equipments, effectively reducing handover latency and improving the handover success rate. Attached Figure Description

[0064] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the network architecture of the base station handover method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0065] Figure 2 This is one of the flowcharts illustrating the base station handover method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0066] Figure 3 This is a second schematic flowchart of the base station handover method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0067] Figure 4The third flowchart illustrates the base station handover method provided in this application embodiment;

[0068] Figure 5 The fourth flowchart illustrates the base station handover method provided in this application embodiment;

[0069] Figure 6 Fifth of the flowcharts illustrating the base station handover method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0070] Figure 7 This is one of the structural schematic diagrams of the base station handover device provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0071] Figure 8 This is a second schematic diagram of the structure of the base station handover device provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0072] Figure 9 This is the third schematic diagram of the base station handover device provided in the embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0073] In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can mean: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone. A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c alone can mean: a alone, b alone, c alone, a combination of a and b, a combination of a and c, a combination of b and c, or a, b, and c. a, b, and c can be single or multiple. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0074] The terms “center,” “longitudinal,” “lateral,” “up,” “down,” “left,” “right,” “front,” and “rear,” etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this application.

[0075] The terms "connected" and "connected" should be interpreted broadly. For example, in circuit structures, "connected" or "connected" can refer not only to physical connections but also to electrical or signal connections. This could be a direct connection (physical connection) or an indirect connection via at least one intermediate component, as long as the circuit is connected. It could also refer to the internal connection between two components. Similarly, a signal connection can refer to a connection via a circuit or a medium, such as radio waves. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meaning of these terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0076] Base stations are interface devices for user equipment to access the Internet. They can be divided into macro base stations and micro base stations based on coverage area and transmission power. Macro base stations have a coverage area of ​​several kilometers to tens of kilometers and a transmission power of 10 watts or more, sometimes reaching hundreds of watts. They provide large network coverage and high transmission power and can establish a connection with the operator's core network via a dedicated line. Micro base stations generally have a coverage radius of less than 1 kilometer and a transmission power between 500 milliwatts and 10 watts. They provide smaller coverage and transmission power and can be used to fill in blind spots and hotspots, as well as provide users with relatively accurate location information. They can connect to a gateway via home broadband or Internet Protocol (IP), with the gateway acting as an aggregation node to establish a connection with the operator's core network.

[0077] When a user equipment (UE) moves from the coverage area of ​​a macro base station to the coverage area of ​​a micro base station, the signal strength detected by the UE from the micro base station is stronger than that from the macro base station. The UE needs to switch to the micro base station to receive better mobile network service. To enable UE switching from a macro base station to a micro base station, the micro base station's cells need to be added as neighboring cells to the macro base station. However, the number of micro base stations is large and their locations are difficult to determine, while the neighboring cell list of a macro base station is limited. It is difficult to configure a large number of micro base station neighboring cell information for each macro base station, which prevents UEs from switching from macro base stations to micro base stations.

[0078] In related technologies, a small number of virtual neighbor cells can be configured on the macro base station side, and the micro base station gateway can complete the mapping between the virtual neighbor cells and the actual micro base station set. The micro base station gateway adapts to the relevant messages and processes of the switching process to complete the handover of user equipment.

[0079] Specifically, multiple micro base stations can access the core network through a micro base station gateway. Handover resources can be pre-allocated to the micro base stations corresponding to the gateway. During handover, upon receiving a handover request message from the gateway, the micro base station can activate these handover resources for base station handover. If only one set of handover resources is reserved, and multiple user equipments (UEs) initiate handover processes simultaneously, each process will require the same resource, potentially leading to some handover failures. UEs may need to initiate multiple handover processes to succeed, increasing handover completion time and reducing efficiency.

[0080] Therefore, a base station handover method for multi-user concurrent handover is needed to support multiple user devices to simultaneously hand over from macro base stations to micro base stations.

[0081] Based on this, this application provides a base station handover method. When the core network sends a first handover request message to the micro base station gateway requesting the handover of a target user equipment (User Equipment) from the source macro base station to the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell under the micro base station gateway, the micro base station gateway can determine the corresponding target handover resource for the target User Equipment from the handover resource pool. Alternatively, the micro base station deployed in the target virtual neighbor cell under the micro base station gateway can determine the corresponding target handover resource for the target User Equipment from the handover resource pool. Then, the micro base station can perform a base station handover operation according to the target handover resource, thus realizing the handover of the target User Equipment from the source macro base station to the micro base station using the selected target handover resource. In this way, when multiple User Equipments simultaneously handover from the source macro base station to the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell, the corresponding target handover resource can be selected from the handover resource pool for each User Equipment's handover process, enabling concurrent handover of multiple User Equipments, effectively reducing handover latency and improving handover success rate.

[0082] Figure 1 A network architecture diagram of the base station handover method provided in this application embodiment is shown below. Figure 1 As shown, taking a source macro base station configured with two virtual neighbor cells (first and second virtual neighbor cells) as an example, each virtual neighbor cell deploys multiple micro base stations. For each virtual neighbor cell, the geographical locations of the micro base stations within its coverage area can be adjacent or non-adjacent, and the coverage areas of the micro base stations do not overlap. When a user equipment moves from the coverage area of ​​the source macro base station to the coverage area of ​​a micro base station in a certain virtual neighbor cell, such as moving to the coverage area of ​​a micro base station in the second virtual neighbor cell, the user equipment can be switched from the source macro base station to that micro base station in the second virtual neighbor cell to obtain better mobile network service.

[0083] based on Figure 1 The network architecture shown below, combined with Figures 2-6The base station handover method provided in the embodiments of this application will be described in detail.

[0084] Figure 2 This illustration shows one of the flowcharts of a base station handover method provided in an embodiment of this application. This base station handover method can be applied to a micro base station gateway. (Refer to...) Figure 2 As shown, the base station handover method may include the following steps 210 to 220.

[0085] Step 210: Upon receiving the first handover request message from the core network, determine the first target handover resource for the target user equipment from the handover resource pool.

[0086] The first handover request message requests a handover from the source macro base station to the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell under the micro base station gateway. The target virtual neighbor cell is the virtual neighbor cell to which the target user equipment is to be handed over.

[0087] Specifically, upon receiving the first handover request message from the core network—that is, after the handover process from the source macro base station to the micro base station initially reaches the micro base station gateway—the micro base station gateway determines an unused handover resource from the handover resource pool as the first target handover resource for the target user equipment. The handover resource pool can store multiple handover resources for handover from the source macro base station to the micro base station.

[0088] The handover process from the source macro base station to the micro base station, before the initial arrival at the micro base station gateway, may include: the source macro base station where the target user equipment is located sends a measurement control command to the target user equipment; the target user equipment sends a measurement report to the source macro base station based on the measurement control command; the measurement report includes neighbor cell information, which includes a virtual neighbor cell identifier; based on the virtual neighbor cell identifier, the target virtual neighbor cell under the micro base station gateway of the source macro base station's neighboring cell can be determined; when the source macro base station determines that the handover conditions are met based on the measurement report, it sends a handover initiation request to the core network; after receiving the handover initiation request, the core network sends a first handover request message to the micro base station gateway of the source macro base station's neighboring cell based on the virtual neighbor cell identifier.

[0089] For example, combining Figure 1 Assuming the virtual neighbor cell identifier included in the measurement report is the identifier of the second virtual neighbor cell, it can be determined that the user equipment needs to be switched from the source macro base station to the micro base station of the second virtual neighbor cell. The core network can determine the micro base station gateway to which the second virtual neighbor cell belongs based on the virtual neighbor cell identifier, and then send a first handover request message to the micro base station gateway.

[0090] For example, the micro base station gateway may randomly select an unused handover resource from the handover resource pool as the first target handover resource for the target user equipment. Alternatively, the micro base station gateway may select the highest priority handover resource from the unused handover resources in the handover resource pool as the first target handover resource for the target user equipment, according to the priority of the handover resources.

[0091] Step 220: Send first information to the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell to indicate the first target handover resource, so that the micro base station performs a base station handover operation based on the first target handover resource.

[0092] After the micro base station gateway determines the first target handover resource, it can send the first information corresponding to the first target handover resource to the micro base stations belonging to the target virtual neighbor cell under the micro base station gateway. This is essentially broadcasting to the micro base stations corresponding to the target virtual neighbor cell. These micro base stations can be all micro base stations within the target virtual neighbor cell, or a subset of them; these micro base stations form a micro base station group. Upon receiving the first information, the micro base station can determine the corresponding first target handover resource based on this information and then perform a base station handover operation according to the first target handover resource.

[0093] The first information is used to indicate the first target switching resource. For example, the first information may be the identification information, numbering information, or index information of the first target switching resource, which can uniquely identify the first target switching resource. Alternatively, the first information may be the specific configuration information of the first target switching resource.

[0094] Specifically, in one embodiment, the first information may be a first target index of the first target handover resource. Accordingly, step 220 may include: sending the first target index to the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell, so that the micro base station determines the first target handover resource corresponding to the first target index, and performs a base station handover operation according to the first target handover resource.

[0095] For example, after receiving the first target index, the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell can determine the first target handover resource corresponding to the first target index from the handover resource pool based on the correspondence between the index and the handover resource, and then perform the base station handover operation according to the configuration information of the first target handover resource.

[0096] In another embodiment, the first information is the configuration information of the first target handover resource. Accordingly, step 220 may include: sending the configuration information of the first target handover resource to the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell, so that the micro base station performs a base station handover operation according to the configuration information of the first target handover resource.

[0097] For example, the micro base station gateway can send the first information to the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell under the micro base station gateway in an S1 Application Protocol (S1AP) message. Alternatively, the micro base station gateway can generate a separate private message carrying the first information, and then send this private message carrying the first information to the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell under the micro base station gateway. Or, the micro base station gateway can directly send the first information to the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell under the micro base station gateway.

[0098] In one embodiment, the handover resources in the handover resource pool include radio resources and local resources. Radio resources are the radio-related resources required for the micro base station to complete the handover process and for user equipment to remain stationary. Local resources are the local software and hardware resources necessary for the micro base station to host user equipment; these local resources are strongly correlated with the micro base station implementation.

[0099] Among them, radio resources include non-contention preamble identifiers and cell-radio network temporary identifiers (CRNTI); local resources include user equipment entity instances and user equipment entity processing resources.

[0100] In one embodiment, the radio resources may further include at least one of the following: Uplink Scheduling Request (SR) resources of the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), Channel State Information (CSI) resources of the PUCCH, Semi-Persistent Scheduling (SPS) resources, Transmit Power Control format 3 (TPC_format3) resources, and Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) resources. The PUCCH CSI resources include at least one of Channel Quality Indicator (CQI) resources, Pre-coding matrix Indication (PMI) resources, and Rank Indicator (RI) resources.

[0101] It should be noted that, in this embodiment of the application, each handover resource in the handover resource pool needs to be reserved on the micro base station corresponding to a certain virtual neighbor cell, that is, these micro base stations jointly reserve the same set of handover resources.

[0102] It is understandable that the identified first target handover resources include the aforementioned radio resources and local resources.

[0103] For example, after a micro base station determines the first target handover resource, it can locally record user equipment resources other than the first target handover resource so that the recorded user equipment resources can be configured to the target user equipment after the handover is completed. Specifically, the target micro base station that has successfully completed the handover can configure the user equipment resources to the target user equipment.

[0104] The base station handover method provided in this application allows the core network to send a first handover request message to the micro base station gateway, requesting a handover of a target user equipment (User Equipment) from a source macro base station to a micro base station in a target virtual neighbor cell under the micro base station gateway. The micro base station gateway can then determine a corresponding first target handover resource for the target User Equipment from the handover resource pool. It then sends first information indicating the first target handover resource to the micro base station in the target virtual neighbor cell. The micro base station can then determine the corresponding first target handover resource based on this first information and perform a base station handover operation based on the first target handover resource, thus achieving the handover of the target User Equipment from the source macro base station to the micro base station in the target virtual neighbor cell. In this way, when multiple User Equipments (UEs) simultaneously handover from the source macro base station to a micro base station in a certain virtual neighbor cell, the handover process of each UE can select its corresponding target handover resource from the handover resource pool, enabling concurrent handover of multiple UEs, effectively reducing handover latency and improving the handover success rate.

[0105] based on Figure 2 In one embodiment of the base station handover method corresponding to the embodiment, after the target user equipment is switched from the source macro base station to the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell under the micro base station gateway, the base station handover method may further include the following step 230.

[0106] Step 230: Upon receiving the second information sent by the target micro base station in the micro base station where the handover has been successfully completed, release the first target handover resource.

[0107] The second piece of information is used to instruct the micro base station gateway to release the local first target handover resources.

[0108] Specifically, the target user equipment will only successfully hand over on one micro base station. After the handover process is complete, the successfully handover target micro base station can choose to release the first target handover resource and switch to the general handover resource. It then sends a second message to the micro base station gateway to notify it to release the locally reserved first target handover resource. The general handover resource is distinct from the handover resources in the handover resource pool. While the resource type of the general handover resource is the same as that of the handover resources in the handover resource pool, the specific configuration information is not entirely the same.

[0109] Alternatively, once the handover process is complete, the target micro base station that has successfully handed over can directly use the first target handover resources to serve the target user equipment until the target user equipment releases or hands over the target micro base station. At this point, the target micro base station can send a second message to the micro base station gateway to notify the micro base station gateway to release the local first target handover resources.

[0110] For example, a successfully switched-to target micro base station can generate a notification message carrying the second information and then send the notification message to the micro base station gateway. Alternatively, a successfully switched-to target micro base station can directly send the second information to the micro base station gateway.

[0111] In this way, by releasing the first target switching resources in a timely manner, switching resources can be saved, ensuring the rational and effective use of switching resources.

[0112] In one embodiment of this application, Figure 3 This is a second schematic flowchart illustrating a base station handover method provided in an embodiment of this application. This base station handover method can be applied to micro base stations. (Refer to...) Figure 3 As shown, the base station handover method may include the following step 310.

[0113] Step 310: Upon receiving the first information sent by the micro base station gateway to which the micro base station belongs, perform a base station handover operation based on the first target handover resource indicated by the first information.

[0114] The first target handover resource is determined by the micro base station gateway from the handover resource pool for the target user equipment upon receiving the first handover request message sent by the core network; the first handover request message is used to request the target user equipment to be handed over from the source macro base station to the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell under the micro base station gateway.

[0115] Specifically, the target user equipment can move from the source macro base station to the micro base station. During the movement, the source macro base station sends a measurement control command to the target user equipment. Based on the measurement control command, the target user equipment sends a measurement report to the source macro base station. The measurement report includes neighbor cell information, which includes a virtual neighbor cell identifier. Based on the virtual neighbor cell identifier, the micro base station gateway of the source macro base station's neighboring cell and the target virtual neighbor cell under the micro base station gateway can be determined. The micro base station gateway can be associated with multiple micro base stations. When the source macro base station determines that the handover conditions are met based on the measurement report, it sends a handover initiation request to the core network. After receiving the handover initiation request, the core network sends a first handover request message to the micro base station gateway of the source macro base station's neighboring cell based on the virtual neighbor cell identifier.

[0116] After receiving the first handover request message from the core network, the micro base station gateway can determine an unused handover resource from the handover resource pool as the first target handover resource for the target user equipment. It then sends first information indicating the first target handover resource to the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell under the micro base station gateway. Upon receiving the first information, the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell performs a base station handover operation based on the first target handover resource indicated by the first information. For example, the base station handover operation for the target user equipment can be completed according to the standard procedures of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) protocol based on the first target handover resource.

[0117] The handover resource pool can store multiple handover resources used for handover from a source macro base station to a micro base station. The first information is used to indicate the first target handover resource. For example, the first information can be the identifier, number, or index information of the first target handover resource, uniquely identifying it. Alternatively, the first information can be the specific configuration information of the first target handover resource.

[0118] For example, the first information may be a first target index. Accordingly, step 310, which involves performing a base station handover operation based on the first target handover resource indicated by the first information, may include: determining the first target handover resource corresponding to the first target index; and performing a base station handover operation based on the first target handover resource.

[0119] Specifically, the micro base station gateway and the micro base station can pre-define the correspondence between the index and the handover resources. After receiving the first target index, the micro base station can determine the handover resource corresponding to the first target index based on the correspondence between the index and the handover resources, obtain the first target handover resource, and then perform the base station handover operation according to the configuration information of the first target handover resource.

[0120] For example, the first information may be configuration information of the first target handover resource. Accordingly, step 310, which involves performing a base station handover operation based on the first target handover resource indicated by the first information, may include: performing a base station handover operation according to the configuration information of the first target handover resource.

[0121] For example, the first target handover resources may include radio resources and local resources. Radio resources are the radio-related resources required for the micro base station to complete the handover process and to host user equipment. Local resources are the local software and hardware resources required for the micro base station to host user equipment during handover; local resource classes are strongly correlated with the micro base station implementation.

[0122] Radio resources may include non-contention preamble identifiers and CRNTIs; local resources may include user equipment entity instances and user equipment entity processing resources.

[0123] For example, radio resources may also include at least one of PUCCH SR resources, PUCCH CSI resources, SPS resources, TPC_format3 resources, and SRS resources. The PUCCH CSI resources may include at least one of CQI resources, PMI resources, and RI resources.

[0124] It should be noted that, in this embodiment of the application, each handover resource in the handover resource pool needs to be reserved on the micro base station corresponding to a certain virtual neighbor cell, that is, these micro base stations jointly reserve the same set of handover resources.

[0125] For example, after a micro base station determines the first target handover resource, it can locally record user equipment resources other than the first target handover resource so that the recorded user equipment resources can be configured to the target user equipment after the handover is completed. Specifically, the target micro base station that has successfully completed the handover can configure the user equipment resources to the target user equipment.

[0126] The base station handover method provided in this application embodiment allows the core network to send a first handover request message to the micro base station gateway, requesting a handover of a target user equipment (User Equipment) from the source macro base station to the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell under the micro base station gateway. The micro base station gateway can then determine a corresponding first target handover resource for the target User Equipment from the handover resource pool. It then sends first information indicating the first target handover resource to the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell. The micro base station can then determine the corresponding first target handover resource based on this first information and perform a base station handover operation based on the first target handover resource, thus realizing the handover of the target User Equipment from the source macro base station to the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell. In this way, when multiple User Equipments (User Equipments) simultaneously handover from the source macro base station to the micro base station, the handover process of each User Equipment can be selected from the handover resource pool, enabling concurrent handover of multiple User Equipments, effectively reducing handover latency and improving the handover success rate.

[0127] based on Figure 3 In one embodiment of the base station handover method corresponding to the embodiment, after the target user equipment is switched from the source macro base station to the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell under the micro base station gateway, the base station handover method may further include the following steps 320 or 330.

[0128] Step 320: The target micro base station that successfully completed the handover directly releases the first target handover resources and sends the second information to the micro base station gateway.

[0129] The second piece of information is used to instruct the micro base station gateway to release the first target handover resource.

[0130] Specifically, the target user equipment will only successfully hand over to one micro base station. Once the handover process is complete, the successfully handover target micro base station can directly release the first target handover resource and switch to the general handover resource. It then sends a second message to the micro base station gateway to notify it to release the locally reserved first target handover resource. The general handover resource is distinct from the handover resources in the handover resource pool. While the resource type of the general handover resource is the same as that of the handover resources in the handover resource pool, the specific configuration information is not entirely the same.

[0131] For example, a successfully switched-to target micro base station can generate a notification message carrying the second information and then send the notification message to the micro base station gateway. Alternatively, a successfully switched-to target micro base station can directly send the second information to the micro base station gateway.

[0132] Step 330: The target micro base station that has successfully switched over uses the first target switching resource to serve the target user equipment until the target user equipment releases or switches out of the target micro base station. Then, it releases the first target switching resource and sends the second information to the micro base station gateway.

[0133] The second piece of information is used to instruct the micro base station gateway to release the first target handover resource.

[0134] Specifically, once the handover process is complete, the target micro base station that has successfully handed over can directly use the first target handover resources to serve the target user equipment until the target user equipment releases or hands over to the target micro base station. At this point, the target micro base station can release the first target handover resources and send the second information to the micro base station gateway to notify the micro base station gateway to release the local first target handover resources.

[0135] In this way, after the target user equipment successfully switches from the source macro base station to the target micro base station, the first target switching resources of the target micro base station and the micro base station gateway can be released in a timely manner, which can save switching resources and ensure the rational and effective use of switching resources.

[0136] Based on the same inventive concept. Figure 4 This is illustrated as a third schematic flowchart of a base station handover method provided in an embodiment of this application. This base station handover method can be applied to micro base stations. (Refer to...) Figure 4 As shown, the base station handover method may include the following steps 410 to 430.

[0137] Step 410: Upon receiving the handover preparation message from the micro base station gateway, determine the target user equipment and the second target index corresponding to the target user equipment.

[0138] The handover preparation message is generated by the micro base station gateway upon receiving the first handover request message from the core network. The first handover request message requests the target user equipment to hand over from the source macro base station to the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell under the micro base station gateway. The target virtual neighbor cell is the virtual neighbor cell to which the target user equipment is to hand over.

[0139] Specifically, the target user equipment can move from the source macro base station to the micro base station. During the movement, the source macro base station sends a measurement control command to the target user equipment. Based on the measurement control command, the target user equipment sends a measurement report to the source macro base station. The measurement report includes neighbor cell information, which includes a virtual neighbor cell identifier. Based on the virtual neighbor cell identifier, the micro base station gateway of the source macro base station's neighboring cell and the target virtual neighbor cell under the micro base station gateway can be determined. When the source macro base station determines that the handover conditions are met based on the measurement report, it sends a handover initiation request to the core network. After receiving the handover initiation request, the core network sends a first handover request message to the micro base station gateway of the source macro base station's neighboring cell based on the virtual neighbor cell identifier.

[0140] After receiving the first handover request message, the micro base station gateway sends a handover preparation message to the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell to notify the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell to initiate the handover. After receiving the handover preparation message, the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell can determine the target user equipment based on the user equipment identifier carried in the handover preparation message. At the same time, all micro base stations in the target virtual neighbor cell can calculate the second target index corresponding to the target user equipment according to preset calculation rules.

[0141] For example, the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell can determine the second target index corresponding to the target user equipment according to the following steps 411 to 412.

[0142] Step 411: Obtain the total number of switching resources and retrieve the user equipment identifier from the switching preparation message.

[0143] The user equipment identifier is used to identify the target user equipment.

[0144] Specifically, the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell can obtain the total number of handover resources stored in the handover resource pool, thus obtaining the total number of handover resources. This total number of handover resources can be calculated and stored after configuring the handover resources in the handover resource pool, and can be directly read when executing step 411. Alternatively, the total number of handover resources can also be obtained by real-time calculation of the handover resources in the handover resource pool when executing step 411.

[0145] Step 412: Determine the second target index corresponding to the target user equipment based on the total number of switching resources and the user equipment identifier.

[0146] After obtaining the total number of handover resources and user equipment identifiers, the micro base station can use a hash algorithm to determine the second target index corresponding to the target user equipment based on the total number of handover resources and user equipment identifiers.

[0147] For example, step 412, which determines the second target index corresponding to the target user equipment based on the total number of handover resources and the user equipment identifier, may include: determining the index value using a hash algorithm based on the total number of handover resources and the user equipment identifier; and if the index values ​​determined by each micro base station are the same, determining the same index value as the second target index corresponding to the target user equipment.

[0148] For example, suppose the handover resource pool is configured with M handover resources and each handover resource is associated with a unique index value m, where 0 ≤ m < M. The user equipment identifier of the target user equipment can be the CRNTI assigned to the target user equipment by the source macro base station, which can uniquely identify the target user equipment within the cell. Each micro base station in the micro base station corresponding to the micro base station gateway can use the hash value of the target user equipment's CRNTI to calculate the corresponding index value. Specifically, the hash algorithm can be expressed as the following formula (1):

[0149] m = CRNTI mod M (1)

[0150] Where mod represents the modulo operation, and M is the total number of resources to be switched.

[0151] In the embodiments of this application, for the same handover process of the same target user equipment, each micro base station can determine an index value based on the total number of handover resources and the user equipment identifier using a hash algorithm. The index value determined by each micro base station should be the same. In this way, it can be guaranteed that a unique and accurate index value is determined for the target user equipment, that is, the second target index corresponding to the target user equipment is obtained.

[0152] Moreover, for the handover process of different target user devices in succession, the index value calculated for each handover can be discretely distributed, avoiding the calculation of the same index value in different handover processes, thereby ensuring the reasonable allocation of handover resources and better supporting the concurrent handover of multiple user devices.

[0153] Step 420: Obtain the second target switching resource corresponding to the second target index from the switching resource pool.

[0154] Each handover resource in the handover resource pool has a unique index. After determining the second target index, the micro base station can obtain the second target handover resource corresponding to the second target index according to the correspondence between the index and the handover resource.

[0155] For example, the second target handover resources may include radio resources and local resources. Radio resources are the radio-related resources required for the micro base station to complete the handover process and to host user equipment. Local resources are the local software and hardware resources required for the micro base station to host user equipment; local resource classes are strongly correlated with the micro base station implementation.

[0156] Radio resources may include non-contention preamble identifiers and CRNTIs; local resources may include user equipment entity instances and user equipment entity processing resources.

[0157] For example, radio resources may also include at least one of PUCCH SR resources, PUCCH CSI resources, SPS resources, TPC_format3 resources, and SRS resources. The PUCCH CSI resources may include at least one of CQI resources, PMI resources, and RI resources.

[0158] Step 430: Perform a base station handover operation for the target user equipment based on the second target handover resources.

[0159] After a micro base station obtains the second target handover resource, it can perform a base station handover operation for the target user equipment based on the second target handover resource.

[0160] For example, base station handover operations for target user equipment can be completed based on the second target handover resources, following the standard procedures of the 3GPP protocol.

[0161] For example, after a micro base station determines the second target handover resource, it can locally record user equipment resources other than the second target handover resource so that the recorded user equipment resources can be configured to the target user equipment after the handover is completed. Specifically, the target micro base station that successfully completed the handover can configure the user equipment resources to the target user equipment.

[0162] The base station handover method provided in this application involves a micro base station gateway receiving a first handover request message from the core network requesting a handover of a target user equipment (User Equipment) from a source macro base station to a micro base station in a target virtual neighbor cell under the micro base station gateway. The micro base station gateway then sends a handover preparation message to the micro base station in the target virtual neighbor cell. Based on this handover preparation message, the micro base station determines the target User Equipment and its corresponding second target index. It then obtains the second target handover resource corresponding to the second target index from the handover resource pool and performs a base station handover operation for the target User Equipment based on the second target handover resource. This achieves the handover of the target User Equipment from the source macro base station to the micro base station in the target virtual neighbor cell. In this way, when multiple User Equipments (UEs) simultaneously handover from a source macro base station to a micro base station in a certain virtual neighbor cell, the micro base station can select the corresponding target handover resource for each UE from the handover resource pool, enabling concurrent handover for multiple UEs, effectively reducing handover latency and improving the handover success rate.

[0163] based on Figure 4 In one embodiment of the base station handover method corresponding to the embodiments, after the base station handover is completed, the micro base station can release the second target handover resources.

[0164] Specifically, the target user equipment will only successfully hand over on one micro base station. After the handover is completed, the micro base station that failed to hand over can directly release the second target handover resources. For the target micro base station that successfully handed over, releasing the second target handover resources can include: directly releasing the second target handover resources; or using the second target handover resources to serve the target user equipment until the target user equipment releases or hands over to the target micro base station, at which point the second target handover resources are released.

[0165] In this way, after the target user equipment successfully switches from the source macro base station to the target micro base station, the handover resources of the micro base station can be released in a timely manner, which can save handover resources and ensure the rational and effective use of handover resources.

[0166] Figure 5 The fourth schematic flowchart of the base station handover method provided in this application embodiment is shown below. Figure 5 As shown, the base station handover method may include the following steps 501 to 508.

[0167] Step 501: The core network sends a first handover request message to the micro base station gateway.

[0168] The first handover request message may include context information, security parameters, current radio resource configuration, measurement report, etc. of the target user equipment, and is used to request the target user equipment to be handed over from the source macro base station to the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell under the micro base station gateway.

[0169] Specifically, the target user equipment can move from the source macro base station to the micro base station corresponding to the micro base station gateway. During the movement, the source macro base station sends a measurement control command to the target user equipment. Based on the measurement control command, the target user equipment sends a measurement report to the source macro base station. The measurement report includes neighbor cell information, which includes a virtual neighbor cell identifier. Based on the virtual neighbor cell identifier, the micro base station gateway of the source macro base station's neighboring cell and the target virtual neighbor cell under the micro base station gateway can be determined. When the source macro base station determines that the handover conditions are met based on the measurement report, it sends a handover initiation request to the core network. After receiving the handover initiation request, the core network sends a first handover request message to the micro base station gateway of the source macro base station's neighboring cell based on the virtual neighbor cell identifier.

[0170] Step 502: The micro base station gateway determines the first target handover resource for the target user equipment from the handover resource pool.

[0171] For example, the micro base station gateway may randomly select an unused handover resource from the handover resource pool as the first target handover resource for the target user equipment. Alternatively, the micro base station gateway may select the highest priority handover resource from the unused handover resources in the handover resource pool as the first target handover resource for the target user equipment, according to the priority of the handover resources.

[0172] Step 503: The micro base station gateway sends the first information to the corresponding micro base station.

[0173] The first information is used to indicate the first target switching resource. For example, the first information may be the identification information, numbering information, or index information of the first target switching resource, which can uniquely identify the first target switching resource. Alternatively, the first information may be the specific configuration information of the first target switching resource.

[0174] The micro base station corresponding to the micro base station gateway is the micro base station corresponding to the target virtual neighbor cell of the source macro base station. This micro base station can be all the micro base stations corresponding to the target virtual neighbor cell, or it can be a part of the micro base stations in the virtual neighbor cell. These micro base stations can be regarded as a micro base station group.

[0175] The micro base station gateway can send the first information in the S1AP message to the corresponding micro base station, or the micro base station gateway can send the first information directly to the corresponding micro base station.

[0176] Step 504: The micro base station performs a base station handover operation based on the first target handover resource indicated by the first information.

[0177] For example, the first information may be a first target index. After receiving the first information, the micro base station can determine the handover resource corresponding to the first target index according to the correspondence between the index and the handover resource, obtain the first target handover resource, and then perform the base station handover operation according to the configuration information of the first target handover resource.

[0178] For example, the first information may be the configuration information of the first target handover resource. After receiving the configuration information of the first target handover resource, the micro base station directly performs the base station handover operation according to the configuration information of the first target handover resource.

[0179] For example, after a micro base station determines the first target handover resource, it can record user equipment resources other than the first target handover resource locally, so that after the target user equipment handover is completed, the target micro base station that successfully handed over will configure the recorded user equipment resources to the target user equipment.

[0180] The target user equipment will only be successfully switched on one micro base station. After the switching process is completed, proceed to step 505 or step 506.

[0181] Step 505: The target micro base station releases the first target handover resources.

[0182] The target micro base station is the micro base station that has successfully completed the handover. After a successful handover, the target micro base station can choose to directly release the first target handover resource and switch to the general handover resource. The general handover resource is a resource that is different from the handover resources in the handover resource pool. The resource type of the general handover resource is the same as that of the handover resources in the handover resource pool, but the specific configuration information is not exactly the same.

[0183] Then, proceed with steps 507 to 508.

[0184] Step 506: The target micro base station uses the first target handover resources to serve the target user equipment until the target user equipment releases or hands over to the target micro base station. Afterwards, steps 507 to 508 are executed.

[0185] Step 507: The target micro base station sends the second information to the micro base station gateway.

[0186] The target micro base station can generate a notification message carrying the second information and then send the notification message to the micro base station gateway. Alternatively, the target micro base station can directly send the second information to the micro base station gateway. The second information is used to instruct the micro base station gateway to release the first target handover resources.

[0187] Step 508: The micro base station gateway releases the locally reserved first target handover resources.

[0188] After receiving the second information, the micro base station gateway determines that the micro base station has released the first target handover resource, and then releases the locally reserved first target handover resource.

[0189] The base station handover method provided in this application embodiment allows a micro base station gateway to maintain a handover resource pool. When the core network sends a first handover request message to the micro base station gateway requesting a handover from a source macro base station to a micro base station in a target virtual neighbor cell under the micro base station gateway, the micro base station gateway can determine a corresponding first target handover resource for the target user equipment from the handover resource pool. Then, it sends first information indicating the first target handover resource to the micro base station in the target virtual neighbor cell. The micro base station can then determine the corresponding first target handover resource based on the first information and perform a base station handover operation based on the first target handover resource, thus realizing the handover of the target user equipment from the source macro base station to the micro base station in the target virtual neighbor cell. In this way, the micro base station gateway can track the signaling flow of user equipment handover from the source macro base station to the micro base station. When multiple user equipments simultaneously handover from the source macro base station to the micro base station, it can select the corresponding target handover resource from the handover resource pool for each user equipment's handover process, enabling concurrent handover for multiple user equipments, effectively reducing handover latency and improving the handover success rate. Furthermore, after the user equipment successfully switches from the source macro base station to the target micro base station, timely release of the first target switching resources of the target micro base station and the micro base station gateway can save switching resources and ensure the rational and effective use of switching resources.

[0190] Figure 6 The fifth flowchart illustrating the base station handover method provided in this application is shown below. Figure 6 As shown, the base station handover method may include the following steps 601 to 608.

[0191] Step 601: The core network sends a first handover request message to the micro base station gateway.

[0192] The first handover request message may include context information, security parameters, current radio resource configuration, measurement report, etc. of the target user equipment, and is used to request the target user equipment to be handed over from the source macro base station to the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell under the micro base station gateway.

[0193] Step 602: The micro base station gateway sends a handover preparation message to the micro base station.

[0194] After receiving the first handover request message, the micro base station gateway sends a handover preparation message to the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell to notify the micro base station to initiate the handover. The handover preparation message may carry the user equipment identifier of the target user equipment.

[0195] Specifically, the handover preparation message sent by the micro base station gateway to the micro base station can be an S1AP handover preparation message.

[0196] Step 603: The micro base station determines the target user equipment and the second target index corresponding to the target user equipment.

[0197] Micro base stations can determine the target user equipment (User Equipment) based on the User Equipment Identifier carried in the handover preparation message. Simultaneously, all micro base stations corresponding to the micro base station gateway can calculate the second target index corresponding to the target User Equipment according to preset calculation rules.

[0198] Specifically, the micro base station can determine the second target index corresponding to the target user equipment based on steps 411 to 412 above.

[0199] Step 604: The micro base station obtains the second target handover resource corresponding to the second target index from the handover resource pool.

[0200] Each handover resource in the handover resource pool has a unique index. After determining the second target index, the micro base station can obtain the second target handover resource corresponding to the second target index according to the correspondence between the index and the handover resource.

[0201] Step 605: Perform a base station handover operation for the target user equipment based on the second target handover resources.

[0202] After a micro base station obtains the second target handover resource, it can perform a base station handover operation for the target user equipment based on the second target handover resource.

[0203] For example, after a micro base station determines the second target handover resource, it can record user equipment resources other than the second target handover resource locally, so that after the target user equipment handover is completed, the target micro base station that successfully handed over will configure the recorded user equipment resources to the target user equipment.

[0204] The target user equipment will only successfully hand over to one micro base station. After the handover process is completed, for the micro base stations that failed to hand over, proceed to step 606. For the target micro base station that successfully handed over, proceed to either step 607 or step 608.

[0205] Step 606: The micro base station that fails to switch over directly releases the second target switching resources.

[0206] Step 607: The target micro base station releases the second target handover resources and switches to general resources.

[0207] Among them, general switching resources are resources that are different from switching resources in the switching resource pool. The resource type of general switching resources is the same as that of switching resources in the switching resource pool, but the specific configuration information is not exactly the same.

[0208] Step 608: Use the second target handover resource to serve the target user equipment until the target user equipment releases or hands over the target micro base station, then release the second target handover resource.

[0209] The base station handover method provided in this application involves a micro base station gateway receiving a first handover request message from the core network requesting the handover of a target user equipment (User Equipment) from a source macro base station to a micro base station in a target virtual neighbor cell under the micro base station gateway. The micro base station gateway then sends a handover preparation message to the corresponding micro base station. Based on this message, the micro base station determines the target User Equipment and its corresponding second target index. It then retrieves the second target handover resource corresponding to the second target index from the handover resource pool and performs a base station handover operation for the target User Equipment based on the second target handover resource. This achieves the handover of the target User Equipment from the source macro base station to the micro base station in the target virtual neighbor cell. In this way, when multiple User Equipments (UEs) simultaneously handover from the source macro base station to the micro base station, the micro base station can select the corresponding target handover resource for each UE from the handover resource pool, enabling concurrent handover for multiple UEs, effectively reducing handover latency and improving handover success rate. Furthermore, after the target UE successfully hands over from the source macro base station to the target micro base station, timely release of the micro base station's second target handover resource conserves handover resources and ensures their rational and effective utilization.

[0210] This application also provides a base station handover device. Figure 7 A schematic diagram of one of the base station handover devices provided in this application is shown. This base station handover device can be applied to a micro base station gateway. (Refer to...) Figure 7 As shown, the base station handover device may include:

[0211] The first determining module 710 is used to determine the first target handover resource of the target user equipment from the handover resource pool when receiving the first handover request message sent by the core network; wherein the first handover request message is used to request the target user equipment to be handed over from the source macro base station to the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell under the micro base station gateway;

[0212] The first sending module 720 is used to send first information for indicating first target handover resources to the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell, so that the micro base station performs a base station handover operation based on the first target handover resources.

[0213] In one embodiment, the first information is a first target index of the first target switching resource. Accordingly, the first sending module 720 is specifically used for:

[0214] A first target index is sent to the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell so that the micro base station determines the first target handover resource corresponding to the first target index and performs a base station handover operation according to the first target handover resource.

[0215] In one embodiment, the first information is configuration information for a first target switching resource. Accordingly, the first sending module 720 is specifically used for:

[0216] The micro base station sends configuration information of the first target handover resource to the target virtual neighbor cell, so that the micro base station performs a base station handover operation according to the configuration information of the first target handover resource.

[0217] In one embodiment, the base station handover device may further include:

[0218] The first release module is used to release the first target handover resource after the target user equipment is switched from the source macro base station to the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell under the micro base station gateway, and after receiving the second information sent by the target micro base station in the micro base station where the handover was successful.

[0219] Figure 8 A second schematic diagram of the base station handover device provided in an embodiment of this application is shown. This base station handover device is applied to a micro base station. (Refer to...) Figure 8 As shown, the base station handover device may include:

[0220] The first handover module 810 is used to perform a base station handover operation based on the first target handover resource indicated by the first information when it receives the first information sent by the micro base station gateway to which the micro base station belongs.

[0221] The first target handover resource is determined by the micro base station gateway from the handover resource pool for the target user equipment upon receiving the first handover request message sent by the core network; the first handover request message is used to request the target user equipment to be handed over from the source macro base station to the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell under the micro base station gateway.

[0222] In one embodiment, the first information is a first target index. Accordingly, the first switching module 810 may include:

[0223] The first determining unit is used to determine the first target switching resource corresponding to the first target index;

[0224] The handover unit is used to perform base station handover operations based on the first target handover resource.

[0225] In one embodiment, the first information is the configuration information of the first target handover resource. Accordingly, the first handover module 810 is specifically used to: perform a base station handover operation according to the configuration information of the first target handover resource.

[0226] In one embodiment, the base station handover device may further include a second release module. The second release module is triggered when the micro base station is the target micro base station for a successful handover. The second release module is configured to: after handing over the target user equipment from the source macro base station to the micro base station under the micro base station gateway, release the first target handover resource and send second information to the micro base station gateway; wherein the second information is used to instruct the micro base station gateway to release the first target handover resource.

[0227] In one embodiment, the base station handover device may further include a service module and a third release module. When the micro base station is the target micro base station for a successful handover, the service module and the third release module are activated.

[0228] The service module is used to serve the target user equipment using the first target handover resources until the target user equipment releases or hands over the target micro base station.

[0229] The third release module is used to release the first target handover resource and send second information to the micro base station gateway after the target user equipment releases or hands over the target micro base station. The second information instructs the micro base station gateway to release the first target handover resource.

[0230] In one embodiment, the first target handover resource includes radio resources and local resources; the radio resources include a non-contention preamble identifier and a CRNTI; the local resources may include a user equipment entity instance and user equipment entity processing resources.

[0231] For example, radio resources may also include at least one of PUCCH SR resources, PUCCH CSI resources, SPS resources, TPC_format3 resources, and SRS resources. The PUCCH CSI resources may include at least one of CQI resources, PMI resources, and RI resources.

[0232] Figure 9 This is shown as a third schematic diagram of the base station handover device provided in an embodiment of this application. This base station handover device is applied to a micro base station. (Refer to...) Figure 9 As shown, the base station handover device may include:

[0233] The second determining module 910 is used to determine the target user equipment and the second target index corresponding to the target user equipment when receiving a handover preparation message sent by the micro base station gateway; wherein, the handover preparation message is generated by the micro base station gateway when receiving a first handover request message sent by the core network, and the first handover request message is used to request the target user equipment to be handed over from the source macro base station to the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell under the micro base station gateway.

[0234] The acquisition module 920 is used to acquire the second target switching resource corresponding to the second target index from the switching resource pool;

[0235] The second handover module 930 is used to perform base station handover operations for the target user equipment based on the second target handover resources.

[0236] In one embodiment, the second determining module 910 may include:

[0237] The acquisition unit is used to acquire the total number of handover resources and to acquire the user equipment identifier from the handover preparation message; the user equipment identifier is used to determine the target user equipment.

[0238] The second determining unit is used to determine the second target index corresponding to the target user equipment based on the total number of switching resources and the user equipment identifier.

[0239] In one embodiment, the second determining unit is specifically used to: determine an index value using a hash algorithm based on the total number of handover resources and the user equipment identifier; and, if the index values ​​determined by each micro base station are the same, determine the index value as the second target index corresponding to the target user equipment.

[0240] In one embodiment, the base station handover device further includes:

[0241] The fourth release module is used to release the second target handover resources after the base station handover is completed.

[0242] In one embodiment, for a target micro base station that has successfully switched over in a micro base station, the fourth release module is specifically used to: directly release the second target switching resource; or, use the second target switching resource to serve the target user equipment until the target user equipment releases or switches out of the target micro base station and releases the second target switching resource.

[0243] In one embodiment, the second target handover resource includes radio resources and local resources; the radio resources include a non-contention preamble identifier and a CRNTI; the local resources may include a user equipment entity instance and user equipment entity processing resources.

[0244] For example, radio resources may also include at least one of PUCCH SR resources, PUCCH CSI resources, SPS resources, TPC_format3 resources, and SRS resources. The PUCCH CSI resources may include at least one of CQI resources, PMI resources, and RI resources.

[0245] The base station handover device provided in this application embodiment has the same implementation principle and beneficial effects as the base station handover method provided in the above embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0246] The device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the modules can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs. Those skilled in the art can understand and implement this without any inventive effort.

[0247] This application also provides a communication device, which may include a memory and a processor. The memory stores a computer program that can run on the processor, and the processor executes the computer program to implement the above-described functionality. Figure 2 The steps of the base station handover method described in the corresponding embodiment, or the implementation as described above, are also possible. Figure 3 The steps of the base station handover method described in the corresponding embodiment, or the implementation as described above, are also possible. Figure 4 The steps of the base station handover method described in the corresponding embodiment will not be repeated here.

[0248] Specifically, the communication device can be a micro base station gateway, which includes a first memory and a first processor. The first memory stores a computer program that can run on the first processor, and the first processor executes the program to implement the above-described functionality. Figure 2 The steps of the base station handover method described in the corresponding embodiment will not be repeated here.

[0249] The communication device can be a micro base station, which includes a second memory and a second processor. The second memory stores a computer program that can run on the second processor, and the second processor executes the program to achieve the above-described functionality. Figure 3 The steps of the base station handover method described in the corresponding embodiment, or the implementation as described above. Figure 4 The steps of the base station handover method described in the corresponding embodiment will not be repeated here.

[0250] Based on the base station handover method described in any of the above embodiments, this application also provides a computer-readable storage medium. For example, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may be a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a CD-ROM, magnetic tape, a floppy disk, or an optical data storage device, etc. This storage medium stores computer instructions for executing the base station handover method described in any of the above embodiments, which will not be elaborated further here.

[0251] Those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the steps of the above embodiments can be implemented by hardware, or by a program instructing related hardware to implement them. The program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, such as a read-only memory, a disk, or an optical disk.

[0252] Other embodiments of this application will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the specification and practice of the disclosure herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations thereof that follow the general principles of this application and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein. The specification and examples are to be considered exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of this application are indicated by the claims.

Claims

1. A base station handover method, characterized in that, Applied to micro base station gateways, the base station handover method includes: Upon receiving a first handover request message from the core network, a first target handover resource for the target user equipment is determined from the handover resource pool; wherein, the first handover request message is used to request the target user equipment to be handed over from the source macro base station to the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell under the micro base station gateway; The micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell sends first information to indicate the first target handover resource, so that the micro base station performs a base station handover operation based on the first target handover resource.

2. The base station handover method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first information is a first target index of the first target handover resource; the step of sending first information to the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell to indicate the first target handover resource, so that the micro base station performs a base station handover operation based on the first target handover resource, includes: The first target index is sent to the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell so that the micro base station determines the first target handover resource corresponding to the first target index and performs a base station handover operation according to the first target handover resource.

3. The base station handover method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first information is the configuration information of the first target handover resource; the step of sending first information to the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell to indicate the first target handover resource, so that the micro base station performs a base station handover operation based on the first target handover resource, includes: The micro base station sends the configuration information of the first target handover resource to the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell, so that the micro base station performs a base station handover operation according to the configuration information of the first target handover resource.

4. The base station handover method according to claim 1, characterized in that, After switching the target user equipment from the source macro base station to the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell under the micro base station gateway, the base station switching method further includes: Upon receiving the second information sent by the target micro base station in the micro base station where the handover has been successfully completed, the first target handover resource is released.

5. A base station handover method, characterized in that, Applied to micro base stations, the base station handover method includes: Upon receiving first information sent by the micro base station gateway to which the micro base station belongs, a base station handover operation is performed based on the first target handover resource indicated by the first information. Wherein, the first target handover resource is determined by the micro base station gateway from the handover resource pool for the target user equipment upon receiving a first handover request message sent by the core network; the first handover request message is used to request the target user equipment to be handed over from the source macro base station to the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell under the micro base station gateway.

6. The base station handover method according to claim 5, characterized in that, After switching the target user equipment from the source macro base station to the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell under the micro base station gateway, the base station switching method further includes: The target micro base station that successfully completes the handover directly releases the first target handover resource and sends second information to the micro base station gateway; the second information is used to instruct the micro base station gateway to release the first target handover resource. or, The target micro base station that successfully switches over uses the first target switching resource to serve the target user equipment until the target user equipment releases or switches out of the target micro base station. Then, it releases the first target switching resource and sends second information to the micro base station gateway. The second information is used to instruct the micro base station gateway to release the first target switching resource.

7. A base station handover method, characterized in that, Applied to micro base stations, the base station handover method includes: Upon receiving a handover preparation message from the micro base station gateway, the target user equipment and the second target index corresponding to the target user equipment are determined; the handover preparation message is generated by the micro base station gateway upon receiving a first handover request message from the core network, the first handover request message being used to request the handover of the target user equipment from the source macro base station to the micro base station of the target virtual neighbor cell under the micro base station gateway; Obtain the second target switching resource corresponding to the second target index from the switching resource pool; A base station handover operation for the target user equipment is performed based on the second target handover resource.

8. The base station handover method according to claim 7, characterized in that, Determining the second target index corresponding to the target user equipment includes: Obtain the total number of switching resources and obtain the user equipment identifier from the switching preparation message; the user equipment identifier is used to identify the target user equipment. The second target index corresponding to the target user equipment is determined based on the total number of switching resources and the user equipment identifier.

9. The base station handover method according to claim 7, characterized in that, After the base station handover is completed, the base station handover method further includes: Release the second target switching resources.

10. The base station handover method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The handover resources in the handover resource pool include radio resources and local resources; The radio resources include non-contention preamble identifiers and temporary identifiers for the cell radio network; The local resources include user equipment entity instances and user equipment entity processing resources.

11. The base station handover method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The wireless resources also include at least one of the following: uplink scheduling request resources for the physical uplink control channel, channel state information resources for the physical uplink control channel, semi-static scheduling resources, transmit power control format 3 resources, and detection reference signal resources.

12. A communication device comprising a memory and a processor, the memory storing a computer program executable on the processor, characterized in that, When the processor executes the computer program, it implements the steps of the base station handover method as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, or implements the steps of the base station handover method as described in claim 5 or 6, or implements the steps of the base station handover method as described in any one of claims 7 to 9.

13. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that, When executed by a processor, the computer program implements the steps of the base station handover method as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, or the steps of the base station handover method as described in claim 5 or 6, or the steps of the base station handover method as described in any one of claims 7 to 9.

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